It's All My Fault Chapter Thirteen, a harry potter fanfic

Title: It's All My Fault

Author Name: Lying In An Angels Arms

Rating: R/M

Spoilers: Books 1-6. Written After Half-Blood Prince.

Pairing(s): Draco/Harry

Summary: Guilt is a funny thing. It makes the world seem so much...colder. Draco's guilty. Two deaths are on his conscious and the closest thing to a father he has now is hanging between life and death because of him. Guilt is a funny thing, it makes you wish you were dead. Draco's drowning in a sea of coldness and he can't grasp onto something. Can Harry Potter be that something?

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

BETA: Wrath Of The Digital Hazard

/Warnings/

Slash! (Harry/Draco. Lucius/Severus)

Depression, Suicidal themes (no suicide depicted), Mild non-graphic self harm

strong language, Sexual scenes, mild character deaths,

Mild Potions Abuse

Chapter Thirteen: Everybody's just getting by

There has never been a time in my life that I have not had Severus.

When I was younger, he was always coming around for dinner, parties, social gatherings, 'meetings' and the like.

Then when I went to Hogwarts, he was the Head of my House as well as my teacher.

I saw him a lot.

Severus, I will admit, is not a kind man.

Perhaps that's why I like him.

If you can get passed the snark, the cruel comments, the bitter tongue and the flaming insults, then you know you're worth something.

Not everyone gets to see the Severus I do.

I feel better, like I'm something special, when I see warmth in his eyes,

because no one else I know has ever seen the same look there.

Wait.

Perhaps my father has.

Damn.

Now I'm back to feeling crappy again.

I don't want to be my father...

... or his replacement.

He sat in the silver windowsill, back pressed up against the frosted glass as he stared at the woman lying on the bed in front of him. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. She had flaming red hair, pale smooth skin and her eyes were compelling... but she wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want another heir, he didn't want another lover, and he sure as hell didn't want to fuck a woman.

Lucius Malfoy scowled at the young lady who didn't even stir under his best glare. She continued sleeping peacefully in his bed. He wanted nothing more than to throw her to the floor, but thanks to the several impregnation spells, charms, potions and a few well-timed hexes, it was almost inevitable that she carried the next Malfoy heir.

The Dark Lord would be ecstatic.

However, Lucius just wanted to scream. When the Dark Lord had killed Narcissa, he had also killed Lucius' daughter. She had been four months pregnant and two weeks prior to her demise, she had gotten the gender checked. Lucius had been excited, afterall there hadn't been a Malfoy girl in years. Of course, she had been a product of the same amount of work that his new heir was. Around five potions, supplied from Severus' best batches, seven spells, four charms and only one well-timed hex, as Lucius hadn't wanted to risk his wife's life just for a child.

"Mr. Malfoy?" a sleepy voice questioned and his eyes trailed back to the bed. The woman was up on one elbow, her other hand rubbing her eyes like a child. "Is something wrong?"

"Go back to sleep," Lucius commanded shortly. Merlin, she cannot be much older than Draco... perhaps she is even younger, and now she is with my child. There were things Lucius had done that he could forgive himself for, but he wasn't sure that this was one of them.

"Sir?" the girl asked, looking very confused. "It's daytime." She pointed to the window behind him and he turned slightly. True enough, the sun had risen above the horizon as he sat in contemplation. Lucius stared at the sun and the beautiful colors, which lit up the sky.

"Get dressed," Lucius said coldly, not looking at her. From the corner of his eye, he saw her rise from the bed in all her naked glory and walk to the nearby dresser that was filled with clothes. He looked away, unable to stare at a woman who wasn't his wife. The skin was the same but the feeling wasn't. Lucius scowled and stood, breezing past her without a word.

The walk down to his study took ten minutes but he didn't notice, too caught up in his own head. Upon reaching his room, he unwarded the door and stepped inside, not bothering to replace the spells. The only one who would try would be his new lover and there was nothing she wasn't allowed to see in the room.

He sat at his desk and pulled a piece of parchment towards him, picking up his quill he began to write.

Dear Draco-

He paused and scratched it out.

My son-

He scratched that out too and frowned. He sighed and simply wrote,

'Do not tickle a sleepy Dragon.

