Chapter 16
Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!
Those were the only coherent things going through his mind for the past hour and a half. Ginny was in full out hysterics, running around the room and screaming out her frustrations. He thought that he should be able to at least to sprint for help or… or something to be useful! But no, his body chose to shut down after he and Ginny had dumped a gallon of water on her face, another feeble attempt to wake her up.
Madame Pomfrey had gotten back early from her conference, thank Merlin, and had been running tests on her for the past few minutes. Ginny had to explain everything, for Harry was still in shock. She didn't bother doing anything to try and snap him out of it, and he was thankful.
The only movements he was making was shifting his head up and down, casting hopeful glances at Hermione when he thought he saw a shift of movement. He was always gravely disappointed when all he saw was her still body lying stiff on the hospital cot. It always ended up being Madame Pomfrey running unsuccessful tests which made him even more depressed than he already was. I mean, she was a matron for crying out loud, why hasn't she figured out what was wrong yet?!
Calm down, Potter, he told himself. Don't go blaming her because of something that is entirely based on consequence.
Only, he had a feeling that this wasn't based on consequence at all. Someone or something had done this to Hermione and although he was no closer to figuring out what or who did this than he was two hours ago, he would! Harry would find whoever caused this (he was pretty sure it wasn't a cloud of some gas released, so he had ruled out it being something by now) and kill them. No, not just kill them! He would torture them, figure out what the hell would motivate them to do this do a person, torture them some more, and then find an ancient Guillotine somewhere and chop their head off!
He heard movement from beside him and jerked his head to the side. It wasn't coming from Hermione's resting spot, but from the bed next to hers where Weasley, up until seconds ago, lied unconscious. Harry spun around in his chair and looked over to his twitching body, slowly awakening. He saw his eyes open up and gain focus to the bright lighting of the Hospital Wing, shaking his head slightly. Propping his upper body up by his elbows he looked around and met Harry's eyes, immediately narrowing his into slits. But, after glancing behind him for a fraction of a second, his face turned an abnormal shade of red. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?!"
He scream caught the attention of the matron, who was in the middle of filling a small vile with some sort of opaque liquid. "Language, Mister Weasley!" she seemed to realize to whom she was addressing and turned hurriedly over to where Ron was sitting bolt upright. "Oh, Mister Weasley, you're awake! How are you feeling?"
Ron gave her a very sarcastic smile, "Oh I'm doing peachy, ma'am. I just woke up for a coma which he-" he pointed a finger at Harry accusingly, "put me into, to find that my girlfriend is lying unconscious in the bed next to me! How in the hell do you think I feel?!"
Madam Pomfrey gave him an incredulous look, "You'd do well to lower that tone of yours, or I'll be forced to knock you out again with a sleeping drought." There was no joke in her voice and Harry chuckled.
"What's so funny, scar head?" he scoffed at Harry.
"Oh, you mean funny as in how that vain on your forehead seems to be popping out to say hello? Nothing, nothing at all." He smirked at the confused look on the red-heads face.
"Oh honestly Ron, can't you take a joke without analyzing it too much?" Ginny asked from her place standing over at the other side of the wing.
"I don't even think his brain has the capacity to know what the word analyze means, let alone do it." He added with a smile.
"What brain?"
"Oh would you two just shut the hell up for two seconds and tell me what the fuck happened to my girlfriend?!" He screamed, interrupting their rather amusing conversation.
"Language, Mister Weasley!"
Harry shifted in his seat as he looked behind him at Hermione once more. His expression sobered and he turned back to Ron, who was staring at him pointedly. He took a long breath and spoke in a monotone, "We suspect she was poisoned."
Ron's face, if possible, went darker three more shades, "Well why would you poison her?"
Harry turned his back to the raging red head, "I already told you that I didn't do it Weasley, we don't know who…" he trailed off, his eyes finding the bottle of butterbeer resting on his bedside table, "did it." Of course! It was all so simple. "Malfoy"
"Malfoy?" Ginny asked, coming up to his shoulder and looking down at the bottle. "What about him?"
"He did it." Harry said sadly. "He… he poisoned her. I didn't think he would actually go through with it… he warned her. He warned me. Why was I so blind to it?!"
"Blind to what, Harry?" Ginny asked in a comforting voice.
He turned to face her, "Draco always has a way of getting his point across. And I know that it seems stupid now, but I used to help. He was my friend and I thought it was fun…"
She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's alright Harry"
"No, it's not!" he whispered harshly. "Ginny I'm going to find him and get the antidote. If I know Draco, he has it with him and is waiting for me already. I need to do this on my own, so please watch after Hermione for me and keep your brother in check. I'll be back soon."
Ginny smiled up and him and pulled him into a friendly embrace. Harry relished in her comforting arms, thankful that he had at least one person on his side. Pulling away, she whispered, "Good luck, Harry."
