AN: Hey everyone! I'm back...well sort of. I dont have the internet anymore so I've got to count on my friends, school, and the library in order to update my stories. Sucks huh. I wont be able to update as much as I used to before but I will be updating once again. I've got the newest chapter with me. I had to rewrite it and I must say I enjoyed it.

I'm afraid that I wont be able to reply to my reviews this time. I'll probably update this chapter and do it at school or something. Anyway. I really hope that I havent lost too many of my once loyal readers because I missed updating this story and hearing from all of you. Anyway I'll stop rambling and get on with it now.

Chapter 10

Fallen on Deaf Ears

Harry's POV

"Draco," I whispered as I brushed his blood-soaked hair from his face. Recieving no response, I slowly placed two fingers against his throat to feel for a pulse. My hand shook asI held it in the air. I hesitated, afraid of what I might find or...what I might not find. After only a moments hesitation, however, I lightly touched his throat.
His pulse was very faint and very weak.
'Should I go for help?' I asked myself, afraid to leave his side. 'Yes, but what if the person who did this comes back to finish? What if we get back and it's already too late?' Just thinking these thoughts brought unshed tears to my eyes. I blinked them away and shook my head thinking, 'what am I thinking? If I dont go, he'll die.'
Leaning down, I whispered into his ear, "I'm going to go and get help, Draco. Hang in there until I get back."
Knowing that I wouldn't recieve an answer from the still form in front of me, I stood and sprinted from the room, only slowing to make certain that the portrait had closed behind me.

"Watch where you're going Potter," Blaise Zambini said angrily as I nearly ran into him outside of the Great Hall. Without looking at the other boy, I slowed to a brisk walk and entered the room.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ron and Hermione jump out of their seats as I hurried past them. Ignoring their worried looks, I walked up to the Headmaster and whispered, "Professor, please, come quickly!"
"What's the problem, Harry?" the Headmaster replied, noting the unshed tears that still stood in my eyes.
"It's Draco."
This was all I had to say before Professor Dumbledore turned and whispered something to Professors Snape and McGonagall before they all stood and led me from the room. Before leaving the Hall, the headmaster turned to the students, who were now staring at our small group in curiosity, and said, "Do not be alarmed, a minor disturbance has just been reported and I must ask that all students remain in the hall until further notice." with this said, we all turned and walked from the room, ignoring the whispering of my classmates.
In the hall, Professor Dumbledore sent McGonagall to the infirmary. Once she had disappeared down the corridor, he and Professor Snape followed me as I ran down the deserted hall. "Repentance," I nearly shouted as we neared Draco's room. Without waiting for the portrait to open completely, I ran in and felt for Draco's pulse once more. It was still there but even weaker than before. "I told you I'd be back," I said as I grasped the still blonde's hand. "I brought help."
"Harry," Dumbledore said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, "I'm afraid that we need for you to step away from Draco so that we can get him to the infirmary."
With a silent nod, I stood and, letting go of Draco's hand, walked away from the bed to stand in the corning. I watched as Professor Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and levitated Draco upon it. I watched as Professor Snape pulled a small vial from his robes and poured its contents down the blonde's throat. I watched as the person I once loathed, now cared for, bled upon the white stretcher. I watched each intake of his breath. I watched and wished that I could do something to help instead of standing in the corner watching. I watched and felt something that I had never truly felt before; rage.

