Chapter Eleven
Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration."
D.H Lawrence
Hermione flung open the door to the infirmary, stopping a moment to catch her breath. She had ran there as fast as she could, when she had seen Madam Pomfrey float Harry off the field. She looked around and saw Draco sitting beside a bed near the back of the room. She rushed up to the bedside, looking at her friend, her best friend, lying motionless in the bed. She turned to Draco. "How is he, is he going to be okay?"
Draco reached forward and touched Harry's hand lightly. "Madam Pomfrey says she doesn't know. He has a severe concussion, we have to wait until he wakes up to see....to see if his memory's been affected."
Hermione gasped and leaned against the wall hand on her chest. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She thought of all the adventures they'd shared over the past six years, what if he woke up and he didn't remember any of it. It would be like she'd lost him. "I never thought he'd get hurt, I didn't mean for it to happen, It's all my fault, It's all my fault."
Draco raised his head quickly. "What do you mean it's your fault."
Hermione looked at him, she hadn't know that she had said that out loud. "I..."
Draco stood up quickly and walked towards her. "The bludger, it shouldn't have hit me .I moved out of it's way and there was barely any
wind. You....you cursed the bludger." He walked forward and gripped her shoulder with his good hand. "You did this, you hurt him." He said his hand squeezing her shoulder.
She winced at the pressure, "Draco I'm sorry I never meant..."
Draco felt someone grab his arm and pull him away from Hermione.
"What the hell do you think you were doing Draco, you were hurting her," Blaise said angrily.
Draco pulled away from Blaise. "She," he said turning back an pointing a long pale finger toward Hermione, "cursed the bludger. She's
responsible for hurting Harry."
"It was my idea," Blaise said quietly. Almost so quietly that Draco didn't hear him.
"You? You did this to him?" Before Blaise could reply, Draco swung his good arm back and punched him. Draco looked down at his best friend
lying on the floor his cheek already starting to bruise. "Why did you do it?" he asked, as Hermione rushed down to see if Blaise was okay. He watched as Hermione put a hand to Blaise's hurt cheek and asked if he was Alright. "What are you doing with her? Why did you two want to hit me with a bludger?"
Hermione and Blaise both stood up quickly.
"I'm not with her, we were just trying to get you to realize that Harry cares about you. We realize now that this probably wasn't the best way to do it. We never meant for anyone to get hurt, not seriously anyway. You were both miserable without each other we were just trying to help." Blaise finished lamely, hanging his head.
"Just trying to help," Draco said voice filled with incredulity ."Well thanks I do realize he cares for me now, or he did. He might not even remember me when he wakes up. He might not remember anything." Draco took a step towards him shaking with fury. "How could.."
But before he could finish Draco was interrupted. "Draco?"
Draco whirled around coming quickly to the bedside.
"Harry are you okay, do you know who I am?"
Harry looked slightly perplexed. "Of course I know who you are. Is there some reason I shouldn't?"
"No I just.," Draco leaned forward gripping Harry's hand until his
knuckles turned white. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about what happened with Dean. I'm sorry about everything. I care about you and I want to be with you."
Harry looked at him . "No I'm sorry, I never should have left like that. I should have said something, I care about you to. I want us to be together."
Suddenly both boys broke into smiles. Draco leaned forward pressing his lips to Harry's, and this time Harry kissed him back. Harry lightly slid his tongue into Draco's mouth, and their tongues met like two lover's, searching every inch of each other's bodies until they knew it as well as their own. Draco broke the kiss and rubbed his cheek against Harry's like a cat. He placed a small kiss just below Harry's ear. "I love you, you know," he whispered so just the two of them could hear. It was
painful for him to say it, it felt like someone had ripped a saw out of his throat, but he could breathe now. It was a terrible kind of vulnerability, and he was not used to being vulnerable. But he'd put it out there, and even though it was agony waiting to see if Harry would say it back, there was relief. Relief that he could finally breathe. Harry pressed his cheek to Draco's reveling in the softness of it. "I love you to," he said as he put his arms around Draco pulling their bodies together.
He looked up to see Hermione and Blaise standing by the bed. He took in Blaise's bruised cheek, Hermione's guilty look, and came to the logical conclusion.
"Why did you punch Blaise, Hermione?" he asked clearly puzzled.
"I didn't, Draco did," she said still looking down at her feet.
"Why did you do that?"
Draco looked up at Blaise. "He did something stupid and I was mad at him. But I forgive him, he meant well, and I'm happy with the result."
Blaise looked relieved.
They all turned as the hospital wing door opened. Ron came barging in. He looked from Hermione and Blaise who were standing awfully close, to Draco who was practically lying on top of Harry, threw his hands up in the air and said, "Bloody Hell."
Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration."
D.H Lawrence
Hermione flung open the door to the infirmary, stopping a moment to catch her breath. She had ran there as fast as she could, when she had seen Madam Pomfrey float Harry off the field. She looked around and saw Draco sitting beside a bed near the back of the room. She rushed up to the bedside, looking at her friend, her best friend, lying motionless in the bed. She turned to Draco. "How is he, is he going to be okay?"
Draco reached forward and touched Harry's hand lightly. "Madam Pomfrey says she doesn't know. He has a severe concussion, we have to wait until he wakes up to see....to see if his memory's been affected."
Hermione gasped and leaned against the wall hand on her chest. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She thought of all the adventures they'd shared over the past six years, what if he woke up and he didn't remember any of it. It would be like she'd lost him. "I never thought he'd get hurt, I didn't mean for it to happen, It's all my fault, It's all my fault."
Draco raised his head quickly. "What do you mean it's your fault."
Hermione looked at him, she hadn't know that she had said that out loud. "I..."
Draco stood up quickly and walked towards her. "The bludger, it shouldn't have hit me .I moved out of it's way and there was barely any
wind. You....you cursed the bludger." He walked forward and gripped her shoulder with his good hand. "You did this, you hurt him." He said his hand squeezing her shoulder.
She winced at the pressure, "Draco I'm sorry I never meant..."
Draco felt someone grab his arm and pull him away from Hermione.
"What the hell do you think you were doing Draco, you were hurting her," Blaise said angrily.
Draco pulled away from Blaise. "She," he said turning back an pointing a long pale finger toward Hermione, "cursed the bludger. She's
responsible for hurting Harry."
"It was my idea," Blaise said quietly. Almost so quietly that Draco didn't hear him.
"You? You did this to him?" Before Blaise could reply, Draco swung his good arm back and punched him. Draco looked down at his best friend
lying on the floor his cheek already starting to bruise. "Why did you do it?" he asked, as Hermione rushed down to see if Blaise was okay. He watched as Hermione put a hand to Blaise's hurt cheek and asked if he was Alright. "What are you doing with her? Why did you two want to hit me with a bludger?"
Hermione and Blaise both stood up quickly.
"I'm not with her, we were just trying to get you to realize that Harry cares about you. We realize now that this probably wasn't the best way to do it. We never meant for anyone to get hurt, not seriously anyway. You were both miserable without each other we were just trying to help." Blaise finished lamely, hanging his head.
"Just trying to help," Draco said voice filled with incredulity ."Well thanks I do realize he cares for me now, or he did. He might not even remember me when he wakes up. He might not remember anything." Draco took a step towards him shaking with fury. "How could.."
But before he could finish Draco was interrupted. "Draco?"
Draco whirled around coming quickly to the bedside.
"Harry are you okay, do you know who I am?"
Harry looked slightly perplexed. "Of course I know who you are. Is there some reason I shouldn't?"
"No I just.," Draco leaned forward gripping Harry's hand until his
knuckles turned white. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about what happened with Dean. I'm sorry about everything. I care about you and I want to be with you."
Harry looked at him . "No I'm sorry, I never should have left like that. I should have said something, I care about you to. I want us to be together."
Suddenly both boys broke into smiles. Draco leaned forward pressing his lips to Harry's, and this time Harry kissed him back. Harry lightly slid his tongue into Draco's mouth, and their tongues met like two lover's, searching every inch of each other's bodies until they knew it as well as their own. Draco broke the kiss and rubbed his cheek against Harry's like a cat. He placed a small kiss just below Harry's ear. "I love you, you know," he whispered so just the two of them could hear. It was
painful for him to say it, it felt like someone had ripped a saw out of his throat, but he could breathe now. It was a terrible kind of vulnerability, and he was not used to being vulnerable. But he'd put it out there, and even though it was agony waiting to see if Harry would say it back, there was relief. Relief that he could finally breathe. Harry pressed his cheek to Draco's reveling in the softness of it. "I love you to," he said as he put his arms around Draco pulling their bodies together.
He looked up to see Hermione and Blaise standing by the bed. He took in Blaise's bruised cheek, Hermione's guilty look, and came to the logical conclusion.
"Why did you punch Blaise, Hermione?" he asked clearly puzzled.
"I didn't, Draco did," she said still looking down at her feet.
"Why did you do that?"
Draco looked up at Blaise. "He did something stupid and I was mad at him. But I forgive him, he meant well, and I'm happy with the result."
Blaise looked relieved.
They all turned as the hospital wing door opened. Ron came barging in. He looked from Hermione and Blaise who were standing awfully close, to Draco who was practically lying on top of Harry, threw his hands up in the air and said, "Bloody Hell."