I had finally made it to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey led me to a bed the moment I walked in. She was frantic, surveying my nose and face for any other damage.

She sat me on one of the beds and grabbed a warm cloth, gently padding it over my nose. "I'm fine, truly." I said quietly. Being tended to was not included in my worries; at that moment all I was thinking about is if I actually wanted to apologize to Bella.

"Well, I'm glad you're fine, but your nose isn't... Yet." She said patiently, giving me a soft glance. Her touch was light, calm, it gave me a sense of security; even in all this madness. "I'm going to go get one of my assistants, stay right there." She spoke while setting the cloth on the bedside table.

I nodded with a firm sigh, loosely touching my nose with my fingers. It was definitely bruised, but surely not broken.

As I was examining myself, a familiar blond head of hair appeared walking down the hallway. He was accompanied by Madam Pomfrey. They both walked all the way to my bed, then she started giving Draco commands.

"Wait. He's the assistant?" I practically choked on air. Firstly, I was concerned Malfoy may break my nose even more. And secondly, how on earth does he manage to have a 'gentle nursing side' when all he wants to be is pure evil.

"Yes, Malfoy comes in every day halfway through his last class until three pm." She answered with a pat on his shoulder. "Now, tend to her whilst I take care of Bella." She said before walking off much further down the hallway.

I stared at Draco as he dipped the cloth into a bowl of warm water, effortlessly, swiftly. I had never seen him in a scenario where he wasn't being absolutely devious; so this nearly threw me off the charts.

"Lean back." He said strictly, holding the cloth up to my face. I did as commanded, tilting my head back slightly. He padded the cloth all along the bridge of my nose, with gentle and content strokes.

"I cannot believe you actually hit Bella." He said with a firm gaze, staring into my soul. Though his words sounded confused, concerned, I didn't mind. I liked to see see him concerned- frantic.

"I did. And I'd do it again." I answered firmly, reassuring him that I was, in fact, capable of taking care of myself. "So you're a nurses assistant, huh?" I said grimly, allowing a smirk to form across my lips.

He continued dabbing my nose with a sigh. "Only for credits." He said bluntly, looking over my face with worry. "You look miserable." He said with a small laugh.

A laugh. Something I had never heard- or even imagined- Malfoy to do. He's so inconsiderably evil I never pictured him to be anything but ruthless, cunning, just like his father is. It's bewildering, really.

"So you do laugh, huh?" I said slyly, watching him with a close eye as he continued to look over my nose area. He held my gaze for a moment, blue eyes looking into mine with not a single emotion in them. Then, he used the cloth again, breaking contact.

"When I want to, yes. But I think you just look so funny right now." He said with a sharp smile, trying to hold in his laughter. I lightly kicked him in the ankle, which only caused his expression to harden.

"Do that again and I may have to break your nose." His voice went back to the same, hard tone. But I liked him better this way. It was so odd to see him any other way- especially gentle and caring.

"I'd like to see you try." I said plainly, giving him my best grin. He raised an eyebrow, as if telling me to 'go ahead'. I sent my foot out to kick him again, but he used his free hand to grab my ankle.

Though I was wearing shoes, of course, I could feel his terribly firm grasp inching deeper into my skin every moment. "Don't do something you'll regret." He said mischievously, looking me dead in the eyes with a fiery gaze.

"I think I can handle myself, thank you." I said evenly, placing my feet on the floor. He had let go as I did so, though his eyes watched my every movement.

I rose from the bed, pursing my full height until our faces were only inches away from one another's. "Thank you." I said quietly- almost in a whisper, before walking straight past him.

I could feel his head tilt toward me as I walked away, and it took every ounce of life I had not to turn back and look at him. He was examining me now just as he had whenever he was tending to my injury, but this time, he was doing it with tension.

I walked to the end of the hallway, and just before I opened the door I turned back to look at him. Though I was quite a distance away, he was staring straight at me.

As our eyes met, he didn't break eye contact, he didn't even move, he's so prideful breaking eye contact would even be sinful to him. I gave him a smirk then turned, opened the door, and left, walking down the silent hallway.

Our actions toward one another were dior; mischievous. He had hatred for me just as much as I had hatred for him. But something grew between us every single day, every time we touched, every time we spoke to one another.

The thing growing between us is tension.

***

I spent the rest of the evening in the Gryffindor common room- studying, reviewing worksheets, and sulking by myself. All the other students were out at the Gryffindor against Slytherin quidditch game, so I was left alone, with my thoughts.

The main worry of mine was Bella. I have to apologize to her, but I'm afraid that may turn into us punching one another again. And on top of that, I was pondering about the mysterious nurse Draco.

It was almost frightening to see him in such a state; kind, helpful, even playful. All I've know him to be is harsh and evil, only worried about his own blood and other purebloods like himself.

