𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑅𝐺𝑅𝐸𝐸𝑁 𝑀𝐼𝑆𝑇 || 𝐷.𝑀.

twenty three

    The day of the duel was actually a gorgeous day. It was the beginning of March when spring was coming and the sun began to warm the air. Juniper and Blair were sitting outside in the courtyard, soaking up as much sun as they could before things went wrong. If only terrible days came with warnings.
    Draco was trying to fill his day with distractions as Juniper was spending the day with Blair. He was glad that Juniper's day was going better than his. Draco spent the morning breaking up two fights in the Slytherin common room and in the corridor by the charms classroom. After breaking up the fights, he had to write reports on them as a Prefect, which took forever and was painfully boring. Part of him wished Juniper were there to help him, she was always so good at the paperwork and managed to make it go by quicker, but he knew that was selfish of him to wish that though. He wanted Juniper to enjoy the beautiful day, whether it was with him or not. After the paperwork, he brought it to Professor Snape who, thankfully, didn't try to breathe down his neck for once. He felt better, deciding that maybe he should go to the Great Hall, but that was the wrong choice.
    When Draco arrived at the Great Hall, Harry Potter was speaking with Katie Bell. Harry Potter was attempting to see if she remembered the person who bewitched her and luckily, Katie Bell didn't remember Draco Malfoy was the person who handed her the bewitched necklace. However, the sight of Katie Bell seemed to be a breaking point for Draco, he could feel his breath getting caught in his throat and felt as if air wasn't getting to his lungs. He turned away to leave the Great Hall, trying not to draw attention to him as he could feel himself unwillingly beginning to cry a bit. What's wrong with me? Kept running through his mind as he rushed into the bathroom. He pulled off his sweater and splashed his face with cold water and in that moment he was praying Juniper was with him.
    "I know what you did, Malfoy." Harry Potter's voice rang through the bathroom, causing Draco to turn around quickly. He looked at Harry who had his wand drawn already and the duel broke out before Draco could even realize it. Harry sent a defensive spell at Draco nearly immediately, causing Draco to jump out of the way and draw his wand.
    "Stupefy!" Draco threw the spell, but Harry moved too quickly and it hit the wall.
    "Depulso!" Harry yelled across the bathroom, their spells were blasting into bathroom stalls and into sinks, causing water to spew everywhere.
    "Flipendo!" Draco threw it frantically as he tried to exit the bathroom. He hit Harry, knocking him down, but Harry immediately retaliated and hit Draco with a spell he'd never learned before. He barely remembered a thing as he hit the ground, the last thing he saw was his own blood in the water around him and Professor Snape running to his side.
    Juniper was outside in the courtyard with Blair while the duel went on. She was completely unaware of what happened to her boyfriend until she heard students speaking, breaking her conversation with Blair.
    "Wait, what did they just say?" Juniper asked Blair as students walked into the courtyard.
    "I didn't hear." Blair tilted her head. They both stopped speaking, trying to listen in.
    "I heard Potter is in the hospital wing." A girl gossiped.
    "No, no, it's Malfoy who's in the hospital wing. Potter's in deep shit with Snape though." Another girl gossiped back. Juniper felt her heart drop, she didn't even feel herself get up and start walking quickly toward the hospital wing, praying that everything would be fine when she got there. Every scenario was running through her mind. Scenarios of Draco being alright, scenarios of him being badly hurt, and the worst: scenarios of him being dead. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't even realize she was crying as she slammed the hospital doors open.
    "What in the bloody hell happened?!" She yelled as Draco was unconscious in a bed, Madam Pomfrey tending to him. Of all people, Snape grabbed her arm and pulled her back from going to him.
    "Pull yourself together now, Ms. Hartley." Snape said quietly. "Mr. Malfoy was hit with a spell called Sectumsempra, luckily I was there to mend the wounds and Madam Pomfrey has finished healing the wounds." Snape told her, his voice was cold and distant, low, as if nothing happened.
    "Sectum-what? I...I've never heard of that spell before." Juniper whispered, finally wiping the tears off her cheeks. "What happened?" She asked.
    "Potter and Malfoy engaged in a duel, Potter will be properly punished, perhaps your questions would be better suited for when Mr. Malfoy wakes up." Snape seemed less than willing to give her anymore information, he turned away quickly, leaving her in the almost empty hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey and Draco.
    "He'll be alright, Ms. Hartley." Madam Pomfrey tried to give her the most reassuring smile. "You're free to sit with him until he does, he'll stay over night and tomorrow will probably be free to return to his normal routine." She gave Juniper more answers. Juniper nodded her head, taking a deep breath in and sitting in the chair next to him, she could barely look at him as he lied so still, even though he was technically asleep, she felt as if he was so far away from her rather than right next to her. Little did she know that across the castle, Hermione Granger was screaming at Harry Potter for the duel.
