WANINGS: Same as always. Swearing, sexual content, mentions of suicide, and SLASH, lost of lovely SLASH!! You have been warned.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a freakin blonde! Harry and Co. do not belong to me, got it? mumbles idiots....
A/N: Hey everyone!! Raven's back! I all know you just absolutely loved that little cliffy at the end of last chap, so I decided to get this out before you all decide to eviscerate me and Cherry. I get to write the fluff! And a little angst too...I like 'em both.
Last chapter –
"Ho-how can you be so nice to me...after everything I've done?" Draco asked.
"Because..." Harry paused for a moment before he took a chance and continued, "I like you...I...I like you a lot."
Draco froze as the confession left Harry's mouth. Harry? Since when was Potter Harry? Draco thought. Harry had said he liked me. Does that mean as a friend? Or does he just care for me? Or is it...love? Do I like Harry? Yes, I think I do. As much as it pains me to admit it, I care for him, quite a bit actually. And the jealousy whenever Xander and J.T. are together...do I love him? Does he love me? He as good as said it but...
Draco was snapped from his thoughts as Harry quickly stood up, fleeing the room. It seems he had thought just a little too long, and Harry had taken his silence as rejection. Without thinking Draco stood up and followed, just catching sight of a cloak whipping out the doorway. Quickly Draco summoned his own cloak and followed, racing through the halls. After a while he realized where Harry was leading him – the astronomy tower. It was a nice place to be alone, if there wasn't a couple up there making out.
Draco burst into the tower to find Harry gazing out over the edge of the ramparts, cloak whipping around him in the wind. Slowly Draco approached him, but if Harry noticed, he didn't show it.
"Harry?" Draco said quietly. Harry gave no indication that he had heard him.
"Harry, please. I...I'm sorry, I..." Draco started. He reached out to Harry, surprised when he didn't flinch as Draco touched his shoulder. Slowly he turned the raven-haired teen around to face him. Draco gasped slightly at the sorrow filling those emerald eyes, at the trail of tears down his face. On instinct Draco wrapped Harry in a tight hug.
"I didn't mean it Harry. I was thinking. I like you to Harry, a lot." Draco whispered in his ear. At this Harry broke, letting the sobs overtake him, wrapping his arms around Draco as both boys sunk to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked. Harry just shook his head.
"No one has ever cared for me before." Harry whispered.
"What? Someone must have! Weasley, Granger, Black, Lupin, the entire Weasley family, they all care for you. Your parents must have loved you." Draco said.
"Sirius only saw my father. Ron is still slightly blinded by the whole boy-who-lived thing. Hermione's too busy trying to deny she loves Ron. Mrs. Weasley may love me, but she has her own family to look after. I'm just a burden. I can't remember my parents at all...except for Halloween." Harry said, whispering the last part. Draco heard however, and figured out quickly that he was talking about his parents murders. Draco hugged him closer before tilting Harry's face up to look into his eyes.
"You're not a burden Harry. Never again will you be alone. You've got me now, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. And I can tell Xander and J.T. truly care about you too. I care about you, so much that I tried to deny it for a long time. But it's there and it can't be ignored." Draco said. He moved his hand to cup Harry's face, lightly running the pad of his thumb over the tracks the tears made down Harry's cheek.
Both boys stilled, staring at each other before Draco leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to Harry's in a chaste kiss. At first Harry was too surprised to react, and Draco began to pull away, but one of Harry's hands moved to the back of his neck, pulling the blonde in for a deeper kiss.
Harry's hands tangled themselves in the silky blonde hair of his partner while Draco's hands ran up and down Harry's back and side, sending shivers down the brunette's spine and pressing him closer to the blonde. When the need for oxygen overwhelmed them they reluctantly pulled away, still sitting on the ground entwined together. Harry leaned his head on Draco's shoulder, burying his face in the crook of his neck while Draco leaned a cheek on the soft mess of black hair that was Harry's head.
They stayed like that for several moments, relishing in each others company. With a silent agreement the two stood up and returned to their rooms so as not to worry the others or get caught by Filch. They kissed once more, briefly, before each went to his own bed.
In their own room Xander and J.T. smiled to each other, having witnessed the chaste kiss the two shared before bed. Happy with themselves they too turned in for the night. Luckily all four inhabitants of the rooms slept peacefully for the remainder of the night.
