Shards of my Soul Chapter 3: Sectumsempra, a harry potter fanfic

The week had been a long one. Harry received so much homework and, with what he had neglected over the weekend, he had not yet had time to look over Draco's book. He was thoroughly looking forward to the Christmas break mere days away.

First however, he must get through Slughorn's party. He had put some more thought into what Hermione had said and had ended up blurting an invitation out to Luna. Whilst he'd rather he didn't have to take Luna, he thought it could have ended much worse. It could have been Romailda.

It could have been Draco. Not that he would ever had agreed to accompany Harry – not that Harry would ever ask – but Harry thought it might have done Draco some good. Clearly he was stressed out; a little bit of festive cheer would have been just the thing.

Harry hadn't properly seen Draco since their meeting with Snape. He had glimpsed him once or twice, but whenever Draco saw him an angry blush swept his face and he quickly vanished.

The marauders map had come in useful. Harry found it oddly soothing to know that Draco was in bed and not doing anything crazy at 2 am. It had only begun to dawn on Harry, as his eyes roamed the hall half-heartedly, that he was becoming a little obsessed.

Maybe it's just my mind trying to distract me? There have been no more lessons with Dumbledore for a while. The war is getting closer, but everyone wants to ignore that fact.

He was finally getting somewhere. Admittedly the little bird had come back dead, but it had come back. It was only a small victory however, he wasn't anywhere near ready yet.

The young deatheater felt an odd pang of pity for the bird. Like him, it had never truly gotten to fly.

Dammit. Where is all this bloody sentimentally coming from? I haven't got time for it. Potter's got me on edge, damn him. I can only avoid him for so long. I need to finish this. I need to.

Draco tossed the small bird aside and plucked another from its cage. He put the bird into the cabinet and tried again.

He's off the map again.

Whilst Harry had finally worked out where Draco was going he still had no idea what he was up to. Well now was as good a time as any, he had a couple of hours before he had to meet Luna. Harry detoured to his dorm, picked up the invisibility cloak just in case, and left the common room quickly. It wasn't far to the fifth floor corridor.

There was no one on lookout duty. It seemed Draco had given up on turning Crabbe into a girl and positioning him by the door. Oh well, it meant more peace for Harry to try and get in.

Pacing back and forth, Harry tried yet again to gain entry.

I need the place where Draco is.

Unsurprisingly it didn't work. Harry suspected he had tried that one before too, but he had tried so many times he had forgotten. No, he'd have to come up with something new. Harry racked his brain for ideas. It was clear that Draco was up to something, something to do with Borgin and Burkes. It was also clear that whatever it was was difficult, but that didn't help much either. Grunting with frustration, Harry aimed a kick at the wall. This would be so much easier if Draco would talk to him, but no, he insists on hiding it all away. Hiding. Maybe Draco was merely hiding in the room, using it as a sanctuary?

I need the place that Draco is hidden.

To Harry's shock, a door materialised. With a deep breath, he slipped inside. The room was dim and musty with teetering piles of junk. To Harry's left rose a huge mound of broken chairs, graffiti-covered desks and a cracked chamber pots with many small trinkets buried within. The room seemed as big as the great hall. Stone arched reached right to the gloomy heavens. Cautiously the dark haired boy moved further into the room. It was a feast for the eyes.

Mounds of battered books balanced against a chipped statue. What looked like a blood stained axe rested against a muggle gramophone. There was a big bird's cage containing the skeleton of a strange twisted thing. Turning and turning in wonder, Harry let his eyes roam over so many untold stories.

Draco heard a noise. It was the unmistakable noise of a door slamming. Heart hammering in his throat, Draco crept away from the cabinet. It would not do for him to be caught by it, or to be caught at all. He must pray he could slip out of the room unseen.

Harry heard a noise. It was a footstep. He stopped marvelling at the wonders around him and pulled on his cloak. Chances were, Draco would be coming this way in order to escape. Breathing heavily he waited and it was not long before he saw that shock of brilliant blonde hair. Draco was looking around cautiously. His eyes looked a little wild, like a caged animal. Deciding it was clear, he made a break for the door, hurtling head first into Harry.

The boys collapsed in a heap on the floor. Draco tried to get up but Harry grabbed his ankle. The Slytherin grappled with his invisible foe, kicking to get free. Shaking hands rummaged in his pocket.

"Stupefy!" The hand around his ankle stiffened. Draco sat up and pulled the cloak away. Potter. "What the hell are you doing?!" Malfoy was literally growling at Harry, who was unable to speak due to the charm. Malfoy was in half a mind to leave him there, stunned, as he had done on the train. He would like to see precious Potter escape that one. He couldn't though, not least because his foot was trapped in his frozen grip.

Fuming, Draco lifted the charm. He kept his wand trained on Harry and began to ask questions.

"How did you get in here?"

"Same way you did."

"Do you know why I'm in here?"

"Not exactly."

"Have you told mudblood and weasel?"

"No."

The last response surprised him. It was unlike Potter to go anywhere without his backup. Still, maybe he was lying.

"Have you been following me?"

"Yes."

That was also a surprise. Whilst Draco knew the boy was tailing him he hadn't expected him to own up to that one.

"Why?"

"You've got me worried."

Draco snorted. He was definitely lying then.

"Why do you always have to play the hero?"

"Because sometimes people need a hero. It's not a role I really chose, it's just other people don't often see themselves capable of it." Draco felt the temptation to leave Harry stunned in the room again, there wasn't anything stopping him now. He also felt the temptation to puke over his typical, Gryffindor words.

"Grow up Potter, not everyone can be saved."

"They can."

"Even me? Even the Dark Lord?!" Draco's voice was louder, he was suddenly shouting at Potter. Without even flinching, Harry just stared back. "Why aren't you scared?! Is it because you're 'The Boy Who Lived'? Because I've got news for you: everyone dies. You, me, everyone. And your death gets closer every day!"

"You don't scare me Draco."

"What?"

"You don't scare me." Draco was flushed and breathing hard. He felt insulted, enraged. How dare Potter insult him like that. He was a Malfoy, and he would not, could not, tolerate that. He yelled the first curse that came to mind.

"Sectumsempra!" The air rushed out of Harry. He grunted in pain as his leg began to bleed copiously. The gentle growing of the puddle transfixed Draco, a red lake consuming the stone floor. A whimper escaped Harry's mouth. He was clutching his leg, trying to slow the flow of blood. It brought Draco back to the present, back to the horror of what he had just done.

The broken reflection of Harry's face drifted into his mind. Is this how pitiful he had looked to the other boy? When he had been the one bleeding on to the floor?

Draco took a step back. He couldn't cope with this. Hurtling from the room, Draco went in search of Snape. He was the one who taught him the curse, he must know the anti-curse. He must.

All Harry saw was a frightened Draco, fleeing, leaving him to bleed out and die. It wasn't long before the pain caused him to black out, but even then he thought of Draco. He couldn't blame him for this. Voldemort was the one who had twisted him so, so Harry would make sure Voldemort paid.

A/N Hello! I am swept away by the love I'm receiving for this! Sorry for the cliffhanger... Things are moving along nicely. We might even get a party in the next chapter! Please review and follow, thanks, Fe x