Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
They spent the weekend with her cooking something for the two of them and checking on him periodically. When he was awake, they'd talk. Nothing serious. School mostly. She got to hear about those special classes, he and the choice few had been placed in. He'd laughed at her obvious jealousy.
Her only concern was that he didn't seem to be getting any better. In fact, she suspected he was worse. Not that he'd admit to it.
She clutched the thermos and her supplies close to her as she walked up the steps. The school elves had been eager to give her all the food she could have possibly asked for from the school's. The thermos was the soup they'd made.
When she reached the top of the steps, she noticed a light on in Draco's bedroom. When the sounds of choking reached her ears, she dropped her bags on the ground and bolted through the door. The sounds were coming from his bathroom, and without a second thought she yanked the door open. He stayed where he was, hunched over the sink, coughing. She caught sight of the red on the pale porcelain.
She waited until his coughing subsided before she spoke.
"I think you need to see Madame Pomfrey."
"No." He stumbled away from the sink, wiping the corner of his mouth.
"That's blood Draco."
He swayed on his feet as he moved to walk away from her. She quickly tucked her shoulder under his arm and led him back to his room. He sat at the edge of the mattress. "I'm not going to the infirmary." he said stiffly. She opened her mouth to argue.
"Hermione."
She hesitated. "Hermione please." he said again.
He'd never said her name before, but that, the way it fell off his tongue, made it seem like it was the most beautiful melody ever written. She had to stop herself from shivering at each syllable. He had her attention now. "Get Blaise."
She bit her lip. Blaise had always seemed rather levelheaded. If she got him here, maybe he'd help her convince Draco to see Pomfrey.
"Fine."
He sighed in relief. "Just lay back down. I'll be back." She said. After she was sure he was comfortable, she left the dorm and headed down to the dungeons.
The halls were empty, which was probably for the best. She barreled down steps as fast as her legs would carry her. She didn't even get a fourth of the way there before the boy in question came into view. "Blaise." She shouted running after him. He turned, shock clear on his face. "Granger what are you…"
"I need you to come with me." She said breathlessly.
"What?"
"It's about Draco."
He stared at her in disbelief before nodding slightly. Something in her face seemed to convince him, she was serious.
"Lead the way.
They passed a few stray Slytherins as they walked steadily up the steps. When the halls had cleared again, he stopped her.
"What's going on?"
So she told him, starting from when she'd come to the dorm on Friday, and ending with the blood in the sink.
"He has to go to the infirmary. If it's blood, I can't." She stammered. Blaise was silent.
"He probably should have gone to the infirmary the day you found him." She shook her head. "It didn't seem that bad."
"If you saw it, it was bad." Blaise said. He seemed to deliberate something, before he sighed and continued.
"Do you know Draco spent 6 months at St. Mungo's when we were 9?"
Merlin.
Blaise's eyes grew distant as he seemed to recall the time. "Got really sick, nearly died. His immune system took a real hit after that. He's alright now, but in the beginning, our first through third year especially, he was sick constantly."
"I don't understand…"
"Do you remember that time in Potions in third year, when we learned about the Waking Dream Potion?"
She nodded. A hallucinogenic potion, though a mild one.
"And Snape asked you what ingredient could be added to strengthen the spell so that it's mere smell could cause hallucinations. You said lavender, which was wrong."
Her cheeks flamed at the memory.
"He asked Draco, who said,"
"Foxglove and a dash of vervain." She said, "I don't understand what this has to do with our current situation."
Blaise looked down at her, similar to a parent who was dealing with an unruly child. "Don't you find it odd that he didn't tease you about it that day. He just muttered the response and let your mistake go."
She frowned, struggling to remember that day. Had he really not taunted her, lorded over his success at her expense?
"He was sick that day." Blaise continued, "Could barely talk. And still, he used a glamour and went about the day as though everything was perfect. My point Granger is that if he could hide it, he would have. Weakness in our families, particularly Draco's, isn't exactly acceptable."
