Draco gasped into consciousness, adrenaline pumping vigorously into his bloodstream. Blurred faces were only discernible because of the light shining behind them. He felt arms restraining him, holding him down. He struggled, but his movements all seemed to be in slow motion. His heart was racing and his head was spinning. He heard voices barely over the rushing of blood in his ears. His head was throbbing, he was in so much pain...
Just then, he felt a firm hand in his. He gripped it tightly; it was the only thing his mind could make sense of. He let himself relax, squeezing his eyes together against the blinding light and the throbbing pain in his forehead. As he forced himself to calm his heart, the words being uttered started to make sense.
"...been through a lot today, maybe..."
"...no, I'm going to..."
"...in his best interest..."
"...staying, there's nothing..."
"Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco groaned, still squeezing the hand in his. Then, a voice closer to his ear.
"Draco?" It was a desperate whisper, one Draco recognized...
He opened his eyes and blinked, trying to see through the haze of pain. A warm hand on his cheek.
"Draco, love, can you hear me?"
Draco squinted against the light, and before his eyes came swimming the image of a face...
He scrambled away from it, scooting back against the headboard and throwing the hand off of his face.
"Get off me, Potter!"
Harry stepped back instantly, confusion splattered on his face. Draco groaned again and brought his knees up to his chest. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and grit his teeth.
"Mr. Potter, I really do think it best..." That was Madame Pomfrey.
"NO, I'm going to stay with him." Draco looked up in time to see Harry throw Pomfrey's hand off of his arm and take a step closer to him.
"Get out." Draco said dangerously. He hated showing weakness in front of his enemies.
"What?" Harry asked quietly.
"GET OUT!" Stars danced before Draco's eyes. He shouldn't be yelling with such a headache.
Draco felt a hand on the back of his neck, and one on his chest. He had swooned a bit, and Harry had caught him. He threw the hands off weakly.
"I don't NEED your help, Potter!" Harry pulled his hands away as if he had been burned, pain and confusion still in his eyes.
"Draco...?" The blond seethed at Harry.
The brunette suddenly turned to look at Pomfrey, who shook her head sadly.
"What's happened to him?" He asked, nearing the edge of tears.
"Potter..." Pomfrey had an uncharacteristically sympathetic expression on her wizened face. "I'm afraid he was most unfortunate to absorb one of Mr. Longbottom's... Special... Memory charms... Full in the face."
Harry looked back at the blond tragically. Draco couldn't conceal the fear and confusion beneath his seething. Harry knelt suddenly beside Draco's bed.
"Draco..." He looked up at Draco, his green eyes brimming with tears. "Do you know who I am?" A look of disgust crossed the Slytherin's face.
"Of course I do. You're Saint Potter. How could anyone forget you?"
Harry's jaw dropped and his eyes filled. Pomfrey seemed to see this as a perfect time to interrupt. She put a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Potter, I think it'd be best if you retired to your dormitory."
Draco watched the other boy set his jaw, stand, wipe his tear-streaked cheeks, and leave without a word. He then turned clear blue eyes full of questions, to Madame Pomfrey.
"What exactly did this spell do to me?" He asked furiously. The woman sighed.
"We have yet to determine the extent of the damage, but it was merely a simple memory spell, gone awry."
"Like everything Longbottom does..."
"Yes, well..." Pomfrey gave an assenting chuckle. Draco was caught off guard by this moment of companionship with the woman. He sat up straighter against the headboard.
"So... Do you know anything about this spell?"
"Well, we know it has indeed meddled with your memory. You seem to not have any recollection of poor Mr. Potter..."
"What do you mean? I know who he his, he's your precious Chosen One." Pomfrey arched one eyebrow.
"Indeed." Draco's eyebrows furrowed.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Pomfrey gave him an unreadable expression before busying herself with clearing his bedside table of all manner of jars and potions.
"Madame Pomfrey, what does that mean?" She paused with five bottles in her arms to look pityingly down at the boy.
"You've lost all memory of your... Relationship... With Potter." Draco processed this, his already-pale face going even whiter, as the witch collected the rest of the potions into her apron and hurried away.
Within minutes of the incident, the entire school was aware of what had happened to Draco and the repercussions. The whole of Slytherin house thought this would be the opportune time to strike out at the Chosen One for stealing their most esteemed member.
"Hey, Potter, how's it feel to be single?"
"Chosen One! Hey, Chosen One! How's your boyfriend? Hah!"
"Oooh, look it's Harry Potter. The boy who lived, saved the Wizarding World, and then became a pouf! Look where it's got you!"
Harry had to hold his breath and fist his hands to keep from lashing out. Hermione and Ron could feel the tension radiating off their friend, and had to nearly run to keep up as he stormed through the hall of taunting. Finally, one taunt broke through.
"Hey Harry, does Draco remember your name?"
The person who said it was Blaise Zabini. Harry whipped around and yelled loud enough for all the Slytherins to hear.
"Shut the FUCK UP, Zabini!" He ignored Hermione's soft protest of "Harry...!" and Ron's hands on his shoulders, restraining him. "Even if he didn't, I would still love him! Keep laughing, and keep up with your jibes, because you'll NEVER know love like I have."
Harry threw Ron's hands off and bolted the rest of the way down the hall before he could hear Blaise's response and be thrown even further into his blinding fury. He didn't stop until he was face-first on the Gryffindor commonroom couch with a pillow over his head.
He had left Hermione and Ron to catch up, and when they did, they entered as quietly as possible, not wanting to invoke the wrath of Harry Potter. Ron gestured helplessly at Harry's unmoving form, and Hermione, taking pity on Ron's awkward self, make a calming gesture as if to say "let me handle this." Ron smiled sadly, kissed her, and made his way up to the boy's dormitory.
