Pulling Him Up

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CHAPTER NINE: CATCH
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Harry held Draco gently in his arms and stroked his head where he could. Then Severus withdrew and Harry looked inquiringly at him. The Potions Master stared at him with a worried expression before glancing over his shoulder.

There were voices and sounds of footfalls. Harry saw the walls of the corridor flickering with orange light before he sighted the group of people coming in their direction.

Harry frowned a little at the grim expression Dumbledore wore. In front of him, Severus had risen to his feet and was approaching the old wizard. Deep inside, Harry knew what was going on. Dumbledore might be thinking that Saint Mungo's might be the best place for Draco to stay.

No, Harry thought resolutely. I have to try to help him first. I believe that with Severus, Draco could find stability at least.

"Do not make any decisions when you're clouded by lust, Harry."

The Slytherin's voice floated in his mind. Harry let the words wash over him while he muttered a Lightening Spell on Draco.

It is not lust, Draco. I want to help you. I've had days to think about it after all.

Harry positioned his hands and when he finally had a secure grip on Draco, he lifted the wizard up. He walked over to Severus, to listen to what he had to say. As he had thought, Severus was negotiating with Dumbledore to allow Draco to stay at Hogwarts.

"We will look after him, Professor," Harry said quietly.

"It is too risky, Harry. He may get trapped in his own mind and a world of hallucination a second time," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Severus can call him back," Harry answered and walked away with Draco sleeping in his arms.

It was dark in Draco's bedroom and Harry had to conjure some candles before heading toward the bed. He set the wizard down and rearranged the pillows all around Draco. Then he covered the sleeping form with a light blanket before sitting down on Severus' chair.

He felt the Potions Master's presence and addressed him immediately. "Severus, what happens if Draco has the same dream?"

"I do not know," Severus said quietly. "But I'm not going to give him any sleeping potions."

"I understand that." Harry rubbed his sore shoulder gently.

"Are you hurt?"

"Nothing is dislocated. I'm fine."

Harry heard a soft rustle and Severus came around to sit near Draco's head. He seems to be fond of caressing Draco's hair, Harry thought inconsequentially.

"Harry, I won't be able to do much," Severus whispered. "Not after..."

"You need to brew the Wolfsbane potion. I understand." Harry nodded. "But..." He closed his eyes and leaned back. "He needs you too."

His breathing deepened and slowed. He had fallen asleep, as he was quite exhausted by what had happened. He did not stir when someone removed his shoes, or when the person carried him over to the divan. Harry slept undisturbed, but his subconscious seemed to hold on to the warm sensation of a hand cradling his neck and of lips brushing gently on his cheek.

Harry let out a sigh of contentment and curled up on the couch.

The place where Draco sat was dark and silent. He was in a part of his mind where he could take refuge. What am I afraid of? The question lingered in his thoughts.

"Draco." Someone was calling him. He blinked slowly and watched as Severus looked down at him with concern. "I have to go. Harry is here." He merely stared unwaveringly into beetle-black eyes. "Draco?" A frown came over Severus' face. Abruptly, the older wizard stalked away, to go to the divan at the foot of his bed.

Silver eyes turned glazed once more as Draco retreated to his mental sanctuary.

What am I afraid of?

He was unaware of Severus returning to his side until fingers touched his face. He blinked, somewhat startled. Severus was looking at him with an apologetic expression. For some reason, that prompted Draco to smile, although faintly.

The slight quirk of Severus' lips warmed the remaining coldness that had not left him since his realization of what he had almost done. Then Severus went out with determined and brisk strides.

There was someone else in the room. Draco's eyes swept the area until they met unfocused, bottle green eyes.

Harry. Draco stared at the Gryffindor with unblinking eyes. He looked on with pure detachment as Harry ambled toward him. He would have yelped or responded dramatically had he not felt so disconnected. Harry had flopped ungraciously onto the bed and had acted as though he was at home with it.

"Hope you don't mind," Harry said dreamily as he lay down on the bed. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Draco watched Harry in an almost dispassionate manner, but something happened when Harry turned to face him. His hand had also moved, to rest gently on Draco's stomach. He studied the sleeping wizard with awe and amazement. A peculiar sense of tranquillity filled him and his memories told him that Harry had always felt so to him.

The sense of peacefulness was making him drowsy. As his eyes drifted shut, he laid his hand on top of Harry's and curled around the fingers slightly.

Thank you.

