Until Death

Until Death

Part Nine

********************

"The black rose is no longer black as it once was. It has turned brighter without an idea why. Furthermore as the rose withers in life, it is being kept alive by an unknown force of love. How can it be possible? How could one love such a disdainful color upon such a beautiful flower? That I do not know. We will never truly understand the way Love works for us. But as I look upon you two, I see that the rose is not black anymore. It has something to live for than just the cold dark nights with no day. It has you. Help will be soon enough. Stay alive, my son. I will be watching over you." The figure that spoke beautifully said her last words: "My son, listen and remember. Always remember what you will hear. You will not understand now, but you will in time. Je suis le vent, je suis le brouillard. Je suis les nuages, je suis partout. Je serai toujours partout où vous êtes. Stay alive and well, my son." The fog once again came into the forest, as the wind sang again. It sang its tune of hope and trust, and then turned sad and morbid, as the sun began to set. The wind was telling the sun to not extinguish its only lights of hope for the lost. The sun refused to bow to the wind, even if the song touched its very heart, it refused the wind and continued to set. The fog held its place around the lost ones, hoping to blind any suspects of betrayal. But, as the wind sang and flew through the forest, it saw hope and immediately repressed the fog it had put up, to show them where they were. After many days of being in the forest, without a hope to get out of there alive, they were found by the people who wanted those most.

***********************

"Do you think he's alive?"

"I don't know." Harry woke to the sounds of two people talking to each other. He felt himself on a bed of soft warmth, surrounded by velvety inviting blankets around him. He felt like he was on a cloud, close the sun. He reached out his hand to see if Draco was near him. Then he heard gasps as he moved his hand.

"Bloody hell! He is alive!" But he ignored them, thinking it was all a dream. But as he realized Draco was not by his side, he sprang up, startling the voices half to death. He opened his eyes to realize he was no longer in the forest, or anywhere outside. He was surrounded by warm stone and echoes surrounding him. Everything was a blur without his glasses. He groped around for them, and then one of the voices handed his glasses to him. As his vision started to adjust to his glasses, he saw Ron and Hermione, sitting at his bedside. Ron had a face of pure elation and Hermione was crying tears of joy. As soon as Harry realized he had a brain, it started to pound with pain as he sat up. He put his hand to it and let out a painful groan as he lied back down.

"Oh, Harry, you shouldn't do that," he heard Hermione say. Harry propped himself against the head of the bed, so he could talk to them.

"I just realized that, thank you," Harry said sarcastically.

"Oi, mate, we've been wondering how you've been doing!" Ron said with extreme enthusiasm. "I'm just happy to see you alive and not killed by Malfoy." Harry felt exceptionally annoyed when Ron had said this to him. Malfoy? Kill me? How could you say that?!

"He would not have killed me, Ron," Harry replied, his head still pounding with pain.

"How do you know that?!" Ron asked, with his eyebrows crossed.

"I just do. He's not as bad as you think he is," Harry testified. Ron and Hermione looked to each other when he said with only the most confused and befuddled look they could come up with.

"Oh, Harry, I think you need to go back to sleep," Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, mate! The cold must have gotten to your brains!" Ron exclaimed.

"The cold did not get to my brains, Ron. My brains are fine. Where the bloody hell is that bloak anyways?" Harry retorted. He was getting more and more provoked every time Ron or Hermione said something about Draco.

"Who? Malfoy?" Ron questioned.

"No, I meant Snape. Of course I meant Malfoy, you idiot!" Harry snapped.

"Harry, there's no need to get nasty!" Hermione said. "He's over on the other edge of the wing. He's in intensive care," she replied.

"In-intensive care?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, heard he got a lot of smoke in his lungs from a fire and got some really bad burns," Ron replied. He leaned down to Harry. "I know you hate him, mate, but... that was bloody priceless of you!" Ron whispered.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!!" Harry screamed. "I DID NOT LIGHT ANYTHING ON FIRE OR HURT HIM IN ANYWAY!!" Ron backed off.

"Alright, easy! Don't bite my head off!" Ron said.

"Harry, don't be so hard on us! We're really happy to see you. We haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since you got back here. We went back on the train to be here with you as soon as we heard," Hermione told.

"Well, how long have I been out for?" Harry asked.

"Well we got back here yesterday- that's when we heard you were here- and so... about no more than a day, Harry," Hermione said.

"I've been going in and out of comas for days now," Harry stated.

"I can only imagine! Being with Draco must've taken a hard hit on you!" Ron said. Hermione elbowed him hard in the side. "OW! What was that for?!" Hermione shook her head with her angry eyes. She already knew that Harry was sensitive on the subject of Draco.

"Well, Harry, Madam Pomfrey said that you would be let out soon. You just had to get over that cough of yours, which I see is gone," Hermione beamed. She was really happy to see him alive.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Good thing. I was not feeling too well."

"Harry, if you don't mind, would you mind telling us what happened? I mean you don't have to tell us every single detail, maybe just a brief summary, or you could just not say anything. I mean I don't want to upset you," Hermione said.

"Hermione, you talk too much, but I'll tell you," Harry told them about how he got kidnapped by Death Eaters and hide for a solid week in a run-down shack with Draco and how he nearly escaped and saved Draco. He left out the more intimate parts with Draco however because Ron would run away screaming and Hermione would just gawk at him.

