My Father Can't Hear About This | Draco Malfoy

Poison

All I could see were spots. Just spots of light. Little fragments of white shining through. I blink. Even more light. I blink again. It was a blur, but I could see shapes. Colors. People. There were people around me. 

"Eleanor.." I hear, but only vaguely. I could not tell which direction it was coming from. It sounded more like an echo, as if I were in a dream. "Eleanor.." It is slowly becoming clearer.

Something touches my hand. I wiggle my fingers. Yes. There is another hand resting on mine. Someone must be in front of me. I blink again and begin to make out a shape in front of me. A person sitting just inches away from me. "Hermione.." I can hear my brain say, but my voice just said Hrrr.

"It's okay. Take your time." The voice echoes out to me again. Yes. I can vaguely recognize that that's Hermione's voice. Over a few more seconds everything slowly became clearer. The more I blinked, the more I could make out of Hermione sitting just in front of me. My hearing was coming back into focus. I look around. I was in the infirmary. "Hey Eleanor." I manage to look at Hermione, sitting at the chair by my bed, holding my hand. I couldn't get my mouth to form a word yet, but I nod to acknowledge her. She sniffs and smiles as she wipes away a tear.

Just in front of me, I notice a silhouette at the end of my bed. A tall gray silhouette. It was Dumbledore. 

"Young Granger. I'm so glad to see you waking up." I identify his voice. 

"I know you have loads of questions, Elle." Hermione pipes up. I nod. "You were out for almost a week."

I raise my eyebrows. "A.. week?" My speech is coming back to me now. Finally.

"Yes. A week. We are so glad to have you back."

I look around my room now. Hermione was by my bed. Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey were at the end of my bed. And no one else was around. 

"What happened?" I ask.

"We think you were poisoned. Or you took too large of a dose of a potion. Either way, if you would have had any more than you did, you could easily still be asleep or even dead." Dumbledore explained.

"But how? I was only with..." I paused to gulp. ".. Draco the night of the ball." 

Hermione rolled her eyes as plain as day at me. She leaned in. "And you know how he can be. I told you you should stay away from Malfoy didn't I?"

I made eye contact with Dumbledore, who didn't seem to want to defend or argue against Hermione's claim about Draco. 

"Has anyone else been around here while I've been out?" I change the subject.

"Mostly me." Hermione replied. "Of course Ron and Harry had to come see you. And Iris came here a couple times. But I haven't seen anyone else." Madam Pomfrey nodded her head in agreeance. 

"Let's allow the girl to rest a bit, and we can come back later." Dumbledore suggested.

I let go of Hermione's hand, and she gets up to leave. As she walks away, I tried to wrap my newly awakened brain around what could have happened. I was pretty loopy from the drugs I had been given, but I still began to wonder what could have gone wrong.

I was with Draco. Other than the snacks at our table during the ball, which everyone around was munching on, I did not eat a meal that could have specifically poisoned me. The only other thing that I had was the drink that Draco had gotten for me. But he couldn't have tampered with it. I watched him practically the whole time, and he was also fixated on me. Plus, I had only had one, maybe two tiny sips before I had started feeling weird. 

Unless... Draco did seem to be trying to "get-me-into-bed" that night. Would he have given me something to drug me for the night? So he could do whatever he wanted to me? He couldn't have. He knows that I would have (most likely) had sex with him that night, especially with how well the night had been going for us. I don't think he would have done that. But then again, I did not ask for a drink. I had specifically said no to a drink, and he brings me one anyways. Maybe he could have messed with it. 

My brain begins to clear up even more the more I used it. I began to remember that I had pissed Pansy off that night - BEFORE I had gotten a drink from Draco. Well, it was really Draco that pissed her off, but I was an accomplice for just being his date. Did she tinker with my drink? Did she try to kill me? She had just crawled to the top of my list now. 

There was nothing else I could do at the moment other than sleep it off and just wait to get discharged from this place. 

~~~

The next day, I find myself hobbling towards the Great Hall. I had quite literally just been released from the hospital wing, and I was absolutely starving. I was extremely weak from not getting any nutrients while I was out, so I slowly shuffled my way there just in time for dinner. 

Since it was Christmas break, close to half the students left to see their families for the holidays, while the other half decided to stay at Hogwarts. And since I hadn't been awake since the night of the Yule Ball, I had no idea who was even here still. Was Iris going to be there? Did Draco go back to his mansion with his family? There was no way of knowing unless I made my entrance. 

I round the corner and find the Slytherin table, half empty of course. As I make my way past, searching for Iris, I also look out for the blonde boy. I was a little enraged by the thought of him, and I really didn't want to see him right now. But then again, I needed answers on what had happened that night, even though there was no guarantee he would be truthful with me.

Just to my luck, I walk right passed the boy with silver hair and silver eyes. He seemed to be trying to ignore me too, but I still felt his gaze as I strided by. I plop myself down across from Iris.

"I'm so glad you didn't leave me here alone." I chuckle with her. 

"I was worried about you." She replied. I smile at the comment while also taking food from every plate I could find and shoving it in my mouth. 

"Well Draco, your little slut is finally back." I hear Pansy chirp up. They were many seats away from me, yet they purposely speak loud enough so I can hear them. I don't hear a response from Draco though, which made my ears perk up to listen. "Good thing you had me while she was out or else you would've been so lonely." She said dramatically, trying to get a reaction out of me. 

"You fucking liar, Pansy." Draco mumbles.

"Oh come on baby, you know you love me!" She giggles like a little girl. 

I swallow my food just to spontaneously say, "Pansy, you're not pretty enough to be this stupid." I begin to shut my mouth, not believing what I just said, but kept going because who gives a shit. "He wouldn't fuck you if you were the last girl on this planet. And even if he already has, maybe that's the reason he won't fuck you again you pathetic bitch." 

I couldn't hold in my anger anymore. I could sense the whole table turn towards me and go silent. Pansy went quiet, but Draco chuckled a bit and then stopped himself. 

"What are you laughing at ferret face?" I look at him. His face went cold, yet he didn't have a witty remark back. 

"Well, Eleanor, you're definitely on a roll with your insults tonight. What's up with you?" Iris leans over to speak directly to me.

"It's not something I want to talk about. I'm just sick of being the piece of shit Slytherin to them for no damn reason. I do nothing to provoke them before they come spitting at me. It's fucking exhausting." She nods, seeming to understand. 

I continue on with my meal, not caring what they think of me at this point. If one of them wanted to poison me then so be it. There was no point in being nice to them. I had tried that and nothing got better. I had had enough. Two can play at this game. It was time to be a real Slytherin to them now.