Gilded Soul

Chapter 5: Recovery & Scheming

Draco’s head pounded to the rhythm of several drum scores when he woke up, his eyes squinting to shut out the bright daylight filtering in through the windows.

Windows. My dorm doesn’t have windows. With a start, Draco sat up and opened his eyes, regretting the movement immediately. Wincing, and clutching his aching head, Draco recognized the Hospital Wing at once.

Draco looked around and spotted Harry sitting in the chair next to him, still sound asleep. His head was lying against the mattress, and Draco could feel hot breath wafting against his fingertips. He recoiled and began rubbing his hands together in order to banish the sensation.

At that moment Madame Pomfrey poked her head around the curtain. “Well, Mr. Malfoy, you are certainly looking better.” The school nurse bustled around Draco’s bed, setting out various potions and poking and prodding at his sore body.

“What happened?” Draco whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse.

Poppy looked at him curiously for a moment. “Oh dear, you don’t remember?” A bright light accosted Draco’s eyes as Madame Pomfrey checked his pupils with her wand. “Everything seems just fine. Tell me dear, what do you remember?”

Draco winced, internally prodding his brain to try and recall the events before he slipped out of consciousness. “I remember detention with Snape… and then Ron pinning me against the wall…”

Madame Pomfrey stopped him from further strain by resting a gentle hand on his shoulder and easing him back into a reclining position. “It’s alright, dear. You may never remember much more then that. I just needed to make certain you had no additional memory loss.” Draco frowned and she continued, “Mr. Potter brought you in here for attention. You were quite the mess. Apparently, young Mr. Weasley attacked you, but Mr. Potter and Miss Granger arrived in time to prevent any additional damage.”

Draco looked at Harry’s still-sleeping form. “How long has he been here?”

“Harry? Why, since the minute he brought you in. I couldn’t get him to leave. He’s been a right pain in my side since the moment he arrived,” Madame Pomfrey declared, as she poured three potions into small glasses for Draco to drink. The first was pale green and smelled foul Draco obeyed her command to drink and followed with the remaining two potions, one being red and slimy and the other being almost transparent, but for a tint of blue.

The school nurse left in the same flurry she arrived, and Draco rested his head back against his pillow. One of the potions he had just imbibed seemed to help his headache, and he just lay there watching Harry’s eyes flutter open, revealing deep green pools.

Harry’s mouth twitched into a grin when he saw Draco watching him. “Hey you,” Harry whispered, his voice still thick with sleep.

Draco returned Harry’s smile tentatively, still recalling the last conversation they had. “Hey to you, too.”

Harry sat up a little straighter in his chair, eyes still locked with Draco’s. “How long have you been awake?”

Draco sighed. “Long enough to take some potions and to find out I’m not dead because of you. Again.” Looking away in embarrassment.

Harry’s grin faltered slightly. “Ron wouldn’t have…” But his voice dropped off and Draco could see in Harry’s eyes that he was no longer certain what his best friend was capable of. “I heard the whole thing, and we rushed to stop him, and I did… stop him.

Draco’s eyes squinted closed as he recalled Hermione rushing to his side and Harry driving Ron to his knees. “Thanks.”

Harry shook his head, “Please, don’t thank me. It never would have happened if I had just believed you.”

Draco just shrugged and looked away again, unable to meet the Gryffindor’s apologetic eyes. He wasn’t quite ready to forgive Harry for abandoning him… distrusting him.

“Ron is being sent back to the burrow. He was expelled right off. I have never seen the Headmaster so furious,” Harry muttered to Draco’s back.

“When does he leave?” Draco asked with mild curiosity. He wanted to get in a good punch before the foul git left, but doubted he would have an opportunity.

“Any minute now. Dumbledore arranged for Arthur and Molly to floo in and take him from his office,” Harry said.

Draco felt a wave of shock. “Why aren’t you there with your friend?”

Harry smiled slightly. “Because I’m here with my friend.” He clutched Draco’s sweaty hand and squeezed it. “You should get some sleep. You’ll feel loads better when you wake up.”

Draco nodded and closed his eyes, sensing Harry’s movements as he shifted in his seat. He didn’t release Draco’s hand for an instant, until he drifted off into a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.

--

When Draco woke up next, he was alone, but not for long. Soon enough he heard the swishing sound of cloaks, as Madame Pomfrey approached. “You look fit as a fiddle, dear. I think you can go back to your common room now, or if you’d like, you can join the other students in the Great Hall for dinner.”

Draco felt an immediate twinge of hunger at the mention of dinner, and knew right away which option he would choose. After quickly dressing, he left the hospital wing and padded down to the corridor toward food. He could smell the fragrance of roasted pheasant making his stomach rumble, and was quickly reminded that Christmas Holiday’s were too-fast approaching, and he still had no ideas of how to avoid going back to the manor.

Draco pushed open the massive door leading into the Great Hall and looked around tentatively. He noticed that most of the students had cleared out, and there were only a smattering of Slytherin’s left at the table. He started out towards Pansy and Theo when he saw a small blur out of the corner of his eye. Draco instinctively threw his hands up, but was immediately crushed in a smothering hug. Fuzzy brown hair accosted his mouth and nose, until he could barely breathe and he finally had to remove the frantic creature off of him.

