Torn

"I don't see what the fuss is over me," Ron huffed from his bed in the infirmary. "Nothing happened to me, it all happened to everyone except me!" Harry grinned.

"You know how Madam Pomfrey is," he shrugged, glancing at Ginny's bed. She was lying perfectly still. He looked at the bed on the other side of her, and Draco met his eyes momentarily before looking away.

"I've never seen Hermione faint like that before," Ron said, sniggering. Harry raised his eyebrows at him.

"You didn't seem to mind when she fell into your arms." Ron's ears turned red, and he grinned.

"I wish you'd both quit talking about me as though I'm not even here," a cross voice said. Harry smothered his laugh with an impromptu coughing fit, and Ron's jaw dropped.

"We thought you were asleep!"

"Obviously," she said acidly, not looking at him.

"Well, we all seem to be feeling better, don't we?" Madam Pomfrey said, examining Hermione. She nodded, satisfied, then moved to check over Ron. When she got to Harry she frowned. "You're going to need to stay for a bit. Nasty business, snake venom."

"What?" Harry snorted. "I wasn't bitten by a snake."

"Well, I like that," she said crossly. "The patient telling the doctor what's wrong!"

"He's telling the truth though!" Ron protested. "I was with him the entire time."

"My dear boy," she said, clucking her tongue. Despite Harry's protests, she lifted his shirt and revealed two symmetrical puncture wounds on his left side. Ron and Hermione both gaped, and Draco sucked in a deep breath.

"That's impossible," Harry said, shaking his head.

"Potter." Harry turned to look at Draco, and his jaw dropped. Draco had lifted his shirt to show Harry the fang marks on his left side. Ron and Hermione made tiny noises of confusion, and Harry frowned.

"Were you attacked by Nagini?" Draco shook his head. "Then how the hell is it that neither of us were attacked, but we both have identical marks? No one was attacked by the damn thing before Hermione froze it!"

"I was," a weak voice offered. Harry and Draco turned surprised eyes to Ginny. She was struggling to sit up, but Madam Pomfrey quickly pushed her back down again.

"Don't you dare move, young lady!" she said, wagging a finger at Ginny.

"Would someone please explain to me what in the bloody hell is going on?" Draco demanded, not taking his eyes off of Ginny's pale face. She flinched as Madam Pomfrey gently rubbed a healing salve on the wounds that marked her left side.

"The snake attacked me after your father used the Cruciatus Curse on me," she whispered, closing her eyes again. "I couldn't see anything, and he set it loose in the same room with me. I couldn't see to avoid it, and it attacked me."

"That's why she was unconscious when we got there," Hermione said, finally understanding. Ron's jaw dropped, and Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked at Draco.

"Then how did we both end up with the same marks you have?" Harry asked. Ginny shrugged, and the action caused her to wince.

"Maybe Dumbledore will know," she offered weakly, slipping back into an exhausted sleep. Hermione bit her lip.

"He must have used the curse on her quite a bit to have put her in the shape she's in." Draco's expression darkened considerably.

"I wouldn't put it past him," he said quietly.

"Is she going to be alright?" Harry asked Madam Pomfrey. She gave him a furtive glance before she handed him a vial of clear, odorless liquid. He drank it and screwed up his face. Ron sniggered at him.

"I haven't lost a patient yet, Mister Potter," she said, taking the empty vial from him. "And I don't intend to, if I can help it. You let me worry about Miss Weasley."

"Can I go yet?" Harry asked. Madam Pomfrey shook her head.

"Most certainly not!" she protested. "Mister Weasley and Miss Granger may go, but not you and Mister Malfoy. You'll need to be here at least another night." Draco pinched his nose as he downed the vial she handed him.

"Ugh," he said, sticking his tongue out. She frowned at him as he handed the empty vial back.

"Really," she scoffed, moving back towards her office. Hermione and Ron got up off of their beds.

"We'll tell everyone what happened," Ron volunteered. Harry shook his head emphatically.

"Don't," he begged. Draco arched an eyebrow curiously.

"Why don't you want them to tell?" he asked. Harry glared at him.

"Contrary to what you believe, Malfoy," he spat. "I don't need any more attention than what I've already got!" A look of surprise crossed Draco's face, and he sat back to ponder Harry's statement.

"Harry, be reasonable," Hermione said. "You've just defeated Voldemort, the most evil wizard ever known to the wizarding world! How long do you think you're going to be able to keep it a secret? For all we know, everyone could have already been told about it."

