Sunday passed in a hungover blur for most of the eighth years, spending half the day in bed while they tried to recover.
They managed to recover enough for classes on Monday and for the whole week, everyone was in a great mood. The party had brought people closer together. Harry and Draco, and Pansy and Blaise becoming closer than friends.
Harry had been patient with Draco throughout the week, not forcing him to escalate anything sexually, for which Draco was glad. He still wasn't sure he was ready for sex. Is there something wrong with me? He wondered to himself as he thought about it one night, everyone's having sex, why am I so scared about it?
Harry and Draco had practiced the Patronus on Wednesday, his next practical class being on Friday and then the Patronus test on Monday. They found an empty classroom after dinner for practising in, after a lengthy snogging session.
Draco was stood in between Harry's legs, Harry leaning back on one of the desks, their hands were in each other's hair as their lips and tongues moved together.
Draco eventually pulled away. "You mentioned something about practising the Patronus" he whispered huskily, their eyes still closed and lips close together.
Harry leaned in and kissed him again, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him in closer. He felt Draco melt in to him, moaning a little and noted to self, Draco likes when you do that.
After a couple more minutes he pulled away, it wasn't his fault that Draco was so intoxicating.
"Yes, you really should practice" Harry smiled, still not letting go fully "I wonder what form your Patronus will take" he said thoughtfully.
"We'll never find out if you don't let me go" Draco murmured and Harry smirked in response, giving him a quick kiss before pushing him away playfully.
"Okay, go on then, let me see what you've got"
Draco took a deep breath and focused in on happy memories again, of Harry holding him tightly, making him feel safe, like nothing could hurt him when he was in Harry's arms.
"Expecto Patronum"
The white aura burst from Draco's wand again, stronger than last time, and Harry cheered.
You can't stay in his arms forever, a voice in his head cut in. He can't save you from your fate.
The aura vanished abruptly, and he suddenly felt Harry's touch on his arm. He turned to see Harry looking at him in concern.
"Draco, what happened? Are you hurt? Do you feel unwell?" He questioned.
Draco just shook his head, not knowing what to say. What was he doing, kidding himself that there was anything for him and Harry in the future?
Harry saw the anguished look in his face and stepped in front of him, pulling him close, wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace. "Don't think about anything bad, everything is okay" he whispered soothingly as Draco shut his eyes tightly and dropped his head onto Harry's shoulder.
Eventually they broke apart, and Draco felt cold.
"Can we leave it there for today?" he asked quietly, not meeting Harry's eyes.
Harry frowned at the sudden change, and wished he was a legillimens so he could hear what was going on in that complex mind.
"If you like, is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.
Draco shook his head. "I'm fine, just a little tired, I'd like to go back to the Common Room and rest" he said.
"Sure" Harry replied, but he was getting worried. The deadline was so soon, would he be okay on the day with the added pressure on top?
They split ways so Harry would get to the Common Room first so as not to arouse suspicion. Draco walked away feeling confused about everything. He had decided after Finlay that being with anyone was a selfish move, knowing that the relationship wouldn't even last a year. But everything inside him felt magnetised to the green-eyed Gryffindor, and the idea of staying away from him now, especially since they had first kissed, made Draco desperately unhappy.
- 0 -
They didn't speak so much for the rest of the week. Harry frowned as Draco kept his distance and stayed close to his Slytherin friends.
"Is everything okay with you two?" Hermione asked him, as they walked to Defence Class, a little behind everyone else so they could talk in private.
"I think so" Harry said doubtfully. "He's not exactly forthcoming with his thoughts. I think he's panicking about the Patronus though"
"But you said he managed to do it at the party?" Hermione frowned.
Harry filled her in on the events of Wednesday evening. "I think he just keeps trapping himself in negative thoughts, he did say at the party he finds it hard to concentrate without things like Azkaban popping up" he frowned with worry.
"Why don't you go stand with him today and give him a pep talk, Professor Lupin hasn't seen him do a Patronus yet so it would be good for him to see he's progressed." Hermione suggested.
"I want to" Harry said, looking ahead where he could see the white-blonde hair. "But he's been avoiding me and I don't want to upset him further, I think the whole... us thing sometimes worries him. He's risking a lot" Harry sighed.
Hermione gave him a sympathetic look "Who knew being a rich pureblood was such hard work?" she smiled sadly.
- 0 -
They all filed into class and took a spot in the empty room, Harry choosing to stand opposite Draco so they could see each other but he wasn't right beside him.
As usual they practised, and Harry watched Draco, seeing that he wasn't doing anything, as was normal in these classes now. He saw Blaise lean over and whisper something to him, frowning, and Draco nodded in response.
Lupin made his way up to where Harry and Draco were, Harry, as usual, nailing it the first time.
Lupin turned to Draco.
"Mr Malfoy, up for giving it a go today?" Lupin asked lightly.
Draco looked up, unintentionally seeking out Harry's eye.
Harry gave him a smile and a nod, you've got this, he mouthed to him.
Draco nodded at Lupin, who gave a surprised smile and stepped backwards.
Draco took a deep breath, focusing for a minute, pushing all the negative thoughts away. He stripped away everything sexual that came with all the added pressure and fear. He thought of him and Harry getting an O in Potions, harry hugging him, the way Harry beamed at him when he sat down beside him in class, the way he felt safe in Harry's arms as he held him, told him everything would be okay.
