(A/N: Hey guys! I feel kinda mean to keep leaving you with cliffies every time so I promise I won't anymore! R&R!)
They landed in a heap on the front steps on Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Draco groaned, his back being dug into harshly by a stair. He tried to sit up, only to notice the pressure on his chest and opened his eyes to see the still unconscious Harry lying on top of him. He tried to ignore the way his breath caught in his throat having him so intimately close.
"Oi, you alright?" It was Weasley's voice. Draco quickly sat up, maneuvering Harry so that he was cradling him in his arms. "I'm fine," he replied and struggled to his feet as dexterously as possible.
Weasley had opened the door for Granger and held it for Draco as he entered sideways so as not to injure Harry with the frame. He looked around the dimly lit entrance hall, the air hanging heavily with dust. It was definitely not the most elegant place he had ever been and he vaguely wondered how long they would have to spend there.
"Come on," the girl said and began to ascend the stairs, "You can lay him down on one of the beds."
Draco nodded and followed carefully, as he could not see his feet. Heads of house elves encased by glass adorned the stairwell and even Draco had to admit the morbidity of it. This was the Black house though, wasn't it? He was related to the people who had lived here, even the Blood Traitor, Sirius. And he was Harry's godfather, was he not? Draco felt an odd warmth in his chest at the fact that his and Harry's lives were so closely intertwined. There was also the fact that they were both "Chosen Ones", which banished the warmth almost as quickly as it had come.
"In here," Granger said, interrupting his thoughts. She was holding the door open to a dust-clogged, cobweb ridden bedroom which if it was cleaned properly, could be really quite nice. She seemed to think the same thing and cast a tidying spell over the room. Once revealed, the room was done in cool colors, mostly green. The walls were a light seaweed color and the dark forest shade of the heavy drapes matched the silken bedspread exactly. The bed itself was massive in size with a large, ornately decorated, black headboard and plush pillows which followed the color scheme to a T. With all the green, Draco could not help but think of Harry's eyes and then he felt his face grow warm.
He laid him down on top of the comforter, careful not to hurt him. They all stood back to look at Harry's beaten body, wondering what to do next. Finally, Granger stepped forward and cast Finite Incantatem over him but it merely caused Harry to stir a bit and all of his injuries remained. Looking flustered, she proceeded to cast every healing charm she knew but to no avail. Draco's heart was pounding. What did this mean? Why wasn't he getting better?
Granger was quiet for amount and appeared to be fighting to keep herself from dissolving into tears again. After a silence that seemed to last an eternity, she said, "I can't heal him. The injuries were cursed on by dark magic so nothing we can do will remove them."
It was just as he had feared, "Nothing?" he asked, feeling frantic and angry.
"Not to my knowledge. We can ask Snape when he arrives but I don't know if there's anything he can do."
"There has to be something!" both Draco and Ron exclaimed in unison. Granger merely shook her head, "The most we can do right now is bandage him up and let him rest," she turned towards the door and called, "Kreacher?!" Nothing happened.
"Who's Kreacher?" Draco asked an answering "crack" resounded from directly beside him. He jumped in surprise and looked down to see an old and bedraggled looking house elf smiling obligingly at him.
"Kreacher does not answer to Mudbloods," he stated in a gravely voice, casting an ugly look at the girl and then returned his fond gaze to Draco, "But Kreacher would consider it an honor to serve Mr. Malfoy."
"Uh…then, fetch some bandages and fix Ha-…Potter- up."
"Right away, sir," Kreacher did a deep bow and then disappeared with another "crack".
After a moment or two, he returned and carefully began to wrap Harry's wounds. The movement caused Harry's brows to furrow and he commenced to mumbling incoherently. They all strained their ears to hear what he was saying and they distinctly heard the name "Draco". The blond couldn't restrain his startled gasp and the warmth from before quickly flooded his chest again. Weasley was stunned into silence and Draco didn't miss the tiny but knowing smile on Granger's face. He felt himself blush but it couldn't detract from his happiness.
"Anything else, sir?" Kreacher asked, shaking Draco from his blissful reverie.
"Um…not at the moment," he replied, "Perhaps later…"
"Of course, sir," Kreacher then disappeared, leaving them alone with the still quietly mumbling Harry.
"Draco," he muttered again, even clearer this time.
"Come on, Ron," Granger said and tugged his sleeve, "Let's leave them alone for a minute." Weasley grunted his annoyance but accompanied her into the hall anyway. They closed the door after them and then Draco and Harry were alone.
