Dramione and the Half Blood Prince.

28. For the Greater Good

"Megan, a word." Draco strode towards her with purpose poisoning his step. His blond hair slick back in his old military fashion, his skin looked taught and grey – like he hadn't eaten.

The smiling witch looked up in confusion, her smile fell from her face at the sight of his "What's wrong?" she stood up from the bench she was formally residing on as Blaise's hand fallowed her up "It's alright" she waved it down as she followed a silent Draco through the great hall and out the doors to a quiet corridor.

"Draco" she grabbed his arm quickly, spinning him round "What's wrong, were is Hermione?"

"In the hospital wing, sick. She has thrown up every two hours on the dot since Friday night. She was fine at first but now they are struggling to keep anything in her, spells don't make a difference so it must be something muggle. Whatever it is has made her seriously sick." Draco answered, anger hiding behind his eyes. "They said it could be something to do with a dodgy sleeping potion. Wouldn't have anything to do with it would you?" he sneered knowingly, she faltered.

"...no, no it can't have been" she shook her head "I'm going to see her" she tried to walk past him but he snatched his arm out stopping her dead in her tracks.

"No" his cold grey eyes shot at her, catching her breath in her throat. "You're staying here and telling me exactly what you put in that thing."

Megan swallowed as she felt Draco's grasp on her arm tighten in silent and pleading desperation. "I..." she started, screwing her mouth to one side. "It wasn't dodgy."

"Well clearly not" he sneered sarcastically at her.

"No, it wasn't!" Megan snapped, drawing her hands up to massage her temples "I just crushed up a sleeping tablet with a dreamless sleep draught to make it work better" she groaned screwing her eyes shut.

"A what?"

"A sleeping tablet, muggles put herbs and stuff into a tablet to help people sleep" Megan pointed towards the hospital wing "Can I please go and see her now?!" she pushed.

"No, herbs? What her-" but before he could finish Nevil and Harry came sprinting full speed down the corridor, panting wildly.

"Malfoy! Its Hermione!" Harry screamed as he ran straight past the two startled people who sprinted after him and Longbottom in quick succession.

They rushed along the long winding corridors until they reached the packed hospital wing. Everyone in there seemed to be running around in a blind panic but Draco made a bee line straight for the cause of the noise.

And there she was, eyes bulge and blood shot grasping at her throat for dear life, unable to breath and incapable of sound. Her limbs flew everywhere as the staff and nurses panicked in dumbfoundment. Draco tried to shove his way through the wall of stiff bodies but before he knew it his own body had been forced into the wall with exceeding amounts of strength. His head collided with the stone causing his vision to blur before a bony fist came thundering down towards his nose, the pain spread through him in waves from the focus of the impact.

"ARGH!" he shouted cupping his noes as harry grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him back hard against the wall "What the fuck!"

"You have done this to her Malfoy, if you had kept yourself out of our business then she would still be fine!" Harry screamed, tears threatening behind the pains of his glasses. He threw Draco's shoulders back into the stone once more.

"SHES ALERGIC TO VALERIAN!" Draco screamed into Harrys face making him falter and step back, at this outburst Megan sprinted from the room with her hand over her mouth. "She needs epinephrine!"

The room seemed to become silently slow as it span into action and madam Pomphrey sprinted to the draw next to her as Hermione's skin blued rapidly. The panic set in stone in anyone with muggles in their family as the rest of the room stared helplessly at her.

"Why did she even have that in the first place" Harry breathed in shock that he didn't recognise the signs. "What did you feed her Malfoy?!" he spat accusations like it was tobacco.

"I didn't give it to her, I know she's allergic?!" Draco sneered trying not to let tears stain his own cheeks as Hermione tried to squirm away from the gigantic muggle needle that was rushing towards her thigh.

As soon as the needle collided with her skin, charms were showered over her to fix her bodies allergy. "She must have protection charms on her before, otherwise it would have taken affect as soon as it entered her body – what was in that sleeping potion you made Mr Malfoy?" Pomphrey shot daggers in his direction.

"I haven't done anything, why do you people not see that?!" Draco's voice cracked as he shouted across the wards of people, his shoulders ached and his noes throbbed from his previous collisions with Potter but all that was on his mind was all the ways he could keep her safe. Harry was right, if he hadn't gotten involved then nothing would have happened – she wouldn't have been confronted by his father and therefor would not only still have parents but wouldn't have started getting nightmares meaning she wouldn't have taken the potion and wouldn't have almost died... it was all his fault.

It was all his fault.

Draco found his feet working ten times faster than his brain - he was running, pounding out of the infirmary and down never ending stairs. His footfalls echoed through his bones like his heartbeat punctuating his every waking moment. He is the reason she could have died, and not only once. Its far better for him to stay away from her, for her to keep breathing – even if it broke his very being to do so.

He launched himself at the doors to Myrtle's bathroom, sprinting to the basins to steady himself. In all the years he had herd the saying 'heartbroken' he never once imagined it would be so earth shatteringly painful. The pain in his nose and back were numbed out as his entire world was encompassed by excruciating and hysterical pain. Tears burnt his eyes and scared his cheeks as screams escaped his lungs in a desperate plea that no one would ever be able to hear. He reached up to shakily drag his jumper over his head grabbing a tap to try and wash the pain ridden acid from his face.

"You can't escape what you've done that easily Malfoy" Potter shot from behind him "CONFRINGO!"

Before Draco could react to what had happened rubble from a nearby pillar shot in every direction, clouding his vision and wounding his face. His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled for breath through thick panic and dust.

"EXPULSO!" Another angry holler came from somewhere in the dust as bits of rubble clumped together and shot towards Draco just moments after he dived for cover behind a toilet cubicle.

Draco's brain boggled as he took in his situation, his life had just ended in his decisions to keep the woman he loved safe but her best friend had decided that he was then going to try and kill him!? He edged slowly round the corner to be greeted with a sharp and well preformed disarming spell which coursed through his bones and flesh causing his wand to fly out of his hand at alarming speed; speed which he mirrored as he sprinted towards the doors for dear life –

"SECTOMSEMPRA!"

The spell hit Draco like a ton of bricks ripping his skin from the inside out, suddenly all the other pains he had felt in the past minuets felt like mere scratches as his very organs became contorted through thousands of invisible shards splintching and tearing through his flesh. Scarlet blood pulsated from his limbs, the pumping that previously kept him alive was slowly faltering as his only reason for living had just been pushed away. He tried to relish in the pain and let it overcome him but his body fought, its self-preservation taking over every thought Draco had until his world buzzed and blurred from focus; leaving the once strong boy swimming in a pool of his own blood, whimpering and gasping for relief.