Draco Falore

Draco Falore - Chapter 5

Unwind the Cobweb

Teardrops running down your face
Teardrops running down your face
Diamonds of water, and salt from your body
Coming down to meet my kisses

Teardrops running down your face
Teardrops running down your face
Staining your skin and my skin and beginning
The stories that you can't begin
The way I feel could be despised but its a vision that I prize
Teardrops Teardrops
I'm not trying to make you feel pain
or joy to make the tears flow
But when they roll unashamed - they move me so
-- 'The proclaimers'

Lucius looked critically at his son. He screwed his mouth and raised his wand. 'This is going to sting a little,' he said, 'but you'll get good treatment as soon as you arrive at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, they have to believe that you need it.' He muttered a curse that tore a great gash in Draco's thigh.

Draco looked around, trying to ignore the renewed pain that was being inflicted upon him. His father had been right. They were already at the outer brim of Hogsmeade. In a very short while, he would be running into the village, asking for the people's help. He should look convincing, or this pain would be the least of his problems. 'Isn't that enough?' he said after receiving two more cuts and a burn. 'I should still be able to outrun five Death Eaters.'

Lucius put down his wand and placed both hands on Draco's shoulders. 'That will do. Are you ready?'

Draco nodded.

'You are going into Hogwarts,' Lucius said. 'The heart of the enemy. You are going there in the name of the Dark Lord. Don't forget who you are.'

'I will never forget who I am, Father.'

Lucius stared at him, as if trying to determine the meaning of the words. The ground at their feet became wet with Draco's blood, pouring out of his fresh wounds. 'Go,' he said, lowering his hands.

Draco took a deep breath and started downhill. There was no one in sight; no point in hurrying yet. As he reached the village's main street, he tried to break into a run, but his wounds were too deep, and the bleeding had already weakened him. He dragged his feet as fast as he could, limping heavily on his right leg. He heard the footsteps of the Death Eaters chasing him, and could almost imagine they were truly trying to get him. With that image in mind, he managed to double his steps, and nearly reached the front of the Three Broomsticks pub before their curses began to crash noisily around him.

As they had anticipated, people came running out of the pub, alarmed by the noise of the curses. The people of Hogsmeade pulled their wands out, ready to fight off the charging Death Eaters. So predictable, these people were. Draco knew it was almost time, and braced himself for what was to come. Two more steps, and the final curse hit Draco between his shoulder blades. Before he collapsed, he marked to himself that he had reached the pub's door. Exactly where they had planned for him to be found. He knew that his father and his companions would disapparate away now. Their part was done.

***

Bill stared at the bottle of Butterbeer in his hand. It was completely full. His second one before ten in the morning. 'Indulgence,' he said, clicking the glass bottle on Ginny's mug. The corner of his mouth curled up in half smile half smirk. 'Oh, why not,' he sighed. 'To you and Lee: may you live happily ever after.'

Ginny smiled and was about to thank him, but a large crash drowned out her words. She turned her head, but could not see outside the pub from where she was sitting. When she turned back, Bill was no longer there. He had leaped easily over the table and was already on his way to the door. Grabbing her bag with the medical kit in it, Ginny ran after him.

Many people packed the exit of the Three Broomsticks pub, talking excitedly. Ginny caught the words 'Death Eaters', 'explosions', and not much more. At first sight, the only sign left of the attack was a cloud of dust, which could have been raised by the crowd. A closer look discovered a man lying with his face down in a growing puddle of blood.

Ginny rushed towards the prone wizard, but stopped before reaching him. This smelled like a trap. His face was hidden, but his platinum hair, although covered with dirt and blood, gave his identity away. Ginny could not think of one reason why Death Eaters would attack Lucius Malfoy. Unless this was some sort of a set-up.

Still, the wizard wasn't moving. Standing only a few feet away, Ginny could see that his breathing was shallow, and not coming easily. She took out her wand and cast a simple evaluation charm on him. The spell wasn't very accurate from this distance, but the readings were clear – this man was in trouble.

Seeing that he was in need of her help, Ginny overcame her mental obstacle and approached the injured wizard. She bent over to turn him on his back, and found Bill crouching beside her, his wand out as well.

'Let me just check him for traps,' her oldest brother said.

Ginny was glad to have him there. The right person for the job, with the experience he had gained in Egypt. 'Don't take long,' she asked. 'If there's no trick here, then he needs immediate care.'

A minute later, Bill rose back to his full height and looked at his little sister from a foot above her head. 'I didn't find any signs of a curse. This doesn't mean that there isn't one. It just means that a superficial test did not come up with any. Be careful.'

Ginny touched the injured wizard gingerly. Nothing had jumped to grab her, and she felt normal. She looked to Bill, who nodded for her to continue. The injured wizard was hardly breathing now. She wondered what Lucius could have done to make his friends in arms come after him. She remembered the diary he had given her in her very first year in Hogwarts. She shivered, wondering why she was taking any risks for that man.

She knew why. Because she could help save his life. That was enough of a reason. And if that life would be spent in Azkaban, all the better.

