Chap. 54 Explanations and Apologies
The next morning Hermione was woken by a pain in her face, so powerful, it caused her to cry. She sat up in the bed quickly, grabbing her face. However, when she grabbed it, more pain seered through her.
Draco woke up feeling the jolt of Hermione's body.
'Hermione??' he asked groggily.
He then realized she was crying.
'Hermione? What's wrong? What happened?' he asked frantically.
He quickly looked around the room, and seeing no one, he turned back to Hermione.
'Hermione? Why are you crying? What's going on?'
She just looked away from him.
He looked down and noticed she was clutching the bed sheets, her knuckles turning a snow white color.
'It hurts so much...' she whispered. Tears fell from her face.
Draco got up from the bed and went to a small cupboard. He pulled out a small cooler and opened it. He then held something as he ran back over to her.
'Lie back.' Draco ordered her gently.
She obeyed. He sat next to her and placed the cold pack gently on her face, giving special precautions on her nose.
She winced at first and tightened her face, the touch was cold and hurt her nose at first. She then loosened up and relaxed, the cold pack felt good. Her tears stopped.
'Thank you.' she mumbled, the pack blocked her mouth from speaking properly.
'Your welcome.' he smiled.
He then looked up at the wall clock.
'Oh, shit, Hermione...why'd you have to wake up from immense pain so early??' he said joking.
'What time is it?' she asked.
'Six AM.' he groaned.
'I'm sorry, baby.'
'It's fine. I'm just glad I don't have to be the one in pain.' he laughed.
'If I could move, without hurting myself, i'd smack you.' she snapped.
'You hungry?' he asked.
'Yes.'
'Here, you hold this pack, i'll go get us some food.'
She smiled as he jumped from the bed and darted off.
He ran to the kitchen door, tickled the pear in the portrait and walked intside. No matter how quiet the rest of Hogwarts was, these house elves were always awake and working.
He stepped in and was immediately welcomed in by Lily.
'Ahh! Good early morning, Mr. Malfoy, sir!' she squeaked happily.
'Good morning, Lily, how are you this morning?'
'Oh, you makes Lily feel good!' she squealed, pink rising to her grey skin.
Draco laughed.
'How is Miss Granger?' she asked.
'She's fine.'
'We, elves, heard about the 'thing' that happened yesterday, and we's are sorry.' she said quietly.
'You have heard? Already? How?' Draco asked.
'We's heard great Head Master Dumbledore speaking to Miss Parkinson about it.'
'Really? Oh, thank you, please send up waffles and pumpkin juices to the hospital ward.' he said quickly.
She nodded.
'Lily will sir.' she smiled.
He smiled and left quickly.
'Dumbledore talked Pansy already?' Draco asked himself.
He then quickly replayed the night in his head.
'Pansy helped me and Hermione...' he remembered quickly. 'She was an arrogant, selfish bitch, but she did try to stop Lana.'
He ran to the eagle statue concealing Dumbledore's office.
'Lemon Honey.' he said quietly.
He stepped into the moving staircase.
Dumbledore was awake of course, his back turned, feeding Fawkes.
'Good morning, young Mr. Malfoy.' Dumbledore chimed without turning from Fawkes.
'Dumbledore freaks me out sometimes...' Draco thought to himself.
'Ahh, Good morning, Professor.' Draco said aloud.
Dumbledore turned to face him.
'How is Miss Granger?' he asked.
'Doing okay, she woke up thing morning early from pain in her face, but I got her a cold pack and that's helping.' he replied.
'Good.' Dumbledore said, looking at Draco through his half-moon glasses.
'Professor,' Draco said getting to the point, 'I came here to ask about last night. I wanted to know what information you got from Pansy.'
'Oh. Alas, she told me truthfully about the events from last night.'
'What did she tell you?' Draco asked.
'She told me of her most dreadful plans to have Miss Granger raped. She said it was her idea, along with Miss Triton. The girls then offered Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle...rewards... in exchange for the horrible deed.'
'It was Pansy's idea??' Draco asked, a bit thrown off. He thought it was Lana's idea.
'Indeed, young Mr. Malfoy.'
'I think you should know, Professor, that Pansy put her guard down, went against Lana and helped me save Hermione. Even though she did think of the idea, she did abandon it and help.' Draco said in a serious tone. 'Have you punished the four? Or decided what you are going to do?'
'Yes, I have.'
'Also, Gregory Goyle withdrew from the rape eventually. Crabbe was also stopped by Hermione, but he helped later on, along ith Goyle.' Drace added.
'Thank you for that useful information. I did pick up on that understanding as Miss Parkinson explained what happened. Lana Triton has been sent home. She was immediately expelled from Hogwarts.'
