Recovery

note

this chapter has a bit of Ginny/Riddle in it.


Recovery - Chapter Two


Ron watched Madame Pomfrey bustle about the Infirmary. She had just finished giving Draco a nasty smelling potion and was currently in a frenzy of cleaning the room, all the while shooting Draco aggitated looks. Draco lay on the white bed, ignoring the nurse. He hadn't said a word of what happened to Pomfrey, telling her that it was none of her business. Pomfrey didn't take this too well.

"You can leave, you know." Draco said softly, avoid looking at the red head sitting next to him. Ron shifted in his seat and took a deep breath.

"I should.. but I can't." His voice was practically a whisper. His blue eyes watched Pomfrey enter her office, then shifted back to the pale blonde. "I dont' want to leave you like this... I.."

"Don't, Weasel." Draco stated firmly. He finally looked over at the Gryffindor and their eyes locked. "Don't play the brave Gryffindor with me, Weasel. I don't want it. I dont' understand what your trying to do. You hate me. I hate you. Let's not change it. Why would you want to?"

"Maybe..." Ron started, looking away from the grey eyes. "Maybe becuase I've finally figured out that your human, and not some stone-cold machine that just follows Daddy's orders. It's... It's kind of refreshing. I don't think I can hate you so much now. Not after what you've gone through."

"Please!" Draco objected. His voice suddenly went low, and Ron strained to hear him. "I probably asked for it."

"No you didn't!" Ron yelled out. He covered his mouth and looked at the direction of Pomfrey's office. When it came apparant she wasn't coming out, he spoke again, this time in a softer voice. "No one deserves that, Malfoy. No one."

"What would you know about it?" Draco muttered, crossing his arms. He reminded Ron of a little boy all of a sudden. Ron held back the urge to hug him and comfort him, choosing to look out the window instead.

"You don't know what happened to Ginny when she was in the Chamber of Secrets, do you?" Ron asked softly. Draco's eyes widened and he simply shook his head. "Well... Riddle... He did things to her. I don't know what exactly, but I kinda figured it out with the way Mum and Dad would act around her."

"What do you mean?" Draco found himself asking.

"Well, you know the twins. Fred and George were all the time teasing people about dating, kissing, and sex." Ron sighed. "Normally, when theuld uld do it in front of Ginny, Mum would tell them to hush. But after the Chamber... Mum and Dad would get pissed and Ginny would always end up running from the room crying. I heard them talking one night. Mum was talking about how Ginny was going to have a difficult time when it came time for boys. She would never trust them after what Riddle did to her. I don't want to think about what he did to her. To think... I was trapt down there with her, but still not able to save her."

"Don't blame yourself." Draco said. "Blame my Father. I do. I blame him for everything." Ron gave him an inquiring look. "It was my Father who insisted I surround myself with Crabbe and Goyle. To think... If I hadn't... Or if he never would of sneaked your sister that diary."

"Well, it's settled then." Ron gave Draco a half smile. "Malfoy, your father is an ass."

"Tell me about it." Draco chuckled. Ron's eyes widened at the sound. It was almost pleasant. "Come on, Weasel, even I laugh sometimes... Though, not very often. But it's nice... I..." Draco shifted in his bed and a blush slowly started creeping into his cheeks. "T-Thanks... Weasely."

"Geeze, Malfoy, did you hurt yourself there?" Ron teased. Draco shot him a glare, only resulting in Ron laughing. Then it suddenly hit him. He was laughing and joking with Draco
Malfoy, the pain in his side, his family's rival. It seemed Draco figured it out at that moment, too, becuase a cold chill seemed to settle between them. Ron cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked around the room, avoiding Draco's steel gaze.

"You can leave now, Weasley." Draco said, his voice slowly becomming it's usual cold malice. Ron simply nodded. It was over, it seemed. There short moment fo friendliness lasted only to make sure Draco was okay and didn't have a mental break down in that janitor's closet. Ron stood and took one last look at the pale blonde, sitting stiffly in the hospital bed, before walking out the door.

Draco watched the red head leave, a mixture of emotions running through him. Deep down, he still couldn't understand why the Weasel had decided to help him. Ron had seen him at his obvious worst, his peak at weakness. Yet, for some reason foreign to Draco, he didn't mock him or treat him as a pathetic weakling. It was a little unsettling and Draco really didn't want to think more on it. Not right now. Not when he had to convince Madame Pomfrey to release him without questions or alerting anyone of his wounds. Hopefully, it would be easy. Though, with Draco's recent luck, that wouldn't be so.

