This chapter has been written for a while, but I haven't decided to put it up until now. I'm not entirely sure when this will be updated since Decreso Aetas is taking up most of my focus. I hope you like this all the same.

Rating: M (just to be on the safe side)

Disclaimer: No way in hell do I own Harry Potter. I give the credit to one J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.

Summary: Draco Malfoy turns down the Dark Mark and barely lives to pay the consequences. Harry, after witnessing the whole thing through a vision, can't seem to get the blonde off his mind. He then begins having strange dreams, not knowing that they would soon be drawing them together. Spoilers and eventual DH SLASH


Dreaming of You

Chapter One: Delirium

"I won't do it."

Draco Malfoy, a boy of seventeen, stood facing his father and the Dark Lord. He had a look of utter confidence plastered on his face though he was shaking like mad on the inside. No one has ever mustered up enough courage to turn down the Dark Mark...until now...

"What did you just say?" Lucius Malfoy hissed from underneath his hood. The younger Malfoy raised his chin defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest and holding a steady gaze.

"I am not going to be branded like some animal and end up being turned into some mindless drone," Draco replied, his voice growing louder with each word. A collective breath was drawn as the army of a dozen or so Death Eaters began shifting uncomfortably behind him, some pulling out their wands.

"How dare you," Lucius said, his voice a deathly whisper, brandishing his own wand as he stalked toward his only heir. "How dare you turn against becoming a faithful member of the Dark Lord's ranks and mock his teachings. To top it all off, you are disgracing the Malfoy name." By the time he finished speaking, the elder Malfoy had his wand aimed at his own son's chest.

"Let me take care of him." Lucius lowered his arm and turned to see Lord Voldemort walking over to them, his red eyes as cold as ever.

"My pleasure," Lucius replied, taking a couple steps back to give the man some room. Though he couldn't see his face, Draco could tell that his father was smirking just by the tone of his voice. Anger suddenly welled up inside of him; the very man that had raised him and taught him all he knew had turned against him. Though you have just done the same, a voice hissed in the back of his mind.

"You should know better than to turn your back on us, Draco," Voldemort said quietly, gently running a finger down the younger blond's cheek. "There's a large chance you could get hurt." The man then pressed down with enough pressure to draw blood from Draco's pale skin.

"Now, I believe that it is high time that someone has taught you a lesson for becoming a traitor." Voldemort hissed, reaching for his wand. "Get accustomed to the pain, Draco. This is just the beginning - Crucio!"

The jet of golden light hit the young man squarely in the chest. He collapsed to the ground, twitching horribly, his limbs bending in at abnormal angles. The pain instantly seized control of his mind, not allowing any coherent thought to be processed. But he wasn't going to scream...Malfoys don't show any sign of weakness...

Mustering up the last of his strength, Draco shot a look of pure venom at the two men laughing above him, one of them being the one he had always looked up to and depended on...until now...

Closing his eyes, Draco took a deep breath and gave into the pain, letting the darkness overcome him...


A good hundred or so miles away in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Harry Potter awoke. He shot up in bed, trying to calm his breathing, pain pulsing across his scar like a heartbeat. He desperately tried to figure out what he had been dreaming about, but the details were already steadily slipping away from him.

"Harry?"

The quiet voice caused him to jump slightly. Squinting through the darkness, Harry saw the blurred outline of his best friend sitting up in bed. "What's wrong?"

"I just had a vision," he said quietly. He immediately cursed his delirious mind for putting the response so bluntly.

"What? Aren't you supposed to be practicing Occlumency?" Ron asked. "I thought Dumbledore forced Snape to continue the lessons?"

"He did."

"Then why aren't you practicing?" Ron questioned, his voice growing louder with each word.

"I don't know, okay?" Harry replied, his voice coming out as a frustrated whisper. "Just keep your voice down. We don't need to wake everyone in the...whole..." His voice slowly trailed off, the painful memory of who had once owned this house resurfacing once more.

Every day Harry was reminded of his late Godfather in one way or another. When he received an owl saying he was to return to Grimmauld Place for the remainder of the summer, his heart had plummeted. He would have given anything and everything to not come back to stay where his Godfather had once lived, but he knew he could not stay with the Dursleys. He still felt that this was just some horrible nightmare and he would soon wake up to see Sirius' smiling face once more.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

Ron's voice broke through Harry's depressing thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

"Nothing," he replied, his voice cracking slightly underneath the strain of different emotions. Even though it was dark, he could tell that Ron had a disbelieving look on his face, though, much to Harry's relief, he didn't press the issue.

