...

"Please don't be dead." A voice wined, waking me out of my sleep. 

My eyes shot open.

A house elf stood on the hospital bed between my legs. 

"Who the fuck are you?" I whispered to it.  

It was night time now, the whole hospital wing was sleeping. 

He walked up on top of me, before taking a seat on my chest.  

"Dobby, the free elf." He smiled. 

"I don't have a house elf, so...." I replied.

Dobby gave me a large grin.

"I'm a friend of Harry Potter."

"Did Harry send you?" I asked Dobby.

"No, Dobby has brought a gift." Dobby reached into his small pocket, and pulled out a silver ring.

It floated into the air in front of my face.

I reached my hand out to grab it.

The ring quickly put its self on my thumb finger, and tightened.

It tightened just enough to where I couldn't get it back off of my finger.

"What the hell!? Get this thing off!" I struggled to pull the ring loose from my finger, it didn't budge.

"Please don't be mad at Dobby! Dobby was just doing what he was told!" Dobby began hitting his head against one of the railings on the hospital bed.

"Stop it!" I grabbed Dobby by the back of his clothes, and held him in the air, "who gave you the ring?"

"One of my old masters." Dobby wined.

The curtin next to me pulled open.

"Why are you talking so loud? How am I supposed to sleep-" Ron groaned, "oh, hi Dobby!"

"You know this little elf?" I turned to Ron.

"Yeah, he visits Harry all the time." Ron yawned.

I turned back to Dobby.

"Who is your old masters?" I squinted at Dobby.

"Dobby's master instructed him not to tell!" He wined.

"You said you were a free elf! Free elf's don't have to listen to their old masters! Now, tell me who gave you this ring, and how do I get it off!?" I hissed at Dobby.

Dobby snapped his fingers, and disappeared into thin air.

"What the fuck!" I began tugging on the ring again.

It still didn't give.

"Dobby used to serve the Malfoy family." Ron spoke quietly.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I groaned, as I continued to tug at the ring.

"By the looks of it, you're gonna have to ask Hermione how to get that thing off. It looks like it's enchanted or something, since it won't give." Ron spoke softly.

Of course Draco would have them bring me an enchanted ring. Why wouldn't he do something like that?!

"Can you keep the curtin open, in case he comes back?" I asked Ron.

"Sure, but please just go to sleep." Ron begged.

...

After showing Hermione the ring that next morning, she took me to the library to figure out more about it.

"From what I gather from these books, it's an enchanted promise ring." Hermione said, as her eyes scanned the pages of the books she laid out on the table. 

"Whats that mean?" I asked her.

"It means, it's enchanted with an agreement or a promise that you've made with someone. It should have some sort of writing on it." Hermione spoke, as she continued to read from the pages.

I lifted my hand close to my eyes, to read the small engraving on the outside of the ring.

"I promise, to the very end." I read it out loud.

"Did you promise Malfoy something?" Hermione looked up from the books.  

I looked at the ceiling, and took a deep breath in. 

The memory played in my mind. 

"If everything goes bad, like really bad.  Like if the world was ending, you'd come find me... and I'll come find you.   No matter where we stand, friends or not, we both would at least have each other in the end?"

"I promise."

"I promise."

"Yeah, but like... 2 years ago." I pleaded as I looked back at Hermione. 

"Time doesn't matter, a promise today and a promise from decades ago... still stand the same." Hermione blinked slowly. 

"How do I get the ring off?" I begged. 

"It says, 'the keepers of the promise, have to mutually call off the promise they had previously made.  The rings will then destroy themselves.' You both have to agree that you no longer want the promise." Hermione spoke. 

"So I have to talk to him? He's only doing this, so I break my silence with him. I don't want to talk to him, and he knows it" I groaned. 

"Well, he's in the back of the library now." Hermione closed her books, and stood up. 

"Of course he is, I'll meet you back at the room." I huffed, standing up.   

"I've gotta put the books away, I'll hang around.  Keep an eye on you, incase he tries to kidnap you." Hermione joked at the end. 

I rolled my eyes, as I marched into the back of the library. 

Draco stood at the very last row of books, looking up at the top shelf. 

Hermione stepped into the row before that, to listen. 

I pushed his shoulder sternly, turning his body towards me.  

"Well hello, darling.  It seems like I haven't talked to you in ages." Draco grabbed my hand, and brought it up to his lips.  

He softly kissed the back of my hand.  

"Shut up." I quickly pulled my hand away from his grip. 

"Hostile, very hostile." Draco chuckled. 

I narrowed my eyes at Draco, surveying the small smirked that grew on his lips. 

"Did you have a good Christmas, love?" Draco stepped closer, as he looked down on me. 

"Save it, Malfoy." I spat, as I stepped back from him.  

"I see you've got my gift." Draco winked.  

"Take it off, I don't want it." I lifted my hand up to his face, and dangled my fingers in his eye sight.