"Oy, Harry."
Startled, Harry dropped the razor blade he had been holding.
"What do you want, Ron?" he asked, hiding the cut on his arm as best he could.
Ron, oblivious to what he had just walked in on, continued. "We need to be down on the pitch in about 10 minutes for practice. Come on mate." With that, Ron turned around and went down to wait with Hermione in the common room. Once alone again, Harry stopped the bleeding and used a glamour to hide his newest design.
Ever since Sirius had been killed, Harry had been depressed. He started cutting himself because he needed the pain. He needed to know that he was still alive, that he could still feel, that he wasn't emotionless.
He picked up the razor blade and put it back in the small box of odds and ends he had on the table next to his bed, and then left the dormitory with his broomstick in his hands. Cutting and flying were his only escapes these days. While playing quidditch, he could forget, for a time, the pain of losing the only family he had known. He walked down the stairs and entered the Gryffindor common room, deep in thought.
"Took you long enough. We have to hurry if we're going to make it on time." Harry made no response, but Ron didn't seem to notice. He was already halfway out the portrait hole, once more engrossed in his conversation with Hermione. She cast a look back at Harry, who was still lost in his own thoughts. She made a mental note to confront him about his silence later.
*~*~*~*~*
After practice, Ron and Hermione stayed behind to "talk." On the way back to the common room, Harry, once more lost in his thoughts, bumped into someone, sending him sprawling on the floor in the hall and snapping him out of his thoughts and into the present.
"Potter, why don't you watch where you're going, or do you just need new glasses?" sneered a familiar voice. Malfoy, the very last person he wanted to see right now.
"Sod off, Malfoy," he said, getting up off the floor and walking away. He didn't care anymore. 'Maybe I should just end it now, once and for all, go and join my mum and dad and Sirius. No one would miss me all that much,' he thought. Entering the common room, he went and sat in one of the chairs facing the fire.
*~*~*~*~*
Draco watched as Harry walked off without flinging any insults back at him. He had just insulted Potter, and all he got was a "Sod off, Malfoy," and his back. He hadn't even sounded like he cared. His voice had been totally emotionless. 'Something's wrong,' he thought. Then, 'Why should I care?' He didn't like being ignored. Draco turned around and walked away, already making plans of how to get back at the other boy. 'It wasn't enough that he threw my offer of friendship back in my face back in our first year, but now he has to go and ignore me,' he thought angrily. 'What's wrong with him that he doesn't want my friendship? Hell, what's wrong with me that he doesn't want my friendship?' Such were his thoughts until he got so frustrated that he punched the wall, bruising his hand and startling everyone else in the hall. "Damnit!" he yelled, walking towards the Slytherin common room once more.
That night at dinner Draco stayed in the Slytherin common room, thinking about what he was going to do to Harry the next time they saw eachother. 'I could hex him, but I don't think that would serve my purpose. Or I could be nice and offer to help him with something. That would sure freak him out, and it would be quite funny to see the suspicion in his eyes. He couldn't ignore me then, either.' "What could I offer to help him with, though?" he said out loud to himself. Just then, Professor Snape walked into the common room. "You, offer to help someone? This I have to see," he drawled. "Who is this person who has the great Draco Malfoy offering to help him?" Draco, startled, looked up at his head of house. "Oh, hello Sir. I was just trying to think of ways to slip past Potter's guard. He's been too self- absorbed lately, and frankly, I'm getting bored. A verbal sparring match with Potter is always a good form of entertainment, but lately he's been ignoring me. Do you have any suggestions Sir?" He looked at his professor hopefully. Snape just snorted. "You want my opinion on Potter?" he asked incredulously. "No, not your opinion on Potter, your thoughts on what I could or should do to annoy him." Snape just smirked. "I have plenty, none of which would be appropriate. However, if you really want to "help" him, I could always partner you in potions, put my best student with my worst one and hope that you can teach him something. Would that help?" "Yeah, that just might work. Thanks Sev."
Later that night, hungry due to his missed dinner, Draco was sneaking into the kitchen when he heard slight noises coming from an empty classroom. Curious, he went to see who he could get in trouble. What he saw shocked him and as he turned around to leave, he ran into the doorjamb and fell, startling the person in the room. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" asked a voice from inside the empty classroom.
