I love fandom arts. Especially drawings. I'm a little sad I missed out on partaking in the DBB on that level. Man, that would've been fun. Still, Dollface is making a banner for The Complexity of Carnal Knowledge (COCK) and I suppose that's kind of arts too. :) And for the Reverse Challenge Phase 2, I'm writing a story for some arts, so yay for that as well!
Ramblings aside. THIS IS CHAPTER 100! And the final will be 103. Where the 103rd is kind of an epilogue. Yeah. So... DUN DUN DUNNNN!
Only one more child was brought to the Hospital Wing later that night. The Auror who brought him told Pomfrey that there would probably be no more children; the rest were either old enough and competent enough to be fighting in groups, or they had made it out of there by now.
He also told her in a hushed voice—which Draco hadn't been supposed to be able to hear, but he'd deliberately edged closer to the crack in the door to Pomfrey's office to eavesdrop—that most of the wounded children hadn't actually been hurt by Death Eaters. Theo's warning had come soon enough that the Aurors and the Order had been able to protect the students from the obvious danger. No one had counted on some of the more trusting children being lured away and attacked by class- and housemates aspiring to be Death Eaters themselves, though, and for that, a few Muggleborns had actually paid with their lives.
The Order was trying to keep it hushed that they were aware of the organized treachery, so the betrayed students that were lucky enough to still be alive were asked to keep quiet for now. But the Aurors had managed to collect a frightening number of names and had secured most of the guilty parties. They were at a loss with what to do with them, however, considering that the vast majority of the witches and wizards was underage.
They might have to set up a facility just for them, because no one in their right mind would send a fourteen-year-old to be guarded by Dementors. At least that was how this Auror personally felt.
Draco thought that anyone who got a good look at what had been done to Olivia might not have such qualms about sending someone to the Dementors because of their age. He muttered as much as he stalked back to Theo's bedside.
"That's not fair," Theo murmured, low enough that neither Pomfrey nor the Auror could hear him. "Most of them were probably terrorized into doing it, same as you were back when you caused mayhem."
"Yeah, but I didn't do anything personally, did I?" Draco hissed. "Certainly not to little girls."
"It was pure luck that nobody died because of you that night," Theo reminded him. "Don't be so quick to judge."
"Excuse me, if I judge someone for being a cold-blooded murderer," Draco sarcastically retorted.
"You're willing enough to make excuses for your father."
Draco's back stiffened. "Father is not a murderer."
"Oh, right. He's that other thing where you kill people you find inferior. What is it they call that, again?"
"No! He can be manipulative, controlling and ruthless, but he is not a murderer. He serves a higher purpose."
"It's just too bad that his purpose is met by genocide," Theo calmly replied.
Theo could be such an annoying bugger.
"I… I know that he's not an innocent," Draco reluctantly admitted. "I know he's even come close to killing a few times when provoked. But he never did it."
"How can you know what he's done the past year? What he's doing tonight?"
Theo was being frustratingly composed and sensible and somehow that rattled Draco far more than a shouting match would have.
"Fighting against Aurors is not the same as murdering unsuspecting children!" Draco insisted.
"Wasn't he going to kill Hermione back when she wore the Bracelet? And hasn't he been trying to off her and her friends before?" Theo asked, squinting slightly as he caught Draco's eye.
By then, however, Draco had had enough of Theo's intrusions and kept up his mental guard as taught to him by his aunt. Even if Theo's ability wasn't exactly Legilimency, Occlumency seemed like a fair defense. And if one were to judge by the momentary frown on Theo's face, it was working. "I—no!" Draco stammered, slightly distracted by shielding his thoughts, but also not sure how to defend his father. "I-I don't think that was what he meant to do. He probably just… meant to Obliviate her or something."
"Your father knew the bond made you care for her. She was a threat to your line. She still is. It would make sense if tonight he sought her out first thing to kill her. Preserving her serves no purpose. The logical course would be to eliminate the threat." Theo was about as passionate as if he'd been talking about the weather.
"If he hurts her, I'll never forgive him."
"How noble of you. But has it occurred to you that it might be too little too late? She'd still be dead."
"And even though I wouldn't touch him, he would be dead to me," Draco calmly replied. For someone very smart and clever in every sense of the word, Theo sure had a hard time understanding that Draco couldn't just barge out there and kill his own flesh and blood. Apparently the lack of any kind of closeness in Theo's family had left Theo with a blind spot when it came to certain aspects of love and loyalty.