"Hahaha!! Draco's going to have to pay you back dearly for that!" Ron said. Hermione this time stomped on his foot to get him to shut up about Draco. "OUCH! WOULD YOU STOP?!"

"Excuse us, Harry," Hermione looked to Ron with fire of anger in her eyes. "I have to have a word with Ron real fast. Do you mind?" Harry knew instantly why, and he wanted to thank Hermione so much for understanding him. Ron may be his best friend, but he never really knew when to shut up.

"Not at all," he said. Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and took him out of the hospital wing.

"CUT IT OUT, HERMIONE!" Ron shouted at her. Hermione glared at him numerous times before they exited the hospital wing. After she calmly shut the doors, she instantly started to yell at Ron. The walls were too thick to tell what they were saying, but Harry couldn't help but think about Draco.

My God...intensive care...all because of me. Why did I have to go out of that cabin?! Why?! Why didn't I stay there?! God, I could kill myself for that. I could. Harry's glasses started to fog up as the tears started to stream down his face. He took off his glasses and roughly wiped his face of the tears with his sleeve. He was not dressed in his normal robes but in a white gown, very apart from what he was wearing earlier. But why did I leave?! I would have figured this out later! I would have! Why did I go then?! God he could die in there...and it'll be all my fault. It will be all my fault. I let him die. How could I do this?! The tears continued to fall as he thought of those beautiful silver eyes dying with life by the minute, because of what he did. He thought of all the scars he already had. Now he would have more because of him. He thought of that dashing smile that he got to see only once. How could he possibly let something so rare die out so soon? What he would give to see Draco smile one more time.

Then Ron and Hermione came back in with Ron having a face of horror on and lagged behind Hermione quite a bit. Hermione had on a face of satisfaction as she smiled and walked back to Harry. "Sorry that took so long," Hermione stated.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry for everything," Ron replied, still a little shaken up from Hermione's "talk". He was now very careful about the words he chose to say.

"It's quite alright," Harry stated, not looking at Hermione. Hermione bent down to Harry.

"Harry," she whispered in his ear. "Draco will be alright. I know it." Harry looked amazed at her. "I just know," she stated.

"Know what?" Ron asked.

"What the degree that a nonagenarian can be a pedestrian for," Hermione said, confusing Ron far beyond anyone could hope for.

"Uh, yeah," Ron replied and shrugged to Harry. Suddenly, Madam Pomfrey came bustling through the giant doors to the hospital wing, having a fit about how many Heelers were needed for Draco's burns and for a very broken hand to a teacher that walked in with her. Harry was immediately worried. Hermione put her face to her hand. She cursed at Madam Pomfrey under her breath. Ron just stood there, making sure he didn't do or say anything to upset Hermione.

"Oh, Mr. Potter, you're awake. Good. Is your cough gone? If not then I need to give you another soothing spell," Pomfrey said hurriedly.

"My cough is fine, thank you," Harry responded.

"Good. And how are you feeling? Well? Bad? Mediocre?" she asked.

"Alright. I have a headache but that's about it," Harry responded.

"No weakness, shakiness, nausea?" she asked.

"No,"

"Any broken bones?"

"None."

"Anything that doesn't feel right?"

My heart. "Just my head."

"Well, that I can do. I'll give you a squizzy wart for your head, and then you can leave."

"Alright," Harry responded. Pomfrey hurried over to her gigantic old oak cabinet to get the squizzy wart. Hermione beamed at Harry, being happy that he was no longer confined to bed. Ron smiled too, because his best friend was still alive. But Harry couldn't help but have this haunting feeling about Draco. Him being in intensive care. Words could not describe the guilt and sadness he was feeling. He wanted nothing more than to jump out of the bed and rush to Draco's side, but Pomfrey would have a fit if he made the slightest movement. So he waited impatiently, squirming around with worry running through his veins.

Finally Pomfrey gave Harry the squizzy wart and the moment he took it, he jumped out of the bed and headed for his robes. "Mr. Potter! Lie back down right now! The wart hasn't even gotten through your system yet! These things take time!" Pomfrey squealed. Harry lied back down as the thoughts ran through his mind. They were thoughts that should not be thought, even if the odds were for it.

I don't want to say good-bye. Not now. Not after I just made the milestone of a lifetime. I've liked someone, but nothing like this.... His heart was pounding louder than an angry drum of war. He was afraid everyone in the room would hear it, including Pomfrey, who would keep him there longer, thinking something was wrong with his heart. God, woman, just let me out of here!! All he wanted to do was see Draco. Even if they were going to be his last moments. No. He was not going to think like that. Draco was not going to die. He was going to live. Yes, yes he was.

Finally a long while after Harry took the squizzy wart, Pomfrey let him go. He rushed out of the bed and grabbed his cloths. He then put them on and ran out of the hospital wing and towards the intensive care. "Harry! Food's that way, you git!" Ron said as he pointed the opposite direction of Harry's movements.

"That's not where I'm going. I have some business I need to take care of," Harry replied, not looking at Ron, not even a glance. All he could do was think and let his thoughts swirl in a tormenting whirlpool around his brain. What if was the only question he could think. Death was the only answer he could concoct.

Hermione immediately caught on and dragged Ron the other direction. "Come on, Ron. Harry needs to see about Hedwig and see how she's doing. He'll be with us shortly," she said. Harry did not blink or glance at Hermione. He didn't even hear her.