    "Are you joking, Harry? Dueling with Draco Malfoy in the bathroom and injuring him! Have you gone mad?!" Hermione was screaming at him.
    "I know, Hermione." Is all Harry said with a sigh. "Believe me, I heard enough from Snape and McGonagall." He told her.
    "And did you apologize?" Hermione asked, enraged at her friend who was acting like a blithering idiot.
    "No! Have you gone mad, Hermione?" Harry barked back at her.
    "Harry! You could've killed him! Imagine what his father would do if he was dead right now!" Hermione yelled again.
    "And he's not! He's in the hospital wing, alive!" Harry yelled back. Hermione heard enough and decided to leave the Gryffindor common room. "Where are you going?" Harry asked her, letting out another sigh.
    "To the hospital wing to talk to Draco Malfoy's girlfriend before she finds you and bewitches you!" Hermione scolded. Her eyes were furious as she stormed out, hoping Juniper Hartley, a girl she'd never truly met, was willing to speak.
    It had been a couple hours since Juniper arrived at the hospital wing, Draco was still unconscious and by now, Juniper could finally convince herself that it looked as if he were asleep, and so she laid her head against his abdomen, holding his hand lightly until he would wake up. Madam Pomfrey had recommended she leave to get rest, that he'd most likely be asleep the whole night, but Juniper denied the suggestion and insisted she wanted to stay. It was a quiet evening until Hermione Granger showed up, at first all she heard were hesitant footsteps, making Juniper raise her head to look toward the hospital wing doors.
    "C-can we talk?" Hermione spoke first. Juniper looked back toward Draco as Hermione pulled a chair next to her. "I wanted to come apologize." She said.
    "Why are you apologizing? It's your friend Potter who should be here." Juniper said as she leaned back in the chair. "You're just here to make sure I don't harm Potter for putting Draco here." Juniper let out a laugh.
    "I can't stay you're wrong." Hermione let out a laugh as well. "How is he?" She asked.
    "Snape was there in time to stop the bleeding and Madam Pomfrey mended the rest of the wounds. He'll be fine." Juniper nodded as she lightly played with Draco's fingers in her lap. "I'm not mad at Harry, I mean, I am of course. But I don't pretend to be ignorant to the way Draco's been to you and your friends and I won't sit here and defend him for it." Juniper told Hermione truthfully. "He's arrogant and an ass, rude, and sometimes cold, but this, Hermione, this shouldn't be happening."
    "I agree with you, these boys will hold grudges for a lifetime." Hermione sighed as she leaned back in her chair, making Juniper laugh a bit.
    "I appreciate you coming even if it was your intention to make sure I wouldn't harm your friend." Juniper said as she reached over to push Draco's hair back a bit, giving him a small smile as she could finally see that he indeed would be completely alright. Hermione watched her intensely, curious as to what Juniper even saw in someone like Draco.
    "Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked her slowly. Juniper nodded her head as she still ran a couple fingers in Draco's white hair. "What...what do you see in him?" Hermione's question made them both laugh and Juniper leaned in the seat again, shaking her head.
    "He's a very difficult person to understand." Juniper said slowly.
    "Emphasis on very." Hermione made her laugh again.
    "Precisely," Juniper giggled, "but when you actually do understand him, he's wonderful. No one else makes me feel like he does and he understands me better than I understand myself. Draco is arrogant like I told you, but above all else a beautiful person whom I'm pretty sure I'm completely falling for." Juniper didn't expect to tell Hermione that much, but at the same time necessarily enjoyed her company. Hermione nodded her head slowly and gave a bit of a smile.
    "You make him sounds like a good boyfriend, which forgive me, surprises me." Hermione said as she made Juniper laugh.
    "Completely understandable, I couldn't stand him at first and now I can't get enough of him." Juniper told her. "Surprisingly, I actually enjoy your company, Granger." Juniper continued.
    "I didn't expect it, but I actually enjoy it too." Hermione said. They sat there in a bit of silence for a moment, Draco moved in his sleep which made Juniper look anxiously at him and hoping he'd wake, but he didn't. "I should probably be going, I can inform Harry that you so graciously agreed not to bewitch him." Hermione said as she stood up.
    "Tell him that I didn't promise it, just to keep him on his toes." Juniper winked at her.
    "I like the way you think." Hermione laughed a bit before she left the hospital wing. Juniper put her head on Draco's abdomen again just like she had it before Hermione had arrived, falling asleep on him even though it was uncomfortable, she simply just felt comfortable being with him.