As they entered the classroom for potions, everyone was already seated and listening to professor Snape, who was talking at the front of the class. Both harry and Draco had a quick glance around the room and noticed there were no seats next to each other. They would have to sit in their usual seats. Harry was sure that Draco wouldn't have cared, but harry on the other hand was very worried. Harry knew how weak he was with Draco not touching him, so he could only fear what he would be like with Draco not near him to just give him a little touch with his finger to help him regain his energy. Draco stalked off to his seat near Crabbe and Goyle and Harry slowly walked over to his seat near Hermione. 'Thank god I am away from him.' Thought Draco as he slumped into his chair. Harry clenched his fists in his lap. 'I heard that Malfoy. Do you not think this is hard for me too? Having to have you touch me to make me feel better.' Harry watched as he saw Draco tensed. Harry smiled at the thought.
"Is there something funny potter?" Harry swallowed hard. He suddenly realised that he had not listened to a work Snape was saying. "Be quiet and answer the questions that are on the board." Snape swirled around on his heels and with a swish of his robes stalked back to the front of the class. Harry looked over the questions on the board and realised he didn't know any of the answers.
"Hermione, what on earth are the answers?" he whispered. Hermione looked up to harry with a scowl.
"Potter. Silence, stop asking miss granger for the answers." Harry sighed. He realised he was screwed. He had no idea what the answers were. He put down his quill and sat back in his chair. He didn't give up usually, but he knew he wouldn't get far with these questions.
"Potter, for the last time, answer the questions on the board. If I have to ask you one more time I will deduct 50 points from Gryffindor." Harry picked up his quill and glared at Professor Snape. Suddenly it dawned on harry that he could talk to Malfoy through the telepathic link. 'Malfoy.' He thought. He hoped it went through. The fact that Draco suddenly sat up confirmed that it had worked. Harry smirked, knowing he got his attention. Draco didn't reply. 'Oi, Malfoy.' He said again. Still no reply. 'Malfoy, will you just tell me the answers and I will leave you alone'. Draco still didn't stir and carried on writing. Harry realised he was going to need to take a more annoying route. He could be patient enough to do this. 'Malfoy.' He waited a bit more before doing it again. 'Maaaaaaaaaaaaalfoy.' Harry paused again. 'Malfoy, don't you think professor Snape is looking rather dashing today in those robes?' Harry could see that Draco was trying hard not to laugh. This made harry sure that Draco was ignoring him. 'Malfoy. Malfoy. Malfoy.' Harry was sure Draco was going to grow tired of this at some point. 'Malfoy.'
"For god sake potter leave me alone and let me do my bloody work." Shouted Draco extremely loud. Harry smacked his hand over his mouth to stop him from laughing.
"Malfoy. For once, I can say, that potter didn't say a word to you. Are you quite alright?" said Snape as he rose from his chair and gave Draco a stern look. Draco looked at Snape and then nodded. At this point everyone was giggling at Draco, trying to hide the fact that they were. Draco shot his head around to harry and glared at him so hard. If looks could kill, harry would be dead. 'You git.' Thought Draco. 'If you think I am helping you now, you are sadly mistaken.' Harry smiled at him, and much to his surprise Draco's face softened. It didn't quite break into a smile but it was close. 'Malfoy darling, I'm your beloved husband, we are bonded for life. You are meant to help out your spouse in his dying need. Please.' Draco's head swung around quicker than harry could blink. His face was covered in a crimson red blush. 'You think you are so funny potter, don't you? Just shut up now before I throw myself out of a high window.' Harry realised that Draco was still watching him. He mocked a shocked expression and clapped his hand over his mouth. 'You wouldn't. You wouldn't leave your husband high and dry like that.' Draco growled and turned back around. Draco started writing again on his parchment.
"Right, I have had enough of you all trying to answer these questions. I can tell none of you actually know the answers. Hand in your work and leave. I hope by next lesson you all know what you are talking about, or there will be trouble." Snape narrowed his eyes at potter. Harry was far too busy looking at Draco to notice. "Potter. Is there something bothering you? You look like you are about to fall on the…" before Snape could finish, Harry's head had fallen to the table and his face was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Everyone stumbled up out of their chairs and piled around harry. Everyone but Draco that was.
