~ Find,                                                           

                                                                                    one song,
                                                                                    a song about love

                                                                                    from the soul of a young man
                                                                                     One song,
                                                                                    to redeem this empty life

                                                                                    Time flies,
                                                                                    and there's no need to endure anymore
                                                                                    Time dies... ~

            Draco kept his eyes locked onto Harry's face as the world spun around them. The Hogwarts entrance hall came into focus as they came to a stop amid a group of surprised teachers, it was the day before the start of classes and many of the Professors were roaming the halls.

Draco pushed past them roughly and ignored their shocked inquiries as he took off up the stairs, Harry limp in his arms. The route to the infirmary had never felt so long as Draco flew through the halls. When he reached the hospital wing, he saw Dumbledore waiting at the entrance. He quickly brushed past and carried Harry to the bed Madam Pomfrey was standing beside.

"What happened?" she asked, immediately looking Harry over for injuries.

"Harry cast Alcestis," Draco answered, looking instead to Dumbledore as he joined them.

"Alcestis?" Dumbledore frowned. "The Avada Kedavra counter-curse? It's just a legend, a myth..."

"Well, it worked," Draco said, glancing back to Harry.

He was still unconscious, but his breathing had become a little more stable. Madam Pomfrey removed Harry's jumper and shook her head at the protruding ribs and dark bruises. She removed the rest of his clothes and slipped him into a pair of white hospital pyjamas.

"Other than a broken rib, bruising, and severe malnutrition and blood loss, I don't see anything that should be life threatening," she concluded, glancing over at Dumbledore.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Dumbledore asked, as Madam Pomfrey continued to inspect Harry.

Draco sat down heavily in the chair at Harry's bedside and closed his eyes. "Harry and Voldemort's wands connected somehow," he started, the events unfolding again in front of his eyes. "There was this beam of light, and Harry created this glowing green ball out of his wand. It moved along the beam towards Voldemort. I'd never seen Harry so strong..."

Draco's voice broke and he reached out an arm to clasp Harry's hand with his own before continuing.

"The green light had almost reached Voldemort's wand, he fell to his knees and was shaking a lot. Then..."

Draco tightened his grip on Harry's hand.

"My father...severed the connection. Voldemort said that if the connection was broken, then he and Harry would both die."

Draco stopped and opened his eyes. "Voldemort is dead."

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Sirius and Ron.

"How is he?" Sirius asked as he rushed to his godson's side.

"There are no life threatening injuries," Madam Pomfrey explained. "But it's almost as if something is still affecting him."

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked, face pale beneath a layer of dirt.

"I'm going to have to do an internal exam, hopefully I'll find the problem and be able to treat it."

Ron nodded mutely.

"Let's leave Poppy to her work," Dumbledore said, to the concerned group.

"I want to stay," Ron protested.

"The exam will take quite awhile," Madam Pomfrey said gently. "I have to treat a curse that has never been documented, I won't know exactly what I'm looking for. I will let you know as soon as I find anything."

Sirius nodded and ushered Ron out of the room before he could protest further.

"Feel free to stay at Hogwarts as long as you want," Dumbledore offered as they walked out the door. "In the mean time, you should have something to eat and try to get some sleep."

Dumbledore turned in the doorway to look back at Draco, who had remained in his chair.

"Mr Malfoy?"

"I'm not leaving," he answered tersely, without looking up.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly as he quietly shut the door behind him and Madam Pomfrey bustled off to her office to get some equipment needed for the exam.

Draco studied Harry's face as he unconsciously rubbed little circles on Harry's warm hand with his thumb. Harry's lips were parted as shallow breaths of air rattled out from his lungs. His skin, where it wasn't bruised, was extremely pale, like porcelain.

Draco picked up a damp washcloth from a bowl on the bedside table and proceeded to gently dab at the encrusted blood on Harry's scar. As the skin was wiped clean, Draco noticed that the famous lightning bolt was glowing a strange green colour.

