Draco made a strangled noise.
'And he isn?t any better-looking than you, Harry,' said Hermione, avoiding his eyes.
'But hes-' Draco stammered, 'Hes — blond!'
Ron and Hermione stared at him.
'I?m tired,' said Draco in a strangled voice. 'I'm going to bed.'
As he went up the dormitory stairs, followed by Ron, Dracos mind raced. He had always assumed that Potter and his friends hated him as much as he hated them.
Well, it looked like Weasley probably did, but Hermione…advocating that they feel sorry for him? A Mudblood feel sorry for Draco Malfoy? He clenched his hands in rage and slammed the dormitory door behind him.
'Aack!' yelled Ron in pain, have been hit in the nose by the slamming door.
'Oh,' said Draco, 'Sorry.'
Hermione sat for a long time in front of her mirror that night, one elbow on her tattered copy of 'Affirmations for Witches Who Do Too Much' and the other on an equally tattered copy of 'Witches Who Love Wizards and the Wizards Who Don't Notice.' She sighed; it wasn't exactly true anymore that Harry didn't notice she loved him, she'd told him so last month, when she couldn't stand it any more, and he'd been very nice about it, but very clear.
He didn't love her.
He'd told her how he felt about Cho, and she said she'd sort of known it anyway, and they'd both sort of laughed, and he'd told her how much her friendship meant to him, and that had been it. Hermione still got a sick feeling in her stomach when she thought about it.
But tonight, she thought — tonight had been different, it seemed to her that Harry had been looking at her in a new way, as if…as if he was seeing her for the first time. Of course, that might have been the head injury. She put her face in her hands. Please, she thought, please let it not have been the head injury.
In the hospital wing, Harry, still unconscious, was lost in a horrible dream in which he was lost in the Forbidden Forest….he was looking for something…Ron was with him, but where was Hermione? He yelled aloud without waking up, and Dumbledore, in whispered conference with Madam Pomfrey, broke off and looked over at him anxiously.
'There is a great deal of darkness in that Malfoy boy,' he told Madam Pomfrey, who sniffed doubtfully. She had never liked Draco much. 'I fear,' said the Headmaster, 'that it may someday overpower him.'
Taking a shower the next morning was probably the strangest experience of Dracos life. He kept his eyes screwed shut so he wouldn?t see Harry naked, but when he did look down by accident, his jaw dropped in amazement. 'Well, would you look at that,' he said, trying not to. 'Congratulations, Potter.'
It was strange going to all of Harry's classes, thought Draco. It was a relief when they got to Care of Magical Creatures class, which the Gryffindors had with the Slytherins anyway. They were currently studing grindleflerberts: nasty little amphibious creatures with big, tooth-lined jaws. When Hagrid went back to his house to get more flobberworms to feed them, Crabbe and Goyle took the opportunity to abduct Nevilles toad and hold it over the cage of grindleflerberts, who slavered hungrily.
'Har har,' sneered Goyle, who was gripping Trevor the toad while Crabbe held off Neville with one arm. 'Do you want me to feed your toad to the monsters, likkle boy?'
'Please, no!' Neville begged. 'Leave Trevor alone!'
Neville was practically in tears. Draco watched, sniggering, until he became aware of Hermiones eyes on him. They were imploring. Oh, right, he recalled, I?m Harry Potter, Wonder Boy. Hermione obviously expected him to Do Something, so with a sigh, he went up to Goyle and said, 'Goyle, give the boy back his toad.'
Goyles piggy eyes narrowed. 'Make me,' he said, tightening his grip on Trevor.
Draco was used to Goyle doing everything he said, so that rocked him for an instant. This might turn unpleasant, he realized. He?d seen Goyle wreck a city bus with his bare hands before, he didn?t want to be next.
'Goyle,' he said, lowering his voice now so only the two of them could hear, 'Did you know I could read minds?'
Goyle stared at him blankly.
'Its true,' said Draco. 'Its the magical power of my scar,' he added, wondering if even Goyle was dim enough to believe this malarky.
'I don?t believe you,' he said slowly, but there was a fear in his small eyes.
'For instance, I could tell everyone here that you sleep with your night light on, you wear pink frilly underwear because it makes you feel pretty, and you?re secretly in love with Crabbe — you?ve got a photo of him under your pillow.'
Goyle let out a yell of horror, shoved the toad at Draco, and took off running. For such a big fellow, he moved pretty fast and was soon out of sight.
'Here you go, Longbottom,' said Draco, thrusting Trevor at Neville, who looked at him gratefully. He caught sight of Hermione gazing at him; she looked full of admiration and blushed when he looked at her. No one had ever looked at Draco like that before; it made him feel odd, and rather tingly around the ears. Furious, he trod purposefully on Seamus Finnegans toe as he headed back towards Hermione, and was pleased to hear him howl with pain.
Madam Pomfrey watched Draco Malfoy sleeping with a mixture of dislike and concern. She didn?t like the boy, but she couldn?t help feeling sorry for him, he was obviously having terrible nightmares, lashing out with his hands and screaming. Suddenly his eyes flew open and he looked at her, seeming horrified.
'You?re awake!' she said brightly.
'Whats going on?' he demanded, siting up. 'Where am I?'
