The Power of a Wish Chapter Eight

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Disclaimer: I own my elephant pictures that will soon be up for viewing on my website, but I don't own Draco Malfoy.... I could draw him and own that..... hmmmm

The Power of a Wish

Chapter Eight

'...' indicates thought

*...* indicates emphasis

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From last time:

One of the wolves, a huge black one, broke free of its pack and leaped towards Draco. It was directly above him when Hermione whirled around and saw that the Slytherin was about to be cut into tiny little pieces.

She saw Draco open his eyes, the silver orbs becoming wide with fear. But then before anything could happen, a strange gold light surronded Draco, his hair and clothes blowing although there was no wind. And then, the wolf flew backwards, crashed into a tree and didn't move.

Hermione turned to see Harry and Ron staring with similar expression at the young Malfoy whose bright glow was fading and his eyes were once again closed.

Ron ran over and threw Draco over his shoulder. "I don't care what anyone says, I'm leaving!" Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then followed their fleeing friend.

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The three Gryffindors rushed through the dark woods, branches tearing at their clothing and cutting into their skin, the pounding of their feet on the leaf covered the ground the only sound save a few lone howls of the wolves that were regaining movement.

It wouldn't be long before the beasts caught scent of their prey and took off after the teens, their bodies moving faster and easier through the eneven terrain until they caught them. The group had to hurry if they were going to make it out of the forest alive, or at least not gravely injured.

They were already tired and worn down, their feet tripping over themselves in their haste to leave the oppressing darkness, their legs feeling like jelly as they forced themselves to continue moving. Ron's burden slowed him down even more and without his arms for balance, tripping would be a fatal mistake.

Hermione slowed and then collapsed on the damp ground, her breaths coming in short gasps, her face flushed and her eyes drooping downcast in defeat. She couldn't take one more step, she couldn't. The girl was tired and her skirt prevented her from moving at the speed of the boys. She would just wait here and hope the wolves finished her off quickly.

Harry and Ron noticed the absence of their friend shortly after she had let them run ahead. "Keep going," shouted Harry to Ron, his voice hoarse from his heavy breathing. "Make sure you and Malfoy get out of here safely."

"Gotcha!" The redhead sprung his legs into action, almost looking like he was flying over the ground, him and Malfoy disappearing into the inky blackness leaving Harry alone in the forsaken place.

"Hermione?" Harry started to jog back in the direction they had came, his worry mounting as the howls of the wolves grew in number and volume. "HERMIONE!" he screamed, desperation in his voice, wanting only to find his long time friend and escape these treacherous trees.

"Over here...." her voice was soft, quiet.... defeated. Harry made his way over to the sound, his wand raised and lighting the path. He found her collapsed, leaning against a tree, her wand on the ground next to her. Her bushy brown hair hung in tangles down her back, her clothes ripped.

"Hermione? What are you doing? We have to get out of here," he spoke urgently, glancing around for the amber eyed creatures that were sure to be upon them soon. Too soon.

"I can't move Harry. I can't. I'm too tired and my legs won't listen, just leave me and hurry up." She leaned her head back against the rough bark, her eyes closing gently leaving her looking peaceful, ready to welcome to coming death.

"Oh no you don't. The Hermione I know doesn't give up like that, and I don't know why she should start now." Harry bent down and scooped her into his arms, holding her warm body close to him in a safe, comforting way. "Don't you dare ever do that again," he whispered, before breaking into a run towards the edge of the forest.

Their current predicament reminded him a lot of one of the video games Dudley used to play. The characters, the one his cousin played, had to reach the end of the game while battling monsters and othe evil bad guys. As soon as the character crossed over the line, he was safe. Just like them. If they could manage to exit the Forbidden Forest then the wolves shouldn't come any closer.

A bright ray of moonlight fell on the pair from above. 'Good,' thought Harry. 'If the moon is coming through it means the trees are thinning then it means that we're getting closer to the border.' The sudden volume in howling reminded the Boy Who Lived that they weren't in the clear yet.

Risking a look back over his shoulder, he could see dark shapes emerging from the darkness of the trees and coming full sprint at them. When he looked forward he could see the freckled boy waving his arms above his head frantically at Harry, standing on the edge of the forest.

The emerald eyed boy put on a burst of speed and then.... tripped. Hermione flew out of his arms and crashed into Ron who went soaring backwards. Harry stumbled to his feet just as a pair of teeth clamped down on his pants leg and yanked back.

Reaching quickly into his robe for his wand, Harry was met with only the soft lining of an empty pocket. One of the wolves seperated itself and jumped on Harry, pushing him down to the ground.

At that second, Harry saw his whole life flashing before his eyes. There he was at two being tripped by Dudley as he tried to get to his seat at the table. At four he was sitting on the swings when Dudley pushed him and ran away laughing. Eleven when Hagrid stormed into the little shack, when he met Hermione and Ron at arrived at Hogwarts. Thirteen when he met his godfather, fourteen when he met Voldemort face to face at the Triwizard Tournament... and then fifteen when he saw his beloved Godfather fly through the curtains at the Ministry of Magic and disappear forever.

The cries of Ron and the screams of Hermione would be embedded in him forever.... His eyes looked up at the wolf and all he saw was the teeth crashing down, knowing this was it... He was going to die, Voldemort was going to rule the world and.... He never knew.

A golden light surrounded him and when the wolf slammed his teeth into Harry, the teeth chipped and the wolf was frozen on top of Harry before it scrambled away howling, the rest of the pack following it.

Quickly, Harry sat up and turned to look at his friends... But the amazing thing was Malfoy. He was sitting up, a soft golden glow surrounding him, his eyes the same piercing color, looking straight at Harry. And then, his eyes turned back to a silver and he keeled over on the ground.

"HARRY!" Hermione shreiked, running at her friend, her energy somehow restored. "Are you alright?" She threw her arms around him and squeezeed him tightly. "I am *so* sorry. It is all my fault you almost... almost...."

"Died?" supplied Ron helpfully. The brunette burst into tears and started to sob into Harry's robes, cries wracking her body, overwhelmed by the days events. "Should we get Malfoy inside? He doesn't look so good..." asked Ron akwardly.

Harry shifted Hermione and looked at the blonde who was lying on the ground, bruises and cuts covering his face and his arm where the sleeve was torn, and probably were on the rest of his body even though they couldn't see them. It looked like the latest batch of Draco's concealment potion had been used.

"Yeah.... Can you carry him? I've got Hermione." Harry once again picked the distraught girl up in his arms and Ron carefully swung Draco back over his shoulder. "Where do you reckon we should bring him?"

