Disclaimer: If you don't know that I'm NOT JKR by now, I doubt you've been reading my story. If you have been reading this story and still think I'm JKR, then I'm very flattered. I also don't own Youko Kurama or any other YYH characters.

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WARNING: The characters are a bit OOC in this chapter and will be from this point on. I think! More hints of slash in this one, but nothing major.

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Chapter 11

One Moment

Draco couldn't help casting worried glances at Harry as they walked back to his room. He hadn't said much since the injured werewolf had arrived in his room except to murmur about promises.

After madam Pomfrey had declared him stable enough to move, Remus had been transferred to the hospital wing. Hours later, she had done all she could for him and all they could do was hope that he would pull through. It had taken a lot, including very candid and disturbingly creative threats from both madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape to get Harry to leave Remus' side and try to get some rest. Even after the threats, it still took a promise from all three adults to notify him the moment anything at all changed before Harry reluctantly left the hospital wing.

Draco had firm orders from Dumbledore to take care of Harry; although he was about to request permission to do exactly that before the headmaster even suggested that he do so. Harry didn't appreciate being treated like some invalid and told the old man so in a less than respectful manner, but Dumbledore didn't budge. He did however suggest that Professor Snape be the one to watch over Harry since he was so vocally opposed to Draco doing so as a possible compromise. The look of utter distaste on Harry's face at the suggestion actually caused Snape himself to let out a chuckle, and so that's how Draco Malfoy found himself playing baby sitter to a near catatonic boy who lived. Draco had been excused from all his classes that day, including his potions exam, and Harry's class was cancelled. Their joint absence was sure to make for juicy gossip around the school but neither of them would realize this until later in the day.

It was just before dawn when they arrived at Kurama's portrait. Harry entered his room immediately, leaving Draco to fill the curious and sympathetic fox in on the werewolf's condition. He found Harry sitting on the very couch that a bleeding Remus had appeared on, staring vacantly at the dying fire. It was obvious that the house elves had been by because there was no sign of blood anywhere in the room. In fact the only sign that the events of the early morning had taken place at all was Harry himself. The raven haired boy seemed unaware that he was covered in blood.

Having had enough of seeing the usually bright and lively teen so sad and so obviously lost; Draco walked over to Harry and took the bloodstained hands in his own as he knelt down in front of him.

"Harry? Harry, please talk to me," he coaxed as he tried to warm the cold hands in his own. "Will you at least look at me?"

Draco's concern for Harry soon turned to frustration at the lack of response. He seized Harry by the shoulders and shook him roughly to get some kind of reaction from him. Harry still did nothing, but he did finally look the blonde in the eye. Draco almost fell back in shock at the dead look in his red rimmed green eyes.

The usually vibrant emerald eyes that were almost as famous as the scar on his forehead were now a darker shade; almost black if one was viewing them from afar. They looked haunted; like the eyes of someone that had seen and felt far too much pain in their life. As he looked into those eyes, he finally understood why Professor Dumbledore was so adamant that someone stay with Harry. The pained look in those eyes made him fear for Harry's state of mind and wonder exactly what he had been through in his life that could possibly cause him so much pain. The look in those lifeless eyes scared him; they frightened him more than anything ever had in his life.

He started to shake Harry again, almost violently so to get some kind of reaction; to chase away the pain in those eyes that shattered his heart to see. He vaguely wondered when he started to care so much about the boy, no, man in front of him. Anyone who could live with such despair was a man, regardless of age.

"Harry, you're scaring me," he pleaded as he continued to shake him. His voice had now had a desperate edge to it. "Please, just do something…please, Harry, I'm begging you…just snap out of it"

Finally after what felt like hours of shaking him like a bobble head but in actuality was only a couple of minutes, Harry finally awakened from his stupor. While his eyes still showed no recognition for Draco or his surroundings for that matter, he raised a hand to Draco's face and gently wiped away a single tear that Draco hadn't even been aware that he had shed.

