"Is Draco awake?"
"How are his injuries?"
As Dumbledore stepped out of the room, the concerned voices of several girls could be faintly heard from outside, giving Malfoy a terrible headache.
Should he remain unconscious, or remain unconscious, or remain unconscious?
This was not a difficult choice.
"Is he awake?"
When Dumbledore pushed open the door and walked out of the ward, several girls immediately gathered around him, their faces filled with worry and melancholy.
"He was seriously injured," Dumbledore said gravely. "He is still unconscious."
"Nagini's venom was more terrifying than I imagined, and it took a long time to treat him. Although he has been saved, there are still some after-effects. I believe Miss Delacour knows this better than I do."
Fleur nodded helplessly, admitting it.
"But none of that is the most crucial point. In the end, he exhausted a great deal of his energy manipulating those Dementors. So even though his physical injuries have healed…"
Dumbledore suddenly pointed to his head and sighed.
"I don't know when the injuries here will heal, and when he'll wake up is uncertain."
Hermione's heart sank.
She slumped back onto the bench, staring blankly at the mottled stone wall in front of her.
"May I go and see him?"
Pansy suppressed her painful emotions and asked pleadingly.
"Of course. Someone familiar with him might be able to awaken his will."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement.
"Maybe he doesn't like me very much, or perhaps he isn't particularly interested in me."
The old man shrugged helplessly, looking remarkably serious.
"Go and see him. He's out of danger, thanks to Miss Delacour's excellent medical skills."
"Mm."
Fleur nodded without the slightest trace of modesty.
"It's best to go in one at a time. He can't handle too much noise."
"You can decide among yourselves."
The old man left quickly. Dumbledore still had many things to deal with. Although he was injured himself, he was the pillar supporting everyone at that moment.
"I'll go first!"
The three girls looked at one another and spoke in unison.
"I… I'll go in last."
Luna looked around, then stepped out of the circle with a gentle smile.
"Never mind. I've already taken care of him."
Fleur took a step back.
Pansy and Hermione exchanged a glance, and Hermione, feeling guilty, also took a step back.
Pansy was the first to push open the door and then close it behind her. She tiptoed towards the bedside.
The room was filled with the fresh scent of herbs.
Malfoy lay on the hospital bed beneath a clean white sheet. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, showing that he was still alive.
The boy's face was extremely pale, and it seemed somewhat swollen. Even his usually sharp chin looked much rounder from a distance.
"It's such a shame. I couldn't help you at all during the final battle, and I didn't even get to see you fight so bravely. I only saw you looking so dishevelled."
Pansy gently sat down in the chair and carefully squeezed Malfoy's uninjured arm.
She did not dare sway around like a spoiled child. She simply leaned gently against him.
"I didn't cause you any trouble this time, did I?" she said softly, taking a deep breath.
"When you became a teacher, I wondered whether things would continue like this forever."
"Back then, I even started studying furniture and observing the arrangement of things in your office."
"A round living room would be best. A reception room would be ideal. The bedroom should be… and the garden should be…"
The girl unconsciously counted on her fingers, like a housewife dreaming about their future together.
With a vacant smile, she continued talking about furniture.
"You like reading, so we'll need a large study filled with bookshelves. What should the bookshelves be made of? Mahogany? Applewood?"
"But you're always so busy. You never have time to listen to what I'm saying."
Then one day, Malfoy suddenly told her that he was leaving again.
"They deserve some praise. At least they didn't keep me in the dark."
"I can vaguely guess what you wanted to do. Otherwise, I would have simply gone with you. The Dark Lord would definitely have been happy to accept me. After all, my father still has some influence."
"But you had to let me stay."
"This only proves that it might be more dangerous to be around Voldemort."
With that person now dead, Pansy no longer cared about hiding the mysterious man's name.
"I…"
Pansy wanted to say something more, but she suddenly felt that something was missing.
The problem was communication.
She kept talking to herself in solitude, while Malfoy gave her not the slightest response.
"It's really no fun venting to one side."
Pansy lightly tapped her head with her fist.
"Then let's have a scene where the princess kisses the sleeping prince to wake him up."
A smug smile appeared on her face.
She leaned down gently and left a kiss on the boy's lips.
This time, there was no resistance, and she got what she wanted.
However, she was conflicted. Part of her hoped she would return empty-handed—perhaps with Malfoy suddenly waking up and pushing her away.
"Get well soon, Draco."
Pansy stood up and stared at the boy in front of her.
As she continued staring, her shoulders began to tremble. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she turned and ran out of the ward without looking back.
The second person to enter the ward was Fleur.
She raised her wand and pointed it at Malfoy, looking down at him with her usual air of superiority.
Fleur took a deep breath.
"Nothing more to say, Mr Malfoy."
Fleur raised an eyebrow.
After leaving with feigned indifference and nonchalance, the haughty girl decisively departed.
This revealed her most arrogant nature.
After all, there was still a long future ahead, and she would be the one taking care of him for the longest time.
Hermione then followed closely into the room.
"I'm sorry. I owe you so much. Can I repay you slowly?"
She reflected on the past and realised that she had been the one who held him back the most, and that she had almost always ended up confronting him.
"Here. I can bite it back for you."
She stretched out her fair arm and held it in front of Malfoy's mouth.
I vaguely remember hearing him say, You really like biting people.
Thinking about the Invisibility Cloak that had been used to kill Voldemort, Hermione realised that Malfoy must have been the one who had infiltrated Hogwarts that time.
It had to be said that Hermione's action was rather silly, yet inexplicably cute.
"Also, although I caused you a lot of trouble along the way, the final result might not have been so bad."
"Without me, you would have been killed by Nagini, right?"
"The beginning was all trouble, but the end became a life-saving favour, so that should cancel everything out, right?"
"Or rather, do you still want to repay the favour I did for you?"
"So wake up quickly and prepare to repay me."
"Oh, right. There's something else I need to settle with you."
"You actually said I was in heat?"
Hermione's tone shifted from apologetic to slightly petulant.
"That's my Animagus, you know! Would I have become like that if I hadn't needed to spy on you?"
"And back in third year…"
"In fourth year…"
The girl seemed to have so much to say, but Malfoy still showed no sign of opening his eyes.
From hope to gradually growing disappointment, Hermione finally left reluctantly.
He probably needed some more time.
The last girl was Luna.
She lightly pushed open the ward door, walked over to Malfoy, and found a chair to sit down.
"Don't forget what we said before. You promised to go with me to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack as a reward for your help before."
"I'm not just after a reward."
Luna pursed her lips, shook her head, and blushed slightly.
"And another thing…"
Luna quietly leaned her face closer to Malfoy.
She had clearly seen it just then.
Malfoy's bare fingers, exposed beyond the bedsheet, had twitched.
"Okay. Our great hero is too tired. Maybe he should sleep a little longer."
Luna stared at Malfoy's "sleeping face."
Then she suddenly blinked, smiled playfully, and waved her fair hand in front of his eyes.
"Pretending to be asleep isn't a good habit, Mr Draco."
—The End—