Harry
"It's been over a week! You have to stop spending all your free time in the Hospital Wing Harry! We have more important things to worry about!" Hermione cried.
"Yeah like You-Know-Who mounting an army and whatnot," Ron said with a wave of his hand, indicating that I thought it meant nothing.
"Don't you two think that Malfoy might just be the key to what's going on? All these strange things have revolved around him and until he wakes up we have no answers and no leads. I know he's a Death Eater, so that means he was planning something. And I'm going to find out."
"You probably did before, that's why he hexed you." Ron pointed out. "He wanted you out of the way."
"No, I think he wants me to find out," I replied.
"What? Why would he want that?" Hermione frowned.
""Hermione!" I cried in exasperation. "This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about, he's smarter than this. He wouldn't be as clumsy as this to get caught by me. Don't you see? He's frightened! He's scared and confused and he doesn't want to do whatever he's being forced to do, he wants to be found out, he wants to be stopped! Because he doesn't have the strength to do it himself. He needs to be saved guys, and since I'm the only one who seems to be able to do that, I'm going to save him."
"But it's just Malfoy,"
"So we leave him in the dark? No! He needs help, and since you've all classed me as the Hero, then I'm going to help him! Now if you're done giving me stupid excuses why I shouldn't be seeing Malfoy, I'll be going to see Malfoy. No one else ever visits him after all,"
I ignored my friends' protests as I left the common room. They didn't understand. They hadn't seen the look in his eyes. They didn't see him mumbling in the hopsital bed, hey never heard him cry or scream in his sleep, that confused look on his face washing over him like he couldn't work out what was happening. He needed help. And he needed my help. All the guilt I felt about nearly killing him was now almost crushing me, because it was replaced by new guilt. I had never asked, never wondered about his side of the story, never bothered to think he wasn't just an evil git because he liked it, that he didn't want to be as he is. If I had of helped, if I had have reached out to him...but it wasn't too late to save him. I could still save him. If only he'd wake up.
I walked up to my usual place by his bedside, but saw I was not alone today.
"Professor Dumbledore?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"
I sat on the other side of Malfoy's bed, looking curiously at the headmaster.
"I notice you come here to see Mr Malfoy often Harry," Dumbledore said. "I assume that means you feel guilt over what has transpired?"
"Yes sir." I swallowed a lump in my throat. "I wanted to try and help...but all that came out was harsh words."
He nodded as though he had expected this. "Mr Malfoy is in a dangerous state. His mind is in ruins, fractured by his terror and his anger, your attack on him caused his mind to shut down completely, given up on living."
"What?" My heart froze. "How can I stop it?" I cried. "He can't die because of me!"
"Mr Malfoy's emotional state has attracted a jiin Harry."
"A what sir?"
He held up a mirror, and as I looked into it I gasped at the black ghostly figure hovering over Malfoy's head.
"A jiin is a creature drawn by intense emotion and vulnerable minds. He puts his victims into a coma-like state, and in that state they live the life they have always wanted, their ideal life. This is so they do not attempt to escape, their dream lives are perfect and they continue to live there willingly. After a while the jiin drains them of all life, and they die." Dumbledore said.
"How do we get rid of this jiin?" I asked urgently.
"The only way to free a victim of the jiin is for they themselves to walk away from the false reality. But I'm afraid Mr Malfoy cannot do this alone. He has had a terrible life Harry, and is not ready to leave this dream life yet. He needs your help to break free,"
"My help? What can I do?" I asked confused.
"I will send you into Mr Malfoy's dream, if you are willing, and you will need to make him see that falseness of his reality, and convince him to reject it. But be careful, if you force him, the illusion will break and he will die. And if you dwell too long in his world, you too may be sucked up by the jiin. Are you willing to do this, for your enemy?"
"Why me?" I asked. "How can I convince him? Malfoy hates me."
"I wouldn't be so sure Harry," Dumbledore said, a strange knowing look on his face.
I frowned. "Then I'm ready. Send me into the dream."
He nodded. "Good luck."
