Title: How do You Know?

Author: Evie AKA Lonely No More

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: If they were honestly mine, do you think that Harry would have asked Cho to that damn Yule Ball? That's what I thought, it's not like I have anything anyways.

Rating: I'm going to go T, PG-13, whichever thing you go by…

AN: Again be glad that I don't hold the chapters until I get 10 reviews or anything, because I've only gotten 2 reviews…so think, if you want me to keep writing this at a weekly rate, I need some kind of incentive…Tell me it sucked, tell me I spelled things wrong, tell me I took my creative license too far. Just throw me a frickin' bone here. Twistedmaniac, as always thank you so much! If it wasn't for you, I might have put this up for adoption, but then again, it's my story, and my life, so I don't think anyone could have filled it in to my liking. Doxie, thank you for reviewing as well! I was so happy to see that someone else actually reads this!

Harry

My worst day was when I had to tell you why I was sick…

Dying from AIDS, from the many mistakes I made as Slytherin Sex God…

God I hope I didn't sentence you this too!

"Everything will be okay."

"How Do You Know!" I wanted to scream!

Draco

At Saint Mungo's Harry ran into the building and looked quickly at the floor guide, 4th floor spell damage. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on Draco's forehead. He was still running carrying Draco wrapped only in a bloody sheet from their bed. He was still worried, Draco hadn't talked to him at all yet, he wondered if maybe that was part of the spell, but then he remembered that Draco was yelling and screaming at Blaise. Harry arrived on the 4th floor and approached the welcome witch.

"He's been put under some kind of spell, and I don't know what it is, and he won't talk, and he was screaming when I found him, and he's been, he's been…there's blood coming from ass, and he won't move, and I …I …should have been there…I should have been there." Harry had collapsed onto the floor still cradling Draco tears streaming down his face. Two healers had overheard, and rushed over. One of them levitated Draco and went rushing through the doors marked, Edith Ceastra Ward:

Spell Damage of Dark Intent: Protected Corridor and the other rushed over to Harry with a dictaquill to get more information.

Draco was placed on a bed and then unwrapped from his sheet, it was one of the sheets that Charlie had given them for their wedding…the beautiful blue sheets…ruined by Draco…he would never be able to use them again…he started to cry. The healer looked up at Draco's face, and saw the pain. He quickly finished his primary diagnoses, and then gently covered Draco back up with a warmed blanket, and muttered a few anti-jinxes as well as a few counter curses. He didn't say a word. He then went back out to see Harry sitting in the hallway. The healer looked very stern when he approached Harry.

"I thought that you of all people would take better care of him Harry. Who did this, and how long ago. Draco looks like he's been kept under a rock since graduation!" Harry immediately got defensive with his long-time friend.

"I didn't do anything to him Neville! I have been taking care of him! I just got home from training and smelled burning food, and Draco never burns anything! He's always been the best at stuff like that! So I knew that something was wrong, and when I went to our room to see if he had fallen asleep I found him screaming in bed with Blaise Zabini on top of him…At first I was mad, I was going to kill them both, but then I heard Blaise telling Draco stuff, and Draco yelling back at him, begging him to leave him alone. I had assumed wrongly. Draco has been acting so different lately…little things. He's testy all the time, he's not eating right, he's always complaining that he's tired, When I first walked in, I thought that I had my answer, I thought that he had been cheating on me…but to hear him crying, and begging to be left alone…I'm going to kill that filthy git whenever I find him."

Neville thought long about what Harry had said…then he excused himself.

"I'm sorry to accuse you Harry, so am I right in assuming that all those bruises were from tonight?"

"No, those…I don't know where they are from…Draco has been drinking a lot, and said he's probably has been bumping himself around a bit. Why?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure I have to contact another healer to help me. Do you love Draco Harry?"

"Of course I do! I wouldn't have married him if I didn't! What kind of question is that?"

