Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy or any other character in this story. They belong to the irreplaceable J. .The plot line is mine though!

Harry woke up feeling strangely tranquil, but after a minute, when his brain began to process pain signals correctly, he realized that he had a raging headache. He got up and headed towards the bathroom to shower. After he finished showering and dressing he headed out of the dormitory, crossed the empty common room, vaguely wondering what time it was, and headed down to the hospital wing. As he entered the blindingly white room he was greeted by the sight of non other than Draco Malfoy being reprimanded by Madam Pomfrey.

"I told you no, woman!"

"Mr. Malfoy, this is ludicrous! You get weaker every day and if you don't tell-"

"I don't see how this is any of your bloody business! Now give me the fucking Pepper –Up potion and let me go!"

"I have never been talked to like that and will not tolerate it from you Mr. Malfoy! Just because you're in a temperamental and emotional state as is common because of the cur-"

"Well if you didn't stick your nose in other people's business then we wouldn't be having a problem! ", said Malfoy his eyes blazing as he stepped closer to Madam Pomfrey, managing to impressively tower over her.

Madam Pomfrey, not intimidated by his size, glared angrily back; her cheeks were flushed. She opened her mouth, scathing retort ready on the tip of her tongue but the sound of a throat clearing made her snap her mouth shut and peer behind Malfoy. Malfoy spun around as well with an expression menacing enough to possibly make his deceased father proud. In the doorway to the infirmary stood Harry Potter who wore an amused and somewhat confused expression on his face. His emerald eyes took in their flushed faces and Malfoy's clenched fists. He walked forward a bit and raised an eyebrow.

"Just came to pick up a headache potion Madam Pomfrey. Sorry if it's a bad time…"

"No Mr. Potter," said Madam Pomfrey, "Mr. Malfoy here was just leaving."

On cue Malfoy turned around, snatched the bottle of Pepper- Up potion from her nimble hands, downed the whole thing and quickly made his way towards the door. As he passed, he and Harry made eye-contact and Harry saw the tiredness Madame Pomfrey was talking about. Malfoy broke the eye contact as he approached the door and violently slammed it behind him. Madam Pomfrey sighed and went to rummage through her cabinets for the headache potion Harry badly needed.

"Here, Mr. Potter…is that all."

"Yes, thanks," said Harry and he finished drinking the potion. Ah sweet relief.

"Madam Pomfrey, I have to ask…what was up with Malfoy?"

An angry and disappointed looked crossed Madam Pomfrey's face. She huffed and told him icily," I haven't that faintest idea why you would ask me that question Mr. Potter. Perhaps it'd be more prudent to ask Mr. Malfoy seeing as it is and I quote, 'his business.' I suggest you go down to the Great Hall. Breakfast has started. Have a good day."

With that she turned on her heel and entered her office. Harry looked quizzically after her. Something was wrong with the head nurse; she seemed worried. Was it from the argument she had with Malfoy earlier? What had they been arguing about? He got up and headed down to breakfast with his mind raging with questions. As he opened the door and moved towards the Gryffindor table he was greeted by some of his fellow classmates. He took a seat next to Hermione.

"Harry, where have you been? Ron and I were so worried," Hermione immediately said. "You know we worry! You could have left a note or woken Ron up! I mean honestly how hard is it for you to get a piece of parchment and a quill and form some sentences. If you-"

"Hermione, stop yapping already!" said Harry while trying hard not laugh at Hermione's indignant face. "I just needed a headache potion."

"See Hermione, no reason to worry! I, for the record Harry, was not worried," quipped Ron after swallowing a mouthful of eggs and bacon.

"Yea says the guy who came running down the stairs from the boys dormitory in his Chudley Cannons pajamas frantically asking people 'where Harry was'," Hermione added.

Harry laughed as Hermione and Ron entered one of their glaring matches. They were both really quite impressive though he had to hand it to Hermione she may not have been much of a quidditch player but she could kick ass in a glaring match. No one could beat her, well no one but Draco Malfoy. With that thought he looked up and scanned the Slytherin table for the person in question. He was sitting near the end of the table, nearest to the door, with Zabini and Parkinson. Currently they seemed to be having a serious discussion, one that Malfoy was obviously displeased about for he was glaring at his companions. After narrowing his eyes and saying something, Malfoy got up and stormed out of the Great Hall. Zabini sighed and looked straight at Harry. The glare was unbearable but Harry did not want to break it. Finally Harry had enough.

"Guys I'm going for a walk see you later…"

"But Harry we have to get to the carriages in about 5 minutes if we want to go to Hogsmeade," said Hermione.

"No you guys go ahead."

"Harry-", began Ron.

"No I don't feel like going. You two go, my treat", he said as he plunked a good amount of money on the table in front of them and headed towards the door. He could not help but feel the stares of two certain individuals from the Slytherin table.

