Chapter Twenty-One

Hermione shook Blaise as hard as she could and nearly screamed in his ear. "BLAISE!"

Quickly recalling her Muggle first aide training, Hermione grabbed Blaise's wrist and checked for a pulse. It was very faint, but it was there which made her calm down slightly. Ginny was by her side in an instant with a small bowl of cold water and a cloth. Hermione took the cloth and dipped it into the water, wrung the excess water back into the bowl and pressed the cloth to Blaise's forehead.

Blaise remained motionless. "Hermione, I'm going to find one of the Hogwarts teachers," Draco said, grabbing his coat. "If I'm lucky, I'll run into Professor Snape, he's probably the best suited for this situation."

Hermione nodded, her eyes still on Blaise, looking for any sign that he was waking up. Ginny and Harry stood and followed Draco. "We'll go with you," Harry said, "it'll be faster if we split up."

"Good thinking, Potter," Draco said with a grateful nod.

The three of them then hurried out of the Three Broomsticks. Hermione sniffled as she re-wet the cloth against Blaise's forehead and wiped his face gently. She pressed her hand to his cheek and closed her eyes. She didn't know what she was expecting to gain by doing this, but she had to try something. Nothing happened, though. She wasn't even getting any feelings from him and that worried her. Not fear, sadness, happiness… nothing. Blaise was just sitting there, unconscious, and pale as a ghost.

Hermione wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffed as she continued running the cloth over the bit of Blaise's face and neck that she could properly see. Despite knowing Muggle first aide, she had no idea what to do just then.

Ron glanced around and noticed that a bunch of people were staring, most of which were students at Hogwarts. "This isn't a freak show," he snarled.

As the onlookers turned away, Hermione happened to move Blaise's head slightly and noticed a tint of red on his collar. She cleared her throat and tried to get a better look. She realized, however, that with the current angle of his head, she would need a little help to keep his head from flopping back down if she lifted it up.

She glanced up at Ron and said, "Ron, would you mind holding up his head for me? I think his neck is bleeding, but I can't see properly."

Ron stood and positioned himself behind Blaise. He carefully lifted Blaise's head and held it still while Hermione examined him. She had been correct in thinking Blaise's neck had been bleeding. The whole side of his shirt collar was covered in blood, and upon closer inspection, she noticed a long gash near the bottom of his neck.

Hermione carefully ran the cloth over the area, cleaning away the blood so that she could get a better look at how bad it was. She was surprised to see that it wasn't nearly as bad as she had initially thought. In fact; it looked almost healed.

This confused her but she didn't have a chance to think on it because, seconds later, Ginny came bursting through the door followed by Professor Snape and Draco. Harry came in soon after.

"Professor, I think he fainted because of the…" Luna began.

"Back away, all of you," Snape barked, interrupting Luna's words.

Ron and Hermione gently set Blaise down and backed away, giving Snape some space. The Defense against the Dark Arts professor stepped forward and began examining Blaise closely. "How long has he been like this?"

"Nearly ten minutes," Hermione told him tearfully, "Professor, he has a long gash on his neck that doesn't make sense."

Professor Snape drew his wand and pointed it at Blaise. Without a single word uttered, Blaise was gently lifted from the table, perfectly supported for Snape's inspection. "I see no gash, Miss Zabini," he said, looking carefully.

Hermione's brow furrowed. "That's impossible," she mumbled, stepping closer to look, "I just saw it not two minutes ago. I mean; look, there's blood all over his collar."

Snape stared thoughtfully at Blaise. There was, indeed, blood all along the left side of his collar, and upon closer inspection, he saw a pink line on the young man's neck. It was very light, like a thin, healed scar. Curious, he thought. "Well, it's not there any longer. What happened before he got like this?"

"We were all just talking about trivial things when he sort of went stiff, Sir," Draco chimed, "Then he had some sort of fit and now…"

"Yes, well, you two come with me," Snape ordered, pointing at Draco and Hermione, "the rest of you will go about your business."

Hermione and Draco nodded as Professor Snape flicked his wand, conjuring a stretcher. He carefully maneuvered Blaise onto the stretcher and flicked his wand again, causing the stretcher to move about in front of him in mid air. "Malfoy, Miss Zabini, follow me," he said, quickly turning and making his way out of the building.

Just then, Hermione remembered their mother. "Sir, our mother was here in Hogsmeade this morning," she said, "I think she's still here. Please, she doesn't know what's happened."

"We'll look for her, Hermione," Ginny suggested.

Snape flicked his wand. "No need, Miss Weasley," he told her as a bright light emanated from the tip. A few seconds later, the bright light galloped away.

Hermione blinked. "Was that a Patronus, Professor?"

Professor Snape gave her a quelling look. "Miss Zabini, we do not have time for your endless questions."

He continued outside and whisked the three students along to the castle.

Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Luna watched after them as they left. Harry ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "Why are we just standing here?" he asked.

"Snape told us to go about our business," Ginny said.

"And since when do we listen to what he has to say?" Harry questioned hotly.

"Harry, we aren't qualified to deal with things like this yet; Snape is," Ginny argued gently, "Slimy git that he is."

Harry shook his head. "No, I mean we should be heading back to Hogwarts and rummaging through the library," he said.

Ron looked at Harry in confusion. "What for?"

"Ron, Hermione's our best friend!" Harry snapped, "You know she'd be knee deep in books right about now if it were any one of us on the way to the hospital wing."

Although Ron believed that Harry was right, he still couldn't see why they should help Blaise. "But we don't even know him, Harry."

"Fine, if you don't want to help a friend in need, then I'll do it by myself," he said.

Unable to say anything else, Harry turned on his heel and marched out of the wizarding pub. Ron stared after him in shock and then turned to Ginny. "What's with him?"

"He's being a good friend, Ronald; unlike you."

Ron opened his mouth in protest but Ginny immediately cut him off. "Ron, if it were me that had just fainted, you'd be doing everything you could to help me; right?"

