A/N: This chapter has been edited 3 times, so I'm sorry for those that are confused. It goes out to Nicole, who wrote me an amazing email. Thanks for everyone thats been reviewing, but I have to do this. I got 3 reviews on my last chapter and I will NOT update again until I get at least 5. I'm sorry, but I feel like no one wants to read this anymore and that you're sick of the story. If that is the case, then fine, but I need to know. For everyone who wants this and has been reading and has reviewed, if only once, thank you. Please read, review (it only takes a minute) and enjoy!

As soon as he walked in, Draco tried to sneak back out. Blaise and Seamus were on the sofa in the common room and he had been trying to avoid Seamus for days. The Irishman refused to accept that Draco wasn't planning on being his friend anymore. Knowing that the blonde remembered him, he was going to force him to acknowledge him this time.

"Drakie! Darling! It is lovely to see you. I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me, but that couldn't be true. I know you love the weekly gossip update and I've been waiting to give it to you. Come, sit and chat with me. Blaise won't mind, in fact, he was just saying something about needing to go return a book to the library. You can keep me company while my beloved is gone."

Seamus attached himself to Draco's arm while prattling on. Blaise got up to leave, laughing to himself, knowing that Draco was about to catch hell from Seamus. He almost felt sorry for the blonde.

"Well, Draco, now that Blaise is gone, let's talk."

"I thought I was getting a gossip update."

"I'll give you a gossip update. It seems that a certain Harry Potter is broken-hearted over losing his boyfriend. Said boy has stopped living, can't eat, can't sleep and I suspect is not only smoking more, but cutting. Don't look so surprised. I know he used to. I'm not stupid enough to not know what all those little scars on his forearm are from. I'm also quite prone to spotting the little drops of blood left on the floor after he leaves. I tried to talk to him, but he doesn't hear a word anyone says. He is existing for one reason and that is that he believes you will remember him again. It's time you do something. Emily may help him a little, but you're the only one who can bring him back.

"What do you expect me to do? You want me to pretend to remember him?"

"No, but if you could just talk to him, care about him a little, give him some time, I'm sure he would be better. You might even like him."

"Fine, Seamus, I'll try."

Draco got up and tried to leave.

"That's not all. I know you've been avoiding me. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. You had better start talking to your friends or you won't have any left. Harry doesn't embody all your goodness. You are still the person we knew and loved so stop pushing us away. Stop acting like Draco died with the memory of Harry. He didn't. He is you."

Draco sat there silent.

"You can go if you want, but think about what I said. Why should you be so miserable? You'll remember again, but for now, be with your friends and get to know Harry again. You liked him before, you'll like him again. He hasn't changed."

Harry watched as the blood dripped off of his fingertips. It rolled down his arm and over his wrists to drop and pool beneath his hand. His back was pressed against a cold stone wall; his legs were too weak to support him.

He winced as the razor bit into his flesh again and then his lips twisted into a bitter smile. He was still alive. The pain proved it. The razor slipped from his fingers to hit the floor with a soft metallic clang and suddenly the blood was diluted with tears. Harry hated himself for being so weak, for doing something so shameful. He cried for himself. He cried because he couldn't cope with his life. He cried because once again he had lost someone he loved. He cried because once again he had given up.

It was then that Draco walked in. He stood for a moment, struck by the scene before him. He tried to speak, but no sound came out. It was enough time for Harry to notice. He stopped crying immediately and uttered one harsh word.

"Fawkes!"

"Harry, I…"

"Don't!"

The boys stood there silently, staring at one another.

Draco felt the swish of wings brush past his ear and suddenly, there in the dungeons, a bright phoenix landed on Harry Potter's shoulder.

Fawkes looked at Harry and made an angry sound deep in his throat. Nevertheless, he cried for Harry and the cuts were healed.

"There, all better."

Harry picked up his razor, put it in his pocket and walked out, careful to make sure that none of his body touched Draco.

Somewhere in the castle, a lonely boy walked with a phoenix on his shoulder. His shoulders drooped and tears streamed down his face.

"I know, Fawkes, I know."

The birds feathers were ruffled, but as the two continued on, he calmed down.

"I promise, never again."

The phoenix let a low whistle penetrate the silence and leaned its head down to nuzzle the boy's neck.

This boy would not cut again.