"Great," he muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Another reason to add to the list of why people stare at me like I'm a freak." He missed Draco's mouth drop open slightly. Was Potter telling the truth, that he didn't enjoy all of the hero worship he got?

"We won't tell if you really don't want us to," Hermione said gently. "But I think it would be better if they heard what happened from us, instead of reading about it in the Daily Prophet."

"I suppose," he said grudgingly. "Tell them anything, except that I did it alone."

"But you did-"

"No, I didn't," he said hotly. "You and Ron and Malfoy all had a part in this too. Maybe you should leave me out and just say Malfoy did it alone. He'd enjoy the attention, I'm sure!" Draco propped himself up on his elbow and looked lazily at Harry.

"And exactly why would I want people to believe I'd done anything to fight Voldemort? Really, Potter, do you think before you speak? It'd ruin the evil image I've worked so hard to build." Harry stared at him disbelievingly. Slowly a grin spread across his face, and Malfoy smirked back.

"You have a point. Everyone would think you'd gone soft," he turned back to Hermione and Ron, who weren't doing a very good job of masking their surprise. "I don't care what you tell them. Just don't embellish it too much." Ron nodded. Hermione leaned forward and kissed Harry on the cheek, making him blush, then led Ron out of the infirmary.

The room fell deathly silent, and the two boys fidgeted nervously in their beds. They'd never been in the same room before and not been at each other's throats, and it was a bit to adjust to. Finally Harry looked over at Draco and cleared his throat.

"You care about her, don't you?" he asked simply. Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise, and then his cool façade took over. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly."

"I saw the way you looked at her." Malfoy turned his stormy eyes towards Harry.

"Does this conversation have a point, Potter?" he drawled softly.

"Yes," Harry said quietly. "You care about Ginny, and I want to know why."

"I didn't want the girl to die, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not what I'm asking, and you know it." Draco was silent for a long time, and Harry laid back down in frustration.

"She was nice to me," he said simply. Harry blinked, then sat up to look at the other boy.

"She was?"

"Don't act so surprised, Potter," he said, avoiding Harry's curious gaze. "Any girlfriend of yours would have to be as much of a saint as you are."

"I'm not a Saint, Malfoy," he said, frowning. "And I know there's more going on than what you're telling me."

"There isn't," he said smoothly. "We had a good day once. That was it."

"You know I don't believe you, don't you?"

"You know I don't really care, don't you?" Draco asked, smirking. Harry nodded and laid back on his bed. He and Draco had just gotten as close to a friendly conversation as they were ever going to get.

**

Draco's eyes fluttered open, and he squinted at the bright sunlight that filled the infirmary. He sat up and shielded his eyes with his hand.

"Mordred, Morgaine, and Nineve," he swore softly. "Doesn't anyone know what curtains are?" He heard a giggle and his eyes flew swiftly to his left, where Ginny was sitting up in bed, smiling at him.

"I forgot that you're not used to waking up with windows in the dungeon," she said sweetly. She lifted a delicate china teacup to her lips, and he watched as she stuck her pinky out.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly. She glanced at Harry, who was still sleeping.

"I've been better," she admitted. "What about you?"

"Potter accused me of having feelings for you last night," he said, rubbing the back of his aching neck. Her eyes widened.

"He what?"

"We didn't fight," he said quickly. "He just asked. Git's brighter than I took him for." He grinned at her, and she smiled brightly, filling him with warmth.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to you in time," she whispered, staring into her teacup. "Turns out I'm weaker than I thought."

"Don't say that," he said quietly, shaking his head. "No one has ever risked their life for me, Ginny. No one."

"I couldn't just leave you there. You're my friend." She tugged her eyes up and looked at him.

"Thanks," he said sincerely. He looked down at his lap, then back over at her. "I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you."

"No need for apologies," she said, shaking her head. "Today is a brand new day." He nodded slowly and smiled at her.

"You're absolutely right."

"What time is it?" Harry's sleepy voice asked. He turned over and fumbled on the nightstand for his glasses, and Draco had to turn his face to hide his smirk.

"I'm not sure," Ginny answered, craning her neck to look for a clock. At the sound of her voice, Harry's eyes flew open, and he jumped out of bed, ignoring the ache in his side. He flung his arms around her, causing her tea to slosh over the side of her cup. She laughed.

"Oh, sweet Merlin, Ginny," he swore, squeezing her to him. "I was so afraid for you last night!"

"Potter, could you and the Weasel save your nauseating romantic escapade for another time? Dumbledore's headed this way." He caught Ginny's eye and winked at her, and she smiled back. Harry sat down beside Ginny and gripped her hand.

