I swear I never intended to go three months before I updated... it just happened. Here's another chapter, I think you'll like it....

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from JK's books. I own my plot and my brain. That is about it. I promise.

PREVIOUSLY:

"BLOODY HELL. BECAUSE I'M NOT GAY, MALFOY!" He seethed and clenched his fists tight at his sides. Later he would notice the tiny cuts that resulted from his nails digging into the soft skin.

Draco didn't say anything. He didn't have to, his face told it all. Harry watched him bite his lower lip and look at the ground. If Harry hadn't lost all form of control already, he would have felt a stab of guilt through his chest. But he didn't. He couldn't. He was furious. Infuriated at himself, for being attracted to Draco, angry at Draco for bonding them and mostly, angry at himself for not knowing what to do.

Unable to come up with a better plan, he continued to yell. "I'm not gay. I don't find you attractive." Draco winced. "I never have. I don't know what the fuck was wrong with me last night." Harry laughed bitterly. "No, NO I KNOW WHY I DID IT. I know why I kissed you, why I touched you." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I kissed you because I felt bad for you. I pitied you. I pitied you because you're gay and because you answer to filth like Voldermort. But most of all I pitied you because you love me and I will NEVER ever love something like you. Never." His face was red with anger now and he was standing over the other boy.

Draco finally looked up at him. First, his face displayed open hurt and betrayal, but in an instant it was gone. Draco put up his infamous mask and sneered at Harry, he gave Harry the same degrading look he had given every day for the last six years. He stood too and cursed the fact that Harry was about an inch or so taller than him.

"Potter." His voice was cold now, icy and Harry shivered mentally, already regretting lying to Draco. "You disgust me." Draco didn't break eye contact once as he continued. "I'm gay. I accept that. And that says something. You're gay. And you CAN'T accept that. That's pathetic. When you finally come to bloody terms with yourself you will see how pathetic it was that I know more about your sexual preferences than you did. And when you finally admit it all, you won't have SOMETHING like me to run too." With that Draco spun and brushed past Harry and up the stairs. He didn't slam his bedroom door. He shut it quietly. That was Harry's first clue that he had fucked up beyond repair. Harry groaned. And then slowly, he turned and left the common room. He followed the familiar path to the Gryffindor common room.

Chapter Nine: This Art Does Drown

Ginny opened her eyes slowly the next morning and rolled over onto her back. Her arm collided ungracefully with another body and Harry sat strait up with a panicked expression. Ginny giggled as his abrupt movements and when he turned to look at her sleepily, she blushed and her arm dropped slowly back down to the bed.

"Sorry," she conceded. She swung her legs over the edge of the double bed and her low riding pajama pants displayed just about every bone in her lower back. Harry winced. He made a mental note to ask Dean if this was a recent development.

Ginny looked out the window and the sun shone brightly but the curtains around her roommates' beds were still tightly wound around the posters of the bed, revealing that no one else had awakened. She cast a quick silencing charm over her bed and turned to Harry. "It's still early, you don't have to leave yet. But, I'm going to take a shower and you shouldn't stay too long because if anyone in here finds you, I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining why you aren't Dean." She laughed at the thought of having to come up with a reason that the boy-who-lived was in her bed.

"Does Dean spend the night a lot?" Harry asked curiously. Ginny blushed.

"Um. No. I don't think so."

"You don't know?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed together as he questioned her good naturedly.

"Shut up." With that Ginny turn and flounced over the bathrooms. Harry rubbed his eyes and stepped onto the wooden floor. The boards were freezing under his feet and he walked quickly to his pants which were crumpled on the floor. He pulled them on and walked out of the room. He counted the floorboards at the top of the stairs, just as he had seen Ginny do the night before.

When he found the right one and pressed the magic red button, the stairs glowed once more and he cautiously stepped down onto the top step. Breathing a sigh of relief that the stairs were permitting him, he quickly descended. The common room was empty and the large clock showed that it was only just past six a.m. Breakfast didn't even begin until seven so most students rarely rose until right before seven.

The corridors were deserted as he walked back up to his tower. The air was cold and he shivered under his thin uniform shirt. He sped up and rubbed his arms in a futile attempt to generate some heat. Finally he reached the portrait and stepped back into his common room. The fire was nearly dead and the room was empty. The morning sun didn't shine through the thick curtains and the air seemed to reek of ill feelings. Harry trudged through the common room and over the stairs. He climbed slowly, dreading a possible encounter with Draco.