Draco froze for a few seconds after Harry's hand came into contact with his face but soon recovered and recoiled from the tender touch, although it hurt almost physically to do so. All of his senses had been telling him to lean into the touch and the urge to follow those senses was almost overwhelming even after pulling away. He needed to think and right now, being in close proximity to Harry was not helping him at all. He needed to figure out just when the green eyed savior began to mean so much to him that he would actually shed tears for him. Whether he had done so consciously or subconsciously was irrelevant at this point.

He climbed to his feet gracefully and told Harry that he was going to run him a bath. All Harry did was look up in his direction, so he took that as acknowledgement and left the room as quickly as he could without breaking into an all out run.

He leaned back against the bathroom door the moment he closed it and sagged to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and leaned his head back against the door.

'What are you doing to me, Potter?'

Meanwhile, in the common room, the object of the blonde's thoughts felt his ears get slightly warm. Harry unconsciously raised his hand to touch one of them but stilled his hand when he noticed the wetness on his fingertips. He stared at the hand for a moment before looking toward the bedroom door, where the one responsible had hastily disappeared only minutes earlier.

He looked down at his hand again, and had anyone else been present in the room, they would have seen his face relax and his eyes return to their usual vibrant color. He started violently when a voice pulled him out of his silent contemplation. He looked up to see the obviously distressed face of the beautiful fox demon.

"Are you alright, kit?" the portrait asked, his voice laced with worry and slight affection.

His first inclination was to answer as he usually did and say he was fine, but he knew it wouldn't fool the old fox so he answered truthfully.

"I… I don't know," he sighed, before burying his face in his hands. "He's stable right now, but no one knows if he'll recover. God, I don't know what I'd do if… I just feel so helpless…

"Listen to me kit, from what you've told me about him, if anyone can overcome his injuries, it's the wolf. You just have to believe in him."

Harry said nothing for a few minutes; he just digested the advice before coming to the conclusion that the demon was right. "You're right," he announced, looking into wise golden eyes with steadfast determination. "He's going to need me to get through this, and I can't help him if I'm unable to pull myself together."

Kurama titled his head upward and sniffed haughtily, before calmly stating, "Of course I'm right."

Harry laughed sincerely and finally stood up, realizing that the fox was trying to make him laugh. "Thank you."

He started to head towards the bathroom when Kurama's voice stopped him once more. Harry groaned when he saw that his golden eyes were glowing with a mischief that the green eyed savior had come to fear after getting to know the fox. He knew the fox was about to say something lewd. He wasn't disappointed.

"One more piece of advice for you kit," he said sweetly, "If I were you, I wouldn't let the blonde know just how helpless you feel. After all, he is a Slytherin and might be unable to resist the temptation of taking advantage of your vulnerability."

Harry fought down the fierce blush that found its way onto his face but he was determined not to let Kurama get the last laugh for once.

He smirked coyly at Kurama and fluttered his eyelashes in a manner he hoped was sexy. "Maybe I want him to take advantage of me."

For once, the portrait guardian was speechless. Harry fought to maintain a straight face, while Kurama picked his jaw off the floor.

"So, are you finally admiting you want that narcissistic pain in the ass?" he queried after gathering his wits.

Harry's smirk would have frightened even Snape. "Yes… when you finally admit you want that short, spiky haired psychopath you call your colleague(1). I guess that's what they used to call it back in your day."

Harry lost his battle with his laughter when he caught the light pink blush staining the fair demon's cheeks. Kurama glared at him, but it lacked any real heat. He was just happy to see Harry smiling again. He hadn't really seen the boy smile lately and he knew it was because of the previously missing werewolf. He hoped that now that Remus was back, he would hear Harry's laughter more often. That didn't mean he was okay with Harry laughing at his expense.

The feral grin on Kurama's face stopped Harry's laughter instantly. "I'll be sure to give Hiei your regards… in your own eloquently put words."