Red eyes watch for you.

Silver eyes protect you.

Green eyes will save you,

and death follows swiftly those with eyes of blue.'

He didn't sign it, merely sketched a picture of a dragon on the bottom left-hand corner. He whistled sharply and through the only window in the room, a Craven flew and landed on his hand.

"Take this to my son, wherever he is," Lucius commanded. The Craven nodded and went to fly away but Lucius stopped him with a harsh hand. "Do not be seen or followed, or it shall be your head," Lucius warned and once again, the Craven nodded. It gave a sharp cry and took to the air. In its talons was the clenched piece of parchment.

Lucius watched the bird disappear and prayed that Draco would understand.

"I did not know you had a son," Lucius' lover said from the doorway, her black eyes piercing him. They were so similar to that of his past lover but they were different enough that Lucius never got confused. They just weren't the same.

"I do not possess a son anymore," Lucius growled.

"But you just sa-" she started, completely confused.

"Breathe a word to no one," Lucius snarled, storming over to grasp at her throat, "or that breath will be your last." His hand tightened until her hands scrambled at his, trying to remove his tight grip. He released her when she began to slump and sent her stumbling back into the wall, hard enough to bruise but not enough to harm his child. Around her neck was a ring of fast-forming purple marks. Lucius couldn't help but feel better at the sight of those bruises. He smirked.

"Stay out of my way, wretch," he sneered as he brushed passed her. "Or next time I will not stop."

Harry wanted to pretend it never happened, try to forget what he'd said but he just couldn't. Why had he said that? It was so bitter and cruel. Maybe Malfoy did cast a spell on him. Maybe... Maybe... Maybe he was just really sick of everyone harping about how perfect their side was, and how flawed the other side had to be. There were good people on the Dark side, just like there were bad people on the good side... wasn't there?

Harry dropped his head into his hands and stiffled a groan. Why must life be so damn confusing?

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked, sliding onto the couch next to Harry. He didn't looked up.

"No."

"Oh Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione immediately slid into mothering mode, something it seemed that only Harry could cause. Something about Harry made people want to take care of him.

"Everything," Harry groaned. "I can't believe I said... that... and about Dumbledore too, after everything he's done for me! For us! For everyone."

"Calm down, Harry," Hermione soothed. "Now, tell me, why did you say it? What made you think that?"

Harry paused. Would she understand? He peeked out of his hands at the serious face of Hermione Granger. He sighed. No, no she wouldn't.

"It was nothing. I don't even know why," Harry lied, burying his face in his hands again.

"Are you sure, Harry?" Hermione asked, sounding disappointed, as if her best specimen had just died.

"Yeah, sorry. It was just this random thought, you know?" Harry said, lifting his head. "I feel so bad for it." That, at least, wasn't a lie.

"Oh, it's alright, Harry! We know you didn't mean it," Hermione said softly. Harry hid a wince. He wasn't upset because he hadn't meant to say it, he was upset because he had. How could he think such cruel things about the man who had protected him for so long?

Harry attempted to banish the thought which crept up, speaking in his ear like the proverbial devil. He hasn't always done what's best for you though. What about all the times he let you down? When he didn't even try to help? Did he really protect you, or just himself?

Harry didn't even hear Hermione's words as she attempted to soothe him. He closed his eyes tight and dropped his head back into his hands.

The room was quiet. Severus was lying on his back, pretending to be asleep and Draco laid next to him, pretending to believe Severus was actually asleep. Draco had already counted all the cracks in the roof four times and he was slowly going crazy.

"Severus?" Draco finally asked and Severus sighed.

"Hmm?"

"Did you know there are seventy-two and a half cracks on their ceiling?"

"Really? Fascinating," Severus drawled sarcastically. "Did someone confund you, Draco?"

"No!" Draco protested, sitting up. "I am just so bored! There is nothing to do here. When are we going to tell them you're awake?"

"Never, preferably," Severus said, opening one eye to squint at Draco. "Do you know what will happen if they find out we're both awake?" Draco shook his head. "Send us both to Azkaban after 'interrogating' us thoroughly. Do you want that?"

