She stood behind the curtain as the dittany was poured onto the unconscious figure. Madame Pomphrey hadn't asked any questions when she arrived, simply casting a scourgify on her and hastily had begun working diligently to heal him. Hermione breathed in and held it for a moment before exhaling and picking at the dried blood beneath her fingers.

"You found him, Miss Granger, I suppose that's why you are still here." She nimbly nodded her head and looked into the half moon spectacles of the headmaster as he approached peaking his head behind the curtain.

"I was waiting on someone else to come" she replied when he came back and looked at her.

"There has been their fair share of murmurs in the castle that those who care about him rarely know where he is, I'm slightly sure you would be here all night, but I have been wrong before." The headmaster said sitting next to her and folding his hands on his lap.

"I wouldn't know sir" she returned to the blood on her hand. "I make no claim to care for him, simply doing what I should."

"Doing what you should sometimes shows the most care of all."

"I think I've done the opposite of what I should a few times this year, I think you also know about this." She looked at the man next to her and the small smile that appeared on his face.

"The castle does whisper a bit on a lot of things in my absence. May I request something of you Miss. Granger? While you contemplate the balance of right and wrong, as I have no doubt you've been doing. Do try to understand that not always will there be such a black and white answer as the one you are searching for. Sometimes there is more of a grey area involved. How deep that grey gets however is all we can worry about." Pomphrey opened the curtain quickly, exposing the wrapped figure on the bed and eyed the pair seated on the chairs.

"He's going to be minorly scarred, better than deceased, but I'm sure Mr. Malfoy won't see it that way. I don't want him moving much tonight, he has been up headmaster. I'm not sure what you can get from him but feel free to try."

"No need Poppy. I think it can wait a moment. Miss. Granger." He stood then and laid a hand on Pomphrey's shoulder before leaving the room.

"You can talk to him now if you must, however, be brief I want both of you asleep before long." She said walking to her office.

She sighed and stood to make her way to him as he grunted and tried to sit up. Cursing he laid back and held onto the bandages wrapped around his midsection.

"She told you not to move."

"No she said not to move much, she did not say that my insides would try to find their way out if I did otherwise." He hissed behind his teeth.

"Stop fidgeting before you tear it open again." She laid her hand on his arm and he jerked it away, hissing at the quick movement.

"What do you care? You set my bed on fire you know. You want to know how long I had to stay away from the dormitory until people stopped asking me why my scroll burst into flames. I assumed you wouldn't write anything back, but I never thought you would send fire my way." She stared at him mouth open as she processed what he said.

"I threw it in the fire."

"It was a proten charmed scroll Granger, anything that goes on it comes to the other side. But thank you for proving what I thought was true. Guess even the smartest need things spelled out for them."

"You're being nasty."

"Yes I was recently cut to ribbons by a friend of yours, maybe you're familiar with the situation? I did tell you to just let me die, yet here we are." His eyes were like slate as he looked into hers.

"If you're mad that I saved you be mad at something else, I couldn't save you. You very well would have died had Snape not heard all the yelling. But please continue apparently you need this so have at it." She threw her arms to her side. He gritted his teeth and stared at her. She could feel the frustration growing between them.

"I am going to die anyways. The sooner people stop trying to step in and save me the sooner it will happen on my own terms." He spat out at her and she flinched at his words.

"I won't let you jump off the tower and I would have tried everything to stop you from bleeding out in front of me if I could." He laughed and groaned as she finished.

"Oh how fast we turn from cursing me if you ever see my face to saving my life in such a short time. Excuse me I believe I have whiplash from keeping up with you Granger." She turned then and left running into Blaise as she slammed her way through the hospital wing door.

"Granger?" He asked steading her as she quickly came to a halt.

"Good luck with him, the prat." She said waving to the door behind her.

"You've not exactly been an angel yourself" Blaise raised his eyebrows at her and he pulled her arm and took her away from the door.

"What was I supposed to do Blaise? Fall into his arms and comfort him when a failed assassination of lord only knows who sends one of my best friends to their death bed?" she jerked her arm out of his grasp and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Damnit, I thought it was him, I didn't want to believe he would be stupid enough to try to kill someone."

"You didn't know?" she replied

"No Hermione, no one knows anything, why do you think we've sent you on this little escapade. He showed an interest, so I dangled you in front of him. Brought you up when I finally saw him. He is going to do something stupid, something that is going to kill him and I can't stop him." Blaise had run out of breath trying to force the words out. She looked at the person in front of her and shook her head.

"I am not some pawn in this game."

"We all are, it just depends on what side of the chess board we're on whether we win."