Disclamer: Me no own (grins like a maniac and twitches)

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Chapter Seven!!!

Chapter Seven: Visit

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A shadow stood at the corner of Draco's bedroom. He walked up to it, not a trace of fear inside or out of him.

He reached out to the shadow's face, it was soft and smooth, his fingers explored the face, he felt the nose, lips, eyes, eyebrows, when he reached the forehead he felt a scar on it. After feeling it more he realized it was a lightening bolt. He took his hand away as if it were burned.

The shadow tried to sink into the corner, as if he were afraid of Draco.

Draco slowly reached to him again, his hand a bit shaky. "It's alright," he found himself say, "I'm not afraid," he wondered why he said that.

The person nervously stepped out of the shadow, Draco saw scars all over Harry, some were new cuts, bleeding.

He tenderly touched each scar, to his surprise they vanished, including the new ones.

He looked back up at Harry, there were tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Help me," he almost whispered.

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Draco woke up quickly, he looked around as if expecting Harry to be near, but he wasn't. It was still night, he looked at his clock and sighed, it was midnight.

He didn't want to go back to sleep now. He got out of bed and walked out of the boys dormitories to the common room; he wasn't too surprised to see Pansy sitting on one of the leather couches.

"Couldn't sleep?" Pansy asked not turning to face him.

"No. I had weird dream."

"Tell me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm curious and you know damn well that I won't tell anyone. Sit down, the couch doesn't have thorns you know."

Draco sighed and sat next to his friend, staring into the fire that barely ever warmed up anything.

"So? What was the dream about?"

"I healed Potter's scars and he asked me to help him."

"You know, if I was a divination believer then I'd tell you something like 'you are falling in love with Harry Potter' but since I don't believe in that junk all I can say is, help him."

"What if he doesn't want my help?"

"You saved his life twice, did he tell you to back off?"

"You know he won't speak."

"You know what I mean. Just help him."

"I thought you hated his ass."

"The years pass, people grow and change, we become more mature, I don't think Potter's such a dickhead anymore."

Draco laughed quietly. "So you're having one of you insomnia nights?"

"Yeah I guess."

"You guess?"

"I can't sleep but I'm still tired, I'm a bit nervous about the Quidditch game, I know we'll win but is that really what I want? To win without the challenge?"

"Now you're understanding me."

"When have I not?"

"Never."

"So," Pansy looked into the fire too, "should we play or not?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you want to play the game without the challenge or do you want to help Potter get better."

"Help him," he found himself say.

"Then do it, nothing's stopping you really."

"I don't know why he's my mate, it's really confusing me."

"Well, like Blaise said, 'there's a thin line between love and hate' and like that Spanish muggle song, 'love your enemy'."

"You listen to muggle music?"

"When my parents aren't watching,"

"And you speak Spanish?"

"A little, surprising eh?"

"Yes, very."

"You're still confused, aren't you?" He nodded, "let's see, in first year you've tricked, and followed Potter around to bug him, second year's pretty much the same except your got to duel with him, third year you sort of gave him advice about that Black guy, forth year.............I don't know what you did, fifth year he punched the living day lights out of you at the Quidditch game, you are such a sour loser sometimes you know that?"

"I can't help it if I want my dad to be proud of me."

"Do you still want him to be proud of you?"

"Yes."

"So you want to become a Death Eater, kill Potter, have straight A's or O's, and learn to do all of the unforgivable curses?"

"......................No."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"I don't know. It's too complicated for me."

"And what does your mother want you to do? Do you want to make her proud of you too?"

Draco frowned into the fire, he never really thought about his mother lately. "I don't know what she wants me to do. She never tells me anything."

"Doesn't she owl you anything?"

"Yeah, but they're presents for my birthday, all she writes in the card is Happy Birthday."

"She's either keeping something from you or she's been brainwashed. Hasn't she ever spoken to you?"

"When I was like five or something."

"What did she say?"

"I don't know, mother stuff."

"What does she do when you're home?"

"You're very nosy tonight aren't you?"

"Yes I am, now answer the question."

Draco blinked then frowned. "She's always sending letters to people, when I asked her she'd just say it's for friends."

"There for other people probably," she looked at Draco, "something else is bugging you."

He nodded. "I just realized something," he said slowly, "I've always been bothering Potter every year every time I see him, am I obsessed?"

"Stalker."

