From afar I watched as Alice's face faded, I tried to reach out for her hand but she was growing dim by the minute.

"Wait, don't go,..." I tried pleading all in vain. she seemed to be pulled by a force beyond her, a force beyond me. I cursed out to whatever power out there that wove such reality. why couldn't they let me enjoy such bliss in peace?

I woke up to a slow rumbling and a furry feel next to my face. with my eyes still shut, I let out a hungry yawn, my faculties were quite slow on the uptake at the moment.

Whatever was next to me perched on my chest and seconds later, I felt a warm and wet sandpaper-like texture running through my face. I opened my eyes only to be met by the golden shining pair from Crookshank.

A familiar scent made An electric thrill of excitement cut through me in rapid succession. I slowly tried to turn my head to scan the room for the cat's owner but a sharp pain reminded me that I was still incapacitated by my injuries. damn, what had the nurse done to me. I recalled speaking to Aster a while ago, my body could still move even though painfully. now even moving a finger felt quite impossible.

The cat continued to lick my face unconcerned.

"Well, he must have missed you quite a lot. he doesn't lick me that much '' the familiar feminine voice said.

I saw a movement from the left corner of my eyes and in a short while the face of Hermione swam into view above me. the bushy mass of blond hair was tied this time in a ponytail

She looked as Hermione as I ever knew.

pulling a chair, she sat next to my bed." how do you feel" she asked.

I could tell the looks of concern on her face were honest. however, I didn't plan to make things easy for her. where is the fun in that? I let the silence stretch out for a while before answering.

"I thought you wanted me dead".

she was quiet for a while before the stubborn look returned."I think you are mistaking Fred and George for me. there is a gender difference you know. anyway. are you feeling better or should I drop by some other time"

What can I say, it had been quite a while since having a decent conversation with her. and a friendly one with anyone except my sister of course whose concern was still being processed by my shocked brain.

"I feel slightly better though I can barely move," I said in response. whatever the nurse had given me besides immobilizing my body, had greatly alleviated the pain I had felt before.

"Madam Pomfrey said it was something to help the bones heal without disturbance".from the querying gaze she gave me, I could tell that she had questions. lot of them. she was just trying to be modest but failing terribly.

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"What is it, Hermione? '' I enquired. I could be wrong but her cheeks were slowly reddening.

She busied herself with something on the sheets before answering.

"I know it's none of my business but Who is Alice? You kept calling her name in your sleep."

The hell I did!...."I thought cursing out inwardly.

Now it was my turn to get tongue-tied. my dilemma wasn't because of any hidden motive. however, would she believe me even if I told her the truth? if I had learned anything at all since finding myself in this world, it was that to those anchored in reality, lies were certainly merciful

Thankfully though, my rescue came unexpectedly.

A sudden massive cheering and magically amplified trumpets broke out from the direction of the school grounds.

Hermione's face palmed in exasperation." oh god, not again, not again. they need to make the castle soundproof.

My confused mind was trying to process the reason for the tumult.

"What is happening out there, Hermione".I asked, cursing silently for my restriction. I couldn't move even an arm for the life of me. heck!

Hermione sighed again.

"Nothing, just some teenagers playing quidditch and making a mountain out of an ant hill," she said in hyped frustration

Slowly realization dawned on me, today was the day Slytherin faced Gryffindor. and just like the twins had planned, I had missed the game. of course, this loss would make me more unpopular and earn me more names.

Another cheer broke out and Hermione was positively furious now. "you guys are having the time of your life. madam hooch should be ending this game by now. your sister seems intent on accumulating points before catching the snitch.

"What,?" I exclaimed in surprise at this new information.

"Aster is playing?"I asked, unbelieving.

Hermione who had suddenly gotten a book out of nowhere sighed loudly."yes, Oliver was surprised as well. not that I care but honestly, she is in a good spot. even McGonagall agrees and that should mean something seeing how snape and her rarely agree on anything.

I felt a warmth of pride within me.at least we stood a good chance. wait..., another doubt was already forming.

"how do you know we are the ones winning" maybe she was just guessing. Hermione stared at me as if I had made a terrible joke.

Seeing the serious expression on my face, she decided it was not. "Of course, you are, with both the Gryffindor beaters in detention they don't stand a chance. besides, those trumpets could only belong to Pansy."

Hermione's frustration did nothing to curb my happiness when I heard this news, I couldn't understand how she remained uninterested in quidditch. the victory would certainly take us a step closer to winning the house cup

But I was nonetheless careful not to mention that. we had just gotten to speaking terms and I wasn't ready to ruin that again. she suddenly looked from her book and stared at the smile playing on my face. she shook her head.

"Get over it Draco. if you knew the massive backlog of homework waiting for you, you would have nothing to smile about."Hermione said in battle.

She was wrong, I doubt that even homework could deny me the joy of winning a quidditch match. but she had a valid point though. I had a lot of catching up to do yet I hadn't healed yet.

A thunderous rapture of cheering made Hermione close her book in anger.

"there you have it. your sister must have caught the snitch".she got from her seat and placed the book on the bedside table."

"Will you drop by again,?.I asked with uncertainty

I could have sworn I saw a smile play on her lips a second before. She stared at me with stern eyes.

"You are not planning on staying here, are you?" she said pointedly.

"Of Course not. that is up to the nurse"

she bent and picked up the Crookshank who was snuggling comfortably on my chest.

"Well, in that case, it's up to the nurse whether I come back or not. mind you, read that book when you are better. See you."

And with that, she walked out as broad laughter split my face.

I sighed.

Just how much better would life get?