"Of course; you're my sister."

"And Blaise is Hermione's brother," Ginny pointed out.

Sudden understanding glowed on Ron's face as he slowly began turning red. "Oh, right, well then we probably should go and help Harry."

"I think that's the most sense you've made all week," Luna teased lightly causing Ron to redden even more. She then took his hand and began walking to the door. "Come on, if we hurry we can probably still catch Harry; he can't have gone far."

Mrs. Zabini breezed into the hospital wing just as Madame Pomfrey was getting Blaise settled into a bed. "Poppy, what has happened?" Mrs. Zabini questioned, walking toward them.

Snape intercepted her. "Marjorie, we've only just gotten here," he said, trying to sound comforting as he escorted her from the hospital wing, "Please, allow Poppy to do her job."

"So help me, Severus, if you don't let me by I will…" She turned and made to go back inside.

"Marjorie, please," Snape said, moving to block her again when she tried to get past him, "We are all worried about Blaise, but we must let Poppy do her job in peace!"

She took a deep breath and wiped her cheek. "I understand that, Severus," she said with forced calm, "but…"

"Marjorie," Severus warned.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes narrowed. "Well, if you're not going to let me see my son, may I, at least, see my daughter?" she questioned in frustration.

Snape nodded. "She and Mister Malfoy are with the Headmaster just now, but as soon as he has finished speaking with them, you're welcome to see her."

"Severus, what happened? Is there anything that you can tell me? Please, he is my son," she said, taking hold of his arm.

"I'm aware of that, Marjorie, but I'm afraid there isn't much that I can tell you," he replied, "I did a brief examination upon my arrival and apart from a curious scratch that wasn't there when I looked him over, Blaise is in perfect physical health. Now, I'm sure when Madame Pomfrey has finished her examination of him, she will be able to give you more answers."

"Mum?"

The two adults turned and saw Hermione and Draco coming down the corridor. Mrs. Zabini broke away from Snape and crushed Hermione to her. "Oh, Hermione!" she exclaimed, taking her cheeks in her hands and looking her daughter over, "Sweetheart, what happened? Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, well, I'm worried about Blaise, of course, but other than that…" she said, "Is Dad coming?"

"He's away on business," Mrs. Zabini sniffed, then her eyes widened, "Oh heavens! He doesn't know what's happened!"

When Hermione noticed the familiar onset of panic, she rushed to stop it. "It's okay, we can send Callidora with a letter later," she said, glancing over at Professor Snape, "Right now I think we should focus on getting some answers. Can we see him yet?"

He shook his head. "I'll see to it that you're all told when he's allowed visitors."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you," she said, receiving a nod from the professor before he turned and walked into the hospital wing.

"Well, you two have a lot to talk about so I think I'll leave you to it," Draco said.

"Draco, you don't have to…" Hermione began.

He placed a finger over her lips and kissed her forehead. "It's nothing, Love," he said, "Besides, I've got a lot of homework to catch up on."

"All right," she said, "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, I'll come by later to check on Blaise. If I don't see you then, I'll see you in the Common Room," he told her. He looked at her parents and nodded. "Mrs. Zabini."

She nodded in return. "Draco, thank you for helping Blaise and acting so quickly," she said.

"Of course," he said.

A moment later, Draco was gone. Hermione looked at her mother and took her by the arm. "Come on, why don't we go wait in the Room of Requirement? It'll be quiet there and we can talk safely," she told her quietly.

Draco yawned as he closed the book he was reading. He set the book on the floor and stood up, stretching his stiff body. He glanced at Blaise and saw that he was still out cold. It had been three hours since they had brought Blaise to the hospital wing with Professor Snape and there was no apparent change.

Mrs. Zabini had left about an hour ago, under protest, of course. Professor Dumbledore had to assure her several times that she would be kept informed of Blaise's situation before she would even leave the hospital wing. Hermione also had to assure her that she would see to it that someone was with him during all visiting hours. Only then did she agree to leave, but only after stating that she would be back the next day, and every day until he was better.

He looked over at Hermione and a small smile came over his face. Her chair was pulled close to Blaise's bed and she was leaning forward, resting her head and arms on the bed itself, sound asleep. Apart from their initial meeting with the headmaster, and the time she had to wait before she was allowed to see him, Hermione had not left her brother's side. Draco walked over to Hermione's side and smoothed back a piece of hair that had fallen in her face.

At his touch, Hermione stirred and opened her eyes. "Why don't you go lay down for a bit?" Draco suggested, "I'll stay with him."

Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "No, I need to be here when he wakes up," she replied.

"Hermione, it's been three hours since we brought him in here and Madame Pomfrey said it could be hours, even days before he wakes up."

"Yes, Draco, I know that," Hermione huffed lightly, "I was there when she said it, remember?"

"Of course I do," he replied, "but I wasn't sure you heard her with all the blubbering you were doing."

Hermione crosses her arms over her chest and furrowed her brow at him. "Blaise is my brother, Draco," she snapped, "I have a right to be upset about his condition."

Draco kneeled down next to her and took her hands in his as he gave her a small smile. "I'm not trying to make you angry, love," he began kissing one of her hands, "but you don't know Blaise the way I do."

"I know that, but in the short time I have known him, he and I have become close," Hermione told him, "He may be your best friend, but he's my brother and I don't want to lose him."

"And you're not going to. Blaise is a strong bloke. He'll pull through this."

She opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her. "Look, I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just saying; someone needs to look after you."

Just then, the curtain around Blaise's bed was pulled open. Draco quickly moved back into his chair and let go of Hermione's hand as Madame Pomfrey bustled in with a small tray of vials of various sizes. Each vial had a different colored liquid inside it; some of which Hermione could identify by sight, others she could not.

