Christmas came and went with no difference to me. I refused to look at Malfoy and he stayed as far away as possible from me. To be fair though, this definitely wasn't my worst Christmas, Christmas alone at Beauxbatons had been ten times worse, at least Hogwarts was homey and welcoming.
I spent most of the holidays in the library and writing to Ryan who has having a splendid Christmas back in Ireland with her family. I didn't dare tell her over owl what Draco had said to me that night and I still hadn't made up my mind whether or not I wanted to tell tell her.
Soon January rolled in and the students were returning to Hogwarts, new trunks or pets in hand. Ryan couldn't stop talking about how her siblings had begged her to show them tricks all Christmas but she wasn't 17 until March and definitely wasn't willing to get expelled at this point.
Ryan kept asking me if Draco had been good during the holidays and I had given her brief rundown, telling her how we had barely spoken but nothing had been out of the ordinary and this seemed to soothe her.
It was a couple of weeks into the new term and Ryan, Pansy, Blaise and I were sitting in The Great Hall having lunch when we heard a commotion over at the Gryffindor table. I stood up, seeing that Katie Bell had returned and her friends had run over to greet her. It had been months since Katie had been cursed but she was back and looking pretty healthy. As Ryan was watching Katie, I noticed Draco enter behind her. On seeing her he paled and turned the other way running. I knew then what he had done.
I jumped up from my seat, Ryan too distracted to notice and ran after him. He had run the whole way to the bathrooms on the 2nd floor and by the time I caught up with him I was out of breath. I stood at the door, he was heaving and crying over the sink, pulling at his tie, his jumper on the ground.
I hated the boy but what was before me was heart breaking.
"Draco?" I said gently. He looked up, seeing me in the mirror.
"Didn't I tell you not to talk to me?" he spat.
"I'm not going to leave you alone like this... but Draco, if you did what I think you did-"
"You don't understand, Rose, no one understands." His voice was shaking.
"If I don't understand, who here will? You're the one who told me my own mother betrayed my father for He Who Must Not Be Named."
He pulled his hands through his hair, still not turning around.
"Draco, I can help you," The sorrow in his eyes sent pains through my heart. He was just a boy and I could see he didn't want to do any of this dark stuff he'd gotten himself into.
"No one can help me," his whole body was shaking, "I can't... unless I do it soon... he says he'll kill me..." he shuddered.
Before I could respond, Harry barged past me.
"I know what you did Malfoy!" Draco spun around, and shot a hex in Harry's direction. I fell to the floor to dodge it and it shattered the lamp in the hall behind us.
Harry threw himself sideways and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked whatever it was and raised his wand to send another hex.
"Stop it! Stop it both of you!" I screamed from the floor, now drawing my own wand.
Draco took his eyes off Harry for a moment, "Get out of here, Rose!" It wasn't his usual snarl though, I could hear the fear intwined in his voice, his eyes pleading. He was daft if he thought I was leaving him after he defended me against Harry.
There was a loud band as Harry took advantage of Malfoy's distracted moment and a bin exploded and another hit the wall close to Malfoy, smashing the cistern; water poured everywhere and Harry slipped in it as Malfoy stormed over to him, raising his wand.
"Cruci-"
I realised with horror what he was about to do, yelling "No, Draco, don't!"
But before he could finish the curse, Harry bellowed "SECTUMSEMPRA!" his wand waving wildly.
I gasped. Blood spurted from Malfoy's face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He fell backwards and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor with a splash, his wand echoing eerily as he dropped it.
There was a dead silence, broken by Harry gasping "No-"
Harry plunged towards Malfoy, sliding in the water. I leapt to my feet, my hands shaking in anger I pointed my wand at Harry, sending a hex in his direction. It missed him but a bin exploded, sending him sliding in the water.
"Expelliarmus!" I cried and his wand came sailing towards me. I looked down at the water beneath my feet, it was now red-ish from Draco's blood.
"Get the fuck out, Potter!" I said, my voice dangerously low.
"Fiadh I-"
"Now! Before I destroy that stupid whiny face of yours."
