So, I just uploaded the wrong chapter. Sorry about that! Here's the correct one.
AN: Hello, everyone! Hope you're all still hanging in there and enjoying the ride. There won't the 20-25 chapters I originally thought there would be. I've been editing and smushing them together to make longer chapters, so it looks more like 16-18. Depends on how long I make the chapters. Regardless, it won't be too much longer (sadly) before the end.
In the meantime, please enjoy!
Chapter Twelve
- June 6th -
Early morning found Draco sitting in silence at the kitchen table drinking a mug of tea. His silver grey eyes were burning with lack of sleep as he stared down at the tabletop, tracing his fingertips over the imperfections in the wood. He wondered if Harry would join him or not. Can't say that I blame him if he doesn't. Not after the horrible things I said to him last night. He sighed softly as he glanced at the cup he had set out for the brunet. It was swiftly getting cold and he wondered if he should just dump it out and try to get some sleep.
"Morning."
His head jerked up fast enough to cause a painful twinge in his neck, but he refused to acknowledge it. He looked into bloodshot green eyes and tried to smile, which was a difficult feat. He was fairly certain that he failed in his weak attempt, not that it would matter seeing as Harry had looked away almost immediately.
"Morning," Draco said softly. He stood and picked up Harry's cold tea and put it in the microwave to heat it up. He returned it to the quiet boy who was now sitting at the table, staring down at nothing, and then took the seat across from him.
"Thanks," Harry said softly, though he didn't even reach for the cup.
"Do you want some breakfast?" Draco asked.
Harry shook his head. "Not hungry."
Draco understood entirely that this rift in their relationship was solely his fault. He had been angry last night and as he usually did when angry, whether it was fair or not, he took it out on the smaller man. He gazed at Harry's weary, miserable face and wondered how in the world he would manage to fix it. And I must fix this. He's all I have left now.
"I have good news," Harry suddenly said, though his face said that the news was anything but.
"What's that?" Draco tried to hold in the relief he felt that Harry was speaking to him.
"I finally called Sirius last night."
"Oh?" Draco didn't quite see why that was such good news, but he smiled and leaned closer. "How did that go?"
Harry shrugged and continued to stare down at the tabletop. "He and I haven't been on speaking terms for awhile now. Ever since I went back to Oliver that last time."
"How did it go?" Draco hated the tension between them. He could feel Harry's anxiety radiating from him and it was making his own heart begin to race.
Harry chewed on a ragged fingernail before abruptly stopping and clenching his hands together in front of him. "He's in Ireland at the moment. He's consulting on a project and he should be home in a few days. When he comes home, I'll be going to stay with him, so…I'll finally be out of your hair."
Draco's breath hitched and he felt the blood drain from his already pale face. No! I don't want you out of my hair. Tell him you don't want him out of your hair! "What…why? Why are you leaving?"
Harry wrapped his hand around his mug and shrugged, though he still wouldn't look at him. "Thought you might like to have the place to yourself."
The blond licked his suddenly dry lips and swallowed hard. "But…you live here."
"It was never supposed to be a permanent thing. And I think I've caused more than enough damage."
Draco forced a laugh and stood to wash out his cup. "Don't be absurd. You're not going anywhere."
Harry frowned. "But…but I -"
Draco waved him off, refusing to hear anymore. I can fix this. I have a few days still. I will fix this.
"You said last night -"
"Don't remind me of last night," Draco said a bit harshly.
Harry inhaled sharply, but didn't say anything. He turned and quickly made his way back to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Draco stared after him in confusion, until he realized what he had said and how it sounded. He cursed softly and headed for Harry's room.
But before he even reached the hallway, he was interrupted by a soft, yet persistent knocking on the front door. Draco paused and glanced at his watch in surprise. It was only eight thirty am so he couldn't imagine who would be visiting at such an early hour. He pulled open the door and glared at the unfamiliar middle aged man who stood in front of him. "I think you have the wrong place," he said as he started to close the door.
A strong hand shot out to hold the door open. "I've come for my Godson."
Draco's heart jumped into his throat. "Harry?" he said softly.
"Yes." The man extended his hand. "Sirius Black."