"What did you see, then?" Ron questioned, bringing his knees up to his chest and turning to face Harry properly.

"There was a gathering, consisting mostly of Death Eaters," Harry began, heaving a frustrated sigh as he desperately tried to remember what he had seen. "Malfoy was there, standing in front of Voldemort and his father. It appeared to be some sort of ceremony." He paused as Draco's words echoed in his mind:

"I won't do it..."

"I think Malfoy was going to receive the Dark Mark, but for some reason he turned it down." As soon as the words had left his mouth, a disbelieving gasp was heard from Ron's direction.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his shock clearly heard in his voice. "I mean, his father would kill him. Not that I care..." he added in an undertone, causing Harry to chuckle quietly.

"Well, he almost did," Harry continued, "but Voldemort got to him first."

"Did he kill him?" Ron asked, his voice lowering considerably.

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head. "He used the Cruciatus Curse on him until he couldn't take the pain any longer and passed out."

"Well, that must be what You-Know-Who thinks anyone that goes against him deserves," Ron mumbled, lying back down. Harry nodded just so Ron wouldn't think he felt bad for Malfoy, but deep down, he knew no one deserved to suffer such pain...no matter who they were...unless they were Voldemort, of course...

"Let's get some sleep," he said after a moment. "We leave for Hogwarts tomorrow and I still need to finish packing." All he got in response was a low snore from Ron's bed, signaling that the other boy was way ahead of him. Chuckling quietly, Harry muttered a quiet, "Good night, Ron," before turning over onto his back. He closed his eyes, mulling over the vision. Malfoy's defiant voice continued to echo through his frazzled mind as he began falling asleep.

"I won't do it..."

Was there any other reason why he wouldn't?


Draco slowly came to just as his father Apparated them both back to the Manor. Within seconds, he found himself pinned against a wall, his father looking down at him with cold, steel gray eyes. "Why did you turn your back against us?" the older man hissed.

"I already told you and the other lapdogs," Draco choked out, trying to catch his breath. "I don't want to become some mindless drone who has to kiss some half-blood's feet!" As soon as the words passed through his lips, a fist made contact with the side of his head. For the second time that night, Draco collapsed, his head pounding mercilessly. He could feel a trickle of blood run down the side of his face.

"Have I taught you nothing?" Lucius shouted, kicking Draco hard in the stomach. "Haven't I raised you well enough? You should know better than to turn against the Dark Lord!"

"Is this how you treat others for doing the same? Torturing them?" Draco spat in a strained voice, his face contorted in pain. "Even your own son?"

After his last statement, Lucius' face steeled over, his gray eyes turning to ice. "I have no son," he hissed.

Draco looked up at the man, a look of pure venom on his face. "You fucking bastard..."

Taking out his wand, the man turned to face the huddled youth, aiming it at him. "Crucio!"

The older man watched with satisfaction as Draco writhed in pain, not allowing himself to cry out.

"I hate you," the younger man managed through gritted teeth, turning his cold, unfocused silver eyes onto the figure above him. "I hate you!"


"Oi! Harry! Wake up!"

The loud voice startled Harry out of his light slumber. He sat up in bed, promptly getting hit in the face with a pillow.

"Okay, okay! I'm up!" he shouted, throwing the pillow at the laughing redhead. "What time is it?"

"Around nine," Ron replied, walking toward Harry with a plate of food in his hand. "Mum told me to give you this and to tell you to hurry up. You still have to finish packing."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay," Harry mumbled. He eyed the plate with distaste. "I'm not very hungry, though. Tell your mum I said thanks anyway." Ron merely raised an eyebrow.

"She's not going to be happy," he said over his shoulder.

"I'll eat something on the train," Harry mumbled with a roll of his eyes, pulling a face at Ron's back as he turned and left the room. He then turned around, facing into the room. He let out a frustrated groan as his gaze fell on the scattered books, parchment, and quills. His robes could be seen, widespread throughout the room, flung over chairs and in other odd places.

"This is going to take a while..."


About an hour and a half later, Harry hurried downstairs with his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage at hand. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and Remus were already waiting by the front door. "Sorry it took so long," he mumbled quietly, feeling rather uncomfortable when all five pairs of eyes settled on him.

