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 Ron Mainly Harry/Draco Slash: rated for upcoming chapters. Summary is updated and slightly changed so all are aware)

Recap: 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.


Chapter 7:

The next day in the infirmary, Harry was sitting propped up on a pillow. He was still a little weak and disoriented from the after effects of whatever it was that had made him blind. Today seemed to be a better day though. He was not nearly as groggy but his eyes were still burning a bit and sore. The salve Madam Pomphrey had applied to his eyes had only soothed them a little bit. Madame Pomphrey had told Harry this morning that he was to be released from the infirmary after lunch today. Even though usually he couldn't wait to be let out of his bed, he was having mixed emotions about leaving this time. How was he supposed to cope with being blind? How was he going to get accustomed to his newest handicap?

As if appearing to answer his questions, Professor Dumbledore walked into the hospital wing rather noisily as if to alert Harry to his arrival. "Harry, my boy. I'm so glad to see you up and alert!" said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling madly. "I have some news on your residence as of lunch today!"

"So am I still staying in my usual room? I miss my bed!" Harry said rather softly. His head still ached a bit. Actually it seemed to him that his whole body ached. Professor Dumbledore's eyes softened at Harry's helpless expression.

"My dear boy, as of right now the best place for you to be staying is in the current Head boy and girls' rooms. I assure you that the beds are most pleasant as I took it upon myself to test the mattresses." Dumbledore paused for a moment as if bracing himself for the reaction of this next statement. "I believe Mr. Malfoy has volunteered to accompany you. Lemon drop?"

Harry's jaw dropped in astonishment. Malfoy? Volunteering to help him? "Please tell me you are joking! He caused this! I can't possibly share a room with that bloody arse- I mean him!" Harry sank back against the pillow. As if his life couldn't get any worse.



Retracting the bag of lemon drops, Dumbledore intended to plop a lemon drop straight into his mouth, but missed completely and it tumbled into his beard. "I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will be quite hospitable." as Dumbledore's finger's seemingly of their own accord started fishing through his beard he added "Feel free to ask Mr. Malfoy for anything you need or desire as while he is staying with you, his purpose is to make you as comfortable as possible."

"Isn't there anyone who could else who could help me? Like Ron maybe?" Harry felt a twinge in his stomach as he thought of how close had to be to Malfoy. Harry couldn't stand him, yet what he felt when he was around his enemy scared Harry to death. To be around him 24/7? Harry wasn't sure he would be able to handle it.

"I'm afraid Mr. Weasley, regrettably, is ill suited for the responsibility of being in charge of another human life." Dumbledore stroked his beard as if in deep thought. "It would also be a shame to take two players out of the same Quidditch team. I quite enjoy watching a well matched game of Quidditch..."

"Forgive me Professor but what makes Malfoy so prepared to take care of me? I can't help but question this. You are allowing the person who blinded me to take care of me! I don't understand." Harry struggled to understand. Too much had happened in so little time.

"Mr. Malfoy has matured much over the past year." Dumbledore gazed over his spectacles at Harry, his twinkle somewhat diminished. "This would be a good chance for you two to overcome petty rivalries and reach a truce." His eyes began to sparkle with a mischievous quality. "You would be surprised how much you and Mr. Malfoy have in common these days."

'Like what?' Harry thought. It was becoming quite apparent that no matter what Harry said, the decision to have Malfoy as his caretaker was set in stone. "Do I still get to leave here after lunch? Will Malfoy be taking me to the rooms?" Harry tried his hardest to sound like he was okay with all of this but he knew he wouldn't be.

"Madame Pomphrey will be releasing you from her care promptly after lunch and as soon as Mr. Malfoy arrives to accompany to your new rooms. I believe you will find them quite sufficient." The Headmaster's hand finally found the stray lemon drop in his beard and with a flourish he popped it into his mouth. "I will be off then my boy. Oh before I forget; the password to the prefect's bathroom is winter fresh." With that last word and a wink, Professor Dumbledore was out the door of the infirmary, leaving Harry to brood over the fact that he was going to spend an unknown amount of time with Draco Malfoy as company.

"Ron I really don't think this is a good idea. Can't it wait until Harry is feeling better?" Hermione Granger was currently being dragged down the hall to the Infirmary by a very excited Ron Weasley.

"Come on Hermione, the bloke is blind not ill.", said Ron with a roll of his eyes. Hermione stopped in her tracks causing Ron to look back in concern.



"I don't think he is going to want to see me." Hermione's face crumpled. Who would still want to be her friend after how she had acted? She couldn't understand how Ron could have accepted her apology so quickly. Hermione had never really noticed that Ron was madly in love with her. He had been so since 1st year. She had always been so busy studying and helping Ron save the world that she never had time to notice things like that. Now that she thought about it though, she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. Ron was always jealous when any guy even looked at her the wrong way. He had punched Colin Creevey's lights out when Colin had started taking 'an indecent amount of pictures' of her. For being the smartest witch of the age, she could be thick sometimes.

Ron noticed that Hermione was near tears. "Hermione, why wouldn't he want to see you? He needs as many friends as he can get right now..."

"I was so horrible to him Ron. I abandoned both of you. How could you let me back into your life so easily?"

"It's simple...all I needed was a true apology and for you to come back to us. That's all that mattered to me. Well that and the fact that you are not with Blaise anymore." Ron answered matter-of-factly.

Hermione scoffed. "Blaise Zambini can rot in hell. I told him so after I punched him." With a flip of her hair, Hermione continued walking, this time taking her steps with reinforced confidence that Harry would forgive her.