"Potter," I was pulled from my thoughts by Professor Snape's cold voice. "The headmaster wishes for you to follow us."
Without answering, I followed the dark-haired Professor from the room. We easily caught up with the Headmaster, who was walking slower than us for fear of injuring the blonde even more.
Our trip to the infirmary was a quiet one. I found myself staring at the still form beside me and felt rage boil within my very soul once more. As we rounded the corner and started down the corridor that led to the infirmary, I saw Draco's pale face contort in pain as a bone-chilling scream echoed through the hallway.
Professor Snape walked ahead of us and threw open the inrimary doors to allow the headmaster and Draco through. Madame Pomfrey walked in from the back room shortly after we arrived and I saw her eyes widen in terror as they fell upon the form of my dearest new friend. "What's happened?" she asked, her voice betraying her worry. "Minerva informed me that there had been and incident with the Malfoy boy, but I hadn't thought it would be this severe." As she spoke she led the headmaster into the back room and helped him lay Draco onto the empty bed. I stood to the side, unwilling to let Draco leave my sight, yet terrified to hinder those who wished to help him.
"We are uncertain as to what happened to Mr. Malfoy, Poppy," Dumbledore replied, the sparkle gone completely from his eyes. "I entrust him to your care."
"I'll run a thorough scan to assess all of his injuries. Perhaps we can at least find how they were made." With that said she shood the three of us from the room.
Once we were in the main infirmary, Professor Dumbledore led me over to a small sitting area where we both sat, Professor Snape nearby. "Harry,k I need you to tell me everything you know."
"I dont really know anything, Professor," I replied honestly, my eyes darting back and forth between the door at the back of the room and the the Professor's face. "When I was able to get the door open, I found his like that on his bed."
"What made you leave dinner to go and see him?"
"We had a fight last night. I asked him about the cuts on his arms and it escalated from there. I was terrified that he was mad at me or that he'd done something to himself. He handn't been to meals at all today, you see. I was going to go and visit him after dinner, but I had a really bad feeling and couldnt wait any longer."
"You knew his password, yet it took you a while to open his door," Professor Snape said as he walked up to stand beside Dumbledore's chair.
"I heard screams when I got to the prefect hallway and ran to his room. The portrait opened just fine but there was a closed door behind it. No matter what spell I used it wouldnt open and, when I tried to open it the muggle way, I got burned." I held out my burned hand to prove that I was speaking the truth before I continued, "I heard a door slam and the door just vanished. And that's when I saw Draco."
"Did you see anyone while you were walking the halls?" the Headmaster asked.
"On my way there I past Rayne, but she was heading to dinner from a tutoring session with Flitwick." I paused for a moment, trying to remember if I'd past anyone else when my eyes widened slightly. "I ran into Zambini outside of the Great Hall when I went to get you though."
I saw Professor Snape's eyes darken slightly at my words. "Severus, I want for you to have these students brought to my office," dumbledore said, the seriousness in his voice a slight shock to me.Without saying a word, Snape turned and stormed from the infirmary.
It was moments later when Madame Pomfrey walked out of the back room. The grim look on her face causing my insides to twist in worry. With one look at the school nurse, Dumbledore stood and followed her into his office. Without wasting any time, I walked over and knelt beside the door to listen.
"What have you found Poppy?" the Headmaster asked her.
"He suffered a massive head trauma, Albus, because of this he's slipped into a coma. There was also a great amount of internal bleeding as well as the external injuries that he recieved. There doesn't seem to be magic involved at all, the cuts on his body were made by some sort of knife." She stopped.
"What is it Poppy?" Dumbledore asked, obviously responding to a look the nurst had just given him.
"He...he was raped Albus," the nurse replied, tears evident in her voice.
At her words I felt the wind rush from my chest as though I had just been his with a very powerful curse. I stood from my crouched position by the door and walked over to the nearest bed, using the wall beside me to support my weight upon my now trembling legs.
I sat down and stared at the shut door that was mere feet away from me. I felt a tear fall from my eye and did nothing to stop it. 'How could this happen?' I asked myself. I found myself unable to think as images of an unconscious Draco passed through my mind.
I hastily wiped my eyes as the Headmaster and Pomfrey walked from her office. "You know Harry," the headmaster said, his face grim," that eavesdropping is not always the best way to find out information."
I looked down at the bedsheets for a moment before saying, "It's not fair." My voice was barely more than a whisper as I felt tears spring to my eyes. I looked up at the adults in front of me and nearly screamed, "It's not fair!"
"We know Harry," Albus said as he looked at me sadly.
"Hasnt he been through enough since this summer?" I asked to no one in particular. My mid was racing. I felt rage's hot flame burning within my chest as hot tears flowed from my eyes. "Can I see him?" I asked, fighting to calm my voice.
"Harry," Madame Pomfrey said ass he walked forward and sat beside me. "I know what it's like to almost lose a friend--especially one that you've only just gained. Yes, Draco has been through a lot these past few months. Far more than is fair, but you must be strong for him." I looked over at the Headmaster, who nodded in agreement, before facing the woman beside me. "If you let your anger rule you, you wont be of any help to him at all. Now," she said, standing from the bed, "I will allow you to see him, provided you don't lose your temper while in there. He's in a coma so we're not sure he'll be able to hear you but...talk to him. Let him know that you're there."
I nodded as stood from the bed. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I walked slowly through the door. There was a single lamp sitting on the endtable beside the bed, it's dim light gave his platinum hair and ethereal glow as I gently pushed it from his eyes. He was now dressed in a pair of white pajamas that made the paleness of his skin seem all the more prominent. The cuts and bruises on his face, however, had been healed completely.
I sat in the chair beside his bed and grasped his hand, "I'm here, Draco," I said quietly. "Madame Pomfrey said that you probably can't even hear me but...I've got afew things that I really need to say to you.
"Dont you think it's strange?" I asked him. "A fewweeks ago you were my biggest rival and now you're once of my best friends. And, what's worse, I think...no, I know that I care about you more than that. I've enjoyed getting to know you Draco. The real you, not the one you were forced tobe.
"I wanted you to know that I'm not angry with you. I probably couldn't be angry with you even if I wanted to." I laughed slightly before I continued, "Isn't it strange how things can change so much in such a short amount of time? I mean, three weeks ago I found myself making fun of you with Ron but now...now I find myself terrifed that I'm going to lose you. Isn't that sad? I dont know how you managed it Draco but you managed to make me need you.
"I need you to be there when I need to laugh. I need you to be there when I need to cry. But, what I really need, is to hear you talk and to watch your thoughts flow through your eyes. Gods, I'm becoming such a sap. I blame that on you, you know. You've made me into a sap...I'll get you back for that one. It's the ultimate curse, that's what it is. You've cursed me Draco.
"You've cursed me with your conversations. You've cursed me with the way you chew on your lower lip when you're concentrating. Gods I have terrible timing don't I. It takes you getting hurt for me to realize just how much I care about you. That's me, Harry Potter. The boy who lives to be naive. The boy who is learning that he could actually love.
"All these days that I woke up and thought to myself, 'Today I will make Draco laugh.' leave it to me to not realize that I wanted to be the one to always make you laugh...make you smile. I know that you're probably not even gay but...well...that's why it's so much easier to tell you this now. At least then there's the possibility that you may not hear me.
"Oh gods," I said, feeling tears run down my face once more. "I swear, if you give up on me, I will find some way to get you back for it. I dont think I can go on without you now Draco. I dont even want to. Even if I can only have your friendship that would be enough because you'd still be there. Please Draco...just wake up."

3rd Person POV

"Harry," Madame Pomfrey said as she entered the room, "It's time..." she looked down at the dark haired boy. His head was resting next to Draco's shoulder, propped up slightly on his arm. His face was tearstain and he held the other boy's hand tightly in his own.
With an understanding look, she turned and walked from the room only to re-enter moments later carrying a blanket. she walked over to the sleeping boy and draped it over his shoulders before walking back to the door. Before closing it she turned to look at the two boys at said, "Never give up hope,"

AN: And that is that. Please review I really want to know what you think. I miss all of your reviews everyone I really look forward to reading them!