Кассандра Клэр - Draco Dormiens

As she followed Harry back to the car, Hermione glanced down at the Epicyclical Charm in her hand. It was a nastily beautiful thing — white gold outlining a pendant of glass, inside which was a single one of Draco's baby teeth. She could see where Lucius' nails had dented the soft, pure gold, where his hand had bent the glass until it curved like the lens of a telescope.

Sirius had put Draco in the back of the car, where he slumped against the window, his arms around himself as if he were cold. He gave Hermione a faint smile as she climbed in next to him, then shut his eyes. Sirius got in next to her.

Harry was sitting up front, with the Weasleys.

Hermione watched Draco breathing as George backed the car up, then drove it up into the air and swooped out over the cliff. Over her shoulder, she had a feeling Sirius was watching him breathe as well. Not that she had the faintest idea what she would do if he suddenly stopped.

She glanced down as they sailed out over the Pit, inky black and infinite under the lightening night sky. She was still holding the charm in her fist, and something occurred to her. Wherever the Charm was it would always be a danger to Draco, vulnerable as it was to damage and breakage. But if she flung it into the Pit — it would fall, and fall forever, untouched by any force other than wind. She had been wondering what could possibly be done with it, now…

She turned toward the back of the car, gripping the charm, wondering if she should throw it. Then she felt a light touch on her wrist.

She glanced down and saw, to her surprise, that it was Draco. He was very pale, the skin under his eyes almost translucent, but he was awake. He whispered, "Don't."

She stared at him. Did he know what it was?

"I think I do know what it is," he said. "I've always sort of known. But I want you to keep it."

"Keep it?" Hermione was horrified. "I don't want — " "Please," he said, and shut his eyes.

Slowly, Hermione drew her hand back. With a feeling of grave reluctance, she undid the chain, placed it around her neck, and fastened the clasp. She felt the cold of it against her skin as the pendant dropped down inside her shirt. It was heavy. Much heavier than she would have thought. Like an anchor around her neck.

**** The sky had lightened to slate blue by the time they landed on the Hogwarts grounds, and Draco was now quite unconscious and could not be shaken awake.

As soon as they touched down, Sirius jumped out of the car. "I'm going for Dumbledore," he said, dropped to all fours in his canine form, and bolted for the castle.

Nobody could think of anything to say. The Weasleys went to make sure that Lucius was still unconscious in the trunk. Hermione and Harry sat, watching Draco breathe. Hermione wanted to ask him whether he was still angry with her, but it seemed somehow rude to have such a conversation with Draco there, even if he was unconscious. At last, she said, "Harry, are you all right?"

He glanced up at her. "I'm fine," he said. His voice was devoid of expression, and he still had that odd look on his face that she couldn't quite identify.

"Your wrists are still bleeding," she said in a small voice. "Do you want-" He got out of the car without looking at her, and went over to the Weasleys.

Hermione sat where she was, trying not to cry.

And then Sirius was back, with Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, and everything was a blur. Madam Pomfrey ordered them all away from Draco, magicked up a stretcher, lifted him onto it, and they hurried away with it without a backward glance. They all watched her go with various degrees of misigiving.

"Professor," said Hermione in a small voice, "Did she say whether he was going to be all right?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "As to that," he said heavily, "I cannot, at the moment, say." He turned to the Weasleys. "I know you must be tired, boys," he said, and added, with a slight twinkle, "And I know your father must want his car back. But I would like to ask you if you would do one more favor for us."

They nodded agreement.

"We need you to take Lucius to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and turn him over to the Aurors there," said Dumbledore. "I have spoken to them.

They will be expecting you." He turned to Sirius. "Sirius, give them the details. I need to go to the hospital wing and see if I can be of assistance to Madam Pomfrey. Harry and Hermione…come with me, please."

"There is one thing, Professor," said Sirius quickly. "The sword I told you about -

Harry has it."

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "May I see it?"

Harry handed it to him, and Dumbledore looked at it consideringly. "I see," he said, after a long pause, and then handed it back to Harry. "Don't let anyone else touch this," he said, just as Sirius had. He turned and headed back towards the castle, and Harry and Hermione hurried after him.

"How is he?" asked Dumbledore, staring down at the pale boy in the bed. Harry and Hermione, on either side of him, looked on with unhappy expressions.

"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey, who looked tired but much less worried. "I gave him several Strengthening Draughts and an Energy Potion. There's no lasting damage, and he may well wake up soon. The boy is actually quite strong, although he doesn't look it."

"I want to be notified the moment he is awake," said Dumbledore.

The door to the ward opened, and Sirius came in. 'They've gone," he said to Dumbledore.

Madam Pomfrey was looking irritable. "This is a hospital wing, not a train station," she snapped. "This boy needs to rest."

Hermione wanted to smile at Harry. She was so used to hearing Madam Pomfrey speak those words when Harry was under her care, as he often was after some strange adventure he'd gotten himself mixed up in. But Harry wouldn't look at her.

"You're right, Poppy," said Dumbledore equably. "Harry, come back to my office with me, I'd like to talk to you. Sirius and Miss Granger, you may remain here with Draco if you like."

Dumbledore left with Harry, and Sirius and Hermione took seats on either side of Draco's bed. It was true that he did look better. Some color had come back into his face.

Hermione was glad to be alone with Sirius. She had wanted to ask him something.

Reaching into her blouse, she pulled out the Epicyclical Charm and showed it to him. "Draco wanted me to keep this, but I don't know what I should do with it," she said. "I was going to toss it into the Bottomless Pit, but.."

"Good thing you didn't," said Sirius. "If Lucius ever goes to trial, we'll need that as evidence. It's ten years in Azkaban for making one of those things, and probably a further ten years for trying to kill someone with it. And when that person is your own son…."

"Good," said Hermione, with finality. "Sirius…"

"Yes?"

"Why won't you let anyone but Harry touch that sword?" she asked.

In answer, Sirius held up his hand and she saw what looked like an angry red burn across his palm. "That's why," he said. "If I'd held it any longer it would have charred away my hand."

"But Draco touched it, and he's all right," she said.

"Yes he is," said Sirius, turning to look at Draco again. "Which opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she said crankily. "You're just going to be cryptic."

"Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you," said Sirius.

She raised her eyebrows inquiringly.

"Don't be too hard on Harry," he said calmly. "The people he's really loved in his life, well, they tend to die. Makes him jumpy about expressing emotion."

"Maybe we could do a little less of the advice-giving," said Draco, "and a little more of the taking care of the patient? I am the focus of attention here, am I not?"