"Salazar, no!" Draco whined, "but can't we do something interesting while we wait to escape?"

"Like what? Play games?" Severus sneered mockingly. "Just go to sleep Draco."

Draco huffed and rolled onto his side, back to Severus. He heard Severus snort at the juvenile action but continued to sulk anyway.

Draco stayed silent for half an hour, hummed for the next fifteen minutes before Severus rolled over and threatened him with grievous bodily harm if he hummed one more line of, 'Huff the Puffing Dragon.'

"There is nothing to do," Draco complained.

"Then leave," Severus suggested darkly. "Go down and torture one of the Weasleys; just leave me alone."

Draco felt a stab through his chest at the words, though he knew the man didn't mean them to be hurtful... well, not that much.

"Fine," Draco snapped. "I'll go." He stood and stormed to the door, uncaring of Severus' growled, 'Draco,' or his command to come back. Draco slipped from the room, slamming the door with a satisfying thud. Draco sneered at the door and walked down the first flight of stairs. He paused and looked at the doors lining the walls. Should I? Draco wondered, before shaking his head 'no.' I don't want to know what those Weasleys have. They might infect me with 'poor' germs.

Draco continued down the stairs, surprised when he heard no noise coming from anywhere except the banging and clanging from the kitchen. Draco made his way there, wondering where everyone was.

Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen, scrubbing a pan with her hands rather than her wand, as several other dishes waited for their turn hovering nearby. She heard Draco approach, Draco wondered how, and turned to stare at him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, reaching for her wand with a dripping hand. Draco snorted and walked over to sit at the table, straddling a chair.

"Calm down, old woman. I'm just hungry," Draco sneered, lying. He wasn't hungry. He'd eaten the food she'd sent up earlier, via Mr. Weasley, but he needed an excuse to stay and not get kicked out of the room.

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said, narrowing her eyes. "What do you feel like?" She was stiff but Draco could see her maternal instincs kicking in.

"Something light," Draco commanded simply. "My stomach isn't too good with heavy food yet."

"Of course! That will take a while to return," she said, fussing around the kitchen. "How about some pancakes? Light fluffy ones. You can pick and choose how many you want and the boys can have the rest." She didn't wait for an answer and began gathering ingredients. Draco sat quietly and watched her move. She reminded him of his house elf, Dizzy. She was a maternal thing, had fifty-two kids of her own, all working at the manor or their other properties. The elf loved to cook and spoil him. Draco used to be able to sneak down into the kitchen at any time and she would make up something fancy. He got used to eating soufflés and expensive treats at night. It had gotten to a point where he had stopped eating a large dinner, just so he could eat a lot of the desserts later.

Draco propped his chin in his hand, elbow on the table, and watched Mrs. Weasley. He knew it was starting to get to her, as she kept glancing over her shoulder at him and glaring nervously. Draco couldn't withhold a smirk. This is fun.

"Mum? Do we have any-" Dragon-Weasley said, entering the kitchen via the back door. A broom, an old Cleansweep, was clenched in one hand. His blue eyes immediately narrowed upon seeing Draco at the table. "Why is he up?" he asked his mother.

"He's hungry," Mrs. Weasley said, keeping a watchful eye on the pancakes to make sure they didn't burn. "What did you need, love?"

"Oh, yeah." Dragon-Weasley dragged his eyes away from Draco. "Healing balm. Ron crashed into one of the trees. Dad cast a charm but there's still some abrasion."

"Silly boy," Mrs. Weasley said with a large sigh. "In the cupboard above the sink. It's in a blue tinted bottle."

"Thanks Mum," Dragon-Weasley murmured as he hurried over to the sink. He quickly found the salve and went back to the door. "Want me to come in and sit with you?" he asked, jerking his head to a bored-looking Draco.

"I'm fine," Mrs. Weasley assured. "Go help your brother."

"Right," Dragon-Weasley grinned and nodded. Soon, Mrs. Weasley and Draco were once again alone in the kitchen. They stayed silent until the first round of pancakes were ready. Mrs. Weasley placed them on the table in front of Draco, along with a pot of maple syrup, a container of cream, and a jar of honey.

"We have fruit too," Mrs. Weasley admitted, going back to cook more.

