Love Thy Enemy (Finished)

Finding a Cure

Once Nicola gets back, things seem to go into hyperdrive. Draco is ripped away from Nicola and taken to the Hospital wing. McGonagall allows me to go with them but I have to wait outside the doors. It feels like I am there forever. After a while, I sit down against the stone wall and rest my head on my knees. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, there is a hand on my shoulder shaking me awake.

"Miss Granger, Draco is awake. You can go in and see him," says Mcgonagall when I open my eyes and focus on her worried face.

"He is cured?" I ask.

"Well the Amortentia has been removed from his system, but we aren't sure  what lasting affects it will have on him. You must be prepared for the worst Miss Granger. He may not remember his relationship with you. He may not feel the same way he did before bed last night," says McGonagall sadly.

 "But he is okay? He isn't poisoned or anything?" I ask, feeling sick to my stomach.

"He is healthy," she says, sounding unsure.

"And I can go in and see him?" I ask.

"Yes, but don't stay too long. He needs his rest," she says.

I barely hear the end of her sentence. I jump up and head for the large doors that are keeping me from Draco. I have to make sure he is okay.

Draco

I stare up at the ceiling of the hospital wing feeling completely empty. My head is pounding and my stomach feels like it has been turned inside out, but all of that is manageable. It is the complete lack of warmth and substance that is the worst. I feel like I have been sucked dry and left as an empty shell of myself. Madam Pomfrey has left me with a glass of water and some crackers, but I am not interested in the least.

A sound to my left gets my attention. I turn my head to see Hermione Granger striding quickly through the large wooden doors. She looks at me with relief in her eyes and hurries over. I am confused. Why is she of all people here. I mean, I am not saying I hate muggle-borns, not anymore. But we are not exactly friends. She hates me and for good reason.

"Granger?" I ask when she stops by my bed.

"Are you okay Draco?" she asks, reaching out to take my hand. I gently slide it out of her grasp.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" my voice sounds sharper than I intended.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Why are you here? I mean, your head girl duties don't include visiting the sickly patients of the hospital wing," I tell her in a softer voice.

"I was worried about you," she says, her brow furrowed in confusion.

For a minute we stare at each other. For just a second, I feel a flash of warmth in my stomach and a tightening in my chest as I stare at those big brown eyes. But it is gone just as quickly, leaving behind the jagged emptiness of before. Then, her relieved face drops to be replaced with a heart-breaking sadness.

"You don't remember," she says so quietly I am not sure I heard her right.

"Remember what?" I ask.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. I'll let you get some rest. I hope you feel better," she says and then, to my complete shock, she leans in and touches her soft, warm lips to my cheek. There is a flash of heat in my chest and stomach, as if she has set my blood on fire. But as soon as she pulls back, the heat fades and dies completely. She turns to leave, but I reach out and grab her wrist to stop her.

"Wait," I say before I can stop myself. She turns to look at me, her eyes glistening weirdly in the dim light.

"What is it?" she asks quietly. For a moment, I stare at her face. I can feel something tugging at my chest, but the weird fire is gone completely and I wonder if I may have imagined the whole thing.