Intro
It was a dim, misty afternoon, yet nothing out of the ordinary. England wasn't always a land of sunshine and blue skies. The students knew this well enough, so it did not get their spirits down, nor would it let down the quidditch teams ready to face each other on the field. Slytherin and Gryffindor were against each other in the inaugural match of the year, and the bad blood between the two houses was, like always, at a boil.
The teams approached each other at the center of the field, and shook hands with their counterpart. Draco and Harry met. Harry offered his hand, but Draco batted it away. They both shared looks of discontent and backed away. At Madam Hooch's whistle, the players mounted their brooms and assumed their positions. The first ball she released was the Golden Snitch. The seekers' eyes darted around, hoping to find it quickly when the game began. The release of the bludgers signaled the start of movement as Madam Hooch threw the quaffle into the air and blew her whistle. In no time, the players began to dart around, and the fans cheered.
Slytherin was the first to score. Supporters of Slytherin cheered loudly and chanted "Weasley is our King." A large groan came from the Gryffindors and Ron looked dismal. The game hadn't been going for two minutes before Montague scored for Slytherin. Ron frowned, he couldn't help but fear that he was going to cost Gryffindor the match.
"Dammit, Ron." Hermione muttered. Ginny, sitting next to her, scoffed. "Don't give me that, Ginny. One goal and he's become unnerved. He's not going to focus and he's going to wind up missing easy blocks. Hopefully Harry can find the snitch before Ron becomes too frustrated and loses everything." She returned to looking through her binoculars at Ron, whose face did little to conceal the disappointment he was feeling for himself.
"He'll be fine, won't he?" Ginny wondered aloud, frowning. She knew her brother had a short temper, easily aggravated, but he'll get the next block and he'll regain his confidence. On cue, Montague weaved through the other players and took the quaffle from Angelina and flung it through one of the golden hoops. Another chorus of voices from Slytherin sang Ron's praises. Ginny sighed. "Here's hoping Harry will hurry up and win for us."
Hermione scanned the field for a sign of either seeker, but turned her attention away to see the third goal in a row made by Montague. "Well he's not going to do the team any good this way, will he?" Ginny shook her head in agreement. Hermione continued looking for Harry and finally found him in a low corner of the stadium near Draco. "Those two, I don't see why they're arguing instead of looking for the snitch." Ginny stuck her hand out, a wordless request for the binoculars. "Well it couldn't have been good, since Harry's chasing Malfoy."
On the field, Goyle had just knocked a bludger towards Alicia. She evaded it swiftly and barreled towards Montague, who was not at all interested in sharing with his teammates. He tried to avoid her, but she stole the quaffle and flew towards the goal posts. Slytherin's keeper readied himself, but was caught off guard by the a bludger that Crabbe sent toward Alicia, missing her completely. Taking the opportunity, Alicia sent the quaffle through the goals and the Gryffindors erupted with cheering.
Despite the game being played around them, Draco and Harry were finding themselves stopping to fight more than they were looking for the snitch. "Shut the fuck up, Potter. You have no idea who you think you're messing with." Draco yelled as they hovered high above the other players. A loud crack of thunder erupted the sky and the rain began.
"You don't fucking scare me, Malfoy. You think you're some tough guy, but you need to hide behind your lackeys." Harry wasn't going to let him get away with the same bullshit, day after day. "I'm sick of you, just leave us alone. We'll do the same." Lightning brightened the sky before more thunder. "I'm tired of fighting." And it was true. After witnessing Cedric's death a few months prior, he just hadn't been the same. He couldn't find a reason to fight anymore, for fear he would lose somebody close to him. He couldn't handle that happening.
"Ha, you want a truce?" Draco laughed, but the boy he was looking at nodded his head. "Do you think I'm some half-wit born yesterday? I'm not going to drop my guard down to you." Draco pulled out his wand from his robe pocket. He pointed it at Harry. "I could destroy you with just a flick of the wrist."