Draco stared at his hand for a moment. You're not supposed to be here yet! I'm supposed to have a few days left to fix this.
When Draco didn't shake his hand, Sirius let it drop to his side and frowned at him in disapproval. "Now, I know for a fact that my cousin would never raise her son to treat a guest this way, so I'm going to push the blame onto that father of yours. He always was rather…rude."
Draco looked up at him in confusion. "Cousin?"
"Your mother?" Sirius gave him a small smile. "Not a morning person?"
"I…I haven't slept." Don't tell him your business! What's wrong with you?
"Ah…then Harry is not alone in his misery."
Draco just stared at him.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "May I come in please?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Draco stepped back and held the door open for him. "Harry is in his room."
Sirius stood there for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Do you think you might show me the way?"
"What?" Draco blushed heavily when he saw the expectant look on the older man's face. "Oh, yes. Please follow me."
Sirius nodded and followed Draco to Harry's bedroom.
Draco knocked softly. "Harry?"
As expected, there was no answer.
He tried the knob and found it was locked. "Harry. Please open the door."
Still, nothing.
"Let me try," Sirius said softly. He motioned for Draco to step out of the way, then knocked lightly on the door. "Harry, open the door love."
"Sirius?" There was a rustling sound and the door flew open. Harry launched himself out of his chair and threw his arms around his Godfather, tears suddenly flowing down his cheeks.
Draco took an involuntary step back at the sight of him. Did I do that to him? Did I do the same thing to him that I did to Cedric? He felt nauseous as he watched the brunet sob in the arms of his father figure, knowing he was the cause of such intense pain. "I'll just…" He turned and quickly headed for the kitchen. "I'll make some tea."
He slipped into the kitchen and pressed his back to the door, breathing heavily and trying to collect himself. Harry can't leave me now. Not after last night. Not after we made…
In a sudden flash of realization, his eyes grew wide and his breath caught in his throat. Oh my God, he was going to tell me he loves me. "Fuck."
As quickly as possible, he prepared two cups of tea, though it seemed the kettle had something against him and the water took twice as long as usual to boil. He was desperate to be in Harry's room, to reassure him that last night was perfect in every way and that it really wasn't his fault, what happened with Cedric.
He carried the mugs to Harry's room and knocked softly. "I brought you some tea," he said, his heart pounding in his chest.
The door opened and Sirius gave him a forced smile as he held it open for him.
Draco looked down at Harry, who was now sitting up in bed, a tissue clutched tightly in one shaking hand. The other hand was busy pulling at a loose thread in the blanket Mrs. Weasley had made for him.
"Harry…" Draco cleared his throat. "Are you…are you still thinking about leaving?"
"Yes," Harry said softly.
A hard lump formed in Draco's throat. "But…but why? I want you to stay. I thought I was clear about that."
Harry shrugged. "Maybe you can get Cedric back if I leave."
"I don't want Cedric back." And as the words left his mouth, he realized that they were the truth. A weight lifted from his shoulders as he stared down at the one man that he absolutely needed in his life. "You know, what I said in the kitchen…it…it came out wrong. That wasn't what I meant."
Harry swallowed and let out a soft sigh. "I'm just…tired, Draco."
Sirius took the two mugs of tea from Draco and placed them on the nightstand. "I won't be back for a few more days," he said softly as he sat down next to Harry on the bed. "I only came back for the day because you sounded so…heartbroken."
Not heartbroken. I didn't…I swear, I didn't mean to.
Harry reached out and took Sirius's hand. "Thank you for coming. I know it's not easy for you to get away while you're working."
Sirius kissed Harry's head. "I'll take a leave of absence after this. We'll have time to get you healthy again and to spend some time together. Perhaps we'll travel when you're ready."
Harry looked up at him with teary eyes. "I'd like that," he said softly before leaning in to him.
Sirius held him tightly and looked up at Draco. He motioned with his head for him to leave the room.
Unable to think of anything to say or do, Draco did as he asked.
*.*.*.*
Draco didn't know what to do with himself. He was sitting on the couch, his elbows on his bouncing knees and his head in his hands. He couldn't keep still, but he didn't want to move from the couch in case Harry or Sirius finally came out of the bedroom. Unable to stand anymore of the sitting and waiting, he flopped onto his back and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and steady his breathing.