For merlin sake. Thought Draco, as he rose out of his chair.
"For the love of god, move out of the way." He snapped as he pushed a few people out of his way.
"Malfoy this is not the time to worry about getting the front row view of harry suffering." Snapped Hermione as she noticed Draco swerving through the crowed.
"Shut it granger." He retorted. He lifted up his finger and placed it carefully on Harry's check. Harry didn't move. Draco raised his eyebrows in confusion. Draco flattened his hand on the side of Harry's face, Maybe just the finger wasn't enough contact. Still harry did not move. Oh god. Please don't mean I have to hug him. He thought to himself. Before he could think much more about it, he had lunged forward and wrapped his hands around harry, resting his head on Harry's back.
"What on earth are you doing?" shouted Hermione, completely confused. Draco didn't reply, he just held on tight, waiting for harry to react. Soon enough, harry stirred and lifted his head up. Draco straight away pulled back and coughed slightly, realising he got too caught up in that hug.
"God, potter. This is getting stupid." Draco rolled his eyes.
"Potter, do you need to go to the hospital wing?" said Snape as he emerged from behind the mass of students.
"No. no I'm fine honestly." He said, colouring slightly and he realised Draco had hugged him to get him to wake up.
"Right, well then everyone, including potter, get out of my classroom." Snap shouted. Everyone startled and made their way out of the classroom.
"This is so humiliating." Snapped Draco.
"You didn't have to hug me in front of everyone Malfoy. You could have just left me to rot." Harry said. He was utterly embarrassed that Draco had to do that. He actually felt sorry for Draco having to hug him, Couldn't have been easy.
"Yes well. If I had it my way then of course I would have just left you. But I couldn't. I don't want to get harmed myself. If that meant having to, well, hug you, then so be it. Although it was the most horrible thing I have ever had to do." Harry laughed and stood up out of his chair. Draco turned around and started to make his way over to the door.
"Let's hope I don't get so bad a hug isn't enough, and you have to start kissing Me." laughed harry. Draco snapped around and smacked harry hard in the face.
"OW!" they both shouted at the same time, clutching at their face in pain.
"God, you have such a good punch Malfoy." Harry laughed.
"I know. I bloody just punched myself in the face." Draco sighed and carried on rubbing his face. Hermione was just staring in absolute shock.
"What on earth is going on?" she asked. Draco gave her a glare and harry turned to her.
"Just go to class Hermione. I will explain later." He said shaking his head. Hermione opened her mouth to argue but soon realised it wouldn't get her far. She gave a weak smile and nodded. She gave harry a quick squeeze on his shoulder and departed from the room.
"Potter, if you ever did need me to bloody kiss you to help you out, you will have to rot. I would never kiss you." He said quickly. "And if you ever suggest such a thing again, I will punch you harder, even if it does hurt me too." Harry smiled.
"Got it." He laughed. "You must have done something more embarrassing than hugging me Malfoy." He smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't be ridiculous. I never embarrass myself." He snapped. 'Apart from every time potter beats me at quidditch.' He thought effortlessly.
"That embarrasses you?" asked Harry concerned.
"What? I just said I never embarrass myself. What on earth- oh. You heard that did you?" Draco's cheeks blushed slightly. Harry's eyes didn't leave Draco's face. Harry nodded.
"Does that really embarrass you Malfoy?" he asked again. Draco nodded shyly.
"Of course it does. Everyone in Slytherin always take the piss because I can't beat the great harry potter to the snitch." Draco waved his hand dismissively at the conversation. "I guess this is what Dumbledore meant about sharing things we don't want to share." Draco crossed his arms over his chest. Harry nodded and smiled. "Look, come on. I don't have any more lessons, neither do you. So let's just go to the hospital wing. Maybe they have sorted something out." Harry nodded once again and started to walk behind Draco. He started to sway slightly. He realised he need Draco to touch him, or he was going to fall over.
