A/N: Hey dudes and dudettes. I'm quite surprised I had a 2nd chapter ready so quickly. I'm sorry for all my grammatical errors, I have no Beta so . !
"Happiness is just a gash away
When I open up a familiar scar
Pain is shooting like a star
Comfort hasn't failed to follow, so far.
And you might say it's self-indulgent
You might say it's self-destructive
But, you see, it's more productive
Than if I were to be happy
And pens and penknives take the blame
Crain my neck and scratch my name
But the ugly marks are worth the momentary gain"
"Bad Habit" The Dresden Dolls
Maybe it wasn't the fact that people didn't care that caused them to not notice Draco's self-injuring habits. Maybe it was the fact that they were too absorbed in their own world to notice Draco struggling. If anyone looked, they could see the signs; gloves in the summertime. But no one looked, at least not until now, not until Cho. Draco was tormented by the fact that someone knew. Someone knew! Then, he realized, he knew too. He knew her secret. They both had one over on each other which essentially made them equal. He relaxed, and sank deeper into the armchair he was lounging in.
"Draco," an unwelcome voice, Pansy, said, "I heard you were in the hospital wing today, are you okay?"
"Fine," he said curtly, "I'm very tired, Pans, so if you'd be so kind, I'm going to bed."
"Only if I can go with you." Pansy said in what she thought was a seductive voice, but it really just made her sound like a prostitute on the side of a road looking for a job, "I'll wake you up."
"That's a lovely offer, but I'm going to have to decline," Draco stood up and went to his dormitory without looking back. If he had, all he would have seen was Pansy looking frustrated and then looking around for another prospect. After all, Malcom Baddock was looking decent that night.
He sank into his covers with all his clothes on, he leaned back onto his pillow and winced. He had just tried to lay on a school owl. "What?" he said, turning around and retrieving the scroll from the owl. He anxiously unrolled the scroll and read.
"D.,
I need to talk to you. Astronomy tower at 10.
-C."
He just stared, she had to be kidding him. He didn't want to admit that he was a little happy to receive a message that made sense. Not some 'I love you' bollocks. He looked at his watch, it was 9:45. He had some time to dwell on his mothers letter. What had she meant? She had never said that to him before, why now? What was she playing at? He decided to quickly jot a letter to her. He left the Slytherin dungeons early so he could send it out that night.
Draco anxiously checked his watch on his way down from the owlery. "10 o'clock." He muttered and walked speedily towards the staircase to the astronomy tower. When he finally reached it he saw a hooded figure. It turned. Cho was standing there just looking out at the serene night.
"What are we going to do?" she asked finally after they both just stood there in silence for 10 minutes.
"What are you talking about?" he asked though he knew very well what she was talking about.
"We can't continue hurting ourselves. You must've realized how dangerous it is."
"Next thing you know, you'll be saying we need a more productive outlet." He said into the night.
Cho's head snapped up in his direction, "Well, we do." She said uncertainly. Was he really unwilling to stop? Did he think that this would continue to help him? Was he honestly fooled?
"Why? So what, either of us could die. So? It wouldn't be that bad, perhaps a blessing in disguise."
"A very crap disguise, then?"
"Indeed."
"A very crap disguise that we won't appreciate until it's too late?"
"Basically."
"I don't understand you."
"Surprise, surprise." Draco said bitterly.
"Why won't you stop?" she asked softly, trying to meet his eyes but he was averting her gaze.
"It's not that easy. Do you think," he finally met her eyes, "that if I could stop I wouldn't? If I stop this, then I'll start something else, anything for control." Cho and Draco said the last word in unison.
"Maybe there's a better way." said Cho.
"I don't think you understand, I can't stop."
"We could stop together." Cho blurted.
"What?" Draco rolled his eyes, "We aren't in this together Cho. There is you and there is me. There is not you and me. There is me, myself and I and you, yourself and you."
"It could be moral support." Cho pleaded, but she had already lost him, his face was hard and she knew that no pleading would make him reconsider, not tonight.
"I don't need your bloody moral support."
"Why don't you just jump, then?" she asked, nearly yelling.
"Maybe I will." He shot back.
