Title:Game Without Tears

Disclaimer: I do not own, wish I did, but I don't. I only own my plot line. Full disclaimer, first chapter.

Author: ShaeLynn Teelle

All other information: See first chapter.

Polite constructive criticism welcome. FLAMES WILL BE FED TO THE DRAGON IN MY BED.

Chapter 34: A Cost Too High to Pay

"Wake up, Pansy. Come on," Vincent encouraged as she began to stir.

Slowly her eyes opened and Pansy tried to focus on where she was. Vincent squeezed her hand lightly and gave her a small smile when her gaze landed on him.

"Vin?"

"Hey. Happy Birthday, sleepy."

"How long have I been out?"

"Not too long, but you're one of the last to wake," he answered, stroking her cheek lightly.

"Who else is still hurt?"

"Harry. They don't know what's wrong with him. Or if he'll be okay."

Pansy closed her eyes briefly and let out a sigh, "I hope he'll wake up soon. Draco needs him."

"Lady Morgana returned today. She said there was nothing she could do to help Harry, but she's been talking to Draco for the last hour. I'm hoping that between the two of them, they can come up with something. They're talking of moving him to St. Mungo's if he doesn't wake in another week. Madam Pomfrey said that she doesn't have the resources to keep nursing him with classes starting soon."

"How soon? Do you know what they're going to do with us?"

"We've been offered places here. The Headmaster was talking about allowing apprentices at Hogwarts again. There is a new teacher starting for Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid… gone. She's excited about having someone that wants to learn what she knows if you're interested. I wasn't supposed to say anything about it yet, but I wasn't going to have you worry. Rest, Pansy. You look tired still. I'll be here when you wake up again and I'm sure Daphne will be in as well. She's been asking about you every day at least once. Draco comes in to sit with Harry a lot and Gregory's out working on some things. Daphne's helping him and is talking with Professor McGonagall when she gets the chance about Transfiguration. She wants to become a teacher for it someday. Rest. I'll be here."

Pansy smiled at her bonded and nodded, finally closing the eyes that had been trying to close on their own for the last five minutes. It didn't take her long to fall asleep completely and Vincent never left her side, his hand still holding hers, even as she slept.

\/\/\/\/\/

When next Pansy woke, Draco was in the room. He was across the way at Harry's bedside which had finally had the white curtain removed, but he was watching her. She smiled at him and he rose, coming to her side quietly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright. How are you holding up?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes shifting briefly to Harry's bed.

"I'm okay. Lady Morgana and I might be able to find a way to bring Harry back to a regular sleep. It's going to take some work and a few days before we can try it."

"I hope you succeed."

"Thanks."

"Is something else wrong?"

Draco met Pansy's eyes, "How much did Vin tell you when you woke?"

"Obviously not everything. We spoke very briefly, nothing immediately important."

"You had a nasty bump to the head, that's why you were out for so long. We all had something that left a mark or couldn't be healed. Yours was minor, but you should know before you accidentally find out and panic."

"You're starting to worry me," Pansy said with false humor.

"It's nothing bad. The back of your legs have a lot of scarring. It was all superficial wounds, nothing major, but the scarring is there. Parallel lines running from mid-thigh to your ankles. They just missed cutting part of your Achilles tendon. You'll be fine once you start moving around again, but I didn't want you to see them in the bath before someone told you about them."

"Thank you, Dragon."

Draco nodded, but his eyes shifted away for a bit as he steeled himself for the next knews he had to give.

"What else?" Pansy asked, dread filling her stomach.

"Several people we knew died. Greg's mother was here. So was yours."

"No," Pansy breathed quietly, tears filling her eyes instantly. "You're lying. Please, tell me you're lying," her voice broke as she tried to hold in a sob.

Draco closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, there were tears there as well. "I'm sorry, Pans."

Pansy began to cry in earnest then and Draco pulled her close to him, holding her tightly as his tears joined hers in her sorrow. He had known Pansy's mother well in his childhood, better than any of the other mothers of his friends, and while he did not feel her lose as keenly as Pansy did, his heart still hurt for the kind woman he remembered and for the hurting of his friend.

It seemed like so short a time before Pansy cried herself to sleep, Draco still holding her, but nearly an hour had passed and Vincent had returned in that time. He had seen the tears and known that Draco had told her what he himself had been afraid to. As he realized that his wife had fallen asleep in her best friend's arms, he came over and gently helped to lower her to her pillows, making sure she was comfortable.

Then, he turned to Draco, facing the red eyes and tired expression. "You need to rest, Dragon. Come, let me help you."

Draco didn't resist as Vincent pulled him to his feet and he trustingly allowed his weight to be supported by his friend the short distance across the infirmary. His bed was still beside Harry's and Draco always slept on his side facing the Gryffindor, even in the deepest throes of sleep he never shifted away. That was the side Vincent brought him to and waited until Draco had relaxed as his eyes had closed before he turned back to Pansy. He missed the small motion as Harry's head turned towards Draco slightly, though there was no other movement from the young man.

