Chapter Fifteen

Hermione

Sometimes, when something's wrong, you can tell. It's a feeling that emerges in the pit of your stomach, signaling that something isn't right. Over the years, I've learned to trust that feeling, and it is that feeling that leads me down the deserted corridor now. It's very early in the morning, so the castle is dimly lit. However, I don't have any trouble navigating through it; I know Hogwarts like the back of my hand.

Even though it's only been a few hours, I miss Draco terribly. He needs to be okay, and he needs to wake up. I miss his smirk, his laugh, even the solemn look he frequently wears.

It's amazing how someone can go from your enemy to your world in such a short amount of time. All these little details I never noticed before I loved him suddenly came into view: the way he blinks excessively when he's nervous, how he shuffles his feet when he's feeling particularly sheepish, how he rubs his hands together when he's happy. And the fact that there's a chance I could never see any of this again fills me with great anguish.

Why did this have to happen? Draco doesn't deserve this. This whole situation reminds me of something my mother always told me: Which, in this instance, means all of the things I will have to do to somewhat fix this incident: find out who did it, do everything I can do to help Draco, and cheer him up when he wakes up. Because he will, and I cannot doubt it.

As I open the doors to the hospital wing, my certainty seems to fade away. I immediately spot three people huddled over a bed in the far corner. My knees seem to weaken, but nonetheless, I run over there.

"What's going on?" I ask, my voice shaking. No one turns around or answers me. My stomach twists into a knot.

"What's going on?" I shout, pushing through them. Draco is lying on the bed, paler than I've ever seen anyone. The wound has not improved either, and he is still not awake. Frustration and anxiety rise from deep within me, and I want to collapse.

"Is he okay?" I ask as if I don't already know the answer. Madam Pomfrey, Arcturo Dogton, and Professor McGonagall all look up at me, their eyes showing a mix of seriousness and pain.

"No," McGonagall sighs, and they all look back down at him.

I get on my knees beside the bed. I almost have to force myself to look at his face, but I do, and I see that his eyes are open. Hope fills my heart. My eyes fill with tears, but no one says anything. It's just silence until a slow, raspy sound emits from Draco. His eyes land on me.

"You're here," I say, barely audible, since that's all I can muster. A slightly noticeable smile appears on his face. The others keep their eyes firmly planted upon him, but mine drifts to his wound. Blood has started flowing steadily from it, dying the already-stained sheets an even darker shade of red.

"Arcturo," I yell, looking up at him, "help him!" But he just slowly shakes his head, keeping his gaze upon Draco. Finally, I look back at Draco. He's still looking at me, and he's still smiling. But when I smile back, his eyelids drift down ever so slowly, until they are completely closed. His body turns to stone. For a few seconds, I stare at him in disbelief until I finally register what just happened. When I do, I cup his face in my hands.

"Draco?" I whisper, his skin cold and lifeless under my hand. Then, my mind seems to confirm it. He's gone. I suddenly stand up. "Draco!" I scream, backing up.

The three people crowd around his bed to prevent me from seeing him. My world is spinning. Thoughts upon thoughts run through my head, but then there's nothing. Nothing at all. I fall backwards, and I feel a sharp pain in my forehead. Everything goes black, and I plunge into a world of nothingness.

* * *

I wake up. It was a dream. A .

"Hermione, what happened?" Parvati Patil asks, standing beside my bed. My heart is beating rapidly. Tears are falling down my face. Ginny is on the other side of my bed, her eyes wide and worrisome.

"I just-" A sudden thought hits me. The Veritaserum. "What time is it?" I ask, sitting bolt upright and looking around.

"It's around midnight- why? What happened?" Ginny implores, and I shake my head.

"Nightmare," I mumble, barely able to say the word. It was not a nightmare; it was much, much worse. "I'm going to get a drink of water. I'll be back later."

I put on my shoes and walk away without a second glance at them. As I close the door, I can sense their confused gazes upon my back. I silently travel down the stairs. There is someone sitting on the couch in the common room. Instead of saying something to them, I tiptoe behind them, careful not to be heard. Even though I am Head Girl and have permission to be out after curfew, I don't want anyone to question me. Thankfully, I make it out of the common room without being heard or noticed, even by the Fat Lady. But then I remember something- Harry's invisibility cloak! I completely forgot it. I can't go back for it now, though. I'm completely on my own.

Every nerve stands on edge as I stalk around, carefully peering around corners and constantly checking behind me. Now it's very dark, and I can barely see anything, but lighting up my wand will be too risky. The sound of my shoes can almost be heard, so I try to lighten my steps a bit.