"Then why don't you?" Harry asked. Rain poured down over his face masking his tears. "I'd rather die than lose again." He had been severely depressed since the battle with Voldemort in the graveyard and there were times when he thought of ending his life. Slashing wrists and hanging ropes were so easy, but he could never bring himself to do it, but maybe if he goaded Malfoy on, he could cause his enemy to send him to his doom. "You would make your Lord Voldemort so proud."
"Shut up." Draco said, clenching his wand tightly. "Who are you to say his name?" He raised his wand higher threateningly. Harry was right. If he had managed to kill the boy that had evaded the Dark Lord's grasp time and time again, he would surely hold him in high regard. Of course, if he did do anything in front of all these spectators and Dumbledore, he would surely be sent to Azkaban and left to rot.
"Come on." Harry screamed. "Do it. Be a fucking man, Draco." Harry lowered his head, and hovering below him, the snitch was hovering about. He was a natural born seeker, and the shining gold made him forget his death wish for the moment. He zoomed downward to snatch the snitch.
"You arse." Draco couldn't believe he fell for something so stupid; it was just a distraction from his duties in the game. "I can't believe I let you trick me." He yelled out, following Harry toward the snitch. Draco sped swiftly toward the snitch, but Harry had too much of an advantage and expertly caught hold of the snitch. Enraged, Draco, still holding his wand, rushed Harry in an attempt to steal the snitch from him. He grabbed for the snitch as he sped to him, but the momentum was too great and he lost control, crashing into Harry and sending them both hurtling toward the ground.
Hermione had been watching the boys intently, since it was less embarrassing than Ron's pitiful attempts at keeping the quaffle out of the goal. She gasped abruptly when she saw Draco pull out his wand. "Ginny! Draco has his wand with him. He's going to hurt Harry." Hermione scanned the crowd, searching for Dumbledore or McGonagall, but to no avail.
"Malfoy is a ferret and scum of the earth, but he's not stupid. He's not going to do anything in the middle of a quidditch match with all the students and professors watching." Ginny said, hoping that it would make a difference.
"No, now Harry's chasing after...he caught the snitch!" Hermione jumped up in glee. "We won! Way to go, Harry!" Hermione and Ginny beamed with pride for their friend, but that was short lived as she looked through her binoculars again. She screamed in panic. The students around her looked at her annoyed and confused. "They're falling!" The two boys were hurtling towards the earth, their bodies entangled in each others. Soon the whole stadium noticed what Hermione had and started shouting. Several professors quickly cast spells to slow their descent. Hermione and Ginny ran from their spots and quickly headed onto the field.
Madam Hooch was the first to the site of the accident, shortly followed by their teammates. "Everybody stand back." She yelled at the students. They were both unconscious, Draco on top of Harry, one set of hands clenched together, holding the snitch. Madam Hooch attempted to levitate Draco off of Harry, but they would not separate. On closer inspection, she found that a wand had impaled them both and would not come loose. She was distraught as she's never seen anything like it.
Dumbledore split the crowd as the Red Sea and rushed to the aide of the two students. Hooch whispered what she had discovered and Dumbledore nodded his head solemnly. He retrieved his wand and levitated the boys in front of him, making way to the infirmary. Professors McGonagall and Snape followed closely behind. Ron and Ginny were on their way after them, but Hermione stopped them. "There's no point in following, they won't let us see them in the shape they're in. We have to let them do what they need to do before we should intrude."
"Hermione, our best friend is badly injured, possibly dying, and worst of all he's irremovably attached to Malfoy. We can't just stand idly by." Ron said. He attempted to walk from the two girls, but they each grabbed a wrist and stayed him.
"She's right, Ron. We don't want to get in the way if they have to do anything extraordinary to help him." Ginny said. She worried terribly of what was to become of Harry. Such a terrible injury. Ron headed to the locker room and said goodbye to his friend and sister. "What are we going to do, Hermione?" Ginny asked as they walked off the field.
