Chap. 30 Working Out For the Better
Snape put Draco on his bed gently and tried to hold him down as Madame Pomfrey came into the room.
'What's going on?' she asked concerned.
'He's convulsing.' Snape replied.
Hermione paced the foot of the bed as tears silently ran down her cheeks.
'Don't hold him down, Professor, just put a pillow under his head.' Pomfrey instructed.
Snape listened. Pomfrey ran to a shelf and grabbed something and came back. She slid a metal disk into Draco's mouth. Hermione heard Draco's teeth click and grind against the silver.
'Epileptic seizure.' Pomfrey said.
She quickly rolled out machines from a closet and hooked each one carefully up to Draco. She unbuttoned his shirts and placed gel pads over his heart. She also slid needles connected to tubes into his arm. Last, she put a velcro wrap around his head. Each item connected by many tubes, wires, and plugs into machines. She heard manny noises that frightened her.
Dumbledore then walked into the room, shortly followed by McGonagall.
'What's happened?' he asked.
'Mr. Malfoy is going through an epileptic seizure, I don't know what triggered it, but it's serious.' she explained, 'His brain pulses are 400 over 80, I have to get them down. Professor Snape, please put 10 milligrams of valproic acid in his I-V tubes.'
Hermione watched in horror as Draco still shook violently. His eyes were rolled back in his head and tubes were coming out of him everywhere.
'Hermione,' Dumbledore called, 'Come stand back here.'
She nodded and moved back.
She looked at the heart rate monitor, Draco's life line was jumping all over the place. Hermione had watched ER before, she knew that wasn't normal. As Snape put the yellow liquid into Draco, she watched numbers on all the machines change. She hoped these changes were good.
'300 over 80...250 over 80...' Pomfrey counted down, looking at the machine the velcro wrap to his head was connected to.
Hermione saw Draco's body reduce in shaking, but still no where near calm. The heart rate monitor was slowing down. She was crying silently, but Snape noticed.
'Miss Granger, if this is too hard for you, leave.' Snape said with no remorse.
Hermione shook her head no. Snape nodded, almost in a understanding way.
McGonagall stepped up to Dumbledore.
'Should I inform Mrs. Malfoy?'
'Yes, she'll want to know.'
McGonagall then walked out of the room.
'170 over 80..' Pomfrey said to Snape mainly, 'Take out the I-V slowly.'
Snape did.
The heart monitor had a steady beat and Draco's body had stopped convulsing, but every once in a while he would twitch.
Hermione watched Madame Pomfrey take the velcro wrap off Draco's head as she said,
'100 over 80, just over normal.'
'Is he going to be alright?' Hermione asked shakily.
'Yes, Miss Granger. He needs sleep though.' she said as she gave him a shot in his arm, 'I'm giving him melatonin, which puts you to sleep. This will keep him sleeping for at least an hour or so. He needs to rest up. It may not look like it, but seizures take a lot out of a person.'
Hermione nodded in awareness and spoke. 'What happened to him?' she asked.
'Mr. Malfoy's body sent abnormal electrical pulses to his brain. This caused his brain to shut down for a bit, short circuit if you will. Something shocked Draco, or startled him enough so it put his body through shock.'
Pomfrey leaned over and took the metal disk out of his mouth. She looked at Hermione nervously.
'Miss Granger, you look a bit pale, are you going to be okay?'
'Yes, i'm glad he's alright, i'll be fine.'
'You look weak, i'll have a house elf send up some food.' she said smiling, hurrying out before Hermione could protest.
'I better go make sure Mrs. Malfoy is alright. I'll look on at Draco later.' Snape said.
Hermione walked up to Draco's bed. She brushed his hair back.
'You know, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore started, 'Something or someone got Draco's body to send those pulses.'
'Yes, I know.'
'Sometimes, Miss Granger, things work out for the better. I think you're reenacting was a clever idea.'
'How did you know?'
'Your outfits gave way.' he smiled with a twinkle in his eye, 'Well, I must be off. Make sure all is well with the other teachers and Mrs. Malfoy. I advise you to eat and sleep.'
Then he was gone.
Hermione sat down on the bed across from Draco's.
What was Dumbledore hinting at? Hermione asked herself. Does he think I made Draco have a seizure??
Just then a elf came up to her. She must have been waiting.
'Hi.' Hermione said.
'Hello, Miss Granger. Here is a turkey sandwich, okay?' the high voice asked.
'Great.' Hermione said smiling.
The little elf smiled and ran off.
As the elf left, someone else came in. Hermione turned to see who it was.
'Hello, Hermione.' the voice said.
'Hey Blaise.' she said. 'Why are you here?' 'I came back because I wanted to see him. Besides Destiny went back to France, her Christmas break is over now.'
He came up and stood next to Draco's bed.
'What happened?' he asked.
