Need [ dramione ]

Chapter 6

20 October 1998 - New Moon

When Draco wakes up, he feels... exhausted. He knows the likely answer is the fact that he had tossed and turned the entire night, unable to relax, unable to sleep, knowing what he had to do when he woke up. He had been carefully checking charts and the calendar, wanting to be certain that he remembered exactly which morning it was, the previous month, that he had found Granger sitting in the Great Hall, struggling to eat.

The New Moon.

It made sense, of course. What little bit of research he trusted, in regards to magical creatures in general, said that the phases of the moon, the alignment of the stars, it could all change a creature's strength, their magic. It's why Arithmancy is such a heavy subject, why he takes Divination and Astronomy. Because, really, intense and powerful magic is from nature. Nature is controlled by the cosmos. Everything fluctuates based on the season and the time.

He knows this, and he knows, after watching Granger for the past two weeks, after reflecting on the four weeks before that, that the New Moon is the best time to approach her.

She's at her lowest. Her weakest. It's the least likely time she would attack.

And he knows, given what he has to say... she's probably going to attack.

They have to talk about this.

For over a week, he had obsessed over their conversation in the library. The careful way she talked about being ill. How she had mentioned him being concerned. The way she had spoken about it, it gave the impression that she obviously has a secret, but Draco isn't privy to it, except...

Except, they had seen one another through the glass. Yes, of course the werewolf had seen him, whatever that form was as she transitioned, but she, Granger, had looked directly at him, said his name... She, the girl, had seen him through the glass. She knew that he knew.

So why had she been so careful about her words? They were alone in the library. Okay, so she didn't want to say it outloud, but...

She had lied. She had lied, even though he knew, and she knew he knew.

They have to talk about it, before the Full Moon. Before the week before, in fact, so that he can give her the Wolfsbane Potion, and she won't panic.

They have to talk about this.

He rises thirty minutes before breakfast is even being served, but it doesn't matter - he wants to be there when she arrives. He knows, based on his research, that she'll be utterly weak, feeling the furthest from her werewolf tendencies, which means she would likely be struggling to eat. He had been watching, carefully, all week as her energy went from high to low, and in class the day before, she had looked exhausted, struggling to stay awake.

Others might brush it off as Granger spending too much time studying or in the library, but he knows the truth. He knows that she's fading. And he knows, come tomorrow, she'll begin regaining her strength once more.

It has to be today. He has to talk to her today.

Still... he doesn't rush down. Instead, he takes the time, for the first time in a while, to carefully dress, comb out his hair, and retrieve his bag for the day. He doesn't want to appear rushed... when he sits down across from Granger, he's going to just... lay it all out.

He knows she's a werewolf. He knows that she's struggling. He knows that she is alone. And, he's brewing Wolfsbane, so she never has to go through that horrific shift again.

And then... then, he has to ask the question he fears most. Did she do it on purpose. Did she screw up the potion on purpose, knowing that too much aconite would kill her?