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blahblahblahblah - thoughts/Flashback

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"How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall stood serenely next to his bed as Harry blinked sleep out of his eyes. Trying to gather his thoughts -waking up to your head of house in any capacity is a little nerve wracking- Harry slowly sat up. His body still ached from all the spasming but he really was feeling a good deal less like something scraped off the train tracks.

"Much better, Professor." She smiled down at him.

"Glad to hear it Mr. Potter, glad to hear it." She made as if to leave. "I have a class to get to, but don't hesitate to let me know should you need anything."

"Professor, um, one thing?" She turned, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"How many days have I been in here?"

"Nearly three days now, actually. Madame Pomphrey would like to keep you awhile longer however, just to make sure you're properly stabilized."

Harry groaned loudly, falling back into his pillows with a whoosh of air . Professor McGonagall just continued to smile, patting the boy's shoulder before turning once more and taking her leave. Three days. I've been in here three days. Draco hasn't come back. Do I really want him to? Shoving the infirmary pillow over his face and shouting in frustration even Harry had to admit, he didn't have the foggiest idea what he wanted.

"Potter?" Harry gulped and removed the pillow. Blaise was standing in front of him, Pansy in the door way. They both looked tense and as if they hadn't slept the night before. For a minute no one spoke.

"We're here because of Draco," Blaise finally managed. Immediately, Harry's face hardened. The other boy must have noticed this because he raised a hand in apology. "He didn't send us, Potter. In fact," he added. "Draco would probably jinx us both if he knew we were here."

"Then what-,"

"He's in trouble, Potter." Pansy cut in. "He's been quite messed up the last few days. Not eating. Not sleeping. Not going to class. Not talking. The only thing he has done really, is sit on top of the astronomy tower alone and refuse to see anyone."

"Why?" Harry forced out.

"Contemplating suicide for all we know, I daresay it's crossed his mind. I don't think you truly grasp the levity of the situation." Her tone was so matter of fact; how could she be that apathetic while talking about Draco throwing himself off the astronomy tower!?

"And now he's gone and done something absolutely ludicrous!" Blaise exploded. Clearly trying to calm himself down, the Slytherin took a few deep breaths before continuing. "He decided that the only way for him to prove his love for you was to go profess it to the one person who will kill him for it."

"Voldemort!" Harry gasped. Blaise flinched, pinching his nose tiredly.

"The Dark Lord would just use Draco to get to you, he wouldn't kill the twat. No, it's worse than that, Potter. Draco has gone to tell his father."

"No!" Harry only had a very vague notion of Draco's father, but it wasn't a pretty one. A very straight-laced and stern aristocrat, he ran his household with an iron hand, no margin for error. Any mistake was punished, often with a dark hex of some kind. Draco feared his father, feared him so much that he avoided going home at all costs. This made him miss his mother terribly, but the ever present terror of Lucius Malfoy overshadowed everything else. The man hadn't always been such a tyrant, but the master he followed tolerated nothing less than brutality in his servants. Anything else would be cause for severe retribution, and the head of the Malfoy family was not willing to sacrifice his family just for lack of a back bone.

The Gryffindor didn't say anything, the emotions overwhelming him actually making the boy dizzy.

"We just thought you should know." Pansy was saying. "In case he doesn't come back. We thought you should know that he risked his life to prove that he loved you."

Then they were gone. They hadn't even waited for a response. It took Harry's brain awhile to catch up but when it did, he was lost in a flurry of action. Haphazardly throwing on the clothes meant for when he was well enough to leave the infirmary, Harry sped as fast as he was able out the door. Granted, that wasn't particularly fast, but the two Slytherins walked slowly; both lost in thought and weighed down by the prospect of losing a friend.

"Wait!" Harry bellowed. They both stopped dead in their tracks and whirled to face the pregnant boy. "How can I get to Draco? How do I get through all the wards and into Malfoy Manor?!"

"You can't be serious," Pansy scoffed. "You can't get to Draco, are you off your nut?"

"I assure you, I am entirely serious and with all my wits. No one else is getting hurt because of me. I'm not losing anybody else."

Blaise cleared his throat nervously. Harry had no doubt that if it wouldn't have hurt the baby, they would have jinxed Harry unconscious already and chained him to his infirmary bed. Not having such an option however, clearly made Blaise at least, antsy. Pansy simply looked annoyed.

"Look, Potter, Pansy is right. You can't go to Malfoy Manor. The only thing you'll manage to do is get yourself killed with Draco. Without you he stands a chance of winning his father over, or at the very least fighting his way out. Your presence will only complicate things for the worse, I promise you."

Harry planted his feet in a way familiar to all parties. Even those in the Slytherin House knew of the fabled Potter stubbornness. It was with crossed arms and a knit brow that Harry finally put his ultimatum on the table.

"No Blaise, YOU look. Be that as it may, I'm not risking Draco's life by putting only his winning charm up against his father's cane. Either you two help me get in there, or I stumble in like a prize fool just to cause enough of a distraction that Draco can get out."

"So you'd risk your own life and that of your child! Haven't you learned anything?" Pansy was definitely agitated, her voice piercingly shrill.

"Lucius Malfoy wouldn't kill me. He'd take me to his master. I can count on both the Order coming after me and a chance during the journey to Voldemort to escape. That's more of a chance than Draco stands with his father. So yes, I'd risk it."

Blaise brought both hands to his face, as if not being able to see Harry would make him disappear and put him back safely in the infirmary. When peering through his fingers only showed Blaise the same adamant picture the Slytherin took a literal step back, muttering angrily. Pansy's glare just oozed fury, it was clear that she would like nothing more than to smack Harry across the face for sheer incompetence.

"Fine. Have it your way, Potter, but we will not be responsible for this lapse into utter stupidity." Pansy spat.

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After Harry had been briefed on the ins and outs of Malfoy Manor by Blaise (Pansy had refused to assist and left almost immediately), if anything, the Gryffindor felt more nervous than he had in the first place. He knew this wasn't his most stellar plan ever, but they normally panned out alright didn't they? At least, that was what he kept telling himself.

Just as he was about to step into the fireplace that would take him to Draco, a dissatisfyingly small amount of protective spells in place due to his condition, he heard thundering footsteps racing towards him.

"HARRY!" Hermione tumbled into the room, only barely managing to stop herself before she tripped over her quarry, Ron crashing right in behind her and nearly knocking them both on top of their friend. Harry glared at the smug visage of Pansy behind them; a silent 'traitor' was met only with a unconcerned shrug while the girl held her nails up to her eyes for a detailed inspection.

"You simply can't do this! This is suicide! Harry, this is just plain idiotic! You can't play right into Voldemort's hands, you just can't!"

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I have to." Without another word Harry pitched himself into the flames.