malice. |harry potter|

1.14

"oh please, old man. how stupid do you think i am?"

♥

Malice Fallon lay supine, the hard hospital cot creaking underneath her. The girl sat up lightly, groaning, as her head throbbed with the pain of needles sticking into her skull, and took in the scene before her. If the view outside the windows were any indication, she guessed it to be the middle of night, the dead silence of the hospital wing cut by the gentle breathing of Cedric, who had fallen asleep in a chair next to her bed, his forehead resting on her thigh.

Mali shifted slightly, waking the hufflepuff boy immediately. "Lissa! How are you feeling? Do you want me to go get Madame Pomfrey?"

"I'm alright Ced," Mali whispered, wincing as her ribs flared with pain.

"Obviously you're not alright. I'll get her-"

"I'm fine, Ced. Just a bit of pain, that's all. Where's Harry? And Ron?"

"They've both been released already. Potter's been glued to your side since he woke, but Pomfrey kicked him out to get some sleep. You've been out for five days, Liss."

Mali nodded, unsurprised that Cedric managed to charm the nurse into letting him stay. "Me and the old man will be having words," she claimed, shaking her pointer finger in his face. "But for now, I'm tired, come lay with me."

Cedric chuckled, before taking a spot next to Mali in the bed, the two of them falling asleep, entangled in each other's arms.

♥

"Madame Pomfrey-"

"Absolutely not, Miss Fallon! You need rest-"

"Oh but I am resting, Ma'am! Look, lying down and everything... oh please?"

Madame Pomfrey regarded Mali with uncertainty, thin lips pressed together as she thought on her dilemma for a moment. "Oh, all right, but five minutes only!" The stern woman scowled once more, before strolling to open the door to the hospital wing, a door from which Harry, Ron, Isla, and her six Slytherin friends burst through.

"Oh, fucking hell-"

"You gave us a fright-"

"Honestly, Draco's been all-"

"Shut it, Colletta!"

"I've been so worried, Mali-"

"And it was actually Quirrell, not-"

"-Snape! And Hermione had to solve this-"

"Shut up, Potter-"

"Why are you even here, Malfoy?"

"She's my friend!"

"She's mine as well-"

"Mum's gone barmy, Mal-"

"GUYS!" Mali yelled, effectively silencing her friends. "One at a time please. Isla, please tell Mum that I'm fine, send Kore with a letter. Ronald, please feel free to take some of the chocolate frogs near my bed. Astra, Pansy, Lottie, I'll see you lot in the dorms later, yeah? No- no hugging, I've broken my ribs. Theo, Blaise, I promise I'll tell you all about in in the commons later. Draco, I appreciate and love you, but please don't fight my friends. Harry, I'm glad to see you're doing well, and I'll make sure to stop at Gryffindor tower before curfew, but clear out, please."