As I was flipping through the pages of my textbook, a line of Gryffindor students burst in, all cheering and clapping. This made me assume that we had, in fact, won the competition.

They all herded in like a flock of wild sheep, patting one another's back, yelling. It was absolutely ear-damaging, but I was glad, nevertheless, that we had won.

"Y/n! It's so good to see you." Hermione ran from the crowd over to the lush brown fleece sofa I was sitting on. She gave me a tight hug, which lasted a few moments before she let go.

"Oh my goodness... Your nose!" She said with wide eyes. I knew her immediate thought would be that it was Draco, so I spoke before she even had a chance to catch her breath.

"Bella did it- but I got her back." I said assuringly. Hermione's expression didn't seem to change, like she was staring at someone she didn't know. Which was understandable— I had punched Bella three times across the face.

She gave me a soft pat on the shoulder. "Let's get to bed now, before we wake up late tomorrow." Hermione said, pulling my hand. I put all my work down and allowed her to pull me up to the dormitories, where girls were getting into bed.

I slipped off my robe, tie, and shirt, then changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt I had stolen from my dads closet. I crawled into my unmade bed, and listened as the sounds around me soon dissolved into nothing.

There I was, again, left with nothing but my thoughts. So many things to think about, and so many hours to do it.

I tossed and turned countless times, my mind fogging over the fight, and the situation between Malfoy and I. But, eventually, I closed my eyes long enough to slip into the darkness of dreams.

But, my effort of slumber didn't last long. Within what seemed like only a few minutes, I was awake again. The sun was well below the horizon, and the moon had taken its place, leaving me alone with my thoughts, once again.

It became unbearable; my thoughts were so overwhelming I couldn't stay put any longer. I threw on a sweatshirt over my t-shirt and grabbed my wand, placing it into my pocket.

I made my way out of Gryffindor tower, asking myself every few moments if I should truly be leaving or not. Though frightened, I continued down the darkened, terribly silent hallways.

I swear I could hear the pulse of my own heartbeat as I walked around the halls, turning this corner and that one. I was moving quickly, my feet swiftly guiding my steps.

I heard voices not far down the hallway I had just turned down. I could make out three distinct figures, but I couldn't exactly put my finger on who they were or what they were saying- I only heard whisper-yells.

As I began making my way over to them, a strong hand grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me into the shadows, though the threshold of a doorway. It was dark, pitch black, and I had no idea who my captor was.

They closed the door to the closet, letting out a few deep breaths. Their hand lingered on the door, which was the only part of them I could see other than the shadows.

Their hand was pale, and had numerous rings caked onto their fingers. There was only one person this could possible be. Malfoy.

"Malfoy. Let me out of here this instant!" I whispered with an angered voice, trying to reach for the handle. He stepped in front of it, using his free hand to grab onto the one reaching for the knob.

"Don't even think about it." He whisper shouted, cool fingers punishing my skin. "That's my father and his group out there. They're speaking about the Dark Side, and if they see you, you'll be sorry." He said quietly, letting go of my hand.

I used my free hand to rub the coolness of my fingers. "How much longer will it be?" I asked impatiently. I had much better things to do than sit in a dark, boring closet with the infamously evil Malfoy.

"Until the sun comes up, so, hours." He whispered back. "Don't even think about opening that door or I'll pry off your fingers." He said with a strict voice. Before I could say anything, his arm was reaching over me and pulling on a string- a light string.

Vibrancy flooded the closet. I could see two wooden chairs close by, a small table, and books piled onto it. It was terribly small; maybe ten by ten feet, but it was better than Malfoy killing me.

"Get comfortable, we'll be here awhile." He commanded, gesturing to the chairs. I rolled my eyes and sighed, then plumped down into the outrageously uncomfortable wooden chair.

"This is going to be the death of me." I said quietly, folding my arms across my chest. I was outraged to be in here- especially with him- and there wasn't a thing I could do about it.

"What did you say?" He asked me, sitting one of the books back on the table. His expression was gruesome; like he wanted to pry off my fingers right now, though I haven't truly done anything.

"None of your business." I said plainly, picking at my fingernails. He took a few steps closer to me, until the points of our shoes were almost touching. His fingers were curled into fists, and his jaw was clenched.

"I'll make it my business, mudblood." He spat dramatically. His words didn't hurt me anymore, nor did they scare me.

"I may be a mudblood, but at least my father loves me." I replied with a smirk, rising to my feet. Our faces were only inches apart; so close that I could feel his warm breath across my skin.

He looked bewitched, like I had just made his life so much worse. His eyes were filled with misery, maybe even hatred. And before I knew it, his hands had grabbed my jaw, both of them on each side.