Change In A Star's Alignment
Chapter 12:
'He turned his head to see Malfoy staring back at him. "Malfoy! You're awake!"'
"How long have I been in here?" Malfoy asked.
"Um... Three days now." Harry responded.
"Three days!?" Draco exclaimed. "Wait, why are you here Potter?"
Before Harry could answer, however, Madame Pomfrey came bursting in. "Oh Mr. Malfoy! Good, good! Tell me, how are you feeling?" She asked while checking the potions and spells.
"I'm well... I feel pretty light-headed and..." Malfoy didn't finish the sentence, though. He looked to Harry again questioningly.
Harry of course knew why the blonde hadn't finished his sentence. He knew Malfoy was going to say 'weak', but that he had stopped himself because he didn't want others to think of him as that.
"Tired?" Harry finished for him. Malfoy gave him a grateful smile.
"Yeah," he said, "tired."
"Well," Madame Pomfrey began, "that's normal. You haven't eaten solid food in three days. Nutrition potions can only do so much. You won't be able to eat anything solid until the nutrition potion has run out. Which should be in... about, hmm... four hours. Then you can eat. You'll have to stay in the Hospital Wing for a bit, I'm afraid. You haven't completely healed." Pomfrey finished switching about potions and then said, "Well, I'll leave you two to talk."
She went to leave, but Malfoy stopped her. He motioned for her to come closer and when she did, he whispered something to her. It was too low for Harry to hear, but Madame Pomfrey straightened up with a large frown on her face before answering. "I'm sorry Draco, but you already have the limit of potions I can give someone... I truly am sorry." With that, she left behind a highly disappointed Malfoy and a confused Harry to go back to her office.
"What was that about?" Harry asked.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it... So, what exactly are you doing here Potter?"
Realizing Malfoy didn't want to talk about it, Harry let the topic drop and instead answered the blonde's question. "I'm the one who found you."
"F-found m-m-me?" Malfoy stuttered.
"Yeah... I saw who did it and-"
"You What!? Malfoy exclaimed, trying to get up but instantly wincing in pain.
Harry rushed over and gently pushed the blonde back down into his previous position. "Calm down Malfoy." Harry said, trying to stop the blonde from hurting himself again. "Look, it's okay. The only other people that know are Dumbledore, Snape and Hermione."
Malfoy relaxed slightly at this so Harry sat back down. "I don't have to explain to them what happened do I? Because I don't think I can."
"I don't think so." Harry responded, "I gave Dumbledore my memory of that night so they don't really need that much more."
"Why did you give them a memory?"
"Because I didn't want to explain it a thousand times."
"How many people are going to be able to see it!?" Malfoy asked in a panic.
"Don't worry!" Harry said quickly, "I made Dumbledore promise that he'd only show it to someone else if absolutely necessary."
"Why would you do that?" Malfoy asked, shocked.
"Because I figured you wouldn't want people to see you like that... And I thought you probably didn't want to be pitied because of it." Harry said quietly.
"So you did it for me?" the blonde asked, hardly understanding what Harry had said.
"Yeah, I did."
"Thank you..." Malfoy said quietly.
Harry gave a small smile before saying, "Anytime, Malfoy. Anytime.
They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. Neither felt the need to say anything for a bit. Finally, though, Malfoy broke the peaceful silence. "Hey, Potter?"
"Yeah, Malfoy?"
"It's early in the morning."
"Yeah, so?" Harry responded.
"Well, what are you doing here so early?"
"Oh..." Harry blushed a little, much to the confusion of both boys. "Well, I've sort of been sleeping here while you were unconscious."
"Oh..." Malfoy said, sounding confused and surprised. "Well, why?"
"I... I dunno really..." he said, blushing once again. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"What do you mean? Of course I was going to be fine... Wasn't I?"
"Malfoy! You almost died!" Harry exclaimed. He could feel tears starting to form once again at the thought of the blonde dying. Harry tried to push the tears back, hoping Malfoy didn't notice.
Draco's POV:
"Malfoy! You almost died!"
Draco stared at Potter. I almost died? I can't believe I almost died! As Draco watched Potter, he noticed that Potter had tears in his eyes. Why is he so upset? Wait!? Is he upset because I almost died? I mean, we're pretty much friends now, but I didn't expect Potter to care so much about me. Draco continued to watch as Potter tried to push back his tears.
Eventually, it worked and Draco finally spoke. "I really almost died?"
"Yes. When I got there... Merlin... There was blood everywhere... You were cut up everywhere and you looked so lifeless... I thought you were dead until I felt your heartbeat. And that Weasel and the Slytherins... They were laughing! They knew you were dying and there they were, laughing!" By the end of his ranting, Potter sounded furious.
Draco couldn't believe that Harry seemed to care so much about him. Since when does he care so much? And why me of all people? I'm nothing special...
"Hey! Malfoy!" Potter said, snapping Draco out of his depressing thoughts, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry, just got lost in my own thoughts."
"Oh... Okay. Well, hey, you get out of here soon! You can go back to your room and-"
Potter stopped talking at the look of terror that had no doubt been on Draco's face. No, no, no, no, no! Draco thought, I can't go back there! That's where they first found me!
