An: Trying to use chapter names that dont really give anything away, but yea. ne way chapter two!


Rosies and Posies-Pale

Chapter two


Pompey was serious when she said there was nothing that they could do then- which worried Ginny even more. All that she'd done was give Malfoy a potion to keep him asleep and slow some of the pain. She wouldn't tell Ginny what was going on. Unfortunately Ginny was to afraid to ask herself, not knowing if she even wanted to know. But later that day, as more people showed up, there suddenly seemed to be way more then ever to do. Pompey seemed to think Ginny was there to boss around because she kept sending her on errands to get teachers and get something from a cupboard- and although it was very tiring, she was happy that she wasn't just being sent back to her house without even a word.

Besides-now she knew things-she had been here and people would want to question her. By now those who had seen them run up the stairs had more then likely said something. She wouldn't ask why it was Pompey was allowing her to stay, but from the work load she was encountering Ginny assumed maybe the teacher had just forgotten she was only a student.

She came back into the room with a small vial of what was supposed to be some sort of pain killer or another- and was introduced to a mister Adams- who was supposed to be Malfoy's private healer. He took the vial from her without a word mentioning something about it 'having to do'. How rich did one have to be to have a private doctor? Or rather, how sick? This thought, and the fact that Pompey was screaming in her ear to get moving and fetch her another something or other, woke her and had her moving again. Being a healer had always been something that interested Ginny, if this was what it was going to be like on a daily base-she wasn't sure what she thought anymore.

It was late when the last person- Malfoy's private doctor finally left. The room was finally quiet as Adams said to Pompey, "I'll get the results tomorrow." And shut the door behind him, frowning.

According to what she had heard all day, he had known Malfoy a long time. Whenever Pompey tried to suggest something to him he would scream something like, "Don't you tell me how to take care of him. I was the one who delivered him, I was the one there when he broke his arm falling out of that tree, I was the one there when his pet dragon thought he was a target, and I- I was there every time before and after that." He'd practically screamed at her as he told her these things-something that made Ginny not so sure about this man from the very beginning.

It seemed to Ginny like he was pretty attached to Malfoy. But she couldn't miss the hurt expression on Pompey's face whenever she was told her way wasn't right for Malfoy. Ginny's guess was that Pompey was just as attached to all her patients as Mister Adams was to Malfoy.

Pompey fell to the bed next to Malfoy's sighing. Ginny fell down on the bed next to her. It was so quiet now, and the bed was so comfortable, that Ginny was almost asleep when she heard the rough voice of Malfoy a few beds away. "Rough day?" He'd slept all day, though all different kinds of test. There was no way she would be able to sleep through being stuck with as many needles as he had.

Ginny opened her eyes and propped her head up on her hands to see over Pompey, who didn't seem to be awake. "I feel like I ran the mile. Five times." Ginny whispered. The light in the room was dim but Ginny could still see the half open eyes ahead of her. He didn't even look awake. She watched him close his eyes and turn his head upwards at the ceiling. So it was beginning already, maybe he hadn't known she was there and he'd only been asking Pomphrey. Why had she even though he was talking to her?

"I'm sorry about that." Pompey said quietly still lying there with her eyes closed now. Her sudden words made Ginny jump a little and she layed back down to calm herself down. Pompey yawned before mumbling "I was a little- I don't know-"

"Yeah." Ginny said as they all laid there in silence.

Ginny was falling asleep again when Pompey mumbled again, "Well Gin…" Ginny didn't move, but her brain panicked a little at the sudden noise. She heard the bed next to her squeak a little as it was pushed on, and heard the footsteps pass her. "It's far past curfew. I'm afraid I can't have you going back anymore." She sighed, "I don't need the headmaster getting on my case too."

"Pompey?" Malfoy started. He seemed to stutter a little as he said, "I'm sorry about him. He jus', I guess he kinda takes over the father place in my life. He thinks he' my father and I wish he were." He said quietly.