Harry stepped into the cold shower and sighed explosively. It was Saturday and he was relieved that the full moon was nearing. He could not understand why, but Severus had caused him to feel anxious.

"I could count the number of hours he spent with Draco with the fingers on my hands and the toes of one foot," he grumbled. "I thought he understood that Draco needs the two of us."

He turned the tap off and flung his hair away from his eyes. He reached out for the bottle of shampoo and began to work on his hair.

"And his seemingly lack of attention is making Draco unhappy and unresponsive," he continued to mutter under his breath. "I'll be lucky if I can get Draco to eat a bit of breakfast later."

Ten minutes later, he was slipping on a pair of dark, gray jeans over his black boxers. "Damn. Where's my shirt?" He flipped and rummaged his last night's clothing. His blue shirt was not among them. He looked around the bathroom quizzically. "I must have left it on the chair."

He grabbed his used clothes and dumped them into the laundry basket before going out to the main room. Breakfast for Draco was already on the desk. Green eyes flickered over to the armchair and he saw his shirt. He quickly went toward it but stopped just as he picked it up.

Draco had pulled his blanket to cover half of his face. Gray eyes that were somewhat dreamy were peering through chin-long locks. Draco was staring at him. An image of the Slytherin doing the same thing with his pillow more than a week ago flashed in Harry's mind. His lips curved into an amused smile.

He had been up when Harry was showering and it was then that a house-elf had appeared with his meal. He felt that he was in a lighter mood that morning but still felt no urge to speak. Then Harry emerged from the bathroom, shirtless.

However, it was not the pair of snug-fitting trousers or the handsome chest that had caught his attention. It was the wet, unruly mop of black hair that had attracted his gaze.

A couple of words to describe how Harry looked popped in his mind but Draco settled for one. Overall, the sable-haired Gryffindor looked fetching. Harry seemed not to notice that he was awake so he pulled the covers, almost as though he was going to hide under it. Then Harry stepped forward and he realized that the wizard was reaching out for a light blue shirt on Severus' armchair.

The owner hasn't sat on it for days. Draco lamented silently.

Draco felt an intense sensation and focused his eyes on Harry. He blushed, glad that Harry could not see his face. Or he could. The Gryffindor smiled gently.

"Good morning, Draco," Harry greeted softly. Draco did not respond but he had continued to watch as the other wore his shirt.

He looks good in blue, he thought inconsequentially.

Harry was studying him with a thoughtful expression. "You look like an unused mop, Draco," the emerald-eyed teenager said teasingly. "That hair needs combing."

"Speak for yourself, Harry," he replied instantaneously.

Draco's eyes widened. He had not meant to speak. It was as though he had responded instinctively.

The smile on Harry's lips broadened. "Get out of those blankets and take a shower. It might improve your appetite." However, Harry did not wait for him to move.

In less than five minutes, Harry had gotten him undressed and had steered him into the bathroom. Draci gasped as water poured over his head, drenching him thoroughly. He felt a spot of warmth above his right nipple and his eyes widened in surprise to see Harry applying soap on his body. He blushed furiously.

"Harry, what are you doing?" he rasped. "Get out. You'll get wet."

The other wizard blinked and started to chuckle weakly. "I forgot," Harry said sheepishly. "I'll go and get your clothes."

Draco resolutely pretended that he had not seen green eyes drifting downwards to look at him before he had spoken. "Do that," he said with a voice filled with genuine embarrassment.

It was a little after one in the afternoon when Lupin had turned up in his office. Severus did not look up from his task, but he had went on cleaning his cauldron. He did not speak. He knew the werewolf's acute sense of smell would lead Lupin to the goblet full of acrid-smelling potion.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing, Severus?" Lupin asked him in a quiet voice.

He sneered without putting his heart into the expression. "When did your sight fail you, Lupin? I'm cleaning up."

"You know that's not what I meant, Severus."

He did not say anything and continued to scrub. He heard the soft scrape of the brass goblet against the surface of the wooden table as it was lifted. Lupin was silent for a long time.

"You've been working continuously without rest. Why are you putting it off?"

He froze.

"Draco's problem isn't going to go away and so is yours."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said finally.

"I beg to differ. I've seen how you look at them."

Severus' cheeks colored slightly.

"You have brewed the potion for me, as well as several potions for the school nurse," Lupin said abruptly. "You should go and spend time with them. If you avoid them for much longer, you know that Harry will come looking for you."

He and the Defense professor stared at each other for a minute. Then Lupin broke eye contact and left the office. Severus remained staring at the wide doorway until the voices of his students jarred him back to his senses.

