"Draco!" shrieked a voice from behind Lindsey. She turned her head around, wondering who was calling Draco's name so loudly.
Malinda had been awoken by the girl's high-pitched scream, and looked sleepily towards her daughter who shrugged, bemused. The girl who screamed was wearing a Slytherin uniform and had a flattened look to her face. A Dora the Explorer bob was on her head, making her look oddly like a pug. This, Lindsey only could guess, was Pansy Parkinson.
"Draco?" Pansy squealed, pushing Lindsey's arm out of the way, taking Draco's hand in her own. Lindsey shot her a dirty glare, but kept her mouth shut.
"Oh, you poor thing, it must be terrible. But I'm here now, everything will be okay," Pansy soothed, rubbing Draco's hand with hers.
Lindsey glared up at her, still sitting down, trying hard not to throw up all over her.
"Miss Parkinson, Mister Malfoy needs his rest. Please, you need to leave him alone and stop your squealing!" Madam Pomfrey said, looking over her shoulder. She had been getting a quick ailment for a little student who had sprouted green leaves from their arm.
Malinda had a bed-head, and her curls were now literally everywhere. She didn't seem to notice however, and yawned tiredly as Madam Pomfrey tended to the boy, who looked absolutely terrified. He must have been a first-year student, and by colors he was wearing, belonged to the Hufflepuff house.
"Oh, right," Pansy said, her nose scrunching up at Madam Pomfrey behind her back as she muttered, "Fool."
"Hello," Lindsey said, her temper rising. Malinda was giving Lindsey a warning stare, but she didn't seem notice.
"H…hi," Pansy said, her face showing obvious disgust as she saw Lindsey's state. Lindsey had been wearing casual muggle clothing, and her blond hair was disarranged from sleeping.
"Pansy, right?" Lindsey said, smiling up at Pansy innocently.
"What's it matter to you? What are you even doing here?" remarked Pansy, flinching away from Lindsey.
"Watching Draco," replied Lindsey, making her voice as soft and sweet as possible.
"Yeah, well your services are no longer required," Miss Parkinson snapped, staring back at Draco.
Draco could feel someone else's hand on his, a frantic, high-pitched voice following. He groaned silently, Pansy was there with him. Slowly but surely, he was able to make out parts of Lindsey and Pansy's argument.
"I don't even know how a filthy muggle like yourself got into this castle. What are you, Draco's stalker?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. How'd you even find out Draco was here?" Lindsey barked back, no longer playing the innocent role in the conversation.
"Snape. He told everyone that Draco was back," Pansy presented snidely, "But he forgot to mention you. Or maybe he just didn't know you were here, and thought that perhaps you were part of the scum on the walls here at this retched school."
Lindsey refrained a laugh before she responded, "Actually, Snape hasn't even been down here yet. I was the one who told him that Draco was down here in the first place. So in a twisted, messed-up way, you heard about Draco from me."
Pansy's face went a brilliant pink at being told off like that by a muggle, and she jerked her head back towards Draco, causing her hair to bounce back and forth.
"You're really an annoying bitch, you know that?" murmured Pansy, her voice low and cold.
Draco couldn't take them fighting any longer and whispered lazily, "Leave her alone Pansy." Pansy and Lindsey both looked down at him; Pansy in shock as Lindsey smirked happily.
"Draco?" Pansy called, squeezing his hand, "Can you hear me?"
"Unfortunately, it's kinda hard not to," Draco replied, his voice calm, but sneering at the same time.
"Sorry Draco," Pansy murmured in what Lindsey presumed to be intended as a purr. From her however, it sounded more like a raspy little growl; the acronym caused Lindsey to break out in a little fit of giggles.
Pansy glared, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Lindsey said, letting her laughter die away into a simple smile, "There's just something about what you said that…seemed funny to me."
"Ugh," Pansy replied, rolling her eyes, but Draco was smiling, his eyes still shut tight.
"What did you mean by that, Lindsey?" he whispered stubbornly, wanting to hear what she had to say.
"Nothing," said Lindsey tauntingly.
