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If you enjoy this story you should check out 'Unmasked' by Hinkypunks : )

Chapter 21-Cry for Me

When Severus went up to visit Draco in the hospital wing he found that Potter was there. The two looked happy in one another's company but the potions master wasn't sure how real it was. He made his presence known and swooped over to the two of them.

"You did not tell me the dark lord had given you a secret mission Draco." Snape said as he folded his arms across his chest and stood to his full height looking down on his pupil.

"What?" Harry asked in a voice full of worry.

"I see you neglected to tell Potter as well. Why is that?" Snape asked.

"What's going on?" Harry inquired looking between his boyfriend and professor.

"Should you tell him or should I?" Snape asked as he arched an eyebrow.

"Severus, don't." Draco pleaded as he shook his head. "It's not like that I swear."

"What's going on?" Harry repeated.

"Draco is under instruction from the dark lord to make you fall in love with him." Snape replied not taking his eyes off of the blonde. "Isn't that right Draco?"

The blonde bit his bottom lip and took deep breaths willing himself not to break down and cry.

"Draco?" Harry asked as he stood from his seat and looked down at him. "Is that true?"

"I can explain." Draco said as his voice cracked.

"So it is true?" Harry asked angrily pulling his hand from Draco's and stepping away. "What's the plan then? Make me fall in love with you and then deliver me to Voldemort."

"Harry, it's not like that." Draco tried to say but Harry was already storming off. "Why did you have to tell him?" Draco demanded to know as he glared up at Snape.

"Potter deserved to know the truth." Snape said.

"But it's not like that!" Draco yelled as he began rocking back and forwards on the bed. "I wasn't going to do it…in fact I didn't do it. Harry approached me."

"I suppose that made you mission easier did it?" Snape asked snidely. "I had hoped you'd turn out differently from your father but I see I was wrong."

"I'm nothing like him!" Draco cried as he stepped off the bed and pushed his teacher with all his strength. "Harry came to me and I've spent the past few months trying to push him away so that I could protect him!"

"You can't fool me Draco, you hate Potter." Snape spat.

"No I don't." Draco snapped. "If I hated Potter then I'd have accepted his advances immediately. But it just so happens that I care about him. At first I tried pushing him away but he's stubborn and I didn't have the strength to stay away anymore. And now you've just gone and ruined everything. Harry is the one person who I could potentially love and be loved by in return and you've just made him hate me you fucking bastard."

"Watch your language." Snape scolded.

"Stop telling me what to do." Draco replied. "You can't control me I'm not some fucking puppet. I don't answer to my father, or to the dark lord, or to you. I'm my own person and I can make my own decisions."

"And what smart decisions they are." Snape retaliated. "Things aren't going quite the way you want them to so you pick up a blade or a knife and almost kill yourself."

"Everyone makes mistakes." Draco said defensively. "And I'll learn from them. Anyway, when you were my age you decided to join the death eaters just because Lupin broke up with you."

Snape let out an angry snarl and pinned Draco to the wall and glared down at him.

"Don't you dare speak about things you do not understand."

"Get off me." Draco growled as he pushed the man away from him. "You just couldn't bear to see me happy could you?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous." Snape scoffed.

"I'm not." Draco replied. "Just admit it; you prefer it when I'm miserable because it makes yourself feel better. As soon as I get a taste of some happiness in my life you have to rip it away from me."

"I did not force Potter to leave." Snape pointed out.

"But you're the reason he left." Draco argued. "If you'd have just kept your mouth shut everything would have been fine but of course you had to stick your greasy large nose in and spoil it."

Snape raised his hand and struck Draco across the cheek.

"I…I'm sorry." Snape whispered moving to pull Draco into a hug but the blonde pushed him away. "Draco, please, I didn't mean…I'm sorry."

"I hate you." Draco hissed before storming out of the hospital wing.

When the boy was gone Snape bashed his head against the wall.

"What's going on?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she emerged from her living quarters. "I stepped out of the shower and I heard a bang. Where's my patient?"

"We had an argument and he took off." Snape told her. "Don't worry, I'll go find him."

Draco ran through the corridors, his vision blurred by his tears. He was barely even aware of where he was going and he tripped and stumbled a large number of times. He ran through a crowd of first years and roughly shoved them out of his way. He only stopped running when he collided into another person.

"Draco, its ok, just calm down."

Looking up through his tears, Draco saw Hermione. The bushy-haired girl wrapped an arm around the distressed Slytherin and led him into an empty classroom.

"Harry told me what Snape said." Hermione explained gently.

"It's not true." Draco told her as he turned his face away, ashamed that she was seeing him cry. "I mean it is…but not the way Snape made it sound. I was assigned the mission of getting Harry to fall in love with me but that's not…I don't…I never…"

"Draco, its ok." Hermione assured him as she stepped behind him and lightly placed her hands on his arms. "I know that you're not trying to hurt Harry."

