Dare
Dare
■■■■■■■
"Malfoy you absolute git you've bloody killed us!"
"Shut up and run L/N!"
Currently sprinting for her life alongside the Slytherin prince himself in the forbidden forest, the stressed mind of Y/N M/N L/N flips through what got her in this ridiculous situation, to begin with.
●•Flash Back•●
It was at the beginning of another year at Hogwarts and a trio of third years was grouped in the courtyard but not the golden trio as one would expect. The H/C haired Slytherin Y/N L/N and the bushy haired Gryffindor Hermione Granger were happily chatting and comparing class notes, standing off to the side with a sour look on his face was Draco Malfoy glaring holes into the back of his housemate’s head to which she paid no mind. The two Slytherins had been paired up to do a report for muggle studies and Professor Burbage had made it very clear that if Draco was not active in the making of the report he would receive an automatic fail. The Malfoy’s did not fail, even if it was muggle studies. A messy mop of red hair approached the small group and stood behind Hermione shooting Draco a dirty look.
"Sod Off Malfoy"
Draco’s glare moved from the back of Y/N’s head to the face of Ron Weasley
"Be quiet Weaselbee, it’s not like I want to be here having to listen to the insistent chittering of a Halfbreed and a Mudblood” Both Y/N and Hermione shot Draco a nasty look which he countered with a sneer that positively screamed hatred.
“His highness is stuck with me for a project and I’m not letting him dip out on any of the research, isn’t that right your royal pratness?” Draco rolled his eyes and leaned against the stone wall with a huff, Ron chuckled. He wasn’t fond of any Slytherin but he had learned to tolerate and even occasionally appreciate Y/N’s sharp tongue comments during her study catch-ups with Hermione, as long as they weren’t directed at him.
"I didn't realise that the ferret was so easily frightened by a bad grade that he'd do whatever he's told by the oh so scary Y/N" This time it was Y/N who let out a small chuckle while looking back at Draco.
"I'm not scared of her Weasley, A Malfoy doesn’t fail and a Malfoy doesn’t get scared" Ron smirked.
"You know admitting you're a coward is the first step to feeling better about yourself Malfoy, there is no shame in it" Draco’s usually pale-faced turned an angry shade of red as he shot a furious and insulted glare at Ron.
"I'm No Coward you dirty little weasel And I'll Prove It!" Y/N and Hermione both looked at their respective housemates with unimpressed looks, both used to each boy's ability to be overconfident when up against one another.
"Okay Malfoy, you want to prove it? How about a challenge?" Draco's angry face faded to reveal his trademark cocky expression, he waved a hand at Ron almost as if he was allowing him to continue talking.
"Bring it on Weasel" Ron took a moment to think of a challenge that would take Malfoy down a peg and his eyes drifted to the border of the forbidden forest bringing back the memory of their first year when Draco had run screaming from the forest and a smirk formed on his freckled face.
"Malfoy I challenge you to spend the night in the forbidden forest and if you leave before sunrise you lose and I reserve the right to call you a coward whenever I want" Draco's face drained of the little colour it had as he remembered his first trip into the forest, he had encountered Voldermort feeding upon a dead unicorn and he had avoided the forest ever since. Draco was lost for words but his pride wouldn't let him refuse a challenge especially from a Weasley, luckily for him before he had the chance to say anything Y/N stood up in shock.
"Are you daft Weasley?! Do you know how many house points Slytherin would lose if he's caught? I for one don’t plan on losing the house cup to Gryffindor again this year" Ron had a sure smile on his face noticing the pale look that Draco had.
"If he wants to chicken out and give me the win L/N all he has to do is say so" Y/N looked at Draco standing behind her with a stubborn look.
"You are not doing this" she turned back to Ron to make it clear to the both of them "He is not doing this" Y/N grabbed Draco's sleeve much to his displeasure which he voiced freely spitting out insults about a half-breed having the Gaul to touch a Malfoy but she merely kept dragging him away while calling out over her shoulder "thank you for the notes, Hermione!" Y/N had almost managed to drag the protesting Pureblood away without further incident before they heard Ron making chicken clucks and bawks behind them and Draco stiffened "oh boy.."
"So you're a chicken and you need the girl you look down on to protect you Malfoy? just wait until your father hears about this one" Before she could stop him Draco pulled his robe sleeve free from Y/N's grip and marched back over to the two Gryffindors getting face to face with Ron.
