Title: Stand By

Author: Danea

Previously published under another pen name at a separate site

Summary: After the events of the TriWizard Tournament, Harry finds himself depressed and terribly lonely. Even his closest friends can't see what's wrong. A chance encounter over Winter Break with one of his greatest rivals (no, not Voldermort or Snape) leads Harry down a path he certainly never expected. Rated M for language, mention of abuse/rape (non-descript), slight AU.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I am American, therefore any misuse of British slang is simply ignorance.
Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews!

Light was trying to creep in through Harry's tightly shut eyes. It seemed to grow brighter the more he tried to pull away. He wished that it would just disappear and let him sleep. From the tips of his toes, up to the top of his head, his entire body hurt and a sheer exhaustion seemed to weigh every limb down. A few hours of sleep sounded like a great idea. But the light was persistent. Harry moaned as it centered in on him again.

"Wake up!" someone was yelling. A rough grip pulled him up, not waiting for his body to support itself before the hands released him. Harry fell back with a painful thud. "You have got to be kidding me!" the same voice growled. "Wake up, you bastard! Before I kill you myself!"

Slowly, Harry pried his eyes open, letting the blurry room come into focus before he dared to move. As his vision cleared, a sudden shock of panic ran through his body. Draco Malfoy kneeled over him, wand in hand as if ready to hex Harry into the next year.

Harry moved quickly, ready to dive for his wand, but a wave of dizziness overtook him before he could get very far. He was vaguely aware of Draco taking his arm and laying him back down. Draco muttered, "I told you to wake up, not freak out."

"What the hell did you do to me?" Harry cried, fear rising as he realized just how weak he truly was.

Draco snorted in surprise. "Lot of thanks I get for saving your sorry ass."

"What?" Harry rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his head. He was beginning to remember what had happened. After months of planning and waiting, he'd finally completed his plan to kill himself. And just as he'd been about to slip into the safe abyss, Draco had come in and ruined everything. Suddenly, Harry wasn't feeling weak anymore. He was angry.

"You want me to thank you for ruining everything?" Harry snapped. "You didn't do my any favors, Malfoy. All you did was protect yourself."

"You are insane, Potter. Truly, you are," Draco sneered, pushing himself up off the floor. "You can take a flying leap off of the highest tower for all I care. But I'm not going to take the blame for it. Dumbledore and his lot are just waiting to jump on me for something. And you're not going to give them a reason."

Harry didn't bother to reply, except to direct a scathing glare at Draco as he clumsily stood. He chose not to sit, despite the weakness in his legs. When facing Draco, he found it best to never give him any sort of advantage. Keeping an eye on the light-haired boy, Harry pulled back on his earlier discarded clothes. His wand, which he'd chosen to keep tucked in his shirt pocket, was still there and he made a show of pulling it out before sliding it into his pants pocket instead. Draco looked unimpressed.

"If you're finished with your little show, Potter, maybe we could get going?" Draco nodded towards the door. "Dumbledore sent me up to retrieve you for the big Christmas feast he's got planned. He said we had to wait for you before we could eat and I'm hungry."

Harry slipped on his shoes as he replied, "Let's go, Malfoy. I'd hate for you to die of starvation." He moved to follow Draco, who was already heading for the door, but stopped suddenly as a sharp pain blossomed behind his eyes. "Oh God," he moaned, dropping his head into his hands.

Draco appeared next to him, his hands cool on Harry's shoulder as he lead him to a chair. "The headache is probably from blood loss. I did what I could with the wounds, but I'm no mediwizard. Kind of makes you regret being so foolish, doesn't it?"

"Do you always have to say something snotty?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you just do an all-purpose pain relieving spell?"

"I did, thank you," Draco snapped in reply. "But I don't think that covers blood loss."

"Then what the hell am I suppose to do? I can't even bloody see straight!" For a moment, Harry was sure Draco had finally given up and left, because there was no answer. But a small vial was suddenly forced into his hands and Draco roughly instructed him to drink it. "Without knowing what it is?" Harry laughed. "I don't think so. It's probably poison."

Malfoy sarcastically replied, "Oh yes, Potter. You've figured it all out. Instead of them finding you dead by your own hand, I want them to find you poisoned. That will take the suspicion right off of me! What a genius I am!"

The pain was worsening and Harry was starting to feel sick to his stomach. Even if the vial was poison, it would accomplish exactly what he had set out to do that night. Either way, Harry had to do something. So he tipped the vial into his mouth, drinking it all in one gulp. It was surprisingly sweet, like sugared grapes, but it left a cold feeling as it traveled down his throat and to his stomach.

He felt the effects spread, like a soft tingling just under his skin. The pain disappeared, as did the nausea and the dizziness. When Harry felt as if he could stand again, he pushed himself up. "Thanks, Malfoy," he muttered reluctantly. "What was that, anyway?"

"A numbing potion," Draco answered. "And you're welcome, Potter." His customary sneer deepened into a smirk. "We wouldn't want you passing out in your pudding at dinner, now would we? Somehow I think that might catch someone's attention."

"Why did you have a numbing potion with you?" Harry asked, surprised when the other boy was silent. It had been a casual observation, not a hard-hitting question, but as Harry watched, a myriad of emotions played across Draco's face. He finally settled on a resigned sort of anger, casting Harry a dark look.

"Just leave it, Potter. We're not friends, so we needn't go sharing anything with one another. I'm not asking you why you're up here slitting you wrists, now am I?" Draco replied shortly. "So just let it go. I'm heading down."

