!TW! !WARNING! PLEASE READ: This chapter deals with the aftermath and scene of a character who has attempted to take their own life. The language used can be triggering to some, so please keep in mind before reading. The scene itself ends right after the first cut offline, but the language is still used throughout. This chapter is not intended to hurt or offend anyone; it was written to give a deeper and more mature underlining to my rewrite of the half-blood prince. If you feel this would be too much for you, there is a summary at the end of this chapter. The next two chapters are being uploaded directly after this to avoid anyone missing out on an update. Thank you all so much.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; it belongs to Jo Rowling
Harry barely acknowledged he had begun chasing after the flock of staff members who were frantically swarming toward the lower level bathrooms. He wasn't even aware of why he had immediately thrown his belongings to the floor and was now sprinting rapidly after them.
He kept running until his steps became leaps, the wind wafting through his raven hair from the unglazed windows only urging him forward.
Draco Malfoy tried to poison himself.
Why did he care? All he had received from the Slytherin throughout the past five years was constant abuse and harassment. All he had ever been to Harry was an enemy, the second piece to the classic secondary school rivalry that had been present in almost every muggle teen movie the Gryffindor had come across. Despite these valid reasons to sit back and enjoy the view, he kept pushing forward. His pounding footsteps echoed in his mind, keeping in time with his heart and mimicking the ghost of voices in his head.
"KILL THE SPARE!"
The seeker's feet slapped the stone floor heavily, sending him jetting past various figures that blurred at his speed.
"AVADA KEDAVRA"
His body was moving at its own accord, heeding only his brain's frantic orders.
"NO! CEDRIC."
His heart was not going to let him stand still and allow this to happen again.
"SIRIUS!"
He had to move.
Sharply turning the final corner, Harry reached the entrance, erupting through the door and slipping slightly on the wet tiles beneath his feet.
Wet tiles? He thought, straining his ears enough to hear the sound of water trickling from what Harry presumed to be a running tap, blocked by the stalls in front of him. However, his curiosity turned into horror upon looking down as a faded red quickly began soaking his school shoes. Unrooting his feet from the ground, he followed the stream of scarlet that polluted the clear liquid, steadying himself on the side of the cubicle that was separating him from the scene behind it. He felt as though he were in slow motion as he forced himself forward.
The chosen one couldn't stop the guilt mixed bile that rose to his throat at the sight before him.
Draco's upper half peaked out from the stalls that towered over where he lay surrounded by various professors and healers, eyes fixed and vacant as old vomit dripped from the side of his mouth and piled onto the floor. Blood spread from either side of his chest, forming two sets of scarlet wings that stretched across each side of the room. Madam Pomfrey Kneeled by his head, muttering frantic spells and waving her wand over his injuries.
But the Death Eaters son was still, his chest unmoving.
He sensed movement to his left; his friends having clearly caught up with him, Ron had stumbled backwards whilst Hermione covered her mouth with her hands, looking like she was ready to be sick.
The Raven haired boy had noticed his former tormentor had gained a somewhat ill appearance, straying away from his croons and trading his usual scowl for a completely lost expression; he had somehow been rendered speechless.
Still, Harry would have never expected this.
"M-moony..." The seeker all but gagged, mouth dry, "We need to-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a wave of students storming into the secluded area; they had clearly heard the news and wanted to see for themselves.
"Merlin's beard." He heard Seamus breathe behind him.
"Is he dead?"
"Always knew he was a coward."
"It's about time that monster offed himself!"
"I bet Potter did us a favour and faked a sui-"
"ENOUGH!" Snape's voice howled, his hands now filled with a paling Draco Malfoy. The room was silenced immediately, and Harry could feel the crowd jump behind him. "FIFTY POINTS FROM EACH STUDENT PRESENT, NOW OUT! ALL OF YOU!" The final order seemed to send a force toward the trio and the pupils, physically pushing them from the bathroom like an enclosing barrier.
Accidental magic, Harry thought.
The force stopped well before Harry's back hit the wall facing the door from which he and his fellow classmates had exited.
Lucius Malfoy escapes prison, and Draco Malfoy tries to kill himself. None of this made sense; Malfoy had been enraged when the DA had gotten his father arrested. He should have been the first to boast about the Dark Lords follower's success; he should be exclaiming very loudly that the now-vacant cell was free for 'scarhead's use... but he wasn't.
Draco Malfoy lay seemingly dead several feet in front of him.
"Harry." Hermione croaked, snapping him out of his whirlwind of thoughts. "We need to get to Remus."
Taking a shaken breath, he nodded. Grabbing the bookworms hand and signalling for a nauseous looking Weasley to follow them, the trio left the bewildered teens behind them and took off towards Gryffindor tower.
