Hi everyone...thank you for reading on. I hope you people like this chapter. Plus, In case you were wondering, the eight characters of the story will apparate to Pakistan in the fifth or sixth chapters, because I need sometime for my character developments. I need to describe the stances of all characters before I move on. Oh! one more thing, I have posted this story on as well. Don't get confused and I hope you enjoy this one.

These were the last things that Harry remembered before he fainted in the middle of the hallway...

These were the last things that Harry remembered before he fainted in the middle of the hallway...

Nearly Headless Nick was composedly soaring in the hallway of the third floor. He was whistling and singing in his best vocals, as if to please a huge, invisible audience. He opened his eyes and his voice got lost when he saw the boy who lived, lying lifelessly in the middle of the Hallway.

"Merlin's Beard! HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!" he kept on repeating as he glided through the crowd of astounded students, and into the Great Hall, where all the professors sat. "Professor McGonagall! Harry Potter is d-d-DEAD!" he exclaimed before diffusing into one of the walls.

McGonagall's face turned white. Her brain had shut down. She was clammy and there was the glisten of a cold sweat. Her eyes were wide as if someone was coming to deliver the fatal blow. Her body started shaking with fear. Her limbs almost paralyzed at the sudden notice. "No...This c-c-can't be. Madam Pomfrey, follow me please" she said in a shaking voice. The two ladies sprinted towards the hallway where Harry laid, surrounded by a crowd of scared first and second year students.

"What are you children doing here? I believe you are well aware that the third floor is forbidden for all students. 50 points will be taken from all of your houses. Go to your classes. Now!" Minerva ordered.

The children, with disappointed faces, climbed down the stairs, before disappearing in different hallways. . "Is he really...dead?" asked Minerva.

Madam Pomfrey bent down to his side and put her head on Harry's chest. A sudden smile hit her face. "He's alive, only fainted." she announced as all the anxiety vanished from McGonagall's face. ''But don't rejoice yet Minerva, we have to take him to the hospital wing as he is badly injured" Pomfrey said. "I need a hand with the boy, if you don't mind Minerva." she hesitated

"Oh! of course not. 'Levicorpus' " Professor McGonagall pointed her wand in Harry's direction as his body slowly lifted in the air. They carried him to the hospital wing and rested him on one of the stretchers in the Gryffindor area. "He'd be alright now. I just need to prepare some medicines for his leg, and...I suppose he will gain his consciousness in an hour or two." Pomfrey told.

"Oh Thank You Madam Pomfrey. I'd be leaving now. I believe there are a lot of rumors about Mr. Potter's death that I need to calm down." Minerva said as she turned to leave.

"Oh hello." she said to the four Weasleys who bumped into her. "Madam Pomfrey, Mr. Harry Potter has visitors." she instructed to the nurse, who was already busy healing his wounds. "Good Day"

"Bloody Hell! He is hurt. I wonder who did it." announced Ron while crinkling his nose.

"Oh look at his le-" started Ginny, but was interrupted by a cold voice.

"Madam Pomfrey! Mr. Malfoy has been deeply wounded. He ought to be taken to the Slytherin wing immediately." everyone turned around to see Professor Snape with a fainted, and deeply wounded Malfoy in his arms. "Merlin! Follow me Professor Snape" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey as she ran towards the teacher. They vanished into the Slytherin compartment.

"Malfoy's hurt too. Must have been hit by a Hippogriff or something" chuckled the Weasley twins. "Oh shut up you two" scolded Ginny. "Serves him right" said Ron carelessly.

Harry stirred in his bed. He opened his eyes and let out a low cry of shock as the four Weasly's were staring at him right in the face. "Oh! thank Merlin, Harry. You are badly hurt. Who did this to you?" inquired Ginny.

