Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except the plot, Rebecca, blah, blah, blah.

Authors Note: There will be some really gross stuff in this chapter. I got the gnarl-thing from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anyway Friday I'm going on vacation so I won't be able to write anything for a few weeks.

Draco Potter?

Chapter 5: Detention

Draco walked out of the Dungeons. He had detention with Granger in the Forest at midnight. The joy. He had avoided looking in the mirror the whole day after the Hospital Wing.

Draco still wondered how this could happen. He looked perfectly normal before he came to Hogwarts. Maybe it's because he found out. No, then he would've looked like this a week ago.

He walked through the front doors. Granger was probably there already. Draco wondered what they had to do this time. Hopefully it wasn't with Hagrid. At least Potter wasn't there to attract trouble. Like the last time. They wouldn't even be attacked if he wasn't there. Draco saw that Granger wasn't there yet. Now he had to wait. He heard running footsteps behind him. He turned around. It was just Granger.

They walked towards the Forest. Filch was already waiting for them. He was smiling. Draco was scared. If Filch was smiling then it would be something really bad.

"Well, well", Filch said, "If it isn't Granger and Malfoy. For fighting... This is going to be real fun..." Draco and Granger both looked worried.

"Don't worry, you're not going to die", Filch said seeing the looks on their faces and smiled wider, "Even if it catches you. It'll just paralyze you and eat your skin while you're still alive. You wont die. You're probably going to escape anyway. The skin eating will take hours".

Great, Draco thought, I wont die, I'll just get eaten alive. That's a real comfort.

"It's not a-", Granger gulped, "gnarl is it?"

"Yes it is", Filch smiled even wider, "I'll pick you up in the morning. With any luck one of you will get eaten. If that doesn't happen, which I doubt, kill it so the other students are safe. Good night". Filch walked back to the castle.

"Well, we should get going then", Draco said, "It's not like we're going to die. Maybe in the end but that's hours away".

"D'you even know how dangerous a gnarl is?" Granger spat, "I've seen it on TV but I didn't think it was real".

"Everything is real, Granger", Draco said softly, not bothering to ask what a TV is.

"There really is a Slayer?" Granger sounded surprised.

"Of course Granger. Why do you think we don't have any vampires here? Let's go", Draco sighed and walked inside the Forest. Granger followed him. Neither of them said anything. Both had lit their wands. They didn't see the gnarl yet, but they really weren't regretting that.

"Wait a minute", Draco said and stopped walking. He looked over his shoulder. They were surrounded by darkness. "We are deep enough in the Forest now-"

"What are you going to do?" Granger asked, "D'you want to fight again? There are no teachers around and we never finished it the last time"

"No. We're so deep in the Forest now and nobody can see what we're doing-"

"So?"

Draco sat on the ground, leaning against a tree. "Nobody can see if we really kill that stupid gnarl or not. We can just do nothing and nobody can prove it"

"Good point". Granger also sat down.

"Aren't you going to lecture me that we should do it because we were asked to do it and because we deserve it and junk?" Draco stared at her.

"No", Granger sighed, "The only way to kill a gnarl is to get him in the eyes or something. Buffy stuck her thumbs in one to kill it and I'm really not sticking my thumbs in anything"

"Well, I'm not either" Draco said disgusted.

"I'm so bored", Granger said after about half an hour.

"Like I'm not", Draco said, "But I'd rather be bored than dead. Or worse".

"I second that", she actually agreed with him, "So... What did you do in the summer?"

"Nevermind", she said when she saw the look on his face, "I'm just so bored".

Suddenly they heard something. A voice. An eerie voice.

"All alone", it said, "In the Forest too"

"Where is it coming from?" Granger whispered. Draco looked around. It seemed like it was coming from everywhere.

"Nobody is going to hear you scream", it said again. Suddenly something grabbed Granger from behind. She screamed. Her wand fell on the ground. It was the gnarl they were supposed to kill. It looked a lot like a human but without skin. It scratched Granger with its endlessly long fingernails, which paralyzed her.

"Draco...", she whispered right before it pulled her into the darkness.

Draco screamed too and ran away. He didn't look where he went, he just kept running. When he couldn't run any further, he let himself fall on the ground. He was panting. He looked around.

I'm lost, Draco thought, crap. Oh well. At least I'm safe. For now. Granger will keep it busy for the rest of the night. But now she's with it. And it'll eventually kill her. So what. I hate her and nothing happened to me. No, I don't really hate her but I'll have to sacrifice something to keep me alive. Should I go back? Nah, she can handle herself. But now she's paralyzed. I'm not going to save her. That would be such Potter thing. Wait a minute... She called me Draco. She never called me Draco before. Why would she--Anyway, should I go back?

Draco stood up and started pacing trying to decide if he would go back or not. After maybe an hour he finally knew what he was going to do. He sighed and knew that he had to. Otherwise he was going to feel guilty the rest of his life and Scarboy and his sidekick the Weasel were going to make him pay.

As quietly as Draco could he walked back. He stopped and remembered that he didn't know the way back. He started walking again trying to remember. Finally he recognized where he was.

Finally, Draco thought, somewhere I recognize. Which way did I-- Wait a minute.

He looked around. Damn, I've been walking in circles, he thought.

He guessed that maybe 45 minutes passed. He should've found the way by now. He walked further looking around if he recognized anything. Draco heard something tear. He was probably not so far now. He heard someone whimpering.

Draco saw Granger and the gnarl a bit further. It was bended over Granger ripping of a piece of skin and eating it. I'm going to save one of Scarboy's best friends, he thought disgusted, god help me.

Draco held his wand ready. He took a deep breath. "Hey you!" he called. The gnarl turned around.

