A/N: Hey there faithful readers! This took me longer than I thought but I've been awfully busy lately. That and the fact that I started to write a new fanfic as the insane idea behind it wouldn't leave my head. Be sure to check it if you're a Gilmore Girls and Harry Potter fan as it's a crossover... But nothing like you expect. Or so I hope.

As always, this has not been beta-read. I know, lame. But I really really wanted to give you guys a new chapter before you murder me and my beta isn't online.

And since I'm at it, I want to recommend a really good story, that was completed ages ago but which is an old favourite of mine and which I'm re-reading for the hundredth time. It's Runaway Dragon, by Silverfox1 and it also hasa sequel.

Disclaimer: everything you recognize is not mine, blah blah blah sigh

Chapter 34:

It was three in the morning and even the most worried teachers had succumbed to sleep. Snape was still missing but Dumbledore knew he would be fine. Snape was always fine. The whole castle was asleep. A fitful sleep, but sleep nevertheless. Ron Weasley was one of the only people still awake. He was worried about his sister, even if Hannah had said she was alright. He was also, surprisingly, worried about Malfoy.

He didn't want to admit it. Why the hell was he worrying about that idiot? His dad had been kind of right to blame all his problems on Malfoy. It was his fault in the end. Maybe Ginny was to blame because she was always helping people and putting her nose where she shouldn't but hell, nothing would have happened if she hadn't crossed paths with Malfoy. And then he dared being a prat about it! He knew that the Slytherin was feeling guilty. Little did he know just how much.

In fact, Draco was feeling so crushed that he had long lost control over everything. He had never gone to Pomfrey like Ron had advised, instead he had dragged himself painfully to his dorm and collapsed on his bed. The lack of food and sleep had weakened him considerably but the blood loss from earlier had definitely finished him off.

He gripped his knife tighter in his trembling hand. He kept telling his fingers to let go of it but they wouldn't obey. He looked at the massacre he'd done of himself and tears sprang to his eyes. 'How could I have been so stupid?' he screamed in his head. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid'. He chanted to himself, the rhythm punctuated by the blade scorching across his skin. But the teenager didn't even notice. He was too numb and too tired to notice that his hand had once again escaped his control; he was sobbing too hard to realize he was lacerating every patch of skin not covered by clothing.

To say that the other Slytherins panicked when they found him in the morning would be an understatement. They hadn't really cared for him at all lately, but that was too much to take in. Goyle had run to get Snape who looked worried sick instead of presenting the world with his equal expression. Then it had been Snape's turn to run, the blonde boy carefully tucked in the sheet that had stuck to his wounds when the blood had dried. Severus knew that the kid would be okay but the morning was still a shock.

Like the previous day, rumours flew quickly around the castle. The potions master hadn't even bothered taking unused corridors. What was the point in this school where nothing ever stayed a secret? He was perfectly aware every single student and staff in the school would know what Draco Malfoy had done. And that added to the Ginny Weasley problem was going to make the gossip mill blow up with excitement.

Madame Pomfrey had been as shocked when she had seen the head of the Slytherin house arrive but she was a trained healer and reacted quickly. Even though she knew there was little she could do.

"He used that damn dark arts blade again Severus, you know I can't heal anything. I'm going to clean and dress the wounds and give him a strengthening potion when he wakes up, along with a blood replenishing one. Then I insist on monitoring his sleep and eating as it obviously has gone out of control." She spoke in a firm tone to make sure that Severus wouldn't dare contradict her but he nodded absently.

"Are you alright Severus? I know you're worried but he'll be fine, I promise." She put a hand on his shoulder as he sat down at the foot of Draco's bed and she was surprised when he didn't sneer and push her away.

"If it was any other student, I could owl their parents. Even if it was Potter or Longbottom there would be someone to owl, be it Lupin or Longbottom's grand-mother. There would be someone who would come here and who would care. But you know why I'm sitting here? It's because there's no one to owl. No one gives a shit about this kid; no one." he spat out angrily.

Poppy averted her eyes towards the curled up form of the boy passed out on the bed. "I think you care more than you want to admit Severus. I think you love that kid is if he were yours. And I think you should tell him before he actually kills himself."

