The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

137. Passage

As the months moved from January through February, March, and April, and the snow melted to reveal the vibrant brilliance of spring. However, as they came across the threshold of May, a dark cloud seemed to settle overhead. Dioleh was walking along from where she had hidden to read a book and happened to be passing through one of the seventh-floor corridors when she spotted Harry rushing away at a full sprint. Frowning, Dioleh rushed after him, knowing Harry's tendency for making, or more often finding, trouble.

Harry kept up a fast pace all the way from the seventh floor down to the sixth. Dioleh followed at a cautious distance as he went to press his ear against the door to listen. After a moment, he pushed the door open and slipped inside. Glancing cautiously up and down the corridor, Dioleh pressed her ear against the doorway, pushing the door slightly open to listen.

"Don't," the cooing voice of Moaning Myrtle said. "Tell me what's wrong. I can help you."

"No one can help me," a voice replied. Dioleh's heart clenched as she realize that the fragile, trembling voice was Draco. "I can't do it," he said, beginning to sob. "I can't. It won't work and unless I do it soon, he'll kill her, he'll kill the only people I care about." A few more strangled sobs left Draco's mouth before there was suddenly the sound of something shattering. Without a moment's hesitation, Dioleh opened the door to see spells shooting back and forth between Harry and Draco.

"No! No! Stop it!" Myrtle cried just as one of their spells hit one of the toilets, sending water cascading across the floor.

"Stop it!" Dioleh cried, moving forward to cast a shield charm between them but before she could get the spell up, Draco cried, "Crui-"

"Sectumsempra!" Harry bellowed. Blood began gushing from Draco's face and torso. With a harsh gasp, Dioleh rushed forward as Draco collapsed. A harsh sob left Dioleh's lips as she cupped his cheek and blinked rapidly to try and see him clearly. Harry staggered back in shock at what he had just done as Myrtle rushed from the bathroom, screaming that a murder had been done.

"Dray," Dioleh sobbed, cupping his other cheek and trying to direct his eyes to her. "Dray! Can you hear me?" He didn't respond. His eyes fluttered closed despite his attempts to keep them open as Dioleh held him to her with another sob. A pool of his blood had formed all around them as Harry collapsed on the other side of Draco. The door behind them opened with a crash and with a simple flick of his wand, Snape caused both Harry and Dioleh to be flung away from Draco as he crouched down beside him.

Dioleh covered her mouth with her hands to try and muffle her sobs as Snape began muttering a spell that seemed to slow the bleeding. Lifting Draco off the floor, Snape said, "You need the Hospital Wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that. Come." Once he had reached the door, he turned slightly to say in a voice of cold fury, "As for you two. You wait here for me."

Shakily Harry got to his feet but Dioleh remained on the ground, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. After what seemed to Dioleh to be an incredibly short ten minutes, Snape returned. Giving them both harsh looks, he demanded angrily, "Who fired the spell?"

"I did," Harry admitted, his voice taut with guilt.

Fixing his cold eyes on Dioleh, he ordered, "Go." Getting to her feet, she tried to hold back her sobs as she headed for the door. Opening it, she stepped out and began walking through the corridors, not noticing or caring that several students were gawking or pointing at her bloodstained robes. Eventually, she found herself in front of the Hospital Wing. Stumbling inside, she found Madam Pomfrey just finishing up with Draco. Weakly, she collapsed in a chair beside him, her cheeks still streaked with tears.

She did not know how long she sat there before the door opened behind her and several people came in. Gently, Imani said, "Dio?" Blaise and Andre had also come and were staring in shock as the scars running over Draco's body.

"What happened?" Blaise asked quietly. Dioleh couldn't speak. Instead, she let out a sob, quickly covering her mouth as she continued to stare at Draco's pale face.

Through her sobs, she explained, "I was following Harry because I thought he was acting weird and eventually he went up to this bathroom and was listening through the door and-" She broke off, trying to control her sobs enough to continue forming words. After a few moments, she said, "Then they started firing spells and I rushed in to try and stop it but Harry-" She could say no more.

"Potter did this?" Andre said breathlessly. "Damn." Even as the word left his mouth, the door behind them opened and Blaise and Andre turned to see Harry, looking as much in shock as Dioleh was herself. As he approached them, Andre said sarcastically, "Didn't know you fancied being a murderer, Potter."

"I didn't know," Harry said weakly. "How is he?"

"Stable," Dioleh said quietly, wiping away her tears. "Why did you do this, Harry?"

"I found the spell in an old book but it didn't say what it did," Harry explained quietly. "I just used the first spell that came to mind. If I had had any idea-" He broke off. "I am so sorry for what I did."

"You should be," Blaise said, his tone dark and venomous. "You're lucky he survived."

"I know," Harry said quietly. "Well, I just wanted to see how he's...I should go." None of the others uttered a word as Harry turned and left the Hospital Wing. Soon after he had gone, the door opened again and Professor McGonagall appeared at the foot of the bed looking rather paler than normal.

"How is he?" she asked, looking between the four students.

"Stable," Andre replied. "He should be fine." McGonagall then fixed her gaze on Dioleh, giving her a concerned look.

Gently, she said, "Ms. Granger, should you not like to go and get cleaned up? Malfoy is going to fully recover. There's no need to worry." It was only then that Dioleh realized that she was still covered in blood. Numbly, she got to her feet and nodded. "Come on, dear," McGonagall said, taking Dioleh's arm and leading her down to the Common Room, leaving the other three by Draco's side.