DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT.
Twenty
People were shouting and professors were beginning to yell for Madame Pomfrey. Lucius on the other hand didn't wait for any one. He ran to the small body lying in her own pool of blood. His heart had stopped a long time ago and he didn't wait for the vice around it to stop squeezing it. Snape was next to him while Lucius gently picked Hermione up, ignoring her blood soaking into his robes. He would worry about that later.
"Be careful with her neck!" McGonagall screamed, rushing over to the two men. For once, Snape didn't offer her any remark. Lucius wasn't looking at any one except for the girl in his arms. Harry and Ron had rushed over trying to see where Lucius was taking Hermione when Snape glared at them.
"Don't you two need to be back in bed?" Harry looked at him with annoyance. He wouldn't be able to go to sleep if he knew that a former death eater was anywhere near Hermione. She had always stayed by his side when he had needed her and he wouldn't be the one to go off to bed when she was unconscious!
"I don't need to-" Harry stopped when he noticed that Lucius was gone and so was Hermione.
Up in the infirmary, Lucius gently laid Hermione down on one of the beds as Madame Pomfrey fussed over her. Being a mediwitch she had seen far worse cases than Hermione but still she cared about the young woman and she didn't want to see her in pain. Lucius was still cold even though the room was cozy and warm. He looked down at Hermione who's eyes were closed and her face calm and the red blood was soaking through the pillow. Madame Pomfrey quickly began to pull out potions and clean up the blood on Hermione's head. Even though she was using magic, it only worked so much.
"There she is!" The doors opened and the two boys rushed inside followed by Ginny and Lavender. Lucius didn't even spare them a second glance. He was still being haunted by the shrill screams and the horrified expression Hermione had given him before she had ran away. Ghosts. Sprits. Shadows. He hoped it didn't mean what he was thinking because if it did then Hogwarts was in trouble. Big trouble.
"Now, now! All of you need to be calm! I need to take care of Hermione so everyone, please step outside." Harry opened his mouth to protest but he knew how harsh Madame Pomfrey could be. His shoulders slumped in defeat and he gave Hermione one last sorrow look and walked away but not before standing up to Lucius and looking at him dead in the eye.
"What did you do to her that she was so terrified of you?" Harry snarled. Lucius may have been in shock but he was still a Malfoy through and through which meant that Mr. Potter needed to know his place. He turned towards Potter but he kept part of his vision trained on Hermione.
"I did nothing to her Potter. You saw her with your own eyes. I was standing still as a stone and my wand was in my pocket." Harry's fist tightened but he knew that Malfoy was right. He had been there the whole time and nothing had happened to Hermione until she had looked at him. But what had trigged that reaction from her? She had never been so horrified in her life until today.
"You did something and you should remember." It was the little Weasley girl who had spoken, her eyes on him. She looked just has upset as her boyfriend and brother but she was a bit more diplomatic about it. Lucius frowned at her double meaning. He had called her names yes and had allowed torture of her in his house but what could he have done to make her hate him so much? Had he killed someone important to her? Ginny seemed to recognize his train of thought because her eyes welled up. She looked at him with almost a pitying look and it annoyed Lucius to no end. He didn't need any one's pity, at all. He was a Malfoy for Merlin's sake!
"Have you really killed that many people that you forgot who they even are? If so, then I pity you Malfoy!" she spat and walked away. Had he really killed so many people that he was an object of pity now?