'He had an epileptic seizure. He's okay now.'
'How are you?' he asked sitting next to her.
'Fine.'
'No you're not.' he said bluntly, 'If Destiny was in Draco's position, I wouldn't be fine, so I sure in hell know you aren't.'
'You're right.' she said sadly, 'I miss him. I miss his touch. I tried to reenact the Christmas Ball.'
'That would explain the outfits.' he smiled.
She laughed.
'Yeah, that'd be why.' she continued, 'We slow danced, and he held me just like he used to. I caught a glimpse of the real Draco Malfoy again, I missed it so much.'
'If he held you, maybe he can still love you.'
'No. He just wants be to stop being sad so he tries to be a boyfriend figure. He doesn't love me, he doesn't even know me.' she said, tearing up. 'He said he'd never leave me, Blaise. He said he's always be here for me, and now look at him. He doesn't know me.'
She shook her head.
'I know he can't help it.' she said, 'But...well, I knew Draco and I were too good to be true.'
'Don't say that.'
'What? Why? Draco and I get together and then he gets amnesia and goes into a coma, then a seizure?!'
'Hermione, you and Draco are meant for each other.'
'No. I loved him...I still do...but there's nothing else I can do.'
'Hermione, you have no idea how much he loves you, do you?' he asked her.
'I dunno, I guess.'
'Hermione, Draco could get pretty much any girl he wanted. Girls would throw themselves at him, but he would never have them. He could have a different girl in his bed every night if he wanted to, but he never did. Draco stopped partying and shit and finally decided to put his time in studying. Sure, he hung out with me and crap, but whenever I went out he never did. He was thrown women and never loved any of realized that most girls who wanted him wouldn't love him, and he realized that was what he wanted. As the greatest rapper, Eminem, would say, "Females lie, I guess that's just what sluts do, how could it ever be just two? I'd never love you enough to trust you." Draco and I used to listen to his songs and Draco always took this one to heart. He decided if Eminem can decipher sluts from ladies, he could, and he decided to avoid them completely. Draco made a mistake when he was young, which I know you know, he knew he didn't love her and never loved again, until he met you, Hermione. You changed his life. He knew he never needed a slut, because, whores don't stay with you. Eminem sings, "What's she shovin' me for? Doesn't she love me no more? Wasn't she huggin' me four minutes ago at the door?"'
Hermione smiled at Blaise.
'What?' he asked.
'Eminem. You speak so much of him. I actually got the cd for Draco for Christmas.'
'See, you two are meant for each other. It's a sign.'
'No. I just happen to have ears and heard rap through his wall. I have eyes to see Eminem reminded me of Draco.'
'Let me finish my story, then you decide.'
'Okay.'
'I'm Drake's best friend. He told me things, he didn't tell anyone else. I was with him a lot. In the hallways, I would watch as stared at you as you walked by, even when you were going out already. He never loved anyone, but you. He lit up when he talked about you. He said he wanted to be with you forever. He could never comprehend how you came into his life, he really had a fucked up life, and suddenly everything was right for him. He thanked God every night for the happiness he granted him through you. I know you probably had ideas running in your head that Draco just liked to fuck you, but he truly loved you, Hermione.'
'I gave his ring back.' she said crying, after Blaise's speech.
'What?'
'Draco proposed Christmas Night to me, I gave it back when he woke up from his coma.'
'You're engaged??'
'Not anymore.' she said, tears trickling down her face. 'I can't have someone who doesn't love me, force himself to marry me. I love him too much to ruin his life, the potential for him to live a normal, happy life.'
'The only happy life Draco could lead, is with you, and you know it.'
Hermione shook her head.
'He can't think that anymore. He doesn't know me, Blaise! I'll be here for him, i'll always love him, but I won't sit around watching him pretend to love me. I tried to help him remember, by reenacting the dance, but he went into a bloody seizure! I don't want to hurt him anymore, physically or mentally.'
'He loved you. He still does, people cannot just forget what's in their hearts, Hermione.' he said as he stood up.
Hermione looked down, tears fell to the floor.
'I'll see you around.' he said as he left the room.
Hermione wiped the tears off her face and looked at Draco.
'Why did you have to be so perfect?' she asked him aloud.
Hermione nibbled a little at the sandwich the house elf brought her earlier and then set it aside. She was very tired. She laid down. Draco's face was the last thing she saw before she fell asleep.
---
Hermione felt herself twitch, which woke her up. He eyes opened slowly and looked at a clock across the room. It read 4:45. She had been sleeping for two and a half hours. She looked over at Draco, he was still asleep. She stretched and sat up.
She walked over and sat on Draco's bed. She brushed his cheek with the back of her hand, where his scar was now. She also moved his hair from his face, again. Suddenly his eyes opened.
'Hermione?' he asked drowsily.
'Yes, how are you feeling?' she asked.