As if reading my thoughts, Potter asked, "Malfoy... I know that this wasn't the first time they had gotten to you because I saw that some of the bruises were old... So... Where did it happen the other times?" Potter asked tentatively, obviously not wanting to upset Draco.
Draco looked away from Potter. I know I should tell him. He's seen me at my worst... and he hasn't once called me weak or a coward... If I can trust anyone right now, it's Snape, Mother and Potter... Doesn't mean I have to look at him when I tell him though.
Draco, still looking away from Potter, began talking. "They first got me when I was walking up the stairs to my room... Weasley wasn't there the first time because he couldn't get into the Common Room. But I guess the Slytherins started to trust him and gave him the password... He showed up the second time... Again, they got me on the stairs, but there were some people downstairs so they dragged me into my own room... My own room Potter!"
To Draco's dismay, he started crying. Merlin! Haven't I cried enough in front of him? But Draco couldn't stop the tears, not matter how hard he tried. He felt Potter reach over and grab his hand.
"Malfoy, look at me." Potter said calmly and quietly. Slowly, Draco lifted his head to look into emerald green eyes. "Malfoy, you will not have to go back to your room. Hell, you won't even have to go back to the Slytherin Common Room if you don't want to!"
"I'm not going to go to Gryffindor, Potter."
Potter smiled a little at this. "I wasn't going to suggest it, Malfoy." Potter then surprised the both of them by leaning over and wiping the tears off of Draco's face with his thumb. "Sorry." Potter said, turning beet red.
"It's alright." Draco said.
If he was being honest with himself, he really didn't mind Potter touching his face like that. Potter's hand had been warm and made him feel safe. Too bad Draco wasn't being honest with himself. In fact, he shoved those feelings to the back of his mind so he could forget them.
"So, where do you suppose I'll live then? Surely not in Ravenclaw or, Merlin forbid, Hufflepuff!" Draco said, only slightly joking.
Potter laughed a little and then became serious once more. "No." Potter said, "I was thinking that we'd create our own place. Somewhere that you can feel safe. And you could have all the people you truly trust live there with you!"
"That would be great Potter, but no such place exists."
"Not yet." Potter said rather confidently.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked. How can he be so sure that this will happen?
"Well, all I have to do is ask Dumbledore for permission, really. See, as Head Master, the castle listens to him and the needs of the students. So, if Dumbledore lets her, then Hogwarts will create a new space for you to live."
"So the castle can change whenever it wants to help the students? Why aren't there always changes happening then?" Draco asked, trying to understand all of this. How does he even know this?
"Not exactly, she has to ask Dumbledore for permission to do something drastic. The only thing she has control of is the Room of Requirement."
"Oh, I get it! Wait... she?"
"Yeah, Hogwarts is female."
"How do you know all of this, Potter?" Draco asked, impressed.
"Well, I do read Malfoy. I'm actually pretty intelligent. When it comes to things that interest me, I pick up on things quickly."
"Huh, who would have thought?" Malfoy said, teasingly, "Harry Potter actually knows something other than Defence Against the Dark Arts!"
"Oh hush you!" Potter said.
"So..." Draco said, serious again. "I'll really be able to leave the Slytherin Common Room?"
"Yeah... Is there anyone other than me that you trust and want to live with?"
"Um... Yeah actually! I want Blaise, Pansy, and Theo if you're okay with that."
"I trust them if you do." Potter said trustingly. "Do you mind if Hermione lives with us too?"
Draco thought it over for a moment but then nodded. "Yeah, I trust her."
"Okay cool. So I'll just go talk to Dumbledore about it." Potter made to get up but Draco grabbed Potter's hand, which he hadn't realized he'd still been holding.
"No, please don't leave me alone..." Draco said quietly enough that Potter would have to strain to hear him. He didn't want to be alone. Every time he had been alone before, they had found him. Though he knew they probably wouldn't do that with Madame Pomfrey close by, he still couldn't bear the thought of being alone to deal with everything that happened to him.
A look of understanding spread across Potter's face and he quickly sat down, never letting go of Draco's hand. "What if I get your mother?"
"Yeah, just don't leave until she gets here okay?" Draco knew just how pitiful and weak he sounded, but he couldn't really bring himself to care at that moment. His need to not be alone had won out.
"Okay, I won't leave until she is here." Draco watched as Potter pulled out his want and cast a Patronus. Potter's was a stag and Draco had to admit that it looked magnificent. "Mrs. Malfoy," Potter said to the stag, "Draco is awake now and wishes to see you."
Five minutes later saw Draco's Mother rushing in to see him. When she did see them, however, she stopped. Draco saw her smile widely at him and Potter. He wondered for a moment why she was acting so weird when he suddenly remembered.
Shit! Potter and I are holding hands! Potter seemed to come to the same realization because they both let go of each other's hands at the same time. Draco noticed Potter blushing slightly. Great! Draco groaned internally, now she's really going to think we're together. Potter turned to him them.
"See you Malfoy. Get your mother to send me a Patronus if she's going to leave. I'll be back soon."
Draco watched as Potter left, preparing himself with things to say to convince Mother that he and Potter aren't dating. Well, he thought, this will be an awkward conversation...