A Throne of Blood and Stars

Chapter Twenty-Six

"So."

Draco lifts a brow but otherwise keeps his nose in his book.

Blaise didn't make it into bed until late, after their detention was over and McGonagall fetched them from the greenhouse. In which, she only lead them into the castle safely and then retreated to her quarters. And Blaise had a long walk with Ron back to the Tower, where they talked for a while after they had entered the Common Room.

And then the little look the Weasel had given his best friend this morning before they took off for breakfast. Just...ugh.

"I heard the little cockroach gave you a visit last night."

"And?"

"What do you mean and?" Blaise mocks his posh accent. "The moron broke out of the Infirmary to go see you."

Draco's head lifts at that. "What?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Blaise."

"He snuck out of the Medical Wing and tiptoed to your room. While heavily sedated. And with healing bones. All the way across the castle."

The blond opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by the doors of the Great Hall opening loudly. He turns to see Madame Pomfrey rush in, look around, her face lighting up when he catches her eye.

"Mister Malfoy!"

He turns to look at Blaise, rolling his eyes when he finds his best friend resting his cheek on his hand and giving him a smug look.

"Mister Malfoy," Madame Pomfrey pants. "Sorry to interrupt your morning, but I'm in dire need of your help."

Draco folds the book and puts it in his bag, shoving Blaise's shoulder as he stands. Blaise only laughs.

Madame Pomfrey moves frantically. She keeps jumping every time a door opens in the hallway and Draco frowns each time. She refuses to talk, only gives him pursed lips and an arched brow whenever he tries to get her to explain.

When they get close to the Medical Wing, Draco starts to hear rattling. And not the soft, suspicious kind of rattling. He hears the loud, terrifying rattling of wood, and when they turn the last corner he realizes it's the giant doors of the Infirmary.

The Medi-Witch turns to him with a worried look. "Mister Potter awoke with a tremor this morning. He only got to make a sound when his magic lashed out."

"What do you mean?"

She purses her lips. With the swish of her wand they're enveloped in a protective bubble and the doors fall open.

Draco's jaw drops.

There's magic. Everywhere. It's twitching as it reaches out to touch everything, lashing out at the walls, most definitely at the wards, and little flurries of magic swoosh all around the large room.

And in the center of it all is an airborne Harry Potter.

"He did all of this?"

Madame Pomfrey nods and takes a tentative step froward. "Knocked me right out of my Wing, he did. I couldn't get back in."

"Then why are we past the doorframe?"

"Perhaps," she gives him a side eye. "Because you're here."

Draco watches as the red tendrils touch the protective dome carefully, and then they caress at it almost lovingly. He frowns. "His magic seems harmless."

The woman says nothing, just moves forward to where Harry is suspended above his hospital bed, his limbs askew. "I don't know what's wrong, I didn't have time to check him over. The only thing I got to see was a silver light coming from his chest."