"I'm sorry dears, but I'm afraid you'll have to leave now," Madame Pomfrey said as she set the tray down on the small nightstand next to Blaise's bed, "visiting hours are over for the time being. You can come back for an hour after dinner."

"Madame Pomfrey, can't we stay?" Hermione questioned, "We aren't disturbing him."

"I'm afraid not, Miss Zabini, your brother is in need of much rest and I have to run a strenuous series of magical tests on him to determine exactly what caused his current condition."

There was a soft cough then and the three of them turned to see Professor Dumbledore. "Miss Zabini, Mister Malfoy, may I have a word?"

"Of course," they said in unison.

They gathered their belongings and Hermione kissed Blaise's forehead before following the headmaster out of the hospital wing. "After our conversation earlier, I had some time to do some thinking," Dumbledore said, "I believe his visions could be the cause of your brother's coma."

"You think his visions caused him to faint, Professor?" Hermione questioned in a clarifying tone. With everything jumbled in her mind, she wasn't exactly at her best.

The Headmaster looked over his half-moon spectacles at her and nodded. "Yes, Hermione," he replied.

Hermione eyed him warily. "How did you know about them?"

Dumbledore gave her a knowing smile but did not answer her question. Instead, he asked one of his own. "Has Blaise ever been awake during a vision before?"

"No, sir, they've always come to him in his sleep; like a nightmare, he said," Hermione answered.

"Then it could very well be as I thought; Blaise's visions are so powerful that he can only handle them in his subconscious."

Hermione turned to look at her unconscious brother through the small window in the door as she said, "Will he ever come out of this?"

"I have the utmost confidence that he will, Hermione. If you'll both come with me, I shall explain my thoughts on the matter."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Dumbledore finally spoke. "I sense that you are very worried about your brother, Hermione."

Hermione nodded her head once and chewed on her bottom lip to fight back the fresh tears that were threatening to fall. "I'm beyond worried about him, Sir," she replied in a choked whisper.

"Hermione, I have every confidence that Blaise will be just fine," Dumbledore said tenderly, "he is a very capable young wizard; quite gifted, and with Madame Pomfrey's excellent care, he will recover beautifully."

"Sir, you said you had some thoughts about Blaise's visions?" Draco prompted.

Hermione jumped slightly. She had nearly forgotten that he was walking with them. Dumbledore inclined his head and motioned to the gargoyle that guarded the staircase leading to his office. "Let us speak in my office," he said.

Dumbledore gave the gargoyle the password and they made their way up the stairs. When they reached his office, Dumbledore opened the door and quickly conjured another chair on the side of his desk where guests sat as he took his own chair. "Hermione, if I remember correctly, you have not been taking Divination since your third year."

"Yes sir," Hermione confirmed.

"You felt it was a subjective art?"

Again, Hermione responded in the positive as she sat down.

"And how do you find it, Draco?" Dumbledore questioned.

"I think it's flighty; horribly inaccurate," he answered.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I do admit that many witches and wizards attempt to claim they have the sight," he said, "however, there are a rare few that actually do. I believe that you and Blaise are such people."

Hermione and Draco looked at him in confusion. "Are you telling me that Hermione and Blaise have second sight?" Draco questioned.

"That is my theory," Dumbledore stated with a small nod.

"But… I never saw anything until I was taken to the Zabini's," Hermione said, furrowing her brow.

"In many cases, second sight doesn't present in someone until they are older," Dumbledore commented thoughtfully, "I do not, however, think that is the case here. It is my belief that your visions, and Blaise's, are connected. In all my time of knowing the both of you, I have sensed something… more… than the usual magical ability. I think that this second sight has always been in the both of you, but because you were separated, and I could be wrong, it did not present until you were brought back together."

He paused for a moment. "And powerfully, I might add."

"A bit of an understatement, if you ask me," Hermione said quietly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, well, I think that goes without saying."

"Is there anything that can be done to ease the pain for them? Or help them learn to control this… second sight?" Draco questioned.

"Well, it will, of course, be up to Mister and Miss Zabini, but perhaps some lessons with Firenze would be advantageous."

Hermione seemed iffy on the subject. "I don't know, I mean…"

"Hermione, you can't possibly think Divination is subjective after what's been happening to you and Blaise," Draco interrupted.

"You said, not five minutes ago, that you thought it was flighty and horribly inaccurate," Hermione retorted with a little snort, "Are you saying you've suddenly changed your mind?"

"As far as Divination, the way Professor Trelawney teaches it goes, my mind is unchanged," he confirmed, "but come on, even you have to admit that this, your visions, Blaise's… it's different."

He had a point. There was no denying that what she and Blaise were experiencing was real. She was still wary of yet another person learning of her new ability. "Professor Firenze would be discrete, wouldn't he?" she asked Dumbledore.

"I've never known a centaur that wasn't," he confirmed, "I know you are wary of Divination, and I must admit that I'm not a fan of it myself, but Professor Firenze has knowledge and magics that are different from ours. I believe it may prove useful for you to meet with him on occasion."

Hermione looked skeptical still, so he went on. "He may be able to provide you with some answers."

"Can he teach me how to control my visions?" she questioned.

"That is something you would have to ask him."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll meet with him."

After Dumbledore finished explaining his theories to them, Hermione returned to the hospital wing. She wanted to spend as much time as she was allowed with Blaise. It had been over twenty-four hours since he had been admitted into Madame Pomfrey's care and there was no change. According to the experienced nurse, that wasn't out of the ordinary for someone in Blaise's condition.

Madame Pomfrey was in agreement with Professor Dumbledore that Blaise's coma had been brought about by an intense psychological attack far too powerful to handle consciously. The tests she had done on his brain upon admittance showed a high level of brain activity, but a severe lack of physical awareness. This made sense to Hermione, but it also worried her.

When she entered the hospital wing, she found her mother sitting by Blaise's bed. "Mother?"

Mrs. Zabini looked up and gave her daughter a tired smile. "His color's come back a little."

