The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

The Malfoy Men

Draco barely got his good arm moving fast enough to stop Hermione from hitting her head on the stone floor. He grunted and slowly lowered her the rest of the way to the ground. Once she was safe from smashing her skull in he glared up at Madam Pomfrey, "Did you know that would happen?"

She shook her head as she drew her wand, "Miss Black was clearly exhausted. Only the power of her emotions, fueled by her magic, was keeping her awake. And, no, Mr. Malfoy, I did not realize she was quite that far gone. Otherwise I would have made it impossible for her to leave the Hospital Wing. Now, please move and I shall levitate her to a bed."

Draco moved back and watched as Hermione was magically lifted off the floor, her robes were hanging at an odd angle, exposing her sock-clad calves. He reached out and yanked the robes down, covering her up.

Madam Pomfrey began to float Hermione away and he made to stand up and follow. In doing so something clattered across the floor. He looked down and saw her wand lying there. It looked like a mere stick of wood, utterly harmless. Nothing at all like the deadly weapon he knew it to be.

He reached down and picked it up with his left hand. He shivered as the wand acknowledged him and then promptly discarded him as unworthy.

He gave it a small flick, "Lumos."

Light appeared just fine, but it was not very bright. He frowned and focused, trying to increase the light, but all it did was flicker.

Apparently the wand was as temperamental as its mistress.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?"

He jerked and guiltily lowered the wand.

"Potter, why aren't you in class?"

"I asked you a question first."

Draco shrugged and tried to look innocent. He'd not talked to Potter since their Knight Bus ride to St. Mungos. "I was curious, that's all. Here, it's your sister's."

Harry frowned but reached out and took the wand. "And to answer, Defense is finished. I have a free class and came looking for Hermione."

"She's in the hospital wing."

"Wait, what?!?" Potter looked up from the wand, his eyes going wide. "But, she wasn't the one that was injured!"

Draco rolled his eyes - not even questioning how Potter knew what had happened, he already knew those two had some strange connection - and gestured towards his right arm in the sling. "I was the one that was injured. She just collapsed from exhaustion. You really need to take better care of your sister. I didn't save her from death's door just to let her destroy her own health."

Potter scowled, "You want to blame me for her exhaustion? Do you realize how bloody stubborn she is? I told her to sleep in after she got the news last night. Instead she rewrites that entire article and then collapses at the table in exhaustion! Ginny swore she was asleep in bed when we came down to breakfast."

"Apparently not, as she found me on a staircase just as the first class was starting." And, because his hand still felt wrong, not to mention some leftover dizziness from being in so much pain, he released a jab he hadn't uttered in years. As soon as it was out of his mouth he regretted it, there was no reason for the nasty words. He didn't want to be like that anymore. Besides, Pansy was going to kill him. That is, if Hermione didn't recover and get to him first. "Apparently your girlfriend is too stupid to realize when someone is faking. Not surprising, as she is related to Weasel."

Instantly Potter's hands clenched into fists and a thunderous expression filled his face.

Reflexively, Draco took a step backwards in fear. He knew he couldn't move fast enough with his left hand to draw his wand, and forget casting a spell - he was pants at casting off-hand everything but the most basic spells.