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Chapter 1

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"I - I don't know how to help you - " The words were as desperate as the dark-haired man whose lips they had left.

Glittering grey eyes flashed dangerously.

"Oh that would be right, wouldn't it?" Draco snarled. "Ever the Gryffindor." He spat the words as though they were venom. "Always trying to fix everything."

Suddenly his voice changed.

"Well you couldn't fix me, could you…." He choked back a sob and turned away, hating himself. Damn it. Harry was the only one who had ever been able to make him cry - and he hated him for it.

Harry tried again, desperately, with the one thing that he had left unmentioned…. Neither of them had spoken about it for weeks, but still it hung between them like an invisible, impenetrable barrier. Harry knew that he was taking a huge risk by saying it, but it was all he had left…. He took a deep breath and forced out the words that he knew Draco might never forgive him for. "What about your father? You saw what it did to him when - "

Draco froze.

"Get out."

It was obvious from the sound of the strangled syllables that his teeth were tightly clenched.

Hot tears sprang into the eyes of the taller wizard as his deathly pale face whitened even more, his nostrils flaring with every ragged breath.

Harry bit his lip, immediately regretting his outburst. Stinging tears cascaded down his cheeks. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have - "

"Damn right you shouldn't have!" Draco was now shaking. "If you EVER mention what you did to him…. What you did to me - "

"I only - "

"You had NO RIGHT!"

The incident in Malfoy Manor had happened weeks ago, but Harry wasn't surprised that the youngest member of the pureblood family still hadn't forgiven him for his part in it.

Tentative fingers reached towards the shaking man. "I'm so - "

Draco whipped his arm away.

"Don't touch me."

His words were pure ice.

Harry shrank back, trembling. He was shocked to find that he was – frightened. He was actually frightened of his own – but he didn't even know how to finish that sentence. For he didn't even know who this person was anymore.

Draco turned away, seemingly in a trance-like state, and came to a halt against the mantelpiece. Laughing faces within a gilded frame mocked at him from beneath their glass. He closed his heavy, red-rimmed eyes and rested his palms on the cool surface, his chest still heaving.

"You have to get help - " Harry was pleading now.

Draco seethed silently.

Harry wrung his hands together. "It's killing me seeing you like this…."

The Slytherin, barely raising his hardened gaze, gave a hollow laugh.

"Well why don't I just save you the trouble of seeing me…."

In one fluid movement, he pushed himself away from the mantelpiece and stumbled angrily towards the door. Harry watched helplessly. A simple charm would have sufficed to bar the door shut and force the stubborn man to remain here - but he couldn't bring himself to use magic. Not when he knew how Draco felt about it…. Not after what had happened….

No - if he were so much as to see Harry with a wand in his hand, he would never forgive him.

I'll never forgive you. The cruel words that Draco had uttered that day came back to slice right through him, penetrating his chest only to wrap themselves like a metal band around his already breaking heart.

If the blond-haired man had felt any of the Gryffindor's silent pleas, he had chosen to ignore them. For within the time it took Harry to inhale a shaky breath, he had reached the doorway, his bandaged hands already fumbling with the lock. He cursed loudly. He struggled with the key, but didn't ask for any help. And Harry didn't dare offer it. The distraught Gryffindor held his breath, the tears streaming down his cheeks, willing him not to leave. But to no avail. Within half a minute, Draco had flung open the door and made to cross the threshold.

He paused.

Don't do this, Draco…. Harry silently pleaded. You can still turn around…. Don't do this….

Still refusing to face Harry, Draco fumbled with his hands for a second or two.

There was a soft thud of metal against wood.

Then he left.

The slamming of the door might well have severed, somehow, the invisible strings that had been holding Harry upright - for the man suddenly sank to the ground, shaking. He was now trembling so violently that he couldn't even brush the tears from his face.

It had really happened.

Draco had gone.

His gaze fell to the wooden cabinet beside the doorway. And there, amongst the unopened post and discarded wrappers, was the one thing that had still bound Harry and Draco to each other.

A plain gold wedding ring.

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And there you have it! I'm not really sure where this is going, but I've put a few loose ends in there to sustain a few more chapters maybe. I tried not to put too much description in this story, because I usually overdo it and it ends up breaking up the dialogue! I've started writing the second chapter, but I'm not sure if I'll carry it on yet. Hope you liked this one though! Thank you ever so much for reading it! I'd love it if you tell me what you think:o)