SUICIDE WATCH Chapter Two

Disclaimer: not mine

Everything else is in the prologue!

---

"Harry," Dumbledore sighed softly.

Finally Harry looked up at him. Dumbledore looked every bit the frail old man that he really was, beneath his jovial personality and brightly coloured robes. He sat wearily in the uncomfortable plastic chair that was positioned beside Harry's bed. Harry's eyes once again focused on his own lap.

"I'm not going to yell at you, Harry," Dumbledore began in a soft murmur, "You are old enough to make your own decisions and I will not stand in the way of that. Neither will I lecture you, even if I thought you'd listen, you have no reason to. Especially from me."

Harry did not respond, lying docile in the mass of sheets and pillows.

"But you must understand; I am very disappointed in you," he said gravely.

Harry's posture wilted, if possible, even more into the white sheets.

"I will not press the issue. It is yours to work through with your friends and the ones you trust. There is something more I must discuss with you, something that you may not like, but I ask you to hear me through before attacking me... or yourself."

Harry gave a slight nod of acceptance but made no other moves.

"It is regarding Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger."

Harry's looked up at Dumbledore once again, a plea in his eyes. Dumbledore regretted that he had to tell him this, cause him more pain, and leave his plea unanswered.

"They have been taken, by Voldomort. A disgusting move on his part."

"He's trying to weaken me. Make me feel hopeless," Harry finally spoke, his voice scratchy and rough from disuse.

"I also came to that conclusion," Dumbledore confirmed his suspicions sadly.

"It won't work," Harry said, his voice dead and devoid of any emotion.

"And why not?" Dumbledore asked, a white eyebrow delicately arched on his face.

"Because I don't feel anything any more."

Both men were silent.

---

Hermione sobbed quietly in the darkest corner of their tiny cell. Ron had given up trying to comfort her hours, maybe it was days, ago. She couldn't tell how exactly long they'd been there, as the cell lacked the means by which she would otherwise have been able to deduct that information. The 'room' was utterly devoid of windows.

It was small, not ideal accommodation for someone who was claustrophobic. The walls, ceiling and floor were made of rough, dark grey stone. Somehow water managed to dribble through the cracks, keeping the walls cool and damp, feeding the soft green moss that grew on them. One wall was made up of solid steel bars, making their humiliation complete with a steady stream of passing spectators. Death Eaters desperate to get a look at the Boy-Who-Lived's lackeys.

The only furniture was a small hard cot that Ron was currently occupying. He had not yet given up hope that Harry would come. He would come and rescue them. He was the hero. That's what he did. He would rescue them for sure. That was why Ron wasn't curled up in a corner sobbing himself stupid like Hermionie. He hadn't given up. He knew Harry would come. He always came.

---

Stupid fucking Boy-Who-Fucking-Lived. Why couldn't he just die? He didn't deserve to live! Other people deserved life so much more, like Pa... No, he refused to think about Pansy. It was too painful.

Draco growled as he stomped into his new 'home'. Pitiful excuse for a home, if you asked him. One, yes only one parlour, two bedrooms and one bathroom. One bathroom to share between two people, no, two Malfoys! Didn't Dumbledore understand how long it took for a Malfoy to become presentable in the morning?

Obviously not!

Slumped in a chair, Draco growled again. Stupid Harry Fucking Potter for trying to kill himself. Stupid Dumbledore for only giving what remained of his family one bathroom. Stupid Pansy for going and getting herself stupidly blown up by that bloody idiotic half-blood moron, with the absolute crappiest name in the world. Voldemort! What the hell kind of name is Voldemort? A fucking stupid name, that's what! Stupid fucking Voldemort.

"Draco? Are you quite finished yet?" came the delicate voice from one corner of the room.

Draco glared at his mother, who had put down her book to watch him rant under his breath. He had been so caught up in it that he hadn't realised he had been doing it.

"Well? Finished?"

"Quite," Draco said, the single word punctuated with yet another glare.

"Would you like to talk about it, perhaps?"

Draco glared again.

"Careful, the wind will change and you'll be stuck that way," his mother remarked with a smirk.

Draco's only reply was to glare. Some more.

"The Potter boy has woken up then?"

Another glare.

"I suppose Dumbledore is telling him about his friends?"

The glare was really getting old.

"And I suppose he interrupted your new favourite past time of 'Harry watching'?"

His eyes narrowed even more, making his glare slightly more evil.

"That would explain the mood then."

Draco jumped from the chair and stalked into his pitiful excuse of a room, slamming the door behind him. His mother smiled slightly at the closed door, before picking up her book again.

---

Dudley paced. It was not an activity that was common to him but he had found, since moving into his new quarters (which lacked a television set), that it helped him think. Again this was not an activity that he partook of often, until, of course, that night.

He still shuddered when he thought about it. The entire room bathed in red, like some horrific nightmare. And his body, sprawled in the middle of the mess. He had looked so... so dead.

And since that moment he had begun this newly-acquired habit of thinking. And after the thinking began he started to see everything differently. The fact that he was a spoilt brat was the first major revelation that he'd had. The fact that Harry was his cousin, his flesh and blood, his family had followed closely. So since 'that day' he had decided to change his ways, redeem himself, despite the fact that it sounded like a cheesy 80s B grade movie.

He stopped pacing and made his way to the door of his room; Harry should be ready to speak to him by now.

TBC...

Please R&R

Authors note: Hi all! I just wanted to thank everyone so much for reviewing! It means so much to me!!! And I apologise about the delay in updating but I've been busy with school work and just life in general! I promise that the next chapter will be out sooner! Probably two or three weeks, after I finish exams! Thank you all for your patience and I hope you'll continue to bear with me!