"Expecto Patronum!" Draco said clearly, and the white aura burst from his wand, he smiled in pride and relief and he glanced up to see Harry, Hermione, Blaise and Lupin beaming at him proudly. It boosted the happiness Draco felt and the aura got bigger, taking a little bit of a shape, were those wings?
Before he could tell for sure, he felt a wave of exhaustion and the spell ended.
He took a step back as the tiredness hit him and Harry started to take a step forward, concern on his face. Hermione grabbed his sleeve to hold him back and stop him showing his concern in front of the whole class.
Blaise put a hand on Draco's elbow to steady him and Lupin gave him a few seconds to collect himself, righting himself up and nodding at Blaise in thanks.
"Very impressive Mr Malfoy" Lupin smiled at him "I was worried about you, but this is incredibly promising." He leaned forward a little "Make sure you rest well this weekend and you'll have no problems passing on Monday" and with that he nodded and walked to the next student.
Draco smiled through the tiredness, he had done well. He looked up, searching out Harry, who was smiling back at him proudly. He gave Draco a questioning nod, asking if he was okay, Draco nodded back.
- 0 -
After school on Friday, Draco went for a quick nap to recover, then went into Hogsmeade while everyone was at dinner. There was still an hour before shops shut and he wanted to get some Christmas gifts early to thank his friends, and maybe Harry? for everything they'd done for him.
He went into a shop in Hogsmeade that sold all sorts of charmed items. He had a walk around and something suddenly caught his eye. It was a pair of stars, gold stars, for two people to keep, they were charmed to show weather based on how the other was feeling and would send out a positive feeling when it was held. He smiled at it, remembering how he and Harry had joked about gold stars.
He left the shop smiling, happy with his purchase, hoping that Harry would love it. This would be his first ever Christmas without his family, he wanted it to be good, he wanted to have one good Christmas memory. He thought back to all the years when he would wake up on Christmas morning, his father would give him a lecture on family values, and all the ways Draco was failing them, he was there to serve the purpose of an heir and keep up their reputation, that was all. I spoil you all year Draco, paying for brooms for the Quidditch team, only to have you disappoint me, you don't deserve Christmas presents, it's a stupid muggle tradition. Draco would stay in his room all day, his father would get drunk, then drag Draco out of his room to punish him for a year of failures, and his mother would leave the house to stay in France. Draco had tried to talk to her once, begged her to take him away with her. He had been backhanded across the face, why do you antagonise him? she had asked, why are you so ungrateful for everything he does for you?
But this year would be different, he would be at Hogwarts, safe. His friends might be with their families, but he wouldn't be at home and that was the main thing.
He had just started walking to another shop, when a voice at the back of his neck made his blood run cold.
"Hello, son" Lucius' icy voice breathed down his neck, his hand gripping Draco's arm painfully, he felt a tug at his navel, and they disapparated.
- 0 -
They landed in the foyer of Malfoy Manor, Draco shoved roughly against the wall immediately, his wand removed from him and his arms and legs bound into the stone.
"It's been a while Draco, did you forget about us?" his father asked, his eyes and voice ice cold.
"If only I could" Draco answered coldly, his heart hammering in his chest.
Lucius' eyes narrowed dangerously and he threw a hard punch into Draco's abdomen, Draco bit his tongue to stop from shouting as he doubled over as far as the binds would let him.
"Straighten up you cowering wretch!" Lucius shouted at him.
Draco straightened up and over Lucius' shoulder he saw Narcissa appear on the staircase.
"Mum" Draco looked at her, eyes begging for her stop this.
She had clearly been drinking, her eyes were glassy and she was in her night clothes already.
"Lucius, can you keep the noise down? I'm trying to sleep darling" she asked blearily.
He walked over to her "Of course my love" he gave her a kiss on the forehead, and she smiled wanly and went back to bed.
"Mum, please" Draco begged, tears forming in his eyes.
But Narcissa just floated back up the stairs.
Lucius cast a silencing charm around the foyer and turned back to Draco.
"Scared Draco? Begging your mother for help, you disgust me, you deserve this, you have failed us both, that's why your mother is in this state" he spat.
He punched Draco hard in the stomach again, and then they just kept coming, to his torso and face. Eventually he let Draco go from the wall, grabbing his head and smacking it backwards against the stone.
Draco shouted in pain, bright white agony flashed in his eyes and he could feel blood trickle down the back of his neck. He started to sink to the floor but Lucius wasn't done. He grabbed him by the throat, hauling him up the wall and squeezing tightly so Draco couldn't breathe.
"Why can't you ever just do as you're told?" Lucius spat at him.
Draco couldn't answer even if he wanted to, the vice-tight grip on his neck had completely cut off his windpipe, he tried to drag Lucius hands off his throat but his father was too strong and Draco was weakened.
Narcissa came back into view.
"Oh Lucius, sorry, I forgot to get my book"
Lucius turned, his face softening, his hands still wrapped around Draco's throat "Narcissa, I have the elf at your beck and call, you don't need to trouble yourself getting things"
As Lucius turned away, Draco used the energy he had left to reach, grabbing his wand from Lucius' pocket, he wasn't dying like this, he had a list to complete.
He pointed the wand at Lucius' chest and thought Stupefy as hard as he could. A red light shot from the wand, hitting Lucius square in the chest, throwing him a few feet away and knocking him unconscious. Draco grasped his chest as the pain hit but stayed conscious, possibly from pure adrenaline.
