The attack came as a complete surprise to Draco. He watched in horror as Pansy’s curse caused several nasty looking abrasions to appear on Ginny’s face. The redhead screamed in agony as she fell.
“What did you do?” Draco demanded, dropping to his knees next to Ginny.
Her head lolled around a bit before her eyes focused on him. Her hand came up slightly, then her eyes fluttered and she slipped into unconsciousness.
“I only gave her what she deserved, the little boyfriend-stealer,” Pansy said haughtily. “I saw Professor Snape use that spell once, but I’m not as good as he is. His victim nearly died.”
Draco frantically began to try any healing spell he could think of, but none of them worked. He growled and scooped Ginny up in his arms, giving Pansy as angry a look as he could muster in his anxiety. Then he turned and ran down the hall.
Ginny hung limply in his arms, making soft moaning noises as his hurried footsteps jostled her. Draco clutched her tighter to his chest in an attempt to absorb some of the impact. He felt panicked when he saw the deathly white tinge to her face and the blood running in little rivulets down her neck.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the hospital wing came into view. Draco put on a final burst of speed and rushed through the doors yelling breathlessly for Madam Pomfrey.
The mediwitch rushed out of the back room looking disheveled and surprised. “What happened?” she gasped as her eyes landed on the bleeding girl in Draco’s arms.
“She’s been cursed!” Draco exclaimed, laying her as gently as he could on the nearest bed. “I don’t know the spell. I’ve only ever seen it used once and that was on me. I don’t remember anything. Snape helped me, but I don’t know what he did.”
He was aware of the fact that he was rambling, but couldn’t seem to make himself stop. He watched Pomfrey as she wiped Ginny’s face of blood.
“Go get him,” she suddenly commanded.
“Who?” Draco asked in confusion. He’d been too busy watching worriedly as Ginny whimpered.
“Snape.”
Draco was hesitant to leave Ginny, but desperately wanted to help her. He ran out of the hospital wing as quickly as he had come into it. He felt stiff with shock, but refused to let himself stop to catch his breath. Not with Ginny lying there, bleeding and unconscious.
It suddenly occurred to Draco as he ran that Professor Snape might not be willing to help Ginny. He was widely acknowledged as a Death Eater, and her parents openly opposed Voldemort. What if he just turned away?
As he rounded the corner to Snape’s office, he suddenly realized what he should do to convince him to come. He pounded on the door yelling, “Professor! Professor Snape!”
The door opened to reveal Snape looking very upset at the disturbance. “What is it?” he demanded. Smoke was billowing out from behind him and a foul odor emanated from the room.
“A student’s been attacked!” Draco gasped out, leaning against the wall for support.
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Some girl.”
Snape appeared nonchalant as he calmly grabbed his cloak and closed the door behind him. Draco danced anxiously from foot to foot, mentally willing him to hurry.
“What curse was used?” Snape asked casually.
Draco could feel his ire building as he tried to refrain from screaming. “Sectumsempra.”
Snape suddenly froze. “Are you sure?” He didn’t even wait for a reply. Grabbing Draco by the sleeve, he dashed through the corridors. “Where is she?”
“I’ve taken her to the hospital wing!” Draco gasped as he panted to keep up. Snape seemed to be almost flying down the hall.
They arrived at the infirmary, Draco completely out of breath, and burst through the door. He pushed past Snape and yelled, “Madam Pomfrey, how is she!”
Pomfrey looked up from the bed, her face almost as pale as her patient’s. “She’s not any worse,” she replied.
Draco dropped to his knees beside the bed and grabbed Ginny’s hand in both of his own and pressed it to his lips. Her pulse fluttered weakly and he felt a stab of fear. He glanced pleadingly up at Snape.
“Some girl,” the Headmaster muttered under his breath, imitating Draco, as he leaned over the bed. He began murmuring strange words, moving his wand over the cuts. After a couple of passes, the bleeding stopped and the wounds seemed to shrink slightly. Snape turned to Madam Pomfrey, not stopping his movements, and asked, “Do you have any Dittany?”
“I already tried Dittany, sir,” was her terse reply.
“Try it again.” He said this as thought it were the most obvious solution.
Pomfrey scurried over to her medicine cupboard and grabbed a small bottle near the middle. When she returned, she dabbed a couple of drops on her finger and carefully spread it over Ginny’s face. A greenish steam began to rise along the cuts and there was an odd hissing noise.
When the steam cleared, Draco saw with relief that new skin was stretched over the injuries. It appeared pink and tender. He reached out and ran his fingers over them, smiling as Ginny gave a soft sigh.
Snape straightened up. “That’s all that can be done,” he stated. “We must hope that she is as lucky as you were, Draco, and received attention soon enough to avoid scarring. Each case is unique, though.”
Snape and Pomfrey moved away, whispering quietly. Draco ignored them and turned his attention back to Ginny. She was still pale, but the colour of her injuries masked that. She looked so vulnerable in that moment, lying on a hospital bed, her robes stained crimson with her own blood, that Draco wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and never let go.