Draco dropped the washcloth back into the bowl and cautiously swept his fingertips over the glowing mark - it felt hot to the touch. A quiet moan suddenly emitted from Harry's parted lips.

"Harry?" Draco called to him.

Harry started shivering and tiny rivulets of perspiration began to trickle down his face from under his fringe.

Draco stood up in alarm and whirled around. "Madam Pomfrey!" he called frantically.

She came running, holding a silver carrying case.  She saw the glowing mark and held her wrist to Harry's forehead and frowned. She made no comment as she opened her silver case and pulled out a long needle, attaching a vial containing a white, pearly liquid to the end of it. She stopped short of administering the needle when she caught sight of the deep gashes in the underside of Harry's elbows. She took out her wand and muttered a healing spell to repair the damage. Once it had taken effect, she inserted the needle and carefully drained the potion into Harry's vein.

"It will be about an hour before it begins to take effect," she said, removing the needle and straightening up.

"What does it do?" Draco asked.

"It will allow me to scan his internal organs and blood stream for any magical activity that is harming him, a very useful spell that I've had to use countless times."

Draco nodded and picked up the washcloth again to wipe away the moisture on Harry's forehead.

"I'll leave you alone for awhile, Mr Malfoy," she said, placing the needle back into its case. "Let me know if there is any change."

"Thank you," Draco said distractedly, grateful for some alone time with Harry.

Poppy smiled as she headed back to her office. "He's really changed," she thought to herself. "I never thought I'd live to see the day Draco Malfoy said thank you. Potter's a good influence on him."

Draco put the washcloth aside and took up Harry's hand again.

"Harry? Can you hear me? Please wake up..." he looked around to make sure he was alone. "I...I need you. I'm so sorry, Harry, I never meant to hurt you. I need you to come back to me, okay? I'm so sorry..."

Draco choked, angry at himself as tears leaked out the corner of his eyes and fell onto their joined hands.

"Open your eyes...look at me, Harry!" he shouted in frustration, shaking him.

He broke down and fell across Harry's chest as he sobbed.

"Don't leave me, Harry..."

Draco lay face down, crying steadily as the white sheets soaked up his tears. Some time later, he began to feel exhaustion creep in after such a long and stressful day, so he crawled onto the bed next to Harry and wrapped his arms around the warm body.

He lightly touched his lips to Harry's scar, the salty taste of his own tears bitter on his tongue as they dropped from his lips onto Harry's skin. He laid his head down and closed his eyes.

"Please wake up..." he whispered, as he drifted off.

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

            Dumbledore sat in his office with Ron and Sirius, waiting for Snape and Hermione to arrive.

"Could I see your arm?" Dumbledore asked Sirius after he had been told of how they had gained access to Voldemort's hide-out.

Sirius obligingly pulled back the sleeve of his robe and displayed his bare forearm, free of the Dark Mark that only a few hours earlier had burned brightly.

"Remarkable," Dumbledore muttered. "I'll have the Death Eaters, which you stunned earlier, checked when they are brought in to see if their Marks are also missing. We have already recovered Voldemort's body and he has been checked over countless times - he is indeed dead."

Just then Snape walked into the office looking as sour as usual.

"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "Could I see your arm please?"

"It's gone," Snape said, not bothering to lift his sleeve. "I felt the Mark disappear earlier. I assume then that Voldemort has been defeated?"

"It appears that way," Dumbledore nodded.

"Was it Potter?"

"I believe so, Severus," he paused, watching Snape interestedly. "He used Alcestis."

Snape raised a brow in surprise. "Alcestis? No one has ever been able to prove that it works. You would have to have two very powerful wizards that share..."

Snape paused and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Dumbledore's twinkling expression.

"Potter has Voldemort's brother wand, doesn't he?"

"Indeed, he does."

"So it worked? Alcestis works?"

