Chapter 3
(Hermione pov)
Hermione wasn't sure at first why she had been so nice to Malfoy. It was just when she realized he was crying she felt kind of bad. She knew Malfoy's dad had gone to jail a few years back and then had died trying to escape. So she thought maybe he just missed his father and had wished the man could have been alive to see him become Head Boy. The next thing she knew she was reaching out to him, trying to make him feel better.
She had been stunned when he didn't scream at her and push her away. She then knew he was super upset about something. This time she thought about all the crap her and her friends had put him through and felt even worse. So she moved in to try to sooth him. Malfoy was a big jerk and all, but everyone, even Malfoy, deserved a friendly ear sometimes…ok and maybe some kindness too.
It was when Draco looked up at her she noticed how scared he looked. She made sure not to let any of his ass-hole remarks upset her because she thought maybe he knew who the strange person walking around was. Yeah sure, she also thought 'boy wonder why he so scared' but everyone knew Malfoy was a big old coward anyways.
So that was more of a second thought, not a first one. When Draco said he was sick and something was wrong with him, Hermione had a hard time not saying 'We all know you're sick and that something is wrong with you what's new there?' Of course she made sure to bite her tongue and look thoughtful.
However, the more he told her about it the more she felt like it was her fault somehow. That meant she needed to find the answer to why he was sick, so she could not blame herself. She had a bad habit of doing that: blaming herself when it wasn't her fault.
The only way to make her feel relief was to find the answer and prove to herself it was not her fault. There was a bonus to helping Malfoy too. If she could find the cause of his illness, his illness would be her key to getting into med-witch school for free. Yeah ok, it would involve exploiting Malfoy a little and making him her guinea pig, but he was a git and you get what you deserve.
Hermione sighed as she looked over his shoulder to the book she showed him. 'I'm not being very sympathetic, the man is sick and scared. All I can think about is how his illness can help me. I mean, come on Hermione, you want to be a med-witch so bad then you got to be good to all sick people even a git like Malfoy.'
Yes, she was scolding herself for at least thinking so meanly. She hated Malfoy with all her being, but giving compassion to everyone was going to be part of her job if she got into med-witch school. 'Ok so he will still be what I write my paper on and I will still try and help him. He just won't be thought of as a guinea pig and I'll keep his name out of it…Yeah that's better.'
She watched him rub his face before shutting the book. She stood up, watching him and taking notes to make for her paper. His whole body shook as he gripped onto the arms of the chair, trying to pull himself out of it. She could see that it took him a lot of effort to do as he barely managed to stand. "Is there any pain?" She asked, for her notes of course.
"Yes…Not a lot, just some aching." He said, doing his best to fix himself and look normal. The door opened then and Draco's 'friends' entered.
"Malfoy, where have you been? Man, you were supposed to meet us like an hour ago." Blaise said as he and Pansy made their way over to Draco who looked as though he might just fall over.
"I'm sorry, but Malfoy and I have a lot of head stuff to do. Seeing as we have yet to agree on anything he can't come out and play." She made sure to sound snotty in hopes of scoring points with Malfoy so he might keep on giving her information for her paper.
To her delight, when the fighting and name calling was over Malfoy did use his head title as a reason not to go with them. Once alone again, he slumped back into the chair, clearly too weak to go any farther. He hadn't even moved while they were fighting. Before either of them could say anything, Pansy came back to glare at Hermione before whispering something in Draco's ear. Draco seemed really interested in whatever Pansy was saying. There was no doubt in Hermione's mind that whatever it was he wanted to do it. Pansy pulled back to run a hand through Draco's hair "So can we? Say tonight around 8?"
"No" Draco said making Hermione wonder how she could have misread him. She had seen that look on his face before. It was the face he got when he wanted something and yet he said 'no'. Pansy got off him, her arms folded over her chest.
"And just why not? We haven't seen each other all summer. Nor have you stopped in to see me since we got back to school…Is there someone else?" She huffed; Hermione took that moment to hide behind a chair. She was trapped there for their fight about sex, she was guessing.