"I am not!"

Pansy laughed. "Sorry, but it's true, I've noticed you've sometimes followed Potter around and start to crack on him about his friends and stuff, plus you learned a whole lot of things about him that makes people suspect that you've got this big obsession with him."

"So...................was I in............in love with him before any of this happened?"

"Yeah, I'm guessing that you were, I mean if you say that you hate his guts but you follow him and bother him then you were just making yourself think you hate him when in reality you love him."

"Why do I love him?"

"So you accept it?"

"I don't know, I don't even know WHY I love him."

"Attraction? You're veela side sure as hell loves him; maybe it only chooses the mate when it knows you're in love with the person, interesting. It could also be about personality, or admiration, but it's definitely not lust."

"Do you think I'm a slut?"

"Lets see you fucked with Blaise, that really hot guy from seventh year, Millicent?"

"HELL NO! That wasn't my fault; you spiked my butterbeer that day!"

"Heheh, that's right, that was funny really."

"Evil."

"Mentally."

"Yep."

Hermione and Ron walked in Dumbledore's office.

"Please, sit," said the headmaster gesturing to the two seats in front of his desk, the two Gryffindors sat down on the two seats trying hard not to explode with the question too quickly. "So, what brings you two here?"

"We wanted to know," Hermione started, ".....................if we can visit Harry."

"Ah," Dumbledore leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk, "you DO know that you might not like what you see."

Hermione and Ron nodded. "We just want to see how he's doing," Ron almost muttered.

"From what his Healer tells me, he's beginning to eat again, but she told me something that seems a bit out of place."

"We know he's been eating because Malfoy's been eating too," said Ron, he remembered about the veela eating or not eating what their mate ate in one of the books.

"What's out of place?" Hermione asked, worry in her eyes.

"It seems that Harry takes orders from almost anything, his Healer tells him to eat and he eats, she doesn't know how long this has been going on because he's still not speaking."

"It must have been before that potion accident," Ron said, remembering how Draco ordered Harry to get the ingredients.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Malfoy ordered Harry to get the ingredients and he got them."

"I wonder why he does that."

"But when we told him to eat, he didn't eat," Hermione frowned a little, "So can we visit him?"

"Yes, you can, but like I said before, you might not like what you see."

Hermione nodded then remembered something. "What about Malfoy?" Ron gawked at her, "we think Harry's his mate, he's beginning to think so too, if Harry's got some veela in him and he's Malfoy's mate then maybe his mate is also Malfoy."

"So you want to see if your theory's true?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well then, you may take Mr. Malfoy with you, you can see him this Saturday, I'll arrange a way for you to get there."

"Thank you sir," Ron said as he stood up with Hermione.

"Why do I have to go!?" Draco nearly yelled when Ron and Hermione told him the news near the Great Hall.

"You want to know if there's any connection between the both of you don't you?" Hermione asked almost angrily.

"Yeah but-"

"Then you're coming with us to St Mungo's," said Ron.

"But-"

"If you think he's your mate then you're just as anxious as we are to see how he's doing."

Draco shut his mouth and sighed.

"Why don't you say anything?" Gary asked as Alice fed Harry, "you're always so quiet like John," he nodded to the silent man who was eating his food, his Healer sitting next to him reading a book as usual.

"Open your mouth............chew and swallow," said Alice, Harry ignored Gary as he ate.

Gary sighed. "C'mon Kathy, let's go bother Sara," he said as he skipped to a blonde woman eating her food a bit sloppily, his Healer, Katharine, went behind him.

Alice put down the spoon and picked up the small carton of orange juice, she suddenly had an idea.

"Harry?" she asked calmly, "when I ask you a question I want you to answer it by either nodding or shaking your head. Do you feel like cutting?"

Harry nodded.

"Why? Is it fun?"

He shook his head.

"Is it because it makes you feel happy?"

He nodded.

"Have you been doing this for a while?"

Another nod.

"Years?"

He shook his head.

"Months?"

He nodded.

"Ok.............Harry, did someone die that you were very close to?"

He nodded.

"A family member-oh wait.............................sorry................was the person like family to you?"

He nodded again.

"Is it because of his death that you cut yourself?"

He shook his head.

"Does cutting take you to a different world?"

He nodded.

"Do you believe you're crazy?"

He shook then nodded his head.

"You're confused?"

He nodded.

"Do you care about your health?"