"Yeah! tell me Harry. I'll break his nose" started Ron. "Yeah sure Ron. We'd love to see you on this bed after your spells backfire" Fred and George said in unison. Ron was about to place a taunt on his brothers when Hermione came running towards them. "Oh Harry! Thank Merlin you are alright. Professor McGonagall just told me what happened and I came running towards the hospital wing. Who did this to y-"

"Breathe Hermione. I am fine" Harry said and Hermione dropped onto his bed. "Oh Harry, I was so worried for you. You need to take care of yourself. At one moment you were talking to Katie Bell, then you saw Malfoy and ran after him"

pause

"Wait...is this somehow related to Malfoy?" Hermione became restless. "Harry tell me please. I will kill that git. Just tell me what happened. What did he do to you?"

Everyone gave Harry expecting looks. "Guys, I need to talk to Hermione... alone" he said. "Well you can tell all of us mate. We w-" Ron started but Hermione cut him off. "Don't you understand Ronald Weasley. Harry wishes to talk to me alone, so don't be too ridiculous and let him."

"Come on Ron. Take care Harry" said Ginny as she dragged all three of her brothers along with her.

As soon as they exited, Hermione eyed Harry as if expecting him to tell her what happened, but Harry did not say anything. "Harry?" she started

"Hermione, look. I know you would be outraged and all but you need to listen to me." Hermione waited for Harry to continue. "Well, I suspected that Malfoy was the one who hexed Katie Bell, so I followed him to Myrtle's toilet on the third floor."

"And he hit you with his obnoxious spells, didn't he? I'll kill the foul, loathsome cockroach." Hermione held up her fist, but Harry continued. "That's not the thing Hermione. Malfoy...he was crying." Hermione's anger turned into angst. "He was not just sobbing, but he seemed deeply hurt. Myrtle tried to calm him down, but he said something about having to do it otherwise 'he' would kill him."

"I did not notice it at that time. I just went on asking him if he had hexed Katie, and he fired jinxes at me. I repelled with some of my own. Then he performed the second unforgivable curse at me...and-and I don't know how, I just lost my senses and fired a deadly spell at him." Hermione looked at him with eyes wide with shock.

"What spell did you use Harry?" she asked "Sectumsempra, I found it in the book of the half blood prince." he answered, all the time looking at his hands. Hermione was speechless. She had heard Harry mention the spell to her and Ron. She had warned Harry not to use it.

"Well, what now Harry?" Hermione looked deeply perturbed. "What do you want me to do?"

"I need to know why Malfoy hexed Katie, and why he was crying. But, I don't know how to do it. Madam Pomfrey said that I am not allowed to leave the hospital before two days of complete bed rest, but we don't have enough time. The death eaters are already preparing for war, and Professor Dumbledore would be back by tomorrow. I suspect that Draco might as well be a death eater, but I need some proof. I have already done so many mistakes and no-" he continued

"Have some rest Harry. I have to leave for potions now. I'll think over it and I am going to write to Professor Dumbledore about your situation as well. Don't worry, we'll figure something out, like we always have." She offered him a smile and hugged him. "Thank you for always being there for me Hermione." he said. "It has been six years Harry. When are you going to get this into your head. Whatever it is...we are in it together, me, you, and Ron" said Hermione, before she left the room.

Harry stared at the door. "Yes... we will always be together. You are the only family I have", he murmured to himself, before he drifted off to a deep, deep sleep.

"What can I do now. Harry's right. Something really is wrong with Malfoy. He has been acting queerly. I need to figure something ou-" Hermione murmured to herself as she passed by the Slytherin compartment of the Hospital wing. She stopped by the door and listened, or rather eavesdropped. She could hear someone cursing from inside the room. Hermione peeked inside. In the middle of the empty room, a certain blonde Slytherin who sat in his stretcher was vigorously rubbing his left arm and cursing his life at the same time.

His blonde hair covered his eyebrows partially. His forehead was wrinkled, probably due to irritation. His face was flushed pink, probably because of the rage filled inside him. His nose was crinkled perhaps due to frustration. Even in such deep frustration, he looked innocent, and helpless, and so forlorn.