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Draco Malfoy was a cold bastard to the rest of the world. Only Zabini and Parkinson knew that behind the hard exterior was a whole knew person with many secrets. Currently Malfoy was seated on the ledge in the astronomy tower, taking in the morning sun. His hair shone gold and ethereal. He seemed unlike any human, perhaps creature- like. However if a Malfoy ever heard someone refer to their family as creature-like they would most likely castrate you on the spot. The Malfoy family was pureblood, nothing tainted their family line.

As Malfoy let the warm breeze engulf him he thought. It had been almost a year since the Dark Lord was defeated and this was his last year at Hogwarts. He managed to redeem his family name by fighting for the light side but at what cost. He lost his mother and his father and the respect of some of the Slytherins and other pureblood families. Well… his father wasn't that great of a loss. It was actually a cause for celebration especially since it was Draco, himself, who killed the bastard. One day during a legilimency training session Lucius found discovered one of Malfoy's darkest secrets. He threatened to kill him. He has cast Cruciatus on him repeatedly and locked him in the Malfoy Manor dungeons. Malfoy, however, knowing wandless magic after having trained with Snape was able to escape. He arrived at Grimauld place, Snape having informed him of its whereabouts, with only one set dirty robes and numerous bruises to his face and body.

Malfoy smiled humorously as he remembered being greeted with about 10 different wands pointed at his face. His train of thought however, was interrupted by a noise in back of him. His senses heightened and he knew exactly who it was without turning around.

"Hello Potter. Ditched your friends to hang out with a lonely ex-Death eater? I'm touched"

"Sarcastic loner wasn't ever really your style, Malfoy"

Harry came up beside Malfoy and sat on the ledge with him. He gazed at the horizon and the forbidden forest; Tranquil.

"So…"

"I hope for the life of me, Potter that you're not trying to make conversation"

Harry smiled a bit. He gazed at the birds that had erupted from the forbidden forest and said, "Well I thought we could talk a bit…like we used to." He finally turned his gaze toward Draco. Draco looked at him and for the second time in the past 9 months of school Harry realized just how tired Malfoy really seemed. Even with the pepper-up potion he had taken a little over an hour ago, Malfoy seemed to be struggling to remain awake.

"Malfoy, have you been sleeping at all?!"

Malfoy closed his eyes and smiled bitterly. His head dropped down as if praying. He finally glanced at Harry and lightly replied, "Just a bit of insomnia, Harry, nothing to worry about." Harry grinned at the use of his first name. During the War, when Malfoy switched sides, he had a lot of trouble gaining the trust of many order members. Surprisingly, the first one he gained was Harry's.

"How the hell do you expect me to trust you if you spent pretty much all of our days since we've know each other making fun of me and my friends?!"

"Have I even made fun you while I've been here? Open your fucking eyes and look around. This is war and what's the point of holding a grudge over something so childish. We've grown up over the course of these months! No time for petty grudges."

"Oh please, yea so what's the plan", Harry shouted, his anger tapping into his magic and making a breeze go through the room. "-going to gain our trust! Then what? When the time is opportune betray us and gain back your rank in the Death Eater circle!"

Malfoy grew very still. Pain, anguish and desperation exuded from his body. Harry was too mad to notice.

"Please!" Malfoy's voice became strained and desperate. "I don't want to go back…I-"

"You've never given me a reason to view you any different than the arrogant coward you've always been."

Harry crossed the room meaning to leave until Malfoy called him back.

"Potter wait… you want proof then I'll give you proof. Cast the legilimency spell on me. There is nothing truer than my mind…I…It's all I have to offer. I won't block you."

Harry thought is over. It was a good idea. He suddenly whipped around and cast the spell on Malfoy. His mind quickly became flooded with Malfoy's memories. Malfoy at 7 years old screaming for a broomstick, Malfoy at 12 calling Hermione a Mudblood, Malfoy at 16 meeting trembling in fear as he faced Voldermort for the first time, Malfoy in the Malfoy Manor being reprimanded by his father, Malfoy being struck with a cane across his face, Malfoy under the Cruciatus curse, Malfoy in a dungeon, Malfoy being threatened kicked and spit on.

Malfoy.

Harry ended the spell and quickly glanced at the blonde boy. He looked corpse-like. Lucius had probably starved him from what he saw. The way the Order was treating him wasn't much better. Their eyes met and the dullness in Malfoy's eyes made Harry want to run away and never look back. It was a look of hopelessness; the look you get when you've given up and have nothing else to live for. He turned on his heel and left without a word. The next day Malfoy had a wand and dinner in front of his bedroom door.

"Potter seriously if you don't snap out of it I will cast such a bad hex on you-"

"Ok no need for a threat."