"Malf…" before he could finish Malfoy turned around and poked his finger on Harry's hand. Harry's cheeks coloured when he realised that was doing nothing. He shook his head and leaned against the wall. Draco moved his hand into Harry's and held on tight. Harry suddenly felt a wave of energy and moved off from the wall.
"Thanks." He mumbled as he pulled his hand out of Draco's. 'Sometimes I wonder how many hands Malfoy has held.' Draco heard the thought loud and clear, but he would rather go to hell than acknowledge that he did. That was none of potter business.
Harry could feel that his face still hurt from where Draco had hit him. He clutched his face in his hands.
"Does your face still hurt?" Draco asked as he gave him a suspicious stare.
"yes." Hissed harry. He slowly started to rub his cheek, as it really did hurt.
"Liar! It does not. My face is perfectly fine. You are just fishing for sympathy. Trying to make out I'm an abusive spouse." Harry stopped dead in his tracks and started at Draco wide eyed. "Oh. I didn't mean I'm your spouse. I was just saying you know because we are bonded and all and… and… oh shut up potter." He glared at him when he realised harry was laughing.
"I will have you know Malfoy that my cheek really does still hurt. And I'm not happy that mine does and yours does not." They looked at each other for a moment longer, pondering on the strange thought.
"Perhaps, I only feel the pain as it is inflicted. I don't feel the long lasting effects. Maybe it is to inform me that you are in danger. I didn't bleed like you did when you hit your nose, and it only hurt when you hit it, not after." Draco's eyes wondered over Harry's face as he thought about the reasons why he didn't still feel the pain. Harry nodded in agreement.
"That does sound like a logical explanation." Said harry as he started to walk again. 'Why is he so bloody smart? I would have never thought of that.' Thought harry as he walked. Draco smiled.
"I'm smart potter, because I listen in class. Instead of you, who probably sits there looking for the next person to save." Harry scowled. Harry wasn't sure if the scowl was because he was getting sick of not being able to control the thoughts, or because Draco had actually hit a nerve.
"I do not do that." He stated as he turned a corner in the corridor. "Just sometimes, it is hard to concentrate in class when you are worried about the safety of others." Draco shook his head and smiled.
"Have you ever worried about my safety potter?" Draco asked with a smug smirk.
"No! Of course I haven't Malfoy. I couldn't care less about you." He said quickly before he could even think of it. 'Actually yes. But no way am I telling you that.' Draco stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Harry. Harry stopped too and turned around to look at him.
"Surely you don't potter?" he asked shocked. Harry gave him a suspicious glance. Harry wasn't sure if Draco had heard his thought. His face suddenly looked panicked when he realised that he might have. He decided to carry on denying it in case he didn't.
"No. I just told you. I haven't ever worried about your safety." He snarled. Draco smiled, and started walking again. He was going to make sure potter gave him the information he wanted.
"Don't try and deny it Potter. You just told me you have. So come on then. When have you worried about my safety?" Harry was so embarrassed that he didn't know whether the words would come out of his mouth.
"Quite a few times." He whispered. Draco's face softened. "Like when you were turned into a ferret. I mean it was funny, but I was worried that he had hurt you. I worry about your safety every time you step out onto the quidditch pitch. God, I even worried when that hippogrife swiped your arm." Draco didn't quite know what to say. So instead he just stared at harry in disbelief while his feet moved, one in front of the other.
"It doesn't mean it's because I care about you Malfoy. I worry about everyone. Even you." Draco still didn't know what to say. He never for any moment in his life thought that Harry Potter worried about his safety. "It just shows we are two very different people. That I would worry about someone I hate safety, while you probably go out of your way to make sure I'm not safe." Harry felt a pull in his gut. He knew it wasn't true that he hated Malfoy. He didn't like him, but he didn't hate him either. Sure he annoyed him, but so did a lot of people. There were a lot of things about Draco that Harry admired.
Draco actually felt bad. He felt bad that what harry said was true. Malfoy did go out of his way to make harry unsafe, and all this time harry worried about his safety. Before he could respond, madam Pomfrey was stood in front of them. Draco was too involved in thinking about how to reply that he hadn't realised they were in the hospital wing. And thank god they were, because Draco didn't know how to reply to that.
