A/N : 'Let Her Go' - Jasmine Thompson Cover, enjoy!
"You were a risk, a mystery, and the most certain thing I've ever known."
The next day, Hermione sat at Ron's bedside in the hospital wing. The previous night hadn't been kind to him.
After studying late with Theo that same previous evening, she returned to her dorm and drifted off into a deep sleep. When she woke the following morning she was informed by Harry that after Ron had consumed a large amount of Amortentia-laced cauldron cakes, he had been poisoned by some mead in Slughorn's chambers. The things Harry and Ron got into without her were astounding.
She, finally in the hospital wing, was relieved to find him okay, at least by Madam Pomfrey's standards. She sat in a chair opposite Ginny and began the wait for him to wake up. Soon, they were joined by Professor's Snape, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and finally Slughorn, bottle in hand.
Upon hearing McGonagall state how lucky it was that Harry had thought to use bezoar to save Ron, her ears perked. Maybe that stupid Half-Blood Prince's book wasn't so bad after all if her friend was actually learning things.
It was as she was pondering this, that Lavender Brown appeared, in search of her 'Won Won'.
"This witch." Hermione whispered to herself.
Lavender saw Hermione at Ron's bedside and looked as if she had gone even more mental than usual.
Harry made note to high-five Hermione later, at a less awkward time for her choice of words in the exchange that came next between the women. He looked on, stunned, as moments after Lavender ran from the room at the sight of Ron moaning Hermione's name from his stupor.
Harry finally emerged from his thoughts as Horace Slughorn was gesturing to the bottle he was carrying. The poisoned bottle of mead.
When Dumbledore asked where it came from and where it was intended to go, Slughorn noted the bottle was originally intended as a gift for Dumbledore. Wasn't it obvious? It had to be Malfoy. Harry left his friends and teachers behind as he exited the hospital wing.
Upon leaving, he saw just the person on his mind. A very distraught Draco Malfoy. Harry silently, but urgently, followed after him but lost him to the Room of Requirement. What could he possibly be doing in there?
On the other side of the wall, Draco approached the vanishing cabinet and placed a small white bird he had been carrying from the seventh floor birdcage into the door before him. He closed the cabinet and waited.
He didn't get much sleep at all the previous night. When he heard Theo come in late, presumably after being with Hermione, it only made things worse. Draco was mentally and emotionally drained.
He grabbed the handle for the cabinet door, paused and took a deep breath, and carefully opened the door. The bird was gone. He shut the cabinet once more. He let his eyes close with it and waited. When he opened the door for a final time, he saw the small white bird lying lifeless and began to cry.
The Dark Lord was going to kill him. He was going to kill his family. Worse still, his heart just wasn't in this. He was doubting everything he had been taught about the status his blood gave him. It was terribly confusing to spend sixteen years believing in something before finding its actually complete rubbish. Throw in despising a girl for six years because of that same rubbish, before being shown himself perfectly happy and in love with her, and that's enough to make anyone a bit barmy.
Monday came and Ron was dismissed on good report from Madam Pomfrey. Harry, Hermione, and Ron made their way from the hospital wing, down to breakfast. Just outside the Great Hall they ran into none other than a very agitated Lavender Brown. She looked as if she might explode as she questioned Ron bitterly about why he was with Hermione and why he hadn't told her he was being released.
Harry and Hermione left them to their row and continued into the Great Hall to begin their breakfast. They took their seats and sometime later Ron and Lavender finally trudged in and sat down. Hermione noted that they weren't speaking to each other and shared a smirk with Harry.
When she looked up, she saw Theo and waved him over to sit across from her.
"Did you get the Runes homework finished?" she asked with a smile.
"Granger!" his face appalled, "I can't believe you'd think I would let you cheat."
She giggled and he threw her a wink.
"If you want to be top of the class, you're just going to have to try a bit harder."
During this exchange, Harry's vision was drawn to the entry of the room. He saw Malfoy standing there, frozen, staring at them. Draco finally noticed Harry staring back and abruptly turned on his heel and strode away with fervor.
Harry quickly closed his copy of Advanced Potion-Making at the dog-eared page with a spell scrawled in the margin captioned "For Enemies". He then excused himself and followed out of the Great Hall with great haste. He checked the Marauder's Map as he went to make sure he didn't lose his target. He soon found himself in a sixth-floor bathroom, looking at a distraught Draco Malfoy leaning over a sink, sobbing.
Malfoy was sputtering on about losing his one shot at happiness, how no one could help him, that unless he did something soon, he will kill him.
He? Voldemort?
Moaning Myrtle was trying to comfort him and when Draco looked up into the mirror, he saw Harry standing behind him through his tear-filled eyes. "Are you really a Death Eater then?" Harry asked.
Draco spun around and drew his wand, a gesture which Harry hastily returned. Draco shot out a hex and Harry narrowly missed it. They went back and forth like this for a few moments, bits of the room exploding and Myrtle screaming all the while, before Malfoy opened his mouth once more. Before he could finish the incantation for the cruciatus curse, Harry bellowed "SECTUMSEMPRA!"