He had suspicions that Sirius was not very fond of him. Not that he blamed the man or anything, he just wished that they had met under better circumstances. Perhaps then he would be an asset rather than a disadvantage.
He's most likely in there telling him how much better off he is without me. And the worst part is that it's probably true.
He gritted his teeth and covered his head as he rolled onto his side, trying to block out the thoughts.
He tried forcing himself to think about something else. Something like work or the new club or what he was getting Pansy for her birthday or what his mother would say if she knew he was shagging her cousins Godson…
He growled softly to himself. Mother. This is her fault. Briefly, he tried to imagine what his life would be like had she not forced her idiotic lessons on him. I probably wouldn't be in this predicament. And neither would Harry. Or Cedric.
Of course, I would never have met Cedric and Harry would probably be with Oliver still.
Alright…so it's not Mother's fault. The truth was that he knew whose fault it was and the thought of it was eating him alive. You were the one who strung Cedric along for months while cheating on him every chance you got. You were the one who seduced a broken, needy man and lured him into feeling safe before stomping all over what was left of his already damaged heart.
Stupid git. No wonder they both hate you now.
Clenching his jaw to the point of pain, he sighed heavily. Count to ten. Just count and breathe…count and breathe…count…and…
He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep and he wasn't sure how it had even been possible, given the state of his thoughts, but he woke up with a start at the sound of the soft click of Harry's bedroom door closing.
He bolted up from the couch, his heart pounding as he stared at the hallway, waiting.
Sirius emerged a moment later, looking tired and grim. Though he was already across the room from him, Draco took a step back in fear.
Dark grey eyes came up to meet his stare and Draco swallowed thickly at the sight. "I'm sorry," he blurted out before he could stop himself.
Sirius frowned. "You should be."
Draco could no longer hold his gaze, so he looked down at his hands which were clenched tightly together. Why did I wait for this? Why didn't I just go to sleep and try again in the morning?
"I don't like to see Harry hurting."
Draco nodded. "Neither do I."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
Draco flinched. You deserved that.
"I can't say that I understand exactly what this is that the two of you share, but I must say that I do not approve of the situation."
Draco nodded solemnly as he continued to stare at his hands.
"If I didn't have to go back to Belfast, I would already have him packed and ready to go."
"I understand," Draco whispered.
Sirius was silent for a moment then he let out a loud sigh. He walked over to the couch and sat down heavily. "Come sit down, Draco," he said softly.
Draco hesitated briefly, then slowly made his way to the couch and sat down on the edge furthest away from Harry's intimidating Godfather.
Sirius crossed his legs and calmly folded his hands in his lap. "I have a couple options in mind. Ron's parents are great friends of mine, so they would take Harry in if I asked them. They've always thought of him as one of their own and would love to have him." An almost unbearable silence fell over the room before he finally spoke again. "The other option would be to leave him here with you."
Draco looked up in surprise.
"With the understanding," Sirius said with a raised eyebrow, "that you will in no way upset him again. You will not speak to him of anything other than what is necessary to get him through each day until I return. Do you think you can manage that?"
Despite the fear he had of this man, Draco was becoming angry. "You want me to isolate him? You want me to just pretend that he's not here unless he calls for me? You want me to act like a servant in my own home?"
Sirius laughed softly, though there was a trace of anger there. "In essence, yes…that is what I'm asking."
"I won't do it."
"Then you leave me no choice but to remove him from your home."
"Sirius, that's enough."
They both looked up to see Harry sitting in his chair at the end of the hallway, an angry scowl on his tired face. He rolled himself into the room, never taking his eyes from his Godfather's. "I know you mean well, but you don't know the whole story."
"Then tell me the whole story."
Harry shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. It…hurts too much."
Draco inhaled sharply and looked back at his hands.
Sirius stood and crouched in front of Harry's chair. "But you choose to stay here instead of with the Weasley's?"
"If I'm welcome, yes." Harry sighed at the sight of Sirius' frown. "It wasn't all his fault. We all played a roll in what happened and I think in a way, we all got hurt. You can't blame him for everything. If you want to blame someone, blame Oliver."
