Souls to Steal

My head hurt, my arm hurt, my back hurt…my entire body just really hurt. I groaned out in pain. Slowly I let my eyes open to a dim lit white room. My vision was slightly blurred so I reached up to rub my eye with my left arm only to have it feel restrained. I blinked multiple times until my vision cleared and looked at my arm being held tightly in a brace. I looked around the room I was in only to notice I was in the hospital wing of the school. I’m not sure why I was put in a separate room.

“Your finally awake,” The voice of none other than Harry Potter greeted, a sigh of relief passing through his lips.

“Finally!” Hermione stated, “Do you know how worried everyone has been about you! Do you know how worried we were? How worried Malfoy was! He’s tearing everyone apart just to find out who did this to you. Which by the way, who did do this?”

Hermione said it in all one breath so I was confused, but one I comprehended the last question my confusion turned into rage, “I want to leave right now!”

“Woah there,” Ron held his hands up, “Calm down, you can’t leave yet. We don’t even know if you can walk.”

“I can walk, I’m fine,” I growled, sitting up. Before I could sit up all the way Harry put his hand on my shoulder sliding me back down.

“Stop, I’ll get Madame Pomfrey,” Harry stated and walked out of the room. I decided to look around the room, it was very bland with boring faded white walls and no pictures. The only thing that caught my attention was a vase of beautiful white roses.

“Who gave me flowers?” I asked Hermione, still staring at the roses.

“Malfoy, he brought one each day you were here and he visited you,” Hermione explained, “It was rather nice of him.”

Ron snorted and I heard Hermione whack him with something, probably on of her books.

“So I’ve been here this entire week?” I asked in shock turning to look at Ron and Hermione, “Tomorrow we leave for the holidays don’t we?”

Hermione nodded, “You’ve been out cold, the only sort of sign you showed that you we’re brain dead was you would scream occasionally and called Malfoy.”

I blushed lightly, “What did I scream? Besides calling for Draco that is.”

“You uhm…you kept on screaming –”

Hermione was cut off when Harry, Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore walked into the room.
“Well Miss Nethers you seem to be looking rather better,” Dumbledore stated.

I smiled at the man, “I feel quite better to be honest. I would really like to leave though.”

“Well I have a potion for the pain you can take Miss Nethers,” Madame Pomfrey said handing me a small greenish potion, “I’m sure you can walk fine, but you may need some assistance when walking up stairs. As for your left arm make sure you keep off of it! No flying at all and make sure when you sleep not to sleep on this side. You may take of the sling but the brace must stay on so your broken arm heals. The cuts on your face, neck, arms and back will heal. The one on your face might take a little longer than the rest.”

I nodded and was curious about the cut on my face. Once Madame Pomfrey left, Dumbledore turned to look at me.

“Are you willing to tell me who did this to Miss Nethers?” He asked.

I shook my head, “I’m a very vengeful person sir, and I would like to handle this on my own.”

Dumbledore nodded, “Just don’t do anything you might regret Miss Nethers.”

“Of course sir,” I answered and he left the room.

The trio left the room so I could change, Hermione was nice enough to get me some clothes because everything else was bloody and torn. When I was putting on my shirt I noticed that the golden snake around my wrist was still there, and I smiled, glad that nothing happened to it. After changing into my custom Slytherin shirt and a pair of jeans I opened the door of the room I was in and smiled at the trio. Ron was holding a bag with my bloody clothes and he handed it to me. I nodded my head at him with a small smile silently thanking him. We left the office and Harry and Ron decided to go off on their own.

Hermione offered to help me to my dormitory and I thanked her.

“Why are you so proud to be a Slytherin?” Hermione asked, pointing to my sweater.

“Why are you so proud to be a Gryffindor?” I asked her.

Hermione nodded, catching on to my point.

Once we reached the stairs that lead up to my dormitory Hermione grasped my hand an elbow with both of her hands and let me lean on her for support. Slytherins who were resting or walking by on the stairs moved out of the way and eyed my sympathetically. As I reached the top of the stairs I thanked Hermione and told her I would see her after the holidays.

I walked, or rather limped to my dormitory. Many Slytherins, mostly boys, offered me help but I politely refused as I made my way past them.

The dormitory next to mine belonged to Pansy and her friends, and I sneered. Pansy’s friends were outside of the room giggling madly. The dormitory door was closed so I figured Pansy was somewhere inside.

The two girls saw me and their faces paled. I walked over to them, my eyes set in a hard glare.

“You will pay,” I muttered darkly between gritted teeth, “You will pay, but warn Pansy that her life is going to be a living hell.”

The two girls glanced at each other and then back at me, I sneered once more before making my way to my dormitory. Right when I walked in I heard ruckus from next door.

“Pansy! Get out here!”

I snickered and went to my bed, I grabbed my wand from under the sheets and smiled. My wand was exactly like Draco’s wand 10 inches precisely, made of hawthorne and unicorn hair. It was magnificant.

I picked up my brief case from under my bed and lifted it up. Placing it my bed and opening it up then opening my small closet. I muttered a spell and all my clothes came flying out of the closet and were neatly folding themselves into my trunk.

I smiled and changed my jeans into sleeping shorts, decding to just leave my Slytherin shirt on for the night.

