okay, that was an unexpected twist. even i didn't see it comming :D so, see, not entirely like Blood, now is it? I'm not stealing! See, proved it! NOt that anybody has accused me of it, but i kindof wanted to clear the air about that.
thank-you for all the wonderful reviews! they help to make me update :D but, anyways, on with the story :D
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Harry stared at the young man in front of him, trying frantically to catch his breath that had sped up at an alarming rate. His eyes were wide wish shock as he watched Draco slowly slide closer to him until the two were pressed togeather, legs, stomachs, and chests presse dfirmly against one another.
Draco reached up, running his fingers along the soft lines of Harry's face. "You know, nobody looks like this anymore. Nobody looks innocent, not anymore. Everybody knows too much, has seen too much. Even the little ones know how dark and cruel the world is. But you, my raven-haired enigma ........ you still look so young and naive. How do you do it? How do you keep that innocence when te world is slowly crumbling beneath your feet?" Draco murmured, reaching his other hand up to entwine his fingers in Harry's raven locks.
Harry gasped softly, jerking away frm the other boy. He was trembling now, trembling from what he saw in his silver-haired rival's eyes. Draco had no idea who he was, didn't remember ........ didn't remember HIM. There was a faraway look in his eyes, even as he studied Harry critically.
And although Harry had never before looked into the eyes of a man who had lost his mind, he knew that was what he was seeing now. He was seeing a man who had lost his very sanity, and didn't even realise what had happened.
"Do I know you? Do I remember? I don't think that i want to remember. But i think that you want me to. Yes, you want me to. You want the old Draco back, don't you? My dark boy, my beautiful angel, my innocent little demon. You remember, don't you? Most people don't anymore. Most people can't remember. That old fool remembers. He knows things tha the won't say to me. He doesn't like what i've done here, you know, making this room look like a cave. It isn't an illusion, I actually changed the landscape into my own private little mountain. Or, well, it was private. There are other things that are here now, though. They keep me company, talk to me. They don't like you. They say that your here to hurt me. I don't know -- your beautiful. Beautiful is bad. Evil is always beautiful, and it's always disguised. You never know it when you see it, so you haveto see in all you see. Therefore, anything and everything can be evil. That's why I don't trust. You can't trust. Say away from it all, that's what I do, yes. Haveto stay away from it all, so then it can't hurt me." Draco burst out into a fit of giggles, and Harry took a couple more stunned steps backwards.
Draco Malfoy was out of his mind, that much was obvious. He was ranting, rambling, laughing manically. But his rantings seemed to have some kind of purpose. He wasn't just making things up from the top of his head - he was actually talking about things that had happened, even that had occurred recently, or perhaps not so recently.
This was Hogwarts. This was the Great Hall. Harry shivered at the realization, wrapping his arms tightly around himself yet again.
Draco was walking away, now, muttering to himself as he approached the small alcove that Harry had awoken in. He crawled inside, curling up into a little ball an dquickly appearing to fall asleep. Harry sighed in reflief, grateful that the obvious mad young man hadn't decided to turn to violence to get his point across -- whatever that point might have been.
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Harry slowly stepped out of the opening in the sheer rock wall, marvelling at the sight that met him. The halls of Hogwarts were exactly as he remembered them, albeit devoid of any students or any sign of life at all, really. Dust coated the floors, disrupted here and there from Draco's meanderings.
Nobody else had been in these halls for a long, long time.
But that didn't make any sense. Draco looked barely a day older than wen Harry had last seen him -- even if the lines on his face spoke of hardships he had yet to face. Certaintly it was possible for Draco to be possibly a year older, maybe two. Any more than that certaintly seemed impossible, or at the very least hight unlikely.
He was scared. Harry was quite willing to admit that -- atleast to himself. But he hadn't been placed into Gryffindor for no reason, now had he? Keeping himself close to the wall, Harry slowly crept forward, eyes alert and watchful for any sign of movement or magical alarms.
After a while, however, that fear diminished until it was just a warning in the back of his mind, as it became apparent that no great threat was forthcomming. Now he hurried through the halls of his beloved Hogwarts, eyes ever watchful for anything that seemed out of place -- or anyone.
He found it at the endtrance to the Gryffindor Common Rooms. Of course! The paintings! How could I have forgotten something as simple as that? Grinning foolishly, Harry slowly approached the painting of the Fat Lady, grinning from ear to ear. "Umm, ma'am, are you awake?" He asked cautiously, rubbing the palms of his hands togeather in his excitement.
No sound was forthcomming, and for the first time Harry noticed that the door to the Gryffindor Common rooms was open, making no noise as it swung gnetly as if pushed by some breeze only it could feel.
Shiverling slightly, Harry pushed on the door gently, almost afraid of what he'd find there. Slowly peeking his head into the room, Harry sihged in relief as he came into contact with a negelected, dust coated, but otherwise normal common room.