Severus sighed and looked at the floor, deep in thought. He could hear Poppy move around to clean up the sickening amount of wounds Draco had etched over himself. "Do you need some help?"

The school nurse looked at him like he had grown another head. Severus Snape would never ask her if she needed help. Of course, all the potions she stocked had carefully been brewed by him, but that was where stopped his contribution. She hid a smile. "Sure."

None of the Slytherins had gone to class that day, and no teacher had forced them to go. Quite the contrary, Dumbledore had ordered the staff to leave them alone. He wanted them to think and he was hoping the shock from the morning would shake off their animosity towards Draco. A day to think about house unity and the way they had treated one of them that need help would do them some good. Or so he hoped anyway.

Blaise Zabini however didn't have to reflect on house unity at all. He had always stuck by Draco's side and the state he had found his friend in this morning had scared the living daylights out of him. He had hung around the hospital wing all day till Snape told him to go away. Blaise had heavily protested, he thought it wasn't fair Snape was not teaching all day to stay there and he was not allowed to. But the potions master had been adamant and one knew better than trying to sway him.

So Blaise had gone and hidden in the library. He didn't want to hear what his housemates had to say, he didn't want to talk to people from the other houses, who would be morbidly curious and ask him plenty of questions. The only person he wanted to talk to was Draco, but he was still out cold anyway. More than anything he wanted to shake his friend awake and ask him what the hell he was thinking and why he was hurting so much the people who cared about him.

Blaise felt his eyes burn with unshed tears and retreated further away in the shadows. He didn't cry very often, but if he had to, no one would witness it. Except that footsteps stopped right in front of him. He bent his head further down, staring at his feet. He was sitting tailor style on a window sill and could feel the cold wind seeping under the old wooden frame but didn't want to move with that person there.

The person moved forward and he was able to recognize Hermione's dolly shoes. Great. Exactly the person he did not want to see in such a state. He was about to tell her to go away when she sat down next to him. He sighed, knowing that there was no way she would go away now unless he was particularly mean or rude and he just didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"Are you okay Blaise?"

He gritted his teeth. He wanted to yell at her 'what the hell do you think, idiot' but he knew that would be stupid and hurtful. It wasn't her fault Draco had been such a moron.

"I'll be fine Hermione, thanks for your concern," he eventually murmured.

"You're not fine now though. I take it the rumours are true then?"

Blaise didn't want to answer. As if denying it would make it less real. He couldn't understand why he was reacting so badly. It hadn't been very long since he'd been friends with Draco. They had been civil to each other since their first year but never really friends. Blaise always refused to adhere to the pathetic crowd of minions attached to the blonde boy's heels and he felt Draco respected him for that. But now, he was bawling his eyes out in the library with a Gryffindor sitting next to him. Merlin, Hogwarts truly was upside-down.

"I'm angry at him, you have no idea. How can he be so freaking selfish? How can he justify to himself such a behaviour?"

"Maybe he's beyond the point where he needs to justify it," the Gryffindor girl answered softly while putting her arm around her friend's shoulders and resting her head against his. "You can yell at him when he wakes up."

"Damn right I will. I will tell him exactly what I think: stop being a selfish prat, stop blaming yourself for everything, open your goddamn eyes and move on. And he better apologize to Ginny as well once we get her back, inconsiderate little prick!"

Hermione chuckled at his decided tone and was glad to see that Blaise had a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He suddenly turned to face her and she saw the dry tear streaks on his face. It broke her heart. She was falling hard for him and she knew it.

"You want to know why he suddenly turned around and told her to leave?" She could swear his eyes betrayed some amusement and raised her eyebrows at him. "He likes her," he chuckled.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How often do you hang out with people you hate? Everybody knows he likes her, that's why they're friends in the first pla-" she looked at her Slytherin companion who was shaking his head, still grinning and it dawned on her. "Oh. Erm. Ah."

"Quite inarticulate for the smartest girl in our year," he teased and she blushed like a complete moron. 'Pull yourself together Hermione for God's sake,' she scolded herself silently. She would have gladly slapped herself but she somehow didn't think it would go past Blaise.

"You want to know something else?" he asked still in an amused tone, though there was a bit of strain in his voice. Hermione focused on the black haired boy again, or at least tried to. "He's not the only one who likes a Gryffindor."

