Well a very Happy New Year to everyone even though it's over 2 months ago – just shows how bad I am. I am so grateful to those who have stuck with me and have been very patient with my very bad updating throughout this story. You guys are the best, you really are! Well here's the next chapter, I hope you all like.

Chapter Sixteen – The Valentines Day Ball Part II

Harry continued to walk and walk ignoring the snow that landed on his head, his arms, numbing his whole body. The direction Harry took was to the Forbidden Forest, it wasn't his intention but as he past Hagrid's house Harry realised he needed somewhere to hide – The Forbidden Forest. Just before stepping out of the snow into the cover of the trees Harry chanced a glance backwards to the castle where he saw a lone figure standing in the entrance illuminated by the candle light.

Not wanting to lose anymore time he swiftly turned and this time with purpose headed into the depth of the dark, damp but inviting forest. Not a single flake of snow had managed to break through the leaves and branches of the dense trees. They locked everything out but at the same time kept everything in. As Harry was running he thought of all the secrets he had told these trees and how they had then told them to the wind. The further in Harry delved the blacker the surroundings became and as he reached this point Harry felt sure no one would find him.

Harry lent against a tree and slid down it, pulling his legs into his body automatically for warmth. Putting his head on his knees Harry sighed and contemplated.

'I can't believe I let him see me watching him. It was the stupidest thing to do. If I let my defences down against him, a mere student, then what chance do I stand when I'm against one of the darkest, most powerful wizards?' Harry berated himself, while slamming his fists into his legs.

'ARGHHHHH!' Harry screamed. 'ARGHHH!' Stopping abruptly he listened to his voice being carried away by the wind on the tips of the trees. The echo slowly got quieter and quieter – then there was deadly silence.

'What the fuck am I going to do?' Harry asked out loud to no one in particular. 'What am I going to do?'

'You could do the right thing.'

Harry jumped up, wand at the ready. 'Who said that?' He asked impatiently.

'Who do you think? There's no one else around?'

'Bloody great, so I've now got to listen to my fucking sub conscious. And what is the right thing?'

'Only you know that.'

'You are me.'

'Oooo touché. However, I'm only a part of you.'

In anger Harry turned around and kicked the tree, hard. 'Shit! That hurt.' But he didn't care, not anymore. Harry didn't want to think, he didn't want to think of the consequences of what might be. This made Harry kick the tree again and again. Harry then slammed his body into it, hitting his head in the process, but not caring. Harry could taste the blood in his mouth as it seeped down from a deep cut that had formed on his head. Tasting the coppery liquid with his tongue he moved back from the tree, as if stunned.

Although, he only needed a moment and he was punching the tree with his bare hands. His knuckles clenched into white balls as they smashed into the bark of the tree, where he then dragged them downwards to pull them away, which in turn scraped several layers of skin off. Harry flicked his hair out of his eyes, which was slowly congealing with blood. Removing this barrier, Harry took one last swing at the tree and his hand collided with the tree at the wrong angle. Harry heard the snap, then he felt it and screamed.

0000

Harry wasn't sure how long much time had passed as he sat cradling his hand in his lap trying to hold his little finger in place. The bone was poking out from under where there would normally be a joint but instead was a limp, lifeless sack of skin containing some disjointed bones. The blood was just pouring out in waterfalls of the brightest red, all down his clean white shirt.

Harry lifted his good hand to his head and tenderly felt the cut on his head that had now stopped bleeding. He ran his hand down the side of his face and he could feel his hand smudge the dried blood along his cheek. Carefully and with a great deal of effort he stood up and pulled his wand from his pocket. Kicking a stone in front of him with his foot he transfigured it into a make shift bandage. With all the gentleness he possessed he wrapped his hand in the bandage, trying to use his other fingers to support the broken one until he could get back to Madame Pomfrey. He then tied the bandage round his neck so his hand lay flat across his chest in the most comfortable position possible.

'Lumos.' Harry chanted as he started his journey back, slowly stumbling over roots of trees, trying to find the way out of the forest. Now he had regained his composure and wasn't as annoyed with himself as before he realised this was a part of the forest he didn't know very well. To his surprise Harry found himself relatively worried and the only person he thought of, that he thought would keep him sane was Draco.

