Despite not heading up to bed, fatigue did eventually hit Harry and Hermione and they ended up dozing on the sofa in front of the fire. However, as the first of the students started to get up the noise awakened the pair and they also raised themselves from their slumber. After agreeing they wanted to go and see if there was any new news, the pair separated to go and quickly get washed and changed.
Five minutes later they were heading out of Gryffindor Tower, with none of their dorm mates even aware they'd never slept in the beds and were now gone again. Since the pair weren't sure if Beth was back at school, they decided to just go and see Severus. Luckily they both knew the password to his office so they breezed into the room, and knocked on the door that led to his private quarters. When Severus opened the door, both Hermione and Harry were thrilled to see Beth sitting in the armchair beside the fire.
"How are you two?" Beth asked as she gave the pair a quick hug.
"We're fine. Is there any word on Narcissa?" Hermione questioned.
"I spoke to Lucius less than ten minutes ago, and Narcissa is still sleeping," Beth replied. "She's not expected to wake up until early this afternoon."
"They can tell when she going to wake?" Harry frowned, not sure how the healers could predict when Narcissa would wake.
"She's in a magical sleep," Hermione told her nephew. "Not long after we arrived at the hospital she woke up in agony and the healers had to put her to sleep to work on her. It was awful listening to her screams of pain when she was awake."
"How awful," Harry whispered, thinking how traumatised Draco and Lucius must have been to hear Narcissa in such pain and knowing they couldn't do anything to stop her from hurting.
"It was," Hermione replied quietly, not wanting to dwell on how awful it had been to witness Narcissa's suffering.
"Let's not dwell on the past," Beth said, noticing the sombre atmosphere. "Narcissa will be fine when she wakes up, albeit with some scarring. But the important thing is she's going to live."
"You're right, that is the most important thing," Hermione said with a nod. "I take it Draco and Lucius won't be back until later."
"As long as everything's okay with Narcissa, Draco will be back some time this evening," Severus replied. "As for Lucius, he's going to be taking a few days off so I'll be taking over Dark Arts."
"What about Draco's friends, they're going to want to know what's going on," Harry said. "What can we tell them?"
"Last night when I came back to the school, I informed them there'd been an incident and not to expect Draco back," Beth said. "Officially we're going to say Narcissa is ill, and Lucius and Draco are with her. However, I see no reason why you can't tell them the truth."
"Just don't do it where anyone else can hear," Severus cautioned. "I'm sure the Order will spread the word about the attack as soon as they can, but even when that happens we can just deny it or ignore the rumours. I don't want anyone finding out Narcissa was injured in the attack and you three were all there, is that clear?"
"We're not stupid, Severus," Hermione haughtily replied. "We'll talk to the Slytherins in private."
"Good, and we'll let you know the second we hear from Lucius," Beth said. "Now let's go and get some breakfast."
Severus and Beth accompanied Harry and Hermione down to The Great Hall. Just as they were about to enter the room, the Slytherins emerged from the dungeons so Harry and Hermione hung back to talk to their new friends.
"Hey, do you two know what's going on with Draco?" Blaise asked as the group approached Harry and Hermione.
"Yeah, but we can't talk here," Hermione replied as a couple of Ravenclaws passed them and entered the Great Hall. "Let's go into one of the empty classrooms across the hall."
The Slytherins exchanged confused looks, but they all followed Harry and Hermione into an empty classroom. Once everyone was in the classroom, Harry and Hermione locked the door and put up a spell to prevent anyone outside the room from listening in on their conversation.
"What's going on?" Daphne asked in a worried voice as she took hold of Harry's hand.
"Narcissa's in hospital, pretty badly hurt," Hermione explained. "Last night Father led a raid on Order Headquarters and Narcissa was injured."
"You were there?" Theo questioned clearly in awe at the revelation.
"We were," Harry confirmed.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Daphne checked with her boyfriend.
"I'm perfectly safe," Harry reassured Daphne with a smile. "Narcissa was our only casualty."
"You're forgetting Bellatrix, she's dead," Hermione said.
"I'm not too sure she was killed by the enemy," Harry replied. "She's spent so much of the last year causing trouble, someone on our side might have taken her out."
"I wish it had been me," Hermione said with a wicked grin.
"You're scary, do you know that?" Theo asked, taking a step away from Hermione.
"Never mind scary, she's bloody hot," Blaise said with a low whistle.
"Aren't you dating Luna?" Hermione asked Blaise with a frown.