He stared at Lucius' unconscious form for a second, trying to suck air in with big rasping breaths, he staggered over to his mum, the dizziness from his head injury blurring his vision a little, Narcissa just watched them both blankly.
"Mum" he whispered, taking her hand "Please leave with me, we can get out of here, we can start afresh, you can have your own life away from him"
Narcissa just stared at Lucius on the floor.
"Mum please, come with me" Draco begged her.
She turned her eyes to her son, "No Draco"
Draco brought his wand up, she didn't mean this, she wasn't herself, maybe he kept her cursed to keep her obedient like this.
"Finite Incantatem" Draco spoke desperately.
Another wave of pain hit him, but nothing happened, she didn't change.
"Mum why? Why do you hate me?" he asked, he needed to know, if this was the last time they spoke then he needed to know.
"I don't hate you darling, but your father is my whole world, I wish you would do as he says, then we could all be happy" she said, her voice still dreamy from the alcohol.
A tear dropped from Draco's eyes.
Narcissa gave him a small smile and turned, leaving.
Draco swallowed hard, but turned and staggered to the fireplace in the foyer. Grabbing some floo powder he lifted a leg to step into the fireplace, but was abruptly thrown backwards, he smacked down hard on the floor and scrambled backwards, looking up. Lucius had woken up already, and Draco cursed his weakened magic.
Lucius glared down at him with more hatred than Draco had ever seen from him. He withdrew his wand.
"Father please" he rasped, his throat in agony, holding up a hand to his father "don't do this, you could ki-"
"Crucio!"
Draco never got a chance to tell his father that this could kill him, the white hot agony burned him from the inside out, his body writhed in pain, arching his body as every nerve and muscle seemed to catch fire, he screamed out, but there was nobody there to help him.
The curse eventually lifted, leaving Draco's body to spasm on the floor. Lucius walked over, staring down at his son in disgust, he tilted his head, spat on him, then left the room, most likely to pour himself a drink before round two.
This was usually the part where Draco blacked out from the pain, but he couldn't allow himself that luxury today. Through sheer willpower alone, Draco dragged himself across the floor, face and body covered in sweat and blood, tears streamed down his cheeks. He hauled himself up the wall and to the fireplace, grabbing the floo powder, stepping in and choking out the word "Hogwarts".
The rush through the fireplace knocked him down and he fell through the other side into the floo room at Hogwarts, covering himself in dirt, caking it on the blood on the back of his head.
Whimpering and using every last bit of strength he had, he threw himself at the door, hauling himself up once again, and staggering out into the corridor, eyes blurred from the concussion, pain lancing through him with every move. He wanted to scream for help but his voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper now.
He took a few stumbling steps down the corridor and dropped like a dead weight to the floor, rolling onto his back. As the darkness crept in, all he could think was this wasn't how it was supposed to end.
"Harry" he whispered into the air, before darkness consumed him.
- 0 -
The eighth year boys were all up in the dorm, Blaise and Theo had poured some shots for each other and when the Gryffindors had all come in, they had jovially invited them to join in. Harry looked around at them all, they were all talking about Quidditch and girls, and throwing Honeydukes sweets at each other, Harry couldn't help but smile, they had made so much progress this year. If anybody had said this would be happening a year ago, they would be admitted for a brain injury in St Mungo's.
With a twinge of sadness he looked around the room, Draco Malfoy's presence was missed. He wondered where he was, had he gone back to his own house tonight?
"You alright mate?" Ron asked, and Blaise looked over at Harry as well, giving him a knowing half smile and tilt of the head.
"Yeah I'm fine, who would have thought this would ever be happening?" Harry half lied, smiling at them all around the room.
"I know" Ron gave an exaggerated sigh that held some amusement "but I guess we had to slum it with these two, if they drank on their own it would have just been sad" he smirked at Blaise and Theo.
"Boooooo" Theo called out jokingly from where he lay on his back, hanging off his bed, and Blaise threw sweets at Ron's head.
Harry chuckled.
Theo rolled over and poured another drink for everyone, and he, Ron and Seamus got started on a conversation about who the most attractive Hollyhead Harpies player was.
Blaise climbed over to beside Harry, "You look like you need some company" he said, crossing his legs and dragging his snacks over to them both "though I'm guessing it's not me you'd like to have in your bed right now" he whispered, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh shut up" Harry said quietly, rolling his eyes. But he was right, he wished Draco was here. He missed the blonde when he wasn't around normally, but today his heart ached for him to be there, enjoying this night with them. He worried for him.
"Is he at his house?" Harry asked, trying not to seem too worried.
"I assume so" Blaise shrugged "he enjoys the peace and quiet sometimes"
"He would have fun if he was here" Harry said with a twinge of sadness "it would have been good for him"
Blaise looked at him seriously "I know Potter, but once he gets past this year he'll have plenty of time for fun, without this weight on his shoulders"
But what if we don't see each other again? Harry asked himself, What if Draco didn't want to abandon his family traditions? What if everything fizzled out after school?
Just then Ron piped up "I could really go for a sandwich about now" which was met with a chorus of "yeeeessss" from the others.
"I'll go with you" Harry volunteered, trying to get his mind off of Draco.
