I got this chapter done surprisingly fast. I feel very productive.

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Disclaimer: There is no way in any shape or form that I own Harry Potter. The credit should be given to one J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the plot.

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Dreaming of You

Chapter 3: Awakening

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A cool, soft hand trailed down the side of my face, leaving behind it a path of fire. A set of lips caressed the skin beneath my ear before traveling down my neck. Blonde hair brushed against the sensitive skin left in the wake of the lips, sending shivers down the entire length of my body. The other person let out a hushed laugh, amused by my reaction.

Before I knew it, a strong hand was on my chest, pushing me down to a soft surface. The other person hovered above me on their hands and knees.

"Potter…"

The voice was soft and playful. A glint of white flashed in the darkness, the hint of a smile. A hand grabbed a hold of my shirt and lifted. I shifted enough for it to be removed. The same hand then went to my belt, undoing it swiftly. Before I knew it, my trousers were laying next to me. My exposed skin was immediately covered in goose bumps.

The other individual sat up on their heels and removed their own shirt. A flat, pale chest was exposed. In a quick, agile movement, the trousers followed, landing with mine. My heart began racing.

Two large hands trailed down my chest. My back arched as jolts of pleasure ran down my spine. The fingers stopped at the band of my boxers. My breath hitched noticeably, and that was taken as approval. The fingers gripped the elastic and pulled. My body was now entirely exposed.

"Potter…"

The voice was different now. It had a desperate note to it, and it was full of need. The hands gripped my waist tightly. My mind went blank. All I felt were those hands. My hips were brought up to meet an aching erection. We both gasped at the contact. My ankles were brought up to rest on strong shoulders.

I was taken quickly, though at the same time passionately. Every thrust was a burst of pleasure. I threw my head back, groans escaping my throat. My fingernails dug into the other person's arms, relishing in the delicious friction our slick, sweaty skin made.

But it ended too soon for our liking.

The other's climax triggered mine. The hardness inside of me throbbed violently for a second, the motion hitting that sensitive spot inside me. That threw me over the edge. My cries mingled with the other individual's as I found my release, my erection throbbing in response and leaving a milky white mess on my stomach.

The other person chuckled, a light, carefree sound. Their bent head rose. A hand came up slowly to brush away sweaty blonde hair. Grey eyes filled with passion smoldered at me through the darkness.

Then it was as if a cloud shifted. Moonlight suddenly came through a nearby window, illuminating the face of Draco Malfoy.

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"Argh!"

Harry let out a strangled yell as he jolted awake. He became entangled in his sheets and fell to the floor with a loud thud. The noise instantaneously woke his dorm mates. Ron was immediately at his side, looking very concerned.

"Are you all right, Harry?" the redhead questioned. Harry jumped to his feet, his face sweaty and red. He held a sheet along the front of his body.

"I'm fine," he replied in a strained voice.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, not believing him. "I heard you groaning in your sleep not too long ago." Harry nodded violently, his face becoming redder.

"I'm fine," he repeated. He grabbed his glasses and edged toward the bathroom, still keeping the sheet in front of him. "Just go back to sleep. It's still early." He then disappeared and quickly closed the door, locking it behind him.

Harry hurried over to the mirror above the sink and put his glasses on. He gritted his teeth, preventing a groan of annoyance, when he saw his reflection. His hair was mussed, his eyes still heavy with sleep. His skin was a little red from embarrassment, and he was still somewhat sweaty.

In other words, he looked as if he was just thoroughly shagged.

Harry grudgingly let the sheet fall into a pool at his feet. He was almost afraid to look. All the same, he took a deep breath and averted his eyes downward.

"Ugh!"

This time the groan of annoyance escaped. Someone was then pounding on the door at once.

"Harry, are you okay?" It was Seamus.

"I'm fine, go away!"

Harry rubbed his eyes, willing for what he saw to be his rebellious imagination playing evil tricks on him. He looked down again. Nope, it wasn't his imagination.

He began pacing in front of the sink, willing his erection to go down. But it wouldn't. However, he refused to give himself any kind of self-gratification. This was evidence of last night's dream – no, nightmare. He was not going to get off thinking of Malfoy like that. That was just vile. There was only one other solution.

Harry walked over to the shower and only turned the knob for cold water. This was going to be highly uncomfortable, but it would work. He removed his clothes, being extra careful not to brush the throbbing part of his anatomy, and stepped under the showerhead.

The icy water washed over him, sending violent chills down his body. There was an immediate effect. His erection went down almost at once. Harry felt victorious. He added some warmth to the water to prevent hypothermia and finished his shower.

His dorm mates were in the process of getting ready when he exited the bathroom. He slipped through the room toward his trunk and rummaged for clothes. He got dressed with what he hoped was nonchalance, but he was sure he was overdoing it. It seemed as if Seamus suspected what happened; he kept sending smirks in Harry's direction. Harry's cheeks blazed. He was extremely thankful that Seamus wasn't a legilimens. All the same, he avoided the other boy's eyes.

Harry's day went slow and sluggish. It nearly drove him mad. His classes were becoming more difficult, and that made the day even worse. He was assigned an immensely long essay for Transfiguration, and today's Charms lesson was very complex. He didn't even want to think about the others.