"It's one that I needed to know the answer to, he's going to need it as well if I'm right." And with that Neville Longbottom, walked back through the doors, leaving Harry to think about what he'd just heard. Draco still lay in his bed, with silent tears rolling down his face. Harry would never want anything to do with him after this... Draco was thinking of a plan, of where he could go…None of his friends would help him, not after this…No one except his old Slytherin friends, they are the only ones that new the real Draco, and accepted him as the whore he was. Then it hit him…Charlie…Charlie knew him before and cared about him…He couldn't face Blaise right now, he'd kill him, then he'd end up in Azkaban anyways, so he'd still not have Harry. Maybe that's what he deserved though. Maybe he doesn't deserve Harry, maybe he doesn't even deserve freedom…maybe he should just die, right here, and everything will go on, and be better than it is now. Harry crept into Draco's room, and sat down on a chair at his bedside. He grabbed for Draco's hand, but Draco quickly withdrew it, almost as if it had burned him. Harry tried to look into the silver pools that he had long ago fallen in love with, but they too couldn't bear to look at him. He stood and bent over Draco pressing his lips lightly to the blonds' forehead. Fresh tears emerged and ran down the path of tears that was already there, just rewetting them, but he said nothing, he turned his head, and looked at the wall away from Harry. Running his fingers through his hair as he sat back down, Harry looked at his husband, the man couldn't even stand to be near him, and yet he felt compelled to stay. If he wouldn't have stayed after with Mooney for extra credit, and if he wouldn't have sat down and explain to Kingsley what had happened with the gift opening…That's it! Draco had told Kingsley that Mad-Eye had ruined their wedding as well, but he thought the wedding went perfectly! He didn't notice anything weird that night, but that's when it all started…their wedding night…when Draco collapsed. Why wouldn't Draco tell him something like that though? He was about to yell at Draco when he realized that it would do no good right now. Harry got up, and turned to leave, but stopped midway,

"I love you, I'll be right back, and I need to go find someone." With that Harry left to go find the one man who could answer his questions, and he was going to swing by and tell the Weasley's, maybe one of them could come and sit with Draco…he didn't want to leave him alone.

Neville came back in and ran some more tests, and asked Draco if he would talk to him. He needed to know a little bit more about what had happened that night, so that he had a better idea as to what could be wrong. Draco knew that the basic counter- curses that Neville started with had released him, but perhaps they thought he had something else wrong. He didn't care…despite the pain reliever potion, his arse still hurt like hell, and he wasn't looking forward to Longbottom checking his ass to make sure it healed right. 'Merlin this is going to be so embarrassing!' thought Draco. There was a knock at the door and it was another healer, Draco had no idea who this one was, he'd never seen him before. Draco almost chuckled as he thought that maybe the guys' specialty was Ass Damage! The little flicker of light that temporarily brightened his eyes was lost, no one had seen it. Neville came over and introduced Draco to Augustus Pye. He was a healer in the "Dangerous, Dai Llewellyn Ward for serious bites, but Neville had asked him up here, because he was interested in muggle medicine as well, and thought he might be able to help. Draco didn't move, not even an eye lid, he continued to stare at the wall, which really was getting boring. Healer Pye lifted his wand and began waving it across Draco. He stopped several times to lift back the blankets, and look at him underneath. Neville began filling him in on what Harry's version of the story had been. Draco was surprised by how accurate it had been, Harry had merely guessed about Blaise, but he was shocked that Harry had taken in so many details. There wasn't a lot of time from when he came in the room and they had left, maybe 2 minutes at most! Unless, Harry had stood there watching, thinking that he was willingly fucking Blaise…Damn that Blaise, he had held his hands on his thighs so that it looked that Draco was holding onto him, rocking him back and forth, fucking him in their bed! 'Oh God!' Draco thought. Harry had thought he was cheating on him…that fucking book of Moody's, and that stupid old man…He was going to get him, he just didn't know how yet. He ran his hands through his hair, and Neville and Pye stopped their chatting. Neville looked at Draco,

"You can move, I knew that, but I didn't know if it was merely involuntary movements or not, so apparently you can move if you want, please Draco, we just want to help you. Can't you see that?" Draco knew that to get to Moody he would have to get back to a 100, so he needed to get better and fast.

