If Only
By Jeni 'Draco's Girl'
Italics are in ~s
~~
Jeni felt as though her brain was surrounded by fog - there was no information coming in or going out. All she could see was grey swirls.
She inhaled fast, and her nose twitched. The smell of cleaning products was very strong and she figured she must be in the Hospital Wing. Her body felt like it was starting to work again.
Jeni groaned; her head felt like it had split open - she'd never had a headache this bad before.
~'Jeni? Jeni, can you hear me?'~
She could vaguely hear someone calling to her, it sounded like they were a very long way away, whoever they were.
Jeni's eye lids fluttered. The light was very bright, she shut them again as hard as she could, and tried to cover her face with her hand, but her arms were too heavy to move, and one of them seemed to be pinned down by something.
~'Jeni?'~
The voice sounded more urgent, and somehow familiar. She tried to place it, but she couldn't...
Fingers were digging into her arm, making it tingle with pins-and-needles. If she could have talked, she would've told this person to calm down, she wasn't about to die without a fight.
~'Calm down, Mr Malfoy. She's not dying!'~
Another, female, voice pierced the fog.
Malfoy? thought Jeni. What's he doing here? She struggled to open her eyes again, and a shadow fell over her as she tried to focus, relieving some of the brightness.
~'There you are,'~ Madame Pomfrey assured Malfoy. ~'She's coming 'round now.'~
Jeni groaned again as her whole body started to ache.
'How do you feel?' Madame Pomfrey asked her.
'I...' Jeni's voice broke as she tried to speak. She felt a glass rest against her lips and she gulped down a few mouthfuls before trying to speak again. 'I...Bloody hell Malfoy! Would you let go of my arm for God's sake!?' she cried.
Her arm was immediately released and felt suddenly cold where his fingers no longer were. She looked at it and saw a row of four imprints were his nails had been digging in. She glanced up at him, and his expression, Jeni thought, looked meek and slightly embarrassed for the first time ever, and she decided, probably the last.
'Here, drink this.' Madame Pomfrey handed Jeni a goblet, which she downed with a grimace, then took it back and went into her office, leaving Jeni alone with Malfoy.
'So...' Jeni began, glancing around the room looking at everything but Malfoy. 'What happened?'
'Well...I don't actually know what happened to ~you~, but when I came back late from Care of Magical Creatures you were just lying there...so I carried you back up here.'
Jeni's heart did a backflip. Draco had ~carried~ her up here? MALFOY screamed the family-loyalty part of her brain. DRACO replied her heart. After all, her ~had~ practically rescued her, hadn't he? Who knew how long she'd have been lying there if he hadn't happened to be late back. And he ~had~ been nice, hadn't he? He hadn't ~had~ to carry her up here himself, he could have just fetched a teacher. But...that might have looked like he'd done something to her, wouldn't it? It was like her dad had always told her, 'Never trust a Malfoy. They always have an ulterior motive.' But her dad only knew Draco's father, wouldn't Draco be different? She ~wanted~ him to be different, but... she sighed, as another of her dad's sayings came to mind. 'You can't have everything you want.' Why ~not~, she thought angrily. She wanted Draco to be nice, just because his dad was mean didn't mean he had to be, did it? And...
Jeni blinked, realising Draco was watching her quizzically. Her eyes locked with his for an instant.
'Er...um...yeah, thanks...' Jeni frowned and looked away, confused. She turned back towards him and picked a spot in the wall beside his head to look at. 'How long have I been up here?' She asked.
Draco glanced outside for a second. 'I guess about seven hours...it must be dinner time by now.'
Jeni sat bolt upright with a squeak. '~Seven hours~!!' She cried. 'You're not serious!!' She stared at him, her eyes begging him to say he wasn't serious, that it had only been about two, or three.
He smirked slightly, amused by her little outburst, but eventually his face went deadly serious and he nodded.
Jeni flopped back onto her pillows, feeling terribly hopeless, making a noise that was a cross between a groan and a sigh. 'But I've missed so much!'
