Beauty and the Beast [Draco Malfoy]

Chapter Ten

Draco's POV:

I knew something was wrong when her head lolled and she collapsed backwards out of her seat.

I stood up in a flash and darted around the table to where Lizzie rested. She lied with her calves still up on the bench but the upper half of her body was on the ground, sprawled out. Her brown hair was spread out around her head almost like a halo.

I knelt beside her and placed a hand on her warm cheek.

"Lizzie?" I whispered, surprised that my voice had worked at all. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Lizzie? Come on, talk to me." I brushed the hair that had fallen into her face away. She showed no sign of knowing I was beside her at all.

Suddenly Professor McGonagall was by my side. "Mr. Malfoy, what happened?" she asked in a hurried tone. Her black witches hat was sitting on her head slightly cockeyed from her rush to get to Lizzie. The emerald green robes she always wore were still coming to a stop after her body had.

"I- I don't know. She just collapsed," I told the woman, panic rising into my voice. Lizzie's cheek was already cooling dangerously beneath my hand.

"Well, we'd better get her to the hospital wing. If you wouldn't mind carrying her there," she said, gesturing to Liz. Without looking back, she practically ran out of the Great Hall.

I nodded and slipped my hand under her shoulder. My arm wrapped around her torso and I pulled her arm over top of my shoulder. Her head rolled sickeningly.

Slowly, I began to walk her to the door, aware that every eye in the Great Hall was on us, but the only thing I cared about at the moment was Lizzie. I needed to get her to Madam Pomfrey. Surely she would fix Liz up in a heartbeat.

Potter jogged to catch up to me from the Gryffindor table. "What happened?" he asked, the worry apparent in is voice.

"Why do you care, Potter?" I spat at him, wanting to be away with him now of all times. Couldn't he see I was a bit preoccupied.

"She happens to be my friend, Malfoy. What happened?" he asked again.

"She just collapsed," I gritted. "If you're going to be here, at least help me." He hurried around to Lizzie's other side and wrapped his arm around her. She suddenly got half as heavy.

We walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing in silence. The only sound to be heard was our shoes clicking against the stone ground.

When we arrived, McGonagall hurried to Madam Pomfrey's office. They both came hustling back out a few moments later.

"If you'll place her on this cot, boys," Pomfrey told me and Potter. We walked over to the specified bed and set Lizzie carefully down. Her hair fell into her face and I carefully brushed it away, tucking it behind her ear. "Thank you for your help, but I've got her from here," she told us, herding us to the door.

"Hold on, I'm not going anywhere until I know she's okay," I said angrily.

"There's nothing you can do, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall answered.

"I am not going anywhere until I know that Lizzie is okay," I forced, planting my feet.

"As long as you stay out of the way," Pomfrey said, rushing back to Lizzie's side. I walked over and sat in the wooden chair beside the bed.

"If he's not leaving then neither am I," Potter came and stood next to me.

Madam Pomfrey pulled her wand out and started muttering words over Lizzie's head. Her wand moved in slow meticulous circles. I watched diligently as her wand tip glowed a light purple color.