"It would have been a whole lot easier to get ready last night," Hermione said in her you-should-have-known-better voice as Mrs. Weasley shrunk his things. Harry just sent her a half-hearted glare in return as he put them in his pocket.

"Well, is that everyone?" Mrs. Weasley asked, counting heads. "Good. Let's go, then. Tonks is waiting for us outside."

The group walked out of the front door and onto the spacious lawn. Harry glanced quickly over his shoulder, watching as the house folded in on itself and disappeared with a pang of sadness. He quickly shook his head, trying to keep those thoughts away, and hurried to catch up with the group.

"Wotcher," Tonks greeted when they reached the corner. She was wearing a red skirt and a white blouse that morning. Her hair, now long and brown, was braided. Everyone muttered his or her greetings in turn, smiling at the energetic young woman.

"Well, we should hurry," Tonks said after a moment as she began walking down the street. "We don't want you to miss the train, now do we?"

As they began following the rest of the group, Harry and Ron grinned at each other, sharing a knowing glance as they thought back to their second year.


Approximately twenty minutes later, the group hurried through the entrance of King's Cross Station. Trying not to appear too suspicious, they made their way through the crowd and toward the unseen entrance leading to Platform 9 and ¾.

Making sure no one was watching them, they went through the barrier in groups of twos or threes.

As soon as they were all there and accounted for, Mrs. Weasley turned to them, an unusually serious expression on her face. "You all be careful now," she muttered quietly, embracing them all in turn. "Especially you," she added with a small, sad smile when she got to Harry.

It was then Remus' turn to go around, giving them all a quick hug and whispering his good-byes. When he stopped in front of Harry, the depressed, dead look in the man's eyes caused a wave of sadness to wash over him. The youth felt as if his heart was being ripped to shreds on the spot. The werewolf, noticing the sudden change in his expression, wrapped his arms around Harry, much like a father would.

"You'll be okay, Harry," Remus said quietly as he placed his hands on the young teen's shoulders, looking down at him intently. "Just make sure you take care of yourself, and please...don't do anything rash. One false move and you may find yourself in the hands of Voldemort." The Gryffindor nodded his understanding, knowing he would rather go looking for Voldemort himself than make Remus suffer any more.

"You'd better get going!" Mrs. Weasley shouted just as the train whistle blew. "Have a good year, and don't get into trouble!" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved over their shoulders at her, Remus, and Tonks while trying not to crash into any other stragglers on their way toward the train.

"That was close," Ron muttered quietly after they got settled in an empty compartment at the end of the train.

"We could have gotten here sooner if someone hadn't taken so long getting ready," Hermione said, giving Harry a pointed look before opening her trunk and rummaging through the contents. A moment later she stood, a set of robes and a shiny badge at hand, and headed toward the door of the compartment.

"Wait, where are you going?" Ron asked, eyeing the objects she held.

"I have to go to the front of the train," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes at the redhead. "I'm going to be told what I have to do as Head Girl this year." After her last statement, understanding dawned on Ron's freckled face. Shaking her head, Hermione turned on her heel and walked out of the compartment.

"How could I have forgotten?" Ron mumbled as soon as the door had snapped shut, placing his head in his hands. "She spent three whole days telling us how happy she was." A groan then passed through his lips as a new thought came to mind. "Now she's just going to make us work harder."

"Ron!" Ginny shouted, smacking her brother lightly on the arm. "You need to work harder, especially with the marks you get. Mum will hit the roof if you don't do well on your N.E.W.T.s this year."

"Don't remind me," Ron replied, looking up at her with a pained expression on his face. "I'll probably have to reread all of the books they assigned us from first year and up." He gave himself a headache at the thought.

"Don't be silly," Ginny retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hermione wouldn't let you do that. She'll just help you understand what you are required to know."

"Well, you've never studied with her, have you?" her brother mumbled darkly, sinking down into his seat.

Just as Ginny opened her mouth to reply, the compartment door opened. "Wow. That was fast," she said instead as Hermione stepped inside.

"They didn't have too much to say," Hermione replied breathlessly. "Just that the shifts are a little longer than a Prefect's, and that the responsibilities are more important." She then paused, looking around the compartment. Her gaze rested on Ron, who was slouching in his seat like a stubborn five-year-old, and then Harry, who was looking out the window, his eyebrows knitted together, making it look as if he was in deep thought.

