Chances To Come

Chapter Sixteen

One Step Closer

"Ron!"

"I didn't do anything, he just passed out!" Ron let go of Draco's shirt and let him fall to the floor.

"Well, let's get him to the hospital wing then."

"I've got a better idea. Let's throw him into the Dark Forest and hope he gets eaten."

"Ron!" Hermione knelt down by Draco and lifted him into a sitting position. "Just grab one of his arms and help me!"

Ron rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Whatever." He bent down and grabbed one arm.

Hermione found herself dearly wishing that she knew how to conjure a stretcher like Remus had as she and Ron half-carried and half-dragged Draco to the hospital wing. Remus looked up as they entered, and he helped them get Draco into the bed next to Harry's. Ron left immediately, looking disgusted, and Madam Pomfrey fussed over Draco in a manner that suggested how many times she had seen him since he started school.

"Young Malfoy shouldn't exert himself so much in his condition," muttered Pomfrey. "I'm going to have to bind him to his bed if he doesn't behave."

"It wasn't his fault, Madam Pomfrey," said Hermione quietly. "Ron confronted him, pushed him against a wall. He didn't even try to fight back."

Madam Pomfrey checked the back of Draco's head. "Well, he'll probably have a nasty bump and a headache when he wakes then, but he should be fine. Here, make sure he drinks this." She left a small bottle on the bedside table and retreated to her office.

Hermione sank into a seat between the two beds that Harry and Draco occupied, and she put her head in her hands.

Remus stood beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's almost dinnertime, Hermione."

"I'm not hungry," came the expected response.

"Then do an old man a favor and go fetch me something, please."

"What would you like?"

"Anything is fine, my dear." This is no place for a young pretty thing like you. "Take your time."

Hermione left quietly, and Remus decided to nap in the bed on the other side of Harry's.

"Where's Harry?" asked Ron as Hermione sat down next to him and started to fill up her plate.

"In the hospital wing. Didn't you notice?"

"Obviously not."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Once she had a little bit of everything on the plate, she started to stand up, but Ron pulled her back down.

"So why do you care so much about that prat Malfoy?"

Hermione jerked away from him. "Because he doesn't infuriate me every time he opens his mouth like you do, Ronald. He's been a good friend to Harry, and he needs people to care about him with what he's going through. He doesn't need people picking fights with him and making his condition worse."

"His condition!" Ron snorted. "His only condition is the condition of being an ass. He hasn't even seemed that sick lately."

"What would you know? You don't pay enough attention to know whether or not he's seemed sick. You didn't even notice that your best friend is in the hospital wing because you were so desperate to get away from Draco!"

Ron winced slightly and turned his gaze to his plate. Hermione stared at him coldly for a few seconds, and then got up to return to the hospital wing.

The second the hospital wing door shut behind her, she realized that she'd forgotten Remus's food in her irritation with Ron. Her guilt dissipated slightly when she saw him sleeping. She went back to her seat and waited for one of her friends to wake up.

A couple hours later, Ron poked his head into the hospital wing. Hermione was looking over her copy of the riddle. She looked up, scowled at him, and turned her eyes back towards the paper in her hands. Ron smiled sheepishly as he walked over to her, holding something behind his back.

"What do you want, Ronald?"

"Thought you might want this while you're sitting in here." He held out the book she'd been reading earlier in the common room.

She looked surprised. She set the riddle aside and took the book from him. "Thank you."

"Welcome, 'Mione. So how are they doing?"

Hermione looked at Draco and Harry. Then she gave Ron a playful smile. "Well, in case you can't tell, they're still unconscious."

Ron smiled back and took the chair next to hers. "Did you figure out anything else about that riddle?"

"No. I have no idea where to get the second piece, or where to even start looking. I mean, at least with the White Rose, we had something specific to work with, but one who can turn night into day?"

"Don't look at me—I'm terrible with riddles."

Hermione sighed. "Maybe I should go to the library and try to research it."

"Maybe you shouldn't worry about it."

"But Draco's life depends on this."

"True, but like you said..." Ron paused for a second to give what he hoped was an encouraging smile, "he needs people to care about him. And he'll know you care about him if he wakes up to find you here. You can always do research in the library later."

Hermione nodded slightly. "Thanks, Ron."

"Now I've got a ton of homework to do," which was true, though he wasn't planning on doing it, "so I'll be back later to check on Harry and stuff. I'll see you, Hermione."

She nodded again, and Ron left.

Draco drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night, and early that morning, he decided to sneak out before Pomfrey came to check on him. As he skillfully slid from underneath the covers, he glanced over at Harry. He went over to Harry, placed a hand over his mouth—just in case, and shook him slightly. Harry stirred and opened his eyes.

"Hey," whispered Draco. "Let's go get some breakfast. I'm starved. Quiet though, we don't want to wake the beast." Draco nodded to Pomfrey's office, and Harry nodded in understanding.

Harry looked at Hermione, who was asleep with her head resting on the edge of Draco's bed. "Should we wake her?" he whispered.

Draco shook his head, so they proceeded to the Great Hall. Since it was Sunday, they were two of very few there. Most people liked to finish their homework on Saturday and sleep in on Sunday. They decided to sit together at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"So," said Draco through a mouthful of buttered biscuit, "what the hell happened to you?"