"That's good news," Hermione said, taking a seat on the other side of the bed.

"Madame Pomfrey's monitoring his brain activity and administering potions," Mrs. Zabini continued, running a handkerchief under her eyes, "He's not waking up."

"He's going to need time, Mum," Hermione soothed, "His brain is undergoing a major trauma, it'll take time for him to heal from that."

"And these visions… What's that all about?"

Hermione understood that she couldn't keep the visions she and Blaise had been having from her parents any longer. The content of those visions, however, were a different story. "Ever since I was brought to Zabini Mansion, Blaise and I have been having visions," she explained.

Mrs. Zabini's perfect brow furrowed. She looked between her children before saying, "You… You have the sight?"

The younger witch nodded. She then recalled a book she had read during her short time at Zabini Mansion. "Mum, wasn't there someone in your family with second sight?"

"Centuries ago, there was a witch by the name of Zelina Gobb," she recalled, "She was a great, I don't know how many times over, grandmother on my mother's side. It was said that she carried the sight, but no one could confirm it. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just trying to connect some seemingly unconnectable dots."

"And?"

Hermione sighed. "It seems they're still unconnectable, I'm afraid."

"Do you think these visions are connected to the Prophecy?" Mrs. Zabini questioned in a whisper.

"No; but there's something strange going on," she said, "Apart from the visions, Blaise and I have had a very strange connection. We can sense what the other is thinking, or feeling."

Mrs. Zabini tilted her head in interest. "Does that happen with anyone, or just Blaise?"

"Just Blaise."

"Can you sense him now?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry. I've been trying since this happened, but I'm not getting anything from him. I get the faintest sense that he's in there, but that's it," she replied, "It's almost like his mind has pushed itself out, leaving only the barest minimum so as to be able to pull itself back."

She smacked her forehead. "Oh, I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I think of that before?" she said, more to herself, "Perhaps he's experiencing some form of astral projection."

She stood up and gathered up all of her books and shoved them in her bag. "I've got to go see Professor Firenze," she said as she put her bag over her shoulder, "Will you be all right here?"

Mrs. Zabini nodded. "Hermione, what's going on?"

"I'll explain everything when I get back, but I really must see Professor Firenze."

She squeezed her mother's hand and ran from the hospital wing as quickly as her legs would carry her. She checked her watch along the way and hoped that the centaur would be in his classroom. When she finally reached the first floor classroom and saw that the light was on, her heart did a little flip. She knocked on the door and worked on catching her breath while she waited.

The soft clopping of hooves on grass caught her ears and the door opened. "Hermione," Firenze greeted with a polite smile, "The stars told me you would be coming. Please, come in."

"I apologize for the late hour, Sir, but I had a thought and I wondered if, maybe you could shed some light on my theory?"

Firenze motioned to a little moon lit area by a large tree. "Tell me your theory and I will do my best," he replied.

As Hermione entered the room, she blinked. It was her first time seeing the classroom and she was in complete awe. The entire room had been transformed to look like Firenze's old home, The Forbidden Forest. It was scary and beautiful all at once.

"It's an experience, witnessing this room for the first time, isn't it?"

Hermione looked up at him and was relieved when she saw that he was smiling. "Yes," she agreed as they made their way to the tree.

Firenze folded his legs beneath him and waited patiently for Hermione to join him. "So, your theory?" he prompted.

"Yes, um… well, I was just with my brother in the hospital wing and my mother and I were talking about how I can't sense Blaise the way I've sensed him previously," she explained, "and I mentioned that it kind of feels like his mind has pushed itself out of his body, like…"

"Astral projection," Firenze interrupted.

"Precisely, yes."

He looked thoughtful as he tail swished. He poured a cup of tea and offered it to Hermione, who gladly took it and drank. "Generally speaking, astral projection isn't something the unconscious can manage. It's a very tricky magic that very few witches or wizards practice, and even fewer master," he told her, "I have heard of wizard, or two, that were born with the ability to project themselves elsewhere. It's quite possible that that is the case with your brother, but I think there is more to your inability to sense him in his current state."

Hermione looked perplexed. Firenze politely took her cup from her. He motioned for her to move closer. When she did, he held out his hands. "If you'll allow me, I'd like to try something."

"Oh, okay," Hermione agreed, placing her hands in his.

"Close your eyes and breathe deeply and evenly."

Hermione obeyed. Firenze gently squeezed her fingers. "Very good, now I want you to concentrate on my voice," he said quietly, "Allow your mind to slip into darkness, into freedom. You have no worry, no fear, you simply are."

Her breathing deepened and she could feel herself slipping away. She slumped to her left and Firenze carefully lowered her until she was completely on the ground. He made her comfortable and set about making a special fire.

As the smoke from the flames rose, he consulted the stars. What he read there confirmed what he had thought since a discussion he'd had with the headmaster recently. He sprinkled something over the burning logs and looked to the stars again.

Placing his hand on Hermione's forehead, Firenze closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. As he exhaled, he slowly lifted his hand. The surrounding air crackled with energy causing the centaur's eyes to pop open. "Hermione, relax," he said calmly, "You are in no danger from me."

The energy grew, but it wasn't quite as intense. "There, that's it."

Hermione's back arched as she took in a sharp breath. Her body then went limp and Firenze put out the flames. Hermione woke, looking around as she sat up. "Did it work?" she asked.

Firenze looked at her thoughtfully. "You tell me," he said, "How do you feel?"

Hermione's brow furrowed for a moment before she smiled. "I feel… lighter."

"Then it worked."

"What did you do, exactly?"

"Your mind was clouded to the point that it was not allowing you to tap into your natural magic," Firenze explained, "I merely cleared away the… clutter… to use a human term."

"Is that safe?"

"Yes. I assure you, no toying with your mind was done. What I did is a technique used by centaurs as a way of freeing the mind so as to better see what was once hidden. You hold so much within you, Hermione, and you have such a logical mind that you often fail to see or understand what cannot be explained."