He turned to grab the bottle of butterbeer and walked away, his footsteps echoing throughout the large room. Harry heard an outburst of "Where does he think he's going?!" from Ron's cot and smirked. At least the joy of being able to get on Weasley's nerves was still present in his revenge-driven mind.
While walking the long corridor, he tried to keep his building temper in check. If he wanted to get his way, then he had to stay calm. Draco wasn't the type of person to give in at the face of a heated argument. He needed to be at the top of his game and willing to take some deep risks in order to get what he wanted. Draco was a slimy bastard, and if there was any chance that he would break him and get the antidote, it would be because of his inevitable compromise.
He arrived in the Slytherin common room to find it virtually empty, but he knew better than to judge by first appearances. Harry stepped towards the large fireplace and turned to see the lounging figure of his former best friend atop the dark couch that was placed in front of it. He saw a smirk form on his lips as he got up and walked up to him. Harry did his best not to recoil at his close proximity.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out, Harry." He said in a friendly voice. "I mean, who else would be so sly and cunning to pull a stunt like that, eh?" He aimed a playful punch on his shoulder.
Harry remained stiff and replied with clenched teeth. Waving the bottle in front of his face he asked sternly, "Why did you do it?"
"Oh it's simple really. I was upset at the status quo, so I fixed it. I'm sure you'll thank me in the long run. She really wasn't that good looking in the first place."
Harry's temper rose and he aimed a punch at Malfoy's face. Consequences and formality be damned! The blonde stumbled backwards and fell back into the couch, blood oozing from his nose. "You bastard, what did she ever do to you?!"
Wiping his nose, flinching at the contact, Draco responded, "It was never her… it was you. You fell for a mudblood, you fell for a Gryffindor, you left us for her! I thought you needed a wakeup call, that's all."
"A wakeup call?" he asked, astonished, "I think this constitutes as a little more than a wakeup call, Malfoy!"
"Oh, so now it's Malfoy? Remember the days when you used to call me by my actual name, Harry?" Draco mocked. "When you used to praise and help me play pranks on the first years, shag girls worth shagging, and never once look twice at a filthy Gryffindor?"
"The worst days of my life, I can assure you of that." He said with a slight hiss to his tone.
"And what made you conclude that, shagging a worthless mudblood?" Draco asked, finally mustering the strength to get back up and face Harry. "Was it worth it?"
"You know, I don't even think you get it!" Harry yelled at him.
"And what is that exactly?" Harry just stared at him and Draco leaned back, looking as if he had been hit with something. He put a hand over his chest as he feigned sympathy, "Oh, you love her, is that it? Well, I've got news for you. Because you let your hormones take control, your little whore is lying in the hospital wing right now with no hope of waking up!"
Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. It was his entire fault. She was in a lifeless, motionless sleep because of him, because he chose to love her. He willed the tears to stay back as he tried to think positive, reminding himself about why he was here. "You have the antidote, Malfoy."
He raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think I have something like that? What makes you think that I didn't just feed her poison to make her die a slow, painful, death?"
"Because I know you" Harry stated with certainty. "You wouldn't kill someone unless there was no way you could benefit from it. But by killing her you would lose me, get sent to Azkaban, and have the lot of Hogwarts turned against you. By putting her into a dreamless sleep, however, you have room for compromises that will provide you with perks."
Draco smirked, "Oh how well you know me. You've got it all figured out, then? Well let's hear your plea. What are you willing to give up to save her?"
He answered without second thought, "Anything"
Draco seemed to ponder for a moment before answering in a smug voice, "Stop seeing her. When I give her the potion to wake her up, you stay away from her at all costs and never speak to her again."
"Now that I can't do" Draco opened his mouth to retort, but Harry interrupted, an idea coming to him, "How about you listen to me before we make any final decisions. I think that the only way you are going to take me seriously is if I do something drastic, something to really solve this little predicament we have here. So, I've got a proposition for you… wake up Hermione or I'm going to do something so drastic and stupid that you'll regret the day that you ever crossed me."
Harry wasn't surprised when Draco snorted, "There isn't anything that you can do that will surprise me, I've seen it all."
Harry nodded, "That may be true… but don't get too egotistical. What I've got in my hand here is a bottle of your poisoned butterbeer and a wand. Only Hermione will know how to help me if I enchant this drink to put me in the same state she is in, without your antidote having any effect."
"I highly doubt that you can do that." Draco said with disbelief.
Harry smirked, "Want to bet on that?" when Draco remained silent and unwavering Harry pulled out his wand from his back pocket and pointed it at the bottle in his hand. "Nullus Medicor!"
The bottle glowed a deep yellow color for a moment before returning to its normal state. Harry observed it and waved it in Draco's face as a warning, "Last chance."