Sirius stared at Harry for a moment. "You're sure you want to stay here?"
Harry stared at him for a long moment, then turned his gaze to Draco. "Can I stay?"
Unable to form any words, Draco just nodded.
Harry looked back at Sirius. "Then yes, I choose to stay here."
Sirius gave him a look that suggested Harry had no idea what he was saying. "You want to stay with him after all he's done to you?"
Harry gave an annoyed sigh and scratched at his messy hair. "I won't be staying 'with him'. I'll just be staying in his flat. There's a difference. I don't want to be a burden to the Weasley's and with the number of people coming in and out of their house all the time, it's never quiet. I need quiet right now. So staying here is the better option of the two."
Sirius sighed and took Harry's hand. "Why torture yourself further? Haven't you had enough of being walked on? Didn't you learn your lesson with Oliver?"
Draco took a step back, his emotions caught somewhere between anger and horror. He's comparing me to Oliver?
"He's nothing like Oliver!" Harry said, a bit more forcefully than was probably intended.
Sirius frowned and stood up.
Draco's heart was beating furiously against his ribs as he watched Harry and Sirius argue. Why does he even want to be here? Sirius is right. He'd probably be better off anywhere else than he would be here. "Maybe…" His voice failed him when two sets of eyes suddenly turned to him. He cleared his throat. "Maybe he's right, Harry. Maybe it would be better if you went to stay with the Weasley's."
Harry stared at him in shock. "You want me to leave?"
Draco took a hesitant step towards him. "Of course I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay. But mostly, I just want you to be…happy. And it doesn't seem I'm very good at making you happy." He smiled sadly at the brunet. "You need to be someplace where you will be."
"I was happy last night," Harry said with a sad smile of his own.
Draco pressed his lips together and nodded. "So was I."
Harry gave him a look of confusion. "Then what's the problem?"
"I am, apparently." Draco moved closer to him. "Though I don't mean to be. I really…I'm trying really hard, Harry. Maybe with Cedric gone, I'll finally be able to straighten things out in my head. I can think a bit clearer now and I'm not sure exactly what I want, but I do know that I want you to stay, even if it is for just a few more days."
Harry sucked in a deep breath and looked back at Sirius. "It's settled then. I'm staying."
Sirius glared at Draco, but his face softened when he looked back at his Godson. "Alright then. You're an adult and you can make your own decisions."
"Thank you."
"But you call me if he gets out of line again."
Harry managed a small smile. "Of course. Though I don't think we'll be having anymore problems of that sort." He glanced at Draco and his smile faded as he looked back down at his hands.
Sirius rubbed his face and sighed. "Well, since I don't have to be back until the morning, how about you and I spend the day together? I'll take you out to lunch and we'll do some shopping, how does that sound?"
Harry nodded and headed for his room. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready." He vanished down the hallway.
Sirius turned and looked at Draco. "What are you planning?"
Draco's mouth fell open. "Wha…what? I'm not planning anything."
Sirius looked at him closely, then nodded his head. "Right. Just remember, if he ever again calls me in the middle of the night sobbing and incoherent, I will be back here so fast, you'll never know what hit you."
Draco swallowed and gave him a jerky nod. "Sirius…I care about him. I think I may even…" He blushed and looked down, unable to get the words out. If you can't even think it, what makes you think you'd be able to say it?
Sirius's stern expression softened as he moved closer and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'm not saying that your feelings are wrong or that they aren't returned. I just want you to be sure of what it is you're doing. Give yourself some time to process the loss of Cedric and please…please don't hurt Harry anymore than he already is. He's stronger than he seems, Draco, but not when it comes to matters of the heart."
Draco nodded and tried to smile. "I promise I'll be careful with him."
Sirius managed a small smile and squeezed Draco's shoulder. "I guess that's all I can really ask of you."
Draco nodded again.
Sirius gave him a reassuring smile. "You're a lot like your father, but I can tell that you're fighting it. I also get the feeling that you're strong like your mother, so I have no doubt in my mind that you will win that battle. Get your problems sorted and your anger resolved and then, and only then, will you be the man that Harry needs you to be."
Draco stared up at him in shock. "I don't know if I know how to do that."