Draco didn't answer, just lifted two pancakes onto his plate and smothered them with maple and only a dollop of cream. He cut a piece and lifted it to his mouth. Immediately, he could remember sitting in the tiny, cramped elf kitchen at the Manor, devouring pancake stack after pancake stack, smothered in cream. He could almost hear Dizzy squealing about how happy she was that her master liked her food. He could see her large eyes staring at him, glossy with tears of joy and her large ears dragging across the floor, covered in flour.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked before she could stop herself. Draco snapped from his flashback and stared at the woman. He had unconsciously paused half way through chewing his food. He could feel his cheeks heat slightly.

"I'm fine," he snarled, trying to save face. Mrs. Weasley didn't look convinced but turned back around to the stove. Draco sneered at her back and slowly began eating the pancakes. He had to admit, never aloud though, they were damn nice.

"Here, catch," Charlie called out, throwing the healing salve to his father. Arthur grabbed it from midair and began to open it.

"Thanks, Charlie," Arthur said as he began smearing the salve across his son's forehead where the skin was only red and roughed up. Earlier, it had been bleeding quite heavily, but after years of being a father, Arthur had thankfully become quite good at healing charms.

"Guess what?" Charlie continued, collapsing to the grass next to his siblings, plus Harry.

"What?" the twins asked at the same time, grinning as they changed Ron's hair from red to vivid greed without him noticing. Arthur's lips twisted slightly at the prank but cast a disapproving look over his youngest son's head. The twins smiled back, unrepentant.

"Malfoy's up," Charlie admitted and everyone froze.

"He is?" Arthur asked, sounding quite happy. If the boy was up, than perhaps he had forgiven them.

"Yeah. He's with Ma in the kitchen. She's making him pancakes," Charlie said, pulling a face.

"He's in there eating my pancakes?" Ron demanded, furious that someone else was trying to take advantage of his mother's good nature and steal his food.

"Not like you need any more food-"

"-my dear little Ronnikins."

"You're getting quite pudgy-"

"-around the waist, you are."

"Perhaps you should go-"

"-on a diet or else you'll just be-"

"-fat and alone!" the twins teased. Ron huffed.

"I am not fat!" Ron yelled, covering his waist, which was bulging just a bit.

"Oh, stop teasing your brother, boys," Arthur scolded, placing the salve in his back pocket. "Let's finish up the game and head in for some food."

"Yeah!" Ron perked up at the mention of food. "Let's go." He leapt onto his broom and pushed off, soaring into the sky eagerly. Everyone laughed and followed up after him.

The game was finished quickly, Harry finally catching sight of the programmed snitch and winning the game. The whole game had been about finding the snitch and dodging bludgers sent by the twins. It wasn't any serious competition, mostly just for fun, and to have some 'bonding time' with Arthur. It had been a long time since his sons had been together, just having fun. Arthur felt a pang in his heart, wondering where Percy was and if he was safe and having fun too. Arthur sighed and he dismounted the broom and sent it, along with the boys', to the cupboard.

"Let's go eat," Arthur suggested, wrapping an arm around Bill's neck with a smile, Bill grinning down at his father. Bill was only a few inches taller but it still made Arthur strain to wrap his arm around him.

"Yeah, let's go, little Dad," Charlie teased, walking over to Arthur's other side. Charlie was taller than Bill by only an inch, making him even taller than Arthur. Arthur chuckled at the nickname. Ever since his sons had been growing taller than him, they had been calling him that.

They entered the kitchen, laughing still. They paused when they saw a pile of pancakes stacked in the center of the table, about a foot high and Draco Malfoy sitting at the table, regally eating a thin one, with a single dollop of cream.

"Malfoy," Ron sneered in greeting. Draco winced and Arthur did too. He had realised long ago that Draco no longer was a Malfoy, but no one else had seemed to.

"Where are the girls?" Arthur asked, after a quick nod to Draco in greeting.

"Upstairs," Molly said, pressing a kiss to her husband's cheek lovingly. "Fleur is doing Ginny and Hermione's hair. Remus is up there, too, I have a feeling he'll come down with his hair styled too, the poor dear."

