Min had forced me to eat a lot for dinner because of the blood donation, even though I wasn't hungry at all.
Afterwards I went to take a shower because I still felt like I was full of Malfoy's blood.
I let the warm water run over my body and looked at my hands.
I had washed my hands a few times before I went to shower and there was definitely no blood left on them but every time I looked at them I saw Malfoy's blood running down my fingers.
I thought of how much they had trembled when I had brushed them over the Dark Mark and even now that thought gave me goosebumps.
How I had managed to stop his bleeding and bring him to Min despite trembling fingers and full adrenaline was still a mystery to me.
Now that I was calming down, tiredness set in and I could have fallen asleep here in the shower, so much had the last hour worn me out.
I climbed out of the shower, dried off and went back to the living room where Min was sitting at the dining table writing letters.
"You should go to bed Daisy, I'll take the night shift at Mr Malfoy's and then you can watch him in the morning.
I'll write to his parents and try to get hold of Madame Pomfrey."
I just nodded, because I really needed to get to bed.
But once I was in bed I couldn't sleep.
My head was full of thoughts and whenever I closed my eyes I had Malfoy in front of me, lying there curled up on the wet floor in the middle of his own blood.
No matter what I thought about, as soon as my eyes closed I saw this image.
I tried to fall asleep for two hours but eventually gave up, pulled a cosy hoodie over my sleeping shirt and warm socks on my feet and crept back into the living room.
I expected to find Min at her desk still writing letters or in the kitchen making herself a coffee but she was sitting in the armchair with a book open on her legs and asleep.
The day must have been very tiring for her too, especially the counter curse.
So I carefully let her levitate into her bed, tucked her in and closed the door.
I couldn't sleep anyway, so I might as well watch Malfoy and she could rest.
I pushed the armchair right next to the sofa where Malfoy was lying and sleeping peacefully.
Before I sat down I got myself some hot chocolate from the kitchen and grabbed a book from the table.
Min had said there would be after-effects from the curses but at the moment Malfoy looked very peaceful.
He was lying under the red plaid blanket with his bandaged arm resting over it.
He still had his shirt from his school uniform on and I thought it looked very uncomfortable so I unceremoniously changed it into a long-sleeved shirt and his trousers into sweatpants.
Min had at least taken off his shoes.
For an hour I just sat there, drinking my hot chocolate and reading my book until suddenly Malfoy started moaning.
I immediately put my book aside and knelt down next to him.
I brushed a few sweaty strands of hair out of his face and put my hand on his forehead.
He has a fever again, I thought and went to the kitchen to get a cool, damp cloth.
I put it on his forehead.
For a moment it seemed like that was helpful enough but then he started talking.
It was monotonous and I was sure he was dreaming it, but it sent a cold shiver down my spine.
"Father please don't. I will follow him, I promise but I don't want that mark."
He sounded pleading and I was sure that this conversation had happened the same way before.
After all, I had already seen the results myself.
"NOOOOO! ," Malfoy yelled from beside me, rearing back.
I quickly rushed up and gently pushed him back onto the sofa.
He was shaking all over and I pulled the blanket a little higher for him.
I squinted at Min's bedroom door, but it remained closed.
She must be sleeping really deeply if she hadn't heard that.
I thought again about what she had said to me earlier: "You may not be the best at healing spells, but you're good at taking care of things."
Caring, that's what I had to do now.
There was nothing I could do medically for Malfoy to help him sleep. The only thing I could do was be there for him.
I sprinted quickly to my room and picked up a small wooden box from my desk.
A music box my mom had given me once.
She had sung the song the music box played herself.
It was the lullaby she sang to me every night.
Malfoy had calmed down earlier when I had been singing, maybe that would help and I wouldn't have to sing all the time.
I put the box down next to him, took his hand in mine and slowly stroked it with my thumb.
"He's not here Malfoy.
He can't hurt you.
You're safe here at Hogwarts and I'm here too, looking after you.
It's all right", I tried to reassure him.
I opened the box with my free hand and the song began to play softly.
„Lavenders blue, dilly dilly, lavenders green
When I am are king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen
Who told you so? dilly, dilly, who told you so?
It was my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so
Lavenders green, dilly dilly, lavenders blue
If you love me, dilly, dilly I will love you
Let the bird sing, dilly, dilly, and the lambs play
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harms way
I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing
When I am queen, dilly, dilly, you'll be my king
Who told me so? dilly, dilly, who told me so?
I told myself, dilly dilly, I told me so"
I sang along softly the first time and then let the music box repeat itself over and over again.
Malfoy actually calmed down and I also calmed down the longer the song played.