Feeling a little more confident, Ginny turned the wizard over and then drew back in alarm. She had not expected the young, tortured face that had been lifted from the dirt. She quickly collected herself and began treating the boy with great care. She didn't know which side Draco was on, but she could definitely see him being attacked by Death Eaters. As a matter of fact, she had seen that happen before.

Draco's injuries weren't as bad as Ginny had first thought. Most of them seemed like they had been already treated crudely. There was only one wound, the most recent of them, which needed more than one healing spell to handle. A few minutes later, Draco was already stirring back into consciousness.

'I think he should be evacuated to St Mungo's,' Ginny said, getting up.

'Isn't it too far away?' Bill asked, and in a whisper added, 'I think Professor Dumbledore would want a word with him.'

'You're right,' Ginny said, conjuring a stretcher. 'Can you levitate him to Hogwarts' infirmary? It is much closer.

Bill smiled and helped Draco onto the stretcher. 'It will be my pleasure. Don't worry,' he told Draco, who seemed worried. 'I'll try not to float you into too many trees.'

***

Sirius' muscles were so tense that they hurt, which wasn't helpful at all in the battle, but he could do nothing about it. He was simply keeping himself on the thin line between giving everything for the cause, and having a nervous breakdown. After all, it was his fault Harry was there in the first place. Remus had tried to convince him that Harry would have come here anyway, but if he had come then at least he would have had all his magical abilities.

If he weren't so busy cursing Death Eaters, Sirius would have put a curse on himself.

But now things were beginning to calm down. With Hermione's help, he was able to find a reasonable escape route, and had already sent Harry, helpless on Sirius' Firebolt, on that way. In less than ten seconds, they would all be off, high above the charging Death Eaters' heads.

Or not.

A loud crash sounded from the direction in which he had sent Harry. Sirius froze. He had been trying to reach Remus and get him to come to the liftoff spot. That wasn't necessary any more. Remus was rushing there anyway.

A group of Death Eaters had apparated right into what Sirius had considered their “sterile zone”. Running there, he realised that the collapsed body on the floor was not Harry's. It was Hermione's. And the splintered broomstick was hers.

For a few seconds, the battle had been put on hold. Luckily for Sirius, the Death Eaters had been so stunned by their success, that they had stopped their curses as well. But the pause didn't last long, and the Dark Forces renewed their assault, stronger in both body and spirit.

Sirius watched Harry wide eyed as he dismounted his broom and dropped to his knees beside Hermione. He wrapped one arm around her limp body, ready to defend her with the other. Although he had a wand, Harry could do little but absorb the curses cast onto him, his body jerking with every hit.

Harry had been hit twice before Sirius was close enough to cast the first curse at the group of Death Eaters. A second later, the others were by his side. Outnumbered, but still a firepower not to be taken lightly.

'Lee, you take Harry,' Sirius ordered. 'Ron, you're with Hermione. Get them out of these scums' range. Remus and I will cover you.'

Ron hesitated for a moment, but a rough prodding from Lee had convinced him that this was not the right place for arguments. He reached Hermione, cast two last curses at the Death Eaters closing in on them, held her tight, and soared into the air. Harry's protest was barely noticeable.

Lee grabbed Harry, and ascended to meet Ron. Years of playing Quidditch helped Harry balance himself on the broom even in his frail state, and Lee was able to help the battling Aurors from the air. Before long, Sirius and Remus joined their hovering friends and they all climbed higher than the farthest curse could reach.

'How is she doing?' Sirius asked immediately after making sure they were safe.

'Alive,' Ron replied. 'But otherwise, not very well.'

Sirius took a small black box out of his inner robe pocket. Remus put a hand over his as he was about to open the box. 'We need to land first,' Remus said, sounding worried.

'We don't have to,' Sirius said. 'But we should climb a little higher before we use the Portkey, just in case.'

'This is insane,' Remus muttered, but directed his broomstick up all the same.

Two miles above the ground, they all came to a stop. From this high up, the earth underneath them seemed almost tranquil. The sun, still very low on the east seemed warmer and brighter. The Death Eaters looked like tiny dots marked with black pencil on the green of the hills. The castle still loomed dangerously at them, but the very fact that it didn't cast its shadow over them made it less threatening. Knowing they weren't headed there any more also had a blissful effect on them all.

'Are you ready?' Sirius asked as the others drew closer to him. He fixed his stare on each of the conscious men, waiting for them to confirm. When they had all nodded apprehensively at him, he opened the box and exposed the Portkey.

Shaking his head in disapproval, Remus touched the glittering sphere first. Ron followed his lead, holding Hermione as close to him as he could. Lee helped Harry direct his hand to the box, and then added his own touch. They all looked up to Sirius as he tried to keep a calm facade, and touched the Portkey as well, activating it.

Sirius had tried using a Portkey from the air before. He wouldn't have risked his team and their companions if he hadn't. For some reason, he didn't remember how truly horrible the experience was.

As their bodies began the transfer, there was no longer anything to hold their brooms in position. The sickening feeling at their navels was coupled with a terrible plunge straight down. They reached their destinations at Hogwarts long before they hit the ground, but they all felt as if they had crashed. None of them, not even Sirius, remained standing.