"So how do I fix that?" she asked.

Firenze stood and clopped over to a small cupboard. He took a few herbs from a shelf and then returned to his spot by the tree. "You need a clear, focused mind. The natural magic you have within you is powerful and in order to gain control of it, you must practice," he told her.

Hermione watched as he began crushing the herbs and mixing them together. "What is that you're making, Sir?"

"It is a mixture of burning herbs. When combined with blue flame, this mixture is known to have great powers of clarity. Do you know how to conjure the blue flame?"

"Yes, I do."

Firenze smiled. "Excellent." He handed her an empty bowl. "If you would please."

"Oh! Sure."

She took out her wand and pointed it at the bowl. A second later, the blue flames her friends loved so much lit up the room. Firenze sprinkled just a pinch of the herb mixture into the fire. The aroma that rose from the flames was earthy and sweet, much like the smell of the ground after the rain. It was lovely, and Hermione found herself wanting to breathe it in.

"Do not fight the urge to breathe the aroma," Firenze stated, "The deeper you breathe, the better it will work. It is strong, which is why very little needs using at one time. Good… and one more deep breath. Excellent."

After several minutes, Firenze put the fire out and Hermione came out of her daze-like state. "Wow, that was… strange," she said.

Firenze nodded. "The herbs are merely a catalyst to assist you in clearing your mind while you learn to do it yourself," he explained, "You see, before you can truly clear your mind, independently of outside sources, there is need for a little… well, assistance."

"Okay, so, what happens in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, I will teach you some meditation techniques that you can use to free yourself of any mental debris. These techniques will not only help you stay focused and clear-headed, but they will allow you to tap more freely into your natural magic."

Hermione settled herself in and looked around. "So, where do we begin?"

Day two of Blaise's unconsciousness…

Harry slammed the book he was looking through closed with a loud grunt. Madame Pince, the librarian looked up from her desk and glared at him. He gave her a quick look of apology before turning back to his friends and saying, "This is useless."

Ginny rubbed the back of his neck soothingly as she said, "Research takes time, love."

"I know but we've been in here four hours and we haven't found a single scrap of information that's useful."

He sighed and took his glasses off to rub his eyes. His eyes were starting to blur from all the reading he'd been doing. He had never been all that great with the whole research thing, but this was for Hermione and he didn't want to let her down. He sighed and rubbed his temples. I wish you were here, Hermione, he thought.

Even with everything she was going through, Harry knew that her mind was the most logical, and most knowledgeable. He wasn't sure how she always managed it, but no matter what was going on, Hermione was always the one to keep a cool head. She always seemed to know what books they'd need and where to find them.

His head snapped up and he slid his glasses back onto his face. "Wait… That's it! Aren't most of the books about visions, and such, in the Restricted section?"

"Basically everything pertaining to Divination, besides our school books, are locked away in the Restricted section," Luna answered.

"Why?" questioned Ron.

"Well, Professor Trelawney says that…"

Ron stopped her. "No, I mean; why does Harry want to know?"

Harry looked over at him. "Huh? Oh! Well, since we're not having any luck with what little we've found, it might be time to broaden our search," he said, "I mean; these visions of theirs come from their minds, right? So, what if we're looking at this from the wrong angle?"

Ron groaned and flopped his head against the table. "I missed a meal for this?"

Ginny smacked the back of his head with the book she had been looking through. "Would you mind not thinking about your stomach when we're trying to help one of our best friends?" she questioned with attitude.

"Oi, why is it everyone always hits me?"

"Because you have a tendency to be a selfish pratt at times," Ginny replied.

Ron's face went pink. "Hey! I do n…"

"Can we focus here, please?" Harry chimed.

"Right, sorry."

Ginny looked at Harry. "You were saying?"

"Well, what if we look someplace else? You know, look for more… ahem… guarded sources."

"That's a brilliant idea, Harry," Ginny said, "There's just one small problem. How are we going to get to these 'more guarded sources'?"

"Oh… Well, um, maybe you lot could create a distraction and I could break in and bring out what I can find, or…"

"Or we can use this."

The four of them turned and looked up to see Draco holding up a small piece of paper. Ron snatched the paper from Draco's hand and read it. "You got permission to use the restricted section?" he asked with eyes bulging.

"From Albus Dumbledore himself," Draco confirmed.

"How…?"

"I met with him an hour ago about something and he… Look, it doesn't matter how I got it, the point is; I did," he said, taking the paper back.

"But…"

Draco sighed heavily and ran his hand through his white-blond hair. He was getting frustrated. He was trying to help and Ron wanted to sit around debating the "why's" and "wherefores" of his actions? Not bloody likely!

Harry watched as the argument unfolded in front of him. It wasn't unusual for Ron and Malfoy to argue, but something inside of him seemed to think there was something wrong with this particular one. Draco wasn't one of his favorite people, but he had certainly shown that he cared for Hermione as of late, and that was something.

"Weasley, we're wasting time! We should be grabbing books that could help us figure out what's happening to Blaise," he argued, "And Hermione for that matter."

"Why do you care what's happening to them?" Ron asked hotly, standing to get in his face, "You're a Malfoy, they don't care about anything, or anyone, but themselves."

Harry stood and put himself between them. He could tell that the two were coming close to either punching, or cursing, each other. He might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he was intelligent enough to know that if they were going to get results, they needed to work together, not tear each other apart. "Guys, this isn't helping."

Draco glared at Ron over Harry's shoulder, ignoring the spectacled boy. "Blaise is my best friend and Hermione is going to be my wife," he seethed, "I'm going to do whatever I can to help and support them, no matter what."

"Well, that makes you all right in my book," Harry said, holding out his hand to Draco.