"Well.... It's safe to say dinner has long been over, I mean, look at the moon.... Anyways, students are probably supposed to be in their dorms right now, so the Prefect Bathroom would work, lots of water and medical supplies there. And I know the password so I can get us in."

"Sounds good, let's go." The group stole over to the door and Ron eased it open as quiet as he could. The two boys with their passangers hurried inside and started down the east side of the school, headed for the bathroom. After Ron whispered the password, Neat and Clean, the door opened and they quickly entered, shutting the door behind them.

"You can put me down now Harry....I'm alright," said Hermione who had regained her wits on their way to the destination. The raven haired boy gently set her on her feet and she rushed over to Draco, who Ron had laid on the floor next to the gigantic Olymic sized bathtub.

"Harry, go into the big white cabinet over there and get me some towels. Ron, you get the soap," she ordered, sounding remarkably like McGonagall. The two boys quickly did as they were told, not wanting to be on Hermione's bad side.

"Here..." Harry set the fluffy white towels down on the tile next to the girl and then knelt down next to Malfoy. "What are we supposed to do? None of us are experienced in medicine..."

"I have the basics of what we should do," said Hermione. "When we were with Narcissa we cleaned out the wounds and wrapped them... We should do the same thing now, and we should make him a bit more comfortable..."

"Why can't we heal them magically?" asked Ron.

"I don't think we should. If his father found out that they were gone, he'd realize someone knew and who knows what could happen to Narcissa..."

The brunette carefully untied Draco's robe and cast it aside on top of Harry's. Then very gently, she began to tug off his black shirt he'd been wearing underneath. "What are you doing?" hissed Ron.

"I can't treat his cuts if I can't see them. Could one of you hand me a pair of scissors? They're in the drawer behind you Ron." The girl had found that the blood was drying to the cloth, making it nearly impossible to remove it that way. She hoped the Slytherin wouldn't mind that she cut up his shirt.

For the next few minutes only the snipping of the scissors and Hermione's occasional moans of frustration when the cloth wouldn't cut were the only sounds in the bathroom. "There," she exclaimed, as she pulled the blood soaked shirt off of Draco and threw it away from them.

If possible, he looked worse then from when they had seen him at Malfoy Manor. The bruises were black and blue, although some were a yellow color. Long narrow cuts covered his upper torso and burns were seen, bright red against the white of his skin. When Hermione gently rolled him over, his back was another story. Thin lines ran down in crisscrossing patterns, all a light pinkish color, showing that at least they were healing, but most would probably form into scars.

"Well," said Hermione, clearing her throat and rolling the unconcious boy back over, "Let's get to work." She took a towel and dipped it into the sparkling pool next to her and carefully started to clear the blood off of his chest. Harry and Ron followed suit, all of them keeping a careful eye on Malfoy.

A few minutes into their healing Harry decided to ask his friends about what he'd seen. "Um... guys?" he asked, rinsing out his towel. "Did any of you see that weird thing with Malfoy when that wolf attacked me?"

"It's Draco, Harry," corrected Hermione. "But yes, I did. What was it? It was like he heard me screaming and when he saw you... then he just started to glow... It was so unbelievable..."

"Haven't you ever read about this Mione? I mean, you've read almost every book in the library..." asked the Weasley child.

"No.... it's strange, but I don't ever recall reading about people that glow, unless they had placed the illmunation spell on themselves.. But I'm pretty sure Draco did not do that."

Draco suddenly cried out as Hermione dabbed at an especially deep cut. Her hands immidealely flew to her mouth, appaled that she had just hurt him even more. "Chill out Hermione," said Harry. "Careful as we are, we're still going to end up hurting him. But I think we should leave these for now and concentrate on his Mark."

"You're right," said Hermione. Slowly she picked his arm up and placed it on her lap, being careful to not touch the bright red skull. "What can we do? It's obvious this is the injury that's causing him the most pain."

"No idea." Ron reached over and gently laid a finger on the Mark, earning a howl from Draco who tried to grasp his marked shoulder with his other hand but Harry grabbed the right arm quickly and pinned it to the floor.

"Why'd you do that Ron?" asked Hermione.

"Dunno. Do you think ice might help?" He quickly conjured an icepack and handed it to Hermione who attempted to place it over the skull. As soon as the ice touched it, Draco let out another cry laced with pain and turned his head so his face was pressed against Hermione.

"Well that didn't work," said Harry. "Maybe heat?"

For the entire night the trio worked diligently at trying to numb or delete the constant pain that Draco's arm caused him to no avail. Nothing worked, not even the soothing murtle essence that Harry had used back in his fifth year after detention with Umbridge.

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A stray beam of bright sunlight broke into the room through the high window, falling right into Draco's face. He gave another moan and attempted to move his head to get it away from the intrusion, but any amount of movement caused him pain and he opted to stay where he was.

One silver eye opened, the glare of the sun fighting against it, but he was determined to find out what was going on. Last he remembered, he was in the Forbidden Forest and then he had gotten... and after that all he remembered was something to do with wolves.

Voices reached his ears, one higher pitched than the others. "We can't stay in here," stated the girl. "Any prefect could get in and we'd all be in trouble. Where should we bring him?"

"You don't have to talk about me as if I'm not here," the blond said hoarsely, his voice sore from all the cries he had spouted through the night.

"AHH!" The girl screamed, and whirled around. "He...He's awake.. Oh, how are you feeling?" A cool hand laid itself on his forehead, which felt good, seeing as he felt like he was burning up.

"What's going on?" he asked, still dazed and unsure from the constant torturous pain from his left shoulder that seemed to go throughout his entire body. He could sense the girl look at her companions as if for an answer, seeing as he couldn't see because of the horrible vibrant sun.

"You're hurt Draco... Pretty bad.." said the girl. "We're going to move you and you have to remain quiet, okay?"

"Fine," he responded sharply, the pain and not knowing who these people were making him rather upset. He felt himself carefully lifted, although that didn't stop pain from coursing through his body like liquid fire. He bit his tongue hard, preventing the cry from escaping.

"Where are we going Harry?" asked the person who was holding him. "We can't just wander the halls until you come up with something, a student is sure to see us soon and ask questions.

'Wait,' thought Draco. 'Harry? If Potter is here than Weasley and Hermione aren't far behind. I don't mind the girl, but Potty and Weasel? What is going on?'

"The Room of Requirement," said Harry calmly. "It should have all the material that we'll need to take care of Malfoy with."

"Will it have food?" asked Ron, his eyes brimming with hope, drool already forming and dripping down the corner of his mouth.

"Ron! Control yourself!" exclaimed Hermione. "If you require it badly enough, I'm sure the room will provide it. But for now, just concentrate on a safe place where we can keep an eye on Draco."