Harry paused to catch his breath and take a look around. 'You would think that with the amount of time I spend in here I would know my way around, but I don't.' Harry thought. His thoughts though were cut short by a spasm of pain shooting through his bad arm bringing him back to reality. Harry closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he waited for it to pass and it seemed to take an eternity.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck.' He muttered, shaking his head. 'Come on Harry, ignore the pain and concentrate. You've done this before,' and slowly his mind changed the pain – instead of it hurting like hell, his hand was now numb. It was just like when he self harmed, he couldn't feel anything, his nerves didn't detect any pain and this brought a small sadistical smile to his lips.

Opening up his eyes, the brightest green clashed with the pure, untainted white to his left. He had found an edge to the Forbidden Forest. Harry soldiered on as he felt the ground change beneath his feet – from the hard, safe but unforgiving dry ground to the unsure, soft and padded snow. Blinking at the whiteness of the snow and the way the moon reflected off it into his eyes, he recognised that he was by the lake. This was where he, Hermione and Ron had spent many a joyful summer afternoon bathing in the sunshine.

Harry made his way to the waters edge, which was now deadly still and utterly iced over. Tentively he placed his foot on the ice letting it skid on the surface, feeling the cold penetrate through his shoe. It dawned on Harry then that he was in a very likely position to contract pneumonia if he didn't make a move to go back to the castle.

Turning to his right he walked back quite normally to the entrance that he had left all those hours ago. Stepping across the threshold he felt a wave of warmth hit him and it was gladly welcomed. Harry just stood for a while enraptured by the warmth; it was as if he had plunged into a hot bath instead of being in the freezing ocean of cold he'd been submerged in for the past few hours.

'Shit Potter, where the bloody hell have you been.'

Harry turned immediately to where the voice came from and there stood Malfoy still in the muggle attire he'd been in for the Ball.

'Do you take pleasure in the frightening the living daylights out of everybody?' Harry questioned.

Malfoy looked at him before answering, 'No, just you.'

'Oh, aren't I privileged.'

'Yes you bloody are. I don't wait up for every fucking person who deludes themselves into going on a midnight stroll on one of the coldest nights of the year.'

'I didn't ask you to wait for me.' Harry spat back.

'Well fuck you Potter, fuck you. I though we'd come to some sort of agreement, obviously I was wrong.' Malfoy said maliciously.

'Oh, so you do recognise it then? Well that is a surprise seeing as you haven't talked to me since then.' Harry nearly shouted, he was beginning to get quite angry and his hand was starting to throb.

'What? What exactly do you expect me to do? Tell al my friends – oh yeah by the way I've reached an agreement with one of our long term enemies and we're now on speaking terms – Come on Potter, even you can't be that dense as to realise that won't work…' Malfoy looked at him pointedly.

'Yeah whatever Malfoy, I might have known you wouldn't think about anything but yourself and your precious reputation. Take pride in being a Death Eater's son?'

Malfoy lurched at Harry and grabbed his sides shaking him. 'DON'T! Don't you fucking dare say that you git!' Malfoy was almost white and it wasn't with fear.

Harry looked on Malfoy with an expression of shock, which then turned instantly to one of hurt. Harry comprehended that his bad arm was hitting continuously against his chest screaming at him with pain. 'SHIT SHIT SHIT!' Harry yelled. Malfoy stopped instantaneously, very flushed. Harry breathed slowly, taking in the pain, trying to ignore it and he mentioned to Malfoy, 'I have to go to the Hospital Wing. Had a slight accident.'

Without waiting on Malfoy, Harry removed himself from Malfoy's presence. As quickly as possible Harry headed straight for the Hospital Wing, not caring what level of noise he created.

0000

Seating himself on the side of a hospital bed he waited while Madame Pomfrey went to collect a sleeping draught for him. She had finished fussing and mending his hand without asking too many a question. She had also attended to his face and head. Harry had refused to stay in the Hospital Wing and so this was why he was receiving the draught.

