Author's notes: I do not own Harry Potter nor associates. Explanations for new terms/spells/magical items are at post-fic author's notes. I used to post this at Fictionalley but their slow publishing caused me to switch here, where I think there's more freedom and more readers. Please review and tell me what you think about this fic. Thank you very much .
"Lumos." Harry tiptoed down the corridor, clutching the Marauder's Map. It was two in the morning and Hogwarts was asleep. Harry needed to go to Hagrid's and the night was the only time he could get away from the watching eyes of Snape.
"Well well, look who's out at night." The light from Harry's wand was reflected by a head of blond. "Being the great Harry Potter does not give you the right to wander around the castle at night. And typically dumb of you, forgetting your invisibility cloak."
"Get out of my way." Harry scowled.
"Tsk tsk. Is that the way to talk to me, Potter?" Malfoy paid special care in saying Harry's name. He just enjoys the way it sounded when one places excess emphasis on the "t".
"And what do you think you are doing out here in the middle of the night, Malfoy?"
"That, is none of your business. I could call Filch over, or your could tell me what's up your stinky sleeves." Malfoy smirked. Having spent the past seven years fighting with Harry, Malfoy has still gotten the better hand, being the outspoken one, being the influential one, being the scheming one.
"I'm paying Hagrid a visit. Now, will you leave me alone?"
"Gross. Must be to feed some flobberworm again. Or that foul three-headed dog of his. Let's not forget that overgrown chicken that caused me to..." Malfoy had to go on and on when it came to putting down everything Harry liked. He never gave up a chance to insult and humiliate Hermoine and Ron.
Harry sneaked a peak at the Marauder's Map. "Duck! Filch's coming this way!" Not awaring that he just pulled his arch enemy along with him to hide in the nearest room.
"Ouch!" Exclaimed Malfoy as he hit the floor. "I'll get you for that, you.."
"Keep it down!" Harry whispered. Filch's footsteps were heard. He evidently just passed the room. Then, Harry stopped choking Malfoy. He had to stop him from making a sound.
"You imbecilic scum! You choked me! I could have died! You ..." croaked Malfoy, still recovering from the choke. With what little breath he had, he took out his wand and shouted "Flipendo".
"Expelliarmus!" Harry disarmed Malfoy. "I had to do that to stop you from making a sound! I wouldn't want to get caught by Filch, especially when I'm with you!"
"But did you have to choke me? Now give me back my wand, you scum! I'm going to Dumbledore first thing in the morning!" Malfoy stood up and rearranged himself.
"Whatever. I've got important things to attend to." Harry chucked Malfoy's wand on the floor and stomped out of the room, continuing his journey to Hagrid's.
"Wait up!" Malfoy shouted.
Harry stopped in his track and turned around. "Now what?"
"It just occurred to me that I have yet dismissed you from my sight. Now I want to go to Hagrid's with you." Malfoy smirked.
"And I thought you were afraid that some overgrown chicken would sharpen his claws against your puny body?"
"Me, afraid? It's just that I won't want to kill another creature, gives me the creeps how you and the Weasel couple can weep louder than the cries of that foul chicken. I just wanted to check if Hagrid's been keeping some dragons secretly. Can't wait to catch him in the act and get him sacked."
"He is not keeping dragons for goodness sakes! Will you just get off my back?" Harry stomped off in the darkness. He did not even bother to illuminate his path. Malfoy, being typically busybody, followed Harry to Hagrid's.
"What is he doing here?" Ron exclaimed when Harry appeared at Hagrid's with Malfoy lingering behind.
"Well, we certainly have a crowd here. I'm here to see what you nasty Gryffindors have behind your backs."
"We certainly don't welcome you, Malfoy. Now get out of this place, lest I morbus affero (give sickness) you!" Hermione stood up, along with Ron, and shouted at Malfoy.
"Mudblood! Irk! You have no right to talk to me! I have every right to be here, this is Hogwarts property!" Malfoy scowled.
"Actually this is my hut and I've been paying my mortgage to Dumbledore for the past years and if you don't mind I'd like to resume to our discussions. And I would like you to leave." Replied Hagrid, plainly. Ever since the incident with Buckbeak, Hagrid never really liked Malfoy anymore.
"No, I'm staying where I am. Now, what discussion? Means to overgrow more chickens? To let loose your three-headed dog on the Hufflepuffs?" Malfoy stepped into the hut and took a seat near the window.
"Malfoy. You won't like very much what I'm going to do to you." Hermoine gave a bleak smile and without warning, she cast the morbus affero curse on Malfoy. The already pale Malfoy turned even more pale, almost translucent compared to the black of his robe. His pink lips turn pale and parched and he looked as though he was going to be sick. He ran towards the window and emptied his supper on Hagrid's window box.