"wha… NO! Kurama don't! He'll kill me! You can't do this to me (2)," he pleaded desperately.

"Watch me," he stated, before fading into the darkness of the forest. He chuckled to himself as he pictured the fearful look that Harry just had on his face and then suddenly smirked deviously in the darkness. He decided not to tell Hiei. Instead he would drag the other demon here for visit soon and make sure to irritate him beforehand. Harry would think Hiei's disdain was directed at him and apologize for what he said, unknowingly confessing to the ignorant demon. He swallowed the evil laugh threatening escape him. "Oh yes, young Harry will learn just why it is unwise to mess with Youko Kurama."

A/N: All questions regarding Hiei and Kurama will be answered at the end.

Harry swallowed uneasily when he thought of what the fire demon would do to him when Kurama spilled the beans. Something told him it would not be pleasant.

Pushing the situation to the back of his mind, he headed to the bathroom to find Draco.

"Draco? Are you decent?" he called to the blond while knocking.

A startled Draco almost fell into the tub he had just finished filling. "Of course I'm decent, Potter," he scowled, even though there was no way Harry could see it. "I said I was going to run you a bath, not take one myself!"

Harry chuckled as he entered the bathroom and Draco just about cried with relief at seeing Harry back to his old self again. He almost missed it when Harry began speaking. "How was I supposed to know that? What have you been doing in here all this time if you weren't using it?'

'Thinking about you,' he almost blurted out, but he thought better of it. He didn't really believe in a higher power, but at that moment he prayed that he wasn't blushing like a thirteen year old school girl. Seeing Harry's amused expression and raised eyebrow, he knew that his prayers had fallen on deaf ears and his fair complexion had betrayed him.

"Draco?" Harry pressed.

"I um…I was…I couldn't figure out how to work the knobs on the tub," he fumbled, hoping that Harry would just drop it.

Harry looked at him skeptically, but said nothing. He moved to take off his shirt and Draco took it as his cue to get out of there as fast as he possibly could before he did something he wasn't quite sure he'd regret. The only indication of Draco's departure was the slight breeze and the rather forceful slam of the bathroom door. The Gryffindor vaguely wondered if the Malfoy heir was alright before stripping off the rest of his bloodstained clothes and slipping into the deliciously hot water.

When Harry finally emerged from the bathroom, extremely relaxed and dressed casually in baggy cargos and a plain black tee, he found Draco curled up on the couch, fast asleep. The way the suns rays caressed his soft features made him look even more beautiful in his sleep.

Harry's eyes widened comically when he realized what he'd just thought. 'I must be losing it… even more beautiful?' He shook his head as though to rid himself of the thought. He looked at the blonde again and smiled softly. 'Beautiful indeed.'

He settled at his desk and resolved to finish grading papers. Three hours later, his stomach made its hunger known. He looked towards the couch when he heard Draco begin to stir. A minute later, a tousled blonde head popped up and graced him with a sleepy smile.

"Whatimzit?" he yawned loudly, barely managing to cover his mouth.

"Just after ten," Harry replied, trying to convince himself that he didn't find the Ice prince of Slytherin absolutely adorable, especially when he rubbed his eyes with his balled up fists. "Are you hungry?"

"Breakfast sounds good right about now, but I need to shower first," he replied as he ran his fingers through his hair.

He got up from his desk and walked over to the fire place, lighting it wordlessly and pocketing his wand. "Go ahead and I'll get us some food."

Draco shivered slightly as he actually felt Harry's magic when he lit the fire. He looked at the other wizard, in absolute awe at the amount of power he commanded, even with just a simple fire spell. He was suddenly very glad that they were no longer enemies.

Harry fidgeted with his pants pocket under Draco's intense scrutiny. "What?"

Draco blinked several times. "Nothing. I…um I don't have anything to wear after my shower. I need to go to my room to get something."

Harry looked Draco up and down before answering. "We're about the same build; just dig something out of my closet…unless my clothes aren't good enough for your highness."