Draco stood in the empty bathroom for a long time after Harry had gone. He didn't know how to react. His mind was screaming at him to care that Harry had been cutting himself, but he was still too shocked to fully understand what he had seen. It was beginning to add up though. It was obvious that he couldn't just stand around and do nothing. He owed it to whatever part of him cared about Harry to do something, to make sure that when he remembered the brunette would still be around. So, he went to find the one person that he knew would want to protect Harry as much as he thought Harry's boyfriend would want to: Ron.

"Ron."

"Draco, I've been waiting."

"How did you…"

"It was about time you came to your senses."

Draco smiled, ruefully. Funny that it was easier to talk to Ron than it had been to talk to his best friend.

"Sorry."

"It's ok. I have a lot of experience waiting for people to come to me. Harry is just like you in that respect."

"Do you mind if I ask you something, Ron?"

"No"

"Why did you ever let me get close to Harry?"

"I couldn't have stopped it."

"There has to be more to it than that. I can tell that we're friend now, that you trust me. Does Harry really mean that much to you? Is it enough that he likes me? You will be my friend just because of that?"

"In the beginning that was why I gave you a chance. Harry is a pretty good judge of character. If you could make him trust you then I knew I had to find out more about you. Harry doesn't just do things short term either. He doesn't drop his friends. I knew you were going to be around. I watched the two of you together for a long time and I saw that you cared about Harry as much as I did. That's when I became your friend. Since then, I've been your friend because of you, not Harry. He may have started it, but you had to prove yourself."

"Thank you."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I have to do something, I know that. Blaise and Seamus have talked to me, but nothing could have prepared me to see Harry cutting himself."

"It's true then?"

"You didn't know?"

"I suspected, but I didn't know. If I had, I would have done something."

"I know, Ron, be honest with me, what does Harry want? Will it help him for me to get to know him nor or should I wait?"

"I don't know what would be best, but I think you have to get to know him again. No one knows when you'll remember. You need to do this for you as well. You were happy with him. Don't you want to be happy again?"

Draco answered very quietly.

"Yes."

"Go and find Harry."

"I will, thanks, Ron."

Draco couldn't find Harry that night. He looked, but the boy was no where to be found. Knowing he couldn't face his friends until he had spoken with the Gryffindor, Draco went to bed, determined that tomorrow something would be done. But tomorrow Harry wasn't around either. He seemed to slip out of classes before anyone else. He didn't eat in the Great Hall. Draco was worried that Harry wasn't eating at all so when he began to look for the boy after dinner, he took some food with him. It took hours, but Draco finally found his goal. Harry was out on the quidditch pitch, flying Emily. The blonde sat down to wait, marveling at the shrieks of joy that could be heard from the little girl. He watched as Harry soared and he knew that sometime in his past, the brunette had been trapped. He couldn't explain how he knew. It was something about the speed at which Harry flew the heights he reached and the complete refusal to go in early. Just like the desperation of Harry's hugs, Draco recognized this surrender to freedom because he flew the same way. Like Harry, he would rather fly too high and too fast than be kept close to the ground. He knew instinctively that he was watching Harry fly tamely. He knew from past quidditch games just as he knew from the longing that covered the boy's face as he held tightly to Emily. Please let me fly! Let me escape! Higher! Higher! It was a melody and a change in Draco's head. It was the song of the wind. He reached out with his arms and imagined that he was on his own broom, trying to be everywhere at once, and holding on to the sky.

Harry saw the figure on the grounds, holding its arms out. It reminded him of the children in Peter Pan, trying to fly. He flew down to earth again and put Emily on his shoulders. He walked over to Draco whose eyes were closed.

"Wishing you could fly?"

"Always."

Draco responded without a thought. It was only after he spoke that he realized it was Harry. He dropped his arms and the wistful look fell from his face.

"Can we talk?"

Harry looked at him, cautiously.

"Take my broom; I have to put Emily to bed. Go ahead and fly for a while, I know you want to."

"Will you be back?"

"You have my broom. Of course, I'll be back."

Harry walked back to the castle, trepidation filling his being.

Harry tucked Emily into bed and kissed her forehead.

"Ree?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What happened to my family?"

Harry sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Oh, honey, they were hurt in the fire"

"Will I ever see them again?"

"Come here, angel."

Harry pulled Emily onto his lap.

"I'm so sorry, honey, but they won't be here again, but you can see them whenever you want in your dreams."

"Why?"

"Emily, your mommy and daddy and brother were hurt very badly by the fire. They hurt so much that they left their bodies to escape. They can't be with you anymore, but they will always be a part of you. They are in your heart and in your head. All you have to do is remember them. Someday, a very long time from now, you will be together again."

