I'm Coming For You, Draco Malfoy!

A Pit of Snakes and Snakelets

A/N Warning: strong language used!

I wanted to sleep. I wanted to close my heart against the cold that crept through my body towards my soul... I wondered if it were part of the curse to wish for death.

Stop it, Harry said firmly in my mind. We're all here for you now.

He was like a bucket of cold water, shocking the melancholy thoughts from my system.

Yes, I whispered. Sorry.

It's not your fault. You're right. It's the curse or rather, it's the toxins caused by the curse. It will be affecting your brain. But you can fight this. You've faced worse.

What can be worse than this, Harry?

Any of the shit you went through in the sixth year. Me nearly killing you – that was far more real than this bollocks. Keep reminding yourself, it's the curse, it's not real. I'm going to move your bed. I want you in the middle and facing the west window.

I didn't feel my bed move, he must have used extremely gentle magic. However, I was aware that the light had changed as I was relocated into the middle of the room and the doors were locked against interruption.

Greg and Ron had volunteered to stay outside and ward off anyone who might some looking for Poppy. They were to be sent to Slughorn, Sprout, or Flitwick temporarily.

I could hear Poppy and Hermione whispering furiously in the corner, going through what they needed to do to reverse the Statue Curse.

McGonagall had commanded the attention of those who were to help cast the protective web of magic around me. It sounded just like one of her lessons in the Transfiguration classroom. There had been some debate about allowing the Snakelets to partake but Harry argued that he, Ron, and Mione had tackled the challenges protecting the Philosophers Stone in their first year, without adult supervision, and as they'd helped up until this point, they should be allowed to partake.

'Besides, the power of three is always better,' he said.

Two of the Big Snakes were partnered with one of the Snakelets: Ginny and Pansy with Rosamunde; my mother and Luna with Tobs; Blaise and Neville with Jenny; Milli and Theo with Leighton. Each would be in charge of weaving and balancing one of the balance wheels while McGonagall and Daphne would be responsible for joining and grounding the combined magic around me to set a path for spiritual healing.

As sunset approached, the others huddled in small groups, discussing and practicing their spellwork for what had to happen next.

All through the wait, Harry was sitting on the end of my bed, crossed legged, facing me. I couldn't see him properly because of the angle but I could smell him clearly; that familiar scent of green pine, old parchments, and broom polish. I thought it was strange how the curse was playing with my senses. My sense of smell seemed so much stronger. I could separate Harry's aftershave from the disinfectant herbs Poppy used and the smell of clean linen of my sheets and Pansy's sickly Dior 'Poison Girl' that she insisted in smothering herself in, simply because of the name.

Have you got your bloody boots on my bed, you heathen?

No. Barefoot.

What are you doing?

Meditating.

Meditating?

Uh-hm.

Sometimes he drove me to a point of fury. I couldn't see him. I wanted to see him but my vision seemed to be worsening as the light dimmed. Well, that's what I told myself anyway. I had been nearly twenty-four hours in this state.