Chapter 3
Harry used all the secret passages and shortcuts he knew to get Draco to Pomfrey as quickly as possible. Luckily, his brain was back to working condition and he made sure no one saw them.
In the hospital wing, Pomfrey ordered Harry to put him on a bed so she could do a proper scan.
Harry looked torn but complied.
But Draco whimpered and Harry scooped him back up and sat on the bed with Draco clutched firmly in his arms still.
Now, Pomfrey looked both bewildered and put out.
“Mister Potter, please separate yourself from Mister Malfoy so I can see the extent of his injuries.” She pointedly looked at the bloodstains on Draco’s face and shirt, and on Harry’s clothing.
Harry shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Madam Pomfrey, but I’m not going to cause any more harm than I’ve already done.”
Pomfrey narrowed her eyes in confusion, but seeing Draco settle back, she sighed and asked what happened. Harry explained and she listened with a detached concentration while rubbing a salve on Draco’s cuts.
“I didn’t know the spell would hurt. I thought it was a nose tickling hex or something of the sort.”
Pomfrey hummed and asked about the incantation. Harry looked at Draco’s paler than ever skin and felt even more horrible.
“Sectumsempra”, he said lowly.
Harry was growing to hate the word.
Pomfrey thought for half a minute.
“How did you come to know of it?”
“A textbook.”
“And pray, what textbook might this be that is teaching spells for cutting up living flesh so fatally?”
Harry’s face scrunched up in guilt.
“I didn’t know what the spell would do, Ma’am. It was written in ink on a textbook I got from the school. I was convinced it was a spell for a prank of some sort-”
“I do not need to hear your defence-”
Harry looked like he might cry.
“-let me finish, I know you, Harry. You wouldn’t, couldn’t do that.”
Harry looked shaken but gave a watery smile.
“Though I do hope, next time you find a random spell, you will make sure to find out what its purpose is before trying it out.”
Harry was already nodding his head vigorously.
After a few minutes of observing Harry looking worryingly at Draco’s sleeping face, Pomfrey cast a Notice-Me-Not on them and went to tend to the unconscious student floating in. Whoever was doing the floating was nowhere to be seen. Pomfrey sighed and set to work.
Harry had been by Draco’s side for 4 hours, 13 minutes and 23 seconds when Draco finally decided to come back to this world. Not that Harry was counting.