Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of these characters! They belong to J.K. Rowling. I wish I had the imagination of that wonderful woman!
A/N: This story now has an awesome and amazing new co-author. Lilsteves is now my co-author. I owe her a lot because without her I was tempted to give up on this story! So thank you sweetie!!
Summary: Harry endures hell during his summer before seventh year. After being brutally abused by his uncle over the summer, he returns to school a changed man. Then a potion suddenly goes wrong and Harry is blinded. Harry's life is turned to a living hell. Who will be the one to save Harry from what's to come? (Hermione Blaise Mainly Harry/Draco Slash: rated for upcoming chapters. Summary is updated and slightly changed so all are aware)
Recap: Tears rolling down her cheeks, she shoved away from the table and went to the empty table in the back of the room. Ron wondered where that low life Draco was hiding. It was smart of him to hide for the second Ron saw him nothing or nobody could stop him from hurting Draco as much as humanly possible. No, he would not kill him but he would make sure he was on the brink of death. Suddenly, as if on cue, the classroom door banged open and in walked Draco. Ron's chair was thrown across the floor and his hands were around Draco's neck before anyone could blink.
Chapter 6:
Ron's eyes lit up with fury as he slowly choked the life out the most wretched man to ever walk the planet. He could feel people struggling to drag him away. Finally, after seeing Draco's eyes bulging out of their sockets and his skin start to turn blue, he released him.
"You are a son of a bitch, Malfoy!"
"Mr. Weasley! You go to the headmaster's office this instance!" Shock mixed with fear was etched across the elderly professor's face. Never had she seen a student release their anger with such fury.
Professor McGonagall quickly ran to where Draco was sitting against the wall. He was breathing in gasps and dark purple finger shaped bruises were already forming around his neck. She leaned down to help and was hastily pushed away.
"I don't need your help! Leave me alone!" He hissed. Tears welled up in his eyes but only she saw them. Her eyes filled with pity. Everyone else was backed away in fear. Draco felt utterly humiliated having been attacked by a Weasley.
Jumping up from the dusty floor, he brushed himself off before running from the classroom. Instead of going to Professor Dumbledore's office he decided to head back to the hospital wing. It was as if an invisible force was drawing him back to Harry. Maybe it was guilt over all the hurt he was causing the people around him. Maybe it was pity or maybe it was something else entirely.
Draco walked towards the hospital wing gradually. Hoping he would not run into anyone along the way he quickened his pace. As he rounded the corner of the Hospital wing hallway a body slammed hard into his sending him to the floor.
"Son of a- oh it's you!" He snarled glancing up at the pug-faced Pansy.
"What the bloody hell are you doing down here?" He said again brushing dust from his trousers.
"I had a bloody…what happened to you Draco?" She latched onto him as if he was dying. Tears were pouring down her pug-like face.
"Get your bloody arse away from me!" Draco felt his stomach turn as she touched him.
"Merlin Draco! I have constantly been here for you and you always treat me like dirt! One day you will be my husband and there is nothing you can do about it!" Pansy screeched which only caused Draco to roll his eyes. She had been saying it since first year.
Pansy rushed away in a flurry of dirty blonde hair and tears.
Sighing in relief Draco leaned back against the stone wall. Luckily Pansy had not figured out the real reason for Draco's visit to the hospital wing otherwise it would take only a matter of hours before the entire school knew.
Draco again slunk inside the hospital wing and scanned the area to make sure nobody was around. He walked gradually over to Harry's bed as to not alert anyone he was there. As he slid into the seat he heard a voice speak slowly.
"Hello?" Harry's voice was hushed and full of pain. His body was tensed up and he seemed to get quite jumpy as he sensed someone near him.
Draco rested his palm over Harry's hand.
"Shhh…" Draco whispered his voice too quiet to be distinguishable.
Harry relaxed at once; the gentle sound of the whisper soothed him. It didn't seem to matter that he didn't know who was beside him. All that mattered was the gentle hand and soft voice. Even though Draco was only whispering, Harry could hear him clear as day. It seemed that all his senses had doubled to make up for his lack of sight.
Draco sat for some time just sitting there watching Harry. Not long after Draco had sat down harry had fallen asleep. He was watching Harry so intently that he had not heard Professor Dumbledore clearing his throat behind him.
Pulling his hand away, he jumped up nearly knocking the chair to the floor.
"Mr. Malfoy, follow me outside please.", Dumbledore beckoned with a wave of his hand. Draco stared at Dumbledore with a look of defiance but followed him.
Once they were standing outside the hospital wing doors Dumbledore began to speak.
"Today has been an interesting day to say the very least…" Dumbledore ran his fingers over his beard in thought.
"I guess so…" Draco muttered staring at his shoes. He didn't want to talk about today. He just wanted to be left on his own.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Dumbledore already knew what happened. It was a well known fact that nothing seemed to get past the old professor.
"It was an accident. Anyone will tell you that!" Draco looked extremely defensive.
"Interesting. Last time I made the Draught of Peace, I don't recall adding in any Jobberknoll feathers. Although it did blow up nevertheless…" Dumbledore mumbled his voice trailing off.
"Maybe I shouldn't have added any lemon drops…"
Draco rolled his eyes. Only a fool like Dumbledore would add candy to a potion as complex as the Drought of Peace. Then he realized what ingredient Dumbledore had said was added to his and Potter's potion. His eyes widened.
"Jobberknoll feathers?! I didn't put in Jobberknoll feathers! I just put in a little extra Hellbore!"Draco sputtered.
