Draco woke to a cold breeze blowing over his pale face. "Maybe I was dreaming it," he mumbled to himself, only half believing it was so.
He sat up slowly for he still felt like he had been smacked in the head by a rogue bludger.
"You’ll need to take this, Mr. Malfoy," said someone to the left of him. Before he could turn, a bottle of dark green liquid was dropped in his lap. He stared at the bottle with curiosity, but never picked it up. "Mr. Malfoy!" Draco looked at the bottle again then picked it up. He pulled the cork out and slowly brought it to his lips. "Go on now, I don’t have all day." He drank the cold liquid, but shortly after spit it back out.
"Ugh! What is that stuff?!"
"I am so very sorry, Mr. Malfoy," she said, voice just oozing sarcasm. "It will help with your night frights."
"They aren’t night frights," Draco said defensively.
"You may leave when you dress." With that she left the room. Draco dressed quickly, and then made his way to the Great Hall for a bite to eat. He opened the Great oak doors and made his way to the Slytherin table. He sat down at the end of the table and got himself some toast.
"Draco, where have you been? Goyle said that you were in the Hospital Wing," Pansy asked.
"I was, Pansy."
"Care to explain why?"
"I wasn’t feeling my best."
"Look Draco, I have never seen you wimp out so easily. You have been acting really strange lately. I may be Slytherin, but I can care."
"I know that Pansy," Draco said dully.
"Well, I’ll see you in class."
"Yeah," Draco said with out any care. Pansy stood and walked out of the Great Hall with one of her friends. Draco ate his toast and had a bit to drink before walking to Transfiguration, which they had with the Ravenclaws. Class went by slowly. Test here, notes there. It made no difference to Draco- he wasn’t paying attention. He kept looking around like he was waiting for something to happen, but it never came. Nothing all day. Nothing at all happened that day and in a way Draco was disappointed by that. It was like he wanted to see her again.
~:*:~:*:~:*:~
Draco walked along the halls later that night. He was left to do Prefects duty alone. It was the night that the Ravenclaws were supposed to do it, but their head of house changed it at the last minute, so Draco was stuck doing it alone, for Granger hadn’t left the Hospital Wing.
Draco wouldn’t ever admit the fact that it was rather creepy walking along the dark hallways of Hogwarts alone at night. He was halfway down the third floor corridor when he heard something. It was a girl, as it was usually a girl that he heard lately, but this time it wasn’t the same. The girl was laughing, and not one of those malicious laughs that he heard so much from his father. It was a happy laugh.
He walked down the hall a bit more and came to the source of the laughter. He opened the door and found no one in the room.
"Miss me, Draco?" the girl laughed again. Draco turned around slowly, trying to convince himself it was in his head when he ran right into Pansy and jumped.
"What is with you Draco? You’re all...er...jumpy."
"Long day."
"Something tells me you’re lying."
"What if I am?"
"Draco I am your friend. I have been for along time. What is going on with you?"
"You remember Cree, right?"
"The girl that died in your backyard?" Pansy laughed slightly.
"It’s not funny Pansy, but yes, her."
"Yeah, I remember her."
"Did I ever tell you how she died?"
"No."
"Well..."
~:*:~:*:~:*:~
Hermione stirred in her bed. She felt cold, very cold.
"Hermione?" Hermione opened her eyes and looked around. She didn’t remember at all why she was in the Hospital Wing. "Hermione, you okay?"
"Ron?"
"Yeah?"
She sat up and hugged him. "Er, Mione?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am fine."
"She doesn’t remember," Harry said, looking at Ron.
"Yeah, I figured just as much."
"What are you guys going on about?"
"Nothing, nothing at all." Ron smiled.
"Okay," Hermione smiled back then looked at Harry.
"What time is it?"
"Around ten, why?"
"What?!? I missed all my classes. Where’s my homework? Guys where is it?!"
"Hermione relax!"
"Ron you don’t get it. I have to have my homework. I can’t fall behind."
"Hermione, I am serious!" There was a intake of breath and both Ron and Hermione turned to look at Harry. "Oh, sorry mate."
"It’s okay." Harry stared out the window as the fighting began again.
"Ron! I swear to you I will kill you if you tell me to relax again! I need my homework. This is an important year."
"Hermione, I know that. But seriously, you have to relax."
"Why?"
"Because you’ll kill yourself with all this stress."
"God, Ron!"
"Hermione, I have your homework and all the notes you’ll need."
"Oh, I’m going to fail."
"That hurt!"
"I’m sorry, but you aren’t the best at note taking."
"I didn’t take them, Harry did."
"Oh, that makes me feel better."
"Hermione, maybe for once you should stop thinking that no one can do anything and trust us." Hermione opened her mouth to say something back, but quickly shut it. Ron got up and stormed out of the Infirmary, angry.
"Harry, I really didn’t mean to say that."
"Hermione you need to learn that Ron feels like he comes in second best to everyone in everything. You didn’t make him feel any better about that. I mean Ron is actually quite smart if you actually paid any attention to that part, but no all you see is how much he may screw up."
Hermione held her face in her hands. "I didn’t know he felt like that."
"Well, if you paid attention to him you’d be able to tell."
Hermione went to get out of bed when Madam Pomfrey walked in. "Ms. Granger, get back in that bed."
"Please, I need to talk to someone."
"Ms. Granger," Hermione sighed in defeat and sat back in the bed. "Mr. Potter, you have to go." Harry nodded then turned to Hermione.
"I’ll talk to him. See you tomorrow, ‘Mione!" Harry left the room after giving Hermione a hug.
Hermione sighed and laid back in the bed. "I hate this...I need a book to read, but Ron has all my stuff." She closed her eyes and went back to a dreamless sleep.
~:*:~:*:~:*:~
"That’s how it happened?" Pansy asked Draco as they made their way to the dungeons.
"Not really, but it got you to stop asking if I was okay."
"Malfoy!" Draco smirked and then turned and walked the other directions.
"Later, Parkinson!" Draco laughed and walked back to the Head Dorms. He said the password and walked in. The fire had burned out so it had become rather cold. He tried to make his way to his room without light but failed horribly. He tripped over the side table and his book bag that was lying by the couch. He reached into his pocket for his wand, but remember he left it on his bed side table in his room.
"Oh I give up," he mumbled to himself as he laid down the couch.
Why did she stop coming? he thought to himself. He soon thought himself to sleep, not noticing the person sitting in the chair only a few feet away from him.