The next thing I knew I was being gently shaken by the shoulder.
"Daisy darling, you need to wake up. Breakfast will be ready soon", I heard it softly against my ear.
I opened my eyes and was confused for a moment because I didn't know where I was.
I was still sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, holding Malfoy's hand, who was still asleep.
I must have fallen asleep here last night.
I picked myself up and yawned, even though I had actually slept, it hadn't really been restful, especially because I had slept sitting up.
I rubbed my eyes sleepily and saw Min standing in the kitchen in her dressing gown making coffee.
"You want some too?", she asked and I shook my head.
"You should have woken me up. I said I'd take the night shift."
"I couldn't sleep and apparently you could, so taught I could take over", I explained myself, still not seeing any mistake in my decision yesterday.
"Did he have any side effects?", she asked curiously, pouring coffee into a rather large cup.
"He was talking in his sleep.
I think he had nightmares."
Min just nodded.
"He begged his father not to wear the mark", I said meekly though I knew Min couldn't do much with that information.
"The Malfoys are a very influential family, have been for centuries.
Mr Malfoy Senior made some mistakes, which is why he fell out of favour with ... his lord.
They didn't want to lose their power and influence, so he had to... ", she pointed at Malfoy on the sofa.
"Even though he was under age, he became part of the Fellowship and was given a commission through which his family would rise in their leader's favour."
She paused for a moment.
"The boy failed and was thus exposed to his father's wrath.
That is the reason why I let him go back to school here.
His father is not a good man.
As long as his son can attend this school he is safe from him.
Here I can protect him."
"What was that commission?"
She just shook her head.
I looked over at Malfoy.
He never wanted the Mark.
He never wanted to do this commission.
He only did it for his family, so his father would be proud of him and love him.
I swallowed hard.
I had never considered that there might be more to Malfoy's façade than simple hatred.
That he lived in a world he never wanted to be a part of and tried to fight against.
That he was so much more like me than I thought.
We had more in common than our blood type and as much as I didn't want to admit it, that thought made me positive.
I would be able to help him because I knew how he felt but for that to happen he had to except being helped and I didn't have high hopes for that.
"I sent an owl to his parents yesterday advising them to pick up their son and take him to St. Mungos.
I hope the reply arrives this morning."
We both sat at the dining table eating our breakfast and while Min read the Daily Prophet I watched Malfoy on the sofa who was becoming increasingly restless.
"I think he's waking up", Min said without taking her eyes off the paper.
"And what do we do then?", I asked her, wondering why she could stay so calm.
"There's not much we can do.
We'll ask how he is, see if he still has a fever, put food and drink out for him and wait for the letter from his parents to arrive."
"And what if it doesn't arrive or they want to leave him here?
You said his father is a bad person, we can't just send him with them then", I replied indignantly.
"Daisy they are his parents. I can only do things as long as they allow me.
If they want to take him with them that's their right."
"He's not a minor anymore, he can decide for himself where he wants to get better."
I got really angry.
I also hated it when decisions were made over my head that I wanted to have a say in.
Min sighed and finally put her paper down.
"Mr Malfoy is not in a position to make his own decisions at the moment.
That has to be done by the people in charge of him, who know him best and what's good for him."
"As well as burning the Dark Mark into his arm?", I replied snappishly and stood up from the table.
Without another word, I sat down on the floor next to the sofa Malfoy was sleeping on.
Min tried to address me a few more times but I skilfully ignored her.
If Malfoy couldn't speak for himself right now, then I would do it for him because no one had done it for me when I wasn't capable of making decisions.
Things were simply decided and I was informed of them after the fact.
That wouldn't happen here, not while I could help it.
Malfoy beside me began to moan softly and moved.
"Malfoy?", I asked cautiously and for the first time I got a reaction.
It was only a low hum but he had responded to his name.
That was a big improvement.
He opened his eyes cautiously and blinked into the bright light.
"Malfoy?", I asked again but in a firmer voice.
He turned his head towards me and his eyes grew wide.
He was getting used to the light so slowly and looked searchingly around the flat.
Then he looked at me again.
"Not even in hell will I have peace from you, Harper."
His voice was raspy but firm.
"I really hate to disappoint you Malfoy but hell didn't have any space available right now, so until then you'll have to make do with us."
I had heard Min join us, so I used the plural.
Malfoy looked surprisingly confused, almost more confused than I had countered him then, after the comment about my wellies.
"Good to see you back among the living Mr Malfoy.
Get some more rest, drink plenty and eat something. We'll need to talk some more."
Min seemed stern but I could hear in her voice that she was as happy as I was that Malfoy could make sarcastic comments again.