"Oh great look whose back."

"Shut up," Harry said with a chuckle. He and Malfoy had started talking more after that day. They talked about mundane things at first but eventually went into more important topics. Hermione and Ron were great and all but sometimes he needed to hear things from someone who did not know him truly; from someone who did not care whether if his feelings got hurt or not. Malfoy provided that and it was comforting to talk to him. On one such day when they had finished going over strategy in the drawing room, Malfoy and him remained behind and lounged on the chairs. They were looking at a muggle newspaper; Harry had started teaching him things about the muggle world, when Malfoy made a startling remark.

"He's kind of hot," said Malfoy pointing at a picture of an actor from an upcoming movie.

With the discovery that Malfoy was gay, Harry felt that another barrier had been broken between them. He remembered his response perfectly.

"Yes he quite is! And while we're on the subject I'd like to comment on your hair. It's orgasmic"

They had both looked at one another grinning… knowing.

"Malfoy," said Harry after a few moments. "Why don't we talk anymore?"

"Well," said Malfoy after giving him a contemplating look, "We both had to get back to our own lives after the war hadn't we? I mean now that the war is behind us we share nothing in common…well besides our sexual preferences but I frankly don't want to sit around with you and point out hot actors from those muggle newspapers if that's what you're thinking. A bit too girly don't you think?"

Harry laughed at the reference to that fateful day. He could not shake the feeling that there was something wrong with Draco though.

"Draco, why are you so tired"? Harry asked earnestly.

"Nothing, Harry," Draco sighed. "I'd better go I have to meet up with Pansy and Blaise before they kill me." He jumped off the ledge and turned to face Harry. The sun behind him made him glow beautifully, Harry was captivated. Draco leaned down and kissed Harry on the cheek quickly and grinned.

"Go find your sidekicks, Boy Wonder."

As he closed the door Harry stared after him, his mind and heart content about the kiss.

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Harry decided to finish up some homework and roam around the castle. About an hour before dinner he could be found walking down the charms corridor when he bumped into a Blaise Zabini. Harry meant to apologize but he was rudely shoved into an empty classroom.

"Zabini, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Shut up Potter! I need you to listen good because I am only going to say this once. Draco has put it off for to long!"

"I'm listening," said Harry curiously. His ears had perked up when he heard Draco's name.

"Listen, Potter. Do you remember during the battle that Malfoy was fighting his father?"

Harry nodded. Zabini sighed and took a seat on a desk gesturing for Harry to do that same.

"Well while you were fighting Voldermort, Draco was fighting his dear daddy. Fucking bastard wanted to rid this world of such a 'disgraceful Malfoy'. What you don't know is that before Draco had a chance to kill Lucius, Lucius taunted him. He taunted him about the fact that Draco is the only Malfoy to actually fall in love; to actually feel such a 'useless and petty emotion'. It was then that Draco got extremely angry and even I could see that that was the end for Lucius. Draco may not appear strong but he has so much power bottled up inside. I think that Lucius knew that his end was near because before Draco's curse hit him, he hit Draco with one of his own. It was his final 'fuck you' before dying."

Zabini stopped and took a breath. He looked at Harry and continued in an angered voice.

"Draco knew all along what the curse was. It is untraceable so the only way to find out is for Draco himself to tell someone. Pansy and I only found out last month but ever since we got back to school we noticed Draco growing tired everyday, not being able to sleep and slowly losing his appetite. "

"What was the curse? Why hasn't Draco told anyone so that he can get rid of it?"

"Potter, the curse we speak of is not easily rid off. Draco was hit with a curse called Heart's Sorrow or la tristezza di cuore as the Italians who invented it called it. It is an ancient curse that serves to render one's heart into a state of grief. People subjected to the curse slowly die. It is a burden to wake up everyday and after a while you just remain awake. Images of your true love plague your thoughts and dreams constantly. Every time that person is near you your senses heighten and all you can think of is them. There is no room for thoughts of food, sleep or pretty much any other basic necessity. You basically suffer from a broken heart but you actually die at the end. It's one of the most sinister curses that show the true dark side of love. I guess Lucius was trying to teach Draco that love is a weakness in his own sick way."

"But you said there is a cure," said Harry frantically.

"The only person who can cure your broken heart is the person you love. If they don't return your love you die after a year. It's like a slow working poison. "

At this moment Zabini got off the desk and faced Harry.

"Potter don't you see? Why else would I tell you this if this did not concern you?!" he angrily screamed.

Harry looked at Zabini and saw the meaning behind those words. It was him. He was the one that had to save Draco. He jumped off the desk and raced towards the door.

"The Hospital Wing, Potter. He's dying."

Authors Note: Hope you enjoyed the story. Let me know what you think : -).