"God, Malfoy. It was just a question!" Harry cried, following Draco out the door. "From your reaction, you'd think there was some big secret. Not like I'd care anyway."

"Then we're agreed. You don't care, I don't care. So shut up!" Draco growled, purposefully quickening his stride so that Harry, who was still feeling a bit weak, had to push himself to catch up.

The walk to the Great Hall was silent, and it gave Harry a chance to reflect on the unusual turn of events. Just hours earlier, he'd been planning out the final details of his suicide. And now he was going to dinner, following behind Draco Malfoy of all people. The same Draco Malfoy who had essentially saved his life, whether the move was backed by a selfish motive or not. Harry glanced down at his wrists, were only the faintest hint of a scar remained. Draco had done a thorough job. He'd even cleaned up the blood from the dorm room. It was certainly strange behavior from someone Harry considered an enemy.

But he didn't have much more time to follow that train of thought. As the boys entered the hall, Dumbledore called out, "Welcome, my dear boys! Please, sit! I'm sure we are all very eager to eat!" The elderly headmaster pointed to the only empty seats at the small table, directly beside one another. The boys sat without exchanging a single glance. Harry purposefully avoided the other boy as he glanced around the table.

The usual large dining tables had been replaced with a small one, just right for the gathered group. Harry had been right in his assumption that he was nearly the only student left in the school. Aside from Draco, the rest of the dinner guests were all teachers. Only seven had remained over the break, including Severus Snape, much to Harry's displeasure.

The potions master had been especially hard on Harry during the school year, even more so than years before. The dislike between the two had risen to new heights, despite the revelation that they were both fighting on the same side against the Dark Lord. Snape seemed unable to let go of his hatred for Harry's father. And it carried through to Harry himself. Not a day went by when there wasn't a cruel word or unreasonable punishment from Snape. It was just another aspect of Harry's life that had led him to his early actions.

The clinking of a glass broke through Harry's thoughts, and he turned to find Dumbledore on his feet, readying for a speech. Casting one last, angry glance at Snape, Harry turned his attention to the Headmaster.

"First, I would like to thank all of you who have chosen to remain here for Winter Break. We are the few." A few of the teachers nodded in agreement, and Dumbledore continued, "It is easy in dark times such as these to get lost in the fear. Hogwarts has always provided a safe haven for its students and professors. So, as we dine together over this holiday feast, it is my deepest wish that Hogwarts continues to provide protection for all those that ever have or ever will grace its halls." As he lifted his goblet, the other teachers followed suit. "May we all band together to remain strong, finding allies where we thought none existed. And may we all take comfort knowing that we are never alone in our fight, not while we have Hogwarts behind us!"

"Here, here!" cried Professor McGonagall, leading a few of the other teachers in applause. Harry forced a smile on his face, but couldn't bring himself to applaud. It had been a wonderfully motivating speech, but he could see right through it. Hogwarts was a school, not a fortress. The Dark Lord had infiltrated the school before, and no matter how Dumbledore tried, it was bound to happen again.

Dumbledore didn't seem to notice Harry's lack of participation, though. He seemed happy with the reaction his words had garnered. With a sweeping gesture, he quieted the applause. "With that said, I do believe it is time to eat!" Dumbledore announced as food suddenly popped onto the table. "Enjoy!"

Harry eyed the spread, debating on whether or not he really wanted to eat. The numbing potion had cleared up the nausea, though his stomach still felt heavy. He wasn't sure food would sit all that well. But it all looked so good. Finally, he decided a little bit of mashed potatoes and bit of stuffing couldn't hurt. He scooped a bit of both onto his plate, dousing them with gravy. But as he raised his fork to his mouth, he suddenly felt very ill. His stomach did a sickening flip, making him drop his fork with a loud clatter.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Dumbledore asked from the other side of the table, eyeing the boy worriedly.

Though he felt awful, Harry forced a rueful smile, not wanting to draw any more questions than necessary. "Actually, no. I think I must have had a bit too much candy. I'm not feeling all that well," Harry lied, finishing the sentence off with a grimace. "If it's alright, I'd like to be excused. I think I'd like to lay down for a bit."

For a moment, Dumbledore looked as if he was going to question Harry further. But instead, an understanding smile crossed his face. "Well, 'tis the season, my dear boy. Of course you are excused. Shall I have Madame Pomfrey meet you in the hospital wing?"

"Oh no, thank you. I think I'll be fine," Harry answered. He stood quickly, moving to leave, but Dumbledore, who had stood to follow him, caught him in the doorway.

"Sine you aren't eating, perhaps you'd like to go visit a certain black dog down at Hagrid's?" Dumbledore suggested, his eyes twinkling. "I'm sure he'd appreciate the Christmas cheer."

Seeing his godfather was the last thing Harry wanted to do at the moment, but he didn't dare tell Dumbledore that. Instead, he forced yet another smile on his face. "Yeah, I bet he would. Thank you, sir," Harry said. Dumbledore looked suitably content as he clapped Harry on the shoulder, and then turned back towards his seat.

Glancing once more around the room, Harry nodded politely to the teachers who called out goodbyes. Draco was watching him, a curious, almost concerned expression on his face, but Harry didn't stop to ponder it. The night had been strange enough without delving into the mystery of Draco Malfoy. Instead, he hurried from the room and into the cool night.