"Fine....But food sounds good to me...."

*Draco POV*

(Hey, it's a bit just thrown in there, but it will be cooler to do it in a POV. I love those so much more than overall, but overall view is often needed for a story that branches off on different scenes with different characters at times... Okay, well back to the fic...)

The jarring of Weasley was enough to make anyone with even a broken ankle to cry out in pain, but not me... No, I had been asked to remain quiet and quiet I would stay. I don't know why, but I'd do almost anything for Hermione... and Mother. Maybe it's because they are the only ones whoever showed that they even cared about me...

The Room of Requirement? I've never heard of that before and I've been at the school for a while. Maybe Dumbledore told them about it, after all, these three are like his pets... They'd do anything for that old man and he trusts them all.

"We're here," stated Potter. I raised my head a fraction from Weasley's shoulder and found myself in front of a huge red door with huge silver fastenings. Never in all of my years at Hogwarts had I seen this door... was it like a hidden passage or something?

Hermione opened the door and we entered. "Perfect," said the brunette. "This will do very nicely." A huge bed stood in a corner of the room, the covers already pulled down. A seperate door on the right probably led to a bathroom and a huge medicine chest was against the wall. Two couches were placed in front of a fireplace and on a table was a plate full of breakfast food.

Weasley set me down on the bed and dove for the food, as Potter and Hermione watched him, sharing a smile. Then the girl made her way over to me and sat down on the foot of the bed after pulling the blankets up to my waist.

I could feel a slight blush rising on my face and I despertly tried to hide it. I had never been treated so kindly before by someone besides Mother, and the fact that it showed she cared just made me feel all warm inside... Something I'd never really felt before.

She leaned over and placed a hand on my forehead and drew it back with a frown. I automatically wished for the cooling touch she'd had, I felt hot and these blankets, no matter how thin they were, weren't helping.

"Harry. Can you stop eating for a second and get me a cold rag?" Potter nodded and disappeared into the adjoing door and came back a second later with a white washrag, that was dripping at the edges.

Hermione took the rag from Potter and squeezed it over the side of the bed, getting rid of all the extra water. She then laid it on top of my forehead, an immideate cooling sensation beginning. "Now hold still," she ordered. Reaching under the covers she picked up me left arm and I had to bite my tongue again to keep from screaming.

Potter and Weasley came over from the table and conjured up chairs next to the bed, both looking at me intently. "Draco," said Hermione gently. "What happened?"

"I'll answer you after I ask some of my own questions. How did you three learn about my father?"

The three exchanged looks. "Look," said Potter. " We didn't mean too, it just sort of happened. We were going to the library over break and we suddenly found ourselves at your house. Narcissa and Dobby explained a bit to us what happened at your house and then we kind of cared for you for a little bit while your mom ran out for some errands."

"How did you find out I was in the forest yesterday?" I shot out, my brain processing the information Potter had just given me. They had just appeared? Yeah right.

"I saw you get a letter from a black eagle owl," admitted Hermione. "And when you read it, you didn't seem to like it and then you left the Hall. I followed."

"Why did you wait in the forest for me to return?"

"Because we care about you Draco, all of us, even if those two won't admit it, we didn't want anything bad to happen to you. We saw you leave with Lucius and if you came back injured, which you did, we knew you'd need help getting out of the forest."

"Now our question. What happened to your arm Malfoy?" asked Potter, gazing at the red skull that marked my arm. "And why did you get a mark if you don't want to be a Death Eater?"

"My father threated to kill my mother if I didn't go through with becoming a Death Eater. She's the only person who had ever cared about me before and I wasn't going to let her die, so I agreed. It seemed Voldemort liked me of some sorts and asked me if I'd like even more power."

"Why'd he like you?" asked Weasley.

"Because I lied straight to his face and wasn't some pitful follower who would do what he was told without question. Anyway, he touched my mark with his wand and it turned red, like it is now. It's also killing me, so if any of you touch it again..."

Hermione opened her mouth to apologize, but I beat her to it. "Apology accepted," I said, giving her a small smile. She lit up like a candle next to me, thrilled that I was actually being decent for once.

"He told me that if I survived through the pain then I would become his heir. There is a direct fuse of his blood and power in me at this minute that allows this to be true. And if I don't overcome it, it means I died. A lose-lose type of situation either way you look at it."

"You have a direct fuse of his power?" asked Potter, uncertainty in his voice. "But wouldn't that kill most people?"

"I'm not most people Potter. I grew up with this type of thing and became a bit more physically fit than most, or at least in stamina and will. I'm pretty sure I can overcome this too." But I guess I spoke to soon, as a quick rapid flash of agony jolted though my body and I cried out, the pain to much to bear silently.

"DRACO!" I felt arms push my convulsing body down and hold me, but all they did was make the pain increase. I screamed, the cry filled with all the anguish and torture of the souls of hell, but this must be what hell feels like, or at least close to it.

I was dimly aware of people crying and screaming my name in the background, before everything went black. But only for a second. Pain filled screams, which I soon realized were my own, echoed around the room, and I could feel something leaking down my face.... Tears?

I don't know how long that cycle of pain continued... All I know was it was for more than a few minutes. Suddenly, I just felt my body go limp, all its energy spent for the moment. The pain died down a little, at least enough so I wasn't screaming.

Gasping in air, I forced my eyes open, which had been shut tightly earlier, to look at the groups faces and try to tell them that I was alright. Potter, seeing my eyes open with a sense of calmness in them released my arms that had been pinning my torso to the bed and Weasley got off of my legs.

Hermione took my right hand in hers and just held on to it, I'm not sure if to comfort me or to calm herself. And then the girl broke into sobs, wailing cries that made my heart ache. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" she screamed, her shoulders shaking, tears pouring down her face, her cheeks flaming with anger and her eyes holding a firey glint through the tears. "NO ONE SHOULD HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO THEM! NO ONE!"

Was she talking about me? She didn't think this was right of me to get punished like this, to be forced into something I never wanted to join? She was crying for....me?

Weasley pulled the girl into a hug, wrapping both arms around her, but she refused to let go of my hand. I could tell that Potter was freaked out about what had happened. I had always been a stone, unmoving and cold, in front of others, and there I was, screaming my heart out.

Hermione pulled out of Weasley's embrace, muttering she was okay, and turned back to me. Pulling the blankets up, she once again tucked them around my waist and then retrieved the washcloth and placed it back on my feverish head.

"You have to take it easy," she said, looking at me with concern. "If you hurt, you have to let us know, okay? It's the only way we'll be able to help you."