They took everyone's orders and wandered out of the portrait hole, the corridors were deserted though it wasn't even that late yet but they chuckled as they pretended to sneak through the castle like old times.
They rounded a corner, laughing with each other but both stopped dead still at the sight before them.
In the middle of the corridor lay Draco Malfoy's prone body, his white-blonde hair glowing in the moonlight that came through the window.
"Fuck" Harry breathed and they both ran over to him and gasped in shock.
"What the fuck happened to him?" Ron breathed as they took in the sight before them.
Draco lay unconscious, bruising around his neck as though he had been strangled, bruises on his face and abdomen were visible where his shirt had ridden up a little when he fell. Tear tracks split through the dirt on his face, but most worryingly of all was the small pool of blood under his head.
Immediately Harry dropped to his knees beside him, a constant string of "no, no, no, no, no" being spoken quietly as he checked for a pulse.
But the second he touched him, Draco's eyes flew open, rolling to the back of his head and his body started to convulse, spasming violently, foam starting to froth in his mouth and spill down his cheek.
"We need to get him to the Hospital Wing, now!" Harry shouted, pulling out his wand.
"Let me I'm faster" Ron jumped into action, levitating him, and sprinting, he was the faster runner of the two and got to the Hospital Wing ahead of Harry, not slowing down once and leaping down the three flights of stairs with his long legs, and all the way along the fourth floor corridor.
Harry raced into the Hospital Wing behind them quite a few seconds later, Madam Pomfrey already out of her office and bustling around, casting spells and grabbing Potions.
"Madam Pomfrey, what can we do?" Harry asked desperately "Is he going to be okay?"
"I need you to hold his head still" Pomfrey ordered "I can't treat him until the seizure stops"
Harry held Draco's head, panicking at the way his eyes were rolling backwards and his body continued to convulse.
Madam Pomfrey picked up a potion and tried to pour it in his mouth, but Draco wasn't swallowing and it dripped out of his mouth.
"Potter, when I pour it again, I need you to hold his nose and mouth shut until he swallows okay?" She told him firmly.
Harry nodded. Pomfrey poured the potion again and this time Harry pinched his nose and held his jaw shut so he couldn't breathe. The seizure intensified as he struggled for air but after a slow, painstaking minute, he swallowed, and his body slowed down, his eyes shutting, until he was deadly still.
Pomfrey let out a shaky breath and instructed Harry to help her turn him over gently, and she got to work on the back of his head, Harry heard her mutter "cracked skull" as she started speaking healing incantations and charms. Harry swallowed hard, seeing the congealed blood on his platinum blonde hair.
She performed other diagnosis spells to see where further damage might be, then frowned.
"Get the Headmistress!" Pomfrey spoke urgently.
Harry and Ron nodded and sprinted once again up the stairs to McGonagall's office, knocking on the door frantically.
McGonagall opened the door, staring at the two boys in alarm.
"What's happened?" She asked, at the looks on their face then looked down "Mr Potter whose blood is that?" Harry looked down and noticed that he had blood on his hands from where he held Draco's head still, he suddenly had a flashback of sixth year in the boys bathroom.
"It's Malfoy's" Ron answered for him "he's in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey needs you urgently"
McGonagall nodded and the three rushed down the stairs, McGonagall keeping up a strong pace for someone her age.
She swept into the Hospital Wing and straight up to Madam Pomfrey, looking over Draco who was unconscious with a breathing charm on him, and several potions bottles lying next to him.
"What's happened Poppy?" McGonagall asked with worry in her voice.
Pomfrey pulled her aside, speaking quickly and quietly so the two Gryffindor's couldn't hear them. McGonagall listened intensely, nodding and shaking her head every now and then, at one point placing her hand over her mouth in shock. She turned back to the Gryffindor's, Harry felt on edge.
"I need you both to get Mr Zabini and Miss Parkinson down here, and you two come back too" McGonagall ordered.
Harry hesitated looking at Draco's unconscious body, not wanting to leave even for a second.
Harry felt Ron put a hand on his shoulder, and Harry nodded jerkily, turning and leaving with Ron.
They walked quickly back up to the dorms, Harry in shock, unable to get Draco's seizure out of his eyes, the blood around his head, the bruising everywhere. Who had done this?
"He'll be fine mate" Ron said reassuringly "Pomfrey will get him fixed up in no time."
Harry tried to nod, but didn't feel as reassured. They walked into the dormitory, Hermione was sitting reading a book in the corner. They walked over to her.
"Oh hi" Hermione said smiling at them both "you all sound like you're having fun up -" she broke off seeing their expressions. "Is everything okay?" she asked, putting her book down.
Ron shook his head "Can you grab Parkinson for us, she needs to go to the Hospital Wing and talk to McGonagall, I'll explain later"
Hermione stared at them for a second before running upstairs and grabbing Pansy. Ron went to get Blaise.
They both came down at the same time, looking confused, but when they saw each other they seemed to put two and two together.
"Is it Draco?"
"Is Draco okay?"
Ron explained that he was in the Hospital Wing and McGonagall wanted to speak to them all. They exchanged a look, both looking fearful but nodding and rushing out of the portrait hole together, Harry and Ron right behind them.
When they got back to the Hospital Wing, they all stopped. Draco was gone. The bed was empty.
The four exchanged a confused look, turning to McGonagall "Where is he?" Harry asked, confused.
