DRACO's POV:
Pain. That was a great start to a bright, way too bright morning! The light made everything blurry. I remember waking up in the stables. My head felt like it was pounded in by centaurs. I remember Hagrid standing in the doorway, kneeling just to clear the ceiling. His voice was muffled by the ringing in my ears. I remember him carrying me to his hut-house-thing. That huge mutt of his wouldn't stop licking my face when he all but dropped me on his couch. I remember Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey standing over me, trying to ask me questions. Dumbledore had rolled up my sleeves, pausing when my left forearm was visible. My mind was trying to make me say stop, but they weren't fazed. My body felt like I jumped off the Astronomy Tower. Everything was numb and in agonizing pain at the same time. My brain was screaming to move, to speak, to do something, but I lied there, motionless.
"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey started. "I have to take him to the Hospital Wing now. There is no telling what that Pheonix Fire did to him."
Dumbledore turned to her with a small, warm smile. "Madam, you can take him away soon. We must wait for Mister Potter to see exactly what caused this." He took out his wand. My heart raced when the end tapped my forehead. "Ennervate!"
Sound suddenly rushed through my ears and I lept from the large sofa. Two pairs of arms caught me, when at the same time, Potter burst through the door.
"Hagrid, he's not there in the-" his panic stopped when our eyes met. "Draco," he breathed. "Are you-, I mean, is everything-um?" Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore gingerly sat me back down. They turned to face Potter, but stayed in my path, blocking my view.
"I'm bloody brilliant, Potter!" My voice was hoarse and dry, losing the edge I wanted. "You should try bursting into flames," I added. "It's very refreshing."
His voice was quiet, "I was just asking-"
"Yeah, I know. The Savior can't resist mothering his disciples."
"That's enough, you!" Pomfrey spat over her shoulder. They moved over to the absurdly large table in the giant's kitchen. "Need some help, Hagrid?" She walked up to the giant who was banging pots on the stove.
"N'thanks, Pom'fee. I'll make ye some tea while ye talk. Please sit." The teachers sat at the table while Potter moved over to sit by me. I avoided his gaze and rolled my sleeves back down, closing my eyes so I wouldn't see that damn Mark.
"Are you okay, Draco? I thought you were dead." I glanced at the Boy-Who-Lived. His eyes were practically shining with concern. The sight made my stomach turn.
"As you can see, your almighty-" I heard the old healer clear her throat loudly. Her glaring eyes were scary. The words, "I'm fine, Potter," fell out of my mouth and flat on the floor. My hairs stood on end under the scrutiny of his gaze. Dumbledore finally grabbed the Savior's attention with a cough.
"Mister Potter, would you like to explain what happened last night?" Potter shifted in his seat like a virgin in a strip club. His eyes went from the old wizard to me and back.
"I'm sorry, Draco," he muttered. My heart dropped to the ground. I knew exactly what it was, and apparently the Boy Wonder wasn't as thick as he looks. "It was the Dark Mark. Draco was forced to get the Dark Mark before school started, and when he turned into the pheonix, it was spreading through him like poison. It was making his feathers fall off and it eventually killed him, but in my opinion, it was killing him long before he burst into flames."
Dumbledore's eyes did that weird twinkly thing, before he spoke. "In what way, Mister Potter?"
"I can't explain it, Professor. I just know that it was eating away at his life, and-"
"Can we not talk about me like I'm not here?" I spat. "Potter, no matter what your heroic little intuition told you, it wasn't killing me. Even if it was, there's nothing you can do!" I ripped my sleeve open, shoving my arm in his face. "It's still there and there is nothi-," Potter's loud gasp stopped me dead. He stared wide-eyed at the skin of my forearm. Dumbledore was no help. He just watched us, his eyes still twinkling.
"Merlin, Draco!" Potter gaped. "Draco, I-I...I just...how?" A small bubble of hope lept into my chest. The mark didn't shock him like this earlier. The mark would also have the professors quaking in their boots. Instead, they stared at me like I was crazy.
"No," I heard myself say. "No, it-it can't be. No!" My forearm was clean, in every sense of the word. My skin was white and...unmarked! "No, oh Merlin, please, NO!" Panic filled every inch of my body. Before I knew what was happening, I had Potter pinned to the floor with my hands around his throat. "This is all your fault, you bastard! She's dead, you git, because of you, she's dead!" Two giant hands grabbed my middle and pulled me into a brick wall of a chest. I still kicked and struggled. All I wanted was to kill that messy-mop-headed git! "He's going to kill her when he finds out, Potter! You had no right!"
"I didn't do it, you did!" He yelled. He stood and came so close that I felt his breath on my face. "I told you," through gritted teeth, "that this was your choice. This," he held my bare left arm at eye-level. I yanked it from his grip. "This was killing you, Draco."
"Better me than her!" My outburst didn't faze him.
"I told you that if you chose to stay with us, with Hogwarts, than we will protect you." He poked his finger in my chest, punctuating his next words. "You. Chose. This." He turned to the giant oaf who was still squeezing the life out of my ribcage. "Hagrid, it's okay. Just," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "let him go." The big oaf dropped me, earning a glare from the other professors. They didn't stop me as I ran out of the door. No one stopped me as I ran straight through the school, as I tickled the pear of the fruit painting, and hid with the house-elves.
Hiding in the kitchen seemed like a good idea at the time. I figured that I would stay hidden in the kitchen, maybe read some tea leaves. I found myself practicing Divination more and more, to the point where it's my best subject. Prophecies sucked, tea leaves were mind-numbing, but clairvoyance was interesting. I've managed to have deja'vu visions. I wished I had the foresight to see this crisis. Professor Trelawney says I have the eye, whatever that means. Well, me and my eye were just fine hiding. The house-elves bustled around preparing dinner completely ignoring me. The only one who seemed to notice was Dobby. The minute I walked in he followed me around, sensing my unease. We both sat together on the ground far from the group cooking. They almost seemed relieved that Dobby wasn't helping. I remembered him being quite clumsy when he worked at the Manor.
