Through the Dark (Draco Malfoy x OC)

Chapter Thirty Six

Black.

My ears were ringing.

"Melody," a girl sobbed. Daphne. A warm bead of water splashed onto my cheek.

Black.

"Miss. Miles, please help escort Miss. Greengrass and Miss. Harper away," a man's voice.

A grip on my wrist loosened, nails scratched at me. A biting cold covered my body, it was almost numbing.

Black.

Heavy footsteps surrounded me, pounding on the wooden platform I laid on. A towel was thrown onto my arms, someone was rubbing it against me. Then warmth travelled across my skin, it felt like the Hot-Air Charm. There was so much chattering around me it was too hard to pin point one voice that would tell me what was happening.

Black.

"I need to see her!" A desperate male voice pleaded.

"Harry, we need to give Madame Pomfrey space." I'd recognize that lecturing female voice anywhere, Hermione.

"Best listen to her, boy." A rough male voice grunted, maybe Moody's.

More footsteps, some scuffling. I tried to stay awake, but unconsciousness kept hitting me like a falling an axe.

Black.

"Is she alive?" A shaking male voice struck me.

"Mr. Malfoy, go with your classmates please." A female voice spoke.

Black.

✩✩✩

The smell of bleach overpowered my senses. It was the first thing I smelt as I woke up. A quick glimpse of my surroundings confirmed I was back in the hospital wing. The white ceiling stared back at me, almost tauntingly. The opening of the curtains then startled me. It was Madame Pomfrey, potions in her hands and a glass of water.

"Miss. Taylor," she looked at me frightfully. "Gave us quite the scare." She said as she placed the water beside me. I took the vials of substances in my hands, each with varying colours and amounts. "Drink each of them, they will speed up your recovery." She instructed as she readjusted my sheets slightly.

"How long have I been in here for?" My voice was raspy, most likely from all the salt water that I'd consumed.

"Only two hours," she said. "I need to get the Headmaster, he was to be alerted as soon as you woke up."

And with that she left. I blocked my nostrils with my fingers before downing each potion. It was a habit I had since I was young, when Lydia couldn't get me to take nasty tasting medicines. It wasn't long until Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were in my small compartment.

"Melody," Dumbledore smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," I answered honestly.

"Of course," he replied with a small nod of understanding. Moody soon hobbled in to stand beside Snape who gave him a sceptical eye.

"Do you know what happened?" McGonagall asked me as she sat herself down in the chair beside me. She rested a hand on my arm and looked at me worryingly.

"I was attacked by something," I recalled with a frown. "Daphne made it, right?" I asked.

"Yes, Miss. Greengrass made it to the surface." Dumbledore confirmed. "You were attacked by the grindylow. It appeared that their king was disturbed. The selkie saved you and brought you to me."

There were no words. I felt emotionless as the words were spoken. There was no relief or happiness for my life. There was no sadness or fear that I had scraped by death. I was a skeleton of my being, just breathing and accepting the information.

"You placed fourth," Moody huffed. "Mr. Diggory and Miss. Chang returned first, Mr. Krum following. Miss. Greengrass successfully returned third, but without your presence you lost points and were given fourth."

I couldn't care less about my placement. My eyes and face must have made that evident as Moody scoffed at my uninterest.

"It was a very valiant effort," McGonagall smiled sweetly at me, waning on the edge of pity.

"Miss. Taylor," Dumbledore started. "The merpeople revealed to me that you used a very rare and ancient magic to combat the swarm of grindylow. Might I question what it was?"

"Rare magic?" My eyebrows creased again. "I don't know any rare magic, Professor. All I know is... I was about to die. I remember feeling something powerful shaking through me, but I had no control over it."

Everyone's eyes lingered on me thoughtfully until Snape's deep voice broke the silence. "Shall we suppose that in Miss. Taylor's final attempt at life, she managed to power her magic in desperation?" He quizzed.

"This wasn't just any type of rare magic a normal student would muster," Moody looked at me scornfully, taking a few more steps forward to squint at me. "This was very dark, Albus." He added.

An anxious wave washed over me. Moody's words had stung me like vinegar on an open wound. I was no 'normal student,' as he pointed out. No. My blood was different. It was rooted from such an evil that separated me from the rest. I felt nauseous at the notion.

"I didn't mean too," I uttered under the ex-Auror's painful glare. Those words too familiar, last spoken from nearly killing Pansy.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore started, his chin in the air as he regarded me. His blue eyes twinkling behind his glasses, looking down at me in thought. "We should leave Miss. Taylor to rest."

McGonagall's hand warmly rubbed my arm in comfort. "Don't trouble yourself dear," she said. "You're alive and well now."

Snape's black eyes stared at me before he followed McGonagall and Moody out of the ward. Dumbledore gave me a warm smile as he trailed after them but stopped just short of the curtain and turned back at me slightly.

"Miss. Taylor, if anything is troubling you, do come to me. My door is always open. The password is Sherbet Lemon."

"Yes, Sir." I said with dead eyes, believing I would need too soon.