Title: Everything I've Ever Known

By: Avil

Rating: R, for language, bloody scenes, and other content

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated in the books or movies. All the characters, creatures, and landscapes belong to J. K. Rowling.

Chapter 4: Regain Control

The room stood still and silent, so much so that if a pin was dropped at that very moment it would sound like a violent crash. The reason for this silence was Draco, Draco Malfoy, pureblood, blond, reigning from a prestigious but tainted family. The Malfoys, who were each taught from birth never to let your emotions get the best of you, never to let them show. The youngest of the Malfoy line was breaking this family standard and not only in front of one person, but instead in front of six.

Madame Pomfrey, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Seamus Finnegan, Ronald Weasley, and Blaise Zabini. Although at this point it was more than clear that he has cried into the other Slytherin's chest more often than not. They all stood there, motionless, shell-shocked by the scene before them. Ron was the one to break the silence, regaining his composure before the others.

This is a dream, I thought. If I just wake up… this... This isn't real. This isn't happening. I just have to wake up. I blink, once, twice. I'm still here, in this fake reality. Because this has to be a dream, life is not like this. Life is not this fast paced this blood quickening. This is something that happens in dreams, in those things on the telly. Things like this don't happen in real life. I need to wake up. I'll wake up to Seamus jumping up and down on my bed, and instead of throwing a pillow at him and getting upset, I'll hug him. I'll actually thank him for once for waking me up. I just have to wake up.

The apple of my eye sobs again. This isn't a dream. There's no waking from this. The only thing to do now, besides hope that I'm in a coma somewhere and this is just a fictional reality my brain has sickly thought to make up, is to take control.

"Harry, Hermione." I look to my friends who are staring at him. This is not what I would have ever imagined happening to… would it be selfish to say me? Even though this is happening to him, it's happening to me too. How could I ever tell Harry and Hermione now? I don't think I ever could. I walked over to both of them, rested my hands onto their shoulders and I gently shook them. "Guys, snap out of it." I whisper. It feels wrong to speak any louder than a whisper, as if I would ruin something. "Go get Snape." I say in a whisper again. Their gaze slowly trails from Draco to me.

"Huh?" Hermione in all her gracefulness said. Harry seconded it as his gaze too landed on me.

"Go get Professor Snape."

"O-Ok." Harry responded. They both looked back to Draco, his tear stained face was the last thing they saw as they walked away from the hospital wing and believe it or not, I couldn't be happier to see them leave. As soon as they walked out those doors I walked over to Madame Pomfrey, who was in the same state they were in no more than a few seconds ago.

"Madame Pomfrey," I said, taking her shoulder and shaking her gently. She slowly looked from Draco to me, quicker than Harry and Hermione but slow still.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?" Her voice was soft, silent, as if she felt the same way as I did about tainting this already heavily tainted moment.

"Please go and get an Energy Potion, Sleeping Draught, a Dreamless Sleep potion, a level 3 healing potion, and a concealing cream." I said calmly. By now Draco calmed and was looking at me. I couldn't help but avoid his gaze; it burned into my soul and made it hard to breathe. Madame Pomfrey nodded at me and walked over to her office. I take a deep breath, or try at least, as I walk over to Seamus.

"Seamus," I look up at him and he comes to attention far quicker than the others. "Go to the cabinet over there by the doors and could you please get me some gauze, a box that says fiberglass cast, and an arm sling." He nodded and walked over to the cabinet. I turned and looked at Blaise as I walked over to the bed, I stood next to him and looked down at the floor for a moment.

"Ron, I-"I put my hand up to stop him.

"Blaise," He was going to apologize to me; I saw it in his eyes as I looked up to him. Why would he apologize to me? This, or these, moments aren't about me. "Your boyfriend, my best friend, is about to have a breakdown." I pause, Remember, deep breaths. "He thinks the same thing has happened to you." I pause again; remember not to take any anger out at him. "Go and tell him it's not true." My voice is faltering, deep inside I'm hoping that this truly hasn't happened to Blaise as well, I can't help but think it has. But by his nod and his slow walk over to Seamus, who was about to fall, I can tell it hasn't.

