I must have fallen asleep too, because the next time I opened my eyes the sun was setting outside and Daisy's grandfather was sitting next to me.
"Slept well?", he asked quietly and I nodded.
"How is she?"
"Quite alright, I think. At least that's what she says."
Daisy was no longer lying on top of me, I only realised now and when I turned my head in her direction I saw that she had curled up.
I wouldn't have thought it possible for someone to curl up so small, but she proved me wrong.
"Shall we go out for some fresh air, stretch our legs a bit?
I've been sitting here for almost two hours and my legs are starting to fall asleep."
I nodded in agreement, carefully pushing myself out of bed and making sure Daisy was well tucked in as we walked.
The fresh air really did feel good.
It smelled like rain, as it almost always does here in the Highlands, actually.
We walked side by side in silence for a long time.
Neither he nor I felt the need to talk or simply didn't know what to talk about. But it was not an uncomfortable silence.
"It all looks the same", Newton said at some point as we sat down on one of the benches in the courtyard.
Right I remember, he had gone to school here.
One of, if not the most famous wizards to ever come out of Hufflepuff house. Apart from its founder.
"I was glad to get out of here."
I was amazed, almost everyone, even us Slytherins loved it here.
Hearing that someone hated it here was very rare.
Without looking at me he must have realised that I didn't understand.
"I would have hated any school.
Locked up all day, sitting in front of books that don't interest you and learning things you'll never need later in life.
It was the horror for me when I was young."
That sounded quite logical, yet I was puzzled by it.
"Do you like it here, Draco?"
It was strange that he called me by my first name, but I was strangely not bothered by it.
A question that was actually not as easy to answer as I had assumed.
Yes, I liked it here. It was like my second home. A home with less fear.
For six years I had loved it here.
I was popular, the other students respected me and I had good grades.
But since the war, everything was different, I was different.
I had tried at the beginning of the school year to just carry on where I had left off but it wasn't the same.
I had learned that the other students didn't respect me, they were afraid of me.
I had had far too much fear over the last few years, I didn't want to spread any.
That was the reason why I hid my mark at some point, why I wanted to remove it.
The reason why I wanted to die, because I didn't want to be who I was anymore.
"I used to like it more", was my honest answer, because I didn't know what else to say.
Newton said nothing for a short while.
"Do you think Daisy likes it here?"
"Yeah, I think so. People like her, even if she thinks they don't.
I think she can feel comfortable anywhere if she wants to."
"I was really afraid she'd hate it as much as I did.
That everything would start all over again. I guess keeping the truth from her was really the best solution."
The truth, by which I'm sure he meant that he was her grandfather.
"I wish Tina was still here.
Daisy loved her very much", he said softly, looking up at the cloudy sky and smiling.
"Her mom?", I asked cautiously, not knowing who Tina was.
He shook his head.
"No, her mom's name was Anna.
Tina is, no was my wife, Daisy's grandmother. She died almost a year ago. The two of them were very close."
Oh, she hadn't told me that.
"I'm sorry." I really was.
"I should have died before her. She was much stronger than me and Daisy would have needed her more than me."
I didn't know this kind of grief as I hadn't lost any of my family close to me apart from my grandfather who I barely knew although sometimes I wished some of them were dead.
I couldn't imagine what it must be like for him to lose his son, daughter-in-law and wife.
Daisy was really all he had left. I had saved her life by saving his.
I should feel good about myself, as a saviour, but I didn't.
"Daisy is stronger than we all think.
She only ever speaks highly of you. She loves you."
I looked at him still staring at the sky.
I could tell his eyes were filling with tears but still he continued to smile.
In the way he smiled I could recognise Daisy.
He was a really nice man, I wish I had had a grandfather like him.
"I let her down.
We wanted to celebrate Christmas together but I just didn't have the heart to celebrate without Tina.
I lied to her, left her alone in a foreign country. At Christmas.
Who would love someone like that?"
Christmas, horrible memories rushed into my head.
