What Lies Within

"I'm so bored." Draco whines to his wife, who responds with nothing but a laugh as she flips to another page of her book. She was sprawled out on the hospital bed that she and Draco had been sleeping in for two days. Sophie hadn't left his side once. Madame Pomfrey had tried to stop them from sleeping in the same bed for the first day and a half but now three days in, she gave in and conjured up a two person bed, giving them more space. It was tucked away in the corner of the hospital, cornered off by hospital screens. It wasn't full privacy but they still enjoyed their space none the less. "Can we leave this place yet?"

"No, Dray, you aren't well enough yet. You can barely even walk without help." Sophie responds, finally putting her book down. She puts it down on the table beside the bed, which had a vase of flowers on top. They, and a card, had arrived through owl from Narcissa after she got word of Draco's injury. She was going to visit the next day as well, to see how Draco was doing. She would have visited sooner but it was taking some time to get through to Dumbledore to authorize the visit, he had apparently been traveling a lot lately.

"I manage just fine." Draco grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest, pouting. He quickly uncrosses his arms with a grimace. His chest was sore and very tender. The red welts were still there, angry and blaring at Sophie every night and morning when she helped Draco get dressed. She was able to keep the tears at bay now, knowing that he would make a full recovery and that they were finally back together again.

"It's not so bad in here." Sophie comments, leaning over to kiss Draco's cheek before sliding down to lay on the pillows. Draco slides down to be level with her, smiling over at her. "We get to be in our own little world over here." She looks around the brightly lit room. Though there was a whole room full of beds on the other side of the screens, it was easy to forget that the real world was just on the other side. It was just the two of them in here.

"I miss being able to walk around and do things though. I'm quite bored. And you go back to class tomorrow." He grumbles, shrugging. Sophie smiled over at him. She had taken the last two days of class off, getting the okay from Professor Snape to do so. Hermione had been bringing Sophie's work to her. The teachers knew Draco wouldn't do his work, even if he was in class, and having given up on making him work, didn't bother getting his work to him. Sophie decided, with Draco on the mend, to head back to class. She did enjoy it just being the two of them here though.

"But every second I'm not in class, I'll be right here with you." She assured him. He smiled over at her softly and kissed her forehead.

"Will you do me a favor?" He asked her. She frowned but nodded none the less. She would do anything he asked of her, he knew that. "Go by the cabinet." Sophie should have known this was coming. Honestly, she was surprised that it hadn't been brought up sooner. Both of them were just happy to be back together and able to spend time with one another, they didn't want to bring the mood down more than Draco's almost death had already done.

"Why?" Sophie whispers, barely able to get her voice any higher.

"I sent another bird through. It wasn't coming back and I got upset. That's why I was in the bathroom, I was...." He trails off, looking away from his wife for a second. ".. crying." Sophie's heart just about broke. Draco didn't cry, she'd only seen him cry a few times in her entire life, so to know that he had sunk so low to hide out in the bathroom and cry... it made her feel like a lousy wife. How could she just abandon him like that?

"Oh, Draco." She had to fight back tears now. "I'm so sorry." He shakes his head, leaning over to press his lips to hers gently, trying to keep any of her tears that may come away. He gives her a small smile when they pull back. He rests his hand on her cheek, looking into her eyes as he brushes her hair from her face.

"I'm okay." He whispers to her. She nods, the tears still trying to break free. "I have you back now. As long as I have you, I'm okay." He assures her.

"I should have always been there though, I abandoned you." She says, a tear finally falling out of her eye. Draco sighs and kisses her again, unsure of what to say or do. They'd had this discussion many times over the last few days. "So what do you need me to do with the cabinet?" She pulls away to ask, blinking tears from her eyes. Draco smiles softly, reaching up to wipe the tears away from his wife's soft cheeks.

"See if the bird came back. I doubt it but... it's been on my mind for a few days now." He says. She bites her lip and nods before giving him a small smile.

"I can do that." She tells him. "I need to make a stop and see a certain Gryffindor anyway." Sophie sits up, wiping her cheeks the rest of the way dry.

"Do you have to go now?" Draco pouts, reaching out for his wife again, making her smile.

"You need to take your medicine and rest now, Mr. Malfoy." Madame Pomfrey says, brisking into the room, a steaming goblet in her hand. Draco had to take a potion to mend up his wounds, every evening two hours before dinner, and it made him very sleepy so he usually napped when he took it; that was Sophie's time to get her school work done. Then at bedtime he got a pain potion and again in the morning. He hated having to take it all, but it helped him so he put up with it.

