Thanks to: Myniepheonix: I know for once Draco is the loser. and IfYouOnlyKnew: Crabbe and Goyle will only ever be referred to as goons and what I was trying to say when the tenses changed was that Ron was still clumsy and tactless. Thanks for reveiwing.
Disclaimer: Characters t'aint mine!
Harry noticed that Malfoy didn't attend breakfast the next day or care of magical creatures or potions. Not that he cared.
He was currently in a Herbology lesson in green house five where the more dangerous plants were kept.
Carefully slicing the very tips off of a cling reaper, Harry carefully dipped the ends into a jar of strained and pickled Murtlap tentacle's solution. It worked just as well for plants as it did humans – reducing the amount of sap produced from the sliced tips and lessening the amount of pain the plant suffered.
He was only able to do this as the plant was currently under a sedation charm, used only on plants. Usually you couldn't get within ten feet of a reaper because they had a nasty habit of clinging to a part of your body and trying to suck the life out of you via the magical properties in their leaves.
The reason they did this was because they lived off of living energy (magical and otherwise) for up to a year depending of the size of the animal they took it from.
Thus the name, Cling reaper.
Harry indulgently listened as beside him Hermione and Ron bickered yet again.
"Ron! The reason you slice the ends off of the branches is to keep them from growing into a point and leaking the small amount of energy they are able to retain normally." Hermione stated as usual sounding as if she'd quoted this piece of information straight from a textbook.
"No, my mother has these in the garden and she said it was to stop the vines getting to cheeky and trying to grab humans as they walk past when they should stick to small things such as gnomes and wild animals!"
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!"
"It's true!"
"Nope"
"Yer!"
"No"
"Yes!"
"Aghh"
Both Hermione and Ron whipped round only to see the reaper Harry had been working on wrapped around his neck and arms, sliding the tips of its branches beneath his skin, clipped or no as a green glow began to come from the fresh wounds and Harry's eyes started to slide back.
"Professor, Professor come quick!" Hermione yelled running to Harry.
Professor Sprout came running down the green house quickly chucking a barrel of repelling reaper solution at the plant, causing it to withdraw its tentacle like branches. Quickly she threw another sedation spell at it and went over to Harry.
The boy had eluded the realm of unconsciousness…just, but the marks the plant had left on his neck and upper arm were deep and angry and his cloths were hopelessly torn.
"What happened?" Professor Sprout asked whilst examining Harry.
"We don't know Professor, I think the plant just recovered early and couldn't resist the temptation of a living thing so close to it." Hermione said.
"Hmm no they are not built to resist at all, Mr Potter be thankful you got away lightly, Mr Finch Fletchly if you would kindly escort Mr Potter to the infirmary?"
Justin moved forward to guide Harry to Madame Pomfrey and the last Harry heard was Hermione saying,
"See! that proves my theory as to why you cut the tips!"
Malfoy groaned and awoke from his potion-induced sleep to see the bed beside him screened off and to hear Madame Pomfrey's harsh baritone from behind it.
"Nasty, nasty business! Yes, you will feel weak for a while Mr Potter it is to be expected you have been drained of quite a bit of energy. You will have to rest for a while in here whilst this happens and I heal your wounds. Mr Finch Fletchly you can leave now."
Malfoy saw the Hufflepuff leave the curtain and groaned again, just what he needed, Potter to gloat over his victory in the next bloody bed!
Madame Pomfrey emerged from behind the curtain with bottle of skell-gro in her hands.
"Now Mr Malfoy, time for another dose I'm afraid, that crushed arm isn't healing quite as quickly or well as I would like. How do you feel?"
"Like I've been hit by one of those big muggle things that move!"
"Yes well that's to be expected, now a dose of this," She said handing him the glass of skell-gro and moving out of range as half of it was spat back out again two seconds later.
"And some more sleeping potion for the pain, that should knock you out for several hours."
Malfoy attempted to nod as the world fuzzed out once more and then went black.
He awoke of the smell of pine and peppermint, which he instantly discovered he liked judging by the reaction of certain lower parts of his body. Opening his eyes he was met with a sparkling emerald gaze that he was for some reason very familiar with.
"Alright there Malfoy?"
Snapping out of whatever daze he'd gone into, Malfoy pushed Harry away from him with his right arm and sat up fully. It was late at night he judged by the dark infirmary and the moonlight shining through the window. "What an earth are you doing Potter?" He snapped.
"I got bored and decided to come and see what damage my latest victory caused! Quite a mess this time aren't you Malfoy?"
"Piss of Potter!" He spat turning away from him and blinking back tears of humiliation, Malfoy's didnot cry!
"Ooh touchy! I notice you have no get-well presents and know one has come to visit you. Why is that Malfoy?" Harry asked tauntingly.
Malfoy spotted a movement close to his right arm before a voice whispered in his ear, "How about I let you win next time? Would that help?"
Malfoy spun with a cry and pushed Harry forcefully away from him sending him to the floor with a loud smack! Unfortunately this jarred his injured arm and he doubled over with a cry and the tears came unbidden once again to spill down his cheeks.
"Malfoy? Are you okay?" He glanced up only to see a small spark of concern in Harry's eyes. Something inside himself thrilled at this but he didn't recognise it and said, "Piss off Potter, I don't need your pity!"
With that he lay back down and turned over and faced the window mindful of his left arm.
Harry climbed back into bed huffily, -stupid Malfoy! That's the last time I show him compassion!-
But for all his brave words, for some reason he could not shake the image of Malfoy, his tears glowing in the moonlight and him looking ethereally beautiful as it shone through his hair and on his pale features.
Hehe PLZ review