If Daisy hadn't been at Hogwarts I would be dead today, so I owed it to her grandfather that I was alive.
The smile was gone from his face.
"Someone who saves the life of even a Death Eater", I replied quietly.
I wasn't sure if he knew what I was but sooner or later someone would tell him, then he could hear it better from me than from someone else.
He lowered his eyes and looked at me.
I pushed up the sleeve of my jacket and revealed the black tattoo on my forearm.
"I would have bled to death if it hadn't been for Daisy. She helped me despite being what I am.
Her heart is good. There's no monster she wouldn't love, no matter what it did.
You're her grandfather, her family, everything she has left. She'll always love you, that's what families are for."
My goodness did that sound corny, since when was I like this?
Since my anaesthetic. Ever since I saw that wonderful family. That bright little boy with the green eyes.
From that moment on, I thought about what it would be like to have a family of my own. If I could love someone the way this child loved his parents. Would I be a good father?
"I've never seen it up close."
He held his fingers just millimetres above the mark.
I nodded to tell him he could touch it.
"Does it hurt?"
"No more than normal."
"I always thought it would go away when he was gone."
"Unfortunately not, it doesn't fade either."
I too had hoped it would go away, but that was not the case.
He was the second person after Daisy who dared to touch it.
"I wish I hadn't."
That was honest, quite honest for me and especially because I hardly knew this man.
He took his fingers off my arm and looked at me again.
He didn't say anything, he didn't have to.
The fact that he didn't leave when I showed him the mark was more than I expected.
I pushed my sleeve back down, then we sat in silence and thought.
"We should go back inside. I'm sure Poppy's already mad at me for taking you outside without telling her anyway."
"She doesn't like me. She'll blame it on me. So don't worry."
We walked back towards the hospital wing.
"I can't understand what the others have against you. Minerva isn't too fond of you either. You seem very honest to me."
I snorted
"That's exactly the problem."
Professor McGonnagal, Longbottom and Abbot were standing right outside the door of the hospital wing when we came back.
All three looked at us in confusion.
"Minerva, we need to talk in a moment", Newton said, sounding like a stern father.
We closed the door behind us and thus shut out the other three.
Daisy was awake, sitting up in bed with a tray of food on her lap.
"You could have woken me up.
I would have liked a bit of exercise and fresh air too."
She smiled, but Madame Pomfrey standing next to her did not find this statement to be a laughing matter.
"You stay here. You need to rest. The fresh air can wait."
Daisy sighed.
She would die here, bored out of her mind.
"Newt, will you please tell her she needs to stay in bed."
"I got that."
She rolled her eyes before her grandfather could say a word.
He sat down next to Daisy at the bedside while I sat down in mine and ate my dinner.
I felt good physically and was sure that Madame Pomfrey would dismiss me.
She asked me some questions after dinner, seemed satisfied with the answers and released me from her care.
"Minerva only means well and so does your friend Neville.
They just want to see if you are alright. Please let them back in."
Newton had just been outside, probably talking to Professor McGonnagal.
"No!" Daisy folded her arms from her chest.
"I said I didn't want to see them again today. I don't care how good they mean it.
They should honestly apologise to Draco, but even then I stand by my opinion.
I don't want to see them today.
I want my peace and I want Draco here and that's it.
If you side with them, then you can go too!"
He looked a little shocked. I'd seen Daisy angry like that before, but it was always directed at me and I could handle it, her grandfather obviously couldn't.
"Hey Harper, give him a break here!", I cut in, using her last name on purpose.
She gave me a nasty glare.
"Newton and I have been talking.
He saw the mark, it's all good.
There's only one side here and that's yours. Now please calm down a bit.
Madame Pomfrey is right, you need rest."
She said nothing but I saw her tense jawline relax a little.
"I'll go out to the other three now and tell them you're asleep.
I tell them to come back tomorrow when everyone has calmed down a bit."
I didn't know myself that diplomatic but I felt that Daisy and her grandfather needed a few minutes alone.