I nodded after a seconds thought, even though my fingers were crossed under the comforter. I didn't even tell my mother that I hurt, so what makes them think I'd tell two of my rivals?

"Good. Now lie down and get some sleep. Harry, hand me that blue bottle next to you." Potter handed her a little corked bottle in a pastel blue. "This is a dreamless sleep potion Draco," she said, holding it out to me. "One sip should do it."

I raised an eyebrow at her, but took the item and gulped it down, seeing as there was only one sip in there. The last thing I remember was seeing Hermione smiling at me, before my eyes closed and I was whisked off for a rest with no nightmares.

*End Draco POV*

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*Hermione POV*

As soon as I saw Draco's eyes close, I turned to my concious companions. "How long was that?" I asked. "How long was he crying?"

Harry rolled up his sleeve and looked at the watch which had been programmed to run on magic. "It's 12:30 now, so about two hours."

Ron's stomach gave a low grumble and he looked sheepishly at it. "It's been a while since we all ate, especially you Hermione. Leave Malfoy for one minute and let's go down to the Great Hall and get lunch."

"I don't know...." I glanced at his sleeping form and felt a smile rising to my face. He was so...perfect. I'd love to wake up to that face every morning.. Wait! What was I thinking. Caring for Draco is going to my brain.. "What if he wakes up?" I asked, determined to get my mind off of those thoughts I'd just had.

"He won't," said Harry. "It's a dreamless sleep potion, he should be out for about eight hours. Now come on, you need food and he needs rest.."

"Oh alright." I glanced over my shoulder as we left the room, praying nothing would happen to him while we were gone. The whole way down to the Hall I wondered what would happen if he woke up and didn't know where he was. Or if he started screaming again and needed help. Or... what would happen if Harry never checked in with Ginny...

The fire haired witch was striding towards us, a death wish for a certain Gryffindor boy plastered on her normally cheerful face. "Where were you last night Harry James Potter?" she asked through gritted teeth, pulling Harry down by his tie so that his face was level with hers. "Well? Answer me!"

"I.... uh.... We were...uh..."

"Oh go on Harry," she said, an evil smile on her face. "What happened next?"

"Uh...Well you see....um...."

"So interesting. Now, because you had such fun last night with my brother and Hemione, you are going to come keep me company for the rest of today. You owe me for making me worry about you. Now come." Ginny yanked him by his tie and dragged him over to the Gryffindor table.

A giggle escaped my lips. Ginny had Harry wrapped around her finger, and he knew it. But she was an awesome girl, fun loving with a sense of adventure, a perfect match for Harry. I followed the two and plopped down next to Ginny and Ron fell on the seat next to Harry.

I ate hurridely and excused myself, wanting to go back to Draco right away. The three of them barely noticed I'd left, all to busy listening to Ginny tell them about the letter Charlie had sent and what was going on in the Weasley household.

Quickly walking in the direction of the Room of Requirement, I thought about how I needed to go see Draco, hoping the room would let me in. I was rewarded with the sight of the door when I rounded the corner.

When I entered, I was glad I'd come back early. Draco was tossing and turning in the bed, his fever and Mark plus all of his other injuries making him uncomfortable. "Shhh, I'm here," I mummered, placing my hands on his shoulders to stop him from turning.

I picked up the now warm rag and ran into the bathroom to make it cool again and place on his burning forehead. When I came back into the main room, I was surprised to see Draco's eyes wide open, in pain and confusion. He probably forgot where he was.

"Right here," I said, approaching the bed. He gave a little start and turned his head so the melted silver eyes looked straight at me. I approached cautiously, not wanting to startle him again and placed the wet article on his head. "What hurts?" I asked, switching into nurse mode. "Or at least hurts a lot."

"My arm and that one cut on my stomach..." he said wincing slightly as another spasm of pain hit him.

"Okay then, I'm going to help you sit up and you stay still. I'll check out your cut." I wrapped my arms around his upper chest and pulled him up so he was leaning against the pillows. "Does that positon hurt?"

He shook his head, his eyes closed. I manuevered myself so I was kneeling in between his legs and started to unwrap the bandages Harry had put on last night. Yep, I could see why it might hurt quite a bit... The cut was an inflamed red, meaning it had gotten infected and any amount of pressure probably hurt terribly.

I grabbed some water and hydrogen peroxide off of the dresser next to me. "This might hurt a little bit," I warned, before pouring some of the alcohol onto the open wound. He hissed and drew back a bit, but didn't cry or scream, like I know I would have done.

"There," I said, rinsing the cut out with water, "That wasn't so bad I guess. Now hold still, I'm going to rewrap these bandages." He gave another little nod and relaxed slightly. I had to wrap my arms around him to secure the bandages. Just as I was tying it off was the moment that Harry and Ron chose to walk in.

"Hermione! What the-" Harry broke off, his mouth hanging open, looking dumbstruck at me and Draco. Ron gazed at me, a hurt look covering his freckled face. I looked at myself and gave a little gasp inwardly. Okay, so maybe this was a little akward of a position...

I was kneeling as high as I could go, my arms wrapped around Draco's neck, his face in my hair. His right arm was wrapped around me for balance since I was sort of pushing him backwards and my head was resting on his shoulder.

I gave a nervous laugh and untangled myself from Draco. "I was just fixing his bandages, that's all," I said, although I could feel a blush rising to my face. A relieved look came over Ron's face and his mouth closed.

"Oh, okay then."

"Hang on a second," said Harry. "Shouldn't Malfoy be asleep still?"

"No, not logically," I said. "If he is used to taking potions for various reasons, his body would have started to need more, like a drug almost, for it to work. Since he does take a potion on a regular basis, his body is partially immune to others, making the effects not last as long."

"I get it now. How's he doing?" Harry whispered the last part, probably not wanting Draco to realize that he cared about him.

"Still a pretty high fever and he is still in quite a bit of pain. That one gash on his stomach got infected and that's why I had to rewrap it."

"That's good."

I smiled, relieved that my friends at least cared about Draco a bit. But it was time for them to put aside their rivalries and have a truce.. maybe even become friends although I doubted it. All of them would never want to admit that they were friends with the enemy house.

"Both of you come over here." I gestured for them to go to the bed. I sat down on the end of it near Draco's feet and Harry and Ron conjured chairs again. "Now, this might be hard, but I refuse to listen to all three of you bicker. So we're having a truce."

I was met with silent agreement from Harry, shock from Ron, and a death expression from Draco. "You want *me* to be *their* friend? Are you out of your mind Hermione?"