And who else should be standing directly in the middle of it, than Neville Longbottom.
"I don't know where he is, Draco. And I don't want to play right now, so please leave me alone." Neville whispered brokenly, wrapping his arms around himself.
"Erm, Neville? Are you ........ alright?" Neville swung around at the sound of Harry's voice, eyes going round as he stmbled backwards a step or two. "H-Hary! Y-you're here! You're alive! Your ........ Your ........ " Neville suddenly broke off, rushing at Harry and enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Neville ........ Neville, would you mind letting me breathe?" Harry gasped out, grinning when the boy instantly lossened his grip, before releasing the dark-haired youth altogeather. "H-Harry ........ how? How areyou here? Everybody's dead! I saw them all ........ them all die. Draco, too. He lost his mind because of it, butI think that i'm still okay in that respect. But ........ you died, Harry. You were trying to procted everyone, but you couldn't. We were all so young back then ........ so young, and brave, and incredibly stupid. We actually thought he would protect ourselves." Neville smiled sadly, before slowly turning and walking to one of the comfortable, familiar couches that filled the room. He sat heavily on the dust-coared furnitured, before motioning for Harry to follow him.
"Neville, what are you talking about? I just got here from the Headmaster's office. We were up there with a ........ with somebody from the non-human magical community, and then I twas all of a sudden here. Or, well, in the Great Hall, but I guess that it's the same thing, really. I couldn't have died!" Harry exclaimed, feeling himself start to tremble.
No! I can't los tit now, not when I'm so close to finially figuring out what's going on here! Harry sclolded himself, forcing his mind to relax and open. Calm Harry thought forcefully, knowing that Neville was still staring at him strangely.
"Harry, what are yout alking about? That's impossible! Obviously you survived the attack -- you wouldn't be here otherwise. Perhaps you simply blocked it out? I've heard that that's possible even for muggles, that it has something to do with their brain chemistry. Or maybe magic had something to do it with it? Magic has been going haywire ever since that attack -- something it works, sometimes it doesn't, but when it does work, it never comes out the way it's supposed to, you know?" Neville grinned now, obviously trying to make light of the current situation.
Harry sighed loudly, turnig to stare straight at Neville. And that was when it happened.
Harry felt a sharp tug at his navel, eyes widening as he stared at the boy in front of him. It's happeneing again! He realised in shock, opening his mouth to warn Neville, but he never got the chance to utter even a single syllable.
Blessed darkness was all that Harry felt as he landed hard on his back the soft grass, a small moan escaping his lips.
thank-you for all the wonderful reviews! they help to make me update :D but, anyways, on with the story :D
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Harry stared at the young man in front of him, trying frantically to catch his breath that had sped up at an alarming rate. His eyes were wide wish shock as he watched Draco slowly slide closer to him until the two were pressed togeather, legs, stomachs, and chests presse dfirmly against one another.
Draco reached up, running his fingers along the soft lines of Harry's face. "You know, nobody looks like this anymore. Nobody looks innocent, not anymore. Everybody knows too much, has seen too much. Even the little ones know how dark and cruel the world is. But you, my raven-haired enigma ........ you still look so young and naive. How do you do it? How do you keep that innocence when te world is slowly crumbling beneath your feet?" Draco murmured, reaching his other hand up to entwine his fingers in Harry's raven locks.
Harry gasped softly, jerking away frm the other boy. He was trembling now, trembling from what he saw in his silver-haired rival's eyes. Draco had no idea who he was, didn't remember ........ didn't remember HIM. There was a faraway look in his eyes, even as he studied Harry critically.
And although Harry had never before looked into the eyes of a man who had lost his mind, he knew that was what he was seeing now. He was seeing a man who had lost his very sanity, and didn't even realise what had happened.
"Do I know you? Do I remember? I don't think that i want to remember. But i think that you want me to. Yes, you want me to. You want the old Draco back, don't you? My dark boy, my beautiful angel, my innocent little demon. You remember, don't you? Most people don't anymore. Most people can't remember. That old fool remembers. He knows things tha the won't say to me. He doesn't like what i've done here, you know, making this room look like a cave. It isn't an illusion, I actually changed the landscape into my own private little mountain. Or, well, it was private. There are other things that are here now, though. They keep me company, talk to me. They don't like you. They say that your here to hurt me. I don't know -- your beautiful. Beautiful is bad. Evil is always beautiful, and it's always disguised. You never know it when you see it, so you haveto see in all you see. Therefore, anything and everything can be evil. That's why I don't trust. You can't trust. Say away from it all, that's what I do, yes. Haveto stay away from it all, so then it can't hurt me." Draco burst out into a fit of giggles, and Harry took a couple more stunned steps backwards.