"I think Harry has proven that, yes."

"Harry has the brother wand of You-Know-Who?" Ron asked in amazement.

The office door suddenly swung open with a crash, startling them all, as Hermione came running in and threw herself into Ron's arms.

"Thank, God, you're okay!" she cried.

"I'm fine, 'Mione," he smiled, squeezing her back.

"Where's Harry?"

"He's in the infirmary," Ron said, smile vanishing.

"Why don't we sit down?" Dumbledore suggested.

They all took a seat and looked at him expectantly.

"Now, I need to know exactly what happened in there," he said, looking between Sirius and Ron.

"Well," Sirius began, glancing at Ron. "We split up once we got inside. I ended up in Voldemort's chambers, luckily they were empty, and so I looked around for a bit. I don't know where Draco ended up, but he was found and brought to the throne room... actually, Ron can tell you more. I wasn't there the whole time."

"It was Mr Malfoy that brought Draco in and tied him up," Ron said. "Draco was chained to the wall and forced to watch Voldemort torture, Harry..."

Ron cleared his throat and forced himself to continue.

"Harry was released from this table that he had been strapped to and he took out his wand-"

"His wand?" Hermione interrupted. "How?"

"From Peter Pettigrew, I believe," Dumbledore answered calmly.

"How did you know?" Ron asked, taken aback.

Dumbledore smiled wisely.

"You knew he was going to give it to, Harry, didn't you?" Sirius asked incredulously, the pieces falling into place. "That's why you left it in Harry's flat with almost no security! And here I was beginning to think that you were losing your touch."

Dumbledore chuckled, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Then what happened?" Hermione asked.

"Then Wormtail gave Harry his glasses back and You-Know-Who saw him do it, so he killed him. Harry got really angry and he performed that Alcestis curse as You-Know-Who cast Avada Kedavra. He began to fall as Harry forced that green ball towards him. You-Know-Who was clearly going to lose, so Mr Malfoy ran forwards into the connection. There were all these lights and smoke. I set Draco free from the chains and when the smoke cleared, I saw Harry and Voldemort...I thought they were dead."

Ron stopped and looked down.

"Then the Death Eaters attacked us, and Draco tried to get to Harry," Sirius continued. "But I think his father tried to stop him, so...Draco killed his father."

Snape gasped quietly in surprise; feeling for his former pupil.

"Go on," Dumbledore encouraged.

"Draco chased after these Death Eaters who had taken Harry and Voldemort. Ron and I finally managed to catch up to him in the corridor, the two Death Eaters were stunned and Draco was sitting with Harry. Voldemort was dead. Harry woke up to give us the password for our escape, but then he suddenly got much worse and we rushed here...that's pretty much it."

"Is Harry going to be okay?" Hermione asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.

"I'm not sure yet," he said. "It depends on if Madam Pomfrey can find the source of what is affecting him and if he has enough strength left to fight against it."

"Can I go see him?"

"Of course, but I would like Draco to have some time alone with him right now. It might help both of them."

Hermione nodded and held Ron's hand tightly.

The group sat silently, praying that Harry would be alright now that he had finally accomplished what the entire wizarding world had been waiting for him to do.

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

         Draco dozed fitfully on the hospital bed, holding onto Harry possessively. He suddenly woke and looked at the clock - it had been over an hour since Madam Pomfrey had left. Draco tilted his head back to look at Harry, he had stopped shivering but his scar was still glowing.

Draco settled back down with his head snuggled into Harry's shoulder and closed his eyes, beginning to dream as he fell into a restless sleep.

        He and Harry were back at Adamo Lake, having a picnic and watching the clouds go by. He was feeding Harry dark, red cherries; letting him bite the juicy berries off the stem right from his fingers. They were both laughing. Draco picked up a glowing, green cherry from the bowl and held it out over Harry's mouth. Harry bit into it and started choking, his scar suddenly turning a ghostly green to match the cherry.