"No. I'm perfectly sane. You don't have to be friends, just no more name calling or teasing or hexing each other. And you have to call each other by your first names. The other reason I'm doing this is because all four of us share a lot of common interests or all have interests that we share with another and we can try to get along."

"What kind of interests do I have with Malfoy?" exclaimed Ron.

"Draco," I corrected. "You both like quidditch. You both have a love for flying and you both hate Trelawny." I had learned the last one during our hot chocolate outing with Dobby.

"..."

"Now, we're all going to go around in a circle and introduce ourselves, you're *full* name, say what our favorite color is and a fact about yourself. I'll start. My name is Hermione Ann Granger. My favorite color is yellow and I have a cat named Crooshanks. Draco, you're turn."

He gave me a slight 'you've got to be kidding me look' but then did as I asked. "My name is Draconious Lucius Malfoy. My favorite color is green and when I was four I accidently dyed my hair black. Happy?" he asked, turning to me.

"You dyed your hair black?" asked Harry, mentally trying to picture the blonde hair black.

"Yes. I got a hold of Father's wand and said something and my hair turned black. Isn't it someone else's turn now?"

"Yeah, mine," said Harry. "My name is Harry James Potter, my favorite color is red and I set a snake on my cousin at the zoo once."

"What's a zoo?" asked Draco and Ron at the same time. Both turned and looked at each other, surprised looks on their faces.

"A zoo is a place where lots of animals are," I said. "Muggle animals, like tigers, bears, seals... those sort of things."

"You speak Parseltongue, right Potter?.. I mean Harry," he corrected himself after looking at my face and seeing a glare.

"Yeah, that's how I set it on Dudley. I was talking with him, he was saying he'd never been to Brazil before, my cousin came over, pushed me out of the way and the glass disappeared and he fell in the cage with the snake. Your turn Ron."

The red head cleared his throat. "My name's Ronald John Weasley. My favorite color is orange and I'm scared of spiders."

"Spiders?" asked Draco, an amused look on his face.

"Hey! They have eight legs and I don't like them. Problem with that?"

"No." Ron who had his mouth open to respond back to the retort he was sure Draco was going to give him just opened and closed it like a fish. "You know Ron, I don't always start the arguments," said Draco. "From what I remember, you've always been very defensive at even the slightest insult. No need to get riled up, we were actually having a pretty decent conversation."

I beamed, my smile practicly lighting up the room. "This is great! See, you three can get along. I'm going to run out and get a few things. You three are to stay here and play nice. Got it?"

"Yes," said the three boys sullenly. I smiled and skipped out of the room on my quest. First, I would stop off at the kitchens and get some snack food. Then back to my dorm to get some books for studying and some decks of exploding snap and the chess board. Then a quick drop at the Hospital Wing to see if she had any pepprup potion that I could give to Draco. Maybe some ache and pain if I was lucky...

When I had gotten all of the items, having to lie to Madam Pomefry that my friend had stomach cramps to get the ache and pain, I was back off to the Room of Requirement. When I opened the door, I dropped all of my packages and ha to fight to keep all the laughter that was bubbling up inside of me in.

The two Gryffindors were having a staring contest with Draco, or at least that's what it looked like. Harry dropped his gaze and blinked his emerald eyes several times. Ron and Draco were still locked in their battle before Ron finally averted his eyes.

"I win again."

"Forget the saying 'You might have won the battle, but I'll win the war'," groaned Harry. "We will never be able to stare him down. How do you do that Draco?"

"Practice," responded the Slytherin nonchantly, examining the nails on his right hand.

"Well it looks like you three are getting along quite well. I believe I even heard a first name. Excellent! Can one of you come over here and help me pick all of this stuff up?"

Ron shifted out of his chair and made his way over to me and all the fallen objects. "What's all this stuff for Mione?"

"Well, since we're going to be in here the rest of the day, we may as well have something to work on. Plus, just sitting here will get boring after a while...."

"I want to play Wizard's Chess!," announced Ron, picking up his trusty board. "Anyone want to play the undefeated champion?"

"I'll try," said Draco eyeing the board. "But just to let you know, I've never lost at Wizard's Chess either." Draco's eyes flashed, speaking that he wanted a challange.

"You're on!" The two set up the board and launched into their game. At the table, Harry and I played a game of exploding snap.

"They're getting on pretty well, aren't they?" I asked Harry. "You would never have thought those two would be able to have a civil conversation, let alone play a game together, and yet here they are, doing just that."

"It's strange, I know," said Harry, watching as Draco's knight destroyed Ron's black corner bishop. "But those two have a lot in common and then again, so many differences, that if Draco had been placed in our house he'd probably be like our best friend."

"Can he... still be a friend to you two even if he is in Slytherin?" I looked at Harry with pleading eyes. "He's not really a bad person, you can see that. Do you just not like him or are you afraid of what others will think?"

"I'm not sure... I do like him, he's a lot nicer than I thought. That's probably just the self he hides from everyone except Narcissa. But yeah, probably worried about what others would think, and not just our house. Can you imagine if the Slytherins found out and someone told his dad? He'd get in really big trouble."

"You're right... But maybe we can be secret friends? Because if you haven't noticed, he's just like a God for the Slytherins, he doesn't really have any friends there because all of them are obsessed with the Dark Arts and he isn't supposed to associate with people below him."

"Hey Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"You just lost...."

My eyes widened in surprise as the stack exploded, myself having played the last card. "What? But...but I never lose at anything..."

"Except chess," said Harry with a smirk.

"Oh shut up!"

The rest of the day passed in this cheerful, happy, light attitude. Draco and Ron continued to play chess for a while since all the matches kept ending up as stalemates until I ordered them to stop, sick of the sound of pieces breaking.

We ate a dinner of sandwhiches I'd had the house elves prepare with pumpkin juice. I forced Draco to swallow some Ache and Pain Potion and then some of the Pepperup. He looked funny with his ears smoking.

As soon as we finished dinner, I told him that it was time for him to get rest, he would need it.

"Hmph." He settled back on the pillows, raising his left arm so that it was elevated on a pillow. "You're not my mother Hermione. I don't have to listen to you."

I smiled at him and brushed some of his stray bangs off of his face, causing a slight blush to rise up in his cheeks. "I'm the closest thing right now and I say you need to get some rest. Now close your eyes and sleep. The three of us will be here the entire night in case you need anything."

"Fine." He closed his eyes obediently and I made my way over to the fireplace and plopped down on the couch next to Ron, who was already dressed in his pajamas. We had found out that the huge chest in the bathroom held spare changes of clothes, pajamas, and robes, and we had made use of them.

"That was great Mione, ordering him off to bed like that," snickered Harry. "I can't believe Draco actually listened to you."