He shook his head.

"About your friends?"

He nodded.

"Do you care if they get worried about you?"

He nodded.

"Then you have to get better, you have to be healthy again, and you have to stop cutting-"

He shook his head quickly.

"You don't want to get better?"

He shook his head.

"So.....................you want to die?"

He slowly nodded.

"Is it because of your family?"

He nodded.

"They'd want you alive. Now, open your mouth and drink your orange juice."

"Tomorrow's visiting day, how does everyone feel?" asked Enica to the circle.

"Happy!" said Gary jumping on his seat.

"Why?"

"Because my family comes and plays with me!"

"What about you, Sara?" Enica turned to the blonde woman who was looking at the ceiling humming.

"What?" she said in a childlike voice, "OH! Oh, it's ok, but I'd rather draw pretty rainbows and people."

"All you draw are bloody people in graveyards," muttered Lockhart.

"Shut up that's not true!"

"I saw you wasting all of the red markers, how am I to write my autographs? Red's my favorite color!"

"Gilderoy," Enica said warningly, Lockhart shut up as well as Sara, "well then how do YOU feel about visiting day?"

"I don't know I never get any visitors."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Well it's upsetting really, I mean it's like people have cold hearts it's awful I tell you."

"John? What about you?"

'Bugger off.'

Harry held back a laugh.

"John?"

'She looks like a bug with that hair.'

Harry glanced at Enica at the corner of his eye and noticed it was true. Her hair was held up in two knots on each side of her head and they had two pencils sticking up like antennae. He held back another stronger laugh.

"Well this boy and this old lady might visit us again," said Mrs. Longbottom.

"Do you remember their names?"

"Um.............I know the old lady's a gran'ma."

Mr. Longbottom burst out laughing with Gary.

"I think the boy's name is um...............Nevvie? Or something, it's something with an N-hey I read a book, the words looked weird."

"Me too," Mr. Longbottom suddenly said, staring at the ceiling lazily.

"How do you feel about them visiting you?" Enica asked.

"Who?" Mrs. Longbottom giggled a little.

"The boy and the old lady."

"I don't know, I barely talk to them, but I always give the boy gum."

"Best present in the world!" said Mr. Longbottom.

"Yep!"

Harry remembered the day he had seen Mrs. Longbottom give a gum wrapper to Neville. Between now and then, it seemed like the Longbottoms were recovering from insanity, at least they talked now.

"What about you Harry? How do you feel about visiting day?" Enica turned to him.

He didn't answer; he stared ahead of him to the door that lead to the hallway, feeling the urge to run through it.

That night Harry could barely sleep, he kept thinking about Hermione and Ron, wondering if they would visit him tomorrow.

He sort of figured out everyone's problems, or whatever gave them a problem. He already knew about the Longbottoms, Sara seemed to have been hit with a curse or spell that made her act like a girl but draw a lot of morbid things, Gary seemed to have been hit with the similar spell since he was always happy, he didn't know about John though because he seemed normal.

'I was hit with a spell that made me speak in my thoughts and lose confidence in my speech, kid.'

Harry looked over at John; he was staring at the ceiling like every other night.

'It also made me have the ability to see into people's lives.'

Harry didn't react.

'Sorry if I was nosy and lookin' in your head but you ARE the boy-who- lived and I couldn't resist.'

Harry looked at his strapped arms, wishing he'd be free so he could cut.

'Ah the teenage years, the time of emotional challenges, hormones, school, and confusion. Look I know you don't care about your life, but everyone else does, that's why you're here, that's why Dumbledore sent you here. I bet that Malfoy kid's worried about you too.'

Harry shrugged.

'You may not wanna give a fuck but when you see things through your friends eyes, you'll be afraid of your health too.'

Hermione, Ron and Draco walked down the hall to the visiting room, a Healer was directing them.

"What do you think Dumbledore meant by we might not like what we see?" asked Ron.

"I don't know, but if he's eating then it can't be anything too bad can it?" Hermione looked uncertain.

"I think I know what he means," said the Healer.

"What is it?" Draco asked a bit quickly.

"Well he's still strapped to his bed-but when he goes to sleep," he added when Hermione looked worried, "in the day he's got to be in a straight jacket."

"Don't you keep the sharp objects away from him?" Ron asked.

"We can't really, he's sharing the room with five other people, and they own a few sharp things."