"Go ahead, then." And he did. He jumped. Cho screamed and did the only thing she knew how to do. With her Seeker reflexes, she dove down and reached him 20 feet from the ground. She yelled, "Persona Leviosa." She started floating upwards and with his cloak bunched in her fist, Draco floated upwards too.
"You could have killed me!" Cho yelled.
"I didn't drag you down with me, you jumped."
"I jumped to save you!"
"You told me to jump."
"Since when do you do what you're told?"
"Since someone started caring." Cho just stared at Draco as he walked off. His retreating figure walking gracefully down the staircase and out of sight. What would have happened if she hadn't jumped? What would have happened if he hadn't? One thing was for sure, something had changed that night. They now had a bond that wasn't easily broken. She had saved his life and she knew that he thought he owed her. It was a wizards debt.
-&-
The previous night's events played repeatedly in Draco Malfoy's head. His near death experience had left him with a surreal feeling in his stomach. Did he mean what he had said that night? Could Cho Chang actually care, or did he just believe that she did?
What had made him jump in the first place? Maybe is was the fact that in the back of his head he somehow knew that, if she had an opportunity, she would save him. Maybe he just wanted to end it all, the opportunity had presented itself and he simply took hold of it. But Draco knew it wasn't that simple. Maybe it was the fact that if Draco died he would know that he was, indeed, human once and for all. He'd know he'd have a heart once it stopped beating.
His mind then wandered to the subject of the wizard's debt. What would Cho ask of him? She was rather wealthy so he doubted it would be monetary. If the positions were reversed he didn't know what he'd ask of her. Perhaps he'd save it for later on, when he actually needed a favor.
"Draco," Blaise Zabini punched him lightly on the arm, "what on earth are you thinking about, mate?"
"A girl." Draco said simply.
"A girl." Blaise Zabini, Draco nodded, "Does this girl have a name?" Draco nodded, Blaise plunged on, "Is she a Slytherin?"
"Nope."
"Oh God, not a Hufflepuff."
Draco greened, "No!"
"Ravenclaw, then?" Blaise looked expectantly at Draco, who looked up quickly.
"Who?" said Blaise gleefully.
"Er," Draco stuttered, "Blaise, I don't want to say, alright?"
Blaise grinned, "Whatever, Draco."
"Since when are you so prying, Zabini?"
"Since when do you not tell your best friend everything?" Blaise gave Draco what he thought was a hurt look.
'When have I ever told you anything?' Draco thought, but just rolled his eyes, "Let's go to breakfast."
Blaise nodded and followed Draco out of the dungeons. He noticed that Draco was paler than usual and saw a minute cut right above the cut-off of Draco's gloves.
"Where'd you get that from?" Blaise asked curiously.
"Oh," Draco tried to sound casual, "I don't know."
Blaise shrugged dismissively and they continued to the Great Hall.
-&-
There was now an unspoken link between Cho Chang and Draco Malfoy. It wasn't some mushy-crap metaphorical link, but a tangible magical one. Cho had saved Draco's life and by wizard law, he owed her. Simply put, Draco was in a wizard debt to Cho. If, at anytime, Cho wanted to find Draco so that he could repay her, she would know where to find him.
"Pass me the-," Cho was saying as Draco walked in with the thuggish looking Blaise Zabini, "kippers." She finished weakly, hoping that Marietta didn't notice. Unfortunately, Cho wasn't so lucky. Marietta Edgecomb, a 6th year like Cho, had followed Cho's gaze and her eyes, too, had landed on Draco Malfoy. Slytherin prat.
"Cho, no. No, you cannot do that!" Marietta exclaimed.
"Cannot do what, exactly?" Cho had the unmistakable look of someone who had been caught on and Marietta took notice before going on.
"Malfoy."
"Well, it's physically possible." Cho then wavered under Marietta's furious gaze.
"Cho!" Marietta let out an audible sigh, "You and Draco Malfoy is a no. You can't do that!"
"Hang on, I don't fancy MALFOY!" Cho said a little too loudly. Draco glanced up and smirked.
"Yeah, I'm sure you don't." Marietta raised an eyebrow, "That's why you've been staring at him for a conspicuous amount of time. Makes sense," she paused to let it sink in, "NOT."