"Good one Hermione! Then again you should have made him puke slugs. Still gives me the shudders all these years."
"You filthy mudblood! I puke will get you for this!" Malfoy's knees buckled and he could barely stand. His face was now pink, for he was running a temperature. The morbus affero curse was deadly if not lifted within 48 hours. But Hermione thought she would teach Malfoy a lesson for good.
"medicorious." Harry healed Malfoy. Malfoy gradually returned to health, though still weak. "Now that I've healed you and saved your life, please get out of here. You won't want us to turn nasty."
"Fine. I'm going to Dumbledore now and tell him that you tried to kill me, twice! Let's see what will save you then!" Malfoy stood up and headed for the exit when he bumped into the Professor.
"I overheard that you wanted to see me, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Dumbledore still towered over Malfoy, despite Malfoy having grown much over the years.
"Professor, he was causing us trouble, so Hermione had to cast the illness curse on him. It wasn't intentional!" Ron stammered turned pink at the sight of the Professor.
"Well Miss Granger, I would suggest you exercise something less deadly but more ghastly the next time round." The Professor winked at Hermione and lumbered into the hut. "Now run along Mr. Malfoy. I would just pretend that I didn't see you wandering around in the middle of the night and you would return to your dormitory this instant."
"Fine. I'll leave your little company, bunch of depraves." Malfoy strutted, despite his legs still being wobbly after all that throwing up of his supper, and with any luck, his dinner.
"Professor, now we can get down to business." Hermione and company resumed their seats and Hagrid served tea.
"Regarding Lucius. Now, how should we break news to Draco? I've done my best in trying to conceal the news from him, but banning all copies from the Daily Prophet from the school and keeping him out of the authorities' reach is all I can do. This weekend he will be going to Hogsmeade and there's nothing I can do there. He is bound to hear of Lucius there."
"Can we not stop him from going there, Professor?" Suggested Ron.
"No, we can't. Besides, there's lots of speculation in the different houses regarding the missing Daily Prophets. The Ravenclaws think that it's the abdication of the publishers, the Hufflepuffs think that the owls have all gone senile, the Gryffindors think that it's the Slytherins who stole the papers and the Slytherins, being Slytherins felt that it was because the Daily Prophet decided to merge with Playwizards that school has banned the publications. No one has received news about Lucius' illness yet. We've got to think of ways to keep Malfoy in the dark." Hermione, being herself, had to give Dumbledore a detailed analysis of the things that had been going on.
The fact is, Lucius Malfoy is dying. The cause is unknown. It is unlike anything the wizarding world has seen. News of this new disease is published in all papers, big and small, everyone is talking about it. The only place in oblivion is Hogwarts. Dumbledore feels that the time is not right for Draco to know about it.
"Actually Professor, I am beginning to feel that what Mr. Malfoy has contracted... it's a Muggle disease." Harry volunteered. "After hearing about the symptoms he had, I remembered reading something alike in a muggle book when I was at the Dursleys. I think he has caught something known as hepatic encephalopathy. I hope I'm wrong but this is serious. He would fall into long term coma if he does not receive treatment."
"Hepatic what? Harry, I don't know of anyone who knows of something that I don't. How could you even remember all that?" Hermione couldn't help it, but question Harry. She was appalled that Harry read so widely.
"I had a deep impression of it because apparently one of the Dursley's relative contracted it. And I was locked up for two months just for saying that Dudley would contract it if he kept eating MacDonald's. Anyway, this disease is lethal. Let's just hope I'm wrong."
"A muggle disease that the wizarding haven't heard of! What great shock! Oh Merlin, what should we do?" Ron exclaimed.
"He needs a Muggle doctor. Or he would become a vegetable." Harry explained, knowing perfectly well that it would be against the law, or at least the Malfoy code of Conduct to seek help of the Muggles.
"A vegetable? And I thought there's only animagus!" said Ron, with that typical shocked look on him.
"No, a vegetable in Muggle terms mean someone who is in a coma and is incapable of mental activities, kept alive merely by a life support machine. In other words, Lucius Malfoy is turning into an idiot." Hermione explained.
"Now, Harry, do not breathe a word about this to anyone, especially those reports, whom I expect to hang around in Hogsmeade this weekend. I've decided to cancel the Hogsmeade trip. We won't want more rumours going on in school. Regarding this disease, I'd make a trip down to the Apothecary Ministry and see what they have to say. And Hagrid, I would need you to arrange for activities for the students. And as for the three of you, I'm sure Hagrid would agree with me that it's time for you to return to your dormitories." The Professor stood up and ushered the trio out of the hut. As they exited, Harry saw a glint of silver disappear under what seems like a hood.
morbus affero: A spell that causes sickness in one. Deadly if not lifted within 48 hours.