Chapter 23

I woke up in a soft bed.

Last night was still a haze. I remembered pain, and a truth potion that didn't make me tell the truth. The door opened slowly. "Jack?" I heard a voice call softly.

Draco's face peered around the door. He looked concerned. "How are you feeling?"

"I… what happened?"

He sat down on the bed next to me, stroking my arm. When he spoke, his voice sizzled with anger. "They… Potter and his friends… they put you under the Imperius curse."

I paused. I knew that wasn't right. The memories of someone under the Imperius curse were there, just dreamlike and foggy. Mine weren't there at all. It didn't seem to add up.

"I… what did I do?"

"You… ah… you helped him escape."

"I what?!" I shrieked. Draco held my arm tight, gently pushing you back onto the bed.

"Shh, lie down, you're in shock. You understand why the Dark Lord had to…" he fumbled for words. I finished his sentence.

"Torture me?" I nodded, laying back on the pillows. "I'm so, so lucky to be alive," I whispered. Draco nodded.

"Snape had a hand in that. He gave you Veritaserum. So we know you were under the curse. It wasn't your fault."

"I helped him escape."

"You didn't know-"

"I helped the little maggot escape!" I wailed, covering my face with my hands. "I'm so ashamed, Draco." I began to cry, fake tears at first, but they evolved into real ones soon enough. "Draco, how can I… your parents will never forgive me, you'll never forgive me-"

Draco clasped my hand and moved my face so I would look at him, a gesture eerily similar to the Dark Lord's. "I already have, Jack," he said softly. "You had no control over what that Mudblood made you do."

I looked at him, eyes wide. Oh no, I thought. He's really in love with me, isn't he? As if to confirm my fear, he leaned in and kissed me on the forehead.

"It's going to be alright," he murmured. "I love you."

"I… love you, too."

"Good." He smirked, a more usual expression for him. "Do you feel strong enough to eat?"

"I-I think so."

He called for a house-elf, which immediately appeared with a tray. "No, you imbecile, my wife likes Assam, not Earl Grey," he barked, and with two cracks, the house elf disappeared and reappeared with the correct pot. Draco shook his head in disgust. "Bloody elves. Never get anything right." I silently sipped my tea, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After I had finished off the bowl of broth and nibbled at a slice of buttered bread, Draco finally left me alone to rest. I sank into the pillows, and slipped quite easily into sleep.

It was quiet at Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Narcissa visited my sickbed cordially enough, though I could not gauge their feelings towards me. With four days left until school started again, I needed to heal if everything was to appear normal.

On the Hogwarts Express, I was greeted enthusiastically by Ravenclaws and Slytherins alike. Most were still enthused about the wedding. It was a spectacle wizard kind hasn't experienced in a very long time. Draco ushered me into a compartment with Blaise and Theodore. They were of course happy, a copy of the Prophet in their hands, their faces smiling beside Draco's and mine. The train wove and meandered through the countryside until finally, we arrived.