For a second, I think I can actually hear my heart beating, but I realize that the sound is not coming from me but from me.

"Well, good evening, Miss Granger."

I close my eyes and turn around, taking a deep breath. Aberforth is walking towards me. From here he looks a lot like Dumbledore, except rougher and less kind.

"Good evening." I say, trying to hide my fear. I stand up a little taller to portray the message:

The message doesn't communicate well, because he asks, "What could you possibly he doing roaming around the castle at this hour?" He has a questioning look in his eyes. My mouth forms words, but I cannot actually say them. It's not like it's the first time I've lied to a teacher...

"I was checking for s-stray students," I stutter, shuffling my feet. He squints slightly at me. "You know, because I'm Head Girl so I can." He looks me up and down before answering.

"Very well then." He shrugs and hobbles out of sight. I need to hurry.

Within five minutes of even more careful journeying, I finally reach the room where Professor Bane stores the potions. I place my hand on the knob and try to twist it open, but it is locked. I retrieve my wand from my pocket, point it at the doorknob, and perform a nonverbal unlocking spell. There is a faint click that answers, which tells me that I can go in.

Potions line every inch of the walls, all the way up to the ceiling. A tall ladder ascends to the top shelf. I look around, hoping that this will be easy, when I realize that the vials are not labeled. This job is going to be very difficult. I climb just a few rungs of the ladder to the fourth shelf. Veritaserum, from what I can remember, is a clear liquid with a brownish tint; just like tons of other potions in here. I decide to use magic, which may not be the brightest idea, but it will have to do. I descend the ladder and stand just in front of the door, my wand brandished in front of me as if it is a shield.

"" I whisper, and for a few seconds, nothing happens... until around thirteen glass bottles are hurdling toward my head. I jump out of the way, my back slamming against another shelf. The potions are about to hit the door, which will undoubtedly cause a large commotion. I rummage through my head for ideas; I can come up with something...

" I shout. Actually, it me that said that. Filling with dread, I force myself to look at the door. The flasks have stopped in mid-air just in front of someone's face. Professor Bane.

"What do you think you're doing?" He inquires. The potions floating in his face don't seem to faze him. Words seem to fail me. I find myself unable to answer his question.

"What gives you the right to snoop around my personal stores?" He asks. His eyes seem to flush with anger as he takes a step towards me. The potions remain airborne behind him.

I do the only thing I know to do. I point my wand at him, and he only has a moment to realize what I'm about to do before I do it. "." The rage seems to melt away from his eyes. It is replaced by a lclueless look. As I slip behind the door, I see him look suspiciously in the spot where I was standing. He shakes his head and walks out, shutting the door behind him.

I cannot believe I just erased the memory of a teacher.

My mind is racing. I grab a vial of Veritaserum from the flying few and send them back to their spots with a wave of my wand. I stuff the potion in my pocket and exit the room, softly shutting the door.

My walk back to the common room is more relaxed than the one away from it. No one is in the corridors, but I keep my wand in my hand just in case.

As I pass our common room- mine and Draco's, that it- I decide to make a detour. I don't feel like being around anyone right now. They would question me about everything that happened and what I dreamed about, and I don't need that right now.

When I walk inside, a sense of loneliness lingers in the air. Draco usually sleeps here every night. It's as if the room itself misses him. With a start, I realize that I'm still wearing his jacket. I feel something in the left pocket of it: his letter to me. Tears immediately come to my eyes just as they have so many times today.

The desk seems to call to me from across the room. It holds the rest of the letters, the key to Draco's heart and mind. I want to go over there and read every letter, but I can't shake the feeling that I would be invading his privacy. I decide to listen to that feeling.

Now I understand how Draco feels with his fear of sleep due to his dreams. I wish that I had some of the dreamless sleep potion, but I doubt I'll ever steal a potion again. It's far too late to visit the hospital wing also, even though I want to. I want to be with Draco. But for now, all I can do is lay here on the couch, covered in a blanket that does not help the cold I feel inside. It smells like him though, just like his jacket. I suppose everything will remind me of him in some way now.

Memories of us float through my head. The day on the train, his smirk as he said that he'd changed, and how I didn't believe it. When I slipped into his arms in the rain. When I fell in love by the Black Lake, watching him as he looked out into the water. When we kissed on the Quidditch pitch, and he became mine, and I became his. When he said he was in love with me.

And now, when I could lose him.