"Pansy can we not do this?" Draco spoke in a low voice.
"Draco Malfoy you answer me! Is there someone else?" She half screamed, making Hermione cringe a bit.
"Pansy I said not now." The next thing she heard was Pansy getting hysterical.
"Oh there is someone else!" She balled wildly, "How could you do this to me?" She went on and Hermione peeked out to see that Draco was covering his ears. Pansy proceeded to slap him and scream 'I hate you and you'll pay for cheating on me!' Along with a 'We are through, you jerk, through!' The girl then ran out of the heads room and off down the hall.
"Bloody hell why are woman so emotional!" He asked as he rubbed his arm where Pansy had slapped him. Hermione crawled out from behind the chair to walk over and slap in the same spot.
"We are not!" She declared as he looked up at her with a 'what the fuck' face.
"Then why do they keep crying and hitting me all the time?" He asked, slightly scowling at her.
"Because you're a big jerk." He rolled his eyes as she sat down. "Anyways, why'd you say no to whatever that was about?" Hermione asked, getting back to her research. After all, the window of free information on his illness could close at anytime. Draco raised a brow as he looked at her.
"Why do you want to know?" He asked flatly starting to sound like he was closing the gate.
"I was wondering if it was because of your illness is all…" Hermione sighed as she said it. Draco's face scowled up into a cold sort of fashion. He then snapped at her 'None of your business' meaning the door was closed she'd have to wait around for his next break down. "Alright then on with head business."
(One week later)
Granger had kept her word not to tell anyone, but Draco got the feeling she was watching him. He was trying to sleep-in seeing as it was Sunday, yet he felt like someone was in the room with him. Plus, some odd things where going on. Like his potion bottles were all mixed up as if taken down and then put back. Granger couldn't have done it though; she was in classes all day with him and everyone else in the school. He really had nothing to go on other then a feeling.
Sighing, he gave up on sleeping in and tossed the blanket off. He stop to listen, he could have sworn he heard someone gasp. Looking around he saw no one in sight and nothing looked out of place. He shrugged, standing to put his boxers on. He did his best to not notice his morning wood. "Gods what I'd give to have the energy to shag someone."
That however, was not happening anytime soon. When he came down with his illness he found if he somehow managed to get it up, he either couldn't keep it up or he'd kept it up. He didn't even have the strength to jack it off. Of course if he had had someone to jack it off for him when it happened he wouldn't be so hard up.
But thanks to his illness and Pansy no one of the female persuasion would look his way. Pansy was just a temporary problem. She was going around telling anyone that would listen that Draco had promised to marry her if she slept with him. The only truth in her whole claim was that they had slept together. There were a few girls that didn't seem to care about what he had supposedly done to Pansy. He had heard some of them talking about him and from what they said they would have slept with him last year because he was so sexy, but this year he looked unhealthy.
He sighed heavily as he looked at his reflection. "I really do look unhealthy." He tried to look his best, but even dressed in his finest with his hair fixed just right he looked sick as a dog. He was so pale you'd think you could see through him. He had also lost weight and muscle mass due to not eating well and not getting out to play sports as much.
He shook his head slightly before taking his morning potions. He was going to town today with everyone else. Of course, he was going to look like he was hanging out with teachers all day. 'Maybe I'll just sit in the bar,' He thought to himself as he headed down to the Great Hall. What Draco didn't see was Granger checking her watch to write down everything she had just observed.
(Four hours later)
Draco sat in the far back of the tavern seemingly alone, yet he was not alone. McGonagall was not too far away from him. Since he had sat down no one had come to talk to him except the waitress. Students were in and out like wild fire, but none would even look his way. Draco had never had problems with his fake friends before. When one pair got sick of him, another would make themselves known. It was just none of his fake friends could understand why he hadn't come to see them all summer or asked them to come see him; It wasn't that they missed his friendship, it was the fact they missed his money and all the cool things they'd get to do if he was with them.
