Disclaimer: Guess what I own? NOTHING!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Yes, you guessed right, I own nothing! Well, now I own the 5th Harry Potter book (which made me a very angry person by the way), but other then that I own nothing.

Warning: This is chalk full of slash, yes, good 'ole slash. But, be warned, there might be a few spoilers from the 5th book, including a character or two from the fifth book. * smiles * just to warn you.

Thank you's go out to everyone who reviewed last chapter, everyone who put me on their favorite lists, and especially to Spellcastre who reviewed every chapter in Iris.

Other stuff: I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a long time, but I've been a bit lazy and I've been working on a book that I'm trying to get published. Also, look for a Percy/Oliver slash by me soon ^_^

Chapter 8: Shattered, sorry

[Oh anyway, anyway you do it wrong

I'm calling out your name but you never hear me]

Draco woke up as the sun was pouring it's cheerful rays in through a window that overlooked the mountains surrounding the school. The sky outside was clear and blue, with a few puffy white clouds drifting overhead. The mood outside certainly didn't match the somber mood that the hospital wing always seemed to possess. Draco sat up in his bed, immediately wishing that he hadn't as his vision began to tilt and black dots appeared before his eyes. He was trying to make sense of the events the night before when his hand strayed to the swell of his pale lips.

And then he blushed a faint pink as he remembered that he had kissed the golden boy of Hogwarts without so much as a warning. He had even winked at him, he remembered as he smacked a fist against his forehead, which made even more black dots appear in his line of sight. He looked around, hoping that no one had seen his blush or hit himself. We couldn't very well have rumors about the sanity of Hogwarts ice queen ( A/N: * cough * opps, my mistake) ice king.

Sure enough, no one was in sight, not even that dratted Pomfrey was around. Draco wondered what the point of paying her for her role as a nurse if she never seemed to be around when he needed her, only when he didn't want to see her.

He carefully leaned back into the white hold that the bed provided. His eyes drifted to the white rose that seemed to have perched itself on the edge of his nightstand, and he marveled at its perfection. It was perfectly symmetrical looking, and had the very purest shade of white gracing its petals. He picked it up and noticed that it also lacked the thorns that made holding a rose and unforgettable experience. Truly remarkable, Harry Potter, though somewhat daft at potions, was a whiz, no pun intended, at Transfiguration.

Harry Potter, the name rung in his mind over and over again, like an alarm clock that would not stop. Draco wrinkled his nose in confusion, what was an alarm clock? (A/N: The author is screwing with his mind, ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!). The boy confused him, but at the same time explained him. He never new someone that he could hate so much, yet need so much. He looked down at the bracelet that graced his thin wrist, and studied the way that the two snakes intertwined with each other. So smoothly, they balanced one another in some way unknown to one human mind, yet so completely obvious to the next. Draco Malfoy was infatuated with his enemy.

He was sad that he wasn't there now, to keep him company in the void of others existence. He also wanted someone there to talk to, so he could perhaps remember what he couldn't remember. What was so important about the Death Eaters meeting that made him forget what he was asked? The answer was right in front of him, dancing naked, yet so far away at the same time. The irony of it all was so great. He remembered who he was trying to protect, why he was trying to protect him, who he was protecting him from, but he could not remember the one question the Dark Lord had asked him.

The rose was rotating in his fingers, the sunlight was making it sparkle in radiance, when the door to the hospital wing opened and he saw a bushy tangle of hair starting to walk towards him. It wasn't enough that he was in 'Harry-withdrawal', but one of Harry's friends had come to taunt him. She walked up to the side of his bed slowly, and then sat in the chair that his father had sat in a few days before. There was a hard, calculating stare in her normally warm eyes. Draco could feel his old, sarcastic self returning quickly into his mind.

"Do you know why I'm here?" She finally asked him, after making sure that his wand wasn't anywhere near him so that he couldn't curse her.

"Why don't you explain it to me," Draco said sarcastically, "you seem to be so good at doing it during class." He then realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to get on the bad side of one of Harry's best friends, after all, Draco knew that Harry would pick them over him any day.

Hermione looked around, to make sure no one was in hearing distance before she began to talk, "He's with Ron right now, trying to explain to him that he's dating you."

