Exclusion

Malfoy looked up sharply at the sound of approaching footsteps. The shining grey eyes scanned the room for the source of the noise, but finding no evidence of the intruder, he broke down again.

Tears flowed down pale cheeks as silent sobs wracked his thin frame. To keep himself from making unwanted noise, Draco bit down on the sheet. Muffled gasps made him squeeze his eyes shut, making more tears slide down his already stained face. Every movement caused the dark lines on his face to stand out; dark lines that would surely form scars that will haunt him for the rest of his life as a reminder of the pain that caused them.

As he watched, Harry found that he was looking at the small, blonde haired boy he had met 6 years ago. He watched with a sense of profound sadness. He wanted so much to help this boy, yet the intrusion would certainly land him in trouble. All he could do was look on as the boy cried himself out, eventually succumbing to exhaustion, falling asleep with shuddering breaths. Over time, the rasping died down, and the breathing slowed to an even, melodious pace.

Harry pulled off the cloak and watched Draco sleep for a short while. Leaning back against the wall and slowly sliding down, he succumbed to his own exhaustion, falling asleep against the cool, smooth stones…

There was an odd feeling that someone was watching him. Yet, how could he know that? His eyes were closed… He cracked open his eyes just enough to see Draco warily watching him. Not wanting to let Draco know that he was awake, he continued to breathe steadily and not move otherwise, ensuring that he could still watch him.

One twitch of Harry's head caused Draco's eyes to grow huge. The blonde haired boy quickly lay back down and did not move.

Harry sat still, not wanting to frighten him any more. The shock of being sliced open so easily, in so many places by an unseeable evil must have been terrifying. And the boy who committed that act to him was sitting not 12 feet away. No wonder there was a tense air and a trembling breath.

Harry shook his head sadly. Of course Draco would be scared of him. He had nearly bled to death. If he never wanted to be in the same room as Harry ever again, he would understand.

Judging by the light streaming through the infirmary window, it was around 7 AM. Students would be coming down into the Great Hall for breakfast, so he should probably get going. He reached down and grabbed the cloak and map, turning one last time to look at Draco. The grey eyes were open, staring straight through him, as if to see the other wall. The blonde made no move to acknowledge Harry, just lay there, staring. He stood and slowly began to walk out of the room.

Harry was almost to the door when he heard a small voice croak, "Harry?" He paused, placing one hand on the door frame and looked down. Draco's voice was raspy and quiet from crying and lack of use. He looked back up and turned around, stepping closer to Draco's bed.

"Yes, Draco?" Harry asked quietly.

There was a long pause where Draco fiddled with his sheets, twisting and wringing them in his hands, avoiding eye contact with Harry. He could see the long marks on Draco's arms where the spell had sliced him open so easily. Eventually he looked up and met Harry's steady gaze. The sadness escaped his eyes for a moment, being replaced with brooding anger that clouded his vision. The boy who hurt him so much had the nerve to come see him.

The anger that was there a moment ago vanished. For a fleeting moment, Harry wanted to hug Draco, who looked so miserable and small in his pain. Still small and miserable, Draco whispered, "Please don't hurt me…"

Harry nearly fell to his knees; the grief of causing this person so much anguish was almost too much to bear. His throat had closed up, rendering him incapable of speech. Tears started to well up in the corners of his eyes. Usually steady hands started to shake.

Only by looking at Draco was Harry able to calm down enough to choke out, "I'm… I'm so sorry Draco." Tears flowed freely now as Harry stepped backwards out into the hallway. There was a slide and a thump, like someone sitting roughly on the floor and slamming against the stone wall, and Draco thought he could hear whispering from just outside the door, "So sorry… So, so sorry…"