Hiya peeps!
Well oh my GOD it's been a long time! I'm so super sorry! In any case, I have no excuse, and all I can do is beg forgiveness with this new chapter. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been, never will be. Quit rubbing it in my face.
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Harry wandered the halls idly, his breath sending chilly puffs of grey sweeping from his lips. There were no classes, no friends to talk with, and no teachers harassing him; it could perhaps have been called a lovely day. What was not lovely about it was the defining feature it was missing; the element he would remember the next day.
Making his way towards the great hall he smiled to himself; Malfoy was in his usual seat. Harry seated himself quietly beside Neville, grabbing himself a couple of slices of toast, some sausages, and some eggs.
"Morning Potter", the voice was as cool and calculating as usual, sending a familiar thrill through his system.
"Morning Malfoy" he said looking up, "I can see you're all better; you weren't at dinner last night, so I figured you were sick."
Malfoy's eyes narrowed dangerously, "no, not sick, just couldn't bring myself to sit across from your ugly mug, how unfortunate that it should be here before me yet again."
Harry grinned but didn't reply, instead opting to stuff his face with the steaming sausages before him. He noticed with a smile that Neville was engaged so deeply in his conversation with a certain dark skinned Slytherin, that he hadn't even noticed Harry's arrival.
Harry ate quietly, every now and then letting his gaze wander over the features of the boy seated across from him. Malfoy was looking a little healthier, but didn't seem at all interested in his food; spending more time pushing it around his plate than actually eating it. His eyes were slightly sunken; he looked as though he hadn't slept in a week.
That just wouldn't do.
Draco finished about a third of his meal, before standing and excusing himself. Harry remained in his seat, finishing off his breakfast to an entertaining, though quite boring conversation between his dorm-mate and the Slytherin sat beside him.
"No really!" Neville was exclaiming, "I would give almost anything to have a Trillian plant, but I could never afford one, and they're too rare to get my hands on anyway!"
Blaise chuckled quietly to himself, "well then isn't it handy that I happen to have one growing back home?" at the incredulous look on Neville's face he burst out laughing, "I suppose the next time I go home I will have to get a cutting for you, eh?"
Harry grinned as it looked like Neville was restraining himself from simply throwing himself into Zabini's arms. With a sigh he put his knife and fork down, and excused himself from the two chattering teens; it was time to do something about his little problem.
Walking briskly through the halls he slid into the shadows of a small corridor, before pulling the Marauder's map from his pocket.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He located his target quickly, and headed off in the correct direction with a quietly mumbled, "mischief managed."
Making sure to keep his steps soundless, Harry entered the empty classroom silently, moving to stand before the dishevelled teen sat atop the teacher's desk. "Why do you look so dreary Malfoy?" he questioned softly, slipping the cloak from his shoulders.
Malfoy jumped violently, his eyes going wide with shock as he startled almost painfully, before a scowl alighted on his tired features. "How did you find me Potter, and what are you doing here?"
Harry took a step closer, his eyes level with the Slytherin's, "how I found you is irrelevant, I'm here to make sure you understand something."
The other boy eyed him warily, slipping from his position atop the desk. They were eye to eye and barely a foot apart when he hissed quietly, "and what might that be?"
Harry caught the blonds' chin in his hand calmly, before pushing him forward, and back against the desk. Malfoy refused to back down, and swatted his hand away, stubbornly keeping himself standing, "what is this Potter?" he said venomously.
The raven haired boy eyed him, "I'm testing you; seeing if you're really all there."
Malfoy's eyes darkened, "of course I am, and I don't need this from you!" He pushed the other away from him, moving away from the desk and turning his back on the Gryffindor. "I am not one of your friends, and I do not need your concern. My life is my own, to do with as I will."
Harry nodded, though it went unseen, "I saved you from a hundred years of temporary death last night, yet you are acting as if I had not. Is that truly what you think Malfoy?" he asked quietly, "that your life is your own?"
Malfoy turned to the other with a frown, but before he could speak was thrown back against the wall, his breath knocked out of him. Harry pressed the other into the wall further, his eyes locking with the blonds', "then I am here to tell you that it is not."
Malfoy growled, shoving against the other hard as he attempted to escape his crushing hold against the wall; his breath tight.
"If all you're going to do with your life is move it through time, then I will be here to take it from you." Harry eased up slightly, allowing the Slytherin to breath, "I need you here to keep me sane, do you understand me Malfoy?"
He released the other boy fully, and moved to pick up his cloak and pass back out through the doorway. Just before he left, he looked back at the coughing and spluttering teen.
"You cannot wither away, nor can you let your wounds get the better of you, Malfoy. Here and now I am telling you that I, if no one else, need you here." He spoke quietly, though his words conveyed no emotion, "I am validating your existence."
He shrugged his cloak up, and disappeared into the hall.
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Well there you go, I hope it was okay!
You've come this far, why not push the button and make my day?