It sounded like… someone crying.

This was concerning, as it was the boys' bathroom that I was poised outside of, debating with myself whether or not I should go in.

I nudged open the door, as quietly and tentatively as possible. All the bathrooms in Hogwarts were in a certain layout: the sinks were in the center of the room, around a pillar, the stalls and- dare I say it- urinals were all in rows around the sinks.

I couldn't see who it was; they were on the other side of the pillar. I peeked around it, expecting to have to console some stressed-out fifth year crying over his exams, but got something else entirely.

It was Draco.

I still felt that little flare of happiness every time I saw him; I knew I shouldn't care, but I did. After all, I was the one who had broken up with him. I was the one who'd decided that things just weren't working out, and started that awkward conversation that no one wants to have. I had ended our relationship, and now he probably hated my guts.

His sobs racked his body, shaking his arms. His back was heaving, and he gasped for air raggedly. He gripped the sides of the sink, his knuckles white. He was leaning over, with his head down, his fair hair hanging in front of his face.

Well, I couldn't do anything for him.

I walked backward, quickly, trying to get out, and slammed into one of the stalls. It made a loud, metallic sort of crashing noise.

I suddenly realized how much I didn't want Draco to know I was there. I whipped behind the stall, my heart jumping wildly.

The red light of a stunning spell exploded about three feet from me, aimed at one of the stalls. It cracked and swayed, unbalanced.

I pressed my lips together, hoping that he couldn't find me, that I had turned invisible.

Without breathing, I drew my wand out of my pocket.

I heard him turn on the sink, and sighed with relief; he must think he imagined the sound. Still behind the stall, I moved a foot towards the door.

A spell shot past me, inches from my leg, and shattered the tiles on the wall opposite me.

"I know you're there," Draco said.

Another spell ricocheted off the mirrors in front of me, shattering them, and headed straight towards me. I dove out of the way, and saw his shoes moving around the stalls.

I scrambled up, running away from him, hoping he wouldn't switch directions.

My only hope was the door. I reached for the sinks, crouching behind one, and peeked up.

I couldn't see where he was. The bathroom was deathly quiet, the echoing silence magnifying every tiny sound.

I skirted the sinks, heading for the door. Red light burst into the sink I was just passing; shards of porcelain flew everywhere, and water from the pipes sprayed out of the wall.

I leapt down to the floor, covering my head. Debris rained down; I could see Draco's feet as he stood behind the stall, just feet in front of me. "Stupefy!" I cried. It just missed; he was coming around the stalls now.

I jumped up, now soaked, and still trying to find a way out. The water was pooling on the floor, making sloshing noises whenever one of us moved.

I moved behind the first row of stalls and stood, dripping. There was nowhere to go now, and I heard him splash through the growing puddles as he rounded the corner.

"Avada Kedavra!" He yelled.

The green light filled the room, and I dodged it, flattening myself against the wall.

Would he really do it?

I saw him now. His face was scratched from the sinks exploding. His eyes were still reddened from crying, and he held his wand as tightly as he had gripped the sink just minutes ago.

We looked at each other, both with our wands ready, and I could see his face go from anger to disbelief, and then anger again.

"Thought you'd come in here and have a laugh at me, did you?" He said carelessly.

"Don't flatter yourself," I said, my voice echoing off the tiled walls.

"Screw you." He replied.

Suddenly a jet of white light flew from his wand. I slashed mine through the air in an arc, blocking it and sending his spell back at him.

He was caught me off guard. The burst of white light hit him in the shoulder, knocking him backwards a step.

I saw blood begin to blossom from him. It ribboned away into the water on the floor, turning it a deep red.

"What are you playing at?" I yelled.

He looked down at his shoulder, and the wound was open and gaping, a slash.

If I hadn't blocked him… He was aiming to hurt me, maybe kill me.

"You don't understand." Draco said, sounding desperate. "I don't have a choice. He's going to kill me."

He staggered onto his knees, his hands on his shoulder, blood still streaming through his fingers.

I didn't understand, but I knew I couldn't leave Draco here.

"We need help," I said, and it sounded distant and faint to my ears.

He turned towards me, and there was desperation in his eyes. "I'm sorry. About everything. This isn't because of you."

I was astounded. He was the one who had been hurt, broken up with, and yet he was apologizing to me? This wasn't because of me stopping our relationship? I wanted to scream at him, to leap through the puddles and shake him.

"Help! Help! Somebody!" I yelled, as loudly as I could, feeling dizzy and afraid.

He rocked backward, and tipped, almost in slow motion. He pitched back onto the tiled floor with a splash. I kneeled in the water beside him, and frantically pulled out my wand, muttering every healing spell I could recall.

"I still want-" He was trying to talk.

"Shut up, you idiot! Don't talk!" Nothing worked; every spell seemed to slide off of him.

"Help!" I screamed again, giving up on magic, and pressing my robes into his shoulder.

The bathroom door suddenly banged; someone had heard me.

I looked up, and it was Snape standing there, in his billowing black robes.

I almost laughed, because Snape looked so disgusted, standing in bloody water in a bathroom that looked as though a hurricane had hit it.

I glanced back down at Draco, and he was unconscious. The blood in the water gave his hair an eerie reddish hue.

"Professor, I- He- I blocked him, and his spell rebounded back at him. I don't know how to-"

Snape knelt next to me, whipped out his wand, and murmured spells under his breath. Draco's skin began to knit back together, and I sat, watching.

At last Snape leaned back on his heels, and turned to me. "How did this happen?" He asked, quietly, but with an undertone of rage.

"Sir, it's personal. I don't think-" I began, not sure how to explain why Draco and I would have reason to duel in a boys' bathroom.

"I need to know exactly what occurred. I will ask you once more. How did this happen?" He locked me in his gaze.

"I heard him in here. I didn't know it was him. I went in, he threw some spells at me, and I defended myself. I don't think he knew it was me, sir, I think he assumed I was someone else. I had blocked him, and my shield charm sent his curse back at him. I don't know what it was, I've never seen it before."

"Listen to me closely. If you tell anyone about this I will personally see to it that every Saturday for the rest of your time here at Hogwarts is spent with me in detention." Snape spoke quickly and softly.

"But I don't understand-" I began.

"I am under the assumption that Mr. Malfoy will listen to you. You may be the only person able to stop him. To save him, so to speak, from himself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ask Draco."

"Professor, with all due respect, I would appreciate some answers. Everything that is or will be said stays between us."

Snape stood up, and went to the bathroom door. He locked it, and muttered some incantations under his breath. I began to feel a little uneasy; what had I gotten myself into?