Draco bit his lip, a shadow of what might have been concern passed over his face. 'Then you won't be happy to hear that Pomfrey wants you to stay here at least for all of tomorrow...' He trailed off as he saw the expression of anger that was growing on Jeni's face.
'~WHAT~!!??' she practically screamed, then lowered her voice so only Draco could hear. 'If that old bird thinks I'm staying here one more second she has another thing coming.' She hissed.
Jeni pulled back the blankets, pausing for a millisecond when she discovered she only had her nightie on, then swung her legs over the side and heaved herself out of bed.
Only to fall flat on her face as her knees buckled beneath her.
Well almost.
Jeni's brain wasn't clear enough yet to register the fact that if she had stopped falling just centimeters above the ground then something must be holding her up.
Two very strong and safe-feeling somethings, in fact.
Draco's arms.
He pulled her upright and lifted her back into bed as though she was no heavier than a feather.
Jeni scowled at him. This seemed to have no effect, he just smirked back like he always did, but Jeni could see amusement in his eyes.
'So,' he said, the amusement coming through in his voice, as he pulled his chair closer to the bed and glanced towards Madame Pomfrey's office, to make sure she couldn't hear, then put his head close to hers as he asked her curiously, 'What ~does~ the old bird have coming?'
Jeni's only response was to scowl even harder and mutter something that sounded like, 'Hmph.'
Draco pushed his chair back and stood, flashing her a genuine smile. 'I'll come and see you tomorrow, OK?' he told her, then turned and left without waiting for a response. Then he stopped and turned. 'Oh, and don't try to get up again, I might not be here to save you.' Then he was gone.
'Hmph,' muttered Jeni again. Typical Draco, she thought to herself, he's so full of himself. But as she drifted off to sleep that night she couldn't help but think how straight and white his teeth were.
~~
And Hey Presto! Chapter 4 finished!!
So please review! All comments bar flames welcome!!
I apologise for any part of this sounding old fashioned, but I'm right in the middle of reading 'Pride and Prejudice' at the moment and my writing style sometimes seems to change slightly to reflect that of whatever book I'm reading at the time.
A bit off the topic there.oh, yeah! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! and REVIEW!
By Jeni 'Draco's Girl'
Italics are in ~s
~~
Jeni felt as though her brain was surrounded by fog - there was no information coming in or going out. All she could see was grey swirls.
She inhaled fast, and her nose twitched. The smell of cleaning products was very strong and she figured she must be in the Hospital Wing. Her body felt like it was starting to work again.
Jeni groaned; her head felt like it had split open - she'd never had a headache this bad before.
~'Jeni? Jeni, can you hear me?'~
She could vaguely hear someone calling to her, it sounded like they were a very long way away, whoever they were.
Jeni's eye lids fluttered. The light was very bright, she shut them again as hard as she could, and tried to cover her face with her hand, but her arms were too heavy to move, and one of them seemed to be pinned down by something.
~'Jeni?'~
The voice sounded more urgent, and somehow familiar. She tried to place it, but she couldn't...
Fingers were digging into her arm, making it tingle with pins-and-needles. If she could have talked, she would've told this person to calm down, she wasn't about to die without a fight.
~'Calm down, Mr Malfoy. She's not dying!'~
Another, female, voice pierced the fog.
Malfoy? thought Jeni. What's he doing here? She struggled to open her eyes again, and a shadow fell over her as she tried to focus, relieving some of the brightness.
~'There you are,'~ Madame Pomfrey assured Malfoy. ~'She's coming 'round now.'~
Jeni groaned again as her whole body started to ache.
'How do you feel?' Madame Pomfrey asked her.
'I...' Jeni's voice broke as she tried to speak. She felt a glass rest against her lips and she gulped down a few mouthfuls before trying to speak again. 'I...Bloody hell Malfoy! Would you let go of my arm for God's sake!?' she cried.
Her arm was immediately released and felt suddenly cold where his fingers no longer were. She looked at it and saw a row of four imprints were his nails had been digging in. She glanced up at him, and his expression, Jeni thought, looked meek and slightly embarrassed for the first time ever, and she decided, probably the last.
'Here, drink this.' Madame Pomfrey handed Jeni a goblet, which she downed with a grimace, then took it back and went into her office, leaving Jeni alone with Malfoy.