"Yes I can move, I will answer any questions." Neville nodded, and then proceeded.

"Draco, we know that what you went through tonight was horrible, and that no one should go through something like that, but I'm more concerned for your other physical problems. Like why have you been so tired, why are you bruising so easily, the short temper, and increased drinking, and some of your lab work is off as well…is there something else wrong that we need to know about?" Draco looked incredulous, he was just raped, and they were worried about bruises and drinking too much!

"Your beside manner could use some improvements Longbottom, I don't have anything wrong with me, I have just been under a lot of stress lately. That is all.

"Draco the reason I am asking is because there is a disease that causes all of those things, and with your history, we believe that you may have it. It started out as a muggle disease, but we've picked it up somewhere along the way, and well Draco, I would like permission to test you for it."

"Test me for whatever you like, I don't care."

"Draco it is sort of a plague, only it is passed sexually…Like I said, given your past…you are at a higher risk than others, and I need some of your blood. I have to send it to a friend of Augustus' here to get him to test for it. We don't have a test for that specific disease yet, and even if we did, the muggles know more about it than we do." Draco was stunned…him? A muggle disease? Transmitted only through sex? How is that possible? He never had sex with a muggle…but

"Yes Draco," Healer Pye interjected, "you might never have had sex with a muggle, but anyone who has can get it, and then turn around and pass it to you…Do you know of anyone who would have had sex with a muggle? It probably would have been at least a few months before you contracted it, and no it's not from tonight, it's not that fast a disease at first, and if you do have it, it's rooted deeply enough to affect your tissues, that's what is causing these lesions…they are not bruises, but lesions, from within the skin." Draco knew that he had not been blocking his mind…but Pye was a good legilmens, He had not even felt the probe. He nodded at Pye.

"Thank you, I see then. Well there could have been any number of them that had fucked a muggle…I was in Slytherin house you know, and as I am sure you remember, most of them turned out to be death eaters… death eaters who raped and tortured muggles…so yes…I can see where that would happen. I will give my consent to get tested and treated, with one condition." He paused to look into both of those eyes…Neville looked back and nodded and then at Pye who looked rather questioning… "I would rather hear what the condition is before I agree. "

'Smart man, I trust him' thought Draco, Longbottom looked like he had been gob smacked, how daft he still was…

"The condition is quite simple, you tell no one about any of this, except necessary medical personnel. That means not telling Harry anything…Nothing at all! My results, my testing procedures…nothing!" Both healers looked mortally wounded.

"Draco, that is part of the oath that we take when we graduate from school…we can't talk to anyone except those necessary for everyone's sake! Besides, it is your job to tell Harry, and he will need to be tested as well, if you've had sex with him at all, and assuming that since you've been married for nearly 2 weeks now, that you have, he is at risk as well. But I can not say anything without your permission."

"Good, neither of you have it. Tell no one, including Harry, and I will tell him only when and if we found out I have it, and then only when the time is right. I don't think that Harry will be back anytime soon after what he saw tonight, I know I wouldn't, but please, just don't even tell him I talked to you, because I won't talk to him. I won't make this worse than it already is. He can go on without me this way." And with that, he laid back and rolled over, facing the wall opposite the healers, and tried to sleep. Neville showed Pye to the door, then turned around,

"Harry loves you Draco and you are only making this worse on yourself. He will be there to help you; all you have to do is ask him."

Draco awoke a short while later to a medi-witch walking into his room.

"Are you alright m'dear? Do you need anything?" Draco shook his head. What he needed was his Harry, and his heart ached knowing that he could never have him again…She interrupted again,

"Sir I need to get some of your blood, orders from Healer Pye and Longbottom." Draco nodded and rolled back onto his back. The medi-witch pulled out a small glass pipette, she grabbed Draco's hand and muttered something that caused his skin to split, it was painful, but Draco was used to pain at that point. He almost craved it; it made him feel like he was still alive. She lightly touched the pipette to the blood, and it pulled it right up. She muttered an unbreakable charm and placed it back in her pocket then touched the tip of her wand to his finger, and it was healed and new again. Then she said something interesting…someone was there to visit him? He looked up as the witch walked out, and in walked Charlie Weasley. He heart began to pound.