"I know Malfoy… don't worry about that." She said kindly and turned back to Ginny. "There is something for you to wear in that closet and you can sleep in that bed…Or-" she said smiling again, "You can just fall asleep on top of the covers with all your cloths on." She laughed slightly, as Ginny wasn't likely to make an effort at getting up.

"Mmm." Ginny mumbled pulling the covers down and over her without even opening her eyes, "Night."

Pompy left the room, saying goodnight to the both of them. The second she closed the door all the candles in the room went out.

"Night Malfoy." Ginny said to Malfoy falling asleep a second later.

Ginny woke to her two elders talking. One was Pompey-who's voice was motherly and calm- the other was Mister Adams. She guessed they were the only ones in the room, but she was having a little problem waking up- she didn't want to. If she woke up she was afraid that she would have to go through another day like the one she had yesterday, or worse, be told to leave.

She wasn't sure why she wanted to stay here, but she at least wanted to know what had happened yesterday. She'd relieved almost everything in her dreams again last night, slower then it had actually been. She wanted to know a lot. She wanted answers. She took a chance to glance over at Malfoy. His eyes were open and he seemed to be listening to the two people the best he could. Ginny caught his gray eyes and he smirked.

She couldn't look away right away, but when she heard footsteps walking to them she broke the contact. She wasn't sure weather or not to pretend to be sleeping. She was still tangled in a mess of sheets and blankets and could easily fake it. But she didn't have to because Pomphrey seemed to not care. She, and the black haired man, walked over to Draco who was now looking at them as if he were a little kid-eyes wide, anticipation on his face. Pompey was frowning and Mister Adams was smiling sadly. "Well," he said, "I guess it's happened again." He said combing his fingers through his hair.

Draco looked like he was going to throw up, "Damn."

"What were you thinking? Not taking your medication?"

"I forgot, I had other things on my mind." He said, biting his lip.

"Well, they sure as hell won't be on your mind for long. You'll have far worse things to think about." Adams said handing him some papers to read.

"I know." Draco said waving his hands as if he didn't want to read them.

"I'm sorry." The man said rubbing his eyes, "I know you wouldn't do it on purpose or anything. I'm just frustrated, because I didn't ever want you to have to go through it again."

"I know." Malfoy said nodding and closing his eyes.

Ginny tried to keep quiet so they didn't notice her but she couldn't help it anymore. "Through what?" she asked sitting up on her elbows.

Malfoy opened his eyes, "Nothing Weasley." He snapped as if that would shut her up. She glared at him and turned to the healers.

"Draco?" Mister Adams said in a stern, fatherly, voice.

Draco grunted, "It's not like she'd know what it is anyway." He said and looked at her with a scowl.

"Try me, I have a big family-I swear they've had to have everything in the book.

"Yeah well, this isn't in the books-not the wizarding ones anyway." He said shaking his head a little, still glaring in her direction.

She looked at him curiously, "What?"

"I don't have to tell you everything." Malfoy said.

"But I think it would be a good thing, after all, a little longer without that pain reliever and it's safe to say you'd be in a coma right now." He said.

Draco took a deep breath and looked away from Ginny. He didn't say anything for a little while. Adams was opening his mouth to explain himself when Malfoy said finally, "It's called chemo."

Ginny didn't try to hide her confusion, "Chemo?"

"Told you she wouldn't know," Draco said still turned away, crossing his arms.

"Draco, the girl was here the entire time you were out, she was the one that found you. You know what its like-you found your father that time, would you like to be left in the dark?" Adams said sitting on the bed between the two students, facing his patient.

Ginny still wasn't sure if she wanted to know anything, but she realized she was about to find out now-whether she liked it or not. She fell back onto the bed, deciding to get comfortable, but hit her head on the wall as she did so. She sat up again fast, rubbing her head. "Owey." She said looking at them through one eye.