"Oh."

Neville and his grandmother walked in the room and walked to where Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom were.

Neville glanced at Harry's direction and did a double take, he knew he'd be here but he didn't know that Harry's situation was so serious, seeing him in a straight jacket was frightening.

"Harry," he almost breathed, the raven haired boy didn't answer, the mumbles of Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom at night started swimming in his head.

He looked over to John who was reading the Daily Prophet and thought harder about the night he heard the Lonbottoms speak.

John blinked and looked over to Harry. 'Really? Narcissa's a spy? Bloody hell that's completely unexpected............................I have to tell Neville? Oh you mean that boy Mrs. Longbottom thought was called Nevvie? Alright.'

He looked at Neville; he was slowly walking away to his parents.

'Neville! Listen-listen!'

Neville looked around confused.

'To your left, yeah hi there, I got something to tell you.'

Neville yelped quietly and jumped. "What the hell?"

'Don't be afraid, now listen I got somethin' to tell you. Harry's sent me this message saying that he hears your parents talking in their sleep, in their sane voices.'

Neville turned to Harry but he was looking at Lockhart writing photographs, he seemed to be getting better and better with his hand writing.

"How?"

'Through the mind, he say's that your parents said you should be able to remember things by now.'

"I am."

"Neville who are you talking to?" Neville's grandma looked over to her grandson curiously, "come and say hi to your mother and father."

"Hold on," he turned back to John.

'They said that Narcissa Malfoy has to tell you the truth about something, she's also a spy for our side, that's all Harry found out before they woke up.'

"Mrs. Malfoy? Truth? I don't understand."

'Neither do I, you're gonna have to ask her yourself.'

"O-ok.................."

'You know for a Gryffindor you sure get scared a lot. If Narcissa's on our side then she can't be that bad, plus she also has to tell you the truth about something.'

"Alright fine, I'll owl her."

"Neville!"

"Coming!" he ran off to his grandmother and parents.

"Want one?" Lockhart asked raising a signed picture to Harry; he didn't wait for an answer and put it on Harry's lap, "you need something to brighten up your day."

The doors opened and Hermione, Ron and Draco walked inside with the Healer ahead of him.

Hermione held back her tears and sat next to Harry with Ron, Draco paled and stood a few feet away until Hermione glared for him to come closer.

"Hi Harry," Ron said trying to keep his voice calm.

"We heard you started eating, you look better," Hermione said a little shakily. Harry looked down to the floor.

Draco finally looked at him, it was true, Harry did look better, healthier at least, but he still looked empty in the eyes, he looked away, not wanting to see the straight jacket.

"Do you think Draco's your mate? You can nod, shake your head or shrug," Ron suddenly said, Hermione nudged him in the ribs.

Harry nodded. His two friends froze for a second.

"Ok........................." Hermione said slowly, she looked over at Draco but he was looking at the curtained side of the room where Neville was with his parents. She turned back to Harry.

"Do you feel any better here?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged. "You've stopped cutting?" he nodded, "good-not good?" Harry nodded after shaking his head, "why do you want to cut?" Harry shrugged.

Draco glanced at Harry; his empty eyes had a hint of want in them, the wanting to cut.

"I hope he gets better soon," Hermione said quietly on the train ride back to Hogwarts.

"The Healers are there, and he's eating, he'll be fine," Draco almost muttered.

"Why are you so cold all of the sudden?" frowned Ron.

"It was just creepy."

"The straight jacket?"

"Of course! Weren't you freaked out?"

"Yeah but he's still my friend!"

"Who's empty!"

"Shut up!" shouted Hermione, Draco and Ron got quiet and looked away, "we saw Harry, he's healthier now, that's good."

"He's still not speaking, and he still wants to cut," muttered Ron.

"That's the hard part to fix including his habit of following everyone's orders."

"He doesn't have to speak if he doesn't want to," muttered Draco.

"But you want him to."

"So?"

"You're birthday's in two days, along with the Quidditch match, you've made your decision?"

"What decision?"

"About helping Harry, he's your mate after all."

"What if you're wrong? What if he's NOT my mate?"

"Harry thinks you're his mate, you WERE beginning to think he was your mate, the connection's there somewhere," said Ron.

"Shut up, the both of you," he stood up, opened the door and walked to a different compartment.

Um soz if there's spelling mistakes ; REVIEW!!!!!!!