Roses Bloom Among Thorns

Poison

DRACO'S POV

I walked into the dining room for dinner and noticed that Hermione wasn't there sitting next to Potter and Weasley. Just then Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.

"If I may have your attention. I'm sad to say that Miss Granger has been severely poisoned and isn't doing well. Now she won't say who did it in her brief bit of conciousness but I suspect if you did it you would please admit to your crime. We have yet to figure out what poison has been put into her so we would need to know or she could very well die within a couple of hours now please if you did it confess or face the aweful consequences of having someone's life on your shoulders for the rest of your life because you didn't save them. Thank you all for listening." He said and sat down. A murmur went through the crowd and the food appeared in front of everyone. All throughout dinner everyone talked about who could have poisoned Hermione but they never got it right. I had been the one, without intending too. The ring I was wearing when I accidentally slapped her had cut her face and this ring if crafted with many things and a deadly poison is one of them. My family invented it in case we had problems with people or were in danger. It's a poison my famiy invented called Expanding Poison it made anyone who was cut with it's cut expand and bleed more and turn a violent shade of purple. Judging from when I slapped her and now she has at the most an hour or else she's a goner. The antidote is a mix of many different things but can be made in minutes. I ate and then slipped down into the Slytherin dormitories I got a quill, some ink, and a bit of parchment and wrote down the antidote. I snuck up to the hospital wing and looked inside Hermione was laying on a bed unconcious with no one around so I snuck over and put it next to her and when I left made sure to slam the door shut and leave quickly so that they knew someone had been there but didn't know who it was. I raced back down to the dining hall. I went back and sat at the Slytherin table. Then I started thinking, I had slapped and poisoned Hermione and she still won't tell anyone who it was that did it. The only other person who knew was Neville and he was giving me dirty looks from across the great hall about ten minutes later Hermione walked through the doors though looking a little pale and having a scar down her face with slight tears in her eyes. She walked over to Dumbledore and started talking to him and after a few minutes of speaking with Dumbledore she went and sat in her usual spot by Ron and Harry who both gave her a big hug. She sat down and I could see the tears still coming down her cheeks. The Expanding Poison did have an antiodote but it cause a bit of pain where you'd been cut. She glanced over at me and smiled at me. Why was she smiling at me? I just almost killed her! She should be aggrivated and want revenge! She got some food and ate as she wrote something down on a piece of parchment. When dinner ended she got up and walked over to me with the parchment in her hand She stopped and stood in front of me, she looked even worse up close she had no color in her face and her eyes had bags under them and her eyes were red and puffy. She handed me the parchment I hesitantly took it and read it.

Sundays and Saturdays at 9 outside under the tree near the lake

Tuesday Thursday after classes in the library

"You will follow this schedule or I will quit for good." She said walking back unsteadily toward Harry and Ron who were waiting for her, glaring at me. I looked at the Gryffindor table to see Neville glaring at me too. He knew what happened and was not happy about it. He stood up and left still glaring. I can't believe they had the nerve to glare at me! It was an accident! I walked back with the rest of the Slytherins to the dormitories. A little while later Snape appeared with something to say

"Mr. Malfoy I've been informed that the headmaster would wish to speak with you."

"Alright." I said following Snape out the door. I knew this was it, I was going to be expelled for good.

"Chocolate Frogs" Snape said and we went up to Dumbledore's office. The door was open and I could see Hermione sitting in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. I walked in and Snape closed the door behind me going back to the Slytherin dormitories.

"Please sit down Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said making a chair appear next to Hermione. I sat down and looked at Hermione who had her legs up covering her face. "Now Draco I've been informed by one of Hermione's friends that you didn't show up to your tutoring lesson. Now I would like to strongly encourage you to show up to your lessons or we will have to have your father hear about this." I was completely taken aback. I had expected him to expell me for accidentally poisoning Hermione.

"I-I will, she gave me a-a new schedule that er works around my schedule so I can make it." I said still in shock she didn't rat me out.

"Alright now lastly I would like you to apologize to Miss Granger for not making your lesson then you may both leave." Dumbledore said "Please if you would Miss Granger take your feet down so Mr. Malfoy can give you a proper apology." Hermione slowly took her feet down I looked over at her her scar had turned a violent shade of magenta and she looked as though she had a fever and was starting to break out in hives, those were the only side effects of the antidote.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I'll never do it again." I said then I felt some wierd tingling feeling in my stomache as I looked at her because she had tears streaming down her face from pain, the pain of having to look at the person who almost killed her.

"Thanks," she said through the tears "just don't do it again." she said and she got up and spun around on her heels and left.

"Before you leave Mr. Malfoy even though Miss Granger refuses to admit it I know it was you who accidentally poisoned her Madam Pomfrey saw you leave the note and Filch saw you slap her now I know you were both egging each other on and she did cross a line but there is no violence in this school now I will let you off with a warning but if anything of that sort happens again you will be serving detention in here with me for a month. Alright?"

"Yes sir." I said leaving. I knew that it was bound to cone out but at least she didn't rat me out like Potter or Weasley would have. She's crazy I would have ratted her out in a second. Why does she have to be nice! It makes it hard to hate her!