A sigh of relief overcame Draco.
'As for Miss Parkinson, Mr. Crabbe, and Mr. Goyle, they will all serve detention all next week, will not be able to attend the dance, and they will serve a weekend in-school suspension...with Peeves.' A sly smile formed on the wise old wizard's face. 'Do you think that is sufficient?'
'Yes sir.' Draco smiled, 'Thank you.'
'Now you better get back to Miss Granger. Remember the both of you have Transfiguration tests this afternoon at three.'
'Yes sir.' Draco replied leaving his office.
In the hall, Draco looked up at a wall clock.
'Shit...' he muttered.
He spent an hour in his office. Breakfast would be cold. Hermione ate alone.
He ran down to the hospital ward. He was mistaken. Hermione was not alone.
'What are you guys doing here?' Draco demanded.
Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe all turned quickly to see Draco running towards them.
He looked at Hermione. Her face looked...normal. No bruises or cuts whatsoever.
'Hermione--?' he stammered as he looked at her.
'Draco, Pansy, Goyle and Crabbe came to apologize.' Hermione said softly.
'You healed already??' Draco asked confused. 'No.' Pansy spoke up carefully, 'I spent the morning in the library learning a wicked concealing charm.'
'What??' Draco asked.
'Pansy put a concealer spell on me. To cover my bruises, cuts and bumps.' Hermione smiled.
'Oh. Thanks.' Draco muttered to them.
'They want to talk to you, Draco.' Hermione said.
'I don't think so.' Draco said cautiously.
'Please, Draco.' Pansy begged.
He looked at Hermione, then back at Pansy. He nodded and walked out into the hallway silently. Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle met him out there post-haste.
'We're so sorry.' Goyle blurted out.
'I don't know what came over us.' Crabbe chimed in.
'Lana came over you.' Draco spat back.
'But we were going to hurt your fiancée and we are terribly sorry and ashamed.' Goyle replied.
'We don't expect you to forgive us or even talk to us ever again, but we just wanted you and Hermione to know how sorry we are for our actions.' Crabbe added.
Draco relaxed his angered face and nodded.
Crabbe and Goyle sulked off.
Pansy stood in front of Draco, face pale.
'It was my idea, Draco.' she threw out quickly.
'I know. I talked to Dumbledore.' he said crossing his arms. 'How could you think of something like that, Pansy?!'
'I don't know. I don't know! I'm so sorry.' she cried.
'Why??' he demanded, 'Why did you do it?'
She took a deep breath. 'It pissed me of more and more everytime I saw you or even thought of you and Hermione being together...Draco, no matter how much I lied to others about us, no matter how many looks or attitudes I threw at you, i've always loved you. And I know you and I were just a lust kind of relationship a long time ago, just someone to screw around with, but it was never just lust for me...' she sighed heavily.
Draco's face didn't change. His arms stayed crossed.
'When you and Hermione got together, I just thought you were trying to make me mad or something. I thought she was just a piece of ass or a challenge that you felt that you had to conquer. Then you proposed. That's when I snapped.' she explained looking down at the floor. Tears slowing falling from her white face.
'I would stare at Hermione during classes, trying to figure out why you would want a mud--er, I mean, why you would want someone who isn't a purebood. I still didn't admit to myself that you actually had feelings for her. Then Lana started to tell me things she wanted to do to Hermione...this got me thinking. I thought maybe you liked Hermione because she wasn't 'used'. So, I foolishly thought that you might break up with her is she was 'used'...that's when Lana and I planned it all.'
She looked up at Draco. His face still unchanged. He was just listening to her intently. She continued.
'That night, while Hermione was being held down, and you realized what was going to happen, I saw the panic in your eyes. I saw your love...true love and concern for Hermione. Something happened in me. I suddenly just pictured myself in your position...and Hermione as you...this is when I realized I couldn't hurt you like that. That's why I had to stop Lana...she went crazy. I couldn't just sit there and watch Hermione drown in her own blood...the pain on your face went to my heart...I had to stop Lana.'
Pansy stopped and wiped her eyes. She looked up at Draco.
'I don't expect you to believe I truly love you. And I don't expect you to love me back, I don't deserve it. I have always thought highly of you, Draco Malfoy, and if you love Hermione, then I won't try to stop that at all. You deserve every happiness in the world, and if that excludes me, then so be it. I am more sorry than i've ever been. I was wrong, down right evil and i'm sorry.' she said.
She turned and proceeded to walk away from him.
'Pansy--' Draco said reluctantly.
She turned her head towards him.
'Thank you...for helping me save Hermione.' he said.
She nodded, a small smile crept to her face and she walked away.
Draco stood in the hallway thinking.
Pansy had finally matured.
He walked back in to his fiancée.
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