"Charlie? What?" he didn't get to finish, Charlie Weasley rushed forward and hugged Draco so fiercely his thought his eyes would pop.

"I'm so sorry Draco! I should have known something like this would happen to you…I never should have said anything to him…I 'm so sorry!" Draco was confused…said what to who?

"Charlie, what are you going on about? You didn't have anything to do with this." Charlie shook his head solemnly. "Did you get my letter yesterday morning?" Draco nodded,

"But that was just stuff about the pictures, that doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Yes it does. Remember that I told you I thought I had an idea of who had taken the pictures…well I went to see him yesterday, in Azkaban."

"Charlie forgive me, but if whoever you went to talk to was in Azkaban, then what does it have to do with Blaise last night? And how did you know what happened and I was here?"

"Harry came by mom's house and told everyone that someone had broke into your flat while you were there, and beat you, but he didn't know how they got in since your flat is under the fidelis charm…he wouldn't say how badly you were hurt, just that he had to carry you here, and what room you were in, and that you hadn't talked to anyone since it happened. I had an idea, but Harry wouldn't say anything, said it was your business to tell other people if you wanted. But he wanted one of us to come and sit with you; he didn't want you to be alone. He said that you looked so frail just laying there. And Draco, God you do! He left to go check on something and took Hermione and Ron with him. That left Mom to look after Genny, Ginny is still at Hogwarts, and Bill and Fleur were back at their places with Philip, Fred and George were at their store, and Dad and Percy are at work, so she had no one to send but me. She was in a right state though, I got a whole list of things I should not do, and I think I've already broken a couple, but if I had just told you who I thought was behind this, you might still be okay. You look so delicate. Oh Draco when did this start?" Charlie put his head in his hands, ashamed of what he had done.

"Charlie, it's not your fault; and I'm glad that your mom couldn't send anybody but you. I'm more comfortable with you than anyone else right now." Charlie looked up at Draco, tears glistening in his eyes, too afraid to fall. Draco reached over and hugged the man. He looked so pathetic just then. Charlie kept muttering "I'm sorry" over and over, until Draco lifted his chin and looked into his blue eyes…"It's not your fault, I don't blame you, I blame myself." And with that he laid a chaste kiss on his lips, and then pulled back. Charlie looked horror struck.

"Draco we can't…I mean I"

"I know Charlie relax, that's not what I was getting at. I trust you. I don't want anything to come between us, you are the only friend I have, and I need your help." Charlie nodded. "So tell me who it is that you saw in Azkaban yesterday."

"Blaise Zabini."

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking through the corridors of the Ministry of Magic.

"Tell me again why we are here? When Draco is in the hospital because some rogue beat him up." Ron asked casually. Harry rounded on him quickly.

"He was more than just beat up Ron, he was raped, and I walked in and saw it happening. Draco laying there screaming and yelling…But there's more to it than that. It wasn't just some rogue…It was Blaise Zabini."

"Harry he's in Azkaban, there's no way that he could" Hermione interrupted.

"I know who I saw, said Harry, and Draco begging him to get away from him, begging Blaise, he thought that it was Blaise as well, and I think, and you think that Blaise is still in Azkaban, and there's only one way to find out. "

"But Harry, we aren't going to go to Azkaban are we?" Begged Ron.

"Yes, I won't believe it unless I see it for myself, and we're taking Kingsley with us. That way he can use veritaserum to get answers."

Hermione piped up, "Harry I know that you are upset, but what if Blaise has been in there the whole time, what then?" Harry just smiled.

"We look in the log books; someone has been in to see Zabini, someone who could have taken some of his hair for a polyjuice potion."

Hermione thought for a moment, "but Harry, anyone could have signed in to visit anyone that was a death eater, and they would have walked past Zabini's cell, and would have been able to talk to him as well. Someone that knows someone who works here could have gotten that as well; they could have gotten it off of his water cup, or walked past a pulled out a hair…anyone."