He flipped Harry off before heading for the bedroom. "Be sure to get me a chocolate chip muffin," he called over his shoulder.

"What's the magic word?"

Draco rolled his eyes. They'd had this conversation enough times that he knew the phrase was just a muggle saying, not an actual question. "Please."

Harry smiled as Draco disappeared into the bedroom and set about ordering breakfast for them.

"I didn't know you and Lupin were so close," Draco stated, placing his book in his lap so he could see Harry. "Well at that time, there was no love lost between us but still, to be so close to a professor suggests some impropriety on his part."

Harry looked up at Draco confusedly, having completely missed the blonde's comment. After breakfast, Draco settled in an armchair with his potions text and Harry stretched out on the rug by the fire with a thick tomb assigned to him by Dumbledore entitled, "Commanding Magic." They had been working in companionable silence for the last hour or so and Harry had lost himself in his reading, occasionally taking notes on some parchment.

"Run that by me again, please," Harry requested, marking his page before giving Draco his full attention.

"Why are you and Lupin are so close?" Upon seeing the dark haired boy's pained expression, he wanted to kick himself. 'Way to go Draco,' he chided himself. 'You just had to open your big mouth and remind him that the man he cares for is fighting for his life in the hospital wing.'

He slid to the floor fluidly and stretched his long legs out on front of him so he wouldn't have to keep looking down at Harry. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked…it's none of my business anyway."

They sat in silence once again, but it was slightly strained this time. Just when Draco was about to resume reading his potions text, Harry began speaking.

"I guess you can say we're kindred spirits," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He went to school with my parents. He and my dad were best friends along with Peter Pettigrew and…Sirius…

The deep sadness in Harry's voice as he said Sirius' name made his heart clench painfully. He remembered the end of last year when he'd taunted Harry with the death of his godfather, telling him that it was his fault, not knowing the damage he was doing. He couldn't meet Harry's eyes anymore and stared down at his lap, wringing his fingers. He wanted to apologize to other teen, but he didn't know what to say. 'How does one apologize for causing that kind of hurt?'

"Draco, look at me," Harry prodded, pushing back his own pain after realizing why the other boy was so distressed. Mercury eyes locked onto emerald. "You don't have anything to apologize for." At the disbelieving look on Draco's face, he continued. "We've both done and said some horrible things to each other. If we start apologizing for all the hurt we've caused each other over the years, we'll be here 'til Easter, so let's just put it all behind us. Okay?"

Draco was too overcome by emotion to speak, so he nodded his head. No one in his life had ever been so kind to him without wanting anything in return. He was mortified when he felt his eyes get moist. He was even more indebted to Harry when he turned his attention to the crackling fire, to give Draco time and some semblance of privacy to compose himself.

He was pleased to hear that his voice was normal when he spoke. "Harry…thank you." He had wanted to say something profound and eloquent but that was the best he could do. He was rewarded for his temporary loss of vocabulary with a dazzling smile from Harry. He found himself smiling back stupidly, but couldn't really bring himself to care that he probably looked like an idiot at that moment.

At that moment, both boys felt that all was right with the world.

That's all folks! I really didn't mean for this chapter to turn into a H/D sap-fest, but the chapter had a mind of its own.

(1)- Hiei is a portrait also and sometimes drops in on Kurama. Now, they are demon portraits so they're can do a lot more than the average portrait, like attack outside their portrait as long as the target is within their view from the portrait.

(2)- Harry is so frightened of Hiei because he has been on the receiving end of his wrath before. I'll just say that their confrontation ended with a giant scorch mark on Harry's couch. I might put the confrontation in a future chapter as a flash back if people really want to see it.

A huge thank you to all my reviewers and to everyone who hasn't given up on this story. Words cannot express how much I appreciate all your support and encouragement.

'Til next time (hopefully not months from now),

Bear hugs and Eskimo kisses,

Ava

P.S. Dont forget to drop me a review. I'll do your chemistry homework for you...