The Dragon and the Angel - [Draco/Hermione]

Chapter Five - Draco's Nightmare

Chapter Five - Draco's Nightmare

Ron and Harry had waited for Hermione that morning when it was time for class, but when she didn't show up and it was only ten minutes to class, they set off without her and happened to cross Draco Malfoy on the way, who had dark bags under his eyes.

"You didn't get much sleep." Harry noticed, slowling his pace to match Malfoy's.

Draco shook his head. "Why are you talking to me?"

"Because I both think we should move on from the 'We-hate-each-other's-guts' phase and to the 'I'll-try-to-get-along-with-you' phase." Harry told him truthfully, then looked at Ron.

"Yeah, sure." he grumbled.

Draco left them in the Entrance hall, going upstairs towards the Astronomy tower, while Ron and Harry continued down the hall to the Charms hallway they had passed two nights ago, and turned into their Charms classroom, where they found Hermione sitting in the back of the room. The dark circles under her eyes made Malfoy's look like nothing.

"Where have you been?" Ron whispered as he and Harry sat on either side of her.

"I was in the library until about an hour ago, when I decided it was hopeless - I can't find anything about scars like yours, Harry - and went back to Gryffindor tower to get ready." she concluded, yawning loudly.

"We must have just missed you then." said Harry.

"I tried to put makeup on to cover it up," Hermione motioned to her eyes. "But that was hopeless too. Malfoy was helpful though."

Ron choked on air suddenly, but Harry was the one who spoke.

"Malfoy was helping you look for the answer?"

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "He followed me to the library after about half an hour and helped me look for the rest of the night. He left an hour or two before me, though."

"Malfoy was helping you?" Ron echoed. 

"It was nothing, Ron! Actually, it was quite smart." said Hermione. "I mean, if some people saw us - though I didn't see anybody on my way there; but that doesn't mean no one else was out so late at night - they'd think we were friends."

"Think." Ron repeated.

"Oh, wold you two relax?!" Hermione sighed. "Draco and I are just aquaintances."

"There you are, doing it again!" Harry said, slamming his hand on his desk so hard Professor Flitwick stopped talking to look at him, as did the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. "Sorry, Professor." Across the room, he saw Ginny smile at him before turning around again.

"Doing what again?" Hermione hissed.

"Calling Malfoy by his first name!" Harry said, impatiently. "You did it last night, too."

"So?" Hermione demanded. "I call you and Ron by your first names."

"But we're your best friends!" Ron piped in. "You have to call us by our first names."

Hermione was saved the trouble of answering to Ron (who she thought was acting very stupid and over-protective) by a knock on the door. Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, was at the door, requesting to pull Hermione out of class for a little while.

"Damn, how come she gets all the luck?" Ron whispered to Harry, who looked longingly after Hermione, wishing to be allowed to leave. The thing was, they had already learned this charm; Hermione herself had taught Ron and Harry it on their hunt for Horcruxes.

"Yes, Professor, what is it?" Hermione asked as Professor Sinistra lead her away from the Charms classroom.

"Mr. Malfoy collapsed in my class." she said simply. "He's currently in the hospital wing and none of us can understand what he's saying."

"Not to be rude, Professor, but why me?" Hermione said lightly.

"Oh, well, I just thought you two were close friends, since you're both Head Boy and Head Girl and seem to be getting along rather well. I thought you'd be worried about him." Professor Sinistra stopped. "My apologies for pulling you out of class if you aren't. Would you like to return?"

Hermione did not want to return, and saying she wasn't worried about Draco would break their whole Pretend-To-Care system. And it would be lying. Hermione was worried. Draco had gotten more sleep then she had, so why did he collapse?

"No, I'd like to see Draco." Hermione found herself saying and they both continued walking.

They arrived at the hospital wing a few minutes later and Hermione immediately noticed Madam Pomfrey around Draco, who was lying in one of the twelve beds, his eyes shut tightly and rolling around in pain.

"Thank Goodness you're here, Miss Granger!" Madam Pomfrey called as Hermione and Professor Sinistra hurried over to Draco's bedside. "He's been muttering under his breath for the last ten minutes, but I can't understand what he's saying, and I can't wake him up."

Hermione kneeled down next to Draco's bed and did in fact hear him muttering. She brought her head closer to his and faintly heard the words 'Dark Mark' and 'No, don't make me'.

"His Dark Mark is burning him." she told Madam Pomfrey urgently, who winced at the reminder of Death Eaters. "It happened yesterday but it wasn't this bad. I think he's having some kind of nightmare."

"It's possible he's reliving all of his worst memories, and knowing this boy, he's had quite a few." Madam Pomfrey said. "But that would be Dark Magic that he hasn't been exposing himself to, has he?"

"I think it's his Mark." Hermione repeated and she faintly heard Draco whisper "C-Crucio." under his breath. She gasped. "Madam Pomfrey, he's torturing someone. He just said one of the Unforgivable Curses."

Madam Pomfrey looked panicked as she scurried towards an empty bed. "In all my twenty three years, I've never seen something like this." she muttered, grabbing a glass of water from the table. She hurried back. "So this calls for drastic mesures."

Madam Pomfrey emtpied the glass of water on Draco Malfoy's face.

He spluttered for a few moments, then his eyes shot open and his chest began to heave up and down rapidly, as if he was having trouble breathing.

"Are you all right, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Sinistra asked. 

Draco nodded, still spluttering and coughing. He inhaled deeply, looking around him. He almost fell off his bed when he saw Hermione.

"What you doin' 'ere?" he asked, coughing.

"You should be glad your friend was here, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey said, placing the empty glass on the table. "She helped figure out what was happening to you. Can you remember who you were torturing?"

Draco stiffined.

"Avery." he whispered.

"He's in Azkaban now?" Madam Pomfrey asked, waving her wand on top of her hand. Something apeared in it. "Eat this, Malfoy; it's chocolate."

"Yeah..." Draco popped the piece of chocolate in his mouth. "Thanks, Gra- Hermione."

Oh, if his father could see Draco now, thanking a Muggle-born and calling her by her first name. Then he'd be in Azkaban for two reasons; being a Death Eater, and murdering his own son, who had only been eighteen...

"You'll have to stay here overnight, Malfoy, to make sure this doesn't happen again. Miss Granger, you may leave or stay, your choice." Madam Pomfrey said.

"I'll go." Hermione said, starting to feel uncomfortable. "I have Astronomy with you, Professor Sinista."

"Right you do, Miss Granger. Come along." and both left the Draco Malfoy in the hospital wing under the care of Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione would have a lot of explaining to do when she got back to Harry and Ron.