Two years before, the mere use of a Portkey to transport into Hogwarts would have set off several noisy alarms. Now, with their constant battles against the Dark Forces, this was almost a routine. The Hogwarts alert system had been adjusted to recognise the FIAT Portkeys. The only indication that anyone had used one of those was in the ready room. Sirius wondered who was on duty that morning. If it were Snape, then they shouldn't wait for help to arrive. They should just make it to the infirmary on their own.

***

Severus looked at his watch. He'd been in the ready room since midnight and thankfully, there had been no incidents. Of course, that was well expected, as Potter wasn't there and Black had left during the night. If they could just wait out there for another half-hour until he was replaced, that would be well appreciated. Obviously, Severus craved for news about Potter. He wasn't heartless. He just craved for sleep even more.

The alarms informing of the use of a Portkey inside the school went off with loud sirens and flashing red lights. 'You couldn't have waited another half hour, could you, Black?' Severus muttered, focusing the wall map to the centre of events. His usually narrowed eyes widened just a little before he regained his disdained composure. It was Black, all right, and he had Potter with him. The boy was leaning heavily against Lee. Hermione was even worse off. Ron was carrying her, and it was unclear if she was even conscious. Severus left the image on the wall and burst out of the room, trying not to break into a run.

He reached the infirmary faster than it would have taken him to summon an owl. Madam Pomfrey was not at her desk, but the curtain was pulled around one of the beds, and he could hear voices from behind it.

'Poppy,' he said, reaching the closed curtain. 'Can you please come out for a moment, I've got an urgent business with you.'

The white cloth moved, and Ginny came out from behind it. 'She's not here. Maybe I can help?'

Severus glared at the redheaded girl. 'I doubt it,' he said. 'Black's team are on their way here. They have Potter with them. He's not too bad, but it seems that Granger will need a real mediwitch.'

Ginny didn't argue. Despite his offensive tone, Severus was right. She could help with mild injuries, but she was not a replacement for the school nurse. 'I'll go get her,' she said. 'Do any of the others seem hurt?' She stopped breathing as she waited to hear about Ron and Lee.

'No. Now go.'

'Will you keep an eye on my patient while I'm away? Professor Dumbledore is on his way here to have a word with him.'

'Who have you got there?' Severus sneered. 'One of your law-breaking Gryffindor friends? About to be expelled, I hope.'

'He definitely broke the law,' Ginny said. 'But he's a Slytherin.' Before Severus could ask anything else, she dashed out of the room.

'A Slytherin?' Severus repeated. He furiously threw open the curtain.

'Ex-Slytherin,' Draco said as their eyes met. 'A wizard of age, now.'

Severus gaped at his former student, but quickly recovered and clenched his jaw. He was furious for many reasons, not the least of which being the fact that the boy on the bed had made him stare like an idiot for several seconds. 'What are you doing here?' he asked, and then changed his mind. 'Forget it. Where have you been since last February?'

'Durmstrang.'

'Without a word?'

Draco grabbed Severus' left arm with strength that did not seem to match his pale face and bandaged chest. His icy stare locked on Severus' beady black eyes, he pushed the sleeve up and poked the pale Dark Mark that hid underneath it. 'None to you, traitor.'

Severus pulled back and held his arm as if he were in great pain. 'If this is how you feel, you shouldn't be allowed into the school. I'll ask you again: what are you doing here?'

An ancient hand rested on Severus' shoulder. A hand that had always had a soothing effect on him, even at his darkest times. 'Whatever his quest is,' Professor Dumbledore said, 'he is welcome to stay until he is fully recovered.'

'I have an injured team on their way here,' Madam Pomfrey said, striding into the room. 'Are you sure this is a good idea?'

'Only until he can walk on his own, Poppy.'

'Which he should have been able to do by now,' Madam Pomfrey said, waving her wand over Draco. 'He is, in fact, in much better condition than he looks. I suspect that most of his injuries had already been treated before he arrived here.'

'Of course they have,' Draco said. 'I healed them myself only a few hours ago, before the Death Eaters found me again. And no, I cannot walk on my own.'

'He is nothing but hot air,' Pomfrey said.

'Poppy!' Dumbledore scolded her gently.

'He is. Remember how he claimed to suffer pains in his arm for months after that hippogriff scratched him in his third year? To think anyone would believe that I wasn't able to cure a simple bite like that! Months!'

'No one thought you incapable of healing a hippogriff bite,' Dumbledore said. 'But I would like to talk to Draco, and now doesn't seem to be the right time.'

'No it isn't. I have a team on their way.' Madam Pomfrey left Draco's bedside and began lining up potions and ointments.

'Then let him stay here until it is the right time.'

Madam Pomfrey looked from the headmaster, who was smiling benignly, to Severus, who shook his head. 'All right,' she sighed. 'Only until I'm done treating the team.'

***

Dr Simon Branford liked being around his Master. Of course he did. Who wouldn't want to be so close to such raw power? He didn't mind the grovelling either. His Master deserved to be grovelled before. It was just that the danger of being ionised into thin air in a moment's fury that troubled him. Getting a taste of the Cruciatus Curse was no fun either, and his Master was very good with this particular means of torture.