The world became misty and blue, and I felt extremely dizzy. Everything went black and when I came to, I was sitting on a grassy hill by the Lake. I looked down and saw my Invisibility Cloak in my lap. Dumbledore obviously thought I'd need it, so I put it on and stood up. So, I had to find Malfoy, convince him this wasn't real and make him come back with me. How was I supposed to do that? He hated me, he'd never listen to anything I say. And what had Dumbledore meant by what he said? I started walking up to the castle when I heard a scream and looked back down to the Lake.
"Don't you dare Harry Potter!"
That was Malfoy's voice! He was screaming at...me? Of course! There must be others in this world for Malfoy to interact with, whatever this world's me was doing, I had to do stop it. I raced down under the Cloak, fearing what this dream-me would do to Malfoy. When I got closer I noticed both dream-me and Malfoy were standing on fallen logs at the edge of the Lake, and Malfoy was trying to fend dream-me off with his hands.
"One speck of water gets on me and I'll hex you into next week." he threatened.
The dream-me chuckled. "Now would I do that to you?"
"Yes." Malfoy said straightening up. "Because that's exactly what I'd do to you. Aquamente!"
A spout of water erupted from his wand and drowned the dream-me, leaving Malfoy laughing like a mad thing.
"Oh that's it you're going down!" dream-me pushed him back and Malfoy fell into the water with a shriek.
"Harry!" he screeched, looking affronted.
I paused. Harry?
Dream-Harry sat on the edge of the log, looking down smugly at the drenched Malfoy.
"Yes my love?"
"Get me out of here!"
I froze. Did I...Dream-Harry...just call Malfoy my love?
Dumbelore had said the jiin forced the victim into a reality of their ideal life. So...Malfoy's ideal life...was me as his boyfriend?! From the look of my robes, I was a Slytherin just like him. That figures somehow.
"Harry please I'm freezing," Malfoy whined.
"Alright I'm coming." Harry reached down to help Malfoy out, but with a wicked grin he pulled him into the water after him, cackling hysterically at the look on his face.
"Git," Harry muttered.
Malfoy just smirked and climbed out of the water. "Come on, big baby. Let's get back to the castle,"
Harry huffed and followed Malfoy up onto the shore. "Now I'm cold."
"I can warm you up if you like," Malfoy smirked.
Harry smirked right back and I felt a little sick. "I'm sure you could."
"I'm tempted to right now, but I have Arithmancy."
"Divination for me." Harry chuckled picking up his bag as Malfoy cast a couple of spells to dry them. Malfoy scoffed.
"Honestly that subject is so bullshit, why do you even do it?"
"You're just sore because I have easier homework than you." Dream-me chuckled.
"No, I'm sore because she's a fraud and I was taught to read the Tarot and the crystal ball and the messages in the stars when I was five, even if I have no talent I know the theory better than she ever will."
Dream-Harry shrugged. "Still get wicked easy homework."
"Jerk."
"I love you too Draco," dream-me teased.
Malfoy rolled his eyes, but grinned in the end. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Prat."
"Dray I'm hurt," Harry pouted.
"You will be if you keep that up," Malfoy playfully smacked the dream-me's shoulder.
"Hey! Don't hurt me, I have to catch a Snitch tomorrow," Harry said rubbing his arm.
"You Snitch catching won't mean much without my goal scoring," Malfoy said smugly. "Who got 120 straight goals last match? Oh, me, that's who."
"Oh yeah? Well who snatched the Snitch out of the air by surfing on his broom and front-flipping off of it to the ground? Me." Harry retorted.
"Let's not make this into a competition," Malfoy said his grey eyes flashing. "You know how competitive Malfoys are."
"No less so than Potters."
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "In that case...race you back to the castle!"
Malfoy pushed down dream-me and darted off laughing. After a moment dream-me cured and raced after him, shouting for him to slow down as he ran across the grass. I stood there transfixed, frozen in place. Why...of all things...would this be Malfoy's ideal life?
I sat on the ground, and just stared.
This...was going to be...a headache.