"We needed to move him to St Mungo's for a full diagnosis, they saw him in the summer and will be able to take better care of him" Professor McGonagall replied calmly.
"What happened to him?" Pansy asked, her face full of concern.
"I was hoping Mr Potter and Mr Weasley could shed some light on that, he was in a very serious condition" she cocked her head at both of them expectantly.
"We were just going to the kitchens" Harry started, taking a deep breath, and telling himself to calm down, he was no use to anyone if he was in a state "we came round into the corridor where the Floo room is, and he was just lying there on the floor, blood around his head, and bruises everywhere, it looked like someone had been strangling him, he was unconscious and then when I checked for a pulse he started having a seizure, so Ron levitated him and ran to the Hospital Wing" he finished.
"Do any of you know where he was after classes today?" she asked them all.
They all shook their heads.
"Do any of you have any idea who would have hurt him this badly?" she asked.
They all shook their heads, Harry watched Blaise and Pansy keep their heads down and make no eye contact with anyone.
"Are you sure?" McGonagall pressed them "No student that's threatened him? No Death Eather acquaintance that might be holding a grudge?"
Blaise and Pansy shook their heads again.
McGonagall paused, and Harry could see she doubted their answers. Her and Pomfrey shared a look.
"Draco had taken a lot of bruising, showing he'd been beaten up badly, particularly to the face, throat and torso"
"Maybe it was a muggle then" Pansy suggested "he does spend some time in the Muggle world, maybe he got mugged? And wasn't able to use magic to defend himself?"
"On top of that" McGonagall continued, looking at them all gravely "he was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse"
"What?!" Harry exclaimed, Ron swearing beside him at the same time. Pansy and Blaise exchanged panicked glances.
"Yes" McGonagall nodded gravely at the Gryffindor's "But you two don't seem so shocked by that" she addressed the Slytherin's.
"Is he going to be okay?" Blaise asked, worry etched on his face and voice.
"I don't know Mr Zabini, the damage was extremely bad, and this is not his first time under the spell, not by a long shot"
Pansy and Blaise exchanged glances again, both looking devastated. Pansy reached out and took Blaise's hand.
"Do you know who did this to him?" McGonagall asked calmly.
"No" Blaise said immediately, but they could see the tears form in his eyes.
"Blaise" Pansy said, a slight begging tone in her voice as tears welled up in her own eyes.
"Mr Zabini, if you know something -"
"I can't" Blaise said, turning away from them all with a hand on his eyes as he tried to squeeze back the tears.
It was Lucius, Harry knew, it had to be. They needed to say it. Harry needed them to say it.
"Blaise" Pansy pleaded, tears now streaming down her cheeks.
"If you don't tell us, we can't stop it" McGonagall pushed.
"Blaise" it was a whisper this time.
"I can't break the promise we made Pans" he whispered back, his eyes begging her, tears falling from his eyes.
Pansy let out a sob "Then I will" she choked, she turned to McGonagall "It was Lucius, it was his father, he hurts him all the time, we promised we wouldn't tell anyone, he said it was the only thing that mattered -" she broke off sobbing, sinking into one of the hospital beds and covering her eyes as she cried.
Harry felt rage. It was true. It was Lucius. Lucius had used the Cruciatus Curse on his son, multiple times. Harry felt his blood boil, he would kill Lucius. He would kill Lucius if it was the last thing he did.
"He'll be okay right?" Blaise asked in a whisper.
"Do you even care?" Harry asked him, fury rising up. He needed to take it out on someone.
Blaise looked at him in shock "What?"
"Do you care if he lives or dies? You could have saved him from that monster years ago, and you did nothing!" Harry had advanced on him.
"It was never that simple!"
"Yes it was!" Harry bellowed "You could have gotten him out of that house, you could have told us!" he pushed Blaise roughly in the shoulders.
"Harry!" Ron shouted, running forward.
"Mr Potter, control yourself!" McGonagall snapped at the same time.
But Harry watched the fury fill up Blaise's face.
"I could have told you?" He spat "As if you cared before a couple of months ago! You saw him struggling during the war, you heard him say he couldn't do it and did you help him then? No! You sliced him open and left him to die on a bathroom floor!" he shoved Harry back.
Pansy stood up and grabbed his arm "Enough both of you, please!" she cried as they both pulled out their wands.
Ron and McGonagall whipped out their wands and disarmed them both immediately before a curse could leave either boys' lips.
Harry and Blaise were both shaking with fury, glaring at each other, Ron put his hand on Harry's shoulder "Come on mate, they didn't do this", and Harry knew he was right but he couldn't shake the anger and the guilt, the guilt that he should have noticed something, he should have seen some sort of sign.
"We couldn't get him out of there Potter" Blaise finally said tiredly, all of a sudden the fight was gone from him "he refused to put either of us in danger of getting hurt, and we offered a hundred times, we tried -" he broke off, looking at Pansy, who held his hand while tears continued to flow down her cheeks, "we tried right?" he asked her softly.
She nodded and embraced him before turning to McGonagall and the Gryffindors "We had no way of keeping him safe, his father still held so much power, and we thought it was a beating once in a while, Draco was good at hiding it and he convinced us not to say anything, that it would just make things worse, we only found out about the Cruciatus Curse at the end of fourth year when Lord V-" she paused, closing her eyes, unable to say it "When he came back and by then it was too late, the war came, and then this year - this year he was getting away from him, he was 18, he could live by himself, I don't know what happened, how Lucius could have got to him" she looked down, distraught.