Blood instantly started to emerge from deep cuts appearing across Draco's face and chest. Harry lunged quickly toward his enemy in shock.
Draco lie quaking in a pool of his own blood as Myrtle began screaming about murder. Harry only stared, stuttering. Draco thought this was the end for him. Maybe it would be better this way.
The door to the bathroom suddenly flung open and Snape emerged through it, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him. He rushed to Draco's side and began muttering an incantation under his breath, tracing his wand along the cuts. The flowing blood began to slow and Snape began his counter-curse again. This time, the cuts seemed to be healing. He continued the incantation for a third time before lifting Draco up and announcing he was taking him to the hospital wing. Harry only stared in shock before Snape addressed him exclusively to wait for him to return.
When Snape returned ten minutes later he shooed the still-wailing Myrtle from the bathroom and down into her toilet. Harry quickly began to try and explain that he hadn't a clue of what that spell would inflict but Snape wasn't having it.
He pressed Harry for where he learned the spell, to which Harry exclaimed that he read it in some forgotten library book.
Professor Snape knew he was lying and quickly chose the weapon of legilimency. An image of the Half-Blood Prince's copy—his copy, of Advanced Potion-Making was there, waiting to be seen no matter how hard he tried to push it away.
Snape quickly requested Harry bring him all of his schoolbooks. Immediately. Harry was relieved Snape hadn't just grabbed his bag and ruffled through it right then as he collected it on his way out of the bathroom and made for Gryffindor Tower.
"I've just done something terrible. And I need your copy of Advanced Potion-Making."
Hermione's heart began to tremble out of her heart when she heard those words leaving Harry's mouth.
She set her book down, and felt her hands begin to sweat.
"What did you do, Harry?"
"I think I killed Malfoy."
Hermione's heart dropped, and her hands started to shake.
"Wh-what d-do you mean, Harry?"
"We were dueling in the bathroom, and I-I used a spell."
"What spell?"
"Uh, sectum-sectumsempra."
Hermione looked down at the floor treading her brain trying to think if she's ever heard of it.
"Where did you learn the spell, Harry?"
"In..."
"That damned book? Harry, you've got to get rid of it! Oh my Gods," she paused, "why do you think you killed him?"
"He fell and all of his blood started pooling around him. I...I feel sick."
Hermione threw her potions book at Harry before running past him and out of the common room, toward the hospital wing.
Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore were standing around the bed, while Madam Pomfrey was hard at work.
Hermione's body went cold, and shook with fear. She hadn't even realized when Ron had approached her.
"Madam Pomfrey said that I should make a full recovery. No need to come back up here really. Just forgot my jumper."
Hermione didn't say anything.
"When Malfoy came in, there was blood everywhere."
Hermione still stared off toward the professors and the injured boy.
"Hermione."
"Hermione."
"What?" she finally said, releasing the tenseness that her body had been holding. She realized then that Ron was standing with her.
"Oh! Ron."
Ron grinned, and when he was about to hug Hermione, she dipped out of the way to continue to watch was happening.
"Right." Ron said shrugging off the rejection, "So what happened to him?"
"Harry happened."
"Harry did that? Wa-hay to go Harry!" Ron exclaimed quietly.
Hermione turned to him, giving him a repulsive look. "It's not funny. Go to the common room and ask Ginny to take Harry somewhere to get rid of that awful book."
"He learned it all from the Prince?"
"Yes Ron. Whatever he did to Draco, he did it from that book. It needs to be ridden of. It's unsafe. He almost killed Malfoy."
Ron furrowed his brows, "I didn't realize that you cared so much for Malfoy." his voice thick with jealousy.
Hermione winced, "Its not that I care, Ronald. It's that our best friend almost killed someone."
"Well why Ginny, why not me? I'm sure I can find a good spot."
"Ron. This is no time to be arguing. Just have Ginny do it!"
"Alright, alright." Ron looked at Hermione curiously, nodded and backed away slowly, still watching her.
Hermione was staring into the hospital wing, she just needed to know that Draco was okay.
Once the professors were done tending to Draco, Hermione moved to the shadows as they all made their ways out and departed.
Hermione's breath began to hitch, and before she knew what she was doing, she entered.
A step at a time, Hermione staggered, keeping her eyes on the white curtain that Draco was laid up behind.
"Ah. Miss Granger? What can I do for you?"
Madam Pomfrey called from a medicinal potions cabinet.
Draco's ears perked at her name. Had she come to visit him?
No. What was he thinking? Of course not. Although Scar Head probably went and bragged to her about his wrong doings.
"I...erm... I...well."
Her voice was like liquid velvet, a sweet melody to his ears.
Madam Pomfrey walked up to her and placed the back of her hand on Hermione's forehead.
"Oh. You're quite warm. Are you feeling alright?"