"Ron." He whispers, his voice sounds raspy but still silky smooth. I look down again, at his injuries, not looking at him because if I do… Don't think Ron. I grab the blanket from the foot of his bed.

"You have a broken arm." I unravel the blanket and pull it over his legs, watching my hands, making sure they don't shake, proceeding with caution. "We won't be able to heal it completely. You got it from the str-strug-"I felt the fiery prickles behind my eyes, I could feel the changes in my body. My eyes were now red along with the tips of my ears. I take a small, brief, moment to calm myself. You can do this Ron. Just breathe. "You got it from the struggle. You'll have to wear a cast. You also have a black eye. You uh… punched yourself in the eye." Just as those words leave my lips Madame Pomfrey arrives at my side silencing whatever was about to come out of his mouth. His mouth that was parted to begin to speak was now shut. She arrived with a trolley filled with what I asked her for.

"You can go ma'am, if you'd like. You look as if you're about to be sick. I've had my training. I can handle this." I say to her, hoping she'd go. It's one less person who is going to be staring at me, Him, I mean him. This isn't about me. I begin to uncap one of the bottles she rests her hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you dear." She rubbed my shoulder and walked away with one hand on her stomach. She was showing affection to me, why me? Why not him, he deserved and needed it way more than I did.

"Ron." Draco whispered again. Blaise and Seamus came back from across the room.

"Here," Blaise said, carrying everything. Seamus on the other hand looked to shocked to do anything.

"Put it on the trolley." I said, uncapping one of the other potions.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked, looking up anxiously.

"No, just go outside to the waiting area and let me know when Professor Snape arrives." I said as calmly as possible as I look over to him and I see him eying my every move. I see the temptation to look over Draco in his eyes. "Don't worry Blaise. He'll be fine."

"Ron, can I have a moment, please?" Seamus asked me. I know what's coming.

"Sure," I say as I walk two beds over and across the room. Once we stop I ask, "What is it? I've only got a certain amount of time to heal him with there being no sc-scars."

"I know that, was I not the one who helped you train for Pomfrey's exams?" I can't help but nod. "I wanted to know if you'll be alright."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me. You should be worrying about him." I look over to Draco, carefully avoiding his eyes; I know he's looking at me. I look back to Seamus. "Now, please…"

"You can put your brave face on as much as you'd like. But you know I can see right past it. You know us godzeers have to take of each other." He said with a small smile, I smiled as well.

"I'm sure I'll be fine Seamus. In fact I'll be even better once you and Romeo over there go so I can take care of my patient." Seamus looked at me, his eyes were questioning, scanning over me and looking right through me. "Honestly, I promise." Seamus finally got it and nodded. We walked back to Blaise and Draco.

"I'll see you in a bit." Blaise said to Draco as both he and Seamus walked out.

When they left I got to work, I grabbed the energy potion and uncapped the vial.

"Ron." Draco whispered my name for the third time.

"Take this, it'll help you not be tiered for the next few hours or so." I said, handing them to him. He reached out to grab the vial, he came so close to touching me, to almost connecting with my skin. I pulled my hand away before he could. He took the potions while I uncapped the healing potion and then again said my name.

"Ron," He whispered as I took the vial out of his hand and handed the next one to him.

"This healing potion is level 3, not exactly the strongest but it will get the job done. It'll heal your bruises and those… those c-cu-cu-" I couldn't say it. I fell as if I'm collapsing upon myself. As if I've just taken a bullet to the heart, it's becoming harder to breathe. This pain in me isn't going away. He took the potion out of my hand, quickly took it, and placed on the side table.

"Ron," His voice was beginning to sound above a whisper, he was beginning to sound like his old self. No, not like his old self. He's always been this way. I just didn't see it. Regain control Ron. I told myself and continued.

"Let me put your arm in the cast. I need you t-"

"Ron!" He demanded my attention this time. "Would you just look at me?"