McGonagall walked over to them both, and both their eyes widened, thinking they were going to be in serious trouble, their faces turning into a picture of shock when she put a comforting hand on their shoulders.
"Thank you for telling me" she said honestly "It is difficult to break a promise like this, it is such a sensitive subject, but we are past the war now, and Draco needs stability, safety, a life without fear, and we will do everything we can to give him that."
She excused herself while she fire-called St Mungo's, promising to report back on Draco's condition.
When she left, the room fell silent, aside from Pansy's occasional sniffles.
Harry suddenly felt exhausted, he just wanted to see Draco, to make sure he was okay.
"I'm sorry" he said to Blaise, and Blaise looked up. "I shouldn't have blamed you, it's not your fault" Harry continued solemnly.
"Isn't it?" Blaise asked, and he looked distraught "Maybe I could have done something more"
"The only person whose fault this is, is Lucius" Harry said venomously "I want to kill him."
"Well there's more of us now, Hogwarts Headmistress, The Saviour of the Wizarding World" Ron said optimistically "We can take him down!"
As absurd as it was, it lifted their spirits a little to hear Ron's optimism. Pansy squeezed Blaise's hand again and they exchanged a watery smile.
McGonagall re-entered the room.
"They're keeping Draco in a high-security room, his father has not been informed of his admission to hospital, and I've posted a couple of the old Order members there to keep watch just in case, nobody that Lucius could pay off, and he wouldn't risk a fight after all he's done to get out of Azkaban" she said this with disgust in her voice, "Draco is in a stable condition, they can't give us any specific details but they will keep him in for a few days and you should be able to visit him tomorrow evening" she gave them all a small smile. They all seemed to release a collective breath.
As they started to leave she addressed them once more.
"I trust that what has been discussed here tonight will not become public knowledge? Draco deserves his privacy, and this is a sensitive subject, please do not approach him with this, not until he is ready. Also, if we are to tackle Lucius Malfoy, the element of surprise is key" she said with a Dumbledore like twinkle in her eyes.
- 0 -
Draco woke up blearily, with an overwhelming amount of clinical white light in his eyes and a sense of deja-vu as he felt the breathing charm on his face.
As his vision came to him, so did his memory, Hogsmeade, father, Cruciatus curse, Hogwarts. He closed his eyes as dread hit him. He would have gone to the Hospital Wing, they would have called his father, he would be going home again. It was a miracle he wasn't dead already, he wasn't sure he would be so lucky again.
He opened his eyes and looked around his room, it wasn't the main Hospital area this time, it was a private room, why did he have a private room? Just then the door opened and the same doctor from the summer walked over to him.
"Mr Malfoy" he greeted Draco with a somber smile.
"Doctor" Draco greeted him back.
"You seem to have got yourself in quite the situation yesterday" he said sadly "there was a lot of damage"
"I did try really hard to do everything you asked" Draco replied weakly.
"I'm afraid that we don't have good news from this Draco" the doctor said, looking Draco in the eyes with a soft expression.
Draco could feel the trembling start in his body, he needed to finish his list, he started it, he needed to finish it.
"How bad is it?" he whispered.
"You have about three months left Draco, and if you want that much, then magic isn't an option" the doctor said solemnly.
Time stopped. Draco felt numb, he didn't hear the doctor say he'd leave to let Draco process it.
Draco just sat in silence. Stunned, resigned, pained silence. A year had been a far off date, past the end of school, an entire summer to explore... Three months. Three months from now was the 10th of March. It was too real, too soon.
He stood up, he couldn't waste time in hospital, he needed to get things done. He was of age so when the doctor's rushed at him, telling him to stay, he ignored them and discharged himself early, only taking a minute to let the doctor give him a box of potions and instructions on when to take them to avoid crippling nausea as his organs failed him. He took them without a word and left.
He entered Hogwarts via the floo, immediately having a flashback to the previous night, dizzy, agony, collapsing on the ground in the corridor.
He rushed through the corridor, not wanting to dwell on it and ran up to the room of requirement on the seventh floor, pacing in front of the wall three times until the door appeared and he stashed his potions.
He was about to leave the room but he stopped, his hand outstretched to the door handle. Where could he go? Would everyone know what had happened to him? He needed to think of an excuse if they did, of who would have used Crucio on him and beaten him up. An angry person in Hogsmeade? No, they might ask for witnesses. An ex-Death Eater who hated his family for getting out of Azkaban? That could work. They accosted him and apparated him away. Yes that would do it. No, God, what was he thinking? He had three months left to live, what did any of this matter? He had three months thanks to his father and still his first instinct was to protect him. He let out a shout of anguish and started grabbing objects in the room, glass and ceramic and anything he could get his hands on were thrown, kicked, smashed to pieces as he let out his rage before collapsing back against the door panting. He was lost, he didn't know where to start, where to end, where to be, what to say, how to act. What did he need to sort, what was he going to do about school, he needed to be here for classes or his last three months would be spent in Azkaban, but he was now nothing more than a squib and no squib could pass Newt-level classes. He sunk to the floor. For now, he needed to pretend like nothing was wrong, then buy himself some time to go to his house and think, and rest, yes, that's what he would do.