Hermione thought about it. She wanted to learn more about Draco. And although he was probably asleep, she could still watch him. Learn some of this what makes him tick.
"Actually, no. I'm feeling quite ill."
"Alright, come, come." Pomfrey gestured Hermione to a bed, next to Draco's.
Hermione passed by Draco's cot, and from her peripheral vision she saw that he was watching her.
Once on the other side of the curtain, she felt an immediate tension rise into her throat.
Draco watched the silhouette of Hermione through the curtains. He strained to turn to his side to watch her shadow, but he was unable to, so he only turned his head.
"Anything else wrong, dear?"
"Yes, my throat feels quite sore, and my head hurts a bit."
"Hmm. Alright, well, lie down, I'll get you a potion, and you can rest for a bit."
Hermione nodded, and laid down on her right side, and stared over to the shadow that was staring back at her.
After Madam Pomfrey had given Hermione the potion, Hermione found her lids growing tired, and she struggled to stay awake, but she couldn't. She fell asleep facing her desired enemy.
Draco had been given the same potion and he, too fell asleep facing his truest desire.
Once Theo had heard the news of his best mate he ran down to the hospital wing, to be by his side.
"Mr. Nott! Visiting hours are over, shoo!" Madam Pomfrey hissed.
"Please let me see my friend." Theo put on his charm, and puppy dog eyes.
"Very well. But you can only stay for five minutes."
"Thank you."
Theo walked up to the two opened curtains, not knowing who was in each, he turned to see that Hermione was in the right, and Draco was in the left.
He shook his head, there is obviously no separating the two. They were destined for one another.
He sighed, and moved to Draco's side.
Draco was shirtless, and had a large patch on his chest that was stained red, along with a few more with blood soaking through.
Theo clenched his jaw, and shook his head.
"Damn mate." he whispered as he continued to watch his sleeping friend.
"You know..."
Theo's head jerked up to the voice. "It's rude to stare at someone while they're sleeping. Also it's kind of creepy."
Theo chuckled, and reached out his hand and placed it on Draco's, giving it a light squeeze.
"Mate, I just want to tell you, I'm sorry."
"Don't. I overreacted."
"Yeah, that you did." Theo chuckled. "When I heard what happened, I, I was sick. I thought to myself, that there was no bloody way in hell we'd have a fight over a girl before you died."
Hermione had woken up only moments before and it had taken her a minute to realize where she was, and then she heard a voice.
Draco smirked, "Yeah. Well, I win anyway, don't I?"
"That you do. That you do. I uh- well, I love you mate, you're my brother."
Draco nodded, "You're so sentimental."
Hermione found herself smiling at the bromance the two had shared. It reminded her slightly of Ron and Harry. Although, the two men who were on the other side of the curtain were much more dramatic than her best friends. She thought again, well Harry could be pretty dramatic at times too. She silenced her thoughts, and continued to listen on.
"When near-death tragedies happen, well your heart kind of shows the best of you."
The two sat in silence for a minute before Theo began again.
"So, what the hell happened?"
"The one and only, Harry Potter." Draco scowled. He knew that if Hermione had been awake, he would show no kindness toward the boy who tried to slaughter him. No he'd only show every amount of displeasure.
"Yeah, I got that. But what? Why?"
"He followed me into the bathroom, he's been watching me lately. He thinks I don't notice. But I do. He's got some sort of vendetta against me. As always.
And this time around, I thought that maybe he was coming to bitch at me about calling Granger a mudblood, or something irrationally stupid. But... It had been more than that. And he accused me of something..."
"And whatever he accused you of... Did you do it?"
Theo asked bluntly, searching Draco's eyes.
Hermione stayed silent. She needed to know.
Draco didn't say anything, but he lost contact with Theodore's eyes.
"Draco. Did you do it? Tell me so I can help you fix it."
Draco swallowed hard, and lifted a finger to his lips and his eyes shot toward Hermione's curtain.
Theo nodded, understanding.
Draco nodded as well, answering Theo's question.
"No. I didn't."
Hermione let herself breathe.
"Good."
Theo said, disguising the truth.
With that, Draco could see the disappointment in his friend's face. But he shot an apologetic expression, Theo nodded with regret. This was his brother, he needed to help him. No matter what damage may have been done.
"Mr. Nott. It is time for you to make it to your common room."
Theo turned to the elder witch and gave her a smile, "Will do." he winked, which caused her to blush in response.
"Alright, mate. See you tomorrow then."
He stood, and glanced over toward Hermione's curtain. "Ahem. Night, Granger."
Hermione's face went numb, "Goodnight Theo."
She'd been caught.
Theo left the hospital and made his way down to the dungeons.
Hermione laid there a little longer not saying anything. But she had so many questions she needed answered. How could she have the answers, when the person who was lying in the cot over was her "sworn enemy".
Hermione grabbed her wand and swiped the curtain over, revealing the paled-grayish boy staring back at her.
"Hermione."
Taken with how he pursued her first name, she swallowed and with ease, she replied,
"Draco."