The buzz around him was made up of several deep voices. Men he did not recognize. He opened his eyes, but they each swam as shifting colors before his eyes. His ears were singing a pitch that only a harpy or a siren could hit, so it took him a while to realize that they weren't far from where he lay.

"Minerva has filled us in on much of what she knew, but we're still confused why you didn't summon us sooner." The man sounded annoyed.

"Honestly, and I mean this with as little disrespect as possible...if you had known Malfoy was hurt but without much other information, would you have sent anyone out here?" Hermione may have prefaced her comment respectfully, but Draco could hear the tone in her voice - she already knew the man wouldn't answer her in any satisfactory way.

The silence that followed her question spoke volumes.

The click of a door caught Draco off guard, and someone must have seen him move as he flinched away from the sound.

"Malfoy, you're finally awake." It was not Hermione's voice, but Potter's that addressed him. "We tried to speak to the girl who did this to you." Potter's voice was strained, and as Draco's eyes began to focus he could feel his anxiety rising. Something wasn't right.

Hermione must have noticed it too, because she moved closer, going around the man she had been speaking to only moments before. "What happened to Nina, Harry? I don't like that look..."

He shook his head and rubbed his jaw for a moment, as though he were easing the tension he was holding in. "I can't...Uhh, I can't discuss it at the moment. All I can say is that we don't have anymore leads than we did before." He looked at the other Auror in the room, and something passed between them, unspoken. The man nodded and left the room quietly.

"Malfoy, I may not have answers yet... but we're not going to give up. I give you my word that we will figure out who's doing this. But I need to know something- are there Death Eaters that weren't reported to the Ministry? Did anyone get away?"

Draco frowned, his brow cut deep in concentration. He wasn't well versed in the families who were involved, not like his parents. But he couldn't imagine that his parents had spared anyone in their attempt to gain back social favor. "I honestly don't know, Potter. Why would you ask?"

"A student out for revenge wouldn't do- they wouldn't do this. Or, at least I want to believe they wouldn't." Harry struggled for the words, and Draco could tell that something was haunting him.

"She's dead, isn't she." Draco stated, and could almost have missed Harry's nod.

Hermione's hands clasped over her mouth, stunned. A small gasp escaped as she tried to fight back the tears that stung her eyes. "But that can't be true! Ginny heard someone that night-

"Hermione, I understand that. I've spoken to Ginny, and she said she finally spoke to that Prefect. Whoever they saw that night, they had no memory of the other person. It could have been anyone. I've got a couple of ideas, but they are all only guesses at the moment. Whoever it is, they had Nina under a spell...she must not have even known. She was going to tell us everything, but the minute she tried to speak it- well, at least it was quick." Harry's eyes went blank. He was far away, protecting himself. Hermione had seen it several times since the end of the war. He would retreat into some other moment, and spare himself the pain of certain memories. She reached out to touch his arm, and he turned to look at her. It pulled him back to see her. He nodded, a silent "thank you".

Draco fought to sit up, his face contorted with a variety of emotions. His breathing grew ragged, and he stumbled out of bed and grabbed at the front of Harry's robes. Hermione tried to grab at his hands, but he couldn't hear her as she called out his name.

"Potter, how could you!? Have you forgotten what magics exist in this forsaken world? A dark wizard will keep his secrets at any cost. Why would you risk- how could you be so stupid?" Malfoy shook Harry, but he didn't have the strength to move him far. Harry took it without a fight. He didn't even look surprised.

"Draco, stop! Harry did this to help you!"

"I know! That's why I'm so upset. Who else has to die for me? Who else has to suffer because I'm still here?" Draco's voice cracked, and his knees gave out. Harry grabbed him, and guided him slowly to the floor.

"Malfoy, there is something going on here that is bigger than you. Or Nina. Or this school. Something is wrong, and if we don't figure it out more people are going to die. I need you to be stronger than this, okay? I need your help!" Harry told him, his voice soft. He knelt in front of Draco, his hands still supporting his former rivals arms. "I need someone who understands the parts of this forsaken world that I'm still too trusting and naive to see, right?"

Hermione helped Harry pull Draco back up and put him back in his bed, but Hermione couldn't stop staring at the tears that were running down Draco's pale face. This poor boy had been through so much. They all had suffered so much. Would they ever have a chance at a normal life?

"The curse-breakers are still upstairs checking on Nina. Whatever was done to her, they didn't detect it before it happened. We thought it was safe to question her. We are not dealing with a student or an amateur. I'm afraid we're all going to have to be a lot more careful." Harry told them, his voice dropping quiet as he told them things that were clearly for Aurors only.

"They will be coming down to help you as soon as they finish their report. I don't think they're going to treat you here. Is there anything you need before we head to St. Mungo?"

Draco looked at Hermione.

"Please...I don't want to be alone..."

Hermione grabbed his hand.

"Okay."

Draco felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He couldn't process all the things that were going on. He had seen so much over the last two years, but he hadn't ever let himself feel it. This, however, hit him in waves that threatened to pull him under. The only thing that kept him from drowning was Hermione's hand on his. She hadn't left his side since they arrived at his new hospital room.

The white walls of antiseptic treatment gave him an empty feeling, and it made his anxiety swell even further. The medi-witch was keeping him cool with ice spells as the curse-breakers poured over the ring. Each shimmering spell flashed at the edges of his vision, but he kept his eyes on Granger. His eyes traced the spirals of the curls that framed her face, and it helped him to keep breathing.

"You're doing great, Draco. Do you feel better? You don't feel as hot." She spoke softly, but she was clearly trying to distract him.

"I'm fine, Granger. It's fine. I'm a big boy. I don't need you to keep me calm for the medi-witches. I won't need a loli after they're done, either." He told her. He got what he was hoping for, just the touch of a smile at the edges of her lips. "That's it." He said, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Hermione blushed, but her smile grew just a bit wider.

"Miss Granger, we're going to have to ask you to step out." A gruff voice broke through their moment, and Draco turned to stare at the man, Curse-Breaker Daniels. "Only medical personnel will be allowed in for the next few hours. We've also got to discuss some things with Mr. Malfoy here." Hermione squeezed his hand, and then he could hear her shoes clicking on the tile floor as she left the room.

"That's not good, yeah. You wouldn't ask her to leave if the news was good." Draco blabbed. His anxiety was threatening to bubble out through every place it could escape. Despite the heat that was threatening to over-take him, he could feel the icy grip of what was coming.

"Mr. Malfoy, we can remove the cursed object, but not without sacrifice." Daniels told him. His face was set with a furrowed brow and tight lips. "You'll lose the hand."

Malfoy's ears began to buzz. Thoughts came unbidden: "Your wand hand. How will you handle a broom? What will people say?" He tried to shake them away, each merely a vanity or a temporary obstacle, but he couldn't help but feel his voice catch in his throat as he tried to tell them he understood. He could only nod.

"Alright Mr. Malfoy. We'll see you on the other side." Daniels told him. After they helped him swallow the potion for dreamless sleep, he wished they hadn't. If he could dream, at least she could comfort him.