It took a while. Quite a while, but finally Draco was sneaking his way down to the Slytherin dorms. Though he had a pass to get a change of clothes, Draco still felt the need to hide from a certain group of people. He really didn't think he could handle inquiries by Pansy or coming face to face with Crabbe and Goyle at that moment. Goyle... The sudden thought of him sent death-like shivers up his spine. He wasn't entirely sure it was him who had atacked him. But that voice. It had to of been. So why didn't he turn him in?

Because your afraid. Then everyone will know your weak, limp-wristed pansy.

Draco shuddered at the thought. Never. He would never let this event ruin his reputation and the respect people held for him. If he had learned one thing from his father, it was not to let people know your weak side. He had made the mistake in letting Ron in, even if it wasn't that far. It wouldn't happen again.

After changing into some worthy clothing, Draco was barely in time to get to the Great Hall for a quick bite of dinner. He entered the Hall, plastering his trademark smirk on his face, and headed for the Slytherin table. He caught sight of Crabbe and Goyle and his stomach flipped. The look on Goyle's face and the way he was sitting... It was so different from the clumsy oaf Draco had come to associate with him. He looked superior, like a man who had the knowledge to great power and wasn't about to share. Crabbe looked nervous, especially when he caught sight of Draco.

The stiffening in his spine was yelling at him to turn around and leave, but his stomach growled hungrily. He had missed breakfast and lunch. Taking a deep breath, making sure he didn't remove the smirk, Draco sauntered to an empty seat at the table. He sat away from Crabbe and Goyle, instead opting to sit next to Blaise Zabini. Blaise looked at him in slight shock, not used to being in Draco's pressence.

Blaise's family, while not as influential as Draco's, was still strong. But, unlike the Malfoy's, the Zabini's chose to use their power in a different way. Instead of follow a demented insane man, aka Lord Voldemort, they took control of their surroundings politically and with a sweetness that most mistook for weakness. Draco, from an early start at Hogwarts, had ignored Blaise's existance. So when Draco sat down next him and Millicent Bullstrode, it was obvious something was wrong.

"If your here to recruit more bodyguard, Malfoy, your wasting your time." Millicent told him coldly, gulping down the last bit of her juice.

"Like I would choose a woman, Bullstrode." Draco retorted, falling back into the comfortable slot of crude additude. Millicent glared at him in a mannor that clearly told Draco he stepped over the line. It wasn't widely known, but truth was Millicent was quite the feminist.

"You refuse to let a woman help you, Malfoy, and yet your men have deserted you it seems." Millicent hissed. "Why aren't you with your little cronies, hmm? Did they finally get tired of your lameness?"

"You will do well to watch your tongue, Bullstrode." Draco growled.

"Can't even answer a simple question." Millicent tutted and stood from the table. She shot Blaise a small smile of goodbye, sent Draco another glare, all before leaving the Great Hall. Draco watched her for a moment before looking at Blaise.

"Not that I don't mind your sitting next to me, Malfoy," Blaise said calmly, tilting his head to observe the blonde. "But I must admit that I'm curious as to why."

"You will find no explinations from me, Zabini." Draco told him. The stiff feeling in his spin returned while Crabbe and Goyle stood from their places. Draco watched out of the corner of his eye as the duo walked behind him, Goyle in the lead. A shot of alarm and fear attacked him a moment as Goyle's hand touched him lightly between the shoulder blades, before dissapearing liek it was never there. Draco trained his gaze to his plate, until the feelings resided and he knew the two were gone. When he looked up, he eyes somehow came into contact with Ron Weasley's, who had been watching from the Gryffindor table. Ron gave him a questioning look and Draco shook his head to assure him he was fine.

"Something has happened, hasn't it?" Blaise said suddenly, tearing Draco's eyes from the red head who had turned to chat with Harry Potter.

"What do you mean?"

"The power of observation, Draco." Blaise replied. Draco blinked at the sound of his first name. He really didn't hear it often enough, now that he thought of it.

"It is none of your business." Draco told him, without as much malice as he meant to use. Blaise simply nodded and returned to finishing off his meal. Draco sighed and finally got around to spooning food onto his plate.