Sectumsempra. Sectumsempra. Sectumsempra.
Sectumsempra. Sectumsempra. Sectumsempra.
Sectum...
"Malfoy?"
Draco felt his chest tighten as soon as he heard the familiar voice. The footsteps are coming closer and so does her scent. That unmistakable whiff of berries and honey left out in the summer sun with tones of old books and parchments.
He immediately marked the page and put his journal on the bedside table beside the quill and the bottle of ink that almost spilled. He smoothed the blanket covering his naked torso to cover as much around his chest without looking like he consciously arranged it. Good thing he managed to hide his mark with a bandage before going out today. He didn't like the gown that Madam Pomfrey gave him- the material was too coarse for his liking. So, he decided to sleep without a top on, with the bandages covering the bleeding gash that Harry fucking Potter gave him. Snape did what he could but the wound was still there and it felt like all the power in his body seeped out in a single blow as well as his dignity.
Potter saw him. Potter saw the tears.
"Are you awake?"
Hermione was whispering, just two steps away from him. He can feel her warmth, she's literally within his reach.
"Harry really did him in," a female voice said from the foot of his bed. This one didn't bother whispering. "Got to hand it to my boy."
Hermione shushed her, "Ginny, you might wake him."
"All the better. He's no fun when he's half dead," She-Weasel snorted.
When I get up from this bed your whole clan is gone.
He felt Hermione sigh and walk away. Surely she's not going to go away that easily.
Something that smelled warm and sweet and fruity cam his way. Probably freshly baked. "Thank you, Dobby."
There was some gasping and rustling around. That blasted house elf is here. Just see if I don't beat it to death with my wand later.
"Malfoy, Dobby told me that you like fruit tarts. So, I asked the house elves if they can make you some and I don't really know what you prefer but my mum always makes me mushroom soup when I'm sick so..." There was more rustling at his bedside.
"I'm sure he likes his tarts alright," She-Weasel said, her mouth full.
"Stop it, Ginny," Hermione hissed under her breath.
"What? Don't defend him. You don't know him. You don't even want to know half of what the girls say about him," she fumed. "And for the record, I am not here due to the goodness of my heart. I want to protect you if he wakes up and goes aggro on you. You can't be friends with everybody, Hermione. And he's Malfoy- Harry put his parents in jail and of course, he wants to take it out on someone. Don't be that someone," She- Weasel said.
She-Weasel is right. Maybe it would be better for them to just leave. Maybe he should stir a bit. Maybe that would scare them off. But they are not ordinary girls, if anything it will lead to a confrontation which will end in more hexes thrown his way.
"You're a good friend, Ginny," Hermione said softly, "But we must not be too quick to judge. Harry did have that thing with him which I of course told him to get rid off and now someone has been struck with Dark Magic. We don't even know what Malfoy is doing in that bathroom. We can't always just assume the worst. If we start thinking of everyone as an enemy then it's like V-Voldemort had already won."
She-Weasel sighed and sat at the foot of his bed. Draco wanted to stir and kick her away but at the same time wanted to listen to Hermione. He's always a better person according to her and sometimes he wishes that he will be her version of himself. Merlin knows, he'd rather be that.
"He does look good when he's almost not breathing," She-Weasel supplied.
Draco suddenly felt two pairs of eyes staring at him. They're scrutinizing him. Females can be ruthless.
"You know, I've always liked his hair color. I'd buy it if it came in a bottle. But can you see that?" She-Weasel seemed to be pointing at something on his face. Something blocked the light from the candles, he chanced opening his eyes a little bit and saw that Hermione's lips were just a hair strand away from his. Her hands were on either sides of his shoulder. He prayed that she would not notice how red his face is becoming or hear how fast his heart is thumping.
She let out a small gasp. Her warm breath tickled his lip. "Merlin's beard, his hairline is receding! He'll be bald by the time that he's forty!"
She-Weasel roared out in laughter. "That's one way to put it."
Draco almost stood up and grabbed his want to use Obliviate on both of them. She's making fun of him while he is unconscious. How can girls be so cruel?
"You know what they say about his father in the ministry?"
Hermione seemed to shuffle closer to Ginny, she accidentally sat on his leg. He almost yelped. "Oopsie daisy! I'm sorry!" She said as she held his leg absentmindedly. The part of him that she touched, even though covered with a blanket, instantly heat up. She returned her attention to She-Weasel after she stopped rubbing his leg. "What do they say?"
"They say that Lucius Malfoy's 'long cascading platinum locks' is actually just a wig."
They both burst out laughing.
Draco felt his chest tightening. He wanted to join them because it is partly true, his father has hair extensions that he has been wearing for years now because his hair hasn't been how it used to be. He held his laughter in but he soon grew afraid that it will make him gassy. Another problem with two girls around his bed.
"Do you want to know what they say about him and Parkinson?"
He felt Hermione nod. This will not end well.
But why does he care anyway? His dirty history won't make her like him more or less.
Right?
He prayed to every ancient relic that he knows of that all this is nothing but a nightmare but it isn't. It just isn't. He opened his eyes a wee bit and he saw Hermione's chocolate brown hair leaning against She-Weasel's shockingly red straight hair. They were whispering. He strained to hear them.
"And he asked her to put her mouth on his..."
There were some words he couldn't hear, he could hear Hermione letting out gasps. It is true that he has played around with Parkinson when both of them are bored but some rumors are just over the top.