"Another treat", it said, "It's my lucky day. Two meals in one night".

"Are you actually going to eat me or just annoy me with your little speech?" Draco asked.

Granger whimpered. Her robes were torn at her stomach and covered in blood. Draco tried to ignore her. She looked so helpless. The gnarl ran at Draco. "Impedimenta!" Draco yelled. It froze. Draco shivered. He really had to kill it because the paralyze is permanent until it's dead. But the only way was--

Draco walked towards it already regretting what he was going to do. He lifted his hands and looked disgusted. Looking away, he stuck his thumbs in gnarl's eyes and pushed it in as deep as he could. He heard a sickening squishing noise. The gnarl fell dead on the ground. Draco quickly jerked his hands back and got a look on his face like he was going to throw up. His hands were covered in blood.

"That's disgusting! I'm never doing that again!" Draco shouted, wiping his hands as good as he could on his robes. He stopped and remembered that he was here to save Granger.

He ran towards Granger and fell beside her. She was seriously injured. Almost all the skin on her stomach was ripped off. She wasn't paralyzed anymore but still didn't move. Draco gently touched her stomach. Granger whimpered and pulled his hand away with hers.

"C'mon", Draco said softly, pulling her up. He carefully put his cloak over her shoulders. Grangers was all ripped. Draco swung her arm over his shoulders and placed his other hand around her waist. With his free hand he picked up Granger's wand and pocketed it. He held her arm that was over his shoulder.

"Which way did we come from?" Draco asked. Granger pointed to their right. They slowly walked back. It was really dark and they could hardly see anything. Draco's wand was still lit, but that didn't really help.

"I'm so sorry", he whispered. Usually he never cared but this time he meant it. If it wasn't for him this wouldn't have happened. He didn't know why but he couldn't stand seeing Granger in pain like this.

"It's not your fault", Granger whispered with difficulty. Her eyes were filled with tears and she could hardly walk. She left a trail of blood behind. If she didn't get to the Hospital Wing soon, she could die.

"Yes it is", Draco whispered. Why was he acting like this?

"No it isn't", Granger whispered, "You didn't have to come back for me but you did". Actually she was right. He didn't have to go save her. He could just be his old self and left her to die, something that could still happen. "You saved my life and I'll never forget that". They stood still.

"So does Potter every year", Draco said. At least he saved someone. Something he couldn't have done before...

"This is different", Granger whispered, "He's my best friend and he has to. But you didn't have to". She looked into his eyes. His eyes were green now, exactly like Harry's, but that wasn't her biggest problem now. He was really different than before.

Draco looked back. She looked so helpless. They were both quiet for a few seconds. "We should go back. You really need to go to the Hospital Wing", Draco said breaking the silence.

"Right", Granger said still looking in his eyes. They slowly started walking again, looking away.

"Are you sure that this was the way back?" Draco asked a few minutes later. It looked like they were lost again.

"Yes", Granger said, looking around. "Where are we?" She looked scared.

Great, Draco thought, we're lost, again, in the Forest and Hermione could... No, I'm not going to let that happen again. I just called her Hermione, didn't I?

They heard something sniff. "What was that?" Granger said looking more scared. She looked around. Draco looked around too. He saw a scaly black thing that looked like a horse beside Granger, sniffing her.

"One of Hagrid's Thestrals", Draco said, "It's right next to you". Granger winced. "What's wrong?" Draco asked worried.

"Nothing", Granger said with difficulty, "The pain is just getting worse". She pulled Draco's cloak tighter around her. Draco looked at the Thestral. It was the easiest way out of here. More were coming, attracted by the blood on Granger. She couldn't see them.

"We can take one of these things out of here", Draco said, "They know the way. C'mon". He carefully helped Granger get on the one beside her. He sat in front of her.

"I can ride it myself, I've done it before", Granger said.

"No you can't", Draco whispered. He didn't know why he was taking care of her like this, he never acted like this before except with... He tried not to think of her, it hurt him so much. "Er... Hogwarts", he said to the Thestral and it took flight. Granger held Draco from behind so she didn't fall off. With one hand Draco held the Thestral and with the other Granger otherwise Granger could still fall off.

"How could you even see Thestrals?" Granger asked, "Hagrid said that the only people that could see it have seen death".

Draco knew she was going to ask that. He felt the familiar pain when he thought of Rebecca. "I don't want to talk about it", he said through clenched teeth. Granger didn't say anything back. Draco looked down. It was too dark to see anything, but he already saw Hogwarts. It was the only place with light. They had been really deep in the Forest. The Thestral started going down. Granger held Draco tighter. They landed right in front of the front door.

Draco got off first and helped Granger get off. He was covered in her blood. He swung her arm over his shoulders and placed his other arm around her waist again. Granger looked like she was going to faint. She had lost a lot of blood. She pulled Draco's cloak tighter around her. She tried to walk, but she just couldn't. So, Draco carried her all the way to the Hospital Wing. When they finally arrived at the Hospital Wing, they didn't really expect Madam Pomfrey to be there, but she was. She was sitting on a chair reading the Evening Prophet at the other end. She didn't see Draco and Granger yet.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Draco called. She looked up. She gasped and quickly stood up. She ran towards them. "What happened?" she shrieked when she reached them.

"Gnarl", Granger whispered. Her face was chalk-white. Draco carefully put her down on the nearest bed.

"You better stay here too", Madam Pomfrey said to Draco. He sat down on the bed next to her. Madam Pomfrey hurried to get a healing potion.

"Thanks. For everything", Granger whispered to Draco and fainted. Draco lay down and after a last glance at Granger, he fell asleep.