"We just have to wait." Hermione said. "Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Madam Pomfrey will all take good care of the two. There's nothing to worry about." She wasn't sure if that was true, but there didn't seem much sense in worrying. If something happens, it happens. Nothing could be done. "Let's get a bite to eat." Hermione offered. "I could use a little something to snack on." Ginny nodded her agreement and took Hermione's hand. It seemed like a childish gesture, but she wanted comforting. Seeing Harry like that, it hurt her heart and she couldn't stand the thought of losing him. Hermione gave Ginny's hand a loving squeezed and led her towards the Great Hall.
Hermione was right, of course. She was always right, but that didn't stop him any less from wanting to rush into the infirmary and...and...do nothing. He knew that he wouldn't be able to help with anything that three of the most powerful wizards in the school couldn't do amongst themselves. Ron expelled a sigh and stripped his kit off. He grabbed a towel and stepped into the showers. He found a shower in the corner and turned it on. He held his hand under the stream of water adjusting the temperature to his liking and stepped underneath the head, letting everything wash away. He was happy that the water hid his tears. He couldn't help but to cry out in frustration over how shit he played today. He stopped one goal and allowed twelve others. He produced a bar of soap and scrubbed vigorously, attempting to clean himself of the bad feelings crawling across his freckled skin, like invisible spiders. That thought crept into his head and he screamed. He clapped his hand over his mouth and turned to see if anyone was around to hear his embarrassing shriek.
When he saw he was alone he blew a sigh of relief and picked up the soap, continuing to clean himself. He whispered his mantra to himself, water off a duck's back. Again and again as he washed the suds off his body. He was worried about the game, but he felt silly for thinking on it, especially when his best friend was pinned underneath Malfoy, unconscious and injured. And to his dismay, he felt a twinge in his stomach. They were hurt and bleeding and yet, the mental picture of Malfoy on top of Harry was strangely erotic. In his mind, the two forms, healthy and now naked were locked in an embrace. The blondes marble pallor pressed against Harry's bronze tan, holding tight the shorter boy. Draco tilted Harry's head and placed a gentle kiss onto his lips.
Ron snapped out of his reverie and quickly changed the temperature of the water, blasting himself with liquid ice. He quickly moved from the shower and turned it off. He grabbed his towel and started drying himself. He wrapped the towel around his thin waist and rubbed his stomach removing excess droplets of water. He threw on his casual wear, a polo and a pair of jeans, and fixed his hair in the mirror. He could easily run into the object of his affection in the great hall or the common room, so he had to look good. His thoughts went back to Draco and Harry. They'll be fine, he reassured himself, and headed toward the great hall.
In the infirmary the adult wizards stood, hovering over the two students. "I fear we can't remove the wand." Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "Not yet anyway." McGonagall and Snape looked at each other. "They'll come to soon enough with Madam Pomfrey's assistance, but until then, it's just a matter of time." Dumbledore stepped over to Madam Pomfrey and whispered something to her. She nodded wide eyed, and returned to a potion she was making for them. "We can take our leave. Minerva, feel free to alert your house, specifically Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, that Harry's condition is stable. Severus, you may do the same for your house. They need rest, but otherwise, they will be fine." Dumbledore exited the infirmary leaving McGonagall and Snape looking at each other. With a knowing look they turned away from the exit.
"Oh, Poppy dear." McGonagall's voice rang out. Madam Pomfrey produced herself, carrying a cauldron with a light lavender potion. She set it on the nightstand next to the boys and approached the other two adults. "We were just curious as to what Albus whispered to you."
"I suppose if he whispered it, he did it with intent. Maybe he doesn't want you to know." Pomfrey said, returning to the cauldron. McGonagall frowned.
"Was it important?" Snape asked. "We just want to know if there's something about the boys he's not telling us." Snape looked over to the two boys. "Curse us for worrying about for our students."
Poppy stirred the potion and flicked her wand. The potion formed into two long strands and flowed into the mouths of the boys. "I understand, Severus, but if it's any consolation, he was his usual vague, cryptic self. All he told me was something unusual that I may have never seen before might occur and to not worry if it does, but to inform him." Poppy grabbed the now empty cauldron and held it at her side. "As you see, I'm sure it just raises more questions and concerns, so good luck trying to figure out what he means." She left the two of them as she returned to her office.
