Terribly sorry for the long hiatus! But I wrote even more chapters for the next story haha. Enjoy!

DRACO'S SOFTER SIDE.

I stared, horrified, at Draco Malfoy. His torso was cut and bleeding badly, but I had no idea what could have cut him. I got closer and realized, as I peered around the stall, that Malfoy wasn't alone. Besides Moaning Myrtle screaming at the top of her lungs, Harry was standing there, awestruck.

"Harry!" I screamed. Snape took a good long look at him. Harry stammered, but couldn't speak. His wand was gripped tightly in his hands and he looked stunned. "Harry, what have you done?"

Snape had gotten down next to Malfoy and I did the same. Snape's wand hovered over Malfoy's abdomen and he spoke very quietly. I tried to hear what he was saying.

"Vulnera Sanentur." The blood flow eased. "Vulnera Sanentur." The wounds began to seal themselves. "Vulnera Sanentur." The wounds had gone.

I stared in amazement at Snape, glancing to Malfoy's body, which was now blood free. Had Harry actually casted a spell to do that much damage? I didn't even know what spell there was that acted like that. Regardless, I was furious.

"Harry!" I cried again and turned to him. "What have you done? What did you do?" I grabbed his shoulders and shook him frantically. Snape watched quietly.

"I – I didn't –" he gasped. "I didn't know it would –"

"You shouldn't have used a spell you didn't know on a person!" I replied, my face red. Even if it was Malfoy, it was disgusting to see the blood that had stained my shoes. "Harry! Are you listening to me? Did you hear me?"

"I think he heard you, Miss Potter," Snape interrupted, getting to his feet. "If you would, please escort Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing. I'll take care of your brother."

I nodded and Malfoy, still whimpering, did not object when I helped him to his feet. "Come on, walk," I mumbled and he threw his arm around my shoulders and limped out. I rolled my eyes. "Quit being dramatic – your legs don't hurt, do they?"

He kept limping and I held him up, carefully holding his waist, not sure if his wounds still hurt. His breathing was heavy and I frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Bloody brilliant."

I led Malfoy into the hospital wing, explained what happened to Madam Pomfrey and she took him from me, laying him down in an empty bed. "Miss Potter, you'll stay here with him for the night, won't you? I'll be informing his mother later today."

"Oh, no, I can't –"

"Why not?" She pulled up a chair and sat me down beside Malfoy's bed, opening his shirt and examining his abdomen for deep gashes. "Professor Snape has done an excellent job… Someone's got to stay here with him and you're the only here. What else have you got to do?"

"Can't you just get someone else?" I said quickly.

"Like who?" she asked me and I sighed, defeated. I sat down on the chair and Malfoy cried and cried. I felt bad, I really did. I was angry – who was come up with such a spell?

The Half Blood Prince.

I bit my lip and leaned back in my chair. Was Harry going to do anything about that book now that it actually hurt someone? I watched Malfoy squirm under Madam Pomfrey's touch as she wrapped his stomach and chest in bandages. When she finally left him alone and retired to her office, Malfoy scoffed. "How could you let something happen like this?"

"It wasn't my fault your hurt, Malfoy," I snapped.

"Yes, I forgot you were with Snape. You're his pet."

"I'm not!" I yelled, hoping Madam Pomfrey wouldn't hear me.

"Oh, right, right," Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You're the werewolf's pet. Or, he's your pet, anyway."

"Shut up," I muttered.

"Embarrassed, are we?"

"No, I'm not!" I retorted and Malfoy smirked, seeming satisfied.

"I certainly would be," Malfoy shrugged. "Messing around with a half-breed. That's disgusting. At least you're not a Mudblood. Then again, blood traitor isn't much better."

"You know what, Malfoy?" I said as calmly as I could and he raised his eyebrows.

"Enlighten me."

"I think you're a spoiled brat who has to act out here to get people to pay attention to you because your parents don't. Your father is in jail and for the record, I'm quite glad. Your mother is probably worrying so much about staying in Voldemort's inner circle that she has absolutely no time for you." Malfoy flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name. "And just because no one loves you, doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on someone who is loved."

Malfoy looked away.

"And to be truthful, I would rather date a half-breed than a Death Eater any day."

"I'm not a Death Eater," Malfoy said rather quickly. I had barely finished my sentence. I narrowed my eyebrows, sensing the worry in his voice. "If that's what you're thinking."

I didn't reply.

"And you're wrong. My parents love me – they just want to see me succeed in life so they're a little hard on me."

"Don't go all soft on me," I snorted. "I don't want to hear about your problems at home. I don't care about you, Malfoy. I don't care that you're a pureblood and I don't care that you've got money. I don't care that you're on Voldemort's side and I don't care that you got hurt. I would be sitting here no matter who got hurt in that bathroom, alright?"

"You're only here because Madam Pomfrey told you to. Don't lie to me, Darcy – and no, I'm not calling you Professor Potter."

"You don't have to," I growled. "I just wish you'd show me some respect."

"I could say the same!" Malfoy snarled and I licked my lips, clenching my fists. I wasn't about to let Malfoy get to me. "Growing my teeth into the size of horse teeth? And remember when you gave me boils all over my body? And the one year when you made my skin turn red and gold? I didn't know how to reverse that spell!"

"I'm not showing you respect until you learn to show me some! You've actually got to earn my respect," I said. "And the things you say about Remus – that's going to get you absolutely no respect."

"Can't he fight for himself?" Malfoy spat. "Do you always defend him? You'd think an old man like that would be experienced and mature enough to fight his own battles."

I opened my mouth and closed it. Then, I spoke. "Shut up, Malfoy. He doesn't like fighting so he just doesn't do it. What you say about him is wrong, so he deserves to be defended."