"That’s the last straw Weasley you're on, I accept your silly challenge and when I win you’ll be reciting the Slytherin motto in front of the whole great hall" The deal was set and Draco began storming back to the common room to prepare for the night ahead, Y/N was not pleased.
"Bloody Hell Weasley... Malfoy! What About The assignment?!"
■■■■■■■■■
The dimwitted duo of Crabb and Goyle sat in the Slytherin common room stuffing their faces with cakes and snacks as usual. Goyle dropped a cake onto his lap when Draco came bursting through the common room entrance in a huff and stormed into the boy’s dormitories, moments later Y/N hurried in looking around the room annoyed.
“Where is he?” the two boys looked up at her.
“Who?”
“Draco you half-wits! Who else came storming in here” Crabb pointed towards the dorms
“What’s up with him anyway? Aside from having to work with you Half- Breed” Y/N simply rolled her eyes as she headed into the boy’s dorms.
Never having been in the boy’s dormitories before Y/N was not impressed, it had a very strange odour that was an odd mixture of many kinds of bad deodorants and colognes and perhaps even some spells made to mimic those scents. Eventually, she located Draco’s room and headed in without so much as a word of warning to the occupants. A pack of 4 Slytherin boys including Draco were in the room, the majority of them in some form of undress changing out of their class robes and into their casual wear. Draco was just unbuttoning his dress shirt without care as the other boys complained at Y/N as she dodged the pillows thrown at her. She hid her blush well as she stared angrily at Draco while addressing the other boys.
“Will you three stop that! like I give a damn about looking at any of you arseholes” Draco Chuckled with a cocky look
“If that’s true then why are you still staring at me? Y/N turned around angrily as Draco rummaged through his wardrobe for a T-shirt throwing his current shirt onto his bed.
“I was not staring, now put on a shirt you twat. I am not letting you do this. If you plan to get out of studying with me you can forget it.”
“You know L/N there is nothing wrong with admiring beauty”
“Ha that’s rich your highness, I think your crown is squeezing your head too tight” Y/N wasn’t blind, she knew Draco was pretty to look at but she wasn’t about to tell him that he had plenty of other Slytherin girls to feed his ego.
“It’s safe to turn around” one of the other boys, Blaise Zabini threw a pillow at Draco this time.
“Speak for yourself mate!”
“Not my fault you didn’t finish changing when she wasn’t looking” Y/N looked over her shoulder relieved to see a fully clothed Draco. “Look L/N as much as I detest this stupid assignment I am not ditching you with it, and this early in the year house points don’t mean anything so just go hang out with the mudblood or whatever it is you do all day out of class and we’ll do the stupid paper tomorrow.” Draco slipped on a Slytherin sweater as Y/N walked up to him and poked his chest dropping her notes onto his bed with a huff.
“You are an idiot and you are going to get someone hurt one of these days, probably yourself.” Y/N turned and left the room calling over her shoulder “You need to work out more Zabini, you look softer than your pillow!” Draco threw Blaze his pillow back with an amused smile.
Draco walked into the common room with Y/N nowhere in sight, he turned to Crabb and Goyle who were still snacking.
“If anyone asks why I’m not at dinner tell them I had a fever” He left the common room and a couple of moments later Y/N came out of the girl’s dorms dressed in hiking clothes with her hair held into a bun with her wand as she often did.
“Alright Dumb and Dumber, did Malfoy leave yet?”
“He has a fever”
“Hehe, yeah he won’t be at dinner” Y/N sighed.
“That’s a yes then” She ran out of the room after Draco, leaving Crabb and Goyle to finish their cakes.
■■■■■■■■■
Draco stood at the edge of the forest, staring out into the darkness of the trees even though it was only the afternoon. He took a deep breath and just as he began to walk in, he heard footsteps jogging up to him and turned to see Y/N standing there.
“Hold it! You aren’t going anywhere”
“Really L/N? You know you aren’t going to stop me, I told you the points don’t matter yet!”
“I know they don’t, I mean you aren’t going anywhere without me. I am going with you.”
“I’m sorry? Last I checked you hate me”
“No Malfoy.. you hate me. Now let’s get this over with. We can discuss the assignment as we go” Y/N stepped into the shadows of the forest “you coming?!” Draco followed her in, staring at the back of her head with confusion.