The guilt settled in her gut. "Then we need to get Pomfrey."
He shook his head. "Go against him now, and he loses whatever trust he has in you. Let me talk to him first."
She wanted to argue, but there was no argument to be made. Blaise knew Draco. She didn't, and she couldn't find much flaw in his logic. She walked briskly in front of him. "Well, let's hurry this up then."
He easily met up with her. His long strides were the equivalent of two of hers. They were quick to reach the tower. Blaise turned as she muttered her password. The minute the door opened he sprinted ahead of her and up the last bit of stairs.
He was already in Draco's room when she reached the Common Room. Their voices carried into the hall.
I underestimated the stress.
Can't stay in the Infirmary.
She lingered at the doorway. Blaise was standing near the head of the bed, arms crossed in front of him. Draco was propped up on his pillow. She took in his face. While normally pale, his skin had taken a graying tone, making the bags under his eyes seem more pronounced. He looked a breath from death. He probably felt it too.
The minute her foot had edged into the room, his eyes had snapped to meet her. He glanced back at Blaise. "I'm not going to repeat myself Zabini." he said, "I already told Granger no."
Anger bubbled in her chest. How could he be so damned stubborn. He was seriously ill, and for whatever pride-filled excuse, he was refusing to see reason. She snapped.
"So you'd rather die, because of your stubbornness." She clamped her hand over her mouth. Blaise's mouth hung open. Draco's jaw was clenched, but his eyes were wide.
No man will hurl me down to Death, against my fate.
She turned on her heel and fled the room.
Down to Death.
Down to Death.
Down to Death.
Those words. Haunting her from the moment he spoke them. She wrapped her arms around her side and sat at the edge of the couch. A moment later Draco's door opened and then closed. "Granger." Blaise said softly. She met his gaze. "Let's go." She stood and followed him to the steps.
"Go where?" She finally asked.
"You're getting Pomfrey."
"And you?"
He seemed grim.
"I'm getting Snape."
She stumbled after him. She was seriously starting to hate the Slytherin ability to practically glide as they moved from place to place. "Why Snape?"
He paused. They reached the castle corridors. If she headed down the left, she'd reach the infirmary in under 10 minutes. "Snape is Draco's godfather."
Her mouth dropped.
"Salazar knows how the whole school hasn't already found out."
Blaise turned to the right, toward what she could only assume where Snape's private quarters. She shook her head and headed in the opposite direction.
Pomfrey had needed convincing to leave her post in the infirmary. It was only at her adamant insistence that the patient in question could not be moved that she'd even agreed to follow her. As they neared the tower where the Head's dormitory lay, Pomfrey's reluctance seemed to mold into curiosity. She knew the other witch hadn't believed Draco feeble excuse for why he'd fallen off his broom last month. In her mind, the two events were related somehow. Though, she'd yet to find the connection. No doubt, the same was going through Pomfrey's mind.
Somehow she doubted they'd learn much unless Draco wished to share. He seemed quite capable of keeping things to himself.
She could feel Snape's presence, even before they entered the room. The air had thickened. Snape was stiff, standing at the foot of the bed. Blaise lingered in the corner, face impassive. Her eyes then drifted to Draco, whose eyes were half-closed. They opened slightly at their entrance. He looked bored. The sodding git.
She glanced between Snape and his supposed godson, searching for some kind of familiarity in their interactions. It was there, she supposed, in Draco's somewhat relaxed posture and the hints of concern in Snape's eyes. In fact, if she looked back through all their years at Hogwarts, she could easily pick out evidence that hinted at a relationship that ran deeper than student and mentor. The favoritism that bordered nepotism. The easy conversation. Snape's mad dash across the field when he'd fallen.