Without anyone saying anything else, I went towards the door behind which the others were already waiting and closed it behind me.
"She needs rest and you are not giving her that right now.
Come back tomorrow morning, bring her something to do. Something to read, her writing things.
Longbottom and Abbot you two look that you take down everything that happens in class for her.
Professor, please bring her the small wooden box from her desk.
Give her time and space to breathe.
For her this is all much more drastic than for you. She's the one with a new organ, not you."
I could tell they were as taken aback by my announcement as I was.
But they started moving without a word, without asking again.
I waited a few more minutes until I went back into the hospital wing.
When I opened the door, Newton was no longer sitting in his seat but hugging his granddaughter.
Then I guess the two of them talked it out, very good.
"I'll be back in the morning. Sleep well."
He gave her a kiss on the forehead and then turned to me to leave.
"Keep taking good care of her please", he said when he was level with me and patted me on the shoulder.
He closed the door behind him and the room was quiet again, only Madame Pomfrey could be heard handling some potion bottles.
"Mr Malfoy you are dismissed, you may go. Or are you unwell?", she asked when she noticed me.
I was about to answer her when Daisy took over for me.
"I've asked him to stay with me this night.
That way I can wake him if anything is wrong and you can get some sleep too."
Daisy smiled kindly at her and I realised that Madame Pomfrey couldn't object.
She looked really tired, after all she had hardly got any sleep with all this going on.
"Still, don't be afraid to call me if there's anything."
We both nodded gratefully.
After the medi witch had finished all the tests on Daisy for the day, she wished us a good night and disappeared to her quarters.
"Thank you for staying", Daisy said quietly as I sat down in the chair next to her bed.
"Of course, you asked me."
"You can say no too."
"But I don't want to. I like being with you."
That was quite honest and I didn't really want to say it out loud but it was true.
She didn't say anything back but quickly changed the subject.
"I was too hard on Min, Neville and Hannah."
Min?
She had said that before and by logic it could only be about Professor McGonnagal so I didn't inquire further.
"Maybe a little."
She buried her face in her hands.
"They must hate me now."
My goodness, the medication she was on was really affecting her mood, one second one way and the next another.
"They're just worried. They'll calm down again and everything will be fine tomorrow.
They won't hold it against you."
"You really think so?", she sniffled behind her hands.
I stroked her back with my hand to reassure her.
"Thank you", she whispered softly, wiping tears from her face.
"You really should sleep."
She nodded and snuggled under her covers.
"Goodnight Draco."
She had already closed her eyes and spoke so softly I could barely hear.
"Good night Daisy", I breathed back and I wasn't sure if she even noticed.
I just stayed sitting next to her and listened to her quiet breathing.
It was quite soothing and my eyes kept falling shut.
Without further ado, I turned the chair into a comfortable armchair and got the blanket from my old bed and put it over me.
I closed my eyes and only opened them again when I heard the door of the hospital wing slam shut.
I startled and looked right beside me, but Daisy was still sleeping peacefully.
Professor McGonnagal had come into the room, carrying books, parchments, feathers and the small wooden box as I had instructed her.
She placed everything soundlessly on the table next to Daisy's bed and then looked at me over the rim of her glasses.
"Mr Malfoy, don't think that the events of the last few days will excuse you from your lessons.
I expect you in transfiguration on time."
I wasn't even fully awake and already I was getting a telling off.
I peeled myself out of the covers, took one last look at the sleeping Daisy and then headed towards the professor.
"I slept well, thank you for asking Professor. Don't worry, I will be on time."
With those words, I strode past her and towards the dungeons for the first time in over 36 hours.
I had no idea what time it was, well rather how early it was, because the corridors of the castle were still deserted.
Therefore it was easy to get to my room without being seen.
There I showered, did my hair, tied up the dark mark and then put on my school uniform.
As if today was a normal day.
I would pretend it was.
So I put on my Malfoy mask, not letting anyone see that it was not a normal day for me.
