A pale stream of sunlight lit the room.
It was silent save for one sound.
It was empty save for one person.
It was normal but for one thing.
It was fine but for one emotion.
Next to a large bed, knelt a man. With his head in his hands, with his legs bunched up to his chest, with his pale blond hair shielding his handsome face. His body hunched over itself, he was the picture of misery.
The only sound was his tormented sobs. He cried ceaselessly. His lithe body shook uncontrollably as he moaned in his grief.
Outside the house, a group of worried people waited for someone to answer the door.
His friends, his family, all had come to protect him.
To protect him from himself.
Their conversation was worried and tense.
"What if he doesn't hear us?" asked Pansy breathlessly.
Her fiancé put an arm around her shoulders and held her close, consoling his frantic wife-to-be.
"Calm down Pansy," he said. "Draco will be alright. He always is."
Blaise cut in, ignoring his wife's restraining hand.
"Nonsense Ron! There is no use in giving her false comfort. Not today of all days. Not now of all times. He is not all right. He never is. Not today. Never today. Not until he came back."
Hermione hugged her husband close as he finished his tirade.
"Blaise! Really! You shouldn't ha—"
She was cut off as the door opened. The group turned and waited.
"Sirs, Madams, the Master is not seeing anyone today," said the impeccable butler.
"We know that! But we have to see him! It's extremely urgent!" cried Pansy impatiently. "We go through this every year! Just let us in already!"
The butler bowed and stood aside.
The worried friends brushed past him and ran for the stairs.
"Come on!" shouted Hermione.
They reached the closed oak door and stopped, suddenly falling silent.
Pansy took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Even though they knew what they would see, it took them all by surprise.
Hermione gasped and slowly moved to his side.
Crouching next to him, she placed a gentle hand on his back before pulling him into a tight embrace. The others crowded round, silently offering their support.
"Draco. Oh Draco!" crooned a distressed Pansy.
"Draco! You have to stop doing this to yourself! It's been 3 years!"
This merely caused the shaking heap to moan and a fresh wave of tears to course down his white cheeks.
By this time, all of Draco's friends were holding back their own tears as they tried to pry their friend out of his misery.
"Draco. Please. Come back to us. Let us help you. Please," murmured Hermione, careful not to touch his hair.
Within weeks of his departure, Draco's friends soon learnt of this strange taboo. Draco would let no one but him touch Draco's beautiful, silky, and soft blond hair. No one but him was allowed that privilege.
The thin stream of sunlight moved across the room as the day wore on, the only sounds being that of quiet breathing and of heartbreak.
Draco continued to mourn as the sun crept across the blue-grey sky. At dawn he ceased, reduced to a quiet whimper.
Slowly, he pushed his way out of his friends' embrace and hobbled over to the windowsill.
In a voice weary from long disuse he whispered.
"Oh Gods Harry. Why did you do this to me?"
The question hung in the air for a moment before Hermione motioned for everyone to leave their grief-stricken companion alone.
The last to leave, she closed the door softly behind her.
"Come on. We'll wait in the study."
"Why Harry? Why?
What did I do wrong? What did I do?
I still remember that argument. I still remember those words."
"I just want you to be safe! I just want you to be happy!" Draco had yelled as he pleaded with his husband.
"I am happy! But I can't just settle down and forget about the world! Forget about everything I haven't seen, everything I've never done, everything I'll never do if I stay here!" Argued the tall man with emerald eyes.
"But I love you! Isn't that enough?" Draco's voice dropped to a whisper and his voice quivered as a lone tear fell from his piercing blue-grey eyes. Draco closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to remain calm.
There was a pause. And then silence.
Draco slowly opened his eyes. Harry was gone.
Draco slowly lay down; sure that Harry would be coming back. With this in mind, he drifted off into a restless sleep.
Near dawn, a figure crept into their room. He laid a note on the pillow next to Draco and slowly reached out to touch his face.
"I love you Draco. Always and forever. I'm sorry." He whispered.
In his sleep, Draco whimpered and leaned in to Harry's touch.
The figure stooped to kiss Draco's forehead, and then his lips.
Then, he was gone.
Draco woke up. Turned over. Saw the note.
Draco,
My love, when you read this, I will be gone. I am sorry. More sorry then you could ever imagine, but I must go. I cannot stay here while there is so much left to do.
Do not think I don't love you, for that is far from the truth. I love every part of you, all of you and will forever. Beyond forever even, for always.
I will miss you. Oh Gods how I will miss you. But I must go.
With all my love,
Harry
A wounded cry of disbelief escaped Draco's lips.
