Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Harry Potter etc still belongs to JK Rowling, plot still belongs to me.

Author's Note: Sorry for the shortness of that last chapter, but myoriginal readerswere all like 'Where's the rest of it?' so I thought it would be more dramatic to just leave it at that. Apologies for the slowness to the people who actually care about this fic, I never thought there would be any of you.

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When he reached the corridor outside the hospital wing, Harry suddenly stopped. Which way should he go?

He raised his wand and muttered a clever little charm he had learnt from Hermione; it would point him in the direction Draco had gone. His wand spun on his palm for a few seconds, then stopped, pointing definitely to his right. He gave a small, grim smile and dashed off in that direction.

A few minutes later, Harry was wondering just how far Draco had gone. He had used the charm a few more times to make sure he was going in the right direction, and his wand was still pointing onwards. He did the charm again as he reached a fork in the corridor, then took the right hand fork.

He was beginning to run out of breath when he reached what looked like an external door. With his wand raised, he opened the door and stepped out carefully. To his relief, the only person outside the door happened to be the one he was looking for. His heart quickened slightly at the sight of the platinum blond head of the boy who was sitting on the steps just outside the door, gazing out at the grounds.

Harry must have made some sound, for he suddenly found a wand out and pointing at his face. To his relief, he saw Draco's face relax slightly when he realised it was Harry who had interrupted his stargazing. Harry's relief was punctuated with a sudden shock, however, as he realised that the angelic visage staring at him had tragically red eyes. Red and puffy, actually. Shit, had Draco been crying again?

Wordlessly, Harry took a few steps forward, and seated himself on the step beside Draco. He could almost feel the awkwardness, hanging in the air.

"You must read fast," Draco said quietly.

Harry nodded. "Do you really feel that bad about all this?"

Draco gave a tiny sniff. Harry saw a few glistening tears run from his red, swollen eyes. "Yes, I do. That letter was terrible, it doesn't even come close…" He trailed off. "But I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm certain. I don't want to talk about it."

"What DO you want then, Draco?"

"I want you to get lost, and go back to hating me. I want…"

"What?"

"I want you back," Draco said in a barely perceptible whisper. "I want you to love me."

Harry's ears had somehow managed to pick up all of this. He took a short while to digest it however.

"I'm sorry," Draco mumbled. "I know I'm an idiot, and I must look really, really dumb right now. I shouldn't have said. You could never love me, could you?"

Harry's heart melted at how totally innocent and helpless he looked. "Do you even need to ask?"

Draco's vermilion-rimmed eyes brightened, making him look more seraph-like than ever. "You mean…"

Harry put an arm around his shoulders, then hugged him. "Yes."

"You don't have to make any promises this time," Draco whispered. "I shouldn't have overreacted the way I-"

Harry cut him dead, pulling away so he could look Draco right in his silver eyes, which were at the moment full of apology. "I trust you. I know you've changed. I'm sorry too, I was a right jerk before."

Draco moved in to kiss him, but Harry gently pushed him away. "We can't," he said softly.

Draco looked confused and a little hurt.

"Pansy," Harry reminded him. "We can't be properly together until you've ended it with her, OK?"

A ghost of a smile passed across Draco's tear-streaked face. "God, she's going to be pissed!"

"She'll be OK," Harry smiled, standing up. "Come on, we'd better get back."

The next morning, Harry was woken by the sounds of someone bustling into the ward. He assumed, at first, that it was Madam Pomfrey, but then realised that the step was distinctly lighter than hers. He opened his eyes in interest and discovered that it was Pansy Parkinson.

Harry lifted himself a little higher on his pillow and, with trepidation, watched Pansy as she approached Draco's bedside.

"Wakey wakey," he heard her say softly. He watched as Draco woke up and Pansy stooped to kiss him on the cheek.

"Morning, Pansy…" He heard Draco say.

"What's up, precious? You seem a bit… off." Pansy said to Draco.

Precious… Harry was torn between laughter and vomiting, but managed to refrain from either.

"Um, Pansy, I've got something to tell you," he heard Draco say nervously. He cringed on Draco's behalf; he did not envy him this task at all. "Look, you're a great girl, but… I think we should split up – it's for the best."

"For the best?" Pansy said in a dangerously quiet voice. "Oh, you little dickhead, there's someone else, isn't there?"

"Um…"

"Tell me, Draco." She commanded in a slightly louder and much more imperative voice.

"OK, I'm really sorry but yes, there is someone. We haven't been together while you and I have been of course-"

Draco's apology was suddenly cut off by Pansy, who was growing louder by the second. "Do you love… this person?" She virtually spat the last two words.

Draco stalled for a moment, but evidently decided that Honesty Was the Best Policy.

"Yes."

Bad idea.

"How could you?" Pansy shrieked, her voice reaching a crescendo. "You-"

She proceeded to call Draco every name under the sun, at the same time as attempting to do him serious physical injury. Spurning hexes and other such wand-work, she had reverted to the tried and tested method. Subsequently, Draco was feeling quite a lot worse by the time Madam Pomfrey entered at a run (strange, Harry never knew she could move that fast) and dragged Pansy, who was practically spitting with rage, off of her patient.

"Miss Parkinson, I am APPALLED!" The matron quickly began laying into Pansy. "I am disgusted that a student could behave like this to one of their fellows, and one who has only just recovered from a nasty concussion, no less! How dare you! Forty points from Slytherin, and I'll be speaking to your Head of House, make no mistake!" As she finally finished her tirade, Madam Pomfrey angrily shooed Pansy out of the ward, then turned and began to mop up Draco, who had sustained several rather deep cuts from Pansy's onslaught. He caught Harry's eye from under Madam Pomfrey's arm, and Harry gave him a look of great sympathy. Evidently, getting on the wrong side of Pansy was not a good idea. Harry made a mental note that if she ever went for him, he would have a good Severing Charm ready for her fingernails, which looked almost as dangerous as the infamous Rita Skeeter's.

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Author's Note: Hee hee. What did you think of evil Pansy? She was fun to write.