"Boys, I don't know how on earth I start to say this to you." Said madam Pomfrey. "I have done some research about your type of bond, and now I see why the person cast the spell on you harry." Harry felt weak. He lowered himself onto a nearby bed and listened to what madam Pomfrey had to say. "It seems that this bond is a very, very dangerous bond. The bond is cast on one person. Once the bond has been cast on the person, he will then be bonded with the first person he or she feels a very strong emotion for. As I'm sure Dumbledore told you." Before madam Pomfrey could continue, Draco had interrupted with a smirk on his face.
"Oh yeah. I forgot Dumbledore said that. I had no idea you felt that way about me Potter." He laughed as he looked over at harry. Harry just glared at him.
"The emotion that the person feels in order to be bonded can be any emotion at all Draco. As long as it is a strong emotion, then the bond will react instantly. This is why the curse is so dangerous. Now harry. I am about to tell you something you might find a little frightening. But rest assured that not all is lost, and that there are things that can help you." Harry suddenly felt quite frightened indeed, before she had even said what she needed to say. "Harry dear, this bond is killing you. The fact that you were bonded with someone who you do not love, and does not love you back, means the bond is very slowly weakening you. And that is why the bond is so dangerous. the fact that you could potentially be bonded with a person you hate, as you feel a strong emotion of anger or hatred, means that mostly people are bonded with people they do not love, and end up dying." Harry felt like his whole world had been turned upside down. He was going to die, and not because he was in some sort of battle with voldemort, but because Draco Malfoy did not love him, and he did not love Draco.
Draco felt his legs go weak. Harry potter was going to die. He stumbled a bit and sat down next to potter on the bed. The look on Harry's face did something to Draco, it made him angry.
"There has got to be something we can do right? I mean, potter can't die. He is harry sodding potter for crying out loud." Madam Pomfrey coughed slightly to clear her throat.
"There is something that can be done actually Draco, but whether it is going to happen or not is another matter. There is only one way to save harry from dying. No amount of potions or counter spells will stop this. Only one powerful thing will stop it." Madam Pomfrey stopped. Draco was getting angrier by the moment. He might not like potter but he didn't want him to die.
"Well go on then. What is it?" he snapped.
"Malfoy, calm down. It's not like you bloody care. Your whole family would probably throw a party." He scowled at Draco.
"I do bloody well care potter." He shouted. Draco realised he probably looked like an idiot and tried to back track. "I mean, who would I argue with if you died?" he said quickly. He turned to madam Pomfrey and asked his question again, in a calmer tone. "What is it that will help?"
"Love." Said madam Pomfrey simply. Both harry and Draco stared at her utterly confused.
"You mean to tell me, we just need to find someone who will love this oaf?" snorted Draco. "Sorry harry, no hope for you." he laughed.
"Oh no. we don't need to find someone to love harry, we have already found him." She said staring at Draco. Draco's face fell, and he suddenly felt quite worried.
"What? M-me?" he stuttered.
"I'm afraid it will have to be you Draco. If you do not fall in love with harry, and of course vice versa, then harry will unfortunately meet his end." She lifted her hand and rested it on Harry's shoulder.
"I'm going to die." Harry stated quietly.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure harry." Smiled madam Pomfrey, as she took her hand away from him.
"What? You mean there is another way to help?" asked harry hopefully. His green eyes brightening slightly.
"No." she scowled. "That is not what I meant at all harry. What I meant it that you both might find each other quite interesting. You might fall in love with each other." Harry stood up quickly and angrily.
"Malfoy would never fall in love with me Madam Pomfrey." He snapped, and with a sharp turn, harry stalked out of the ward. Angry, that someone had the right to end his life, without even showing their face. Draco went to say something but was too late. Harry had walked out of the ward.
"Would you try Draco? For the sake of Harry's life?" asked madam Pomfrey as she stared at Draco intently. "I know you are not your father Draco." She added politely. Draco diverted his attention from the door that harry had walked out of and looked at madam Pomfrey.