Dobby was mindlessly going on and on about his conflicts with the other house-elves when the door swung open. The elves paused as none other than Harry Potter walked in. Dobby ran up to the brunette, knocking over a pitcher of pumpkin juice, forcing me to stand up to avoid the spill.
The elf ran up to the wizard embracing his legs. "Oh, Harry Potter here to see Dobby?" He looked up at the Boy Wonder with those huge eyes. Potter sighed.
"I'm sorry, Dobby. I'm here looking for Draco." The elf nodded, and with a long look at me, he left to help the elves, much to their dismay. It was childish, I know, but I couldn't look at him. I kept my eyes on the floor while emotions surged through me. I still wanted to choke him, but I also wanted to curl up in a ball and stay hidden until the inevitable revenge of the Dark Lord. Surely he knows that I'm unmarked by now. It's only a matter of time before he turns his wand on the nearest Malfoy.
Potter suddenly spoke. "It's your mother, isn't it?" I jumped when I looked up to see green eyes less than a foot away. My heart pounded in my ears and my palms were sweaty. The image of him cradling me, rocking back and forth, his eyes blazing with anger popped into my head. The sight only made my heart beat faster. Words were stuck in my throat and my mouth was sealed shut. Thankfully, Potter was an impatient arse. "Draco?" he asked. "It's your mother that Voldmeort," he paused as if expecting me to react. He continued when I shrugged. "-that Voldemort is threatening to kill?" He huffed impatiently when I shrugged again.
"What of it, Potter?" I sneered. He stepped back a bit, but stayed close to me. My hands ached to close around his throat. Damn Gryffindor-hearted git! "Are you planning on swooping in and rescuing the damsel? Saving the poor Death Eater from his horrible fate? Do you think that this is just going to end happily ever after? That I'm just going to drop on my knees, kiss your arse, and beg you to save us? That I was going to give the Weasel and the Mudblood," Potter clenched his fists, "a big hug, a kiss, and just sing merry little tunes about the Boy-Who-Lived in their little grovel? I'm not your new little convert. I'm not a Mudblood worshipper."
"Draco," he cut in, "you are also not a Death Eater." My mouth shut with an audible snap and my body sagged into the wall. The anger, the hate, and everything else drained, taking all my energy with it. There was nothing left of me but sheer terror.
"I know, Potter." He watched me as I sank back to the floor and took fistfuls of hair. I didn't even have to look to know he sat beside me. Our shoulders bumped and a spark ran through my arm. Stupid static! "What do I do?" I groaned. "I can't let her die, Potter."
"If I had realized it was her," Potter started, "I would have told Dumbledore the minute I set foot on school grounds. He would have snuck her here within the week. Now," he sighed. "Now, it'll be tough to find her alone."
"What are you on about?" He ignored me.
"I didn't see him grab her." He leaned his head back to bang it on the wall softly. Something inside me lept in my throat when I noticed his Adam's apple move. He closed his eyes and spoke again. "I just saw you standing in front of him. He was frustrated. You weren't going to take the Mark and he was pissed. I heard you yell when he grabbed someone. He knew you were going to attack him. He was hoping for it." Potter paused to rub his eyes. "'You are so weak'," his voice dropped and hissed. A chill ran through me as the Dark Lord's voice came out of Potter's mouth. "He was thinking that. I can't tell you how bad he wanted to kill you. It was so bad that I was halfway down my street when I woke up. My wand was in my hand and if you were anywhere near me, I would have killed you." The certainty in his voice made my blood cold. "Draco, he made me watch. He knew I was there and he made me watch. He made me see everything, Draco. Your tears, you falling to your knees, and-...seeing you here with that mark and watching what it was doing to you. Draco, he knew the mark was killing you. He didn't care."
"How do you know, Potter?" I asked. Surely he's not saying what I think he's saying. Severus has told me about cases before, but...
"Voldemort and I are connected." Nope, it's exactly what I was thinking. "What he sees and feels comes to me through dreams."
The question came out before I could stop it. "Are you getting Occulmency training?"
He laughed, humorlessly. "I was with Snape in fifth year. I had to because Voldemort found out about our connection and was using it to lure me to him."
"Did it work?"
"The training? No. The visions? Yes, it killed my godfather." Potter took off his glasses and ruffled his hair. "I've already told you alot, Draco. I just felt you had the right to know. He was planning on you to die." I opened my mouth to say no, he didn't. He wouldn't have if he told me to kill Dumbledore, but he held up a hand. "I know he assigned the task to kill Dumbledore to you, but he already told Snape to finish the job." He grit his teeth, almost hissing as he breathed.
"Harry," the name was weird to use, but Potter looked up anyway. "I can't let my mother die. If I live without this mark...I mean, if snake-face doesn't get what he wants-"
"She's dead, I know." He finished in a cold tone. "That's why you are coming with me." He stood and held his hand out to me. "What I have planned is risky and far-fetched, but I know in my heart that it will work. It will keep your mother alive." My hand took his with a loud slap, and I was suprised to feel that little jolt again, but I shook it off.
"Count me in, then, Potter." He pulled me up and started towards the door, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. He stared wide-eyed at it briefly before looking at me. "But if your plan doesn't work, Potter, if she dies?" His eyes grew wider as I came within inches of him. "I will not be held responsible for whatever happens."
"You'll have to act fast, though, Draco." He answered with certainty. "If she dies because of me, there's no telling what I'll do."