I threw his wand out the bathroom door and he scuttled - like the cretin he was - after it.
I dropped to the floor, my robes quickly becoming sodden. I tried to stop the bleeding with my robes but nothing was working. Draco was fading before me. He groaned and twitched as his blood stained the bathroom red.
Suddenly Moaning Myrtle appeared. As soon as she realised what was happening she began screaming, "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"
I tried a healing charm but nothing was working and his eyes were quickly shutting.
"Fiadh, help..." he begged.
The door banged open and I spun around to see Snape, his face furious.
"Professor, it was Potter, I saw it all happen," I cried, tears pouring down my face.
"Move, Rose," I jumped out of the way, "What curse was it?"
"Um. I'd never heard it before, sir...something like Septumsecra?"
"Sectumsempra?" He asked incredulous. I nodded vigorously, holding in my sobs.
He drew his wand and traced it over the wounds Harry's curse had made, muttering an incantation that was almost song like. The flow of blood was easing. As Snape repeated the incantation, I grabbed piles of tissue and wiped the residue from his face. Before my eyes the wounds were knitting. I was barely aware that I was covered in bloody water, Myrtle still sobbing overhead. After the third time Snape gestured for me to help lift Draco to a standing position. He was more conscious now, thank Merlin.
"He needs the hospital wing... there will be some scarring but if he takes dittany immediately we may even avoid that... come.." We carried Draco all the way to the hospital wing, me leaving a trail of bloody water behind. Holding his limp body there, I swore that whatever Draco was up to he wasn't going to be in this alone.
In the hospital wing Snape told me to stay with Draco as he went to deal with Potter. I was glad it had been Snape who had found Draco and I, every other teacher had a stupid soft spot for The Boy Who Lived but I knew Snape would give him Hell.
Madam Pomfrey had been able to stop Draco from scarring and had given a serum to make him sleep deeply through the night so his body could heal. His face was pale and caked in blood as were his robes which lay in a pile at the foot of the bed, Madam Pomfrey had changed him into clean pyjamas as soon as she had made sure he would be ok, I, however, was sitting beside his bed still wet and shivering cold. Every once in a while Draco would twitch in his sleep, letting out small moans.
My hands were beginning to go numb when Ryan, Blaise and Pansy all showed up followed by Snape.
"Miss Rose, thank you for looking after Draco. I've brought this lot to keep an eye on him so you can go warm up." Snape said, looking at my soaking robes.
I smiled weakly, "Honestly professor I don't mind staying longer."
He shook his head, "you may come back when you're warm but I am not going two students down for my classes this week." This was the first time I'd ever heard Snape even hint at a joke.
I told my friends I'd be back in a few hours and ran to the dungeon to change.
I had a quick hot shower and pulled on as many pairs of socks as I would fit in my boots. I threw on my dressing gown under my robe and tied my hair in two long braids as to stop the wet seeping through my clothes. I wasn't exactly warm but I wanted to get back to the Hospital Wing as fast as possible.
I hurried down the halls but in my rush I wasn't watching where I was going and slammed into two people as I rounded the corner. I looked up. Ginny and Harry. I couldn't believe it. Harry had nearly killed someone and he had decided to sneak off with his girlfriend and do Merlin knows what. Fury nearly blinded me as I drew my wand.
"Fiadh what-"
"Did your little boyfriend tell you what he did, did he?" I growled at Weasley. She looked between Harry and me, slowly nodding.
"Oh, you're both so pathetic, running around this school sneaking off, like you can do no wrong. You think people are so disposable don't you Potter. You just use them and throw them away," I spat.
"Why're you so obsessed with Malfoy anyway, stalking him around the castle like you're on some mission for Dumbledore. News flash, Potter, not everything needs a Potter intervention, you don't need to get your stupid head involved in everything that goes on here."
Harry backed away as I poked my wand into his chest. I could only see red.
"You seem just as obsessed with Malfoy, Rose," Ginny said, pointing her own wand at me now.