"Harry!" Draco cried out.

Harry collapsed on the blanket.

"Wait!" Draco called. "I should tell you, I should tell you..."

Draco woke with a shout, a cold sweat breaking out all over his body. He looked at Harry who was still sleeping peacefully.

Draco shook his head and wiped his hand across his brow.

"Mr Malfoy, are you alright?"

Madam Pomfrey had come back into the room upon hearing Draco's cry.

        "I'm fine," he said shakily, still rattled from the nightmare. "Has the potion taken effect, yet?" he asked, trying to divert her sympathetic gaze.

"It should have," she answered, looking to Harry. "I need you to stand back, though."

Draco reluctantly left the warmth of Harry's body and stood back as Madam Pomfrey took out her wand.

"Acclaro Causarius," she said clearly, wand over Harry's heart.

Draco watched in amazement as Harry's veins turned green and lit up beneath his skin, it looked like green bolts of electricity shooting along as it mapped out his blood stream. The glowing in his scar flickered slightly as the light filled his body.

"Oh my, God..."

Draco looked up to see Madam Pomfrey with one hand on her mouth, looking down at Harry in horror.

"What?" he demanded instantly.

"Harry has Avada Kedavra running throughout his body," she gasped.

"What do you mean? How can he have a deadly curse running through his body?"

Madam Pomfrey tore her eyes from Harry's glowing body and looked at Draco. "He's been hit with Avada Kedavra, but he's still alive somehow. I can't explain it. This is what people's bodies look like after being killed by Avada Kedavra, I've used this spell to find the cause of death numerous times. This isn't possible...he shouldn't still be alive."

"Will he recover?" Draco asked fearfully.

"I don't know, this is completely unprecedented." Madam Pomfrey held out her wand again and ended the Acclaro spell.

The light in Harry's body slowly faded, until only his scar was still green.

"I think he has a chance," she said thoughtfully. "If he fights it, and if he really wants to beat it, then yes, I think he could."

Draco sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Harry's chest rise and fall.

The door to the infirmary opened and Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore entered quietly.

Madam Pomfrey joined Dumbledore in her office as Ron and Hermione approached Draco cautiously.

"How is he?" Hermione asked quietly.

Draco looked up, his eyes full of worry. "When the connection he had with Voldemort broke, I think he was also affected by the Avada Kedavra, but unlike Voldemort he managed to stay alive-"

"Again," Ron interjected, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Only, he has to fight it this time."

"He'll do it," Ron said confidently. "He has to."

Hermione silently prayed that Ron was right, and tried not to think of a world without Harry Potter in it. She looked over at Draco to see how he was holding up through all of this. His face was creased with exhaustion, making him look older than his twenty-one years, and his normally well-groomed hair was a mess, with dried mud sticking to the silvery strands. His soft, grey eyes looked as if they held the weight of the world in them.

"Do you mind if I talk to Draco alone for a minute?" she asked Ron, hoping he would understand.

"Not at all," Ron replied calmly.

Hermione flashed him a grateful smile.

"Um...Draco?" Ron said cheeks reddening.

Draco looked up in surprise at Ron calling him by his given name.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," he said to the floor. "I know you really care about Harry... I see that now. And I'm sorry I was such a prick."

"Thanks," Draco said in astonishment.

Ron smiled tentatively at him before hurrying from the room.

"Did you put him up to that?" Draco asked.

"No..." she said, looking stunned. She shook her head and turned back to Draco, searching his face. "How are you?" she asked, turning serious.

"I've been better," he sighed, running a hand through his tangled hair.

"Maybe you should take a walk, get away for a bit," she suggested. "Why don't you go have a nap, or get something to eat?"

"I can't, what if he wakes up?"

"I'll stay with him for you."

Draco shook his head stubbornly.

"Look, you won't be doing him any favours by getting sick from lack of sleep and food. At least have a shower and eat something."