"I-is everything okay in here?" Hermione questioned, raising an eyebrow. Ron merely nodded in return and straightened his posture, though he wouldn't quite make eye contact with her. "Harry?" He jumped slightly at the sound of his name. He turned to face Hermione, his eyes slightly wide, looking as though he had just noticed that she was there.

"Oh, sorry Hermione," he said quietly, a sheepish expression making its way onto his face. "What did you say?"

"Is everything okay?" she repeated, taking a seat next to him. Harry's strange behavior was beginning to worry her.

"Everything's fine," he hastily replied. "I guess I'm just feeling a bit tired." As if to prove his point, Harry forced a yawn and stretched. A disbelieving look passed over Hermione's face before she nodded slowly.

"All right, then," she replied, a sympathetic look shining in her eyes. "But if you ever have anything that you need to tell us, we're here for you." She gestured toward herself, Ron, and Ginny as if to prove her point.

As the other three began conversing, Harry curled up in his seat and rested his head against the window. He listened for a few moments as Hermione said something about the Head Boy not arriving when he should have, and that she didn't even know who it was. His thoughts then drifted and automatically turned toward the vision he had last night. He couldn't help but thinking that there was another reason why Malfoy would refuse to join the Dark ranks when he spent all those years saying how devoted he was to his father.

As the scenery outside the window turned greener, Harry's thoughts turned into images, and before he knew it, he had dozed off.


"Harry? Harry, wake up."

Harry groaned as the voice pulled him from his slumber. He opened his eyes and was met with the sight of Hermione peering down at him.

"Huh? What is it?" he mumbled quietly, sitting up and running a hand through his tousled hair.

"We're here, mate," Ron replied as he put on his school robe. Harry looked out the window and saw that it was dark outside. "You've been sleeping for a good couple of hours. I was going to wake you up when the food trolley came by, but Hermione said that you should sleep." He rolled his eyes before turning to wait by the exit of the compartment with Ginny. It was then that Harry noticed just how hungry he was. His stomach growled loudly, causing him to grin sheepishly when Hermione turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Come on," she said, tossing him his robes. "You might want to hurry so we can get to the feast."

"Sounds good to me!" Ron exclaimed, hurrying out into the corridor, the other three following suit. As they got off the train and headed toward the carriages, Harry couldn't help but feeling as though something was out of place.

As soon as the carriage came to a halt, the four of them exited and hurried up the front steps to the large doors. The Great Hall was already filled with chattering students as they went through the doors and sat down at the Gryffindor table. The doors soon reopened, revealing Professor McGonagall and the new set of first years, all of them looking horribly flustered and apprehensive. They filed up toward the teachers' table, where the professor set the stool down and placed the Sorting Hat on top of it.

Harry zoned as soon as the large rip in the hat opened and it began singing. His thoughts drifted again as he looked around the Hall, the floating candles casting eerie shadows on the students' faces. The ghosts drifted through the walls and over the four tables. His eyes then drifted toward the first years as they filed forward, one by one, to be Sorted. He clapped idly with the others whenever a student was placed into Gryffindor, though he never truly registered who they were.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore began, bringing Harry back to reality. "Now, before I make this year's announcements, I'd like you all to take part in a magnificent feast. Enjoy."

"Finally!" Ron shouted, his voice being drowned out by the appreciative shouts from the other tables as the golden plates were filled with food. Hermione rolled her eyes as the redhead began reaching for a bit of everything that was within his reach. Harry picked at a few pieces of chicken and some mashed potatoes, his ravenous appetite suddenly gone.

"Harry? Are you feeling okay?" Hermione questioned, looking at him worriedly as she took a sip of pumpkin juice. Harry merely nodded, taking a large bite out of a dinner role to emphasize his point. His eyes then drifted around the Great Hall, taking in the sight of everyone joking and laughing with one another as if they had no worries in the world. He felt a strange pang of sadness, knowing that he would never truly feel that way, not with the threat of Voldemort looming ever closer.

Once everyone had finished eating, all looking extremely satisfied, the headmaster stood to his feet once more. "Now that we are all full, I'd like to make a few announcements before you all make your way to your respective dormitories," he began. "Mr. Filch would like me to remind you all that there is a long list of items that are forbidden within the walls of the castle. For those of you that don't know, the full list can be found hanging outside of his office. Magic is not allowed in the corridors between classes, and the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students." Dumbledore paused, his eyes settling on a certain group of Gryffindors.