As he passed Draco's door, he noted that it was closed tightly and no noise came from behind it. He averted his eyes and walked faster towards his own room. As he entered, he noticed that his freshly made bed did not seem to be very inviting; he could feel the chill of cold sheets against his skin and shuddered, opting not to go back to sleep. He pulled fresh clothes out and stepped into the bathroom.

When Harry emerged from the bathroom door, he was startled to find Draco waiting right on the other side. Harry met his eyes slowly and his own heart broke as he saw the raw emotion in Draco's eyes. Draco dropped his eyes to the ground, "it's about fucking time, Potter." His voice was cold and had Harry not just looked in his eyes, he would think that nothing had changed from the years before. Draco walked past him with his shoulders squared and defiantly, he closed the door in Harry's face.

Sharp pains of guilt stabbed at Harry's chest and his face fell. Why did the doing what was right have to hurt so badly? It would have been wrong to lead Draco on. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. That's what it would have been. He tried to force all thoughts of Draco from his head and turned to go down to breakfast. Grabbing his book bag, he headed towards the Great Hall.

Dean looked up as his girlfriend dropped down next to him on the couch. They were sitting by the fire in the Gryfindor common room. She kissed his cheek lightly and then leaned back into the cushions.

"Hey Gin," he greeted her familiarly.

"Morning."

"Did you talk to Harry last night?"

"Yeah, he was pretty upset." She cringed, remembering what he had allegedly told Draco in his furry. "He says he's not gay. He told Draco that, he told him that Draco disgusted him and that he would never love him."

"That's heavy. Did he mean it?"

"I don't know. He says he does. But I just don't know." Ginny frowned and rubbed her eyes. "I just don't know."

Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. She twisted her body and he ended up pulling her upper half into his lap and she opted to lay face up across his legs. Dean idly twisted her hair around his fingers and she sighed. He looked down at her, worried by her sigh and then realized that she was happy, laying there with him. "Gin?"

"Mmhmm?" she replied with her eyes closed.

"You know I love you right?" her eyes opened slowly.

"I do," she studied his face curiously and he blushed.

"Good."

"And I love you too."

"I know" he said simply. Ginny sat up and leaned over to hug him. It was an intimate hug; no free from sexual innuendos, but predominantly meant to show love; deep love, meaningful love and genuine affection. She leaned back and situated herself in his lap, his arm around her tiny waist. He leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly. At first he meant for that kiss to last only a few seconds, a passing kiss. But, as he pulled away she wrapped a hand around his neck and initiated much more than an innocent kiss.

She ran her tongue over his lip and he parted his lips granting her access. The kiss lasted only a few more moments before she pulled away and grinned cheekily. "Ready to go to breakfast?" She asked him conversationally.

She sat up and slid out of his lap and he groaned at the action. "My god, Gin. Why do you do this?" he asked in a halted voice. She smiled at him slowly, it was a genuine smile too.

She extended her hand to him and rising, he took it. Together they walked out of the common room as she replied "because," and she paused for a moment, "because I can. That's why."

"Well, whatever you do, don't stop." Ginny giggled and pinched his side. He jumped away from her, trying to glare at her. She well knew that he was abnormally ticklish. She giggled again and he picked her up, tossing her head and shoulders over his shoulder.

"Dean!" she shrieked, pounding pointlessly on his back. "Put me down! Everyone can see up my skirt." The halls were deserted still, and she knew this. Dean grinned and turned to look at her ass.

"No one can see up your skirt. There's no one here but me." With that he lifted the edge of it and pressed a kiss against the side of her thigh. She giggled and then relaxed her body. Dean chuckled before he swung her back down to her feet.

"Stupid boy," she tried to reprimand him by shaking her finger like a teacher, but he caught it easily in his own hand and pressed another kiss on the center of her palm.

Ginny felt her knees weaken as he lowered his eyes to meet hers. He proceeded to drop kissed on the inside of her wrist, her forearm and then up to her elbow. She shivered as his soft lips grazed the inside of her elbow and then up her arm. She hadn't realized that he had been backing her up until she felt the cold stone wall hit her back. She relaxed against it and gave in to his kisses which moved quickly up to her mouth. He kissed the corner of her lips and then smiled down at her. He dropped one last kiss onto her freckled forehead and then pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a warm hug.

"I love you" he whispered into her ear. He felt her smile and once again they continued towards the Great Hall, his arm wrapped around her, holding her close to him.