"He brings it on himself! Showing himself at Hogwarts where there are children! He's dangerous, you know."

"He's not!" I yelled. "I know he's not. He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Then what's on your shoulder?"

My hand instantly touched my right shoulder and when Malfoy smirked, I pulled my hand away and pretended it never happened, but I knew he had seen. "Nothing, Malfoy. It was from the Whomping Willow in my seventh year."

"He did that to you."

I hesitated. "Yeah," I whispered. "But he didn't mean it. He takes a potion – I make it for him in the week building up to the full moon and it helps him retain his human mind."

"Fascinating," Malfoy said sarcastically.

"I do love him," I snapped. "Very, very much. He makes me happier than anyone else and I won't take your shit, Malfoy. I can handle you disrespecting me because you've done it for six years now, but don't you dare insult Remus."

Not moments later, the doors to the hospital wing opened. Narcissa Malfoy came striding in, hurrying over to Malfoy's bed. I turned around and when she saw me, she stopped right where she was and gasped dramatically. She wasn't looking directly at me, but Narcissa glanced from me to Malfoy's wrapped abdomen.

"What have you done, you stupid girl?" she asked icily and I stood up.

"I didn't do anything!" I argued.

"Like I'll believe that?" Narcissa spat. "After what you did to my husband?"

"He almost killed me! Surely you haven't forgotten? Or perhaps your husband has killed so many people that you can't keep track anymore!"

"Enough!" Snape shouted and I jumped. He looked at me darkly and I hushed up.

"It wasn't Darcy," Malfoy said suddenly and Narcissa scrunched her nose, looking more furious than when she had walked in. "It was her brother. Madam Pomfrey made her stay here, even though I didn't want her to."

"Hmph," she glared at me again and I stood up as the door opened again and Snape walked in and stopped at my side. "She yours, Severus?"

Snape and I looked at each other quickly, not understanding the question. "She is not mine, Narcissa, but yes, she is with me," Snape replied coolly. "And I assure you, she was in no way associated with Draco's injury. She escorted him here to the hospital wing and stayed to make sure he was okay."

Narcissa seemed unsatisfied by his response. "Have you spoken to the Potter boy?"

"Detention until the end of the year," Snape said angrily and then he turned to me. "Miss Potter? Is that fair?"

I hesitated. "Absolutely," I answered truthfully.

"There you have it, Narcissa."

Narcissa leaned over Malfoy and began muttering to him incoherently. Snape grabbed my elbow and began forcing me towards the hospital wing doors. "Let's go, Miss Potter. Back to your quarters."

Snape walked me away from the big wooden doors and towards the staircase. "Why didn't you let me fight back? What her husband did to not only me, but to many others is terrible! You know that, don't you?"

"You need to learn to hold your tongue," he snapped. "Honestly, they tell the Dark Lord about you and you'll be killed –"

"Let them tell him what I said! I don't care!" It was quiet for a moment. "Malfoy's a Death Eater and I know it. Don't deny it, either. I know you know."

"I assure you, he is not."

"Don't you lie to me!" I shouted. "Don't you dare! You know the truth! Why do you have to hide it from me? I don't hide anything from you!"

"Don't expect me to be telling you all my dirty secrets just because you tell me," Snape said. We walked up the moving staircase, still squabbling. The portraits watched carefully with raised eyebrows and wide eyes, completely silent. "I know you don't have many friends, but let's get this straight right now. We are not friends. I'm just the one who has to protect you from all the stupid danger you get in. Understood? You may give and give to me, but don't you expect me to give back to you."

My forehead creased. Snape walked me to my door, said 'goodnight', and left. I walked into my quarters. Lupin was sitting the couch and when he saw me, he stood up quickly.

"What the – Darcy, what happened?" Lupin nearly jumped on me and he looked me up and down. "Why is there blood on your pants? Are you bleeding? Who attacked you?"

"I wasn't attacked," I replied hastily and angrily. "Harry attacked someone with that bloody book of his."

"What?"

"I was in Snape's office and we were about to leave and there was this – this scream and we ran to the bathroom and Malfoy was lying on the ground bleeding from his – his stomach."

"Harry…"

"Harry," I repeated. "And it's all the Half Blood Prince's fault! Who would come up with such a spell? It's horrible what he did! I can't – How could he?"

"I'm sure he didn't know what the spell was made to do. I don't think Harry would ever intentionally harm even Malfoy like that."

"But it was really bad!"

"Darcy…"

"Perhaps I am overreacting a little," I sighed. "Malfoy thinks nasty things about you, you know, but I shot him down and told him you were wrong."

"Good for you. Thank you."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"Bother me when?" he asked me. "When they call me a werewolf? When they call me a dirty half-breed? Darcy, I've gotten that all my life from lots of different people. I can't correct them. They're right. I am a werewolf and I am a half-breed. It doesn't get to me, so don't let it get to you."

"But I'm your girlfriend. I'm supposed to defend you –"

"I think it's the other way around," he smirked. "I'm supposed to kill anyone who bothers you."

I smiled weakly. "I don't think Malfoy's as bad of a person as everyone says. He's not like his father."

"Darcy, his father nearly killed you."

"I know that. But Malfoy hasn't ever tried to kill anyone," I shrugged and Lupin took my hands. "He's being pressured by his parents and I know I wouldn't know what that's like, but really…"

"You pity Draco Malfoy?"

I thought. "Yes, I think I do."

"Okay, you're obviously overtired. Come on, love, to bed with you."

"Don't you feel bad for him?" I asked as he led me slowly to the bedroom.

"No, I don't! I'll never forgive any of the Malfoys for what Lucius did to you. You could have died, Darcy, don't you understand that?"

"But that was only Lucius. No one else had any part in that."

Lupin shook his head and I frowned. "Whatever you say, love. Whatever you say."