"I'd also like to announce this year's Head Boy and Girl are none other than Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger." After that last statement, his face grew somewhat serious, his eyes flickering toward the Slytherin table.

There was a pause as most of the students applauded. Ron looked to Hermione, mouthing "Malfoy?" She merely shrugged in response, looking slightly disgusted. Harry looked in the direction of the Slytherin table, but the blond head was nowhere to be seen.

"I'd also like to say this," Dumbledore continued. "The threat of us being attacked by Voldemort is growing stronger." A gasp was heard from most of the students at the sound of the name, Neville nearly falling off of the bench. "This is a time for us all to draw together and unite. Differences should be put into the past. Fighting amongst ourselves won't get us anywhere we need to be." He then paused once more, a comforting smile making its way onto his aged face. "There is no need to fret, however. With such strong wizards on our side, we have a very good chance. Just work together and everything will be fine. Good night to you all."

As soon as the headmaster finished, whispering immediately spread through the Great Hall. The Prefects began gathering the younger students to take them to their respective common rooms. "Let's go," Hermione said quietly. The trio moved toward the doors before the majority of the crowd could make its way through.

"I know a shortcut," Harry said as they reached the foot of the grand staircase, looking up at the moving steps with distaste. There had been enough problems in the past involving those damned things.

He led Ron and Hermione up the first couple flights of stairs, and then turned left through a doorway and into a corridor. Harry pushed aside a tapestry that hung on the wall to their right, depicting a group of smirking fairies, and stepped into another corridor. No doors lined the walls, but he led them down it anyway, right to a dead end. Harry took out his wand, placed it on the stone, and traced the shape of a doorway with the tip of it. The lines glowed red for a moment before a section of wall moved aside, revealing a long, spiraling staircase. Hermione stepped through, followed by Ron, then Harry.

"It leads all the way up to the seventh floor," Harry said. Ron let out a low whistle.

"That map must really be useful," Ron muttered, eyeing the few paintings that lined the stone walls. He paused as they reached a small landing where a bay window jutted out, showing a perfect view of the Quidditch pitch and the distant mountains that surrounded the area. The seat looked as if it was used quite frequently.

"This is amazing," Ron said as he began to make his way up the stairs once more. "I'm sure you come here pretty often." He then turned around to smirk at Harry, who merely rolled his eyes.

"Ron, wait!" he shouted when he noticed that the redhead wasn't watching where he was going. "You have to be careful. There's a trick -" He was cut off, however, as Ron's leg sunk through a step. He fell into a sitting position, knocking into Harry.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, turning around to see what all the commotion was about. She glanced down and was met with the sight of Ron stuck in a step up to his knee. "Harry!" she cried out when the other boy lost his footing and began tumbling backwards down the stairs. She hurried past Ron, who was pulling himself free, and flew down the steps.

Hermione gasped loudly when Harry hit the floor at the end of the stairs. He groaned loudly when she pulled him into a sitting position. He was covered in dark bruises and his wrist was bent at an abnormal angle. There was also a long gash above his eyebrow that was bleeding freely.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered when he reached them, a guilty expression on his freckled face. "I am so sorry, Harry."

"Just help me get him to the hospital wing," Hermione muttered quietly. They both helped Harry to his feet and led him back out into the corridor. "You have to be more careful, Ron," she muttered as they trudged along. "Even I noticed the step." All she got in response was a guilty sigh.

They reached their destination within minutes. Ron and Hermione walked inside, Harry limping between them. "Just sit here," Hermione said quietly, leading him toward a vacant bed. "Madam Pomfrey will be out here in a minute." They helped him sit down, careful not to touch his wrist, which Hermione highly suspected to be broken.

"Your first night back and you are already in the hospital wing." The three students jumped, turning to see the nurse stepping through a door on the opposite wall and closing it behind her.

"It's my fault, Madam Pomfrey," Ron mumbled, still looking guilty. "I sunk through a trick step and knocked into him, causing him to fall down a set of stairs."

"Don't worry, Ron," Harry replied, giving his friend a comforting smile. "I've been through much worse."

"Well I'll say you have," the nurse replied. She then motioned toward Ron and Hermione. "You two may go now. He'll be back at the common room in about half an hour." The two nodded in reply. They cast him identical apologetic glances before exiting.

"Now, let's take a look at you," Madam Pomfrey said quietly as soon as the door closed. She took hold of Harry's injured wrist, causing him to wince, before taking out her wand and muttering a healing charm. She then went over to a cupboard and retrieved two separate vials.