"God," Cho exclaimed, "Draco and I? I think not. There is a me and there is a Draco. There is no me AND Draco." Cho glanced at Draco who was now grinning down at hist plate, obviously trying not to laugh, surely these words seemed familiar to him as he had said them last night, "At least someone's enjoying this." Cho muttered.
-&-
Back at the Slytherin table, comprehension was dawning on the slow-as-hell Blaise Zabini. "It's Cho. Cho Chang, isn't it?" he asked Draco.
"Don't be daft." Draco said returning to his kippers.
"So it is then, why didn't you ever tell me you fancied her?"
"I never said I fancied her, I just said I was thinking about her."
"Riiiight." Blaise said smirking.
-&-
At the Ravenclaw table Marietta was desperately trying to get Cho Chang's attention.
"Cho?" Marietta was waving a manicured hand in front of Cho's face, "Calling Chang. Come in, Cho, anytime now." Cho's eyes suddenly snapped back into focus and she looked around.
"What?" Cho said, her eyes finally settling on Marietta, "Oh, sorry." She realized she had been ignoring her best friend.
"What were you thinking about?" Marietta asked.
"I don't remember." Cho lied. She had been thinking about Draco, about how much she wanted to talk to him, about how weird this whole situation was. Draco and Her. Cho blinked, there was no Draco and her. Just Draco and just her. Somehow she knew that wasn't all. They were now a platonic item. Friends. Acquaintances at the very least.
"You're doing it again!" Marietta cried. "Who are you thinking about?"
"How," Cho said defensively, "do you know it's a who? It could very well be a what."
"Is it?"
"Is it -what?"
"Is it a person or a thing?" Marietta said exasperatedly.
"A person." Cho sighed.
"Is it a he?" Marietta pried further.
"No!" Cho said a little too loudly.
"I'm sure." Marietta raised a pencil thin eyebrow, "Who?"
"Marietta! That is tip-top secret!" Cho exclaimied in a mock-shocked voice.
"Since when is anything tip-top secret from me?" Marietta asked, looking mock-hurt, "Oh my God. It isn't him is it?"
"Who?" Cho was utterly confused.
"You know, Draco Malfoy."
Cho's eyes widened, "Why would you think that?"
"You were staring at him earlier, and I know you said it wasn't him, but is it?" Marietta said fastly, as if she was expecting Cho to explode at any moment.
"No, it's not him." Cho lied for the second time that morning.
"Then who is it?" Marietta's eyes gleamed, "If you don't tell me, I'm going to assume it is Draco Malfoy."
"Okay, okay," Cho thought fast. Who would Marietta believe? "Harry Potter!" blurted Cho, finally. She knew it would shut Marietta up, and it did, at least for a few moments. Cho glanced around and met a pair of silver-grey eyes. Draco Malfoy had heard her exclaim Harry's name and now his face was masked, his expression unreadable. "
"Why do I even bother?" Marietta sighed.
"No idea," Cho replied, "but would you like to go with me to a Defense Against the Dark Arts meeting?"
"No." Marietta said buntly.
"Fine," said Cho nonchalantly, "but do you know who'll be there?"
"No," Marietta said uncertainly, "but I've a feeling that you're about to tell me."
"I don't know, you don't seem that interested."
"Maybe that's because I'm not."
"I wonder what Fred would say if he could hear you now." Cho grinned evilly.
"Fred'll be there?" Cho had obviously gotten Marietta's attention.
"Yup, and so will you if you come with me."
"Fine, I'll go if it'll make you happy."
"It will."
"The things I do for you."
"I know, you're such a sacrificing friend." Cho didn't add that the only reason Marietta now wanted to go was that Fred would be there. Marietta had a crush on Fred since she had first seen him, that was when she didn't know there was two of him. She could tell the difference between George and Fred even though she had never talked to either of them. Pathetic, really.
"I know." Marietta nodded wisely and returned to her kippers.
A/N: This was originally going to be two chapters but I decided to make it long. I, myself, like long chapters so I thought I'd make this one longer. I hope you guys liked it. Please review, it makes my day!