His head hurt a bit as he sat there feeling so out of place. "Mind if I join you?" A strange, yet familiar voice asked him. Draco looked up into a face he swore he knew, but couldn't place it. The man was dressed in all black from head to toe. He was a bit pale, but well filled out for 6ft 11inches and his short spiky blond hair looked as though it was his pride and joy.
"No, go right ahead." Draco said as the tall chap took a seat and smirked at him. "Um… I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco said as he reached out a hand to the other man, hoping that maybe this guy's name would rekindle where he had seen him before. The man took Draco's hand and shook it.
"Peter Newkirk, nice to meet you kid," Peter said, sitting back in his set "And please call me Peter." Draco smiled a bit. He liked Peter already. He just wondered what the man's eyes looked like behind his dark black sunglasses. It was too bad that name hadn't ringed any bells as to how he knew this guy's face. "So you're here with the school?" Peter asked drawing Draco out of his thoughts
"Um…Yeah I guess I am," Draco said softly to Peter. The waitress came over to take Peter's order, which gave Draco a chance to realize Peter could have sat anywhere. The place was bare other than him, Peter, McGonagall and the workers. "So Peter? Can I ask you why you wanted to sit here?" Draco asked making the guy smile a bit.
"I hate sitting alone." He looked over at Draco with the same smile "I had a feeling you might hate it too. I figured I'd make both of us happy by sitting here." Draco let out a very small laugh at that. "What is that badge on your robe for…Head Boy? What the bloodily hell is a Head Boy?" Draco smiled a bit more, giving a soft laugh as he explained head boy. "Oh it's a big deal eh?"
"You could say that," Draco said as the two talked like old friends. "Peter, do you live around here?" Draco asked, again trying to place the man's face.
"No not really, I travel all over the world a lot. I'm just in this town visiting my son." Peter said as more people were filling up the sets. "My job requires me to move around a lot. It's kind of hard to get to see my son." Draco nodded his head. "I just hope he'll understand when he is older that I do care about him, I just have a lot to do."
"Oh I'm sure he will Peter. When my father was alive he worked very hard. I was about nine when I finally understood that he did love me he was just a busy man," Draco said to reassure his acquaintance. "How old is your son?"
"He's about 17, poor kid hasn't been feeling well," Peter said looking out the door. Draco thought it was an odd coincidence that he and Peter's son were both 17 and not feeling good. Plus, Peter looked like he was maybe 23 "He's got a nasty bug."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I am having a hard time believing you have a 17 year old son, you look maybe 23." Draco said, making Peter look at him once more.
"I'll take that as a complement, because I am a lot older then 23," he than laughed a little. "Boy when I was 23 dinosaurs walked the earth." Draco also laughed, feeling much better and pretty normal. "So who's that girl that has been staring at you since she came in?" Peter asked Draco as he pointed behind him. Draco turned his back on Peter to see Granger staring at him. He glared at her and she ducked her head a bit as she looked away. He looked back to see Peter hadn't moved much.
"That's just Granger the Head Girl, she is a pain." Draco said as he picked up his water and had a sip. The funny thing was after he had finished that water he felt very thirsty, but no matter what he drank nothing was quenching his thirst. When it was time to go, Draco shook Peter's hand one more time and found out that the man would be in town for a year. They made plans to meet again next time Draco came into town before parting ways.
As the night went on Draco drank everything he came across. He even drank water out of a flower vase at one point. No one saw him thankfully, but he was getting a little freaked out by it. After his nightly visit to the med-witch, Draco went to bed. Well, he thought he went to bed. He sort of blacked out on the walk from the hospital wing to his room.
When he woke up in bed the next morning he felt good: almost like he could do anything at all. As he stretched, he felt his whole body fill with energy and strength. He didn't even bother to take his potions as he got out of bed and dressed with ease. "Gods I feel good today." He walked over to the mirror to fix his hair, but as soon as he saw his reflection his eyes widen and his heart beat rose wildly in his chest. 'Am I imagining things or is that really blood on my chin?'