Healing // d.m.

| 5 |

  CATHERINE ended up by Malfoy's bedside again.

  She didn't mean to. She really tried to convince herself that. Her restraint was going impressively well as she finished filling the surprising number of new patient charts for today. She went to check on Mr. Clearwater at bed 8, changed Mrs. Hudley's dressing and even listened to her lecture on how wrackspurts can be used to diagnose different types of head trauma. She was grabbing the keys to the trainee's room and was heading to change out of her day robes when she heard him whimpering again.

  "Kill me! Please kill me, not her please!" Catherine died inside when she heard. It made her wonder who he was trying to save in that nightmare. She remembered the charm of narcissus flower that floated around his bed.

  She pulled the blanket he was clutching, his knuckles were white as she held onto his wrist slightly waking him, trying to get him back to reality. She called out to him as gently as she could, reminding him that he was not with the demons inside his head. That he managed to escape that hell he was born into. This time his eyes opened and he slowly looked at her. With tears falling freely and he didn't even try to hide them. Catherine moved her hand to wipe his cheeks and his breathing started to return to normal. His hair was tousled very messily and his hospital pyjamas wrinkled.

  She felt his cold silver eyes pierced her as she stared at him, the hollowness in them scared her even more. With a very small voice he whispered softly, "Why are you helping me Ariendra..."

  She continued to wipe his tears and very carefully combed out his hair with her hands. "Just try to sleep Malfoy, no one is going to hurt you here."

  They stayed that way for a while, until Catherine pulled back.

  "Are you going to leave?"

  How could she when he sounded so broken.

  "Not if you want me too."

  His cold fingers slowly covered her hers and he pulled her a little closer to him. He closed his eyes and exhaled a very shaky breath. The other hand trying his best to pull the blanket back up covering his body up to his chest.

  "Then stay."

  So she did.

------

  Blaise Zabini was wearing a custom tailored navy suit with a matching blue tie. The ring on his right index finger made a clunking sound as he held on the railing of the stairs. Beside him Theodore Nott was fixing the sleeves of his white button up dress shirt and moved to adjust his taupe vest and silver tie. Everyone was staring at them.

  Catherine was not an exception.

  Until she realised that they were walking over to her.

  She was chewing the tip of her pen, figuring out what to do with the new patient that came with a mysterious scratch on the thigh when they paraded onto her space. Nott leaned over the healer station sporting his usual ridiculously attractive grin. She noticed his hair was shorter than before. Zabini was the one to speak first.

  "Holy shit it is Pomfrey's lackey." He smiled down at Catherine who was still sitting down.

  She tried her best to put on her most professional flat face. Smoothing out the crease on her robe, she slowly stood up and crossed her hands across her chest.

  "Can I help you gentlemen?" She asked them with what she thought was her most serious voice she could muster.

  And they chuckled.