"I am, but I can appreciate a hot witch when I'm friends with one," Blaise replied with a casual shrug. "Your darkness is very appealing, but luckily for Draco I'm happy with Luna."
"Why luckily for Draco?" Harry asked.
"Because if I wasn't with Luna, I would set out to seduce Hermione and make her mine," Blaise answered.
"Sorry Blaise, you're not my type," Hermione responded with a chuckle.
"You'd change your mind if I really turned on the charm," Blaise answered, unflustered by Hermione's lack of interest in him.
Hermione laughed again at Blaise as she shook her head and turned her attention back to the subject at hand. "Back to Narcissa. She's still sleeping, but she's expected to wake up this afternoon."
"Will she make a full recovery?" Daphne asked.
"She's expected to," Harry answered. "If she wakes up this afternoon, Draco should be back this evening so we can ask him."
"But for now, nothing we've just told you can leave this room," Hermione warned, focusing her stern glare on Pansy, who was standing slightly behind the other Slytherins. "If one whisper of this conversation gets out, I'll know who's to blame."
"Don't look at me," Pansy spat. "I wouldn't betray Draco by gossiping about his mother."
"None of us would," Theo stated.
"I wouldn't have thought you would, but I just had to be sure," Hermione replied. "Officially Narcissa is going to be ill, and that's why Draco and Lucius aren't here. So as far as any of you know, that's exactly what's happening."
"Don't worry, we won't breath a word to a soul," Blaise vowed. "I won't even tell Luna."
Satisfied the Slytherins wouldn't be gossiping, Hermione released the spells on the door and the group left the classroom. The entered the Great Hall just in time to hear Severus announce that Professor Malfoy was dealing with a private family matter, so for the time being he would be taking over the teaching of Dark Arts.
C.O.T.D.
Draco sat beside his mother's bed, dozing in the uncomfortable hospital chair. Despite Lucius urging him to go back to school to get some proper rest, Draco refused to leave Narcissa's side. He wasn't going anywhere until he was sure his mother was going to be okay.
When it was quiet, as it currently was, he could still hear Beth's gentle voice in his head telling him his mother had been hurt, and he still shuddered at the memory of Narcissa's unmoving body on the kitchen floor at Grimmauld Place. Draco could barely recall finding out what had happened to his mother from Hermione, but he could remember shooting the killing curse at the witch who had caused his mother's injuries. Draco just hoped that whether she'd died from his curse or if Hermione had killed her that Tonks had suffered. He would hate to think she'd drifted off peacefully when she'd caused his mother so much pain.
Draco knew just how much pain his mother had been in, as she'd woken up after they'd arrived at the hospital and her cries were the most harrowing sounds he'd ever heard. He'd been in pain just hearing his mother's cries, so he hated to imagine just what she'd felt. Thankfully the healers had sedated her and they're assured them that when she woke up, she wouldn't be in such intense pain. Of course she was still going to be in pain, but it would be more manageable.
"Draco."
Draco was jolted out of his uneasy sleep by his father's large hand on his shoulder and when he opened his eyes, Lucius handed him a cup of hot tea.
"Thanks," Draco said, sitting up as his father settled down in the seat beside him. "Any news?" He asked, looking towards his still sleeping mother.
"She's stable and according to the healers she'll be waking up at any time," Lucius replied.
"Have you slept?" Draco asked, eyeing his father and noticing how dishevelled and exhausted he looked.
"I couldn't," Lucius answered as he took hold of Narcissa's hand. "I'll rest once I'm sure your mother is going to be alright."
"Mother's tougher than she looks," Draco said. "I'm sure she's going to be just fine."
"I'm sure she is," Lucius agreed, before father and son lapsed into silence as they waited for Narcissa to re-join them in the land of the living.
Twenty minutes later, Narcissa began to stir and an excited Lucius called for the healers before focusing his attention on his wife. All the time Narcissa was waking up, Lucius held onto her hand and spoke quietly to her. Draco sort of felt as though he was intruding as his father poured his heart out and told Narcissa how much he loved her, but he didn't move from his mother's side. Lucius wasn't the only one who loved Narcissa and needed her to wake up, Draco also needed his mother and he wasn't ready to lose her.
Thankfully Lucius and Draco didn't have to worry about losing Narcissa, and even though it took her nearly an hour after she'd first started to stir, she eventually woke up. The second she was awake the healers shooed the Malfoy men out of the room and they then faced another thirty minute wait before one of the healers briefed them on Narcissa's condition and gave them permission to return to her room.