There was no reason to worry now, though. The snake-like face was doing a scary impression of a smile. The Master was staring into a green fire, at what Dr Branford knew was the Hogwarts infirmary.

'The Malfoys surprise me,' Voldemort said, turning his back to the flames. 'I didn't know that the snivelling excuse of a wizard had it in him - to curse his own son. Many of my Death Eaters would have done so, but few of them are real fathers. He truly loves his son. I'm glad he realised that his duty to me comes first. And this son of his; Look at him!'

Branford looked. 'He's asleep,' he said.

'Only pretending, so they won't hesitate to talk by his bed. If he were truly asleep, I wouldn't have been getting this image through his mark. He certainly put that pathetic traitor in place, didn't he?'

Dr Branford tried to guess what the Master wanted to hear. Was it, 'In his place, I would have killed Snape,' or was he in a mood to hear he was right? Branford decided to play it safe. 'He did,' he said carefully, 'although I would have liked to see Snape dead.'

'Soon, my impatient servant. Soon. I may even give Draco the honours.'

'I'm glad to see he's doing well. I was very worried for Saitaina, at first. I do not want to see all the years of training I put in her go to waste.'

Voldemort turned to face him, his darker-than-black cloak casting shadow around him. 'That is why I ordered you here,' he said. His smile was gone and Dr Branford shivered. 'Your girl is not delivering as I expected.'

'Is she refusing to get intimate with him? Oh!' Branford grumbled. 'I thought we overcame this problem. Had to erase all memory of that Weasley boy from her head...'

'That is not the problem,' Voldemort cut him off with a hiss. 'If she had refused him, she would have been executed. It is he who rejects her.'

Dr Branford's jaw dropped. He nearly asked his Master if he were sure, but slapped his hand over his mouth just in time. One does not question his Master without suffering the consequences. 'That's unbelievable,' he said eventually. 'I should check the quality of the potion she's putting in her hair.

'The potion is just fine. It's the girl who doesn't fit her job.'

Dr Branford shook his head sadly. 'She's the best I have.'

'She is not enough for him. Now that he's at Hogwarts and near that Mudblood he is so fond of, I'm afraid he may be tempted to the wrong side again. Of course, my influence on him is much greater now, as are all my powers, but so is hers.

'Master,' Branford began carefully. This was the time to pull his winning card. The Dark Lord had almost accepted defeat when it came to Draco, and while he usually didn't mind losing lives, he seemed irritated about this particular case. If Branford proceeded carefully, he might just appear as saving a doomed situation. 'My lord, the spy we have at Hogwarts is one of the best seducers I've had. She was under my protection since she was a baby - from the day you killed her parents. Of course, I started training her only years later, when I waited for your return.' He ignored the untrusting contempt in his Master's eyes. 'She is the most gifted girl I've had. We can put her back on her original calling. That would mean losing her as a spy on Harry Potter, but I must admit she wasn't very good at it anyway.'

'In that, you are right.' Voldemort paced slowly in front of the fire, which reacted to his presence by soaring higher every time he neared it. 'I didn't know she was an Animagus,' he said.

'She isn't. I've transfigured her. But I can transform her back. I just need to penetrate Hogwarts.'

'No need,' Voldemort said, smiling again. 'I've got a man inside.'

***

Panting heavily, Ron scrambled to his feet, still holding the unconscious Hermione. Growing up in a magical home, he thought he was used to the somewhat radical means of magical transportation, but using a Portkey in the middle of a freefall topped them all. His legs shook with the first few steps that he took, and if it weren't for the need to get Hermione to the infirmary quickly, he would have probably crumpled to the floor and stayed there for a very long time.

'Let me take her,' Sirius said, taking the load from him. Ron mumbled a feeble objection, but then made sure Hermione was secured in Sirius' arms and let go of her. A moment later he found himself leaning against Remus, and being dragged towards the infirmary.

Madam Pomfrey and Ginny greeted them as they stepped through the door. She took one look at Ron. 'Put him into one of the beds,' she ordered Remus, moving on to Harry, who was supported by Lee. 'Ginny, give your brother half a goblet of strengthening potions. He'll be fine in a matter of minutes.' Ginny nodded although Pomfrey was not looking at her, and began to carefully pour the greenish liquid.

Harry pushed Pomfrey's wand away from him. 'Hermione,' he croaked.

'I will get to her faster if you let me do my job,' Pomfrey said angrily. She pointed to another bed for Sirius.

'Go to her first,' Harry said. He tried to straighten up to prove that he was well enough to stand on his own, but accomplished the exact opposite.

'Just leave Potter,' Snape said from where he was standing by a closed curtain. 'You're losing precious time arguing with a hard-headed, insubordinate student.'

'This boy!' Pomfrey grumbled. 'All right. Lee, put him into a bed and I'll be with him in a moment.'

Ginny gave the goblet to Ron and moved to Lee and Harry. Almost automatically, her hand moved to touch a cut on Harry's cheek. She pulled back, pushed her hand into her pocket and kissed her fiance. Then, she touched Harry again, helping Lee get him into a bed.