He uncertainly approached the bed and lowered himself onto it beside Harry. "I'm here," he said quietly and couldn't stop himself from brushing the dark hair from the Gryffindor's eyes. A small contented smile played briefly on Harry's lips and he emitted a soft "mmm". The conflicting emotions of guilt, joy, and grief swept over Draco like a tide, building a lump in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, blinking his eyes rapidly, hoping to will away the moisture gathering there.
Seeing Harry lying so helpless before him brought out a surge of protectiveness in him that he had never known. He would never allow anything to happen to him again and whatever that meant in the end, he would learn to live with the consequences. He was suddenly overcome with the desire to kiss him, not lustfully but lovingly; only for the satisfaction of being close to him.
Draco leaned down, slowly closing in on Harry until he was a mere breath away from his mouth and then, with his heart thundering against the walls of his chest, placed his lips gently on Harry's in a feather-light kiss. Even with such a small touch, electricity surged through his body, awakening every nerve and making them sing. He finally pulled back, his breathing short and his pulse racing. As he gazed down at the still sleeping face of the boy who lived, he knew there was no more denying it. Draco Malfoy was truly, madly, deeply, head-over-heels in love with Harry Potter.
***
They were all gathered downstairs at the kitchen table, eating the meal that Kreacher had eagerly made for them when they heard the door open. All three of them jumped up at the same time, wands at the ready and pointing towards the entryway.
Snape appeared around the corner, holding his hands up disarmingly and they all breathed a sigh of relief. "Where is Potter?" he asked brusquely. They all pointed to the stairs and he turned in a swirl of robes and began to climb. Granger jumped up first to chase after him and then the others decided to tag along.
"Oh, Professor is there anything you can do for him?" she pleaded with her large, dark eyes.
"I shall have to see," was his stoic reply before Granger opened the door, standing aside as he swept in.
Snape knelt by the bed, looking him over before drawing his wand out of his robes and muttering some incantations unfamiliar to the students. Nothing happened. He tried another. Nothing happened. The others held their breath and waited for his final verdict. "There is no way to cure him magically," he said, setting in stone their greatest fear, "but he shall survive. He must heal the muggle way."
The room was quiet as the grave as they absorbed this information. Heal the muggle way? Didn't that take a lot of time? And pain? Draco shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself to block the nonexistent draft.
Snape rose to his feet, assuming an authoritative voice, "Potter shall remain here for the duration of his healing, as must you three. It would be safer for all of you not to return to Hogwarts."
"But won't we miss all of our exams?" Granger asked before Weasley elbowed her in annoyance.
"As will everyone else, Miss Granger. I expect Dumbledore will want to shut the school down for the time being. At least he should. Myself, Dumbledore, and other Order members are the only people that know of your location and you are forbidden to leave this house or make any form of contact with the outside world. Another member or I will stop by a few times every week or when you need something. Your things will be delivered to you in the morning. Goodnight."
Everyone stared bewilderedly at him but he disapparated before they had the chance to protest. They looked back and forth between one another and Draco wondered how he would survive for Merlin knows how long in one house with the Weasel and the Mudblood. He hoped with all of his might that Harry would wake up soon but he also wondered what he would say to him when he did. He probably still hated him for what he had said and Draco wished he could take it back.
Granger conjured some flowers for Harry's bedside table and placed a kiss on his forehead before Weasley escorted her downstairs to finish dinner. Draco felt a rush of unbidden jealousy about the tiny kiss that he tried to shake off. Harry and Granger were not romantically involved; they were just friends. It was painfully obvious that she was in love with the ginger but they didn't appear to be dating. They seemed to be in that awkward state between friendship and snogging, and though Draco didn't want to see that, he wished they would just get together already and get it over with. The last thing he needed to deal with was their subconscious flirting.
Draco glanced back down at Harry and felt his tension leaving. It was like soaking a sore muscle in hot water to watch the slow rise and fall of his chest, relaxing the suffering of the last few days right out of him. Gradually he found himself moving towards the bed again and sat down. He did nothing but watch him for the longest time, enjoying the peace it brought.
Actually feeling as though he might be able to fall asleep, Draco considered lying down beside him when a slight movement caught his attention. He stared raptly as Harry's eyelids fluttered open, revealing his brilliant green eyes. Draco felt his breath catch in his throat when the other boy spotted him and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Draco?"
(A/N: BAHAHA! I lied. :3)