Instead, he lifted one hand and stroked her hair back from her face. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. His voice caught in his throat and he frowned. He suddenly felt very angry at Pansy Parkinson. What right did she have to do this?
A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came back to the bedside and Professor Snape left. The mediwitch pulled another potion bottle out of her pocket. “This will help her sleep peacefully,” she told him as she handed him the bottle.
Draco took it, his fingers trembling slightly. He wrapped his arm around Ginny’s shoulders and lifted her head. He pressed the vial to her lips and silently urged her to drink it. When it was gone, he handed the empty bottle back to Madam Pomfrey.
The mediwitch gave him an odd look, then said quietly, “Thank you for bringing her to me, Mr. Malfoy. You should go back to your dormitory now.”
Draco shook his head. “I’m not leaving her.” He pulled up a chair and settled himself into it, trying to cross his arms and hold onto Ginny’s hand at the same time. He gave up and settled for pulling her hand into his lap.
Pomfrey looked surprised. “You’ve done plenty. You don’t need to stay.”
“This isn’t about what I need, ma’am,” he told her, trying to sound calm. “I want to be here with her.”
Madam Pomfrey’s eyebrows shot upwards. She tried for several minutes to persuade him to leave, apparently unable to believe that he could ever really care about Ginny, but Draco resolutely refused. She finally shook her head and went back to her office, hiding a smile.
Draco wearily leaned forward and propped his elbows on the bed. He sighed and ran one hand through his hair as he watched Ginny sleep. The potion was beginning to take effect and the lines of pain that had been etched on her face were fading.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. In response, her fingers tightened around his. He chuckled. “Even in your sleep, I’m irresistible to you.”
The night had been trying, and as the adrenalin worked its way out of his bloodstream, Draco realized just how tired he was. It seemed like ages had passed since he’d been sitting happily in the library, helping Ginny with her Potions essay. Now he was sitting beside her hospital bed as she recovered from some obscure curse.
He sighed again as his vision began to blur and his eyelids to droop. He rubbed his hands over his eyes to try to clear them. Looking down at Ginny again, he found himself smiling. She looked so peaceful. He tentatively reached out and touched her cheek, gently feeling the quickly fading scar that ran from just under her right eye in a half circle down to the bottom of her nose.
Draco shifted slightly so that he could pull the blankets over her. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek before giving in to the exhaustion that filled him.
“What did you do?” Draco demanded, dropping to his knees next to Ginny.
Her head lolled around a bit before her eyes focused on him. Her hand came up slightly, then her eyes fluttered and she slipped into unconsciousness.
“I only gave her what she deserved, the little boyfriend-stealer,” Pansy said haughtily. “I saw Professor Snape use that spell once, but I’m not as good as he is. His victim nearly died.”
Draco frantically began to try any healing spell he could think of, but none of them worked. He growled and scooped Ginny up in his arms, giving Pansy as angry a look as he could muster in his anxiety. Then he turned and ran down the hall.
Ginny hung limply in his arms, making soft moaning noises as his hurried footsteps jostled her. Draco clutched her tighter to his chest in an attempt to absorb some of the impact. He felt panicked when he saw the deathly white tinge to her face and the blood running in little rivulets down her neck.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the hospital wing came into view. Draco put on a final burst of speed and rushed through the doors yelling breathlessly for Madam Pomfrey.
The mediwitch rushed out of the back room looking disheveled and surprised. “What happened?” she gasped as her eyes landed on the bleeding girl in Draco’s arms.
“She’s been cursed!” Draco exclaimed, laying her as gently as he could on the nearest bed. “I don’t know the spell. I’ve only ever seen it used once and that was on me. I don’t remember anything. Snape helped me, but I don’t know what he did.”
He was aware of the fact that he was rambling, but couldn’t seem to make himself stop. He watched Pomfrey as she wiped Ginny’s face of blood.
“Go get him,” she suddenly commanded.
“Who?” Draco asked in confusion. He’d been too busy watching worriedly as Ginny whimpered.
“Snape.”
Draco was hesitant to leave Ginny, but desperately wanted to help her. He ran out of the hospital wing as quickly as he had come into it. He felt stiff with shock, but refused to let himself stop to catch his breath. Not with Ginny lying there, bleeding and unconscious.
It suddenly occurred to Draco as he ran that Professor Snape might not be willing to help Ginny. He was widely acknowledged as a Death Eater, and her parents openly opposed Voldemort. What if he just turned away?
As he rounded the corner to Snape’s office, he suddenly realized what he should do to convince him to come. He pounded on the door yelling, “Professor! Professor Snape!”
The door opened to reveal Snape looking very upset at the disturbance. “What is it?” he demanded. Smoke was billowing out from behind him and a foul odor emanated from the room.
“A student’s been attacked!” Draco gasped out, leaning against the wall for support.
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Some girl.”
Snape appeared nonchalant as he calmly grabbed his cloak and closed the door behind him. Draco danced anxiously from foot to foot, mentally willing him to hurry.