I can't. I'm too scared to, because if I do I won't be able to stand, no less take care of him. I have to take care of him. I need to make sure that he's ok. I need to make sure this never happens again. If I look at him I'll become weak and useless to him. What good could that do? Just don't look up Ron, no matter what. Don't look up.

"Ron look at me, please. It'll help." He said, his voice waivered, as if he was losing all hope.

"How would you know?" I ask as I fumble with the loose threads of his sheets, willing the sting in my eyes away.

"Because Blaise and Sev were like this. They wouldn't look at me. I thought it was because they were ashamed of me at first." I would never be.

"I-"

"It was because they loved me. Sev as a son and Blaise as a brother. They were just scared." He whispered.

"Why?" I want to look up. He took a moment to answer that seemed to stretch out like the Nile, and each second felt like a mile long.

"It was because they thought that if they looked at me in this condition… they wouldn't be able to take care of me. 'Be strong for me,' as they put it." He chuckled. Who would chuckle at this? "But it was the complete opposite." He took my hand in his. "They only made them want to try their best to help me." I could hear the smile in his lips, feel the warmth of his voice and I couldn't help but not fight the prickling behind my eyes. "Ron, look at me."

I slowly looked up, allowing him to see the tear fall along my face. As my eyes meet his this overwhelming feeling rushed over me as I exhaled harshly. More tears followed that lone tear, forcing me to surrender from this false sense of control I established.

"What do you see?" He asked me, squeezing my hand as if he was trying to stay strong for me."

"I see…" I take a deep breath, wiping my tears on my sleeve. "Gods damn it, I see the guy I like hurt and battered and bruised and beaten." I can't think anymore. "I see someone's death as soon as you tell me who did this to you. I'm talking a gruesome death at that." He squeezes my hand again, I know this isn't what he wants to hear. "I see the guy I just my love hurt, and know that I couldn't stop or do anything about it just kills me. Shit." My tears fall freely as I put the bottom of my palm to my eyes and squeeze my eyes shut.

"You can do something about it." He whispers, pulling me by my hand closer to him. I look to him, in this moment I'd do anything for him. "You can give me a humongous hug, for starters." Draco laughed and I couldn't help but laugh as well. I opened my arms to Draco and gave him a hug, being careful not to cause anymore damage to his broken arm. We stayed there for what seemed like forever. They needed to know that the other was truly there, not just an illusion made up in their minds. "Now," Draco said, pulling away his good arm from around me, letting go of this much needed hug. "You can fix this arm up of mine.

I laughed and began tending to his arm. In a matter of minutes I finished his cast. I do believe I have just created a world record for arm casting. When I was done I sat on the edge of his bed beside his hips and held his good hand.

"Now, you don't have to, but you can give me a ki-" I didn't let him finish his sentence, knowing what he was going to say before he began to say it.

The kiss was filled with intoxicating feeling of passion, making their hearts skip a beat. I have never felt like this in my entire life. How is it that a simple kiss can knock me off my feet? I'm glad I'm sitting next to him, cause if I wasn't my knees would have given out by now. He tastes sweet like mango honey, if that is even makes sense. I smile into the kiss and gasp as we part.

"What?" He asks me, laughing a bit when he notices my smile.

"Nothing," My smile grows even bigger. "Nothing at all." He stares at me knowingly. "Ok, fine… Just promise me you won't laugh."

"Ok… I promise." He says with a smile.

"It's just that you taste like a mango kind of honey." I shut my eyes, not wanting to know what his reaction would be. Turns out I didn't need to have my eyes shut to know his reaction. He started laughing loudly and I could hear him losing his breath.

"You are so stupid." He laughed at my comment again. Rethinking it I have to admit it is pretty funny. He stops laughing for a moment and smiles at me saying, "But hey, what can I say? I'm the sweetest thinkg in the castle."

We laughed on for a few more moments, then a silence consumed the room. This awkward silence lated for a few moments before I had to ask the question I think he knew was coming.

"Who did this to you?" The mood changed as the words flowed out of my mouth. The air was no longer as light hearted as it just a few short moments ago.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked me, looking down at his hands.