\/\/\/\/\/

"Where is Draco?" Hermione asked quietly, seeing the Slytherin absent from the infirmary. "I haven't seen him gone from Harry's side since the moment he woke up."

Morgana looked at the young woman before her, "Draconis is working on a spell to bring Harold James back from wherever he has gone. Draconis left several hours ago and I cannot predict how long it will take him."

"But I thought Madam Pomfrey said there was no spell that could help Harry," Hermione objected quietly, though hope shone in her eyes.

"There is not one already made, no. Draconis is creating a new spell, one that he hopes will be able to help bring Harold James from the unconsciousness he is in."

"Lady Morgana, how is it possible to create a spell like that? I thought one had to learn for years how to create a new spell. Even the spell Harry used to kill Voldemort was a combination of spells that the Headmaster gave him."

"Actually, Miss Granger," Albus's voice came from behind her, causing her to spin about. "I gave Harry nothing in the way of spells that could defeat Voldemort. The only spells I knew that could were the Unforgivables, and Harry did not use any of them. Even those curses might not have worked against Voldemort."

"Then… how?"

"Harold James created a spell to destroy Thomas Riddle. The spell was created almost a week before the battle took place," Morgana answered patiently, waiting for the rest of the questions she knew the Gryffindor would ask.

"Morgana, how is it possible to create a spell like that? I thought a person had to go through years of training and Ministry approval to create spells."

"There is knowledge that is completely lost to this age. The Wizarding World, as you call it, have lost the very fundamentals of spell-crafting. Everything you believe is based on words and wands and movements. A witch or wizard's ability to perform a spell is based upon the force of their emotions behind what they want to achieve.

"Spontaneous magic is exactly that. A person's emotions are so strong that they cause magic to manifest. Even Muggles have magic within them, everything does, but Muggle's emotions do not have the same spark that wizard's emotions have. There is a lack of intensity in their very beings that does not allow magic to openly manifest. You may have noticed that beginner spells are much easier to accomplish now than they were when you first learned them. That is because sub-consciously your mind has better control over whatever emotion and force is needed to perform the magic.

"That is also why Thomas could not detect basic spells, though he knew if someone nearby had performed an advanced spell or, what you call, Dark Arts. He either had moments of no emotions where he could not have done magic if he tried, or periods of such intense emotion that everything he did was multiplied to an advanced level. The curses he had performed over the years changed his magic, as did the rituals he performed in his quest for long-life. Many of his followers were the same way, though now so many have no wands that the matter is not so worrisome.

"Lady Morgana?" a tentative voice called from the infirmary doorway, halting any further questions Hermione might have asked.

"Yes, Draconis?" the spirit asked as Draco entered the room.

"You said that you wanted to look at the spell first," he answered, holding up a small piece of parchment to his ancestor.

There were a few moments of silence, then, Morgana nodded once to the Slytherin. "If this is what you feel, Draconis, you may perform the spell tonight. Your mother and I will stay here to ensure that no one interferes. Rest, you will need all the strength you have for this.

Draco nodded and moved to his usual place beside Harry's bed since he had been dismissed from the infirmary. He relaxed into the wooden chair and took one of Harry's hands back into his own. Only a few minutes later, he was asleep, his head leaning against the high back of the chair.

Hermione looked at the two with concern in her eyes, "I hope it works. I hope for both their sakes."

"So do I. Come, let us inform the Headmaster of the evening activities to come," the spirit spoke and moved towards the closed door of the infirmary.

Then, Morgana waited on the other side of the door as Hermione opened it and followed her, she sometimes forgot that not everyone she talked to was in spirit form. It had been a long time since she had been surrounded by so many living beings at once.

\/\/\/\/\/

That night Morgana and Narcissa chased everyone out of the Infirmary, including Madam Pomfrey, so that only Draco and Harry were left in the room. Narcissa and Morgana stood near the foot of the bed to watch both young men as Draco tried to bring Harry back. Morgana had every confidence that the words Draco had chosen would work as long as the Slytherin's feelings were true. The only worry she had was what would happen to Draco regardless of whether the spell worked or not.

Draco enclosed one of Harry's hands in his when everyone had left the room but for Morgana and Narcissa's spirits. Unknown to Draco, Morgana had altered the door until it was like a two-way mirror so that all those that had left could see and hear what was happening, though not even the Headmaster could get through her wards to intervene.

From the hallway, the others could see his lips moving slightly, chanting the spell soundlessly. He repeated the spell, barely whispering the words, then, slowly getting louder with each repetition until Albus could hear the words to the spell, words that only Morgana had seen before.

"Cape spirtus ita you dedisti mihi, cape pectus ex mei corpus. Volo grate sumo suus locus seu tu sino me, facis hoc mei postulatio ulterior. Cape me ab hic mundus, tamen placet, non cape suus animus."

"Draco, no," Albus said quietly as the meaning behind the words became apparent.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Vincent asked just as quietly as Draco repeated the spell, now at normal volume so they could all hear.