"You're bluffing." Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Harry pursed his lips and tilted his head. "If you say so" He lifted the bottle to his lips for a moment before saying, "Make sure not to lose that antidote, Malfoy. You're going to need it." And with that he downed the drink with a lick of his lips. Harry expected a few minutes or even hours before it kicked in, but by cause of how much he consumed, he dropped to the floor seconds after he swallowed.
Draco looked at the body of his best friend with wide eyes, horror pouring over him. He knew that Harry was stupid when it came to things like love, but not stupid enough to knock himself out! He grabbed the antidote he had been hiding inside his robe pocket and poured the contents into his open mouth. To his annoyance it had no effect and he cursed. Casting a simple levitating charm, he lifted Harry and carried him to the hospital.
~*~
Ginny was holding Hermione's head upwards while Madame Pomfrey poured another potion into her mouth. They waited for the glowing effect the book said it would have if effective and let out a collective groan when her throat remained unchanged. Ron had taken to playing with his wand, tossing it up and down and twirling it in-between his fingers, being no help whatsoever in the attempts to revive Hermione.
Collapsing into the chair next to Hermione's cot, Ginny sighed dejectedly. Harry had been gone for a half an hour and she was beginning to get worried. If Draco did anything to him, she swore to herself there would be ferret for dinner that night. Madame Pomfrey went to get another book from her office, but the both of them knew the point was moot. The silence in the room was deafening until the doors to the infirmary burst open and Draco Malfoy stomped into the room.
Ginny stood up and looked behind him for Harry, but saw nothing. She turned to him with steam coming out of her ears, "What did you do to him, Malfoy?!"
"What did I do to him? Look what he did to me!" He pointed to him nose and it was then that Ginny noticed that it looked swollen and was bleeding profusely, most likely broken. She resisted the urge to snort and kept a hard face.
"It'll heal eventually; now tell me where Harry is!" She screeched.
He gave into the fiery red head and stepped aside, revealing the floating and unconscious form of Harry. Ginny gasped and ran over to where he was, observing him lightly. She looked back over to Draco and repeated herself, "What in the bleeding hell did you do to him?!"
"I didn't do anything, Weasley, he did this to himself!" He said, waving his hand for emphasis.
"Oh, and I'm really supposed to believe that?" She asked, putting her hands over her hips.
"All I wanted to do is get him away from Granger, not make him in the same state she was!" He said with exasperation. "I wouldn't give him the bloody antidote and he cursed the bottle so that it had no effect on him!"
Ginny's eyes widened as she looked pityingly at Harry, "What an idiot."
Draco nodded, "You're telling me! He says the only person who can help him is little miss Sleeping Beauty over there."
Ginny looked at him as if the answer was obvious. "Well… let's give her the antidote then and wake the both of them up!" Draco looked at the floor, avoiding her penetrating gaze at all costs. "What aren't you telling me, slime ball?" Draco mumbled something under his breath and Ginny leaned forward and yelled, "Out with it!"
"I used up the last bit of potion on him, alright?!" he shouted at her.
Ginny's mouth dropped open, "Didn't you just say that it would have no effect on him?!"
"I didn't believe him, so I tested it out…" he trailed off guiltily.
Ginny grabbed his wand from his fisted hand and levitated Harry to the bed next to Hermione that wasn't otherwise occupied and pushed the beds close together. She looked down at the two of them with a sad smile on her face. She didn't hear Draco come up behind her and felt herself jump when he spoke up.
"If we're going to wake them up, we'll have to work together." He stated matter-of-factly.
Ginny turned to him to reply, but the high-pitched voice of her brother interrupted. "There is no way I'm helping that bastard wake up! The longer he's asleep, the easier my life will be."
"No one said that we needed your help." Ginny spat at him.
Draco looked surprised at the younger Weasley, but snapped out of it, "We can do just fine without you. Plus, your oversized immaturity might slow us down in the long run anyway."
Ron scowled at the pair of them, "Well you can bet that when he wakes up, he'll pay for what he did to me."
"What? Put you in your place?" Ginny asked with a chuckle.
His eyes narrowed, "For stealing my girlfriend."
"She was never yours, Ron, and you know it." Ginny spoke explicitly.
Ron turned away and continued playing with his wand, choosing to ignore her last statement. Ginny turned back to Harry and Hermione's inert bodies and sighed. She would do anything to bring them back together. It was obvious they were in love and no one deserved to be together more than they did. With one final fleeting glance at the pair of them, she turned back to Draco, who was looking at her with an unreadable look on his face. "So what do we do first?"
Draco smirked at her, "Follow me, Weaselette."
She ignored the comment and followed him out of the door, leaving Harry and Hermione laying side-by-side.
~*~
A/N: Sorry for the long update! Hope you guys aren't too horribly mad at me. Heh…
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