The Potions Master turned around and stared at his cauldron.

I...

"You don't know what you want."

I want-

"You don't want anything."

I want to see Draco happy.

"Why would you care about another person's happiness?"

And I need-

"You're not a baby, Severus Snape! You don't need anything!"

I need Harry.

"You don't need that insolent jinx!"

I do.

His fingers tightened around the rim of the cauldron. And I want Draco.

"Do not be an idiot!"

I love them. Severus closed his eyes.

"YOU DO NOT!" a part of him screamed. "YOU DO NOT FEEL - YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FEEL!"

I'm human. I still have emotions.

"That will cripple you..."

But I'll be happy. Is that why it is so frightening?

Harry was sitting cross-legged at the foot of Draco's bed and he was studying the dreamy-faced Slytherin, who had not spoken to him for almost two hours. He sighed softly.

It is hard to know what he is thinking, Harry thought worriedly. Is he all right?

"Where is Severus?"

Draco's voice brought him back to the present world. "I don't know," he replied with a weary sigh.

"It's almost dinnertime," Draco whispered and Harry saw the blonde wizard looking at the door wistfully. The Slytherin sat up on his bed immediately. "He didn't come when I was asleep, right?" Draco looked at him with panicking eyes.

"Come," Harry said and took Draco's hand. He crawled out of the bed, pulling Draco along. "Where are your shoes?" he asked in a preoccupied tone. "And no, Severus hasn't been here since yesterday."

"Where are we going?" Draco asked as Harry helped the silver-haired wizard put on his boots.

"Since Severus is not coming to us, let's go to him. I'm tired of waiting for him to make an appearance." He slipped his feet into his comfortable trainers. "I kind of miss looking at his greasy hair and penetrating eyes."

"Miss looking?" Draco whispered.

He blinked. He had not realize that he had spoken aloud. He noticed that Draco's cheeks were slightly red and the Slytherin had averted his eyes away when Harry looked at him. "Yes. I miss him," he confirmed.

Harry led the way out and absently held Draco's hand as they walked. It did not occur to him that he should be embarrassed of holding another boy's hand, especially someone that had been his rival. It was the fact that it felt good and he liked being close to Draco that he continued to hold on.

"Let's look in the staff room first. If he isn't there, we'll go to the Great Hall. We can have our dinner there as well," he said to the other wizard conversationally.

"If he isn't there, we go to the dungeons?"

"I guess."

They arrived at their first place of searching but Severus was not there. Harry tugged at Draco's hand gently after seeing the disappointed expression. The Great Hall was alive with conversation as they neared the area. He felt Draco's fingers tensing in his grasp.

Harry glanced at Draco worriedly. "If you don't want to have dinner there then it's okay with me. We'll go back to your room to eat, all right?"

Draco gave him a tight nod. Then his eyes brightened and Harry turned his head quickly. He had not meant to, but he grinned upon seeing the surprised look on Severus' face.

"Hello," he greeted cheerfully.

"Harry, Draco." Severus spoke in a way that told Harry that their appearance was unexpected.

Without warning, Severus' eyes rolled back to his head and the Potions Master started to fall.

"Bloody hell!" Harry yelped. Still holding on to Draco's hand, he jumped forward and managed to grab Severus' left elbow while Draco caught the right. The older wizard slumped against the young Slytherin.

"I should have guessed," Harry muttered to himself. "You've been working too much." He grumbled inaudibly and lifted his eyes. Dumbledore was hurrying toward them.

"It's all right, Professor," Harry said with a weak smile. "We have him." He turned to Draco, who looked somewhat bewildered. "We'll carry him back."

Silver eyes blinked repeatedly. "Okay."

Harry uttered a Lightening spell and draped each of Severus' arms around their shoulders. They started to walk back to Draco's room.

"And you just have to fall over dramatically in the Great Hall," Harry sighed. "Do you think he'll kill us once he wakes?"

"What do you think?" Draco responded.

"Severus, you're an idiot."

"Harry, it is entirely possible that he can hear you."

He shrugged but his movement was impended by the weight over his shoulders. "I don't care and Gryffindors aren't known to hesitate when they're fired up."

Draco stopped walking. "You're angry?"

"Aren't you?" Harry asked quietly. "But don't worry. It's hard for me to stay angry with him nowadays." He moved and they resumed their journey. They were silent as they ascended the staircase, with Severus hardly making a sound as he slept.

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To be continued in Chapter Ten