Dragging himself up, he looked at his watch, breakfast would just have started and it was the weekend so it would be quiet just now. He walked all the way down to the Great Hall, feeling numb. He entered and sat down at the bench, only a handful of other students there. None of them looked at him oddly, or like there was any gossip surrounding him. Maybe he had got something wrong, maybe he imagined coming back to Hogwarts?
"Draco?" A voice in front of him asked, and Draco looked up. It was Granger, of course she was an early riser.
"Granger" Draco greeted her. She sat down opposite him and stared at him with concern as he ate his toast.
"Draco" she started slowly, using his first name gently, confusion and worry on her face "I thought you were meant to be in hospital for a few days?"
So some people knew then, Draco thought as he continued to chew, he looked up at her, into her worried eyes.
"They checked me over this morning and said I was all good to go" Draco shrugged casually "So here I am"
"Oh" Hermione looked confused and Draco watched her eyes shift over at the teachers table. So at least one Professor knows about it then, Draco thought to himself.
"Well how are you feeling?" Hermione asked, swallowing hard.
"Still recovering a little I guess, but not bad overall" Draco said, he knew from experience over the years that saying he was perfectly fine was something people did not buy.
He needed to know what information was out there and how far it spread though, so he turned the questions on her.
"I'm a little fuzzy about last night though" he said honestly, "I got back to Hogwarts, or at least I think I did, but the rest is blank, do you know who found me or what happened?"
"Harry and Ron found you, they said you were in a bad way, I don't know much else other than that" she swallowed looking down.
Liar, Draco thought, she wasn't good at it. But he merely nodded.
Harry had found him though. He had said his name, hoped for him to rescue him, as he'd hoped for so many times before, but this time he did. Draco might have died if it wasn't for him. There was no possible way to ever repay him for everything he'd done.
"And does everyone know? That I was attacked?" Draco asked her, doing his best to look embarrassed, playing it down.
"No" she replied, but he could see she was struggling with how to handle this, her eyes flicked behind Draco to the teachers again, and Draco fought the urge to turn around.
"No" she repeated more confidently "It's not common knowledge, you were taken to St Mungo's very quickly from what I could tell"
"Draco" a voice behind him spoke his name and Draco hated himself for flinching so violently, knocking his pumpkin juice over.
He swore and picked up some napkins to mop it up frantically, he was still jumpy, on edge, fearing his father catching him again.
"Scourgify" Hermione said easily, and the mess was cleaned.
Draco blushed hard and glanced up at her, hating the pity in her eyes, hating his inability to use magic.
"Draco" McGonagall repeated more softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, causing Draco to jump away from the table, catching the stares of the few people that were at breakfast. He tried to calm his breathing down to a normal speed, but he wanted to scream at them all to stay away from him, this was why his father never abused him too close to being back at Hogwarts, he couldn't control himself well enough straight afterwards.
"Draco" McGonagall spoke again calmly "Come to my office please, when you're ready"
Draco said nothing and she swept away, and for a minute Draco was at a loss. People were staring at him. Should he sit back down? He glanced at Granger, who was watching him with concern. He swallowed, shaking, then exited the hall, not looking at anyone, making his way up the stairs to McGonagall's office, he needed to get this over with so he could get on with what little amount of life he had left.
He knocked on the Headmistresses door and entered when she called him in.
"Headmistress" he greeted her cordially, looking around the room, he had never been in here.
"Draco, please have a seat, would you like a biscuit?"
Draco declined, but his breath caught in his throat as he locked eyes with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore behind her. Portrait Dumbledore, tilted his head at Draco solemnly.
"Draco, you were attacked yesterday" the Headmistress begun "can you tell me what happened if you remember?"
Draco swallowed thickly, and nodded.
"I was in Hogsmeade" he began "I wanted to get Christmas presents for my friends and felt like getting out after class." He swallowed again, looking down, hearing his father's voice in his head right before he apparated them to the manor. "I felt someone grab my arm and we apparated away, I don't know where it was, but they disarmed me and tied me up immediately, they were wearing a Death Eater mask. They beat me up and used the Cruciatus Curse."
He had practised this a hundred times before, the closer it was to the whole truth, the less likely he would be caught in a lie, and he needed to account for every injury that Pomfrey would have found.
"Do you know who this death eater was?" McGonagall asked him.
"No, there were so many by the end of the war" Draco shook his head, furrowing his brows "it was a man, is all I know, and he was angry that my family had gotten away so lightly with the crimes we committed" Draco looked down at his lap "So I guess that probably leaves a broad range of people"
"How did you get back to Hogwarts?" McGonagall asked. She was really testing his story, which meant she had her own theories.
"He was strangling me" Draco replied "the ties were undone during the cruciatus, and I grabbed for my wand, he smacked my head off the ground but I got my wand, stupefied him and apparated back to Hogsmeade where I took the Floo to Hogwarts. I think I had a concussion because I was really dizzy and I passed out when I got here. After that I don't know until I woke up in hospital" he finished.
"And why aren't you still in hospital now?"
"When I woke up this morning they said my vitals were good, that I just needed to rest. They wanted me to stay but-" Draco hesitated, looking down, pausing.
"But you were scared they'd find you in St Mungo's and finish the job" McGonagall finished solemnly.
Draco nodded, convincingly pretending to be ashamed of that. Though it wasn't exactly an act, he was terrified that his father would have found him and continued torturing him, which would effectively have 'finished the job' as McGonagall put it.