Draco couldn't really decide whether that was sad or scary or both. What would someone who didn't understand love and loyalty be capable of? He sat down on the edge of the bed, staring into space. He didn't really appreciate all these new insights. They were scary as hell.
"I hope there's news soon," Theo muttered. "Or better yet! I hope they're done soon so I can be rid of you."
"You're so charming when you've been stabbed. Someone should do it more often!" Draco shot right back.
"Are you two still fighting?" Madam Pomfrey asked, emerging from her office, looking so very, very tired. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were sweet on one another."
Draco's mouth dropped open and he gave Pomfrey his most horrified stare.
"Oh, did you hear that, honey? We've been found out," Theo said, perfectly deadpan.
Draco snapped his jaw shut and glared at Theo. Yeah, he was definitely evil. "Sorry, mate. That is rather one-sided."
"You break my heart."
Pomfrey had stopped listening and was moving around, checking on the sleeping patients. Apart from the two that had died and the one that would need to go to St. Mungo's for muscle regrowth, they were all doing just fine. Still, Pomfrey had opted to give them all sleeping draughts so they'd sleep through as much of the battle as possible. She'd given Draco, Theo and Pansy a choice since they were all of age and Theo was the only one of them actually wounded, but Pansy had been the only one to take it. She'd said that now she knew Draco was all right, she just wanted it to be over.
Draco wanted it to be over too, but he didn't fancy being unconscious if there was any news about Hermione or his father. So he sat there, and waited, and bickered some more with Theo just to pass the time.
The sun was rising. That meant it must be around five o'clock, Draco supposed. There had been no news, no more casualties, no commotion, nothing to indicate what was going on.
The not knowing was killing him, and not for the first time, he was considering going out there. Just to see what was going on.
"You should sleep," Pomfrey said, bringing him a glass of something he supposed could be a sleeping draught.
"I'm not tired," he said, pushing the concoction away.
"Of course you are. Everyone is."
He scowled. "Then why don't you sleep?"
"I'm doing my job."
"Well, I'm doing my job too! I'm being a coward. I'm doing it rather well, don't you think?" If his bitterness was showing, it was just too bad.
"Don't be silly."
"She told me to stay here," he defensively said.
"She sounds sensible."
"I'm not sure I would have gone even if she hadn't told me not to." He almost dared Pomfrey to call him on his cowardice.
"Now you sound sensible too."
Draco snorted. "But she's a Gryffindor. Theo is right. She probably did want me to come out a hero. She's never going to want to be with me now."
Pomfrey tutted and picked up the glass that Draco had very clearly rejected. "Then she's not worth it."
Draco blinked. "Excuse me?"
"People that tell you to do one thing but expect you to do another are usually more trouble than they're worth. And if she can't respect that you have no desire to fight in a battle that has people you love on both sides, then she doesn't respect you or your feelings anyway. Good riddance."
"But—no! She's not like that! Why are you badmouthing her?"
"I'm not. I only really have a vague idea who you're talking about. But if she were to react the way you said, then this would be true, no?"
"I—you—she… maybe, but it's more complicated than that!"
"It always is." She patted his shoulder and then turned around to put the draught away and check on her charges once again.
Draco scowled. Adults! They always seemed to think that everything was so simple, when in reality it was anything but! He wasn't going to waste his breath telling Pomfrey that it didn't matter if Hermione understood why he couldn't fight. He didn't care if she understood. He just wanted her to want him regardless, and she wasn't going to. But trust an adult not to understand that. They never understood these things.
The sun was up, the day had begun, but everyone that had been given the sleeping draught were still snoozing. Draco was sitting on an empty bed, staring into space, not able to will his body or brain into action. Even Theo had become quiet some time ago.
All the digs had been made, there was nothing left to say.
Draco was tired and he was hungry, but he refused to sleep or eat. This didn't help his overall disposition and he was snarling at anyone but Pomfrey. He didn't quite dare go there yet, considering that the woman had some fairly powerful potions at her disposal. He just couldn't take it any longer. Maybe he could drag Theo with him out there and use him as a shield? That ought to work. Well, until the first Killing Curse at least. After that, he might have to find another shield.
