Quidditch practice had been a complete nightmare and ended up with Ginny losing her voice from yelling, Ron missing 21 goals in a row, Demelza with a broken nose from a mishit bludger, and Harry, who had been knocked from his broom also from a mishit bludger (he really needed to find two new beaters), with at least three broken ribs and a shoulder that hurt like hell.

Harry accompanied Demelza into the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey healed her in about two seconds but Harry, of course, had to stay the night. So far this was only the second night this year he stayed in the hospital wing but it was only the second week of October.

Harry was on the verge of drawing the curtains around his bed as someone limped into the hospital wing. Harry realized with a shock that it was Draco. When the blonde stepped under the light, Harry couldn't help but wince-Draco had two scratches on his cheek as well as a black eye. His expensive robes were dirty, as though he had been knocked to the ground, and the mask had slipped from his face, revealing the pain he was in.

"Oh Mr. Malfoy, not again!" Madam Pomfrey hurried forward and helped Draco sit on the bed next to Harry. She flicked her wand and the curtains around Harry's bed closed with a swish.

Harry settled quietly on the bed and kept quiet so he could hear what was happening.

Draco groaned to his right and Madam Pomfrey muttered healing spells.

"Who did this to you, Draco?" Her voice so quiet Harry nearly missed it. But Draco stayed silent and Harry heard the rustling of Madam Pomfrey's robes and light footsteps as she moved away to the cabinet that contained the healing potions. The clink of potion bottles reached Harry's ears and then the rustling was back.

"Here, drink this, it'll help against the swelling and cool down the burns-"

Burns? Had Draco been the victim to stinging hexes?

"And this one is-"

"For dreamless sleep, I know." Came Draco's quiet voice; all smugness gone from it, he sounded completely exhausted.

"Well drink up and I'll wake you in the morning..."

It was silent for a minute or so until."

"Draco if you don't tell me who did this to you, I can't help you." Madam Pomfrey said so quietly that Harry thought he might have just imagined it and he nearly fell out of his bed straining his ears to catch Draco's response. But if Draco did respond, which Harry doubted, he missed it.

The rustle of a robe, quiet footsteps, and the close of a door signaled Harry that Madam Pomfrey had gone to bed. And Harry was left alone to his thoughts. After the exchange he had witnessed a few weeks ago between Draco and the Hufflepuff boy, Harry was sure that Draco hadn't defended himself. Draco wasn't a novice at dueling, so he had either chosen not to defend himself, which was most unlike him, or he physically hadn't been able to fight back. Harry wasn't sure when Malfoy had become Draco to him but he knew that the blonde had saved his life back in the Manor and he had saved Draco from the fiendfyre. They weren't indebted to each other so why did Harry care? He supposed that Hermione would say it was because of his "Hero-complex", that he couldn't sit back and watch someone else get bullied or pushed around. Even Draco who had been a slimy git to him for the better part of 6 years. Yet sometime during the war Harry had realized that Draco had never been the enemy, it was always just Voldemort who had ruined all those lives. Draco may have been a pawn in his game but what was he now? Just a Hogwarts student with a tainted history trying to pass his final year so he could start a career for himself. Not that different from himself, Harry realized. He would have to discuss this with Ron and Hermione first.

AN: Thanks for reading and please review! :)