Draco went on his way, back to the upper floors and then to the hospital wing. He stood in front of the doors, and grabbed the knocker. He heard footsteps and then the door opened.

"What are you here for?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Professor…uhm…Snape sent me. He said I must give you these…"

He handed her the bottle of glowing yellow liquid, and the envelope. She tore open the envelope and stashed the bottle into her apron.

"Professor Snape says you are very close to this girl and you wish to see her. Are you sure?"

Draco was surprised that Madam Pomfrey didn't laugh at him from his expression. He didn't say anything to Snape about wanting to see Amera, but he wasn't going to argue the point.

"Yes…if I may."

"Be prepared my boy. It's been a while since I've seen a jinx like this…"

Draco swallowed hard, and braced himself. Madam Pomfrey went behind the curtain, and Draco heard the cork pop out the bottle. Madam Pomfrey came out, and shook her head.

"You can go in, but she won't hear anything you say until she comes to."

Draco nodded, and Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtain. Draco's jaw fell open, and he almost immediately shouted.

"It's normal with that jinx. Give it about a week and she'll look a little better."

Draco edged closer to her bed and picked up Amera's hand. He didn't feel if he could close his hand around hers, so he just laid her hand over his. She looked terrible and felt cold, almost dead if he didn't know she was still alive. Her skin turned slate grey, her face hollowed out and every other inch of muscle and fat was gone. It was only skin pulled over bone. Behind her closed eyes, he could see her eyes had also collapsed.

"She looks…"

"Mummified. It's the jinx."

Draco swallowed hard again, and looked up at her drip. The yellow liquid was put in her drip, and was now flowing into her dead grey skin.

"When will she wake up?" Draco asked, not looking up but only staring at Amera.

"In about two days time. Maybe around Monday she should be able to get visitors."

Draco watched the yellow liquid flow into her skin. The small patch of skin around the needle was normal, even had colour. Draco smiled, and watched her, as if she would wake up any second.

"You might as well go back to your common room young man, she'll be here a long time."

Draco hesitated, he wanted to be there, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

"Goodnight madam Pomfrey. And thank you." Draco turned and left, hoping the next time he would be there, she would be awake.

Draco went straight to his room, because he knew exactly what he would do to Pansy if he saw her. He lay down on his bed, and he felt alone. He felt helpless, absolutely useless. He knew that there was nothing he could do, but what could he do to put himself at ease? He had no idea what Pansy had done, but there was no way that she would stop him from seeing Amera. Draco looked up at the canopy of his bed, and thought back to when he saw Amera walk in the door after nearly seven years of not seeing her. He knew it was her deep down, but somehow he just couldn't accept it. He remembered just the two of them sitting in the home theatre, talking about the time gone between them…

"Do you ever wonder what would've happened if you hadn't left?" Draco asked Amera.

"Sometimes…I wonder what school I would've gone to, if you and I would've still been friends, never met the people I have…I just wish sometimes everything was just that little bit different. I'd rather not change anything about the past, everything happens to teach us something…"

"But you're back. And we can still be friends, that is, if you think I haven't changed too much."

Amera laughed, and her wide blue eyes caught the light from the flat screen television.

"Maybe…if you haven't changed too much." Amera laughed again, Draco laughed with her.

Draco snapped out of his daydreaming by a loud sound emitting from the common room. It sounded like a loud bang and people screaming, and then laughing. Draco went downstairs, but not in a hurry, to see what had happened. Pansy was sitting in a chair, with a half-exploded package in her lap, covered in black tar. Draco smiled, it was probably one of the Gryffindors that did it, and for once he didn't care. He turned to go back up the stairs when Pansy shouted at him.

"Drakie! Didn't you see what happened?"

Draco turned his head slightly, and looked over his shoulder.

"Yes…and?"

Pansy ran over to him and threw herself at him, covered in the tarry substance.

"It's those Gryffindors! They've started doing this…"

Before she could finish, Draco pulled himself away and backed up a few stairs.

"Does it look like I care? You got what you deserve for once; I think they went a little easy on you."

Pansy's mouth hung open, with tears welling into her eyes. She collapsed right there on the floor in front of Draco, and he just went back up the stairs. He shook his head as he walked, he couldn't believe the audacity of Pansy, and after all she had done. He pushed his door open with force, hardly pausing to close it again. The door slammed shut with a bang. He lay on his bed, staring at the canopy again. His eyes slowly started getting heavier, and before he knew it, he was asleep.