I spun around to face her, "Why? Because I don't want him to die? Setting the bar pretty low there Weasley. I suppose you've never had to worry about that. You've always lived pretty happily haven't you? Planning on playing happy families are you, Potter? Since you have none of your own."
Ginny took a step towards me, "Oh, go on, do something Weasley, prove your love for Potter but he'll just throw you away like he always does when he's finished." I laughed bitterly.
Harry put his hand in front of Ginny, stopping her from coming any closer, "Leave it Ginny, she's upset."
"Get out of here before I curse the wizard out of you," I snapped and Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her down the corridor. I watched until they disappeared before finally continuing to the Hospital Wing.
The four of us spent a few hours by Draco's side, Pansy tapping out first to go finish her homework, Blaise following quickly behind.
"I think those two are hooking up," joked Ryan.
I didn't laugh, I hadn't been in the mood to joke since I'd confronted Harry and Ginny.
"What's wrong, Rose?" she asked, her brow furrowed.
I sighed, tugging on my plaits and decided to give her the full rundown of the confrontation.
"Ok, I really thought Ginny was chill last year but every second this year goes on I get more and more frustrated with her," Ryan said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, she was cool at the beginning of the year but I suppose her boyfriend fake dating me really threw our balance off," I laughed, pulling the spare hospital blanket tighter around me.
"I think Harry is working on some project for Dumbledore too, Hermione was telling me, I know it doesn't excuse his actions towards you but that boy has been set up to die. He is literally the only one who can defeat Voldemort and I'd say that pressure is insane. I hate him right now but I think we both need to just ignore him for the rest of the school year," rationalised Ryan. I knew she was right but both my pride and ego were too delicate to agree right then and I think she knew it too.
"I think we should head back to the common room, Fiadh," Ryan yawned, I looked at the clock, 10pm.
I shook my head, I'd been with him when he'd been attacked and I didn't want to leave alone incase he woke up , "I'm gonna stay, you go."
She raised her eyebrows, "sure?"
I nodded, "Go, get your DADA work done or Snape will eat you alive."
She smiled, gave me a tight hug and left, pulling the curtain closed after her.
Draco had calmed down while the four of us had been there and hadn't made any noises or moved much, his face looked the most peaceful it had all year and I suddenly felt so sorry for the poor boy in front of me. I kept thinking back to how he had acted in the bathroom, just a scared little boy. He seemed so lost. So hopeless. I had to find a way to help him.
I was half asleep when Draco whimpering. I jerked awake, hastily sitting up again. But he wasn't awake. I could tell he was having a nightmare, twitching in the thin hospital sheets.
"No, please... don't make me... I can't do this... don't kill me."
He looked terrified even asleep, I grabbed his hand, "Draco...Draco wake up, you're having a nightmare."
Draco sat up quickly, panting and sweating.
"Rose... What're you doing here?" he said looking around, bewildered.
Not wanting him to think I actually had any emotion towards him I said, "Snape made me stay here with you overnight."
He sat back against him pillows.
"Do you remember what happened?" I asked tentatively.
He nodded, "Saint Potter... what a freak..."
"To be fair, Malfoy, you were about to use an unforgivable curse."
He scowled at me, "Like he didn't deserve it."
I shrugged, "You both just went straight in, no hesitation. It was pretty intense."
"It's been a long time coming, that. Wish he'd been the one in the hospital wing, though."
I gave him a weak smile.
"Draco... did you do it?"
His face fell, "Drop it, Rose, I can't tell you anything... please leave it."
"You don't need to do this alone, Draco. Let me help you."
"Rose, you don't get it. There is no other way. Leave it."
I rolled my eyes, "Fine Draco, but I'm telling you, get in another fight like that and I won't be there to help."
"Like I need your help, Rose," he yawned.
"We'll see won't we," I laughed, "now get back to sleep. You need to be in top form for DADA tomorrow, yeah Snape says he expects you to be there."
Draco scowled and lay back down.
I was about to say goodnight but I reminded myself who I was talking to and pulled the blanket back up around me and quickly falling back to sleep.