"Drink this first," she instructed him, handing him a vial containing a light blue potion. "This will help your cuts heal, as well as dull the pain in your wrist." Harry nodded, downing the contents, a look of disgust instantly making its way onto his face. "Yes, it does taste disgusting, doesn't it?" Harry nodded again, now reaching for the second vial she held out to him. It looked as if it contained some type of reddish paste. "This is for those nasty bruises. Just rub small amounts on each one and give it time to dry. I'll be back to check on you in about fifteen minutes." Madam Pomfrey handed him a mirror and turned to leave.

After covering certain areas of his arms and legs with the cold substance, Harry reached for the mirror to check his face. There were several bruises on his cheeks and forehead, which he also covered. Bloody hell, he thought when he saw the healing cut above his eyebrow. That better not scar. That's the last thing I need...a second one...

When he was done, he leaned back on the bed with a sigh, looking around the room. That was when he noticed the door on the wall opposite him. He remembered Madam Pomfrey coming through it after the three of them entered the hospital wing. That was the room for patients who were in very bad condition. He remembered being in there only once, after an encounter with Voldemort. Who could be in there already?

His curiosity getting the best of him, Harry slid off of the bed and slinked toward it. Placing a hand on the knob, he paused, knowing he shouldn't be doing this. He may be walking in on a horribly gruesome sight, or someone on their deathbed.

Sighing loudly, knowing he was getting carried away with his thoughts, Harry quietly opened the door and stepped inside the dark room, closing it behind him. He then made his way down the line of beds, walking slowly toward the one at the end by the window. He saw a figure there, lying beneath several white sheets. Pausing next to the bed, Harry hesitantly reached out to pull back the sheets to reveal the person.

Grasping the linen loosely in one hand, Harry tugged. A gasp immediately escaped his lips when he saw what was revealed.

Lying there, pale as death, was Draco Malfoy. Ugly bruises and scratches marred his usually perfect skin. His cheeks were sunken in, his breath coming out in short, rattling gasps.

"Harry."

The Gryffindor jumped at his name, and spun around. He was met with the sight of the headmaster standing just behind him. He never even heard him come inside.

"I see that you have found Mr. Malfoy," he said quietly, casting the blond a grave look.

"W-what happened to him?" Harry asked, not able to keep the surfacing questions at bay. Professor Dumbledore gave him a stern look before taking a seat.

"He's had the Cruciatus Curse cast upon him too many times," he began. "His system couldn't handle it any longer, so he was soon left in a comatose state. However, we are unsure of when he will come to." Harry's jaw instantly fell open as he turned his emerald gaze toward Draco.

"Does this have anything to do with him turning down the Dark Mark?" he questioned tentatively. The headmaster looked at him in slight surprise before he continued. "I-I saw it in a vision. His father was ready to attack him, but Voldemort cast the curse on him instead." Dumbledore then nodded, confirming his suspicion.

"Luckily our inside source was present," he said. Harry instantly suspected that he was referring to Professor Snape. "When both Malfoys Apparated home, they soon followed. They found young Draco there, unconscious and badly abused. If he hadn't been found, he would have surely died." Harry gulped, looking down at the other student. Even though this was his enemy they were talking about, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

"Now, Harry," the headmaster continued, "I must entrust you not to repeat any of this to anyone. I confided in you because this involved Voldemort and a notorious Death Eater, not to mention a fellow student who could turn out to be a strong ally." Harry nodded stiffly in reply. "Now, it's getting late and I suspect that your friends are beginning to worry about you. Why don't you hurry up to your dormitory and get some sleep?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied before starting towards the door.

"Oh, Harry." He paused to look back at the headmaster, his hand on the doorknob. "If you ever...feel the urge to wander the corridors at night, be extremely careful." The elder man gave him a small, knowing smile before looking pointedly at the unconscious blond. "Just make sure you are alone." Harry gaped at him before nodding. He then opened the door and stepped out of the room.

As soon as he stepped out of the hospital wing, Harry slumped against the doors. Thoughts were flying through his throbbing head. This was just too much information to handle at once. Who would be that cruel to a living being? Apparently Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy...

Rubbing his temples, Harry began making his way down the corridor.

What is this world coming to?


I hope you liked this so far. Please leave a nice long review. Thanks!

...TBC...