"I doubt very much that I would ever fall in love with potter. I don't think I would ever want to either. I guess I could spend some time with him and," he looked down at his hands as they shook. "I guess I could try." Madam Pomfrey smile widened.
"You are both not as different as you would think. I personally believe that with a bit of time, you could both grow to care for each other." She rested her hands on Draco's trembling hands. Draco didn't know what to do. His father would see this as an opportunity to finally have harry gone, but Draco had grown up with harry, and for some bloody annoying reason, could not watch him die. His father would be so angry. Draco suddenly felt very scared.
"I really do wish harry hadn't have walked off. There are still some things I need to explain about the bond." She looked around the room and then at the door. "You don't think you could go and find him do you Draco?" she asked as she nodded her head over to the door.
"Everyone would kill me if I just let potter die, wouldn't they?" he asked looking up from his hands to madam Pomfrey's friendly warming eyes.
"They would do no such thing. I wouldn't allow it at all." She sighed simply and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can't love someone if you do not Draco. If it turns out that you cannot grow to love harry, then it is not at all your fault. Just as long as you try and spend some time with him. I, myself, personally believe that you and harry are well made for each other. Such a shame you couldn't be friends at the start of Hogwarts." She smiled at him politely. Draco smiled. He had tried to be friends with harry at the start, but harry was having none of it.
"I did try and be friends with harry at the start. Unfortunately he wasn't able to see through my mask and didn't want anything to do with Me." he smiled as he looked down at his lap. He hadn't told anyone, no one at all, about his false personality.
"What on earth do you mean? What do you mean he didn't see through your mask?" she asked with confused eyes. Draco sighed.
"I don't hate people as much as I say I do. I'm not as arrogant as I seem. It gets tiring after a while. Having to sneer at people all the time. I just hoped that harry would have seen through it and realised that I actually wanted to be his friend because I liked him, not because he was harry potter, and I was some arrogant arse who wanted a famous friend." Madam Pomfrey was utterly shocked. She was disgusted that someone would feel like they have to act that way, when they were not like that at all.
"Draco," she said quietly. "Why on earth would you feel like you have to act like that?" Draco now felt very uncomfortable; he didn't ever think he would admit to anyone that he wasn't actually as horrible as everyone thought. Of course he wasn't as innocent all the time. He did enjoy making potter's life hell, but not because he didn't like him, but because he just enjoyed it and wanted to get him back for not wanting to be his friend as much as he wanted to be his. And of course there were people that he did actually hate.
"Father." Was all Draco could choke out. "If I started being this friendly little hufflepuff then I'm pretty sure my father would be rather angry. Not to mention that if I was friends with harry, my father would use me to bait harry. I know no one would believe me but I don't actually believe in what my father and the dark lord believe in. I just pretend I do." Draco shifted slightly. He had never said any of this out loud. But now as he was saying it, he realised how much he hated himself for the way he treated harry and his friends, when he was just jealous of their friendship. He just wanted to be part of it. "Can we stop talking about this now please? And I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this." Madam Pomfrey looked like she wanted to argue but kept her lips sealed. She smiled and nodded.
"You can go and find harry if you like now." She said as she once again nodded her head in the direction of the door. Draco sighed heavily and stood.
"Yeah sure. I will be back soon." He said as he walked over to the doors, and made his way through the corridors trying to find harry. He couldn't find him anywhere. Draco wondered if he would hear him through telepathic thoughts. It was worth a go. 'Harry, where are you?' he thought as he carried on walking through the corridors. 'Did you just call me harry?' Draco smiled to himself.' I did yes. Now tell me where you are please?' He stopped and leaned against a wall, waiting for harry to answer. 'Did you just say please?' Once again Draco found himself smiling. He slid down the wall and sat there for a bit, Talking to harry. 'I did. Come on. Where are you?' Draco hoped that the desperation he felt didn't come through. 'Fine. I will tell you. I'm in the prefect bathroom. Are you going to come find me…Draco?' Draco's grin couldn't have been any wider, even if he wanted it to be. 'Yes harry. I'm coming to find you.' He laughed. Draco pushed himself up off the floor and made his way to the prefect bathroom.