He was floating in a sea of sounds, sensations. He tried to fight it, believing that he didn't belong, but a voice pulled him onwards. Unable to resist, he drifted.
'...need you....'
Someone was needed. Must be nice to be needed. He used to be, once upon a time, but his time was done.
'...love you....'
Someone was loved. Even better. He had a hard time remembering love. He was sure his parents had loved him, but they were gone, lost to a time that he couldn't recall. He had thought that he had the love of friends, but see how quickly that changed. With a flash of memory, he realized that even his godfather was gone. What was the point of returning then, really? He'd just float in this everlasting darkness, thanks all the same.
'...Harry....'
His name. Who would be calling his name? He had a vague memory of someone saying his name as his physical wounds were healed, but...that had had no affect on him. Not like this voice saying his name. It was almost pleading...yearning....
'...Harry...love you....'
Someone loved...him? Impossible! Yet.... Something in his heart reacted to those words, spurring him upwards out of the darkness, towards the voice that he heard more clearly now, calling him back...with tears. 'Who would cry for *me*?' he wondered, straining to discover who was attached to that voice, calling him like a siren's song.
Emerald eyes opened. Fluttered closed again against the brightness of the light. Opened again slowly. He was unable to focus for a moment, and as he tried to bring the world around him into clarity, he noticed a weight on his chest, Glancing down, he saw a head of hair of such a pale blonde that it was nearly white. There was only one person that he knew with that color hair. 'Draco.'
"Draco...."
**********
Draco's name penetrated the haze of tears and grief that surrounded him. Thinking that Snape was trying to get his attention again, he looked up, ready to protest the intrusion.
And was greeted with a pair of eyes that he had been beginning to think that he would never see open again. "Harry," he whispered, not daring to believe what he was seeing.
"Draco...don't cry for me...I'm not worth...your tears." A hand lifted shakily, wiped the tears from Draco's face.
Draco caught the hand, held it against his cheek as his eyes bore into Harry's. "Of course you are, Harry. Worth my tears, and worth any that anyone chooses to shed."
"You called me back, Draco...why?"
"Because I...I...." Draco's voice caught, unable to speak, and instead he brought Harry's hand to his lips, kissed the palm delicately. "That's why," he whispered hoarsely, overcome with a different type of emotion.
Harry shook his head. "No...no one can love me...." His eyes began to close again.
"Harry! You are *not* going away on me! I love you, damnit, and you are going to *stay* here and deal with it!"
Harry's eyes fixed on his.
"I need help," Draco murmured. Maintaining eye contact, instinctively knowing that that was what was keeping Harry anchored to consciousness, he called out, "Professor Snape! Madam Pomfrey! He's awake! Harry's *awake*!"
Snape heard Draco's call, and came running. He stopped short, seeing that, rather than the dream he had thought he was going to see, he saw the truth of Draco's words. "Don't move," he said. "Keep Harry with us. I'm getting Poppy." And then, not even caring how completely undignified he was acting, Snape ran as fast as he could.
**********
'...need you....'
Someone was needed. Must be nice to be needed. He used to be, once upon a time, but his time was done.
'...love you....'
Someone was loved. Even better. He had a hard time remembering love. He was sure his parents had loved him, but they were gone, lost to a time that he couldn't recall. He had thought that he had the love of friends, but see how quickly that changed. With a flash of memory, he realized that even his godfather was gone. What was the point of returning then, really? He'd just float in this everlasting darkness, thanks all the same.
'...Harry....'
His name. Who would be calling his name? He had a vague memory of someone saying his name as his physical wounds were healed, but...that had had no affect on him. Not like this voice saying his name. It was almost pleading...yearning....
'...Harry...love you....'
Someone loved...him? Impossible! Yet.... Something in his heart reacted to those words, spurring him upwards out of the darkness, towards the voice that he heard more clearly now, calling him back...with tears. 'Who would cry for *me*?' he wondered, straining to discover who was attached to that voice, calling him like a siren's song.
Emerald eyes opened. Fluttered closed again against the brightness of the light. Opened again slowly. He was unable to focus for a moment, and as he tried to bring the world around him into clarity, he noticed a weight on his chest, Glancing down, he saw a head of hair of such a pale blonde that it was nearly white. There was only one person that he knew with that color hair. 'Draco.'
"Draco...."
**********
Draco's name penetrated the haze of tears and grief that surrounded him. Thinking that Snape was trying to get his attention again, he looked up, ready to protest the intrusion.
And was greeted with a pair of eyes that he had been beginning to think that he would never see open again. "Harry," he whispered, not daring to believe what he was seeing.
"Draco...don't cry for me...I'm not worth...your tears." A hand lifted shakily, wiped the tears from Draco's face.
Draco caught the hand, held it against his cheek as his eyes bore into Harry's. "Of course you are, Harry. Worth my tears, and worth any that anyone chooses to shed."
"You called me back, Draco...why?"
"Because I...I...." Draco's voice caught, unable to speak, and instead he brought Harry's hand to his lips, kissed the palm delicately. "That's why," he whispered hoarsely, overcome with a different type of emotion.
Harry shook his head. "No...no one can love me...." His eyes began to close again.
"Harry! You are *not* going away on me! I love you, damnit, and you are going to *stay* here and deal with it!"
Harry's eyes fixed on his.
"I need help," Draco murmured. Maintaining eye contact, instinctively knowing that that was what was keeping Harry anchored to consciousness, he called out, "Professor Snape! Madam Pomfrey! He's awake! Harry's *awake*!"
Snape heard Draco's call, and came running. He stopped short, seeing that, rather than the dream he had thought he was going to see, he saw the truth of Draco's words. "Don't move," he said. "Keep Harry with us. I'm getting Poppy." And then, not even caring how completely undignified he was acting, Snape ran as fast as he could.
**********