Draco sighed and looked at Hermione, unable to deny that he was in desperate need of both.

"Alright," he relented. "But stay with him."

"I will," Hermione assured him in relief.

Draco stood up and glanced at Hermione, before leaning over Harry to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I'll be back," he whispered.

Draco walked to the door and turned to look at Harry one last time before leaving.

Hermione settled herself in Draco's now vacated chair and watched Harry as he slept. She prayed that Harry would be able to fight the virus that had overtaken his body. She knew that if he died, then Draco would be broken beyond repair.

"They need each other," she realized sadly, hoping that everything would turn out okay. Her best friend's happiness meant so much to her and he had done so much for, not only her, but the entire wizarding world.

Harry had saved Draco from the Dark and she hoped that Draco could do the same for him.

"Draco?"

Hermione snapped out of her wandering thoughts and looked down into a pair of emerald eyes.

"Harry?"

" 'Mione?" he croaked.

She grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table, spilling some in her haste, and held it to his parched lips. He closed his eyes as he swallowed a few sips.

"Harry?" Hermione ventured, afraid that he wouldn't open his eyes again.

She replaced the glass back on the table and turned to see him squinting blearily up at her.

"How do you feel?" she asked quietly.

"Hurts..."

"What does?"

"My head...scar..."

Hermione noticed that his scar was still glowing from beneath his fringe. "I'll go get some help, alright?"

Hermione ran to Madam Pomfrey's office and threw open the door.

"He's awake!" she shouted at a startled Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore.

They swung into action and raced to Harry's bedside. Harry had one hand on his forehead, his fingers rubbing his scar cautiously.

"Harry?" Poppy leaned over him, speaking gently.

Harry's hand dropped and he opened his eyes.

"I need you to tell me what hurts," she said.

"Everything..." he mumbled, now looking on the edge of unconsciousness again.

Hermione came forward and grabbed Harry's hand.

"Wait, Harry," she pleaded. "Don't fall asleep, Draco is here and he wants to see you very much. Please, Harry."

Harry turned her way, eyes widening. She had his attention now.

"Draco?" he frowned.

"Yes, he wants to talk to you."

"I don't want to see him."

"But, Harry-"

"No," he said sharply. "He hates me, and if he came back then it's only out of pity. I don't ever want to see him again."

"Harry, that's not true. He's sorry and...and he wants to be with you."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out from under his dark lashes.

"No one wants me..." he whispered, almost inaudibly. "He hates me..."

Hermione felt her heart break at the pitiful state of her best friend. She was just glad that Ron wasn't there or his truce with Draco might have vanished for good.

"I'm getting, Draco," she decided, looking at Dumbledore.

"Hurry," he urged.

Hermione ran from the room and rushed down the stairs towards the Slytherin dorms, as she came into the Entrance Hall she saw Draco reaching for the door leading down to the dungeons.

"Draco!" she called.

Draco looked up sharply and saw Hermione leaning over the stair railing.

"He's awake!"

Draco's pulse raced as he sprinted up the stairs two at a time and ran full out to the hospital wing, with Hermione right behind him.

He entered the infirmary and rushed to Harry's bed. Harry had his eyes closed again and his breathing was extremely ragged.

"What happened?" Hermione exclaimed breathlessly.

"After you left he fell back into unconsciousness and was having some kind of a fit," Madam Pomfrey explained. "He only just calmed down. I'm afraid his system is not handling the virus very well."

Draco tentatively sat on the edge of the bed. "Harry?" he tried. "Can you hear me?"

Harry stirred slightly, a frown creasing his face.

Draco looked at Hermione, feeling unsure.

"Keep talking to him," she encouraged.

Draco turned back to Harry, feeling uncomfortable with everyone watching. "Harry, its Draco...please wake up. I really want to talk to you. I'm sorry for...well, you know, everything."

Draco sighed in frustration and looked away.

"I'm not very good at this kind of thing," he said angrily.