Ron and Hermione looked at him curiously throughout the day, confused by his sullenness, but they did not question, for which he was thankful. He did not want to create any more lies than he had to.

Later that evening, Harry made his way toward what was now beginning to be a regular haunt – the hospital wing. He wasn't sure he could face Malfoy, comatose or not, after last night's horrendous dream. All the same, he swallowed his pride and left the common room to see if Madam Pomfrey needed help. Ron and Hermione no longer questioned where he was going; they've become used to him wandering off these past weeks.

Harry went through the door, now no longer trying to be discreet. Madam Pomfrey has become accustomed to him just randomly showing up some nights. He went over to the second door that would take him into the intensive care room, but before he opened it, something made him stop.

There were a few voices that could be heard from inside.

Harry didn't like being nosy, but he was always far too curious, as Madam Pomfrey had put it. He put his ear to the door and tried to discern the voices. He heard Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore, but there was another voice that was too quiet to recognize. Still, he opened the door and went inside.

The three figures were standing at the far end of the room. The conversation stopped immediately when they all heard the door click shut. Harry hesitated but continued after a moment. Anger suddenly welled up in him, for no absolute reason, when he recognized the third figure. Moonlight shining through the window illuminated greasy-black hair and a hooked nose.

"Potter!" Snape growled in a hushed voice as he moved to block the last bed from view. "What are you–?"

"It's all right, Severus," Dumbledore whispered. "He knows."

Snape's face flushed red in anger; it was noticeable even in the darkness. "How the hell does he know?"

Dumbledore ignored his language; he quickly told him about Harry's vision and how Harry has visited Malfoy on a regular basis over the past weeks. Snape sneered at Harry when Dumbledore was done.

"It's no surprise to see that you haven't been working on your Occlumency," Snape hissed. "I guess it makes you feel important to know what is going on in the Dark Lord's inner workings."

"I'll have you know, Severus, that Mr. Potter helped me save Mr. Malfoy's life on one occasion. I surely wouldn't have been able to do it myself."

Dumbledore quieted the two of them with a wave of his hand. Madam Pomfrey looked embarrassed; Snape just glared.

"We have more important matters to discuss," he said. "Severus, as you were saying?"

Snape looked unsure for a moment. He glanced at Harry, obviously not wanting to say anything too important in front of him. Dumbledore nodded the okay. The man sighed in defeat, but not before giving Harry the evil eye.

"Over the past week or so I have noticed a slight nudge at my mind's defensive barriers," the Potions professor began. "It's obvious that someone was trying to get through them. I have been trying to figure out who it was, but couldn't. As I thought about it, I came up with a possibility that seems likely.

"Many years past, I heard of a process a body will go through to seek help if something is wrong. Let's use Mr. Malfoy's case. His body is still responsive, but his mind is not. His body would send out waves of magic to people who have a strong link with him, though very few would feel it. That link is used to contact the mind and help bring him back to normal state.

"I believe Mr. Malfoy is reaching out. The nudging at my mind's barriers became more insistent when I entered this room. Being his professor and mentor, I have a strong link with him; therefore, I would feel it if he were reaching out. There may be others that feel it, but I am not sure."

Silence followed Snape's speech as everyone thought it over. It did seem possible.

Then, all of a sudden, something clicked into place for Harry.

He and Malfoy shared a strong link, though not a friendly one. He was never skilled at Occlumency, and he's been having strange dreams about Malfoy. Was he one of the ones who could feel Malfoy reaching out?

"Professor, may I say something?" Harry questioned hesitantly, looking at Snape. The Potions master looked surprised to be politely addressed by Harry. He nodded slowly. Harry took a deep breath and related what he just concluded.

"…so I thought these dreams were just products of the vision I had over the summer. But after hearing what you just said, it makes sense in a way."

"Yes, it does sound as if he is reaching out to you," Snape said with a nod, "though not knowing it's actually you." There was a sneer in his voice. "He would never willingly ask you for help. But all the same, your mind is always open to outside influence," he paused to glared at Harry, "so it isn't surprising that you would be contacted in some way."

Harry nodded, ignoring the jabs. This was beginning to make sense.

"Now, there is something I want to try. I want to link my mind to Potter's, and through him, we can both link to Malfoy," Snape added. Harry look scandalized.

"Why me?" he demanded.

"Because, like I said, your mind is always very open," Snape replied with a sigh and a roll of the eyes. "It will be easier for you to contact Malfoy's mind than it would be for the rest of us. Our defenses would get in the way of getting to him."

Harry hated to admit it, but the reasoning sounded logical. He grudgingly agreed to help.

"How long do you think it would take, Severus?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"It depends on how long it takes Potter to convince him to leave his comatose state, if Malfoy decides he wants to at all," Snape answered. Harry gulped. Malfoy hated him; how could he manage to talk him into coming back? He didn't want to be inadvertently responsible for the other boy's death if Malfoy decided not to come back because of him.

"It has to be done soon, though," Snape muttered, looking at the pale Slytherin. "If we wait too much longer, his mind may be too far out of reach, and any hope of retrieving him will be lost." The three adults looked grave.

