Part One: September

Chapter 5A

The Morning After

"HARRY! Come on, wake up you lazy git! Breakfast is in fifteen minutes," Ron cried, shaking Harry awake.

"I'm up. I'm up," Harry mumbled, trying to pry is gritty feeling eyes open. He felt like he had gotten maybe an hour's worth of sleep. One look at the clock confirmed that he hadn't gotten much more than that.

"Geez, Harry. What did you do? Stay up all night?" Dean asked from Seamus' bed.

"Yeah, were you and that beautiful redheaded girl friend of yours snogging in the common room all night?" Seamus giggled as he rolled over Dean and out of bed.

Harry blushed and said, "Not exactly you crazy Irishman."

Ron narrowed his eyes and growled, "You better not have been out all night with my sister!"

"I wasn't." Harry leaned toward Ron, giving him a shove while whispering, "I'll tell you later."

Ron nodded and the five dormmates got ready for the day. Seamus, Dean and Neville went down to breakfast before Ron and Harry, leaving the friends to talk.

"So, what did you do last night?" Ron asked.

"I went to visit Padfoot," Harry began "and I discovered something, well not exactly interesting, but definitely disturbing."

"What was it?" Ron asked, now genuinely intrigued.

"Well, when I got there, Sirius wasn't alone. Snape was there."

"What, was he going to smother him in his sleep?"

"Not exactly. He, was, well—he's in love with Padfoot."

Ron's eyes bugged out and he yelled, "WHAT!!! ARE YOU INSANE?"

Harry shook his head and held out his arms just in time to catch Ron, who had fainted. Harry sighed and placed Ron on his bed. He grabbed his wand and muttered, "Enervate."

Ron opened his eyes and looked strangely at Harry. "Is it true? Has the sky finally fallen?"

Harry laughed and said, "Hey, I don't think that Snape being in love with Sirius is any stranger than you being in love with Malfoy."

Ron scowled and muttered, "I don't love Malfoy. I just want in his pants."

"Yeah, and Hermione is at the bottom of the class," Harry scoffed. "Now come on. I'm starving and I want to visit Sirius before classes start."

"I don't love him!" Ron protested again on the way out of their room.

"Ron, you can't keep your eyes off him, you're always talking about him, and you mutter his name in your sleep. You love him."

Ron frowned and said, "No I don't. I don't love him!"

"Me thinks you doth protest to much, my friend."

Ron froze in his tracks and shouted, "I DO NOT LOVE DRACO MALFOY! That would be like, like, the end of the world! He's not a loveable person, Harry. You know that better than anyone."

"Oh Ron, you're in such deep denial. I've seen how you look at him. You love him." Harry paused and then said, "Now, I think that this shows a lack of sense on your part, but don't you think it's time you get to know the real Draco Malfoy? Haven't you noticed he's kinda different this year? Quieter and well, more reserved."

"He did apologize to me yesterday, and he hasn't called 'Mione a Mudblood lately." Ron admitted.

"See, I think that there's a side of Malfoy we haven't seen." Harry thought a moment. "And maybe there is a side to Snape we haven't seen as well."

Ron nodded in agreement and they finally went in to breakfast. He made a commitment to himself to figure out his feelings for Draco.

He didn't think he loved the boy yet, but he wasn't sure he wasn't on his way. If only he could get to know the real boy. Ron still remembered the sweet five-year-old who had been his best friend. He had a feeling that that boy was lost somewhere inside Draco, and he wanted to discover him again.

Chapter 5B Heartbreak

"I DO NOT LOVE DRACO MALFOY! That would be like, like, the end of the world! He's not a loveable person, Harry. You know that better than anyone."

Draco gasped as he felt his heart be torn into two. He dropped his books and ran back to the dungeons. Tears were streaming from his eyes and his heart felt like it was broken in a million tiny pieces.

Draco threw himself on his bed and sobbed into his pillow. How could he have ever thought that he had a chance with Ron? He was too dirty, too evil for someone as pure as Ron to ever love.