"Just tell him how you really feel," Hermione urged gently.

"I don't know how."

        "Then how is he supposed to know!" she said sharply, tired of the Slytherin hiding his feelings. "The only way Harry is going to get through this, is if you can reach him by telling him what you feel."

Draco looked down at Harry's face, turmoil reflected in his grey eyes.

Harry suddenly started shivering violently, his scar glowing brighter. Draco stumbled to his feet in alarm, and Madam Pomfrey quickly intervened.

"Everyone out, now!" she barked.

Hermione let Dumbledore lead her away to wait in the hallway, fear plainly written on her face.

"You too, Mr Malfoy," she ordered harshly.

"But-"

"No, I don't need your conflicted and angry emotions affecting Harry's recovery."

Draco looked shocked and obediently left the room. He joined Hermione and Dumbledore in the hallway and paced restlessly for over an hour.

        He finally sat on the floor and closed his eyes, thinking about the raven haired Gryffindor fighting for his life in the next room. He pictured Harry's face the night everything had changed for them; his emerald eyes gazing out from beneath the moonlight flooding the small cell in Malfoy Manor. It was that exact moment that he had realized Harry was no longer his greatest enemy, but someone he had come to value and care for. He had been making up excuses for why he had felt the need to visit Harry in the dungeons, but now he knew what it was that drew him to the other boy. He had wanted Harry to get to know him, the real him. He had wanted Harry to fall for him, and he had. He had wanted Harry to love him, and he had. Now he wanted to show Harry that he was loved in return.

The hospital door suddenly opened and Draco scrambled to his feet. A grim looking Madam Pomfrey stood in the doorway, outlined in the fading sunlight.

"His system is shutting down," she said sadly, wiping her hands on her apron. "There's nothing I can do."

Draco opened his mouth and turned disbelieving eyes to Hermione and Dumbledore.

Hermione put her face in her hands as Dumbledore held her to him, his blue eyes full of sympathy as he watched Draco. Draco turned away from them and bolted down the hallway.

       He burst through the entrance doors and pounded out into the garden. Evening was just setting in as he ran along the path and collapsed onto the dirt, surrounded by white rose bushes. He lay there trying to digest the fact that Harry was leaving him, that Harry would be gone...and he would be alone. It didn't seem real, it was all just a bad dream.

The roses rustled softly in the breeze, emitting a heavenly perfume into the night air. The garden was bathed in moonlight; as if a beautiful, gauze veil had settled over the flowers. A nearby fountain splashed soothingly as the birds sang their goodnight.

Draco knew that he had to tell Harry how he felt before saying goodbye.

He sat up and reached into his cloak pocket to remove a small, leather-bound notebook and pencil. He opened it to a blank page and lay down on his back, looking up at the stars as they twinkled above him. He thought about what he was feeling, what he had been feeling the whole year he had been away from Harry and how to capture it in words.

        Finally, he began to write. True, raw emotions were scrawled across the page, transformed into the poetic lyrics of a song. He wrote quickly as the emotions flowed out of him, through his pencil, and onto the page. He stopped and looked over what he had written. He felt his heart constrict at the thought of singing this declaration of love to Harry, just as he was about to lose him forever. He titled the piece 'Your Eyes', scribbling it down on the top of the page and stood up. He pocketed the notebook, knowing that the words were already ingrained into his heart and mind.

        He inhaled the sweet perfume around him and felt oddly at peace. He walked back into the school, stopping in the Slytherin dorm before heading to the infirmary. He silently passed Dumbledore, Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey who were waiting in the hallway.

Hermione and Ron were standing at the end of Harry's bed, holding each other close as Draco entered.

"He's awake," Hermione said, looking immensely relieved to see him.

She tugged on Ron's arm and they left the room without saying another word, joining the others in the hallway.

Draco made his way over to Harry's bed and placed his guitar on the floor as he sat beside him.

