Chapter Three
His broken and shallow breathing was the only thing I could listen to while I drove.
The streets were cold and bare, allowing shadows to creep under streetlights and between houses. I could almost feel the gaze of the moon and stars as the car rolled down the streets.
I glanced at him worriedly.
I'd known Draco for a while. Before my father escaped from Azkaban, the Malfoys were the closest family I had. Although there was controversy on whether my dad was a blood traitor or death eater in the First Wizarding War, Draco persuaded his parents to invite me over on the holidays.
I'm sure it had a lot to do with the fact that I was in Slytherin, unlike my father. They must have assumed that I could redeem the Black family name. I was grateful for their hospitality nonetheless.
With my father in Azkaban, I grew up with some of my father's old friends. They cared for me, but I recognized their uneasiness around me. People always said that I resembled Regulus more than I did my father.
After I became a bit older, I inherited the Black family savings and Grimmauld Place. Outside of Kreacher and my grandmother's portrait, the only family I had left were the Malfoys and the Slytherins.
Despite all the problems that Draco started at school, he always made sure that I didn't feel alone.
This was my chance to finally return the deed.
I grimaced. This was the first time that I had even attempted to drive alone on the highway. Thankfully, there weren't too many cars at four in the morning. We would reach the hospital soon.
Somehow, Draco's path crossed with mine after all this time. I never expected our reunion to be like this, with him bruised and bleeding. With the predicament he placed himself in, there was no doubt in my mind that he possessed the dark mark. Just like his father.
I should have stopped him from going down this stereotypical Slytherin path. He could've gone into hiding with me... Anything to prevent this from happening.
The sudden, roaring wind startled me from my guilt.
I whipped my head around, only to realize that the window in the passenger's seat had opened.
"Draco?" I couldn't hide the worry from my voice. "Are you awake?"
I quickly focused my eyes on the road ahead of me, making sure I was on the right path. My heart sunk at the thought of his condition. He's been unconscious for quite a while. Anxiety was burning me from inside out.
A deep groan erupted from his throat. "Alex?"
He rarely called people by their first names. It must have been the shock or delusion in his mind that influenced the slip of his tongue.
Draco's eyes squinted up at me in disbelief. A glint of surprise gleamed in the grey eyes that matched my own. Streetlights reflected off the fresh blood emerging from the edge of his mouth.
"Hey, Ferret." I grinned, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm getting you help. Just hang in there, alright?"
At least he wasn't dead just yet.
"Wh-" His eyes widened with contained alarm at the recognition of my words. "Don't be daft, Black," he hissed in frustration, which caused him to clutch his sides in pain. He let out a shuddered breath. "It's not safe. We can't trust anyone."
☆彡 ★彡
I decided to park at a gas station near the hospital while we thought about our next plan.
Draco needed medical attention badly. Him, being the stubborn, pea-brained cousin that I knew, refused to go to the hospital.
'I would rather cut my left arm off than be tended by muggles.'
His angry words burned in my mind, fuelling a deep feeling of frustration that only he could awaken. One day, that stubbornness would get him killed. I just hoped that it wouldn't be at an old, disgusting gas station outside of town. I wouldn't know where to hide the body.
The only reason I decided against knocking him out and bringing him to the hospital myself was the fear of the returning death eaters. He said that they would be back, checking nearby hospitals and hotels first.
The logic was pretty questionable, but I didn't have the energy to argue.
I walked down the aisles in leisure while attempting to ignore the piercing stare of the store clerk. My pyjamas didn't seem like the best choice of attire but the ugly-looking man couldn't be the one to judge.
After quite a bit of pacing, I bought a large first-aid kit, a sewing kit, two bottles of water, a couple of snacks, and some painkillers. I've saved up on some muggle money from my allowances over the past few years. I was lucky that the Williams treated me like I was their own.
By the time I returned to the car, arms straining from the newly-bought items, Draco had already fallen back asleep.
His head leaned flat against the car window, smushing the side of his cheek in an amusing manner. It seemed as though he passed out completely, and unwillingly.
I hopped in the car and quickly locked the doors. My paranoia was always high at night, especially knowing the kind of creeps that roamed freely every day. Without my wand, I wouldn't be able to fend off grown men alone.
Hesitantly, I turned on the lights inside the car.
"Draco." I shook him lightly, praying to Merlin that he was still alive.
His head slipped from the window at my movement, falling with his chin to his chest. His head lolled dangerously while I waited tentatively for a response of life.
I inched my hand forward again with a bated breath, unwilling to accept the idea that he could be dead.
Like a striking snake, his right hand snapped up and caught hold of my wrist in his tight grasp. I glanced down at my hand, which was centimetres away from his left forearm.
His reaction automatically confirmed my earlier assumptions. I felt a pang in my chest at the thought.
I winced, trying my best to remain indifferent in my expressions regarding his evil tattoo. "Damn, dude. You gotta chill out."
He immediately released his grip on my wrist. The relief in his eyes indicated that he thought I was someone else, but I decided not to pry. Embarrassed with his actions, he rubbed the back of his neck and focused his attention on the stuff I bought.
"Uh... I got some drugs," I offered awkwardly, holding up a bottle of Ibuprofen. "It's not much, but I thought it could somewhat help with the pain."
When he didn't respond, staring at me with a deadpanned expression on his annoying face, I quickly handed him two pills and a bottle of water. He swallowed them wordlessly while I ripped open the packaging of the sewing kit and first-aid kit.
Although it would've been easier to fix him up with magic, he pointed out on the highway that his wand could be tracked by the Ministry, which had fallen ages ago. Apparently, the Dark Lord kept the trackers for his death eaters, to ensure compliance and prevent wavering loyalties.
Unless we unexpectedly run into death eaters, it would be a bad idea to start casting spells left and right.
"Are you wearing clothes underneath that?" I gestured to his death eater robes.
"Of course I am," Draco groaned in annoyance at my question. It was a common sound I heard at Hogwarts since he used to be annoyed with nearly everything I said and did. "Use your brain, Black. I'd freeze to death otherwise."
"Great!" I exclaimed with false positivity, ignoring his comment. "Now take off the damn robes. I need to look at your wounds."
After some struggle, he revealed a black turtleneck underneath the robes. His turtleneck was sticky with, what I assumed to be, blood.
I grimaced and grabbed a hold of the edge of the fabric. Gently, I lifted up the material to reveal his battered stomach. Bile went up to my throat at the sound of his squelching skin.
"Okay," I trailed off slowly. The revealed skin was difficult to decipher with his ribbon-like injuries. Blood, both dried and new, seemed to cover every area. It was a mess that would take forever to clean up. "I- I guess we can start with these antiseptic wipes."
"This is gonna hurt like hell, isn't it?"
Dread filled his voice, while his eyes darted to the square wipes in my hand. As a wizard, he had never experienced the pain of antiseptic wipes in his life.
I thought back to the time I tripped on the way to school, skinning my knee on the sidewalk. "Oh, you have no idea."
Originally, this chapter had a lot more to it. I changed quite a bit but I think I'm happier with this new chapter. Thanks for reading!
edited: 11/03/2017
edited: 06/06/2018
edited: 07/25/2020