"You'll figure it out. I have faith."
Harry cleared his throat softly as he rolled into the room. "Ready to go?"
Sirius nodded and patted Draco on the back before leading Harry out of the flat.
Draco stared at the closed door for a few minutes then made his way back to the couch where he collapsed and was asleep almost instantly.
*.*.*.*
"What happened last night?" Blaise asked as he tossed his jacket onto his chair and pulled himself up onto the desk.
Draco's brow creased as he looked up at him. "What are you on about?"
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that shit, Dray. What the hell happened? Your eyes are bloodshot and you're just generally a mess. Like you don't even care anymore. That's not like you."
Draco scowled and looked back at the invoice he was reviewing. "I look fine."
Blaise sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Draco…"
Draco threw down the papers he was holding and looked up at his best friend. "Cedric walked in on me and Harry together."
"Yeah? Well you two broke up so what's the problem?"
Draco blushed and looked away. "Well…" He licked his dry lips and cleared his throat. "I was…"
"Spit it out, Dray."
With a loud sigh, Draco finally looked back at his friend. "I…bottomed for Harry last night."
Blaise smirked, but stayed silent as he watched Draco's blush spread down to his neck. He waited until his friend started shifting nervously before he continued. "And Cedric saw?"
Draco nodded.
Blaise laughed and slapped his knee.
Draco glared at him. "It isn't funny! He was really hurt. And I think he heard when Harry started to say that he loves me."
Blaise's laugh faded and he jumped down from the desk. "Are you serious? He told you?"
"Well, no, but I think he was going to."
"Did you ask him?"
Draco blushed again and looked down. "We sort of had a fight. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, hey, Harry? Remember last night when you started to say something and Cedric walked in and I all but threw you across the bed in my desperate attempt to get to him? What were you going to say to me?' I don't think that would've gone over well."
"What did you two fight about?"
Draco sighed and leaned back in his chair. He told his friend everything that had happened the night before and earlier that day, including the fact that he had listened to Harry cry all night and had done nothing to comfort him. By the time he finished, he felt so guilty that he couldn't bring himself to make eye contact.
Blaise frowned as he walked over to Draco's chair and slapped him hard across the back of the head.
"Ow! What the fuck, Blaise?" Draco rubbed his head and narrowed his eyes at his incredibly pissed off friend.
"You are the world's biggest git, did you know that?"
"What the fuck are you - "
"Why didn't you just talk to him?"
Draco stared at him. "What the hell was I supposed to say?"
"You could have tried telling him how you feel."
"I don't know how I feel, so how am I supposed to explain it to him?"
"You know damn well how you feel, Draco, so stop being such a fucking coward!"
Draco's jaw dropped.
"I know what you're afraid of."
"I'm not afraid of anything, Zabini…so shut it."
Blaise laughed softly and leaned in closer to him. "He isn't Cedric. I know how devastated you were when Cedric admitted that he cheated on you. And as much as you may like to pretend, I don't think you ever got over that feeling of betrayal."
Draco scowled at him and looked away.
"And I know how devastated you were when I turned you down, and words can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that I hurt you, but it happened and we got through it."
Draco rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. "Please stop."
"And I know that you don't want to go through that pain again, but unfortunately, pain is a part of life and you're going to have to learn to deal with that."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ, Blaise…I know that, you stupid git. Leave me alone." He spun his chair around so his back was to him and folded his arms tightly over his chest.
Blaise grabbed the back of the chair and spun it back around, forcing Draco to face him. "I know your first two shots at love backfired on you, but, Draco…Harry loves you. You know he does, I know he does…we all know he does."
The blond refused to look up, but nodded his head to show he was listening.
"You have to talk to him. Just tell him how you feel, even if you can't actually say 'I love you' yet."
Draco stood and faced his friend. "Just drop it. I'll talk to him when I'm ready."
"Maybe it'll be too late when you're ready. You need him. You love him. Why is that so hard for you to admit?"
Draco turned his back to Blaise and breathed deeply.
After a long silence, Blaise walked over and gently rested his hands on Draco's tense shoulders. "Just talk to him. I'm pretty sure that all he wants is to be reassured that you feel something for him."
