Chapter Thirteen
Nott threw open the door and took two steps inside before he froze making Hermione bump into his back.
"Blaise." He said cautiously, his back blocking Hermione's view of the room.
"I'm fine Theo" Malfoy's voice was still horribly raw. "The poison must not have been as bad as you thought. I feel much better, What did you two use? I honestly didn't think we had much left that would be useful-"
"Per l'amor di Dio (for the love of God), Draco, sit down," Zabini pleaded.
"Draco, no offence as always, but you look like shit. Listen to Blaise. Sit down" Said Nott.
"Blaise, Theo, stop fussing. I told you I'm fine just-"
A jar slipped from Hermione's arms and clattered to the ground. The room fell silent.
"Well, niffler's out of the bag on this one Blaise." Nott sighed. He moved to the side so Hermione could see past him but kept himself between her and the rest of the room.
Malfoy stood by the desk. 'Stood' being a very loose observation since it was the only thing that seemed to be keeping him upright. She sucked in a breath through her teeth as she saw him.
His skin was still grey though his cheeks now looked flushed and feverish sweat dampened his hair. The deep purple of his veins had now spiderwebbed black up his arms and neck.
The whites of his eyes were crimson, as if every blood vessel in his scleras had burst. Mostly dried blood covered one side of his face, congealed in his long hair.
The front of his shirt was soaked with dark blood and clung to him. He looked terrifyingly like a young version of the Bloody Baron and Hermione had to stop herself from taking an involuntary step back from him.
Everyone stood in silence as Malfoy noticed her.
"Please tell me that I am hallucinating again. Or dead." he said, his voice unnervingly even and calm.
No one spoke.
"Because those should be the only reasons I'm seeing Hermione fucking Granger in my study right now."
"Draco- we tried everything-" Nott started but Zabini cut him off.
"Che cazzo (for fucks sake) You would be dead right now if it wasn't for her." Zabini snapped and Malfoy glared at him.
"A touch dramatic Blaise" The blood between his teeth made his signature Malfoy sneer more unsightly. "I would have been fine, there was no reason-"
"There was every reason! You're the one who decided to do this to yourself less than two days after we barely saved you. Our potion stores are dangerously low, we are running on pretty much no antivenoms, antidotes or any ingredient that is remotely useful. You put us in a position where it was either watch you die on the floor choking on your own blood or ask someone for help. "
Malfoy straightened the two men nearly eye level as they stared each other down.
"Ti amo tanto. Sei la mia vita.(I love you so much. You are my life)" Blaise said softly "do not force me to be the one to tell Madre her son died."
Draco's shoulders fell, the fight going out of him. "Fine." He turned to Hermione. "You're free to go Granger, I'm right as rain now, Theo will see you home."
Everyone in the room watched as blood slowly leaked from Malfoy's left eye and tailed down his cheek.
"I might not be a mediwizard Malfoy but I don't think you're quite out of the woods yet." Hermione walked over to the settee and dumped her armload of ingredients onto it.
"Granger, while I appreciate your dedication, you've done your part and I have got it from here. Like you said, you aren't a mediwizard and if I'm remembering correctly, potions was your worst subject, I highly doubt there's anything you can do that I couldn't. Theo, please take her home." Malfoy was still looking pointedly at the doorway. Hermione frowned.
"Malfoy… can you see me?" she asked.
"Don't be stupid Granger, how could anyone miss you with that frizzy mess you call hair?" he scoffed, still staring blankly at the doorway.
Zabini waved a hand in front of his face, Malfoy didn't even blink. Nott swore under his breath.
"Marvellous. Well it looks like you will need to settle for someone who only got an E on their potions OWLS unless you want to lose your sight permanently." Hermione said dryly, already rummaging in her bag for more supplies.
She had settled on an antidote for poison that's principal ingredient was foxglove, the potion was more effective if you left it in the dark for 48 hrs to age but Malfoy didn't have that kind of time. As she added the last ingredients to the small cauldron they had set up she sat back on her heels, wiping a trickle of sweat from her brow and prayed it would be enough.
"oh merde (shit).. Hermione!" Zabini yelled from the desk and Hermione whirled around. He and Malfoy had disappeared from view. She sprang up leaving Nott to watch the cauldron, behind the desk Zabini looked up at her terrified as Malfoy convulsed in a seizure.
