Beauty and the Beast [Draco Malfoy]

Chapter Twelve

Draco's POV:

Having the Potions master as a godfather is very convenient when your best friend has been poisoned. Professor Snape knew that Lizzie and I are friends, so he kept me updated on the progress of the antidote.

"Any day now, Draco," the man drawled as I walked out of his classroom a few weeks after Liz had been attacked.

That one sentence had made my mind begin to whirl. Any day now Lizzie will wake up. She'll wake up and I'll see her for real. I mean, I see her everyday when I visit, but that doesn't count. She can't hear me, she can't respond. But once the antidote is finished, I'll be able to apologize to her for real. To her conscious face. I'll be able to look her in the eye and tell her how much I missed her.

Her eyes. Oh Merlin, I missed her eyes. They were so solid, so dark, so beautiful. Dark smokey grey. Just thinking about her eyes makes me shiver.

Please, please, please wake up soon Lizzie.

I had gone in everyday to visit the girl. I would check on her before breakfast and then immediately after my last class ended. It broke my heart every time I walked through the large, wooden doors of the hospital wing because I knew I was there to visit my best friend who had no idea I was there with her.

Every morning it was the same deal when I went to see Liz before breakfast. Today was no different.

I gently pushed the doors open and peeked through. Madam Pomfrey was beside Lizzie's bed giving her some sort of potion.

I walked up to the bed and sat in the chair.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey greeted me, slipping a bit more of the light blue potion down Lizzie's throat. She was always giving Liz a potion when I came in.

"What potion is that?" I asked quietly.

"Well, this one is a substitute for food. Since she is unconscious, she can't eat but her body still needs nutrition, and this potion provides that. I also give her a potion that keeps her hydrated. I give her one that keeps her body from becoming weak from no use for a month," she replied, as the last of the potion disappeared into Lizzie's mouth. I nodded. "You're a very good friend, Mr. Malfoy. She is very blessed to have you."

"You only see the tip of the iceberg. I'm not as good as I may seem," I replied, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. My eyes went to Lizzie's lips. They were parted slightly, as always, but today they seemed to be moving almost.

"I see more than you may think," Pomfrey winked. I cocked my head at this. Does that mean she knows how I treated Liz when I first found out her blood status? "Yes, I know about your little falling out with Ms. Samuels. She is still very blessed to have you as a friend. You come in here a few times every day simply because you want to, because you want to see how she is doing. No one else has come to see her."

"No one?"

"No one. When Ms. Samuels wakes up, make sure you tell her how much you appreciate her. In fact, why don't you tell her now?" she suggested, clearing Liz's bed stand.

"She can hear me?" I asked sitting up.

"She sure can. I'll leave you alone now. You know where to find me if anything happens," she told me, walking to her office.

My eyes flitted to Lizzie's still form once again. Her eyes remained shut, her hands still, her mouth unmoving. The only sign of her life was the slow up and down movement of her chest. I placed her left hand in mine.

"Lizzie, Pomfrey says you can hear me. I don't know if you really can, but here I go. I miss you. I miss you more than anything. You could have died. Your heart almost stopped. But it didn't and this has been the wake up call I needed. It physically hurts how much I want to hear your voice. If I start to think about what's happened, my chest constricts and I want to punch someone. I miss the way you used to throw your head back when you laughed, and the way your nose crinkles when you smile. I miss taking walks around the school with you and talking about anything and everything. I miss being up on the astronomy tower with you. I know we only went once, but I miss it. I want to take you there again and watch the stars longer. I miss you Liz, please wake up soon." I finished my monologue and realized there were tears running down my cheeks. I fleetly wiped them away, a little embarrassed.