"Will they still love me?"

"Yes, sweetie, they will love you very much and you will be able to tell them all about your life."

"Ree, do you have a family?"

"No, Emily, my family is gone too, but I have many friends and someday I'll get to meet my family and tell them everything. I know they love me though."

"I don't want to be alone. I miss mommy and daddy and Harry," Emily wailed.

Harry rocked her gently.

"Don't cry, sweetie. You will never be alone. You have me and Sevvie and you will meet more people who will love you."

"You promise?"

"Always."

Harry smoothed Emily's hair and rocked her steadily. She cried for a while, but finally fell asleep. Harry tucked her in bed and wiped tears off of her face and then his own.

"I promise, Emily, you'll always have me."

Fawkes flew in and settled himself on the bed about the sleeping child as her guardian.

"Thank you, Fawkes."

Knowing that he was only trying to put off the inevitable, Harry sped up his pace to the quidditch pitch. Draco was still in the sky, so Harry stood for a few moments watching him.

It wasn't long before Draco saw Harry and began his descent.

"Thanks."

"Sorry I was so long. Emily was upset and I had to stay with her until she fell asleep."

"It's fine. I didn't even notice."

The boys stood awkwardly for a few moments.

"So, you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah."

"Go ahead."

"Give me a moment."

Harry moved over to sit in the stands and Draco followed. The blonde sat, staring at the horizon.

"Look, Draco, you don't have to talk to me. You don't owe me anything. In your mind, I'm just an old enemy. I won't hold this against you later."

"No, I need to talk to you."

"It doesn't have to be now. Come get me when you're ready."

Harry stood up to leave.

"What was he like?"

"Who?"

"Your Draco."

Harry sat down again and his eyes took on a far away look.

"My Draco was amazing. He was the kind of person that you always want to be around. He wasn't just one type of person. We could sit together and have incredible conversations or we could sit in silence. That's how comfortable we were together. He was funny and sometimes crazy, but the most outstanding thing about him in my mind was the safety he radiated. I could tell he was always watching me, making sure I was ok and that no one was going to hurt me or that I was upset about anything. When we were alone together, it was so beautiful. Our relationship was pure. We were focused on building a foundation. I trusted him and I valued every moment we spent with each other. I can't describe it and I know my words sound disjointed, but I never tried to explain it before. It was just a feeling I had deep inside of myself. It was so strong that you could almost touch it when we were together."

"Sounds perfect."

"It could have been. It was too early to tell really, but it could have been something to last a lifetime."

"I don't know what to do here, Harry."

"I don't either."

"I want to remember, but I can't."

"You will someday."

"I don't want to remember someday, I want to remember now. I know from what Blaise, Seamus, Ron and now you that I must have been so happy with you. I want to remember that. I want to feel it again."

Draco began to cry and Harry gathered him in his arms, tentatively. He tried to soothe the blonde, rubbing languid circles on his back.

"It's ok, Draco. I don't know how much this means to you now, but I'm going to wait for you. No one could take me away."

Draco drew back to look Harry in the eyes.

"Why? It could be months or even a year."

"Because we wanted to be committed and I am. You became the best thing in my life and I'm going to stick around until I have you back and we take this as far as it goes."

"Harry, will you kiss me?"

Harry looked at Draco's tear-streaked face. He saw the pleading in the boy's eyes and he was torn. He wanted to kiss the blonde because he was Draco, but he wasn't Harry's Draco. And that was holding Harry back.

"I can't."

Draco looked down, hiding his face from Harry.

"I want to, but I can't. Our relationship wasn't based on a physical attraction, though it was there. I can't take a step back and start something with you."

"I know. I just keep wishing I could be your Draco again. I feel so lost."

"You will be, someday, just not tonight."

Draco got into bed much later and closed his eyes. Before he could go to sleep, he was interrupted.

"Hey!"

"What do you want, Blaise? It's late."

"I know. I just came back from visiting Seamus in Gryffindor. I have something for you. It's from Harry."

Draco sat up straight in bed.

"What?"

"Here."

Blaise passed Draco a box.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Blaise."

Inside the box, Draco recognized a much loved, stuffed cat and his missing thermos. In the bottom, he spied a note.

"Someone once told me that this was best cuddled with a cup of orange pineapple spiced tea and they were right. It can cure almost anything. Feel better, Harry."

A cup of tea and fifteen minutes later, Draco was asleep, clutching a very mangled, but loved, old stuffed cat.