"There were Order of the Phoenix guards on your door Draco, so if you feel you need to go back to hospital, please know you are safe" McGonagall offered.
Draco looked up but caught sight of Portrait Dumbledore instead, who gave him an appraising look over his half-moon spectacles, and Draco swallowed again nervously, looking away. "I'd rather be here if that's okay?" he asked quietly.
"Of course Draco" McGonagall nodded reassuringly, "you are safe here, and if you need anything, if you are feeling in pain, or overwhelmed with the pressure you are under, please come to me. Day or night."
"Thank you Professor" Draco smiled gratefully, then left, making his way to the eighth year common room. He would need to face them eventually, and it was best he did it now, on his own terms, as quickly as possible.
- 0 -
When he got there, Blaise and Pansy were about to make their way to breakfast. They stopped short at the sight of Draco and Pansy ran and hugged him, he winced a little at the contact but hugged her back tightly.
"Oh my god Draco you're okay!" she breathed with relief.
"I'm okay" he said smiling at her.
"Mate" Blaise said, his face filled with relief as well, and pulled Draco in for a softer hug.
They pulled away and both Pansy and Blaise opened their mouths to ask him questions but at that moment, they heard footsteps and voices at the top of the dormitory stairs.
"Are you coming to breakfast?" Blaise asked.
"No, I've already had some" Draco said "I was thinking I might go to my house for the rest of the weekend, just rest up you know?"
"Sure Draco, do you want us to come with you?" Pansy asked.
Draco shook his head "No it's okay, I think I just need a lot of sleep, but I'll be back for classes on Monday okay? Oh and have you seen Potter? I want to thank him before I leave"
"He said he was going to the library for a book he needed" Blaise said "I'm sure you need the rest after everything but if you need us for anything, anything at all, we'll be there in a heartbeat okay?" Blaise said, and pressed a galleon into his palm, a galleon he recognised as the ones Granger had altered in fifth year for their DA, that Draco later used with Rosmerta.
Draco nodded, putting the galleon in his pocket, and telling them he'd see them soon.
- 0 -
He walked to the Library and spotted Harry at a table on his own, he walked over and sat himself down opposite him. Harry looked up and his jaw dropped open in shock.
"Draco?" he exclaimed, then glanced around and lowered his voice "What are you doing here? You should be in hospital!"
"I felt better when I woke up this morning so they let me go"
"They let you go?!"
"Well" Draco reasoned "I sort of let myself go, but they did say I would be fine"
"Draco -"
"Harry I don't know how many more life debts I can owe you" Draco said, shaking his head "If you hadn't found me..."
"Well actually" Harry said, and a slight smile played on his lips "It's Ron you owe this one to, he's the one that wanted to go to the kitchen, and he's the one that sprinted you down to the Hospital Wing"
"Oh dear lord" Draco said in horror "Was he carrying me like some damsel in distress?"
Harry laughed "No, he levitated you, he did launch himself down full flights of stairs to get you there as fast as possible though, it was very romantic"
"Harry don't, I might vomit, now I have to go thank Weasley, this might actually be worse than apologising to him"
Harry laughed again but quickly sobered up.
"Draco" he said, looking straight into Draco's silver eyes "You would have died, you were having a seizure, and the amount of damage -"
"Harry don't, I didn't die okay?" Draco said, but felt his eyes sting with the threat of tears. He didn't die, but it wouldn't be long. He couldn't stay with Harry, it wasn't fair, he had three months left, he was barely a wizard, he couldn't pass his classes, he would be in Azkaban soon. They were doomed to fail, he needed to end things.
"I was so scared for you" Harry said, pulling at his sleeve.
"I'm fine now, honestly"
"What happened?" Harry asked apprehensively. Would Draco tell him the truth? Would he trust him?
Draco shrugged "Just some Death Eater that had a bone to pick with my family for getting off lightly, he decided to jump me in Hogsmeade, apparate me somewhere, and beat the shit out of me, just a usual evening really" he tried to joke it off, but his voice raised an octave at the end, giving away his pain.
Harry grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly as if afraid to let go "Draco you don't need to play it down, what happened was serious, you have every right to feel whatever you feel right now"
He felt slightly hurt that Draco lied, but what did he expect? Draco feared his father, of course he wasn't going to just say it outright.
Draco stared at their clasped hands and with his new resolve in mind, he pulled his hands away. Harry frowned at him.
"Harry" Draco started "Listen... I don't think we can keep doing... what we're doing" he said, and tried to ignore the pain in his heart.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his brows furrowing.
"I mean us, seeing each other" Draco replied "It's got to end"
"Draco if someone is forcing you or threatening you-" Harry started angrily.
"No" Draco cut in firmly "It's not that. I don't want this. My family are my family and I want to do them proud"
"And never be in love?" Harry asked desperately "Draco that's no way to live!"
"It's my choice, it's what I want. We're breaking up" Draco replied, keeping the firm tone of voice.
"What changed?" Harry breathed.
"I don't want you, Weasley was right about me, you should have listened to him. Malfoy's don't change" Draco said, making his voice cold. He just needed this to be done so he could run away.
"I don't believe that" Harry shook his head, tears forming.
"Believe it Potter" Draco said standing up. "Move on." and with that he left, biting back tears as he went, and leaving Harry sitting, devastated and confused.