She shuddered at the memory, willing the sound of bones snapping out of her mind. Pomfrey had bent down and was scanning Draco's chest with her wand. Her brow was furrowed. She moved to speak but hesitated. Her eyes darting from Hermione to Blaise before returning to Draco. He merely waved for her to speak.
The witch nodded before settling her eyes on Hermione, perhaps the least volatile and objectively neutral person in the room. "It seems quite like muggle pneumonia." Hermione's eyes widened as Pomfrey glanced back at Draco with a mixture of annoyance and genuine concern. "You should have come to me before now. It's progressed to an advanced stage. Given the circumstances, St Mungo's."
"No." Draco exclaimed. He seemed panicked. Realizing himself, he schooled his features. "I do not need to go to St. Mungo's. If it's a lack of resources that can easily be dealt with." He may have been speaking to Pomfrey, but his eyes never left Snape for a moment. "Anything you need." He added after a moment.
The woman seemed ready to argue, when Snape interrupted.
"Madame, if the boy is too ill to be moved to the infirmary, how then can we be expected to move him to St. Mungo's? It is perhaps better he recovers in an environment more familiar to him. It would eliminate any other possible causes of distress." His lips pursed at the final word. Draco bit his lip, the displeasure at being regarded as nothing more than a cowering child clear on his face. Though, he said nothing.
She frowned. He'd refused the infirmary first, and now St. Mungo's. Why the insistence in remaining in the confines of this room?
"I suppose." Pomfrey finally said, "but I will not be able to constantly move between the Infirmary and here."
He loses whatever trust he has in you. So he trusted her. A mediocre amount, but it was something. A favor then. A gesture of goodwill, and maybe just maybe, it would help her tear a crack in those thick walls of his.
"But I am here." Hermione interjected, ignoring Snape's cool gaze, "You only have to tell me what needs to be done."
Pomfrey nodded in assent. She turned to Draco. "Anything I need?"
Draco blinked. "If you give me a list, you'll have it all by tomorrow."
Pomfrey nodded again before leaving the room, muttering something about children being too rich for their own good. Snape followed without a word and shut the door swiftly behind him.
Hermione let out a breath.
"You should have offered a bribe." Blaise said coming to sit at the edge of the mattress. "New beds for the infirmary."
Draco groaned and rubbed his temples. "Would have been a bloody rip off. There's hundreds of beds in there."
She couldn't help the smile that formed at her lips.
"I'm sure the Malfoy estate can handle it."
Draco snorted, "I'm not using a single galleon from the Malfoy estate. I don't need father wondering why I've suddenly decided to make a charitable donation to the wonderful establishment that is the Hogwarts' Infirmary."
Blaise snickered.
"I think the Black family vault at Gringotts should be able to cover it all very nicely."
"Black?" She said. Draco met her gaze before sheepishly looking away. "My inheritance on my mother's side." he said, "I'm the last male descendant of the Black family line." His tone was even, but his face held a sense of discomfort.
She nodded slowly, though she couldn't help but think of a house tucked away on Grimmauld that fit into the Black family estate. It made her wonder, if the boy in front of her had a greater claim to that particular family 'heirloom' than the boy who currently held the deed.
"Your mother doesn't monitor it?" She asked. He shrugged. "If she does, she hasn't said." he murmured, closing his eyes. He coughed, his entire chest heaving at the effort. She felt the urge to comfort him, rub circles along his back like her mother used to. Pneumonia. Merlin. People died of pneumonia.
The door to the room opened and Snape came in with a potion vial in hand. He deposited it on the bedside table and looked down at Draco. Again, conversations passed between them, unheard to the rest of them. Draco dipped his chin slightly. Snape apparently satisfied with this answer nodded. "I still expect your assignment to be turned in on time." Draco shrugged. "I've already done it."
"I'm sure you have."
Draco held his hand out toward the desk in the corner. After a moment, the drawer near the window flew open and pages of parchment stacked themselves neatly in his outstretched hand. He held it back up toward their professor, who collected the pages without a word. His gaze lingered on the boy's face, and he pressed his free hand lightly on Draco's shoulder.