Hermione slid behind the desk gently lifting Malfoy's head from the ground and putting it on one of the pillows which had fallen to the ground. "Go help Nott, Zabini, I've got him." She told him, grateful her voice came out as collected as it did. The seizure subsided to twitches and Hermione rolled him onto his side.
"You do not get to die on my watch." she whispered to him "I didn't sneak out of my house in the middle of the night, figure out what you got yourself poisoned with and brew a very complicated antidote just for you to be ungrateful and kick the bucket. I'm going to save your sorry life and then you're going to give me some answers."
"How is he?" Zabini asked as he and Nott sat on either side of her, Nott carrying a small cup filled with a violently purple liquid which was still bubbling.
"Alive." she said absentmindedly unsticking bloodied hair from Malfoy's cheek. "Is the potion done?"
"Just needs to cool down a bit." Said Theo. "I wish a cooling spell wouldn't completely ruin it. How confident are you that this will work?"
"About 75%?" She offered honestly with a tired shrug. "I'm taking an educated guess on some of the ingredients used, there wasn't enough of the poison left to do much with." Zabini and Theo exchanged a look.
The next minutes felt like hours as they waited for the potion to turn from bright purple to a deep aubergine, the silence only broken by Malfoy's slow, laboured breathing. Finally Hermione nodded, the potion was ready.
Nott gently tipped the cup into Malfoy's mouth. They waited, hardly daring to breathe as they waited to see if the potion worked.
Slowly, the black spider web of veins retreated. Malfoy's breathing became less ragged and Hermione reached out and once again took his pulse. She smiled at the other two in relief, Zabini looked like he was about to cry and Nott dropped his head into his hands.
Malfoy's eyes slowly blinked open. He looked up at Blaise and then to Nott and finally at Hermione.
"Well… that sucked." He said in a hoarse voice. Blaise let out a laugh that might have been more of a sob and Nott tossed a pillow at him from the floor.
"Absolute bloody idiot, don't you ever do something like that again" Nott warned shakily.
"Il mio cuore non può accettare questo danno. (my heart cannot accept this damage) " Zabini said with his hand to his heart.
A scream split the quiet joy of the moment making Hermione jump. It was loud and bloodcurdling and it didn't come from inside the room.
Somewhere in the deeper recesses of the house someone a woman sounded as if she was being murdered.
Malfoy had bolted upright at the first scream. Grimacing, he made to stand but collapsed into Blaise.
"I'll go," offered Nott, who was already halfway to the door.
"No," snapped Malfoy. "I'll handle it. Just give me a moment."
"Caro mio (My dear), you won't make it up one flight of stairs in your condition, much less to the East wing." Zabini said.
Yet another scream and Malfoy made an involuntary jerk towards the door straining against Zabini.
"Let me go Draco. I can handle it." Zabini said gently. "She won't know and even if she did she wouldn't mind that it's me."
A flash of hurt passed over Nott's face. Gritting his teeth Draco finally nodded and Nott took Zabini's place supporting Malfoy.
"Help Theo with Draco, they both look like they are about to fall over." He called to her over his shoulder as he disappeared into the dark house.
Hermione ignored Malfoy stiffening as she put his arm over her shoulder. She wasn't short by any means but Malfoy had at least 6 inches on her and several even on Nott.
The screaming stopped and Malfoy slumped into them as if all the energy he had was gone. A few minutes later Zabini re-appeared and took Hermione's place.
"If you'll wait here for a moment, Nott or I will be back to take you home-"
"Like hell you are." Hermione snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to move out of their way. All three of them looked at her in surprise.
"I saved his life tonight. I think I deserve to understand what is going on and I am not leaving until I get some answers."
Zabini and Nott exchanged a look but it was Malfoy who answered her. "Fine"
"Draco, now is not a good-" Nott started
"As much as I loathe to admit it, Granger probably did save my life. And she clearly agreed to help us or you two wouldn't have brought her here, she deserves to know what's going on." Draco told them.
Blaise looked unconvinced. "You know how incorrigible she is, she's going to keep bothering us until she has an explanation. I have strength left for this."
"Bene allora.(Very well) "Blaise begrudgingly acquiesced. "But not here, we can deal with this mess later but we are getting you up to your rooms and cleaned up."