WHAT? WAKE UP HERMIONE. THIS IS MALFOY YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT. Hermione snapped out of her thoughts at the sudden realization. "Uhm... Malfoy? I, uh...was passing by. You look...I mean...can I come in?" Hermione started. Draco suddenly pulled his sleeve down and sneered at Hermione.

"What do you want mud-" He stopped midway, as if to correct himself

"Why do you come here Granger?" Hermione smiled slightly, realizing that Malfoy did not call her a mud blood. "Well, I heard that you were deeply wounded, so I thought that perhaps I should pay you a visit?"

"So you come here to taunt me? To remind me that I lost to your dear Potter? Go ahead then" Malfoy smirked but in a despairing manner. "No Malfoy. I am not here to make you realize anything." She said as she walked towards him. Hermione pulled a stool from near a table and placed it at Draco's bedside. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and stared back at his hands. "Okay, can you please put my blood status aside and just listen to-" she started

"I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH YOUR BLOOD STATUS, ALRIGHT?" Draco shouted, startling Hermione. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Malfoy seemed to be going through excruciating mental pressure, she presumed. "Well, okay. I understand Malfoy. It is just that you have never really considered me a human. You-you used to call me a mud blood."

"Look Granger. I never wanted to do that, okay? That is not who I really am. Why don't you understand? No one can understand. People just hate me. It's quite alright you see. You were correct. I am a foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach." Draco said deplorably, and oh no. For the first time in her life, Hermione saw tears in Draco's eyes. He seemed so vulnerable, so helpless. Hermione had come there to inquire him, but her heart melted. A tear rolled down Draco's soft cheeks and he immediately wiped it off.

"Malfoy, no y-you are not a foul loathsome person. I-I understand. It is just the way you acted towards me and Harry, and Ron, that I just never tried to imagine what you really felt. Look, I can help you. I understand. You just need to improve yourself. Malfoy, there are so many people who love you, your dad, your mum. You have so many friends don't you?" Hermione tried to calm him down, even though she knew that these thoughts had never occurred to her ever before. Draco Malfoy could be so helpless. Draco Malfoy could be sad. She felt so sorry for him. He looked so forlorn. She pitied him. She just forgot every abhorrent thing he had ever said to her.

"Friends." Draco gave a sarcastic, cold chuckle. "I don't have friends. Money, wealth, and the Malfoy fame? That's all. People hate me from the depths of their hearts. I have always been so blunt and intrusive towards everyone. My parents don't care for me." he said, all the time looking out of the window.

"Don't say that" Hermione said. pause

"Look at me Draco" Malfoy eyed her. She had just called him by his first name. No one ever did it. It just felt so marvelous, so heartwarming, so exhilarating. People just called him Malfoy. They emphasized on his surname as if to taunt him.

"Go away Gra-Hermione" he said miserably. "Coming near me will only cause you misery and despair. People have always hated me, and they always will." Hermione felt her heart sink. She had never seen Malfoy so hopeless, so helpless. Rude as his behavior was, Draco was still a lively, and cheerful person. "Draco tell me what's wrong, Please. I need to know your problem. Tell me, and I promise I'll help you. Draco I don't hate you okay? Just tell me."

"Leave me alone Hermione. No one can help me. I have to kill, or I'll have to die myself. No one can help me. Go and don't worry about me. I have to die and that is my destiny. It was nice talking to you Hermione. It was nice knowing that you don't hate me."

Hermione was aphonic. A tear rolled down her cheek. She got up and went out of the room. Why was everyone at Hogwarts so helpless? Why was happiness being replaced by melancholy? She had to do something. She had to know what was wrong with Draco. He would not tell her, so she'd find out herself. An advanced spell or two would help. She turned left, and in to the Library, the place which always gave her a solution.

So! This was it for the second chapter. I hope you liked it. Please don't forget to COMMENT, Vote, and Share. It gives me the spirit to continue. Thank You for reading everyone. I love you guys

Areesha Aziz Tarar