In the morning three all four boys slept late. Harry was the first to wander out of his room and sat in front of the fire, relishing in the warmth. Soon after Harry got up, Draco entered the room. He sat down beside Harry and the raven-haired teen smiled nervously at him. Draco smiled back. Not a smirk, but an actual smile. Harry thought it looked quite good on the boy and a bit of his nervousness faded away.
"Did you sleep alright the rest of the night?" Draco asked.
"Yes. Not even my normal nightmares." Harry said.
"Do you have the nightmares often?" Draco asked, letting his mask fall and showing his slight worry for the boy.
"I...almost every night." Harry admitted. "I started having nightmares after Cedric died, of that night. Then even more after...after Sirius. After last year they only got worse." Harry wondered briefly why he was telling Draco so much, more than he even told his friends. Perhaps this is what love is? Complete trust? Harry had never known true love, and was therefore confused.
Draco moved closer to Harry as he admitted his nightmares and wrapped the smaller teen in a comforting embrace. Harry too wrapped his arms around Draco, relishing the feeling of just being held close, breathing in Draco's intoxicating scent. After a moment Draco gathered up the courage to ask another question.
"What happened in sixth year Harry?" instantly the other boy tensed. "I saw them bring you into the school. I was under an invisibility cloak so no one noticed. You...I thought you were dead." Draco admitted. "I'm guessing they tortured you. It was a stupid question, just forget it." Draco said.
"No, it's okay. It's just...the memories are still so fresh. It...it was so horrible. I...toward the end I...I wanted them to kill me, I wanted to kill myself, I wanted anything to stop the pain." Harry said, words slightly muffled by Draco's neck and shoulder where Harry had buried his face in the crook of the blonde's neck.
Draco felt a wetness on his shoulder and realized Harry was crying. He pulled Harry into his lap and began rocking him back and forth, muttering calming words. Neither noticed the door to Xander and J.T.'s room open as the two peeked out, and then quickly close again to give the two on the sofa privacy.
"I'm so weak. How could I just give up like that when everyone is counting on me? I'm their savior, I can't be weak." Harry said through his tears.
"It's not weak Harry. I'm sure you lasted much longer there than anyone else would have in your shoes. You are a strong wizard Harry. You've been through so much. Most of which I've only recently learned of. Many others would have broken long before you did." Draco said. Harry sniffed and shook his head.
"No...I...it's not..." Harry tried to say. Finally he gave up trying to use words and slowly removed the thick leather band from around his wrist, holding it out for all to see the tell-tale scar there. Draco's eyes widened and he looked up to Harry's face, but Harry was looking at the ground ashamed.
"This summer. After all the torture." He whispered. "I couldn't take it. The pain. The memories. My relatives. I gave up. I broke. I almost died at my own hand." He said, tears falling unchecked down his face. Draco gently took Harry's wrist, and entwined his other hand with Harry's.
"Who stopped you?" he asked quietly.
"My Aunt. She said she wouldn't have 'those freaks' blaming her for my death. She called an ambulance – a muggle means of transport, made specifically for getting injured people to the hospital. By the time it arrived I was unconscious. I woke up three days later. They say I'm lucky I didn't suffer any brain damage, that my Aunt called just in time. She wasn't even worried about me, just what the order would do when they found out I was dead. After that they kept a close watch on me, not allowing me near anything sharp, so I couldn't try again." Again harry wondered why he was sharing so much with Draco. He knew part of it was that this secret had been weighing on him so heavily. It was a great relief to finally tell someone.
"Did you...want to try again?" Draco asked. Harry bit his lip and nodded his head, a new wave of tears coming over him. Draco just pulled him into a hug, pressing Harry's head against his chest, rubbing soothing circles on the teen's back.
"And...and now?" Draco whispered after Harry had calmed slightly.
"I have you." Harry whispered back, bringing his lips up to meet Draco's in a soothing kiss.
A/N: Awww! So sweet...sorry, lol. I hope you all loved this nice fluffy little chappie, even if it was a bit depressing. And I didn't even leave a cliffie! Yayness! Now review please, cuz like Cherry said, I'm a review whore!!
Cherry A/N: I have to say something...sorry Rav. THIS WAS AWESOME! The chaps she writes I read like I'm reading a normal story. I'll try to have the next chappie by Monday, but I'm going to be SO busy. I have the Incubus concert on Saturday and on Sunday I have to clean my room. I also have to finish the next chap for Wrong Turn...hm...Raven and I might get Jared to write the next chappie. Well, either way, it will be soon, promise.