"Did she?" He heard Hermione ask.
"She did!"
Another gasp. "I wonder where they even learned those things! Where do they even find the time?"
She-Weasel laughed. "You can't be serious, Hermione."
There was silence.
Draco suddenly felt that maybe he should have waited or at least find someone he cared for before getting physical.
No use crying over spilled milk, his mother's voice resounded in his head.
"It's alright, Hermione. You'll find someone who's not a prat like my brother," She-Weasel's voice had a hint of false enthusiasm.
Hermione scoffed, "I'm not looking anyway!"
There were giggles when they both sat up from his bed. "He looks a lot like Leonardo DiCaprio from this angle."
"Who's that?"
"Just a muggle actor," He felt Hermione looking down at him again.
There was silence. He heard She-Weasel took another fruit tart. Don't they feed her enough? At this rate, she'll get-
"You know, I've fancied him the moment I saw him. He's gorgeous."
There was choking and if Draco had been drinking water he would have spat it all out. He felt like he just had a heart attack but he hoped he wouldn't die. Not now.
He heard Hermione patting She-Weasel's back. "M-Malfoy? You fancy Malfoy?"
"No, I'm talking about Leonardo," Hermione giggled. "Don't be silly."
Of course, silly. It's all silly. You'll lose if you take anything seriously. Better play around. Best example, Sirius Black. He lived up to his name and now he's dead.
"Wow. He has perfectly arched eyebrows and they shine. Check it out, Hermione. Mum had to trim mine so they'll look more girly. Is he born with that?" She-Weasel peered down at him and he felt Hermione do the same on the other side. He can't help his nose from flaring, they are too close and it's invading his personal space but he can't do anything about it without blowing his cover.
The light shifted. They seemed more interested in something else, "Now that is just unfair."
"What is?" She-Weasel asked. Hermione seemed to point somewhere on his body. "Bloody hell! He doesn't have armpit hair!"
Draco held down a scream. Enough of this. They have gone too far! This is insulting not only to him but to the Malfoy name. His ancestors will haunt him for letting this go on.
"I wonder if the carpet matches the drapes," She-Weasel suddenly said.
Carrot bitch.
"No," Hermione whispered. "Stop it, Gin."
"No? Why not? Aren't you just a little bit curious?" No one said anything for a while but he felt tugging on either side of the blanket. He should just wake up. Salazar, give him courage. "You know I have lived with seven boys my entire life and I've seen stuff."
"Oh, Ginny. Not now," Hermine groaned. He can almost see her face going beet red.
"What stuff are you talking about, Miss Weasley?"
Madam Pomfrey! He is saved!
Both girls gasped. She-Weasel started going on about how pretty Madam Pomfrey's dressing gown is and how she wanted to buy one for her mother. Hermione said that she's on prefect duty.
"It's almost past curfew! Go back to your dorm this instant or I will be forced to call Professor McGonagall."
"Busted," She-Weasel whispered to Hermione who was still at Draco's bedside. "Let's go."
"Wait, I'll leave him a note," Hermione whispered back.
"Fine," whispered She-Weasel. "I'll chat up Madam Pomfrey. Maybe you can write on this obviously not cursed journal with pages of the same words over and over again."
Draco heard Hermione let out a breath as She-Weasel's steps faded. He heard scribbling on his journal and some rustling as she put it back where She-Weasel found it. Draco felt his heart on his throat, it was so quiet he can hear his own stomach churning. Finally, there was something soft and warm by his ear. "I know you're awake, Malfoy." Her lips made the smallest of contacts with the tip of his ear as she spoke and it sent shivers down his body. Her warm breath lingering on his skin even as she disappeared.
He immediately sat up. He hated that she made his space in the infirmary her own, it smelled of her. He hated how he must have looked like a fool to her. He hated that she cared when she didn't have to.
Go on. Say it. Say that you hate her.
But he simply can't. His heart thumped angrily in protest as well as the butterflies fluttering wildly in his stomach. Don't tell lies to yourself, Draco. Not to yourself. You're all you have.
He found himself reaching for his journal. No use pretending now that he has an undeniable urge to finish writing 'Sectumsempra' on the twelfth page. He has to see what she wrote for him.
Draco,
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Take care of yourself.
Hermione
For once she will be wrong because now there is no other choice other than to go around poking anyone that comes near him with a needle. That way no one will be left to attack him. Or be poked himself- in the heart.
As for himself, there is nothing to be taken care of, Voldemort made sure of that.
Draco swallowed at the realization.
He belongs to Voldemort.
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Sup? So this is my attempt at a comic relief chapter. Told you Sugar can do comedy. Hardyharharhar. But anyway someone turned a year older this week and can now drink and stuff. Not me cause I'm forever twelve years old but someone. *ahem*
Song up top is 'Voodoo Doll' by 5 Second of Summer. It's just so funny and cute.
Dedicated to StarFollower736! Thank you for the votes and the comments! I like knowing what you think. Really, whatever it is just type away. :)
Thank you so much for the 5,400+ reads! I was supposed to update last night but I fell asleep. Surfed so hard my muscles still aching. I'm really sorry to all the people I haven't thanked for giving us stars and adding this to their reading list. Thank you! And it's complete shite that Wattpad won't let me put up pics or edit in my laptop. So there.