"That's my girl!" Ron said smiling a bit. He always loved when Hermione took a crack at a Slytherin. It was quite hilarious to watch her nearly knock out Malfoy back in third year. He nearly laughed out loud at the old memory.

Hermione had halted in trepidation right outside the infirmary doors. "Are you sure Harry will forgive me?"

"I am pretty sure. Let me talk to him first though alright?" Ron took her by the hand and led her inside and over to where Harry was quietly resting. "Harry?" Ron announced his presence to Harry.

"What is it Ron?" Harry was busy counting down the minutes until he was being condemned to share a room with Malfoy.

We came to pay you a visit before you leave here. Are you up to seeing us?" Ron took the seat beside Harry's bed and turned to see Hermione still standing at least ten feet away. He quietly waved her over.

Harry sighed. "I guess I should pack in as much time with you as humanely possible before being carted away to my doom." Just then Harry sensed someone else's footsteps quietly approaching. "Who is this Ron?"



"Um...Hermione is with me. She really wanted to see you. What do you mean carted away to your doom? How can being with us in Gryffindor be condemning you to your doom?"

"Hermione?" Harry's expression turned to one of hurt and disbelief. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Zambini right now laughing over my current incapacitation." Hermione stood next to Ron not sure of what to say. There was so much she had wanted to say the first time she saw him but now that she was here in front of him she just didn't know exactly what to say.

She flushed angrily. "Zabini is history. He's currently sporting a nasty black eye though. I would never laugh at you Harry...Never! I thought you knew me better than that. I am not that cruel." Harry sat up a little straighter, eyes staring at where he heard Hermione's voice coming from.

"Oh really, Hermione? You would never laugh at me? Don't pretend I don't know that you went traipsing around, laughing at all of Zambini's Potter jokes..." Harry's voice faded out, remembering what else Hermione had said. His eyes lit up. "You punched that git? Seriously?" His eyes lit up like Christmas had come early. "You've got a brutal left hook, Herm." Hermione felt Ron's hand take hers. She knew he was angry so she decided not to let the mean things he said get to her. "His eye will be black for a few weeks I reckon. I found a decent spell for that." Hermione finally let a smile settle on her face. It was nice to be back with her "boys".

"So what's this about being condemned to your doom Harry?" Ron cut in. Harry wiped a tear of laughter from his unseeing eye.

"If you had done nothing else, Herm, I would forgive you just for punching that git in the face." This time, instead of being preoccupied with Hermione's presence, Harry blatantly ignored Ron's question. Ron shrugged at Hermione noticing how Harry had ignored his question.

"So when are they springing you?" Ron pulled Hermione down into the second chair beside him. Harry drooped back into his bed. "After lunch today." he mumbled.

Ron was getting more and more confused by the way Harry was acting. "Are you going to tell me what going on Harry? You ignored my question and when I asked about you getting out of here your voice completely changed. What's up mate?"

"Yeah, Harry. There is something you're not telling us." Hermione added. Harry sighed, mentally preparing himself for Ron's reaction when he told him the news. "Dumbledore is making Malfoy take care of me until I get my sight back."

"What?!" Ron jumped out of his seat. "What the hell. Has Dumbledore gone bloody mad?" Hermione just sat in the chair her jaw dropped in shock.

"Apparently he thinks it will be a good opportunity to 'build bridges'." If possible, Harry sank even further into the bed sheets. Talking about it made it even that much more real.



"Building bridges." Mumbled Ron in disbelief. "Malfoy could have killed you! He wants to put you in a room with someone who blinded you? I don't get him. Dumbledore is definitely off his rocker..." Ron grumbled. Dumbledore putting Harry and Malfoy in a room was asking for chaos and destruction. Ron knew that sooner rather than later all hell would break loose.

"Don't ask me to explain Dumbledore's logic, Ron. I don't understand it myself." Harry perked up a little at what he just remembered. "He gave me the Head boy's room! And the password to the Prefect's bathroom! Maybe that was Dumbledore's way of apologizing."

"I hear the prefect's bathroom is pretty nice!" Hermione finally said. She had been silent throughout Ron's whole rant. Dumbledore never did anything without having a perfectly reasonable explanation for it. He may be loony but he wasn't stupid.

"Oh great! Dumbledore tells you that Malfoy is going to be running you into walls for Merlin knows how long, but he gave you the password to a bloody bathroom so that makes it all better!" Ron was so deep into his rant; he got up and started pacing and mumbling to himself. All Hermione and Harry could hear were little snippets that included the word "Malfoy" and "bloody hell" and "lemon drops getting to the old codger's head".

Rolling her eyes at Ron, Hermione looked down at Harry and told him what she had been thinking. "You know Dumbledore would never intentionally put you in harm's way. He may not be all there but he isn't stupid. Harry, he has always been there for you and has always protected you. Do you really think Dumbledore would do this without good reason?" Hermione was thinking in logical mode again. It had been awhile since she was able to be the brains of anything.

Harry was glad to have Hermione back on their side. He could always rely on her to make them see reason. "I guess I should just resign myself to Malfoy's presence then." Ron stopped at those words. "You can't be serious Harry! This is bloody MALFOY we're talking about here! He can't be trusted! I don't believe this. My own girlfriend..."

Hermione shot around. "Girlfriend?", Came out of her mouth at the same time as Harry's.


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 second co-authored chapter! Thanks! -lilsteves/myangelofdarkness1-