"See, you won't even notice that I'm gone." Sophie leans over, kissing Draco's cheek before standing from the bed and making her way out of their little cove. The rest of the hospital wing was empty and seemed so much colder and darker than her and Draco's little spot. She made her way out of the hospital wing and headed for the library. She figured Hermione would be there and she would know where to find Harry.

"Please... I'd ask you to not be too hard on him," Hermione says later as she leads the way to where Ron and Harry were apparently lounging about outside by the lake. "but he deserves it. Just don't kill him, okay?"

"No promises, Hermione." Sophie tells her best friend honestly. Hermione cracks a small smile but still looks nervous. They approach Ron and Harry, both of which stand up when they notice the two girls. Harry looked terrified.

"Sophie-" He starts but Sophie's cruel slap across his cheek shut him right up.

"We'll just... go." Hermione took Ron's arm and pulled him away quickly, both of them looking back hesitantly, unsure if they should really leave them alone or not, but left anyway. Harry was looking at the ground, his hand on his stinging and red cheek.

"I should kill you, Harry." Sophie seethed, glaring at him. Harry finally looks up at her sadly.

"I know." He mutters. "I hate myself for what I did." Sophie shook her head.

"Where did you even learn that curse? I've never heard of it." She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. Harry sighs, unsure of how to answer her.

"I got it from a book. My potions book. It's used and it's been.... written in." He explains. "It's got tips and tricks in it for how to do potions." He goes on.

"So that's how you've been doing so well this year." Sophie figures out, making Harry nod.

"It also had a few spells and things written around the margins. I've tried a few others and they were all innocent... fun." He said. "I didn't think that it would have a curse like that, I didn't honestly. I had no idea what the spell was."

"And so you decide to try it out on my husband?!" She yells. Harry looks back at the ground, looking ashamed. He shakes his head.

"All it said was that it was for enemies. I thought it was like a jelly leg curse, or bat boogey hex, not something that would actually kill him!" He defends. "He and I were just... fighting and.. it came to my head."

"What is wrong with you, Harry?!" Sophie was so appalled at the idea that Harry would ever think it was okay to try out any kind of unknown spell that was simply jotted down in the margins of a text book by some unknown person. “Do you not think of the consequences of your actions? Do you not care about the people you hurt?”

“I didn’t mean to, Sophie!” He finally yelled back, raising his voice like she had. “I didn’t know it would almost kill him. I feel horrible about it, alright? Lay off.” Sophie narrowed her eyes as who was once her best friend.

“You have no right to be mad at me for getting upset. You almost-”

“Killed your wonderful and perfect husband who can do no wrong, I know.” Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head, taking a step away from Sophie. “If all you did was come out here to yell at me, just leave. I’m sorry, I have nothing else to say to you, Sophie.” His voice was soft and quiet and he refused to look at her.

“You need to grow up, Harry.” Sophie too took a step back away from who was once her best friend. “You need to realize that there are more serious things going on than your stupid little school boy feud with Draco.”

“Have you had the same talk with him then?” Harry looks back at Sophie as she laughs and shakes her head.

“Harry, Draco has much more important things to focus on than if someone like you has a problem with him.” Sophie tells him before she shakes her head. “Goodbye, Harry.” Sophie gives him one last sad look before she turns and rushes away, back towards the castle.

She really wanted the comfort and warmth of her husband's arms but she knew he was fast asleep by now and needed to rest. She also still had to go by the cabinet so she instead headed up to the 7th floor and into the room of requirement. It had been so long since she’d stepped foot in this cluttered and large room. There had been a time when she was spending all of her free time in here. She still knew the path to the cabinet clear and easily.

She stepped up to the looming cabinet, cast in it’s shadow. This cabinet, a simple piece of furniture that had yet somehow managed to almost ruin her marriage and even kill her husband. She hated it. She wanted to smash it to pieces right here but instead, took a deep breath and pulled open the latch, tugging the door open.

As the door creaked open, out soared a bird. It squealed and chirped as it flew around the tall ceilings of the room before it rested atop a stack of books a few feet away. Sophie felt tears welling up in her eyes. It had happened, a living thing had made it’s way to and back through the cabinet! It was just a bird so it was a start, who knows if an actual human would be able to do it but the fact that it could now transport living creatures was an amazing thing. She yelled out in triumph.