The hours passed and darkness fell over the school grounds, the two Slytherins had wandered pretty deep into the darkness and were sitting at the edge of a small lake. Draco looked out over the water and Y/N sat a few feet away looking at the stars. She had said they would discuss their project but they hadn’t said a word to each other since entering the forest. The silence was deafening for Draco being used to the sound of his friend’s surrounding him but Y/N seemed unbothered. She just stared at the sky through the clearing with a small content smile.
“What’s so interesting in the sky Half-Breed?” The small smile faded as Y/N looked at Draco with a tired look.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Why do you call me that? I mean I know why, It’s because I was raised as if I was a muggle right? so everyone else sees me as less of a witch even though I’m a half-blood from one of the most respected wizarding families in the country. I understand the reason even if it is a stupid one but why must you do it when no one else is around?” Y/N gestured to the surrounding woodland “There is no one here to laugh with you or back you up so just for once can you give me a break on feeling like I don’t belong in the house I love? You all hate me, big whoop but I love being a Slytherin and I don’t hate any of you! On any other day when everyone else is around sure, have at it but for Merlin’s sake can’t I have one break from it? Can’t I go one night feeling Normal!?”
Draco stared at his housemate’s tongue-tied
“What? No insults? No names? Not going to tell me to shut up? That’s all I’ve heard since I got sorted. I had hoped to make friends in Slytherin, I mean it’s in our bloody motto! Real friend? As if!” Draco sat quietly in shock as Y/N continued her tangent. “You know when we met on the Hogwarts express that first day of school and you said you looked forward to a friendship with someone from such a respectable family I was so happy! I had just had a whole new life dumped on top of me and there was this nice boy with manners and knowledge but no, my father was an outcast and my mother is a muggle-born so to you I’m not worthy of friendship right? I kept hoping, I put up with the names, and I put up with the girls hiding my stuff in the dorms and the insults from all the purebloods and even the dirty looks from the other half-bloods but you want to know something? Something so bloody stupid? I still hope that you and I could be friends someday.. ”
Y/N looked at Draco after realising what she said. She felt the burn of embarrassment and anger on her cheeks and the sting of tears that she wouldn’t let fall, Draco sat there slack-jawed for a moment. His mind raced with all the new information and anger directed at him. He tried to speak but nothing came out, Y/N scoffed and began walking away from the boy with an angry tear falling once he couldn’t see her face.
“Forget I said anything, Let’s start heading back... It will be dawn in a couple of hours.” Draco stood up quickly to try and grab Y/N’s wrist but instead of calling out her name he let out a scream of terror as an adolescent Acromantula jumped down from the high branches of the trees above. Y/N turned around, grabbing a rock from the lakeshore and pelted it at the giant spider.
“Run Malfoy!”
That brings us back to where we began, the two housemates sprinting through the dark woods back to the school running for their lives,
“I can not believe you agreed to this stupid dare! I never should have caved on stopping you!”
“It’s not like I made you come with me!”
“Well I wasn’t going to let you get yourself killed now was I!? We can’t run forever, That thing is going to catch up eventually!”
Like clockwork, after those words left Y/N’s lips the Acromantula came bursting out of the shadows in front of them with its large fangs bared dripping with its deadly venom bringing both of them to a sudden halt.
“Ok Malfoy, walk backwards slowly... Whatever you do, don’t run” Draco’s breathing was laboured and anxious. His eyes darted over the large arachnid’s fangs and its dark deadly eyes, He took a step back and flinched when the spider stepped closer. “Don’t do it Malfoy..” The Acromantula hissed loudly and that sent Draco’s fight or flight over the edge. He turned and began running in the other direction. The Spider’s prey drive hit high gear as it sprung in the air with a screech ready to land the killing bite onto the fleeing boy. Y/N tackled Draco out of the way, sending him rolling over the forest floor while barely managing to dodge the beast herself. One of the fangs cut her upper left arm causing her to grimace in pain. Pulling her wand out of her bun letting her long hair loose she pointed at the Acromantula
“INCENDIO”
Her wand sparked and a bright flame engulfed the spider sending it running into the forest with horrible screams of pain. In shock Draco sat on the ground where he had ended up after being tackled, he looked to Y/N as she leaned against a tree gripping her wand tight and breathing heavily. Blood and a black ooze dripped down her injured arm.
