Chapter 8

Madam Pomfrey sighed as she closed the curtain around Draco Malfoy. The boy had been so overwhelmed by the news of his mother's murder he had literaly shut down. The headmaster had him moved to the hospital wing after two hours of trying to get the boy to respond with no success. Even now, seven hours later there was no change in him. It was like he had been frozen in place by a spell. Madam Pomfrey knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped out of it and had broke down.

As she sat down behind her desk, two students walked into the room. One was Harry Potter who was helping the other one Hermione Granger to walk. By the looks of it the girl had a mishap. "What is the matter?" She asked walking over to the two students.

"I was helping Hermione with some flying lessons and a bird stared her and she fell off the broom." Harry said with a deep sound of guilt in his voice. Taking a closer look at Ms. Granger Madam Pomfrey could see the girl had a couple of broken bones and a lot of burses. Nothing to get to upset over she informed them as she healed Hermione up.

"I'd like you to stay the night just to make sure everything is all right." She said leading Hermione to a bed away from Draco Malfoy. There was no point in protesting with her she wasn't going to let Ms. Granger run around on freshly healed broken bones. Even if it was an easy fix they still be tender for the first two days.

(Hermione POV)

It had felt like the day was crawling by as she lay in the soft bed looking at the ceiling. She hadn't wanted to take the flying lessons in the first places but she was sick of everyone going off flying all the time and leaving her behind to do whatever. It was Harry who said all she need was to get on a broom and give it a go. She told herself it was time to get over her fear of flying and agreed to taking some lessons form Harry. So what happens the moment she gets up in the air?

A black bird fly's straight into her face scaring the hell out of her and causing her to fall 20ft. It was the worst thing that could ever happen when trying to get over her fear of flying. Trying to put it out of her mind she read some books and listening to the voices of the passerby's. She sat up when she heard the voice of the headmaster through her curtain.

"Has there been any change?" He was talking to Madam Pomfrey

"No I am afraid not, he still just sitting there staring into space." She replied

"How long do you think he can stay like that?" He asked her, Hermione wondered who and what they where talking about.

"I don't know Albus; he could stay like that for days." Pomfrey made a little noise "I am worried if he had broken down and cried when you told him, we would know he'd be all right."

"There no way of knowing what's going through that boys head Poppy. He may be all right in time and he may end up in the…" He was cut off

"Don't say it Albus, lets not condemn him yet." Poppy whispered "Did you tell him how they found her?"

"No, he known in his heart she was dead. He had just simply asked me if she was and I confirmed it and he spaced out." The headmaster cleared his throat. "I don't think he should know that they haven't found her dead yet or that who ever the killer was chopped her up into little pieces. He won't be able to handle it Poppy, the boys lost his last family member and if he doesn't pull out of this he'll lose himself as well."

"Oh dear, oh dear that boy child." Poppy cooed and Hermione had to hold her breath to keep herself for asking who they where talking about. In her mind she tried to figure out who it was. She known Malfoy's mother had been kidnapped, but that didn't mean it was automatically him. Though he was the most likely candidate at the time. She strainded to hear more, but the headmaster and medi-witch had moved into the next room.

Hermione spent the next 12 hours trying to find out who was in the other bed and what had happened. She of course got no where, as there was no news of the murder in the newspaper or even rumors about one. There was only one way she was going to get answers before tomorrow's newspaper anyways and that was to look behind the other closed curtain in the room.

(Making it 1am)

As she threw off her covers a loud male voice screamed from the other side of the room. The scream was so loud it had woken up everyone in the entire school. It didn't stop either who ever was screaming like they where being stabbed to death was still screaming.

Hermione didn't know what else to do so she threw open her curtains ran over to his curtains and ripped them open hoping to find out what was going on. The only thing she found was Malfoy screaming like all hell had broken lose and nothing else. She didn't know how she could help him, but she knew why he was screaming. He was the person whose mother had been killed.

Madam Pomfrey come running over to him wrapping her arms around his body. She rocked him back and forth, letting him scream in her ear and some how telling him it would be okay. Malfoy at some point did stop screaming only when the crying Hermione couldn't see before had gotten to be too much for him to do both. Hermione just stood there like a stone figure watching in awe at how much one man could scream and cry.

When Madam Pomfrey had calmed him to the point where he was breathing hard, but not having trouble doing it she turned to Hermione. "Go get him a glass of water." She demanded and Hermione scurried off to get it. She knew the medi-witch would have asked nicer if she hadn't had her hands full at that moment. Hermione got a glass filled it with water before hurrying back to Malfoy bedside.

Malfoy's head was buried in the med-witch's shoulder allowing the women to rub his back soothingly. Hermione put the water down on the table hoping she wouldn't be sent to bed yet. She was in luck, the teachers had shown up along with the headmaster each one looking to find out what was going on.

Hermione noted one of Malfoy's hands was holding on to the bed sheets and shaken a bit. Feeling compiled to comfort him she reached out and gently took his hand in hers. He quickly squished her hand tightly in his, holding it with all his might. Laying him back on the bed Madam Pomfrey stood up.

"You both need rest, Mr. Malfoy I will get you some pj's and Ms. Granger go back to your own bed." She said softly waving the by standers to go into her office and what. Hermione moved to go to her bed, but Malfoy wouldn't let go of her hand. Hermione look to the medi-witch for help the women look tiredly at her.

"Mr. Malfoy would you like Ms. Granger to stay with you?" She asked him as she pulled out some pj's for him. He nodded his head yes. "I'll make a deal with you. You put these on and get into bed and she can come and sit with you all right?" He nodded his head yes. Once he let go of her hand, the med-witch closed his curtain so he could change.

Hermione was told to get her pillows and blankets while a comfy chair and foot stool were brought up to sit next to Malfoy bed. "I am sorry Ms. Granger I would stay with him myself but I have questions to answer. I promise as soon as I am done I'll come out and take over." With that said Malfoy curtain where opened he was tucked in and she was set up next to him. When everything was ready Madam Pomfrey left them alone.

Malfoy kept tossing, turning and sometime whimpering. It got to be a little annoying to Hermione. She ended up getting up, sitting on his bed and holding him down. "You've got to stop that." She said a bit harsher then she meant to. She could see hurt reflecting in his eyes. "Sorry I didn't mean it like that. It just you need rest and….all."

Malfoy sat up looking hard into her eyes as if he where searching for something. She reached a hand up to his face brushing away his wet hair. In an attempt to soothe him some. He took hold of her hand holding it softly in his. Hermione hadn't noticed how close he was to her before. His face was only inches from hers.

She could feel his warm breath on her skin. His future had changed in such a manner Hermione was unsure what he was feeling. Before he was upset and looked it. Now he didn't look as upset, he looked confused and like he wanted to do something but was too scared to do it. He wouldn't look her in the eyes anymore and he seemed to be getting closer to her.

She didn't know what was going through his head, but she was pretty sure she didn't like it one bit. 'Was he going to hurt her? Was he going to lash out at her because she was there? Or was something else going to happen?' She didn't know and she felt scared out of her mind. Malfoy mind wasn't stable to begin with and her snapping at him could have pushed him over an edge or something. Hermione didn't have time to scream before he swoop in and….kissed her.