"Pleeease?" Draco drawled out, trying to make his strained voice sound pleading.
"It's nothing," Lindsey said, a final tone to her voice. Draco frowned, but decided to question her about it later.
"Do you need anything Draco?" Pansy asked, using an (unusual for her) caring, worried voice.
"Peace and quiet would be nice," Draco said, a light smile on his face once again. Pansy felt her face go red; she had been the one who interrupted the silence in the first place. Quietly, she pulled up a nearby chair, shutting her lips in the process.
"Thank you," Draco said, a hint of humor in his voice. Pansy didn't say anything, but rubbed Draco's hands with her fingers. Lindsey eyed pug-faced Pansy before placing her own hand on Draco's mark.
"Why are you…" Pansy started, but Draco interrupted her, answering smoothly.
"…It helps. Eases the pain a little," he explained, leaving Pansy unable to argue further.
They sat their like that for a long time as Draco slept, thick tension building between Lindsey and Pansy. Malinda had been watching, holding her breath, as the testy conversation between the two continued. Now that both had been silenced, she had fallen into another sweet dream of hers.
"Draco," came a muted whisper came from the door. Lindsey and Pansy turned around to see Snape standing there, and Lindsey felt herself on the verge of screaming again.
Snape sauntered through the Hospital Wing, passing a sleeping Malinda, and stopped next to Draco's bed. He glanced at the two girls sitting at his bedside.
"You were supposed to be in class, Miss Parkinson," he spat out through his teeth, causing Pansy's face to change color.
"I-I know. I just, I-I thought that Draco w-would want someone next to him. To help him, you know," Pansy muttered through her blushed face. Snape observed Draco's condition, and looked back at Pansy.
"I believe that was Lindsey's job," Severus said, raising his eyebrows towards Lindsey, "Unless you two…are fighting over him. By which case, I would be honored to watch your romantic love lives collide."
Lindsey felt her own face turn bubble-gum pink, while Pansy's turned into an odd shade of red.
"Don't expect me to free you of any homework, despite what your other professors may let you get away with. I expect a two page essay of the use of Fungaljuice in Pepperesstum Potion finished in two days," Snape said to Pansy before walking over to Madam Pomfrey. Pansy looked down at her right hand, which was still perched on Draco's, and mumbled something about Snape that Lindsey was sure she wouldn't dare say to him in earshot.
"You really ought to go back to class," Lindsey said after a long silence. Pansy looked up at her and glared.
"No. Not until Draco is better!" she snapped, glowering.
"He may not be better for a long time," Lindsey whispered softly, not wanting to wake Draco.
"Then I won't go to class for a long time!" Parkinson replied menacingly. Lindsey rolled her eyes, and turned back to Draco, focusing on relieving him of any pain.
Draco could hear Parkinson, Lindsey, and Snape talking, but his brain wasn't registering what they were saying. He was tired, exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and never awake to his life and problems again.
"I expect him to be functioning in no more than a week. A week and a half and he'll be returning to classes," Snape said, causing Pomfrey's eyes to bulge out slightly from her sockets.
"A week, Snape?" Poppy said, eyeing Draco, "After everything he's been through, I would give him two weeks before he should even get out of bed!"
"I agree, he needs his rest," Pansy said, looking up at Snape worriedly, "Surely you must understand what it's like, the mark and all?"
"No, Snape's right," said Lindsey, mentally noting that this was probably the only time her and Snape would ever agree on anything, "He can make it. Draco's stronger than you give him credit for."
"Yes, although I have to admit, he can be a bit cowardly when it comes to pain," Snape said, causing a barely conscious Draco to grimace as he recognized the words, "So I hope you'll be eligible to put up with it."
Snape strolled back through the Hospital Wing after saying these words, leaving Lindsey, Madam Pomfrey, and Miss Parkinson gaping around Draco's bed.
Draco knew his headmaster was right, he was a coward when it came to physical pain. Any kind of pain, really. Draco Malfoy: the cowardly Death Eater who was trying to save two females from the Dark Lord's wrath. Good God, how had he gotten this far?