'So...' Jeni began, glancing around the room looking at everything but Malfoy. 'What happened?'
'Well...I don't actually know what happened to ~you~, but when I came back late from Care of Magical Creatures you were just lying there...so I carried you back up here.'
Jeni's heart did a backflip. Draco had ~carried~ her up here? MALFOY screamed the family-loyalty part of her brain. DRACO replied her heart. After all, her ~had~ practically rescued her, hadn't he? Who knew how long she'd have been lying there if he hadn't happened to be late back. And he ~had~ been nice, hadn't he? He hadn't ~had~ to carry her up here himself, he could have just fetched a teacher. But...that might have looked like he'd done something to her, wouldn't it? It was like her dad had always told her, 'Never trust a Malfoy. They always have an ulterior motive.' But her dad only knew Draco's father, wouldn't Draco be different? She ~wanted~ him to be different, but... she sighed, as another of her dad's sayings came to mind. 'You can't have everything you want.' Why ~not~, she thought angrily. She wanted Draco to be nice, just because his dad was mean didn't mean he had to be, did it? And...
Jeni blinked, realising Draco was watching her quizzically. Her eyes locked with his for an instant.
'Er...um...yeah, thanks...' Jeni frowned and looked away, confused. She turned back towards him and picked a spot in the wall beside his head to look at. 'How long have I been up here?' She asked.
Draco glanced outside for a second. 'I guess about seven hours...it must be dinner time by now.'
Jeni sat bolt upright with a squeak. '~Seven hours~!!' She cried. 'You're not serious!!' She stared at him, her eyes begging him to say he wasn't serious, that it had only been about two, or three.
He smirked slightly, amused by her little outburst, but eventually his face went deadly serious and he nodded.
Jeni flopped back onto her pillows, feeling terribly hopeless, making a noise that was a cross between a groan and a sigh. 'But I've missed so much!'
Draco bit his lip, a shadow of what might have been concern passed over his face. 'Then you won't be happy to hear that Pomfrey wants you to stay here at least for all of tomorrow...' He trailed off as he saw the expression of anger that was growing on Jeni's face.
'~WHAT~!!??' she practically screamed, then lowered her voice so only Draco could hear. 'If that old bird thinks I'm staying here one more second she has another thing coming.' She hissed.
Jeni pulled back the blankets, pausing for a millisecond when she discovered she only had her nightie on, then swung her legs over the side and heaved herself out of bed.
Only to fall flat on her face as her knees buckled beneath her.
Well almost.
Jeni's brain wasn't clear enough yet to register the fact that if she had stopped falling just centimeters above the ground then something must be holding her up.
Two very strong and safe-feeling somethings, in fact.
Draco's arms.
He pulled her upright and lifted her back into bed as though she was no heavier than a feather.
Jeni scowled at him. This seemed to have no effect, he just smirked back like he always did, but Jeni could see amusement in his eyes.
'So,' he said, the amusement coming through in his voice, as he pulled his chair closer to the bed and glanced towards Madame Pomfrey's office, to make sure she couldn't hear, then put his head close to hers as he asked her curiously, 'What ~does~ the old bird have coming?'
Jeni's only response was to scowl even harder and mutter something that sounded like, 'Hmph.'
Draco pushed his chair back and stood, flashing her a genuine smile. 'I'll come and see you tomorrow, OK?' he told her, then turned and left without waiting for a response. Then he stopped and turned. 'Oh, and don't try to get up again, I might not be here to save you.' Then he was gone.
'Hmph,' muttered Jeni again. Typical Draco, she thought to herself, he's so full of himself. But as she drifted off to sleep that night she couldn't help but think how straight and white his teeth were.
~~
And Hey Presto! Chapter 4 finished!!
So please review! All comments bar flames welcome!!
I apologise for any part of this sounding old fashioned, but I'm right in the middle of reading 'Pride and Prejudice' at the moment and my writing style sometimes seems to change slightly to reflect that of whatever book I'm reading at the time.
A bit off the topic there.oh, yeah! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! and REVIEW!