Harry ran down an empty corridor. He was going to be late potions! How he'd managed to sleep in was beyond him, but he supposed he just hadn't gone to bed early enough. His belly was heavily swollen and he was sure it was slowing him down. He ran into Potions to find Draco being slapped repetitively by Pansy Parkins. Something seemed off about it. The walls were purple and Pansy was wearing all blue. Draco was unconscious. Harry tried to kick his feet into moving, but they just wouldn't move. He called out to his boyfriend, but no sound escaped his lips. He continued shouting his name until he finally heard a response.
"Harry!! Harry, calm down!! Wake up!!" Draco was shaking him lightly.
He was more than just mildly confused. Harry's eyes slid open and he looked around. Ron and Dean were standing by his bed, Draco laying under him, as he had the night before. Seamus glared at them from across the room and rolled in his bed.
"What happened?" Harry asked
"You had a nightmare again, Harry. Scared us near to death!" Ron said.
"Oh..." Harry said, embarrassed.
"What were you dreaming about?" Draco asked softly, running his fingers through Harry's hair.
"I couldn't move...couldn't talk...Pansy was on top of you...she just kept hitting you and hitting you...and you weren't awake...you...I don't think you would have woken up..." Harry bit his lip.
"I'm right here. I'm talking to you, aren't I?" Draco said.
"Yeah.." Harry's childlike way of talking seemed to be becoming a habit.
"Alright, then, go back to sleep. it's only 2 AM." Draco said.
Harry huffed and lay his head down on Draco chest. Draco's arms slipped around Harry's body and he smiled contently. Harry was soon in another heavy sleep, and Draco carefully lay him down before tapping Ron on his shoulder.
"Can we talk?" Draco whispered.
Ron nodded sleepily and the two headed down to the common room. They sat on the couch, staring at the fire for a short while. Finally, Ron spoke up.
"I'm amazed." Ron said slowly. "You apologized to me, and no one tried to make you."
"No one had to...I knew I'd acted inappropriately. I was just too stuck on being on my father's good side that I believed his talk of 'mudbloods' and 'blood traitors.'" Draco looked into Ron's eyes. "You know...I don't think I ever felt as truely terrible as I did when I saw the look on Hermione's face when I called her a mudblood."
"Then why didn't you just apologize right then and there." Hermione's voice flooded their ears and they turned to see her walking down the stairs from the girls dormitories.
"I don't know...but you didn't deserve what I said to you." Draco said calmly.
"You're quite right I didn't!" Hermione said. "You even treated Harry terribly from the start! If you had just given him time it wouldn't have taken until your sixth year to be his friend and be on our side!"
Draco looked back at the fire. He had nothing to say to that. The three of them heard footsteps creaking down the stairs and they turned to see Tess walking down the stairs. She ignored them and sat directly in front of the fire, as though she were focusing on something.
"What are you looking at Tess?" Draco asked.
She motioned him over and he sat next to her. Ron and Hermione followed behind them and stared in awe at the image in the fire. A baby lay crying in a dirty house waving its dirty fist in the air. The child wore only a diaper and was deathly thin. Tess stood and walked away, the image died.
"Tess, who was that?" Draco asked.
"No one of any importance to you." She said.
"Tess." He said in a mildly warning voice.
"It's just someone I used to know...if I have my way...she won't be there long." Tess said, going up the stairs.
"What are you going to do?" Draco asked, in a demanding voice. Tess looked back.
"Kidnap her." Tess went back up to the room.
"Hermione...what day is it?" Draco asked.
"Friday." Hermione said.
"No ones going to notice if she's gone through breakfast tomorrow." Draco said.
"...oh my god...you think she was serious?!" Hermione looked him in the eye. Draco gave her a 'no-I'm-saying-all-of-this-for-my-health' look.
"Go after her!" Ron said, ushering her up the stairs.
Hermione rushed up the stairs, only to come back down moments later.
"She's gone." Hermione said.
"Who is? And what are the three of you doing up?" Professor Mcgonical asked.
"Tess." Draco said.
"Oh." Professor Mcgonical said softly. "No need to worry. Go back up to bed, eh?"
They nodded.
"One more question. If you're all getting along so well, is the golden trio going to turn into the golden quintet?" She asked.
"Most likely." Ron said, shoving Draco, who had stopped abruptly.
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Ohhhhhhh it's KILLING me not to explain what's going on with Tess!! She seems a little weird, right? It's for a good reason!!
EdgeofDarkness : Really? That's got to be fun for all those vampires out there...coughcough I mean...lol Anyways, thanks for the advice XD
Hermione Jean Potter : He is. Sort of. He's mad at Harry for not telling him, and he's mad at Harry for trusting Draco so easily, but they're still best friends, and Ron still doesn't want to see Harry being put down by anyone.
phLeGmdeLacOur : Ron rocks, ok? Even I have to admit that. XD
Windseeker2305 : Thanks!