He had been too scared to perform the one task he was given by his master; kill Albus Dumbledore. Draco had been there, he had been prepared, he had known what to do, but when it came down to the actual kill, he had stepped aside, letting Snape do the job for him.
He was nothing more than a monster. A cowardly, worthless monster. What was he thinking, trying to save Lindsey and Malinda from the Dark Lord? How could he have ever been so stupid? If he hadn't saved them, he would still be with the rest of the Death Eaters, his pain only a fraction of what it was now.
Perhaps, if he were lucky, Lindsey and Malinda wouldn't have even suffered as they reached their death. But because of him, the two of them had suffered more than any human should. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Lindsey and Pansy watched as Draco stirred uncomfortably, both of them worried about what he was going through.
"Poor Draco," Pansy said, clearly concerned. Lindsey didn't say anything, but gently squeezed his arm reassuringly.
The next few days fell into the same pattern, Lindsey and Pansy sitting next to an unconscious Draco while Malinda continued her resting. Lindsey and Pansy took turns watching Draco, since they too needed to sleep. Every once and a while, they would get up and stretch their legs, but never ventured further than the Hospital Wing doors.
Draco didn't wake up at all, and stayed in his unconscious state as he slowly recovered. Madam Pomfrey would heal him every day, and each time it left her drained and tired. Even so, Poppy managed to conjure meals for Lindsey and Malinda, not wanting the rest of the Great Hall to know that there are muggles in the school, for surely gossip would follow them.
Pansy however, was forced to leave twice a day for her meals, and was often found doing homework while she watched over Draco. Snape had been making daily visits, but never talked to anyone other than Madam Pomfrey, perhaps trying to ignore Pansy and Lindsey completely, which at this point was fine by them.
On the fourth day since Draco's accident, Lindsey was watching over Draco while Pansy was off eating dinner in the Great Hall when he finally woke up.
"Lindsey?" Draco called, propping himself up using his elbow. Having her name called, Lindsey snapped out of her meek thoughts, and looked down to see Draco awake, watching her with blue eyes.
"Draco, you're up," she said, smiling at him gently. He returned her smile, and tried to sit up.
"Here, let me help," Lindsey said, reaching out a hand, but Draco shrugged her helping hand away.
"No, I'm not disabled…yet," he said, chuckling lightly. His arms were weak, but he managed to stay upright without too much effort, considering what he had been through.
"How are you feeling?" Lindsey asked, unsure if she should get Madam Pomfrey or not. Draco shrugged casually, despite the pain in his shoulder blades.
"Hungry? Thirsty?" Lindsey asked, trying to be of some use to Draco while he as concious. He shook his head.
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me Lindsey. How are you?" said Draco. Lindsey replied quietly.
"I'm all right. Do you want me to get Madam Pomfrey?" she asked, concern in her green-blue eyes.
"No, where's Pansy?" Draco asked, becoming both annoyed and amused at her worry.
Lindsey's heart dropped at the mention of Pansy, but answered in a cool tone, "She went to go eat dinner. I'm sure she'll be back soon though."
"Then you have to tell me something…now," Draco started, "Why were you laughing a few days ago. That you wouldn't tell me."
Lindsey tilted her head to the side, but answered in a soft voice, "Oh, well, it's just, she sounded sort of like a growling dog when she apoligized, that's all…"
"Hmmm," Draco said thoughtfully, "Well, I had no idea you thought about people that way."
"I usually don't," Lindsey muttered as Draco smiled up at her.
"No, I like it. It's kinda…" he said, grabbing her hand, "Bad-ass. Especially for you." Lindsey felt her cheeks go a little bit pink, but smiled back at him, glad he was recovering so well from the incident. With the way he was healing, it was likely that Draco may actually be capable of getting out of bed in a mere few days.
Alright, another one of my chapters is now uploaded. ^^ Special thanks to my constant reviwers: yugiohgx5dsgrl and Hyruleepona as well as my new reviewers: Leanora and Melora. It makes an author happy when you review their story. :D