"That's why we need the veritaserum…someone talked to Zabini, or at least got close enough to get some DNA, so we are going to find out one way or the other."

Draco looked back at Charlie as if he had a third head. "So let me get this straight. You went to Azkaban with Tonks yesterday to talk to Blaise Zabini, and he admitted to stalking me at school and taking those pictures because he was obsessed with me. He thinks it stupid now, because I turned out to be a traitor, and how he was glad that he wasn't with me when it happened or he would have had to kill himself like my father did because of the embarrassment? That fucking, backstabbing, little…Sorry, but so he was in jail, but then who? What happened last night? Did I imagine the whole thing? I couldn't have! Harry saw him too! You believe me, don't you Charlie?"

"Of course Draco, but that's not all. He said he had mailed you the pictures in a little scrap book he had kept to the manor; he thought that you would want it to remember him by. "

"Moody."

"No, that's what I thought at first as well, but that was too simple to trace. So Tonks and I went to Kingsley since he was looking into your estate, and talked with him. He had all the standard spells on your estate so that he would know if anyone went there, at what time and date, and if anything was removed. He had the owl flying in with the package which he thought was weird, and was going to investigate further that afternoon after the daily briefings, but when he arrived, the package was gone. The wards were still up, so that means someone had taken them down went in to get the package and then left and put them back up. I know, I know, it still sounds like Moody, but listen, Moody was in all the briefings with Kingsley, so it couldn't have been him."

"You are forgetting another important aspect. Malfoy Manor is unplottable; no one gets there without knowing exactly where it is."

"So right, the only people who could have gotten in are ones that have been there before." Draco started to think that the list wouldn't end. His parents had social events at the manor all the time. The death eaters had even had meetings there, so, it was like looking for the proverbial needle in a hay stack. There was a knock at the door and in came Neville grimfaced, and Augustus Pye was with him as well, also looking rather solemn. This did not bode well, Draco felt a sick feeling coming over him, and he leaned over the bedrail and grabbed the rubbish bin and vomited. Pye started,

"Excuse me Mr. Weasley, it's a pleasure to see you again, but could you wait out in the hall please?" Charlie looked at Draco then back up at the healers and nodded. He rose to leave, but Draco's arm shot out…

"No please stay, I don't want to be alone."

Neville coughed, "Well Draco, we have some news about your earlier testing, and would like to talk to you about it. Are you sure you want Mr. Weasley in here?" Draco looked at Charlie then nodded. Neville took a long breath.

"Well, your blood test came back positive. I'm afraid that you have been infected with A.I.D.S., which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is perhaps one of the deadliest of all the muggle diseases, and I am sorry, there is no cure. There are some treatments that can ease some of the effects, and pro-long your life, but I am afraid there is no stopping the disease. It will keep progressing until it breaks down your entire immune system and then your body will begin to attack itself. It's highly contagious as well, so you will need to tell everyone you've had sex with in the past 10 years so that they may be tested, and treated. If it is caught early enough the medicine can greatly impede the diseases growth, so the sooner they know the better. Again, I am sorry Draco."

Draco just sat there and stared…he couldn't outrun his past, it really does catch up with you, and he began to laugh hysterically. He laughed because he thought that he had gotten past those obstacles, he had Blaise and his money to worry about, but he had overcome so much…how didn't he see this coming? Draco Malfoy dying of a muggle sex disease! It was priceless! How he would love to see his father's face and tell him that, too bad he was already dead. He was laughing at the irony he called life…Merlin he was such a fool to think that he could just cozy on up to Harry and live happily ever after! He was laughing so much the other three in the room looked alarmed. Charlie began to shake Draco's shoulders, but the laughter kept coming. Charlie then leaned over and hugged Draco, smoothing his hair with his rough hands. The laughter gradually changed over to wails and lakes of tears…How he could have done this to his Harry. He made love to his Harry, and possibly sentenced him to death as well… how many others had he sentenced to death? God would the pain he caused ever stop? Then he remembered Charlie…"Oh my God! Charlie, I'm so sorry! Charlie…" Charlie shushed him, and pulled Draco onto his lap rocking him back and forth. "It will all be okay Draco, it will all be okay." Neville and Augustus looked over, and Charlie nodded. Augustus reached into his pocket and pulled out an empty pipette. Neville reached into his pockets, pulled out a small lancet, and pierced Charlie thumb. Pye lowered the pipette until it was filled. Then they both gave him a nod and left the room. Neville was first to speak, "I hope they don't hurt Harry, I don't want to know when that happened, I just hope that Harry already knows." Pye nodded and they continued back to Pye's office where they would have to send another sample over to be tested.