"What do I have to do?" Harry asked with a sigh. He could not stand Malfoy, but as much as the other boy annoyed him, he didn't want him dead. Not yet, anyway.

"Stand right here," Snape ordered, gripping Harry by the shoulders and turning the boy to face him.

"Are you sure this will work, Severus?" Dumbledore didn't sound doubtful, just curious. The Potions professor shrugged in response.

"It is likely we will reach his mind, but as for bringing him back, I'm not sure.

"Now Potter," Snape continued "don't say anything that will make him have second thoughts. Just do your best to convince him to leave the sanctity of his mind. I will not interfere. It may frighten him if he realizes that more than one other mind is in his head."

"But what am I looking for? How will I know where his conscious self is?" Harry asked.

"You'll figure it out once you see it, I'm sure," Snape answered. Harry felt thoroughly confused, but he was going to go through with it anyway.

"All right," Harry mumbled. "I'm ready then."

Snape nodded once. Then he fixed his onyx eyes on Harry's emeralds. As Snape's eyes narrowed, obviously going with the wandless method, Harry felt an odd sensation in his mind. Almost like a snake moving through his thoughts, then grabbing a hold of his consciousness and expanding it outward. Harry's vision grew blurry for a second, then, before he knew it, he experienced a very odd sensation.

He was standing still, but he was watching in his mind as his awareness soared over Malfoy and toward his head. Then all was dark.

Harry felt highly disoriented, not to mention confused. Didn't Snape need to have eye contact with Malfoy to reach his mind? How did he gather Harry's mind with his own and merge them into one? He decided to forget about it and to concentrate on the task at hand.

Harry urged his awareness forward, but he wasn't sure if he was going anywhere. Everything was so dark, save for an odd pulse of a dim white light that arched over him every couple of seconds, always followed by an odd echoing thud. It took Harry a moment to realize that it was Malfoy's heartbeat.

For what felt like ever, Harry searched high and low for something that stood out, something that could possibly be Malfoy's conscious self. But how could he find it if he had no idea whether he was moving or not? Maybe Snape was helping him along, but he no longer felt the man's presence in his mind. Odd.

Something finally caught Harry's attention after a few moments. There was a very dim light a ways off in front of Harry. It wasn't pulsing like the heartbeat. He couldn't be sure, but he hoped that this was what he was looking for.

Now Harry could tell that he was moving, though very slowly. The light was coming closer. An odd cliché came to mind – Don't follow the light… He highly doubted that following this light would lead to death, but maybe it would come close.

Then he finally made contact with it.

At once he felt an intense pressure surrounding him.

What the fuck are you doing here?

The thought came into Harry's mind, but it wasn't his own. Harry could almost feel the rage emanating from the light.

I've come here to help you, Malfoy.

I don't even want to know how you found out what happened to me. All the same, what makes you think I want to be helped, Potter?

This is what Snape was afraid of. Was Malfoy really ready to throw the rest of his life away? Harry thought quickly, trying to find something that would get Malfoy's attention. He thought about what little he knew of the other boy.

You suffered in a way you shouldn't have. You only wanted to make sure you remained safe and out of a tyrant's control. But you were almost killed for voicing your thoughts. You deserve vengeance against the two men that did this to you

Malfoy grew quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his mind's voice was very quiet, almost inaudible.

I can't stand up to them. I will surely die the next time I face either one of them. My father is probably livid he couldn't finish me off the first time. That's why I want to just let go now. It will be almost too easy just to free myself from the torment.

But your body was calling out for help, Malfoy. That must mean that some part of you wants to live. Snape felt your magic nudging at his mind's defenses. And I've been having dreams about your torture, so I think your magic reached me, too.

I think I caught snippets of those dreams. I wasn't sure if they were my own or not because of the third person perspective, Malfoy stated thoughtfully. Then his voice grew livid. And I was wondering where the fuck that last one came from. I knew sure as hellthat wasn't mine. Potter, you're sick.

Harry would have blushed if he could at the moment. All the same, at least Malfoy was sounding like his usual cocky self.

I don't know where it came from either, Harry snapped. It's not like I willed to dream that last night. If I knew how to Obliviate my own memories, I would do it. That was utterly disgusting.

But about what we were talking about, the Gryffindor continued. You shouldn't just throw your life away like that. I've gone through worse, and my heart's still beating, although the beats may be numbered. I've gone through numerous losses and tortures. There are worse things out there than what you went through. Just please don't let go. You can help me take down both monsters if you'd like; we've both had our share of pain from either of them. Please, Malfoy? I know you're the type who would love to have vengeance.

Harry wasn't sure if the other boy would reply. But he did. He only uttered a single word.

Fine.

All of a sudden, Harry was being pushed backwards at an alarming rate. He barely had time to feel disbelief at the fact that he begged something from Malfoy. Then he was back in his own body, feeling highly disoriented. He looked down at the Slytherin lying in the bed.

There was a slight movement underneath the pale eyelids. A small groan escaped the dry, parted lips. Then the eyes flickered open, revealing dark grey.

Draco was awake.

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To be continued...