Sectumsempra

"You came back!" Myrtle giggled excitedly as Draco silently entered the girls' bathroom on the second floor, checking behind him to make sure there was nobody watching.

He didn't respond. He clicked his neck painfully and headed for the sink. He saw his reflection and grimaced. He looked like a ghost. His skin was sickly pale, with a darkness around his eyes that made them look huge. He turned the tap and threw some cool water on his face.

"Are you sick?" Myrtle encircled him, her ghostly fingers touching his face. He shivered and stepped back. Her touch was cold as death, and it made your blood feel like ice.

"No." he muttered, brushing his hair away from his eyes, and fumbling to secure it in a ponytail at the nape.

"Here." She floated behind him, and combed her transparent fingers through his hair. "Boy's can never do it right!" she smirked.

Draco rolled his eyes and reluctantly let her tie it, an annoyed sneer displayed across his face. He wondered what it would be like to have a sister, then he wouldn't feel so alone.

"So…" Myrtle finished tying his hair and floated back to her window ledge. She crossed her legs and made ready to listen. "Did you have a good holiday?"

Draco shrugged. "Quiet…just me and my mother…and Pansy."

"How are they? More importantly how are you?" She smiled.

"Coping…I think." He felt his stomach begin to shake. The sickly feeling one gets when you are trying to hide your true emotions.

"You can tell me you know! I made a promise and I always keep my promises. That Harry Potter and Weasley saw me as I was looking for you, and I didn't tell him who I waiting for!"

Draco felt a surge of hatred. He whirled around to face her. "WHAT?" he snarled.

Myrtle jumped. "I promise I didn't tell him anything!" she cowered slightly. "I kept your secret! Potter doesn't know you are here!"

"He's been spying on me!" Draco hissed, and kicked the plumbing in anger. "He knows what I'm planning doesn't he?" his eyes looked fierce from his rage, and Myrtle was a frightened, even though she had nothing to fear. After all, she was already dead.

"What plans?" She gasped. Draco stopped snarling, and glared at her.

"Nothing." He calmed himself. He almost let slip, and that could never happen, not now he was so close to finishing his task. If he failed this time…if his plan was foiled, or the cabinet didn't work, he would witness the true horror Voldemort could inflict.

He breathed heavily and relaxed, moving over to the sink to wash his fears away, only to find himself bursting into tears.

"Hey" Myrtle floated down to his side. "What's wrong? Tell me?"

"I can't do it!" he sobbed, "I just can't do it." He glared at his reflection in the cracked mirror and grimaced. "He's done a good job my dad…I'm a horrible, arrogant, violent bastard! …turned out just like he wanted!"

"That's not true!" Myrtle consoled him, "Don't say that! I think you're nice, a little mean maybe!" she laughed, "But you seem to have a good heart."

Draco wasn't listening. He didn't care what the dead girl thought of him, as far as he was concerned…he was a pathetic coward. He gripped the sides of the sink and held back his sobs. "I hate him!" Draco seethed. His lips trembling. He resisted the urge to headbutt the already broken mirror. He didn't know who he was talking about…his father…himself…Potter…Voldemort. He stared long and hard at the Malfoy in the mirror. All he could see was a creature his father spawned and shaped into an image of himself. A clone.

"Don't," Myrtle crooned. "Don't…tell me what's wrong…I can help you…"

"No one can help me," Draco nodded his head and clenched his eyes shut. Tears streamed down his cheeks and soaked his shirt. "I can't do it. …I can't… It won't work…and unless I do it soon…he says he'll kill me…" He gasped.

He shuddered and opened his eyes, lifting his head to glare back at the reflection he hated. His reflection. Instead to his immediate horror, he saw somebody else staring back at him.

Potter!

Harry stood rooted to the spot, mouth agape. Malfoy was crying, actually crying!

The blonde wizard wheeled around, his face contorting with fury, his wand raised to Harry's head. Harry ducked as the hex whirled past his head, and shattered a lamp behind him, showering him with glass and plaster.

Draco swept his wand to block a curse Harry sent his way, and snarling, threw a hex blindly at the spot Harry had fallen. Harry quickly got up, and a bin behind him exploded as Malfoy's jink missed him by inches.

Both ignored Myrtle's screams, ignored the fact that the whole school could probably hear, ignored the fact that if they were caught, they could be suspended or expelled.

Harry took aim once more, and attempted the leg-locker curse. Malfoy dodged it easily, but ducked as the plumbing behind him exploded, sending a torrent of water into his body, soaking him to the skin. The water hit Harry on the far side of the room, and he struggled to keep a balance on the slippery floor. Malfoy watched as Harry tripped, and saw his chance for revenge.

"Cruci…"

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Harry yelled desperately as he fell, his wand pointed squarely at Draco's chest.

In what seemed like slow motion, Draco felt himself winded by an invisible force. He stared wide-eyed at Potter, and felt his fingers drop his wand, as a thick, warm trickle cascaded down from his head. Looking down he saw a huge gash in his chest, and staggered back in horror. His legs became jelly and he collapsed. Myrtle let out an ear splitting scream.

"No-" Harry gasped and skidded over to him. "No-I didn't"

Draco panicked, as the pain hit him like a bullet, all at once. He couldn't scream, he couldn't breath, he pressed his hands over the wounds, trying desperately to keep the precious blood in it's rightful place.

Harry fell to his knees, and pressed his hands on the wound to help. Draco started to shake uncontrollably, what colour was left in him was quickly dissolving. He was bleeding to death.

"Hold on." Harry wanted to say. "Don't die on me you bastard!" he pressed down, and Malfoy gasped for breath. For once he was grateful to Potter, had it been the other way round, he probably would have left Harry to die.

The door burst open. Snape had noticed Draco was missing from the common room and had been searching for him. He had heard Myrtles cries combined with the sounds of a struggle and come running. He looked absolutely furious. Then he spotted Draco, and there was no word to describe what he looked like.

Charging toward them he pushed Harry aside and traced his wand over Malfoy's chest and face, muttering the counter-curse. The blood stopped flowing and the wound closed. Draco was still shaking, but at least now he could breathe of his own accord.

"You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that… Come..." He heaved Malfoy up onto his feet, and put an arm over his shoulder. He dreaded to think what could have happened, had he been late by just a few minutes. The unbreakable vow…would have been most definitely broken.

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