Destiny and the Dragon (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Chapter Fourteen

When I awoke I felt strange. Like, really strange. My skin was tingling with a thousand needles, like they were poking me back to life, but at some point the sensation slowed and I opened my eyes to see the white ceiling of the hospital wing.

"Bollocks," I swore. "I wake up here too bloody often." My voice was hoarse, like I'd been asleep for a very long time, but I had no memory of sleeping. I heard a laugh at my comment and I sat up to see a familiar face. "Madam Pomfrey? What am I in for this time? Prophecy? Vision? Poisoned?" Her laugh had faded and she watched me grimly.

"No, dear, you were petrified. Today is May twenty-ninth." Suddenly a wave of exhaustion echoes through my body, and I have to settle down onto the bed again. I groaned simultaneously.

"Just my bloody luck. Can't say I'm surprised. Did they figure it out, then? Put the clues together? I hope I helped at all, or this was pointless," I whined and then followed Madam Pomfrey's gaze to a few beds over, where Harry was sleeping.

"Harry Potter defeated the monster, and nobody died. I'm in the process of reviving the others."

"Others?" She nodded.

"We're administering in the order of petrification. Justin should wake up soon, then Colin Creevy, then Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger." My heart thumped in my chest.

"Hermione? She'll be alright, won't she?"

"Of course, dear. What happened to her is the same as to you." I nodded in relief. "You'll need to stay here for the night, I'll release you in time for the feast tomorrow. The draught will leave some grogginess and fatigue."

"I feel it..." I mumbled, and fell asleep.

When I woke up again I felt much better. I went to my dormitory to find myself a change in clothes, these were a bit crunchy from months of petrification, but when I entered the common room I was met with a sea of shocked faces.

"Phoebe!" a voice screeched, and then Tracey was hurtling herself towards me, wrapping me in a tight hug.

"Good to see you too, Trace," I mumbled. My other friends surrounded us in an instant. Blaise wrapped me in a hug as well.

"You're being oddly affectionate, Blaisey," I commented into his shoulder, and he laughed in one short huff.

"I might have missed you, but don't tell anyone."

"Your secret's safe with me." We smiled at each other for a long moment.

Millie and Theo hugged me too, but more briefly, and then they all gave me a minute to go upstairs and clean up.

"This is so surreal," I muttered upon my return. "No time passed at all for me, but for you all it's been months." Tracey laughed breezily as I approached their table. Then I felt a glare on my face, and looked up to meet Draco Malfoy's very angry silver eyes.

"What's wrong with you? Enjoyed your peace and quiet?" I asked, and he shifted his glare away with a sharp turn of his jaw. "What's with him?" I whispered to my friends as I sat down, but they could only shrug.

"Alright, so what did I miss? Oh good grief, I'm going to have to do months worth of studying at the Orphanage, aren't I," I groaned. They grinned and launched into a jumbled account of events.

We were walking to the feast when an arm gripped my hand and tugged me into an empty classroom, so quickly that nobody could notice.

"Oh, are you going to explain why you've been burning a hole in my head for the last hour?" I asked Malfoy, with my arms crossed. "Honestly, I was asleep, that's probably the least I've annoyed you, well... ever."