Draco nodded and sighed in defeat.
They fell back into silence that was soon interrupted by Draco's cell phone ringing. He grabbed it from the desk and flipped it open. "Yes?"
"Draco?" There was a soft sob and some sniffling, but nothing else was said.
Draco's heart jumped into his throat. "Harry? What's wrong?"
"I th-think he's d-dead," he stuttered then he started to sob again.
"What? Who's dead? Harry…what the fuck happened?"
"Please…please come home. Please."
Draco had already grabbed his coat and was headed out the door, Blaise on his heals. "I'm on my way. Just…stay on the phone with me."
He could hear Harry's desperate sobs in the background, but the obviously distraught man said nothing else. Even though he could tell that Harry had at some point dropped the phone, Draco didn't hang up.
Blaise drove as fast as he could to Draco's flat and slammed on the brakes in front of the building, not even bothering to find a parking space.
Draco was out of the car before he had even put it in park and flew up the stairs. He slowed when he reached the landing and saw that his front door was wide open. His heart was beating frantically as he put the phone away and stepped into the flat. It was silent.
"Harry?" he called out softly. He turned towards the hallway and stopped in his tracks.
Harry was sitting on the floor against the wall and sprawled on the floor beside him was Oliver, his head cradled in Harry's lap. Harry rocked back and forth as he cried silently, his blood covered hand trembling as he stroked Oliver's matted hair. Oliver's dull, brown eyes stared sightlessly up at the ceiling.
"I'll call an ambulance," Blaise said softly from behind him before stepping out onto the balcony.
Draco was frozen in horror as he stared at the scene before him. The white rug they were sitting on was stained with spatters of blood and Harry's wheelchair was turned onto its side just a few feet away. His eyes frantically roamed over Harry's body, looking for any new injuries he might have acquired and making sure that none of the blood was his. He almost sighed in relief when he found nothing that hadn't already been there.
"Harry," Draco finally managed to get out. He took a few steps closer and crouched in front of him. "Harry?"
Harry looked up and as soon as he made eye contact, he started to sob again. He clutched tighter to Oliver's head. "It was…an accident," he cried.
"Shh…I know…it's okay." Draco moved closer and reached out to touch Harry's cheek.
Harry flinched away and squeezed his eyes shut. He leaned over, hugging Oliver's body closer to him and buried his face in his brown hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Fuck…I'm so sorry."
Draco made his way to Harry's side and carefully placed a hand on his back. He rubbed small circles and leaned in closer. "It's not your fault."
Harry sniffled and nodded. "It is."
"It's not." Draco leaned over and placed his lips close to Harry's ear. "Come on, love. Tell us what happened."
Harry shook his head. "He just…he was…I don't know. I don't know…he was just here…and…" He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut tightly as fresh tears began to fall.
"It's not your fault," Draco again insisted.
"Yes, it is!" Harry looked up at him, his eyes flashing with grief and anger. "It's my fault." His face crumpled and his lower lip began to tremble as he looked back down at his ex-boyfriend.
Draco looked helplessly up at Blaise who was standing silently in the open balcony doorway.
"They're on their way," Blaise said quietly.
Draco nodded, then kissed Harry's head and stood.
They both knew that trying to convince Harry to let go of Oliver's body would be useless, so they moved over towards the kitchen to talk.
"What do you think happened?" Blaise asked.
Draco shrugged and sighed. "I have no idea. He won't really say much, but I'm guessing that he killed him in self defense. I just don't know how he managed that when he isn't strong enough to fight him off." His eyes fell on a box on the coffee table. He immediately recognized Cedric's red sweater and a pair of his shoes and his heart began to race. "Harry." He hurried over to him and crouched down again. "Was Cedric here? Harry! Listen to me! Was Cedric here when this happened?"
Harry mumbled something softly, but wouldn't look up at him.
"He's still here," Blaise said softly from behind him.
Draco stood and turned around. Blaise was standing in the kitchen door and motioned Draco over.
"Is he…alive?" Draco asked, his stomach clenching painfully at the thought of what he might see in the kitchen.
"Yes. He's fine."
Draco sighed in relief and hurried over to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and stared at Cedric who was sitting in a chair at the table, staring blankly down at his hands.