As he heard the shuffling of slippers on the cold, hard lino floor, Harry also detected a second pair of shoes.

'Here Potter, you take this as soon as you're in bed. Good night.' And with that she swept from the room, leaving Harry with Malfoy.

'Yes Malfoy?' Harry asked irritably.

'Draco. It's Draco.'

Harry gave Draco a long, hard, enquiring stare. 'Harry.' He replied. After a moments pause Harry continued, 'So what are you doing here Draco?'

'I came to check to see if you were ok and weren't about to die on m… us all.'

'No, no I'm still here. Just had a little argument with a tree that's all and also promptly lost.' Harry smiled.

Looking shocked Draco gave Harry a small smile back.

'I don't know about you but I'm not tired anymore, join me for a drink?' Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry's question. 'Not that kind of drink, is that all you think of? Don't answer that question on second thoughts. I meant something like coffee or chocolate.'

'Oh ok.' Came the confused reply.

0000

'Aren't the kitchens five floors down from here?' Draco enquired.

'I'm not going to the kitchens. Now in you go.' Harry said opening the door to the Room of Requirement. Cups of steaming coffee lined on wall and the other had shelves mounted with meltingly delicious hot chocolate. Harry grabbed one and sat down on a squishy red chair, putting his sleeping draught to the side. Too shocked for words Draco took a cup of coffee, put spoonful after spoonful of sugar in it and sat down opposite Harry.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while watching one another over the rims of their mugs when they thought the other wasn't looking.

Harry chuckled and spoke, 'This reminds me of a poster I once saw, it said 'They met over a cup of coffee, but who drank it?' Good don't you think?'

'Hmm,' Draco nodded.

Harry finished his drink and went and grabbed another, settling back down into the mould he'd made in the chair. Fed up with the occasional glance and the continual silence, Harry decided to make conversation.

'You have fun tonight?' He asked. 'Must keep this simple and on common ground.' Harry thought to himself.

Draco sipped his drink through pursed lips, 'It was ok, I was surprised mu… Granger managed to decorate the Hall so well.' Harry was about to speak, when Draco placed his mug down and continued. 'Only one problem though, I was stuck with Pansy as a partner – 'ooo dance with me Draco, dance with me' – continuously in my ear the whole evening. I swear that girl needs an off button or a volume control. Didn't see you with anyone…?'

'Nah, wasn't going to even bother going but I was guilted into it by Ron.' Harry shrugged.

'I saw you watching.' Draco mentioned bluntly.

'Straight to the point. I noticed you followed and waited for me.'

This time it was Draco's turn to shrug. 'And?'

'Nothing, bit strange that's all.'

'I could say the same about you.'

'I guess you could.' Harry replied. 'Does it matter?'

'Does what?' Draco asked a little shocked.

'That I was watching you.' Draco didn't say anything but just shook his head in reply. Harry drummed his fingers as they sat and suddenly as though he'd been pinched on the arse, he jumped up.

'I don't understand why the hell you went with Parkinson though.' He shouted jealously.

Draco stood to challenge the power Harry had by standing. 'Well what the hell did you expect me to do Harry? Go with you!' Draco sneered.

Harry blushed slightly at Draco's words but didn't care anymore; this had to be in the open. 'And why not?' He questioned, then as quick as lightning, before he had time to think he closed the gap between Draco and himself. 'You hate her, so why bother with her?'

Holding his own, Draco glared at Harry. 'To keep up bloody appearances.' He turned away, his head in his hands. Harry reached out to touch Draco's shoulder but never got there. Draco swiftly turned back round and whispered, 'because it wouldn't do for them to know that it's Harry fucking Potter, the boy who wouldn't die that I want.' Draco shook his head as if disgusted with himself. 'Harry, it's you I want.' Draco repeated more calmly and collected.

Harry stood in utter shock and stony silence.

Well there we go. It's all out in the open and without Harry revealing his feelings…. Lol. Well fingers crossed I get another chapter up before the end of the week, seeing as its half term and my birthday on Friday! Eeeee lol. Not that I'm excited or anything. Well, I may as well ask you to review, pretty please, it means so much and I love to read them. Thanks!