Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe.
Harry raced down the hall, his heart pounding and guilt flooding his veins.
Oh my gods, what have I done?
It wasn't really his fault, Malfoy had been about to cast the Killing Curse on him, but still, he might have unwittingly killed Draco with the Sectumsempra curse! His head whipped from the left to the right, searching for an escape, but his mind was suddenly blank and he couldn't remember where any tunnels were and gods, he hoped Professor Snape got there in time, please let Malfoy be ok and then there was a hidden passageway!
Harry dashed over to the tapestry and flung it aside, seeking the release of the outdoors, needing the cool air to rush across his face. He burst out of the castle, close to the Forbidden Forest and he lurched towards the trees. Throwing himself into the bowl of a large oak tree, Harry put his head between his knees, breathing hard. Guilt consumed him, compressing his lungs. Tears leaked from his eyes as he finally let go and cried. Great wrenching sobs tore from his chest; his fingers dug into the dirt around him.
Finally Harry passed out, too exhausted to return to the castle. He awoke curled in the fetal position, his face half covered with dirt and leaves stuck in his unruly hair. He looked at the sky, guessing it was around two in the morning. His body aching, he slowly stood and dragged himself back to the castle, his heart and feet heavy. As he reached the entrance of the secret passageway, he decided to sneak into the infirmary with the hopes that Malfoy was there and he could check on him.
Dashing from secret passageway to secret passageway, Harry made it there in no time and he quietly pushed the door open. There were no lights on and, as he slipped inside, he noted only two beds were occupied. The closest bed held a student that looked to be on the wrong end of a potion experiment. Draco lay on one of the beds farthest from door, his bare chest wrapped in bandages, he face screwed up in pain even in sleep.
Harry slipped into the chair next to the bed, resting his chin on his hand as he stared. He winced when Draco twitched and let out a moan. Once he settled down, Harry reached out and gently stroked his cheek, thumb tracing the high cheek bones and straight nose.
"I'm so sorry, Draco," he whispered, tears touching the corner of his eyes. He leaned down, lips hovering…
A clattering noise jolted him back to the reality and he sat up, turning around to find that the light in Madam Pomfrey's office was on. Harry quickly dived into the closest closed bed and waited for the nurse to walk past before dashing out the other side and running from the room. He dashed to his dorm and threw himself on the bed, pulling the curtains tight around his bed.
He lay there for a long time, thinking.
A/N: In response to the prompt from tabitha666 on LiveJournal. Prompt - Sectumsempra and guilt