He looked up at Dumbledore through his eyelashes prepared for whatever the explosion was going to be.
Dumbledore sighed. Punishing students was not his favorite part of the job. But to find a punishment fitting this crime would be difficult. After a few moments of Draco silently
squirming and preparing for the worst punishment imaginable, Dumbledore finally decided on an appropriate punishment
"Once Mr. Potter is out of the hospital I will arrange for the both of you to share a room. You will now be taking care of Mr. Potter, attending to whatever he needs or wants. That is until we have figured out how to reverse whatever has caused his blindness. Of course are also banned from the Quidditch team. You will no longer have the time I'm afraid."
Draco's eye's snapped up to meet Dumbledore's at that last statement. Banned from Quidditch! To tend to Potter's every blasted whim! There was no decency left in the world. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as if he knew what Draco was thinking.
"You better hurry back to your dorm now Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter is being released from the infirmary tomorrow. It's best you get a good night's sleep tonight." As Dumbledore merrily left the cursing Draco Malfoy alone in front of the infirmary doors, he thought to himself that maybe sometimes punishing students wasn't quite so bad.
When Draco got back to the Slytherin dorms half an hour later he arrived to find his only true friend, Blaise Zabini, nursing a gruesome black eye.
Giving Blaise a knowing glance he grinned and asked, "So the Mudblood hit you?" Blaise looked at him funny. Draco stepped closer to inspect the currently swelling eye. "Yeah, that looks like Granger's work."
Blaise looked at him in suspicion. "And you would know how?"
"She got me back in third year with that left hook. Don't expect the swelling to go down for a while. Unless you got a healing potion handy that is!"
Draco went back to rummaging through his trunk for his sleeping clothes.
After a moment the silence was broken with, "So, are you going to tell me what she hit you for?"
"She caught me with another girl..."
Draco spun around quickly. "Who? The one in Ravenclaw?"
"No the 6th year in Slytherin" Blaise shrugged.
"Warned you…"
"I can't help it if the girls can't keep their hands off me!"
"Yeah because you're such a stud!" Draco said sarcastically.
Blaise gave him a mock offended look. "I'll have you know, I've been told I have a very good looking arse!"
"I haven't noticed thank you very much." Draco looked grossed out. "I would prefer if you not mention how good your arse looks to me."
"Don't you think I haven't caught you staring at Potter's arse." Blaise teased. "You can't hide your homosexuality from me Drakey."
"Sod off!" Draco spun on him. "Shut your bloody mouth!"
"Uh oh! Thou doth protest too much!" Blaise's smile was currently turned full strength. "Drakey-poo's got a crush on the boy wonder!"
"Would you like a matching black eye? Draco raised his fist in rage. Why did Blaise have to know him so well?
Blaise's smile turned into a cheeky grin. "Resorting to physical violence with me Draco? Isn't that usually reserved for precious Potter? I know you'd like any excuse to put your hands on him!"
Blaise's riotous laughter from the dorms disturbed Nearly Headless Nick who was on his way for tea with the Bloody Baron.
Quiet sobbing could be heard in another part of the castle. Hermione Granger was currently ensconced in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room crying her eyes out over the betrayal of the person she had forsaken her friends for. If only she hadn't discarded her friends so easily for the shallow love of a boy who only loved her once she changed her clothes and everything that made her an individual.
"So he's finally dropped you, has he?" Ron asked briskly. "I guess now you know who your real friends are."
Hermione raised her tear brimmed eyes to meet Ron's. "Ron please…not now. I know you hate me but please. Just let me be!" Hermione let her head fall back into her hands. What a fool she was. Now she was all alone.
Ron's attitude softened a little at those words. "You aren't the only one feeling abandoned right now Hermione. What happened?"
Sensing Ron's softer tone she listed her head again. "He was cheating on me. Go figure. I was a fool Ron..."
"I'll say..." Seeing her face start to change Ron quickly backtracked, "Are you…um...I mean- Are you ok?"
"Do I look okay?" Hermione spat out bitterly. "I don't even know why you are even talking to me. The way things have been I thought you would never talk to me again."
Ron looked affronted, "If I recall I wasn't the one- Look Hermione I don't want to fight again ok? You were the one who abandoned me-us. Me and Harry. You abandoned Harry. And me. Both of us." Ron fumbled embarrassingly.
"I never meant to hurt you Ron. I'm sorry..." She whispered softly.
Ron slowly approached Hermione and sat down next to her staring awkwardly ahead. "You know what I don't get? I don't understand why anyone would want to cheat on you. Before this year you were so...so perfect."
Hermione stared at him, tears falling harder. Only this time the tears were not tears of sadness. Never had Ron or anyone said anything so sweet to her.
"Thank you..." She whispered and leaned into him kissing his cheek softly.
Ron's eyes grew wider as her lips approached his cheek. Their eyes met as Hermione's head retreated back to its natural position. "Hermione I..."
"Ron I..." She said at the same time.
Ron shifted a little closer to Hermione. As their eyes held, he thought that he had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life.
As their lips met in their first sweet kiss they both sighed in happiness at how much this finally felt like home. Tomorrow would come and they still had much to sort out and forgive, but they knew everything would turn out ok because they finally had what their hearts had secretly reached out for.
Please review! We don't have many and we could really use the feedback. We really want to know what our readers think of this story. Especially this chapter being that this is the first co-authored chapter! Thanks! -lilsteves/myangelofdarkness1-