"It's because he knows that I'm trying to help you and he wants to feel better. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of pain he's in right now, but he acts like its nothing... Well, except for earlier this afternoon. By the way Harry, how did you ditch Ginny after lunch? She's not going to be happy with you..."

"Actually, she ditched me to go hang out with some other friends. So I guess I'm in the clear. As for tonight, I'll just tell her I fell asleep at Hagrid's and just stayed the night."

"Sounds good. Hey guys, do you think we should keep Draco from going to classes? I don't want him to totally lose it like he did earlier today...."

"Now you sound like a mom Hermione," laughed Ron. "He probably should stay and rest up, but knowing him he's going to want to go... But at least now he has that Ache and Pain Potion, right? That should at least help with his other injuries."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I'm going to retire too. I claim couch."

"Fine," said Ron, "I get the other couch."

"Looks like I get the floor," said Harry with a sigh. "Oh well... Good night you two." He pulled the blanket off of the couch and curled up in front of the fireplace after placing his glasses on the table.

"Good night Harry, night Mione," said Ron, snuggling against the plush cushions.

"See you both in the morning," I stated, before falling asleep myself.

*End Hermione POV*

~*~*~*~*~*~

*Draco POV*

The throbbing pain in my left arm was my alarm clock that morning. Gingerly, I sat up and gazed around at the still dark room. I could see someone stretched out in front of the dying fire, looked like Harry. That must mean Ron and Hermione were on the couches.

Swinging my legs over the bed, I stood, the blanket falling off and leaving me incredibly cold. After all, I was only wearing pants and the fire was almost burned out. Cradling my left arm against my chest I made my way to the bathroom. A shower sounded really nice...

Turning on the tap, I let the hot water cascade over me, doing wonders for my sore body. Sure, it stung something awful, but I could ignore that for the moment. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist.

Looking in the mirror, I could see that'd I'd need concealment potion, that bruise on my face didn't look so good. Would it work on the Dark Mark? I pulled the green bottle out of a rack on the wall and gulped it down, smiling in satisfaction as the bruises and cuts melted back into the pale and unblemished skin.

My hair was next in line for grooming. Finding a comb in one of the many drawers, I parted it, but let it hang loose, since I couldn't find any hair gel. A huge chest caught me attention and I made my way over.

Inside, I found clothes and robes, just what I needed. I had learned that Hermione had cut up my black shirt, but I wasn't really too upset. I found another black shirt in the collection and a pair of black pants. What can I say? Black is my color.

After I had gotten dressed, I made my way into the main room and found all three of the Gryffindors still asleep, although Harry was stirring.

It's funny. Just weeks ago we hated each other. I would insult Ron's family and call Hermione a mudblood. I made tried to make their lives hell, and I did a pretty good job. Why? Because I was jealous of how close all of them were and I wanted that.

Now, I'm calling them all, even Ron, by their first names, talking to them like normal people, not like my admirers or Crabbe and Goyle. These three actually had a brain and used it, well, sometimes Ron didn't but still.

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do about having them as friends. If father found out I was friends with the muggleborn, he probably wouldn't hesitate to kill me on the spot. Or if he wanted to hurt me even worse, he would kill Mother first so he could watch me suffer. He always was a sadistic fool.

I'm still wondering about how Harry and everyone arrived at my house. People just can't appear somewhere for no reason. Something is going on, but I'm not really sure what it is.

"Is it morning already?" asked Harry groggily, running a hand through his already wild hair. "I feel like I just went to bed."

"Yes, it's morning. So wake up Harry, we have classes today."

"You don't," he retorted, "There's no way Mione's going to let you leave this room."

"Well Hermione forgets that she isn't my mother and I don't have to stay in bed all day. Plus, don't you think it would be suspicious? I've already been missing the entire weekend. And then Snape would send one of the students to make sure I was alright and when they don't find me in my bed, the whole school is going to panic. No, it's easier for me just to go to classes."

"But you're hurt!"

"And lying down in a bed is really going to help me? Look, all these cuts and bruises, I'm used to them and that potion really helps them. As for my Mark, I'll just have to be really careful and try not to let it get bumped around too much."

"Okay, but if it really starts to hurt, you'd better come back up here. We don't want the whole school to hear about it if you totally lose it like yesterday."

"Fine, deal." I held out my hand and he shook it, a relieved smile on his face. "When are those two going to wake up? I'm hungry!" I complained, gazing at the two sleeping figures.

"You're starting to sound like Ron," commented Harry. The black haired youth made his way over to the red head. "Ron... Breakfast.."

"What? The second youngest Weasley sat up, his eyes alert and staring at Harry. "Did you just say breakfast?"

"Uh huh. But it's going to be all gone if we don't hurry-" Harry stopped talking as Ron sprinted towards the bathroom to go brush his teeth and get his robes on.

I walked over to Hermione and started to tickle her; she'd told us she was ticklish last night. At first she didn't react, but then the corners of her mouth started to turn up at the edges and all too soon she was wide awake and laughing.

"Awake Sleepyhead?" I asked with a smile, looking down at her face.

"Now I am, thanks *so* much Draco."

"You're quiete welcome. Now hurry up or all the food will be gone."

She laughed and slid off of the couch. "Just give me a second to get dressed and get these knots out of my hair. She made her way over and entered the bathroom and a scream was heard.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Ron's taking a shower!" I yelled in the direction of the bathroom. The Gryffindor girl came out, her cheeks flushed an angry red.

"Draco Malfoy, I'm going to kill you," she said angrily, totally embarassed.

"You can try, but you'll never be able to," I laughed. "Take your best shot."

"I'll try as soon as you're feeling better. Just remind me."

"Sounds like a plan." A few seconds later Ron came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready, a blush coating his cheeks as well and he avoided Hermione's eyes and she entered without looking at him.

Harry snickered and both of us looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Hermione joined us about ten minutes later and we made our way down to the Great Hall.

"Hey, hold on a second." I paused before the door and turned to look at them. "To keep up an act, pretend none of this ever happened. So no waving to me in the halls or trying to pass notes, kay?"

"Gotcha," said Hermione. "We'll go in first and you come in in about a minute. That way no one will know we came together." She smiled at me and then entered, the two boys following her.

I counted to forty and then made my way in and over to the Slytherin table. I slid into my seat next to Crabbe and gazed at my table, looking them all over. It didn't appear any of them were suspicious about my absence, probably thought I'd found a good lay, even though I wasn't that kind of person.

As soon as I finished breakfast I headed for the cold dungeons where my Potions class was being held. I sat down at my normal seat and watched as the rest of the students filed in. I noticed Snape giving me a strange look, almost like concern, before class started, but once the bell rang, he was all business.