Harry quickly explained how he and Remus had found the church and the reaction to the object. "It felt like it was sucking pure energy out of me, out of all of me—everything, just ripping it from my skin."

Draco cringed. "But why you and not Remus?"

"I don't know, but I was glad to pass out."

"Harry... look, about this whole thing—"

"Don't even try it, Draco. I'm not giving up. No one said it would be easy, and no one said it would be safe, but I chose to do this anyway. I'm not going to let you die."

Draco looked away and muttered something Harry couldn't quite understand, and despite Harry's insistence, Draco refused to repeat whatever it was.

"Well, anyway, the next piece supposedly comes from 'one who is kind,' so maybe it won't be so bad," said Harry, picking at his food.

"Maybe."

"So," said Harry, suddenly grinning, "wanna play a game of tag after breakfast?"

Draco couldn't help but grin back.

After their game of tag (which Draco won), they decided to take a walk around the lake. Despite himself, Draco started thinking about walking around the lake with Hermione the day before. Despite himself, he started thinking about when she had hugged him. Despite himself... he started to regret leaving her behind in the hospital wing. He shook his head slightly, growling at himself.

Harry didn't notice because he was lost in thought, puzzling over where he might find the next piece. With both of them distracted, conversation was sparse. The cool morning faded into warm afternoon as the sun lifted higher in the sky, and Draco lost his desire to keep walking around the lake. He was bored, restless, and walking in silence with Harry didn't help.

"I'll see you later," he muttered, walking back towards the castle. Harry gave him a curious look but didn't say anything.

Of course, since walking in silence with Harry hadn't helped, walking in silence alone was even more depressing. The buzz of other conversations floated around him as people passed by, the castle having woken up while Draco and Harry had been outside. He sighed softly, stopping to lean against a wall. He looked down at his hands, and he could imagine them wasting away with the rest of his body. He could feel Death taunting him. He almost wanted to give in... almost. What is Harry so desperate to save anyway? Well, we are like brothers—I would do the same for him, but Hermione...

Hermione. Why does she care if I die? We've always hated each other. Haven't we?

"Hermione," he whispered, still staring at his hands. He hadn't expected a response.

"You forgot this, Draco."

His head snapped up, and there she was. With a small smile, Hermione held out the potion Pomfrey had made her promise to give him. He stared at her for a long moment, slowly taking the potion from her hands and drinking it. He didn't even bother to ask what it was. He had learned some obedience from Pomfrey, and arguing with Hermione did no good either.

Besides, I can't stand to see those tears again.

Draco blinked. Where the hell did that thought come from?

"I forgive you," she said, taking the empty bottle.

"What?"

"Yesterday... you said you were sorry. I forgive you."

He looked down at his hands again. Then, slowly, he looked back up. He stood up straighter, taking his weight off the wall, and he gathered her into his arms. She was shocked, stiff for a moment, but she quickly recovered and hugged him back. He buried his face in her bushy brown hair, holding her close.

Hermione nuzzled him gently. "Draco—"

"Shh." His arms tightened around her a little more for a few seconds before he released her. He smiled at her as she backed away. Although he could still feel Death taunting him, he felt strong enough to keep himself from giving in.

~.~

A/N: Wow, I am a horrible person. Basically, to sum it up, college ate up all of my time, and by the time I graduated (4.0 GPA is worth it, right? Right?!), I had pretty much completely forgotten about this story and... every other fan fiction... But I wrote a novel! So hey, I have something to show for it. Kind of. Anyway, I totally did not mean to keep everybody in suspense like that, and only upon re-discovering my love for fan fiction did I realize that I have been a complete and utter douche for not updating in, like, a decade. I have a couple more chapters written, and unfortunately the last thing I wrote ends on an even WORSE cliffhanger, so I have to try and remember where I was going with it, or just wing it... Might get a little rough, just a heads up. Anyway, now for reviewers!

dcb - *Hands over cookies* You've waited a long time for this cookie lol. Hope it was worth it.

nikko corvin - Working on it...

Knyghtshade - It WAS mean. But fun. :)

yanzi84 - Here you go! Hope you like it.

Alessan - I will definitely put in some time to finish the story. I still remember how it all ultimately ends, so I just gotta get all the middle stuff between here and there.

VashtaNarada - Thank you SO much! Hope you didn't die waiting, hehe.

missalexwhitlock123 - I do try to stay true to the source! Of course, I might slip up now and again since I am American and have never even been across the pond, but I love British things, so if I integrate myself, maaaybe I can make a pass for British writing. ;)

Flame of Forgiveness - Well, now you know! It was not, in fact, Ron. Though it very well could have been. Hehe. I may have had a little too much fun writing Ron in this.

Meanxruki - Sorry! I really didn't mean to leave everybody hanging like that! But... gah, I don't have an excuse, as you can see from my explanation above. -.-'

LuluCerulean514 - Nope, the story is NOT over! It is definitely just a close friendship/brotherhood, not a Drarry. As you can probably tell, it's leaning a little more Dramione, which is right up my alley. ;) And I'm not telling if he dies in the end or not... Mwahaha!

Again, sorry for the ridiculous wait! Maybe I still have some readers left, maybe not, but I'm gonna write the rest anyway.