“L/N... Your arm, It’s hu-”
“I Told You Not To Run! You Almost Got Us Both Killed! Maybe You Are A CowAHH!!” Y/N dropped to her knees, releasing her wand and gripping her wounded arm in pain. In a panic, Draco scurried over to her still on his hands and knees.
“What’s wrong?!” He finally got a good look at the cut on his housemate’s arm, it was deep and the thick black venom was bubbling angrily, eating away at her flesh like some kind of acid. The girl gritted her teeth and held in another scream as the cut pulsed with pain. “Merlin’s Beard! We have to get back to Madam Pomfrey” The only response he got was another muffled scream of agony, he quickly took off his sweater and tied it over the wound. “Can you walk?” Y/N nodded slowly
“It’s my arm… not my legs” She was trying to look stronger than she felt. Draco picked up her wand and helped her up to her feet but she shrugged him away. “I think you’ve helped enough” Before Draco could protest and defend himself Y/N began walking in the direction of the school while holding her arm tight to her side, Putting Y/N’s wand in his pocket Draco followed behind her feeling angry and insulted but also deep down he was guilty and ashamed.
The two walked in silence, the only sound was Y/N’s ragged breathing as she tried to fight the pain of the acidic venom eating away at her arm and slowly mixing with her bloodstream. The world was getting blurry through her eyes and the ground was unsteady, she stumbled catching herself on a tree before sinking with her back against the trunk.
“Hey! L/N, we can’t stop. There are only 15 minutes to the forest border” Draco knelt to look his housemate in the eye but her eyes were cloudy and unfocused. “L/N, are you still with me?” He grabbed her shoulders and shook them gently but the only response was a pained groan. Carefully Draco unwrapped his sweater from her arm and cringed at the sight of the black ooze still eating away at her inflamed flesh, and the thick dark blood dripping from the cut. He rewrapped the wound and looked around the dark forest in a panic. He looked back at Y/N just in time to watch her eyes close as she folded into a heap on the ground. “L/N? Hey L/N!” There was no response, she was out cold “Y/N! Wake Up Damn it!” nothing.
“She will not wake” Draco shot up and looked around, spotting eight large dark eyes twinkling in the shadows. “Foolish boy, the venom of my child will kill her within the hour. That's what she deserves for burning one of my brood” from out of the darkness a giant acromantula stepped out ten times the size of the one that had attacked them earlier. Draco cowered under the gaze of the beast, he looked down at Y/N, the colour draining from her face. He willed her to wake up, to fight back like she always did. He wished for her insults and her comebacks. He prayed to hear her call him an idiot and come up with a plan to get them out of this but she stayed lying still on the forest floor.
“Please” Draco looked up at the gigantic spider with a shaky breath “Please spare us, let me take her back to Hogwarts. It’s my fault she is dying”
“Unfortunately for you human that is not possible, you will both become meals for my children” The beast stepped closer to the two Slytherins with its fangs bared. Draco took Y/N’s cold hand in his own, closing his eyes and whispering to her and himself.
“I’m sorry, I wanted to be friends too… but I was too much of a coward” Just before the final blow was made a deep burly voice called out through the dark.
“Aragog Stop!” The Acromantula stopped in its tracks and Draco’s eyes shot open to see Hagrid standing up on a ridge with a lantern. “Go on home now, I’m sure the boy meant no harm to ya!” Slowly the giant beast stepped back into the darkness with a low hiss.
“You are lucky child” and with that, he was gone, Hagrid made his way down the hill and Draco scrambled to his feet to meet him.
“Malfoy? What are ya doin out here? It's dangerous” Draco looked up at Hagrid with panic, relief and his usual slight contempt for the half-giant.
“Hagrid! She needs help now!” The large man lifted his lantern and the light caught the pale face of Y/N, Quickly Hagrid picked her up.
“Come on lad, there’s still time if we get her to Madam Pomfrey” They both hurried to the forest edge and up to the castle, the dawn light hitting them as they exited the dark tree line and lit up the embroidered Slytherin crest on the sweater wrapped around Y/N’s wound. Almost immediately after entering the castle, they were met with Professor McGonagall who was making her early morning rounds.