"In order to prevent any accidents today," he said icily, glancing over at Longbottom who gave a squeak, "I will be pairing you up today." Most of the class exchanged glances. No Slytherin wanted a Gryffindor and no Gryffindor wanted a Slytherin.

"Granger and Longbotton." I could see Longbottom relax as he realized he might actually get the potion correct for once.

"Potter and Finnigan."

"Malfoy and Weasley." You could almost hear the silence, the shocked students looking at one another. By pairing me with Ron would mean we'd probably try to hex each other into oblivion. But I think this time we'll be okay.

After everyone had been paired we split into our groups. The one pair that interested me was Crabbe and Goyle, I'm not really sure how they are going to get anything done.

"Hand me those Blamsalt Roots Weasley," I said, knowing that they were clearly on my side of the table.

He glared at me. "Get them yourself Malfoy." I could see Harry and Hermione struggling to keep straight faces at the exchange between Ron and myself since they knew the whole thing was a very well played charade.

Ron was stirring our bubbling green potion when I felt a white hot fire shoot through my entire body. My knees buckled and I fell forward, my hand just catching on to the table top before I hit the floor.

Snape glided over to me as I rose to my feet. "Are you alright Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes Professor, there was some water on the floor."

"I see. Be more careful in the future."

"Yes Professor."

Ron turned to me when Snape had gone back to the front of the room, worry on his freckled face. "Hey, could you finish the potion? I don't feel so well.." I whispered, fighting the urge to cry out.

"Yeah, of course. Just rest against that arch so it looks like you're helping." I nodded and leaned my back against the cold stone, which helped a bit to numb the burning pain that raged within me.

Soon, but not soon enough, the bell rang signaling the dissmissal of class. "Mr. Malfoy, could I see you for a moment?" called Snape from the front of the room. The Golden Trio gave an encouraging smile and disappeared out the door with the other students, leaving just myself and Snape in the Potions classroom.

"Yes Professor?" I asked, moving towards him.

"Tell me Draco, have you been feeling ill lately?"

"No Sir," I lied.

"Come closer Draco." I approached until there was only about a foot between us. "Now roll up your left sleeve."

Did he know? He could report me to Dumbledore and I would get expelled, I could get thrown in Azkaban, Father might hurt Mother....

"Listen Professor, I really have to leave now if I'm going to make it to my next class on time.." Oh please let me go. Please please please....

"You're not stepping one foot out of this classroom until you roll up your armsleeve. Now do it."

I shook my head determinedly, just wanting to leave and go lie down.

"Then I'll just do it for you..." He lunged forward and clasped my arm in his hand. I screamed, he'd closed his fist right over the Mark. He hurridely pulled up the sleeve, wrenching it up my arm so that the blood red skull was visible. "Draco..." he said softly, staring at the mark.

I blinked several times, preventing the tears of pain from escaping my eyes and looked down at my feet, ashamed of the ugly skull.

"So it is true..." he mummered softly. "The Dark Lord really has decided to make you his heir..."

"How do you know about that?" I asked, picking my head up, my silver eyes meeting his black ones.

He sighed and released my arm, myself pulling my sleeve back down. "I am also one of his followers," he said softly. I could feel myself breaking inside. I had always looked up to Snape, like an Uncle or the Father I never had. Sure, he wasn't the friendliest guy, but he was my role model... I couldn't believe he would do that.

Before he even had the chance to utter another sentence, I turned and fled the classroom, tears, not just from pain, forming in my eyes as I ran, no destination in mind, just to get as far away from him as possible.

My heart was breaking, another small piece that was left being chipped away to join the rest in the dark void. The only people I had left now was Mother, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and of course, Dobby, even if he isn't a person. Everyone else is leaving me, making me suffer slowly, wearing me down.

I don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade of what a wonderful family I have and how I am evil as all the Slytherins and the school thinks. I'm breaking, the walls I had built so carefully were crumbling, falling into dust and allowing straight access at my heart.

The bell echoed loudly down the deserted hall, that I stood in. Looks like classes started, but I don't really care. Everywhere hurts, everything in me is breaking, and yet I'm still expected to go to classes. Probably better go before I get a detention, that would mean I have to see Snape and I *don't* want to do that anytime soon.

Let's see.... Herbology with Ravenclaw is this slot, so I guess I'd better head out for the greenhouses. Maybe if I'm lucky I can get eaten my a man eating plant, all this pain would be gone sooner.

Most people would have commited sucicide by now to be rid of the mounting pain, the overload of agony I carry on my shoulders, the knowledge of the horrors of the world, but like I told Harry, I'm not most people.

I would have done it a long time ago, kill myself that is. I wanted to escape from all the pain my life held, escape Father's clutches, escape my Dark Arts past. But one thing always kept me, even when I had been holding that knife to my neck in fourth year, I just couldn't do it.

Why? Because of Mother. If I was to die, she would just become an empty shell, with no purpose for wanting to carry on. She was caged up inside that mansion most of the time, only allowed to leave for short errands or dinner parties with other Dark Arts families. That's why I couldn't do it. I couldn't bear the fact that in a way, I would be responsible for Mother's death, something I didn't really want on my conscience.

Crossing the courtyard, I headed towards Greenhouse Five, where I knew my class would be. Sliding open the door, I entered, heads turning to greet my arrival.

"Care to explain why you are late to class Mr. Malfoy?" asked Professor Sprout, the plump little witch who was head of Hufflepuff and taught Herbology.

"Professor Snape wanted to talk to me after class," I said smoothly, forcing the pain to the back of my mind, getting ready to concentrate on the lesson.

"I see. Do you have a pass?"

Darn it, I had run out of the class and hadn't even thought about a hall pass, which was normal considering that someone you admired had just told you that they were one of the things that you hated and despised the most.

"No, but I was there. You can ask him."

"Hmph. Go put on a pair of gloves and join one of your classmates, they'll explain what to do." I nodded and crossed the room to where a large storage area of dragonhide gloves were kept and then made my way over to... Pansy. Could my day get any worse?

I normally wouldn't join Pansy, but seeing as she was the only one without a partner and probably one of the only Slytherins that might actually have a clue to what we were supposed to be doing, joining her seemed like my best bet.

"Hello Draco," she gushed, smiling widely at me. "We're feeding the Typhus Flowers and it's your turn."

I turned and looked at the plant. It was a large purple flower with white stripes on the inside. "What do I feed it with? Water?"

"No. Feed it some of those dead mice. You put them in the inside, but be careful, they do bite."