"Is Moody there as well?" Fred asked with a grin. George began to laugh at the thought of Mad-Eye Moody with his hair in pigtails and makeup on.

"No," Molly denied, her lips twitching as she also caught on. "He went out on business."

"Ah, right, well... let's start eating shall we? I'm famished," Arthur said, hurrying over to the table. All of the boys scrambled for a seat away from Draco, leaving Harry with a spot next to the blond. Harry, to Arthur's amazement, made no protest and sat next to him, reaching for the rapidly shrinking pile of pancakes.

Draco had waited as long as he could, eating a fifth pancake to kill time before the several minute of silence between them finally snapped.

"Why did you do it?" Draco hissed under his breath to Potter. Potter started and glanced discretely, or as discretely as a Gryffindor could, towards Draco.

"Do what?" Potter hissed back and Draco hid a shudder, remembering second year and the actual hissing which had come out of Potter's mouth.

"You know what," Draco growled.

"No, I don't. What did I do?" Potter said, quietly. Everyone else was talking loudly, trying to ignore Draco, and that was how the blond liked it.

"Say that shit about Dumbles," Draco snapped, barely above a whisper. He shot Potter a glare from the corner of his eyes and Potter blanched.

"Oh yeah... I don't know," Potter said, beginning to just play with his food, almost as if he couldn't stomach the thought of it.

"You don't know?" Draco gaped, clear disbelief in his voice. "You just insulted your bloody hero and you don't know why? Merlin's balls, Potter, has anyone told you you're seriously crazy?"

"Yeah, they have," Potter said giving him a 'duh' look. Draco could remember several incidents that he'd said that to Potter, too, and hid a snort. "And... I said it 'cause I believed what you said," Potter added, quietly, sounding like he didn't want Draco to actually hear it.

"What I said?" Draco repeated, wondering what he was on about.

"That Dumbledore wasn't perfect... and that just because he was nice to some poeple didn't mean he was nice to everyone."

"Cripes, Potter. You believed me about that?" Draco sneered. "Would you believe me if I said the Dark Lord is secretly nice and loves Muggles?"

"No!" Potter denied instantly.

"Why not?"

"'cause I've seen what he's done! I know you're lying."

"Then how do you know I was telling the truth about Dumbles?" Draco pressed.

"Because I've seen that too!" Potter snapped suddenly. "I've seen him be less than nice to some and favor others, okay? I get it. He wasn't perfect. Now leave me the fuck alone." Potter stood, the chair screeching back as he shoved it away. Everyone stopped and stared as Potter glared at Draco and left the room, quickly.

Draco didn't hear the insults and threats from the Weasleys. He stared after Potter with disbelieving eyes, wondering if perhaps he wasn't as alone as he first imagined.

Severus had contemplated going after Draco when he had stormed off, obviously having taken Severus' words the wrong way... or perhaps the right way, as Severus had not meant them to be kind. The man sighed and rubbed his forehead, attempting to smooth out the wrinkles there. He had thought he had been through with the patented Malfoy tantrums, but it seemed fate enjoyed sending him overdramatic blonds to care for... and care for, he did. He did not deny favoring the blond in school, he had deserved to be favored. Draco was clever, if not arrogant, handsome but vain, and had a thirst for knowledge that was matched only by his desire to prove himself. Severus enjoyed the young man's company and, despite his spoiled child appearance, the fascinating and, dare he say it, fun conversations that often followed.

Severus sighed again, staring at the doorway in thought. If he knew the brat, and he did, he would be as far from the room as possible and Severus would have no way of finding him without revealing his own awakened state.

"He had better not do anything stupid," Severus grumbled, shifting on the bed to find a more comfortable position. It was difficult, as the mattress was lumpy and the sheets itched.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The footsteps coming up the stairs were heavy. Severus frowned and snapped his eyes closed. Angry or not, Malfoys were taught to walk with the utmost grace and whoever was walking towards the room was not trying at all.

Severus breathed deep and relaxed his face, evening his breathing out until he was as still as death. The only movement he gave was his chest rising and falling lightly.

The door was slammed open, just as he had reach complete calmness. A teenage voice grumbled as they stomped around the room. The screech of a chair being pulled to Severus' bedside made him tense.