Harry walked up the halls with Ron and Hermione behind him…he wanted them to see Draco, see how bad it was. He stopped outside Draco's room and paused for the second time in less than 24 hours at the sight he saw. Draco cradled on Charlie's lap being rocked back and forth. His first impulse was to barge in and ask what was going on, but he noticed that the position he was held in was not a sexual one, he looked closer and saw that Draco was crying. Charlie was comforting him…He turned around and asked Ron and Hermione to go up and bring down some tea for everyone. They agreed and turned around giving Harry odd looks. As Harry approached the door his heart clenched…'Draco couldn't talk to me, but he has no problems talking to Charlie' …his heart was breaking. But whatever Charlie was offering him then, he needed, and so he couldn't take that away from his husband. He slowly opened the door and came inside. He shut the door, and sealed it with silencing and imperturbable charms and walked over and hugged both of them.

Draco didn't know what to do. The tears that had started to subside renewed their strength and flowed down his cheeks. Charlie looked at Harry, and Harry smiled back. He knew that Draco loved him, and this was just something he needed right now. Draco wiped his tears, and looked at Harry for the first time since the incident.

"Harry, I need to tell you something…and if you never want to see me again I will understand, just turn and leave, and I will never bother you again."

"Draco what in God's name? I told you that I didn't blame you fro last night! That wasn't your fault."

"What I have to tell you isn't necessarily about last night, but Charlie has some information that you might like on that, but we'll get to that later. " Charlie stood up excused himself. Harry sat down on Draco's bed, but Draco didn't come near him.

"Why is it that you can sit on Charlie's lap, but you avoid me like I am poison?"

"You aren't the one that poison Harry, I am. Please just listen to me; this is going to be hard enough."

"Draco I don't under"

"Harry, please, I will explain everything I just need you to listen." Harry nodded and moved to sit on the chair beside the bed.

"Thank you. Apparently I have been looking fairly sick for awhile now, and you told Neville about that when you brought me in. That with some things that Neville found while examining me, led him to believe that I might have a muggle disease. He asked Healer Augustus Pye from the dangerous bites ward to come have a look as well. I guess he has a friend that is a muggle doctor, and he is studying how some of their diseases affect magic folk. I'm dying Harry, from A.I.D.S." Harry jumped on Draco's bed and hugged him for all he was worth.

I love you Draco, don't forget that…That is not your fault. Loads of muggles have it and live nearly normal lives; all you have to do is take some precautions that is all... Draco you had me worried that you, maybe you thought you'd…made a mistake by being with me. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you Draco, I'm so sorry."

"Harry James Potter, you listen to me right now…You didn't do a thing wrong. I did. I was foolish, foolish enough to believe that you're stupid Potter luck would carry over to me when we got married. You deserve to live peacefully and happily for the rest of your life. I don't. I made more than a few mistakes, and now I have to pay for them. I just hope that you don't have to suffer through this as well. Merlin I am so stupid! I can't believe that I am putting you through this. And so that is why I will say it again, if you want to leave just go, and I won't bother you ever again." Harry picked Draco up and placed him in his lap, then wrapped his arms around Draco's waist and laid his head up against Draco's forehead.

"It will be okay." Draco wanted to scream at him…How do you know? But he just leaned his body against Harry and cried some more.