I picked up one of the small rodents and held it over the flower's opening. At once, a large pink tongue shot from the plant and grasped the mouse, pulling it down, my arm with it... I now saw that those white stripes weren't stripes, they were thousands of teeth that lay flat until the prey was in range.

I desperately tried to wrench my hand from the tongue that had wrapped itself around my arm. I'm going to have my arm chopped off... Oh God, I don't want to lose an arm! Make it let go! All of a sudden, a weird sense of calmness came over me and I felt something strange happening.

And then, a flash of golden light blinded out everything in sight and I heard several of the students screaming in fright. When the room went back to normal, the plant that had been about to have my arm for a snack was discenegrated, a pile of of burnt pieces of petal was all that was left.

"What happened to my plant?" screeced Professor Sprout, looking at the empty area that had once housed that horribe Typhus Flower. "Where did it go!"

Just then the bell rang and the whole class bolted. No one knew what had happened and no one wanted to get in trouble. As I left towards my next class, I couldn't help but wonder if I was somehow connected with that light.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I exited the room of the last class I'd had that day, Divination, my other class being Ancient Runes. All I wanted to do was lie down and sleep, maybe try to get rid of some of the pain in my arm.

The problem is, I don't know where that one room is, and I don't think I can make it to the Slytherin dormitories. Plus, if I was to head for the dungeons I might run into Snape, and that was the last thing I wanted.

Leaning against a wall down an empty hall, I took a deep breath, hoping to calm myself down and release some of the pain. Didn't work. Pushing my body off of the wall, I headed in a random direction, rounded the corner and crashed right into someone.

Falling on my butt, I looked up, a death glare on my face for two reasons. One, that stupid person who had just bowled me over aggravated my injuries and two, I was Draco Malfoy, appearances had to be kept.

But my fierce expression faded when I saw who I had run into to. My Potions professor looked down at me, concern once again etched on his face. "Are you alright Draco?"

I rose to my feet and backed away from him, when a new wave of agony cascaded over my body and I fell to my knees, my whole body paralyzed with pain. Snape approached my form and looked at me, worry filling his bottomless looking eyes.

And then, he leaned over and scooped me into his arms, holding me securely against his chest. "You're not well Draco," he said quietly, "And I think it's time Madam Pomefry took a look at you."

I tried to protest, but the only noise I seemed capable of making was a low whimper of anguish, not exactly what I wanted. We were headed down the hall when the three people I wanted to see most at that minute appeared around the corner.

When they saw my limp body in Snape's arms, their faces, which had been smiling and laughing, immideately turned to looks of concern and worry as they raced towards me. "Professor," said Hermione, "What's wrong with Malfoy?"

"I was hoping you could tell me Ms. Granger." The three Gryffindors exchanged looks of surprise. "Don't pretend to not know," said Snape. "When I saw Mr. Weasley completing the potion all by himself without complaint I knew something was wrong. And from what I heard from my superior, Draco has a certain mark on his arm."

Harry nodded. "Can we bring him back to where we were caring for him earlier? He needs treatment and bad."

"Fine," said the man. "But I want answers."

The whole trio nodded as one. "Follow me," said Harry. A few minutes later, I found myself back in that comfortable bed with Hermione sitting next to me and holding my right hand to comfort me.

I knew what was going to happen any moment. My concealment potion was going to wear off and Snape would see what had happened. But I don't get it, if Snape is a Death Eater, why is Harry trusting him? You can easily see that his superior is Voldemort, so what is everyone playing at.

A sharp intake of breath from Snape let me know that the potion had complety lost its effect and he could now see all the injuries I had hid for so long. Hermione picked up that bottle of alcohol she had used on me last time, and started gently dabbing it on one of the cuts on my chest.

"Speak," said Snape authoritively, "What happened?"

Hermione looked at me, probably asking for consent, but all I could do was stare up at her with pain filled eyes. Firmly she said, "Draco's father beats him at home. This is the result."

Snape looked at me, eyes open in horror. "How long?"

"Since he was a kid," said Harry. "He hid it really well."

"Why is he in this much pain?" asked Snape.

"It's his Mark," said Ron. "It's like a test for Voldemort, if he lives though the pain he becomes heir and will get some of his powers. If he doesn't then.... well, you know..."

"Nothing helps," said Hermione. "We've tried everything; Ache and Pain Potion, ice, heat, nothing helps the pain of his Mark. And he insisted on going to classes today."

Snape turned and looked at me. "Why do you have the Mark Draco? What happened to force you into getting that horrible accesory?"

Wait? So Snape doesn't like being a Death Eater. Is it possible that he is a spy, the one Father is always saying he wishes could all be murdered, but since no one is sure who is a spy and who isn't, it's hopeless?

I opened my mouth to tell him, but no words would come out, just another whimper. "Alright then," said Snape. "Draco, I'm going to do a little trick that will allow me to read your mind. It won't hurt at all, the only thing that will happen is I'll be able to see the memory. So concentrate on why you did it, okay?"

I just continued to look at him, but I think he understood that I'd heard him as he placed his wand against my temple. At once, the memory of Father and myself walking down the hall in the manor talking about the life of my mother impacted me. But the memory didn't stop there. It continued to where I was getting the mark and ended when I blacked out in the Forbidden Forest.

Snape pulled the wand away and looked at me, pity shining in his eyes. "It was your mother, huh?" He turned and looked at the Gryffindors. "Lucius threatened to kill Narcissa if Draco didn't get the Dark Mark. We must tell Dumbledore straight away, he'll be interested to know Draco's connection in this whole mess."

"NO!" shouted Hermione. "No," she repeated, quieter. "It's Draco's decision. He doesn't want to tell Dumbledore because he is afraid Lucius will her his mom. It's his choice."

Snape gave a sigh but nodded his head. "You're right. Draco, this is your decision. Do you want to tell Dumbledore?"

"Before you say anything," butted in Hermione, "I want to let you know that I'll always stick by what you do because I'm your friend. You can trust me, us, Draco," she said, gesturing at Harry and Ron who nodded in agreement. "They're your friends too and we only want to help."

I blinked up at them, feeling tears pooling in my eyes and made no effort to hold them in, just letting them roll down my cheeks. They had called me their friend, something I had never had before, save Dobby.

"I'll tell him," I whispered, my voice working again.

Hermione let go of my hand and pulled me into a gentle hug. "Thanks Draco. We'll make sure your mom gets moved somewhere safe."

"Do you all really consider me a friend?" I whispered.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"Yeah," said Harry, shooting me a comforting smile.

"Duh, of course," was Ron's reply.

A small smile crept on to my face and I felt happy, really happy, for the first time in my life. For the first time, I had people to trust, people to talk to... I had friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~