Pulling at the back of her robes as you would lift a cub by the scruff of the neck, Draco successfully pried Hermione off of his person. “Granger, what in Merlin’s name do you think you are doing?”

Hermione’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I’m so happy you’re okay, Draco. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with Harry when you woke up.”

Draco made a show of dusting himself off, before speaking again. “Were you trying to get me to relapse so you could have a proper hospital visit?”

Hermione blushed slightly. “Look, we’re both very sorry about Ron, and we know we were awful but…”

Draco huffed and cut her off. “Do you really think talking about this in the middle of the Great Hall is the best idea?”

Hermione swallowed hard and blushed again. “No, I guess not. I did want to tell you that I found some information on the dreams. If you feel up to it, do you want to meet me in the library after you eat?”

Draco nodded quickly and headed toward the Slytherin table. He had almost forgotten his mystical dreams in all the commotion. He didn’t recall having a single one of them while he was in the Hospital Wing.

--

Draco sat next to Theodore and across from Pansy, lighting into his food as if he hadn’t eaten in months. By the look of Pansy’s upturned lip, it appeared that the end result was none too attractive. “So, Draco, what’s the deal with the mud-blood?” Pansy asked, he face formed into a mask of revulsion.

Draco looked stricken, caught between wanting to defend Hermione and wanting to keep his secret. He settled for the latter with a slight twist. “I’m using her.”

Pansy narrowed her eyes. “Wasn’t it her boyfriend that kicked your arse?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and he got expelled, didn’t he?”

Pansy shrugged lightly. “I guess. So what are you using her for, exactly?”

Draco made sure to say the next bit loud enough for Theo to hear. He knew the boy had daily correspondence with his Death Eater father about the happenings in the castle. “I’m using her to get to Potter.”

Pansy laughed. “Really? And why would you do that? Everyone knows that he’s just a little prat whose luck will run out soon.”

Draco smirked evilly. “Really? Does everyone also know that he’s searching for a weapon to kill the Dark Lord?” The last words left a filmy taste on his tongue, but he tried to ignore it as he continued. “I’m trying to get information on it, so that The Dark Lord can find it first.”

Pansy lost all color in he already pale face. “You’re serious?”

“Dead.” Draco said it with as much drama as he could muster. He saw Theo twitch beside him and knew that as soon as the boy made it to his dorm, he would be writing a letter to his father detailing their conversation.

--

Draco eased his way into the library and made his way to the back, where Hermione met him the last time. She was already there, pouring over some large volume, and Harry was sitting across from her, tipping his chair back and forth precariously. “I didn’t know Potter was invited,” Draco said, taking the seat next to Harry.

Hermione looked up flustered. “Well, it is his dream as well.”

Draco laughed. “We only think it’s his dream too.”

Hermione smiled. “Well I have compared his account to yours and it appears to match up, oddly enough.”

Harry cleared his throat to interrupt. “You could both stop talking about me like I’m not here any minute now.”

Hermione blushed and bit her lip, “Sorry, Harry. As I was saying, I compared the recounts of the dreams, and it seems they both started around the same time, if not exactly the same time, and they both involve the forest, and a wall with a locked door, and the hedge maze behind it.”

Harry looked at Draco as he spoke. “Only in my last dream, I was attacked by someone and I haven’t dreamed about that place again since then.”

Draco laughed and reached into his pocket pulling out a small piece of shimmering fabric. “You weren’t attacked.” He placed the fabric on the table and slid it over to Harry.

Harry and Hermione both gasped in unison. Harry made a grab for the fabric and twisted it around his fingers. “My cloak. But how did you even see me?”

Draco shrugged. “I could only make out where light hit it strangely. It was odd looking. Also, I could see your footprints.”

Harry laughed. “So it’s true, then. Your in my dream!”

Draco scowled. “Why does it have to be your dream? Maybe you’re in my dream!”

“Boys,” Hermione interrupted “Let’s start documenting the facts here. Stop bickering.”

Draco and Harry huffed slightly and returned their attention to Hermione. “I just think,” Draco started, “that since Harry didn’t dream while I was unconscious, that maybe it’s my dream.”

Hermione paused and thought about that a moment, then turned to Harry. “He has a point there.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “What am I doing in his dream, then?”

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I need to consult some additional books.”

“And in the meantime?” Draco said. He was starting to feel like this dream meant more then he had thought. As curious as he had been to find out if Harry was the person in his dreams, he never stopped to think about what that would mean. Draco really didn’t want to be pulled into some save-the-world scenario with Boy Wonder here.

“In the meantime, you will both report your dreams back to me when either of you have them, and I’ll keep researching,” Hermione answered.

Harry tipped his chair forward, inching in on the other two. “Do you think we should mention any of this to Dumbledore?”

Hermione seemed to think on it, but Draco answered first. “What good would that do, Potter?”

Hermione frowned. “I think it may be too early to pull him into it. If either of you find anything dangerous, though, try to wake up. It’s quite obvious,” she said, pointing to the scrap of fabric on the table, “that what happens there happens here. So don’t get killed.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Granger.”