"Cedric?"
Cedric looked up at him, his normally vibrant hazel eyes now red rimmed and glassy. "Draco," he whispered with a faint sound of relief.
Draco pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. He took Cedric's hand in his and held it tightly. "What happened?"
"Harry didn't kill him," Cedric said, his voice shaking and quiet. "I did."
Draco held his breath for a long moment before letting it all out at once. "Why?"
Cedric shook his head and looked down at their hands. "He was trying to hurt him again. He somehow found out Harry was staying here and he tried to say he just wanted to talk, but Harry didn't want to see him. They started arguing and I tried to get him to leave, but he was stronger than me and he kept pushing me away. Harry started yelling at him that he was going to press charges and Oliver finally lost it. He rushed at him and pushed him out of his chair and I just…I panicked and…I grabbed the fireplace poker and…it all happened so fast. I just swung and…" He shivered and looked away. "I didn't mean to kill him. I just knew he would kill Harry if he got the chance."
Draco squeezed his hand and leaned over to kiss his head. "It's alright…things are going to be just fine. You did the right thing."
"I killed someone," Cedric said softly, more to himself than to Draco.
"It was self defense," Blaise said as he sat down on the other side of him.
"Go be with Harry." Cedric looked up at Draco and frowned. "He screamed when it happened. He screamed so loud. That's the part that I can't get out of my head. I don't regret doing it, but Harry was…" He swallowed and shook his head. "He was so upset and he told me to get away and…"
Draco reached out and gently wiped away Cedric's tears. "You did the right thing," he said again.
Cedric nodded. "I know."
Draco stood and kissed his forehead. He glanced at Blaise. "You stay with him, I'll stay with Harry."
Blaise nodded and placed a comforting hand on Cedric's shoulder. "And I think it might be time to call Ron and Hermione and tell them to come home," he added as Draco headed for the door.
Draco nodded his agreement and went to check on Harry.
He was still holding Oliver's head in his lap, but his head had fallen back against the wall and he was staring blankly in front of him. He glanced at Draco as he entered the room, then promptly went back to staring ahead of himself.
Draco kept his distance, but he sat down on the floor, just a few feet away and waited for the sirens that he knew were coming any minute now.
*.*.*.*
"They sedated him," Draco said into the phone as he paced in the lobby. "They said he should sleep for the rest of the night or at least for the next few hours. They're going to keep him overnight."
"And Cedric?" Sirius asked.
Draco sighed. "Blaise is with him at the station giving a statement. They seemed to believe his story and Harry answered as best as he could before they sedated him, so I don't think he'll get in any trouble."
"That's good. And I have to say that I'm not sorry that he's dead."
"Neither am I," Draco agreed without a single shred of guilt.
Sirius sighed heavily. "I knew I should have taken him to the Weasley's."
"We had no way of knowing. I still don't know how he knew where to find him."
"I know, I know. I'm not blaming anyone, Draco."
Tired of pacing, Draco finally sat and slumped down in his chair. He rubbed his tired eyes. "Are you going to be able to make it down here tonight?"
"Of course. I'm already on my way. I won't be going back to Ireland. They can get by just fine without me."
"Thank you."
"I'll see you soon."
The line went dead and Draco hung up. He stared down at the phone, debating whether to call Ron and Hermione, but he decided against it and pocketed the phone. I'll let Harry make that decision in the morning.
He stood and made his way down the hall to Harry's room where he sat silently beside him and watched him sleep.
The reaction that Harry had had when the paramedics had forcefully removed him from Oliver's body was one of the worst things Draco had ever witnessed. The screaming and sobbing had been enough to wake his neighbors, who had gathered on the landing, trying to peek inside. Luckily, Blaise had taken up the job of guarding the door to keep out the nosy people.
The paramedics had tried everything to calm him, but eventually ended up injecting him with a sedative when it became clear that nothing else was going to work. He had passed out in under a minute and had been sleeping ever since.
Draco's eyes were growing heavy, as hard as he struggled to stay awake. But he finally gave in and took Harry's hand in his as he sat back, closed his eyes and attempted to get some sleep.
*.*.*.*
TBC…
AN: Please review!