The two of them sat down across from Harry, who didn't look up at their arrival.

"Morning Harry" Ginny said brightly.

Only then did he raise his head. His eyes had a fresh film of tears and Ginny's heart broke sympathetically. "Did something else happen?" she asked gently. He had seemed okay when she left him that morning.

He merely nodded miserably before turning his attention back to the eggs in front of him. He hadn't eaten a bite, only pushed the food around, letting it get cold and inedible.

Ginny didn't give up. "What happened?" she questioned further.

Harry didn't respond at first, and just before she could ask again, he began to talk.

Harry left the common room in a fairly okay mood, all things considered. Even though, he went out of his way to take an alternate path to the Great Hall, he did not want to talk to anyone right now so he figured he'd best take halls that were rarely used. He was en route, albeit going out of his way slightly, to the Great Hall when he rounded a corner and was confronted with a sight that made him physically ill.

Hermione was pressed up against a wall, her legs wound around the waist of a boy whose face he couldn't see. Her shirt was undone completely, save one button, and her skirt was bunched around her waist. They were having sex. No, they were FUCKING. And none too gently. Harry stood frozen and unnoticed as she bucked against the nameless male. He watched as the boy leaned one of his hands on the wall next to her head, supporting himself in climax and used the other hand to force her hips closer to him. Harry stood dazed and it wasn't until Hermione let out small moan that he snapped to reality.

He stumbled backwards awkwardly and as luck would have it, right into a suit of armor. The metal body crashed to the ground and Hermione and the boy jerked towards him. Harry identified the boy as a seventh year Ravenclaw, Alexander Wilks. Alexander's face flushed deep red in embarrassment and Harry mentally noted that Hermione did not show any sort of emotion. She was completely passive as she turned her gaze upon him. Her hair was messed up and she straightened her skirt calmly after being lowered to the ground. She turned her body to face Harry as she buttoned her shirt.

Harry stood there, his mouth unattractively hanging open. He was speechless, staring at her.

"What?" she asked coldly. "What the fuck are you staring at?" She undid the clips in her hair and then refastened them, adjusting the curls around her shoulders. "Are you stupid? Go away." With that she grabbed Wilks' hand and they walked away. Alexander glanced over his shoulder, his face showing a good amount of guilt. The boy had some sense that what he had been caught doing was wrong on many levels. Or at least he felt some remorse for hurting Harry.

Harry stood there for a good five minutes before he gathered up his discarded book bag and walked to the Great Hall in a stunned silence. Upon entering, he saw that Draco had already arrived and was sitting with Pansy and that Cecile slut. They were falling all over him, flashing bits of their chest, batting their eyes and pouting their lips in a way that might have aroused any strait boy. Harry stared with no emotion. Draco felt the eyes on him and raised his head to meet Harry's gaze. Harry felt locked by the stare and in Draco's eyes he realized he could see past the wall that Draco erected. Harry could see hurt, he could see pain and he could see the effects of betrayal.

Guilt stabbed at him again and he ripped his eyes away. He felt Draco watch him as he took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"That stupid bitch, I hate her." Ginny burst out after Harry finished his sad story.

"Don't call her that," Harry defended her, out of habit.

Dean looked at him pityingly. "You've got to get over her. Or at least admit she's done you wrong and deserves to go to hell" he told Harry. Harry raised his eyes to look at the couple.

"Was it my fault?" his voice cracked slightly. "Did I make her hate me? What did I do wrong?" his voice faded into nothing and a tear traced silently down his cheek. He pushed it away in an angry movement that betrayed that he was merely embarrassed. "Oh god, Ginny, what did I do wrong?"

Ginny reached across the table and took his hand. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing at all. She's not worth you being upset over." She paused and then continued, as an afterthought, "I'm not saying what you feel is wrong, because they are your feelings and no one can tell you that they are right or wrong, I'm only saying that you did nothing to cause this and you have no reason to blame yourself."

Harry didn't look up. Finally he raised his head. His eyes were panicked and he looked at Dean. "I'm going to be sick."

With that he rose and walked as quickly as he could out of the Great Hall. Once again, silver eyes watched him leave, this time thinking something completely different. Draco was worried. He saw how sudden Harry's departure was and he saw the way Ginny's eyes followed him with fear and/or panic splashed across her features. Draco pushed Pansy's hands away from his tie that she had been attempting to straighten and stood. He left the Hall in an equally quick departure. Ginny smiled slightly as she saw Draco follow Harry. She relaxed, knowing that the other boy would care for Harry and that she didn't have to worry.