'She took several hits at once,' Sirius said as Pomfrey reached the bed he had put Hermione on.

'She should have never been allowed out of here in the first place.'

'I hate to admit this, but if she hadn't been with us, we probably would have brought back Harry's body instead of getting him here relatively safe.'

'He should not have been allowed out of the school either,' Pomfrey said, waving her wand over Hermione. 'This boy has been in and out of the hospital more times than any other student in Hogwarts history.' She looked up. 'Including you, Sirius.'

Sirius grimaced. 'They're both in this mess because I tried to stop him. I should have just gone with him.'

'Yes, you should have,' Snape said from beside the next bed. 'Then you would have rid us of your presence. I'm sick of those red lights going off in the ready room. Why do you have to Portkey here only on my shifts?'

'Well, I'm sorry if I caused you any inconvenience,' Sirius snarled. 'I was in a hurry to get the injured kids here.'

'Next time don't take them with you, and you'll be able to Apparate in.'

'Well, ha ha bloody ha,' Sirius said without a trace of humour. 'Excuse me if I don't feel like splinching on the wards around the castle.'

'No wards,' Snape said. 'By order of the Minister of Magic himself. It is supposed to make it easier for the families to get here for the end of the year feast. Fudge says that the Portkey stations are too much for the Ministry to handle at this time of war.'

Sirius gaped at him, shaking his head. 'Why didn't we stop him?' he asked. 'Many of the parents are Muggles anyway, and more than half the wizards don't have Apparation license. Add the ones coming in with small children, and you get that almost no-one will actually bother to Apparate in.'

'Oh, I'm sure someone will.'

'Of course.' Sirius couldn't help but smile at the irony. 'But those aren't exactly invited guests here, are they? So why didn't we put up a fight?'

'Fight?' Snape puffed. 'We planted this idea in Fudge's head in the first place. We knew that there was going to be an attack. We even knew when, but we didn't know how they were planning to raid us, and it caused major flaws in our defences. Now we know where they will be coming from.'

'Yeah,' Sirius said. 'Everywhere.'

'Not exactly. What Fudge doesn't know is that all Apparations are directed into the Great Hall. We'll seal it off just before the feast is due to begin, and then we'll have them surrounded.'

Sirius frowned. 'This actually sounds like a good plan,' he said. 'Your plan sounds good. I wonder what I am missing.'

***

Draco sat up. He had thought that the others would never leave the infirmary. Things had't changed one bit since he'd left over a year before. Sirius and Snape were still at each other's throats although he couldn't make out what they were arguing about. Harry was still playing the unbearable hero. He had nearly gone into a fit when he'd learned Draco was there. As always, Madam Pomfrey had to knock him unconscious with her potions.

But now they had all gone. All except for Harry and Hermione, who had been put in beds side by side. It was Ron's stupid idea to push the beds closer together and link the hands of the unconscious boy and girl.

Draco stalked towards them and pushed Harry's bed with his leg. It drifted two feet away and stood crookedly outside the curtain. Draco would have liked Harry to be further away, but as long as he wasn't touching Hermione, it was fine.

Kneeling beside her, he took her newly freed hand in his and kissed it. Hermione groaned in her sleep, her face twisting with pain. 'Shhh...' Draco whispered in her ear, wiping the damp hair off her forehead. But the calming murmurs and soothing strokes did nothing to help Hermione. She twitched more violently, thrashing her head from side to side.

Rage filled every corner of Draco's body. He felt capable of killing anyone who caused her this much grief. A bitter smile spread on his lips as he realised this would mean he would have to beat himself to a pulp.

Although he didn't want to let people know he was awake, Draco felt that Hermione needed the nurse. He reluctantly let go of her hand and got to his feet, but as he was leaving the room, Hermione suddenly seemed better. He walked back to her. She was very pale, but her pained expression had been replaced with deep induced sleep.

He kneeled beside her again, and just looked at her. Hermione was the only woman in the world who looked even more beautiful when she was sick. Her dark eyelashes stood out against her milky skin. Although long, they were usually hidden, as her eyes were wide open to swallow the world. She never bothered to bat her eyelashes, which was a real shame. Her small nose, which was usually a bit red, as she pinched it when concentrating, was now clear, and Draco could detect a few freckles on its bridge. Her lips were not as pale as the rest of her face. They were red and full and slightly parted.

Without thinking, Draco bent down and kissed her. Even if he had given it some thought, it would have changed nothing. He still would have kissed her. Her taste wasn't damaged by her sleep either. She was as sweet as rose-water, as a cure for thirst, as a nourishment to a starved man. Draco deepened his kiss. She reacted to his touch, and then stirred under him, needing air.

Draco broke the kiss just in time to allow Hermione to scream out in pain, her back arching and her entire body shaking. He tried to hush her, smoothing her hair back, but the pain only seemed to grow stronger. She opened her eyes, which were darkened with agony, and then closed them again. She squeezed Draco's hand hard, biting her lip against another cry.

The door to the infirmary was slammed open and Madam Pomfrey ran in, followed closely by Ron.