Theo drew in a harsh breath and Draco turned to let him know that he should butt out of his thoughts, when he realized that Theo was staring at something that wasn't in Draco's direction.
Something near those damn doors Draco had been trying to ignore. Reluctantly, he followed Theo's gaze and then sucked in a breath of his very own.
It was her. She was looking tired and a little worse for wear, but she was alive and well! Relief made him feel so dizzy that only the desire not to look like a complete ninny in front of her kept him from falling down.
Theo was first to speak. "Hermione," he said. Nothing else. But just from the way he said her name it was obvious that he'd worried every bit as much as Draco had.
Draco resented that fact more than anything.
Hermione slowly came into the room, looking battered and exhausted.
Draco couldn't help it. In a few steps he'd reached her and was squeezing her tightly—maybe too tightly. He didn't care. He just needed to feel her. She was here. However she felt about him, she was here. She was all right. And he might have to tie her up before she went out and changed that fact. It didn't even matter if she wanted to be with him or not anymore.
She was all right. He was happy.
"You're suffocating the Head Girl," Theo's sarcastic voice was saying. He was probably just jealous, but Draco decided to ease up on her anyway. Who knew what she'd been through; squeezing the life out of her would probably not be such a good idea.
So far, she hadn't made a single sound.
He slowly began to completely let her go. He couldn't hold her forever. He wished he could, but he couldn't. Reluctantly, he lifted his head and looked down at her. She was looking back up at him with big, sleepily surprised eyes. Irresistible eyes. Eyes that made him want to bend down and—
"So, what news do you bring, Hermione?" Theo asked.
Hermione's head jerked to the side to look at him and then she blinked and shook her head as if to clear it, before stepping back and fully turning away from Draco to address the question.
Draco noticed the small smirk on Theo's face and swore revenge. He'd been so close—so close—to being allowed just one more kiss. He scowled and leaned against a bed to hear whatever she had to say.
"It's over," she croaked and then cleared her throat. "It's all over."
"You won?" Draco asked, mostly to get her attention back on him. He'd missed her so badly and been so afraid of what might happen to her that it was all he could do not to grab her again. He gloomily suspected that he'd feel like this for a while.
"I really doubt the Dark Lord would send Hermione as his emissary," Theo coolly replied. Annoying bugger.
"Oh, I don't know," Draco drawled just to be contrary. "She doesn't exactly look ecstatic, does she?"
"No," Hermione muttered with a sigh, sitting down heavily on Theo's bed. "We won. I'm just too tired for it to have really sunk in. And with our losses… I don't feel it yet."
"Who did you lose?" Theo quietly asked.
Hermione shook her head. "You wouldn't know most of them. Aurors. Ron's brother, Fred. People aren't exactly celebrating down in the Great Hall right now."
"But your friends, Potter and Weasley, they're all right?" Draco asked.
Hermione snorted half-heartedly. "I hate to disappoint you, but yes."
Draco was actually hurt that she'd assume he wanted her friends dead. It was true that he didn't care about them but she did. How could she think he'd wish that kind of pain on her? "I'm not disappointed," he just muttered, while turning his back on her and taking the few steps over to reach the window.
Actually, right now he was a little disappointed. Disappointed that she hadn't responded when he'd hugged her. Disappointed that she still voiced nonsense about him wanting to hurt her. Disappointed that she was sitting so close to Theo.
But still elated that she was all right.
He needed to control his responses better before he made an arse of himself. Again. Obviously she hadn't missed him the way he'd missed her and he had to give her some space. He couldn't be as damn clingy as he wanted to be right now, so he had to stop looking at her. Maybe then he could stop wanting to touch her, stop wanting to feel her warmth and breath.
Next chapter...
On an impulse, she leaned forwards and pressed her lips against Theo's. It was just meant to be a peck, but before she could pull back, his hand came up and kept her head in place, his lips becoming more demanding. Hermione allowed this for only a brief moment, before she pulled free.
"What was that about?" she scolded.
Theo was wearing a full-on smirk now. "Just getting my money's worth. After all, not likely to get another chance, am I?"
Hermione glanced in the direction of Draco, but found the spot he'd occupied before empty. Shocked, she jumped to her feet and frantically looked around, just to find that he was nowhere in sight. "Theo!" she groaned. "He's gone! You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