"You," a familiar voice snapped, "are so lucky you're unconscious."

Severus, had he been a lesser man, would have gaped. He knew that voice. Of course he did, he'd heard it almost every school day for the passed six years.

"Malfoy is such a bastard," Potter muttered, peering at Severus with a frown. "Then again, so are you." Potter ran a hand through his hair. "I don't even know why I'm here talking to you. You're unconscious, damn it! Why don't you just bloody wake up, tell us what really happened so we can ship you off to Azkaban."

If Severus had felt inclined to 'wake up' earlier, he lost that inclination at that moment. He stubbornly remained silent.

Potter sighed.

"Why did you kill him? Why him?" Potter demanded, somewhat hoarsely. "Why kill the only person who's ever cared about me... Why couldn't you have killed Voldemort, spared me the trouble... or Lestrange and done the world a favor... why him?"

Severus almost felt guilty... almost.

"I should just ship you off to Azkaban unconscious."

Severus tensed minutely. He wanted to hold his breath but forced himself to take regular amounts of air.

"...but I can't do that," Potter muttered, bitterly. "Because in the back of my mind, I wonder if you had a real reason to... you know... kill."

Severus desperately wanted to raise one eyebrow but when one was unconscious, your eyebrow didn't raise on its own. When did he grow up?

"Malfoy's spouting all this shit about Dumbledore too," Potter continued bitterly. "He's such a dick... but he might be right." Severus almost choked on air. Oh, how I wish I could use this later for blackmail.

"Everyone thinks Dumbledore was perfect but I know better... if he were perfect, he wouldn't have let me sleep in a cupboard for ten years. If he were perfect, he wouldn't have let me go hungry more than fifty percent of my life. If he were perfect... then maybe he could have saved you two... before this happened." Potter sighed. "Or maybe, if he were perfect... he could have saved Tom Riddle, too."

Severus was in shock but he still heard as Potter stood and walked to the door.

"Touching, Potter. You're such a Gryffindor," a familiar voice drawled and Severus tensed once more. What is Draco doing?

Out of all the things that Draco had imagined coming out of Potter's mouth, what he had overheard was not one of them. He didn't realize, when he'd said it, that his words would make such an impact. He had been trying to hurt Potter, strike where the wound was still fresh. The obvious choice had been Dumbledore. He didn't even remember what he'd said, but something had obviously struck a chord.

Draco had been both surprised and unsurprised to hear that Potter had been kept in a closet and starved. Something about him screamed, 'hug me, I'm lonely!' A bad childhood explained that, somewhat.

Draco had first seen the way Potter seemed to cry out for affection that day in Madame Malkin's. That hadn't been the reason why Draco had first talked to the boy. No, it had just been a simple case of , 'I'm bored, you're here, let's talk?'... but as the child, who would defeat the Dark Lord, walked away from him towards the great oaf Hagrid, he'd seen the way Potter had lit up at the sight of his present and the way he'd basked in the small amount of attention the man gave him. Draco had been curious. Of course, extending his hand in friendship hadn't been the right way to go, as Potter had already made new friends and latched onto them tight. Draco had hated Potter from that day on, or so he liked to think. In all honesty, Potter captured Draco's curiosity just as much as he had that day in the robe shop.

Potter had finished talking to the pretend-unconscious Severus and was walking towards the door, head tilted down. Draco knew he could step aside and let the boy pass, him being none the wiser that Draco had overheard him, but, as always, Draco did not listen to the smart idea.

"Touching, Potter. You're such a Gryffindor," Draco drawled. Potter's head snapped up and he glared at the blond.

"I thought I told you to piss off!" Potter snarled and Draco smirked, purposely stepping closer.

"You told me to leave you the fuck alone, actually," the blonde corrected.

"Then why aren't you doing it?" Potter said, bitterly.

"When have I ever listened to you, Potter?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow and having to physically resist from calling him 'Potty'.

"Now would be a nice time to start," Potter snapped and Draco had the strange feeling that he was barely restraining from punching him.