Hermione hesitantly made her way to the couch, eventually sitting in front of Harry's knees. He didn't say anything.
"You know, Harry, his memory loss is probably just temporary."
"Heh. Yeah, thanks, Hermione." Came Harry's muffled reply. Hermione sighed and leaned forward on her knees, unsure of what to say. When Harry realized that she would not try again, he groaned and rolled over, throwing the pillow to the floor and sitting up to look at her.
"Maybe tomorrow you could... Bring him breakfast and try to talk to him?"
Harry considered this.
"Yeah, maybe."
He sat up and planted a grateful kiss on her temple, then stood and hauled himself to the boy's dormitory.
The next morning, Draco was awoken by a clattering of silverware and a quiet oath. He opened his eyes to see a very nervous Harry Potter standing at his bedside, picking up a spoon and a fork from the ground. He stood again and replaced them on a tray of food on his bedside table, before he noticed Draco was watching him.
"Draco! Hi, sorry about that. I just, um..." Harry swallowed.
"Get out." Draco said, sitting up slowly. Harry gave him a nervous glance before pushing up his glasses and starting again.
"Look, I understand why-"
"What do you want, Potter?" Harry wrung his hands as he thought of something to say.
"I brought you breakfast." He gestured to the haphazard tray of food. Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Why?"
Harry's face fell, and his hands stilled.
"You really don't remember." It wasn't a question.
"Remember what?" Part of Draco was afraid of the answer, but the curiosity won out. Harry sat on the bed next to his, the ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Us. You never call me 'Potter' anymore..." Draco swallowed.
"So... What? Are we, like... Best mates now?" A light flush on Harry's cheeks told Draco he was wrong.
"Not quite."
Draco dropped his head back onto the headboard miserably.
"Bloody hell..." He heard a nervous chuckle escape the Gryffindor beside him.
"Um... The war ended. Voldemort's dead, and your... Do you remember anything of the war?"
Draco lifted his head again, curiosity kindled in his eyes, along with the fear that always accompanied the mention of the Dark Lord's name.
"Last thing I remember about it was..." His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "It was still going on. He was living in Malfoy Manor, we were planning to..." Draco forcibly swallowed his next words.
"Yeah. I know. It happened. It didn't work." Harry smiled carefully, and looked down at his hands before continuing. "I... I killed Voldemort, Draco."
The Slytherin felt a shameful amount of relief at hearing those words. Green eyes lifted once again to his.
"And your father..."
Draco's stomach dropped.
"My father?" Pain crossed the brunette's features. He stood and made to reach out to him, but Draco shied away.
"Draco, I'm..." He let his hand drop awkwardly to his side. "I'm so sorry..."
"What. Happened. To my father."
"He..."
Fear and anxiety were rising in Draco's chest.
"TELL ME!" He lashed out.
"He's been sent to Azkaban!"
Harry slapped a hand over his mouth. Draco felt the full weight of the truth wash over him. Father's in Azkaban?
"You're lying." He said quietly.
"Draco, I'm so sorry..."
"You LIAR!" Draco swung his legs over the side of his bed, hardly even noticing the blanket that followed.
"Draco!"
He couldn't stop. He stood and pushed Harry back onto the bed, his blue-grey eyes wild.
"You're LYING TO ME! WHY!?"
"I'm not-"
Harry was cut off by a swift, harsh slap on his cheek. It echoed through the hall, as did the sharp intake of breath that accompanied it. Blood pooled under the skin, in the shape of Draco's elegant hand.
Both boys remained motionless, their panting the only sound, for a moment. Draco was shocked at himself, but his pride wouldn't allow him to show regret for it. Harry was the one to break the silence.
The Gryffindor shut his jaw and stood. Draco took a step back to put space between them, but Harry faced him directly and stepped forwards, forcing Draco back. However, ever the Slytherin, he would not sit or put himself below the filthy half-blood. He was the taller of them, and he intended to utilize that.
In all honesty, the penetrating gaze coming from those brilliant green eyes almost buckled his knees.
"Draco, I am sorry about your father." He said fiercely. His words ghosted over Draco's lips. Harry had not left any space between them, and Draco almost choked on the loathing in his throat. "But sooner or later you will remember that I love you."
Draco was stunned. His jaw fell slack. He was taken off-guard by these vulnerable words of intimacy. Harry glanced at Draco's open mouth, which he immediately snapped shut. Green eyes turned back up to his pale eyes.
"And sooner or later, you will remember that you love me, too."
Draco couldn't think of a witty retort, let alone force his mouth around it. His instincts told him to take advantage of this weakness, but he was currently unable to. His inner-Slytherin was still awestruck at the sudden confession of love.
He watched the boy leave in silence.
Bloody hell, Draco, what have you gotten yourself into?
"It just takes time, mate. I'm sure he'll come around." Ron offered a sympathetic smile. It was about as open as he got with his feelings. Harry smiled sadly back.
"I hope so. He just... He looks at me, and..." Harry looked down at his hands, unable to speak around the lump forming in his throat.
Hermione sighed and rubbed Harry's back affectionately.
"Just give him a week or so, Harry. If you made him fall in love with you once, you can do it again."
Harry lifted his eyes to Hermione's, and saw the lack of conviction in them. He smiled and spoke the words they were all thinking.
"But what if I can't?"
Hermione hugged Harry's head to her neck as the dam broke. Ron dropped his gaze awkwardly.
AN: Yes, I'm resubmitting this story. I edited some of it and expanded it, so if you liked the original, you might like this better! Stay tuned!