"Draco's offering himself in Harry's place," Hermione said, paling. "It's more like a prayer than a spell. If this works, Draco might be killed, but Harry would survive."

"Oh, Dragon. Please be careful," Pansy breathed, closing her eyes and letting herself be enclosed in Vincent's arms.

Draco's chanting suddenly stopped and everyone watched as a golden silver glow encircled the two, centering on their joined hands. The glow grew brighter until it was too bright for anyone to look at. Then, it was gone and Draco was leaning against Harry's bed, pale and unconscious, breath wheezing slightly, while Harry had regained his color and was breathing easier.

Before anyone could reenter the room to help Draco, Morgana levitated the Slytherin onto the bed next to Harry's. She removed the charms she had placed on the door of the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey entered immediately. Her first move was to Draco's side to find out what he had done. Her discoveries had her cursing out loud before Albus asked her what was wrong.

"Mr. Malfoy seems to have somehow taken whatever magical coma Mr. Potter was in and gone into one himself. There will be no knowing when, or if, Mr. Malfoy will awaken from this."

"And Harry?" the Headmaster queried, concerned for both of the young men.

Madam Pomfrey hurried to his bedside after ensuring Draco was tucked into the bed he lay on. She performed a scan of Harry from his mused hair to his blanket covered feet. Then, she repeated the spell before finally turning to Albus with surprise clear on her face.

"Mr. Potter's out of the coma. He could awaken any moment now. Somehow Mr. Malfoy brought Mr. Potter out of his coma when he went into it."

Albus sighed, the twinkle dim in his eyes, "The spell Mr. Malfoy performed was a plea for Harry to survive. He offered himself in Harry's place so that Mr. Potter would live. There was no guaranteeing if it would work, but it seems to have. Now, all we can do is wait for Harry to awaken and hope that Mr. Malfoy can bring himself out of the coma he has gone into."

What none of the others in the room knew at the time was that Harry was already awake. As soon as the glow had faded, Harry could hear what was happening around him, but he was disoriented and kept still, his eyes closed. It didn't take long for the lingering fog to clear from his mind and he heard what Draco had done for him.

Harry guessed correctly what the emotions were that Draco would have needed to perform the spell he did and it made Harry's heart beat faster. All he wanted was for everyone in the Infirmary, even the spirits, to leave so that he could be alone with Draco. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that the others cleared out of the hospital wing.

Narcissa and Morgana left for the night as there was nothing more that either could do until at least one of them woke. The Headmaster shooed the other Gryffindors and Slytherins from the room as he also left, each of them being sent to their own beds with a promise that they could return after they had fully rested. Madam Pomfrey did one last check around the room before retiring to her own bed.

Only then did Harry open his eyes. He carefully stretched out one arm to the bedside table and found his glasses. He didn't feel dizzy, but even so, Harry slowly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Draco was lying pale and still in the bed next to him and his heart clenched in fear that his lover would not wake up.

Without a thought Harry stood and went to Draco's bed, sitting carefully on the side of it. He took one of Draco's hands in one of his own, entwining their fingers together. The other hand brushed aside the stray blond strands that had settled onto Draco's cheek. Harry leaned down and gently brushed his lips against Draco's once, twice, pouring all the feelings he felt for him into the touches.

He carefully lay down beside his lover, adjusting the blankets so they covered them both and held the Slytherin in his arms. He soon fell into an untroubled sleep, lulled by the steady heartbeat he could feel where his hand rested in the center of Draco's chest. In his sleep he didn't notice that the breathing from the other had grown easier and that the body shifted even closer to the warmth from Harry.

\/\/\/\/\/

When Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary the next morning she gave a startled cry at what she was seeing, waking the two curled up together on the bed. The first thing that Harry noticed was Poppy standing near the doors of the room, her eyes wide. Then, he looked down at Draco and saw that the Slytherin's eyes were open and watching the medi-witch.

"Draco?" Harry called quietly.

"Harry?" Draco breathed, his attention spinning to his lover. "You're okay. You're awake. Thank Merlin. Harry, I was so worried, so very worried. They didn't know if you'd ever wake up and you were so still and so pale. Are you feeling well? Nothing hurts?"

"No, Draco, nothing hurts. I'm alright. Whatever spell you did saved my life, Draco. I can't thank you enough, but I do know how I'm going to try. Stay with me? Don't leave?" Harry asked quietly, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's presence and that of the Headmaster whom had just arrived.

"Always, Harry. For as long as you want me," Draco answered quietly, his eyes becoming moist and they never left Harry's. "I love you."

Reviews are appreciated.

Rough Translation: Take the very breath you gave me, take the heart from my chest. I will gladly take his place if you'll let me, make this my last request. Take me out of this world, but please, don't take his soul.

Note: I do not own the song, nor the changes. It's been years since I got this translated and have forgotten the name of the lovely person that translated it for me, but thank you immensely! ^__^