“Oh, my great stars! What happened!?” Hagrid handed the limp body of Y/N over to the professor and pushed Draco gently over to her too.
“Acromantula Venom from a juvenile, you better hurry. She hasn’t got long” Draco’s throat tightened after Hagrid had said that. He hurried with McGonagall to the hospital wing leaving Hagrid to report to Dumbledore. Y/N was placed on a hospital bed and Madam Pomfrey immediately got to work, she let out a shocked breath when she saw the wound still bubbling away. Professor McGonagall took Draco aside.
“Are you hurt anywhere Mr Malfoy?” Draco’s eyes never left Y/N.
“No Professor… She saved me, she pushed me out of the way” McGonagall looked at the boy with a pitiful expression.
“Go get yourself cleaned up Mr Malfoy, let the Madam work” For the first time Draco looked down at himself, he was covered in mud and dried leaves. Y/N’s blood was on his hands from when he had wrapped her wound, it made his eyes sting looking at it.
“Yes Professor” taking Y/N’s wand from his pocket Draco placed it on the table next to her bed and gave her one last glance before turning to leave. Just before the heavy doors closed behind him he heard Madam Pomfrey call out for McGonagall's help holding down Y/N as she seized. Draco’s eyes burned but he forced himself to walk away and make his way towards the Slytherin Dorms. While walking through the halls on a kind of autopilot Draco heard the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind.
“Hey, Malfoy!” Draco let out a tense breath hearing Ron’s voice behind him “You look like hell” This was the last thing Draco needed right now. “Some early risers in the Ravenclaw tower saw Hagrid carrying you out of the forest, your sweater gave you away. You must have done pathetically to have to be carried out huh?” Draco turned on his heels and pushed Ron back causing the redhead to land with a heavy thud on the floor.
“That wasn’t me! Do you see me wearing my sweater, Weasley? Hm?!” Draco held out his arms expecting an answer but he didn’t give time to receive one “That was L/N, She insisted on going with me so I didn’t get myself killed. Well, she was right! She saved my life and risked her own, She’s on death’s door because of this stupid dare of yours!” Ron stood up with a shocked look.
“Malfoy I… I didn't mean for her to...”
“To what Weasley? To go with me? To save me? To get hurt instead of me? Well, she did! She saved my sorry ass even after everything I’ve ever said to her.” Draco turned around and began walking away again “She’s a better person than either of us, tell the mudbloo- Granger, tell Granger that L/N won't be in class, have fun telling her why. I’m not going to hold all the guilt alone” Draco turned a corner and left Ron standing alone in the halls.
■■■■■■■■■
Draco was grateful to see that everyone had left for breakfast so he didn’t have to explain his dishevelled state to any of his house mates. He hopped into a hot shower and watched Y/N’s blood wash down the drain cursing himself, after he was clean he collapsed onto his bed landing next to the notes that had been left for the Muggle Studies paper. Picking them up Draco flipped through them, reading notes Y/N had made on her home in the Muggle world, polaroids of her and her mother and it made his chest tighten. He hadn’t even thought of her mother in all of this. Her muggle born mother was one of the biggest reasons Y/N had been rejected by everyone else in Slytherin house, Draco looked through the photos with a heavy heart. Lisa L/N looked like a happy and kind woman and it made a wave of guilt rush over Draco when he thought about being the reason for this woman's only child dying.
Eventually Draco fell into an unsteady sleep and didn’t wake up until lunch, when he noticed the time he jumped up and began making his way back to the hospital wing but was stopped along the way by Professor McGonagall.
“Mr Malfoy, I was just coming to retrieve you. If you would please follow me, the headmaster would like to hear all about the spur of the moment field trip you and Miss L/N went on in the forbidden forest”
“Actually professor I was just on my way to the hospital wing”
“Miss L/N is still in a critical condition, You won’t be allowed in yet I’m afraid” McGonagall placed a reassuring hand on Draco’s shoulder and began leading him to Dumbledore’s office “if you want to help your housemate you’ll be truthful with the headmaster and clear up any questions he has”
“Yes Professor”
■■■■■■■■■
“Ah, Draco My boy come in, come in” Draco entered Dumbledore’s office and was greeted by a warm smile from the elderly man. “Please take a seat” Draco sat cautiously and looked to the headmaster awaiting instructions. “Now Draco, can you tell me what happened and why you and Miss L/N were out in the forest last night?”