Tomorrow I leave back home.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*__*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

I grabbed my trunk and I boarded the train, I made my way past everyone. Thankful not having to shove anyone since they easily moved aside.
I looked from an empty compartment and slid in, setting my trunk my side I looked out the window to see students still boarding. I could see my reflection in the window. There was a long gash from underneath my right eye to the back of my jaw. It sort of looked like if a tear slid down my cheek and left a cut. From the looks of it, it wouldn’t leave a scar. And I was grateful for that. I sighed and closed my eyes, my eyebrows coming together as I remember the feeling of immense pain. I have never felt anything like it and there really were no words to describe it.

My compartment door opened and I spoke still keeping my eyes closed.

“I’d like to be alone thank you, find your own compartment to sit in or find a nice place on the train floor,” I stated.

A sigh of relief past the persons lips and I opened my eyes. My mouth lightly dropped but I soon picked it up and looked away from the person.

“What are you doing here Draco,” I muttered.

“Alexandria…”

“What Draco?” I looked up at him, I could feel the tears coming to my eyes but I held them back.

Draco set his trunk down and moved my trunk to the floor before he sat down next to me, his eyes traced the long cut and then so did his thumb. He reached up and followed the cut with his finger.

“Who did it to you? Who attacked you?” He growled quietly pulling his hand away from my face.

I sighed and looked at him, “Don’t worry about it.”

I was about to look out the window but Draco grasped my chin lightly, “No, you tell me who did this. Was is Weasley? Was it Potter? It was Potter wasn’t it? He claimed he found you but it was really Potter and his bloody friends.”

“It wasn’t Harry, Ron or Hermione. Draco just please forget about this,” I stated.

“How do you expect me to forget about it? Huh? I wake up one morning and I have Goyle telling me your in the hospital wing. Then the entire house is talking about how someone attacked you while you were on the Quidditch field. Do you even know how high you were up when you fell? Do you? You were 50 feet in the air, you could have died! I don’t know what I would have done, so you asking me to foget about this is like asking me to forget about my father.”

I frowned, “Let me handle this on my own Draco.”

“No, I will not.” Draco stated.

“I’ve been handling things on my own for a while now! I can take care of myself,” I stated.

“I know you can but just let me help you with whatever you need!” Draco answered back.

“You let me help you first,” I said, my voice low.
Draco opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, unable to say anything.

“Exactly, I’ve lost my best friend. I don’t know who took him or who’s controlling his mind but I know… I know that my best friend Draco Malfoy would let me help him. If he really needed my help he would let me help him.”

Draco reached towards my face and wiped a tear I didn’t even know I let fall.

“I can’t, you don’t understand…I can’t. And even if I could I wouldn’t because you could get hurt, seriously hurt. You can’t help me Ria.”

“You can’t help me either..” I stated.

“Ria–”

Draco was about to continue on but the compartment door opened and Pansy stepped inside, “Draco what are you doing in here with…”

I growled and pulled my wand out of my bag pointing it at her.

“Would you like me to curse you Parkinson?”

Pansy stepped back and out of the compartment, shutting the door. She sneered at me before turning and walking away.

Draco sighed, “You really should control your anger with her.”

I looked at Draco shocked, “Your defending her?”

“She won’t hurt you, she’s to weak –”

“She’s the one who cast the crucio spell on me!” I stated darkly, “What do you mean she won’t hurt me! How dare you chose her over your own best friend. Was everything she was saying right then? Are you really talking to her rather than me? Are you really telling her your secrets as she says rather than your own bloody best friend? How could you Draco!”

“Ria listen to me –”

“No! You listen to me, if you think for one second that you can just throw away our friendship and hand it over to Pansy pug face your wrong.”

“Listen to me! You we’re speaking to me, what was I supposed to do? Sure I talked to Pansy a little more but if you were to talk to me it would be you who I was talking to!” Draco raised his voice.

“Don’t le to me! Even before I stopped talking to you, you barley spoke to me,” I cried, letting tears slip past my eyes as my voice lowered, “You barley talked to me Draco. My own best friend… When Harry accused you of cursing Katie Bell I defended you. I told him you could do no such thing because in my eyes Draco you can’t. But this new Draco that you have become.. I don’t know if he would.”

Draco looked at me, there was sadness in his eyes and it just broke my heart. But losing my best friend was by far worse.

“I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t my friend Draco…”I stated quietly, “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you or if you just ran away.”

Draco frowned and pulled me into his chest cradling me. I tried to force myself not to cry but once I wrapped my arms around him I burst into tears.

“Don’t let me lose my only friend Draco,” I cried, “I need you the most right now, don’t let me lose you. Please.”

Draco rubbed my back soothingly, “Never.”

We stayed silent the rest of the trip, neither of us wanting to ruin the moment of peace.
Once the train stopped Draco didn’t bother to leave my side until we say his mother.

I smiled at her, “Hello Mrs. Malfoy. Nice to see you.”

She smiled at me and kissed my cheek, “Pleasure to see you too. Your father asked me to give you this, as he couldn’t make it.”

I muttered a ‘figures’ and grabbed the letter from Narcissa.
I read over the letter, my father said he would only be able to see me the day before I was leaving, he had important issues to discuss with Lucious Malfoy. He then told me I would be staying with Narcissa and Draco until the last day.

I looked up at Narcissa, “I assume you already know what’s going on?”

She nodded and smiled, “Yes, now come along.”

Draco looked at me confused and I smiled and sad, “We’re spending the holiday together.”

Draco smiled widely and drapped his arm over my shoulder.

I smiled up at him, I was glad my I wasn't spending the holidays with my father and I got to spend it was Draco.

But I was determined to find out what he needed help with.