Disclaimer: The characters and places and stuff belong to JKR. But for now, they are at my mercy. *evil grin* I'll return them as soon as I'm finished…maybe.

This is the sequel to "What Is Happiness?" To understand this story, you must first read that one. It is located at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=946096

~~~

"It's been over a month," Hermione sighed one Saturday in the Great Hall. Most of the students were in Hogsmeade, but Hermione, Ginny, and the twins stayed. They were playing chess in the Hall, the girls against the boys.

"Professor Snape and Katie have been so upset," Ginny added. "I've never seen Professor Snape so upset before. And all this stress can't be good for Katie and the baby."

"Sirius and Remus are looking terrible," Hermione continued. "And with the full moon just passing... Remus, Sean, and Kayla are bound to be more upset than usual."

Suddenly, the main door to the Great Hall opened, and everyone in the room glanced to see who was coming in. Hermione screamed and covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming from her eyes. Everyone else just stared.

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter entered the Hall looking pale, thin, and sick. Draco wore only a pair of trousers, and his ribs jutted out beneath his bruised skin. Harry wore robes that were not his, and that seemed to be swallowing him. They were both weak, but they still assisted each other in staying on their feet. Harry was considerably weaker than Draco, and as soon as they got inside, Harry collapsed in a heap on the floor. Draco soon followed suit, and both boys lay unconscious.

Fred and George rushed over to them, as did Professor Flitwick, who was also in the room. Hermione ran as fast as she could to the Snapes' dungeons, knowing that Severus, Katie, and the Lupin-Blacks were all in there. Katie had given Hermione the password, just in case there was an emergency, and the girl spoke it and ran into the living room. The adults were talking softly, while Sean played with a toy car, and Kayla took a nap on the floor.

"Hermione?" Katie said, seeing the girl's tearstained face. The older witch rushed to Hermione, taking the younger girl's trembling hands in her own. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Th-they're back," Hermione barely whispered, glancing at each of the adults. "They're back... Harry and Draco... They came into the Great Hall together, and they collapsed, and Merlin, they look terrible!" She burst into tears again. "They had to help each other walk, and they looked so sick! Draco didn't have a shirt on, and he was so thin, I could see his ribs, and they were beaten up, and--"

"Hermione, calm down," Remus said, gently hugging her. He also had tears in his eyes, as did the others. "Was there a teacher in the Great Hall when they came in?" Hermione nodded, wiping her eyes.

"Professor Flitwick," she said. "I think he was going to levitate them up to the hospital wing."

~~~

It was nearly three hours before Madam Pomfrey would allow Harry and Draco to be seen. She'd kept the curtains drawn around their beds as she attempted to heal them as best she could. When she emerged from behind the curtains, her face was pale, and she was shaking slightly. Remus, Sirius, Severus, and Katie stood up from their chairs. Hermione, Ginny, and the twins had stayed downstairs with Sean and Kayla.

"Poppy?" Remus said, softly. He held Sirius's hand tightly in his own. Madam Pomfrey took a deep breath, then began to relay what she had discovered of the boys' injuries.

"Both boys have been starved; I expect they've lost at least thirty pounds," she said, quietly. "Draco has several broken and fractured bones, and he's been stabbed numerous times. He's received the Cruciatus, as well as other curses, many times. He's in a coma now, but I think he may wake up within a few days." Nobody spoke for a moment. Katie buried her face in Severus's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"And Harry?" Sirius said after a pause. The matron sighed, hanging her head.

"He's worse off," she replied. Sirius clutched Remus's arm at these words. "Probably because he can't handle pain as well as Draco… The injuries are nearly the same, but they've affected each boy differently. Harry is deeper in a coma, because his magical energy has been drained. I don't know what has caused this, but he will be unconscious until all of his energy has been gained back."

"Will they—" Remus swallowed the lump in his throat. "Will they be all right, Poppy? Will they recover?"

"It's too soon to tell. We can only wait until they wake up."

~~~

Everything was black. He felt a tightening in his chest and gasped for air. It felt like someone was strangling him, blocking off his airway. Soon he tasted a bitter liquid, and it burned his throat as he was forced to swallow. Within moments, the pain in his chest subsided.

He heard people speaking around him. But why couldn't he see them? All he could see was darkness. He relaxed and decided to listen to the voices.

"Draco, sweetie, it's Mum," said a familiar, female voice. "We've all been so worried about you, honey. We tried so hard to find you. I'm so sorry, Draco, we should have tried harder…" The woman broke down in tears, and then he heard another voice. This one was deep and smooth.

"Shh, Kate," the voice said, softly. "Don't get too worked up. Draco, how about you wake up for your mum and me? It would really be a relief to see your eyes. Wake up and let us know you're all right."

The boy began to panic. There was something about these people who were talking. They loved him once, didn't they? But something in his mind was telling him that things had changed.

~~~