Draco dragged himself off the bed and headed into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror, cursing his features. He looked like an evil monster—he looked just like his father. It was no wonder Ron thought he was unlovable. He looked too like his father for anyone to ever love him.

Sobbing even harder now, Draco opened the bathroom cabinet and searched for something to make the pain go away. He just wanted the hurting to stop. His eyes settled on a gleaming piece of silver. Blaise's razor—the old fashioned flat edged kind.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Draco reached up and grasped the razor. He brought it down and gently ran his finger over the edge. A thin line of blood appeared from the cut, and Draco smiled. He slowly brought the razor to the veins in his wrist. This was a way to take away the pain. He wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that Ron hated him. And he could finally escape his father.

Draco slowly drew the razor horizontally across wrist and hissed at the pain. Then he smiled and slid to the ground. His eyes fluttered closed and he whispered, "I love you Ron," as he slid into unconsciousness.

"I DO NOT LOVE DRACO MALFOY! That would be like, like, the end of the world! He's not a loveable person, Harry. You know that better than anyone."

Chapter 5C Discovery

Severus Snape strode into the Slytherin Common Room scowling. His mind was in two places at the moment, the infirmary and on Draco. Draco hadn't been at breakfast and Severus was worried. It wasn't like Draco to miss a meal. If nothing else, Draco was a slave to appearances.

Severus stalked up the stairs to the seventh years boys dorm. "Draco, son, are you in here?" There was no answer.

Severus peered around the room, and was confused when he didn't see anything. His eyes strayed toward the bathroom and saw that it was slightly ajar. Curious and a but worried, Severus pushed open the door and when he saw Draco lying on the floor with blood pooling under him, he shouted in grief.

"Draco!" Severus rushed to the boy he loved as his own son, and muttered an incantation. White bandages wrapped themselves around Draco's wrists and Severus quickly gathered the slight boy in his arms. When had Draco gotten so thin, he wondered as he rushed toward the infirmary, all but pushing students out of the way.

Severus rushed into the infirmary and shouted, "Pomfrey, I need your help!" He gently laid Draco down on an empty bed, and for the first time noticed the shocked looking students standing around the bed next to him.

"Potter, Weasley, Granger and Weasley Jr., what are you doing here?" he asked in disdain.

"We're, ummm, visiting Sirius," Harry said distractedly. He, along with the others, were staring in bemusement at Draco. "What happened to him?"

Severus scowled and growled, "It's none of your business, Potter."

Ron's face was white and he slowly approached the bed where Draco lay. "Will he be ok?" Ron had noticed the bandages around Draco's wrist and had a sinking suspicion he knew what had happened.

Severus sighed and for the first time noticed how worried Weasley was. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Chapter 5D Death Eaters

Voldemort paced around in a furious circle. A few of his most loyal minions were gathered together and exchanging worried looks. "Lucius," Voldemort hissed.

"Yes master?"

Voldemort slithered closer to Malfoy and said, "Your son refused me, did he not?"

"He's confused. He will accept you on his 18th birthday." Lucius said, kissing the hem of his Lord's robe.

"I do not believe you," Voldemort hissed. "Crucio."

He left Lucius writhing on the ground and slithered over to where a rat-like man was cowering. "Wormtail, I am disappointed in you."

The man called Wormtail fell to his knees and cried, "Please forgive me master! I did not mean to disappoint you!"

"I asked that you teach that infernal Black a lesson, and you leave him alive? Crucio!" Wormtail screamed in pain, causing Voldemort to smile. "If you want something done right, you have to do yourself," he muttered. It was time to put his final plan into action.

Author's Notes: So, how much do you hate me?? Sorry for the cliff hanger, but I haven't really had one yet, so I thought it was time. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Please keep them coming. Next chapter: We find out what happens to Draco, there will be more Sev/Sirius action, and Harry has a nightmare! Fun times will not be had by all! ;)