'What are you doing to her?'

'Get away!'

Draco stood up, his hand still held tight in hers. 'I was just trying to help,' he said.

'By causing her pain?' Madam Pomfrey asked.

'By kissing her. I overheard you talking about enchanted sleep.'

'That was Harry!' Ron yelled, taking Hermione's other hand. She turned her head to him, smiling frailly.

'Well, you can forget it then,' Draco said. 'I'm not kissing Potter.'

'Who said anything about kissing?' the nurse bellowed, unsuccessfully trying to push Draco away. 'A kiss only helps with the Sleeping Beauty curse. Enchanted sleep just needs to wear off.'

'Good. Because I'm not kissing him either way.'

'Shut up, you git!' Ron yelled.

'Better lose your temper more quietly, Weasley,' Draco whispered. 'You're giving her a headache. Look you've made her flinch.'

Professor McGonagall ran into the room. 'Is everything all right?' she asked.

'Would have been better if these two would have stopped fighting and let me examine Hermione,' Madam Pomfrey answered.

'Move away and give the nurse some space,' McGonagall said in her most commanding voice.

Ron took a step back, but Draco didn't.

'Let her go,' Ron grumbled.

'I'm the one who brought her back,' Draco said. 'I think I'm entitled to at least hold her hand. Have you ever done anything like that for her?'

'As a matter of fact...' Ron began and then stopped. Draco raised his eyes to him. 'No,' Ron finished in a defeated tone. 'But you're the one who's causing her pain now.'

'Is that so?' Draco drawled. 'And why is that?'

'She has a Chastity Spell on her. If anyone but Harry touches her with intentions that you obviously have, it gives her a great pain.'

Draco pulled his hand hurriedly and took a step back.

'Oh,' Madam Pomfrey said, looking lopsidedly at Draco. 'Extreme pain would break most stupefying curses.'

'I didn't think Potter would sink this low,' Draco said through gritted teeth.

'He didn't,' Hermione said, her voice hoarse. 'Ron put the spell on me, and I let him.'

'But why?' Draco asked.

'Because I didn't want to be tempted by you again.'

Draco swallowed hard and took another step back.

'You can take the spell off now,' McGonagall told Ron. 'We will make sure young Malfoy cannot hurt her any more.'

Ron drew his wand out.Instinctively, Draco extracted his wand as well and pointed it at him.

'Put that away,' McGonagall said angrily.

Draco lowered his hand slightly, but then raised it again and pointed it steadily at Ron. 'I'm just making sure he'll be using the right spell.'

'And how do you intend to do that?' Ron asked mockingly.

'By blowing your head off if you don't.'

'I do not want to hear such threats made in this school!' McGonagall said. 'Put your wand away.'

'Or what? You'll expel me? I'm not your student anymore. I'm a wizard of age now, and I can use magic as I please.'

'Not at Hogwarts, you don't,' McGonagall said. 'Put it away or I'll ask Hagrid to drag you out of the school premises and throw you back into your father's arms. You can practice as much magic there as you want. If it weren't for the Headmaster's specific request, I would have done so anyway.'

'I won't let Weasley hurt her again,' Draco said, but lowered his hand.

'That's nice coming from the boy who brought her near death,' Madam Pomfrey said.

Draco lowered his eyes to the floor. 'I had no choice,' he said.

'There's always a choice,' the nurse retorted. 'Now Ron, you can take the spell off her. She'll be safe enough here.'

'Finite repulse incantatem,' Ron muttered.

Draco took two strides towards Hermione and kissed her until she managed to push him away. She was flushed, her breathing rapid and her eyes wide as if with horror.

'What the hell are you doing?' Ron shouted.

'Making sure that your enchantment worked,' Draco said. 'Did that hurt?' he asked Hermione.

'I could have done that,' Ron said as Hermione shook her head, her hand on her lips. Now that the flush was gone, she looked even paler than before.

'If you want to stay here, you won't go anywhere near Hermione again,' McGonagall said. 'Do you understand?'

'Yes,' Draco said sharply.

'Good,' McGonagall said. 'And as you are now capable of walking on your own, let me show you to your room.'

'Far away from the infirmary, I hope,' Madam Pomfrey said.

'You can be certain of that,' McGonagall answered and then ushered Draco out of the hospital.

***

Hermione couldn't go back to sleep. Although she was feeling very weak, she refused the sleeping potion, and just lay in her bed, staring at the canopy over her head. Ginny had been sitting with her since supper and now the sun had already set, but neither of them spoke a word in hours.

'I'm glad he's alive,' Hermione said eventually.

'Me too,' Ginny said. 'And he owes his life to you.'

'I meant Draco. Of course I'm glad Harry's alive. I didn't have to consider that for the entire afternoon.'

'Oh,' Ginny said. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them.

'What's wrong with you?' Hermione asked.

'Nothing,' Ginny said, trying to put on a normal, undisturbed expression.

'I know something is bothering you. What is it?'

'You're right, but I can't talk about this. I'm sorry.'