“What curse was used?” Snape asked casually.
Draco could feel his ire building as he tried to refrain from screaming. “Sectumsempra.”
Snape suddenly froze. “Are you sure?” He didn’t even wait for a reply. Grabbing Draco by the sleeve, he dashed through the corridors. “Where is she?”
“I’ve taken her to the hospital wing!” Draco gasped as he panted to keep up. Snape seemed to be almost flying down the hall.
They arrived at the infirmary, Draco completely out of breath, and burst through the door. He pushed past Snape and yelled, “Madam Pomfrey, how is she!”
Pomfrey looked up from the bed, her face almost as pale as her patient’s. “She’s not any worse,” she replied.
Draco dropped to his knees beside the bed and grabbed Ginny’s hand in both of his own and pressed it to his lips. Her pulse fluttered weakly and he felt a stab of fear. He glanced pleadingly up at Snape.
“Some girl,” the Headmaster muttered under his breath, imitating Draco, as he leaned over the bed. He began murmuring strange words, moving his wand over the cuts. After a couple of passes, the bleeding stopped and the wounds seemed to shrink slightly. Snape turned to Madam Pomfrey, not stopping his movements, and asked, “Do you have any Dittany?”
“I already tried Dittany, sir,” was her terse reply.
“Try it again.” He said this as thought it were the most obvious solution.
Pomfrey scurried over to her medicine cupboard and grabbed a small bottle near the middle. When she returned, she dabbed a couple of drops on her finger and carefully spread it over Ginny’s face. A greenish steam began to rise along the cuts and there was an odd hissing noise.
When the steam cleared, Draco saw with relief that new skin was stretched over the injuries. It appeared pink and tender. He reached out and ran his fingers over them, smiling as Ginny gave a soft sigh.
Snape straightened up. “That’s all that can be done,” he stated. “We must hope that she is as lucky as you were, Draco, and received attention soon enough to avoid scarring. Each case is unique, though.”
Snape and Pomfrey moved away, whispering quietly. Draco ignored them and turned his attention back to Ginny. She was still pale, but the colour of her injuries masked that. She looked so vulnerable in that moment, lying on a hospital bed, her robes stained crimson with her own blood, that Draco wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and never let go.
Instead, he lifted one hand and stroked her hair back from her face. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. His voice caught in his throat and he frowned. He suddenly felt very angry at Pansy Parkinson. What right did she have to do this?
A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came back to the bedside and Professor Snape left. The mediwitch pulled another potion bottle out of her pocket. “This will help her sleep peacefully,” she told him as she handed him the bottle.
Draco took it, his fingers trembling slightly. He wrapped his arm around Ginny’s shoulders and lifted her head. He pressed the vial to her lips and silently urged her to drink it. When it was gone, he handed the empty bottle back to Madam Pomfrey.
The mediwitch gave him an odd look, then said quietly, “Thank you for bringing her to me, Mr. Malfoy. You should go back to your dormitory now.”
Draco shook his head. “I’m not leaving her.” He pulled up a chair and settled himself into it, trying to cross his arms and hold onto Ginny’s hand at the same time. He gave up and settled for pulling her hand into his lap.
Pomfrey looked surprised. “You’ve done plenty. You don’t need to stay.”
“This isn’t about what I need, ma’am,” he told her, trying to sound calm. “I want to be here with her.”
Madam Pomfrey’s eyebrows shot upwards. She tried for several minutes to persuade him to leave, apparently unable to believe that he could ever really care about Ginny, but Draco resolutely refused. She finally shook her head and went back to her office, hiding a smile.
Draco wearily leaned forward and propped his elbows on the bed. He sighed and ran one hand through his hair as he watched Ginny sleep. The potion was beginning to take effect and the lines of pain that had been etched on her face were fading.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. In response, her fingers tightened around his. He chuckled. “Even in your sleep, I’m irresistible to you.”
The night had been trying, and as the adrenalin worked its way out of his bloodstream, Draco realized just how tired he was. It seemed like ages had passed since he’d been sitting happily in the library, helping Ginny with her Potions essay. Now he was sitting beside her hospital bed as she recovered from some obscure curse.
He sighed again as his vision began to blur and his eyelids to droop. He rubbed his hands over his eyes to try to clear them. Looking down at Ginny again, he found himself smiling. She looked so peaceful. He tentatively reached out and touched her cheek, gently feeling the quickly fading scar that ran from just under her right eye in a half circle down to the bottom of her nose.
Draco shifted slightly so that he could pull the blankets over her. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek before giving in to the exhaustion that filled him.
Author notes: This chapter was kind of interesting to write. The pace feels just slightly too fast to me, but they always say that you are your own worst critic. I know! All of you awesome people can leave a review and let me know how you felt it was! I'd love to 'hear' your opinions! I always enjoy reading what you have to say. Thanks to choravenclaw, 4everdandg, xLovelyLollypopx, Rosalie, Nakita, and Cyrens_Myth (all 23 chapters in a row!) for reviewing! Loves!
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