The white-blond looked at Harry's hand for a second and then held out his own, shaking Harry's briefly. He couldn't see the two of them ever really being friends, but he knew Hermione would be pleased with this small bit of progress. That was all that mattered to him; Hermione's happiness. He let go of Harry's hand, jerked his head toward Madame Pince, and the two headed off.

Ginny glared harshly at Ron for a moment before pushing away from the table and following after Harry and Draco. "How's Blaise?" she asked when she had caught up to them.

"I've never seen him like this before. He looks so… vulnerable."

"What did Madame Pomfrey say?" Harry asked.

"It could be any length of time before he wakes up; if he wakes up."

"How's Hermione taking all of this?"

Draco sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he replied, "She's a total wreck. She won't leave Blaise's side unless she's not allowed in to see him; i.e. visiting hours are over. She's barely eaten, she won't sleep. All she's really done since Blaise was admitted is read book after book, trying to find some way to help him. I don't know how to help her, and I'm really not sure she should be alone right now."

"Hermione's a lot stronger than you think, Draco," Ginny said confidently.

Draco allowed a slight smirk to cross his features at that. "I have no doubt about that, but still, I'd feel better if someone was sitting with her."

Ginny smiled kindly. "I'll go," she said.

She gave Harry a quick kiss on the lips and headed off to the hospital wing. Harry watched her leave the library and then turned to look at Draco carefully. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't even know. I mean, my best mate's in the hospital, my bride-to-be is a nervous wreck, add in what Dumbledore's told us and…"

"Wait," Harry interrupted, "you spoke with Dumbledore about all this?"

"Well, he came to us in the hospital wing, told us his theories."

Harry was silent for a moment. He thought about all the times he'd been in a sticky situation. Dumbledore had always swept in at just the right moment with information that he needed. If he was sharing theories, or what have you, with Draco and Hermione, then he was pretty certain they were on the right track. "Well, we're going to find out the truth behind all of this," he said with confidence.

"I just hope the right books are at our disposal," Draco said as they stopped in front of the counter where Madame Pince was eyeing them suspiciously.

"I don't think Dumbledore would've given you permission to use the restricted section if we weren't going to find something."

Draco handed Madame Pince the note from Professor Dumbledore, which she took and scrutinized carefully. Draco rolled his eyes and gave her a bored expression. "It's from the Headmaster," he said, "get him down here if you don't believe me."

"Very well," Madame Pince said, "Wait here."

She walked away and came back several minutes later with a stack of books. She set them on her desk and stared them down as they each took a few and headed back to their table.

With Ginny in the hospital wing with Hermione, that left Harry, Ron, Luna, and Draco to search through the books. Which actually wasn't so bad. Luna was proving to be rather handy when it came to research. However strange, or dim, she might appear at times, she really was quite brilliant and an excellent note taker. Not to mention, she had shown a strong aptitude for Divination, according Ginny, who's sixth year class had double Divination with the Ravenclaw sixth years. Ginny had also mentioned that Luna was thinking of making a career out of the subject.

About an hour later, Draco closed the book he was looking through with a heavy sigh. "This is getting us nowhere," he said.

"We'll find something, Mal… Draco," Luna said, "you just have to be patient."

Draco rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the books again. "I'm sorry; I need a break," he said, "I'm going to check on Blaise."

"All right," Harry said, looking up at him briefly.

Draco picked up a couple of the books from the table as he thought, Maybe these will help to get Hermione's mind off of Blaise for a bit. He gave the group a quick goodbye nod and walked out of the library. As he made his way through the castle to the hospital wing, he thought about how far he and Hermione had come.

It was only about three months ago that they had begun spending time together and in that short time, they had truly become a couple. Draco really hadn't thought it was possible, but she had proved him wrong. She had forgiven him for all of the things he had said and done to hurt her and had agreed to start fresh.

He pictured her in his mind; raven hair, green eyes, olive skin… she was a vision of perfection in his eyes; she had been for a while now. It wasn't even her appearance, really, that made her a vision of perfection to him. If her looks hadn't changed, he was pretty sure he'd still feel this way because the core of who she was, her personality, hadn't changed. She was still the same brilliant, kind, caring, and all around amazing young woman she had been before she knew about their betrothal and whatnot.

He was now just outside the hospital wing so he took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Ginny immediately looked up at the noise and put her finger to her lips when she saw him. Draco looked in the direction Ginny's eyes were now cutting and smiled tenderly.

Hermione was curled up on the bed next to Blaise's sound asleep. "Madame Pomfrey gave her a Sleeping Draught," Ginny told him quietly.

Draco's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"I think she just needed to rest," she told him, "She told me that she didn't really get any sleep last night. She was searching through some books. She puts so much pressure on herself that she doesn't always take care of herself."

"I'm beginning to see that," Draco said with a nod, "Has there been any change?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'm afraid not," she replied, looking at Blaise, "Do you think he's in any pain?"

Draco shrugged and set the books he was carrying down on the nightstand by Blaise's bed and sat in the empty chair next to her. "He doesn't seem to be, but I'm no Healer."

"Were you able to find anything helpful in the restricted section?"

"Not yet. I mean; the books we got have a lot of good information but…" he shrugged and let out a deep sigh.

"We'll find something," Ginny assured him. She cautiously put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed a little. "We won't stop until we do."

"Thank you, Ginny," he said, "Really."

Ginny smiled as she stood and began heading to the door. "You should probably take her to Head's Tower," she whispered, "Visiting hours are almost over."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

Ginny nodded and left the hospital wing. Draco quietly strode over to the bed Hermione was lying on and sat down on the edge of it, his body positioned so that he could see her face. He smoothed her hair back and smiled to himself when she turned into his touch. Unable to help himself, he brushed his thumb over her lips.

Madame Pomfrey came around the corner just after the contact was broken. "Visiting hours are over dear, you'll need to leave."