Startled, Harry dropped the razor blade he had been holding.
"What do you want, Ron?" he asked, hiding the cut on his arm as best he could.
Ron, oblivious to what he had just walked in on, continued. "We need to be down on the pitch in about 10 minutes for practice. Come on mate." With that, Ron turned around and went down to wait with Hermione in the common room. Once alone again, Harry stopped the bleeding and used a glamour to hide his newest design.
Ever since Sirius had been killed, Harry had been depressed. He started cutting himself because he needed the pain. He needed to know that he was still alive, that he could still feel, that he wasn't emotionless.
He picked up the razor blade and put it back in the small box of odds and ends he had on the table next to his bed, and then left the dormitory with his broomstick in his hands. Cutting and flying were his only escapes these days. While playing quidditch, he could forget, for a time, the pain of losing the only family he had known. He walked down the stairs and entered the Gryffindor common room, deep in thought.
"Took you long enough. We have to hurry if we're going to make it on time." Harry made no response, but Ron didn't seem to notice. He was already halfway out the portrait hole, once more engrossed in his conversation with Hermione. She cast a look back at Harry, who was still lost in his own thoughts. She made a mental note to confront him about his silence later.
*~*~*~*~*
After practice, Ron and Hermione stayed behind to "talk." On the way back to the common room, Harry, once more lost in his thoughts, bumped into someone, sending him sprawling on the floor in the hall and snapping him out of his thoughts and into the present.
"Potter, why don't you watch where you're going, or do you just need new glasses?" sneered a familiar voice. Malfoy, the very last person he wanted to see right now.
"Sod off, Malfoy," he said, getting up off the floor and walking away. He didn't care anymore. 'Maybe I should just end it now, once and for all, go and join my mum and dad and Sirius. No one would miss me all that much,' he thought. Entering the common room, he went and sat in one of the chairs facing the fire.
*~*~*~*~*
Draco watched as Harry walked off without flinging any insults back at him. He had just insulted Potter, and all he got was a "Sod off, Malfoy," and his back. He hadn't even sounded like he cared. His voice had been totally emotionless. 'Something's wrong,' he thought. Then, 'Why should I care?' He didn't like being ignored. Draco turned around and walked away, already making plans of how to get back at the other boy. 'It wasn't enough that he threw my offer of friendship back in my face back in our first year, but now he has to go and ignore me,' he thought angrily. 'What's wrong with him that he doesn't want my friendship? Hell, what's wrong with me that he doesn't want my friendship?' Such were his thoughts until he got so frustrated that he punched the wall, bruising his hand and startling everyone else in the hall. "Damnit!" he yelled, walking towards the Slytherin common room once more.
That night at dinner Draco stayed in the Slytherin common room, thinking about what he was going to do to Harry the next time they saw eachother. 'I could hex him, but I don't think that would serve my purpose. Or I could be nice and offer to help him with something. That would sure freak him out, and it would be quite funny to see the suspicion in his eyes. He couldn't ignore me then, either.' "What could I offer to help him with, though?" he said out loud to himself. Just then, Professor Snape walked into the common room. "You, offer to help someone? This I have to see," he drawled. "Who is this person who has the great Draco Malfoy offering to help him?" Draco, startled, looked up at his head of house. "Oh, hello Sir. I was just trying to think of ways to slip past Potter's guard. He's been too self- absorbed lately, and frankly, I'm getting bored. A verbal sparring match with Potter is always a good form of entertainment, but lately he's been ignoring me. Do you have any suggestions Sir?" He looked at his professor hopefully. Snape just snorted. "You want my opinion on Potter?" he asked incredulously. "No, not your opinion on Potter, your thoughts on what I could or should do to annoy him." Snape just smirked. "I have plenty, none of which would be appropriate. However, if you really want to "help" him, I could always partner you in potions, put my best student with my worst one and hope that you can teach him something. Would that help?" "Yeah, that just might work. Thanks Sev."
Later that night, hungry due to his missed dinner, Draco was sneaking into the kitchen when he heard slight noises coming from an empty classroom. Curious, he went to see who he could get in trouble. What he saw shocked him and as he turned around to leave, he ran into the doorjamb and fell, startling the person in the room. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" asked a voice from inside the empty classroom.