"But that would require me doing something nice for you and I believe the world would stop if that happens," Draco drawled with a smirk. Potter seemed to snap and with a sudden rush of movement, placed his hands on Draco's chest and sent him tumbling backwards. He slammed into the wall opposite the open doorway and slid down, sitting with his back against the wall, one leg drawn up and the other laying flat. Potter snarled and stormed down the stairs.

Draco watched him go, unable to move. The pain was still there, making his nerve endings burn. He sighed as Potter disappeared and turned to look back into the room.

Severus' eyes were open, staring directly into his. They didn't need words. Draco knew what he had done was stupid and Severus did not even bother. Severus turned on his side, back facing the door.

Draco hadn't felt this alone in a long time. He closed his eyes and dropped his head, so his chin rested on his chest and his hair covered his eyes.

'Shit.'

Harry didn't know why he was so angry. Malfoy had just been his usual arrogant, prick-like self. He should have been used to it. Afterall, they had spent the better part of six years acting this way together. Harry sighed, and sat on the first floor staircase. He could hear Remus and Arthur chatting in the kitchen but didn't have the strength to go down. It seemed like the usual thing for him these days was to get angry for no reason, become exhausted, and sulk for no reason, then start all over again. It was driving Harry crazy. He didn't understand why he was suddenly so irrational.

"Harry?" a soft voice said, catching Harry's attention. He turned slightly, staring down the stairs. All his previous anger fled and his lips were twitching desperately.

"Go ahead," Remus suggested with his own smile. "Laugh. Arthur's still in tears about it."

So Harry did. He laughed so hard his sides hurt, with tears sliding down his cheeks and completely breathless when the laughter eased up. Remus joined in occasionally but mostly he just basked in the sight of Harry Potter, a side most people never saw of him, the side that was happy.

"Oh... Oh, that felt good," Harry gasped out, grinning still. "I missed doing that."

"What?" Remus asked, sitting next to Harry on the stairs. Harry snickered at seeing him close up, but answered.

"Laughing."

Author's Note:

Yay! I updated again. Lawl xP Schools a bitch.

Sorry it took so long. I burnt my hand and couldn't type with it for a few days (Do you know how hard is to type one handed?!)

Thank you for my darling BETA for putting up with a few shocking typos thanks to my injury XP

Urgh. Sorry for falling into the cliché Ron's-obsessed-with-food but I'm horrible at characterizing him. . I characterize ARTHUR better than Ron, something about him is so difficult to write...maybe 'cause he's dumb? I dunno. Dx

REVIEWER RESPONES:

Soupcan: Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Honestly, I don't have clear-cut definitions of good or evil, so why should Harry? :3 I hope you liked this chapter too.

Minoki: Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it.

Ali-Chan et Vani-chan: Oh noes, you weren't first reviewer xP Ah well, you're still pretty darn quick! Thanks, and yeah, they're all idiots but they'll wise up soon! Even Molly's melting in regards to the hawt-Malfoy charm xD

Enigmus: Thanks! You're reviews are such an ego-boost xP Don't worry, Slash is coming! Hehe, I wanted that too but Harry just wouldn't work with me xD Darn Griffendor.

Smaradgus: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like Harry, I've always thought he was underdeveloped in the book and try hard to extend his character without making him UnCannon. Sev's really just a softy under all that snark ;3 and Fleur has always been a interest for me. I mean, she couldn't have been that dumb, afterall she was picked for the TriWizard Tournament! That's gotta prove she's got some brains. Hope you liked this one too.

Njferell: :3 Yes they are but Harry's still a Griffendor and teamed up with his guilt complex/self blaming issues, he had to appolgozie. He's quite dependant on that Weasley clan. Hope you liked this chapter.

Nameless Little Girl: Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you liked this one too ;3

TearsOfTheForgotten: You're ba-a-a-ack. Hello again :3 Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters. Hehe, I wanted to squeal in those moments too and I was writing them xP Hope you liked this one too! More bonding ;3

QUESTION:

Do you prefer getting Review Replies (Aka. The ones from FF. net which aren't public) or have them posted on the chapter? Just wondering, because this makes up more than a page and doesn't give an accurate representation of how long the story is.

FEEDBACK PLEASE. Do you want them to be posted here or privately sent?

Review M'dears!

-Liaa