Author's Note: THANK YOU everyone for your great reviews! I still can't believe that people are actually reading this! (!!!) It boggles the mind!





You know what? It feels like this huge smile is permanently fixed on my face now, and I don't care that people in the office are looking at me strangely.Who knew you could feel this happy on a Monday morning???

Again, a million times thank you! You guys made me so happy! Love you all!







Chapter 4: Morning After

(The next morning)

Draco woke up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He looked around and tried to remember that he was in the hospital room and not in his dorm room with the other Slytherins. He covered a small yawn with the back of his right hand.

He had crawled under his covers and fell asleep only a few hours ago. He hadn't realized that he had just been sitting there staring at Harry for so long.

It was still early and the first signs of light were just beginning to show through the white French doors leading to the small balcony outside the hospital room.

Draco shifted his body to face it and was just about to go back to sleep when he realised that the bed facing him was now empty.

He sat up with a start.

*Harry?*

His heart was beating furiously as mad thoughts of Harry's lifeless body being taken away in the middle of the night ran through his mind. A surge of panic traveled through his body and he shook visibly.

*God, what the hell is wrong with me. Get a grip, Malfoy.*

Suddenly he spotted a small movement in the balcony. He watched it for a while before he stood up from his bed and started walking towards it.

Harry was sitting on top of the balcony's grey stone ledge, his back resting against one side of the wall. The ledge was wide enough so that he could sit comfortably with his knees folded up to his chest. He had a faraway look in his eyes and didn't see Draco step through the French doors.

"Harry?" Draco started, a little nervously, stepping forward. The relief of seeing Harry safe and alive was still flooding through his veins and he couldn't quite breathe properly yet.

Harry turned to Draco, startled out of his private thoughts.

"Oh, you're up. Sorry, did I wake you?"

Draco smiled. "No, no. I was just worried when I didn't see you in bed."

*Did Draco Malfoy just smile at me???*

Draco must have seen the incredulous look cross Harry's face when he suddenly caught himself and tried to straighten his mouth, which was threatening to break out into another infuriating smile. *Damn it*

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to alarm anyone. I woke up an hour ago and couldn't go back to sleep so I came out here." He paused thoughtfully.

"Uhm, Draco? We had an accident. Right?" Harry asked, with an uncertain tone.

"Yes, we did." Draco frowned slightly at this. "Don't you remember what happened?"

"Little bits." He sighed deeply. "I've been sitting here trying to remember, but I'm still rather fuzzy on the details."

Harry sighed again and resting the back of his head on the wall, he closed his eyes.

"Oh." Draco suddenly felt overwhelming sense of guilt bearing down on him as he was looking at Harry's weary expression. *Does he remember what I did? It must all have happened so fast for him.* He gulped and moved a little closer to the boy.

Dim light from the dawning sun was washing over Harry's face.

Draco noticed that Harry's dark hair caught the reddish glints as a soft breeze ruffled his long dark fringe over his forehead.

He had to resist the sudden powerful urge to reach out and brush back those strands back. Instead he started to take a few steps closer towards Harry.

Harry suddenly opened his eyes and turned to him, his eyes wide. "I remember one thing, though."

Draco stopped in mid-stride.

A pause as Draco looked at him expectantly. "Oh?"

Harry opened his mouth, as if to say something. He then promptly closed it again, thinking better of it and stuttered "Err, its nothing." He felt himself flush for no good reason.

"I see." Draco looked down at his bare feet, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"I mean, I remember thinking I was going to die." Harry quickly finished. *Phew, that was close* thought Harry.

"Oh yeah. Me too." Draco tried to keep his voice level, for some strange reason he felt utterly disappointed with Harry's perfectly reasonable answer.

Draco shuffled his feet awkwardly for a few seconds and was about to turn to leave the balcony and go back to his bed.

Seeing this, Harry felt suddenly desperate for Draco to stay with him and continue their conversation. *Must be the blood loss* he thought to himself and frowned slightly.

"It's weird though, isn't it?" Harry said hurriedly. He felt an irrational gladness spread through him when he saw that Draco now stayed in his spot and didn't seem to be making any more moves towards the doors.

"What is?" Draco lifted a questioning eyebrow at him.

Harry slowly swung his legs down from the ledge, with a small grimace and let his bare feet dangle above the floor, so that he was facing Draco.

"All my life," he said "I've been hidden away and protected from Voldemort; someone who so desperately wants me dead and will do almost anything to get there. I've even had to fight him to stay alive. And no doubt, he'll be after me again as soon as he gets a good enough chance. But yesterday." he paused for a moment "Yesterday, everything almost ended for me. And it wasn't Voldemort; it wasn't a dementor or even a death eater. It was a simple school Quidditch match that almost did it."

"And the single most ironic thing is that its one of the things I love most in life." He looked at Draco.

Draco listened to this and he nodded. "You're right, Harry. Except for one thing."

"And what's that?" came Harry's slightly muffled reply. He was now concentrating on trying to slide himself down from the ledge and stand up without causing too much pain through his chest.

"Erm, that match? It was over a week ago."

"What?!" At this, Harry couldn't help but look up at Draco, in disbelief and shock.

Unfortunately, that momentary lapse made him lose his footing and he half- stumbled, half-collapsed over. And he was about to land painfully on the hard stone floor.

Except for a pair of strong arms, which swiftly circled his waist, keeping him upright.

He instinctively gripped the back of Draco's arms with his hands to give himself more support.

He looked up gratefully and was about to blurt out a quick thanks when he stopped and saw that Draco was staring at him.

Not just looking, but staring. Unabashedly into his eyes. It was strange. His face was completely devoid of expression; he wasn't even blinking, simply staring into Harry's green and somewhat astonished eyes. As if it was the most normal and natural thing in the world.

Harry felt his heart skip a beat in his chest, which was pressed tightly against Draco's own. And stared back in silence.

Behind them the reddish light was swiftly changing into an orange glow.

Neither of the two moved away.

Harry felt as if he was hypnotised. Stunned speechless and completely thrown by this sudden unexpected development, he'd stopped breathing completely on his part.

Still, he couldn't make himself move away. Instead he gripped Draco's arms tighter, in a bid to try to keep away a violent shudder that was threatening to break out all over his body at any moment.

"Boys!" Suddenly a loud voice from the hospital room broke through the air, breaking them out of their spell.

Harry blinked as he felt Draco quickly let him go and move back a few steps. With the sudden loss of those arms around him, Harry felt cold and somewhat abandoned almost immediately. He was also gasping for breath. Apparently his lungs weren't too pleased by him not breathing during those precious few seconds.

The doors swung open and missed hitting Draco by inches.

And Madam Pomfrey burst through, reminiscent of a raging bull.

"Where are." she stopped when she saw the two standing in the balcony. "Oh, thank god, there you are." She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief as she clutched both hands over her chest.

Immediately after somewhat regaining her composure, Madam Pomfrey looked like she was just about to start yelling at the two for being out of their beds when she suddenly struck by a realisation. Standing but a few feet from her.

She turned to Harry and gasped.

"Harry. You're awake!"