She rushed through the isles and out of the room. As she rounded a corner, she ran straight into another person, both of them smashing down to the ground, groaning.

“I’m so sorry.” Sophie stands up, reaching down to help the person up and see’s that it was in fact Harry that she rammed into. “Oh, Harry.” Harry stands, brushing himself off.

“Sorry about that.” He mutters. “I was just... “ He trails off. “What are you doing up here? The hospital isn’t near here.” Sophie shrugs and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Yes, because I need to tell you everything I do in my life and why.” She rolls her eyes and heads around Harry. Once she was around the corner and out of his view, she let out a breathe of relief. He almost caught her in the room of requirement. That wouldn’t have been good.

When she got into the hospital and back into her and Draco’s space, he was fast asleep. Sophie smiled down at her sleeping husband as she curled up beside him. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion swept over Sophie. She watched her sleeping husband and wanted nothing more than to join him in a slumber. So, she rolled over, curling against Draco’s side, careful of his chest, and fell asleep.

Draco awoke a few hours later, looking down to see Sophie fast asleep beside him. He smiles and leans down, kissing at the top of her head. He watched her as she slowly woke up, lifting her head to look at him.

“Hey.” He greets, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

“Hello.” She sits up, stretching a little. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep but you looked so comfortable, it made me want to sleep too.” She tells him, making him smile. He saw that there was a tray on his bedside table with two plates full of food, obviously having been placed by there by Madame Pomfrey. He pulled the tray onto his lap, Sophie reaching over to take a plate as well. “I went to the cabinet.” She says as they dig in.

“And?” He asks, nervous. He stuffs more food in his mouth, trying to hide how nervous he was.

“A bird flew out of it when I opened the door.” She says, looking over at him. She sees the delight spread across his face as he grins. She can’t help but to grin back as he reaches over, grabbing her face in his hand and presses his lips roughly to hers. She laughs against his mouth, pulling back to grin at him.

“I can’t believe this.” He says, shaking his head, a huge smile on his face. “This doesn't mean it’s completely fixed though.” He says, making her nod.

“But it’s definitely a huge step.” She says, his grin grows.

“Oh, I know.” He answers. “I feel so much better now.” He goes back to his food. Sophie watches him eat happily. He seemed truly happy for the first time in ages and it made her so happy in return. Her husband's happiness was the key to her own happiness, as in return it was for him and her happiness. “So did you see Potter?” He asks, breaking her of her thoughts.

“Oh yeah.” She says, her smile falling. She looks back down at her plate.

“How did it go?” He asks, basically already knowing the answer from the look on her face.

“I think that Harry and I are officially done.” She tells him, shrugging. She thought she would feel more upset than this but what Harry did just made her see how stuck in his own head he was. He wasn’t looking at the bigger, more serious picture here. She had flown miles ahead of him in maturity and she didn’t have time to wait for him to catch up. She needed to focus on the war with Voldemort while he still seemed too focused on school yard enemies.

“I’m sorry.” Draco says softly, resting his hand on her back, hoping to comfort her in anyway that he can. She looks over at him and smiles, shaking her head.

“Glad to be rid of the prat, honestly.” She says. Draco bursts into laughter before leaning over to kiss his grinning wife.

“Welcome to the Potter free club.” He picks his goblet up off the tray, handing her’s to her as well. They grin at each other and clink cups together. “I really didn’t think I would be this happy again, especially not so soon.” He tells her after they each take a drink.

“I’m happy anytime that we’re together.” She tells him honestly. He looks into her eyes, giving her a sweet and soft smile.

“I wish we could be in bed together.” He says, reaching over to rest his hand on her cheek. She smirks and looks around them.

“We are in a bed together.” She whispers jokingly. He narrows his eyes at her, making her giggle. “Oh, right.” She leans forward, kissing him. “I wish we could be too.”

“We could be quiet.” He says, kissing her again but she shakes her head, pulling away from him.

“That’s not why we can’t, Draco.” She tells him, making him pout. “You aren’t well enough yet.” She rests her hands gently on his chest. He sighs and nods.

“I know.” He leans back over into his own space. “I miss you though.” He reaches over, taking her hand. He brings her hand up to his lips, kissing her skin gently. She smiles over at him, wanting nothing more than to let him take her right here and now, but knowing she can’t. He needed to heal.

“I’ll be right here as soon as you’re better.” She tells him, making him grin.

“I can’t wait.”