"With the Weasel?" Draco sneered at the though of the stupid redheaded boy that Harry had chosen over him on the first day of school all those years ago. "Well, this could take a few days." He glanced at Hermione, who matched his sneer wholeheartedly. "But I see that you are no fool Ms. Granger."

"No, I'm not, which is why I'm here with a warning. Harry is one of the most innocent people that I know, even though it might not seem that way." Draco was reminded of Snape as Hermione continued one with the subtly harsh tone in her voice. "If you hurt him in any way, you will have a whole house of angry Gryffindors to answer to, not to mention a few teachers and other wizards outside of Hogwarts."

"Granger," Draco paused, it was now or never. "Hermione, I have no intention of hurting Harry."

"Yes, well, I have a very hard time believing anything that you say Mal- Draco. You don't have to forgive me if I seem a little angry with you right now. It's not every day that you best friend tells you that he's seeing someone who has made your life hell for the past five years."

"Everyone regrets their choices on the roads that they take, don't think that I haven't ever regretted mine." Draco smiled at Hermione, well, as close to a smile as he could come. "Harry is very lucky to have someone like you for a friend."

"Who are Potter's friends?"

"...Hermione Granger. All of the Gryffindor in his class."

Draco snapped his head up as the voices ran through his head. He stared at the girl in front of him, who asked him if he was all right.

"I'm fine," he replied in what sounded like a snap.

He jumped out of his bed and grabbed his robes that were lying next to it. He hurriedly tossed them on, and grabbed his wand. The memory of what he had revealed the night before came streaming back to him in full force, he had to find Harry and tell him of his betrayal. He ran out of the hospital wing, yelling for Hermione to tell Madam Pomfrey the reason that he left was an emergency. No sooner then a moment later, the schools nurse came out of her office with a scandalized look on her face.

"Ms. Granger," she thundered, "where did Mr. Malfoy go?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully, her eyes wide and focused on the door he had run through. "He said it was an emergency."

"Oh, I must go inform Dumbledore." Madam Pomfrey rushed out of the hospital wing with a very cross look on her face.

Hermione stood up slowly, and turned to leave the place of Draco's flight. She saw, with a pang of regret, that a white rose had fallen to the floor and its crown of snow-white petals had shattered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ron?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

The youngest male Weasley looked up from his Quidditch magazine and glanced at his best friend who he had not spoken to since the night before. He was sitting on the other side of Ginny, across the table from Harry. Hermione had just excused herself, claiming that she needed to speak to Madam Pomfrey about something in the hospital wing. Harry wasn't stupid though, he knew that Hermione was going to talk to Draco. Why else would she have that glare in her eyes?

"Alright."

Ron stood up and started away from the table, Harry was all but leaped up and started to follow him. The red head kept his eyes trained firmly on the ground below, determined to memorize every stone in the ground before meeting eyes with his best friend. His best friend that seemed determined to keep a secret from him. It wasn't as though he had never kept a secret from Harry before, but Harry never had any secrets from him and Hermione, they were always there for him. But this was something new, something that had never happened before.

They reached the second floor, and Harry stopped before an empty classroom and motioned for Ron to follow him inside. He was running through what he was going to tell Ron in his head. First, he had to tell his best friend that he was gay, which Harry hoped wouldn't be so bad. He knew that Charlie was 'living an alternate life style' and that all of the Weasleys were okay with it. But the hard part would be telling Ron that he was dating Draco Malfoy, his enemy and bane of his existence. He had never done well in divination, but he was getting a vision. A vision of a very angry Ron.

Ron sat on the edge of a desk, while Harry leaned on the edge of one of the walls. He bit his lip, unsure of how to start this conversation.

"Well?" Ron spoke first, seeing as to how Harry wasn't really saying anything at all. "Is there a reason that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Ron, there's something I have to tell you about me, before I can tell you who I've been seeing." Harry said very quickly, making Ron blink as he attempted to register the words in his head.

"Just don't tell me you're a transvestite or that you're sleeping with Ginny," Ron muttered to himself, a very small grin on his face.

"No, it's nothing like that." To himself, Harry thought, 'I'm sure Ron would rather have me sleeping with Ginny then having civilized conversation with Draco.'