She turned to Dean and grimaced. "I'm glad I'm not Malfoy." Ginny had a very big fear of vomit. It was just something that freaked her out. Dean smiled back at her slightly.

"I guess I'll just tell Professor Sprout he's sick or something." Dean turned back towards his breakfast and began to eat. "Aren't you eating?" he asked Ginny, concerned. He too had noticed her thinning body and strange eating habits. "You hardly eat anymore Gin."

"How can you eat after that? You know I hate vomit, I couldn't eat if I was starving." She made a face and took a sip of her tea.

Harry had barely rounded the corner into the boys bathroom before he spilled the contents of his stomach into the nearest toilet. He hadn't really eaten anything, only drank a cup of black coffee. As he kneeled over the basin, he felt a soft hand on his back and something inside him relaxed under the gentle touch. Under the gentle ministrations, his retching calmed and his stomach settled slightly. This person seemed to have healing powers. Harry leaned back on his heals and rested against the bathroom wall. He raised his eyes and was not all together surprised to see Draco crouching by him.

"You okay?" Draco asked him quietly.

"No."

"I didn't think so. Here." Draco extended his hand and motioned to help Harry stand up. Harry took it, too weak to have accomplished it on his own.

"Thanks" he smiled weakly, his face was pale and his eyes were red and shimmered with tears. Harry wiped his mouth with the corner of him robes and then wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Sorry" he apologized. "I'll just be going back to my room then." He took a step and his foot nearly gave out under him.

Draco's arm shot out instinctively and he pulled Harry close to him, supporting the other boy against him. "I don't think you can do it alone" he observed dryly.

"I know" Harry replied in a broken voice. "I can't."

Draco just sighed and began to walk forward. Together they made their way back up to the boys tower. Draco helped Harry up the stairs and then helped him get into his bed. Harry looked up at Draco and as he did, something occurred to him.

"You healed me." He stated plainly. Had he been thinking clearly he would have realized that he was not all the way healed; he did however know that Draco had made him feel ten times better with only one touch.

"Yeah I know," Draco sat down on the edge of Harry's bed. "It's the bond stuff again. I'm better at controlling the side effects that you because I'm the linkling, but it was side effects. That was the longest we had gone without seeing each other or talking or really touching since we have been bonded." Draco paused, "I wanted to warn you about that sooner, but I never got a chance. I guess you found out the hard way what happens. And it only gets worse." Draco sighed and stopped talking.

"Shit" was all Harry had to say. It was quiet for a moment longer before Harry spoke again. "I'm really tired..." His voice was quiet and reminded Draco of a small child with the flu.

"I know that too. That's a side effect of the original side effect." Draco stood up awkwardly. "You should sleep, I'll tell Dumbledore what happened." Draco moved to leave and Harry reached out his hand.

"Don't leave yet. You make me feel better." His hand dropped limply back to the bed and his face reflected a pitiful little boy who needed someone to care for him.

Draco sighed and then looked down at Harry who had captured his dreams, and possibly his heart, that day in June when he came of Age. "I'm not going anywhere" he contended.

"Good." With that Harry fell asleep. Draco walked over to the armchair by the window and sat down. He picked up one of Harry's books that was on the small bookshelf next to him.

'Quidditch through the Ages' was the title. "Typical" Draco muttered to himself as he flipped to the first page. He had read this book so many times that he had it memorized but he didn't feel like getting up and getting a book of his own, so he began to read it one more time.

Tears of Pearls

Savage Garden

And we stare each other down like victims in the grind
Probing all the weakness and hurt still left behind and we cry
The tears of pearls
We do it. Oh we do it.

Is love really the tragedy the way you might describe?
Or would a thousand lovers still leave you cold inside?
Make you cry...
These tears of pearls

All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions we keep locked away from all the world

Your kisses are like pearls, so different and so rare
But anger stole the jewels away and love has left you bare,
Made you cry...
These tears of pearls

Well I could be the tired joker pour my heart to get you in
Sacrifice my happiness just so I could win
Maybe cry...
These tears of pearls

All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearls devotions we keep locked away from all the world

We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
That once forgotten, twice removed
Love will be the death...
The death of you

All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearls devotions we keep locked away from all the world

Ahhh next time I'll try not to go almost three months before I update.... I'm sorry. I hope you liked it

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