"You do?" Draco sniffed hopefully as he wiped his tears away and turned to face her.

"Yes." She nodded. "If you were really working for Voldemort you wouldn't have tried so hard to push Harry away when he developed an interest in you."

"I'm glad someone's smart enough to realise that." Draco commented. "Even Snape couldn't see it. He said I was just like my father."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it." Hermione told him.

"What about Harry?" Draco asked. "He wouldn't even stay to hear me out. He hates me doesn't he?"

"No, not really." Hermione replied awkwardly. "He's just…Harry doesn't use his brain as much as he should but don't worry…I'll talk some sense into him."

"Thank you." Draco said quietly.

"You're welcome." She told him before capturing him in a hug. "You ought to return to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey's probably looking for you."

"I'm fine." Draco replied. "I think I'll just go back to the common room."

"Ok. Bye Draco."

Hermione left the classroom making her way back up to Gryffindor tower. Draco sighed before he made his way to the nearest boys' toilet. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and pulled a face of disgust at his blotched nose and red eyes. He turned the faucet on and splashed some water onto his face.

Draco then pulled up his sleeves and slowly unwrapped the bandages from his arms. He studied the cuts and scars feeling repulsed by the sight.

"I'm so pathetic." He hissed at himself.

He began pacing the length of the tiled floor and pulling at his hair in agitation. Why did everything have to go wrong for him? Why couldn't something just go right for once?

Before Draco could stop himself, his fist was colliding with the bathroom mirror.

"Fuck." He swore as the glass shattered everywhere and his knuckles burst open; he didn't even have his wand in him to repair the damage.

The blonde placed his hurt hand under the tap and turned the water on, letting out a sharp hiss from the sting. He did his best to nurse his hand with just water and toilet roll.

When he was done he looked down at all the pieces of glass that seemed to twinkle up at him like little stars just begging to be put to use. He crouched down and picked up a sharp shard. He held it between his fingers and simply looked at it for a while.

His thoughts turned to what Snape had said and Harry walking out on him. Who would care? Draco wondered. If he was found dead in a pool of his own blood, who would care?

"Not Snape." Draco whispered. "Not Harry. No-one. Pansy might be upset for a day or two and Blaise might let out a sigh of sadness but that would be it."

He poised the glass over his wrist as all his bad memories swirled through his head.

Do it, a voice whispered in his head. Go on Draco, cut, show everyone what a coward you are.

"I'm not a coward." Draco said feebly.

Yes you are, that cruel voice told him. You're weak, pathetic, and worthless. Do the world a favour, just die. Harry doesn't need you, he doesn't want you and he certainly doesn't love you. No-one loves you. Just do it, cut, bleed, I want you to bleed.

"No!" Draco cried throwing the shard down. "I'm not a coward."

He fled the bathroom but he wasn't able to run away from that malicious voice in his head. He tried covering his ears but he could not block out the sound of his own mind.

"Shut up." He begged. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

A few 3rd year Hufflepuffs turned to stare at him but Draco ignored them and began running through the castle heading for the Astronomy tower.

He walked slowly to the edge and looked down at the ground below. It was a long way to fall. With shaking legs, Draco stood on the window ledge. All he had to do was step forwards and then he could just drop and he'd never have to deal with life again.

If Heaven existed, he doubted that they'd be very welcoming. After all, he was a Malfoy and a death eater. Heaven was for good people, like Harry, it wasn't meant for people like him.

So would he go to Hell or perhaps come back as a ghost? Either way, it didn't matter. Even an eternity stuck in some hideous horrible fiery Hell would be better than the life he was living.

"Who will cry for me?" Draco asked as he looked up at the grey cloudy sky.

Taking a deep breath, Draco stepped forward ready to feel the wind whip around him as he plummeted to the ground.

He closed his eyes tight, he didn't want to see the world, he wanted to feel it. But wait, something was wrong, he wasn't falling.

Opening his eyes, Draco found himself a safe distance away from the tower window. He felt a strong pair of arms clutched around him. Turning around he met the black eyes of Severus Snape.

"You silly boy." He told him as he clutched tightly to the blonde. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

Feeling numb, Draco just allowed himself to be hugged by the potions master. He felt the older man's body shake and supposed he must be cold. But when he heard a choked sob he realised the man was crying.

"Severus." Draco said weakly looking up at his professor. "I don't hate you."

Snape let out another strangled sob and held him tighter as he dropped a kiss on the top of his blonde head.

It was only when Draco returned to the Slytherin common room that he realised he was crying too.

To Be Continued

(I am hurt that so many of you had little faith in Draco and were worried he may be faking his feelings for Harry, my poor Draco, he's very upset)

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(And remember, check out 'Unmasked' by Hinkypunks)

Love and Hugs, IceQueenRia xxx