"But don't tire her out," The female healer who'd allowed them back into the room warned them in a stern voice. "Mrs Malfoy has been through a horrific experience and she's on a lot of pain medication. She's going to need plenty of rest and relaxation to get back on her feet."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't over exert herself," Lucius vowed as he went flying into his wife's room.
Following his father into Narcissa's room, Draco knew his father would look after his mother to the best of his ability. Knowing Lucius, it would be months before he allowed Narcissa to even do the simplest thing for herself. For the foreseeable future, Narcissa was very much in her husband's capable hands.
"Lucius, Draco," Narcissa gasped when she saw her husband and son entering the room.
"Cissa," Lucius cried, his voice breaking as he leant over the bed and gently pulled Narcissa into his arms. "We thought we'd lost you," He confessed as he reluctantly broke away from his wife.
"Never," Narcissa replied with a weak smile, before turning to Draco. "Do I not get a hug off you?"
In an instant Draco was at his mother's side and enclosed her in a gentle hug. For a moment he was content to just take in his mother's comforting smell and rejoice in the fact he hadn't lost the amazing woman who had raised him. Eventually, he lifted his head and gave his mother a smile as he took the seat beside her bed while Lucius settled himself on the bed beside his wife and wrapped his arm around her, protectively pulling her into his side.
"Can you remember what happened?" Lucius asked gently.
"Vaguely," Narcissa replied. "I was fighting Andromeda's daughter. She must have hit me with a curse. What happened to her?"
"Hermione took her out," Draco supplied. "She witnessed part of what happened, and she stopped Tonks from killing you outright."
"Is she dead?" Narcissa asked.
"Yes, but I don't know whether it was Hermione who killed her or me," Draco replied. "Hermione stopped her from attacking you and she was lying motionless on the floor, but just to be sure I shot the killing curse at her. Either way, she's paid for what she did to you."
"Was there any other casualties?" Narcissa asked.
Lucius and Draco shared a concerned look, before Lucius gently broke the news that Bellatrix had died in the battle. Neither Draco nor Lucius were quite sure how Narcissa was going to react to the news of her sister's death, as while they weren't overly close they were still family. However, neither of them expected Narcissa to nod solemnly and declare she already knew her sister was gone.
"How?" Draco gasped.
"Because I killed her," Narcissa whispered.
"You what?" Lucius questioned, genuinely shocked by his wife's revelation. To be honest it had crossed his mind that Beth or Hermione could have taken Bellatrix out in the heat of the battle, but it had never occurred to him his wife would have been involved.
"She was trying to kill Beth," Narcissa explained as the memories came flooding back. The second Lucius mentioned Bellatrix being dead, everything snapped into place and she could remember every second of the battle up until she was knocked out. "I was fighting, and I spotted Bella preparing to strike. I thought she was after a member of the Order, but her wand was pointed at Beth. I didn't have time to think so I threw the shield charm I was using to protect myself in front of Beth. Bella's curse hit the shield and rebounded back on herself, and that was when I was struck down."
"Beth never mentioned any of this," Lucius said with a puzzled frown. He wondered if Beth felt guilty that Narcissa had been hurt because she was saving her so she hadn't mentioned what had happened.
"I don't think she knew what was happening," Narcissa said, breathing heavily as though it was taking every ounce of her strength to just keep talking. "She was busy with the ex Auror, Moody. Bella was going to strike her in the back when she wasn't looking."
"Bitch," Draco hissed angrily. Everything was his aunt's fault, Narcissa had only been hurt because she'd saved Beth's life, which his crazy aunt had been threatening. If only Bellatrix hadn't tried to kill Beth, then Narcissa wouldn't have ended up in hospital.
"Let's discuss this another time," Lucius urged, noticing how much Narcissa was starting to struggle. "Right now, all that matters is that we're all safe and sound."
"Make sure The Dark Lord knows the truth," Narcissa insisted, sounding pretty firm although her eyelids were starting to droop.
"Don't worry, we'll tell him," Lucius reassured his wife as he kissed the top of her head. "You just sleep now, Cissa."
Within minutes Narcissa was fast asleep in her husband's arms. Draco stayed at the hospital for another hour, and Narcissa briefly woke up again to say goodbye before he headed back to school. Now he knew Narcissa was going to be okay, Draco was eager to head back to school and catch up with Harry and Hermione and compare notes about the battle at Grimmauld Place.