Draco Malfoy was out of his mind, that much was obvious. He was ranting, rambling, laughing manically. But his rantings seemed to have some kind of purpose. He wasn't just making things up from the top of his head - he was actually talking about things that had happened, even that had occurred recently, or perhaps not so recently.
This was Hogwarts. This was the Great Hall. Harry shivered at the realization, wrapping his arms tightly around himself yet again.
Draco was walking away, now, muttering to himself as he approached the small alcove that Harry had awoken in. He crawled inside, curling up into a little ball an dquickly appearing to fall asleep. Harry sighed in reflief, grateful that the obvious mad young man hadn't decided to turn to violence to get his point across -- whatever that point might have been.
-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Harry slowly stepped out of the opening in the sheer rock wall, marvelling at the sight that met him. The halls of Hogwarts were exactly as he remembered them, albeit devoid of any students or any sign of life at all, really. Dust coated the floors, disrupted here and there from Draco's meanderings.
Nobody else had been in these halls for a long, long time.
But that didn't make any sense. Draco looked barely a day older than wen Harry had last seen him -- even if the lines on his face spoke of hardships he had yet to face. Certaintly it was possible for Draco to be possibly a year older, maybe two. Any more than that certaintly seemed impossible, or at the very least hight unlikely.
He was scared. Harry was quite willing to admit that -- atleast to himself. But he hadn't been placed into Gryffindor for no reason, now had he? Keeping himself close to the wall, Harry slowly crept forward, eyes alert and watchful for any sign of movement or magical alarms.
After a while, however, that fear diminished until it was just a warning in the back of his mind, as it became apparent that no great threat was forthcomming. Now he hurried through the halls of his beloved Hogwarts, eyes ever watchful for anything that seemed out of place -- or anyone.
He found it at the endtrance to the Gryffindor Common Rooms. Of course! The paintings! How could I have forgotten something as simple as that? Grinning foolishly, Harry slowly approached the painting of the Fat Lady, grinning from ear to ear. "Umm, ma'am, are you awake?" He asked cautiously, rubbing the palms of his hands togeather in his excitement.
No sound was forthcomming, and for the first time Harry noticed that the door to the Gryffindor Common rooms was open, making no noise as it swung gnetly as if pushed by some breeze only it could feel.
Shiverling slightly, Harry pushed on the door gently, almost afraid of what he'd find there. Slowly peeking his head into the room, Harry sihged in relief as he came into contact with a negelected, dust coated, but otherwise normal common room.
And who else should be standing directly in the middle of it, than Neville Longbottom.
"I don't know where he is, Draco. And I don't want to play right now, so please leave me alone." Neville whispered brokenly, wrapping his arms around himself.
"Erm, Neville? Are you ........ alright?" Neville swung around at the sound of Harry's voice, eyes going round as he stmbled backwards a step or two. "H-Hary! Y-you're here! You're alive! Your ........ Your ........ " Neville suddenly broke off, rushing at Harry and enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Neville ........ Neville, would you mind letting me breathe?" Harry gasped out, grinning when the boy instantly lossened his grip, before releasing the dark-haired youth altogeather. "H-Harry ........ how? How areyou here? Everybody's dead! I saw them all ........ them all die. Draco, too. He lost his mind because of it, butI think that i'm still okay in that respect. But ........ you died, Harry. You were trying to procted everyone, but you couldn't. We were all so young back then ........ so young, and brave, and incredibly stupid. We actually thought he would protect ourselves." Neville smiled sadly, before slowly turning and walking to one of the comfortable, familiar couches that filled the room. He sat heavily on the dust-coared furnitured, before motioning for Harry to follow him.
"Neville, what are you talking about? I just got here from the Headmaster's office. We were up there with a ........ with somebody from the non-human magical community, and then I twas all of a sudden here. Or, well, in the Great Hall, but I guess that it's the same thing, really. I couldn't have died!" Harry exclaimed, feeling himself start to tremble.
No! I can't los tit now, not when I'm so close to finially figuring out what's going on here! Harry sclolded himself, forcing his mind to relax and open. Calm Harry thought forcefully, knowing that Neville was still staring at him strangely.
"Harry, what are yout alking about? That's impossible! Obviously you survived the attack -- you wouldn't be here otherwise. Perhaps you simply blocked it out? I've heard that that's possible even for muggles, that it has something to do with their brain chemistry. Or maybe magic had something to do it with it? Magic has been going haywire ever since that attack -- something it works, sometimes it doesn't, but when it does work, it never comes out the way it's supposed to, you know?" Neville grinned now, obviously trying to make light of the current situation.
Harry sighed loudly, turnig to stare straight at Neville. And that was when it happened.
Harry felt a sharp tug at his navel, eyes widening as he stared at the boy in front of him. It's happeneing again! He realised in shock, opening his mouth to warn Neville, but he never got the chance to utter even a single syllable.
Blessed darkness was all that Harry felt as he landed hard on his back the soft grass, a small moan escaping his lips.