Draco told Dumbledore everything and the old professor just sat and listened with an occasional nod until his student had finished recounting the tale.
“It was all my fault Professor, Y/N was just trying to look out for me and I let my fear take over and she paid the price for it”
“That was quite the adventure wasn’t it and I have to say I am proud of you for not letting your fear take over a second time before Hagrid found the two of you but I was under the impression as was everyone else that you and Miss L/N didn’t get along”
“So was I professor… She told me she had hoped to be my friend, now because of me she won’t have the chance” Dumbledore smiled.
“Mr Malfoy, if there is one thing that comes to mind when you think of Miss L/N what would it be?” It didn’t take long for Draco to answer.
“She isn’t afraid to fight Professor”
“She has the same fighting spirit her father had, Miss L/N will pull through, Of that I am Quite sure and I am also sure she would appreciate a visit from a friend when she is done fighting” Dumbledore motioned to the door as a sign that Draco could leave, he stood up and made his way out.
“Thank you, Professor”
■■■■■■■■■
Draco spent the rest of the day waiting outside the hospital wing and as the day's bright sun-faded to dusk the door to the wing finally opened and out stepped Madam Pomfrey looking tired but proud.
“Madam?” The older woman jumped a little startled to see Draco sitting on one of the waiting chairs outside the door “Is She.. ok?” the Madam smiled
“She’s just fine dear, but she slipped into a light coma. She will wake up, I’m just not sure when.” Draco looked relieved and hurt by the news he had just received.
“Can I see her?”
“Of course dear, visitors can help a patient wake up sooner you know. You can come to see her whenever you like until she wakes up” Madam Pomfrey stood to the side and let Draco enter the room where he saw Y/N laying still on the hospital bed. Her arm was bandaged and she had some colour back in her cheeks, if he didn’t know any better Draco would have thought she was sleeping. He sat in the chair next to her bed without saying a word and placed his hand next to hers. He didn’t touch it, just kept his own hand close to hers and sat there with her.
That’s how it was over the next 3 weeks, every day during lunch Draco would sit silently with Y/N. The table by her bed had filled up with gifts from her friends in other houses, the only gift from Slytherin was from him. A bag of plain old muggle gummy bears, according to her muggle studies notes they were her favourites. Hermione had brought flowers that never wilted, Ron had brought a chocolate frog as an apology. That was an awkward encounter, in fact everyone that had brought gifts had been surprised to find Draco by her side and naturally rumours began to circulate about him being there. Eventually, he was confronted at the Slytherin table by Blaise.
“Mate, have you heard the rumours that you’ve been spending the lunch period with the half-breed in the hospital? You’ll want to shut down those quickly, the longer you leave the more people will think it’s true”
“I don’t care what people think anymore”
“Yeah sure, but the half-breed!?”
“Don’t call her that anymore” Draco looked at Blaise while poking at his dinner.
“What? It’s not like the rumour is true, what do you care? You call her that all the time”
“Not anymore, and if you say it in my presence again there will be hell to pay”
“You have been going to see her… why? She’s a muggle raised freak” Draco’s eyes flashed angrily and he stood from the table shooting a glare at his friend.
“Not that it is any of your business but she’s in there because of me and I have every right to visit a... friend when they are hurt”
“A friend? When in Merlin’s name did that happen?” Draco didn’t answer, with a huff he stormed past Blaise and out of the great hall making his way to the hospital wing.
He sat in the chair next to her bedside and rested his hand by hers once again, he looked over her still face, it was still and peaceful. Draco’s mind wandered as it often did back to when Y/N had pushed him out of the way, flashes of giant spider fangs and her bubbling would with her muffled dreams echoing through his psyche. Today they were so loud he didn’t hear Madam Pomfrey walk up beside him.
“I’m sure she appreciates this dear”
Startled Draco looked back up at the kind woman with a raised brow.
“Having you visit everyday I mean, you two must be very close, the way you sit so patiently with her in silence while still being able to communicate how grateful you are to her”
Draco thought for a moment on the notion that he and Y/N seemed so close, it baffled him. “Actually Madam, before all of this I hated her and after I got her injured and stuck like this I’m sure she’ll hate m e too” Madam Pomfrey shook her head gently.