As suspected, Remus was already aware of the recent events; the trio had been cornered and ushered off toward Dumbledore's office before they had even made it to the moving staircases.
The journey was quiet and painfully slow; the green-eyed boy kept his gaze to the floor, unable to shake the image of a lifeless Draco Malfoy sprawled across the ground, his skin as white as his hair, from his mind. For a moment, he had returned to the graveyard with Cedric,
The Ministry with Sirius.
What troubled Harry the most was the events he had linked to this incident involved people he cared for, not people who had previously gone out of their way to make his days at Hogwarts a living hell.
He just couldn't understand what had urged him to do what he did. To take his own life? To feel that desperate, so entirely out of options?
To be more terrified of living than you are of death?
Harry understood.
"Harry, suffering like this proves you are still alive! This pain is part of being human —"
"THEN — I — DON'T — WANT — TO — BE — HUMAN! I —DON'T —WANT —TO— BE— ALIVE!"
He understood what it felt like to be so terrified of having to endure more pain, with no end in sight, to be bombarded with the leftovers of someone else's mistake.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I DON'T WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE AT ALL —"
He understood exactly how it felt.
And that is why Harry Potter's heart ached for Draco Malfoy.
"Fizz Wizz." The werewolf muttered, causing Harry to once again be ripped from his memories. Somehow, they had made it to the ageing gargoyle and were now watching the staircase extend from the ground and rise to meet the ceiling. Remus cleared his throat, eying the three friends gripping each other tightly, attempting to steady themselves. "I must warn you all," He started, a distressed look hanging heavily beneath his scarred features. "This won't likely be pleasant."
Seeing there would be no response to his warning, the lycanthrope began climbing the stairwell, leaving the joined companions to shuffle on after him.
Upon entering the headmaster's office, the group were met by the familiar interesting circular room that had greeted them several times before with its everlasting cheerful atmosphere and curious character. Only this time, its beauty was stripped and replaced with an overhanging dread that had almost suffocated Harry the moment he walked in. The portraits that usually riddled the room with snores from their makeshift nap areas scattered in-between the aberrant windows were now the source of harsh whispers that polluted the room and did nothing to help the chambers already unrecognisable environment.
Behind the enormous, claw-footed desk stood a very sorrowful looking Dumbledore, the ever-present twinkle dimmed behind his half-moon glasses. The professor raised his head, acknowledging their arrival and gesturing for them to sit; the foursome did so gingerly.
After a moment of silence, the headmaster sighed woodenly. "I apologise for the rather anarchic start to your morning, children. This castle, despite its elegance, can be quite the tiring maze when one must rush through it." He said softly, addressing the shaking students personally. "I wish you had not witnessed what you did, especially not after such distressing news... although I acknowledge this is, unfortunately, becoming an ongoing theme for you three..." Harry was barely listening now; what exactly did this have to do with him? He didn't want to think of the correlation, if it had anything to do with him- they probably knew it would happen...
Just like they did with everything else.
"...What you may have read in the Daily Prophet is true; Lucious Malfoy has escaped Azkaban, along with others.
As critical as this may seem, I ask you not to take this as a matter of panic. You are not to worry about the matter further; I advise you continue with your training sessions with Mr Lupin and -"
"How exactly are we supposed to not take this as a matter of panic?" Harry spat, cutting the senior wizards speech short; Hermione clenched his hand almost painfully whilst Ron gripped his best friend's sleeve.
"Harry-" Remus puffed, but the sixteen-year-old simply stomped his foot in protest.
"No! This is quite literally the exact panic-filled situation any intellectual- no, any creature with a functioning brain even; would consider a matter of panic. How do you expect any of us to just carry on like nothing happened? Malfoy clearly panicked about something considering he's-"
"On his way to the hospital wing after being revived by Professor Snape, dear boy." The elder man finished for him, causing the students to gasp simultaneously, catching Harry off guard.
"B-but he was- he wasn't breathing-" The Gryffindor tried, only to be halted by the feel of someone's hand on his shoulder, pulling him back.
"All that matters-" Remus started, leaning over Ron. "- is that he's alive."
"Forgive me, Profe- Remus, but it's not all that matters. It doesn't make sense. Malfoy gets out of Azkaban, and his son attempts to poison himself at the news? How could something like this not be prevented again?" Hermione almost whispered; her eyes were filled with tears, and her voice sounded choked.
"Malfoy isn't my favourite person... but I wouldn't wish this on him, sir. You had to have noticed something." Ron spoke for the first time, prudently.
"I'm afraid Mr Malfoy's situation is out of our control-"
"What do you mean out of your control? Hardly anything that's been happening has been out of your control, professor." Harry hissed, glaring daggers across the table; the headmaster's words seemed to die in his throat at the sound of the boy's tone.
"Harry, please-" The ex-defence teacher tried again to no avail.
