A/N : This is once again a very short chapter. Sorry, guys! Also, the previous chapter and this one are Prologues:D
Thanks to : Faded Glitter and Silverness for being my first reviewers! (I would never have posted the next chapter without them)
Warning : Abuse
Pairing : H/D (Not to be confused with D/H)
Rating : M
Genre : Angst/Romance and Humor from the next chapter onwards.
Disclaimer : Not mine. Period.
And remember kiddies, Flames are used to burn Ginevra Weasley
Prologue the Second – Nice Meeting You
Partie Une
Ron sat across him on one of the dirty yellow chairs, his gaze flitting from Harry's anxious face to the room where the ex-Slytherin lay unconscious. Harry stood up and was about to turn when a loud slap on the face hit him hard,
"What the bloody hell have you done to him, Potter?"
It was a seething Severus Snape that greeted his view when he opened his eyes,
"Answer me now, Potter; or I swear to Merlin, I will kill you"
Shame made it impossible to face the dark-haired man standing before him, and so Harry turned around to gaze at the boring white door that led to his lover's room,
"I don't know…"
He heard the patter of an approaching person and he looked towards the sound.
Snape was infuriated with the lack of response and explanation of the Man-Who-Lived. He tried to grab the emerald eyed ex-Gryffindor's attention, but was cut off by the girl who had just joined them,
"Harry, please, we need to know what happened"
Her attempt at soothing Harry's frazzled nerves was unsuccessful as his questioning gaze asked her about Draco's well-being,
"How is he?"
"The healers say he has a good chance of surviving. But he's in a coma"
"Oh god's, 'Mione… It's my entire fault"
Another wave of grief and remorse washed over him. He couldn't weep anymore, his eyes were too sore and he felt as if he had cried out all his tears. Snape was merciless,
"It is your bloody fault, Potter"
Hermione shot an angry frown at their old professor but her gaze wavered as she saw how affected he really was over the state of his godson. His hair was greasier than ever and clumped up, eyes held a haunted fatigued look about them and he looked as if he hadn't had a decent night's sleep for days,
"Professor, if I may ask…"
"Not much of a choice is there, Granger?"
"Draco's been in there for three night's now, why come only now?"
"That old fool of an Auror, Mad-Eye, absolutely refused for me to leave earlier than originally scheduled. Said that Dumbledore was more important than the welfare of a Death-Eater-in-training"
She nodded in understanding and a tense silence followed. Suddenly, Snape glowered at one Harry Potter,
"You, what happened to my godson?"
Swallowing nervously, the Man-Who-Lived looked to Hermione for help,
"He uhm… I'm sorry, Harry, I never knew what happened"
He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak,
"We were having a fight. I though that - - -"
"You thought. How convenient"
Snape interjected and snarled, then waited for him to continue,
"I told him to leave me alone, but he wouldn't - - -"
"Ah. So now it's Draco's fault"
Harry glared angrily at the older man before him and replied scathingly,
"Look. Do you want me to continue or not?"
"You're not the one who is fighting for your life, Potter. You have absolutely no reason to get mad at me. As I see it, it was you who caused my godson's current state"
He looked away, guilt written all over his face and he mumbled,
"It's true"
Hermione seemed to be too stunned to reply, but Snape's eyes narrowed even further and he asked,
"You hit him, didn't you?"
A whisper so soft, the Potions Master seemed not to have heard it,
"I hate myself for it"
At that moment, Snape's face changed considerably. Maybe the regret and rue etched all over Harry's features had touched the professor, or maybe his weakened state refused to exert any more energy into fighting, but he sighed tiredly and answered,
"Go home, Potter, Granger, Weasley. Merlin knows you all need the rest"
"But professor…"
"Go, you can come back tomorrow"
Partie Deux
Turning the silver metal knob, he hears the screeching of metal scratching against metal and then the rush of moving water through the pipes. The liquid sprays out and onto his feeble exhausted body.
A sigh of contentment escapes through his slightly parted lips, the water is refreshing and invigorating against his sweaty tired self.
He opens his eyes and for a split second, he imagines a blond head grinning happily and joyfully at him. He reaches out to touch it and it vanishes before his very eyes. The apparition is gone and once again, he is left alone.
Finally, he realizes the chances of his lover pulling through were close to none.
Salty tears, mingling with the liquid, runs down his cheeks and he buries his face into his hands. Wave after wave of remorse, guilt, shame and self-loathing crashes down him. His heart clenches and unclenches tightly.
He wants to touch the delicate soft skin once more, feel petal-soft lips kissing his, see those stormy gray eyes shining with unspoken bliss.
He remembers what he did and a soft moan is heard.
Gone.
In less than an hour, he had thrown everything away.
And for what?
For assuming.
For jumping to conclusions.
For always expecting the worst from his lover.
For nothing.
He collapses into great sobs and his body trembles with each cry.
Gone.
Partie Trois (Two weeks later)
He was sitting on one of those benches again, waiting for Draco to wake from his comatose state. It had been like that for close to two weeks after Snape arrived. He would stay there for the whole day; Hermione would come to bring him food, to wait with him and to whisper words to comfort him, Ron would apologize profusely and, at the end of the day, Snape would tell him to go home.
Today seemed no different from any of the other days.
Engrossed in watching the healers move from place to place and patients be moved from room to room, Harry did not notice his honey eyed best friend approach him with a wide beam on her face,
"Harry?"
Silence.
"Harry?"
Silence.
She shook him hard and he turned to her, hope coming in his eyes as he saw the victorious grin. He didn't say anything, but, waited for her to talk,
"Draco's awake"
Jaw dropping and smile gracing his face for the first time in weeks, relief flooded over him. The Man-Who-Lived could barely believe what he heard. He stood up and followed Hermione into the room which had barred him from seeing the blond ex-Slytherin.
Harry steeled himself for the anger he would be getting from his lover; but the fact that Draco was alive and conscious made everything seem so non-important.
Inside, the silver gray eyed man was standing and surveying his surroundings. Harry could not help himself; he hugged the smaller figure tightly,
"Harry! Let go of Draco! You might hurt him"
Again.
The word wasn't said but it the thought was still there. Hermione gave him an apologizing glance but he was too busy smiling to get hurt by what she could have said.
"Draco?"
The blond looked at the ex-Gryffindor seeker inquiringly and replied,
"Harry Potter?"
Smiling widely and nodding, he was surprised by the lack of hatred on the other man's part. Worry creased his features as Draco continued to stare at him disbelievingly,
"The Harry Potter?"
Draco's silver gray eyes widened considerably.
He nodded now, unsure of what was going through the blond's mind.
Wait.
That look was familiar.
A pale hand extended towards him and a charming smile,
"I'm Draco Malfoy, Harry. Nice to meet you"
TBC
A/N : I really am uber sorry for the short chapters! The next ones will be much longer:D (Actually, I just chopped the first chapter into two 'cause it didn't seem right that I… Oh, I'm blabbering, aren't I?)
To :
A.Dudeparetol – Yes, yes! I'll keep writing during the Chinese period! S'long as you help me burn Ginny
B.Howmow – I'll let you read this! Of course! Hehehe! Unless... You insult me
C. Poring - Okay na ung grammar mo! Hahah I'm trying to finish the next chapters, but I need to me them longer... And about meh real name, matalino kasi si Howmow eh! -Sarcasm intended-
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