When Ginny woke up that morning, she didn't feel as bad as before. Actually, she felt rather good considering her situation. It didn't seem to bother her as much and her spirits were not as down as the day before. She missed Draco terribly though. More than usual at least. She frowned at that: she didn't want to miss someone who had crushed her the way he had.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around once more. Still no way of escaping. She laughed at herself. Escaping? She didn't even know where she was, how could she escape anything at all? A bowl of porridge appeared in front of her and she launched herself at it. She hadn't realized how hungry she was and it was delicious.

She never saw the Dark Lord watching her from behind the little grid at the dungeon door with what could be considered a smile. She didn't notice when Tom's voice in her head started to slightly change into a more mature, adult voice nor did she notice that what he was saying changed too.

She was so used to hearing him insult her and put her down that she didn't even notice when he started to put down her family and friends instead. She didn't notice that he even praised her talent and magical abilities.

It was a boring day, all in all. Everything was silent and she wondered if it was really that empty or if there were silencing charms around her. In the afternoon, one of her guards had come to get her so she could use the bathroom. It had been a short walk though, and she had only seen more doors and more creepy corners. She itched to ask if she was their only prisoner but she had a feeling her question would stay without answer.

Now that the sun was setting, it was getting really cold in the dungeon. She longed for the Gryffindor common room and its sparkling fire. Actually, she longed for anywhere but here. Or a fire, or a blanket or... Something.

She yawned and stretched and was about to give up and sleep instead of suffering from the cold when she heard a pop in the shadows. She squinted her eyes but it was now really dark and she could only distinguish a small figure in a corner.

"Who's there?" she eventually asked gathering her Gryffindor courage.

The small figure came close and she realised it was a house elf. It looked terrified. "I am Pod. Pod shouldn't be here, but the master is gone anyway so Pod has no one to obey. The dark haired professor has asked Pod to watch over little miss; Pod likes the professor so Pod agreed." The squeaky little creature bowed till his skull touched the floor before continuing. "Does the little miss need anything?"

"Erm… A blanket would be great I guess." She had barely finished enunciating her sentence that the elf had vanished and come back with a thick forest green blanket. She warmly thanked it… him? her? 'Him, most probably'.

Pod clacked his fingers and disappeared again, leaving Ginny alone in the damp dungeon. She decided to sleep in the middle of it as it would be less damp than the corner or walls and set her blanket on the stone floor. Her thoughts drifted back to the elf as she lied there. A dark haired professor? Who would know where she was? Her mind immediately pointed to Snape but it seemed hard to believe. Why would he ask a house elf to take care of her? He'd been friendlier since she had befriended Draco but he still didn't seem to be the mother-hen type.

Of course, thinking of Snape brought back Draco in her mind. She missed him terribly and she wished she had pestered him to tell her what was bothering him when he had been such a jerk to her. Perhaps he would have changed his mind and kept her as his friend?

She concentrated all her energy on their mind bond again. Surely, if Snape had sent a house elf, Draco had to know that she had been kidnapped, right? He would open the bond again, wouldn't he? Even he, the Slytherin heartless git wouldn't leave her alone in that cold dungeon, would he?

She pushed on the wards he had put up and was surprised to feel them break under her assault. She hadn't even been too violent with it! Relief flooded her as she felt the familiar chaos of Draco's mind. His head was as much of a mess as ever but she had grown accustomed to it and she liked it.

However, the boy seemed already asleep. 'How is that possible?' screamed the red-headed Gryffindor in her head. 'It must not be later than 6 pm!' She mentally trampled around her friend's head to wake him up but it seemed useless. She couldn't understand why as he was quite the light sleeper under normal circumstances.

After a good fifteen minutes of her havoc wrecking in his head, she felt him stir awake. She felt him annoyed at being awake but it only lasted half a second as he realized that only one person had such access to his mind.

"Gin?"

Her eyes snapped open and she laid there frozen. She had heard a voice. She looked around but no one was there. The dungeon was dead silent, as always. The voice repeated her name again, but this time it seemed familiar.

"Draco," she whispered.

"Gin, is that you?"

She smiled at the realization that their mind bond had progressed again. "Yes," she laughed.

Be nice and review! Of course, everybody realized that the italics are them speaking telepathetically.