He sat up and hugged her. She hugged him happily, even though she knew it wasn't real. She felt good.
'I had the worst dream.' he said. He then slowly pulled away from her and moved his arm infront of her and opened his closed fist. There was the engagement ring.
'It was true...' he said quietly.
'Draco, why are you still holding that?'
'Why do I have this?' he asked, almost frightened.
He then realized what she was wearing.
'What day is it?' he asked her.
'January 5th.'
'Why are you wearing your ball dress? Why am I?'
'I was reenacting it, do you not remember that either?'
'I did propose to you didn't I?'
'Yes, but I told you, Draco, I won't force you to marry me. It won't work, you don't love me. How many times am I going to have to explain this to people?!' Hermione cried in frustration.
'What are you talking about? Why am I here?'
'You had a seizure, Draco, we don't know what triggered it.'
'I had a seizure?'
'Yeah, Pomfrey gave you something to sleep.'
'I'm so confused, I don't know what's going on. Please, just take it back.'
He grabbed her left hand and put it on.
She looked down at it and shook her head.
'You don't love me, don't feel bad for me, Draco.' she said without looking at him.
'Look at me. Look at me while you say that.' he demanded.
She looked up. She saw his eyes were layered in tears and red.
'How can you say that??" he asked in confusion, the tears falling on his face, 'I don't know what's going on, I proposed to you because I DO love you! I love you so much, baby.'
Suddenly Hermione eye's lit up.
'What did you just say?' she asked desperately.
'I love you.'
'No...what did you call me?'
'Baby... I love you, Baby.'
'Draco... what did I get you for Christmas?'
'What? What does that--'
'Just answer it.'
'The Eminem Show cd and a boom box...'
Hermione broke down in heavy tears. She threw her arms around Draco's neck and planted kisses all over his face.
'Oh, my baby, baby, you're back! You're back!' she cried, now on top of him, kissing him.
He grabbed her tightly and kissed her back.
They were both crying, he because he thought she changed her mind about the engagement, but now she's kissing him, and she because he remembered her.
'Hermione, are you my fiancée again?' he asked her.
She couldn't even talk, she was crying so hard. He cried, seeing her like this. She seemed sad, but she was kissing him.
'Baby, why are you crying? Stop crying, please, baby, stop crying.' he asked her this over and over.
She just kept crying, and kissed any part of him her lips could reach as her arms were around his neck.
He sat up, bringing her with.
'Please, tell me what happened, Hermione, please.' he begged her.
She finally pulled her face away from his and he wiped her tears, but they kept flowing.
'Baby...' she started, 'You forgot me! You didn't know me!'
She then pulled her arms from him.
'How could you do that to me?!' she cried angrily.
Tears streamed down her face as she got up, off the bed. She proceeded to walk away. He pulled pads from his chest and jumped off and ran to her. He grabbed her arms and turned her around.
'Hermione, what are you talking about? I love you, I promise, I love you. I don't understand what you're talking about?!' he cried, nearly yelling at her.
She fell to her knees. He knelt with her.
'Your father broke your rib...in battle...it punctured your lung...your brain didn't get enough oxygen...you fell into a coma...you got amnesia and YOU FORGOT EVERYONE! YOU FORGOT WHO I WAS! I loved you! I love you so much still, you didn't know me, you didn't know me.'
'What?' he asked in shock. 'Shit, Hermione, are you fucking lying to me?'
He looked at him angrily and slapped him hard.
'Why would I lie to you?!' she yelled, 'Why would I make this up?! You didn't know anyone! I tried to reenact the night of the ball for you and then you had a seizure, Draco!'
She suddenly stopped yelling and looked down.
'I'm sorry.' he said quietly.
'It was so frightening.' she said softly, 'You were shaking and you're eyes were white. You were pale, Draco, you looked dead. Tubes were all over you, needles were in you.'
'How is this possible, without me knowing any of this?'
'What was the last thing you remember?'
'Seeing Dumbledore, then you giving me the ring back. I thought it was a nightmare, but then I wake up and I have it.'
She put her hands on his face gently.
'You were in the coma for 2 days, waking up was suppose to be long, if you even woke up at all. You had amnesia for 3 days. You weren't expected to remember anyone ever again...then you had that seizure. Something made you send too many pulses to your body...Dumbledore told me I did it. He said things happen for the better...he must have known that you'd come back to me.'
'I don't even know what to say, baby. All I can think of is that I love you, I can't live without you, I need you in my life. You are the reason I want to wake up every morning. I remember that. I remember all of that. I remember the way your hair smells in the morning, I remember the touch of your skin, I remember I love you and want you to be with me forever.'
'I love you so much, Draco. Don't leave me again.' she said crying quietly.
He kissed her softly.
She stood up and took Draco's hand.
'Come on, we have to find your mother.' Hermione smiled.
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