'You've never held anything from me before,' Hermione insisted. 'Not since you broke up with Harry.' She paused momentarily. 'Is this about Harry? He is going to recover, right? Tell me what's wrong.' Her voice was choked on the last few words, and she sat up, tensed.

'He's fine,' Ginny said quickly. It's just... I don't want to offend you, and he's... How do you know for sure that you love him?'

Hermione smiled bitterly. An excellent question. She fell back on her pillows. 'It's that feeling of great relief every time I see him; as if I was incomplete without him, and now I am whole again. It's the knowledge that he will never purposely do anything to hurt me. It's the urge I have to hold him and never let go of him ever again.'

'It's this ring Lee gave me,' Ginny said dreamily as if she had heard nothing of Hermione's words. 'There's a spell on it. It's supposed to nudge me into touching Lee every time I see him. I felt this tug every time I was with him since we got engaged...' she trailed off.

'And today you didn't feel it?' Hermione tried to complete the sentence for her. 'You were preoccupied. You were helping Madam Pomfrey, and there were injured people to take care of. It's only natural.'

'It's worse,' Ginny whispered. 'I did feel the tug of the ring. It wasn't directed at Lee, though.'

'Who then?' Hermione asked. Ginny stared at her toes, which she was nervously waggling. 'Not... Harry.' Hermione's voice was a mixture of astonishment and anger. She didn't want to be angry. Obviously Ginny did not plan this, but Harry was still her boyfriend, and Ginny was his ex. His first serious girlfriend. She realised she wasn't angry. She was jealous. She took a deep breath, and tried again: 'You think you're falling for Harry? I thought you two were over.'

'Hermione...' Ginny began, almost begging. 'You have to believe me. I have no intention of taking him from you. I didn't even think about him since Christmas last year. I mean, I did think about him, worried for him, but everyone did. It wasn't in that way.' She raised her ring to their eye level.

'I've read about this spell,' Hermione said. 'It helped girls find their true love on more than one occasion, and it has been known to sometimes pick someone other than the one who purchased the ring.'

Ginny paled. 'But I love Lee... Harry is yours...'

'You did say that you were thinking about Harry lately...'

'Not that way!' Ginny cut her off.

'And you felt the ring pull you to him when he was brought in here, injured.'

For the first time that afternoon, there was a shade of a smile on Ginny's lips. She was beginning to see where Hermione was going.

'There is only one way to know for sure. You have to wait until Harry is better, and then have him in the same room with Lee. Whichever one the ring points, you should marry.'

'And what if it's Harry?' Ginny said dejectedly.

'Ah... I'm not sure...' Hermione said. A few minutes earlier, this option would have upset her tremendously, but now it didn't sound as threatening. She knew she could trust Ginny.

***

Harry felt refreshed. As much as he hated taking Sleeping Potion, which left him completely unable to defend himself, he had to admit that it always made him feel better in the morning. And his magical ability wasn't exactly at its peak anyway.

Hermione was asleep in the bed next to him. He considered shaking her awake, but thought better of it. Better let her rest. Nagini was curled on the floor between their beds. She raised her head to greet Harry, and he patted her, afraid to try speaking. He didn't know how she would react if she found out he wasn't a Parselmouth any more.

Madam Pomfrey stepped into the room, carrying a tray piled with wide, dark green leaves. 'Good,' she said. 'You're up.' She put the load on her desk and began waving her wand in front of Harry's face. 'How do you feel?'

'Better,' Harry said.

'Not very good, I take it,' Madam Pomfrey said. 'Otherwise, you would have already been out of here and on your way to getting hurt again. Honestly!'

'I do feel healthy,' Harry said. 'It's just that...I don't think I have all my magic back yet... How is that possible? Do you know what to do?'

'Yes, it is possible, and yes, I know what to do,' the nurse said calmly. 'You need to stay here for a few days. That's all the treatment you need to be back to yourself.'

Harry sighed in relief, but then realised what that meant, and frowned. 'The war...' he said. 'The Death Eaters are coming here... I've got to do something.'

Madam Pomfrey looked at him sadly. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. She was torn between the urge to hug him and the desire to kick him away from her infirmary and out of her sight. 'There is nothing you can do in your condition,' she said, hoping he would listen, 'so you had better just lie back and get some rest.' She began pushing him into the bed, but then pulled him back up. 'Ah, wait! Don't lie down just yet. I want you to get that thing out of here first.' She pointed to Nagini. 'Honestly! I don't see why Hagrid has to bring it here every time you stay the night. And when there are other patients here, too!'

Nagini uncoiled her long body and perked her head up. She probably noticed that the nurse was indicating at her while raving on. 'Does she I brought mud in here again?' she hissed at Harry. 'I assure you, I took the long way here to make sure I was perfectly clean before I came into your second dormitory. I tried to ask many students on the way here if I was clean enough, but they were all in a great hurry. I really don't understand why people around here keep running from place to place.'

Harry gaped at her as she spoke. He had heard her words over a loud snaky hiss, but if he concentrated, he could make out the words just fine. It was like listening to young Dudley cry out over the rush of the water while his mother was trying to wash him. His magic was definitely coming back to him. Next time, he wouldn't object to the Sleeping Potion so adamantly.