"No! It can't be… Harry wouldn't… Harry! Harry!"
Cried Draco desperately.
He sank onto the bed as the truth slowly sank in.
Suddenly, it hit.
Harry was gone.
At this realization, Draco went mad with grief. His body shook and he cried until no more tears were left and he could only sob, rasping and coughing.
He didn't want to live.
He didn't need to live.
He couldn't bear to live.
His friends had found him later that day, still convulsing and clutching a potion in one fist. A potion to rid him of all his memories. Forever.
Horrified, his friends learned the truth and began to sort Draco out.
Over the course of the next 3 years, Draco had managed to recover, if only slightly.
One time, he became so drunk that he was in the hospital for weeks.
Another time, he overdosed on his prescribed anti-depressants and was in the hospital for a good few weeks.
Draco lived recklessly during the first year, defying death at every turn. But he lived, he survived, no matter what beatings his body had endured Draco survived.
His friends could only watch helplessly from the sidelines as Draco did everything short of be-heading himself to try and die.
After the second anniversary however, Draco stopped.
Stopped everything. His trips, his job, his communications, everything. He wouldn't speak, he would barely eat, and he rarely left his room.
Unsurprisingly, this worried Hermione, Pansy, Ron and Blaise even more.
It seemed Draco had lost the will to live.
"Oh Harry! Why did you leave? Was I not good enough? Did I do something wrong? Please, just come back. It has been three years Harry. I can't live like this much longer."
Draco cried out and fell to his knees, new tears once again falling down the well-worn tracks on his cheeks
"Empty spaces, what are we living for?
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score.
On and on, does anybody know what I am looking for?
Whatever happens, I leave it all to chance,
Another heartache, another failed romance
On and on does anybody know what I am living for?
I guess I'm learning, I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Outside the dawn in breaking,
But inside in the dark, I'm aching to be free…"
Sang Draco quietly. His voice, always pure, took on a haunting quality as he half-whispered the words.
He had once loved to sing, Harry had once loved his voice and begged him to sing often. It had been happy songs then, songs of love, happy endings, and fairytales.
Now Draco never sang. Hadn't for 3 years. But his voice had not lost its quality through its years of disuse. Instead it had matured and deepened with emotion.
As he sang, Draco poured all of his feelings into the music. So concentrated was he, that he did not hear the door slowly opening, and the gasp that accompanied the entrance to the room.
Draco's voice faded as he sank down, drowning in tears.
Suddenly, he heard the footsteps that had moved behind him.
Draco whirled around, forgetting his kneeling position.
The stranger reached out and caught him before Draco could fall completely.
The stranger pulled Draco up and Draco looked up involuntarily.
He gasped and felt faint. It couldn't be…
"Harry?" he whispered.
Harry leaned forward and enveloped Draco, pulling the shorter man tight against his body. One arm wrapped around Draco's slim waist as the other tangled itself into Draco's soft locks.
His mouth hovered over Draco's and moved forwards cautiously until their lips brushed. Eager, Draco pushed forwards against his lover's body and thrust his tongue into Harry's mouth.
Harry groaned audibly and responded.
When they finally broke apart, Draco moaned softly and stared into the emerald eyes he so loved.
"Harry?"
"I'm sorry my Dragon. I'm so, so sorry." Murmured the black-haired figure.
Draco buried his face into Harry's neck. Hot tears splashed the bronzed skin as Draco trembled.
"Shh. It's all over now. You're here. With me." soothed Harry. Slowly, he sank down against the wall, pulling Draco down with him.
"I'm sorry," rasped Draco. "It's just, you've been gone for so long, I thought you weren't coming…" He sobbed and shook.
Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and continued to hold his distraught lover close.
"I'm sorry my Dragon. I should never have left."
A while later, once Draco had been calmed, the pair moved to the bed and lay quietly. Content in each other's arms.
Draco broke the silence first.
"Are you staying?" he asked tentatively, dreading; yet needing the answer.
He was rewarded when Harry answered without hesitation.
"Yes my dragon. I will never leave again. I missed you for every single minute we were apart."
Content, Draco leaned up and smoothed Harry's unruly hair and traced the lines of his face.
Harry sighed and began stroking and massaging Draco's hair. Draco moaned softly and moved into Harry's hand.
Lulled by the rhythmic sensations, Draco drifted off into his first peaceful sleep of 3 years.
Harry soon followed.
The pair slept a restful sleep. For they were each right where they should be; in each other's arms.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, only the situations I put them in. I also don't own the lyrics to 'The Show Must Go On' by Queen.
Strange one-shot that popped into my head. What do you think? Reviews are always welcome.
Thanks!