Through Adams coat, a yellow light shown through brightly. "Crap, Draco, Madam Pomfrey and I need to go talk to your headmaster for a second, why don't you explain it to her quick while we're gone. I expect that Mrs. Weasley will have a lot of questions, so answer them all and I'll bring you a little sleeping potion when I get back." He said smiling as if this was a treat for Malfoy, like little kids and candy.

He didn't wait for an answer or reaction before he turned and followed Pompey to the door, he shoving her glowing page into her pocket as well.

"Gin, stay here until we get back, if either of you need us for anything, We'll be in Headmaster McGonagall's office. She said smiling too, before as the door closed behind them.

Malfoy sighed, "Are you 'kay?" he said nodding, meaning her head. She wasn't sure how to react to this question, but told herself just to pretend this was anyone else. She could tell he still wasn't feeling like himself but his voice-which was scratchy and rough- and his eyes-which were small and red.

"Oh." She said moving into a sitting position and smiling as she stopped rubbing her head. "Yea."

"'Kay." He said in turn sitting up as well. "Well," he took a deep breath, "I guess then we'll start with- uh- why I'm here." Ginny nodded to show she was listening, "Ah, the Malfoy's, for as long as you can trace my family back- have had this gene. I guess it's not a gene- it's like a trait though. From the second we are born to the day we die we have a disease that never stops harming our body. It's called cancer, in both the muggle world and magical." He stopped to see if she understood him at all.

When he saw her blank expression he pressed on slower. "Though what we have is a lot different from any muggle form, because we can never- ever be rid of it. We can only weaken it…" Still nothing, "We have to live every day with the disease. But, we are kinda lucky because as long as the trait had been in the family- there's been ashes. Ashes, is the potion that keeps my family alive, it's purpose is to make our white blood cells grow twice as fast as any other human being. Then the white blood cells kill off enough cancer cells to keep us from getting sick."

Finally a reaction, "And you forgot to take yours, and got sick?" Ginny asked.

"Uh, right." He said still not sure he wanted to be telling her.

Her asking a question seemed to throw him off so she asked another to get him back on track, "So why don't you just take the medication again then and get the heck outa here?"

"Eh, oh, well," he seemed to be sizing her up. "What happened is the cancer cell count got too high for the potion to be able to fight it. I'm still taking it, but it's not enough. I gotta go through chemo again and then once the count gets low enough again then I'll be able to take the potion and 'get the heck outa here'." He said using his fingers to quote her.

She blushed, "What's this chemo?" she asked pushing him forward.

"Right, the part that I'm going to be going through now. Well the kind I'm going to be taking is actually a potion. Its job is a lot like the meds the muggles use- to kill the cancer. Only like I said, I can't be completely rid of it- the muggle form can be treatable- mines more to weaken the cancer enough to be able to use the meds again." He said. He looked her in the eye and smiled. "Goody."

She frowned and then asked, "He said again."

"Huh."

"Nate? Nate said 'again'. He didn't want you to have to go through it again."

"Yea, it isn't the first time it happened. Last time though, I wasn't in school- it was the summer before my first year. I wished I'd never have to go through it again. But oops…" he said hitting his head lightly to show his frustration.

She didn't know what to say. She couldn't think if there was anymore questions she wanted answered. 'That would explain why the entire family looks do dang ghostly pale.' She thought frowning. Things went quiet for a while after he explained everything. The elders had already come back and headed into the office to do whatever it is healers do when they find out their patient has to go through something horrible-again, before she decided what she wanted to say. "Malfoy listen," she said suddenly, "I'm going to go and take a shower and do my homework- but then I'll be back, kay?" she said jumping off the bed and looking around to see if there was anything of hers.

He looked at her like she was mad, "Why the hell are ya going to do that?"

"I smell-"

"-No I mean, why are you coming back?" he said slowly.

"Oh." She thought about it a second as she stood up and then answered, "Don't know." Before she smiled and walked out the doors. 'Because I can.' She thought shutting the door.


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