The Years of Blue [2]

Chapter 13: I Find Malfoy

My emotions must have shown on my features because I heard Malfoy chuckle through a wince. My gaze returned to his, who I now noticed was looking at me as if analyzing me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, snapping him back to my focus.

"What has that French school done to you? You look different." Now it was my turn to snicker as I turned back to the bed side table to grab one of the swabs drenched in the cleaning solution potion.

"Here I am holding a pair of sharp scissors by your horrible injury and the only thing you can notice is that I look different?" I asked, turning his way again. Malfoy's gaze did not leave mine as he responded simply with, "You wouldn't hurt me like that. It's not your style."

The humor in my deflated as I lowered my gaze back to his injury and started to dab away at the blood.

"You said a monster did this to you?"

"Yeah. A big one. One of those hippogriffs, that half giant beast Hagrid has chained up in his house. And my father-"

"Beauxbatons has hippogriffs in their stables. They're usually rather kind creatures unless provoked. What did you do to it?" I asked, cutting back from his obvious want to tell me about his father. Malfoy looked half deflated but responded curtly with, "I approached it and the beast attacked me."

I made a tisking noise as I continued to dab the cotton swab toward the darker side of the bruise. Instinctively, Malfoy flinched.

"Can you be gentler! Pomphrey's gentler at this then you are!" I scoffed, sitting up to change cotton balls before returning to my work, this time going a tad bit faster on his skin. Malfoy flinched again.

"You know I could tell my father about you hurting me."

"Yes," I said rather dryly, "and then you can also tell him how I saved you from getting an infection."

I was met with silence for a few moments until I finished cleaning then I started for the new bandage when I caught him looking at me again.

"Why are you here?" My gaze shifted to the bandage where I slowly started to frame the cut while I spoke.

"I felt like helping Madam Pomphry out for a little while." He scoffed again.

"You know what I meant. Why are you at Hogwarts?" I glanced up to find him watching me carefully, making me turn back to my bandage, hoping to hide the shaking in my hands.

"My school was hosting parents weekend with my mother when she got an owl from Snape, saying Theo has been sent to Dumbledore's office and needs her presence. I decided to come along out of curiosity."

I finished lining the bandage and gently placed it on the wound, this time being very gentle.

"I heard he flooded all the bathrooms on the fifth floor recently," Malfoy mused. I nodded at the familiarity before adding, "that was what he did last week. Mother is here for something else."

"Which was what?" Malfoy asked. I shrugged in response, sitting up again to grab the casting cloth.

"My mother never said."

I stood up and slowly lifted his arm off the pillow for a moment while I grabbed the remaining scraps of cloth from his last cast and tossed them aside. I felt his eyes on me the entire time, but I didn't let that get to me as I placed his arm back on the pillow.

"So you came here just to figure out what your brother has been doing? You know I could have easily written to you about his activity if you wanted. He's gone crazy since you left." I looked up, noticing the bitterness in his tone as he spoke. Malfoy was no longer looking at me but at the window by his bed.