“She won’t hate you dear and I don’t think you ever really hated her, hate is a terribly strong emotion and if you held any real hate for this young lady you would not be sitting here with her day after day. And if she held any hate for you that mark on her arm wouldn’t be there either.” Draco looked down at the now healed scar on Y/N’s arm, the sight of it made him feel so guilty it hurt.
“Whether it be as a housemate, a friend or even as something a little more that girl cares for you and I think you care for her too. What you two went through makes a special bond” The bell to mark the beginning of afternoon classes rang as the Madam walked away with a small knowing smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow dear”
Draco didn’t reply, just a small nod as he left the room thinking about what had been said to him, giving Y/N one last glance before the door closed behind him.
Draco couldn’t focus on any of his classes for the rest of the day as his mind processed what Madam Pomfrey had said to him, something more… While it was true that over the past two and a half years Draco had often caught himself staring at Y/N he had always reasoned it was out of disgust. Her stupid dimples when she laughed or the way her ridiculously long soft H/C hair would hide her face when she read or the way her bright eyes burned when she retorted an insult from another Slytherin or the occasional Ravenclaw. She stared out of hatred, disgust and contempt for the smart, funny, witty, kind, gentle and somewhat cute…
“Oh no…”
“Something you would like to share, Mr Malfoy?” Draco looked up to find Professor Snape looking down at him expectantly.
“No sir! Sorry sir” He buried his head in his potions textbook to hide the growing red colour hitting his cheeks at his sudden realisation.
■■■■■■■■■
Back in the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey was making her rounds, Y/N began to stir, letting out a soft groan as she slowly tried to sit up, Madam Pomfrey rushed to her side.
“My My look who's awake, welcome back to the land of the living sweetheart” the Madam helped Y/N into a sitting position while the dazed girl processed where she was. “Steady now, do you know where you are dear?” Y/N rubbed her head as what felt like weeks of cloudy darkness cleared out of her mind.
“The hospital wing? what happened?”
“What's the last thing you remember dear?” Y/N looked around the room, seeing all the gifts that had been left by her side before turning her attention back to Madam Pomfrey.
“The forest… I was in the forbidden forest and my arm…” Y/N reached for her would only to find a healed over scar “I was hurt protecting… Draco! Where is Draco? Is he ok!?” The Madam chuckled as she settled the girl.
“Young Mr Malfoy is just fine, there was a scratch on him when you two were brought in, in fact he has been in here every day for the past 3 weeks to sit with you”
“Three weeks… He visited me?”
“Yes, in fact he only left a couple of hours ago to go to class, I’m quite sure that if he didn’t have classes he’d never of left your side the poor dear has been very worried about you” Y/N looked over at the bedside table covered in gifts and cards and amongst the pile of magical candy and treats she spotted a familiar golden bag of gummy bears.
“Madam, the gummy bears…”
“A gift from Mr Malfoy” the girl smiled
“He read my notes”
A couple of hours went past as Y/N had changed into a clean uniform and spent the time slowly regaining her balance and strength when eventually the bell for dinner rang and Y/N looked towards the door.
“Am I ok to leave Madam Pomfrey?”
“Yes dear,go get some food in you but if you feel dizzy or any pain come back right away. Your things will be sent to your dorm”
“Thank you” Philomina smiled as she made her way towards the great hall.
■■■■■■■■■
Already seated in the great hall along with the rest of the school was Draco who was poking at the food on his plate with a fork ignoring the stares his housemates were giving him, Blaise had obviously told everyone about his trips to see Slytherin’s biggest outcast everyday. He shot them a dangerous side eye making them all look away rather quickly.
“Can I help any of you?” No one answered, acting as though they hadn’t been doing anything which annoyed Draco greatly, he went back to poking his food with a huff taking no notice of the great hall's door creaking open. A few heads from each table looked over, a few gasped in surprise but Draco was lost in his own world reshaping his mashed potatoes for the fifth time. He absent mindedly took note of the steps walking in his general direction but paid them no mind. Even when he felt a presence behind him he didn’t care to look, not until they sat down next to him and in the corner of his vision he saw rich H/C hair. He turned to look and staring back at him was Y/N with a smile on her face.
“Hello Draco”
He smiled back with the very faintest of pink dusting his face.
“Welcome back Y/N”