Another Turning Point

It'll be OK

(Hermione's POV)

I visited Draco in the hospital wing the next evening. His arm was neatly bandaged and he was only being kept in to recover from the blood loss, he had a very lucky escape.

I enetered the room quietly, Madam Pomfrey glanced over but didn't say anything. He was staring at the celing when I approached him. At first I didn't think he'd heard me come in but as I got the the foot of his bed he greeted me and asked why I was there.

"Just to see how you are, and how you're feeling" I told him, which was after all exactly why I was there.

"He said he loved me"

"I know, he told me everything. He's avoiding you now. He says he isn't of course but I can tell. He's scared of how you'll react when you're feeling better."

"I don't mind," Draco sat up at this point. "To be honest it's quite flattering" He offered me a wry grin then looked down at his banaged arm thoughfully. "What have I done to myself?" he sighed. There was long pause while Draco watched his am and I watched him. After a while he spoke again, but quietly now. "Can you give Harry a message for me?" I nodded, "Tell him what I said about not minding, and that he's very pretty and lovely and all but that I'm seeing someone else. Can you do that" Again I nodded,

"male or female?" I asked, he grinned.

"That would be telling"

I paused to condier him for a moment. "You're not seeing anyone at all are you?" he shook his head,

"Not really, she thinks I am but nothing's ever been said. She just reckons she owns me I think," I understood then, Pansy Parkinson "oh if only I could see her face if she knew what happened last night" He grinned again, this time I didn't understand.

"What do you mean? What happened?" A look of astonishment passed over Darco's face as he realsied Harry hadn't quite told me everything.

"Well I hate to be the one to break it to you, but perfect Potter isn't quite as innocent as you'd like to believe," the note of scathing that I was used to hearing in his voice was starting to reappear, for a moment I wondered if it had all been some trick ad he was the same old Draco Malfoy hurting people at every opportunity "he's not adverse to taking avantage of a dying man" He grinned again at this, blushing slightly, and I knew it was ok after all. This leopard's spots weren't changing back any time soon.

"Actually," I told him "Harry did tell me to remind you something. He said I was to tell you not to forget everything else he said, especially about your family" He looked away again, and a slowly comprehension dawned.

"I've got to hold on tight to what I believe in. I have to fight for myself not for them. Tell Harry it'll be ok, I understand now"

I nodded, and left the hospital wing to pass on the message. Draco Malfoy had is epiphany, he knew now that he could break free from all he'd been brought up with. It was his own choice and no one elses.