Draco simply nodded and shoved the books he'd been carrying into Hermione's book bag. He then carefully lifted Hermione's sleeping form into his arms and easily carried her to the Head's tower. As he was walking, he'd glance down at her every now and then, amazed that he was going to be sharing the rest of his life with such a creature.

Once he had reached the portrait that guarded their quarters, Draco gave the Griffin the password and entered, immediately taking Hermione to her room. As he was laying Hermione down on her bed, he realized that she would probably be uncomfortable sleeping in her clothes. However, he also knew that it would be ungentlemanly of him to change her so instead; he pulled his wand out of his pocket and silently transfigured her clothes into pajamas.

Hermione curled into a ball and snuggle comfortably into her pillow, sighing peacefully in her sleep. Draco kissed her temple and whispered, "Good night, love," before leaving her room to get some sleep of his own.

Day three of Blaise's unconsciousness…

Six o'clock comes early when one doesn't get much sleep, if any. Draco blinked and rubbed his eyes as he slowly dragged himself from bed. He yawned as he made his way into his bathroom to get ready for the day. Though he'd tried to sleep, his mind had kept him up wandering through various topics; not the least of which was Blaise's current situation.

It worried him to see his friend so vulnerable. He had never seen Blaise sick with anything more than a cold, probably, in part, due to Marjorie's excellent healing abilities. Why that woman was never a Healer, I'll never know, he thought. Of course, Blaise being laid up in a hospital bed wasn't the only thing weighing on his mind.

His earlier conversation with Astoria hadn't gone well, not that he'd expected it to. He was quickly beginning to see the young blonde's true colors, which were more green and silver than blue and bronze. It was a wonder why the sorting hat had placed her in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin.

He needed to figure out a way of telling her that things were completely over without her going all sorts of crazy. He wasn't sure that was possible though. Astoria was a stubborn girl that was used to getting what she wanted. He'd known her for a long time and he knew that she wasn't used to hearing the word "no".

"Well, she's going to have to get used to it, because I'm not going to jeopardize what I have with Hermione," he said aloud.

He hurried through his morning routine and then headed down to the common room. He was surprised to see Hermione was already there, dressed and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Hey," he said, "heading down to breakfast already?"

Hermione shook her head as she picked up a couple of books. "No, I'm headed to the hospital wing. I want to check on Blaise."

Draco nodded in understanding and rubbed her arm. "You want me to come with you?"

"No, no it's okay," she replied, "You go ahead and get some breakfast. I'll come find you later."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her back. "I'll see if I can sneak you something to eat."

Hermione smiled. "Food is allowed in the hospital wing," she informed him, "No sneaking necessary."

"Okay then, what would you like me to bring you?"

"Draco, you really don't have to…"

"What… would you like me to bring you?"

"Well, if you're going to be all bossy about it; perhaps some toast and marmalade."

Draco chuckled. "I'm not trying to be bossy, I'm just trying to make sure you eat something," he said gently.

"All right, well, I should be going," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek, "I'll see you later."

He squeezed her hand briefly before she walked away. He then grabbed a couple of books and made his way to the Great Hall. He sat down at the Slytherin table and filled his plate with food. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the smell of food had hit his senses.

He took several bites of his breakfast before pouring himself some orange juice and taking a large gulp. He then looked over his books and chose one that looked interesting. If he was going to weigh himself down with research, he was going to at least try to have some fun with it. At least that way he might not be so worried about everything.

About thirty minutes later, he was fixing some toast and marmalade for Hermione when Pansy scurried up to him. She threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Oh, Draco! I've just heard about Blaise! You must be in such a terrible state. What can I do?"

Draco had stiffened the moment she had touched him. "Well, you can start by getting off of me," he snapped, breaking free of her hold and moving away from her, "Then, you can bugger off."

Pansy looked affronted. "Draco…" she said, her voice breaking.

He shook his head and stood up, gathering his things. "No, Pansy, I've had enough. I'm with Hermione and that's not going to change," he told her, "You need to accept that and move on."

"Draco, Blaise is my friend," she said, "I want to help."

"I don't know what there is that you could do," he said, not unkindly.

"Well, let me know if anything comes up."

Draco nodded and picked up Hermione's toast. "I should get going."

As soon as he was out of sight, Pansy's dark eyes narrowed. She was getting really tired of Draco ignoring her for that little twit, Hermione. She was beginning to see that she was going to have to resort to more drastic measures to get his focus back on her. Well, if that's what it takes, I can do it, she thought as she exited the Great Hall.

Before she had gotten too far when someone grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her into the shadows. "It seems you have a knack for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Pansy Parkinson."

"Astoria? What are you…?"

"You need to keep your filthy paws and lips off of Draco Malfoy," she seethed through clenched teeth, "He doesn't belong to you."

Pansy smirked evilly and yanked her arm from Astoria's grasp. "He doesn't belong to you, either, Astoria," she pointed out, "In case you hadn't noticed, he's all loopy for that meddling Hermione Zabini."

"He's just lost his way for a bit, that's all."

"Honey, you're delusional if you think a Malfoy is going to marry anyone other than a Slytherin," Pansy said arrogantly, "Not that you'd have a chance anyway."

"Oh, please, enlighten me as to why you believe that," Astoria challenged.

Pansy smiled confidently. "My father's entered into negotiations with Lucius."

Astoria snorted. "That's it? That's your argument?"

Her smile faltered ever so slightly. "I'll be on Draco's arm by Christmas."

"Now who's delusional?" Astoria taunted, "Where were you after the Zabini twins' Coming of Age party? Oh, that's right; you were tossed out, and then banned from Zabini Mansion, whereas I was in Draco's bed."

"You're lying."

"I'm not actually," she said, stepping closer to Pansy, "You know what your real problem is, Pansy? It's not me, and it's not Hermione; it's that you lack the skills and courage to actually do something to get what you want."

Pansy grew angrier than she already had been. "Well, you're obviously not so high on Draco's list anymore if you feel the need to threaten me," she retorted.