"That was helpful." McGonagall stated. "I don't know what he could mean though. Of what unusual occurrence does he speak?" She looked over at the boys. "Could it have to do to with the wand impaling them both?"
"Perhaps." Snape studied the wand and the two boys. "I can't imagine what else is unusual about this situation. I've never seen two connected by wand physically." Minerva nodded. "Albus suggests we alert those close to the boys of their condition. It'll be more work for you than me." The two left the infirmary worrying about the fate of the two left behind.
"She said not to worry." Hermione said, keeping a level head. She grabbed the fixings for a sandwich and assembled it at the table. "And I'm inclined to believe in her." She took a bite of her sandwich.
"I still want to see him." Ginny said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Ron nodded, his mouth crammed with food. "We should visit him." Hermione shook her head, taking another bite. "But, Hermione..." She whined. Hermione arched an eyebrow and gave her a look. "Fine, you win."
"He needs rest, Ginny." He fell from the sky and Malfoy fell onto him whilst a wand was between them. Nothing about that says quick recovery. Hermione finished her sandwich and glass of water. "I'm going to head upstairs. Studying and such, y'know." Hermione bid the siblings farewell and headed out of the hall.
"Should we go see Harry then?" Ginny asked now that Hermione had left them. "Hermione doesn't have to know." Ron nodded, mouth crammed with a new ball of food. "Great, well let's head down." Ginny got up just as Seamus, Neville and Dean sat down. They all rang out hellos to the two. Ron gulped, partly to swallow and partly because of the boy he liked having just sat down.
"Actually, Ginny, just go without me. I don't want to go behind Hermione's back like that. She usually knows what's best. Besides, I'm sure these three are itching to know about Harry's condition." Ginny shrugged and waved good-bye.
"So what's happened?" Neville asked. "Is he okay?"
"McGonagall said he's fine. His condition is stable." Ron said cutting a slice of pie.
"What else?" Dean asked, grabbing some bread.
"That's all." Ron said. "McGonagall wasn't very detail oriented."
"You didn't see Harry to tell us that?" Seamus asked, furrowing his brow. "You could have told us that on your way out. You're an idiot sometimes, Ron."
Ron was offended. Seamus had no right calling him an idiot, and this upset Ron. He narrowed his eyes, squinting back the faintest tears, and grabbed the uneaten pie and threw it at Seamus' face, stomping out of the hall. Seamus wiped the pie off his face with a napkin and sighed. He was nudged by Dean who gave him a look, raising his eyebrows. "Fine, I'll go after him and apologize." Seamus said, not unhappy getting to find the boy for a moment alone.
"I'm not familiar with the kind of thing I'm seeing." Pomfrey whispered to herself. "This must be what Albus was warning of. I should let him know." She headed towards Dumbledore's office, leaving the boys to the strange phenomenon.
What she had witnessed was the racing of red sparks running back and forth between the two boys, sending energy from one to the other and back again. As time progressed the sparks moved faster and faster. Suddenly, a flash of red light came and the wand disintegrated. Without its support, Draco fell onto Harry's chest with a thud.
Just as the red light disappeared, Ginny entered the infirmary. "Harry?" She heard a groan coming from the single occupied bed. She rushed to Harry's side. "Oh, Harry." She stroked his hair, "I hope you're okay." She smiled sweetly and kissed him on the forehead. His eyes flittered open and startled her. "Are you okay?" She asked kneeling beside him.
Harry blinked his eyes open. He couldn't really adjust to the light. He could feel a heavy weight on his chest and rolled it off of him. He turned his head toward Ginny, who was smiling sweetly. The look of shock on Harry's face startled her, and she stood up. His eyes couldn't be held open any longer and he fell back into sleep, but not before, to Ginny's dismay, he asked with an uncharacteristic drawl, "What are you doing here, Weasley?"
A/N: I'm reposting a bunch of stories, most unfinished that I intend to finish. If you like it leave a review and or follow.