"Good morning," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "I trust that you're all feeling better."

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Harry blurted. Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Why do Potter and I have snake bites when we weren't attacked?" Draco asked.

"You suffered them along with Miss Weasley," he said simply. Ginny's mouth fell open, and Draco frowned.

"And why, pray tell, would that happen?"

"There is a legend," he said, folding his hands. Harry groaned.

"Not another one of those!" he protested. Ginny smothered a giggle.

"There is a legend that speaks of something called the Admiris Nexus. Are you familiar with it?" Ginny frowned and the boys both shook their heads. Dumbledore nodded slightly, then continued. "Admiris Nexus is a very strong bond between two people that usually only occurs when the couple falls in love. It has been rumored that a couple who experience this bond are so in tune to the person they love that they can actually share the other person's emotions during times of great joy or great sorrow."

"You still haven't explained anything," Draco said, arching an eyebrow.

"But there are three of us," Ginny said, her bottom lip beginning to tremble slightly. Dumbledore nodded.

"Indeed. And until last night, I wasn't completely convinced that the Admiris Nexus even existed."

"You said emotional experiences," Harry pointed out. "You didn't say anything about physical."

"True," Dumbledore said, gazing intently at Ginny over his half-moon spectacles. "The legend didn't say that more than two people couldn't share this bond, although I've never heard it mentioned before. It only follows logically, though, that if someone were attuned enough to their beloved during a time of great stress that their significant other would feel some of that as well."

"So what you're saying is that we both felt Nagini's attack on Ginny because we both..." Harry's voice trailed off, and he turned surprised eyes towards Draco, who was staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh my God," Ginny whispered to no one in particular. Harry was still gaping openly at Draco.

"Then what made me feel as though I'd been stabbed while Ginny was still with me?" he asked, waiting for Draco to look at him.

"I can only surmise that somehow you and Draco have formed a bond as well, and you felt the pain that was being inflicted on him." Harry wrinkled his nose and looked disgusted.

"I do not love Potter," Draco said emphatically, shaking his head. Dumbledore laughed softly.

"I didn't say that the bond between you was one of love. Perhaps it was your feelings for Miss Weasley that created a common bond between the two of you." Draco forced himself to meet Harry's eyes, and they stared in silence. Ginny was chewing on her bottom lip, her face flushed and her eyes frightened.

"I've been having dreams," she said softly. Both boys turned their eyes to her, and she looked up at Dumbledore. "Dreams where I'm with a man who has blonde hair and green eyes."

"A sign of your mixed feelings for the two young men present," he explained softly. "Or caused by their feelings for you, I would expect."

"Unless she's in love with both of us," Draco said quietly. Harry glared at him, then looked slowly at Ginny. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and his heart nearly shattered. Did she love Draco, too?

"That is something the two of you will have to discuss with Miss Weasley," Dumbledore replied softly. "An announcement has been made about last night, and I believe that your housemates are all looking forward to you returning to them. If you should wish to speak with me about anything else, feel free to come and visit my office. The password is chamber music." He gave them a smile before leaving.

"Well that was about as helpful as a lame house elf," Draco said, sounding amused.

"Ginny, do you love both of us?" Harry asked softly. She lifted her eyes to Harry, feeling her heart swell at the hurt she saw. She turned her eyes to Draco, whose expression was completely masked.

"Yes," she whispered. Draco's eyes widened, and Harry covered his face with his hands. "But it isn't the same love for each of you."

"How so?" Harry asked, feeling defeated.

"I've loved you since the moment I met you," she whispered tearfully to Harry. "I can't imagine my life without you in it." She turned to Draco as the tears slipped down her cheeks. "I love you too, but I could never love you the way I love Harry." Draco fought not to let his disappointment show, and gave her a curt nod.

"If you'll excuse me," he said dryly, rising from his bed. "I think I'll skip your nauseating romantic moment." He shot Ginny a sad smile before walking away. She turned nervously to Harry, who was staring intently at her.

"If you've changed your mind about me..." her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat, trying to find the right words. "That is, if your feelings towards me aren't the same as they were," she paused. "Then I'll understand."

"Ginny," he said seriously, taking her hand in his. "I gave you up once of my own free will. I'm not about to do it again, not when I came so close to losing you last night." She burst into tears, and he moved onto her bed to hold her as she cried.

"I don't deserve you, Harry," she cried, burying her face in his chest. He stroked her hair until she stopped shaking. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead and smiled at her.

"Just as long as you know," he teased.