"Harry?"

Harry's fingers twitched weakly and Draco clasped his hand, interlacing their fingers together.

"Open your eyes," he commanded softly.

Harry's head turned slightly towards Draco's voice and he dragged his eyes open.

        "Harry," Draco smiled, leaning down so Harry could see his face clearly without his glasses.

"Draco?" Harry breathed in confusion before letting his eyes fall closed again.

Draco gripped Harry's hand tightly, causing him to open his eyes again.

"Who do you think you are, leaving me alone?" Draco whispered, pressing his lips against Harry's palm. "Hold on there's something you should hear, it isn't much...but it took all year."

Harry followed Draco with his eyes as he leaned down to pick up his guitar. He felt his confused emotions fade as Draco locked eyes with him and began to sing, his voice raw with emotion and becoming stronger with every syllable:

               

                                                ~ Your eyes,
                                            as we said our goodbyes,
                                        can't get them out of my mind
                                        and I find, I can't hide
                                        from your eyes, 
                                        the ones that took me by surprise,
                                        the night you came into my life
                                         Where there's moonlight I see your eyes
                                       

                                                How'd I let you slip away,
                                        when I'm longing so to hold you?
                                         Now I'd die for one more day,
                                        'cause there's something I should have told you,
                                        Yes, there's something I should have told you,
                                        when I looked into your eyes
                                       

                                                Why does distance make us wise?
                                        You were the song all along,
                                         and before the song dies,
                                        I should tell you, I should tell you,
                                        I have always loved you -
                                        you can see it in my eyes  ~

        Draco let the last chord echo out into the empty room as a single tear ran down his cheek.

Harry slowly reached out and wiped the tear away with his thumb, tenderly caressing the skin under his hand. He smiled lovingly at Draco, his green eyes shining. And Draco knew that Harry understood and had forgiven him.

Draco put his guitar aside and clasped Harry's hand to his cheek again, kissing the palm tenderly.

Harry closed his eyes with a final sigh of contentment.

His hand fell from Draco's face as his chest ceased to rise and fall. The glowing in his scar faltered and faded as his scar disappeared completely.

"Harry!" Draco cried out, tears cascading down his cheeks. "Please don't leave me...I'm not ready..."

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

        Out in the hallway, Hermione and Ron heard Draco's anguished shouts and they realized with sinking hearts that that could mean only one thing. Sirius wrapped his arms around the young couple, closing his eyes in pain, as Dumbledore patted Madam Pomfrey's shoulder comfortingly.

"I can't believe it," Ron sniffed. "He can't be gone..."

"I will address the school tomorrow at the welcoming feast," Dumbledore spoke hollowly. "They will be told of Voldemort's demise...and Harry's sacrifice."

He paused looking at the grief stricken faces around him.

"Give Draco some time alone," he said, looking at the closed infirmary door. He knew Draco would never be the same again. "I will go to the staff room now, the other Professors need to be told about...Harry."

His voice broke on the name, as he thought of the tragic life of the boy and his parents. They had all been close to him, and he had always felt a special connection with Harry. The young boy had come to him so lost and unsure, and had graduated a strong and accomplished wizard, never complaining about the life he had been handed.

Dumbledore shook his head and swept up the hall with Madam Pomfrey.

        The others turned and looked at the hospital door sadly, wondering how Draco was doing.

Sirius sighed, knowing the blond was going to be devastated and heart broken. The first time Draco had ever loved some one, and known love himself...and it was so brutally snatched away from him.

The three turned and slowly made their way to the Gryffindor common room, leaving Draco alone.

                        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *


Inside the infirmary, Draco had curled up next to Harry's still warm body and laid his head down on the unmoving chest.

"I love you," he whispered as he fell into a deep sleep, glad that he had been given the chance to tell Harry those three little words.

Unnoticed by Draco as he slept, was a finger twitching by his side and the heart under his cheek coming to life.