"Well then, it can't be all bad then, can it?"

"Ron, I'm gay."

"Okay, that's not a big deal-," Ron cut himself off as his eyes grew big. "You're what?"

"I'm gay," Harry insisted in a defeated voice, looking down at the floor. "Do I have to explain it to you. I like other guys, not girls." Ron was still staring at Harry as though he had sprouted horns. "Umm.... girls don't do anything for me."

"I know what being gay is," Ron said loudly after a moment. "I'm not stupid."

"Then why are you staring at me as though I've just declared to the world that I'm eloping with Snape after my divorce from Trelawney?"

"I just.. wow Harry, I didn't expect you to swing that way. I always thought that you'd end up with Cho or Ginny."

"You don't have a problem with it then?"

"No, why would I?"

"Well, it's just that in the muggle world, people aren't that accepting of the gay community, I wasn't sure if you would be. I know that some of the students here aren't really cool with it."

Harry let out a huge sigh of relief and sunk to the ground. His best friend was still goggling at him as though he was Voldemort in a Day-Glo pink tutu, but at least he wasn't turning bright red and screaming at him. God knew what Harry would do with out his best friend to talk to. Then again, the easy part was over. Now Harry had to tell Ron that he was with Malfoy. Yes, this wasn't going to be easy.

As if able to hear his thoughts, the next question out of Ron's mouth was, "So whose the lucky guy that gets to hook up with the famous Boy-who-lived?"

"Ron, I'm not sure that you want to hear this," Harry said reluctantly, getting ready to cast a silencing charm on his ears so that he didn't go deaf after Ron was done screaming bloody murder. "It's not someone that you would find pleasant."

"You are eloping with Snape, aren't you?" Ron asked in a horrified voice, looking as though he was about to start hyperventilating.

"No, I'm not," Harry insisted, getting very tired of hearing his name paired up with a one Severus Snape. What was this world coming to?

"Please don't tell me that it's Seamus," Ron said, starting to whine. "The thought of you with that horny Irish man is enough to make anyone start to cry."

"It's not Seamus."

"Well then, I'm tired of guessing. Tell me who it is."

"Draco Malfoy." It was said in a whisper.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Say it loud and say it proud Harry."

"I SAID I'M SEEING DRACO MALFOY!!!!"

After Harry's outburst, the room and the halls surrounding it went deathly quiet. He watched the reaction on his best friends face go from surprise, to disbelief, and finally to anger. His face was starting to turn red, and the freckles really stood out as the red spread from the tips of his ears over his nose and cheeks. His hands were clenching themselves into tight fists, and Harry could see his teeth grinding together. His eyes narrowed down to slits, and Harry was surprised that he hadn't been zapped to death by some hidden secret power that the Weasleys possessed (mostly anger).

"Please tell me that you're joking," Ron's voice sounded terribly forced out, rage pounded every word.

"I'm not." Harry said this almost apologetically. "I'm sorry mate."

"I don't believe you." His voice grew louder every word, and Harry saw that he had clenched his fists so tightly that he was bleeding.

"I don't know what to say."

From outside in the corridor came the distance sound of someone running. Ron gave Harry a finally glare and turned to storm out of the room. He got only to the doorway when someone ran into him, yelling Harry's name. Harry saw a tumble of red and white, before he realized that Draco had been the one yelling his name as he ran into Ron.

Draco quickly jumped up as he saw Harry, and ran over to where the boy was now standing behind them, to see if they were all right.

"Harry," Draco gasped, panting for air since he had run the entire time until he had found the raven hair boy. "Last night, - I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, - I remember what happened. You have to forgive me." He leaned into Harry's chest, feeling dizzy, since it was the first time he had been up for the past few days. "I'm so sorry."

Harry wrapped his arms around the shaken Slytherin as Ron stood up from where he had fallen on the floor. He gave Harry one disgusted look and turned to leave.

TBC......

Will Hermione ever accept Draco? Will Ron forgive Harry? Will Voldy act on the info that Draco gave him? Will the author ever update? Well, if you review, I'm sure I'll update sooner. I don't have a beta reader, so if you find any mistakes, could you please point them out to me? Now, press the button and review ^_^