Hermione bit her tongue and stole a glance toward Blaise, who was watching the two with clear fascination.
Then Snape turned and left the room. The door shut and Draco collapsed back into the pillow. She stifled a laugh at the sight. Blaise grinned and moved to stand at the head of the bed. He knelt down so that his head was leveled with Draco.
"What would you like me to tell Slytherin?"
Draco groaned and ducked his head beneath the pillow. A slew of muffled curses followed.
She glanced at Blaise confused. "They're going to ask why you're not in the infirmary." Draco groaned again before tossing the pillow off his face. He ran a hand through his hair. "And I can't afford to lose control of Slytherin now." he muttered, more to himself than them.
"And why can't you stay in the infirmary?" She prodded. "None of your goddamn business." he snapped.
"No, I'm just the one who's going to be taking care of your arrogant pureblood ass. I don't have to know a thing." She snapped back. Blaise laughed at that. Draco shook his head, rubbing his temples. "That's not what I meant." he said closing his eyes, "Salazar my head." After a moment, his lids opened and he reached into the drawer beside him and pulled out a ring. The signet held a scripted M. A family ring. He pressed his thumb to the letter and muttered lowly. When he was finished he deposited the ring back into its place and turned to Blaise. "There, temporarily taken care of."
"What was that?" She said moving to the drawer.
"Protean Charm, or a variation of it." Draco said with a smug expression on his face.
"Draco's spelled them to carry vocal messages." Blaise added.
She glanced at Draco in awe at the modification and somewhat disappointed that she hadn't thought to do it herself when it hit her. "Pansy's bracelet." She exclaimed, "That's how she knew where you were." Draco frowned. "Bloody supposed to keep it a secret." He muttered. He grabbed the vial from Snape and downed the contents.
"Do you want me to stay?" Blaise said grimacing at the sight of potion. Draco shook his head. Their eyes met, and she watched yet another silent conversation occur before her eyes. Damned Slytherins. "Get well, mate." Blaise said before exiting.
Alone.
"You don't have to keep watch over me." he said after a moment, "You need to go to class and keep up appearances."
"I just volunteered to watch you, how will I know if something happens to you if I leave?"
He thought for a moment before swinging his legs over and getting up. She moved to help him, but he waved her off.
"I'm ill not paralyzed." he said and his wand appeared in his hand with a pop. She frowned. Just how much wandless magic did Draco now know?
"Do you have something you'd like to spell?" He said easily. Her eyes widened. "A Protean Charm?"
He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Obviously."
She stopped for a moment to realize that Draco Malfoy, the epitome of aristocratic elegance had snorted at her, then with a laugh at her lips she dashed to her room. He followed slowly behind her. She rummaged through her trunk before drawing out a necklace with an oval locket. Her mother had given it to her for her 15th birthday. She'd never been a jewelry wearer, but the locket was beautiful. Gold and decorated in engraved flowers. It had been a personal treasure ever since.
Draco took it carefully in his hands and tapped his wand to it, murmuring the incantation. After a moment he handed it back to her. "Just touch the locket and then say your message. The only one listening will be me so you don't need to specify who you want the message to go to."
"How did you even figure this out." She turned the locket over in her hand before clasping the chain around her neck, "Adding voices to a Protean Charm?" He looked away. "I had quite the summer."
"So I keep hearing."
He said nothing before walking toward the door. He turned back at the last second. "You called me Draco before." he said. When the question never came, she answered.
"It's your name."
"Yes, but you've only ever called me Malfoy." he said thoughtfully.
She shifted on her feet at his gaze.
"Maybe it's because you're different now."
A thin smile played at his mouth. "Maybe."
"Goodnight." He lingered at the doorway catching her eyes before turning and disappearing back to his room.
"Night." She murmured, clutching the locket.