"Shut up! I am sick and tired of watching people die or almost die because someone decided to keep another dirty secret. I will not sit back and let it happen to someone else and wait for someone to tell the truth after it's too late, Malfoy or not. I'm done with finding out the past and future in bits and pieces. I have too much blood on my fucking hands as it is- did you see Malfoy's body sprawled across the floor? Lifeless? Because I did- we all did, and we've seen it too many times before. So don't advise me to train, don't expect me to carry on as usual when all I'm going to be doing is waiting for the next disaster. Last term, you swore to me that you would tell me everything, sir, everything, so Don't ask any of this from me if you're not going to tell me why!" He didn't know when he had begun yelling, or when tears had started leaking from his eyes. All he knew was that the entire room had been snapped into silence, most of the paintings slipping from their canvas, others watching the scene in shock.
Dumbledore, however, seemed almost unfazed.
But Harry didn't miss the twinkle disappearing from behind those half-moon glasses.
After one shaky breath, Albus Dumbledore began to speak. "There was a plan this year, Harry." He started, ignoring the seeker's outburst, "A plan that involved you being set a solemn task, I now realise that asking you to do such a thing without explanation, would be completely disregarding your wishes." He hummed, making his way over to an overhanging shelf that stood by his magnificent Phoenix, Fawkes, who stood anxiously on his perch; he too seemed on edge.
The quidditch captain thought for a moment before slowly asking, "What was the task?" He whispered.
"You see-"
"-Remus," A foreign voice Harry didn't recognise screeched from the floo, causing the majority of the group to jump at the sudden interruption. "you're needed back at headquarters; it's urgent."
"Yes, Allison, I'll be right there." The required wizard assured the woman distractedly, shifting into a standing position. "Sorry about this, Professor Dumbledore; I'll be back as soon as I can." He assured, slowly making his way over to the fireplace. Suddenly, he paused, turning to look at his best friends son for a moment. "Should I be expecting you at the Quidditch pitch, Harry?" He asked tentatively; the boy merely shrugged; Remus sighed. "Well, I'll be there waiting." With that, he slipped into the hearth and allowed the viridescent flames to engulf him.
"Now, as I was saying." The bearded man resumed as the ambers died down, "In trying to discover any alternative ways to fulfil what the prophecy declared, we saw it fit to attempt to determine what exactly allowed Lord Voldemort to return that night in Little Hangleton graveyard, and how to prevent it from ever happening again."
There was a pause as he adolescents to drink in what he had said; Harry could still feel leftover adrenaline coursing through his veins; he had to will himself to stop squirming at the suspense.
"I have accumulated an assortment of memories involving Tom Riddle himself and what prompted him to become who he is today, and what urged him to attempt killing you if fifteen years ago."
Seeing the vials the headmaster was pulling from his robes, Hermione perked up. "Are those You-Know-Who's memories, professor?" The bushy-haired witch asked eagerly, only to receive a quick shake of the head.
"Alas, Miss Granger, we only have what people remember of him, but this proves better than nothing. Every moment, every frame of his life that we could find we collected and stored. It was a tiring process; many came forward... many were hesitant." The men seemed to drift off for a moment, moving to stare out of the window, "I do, however, believe we have compiled enough to begin to decipher the mystery that was October 31st."
"Will we be viewing them today, sir?"
"Not all, children. These memories document disturbing moments in history. I do not wish to overwhelm you; we will only be reviewing the most important one." He reassured, pushing one particular flask toward the trio. "I presume Miss Granger and Mr Weasley intend on staying?"
Harry didn't even hesitate.
"They Stay."
"Very well, if you'll follow me to the pensive."
Chapter summary:Harry chases the professors and discoverers Draco, the golden trio, intend to report to Remus, but he finds them before they make it to the moving staircase. He escorts them to Dumbledore, who discusses the recent events but advises them to carry on as usual. Harry becomes angry and assures the professor that he can expect nothing from him if he continues to lie and keep secrets; he refuses to do anything unless he's told why. Following Remus' exit, Dumbledore proceeds to explain the task they had planned for him to fulfil this year, saying that asking for his help would be cruel without explanation. He presents a series of flasks containing memories of Voldemort and says they will only be viewing the most important one, Slughorn's. Dumbledore asks if Ron and Hermione intend to view it too; Harry doesn't hesitate to allow them to stay. The chapter ends with them approaching the Pensive.
The neighbouring chapter will be uploaded minutes after this one.
Apologies for such a long wait; I talk more about my absence in the following chapters notes; I would instead like to let this chapter sit as it is; flames will not be tolerated in regards to it. I worked on this chapter for an overly long time.
If you are struggling with anything mentioned in this chapter, whether big or small, you can reach me here; I'm a good listener when I'm not putting off my fics.