Long time…
Oh well here is another chap.
The halls were deserted, nothing seemed alive, yet. The dancing rays of dawn seemed to filter in to awake even the dullest of objects, bring the darkest mahogany to life.
His footsteps were soundless as he made his way to the great hall.
Draco's heart seemed not to beat.
Draco's mind seemed physically unable to think.
It was all a glaze,
a dream of wishing the trouble in his heart were a dream.
Confusion was blank.
He could not feel, as if his heart had been left permanently frozen, as cold as the night before. Draco sat down at the Slytherin table, he watched the first signs of breakfast appear. One by one sweet-scented pancakes, steaming coffee and buttered toast were sent up from the kitchens.
Draco processed what it was he was looking at for so long.
Severus's place on the higher table.
The silent golden rays piercing through the air where He should be, finding clear path to illuminate his plate, his glinting silver wear and his crystal glass.
Draco sighed, imagining the form of Severus sitting there, smiling back at the smiling image, openly smiling at him from across a hall, as if time had stopped and the silence around him protected them.
"Agham." Draco swiveled around to face an amused looking Dumbledore.
Silence. Draco did think he might be going quite crazy and trusted himself on saying nothing therefore remained silent.
Dumbledore spoke "what is the matter dear boy?"
Draco couldn't manage the sarcasm covered quizzical eyebrow and just quickly murmured an unconvincing 'nothing' before turning to pour himself some black coffee, no sugar. Just the way Severus liked it.
Dumbledore kept looking in the direction of Snape's chair, wondering what the boy had been staring at so intently.
Draco looked down at his food, even though the hall was quite full now, and no one would check where he was looking, Draco still forcefully kept himself from even glancing towards Snape's place. He was pretty sure, he didn't know why, but he felt it, that Dumbledore was keeping a close watch on him.
The noise that invaded Draco's head as the great hall crowded with students hurt his ears and reverberated in his brain painfully.
He stood up and left, not knowing exactly where to go. He settled on walking to the library.
Through the silent numbness shot a searing pain. Stabbing pain from his arm, where the mark lay 'till then forgotten.
Draco's eyes filled with tears instantly, he felt them burn almost as much as his fast pumping blood and not nearly half as much as the burnt skin in his arm.
Draco dropped to the floor, clenching his jaw, but the pain only increased and it came to a point where he could only think of going, doing anything to stop that paint, even if just for one second.
"Never give in" Snape's voice whispered quite loudly in his head, like silence interrupting noise, reason shown through the madness. And he dragged himself down to the dungeons and into Severus's silent room.
Draco threw himself inside the small closet and unlocked the hidden drawer in frenzy. He took the ointment in his hands in a last surge of control over his limbs. He spread it over his now bleeding arm. The blood showed off the Mark's pattern quite clearly through the concealing charm.
Draco felt relief flood him immediately and kept on rubbing the cream vigorously.
He could then control his body and had eased the pain enough to think and rationalize.
Standing up, Draco took 3 small potion vials from the drawer and gulped them down urgently.
His body collapsed to the floor. His muscles were forced into complete relaxation. He could no longer move, soon afterwards his consciousness was put to sleep by the second potion, and before he could even start dreaming, so was his unconsciousness.