Astoria gave her a flippant smile. "He just needs to be reminded of how good he had it with me."

"Yeah, good luck getting him away from Hermione long enough to do that. He's with her almost every second and there's nothing you can do about that."

There was a wild, twisted gleam in the Ravenclaw's eye. It was such an evil look that even Pansy, who had never feared the girl before, was frightened. "Oh, there's plenty I can do about it."

Then, without another word, Astoria tossed her hair and walked away. Pansy Parkinson was of no concern to her, she had just felt it necessary to put the little hussy in her place. Hermione, on the other hand, was proving to be a rather difficult obstacle. Draco had been so focused on the goody-goody witch that he was beginning to lose sight of the important people in his life; meaning her.

Well, I guess that just means I'm going to have to try a little harder to ensure that he doesn't go through with this ridiculous joke of a marriage.

The next day… Day four of Blaise's unconsciousness...

Essays were incredibly boring. There was nothing more boring than having to concentrate on writing words that he really didn't want to write. Especially when he would much rather be with Hermione in the hospital wing. As it was, he hadn't really seen her all day.

They'd seen each other briefly that morning long enough for Hermione to tell him that she'd be spending the day in the hospital wing. He had assured her that he would turn in her assignments and that he would make sure she had excellent notes for the classes they had that were the same. Of course, she had already spoken to their professors and had made arrangements. How she manages to accomplish so much when she's dealing with such craziness, I have no idea, he thought.

Apart from the forced sleep she had received, thanks to Madame Pomfrey's Sleeping Draught, Hermione hadn't been sleeping much, and it was really beginning to show. Her usually bright eyes had lost their sparkle and she was hardly eating. In fact; if I didn't bring her things to eat, she probably wouldn't be eating at all, he figured as he jotted down the last sentence of his essay.

Finally! Draco set his quill down with a smirk of pride. He'd been working on his Defense essay for the last two hours and he had finally finished. In his opinion, this essay was a piece of work that even Professor Snape would be proud of, and he was a difficult man to please.

Of course, Draco was one of Snape's favorites, he'd known that from the beginning. That didn't mean that he always got top marks in his class though. He'd actually gotten his fair share of low marks the previous year; which made him curious as to how he'd managed to receive the Head Boy position. It honestly didn't matter though. He had been made Head Boy and he was prepared to do the work in order to do the position proud.

He checked his watch and rubbed his face tiredly. He stretched his stiff muscles and stood. It was getting close to the end of visiting hours in the hospital wing and he wanted to get in there to see Blaise, even if only for a few minutes. He picked up his essay and rolled it neatly before putting it in his pocket. He figured he'd have Hermione look it over just for her to have something to keep her mind busy.

He was just exiting the portrait hole when Astoria called his name. He glanced at her. "I don't have time to talk right now, Astoria," he told her, not bothering to hide his annoyance at being distracted from the task at hand.

"Make time!" she snapped with a demanding tone.

He paused his forward movement and turned to look at her, figuring it would probably be better to hear her out. The faster he could rid himself of her, the faster he could get to Hermione and Blaise. He sighed. "What is it? I'm just on my way to check on Blaise."

Astoria pressed her body against his and whispered, "Why don't we go inside."

Her lips brushed against his ear, tickling his skin. He stepped back, irritated with her constant yo-yoing of sweet one minute, and nasty the next. "Astoria, I need to get to the hospital wing and…"

"Draco…"

He growled and uttered the password, realizing that she wasn't going to give up. He allowed her to enter first and followed after her a second later. He set down the book he'd also picked up earlier and folded his arms as he waited for her to speak.

Astoria had other plans, however. She threw herself at Draco and immediately began kissing him. Draco put his hands on her shoulders and pushed at her, gently at first then a little more forcefully when she wouldn't let him go. "Mm… Ast… Astoria… stop."

She paused briefly, looking up at him. "What's the matter?" she questioned breathlessly.

Draco moved a safe distance away from her and wiped his lips. "Astoria, I thought I'd made myself clear; this can't happen anymore… It won't happen."

Astoria slinked closer to him, a seductive smile pulling at her lips. "You need to stop kidding yourself, Draco," she said, "You want me."

She got close to him again and licked the edge of his ear. "So take me," she whispered, reaching down to unfasten his belt.

Before she could even lay a finger on his belt, however, he grabbed her wrists and pushed her back to arm's length. "Astoria, stop, you're making a fool of yourself."

As he let go of her, Astoria grinned. "No, I'm simply proving a point," she argued, looking down at his pants.

Draco followed her gaze and smirked. "Were you expecting to see something?"

Her blue eyes grew wide in shock at the lack of his excitement. How could he not be responding to her? He had always risen to the occasion in the past; quite easily, as a matter of fact. So why not now? She knew his body. She knew every single thing that made him hot. He should be begging for her to let him take her, and yet there he stood, completely at ease and not interested in her fun at all? That just wouldn't do!

She thought, perhaps, that she wasn't being seductive enough, but then that couldn't be it; she was doing exactly the same things she'd done before. Then again, with Blaise in the hospital and… well, it was obvious that he was stressed. She felt that she was exactly what he needed at a time like this; a sexy distraction. In her opinion, she always had been, and she always would be. I'll just have to up my beguiling factor, she determined.

She moved in closer and touched his cheek. "You're stressed," she said, running her fingers into his hair, "Your best friend is in the hospital, you've got responsibilities as Head Boy, you're wrestling with family obligations… You need a distraction to take your mind off of it all."

Again, Draco removed her hands from his body. "And let me guess; you're that distraction?"

She smiled seductively. "I could be. If you'd let me, that is."

"Astoria, I'm with Hermione; she and I are betrothed."

"A matter than can easily be remedied considering you've convinced your parents to allow the two of you to decide whether you marry, or not," Astoria pointed out.

"I have no intention of breaking my father's pact with Pietro Zabini."