'It's not my dormitory,' Harry hissed back. He waited to see if she could understand him before going on.'

Nagini tilted her head to one side and blinked the thin excuse she had for eyelids. 'You talk funny,' she said eventually. 'Did you injure your throat?'

Madam Pomfrey was tapping her foot impatiently beside him.

'Yes,' Harry said, not wanting to go into a complicated explanation. Nagini moved closer until her eye was nearly inside his mouth. The nurse beside them shrieked and waved her wand at the giant snake. 'Nagini,' Harry said hurriedly, 'you have to go out now. It's not you, or the mud. There are other patients here, and Madam Pomfrey thinks they'll be scared if they wake up and see you.'

Nagini moved her head back and turned it until her gaze covered the room. She compensated for the large motion by spreading out another of her coils. This had nearly cost her her balance, and she wiggled slightly. 'I only see that girl of yours. She doesn't speak, but I know she likes me.'

Harry didn't bother correcting Nagini, not wanting to offend her. While Hermione didn't run away from her like most of Hogwarts' students, it was mainly because she had too much dignity.

'I can watch after her, too,' Nagini continued. 'There is no one else here. No one would get scared. I can watch out for intruders, see?' She stretched to her full sixteen feet. Harry made a mental note to ask Hagrid to feed her a little less. Then, she raised her head over six feet up and feigned an attack on the closed door. She didn't say anything tangible; just uttered a low, blood-curdling hiss.

The intimidating sound turned to the snake-equivalent of an embarrassed cough as the door opened. But it was too late, and in any case, Draco Malfoy couldn't tell the difference between a giant snake hissing at him on eye level because she wanted to demonstrate her abilities as a guard, and a giant snake hissing at him on eye-level because she didn't quite know what else to do with herself. Eventually, Nagini slumped to the floor, as did Draco.

Harry jumped out of his bed and positioned himself between Nagini and Madam Pomfrey's drawn wand. 'She didn't mean to attack him!' he said hurriedly. 'She just wanted to show me that she could watch over the infirmary.'

To Harry's surprise, Madam Pomfrey lowered her wand, and there was a shadow of a smile on her lips. 'She chose to demonstrate her abilities on Draco Malfoy, huh?' Harry began to shake his head, but stopped, as the nurse went on, 'Maybe this snake isn't that bad after all.' She sighed. 'Let's see how the wizard of age is doing.'

Madam Pomfrey walked out the open door and Harry followed her. He could see Nagini peep out from over the doorknob, trying to disguise herself as a misplaced phial. This, of course, was completely futile, as there wasn't an infirmary on the planet that needed a phial this large.

Draco was sprawled on the floor just outside the door. He was trembling, but otherwise fine. Harry's first impulse was to go over and apologise on Nagini's behalf, but then decided that jeering would be much more appropriate. Before he had a chance to do either, he heard a stirring behind him. He turned, and saw Hermione sit up, startled.

'Everything is all right,' Harry said softly, rushing to her. Nagini slithered between his feet and hid under Hermione's bed, only her head and tail peeping out. 'I haven't had a chance to thank you, yet.'

He took her in his arms and held her until he felt her muscles relaxed. 'Any time,' she whispered in his ear, and then kissed the same ear, making a nice shiver go down his spine. Harry's hands moved from the small of her back to her waist, and Hermione suddenly tensed once again.

Harry pulled back and looked at her, but her eyes were fixed on a point behind him. He turned slowly, already knowing who was standing there. He had hoped that Draco would take longer to recover.

'Hello, Hermione,' Draco said, completely ignoring Harry.

Hermione bit her lower lip.

Draco took a step forward, but Harry jumped up and blocked his way. 'One more step and I'll blow you to bits,' Harry said. 'Don't think I'll pass up such an opportunity a second time. I have learned my lesson.' His wand was in his hand, pointing straight forward.

Draco moved closer, until the tip of Harry's wand was jabbed in his ribs. 'From what I hear,' he said, smirking, 'you're not half the wizard you used to be.'

'Try to harm Hermione again, and I'll show you exactly how much magic I still have,' Harry growled.

'I don't think so,' Draco said. He reached out to grab Harry's hand. The arrogant smirk on his face froze the minute they made contact, as did Harry's flushing rage.

A black, semi-transparent sphere enveloped them both. Harry could hear Hermione's intake of breath as if through a bad phone connection. He felt Draco's presence inside him, and inside the other boy there was an image of himself. For one short moment they were one, and then they both pulled back, stunned.

'Guess who's still a Death Eater,' Draco said, regaining his speech first.

'I don't think so,' Harry said weakly, pushing the sleeve up his clear left arm. 'The mark was removed over a year ago.'

'The one on your skin, maybe,' Draco said. 'But obviously you've kept something of the Dark Lord's touch. Is it possible that you weren't so keen on letting it go after all?'

Harry shook his head and plopped on the edge of Hermione's bed. He looked up at her - his fortress of wisdom. The one he could always turn to with his most difficult questions. The one who always provided the answers. However, this time her eyes were filled with puzzlement, worry, and a reflection of his own confusion.