Rating:: PG-13
House:: Astronomy Tower
Characters:: Draco Malfoy
Genres:: Angst Romance
Era:: Multiple Eras
Stats:: Published: 07/04/2002

Updated: 07/12/2003

Words: 34,213

Chapters: 16

Hits: 10,258

Perfect Potter

Muse

Story Summary:: Draco is hopelessly lost between what he is supposed to do, and what he wants to do. As the pressure from his father to follow in Lucius' footsteps grows heavier, and Draco's feelings for Harry grow stronger, Draco finds himself at a fork in the road.

Chapter 10

Chapter Summary:: For a bright boy, Draco sure acts stupid and blind sometimes.

Posted:: 10/09/2002

Hits:: 617

Author's Note:: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!! I really, really appreciate it!

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“Last time I talked to you

you were lonely and out of place

you were looking down on me…

”

-- Our Lady Peace “Somewhere Out There”

The heavy fumes of the Potions class seeped through Draco’s skin, and he moaned as his headache gave another sharp pound against his temples. Potter was finishing up the deflating draft they were mixing.

“Are you finished?” Snape asked harshly as he swept by. Draco gave a half-hearted moan in response. Snape ignored him and said to Potter, “If you are, you both go get some fireflies from the adjacent room. I need some for my next class.”

Nodding, Potter stood, yanking at Draco’s arm. “Come on, Draco, we have to get some fireflies.”

Draco slid to his feet and followed Potter. His head was buzzing, and his movements were sluggish and halting. They both pushed open the door, since Draco had no power, and entered the firefly room.

The zooming, twinkling lights didn’t do much for Draco’s headache, and he leaned against the wall as his breath began to quicken. Lights that didn’t belong to the fireflies flashed in front of his eyes, and he suddenly felt nauseated.

“Malfoy, are you okay?” Potter asked, stepping towards him.

“Room…spinning…” gasped Draco, before he gasped and collapsed to the floor.

When he awoke, he was lying on his back, covered with sheets, in his pajamas. He was still groggy, and it took him a moment to focus, and once he had, he saw he was in the hospital wing. He took a deep breath and noted with satisfaction that his lungs were no longer filled with fluid.

“Well, look whose up,” Madame Pomfrey walked over to him and placed one hand on his forehead. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner? Could’ve turned into pneumonia, and then where would we be?”

“What happened?” he asked, moving his head back from under her touch. She put one hand on her hip and felt his cheeks with the free hand.

“You fainted, of course, because you had one of the worst fevers I’ve seen in this school.”

“How’d I get…?”

“Harry Potter brought you up. You were with him in the firefly room, right? Well, he was mightily worried, as apparently everyone was. You were looking so pale lately…” she kept talking but Draco had drawn his mind away.

Harry. Potter. Panic was encompassing Draco’s head, and he needed to find Potter and explain why he kept talking to him.

“Mr. Malfoy!” Madame Pomfrey caught his attention and pointed at a large gift basket beside the bed. “We sent an owl to your mother the moment you were brought here, and she sent this for you. Amazing…you weren’t even out for three hours…” Trust Narcissa Malfoy to overreact. The basket was filled with books, get well cards, and candy, candy, and some candy.

“And you have a visitor,” the nurse said, beckoning someone that Draco could see. ‘Not Pansy, please not Pansy,’ and thank the saints, it wasn’t Pansy.

Harry Potter peeked around the edge of the curtains. “Hey, Malfoy. Snape told me to check on you after lunch.” He approached the bed carrying books. “And Professor Binns told me to bring you these. He’s a little…his feathers are a little ruffled that you’ve missed two of his classes.” Setting the books on the bedside table next to the gift basket, he whistled. “Who sent you that?”

“Uh…” Draco stuttered, staring at Potter. He was torn between being cynical and diving off the bed and jumping Potter. “My mother. She’s crazy.”

“But creative,” laughed Potter, playing with the ribbons on the basket that sang when touched. He turned back to Draco after the fun wore off. “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were sick?”

“Who was I going to tell?” Draco replied dryly. Potter shrugged.

“Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle…”

“That group doesn’t even know how to spell sick.” Draco pulled the basket onto the bed and upended it. “They annoy me,” he said quietly, picking through the articles. Potter leaned against the table and scratched his forehead.

“Then why do you hand around them?”

“Ego trip,” retorted Draco. He nodded at a chair, then waved his hand over the stuff. “Unless you have a class next, you can have some of this stuff. I’m not gonna eat it all.”

Potter glanced over his shoulder, then pulled the chair to the side of the bed and looked intently at Draco. “Okay, Malfoy?” he asked softly. He was asking if everything was okay between them; he was asking if Draco had Voldemort hidden under the bed,

“Draco,” corrected Draco, holding out his hand again. Potter smiled briefly and took it, saying, “Harry.”

“Nice to meet you. Want a frog?”

That night after Draco ate some sandwiches Madame Pomfrey had magicked up for him, she sent him back to the Slytherin common room. The moment he stepped through the wall, Pansy dove on him, flinging her arms around him and knocking the basket he carried from his arms. Crabbe and Goyle, who had been waiting for him, scooped up some of the chocolate and sat on the floor, munching mindlessly.

Pansy was weeping onto Draco’s shoulder. “I was so…I was so scared…Blaise went to the hospital wing and that miserable old woman said you were still out. We all thought…we thought you were dead,” she sobbed. Draco patted her awkwardly then pushed her away.

“My blood pressure dropped. I didn’t have a near death experience or anything. I was just sick.”

“I told…I told you to eat and you didn’t listen!” Pansy wailed, wiping her eyes. Draco picked up a chocolate frog and shoved it in his mouth.

“Look, eating!” he mumbled past it, spreading his arms out. Pansy sniffled and smiled weakly as Blaise walked up to him.

“Bloody Potter came out of the firefly room all pale and told Snape you’d passed out. He had to float you up to the hospital wing because bloody Longbottom blew up my bloody cauldron and Snape was chewing him out.” He shook his head. “I offered to do it, but Snape told me I should have been watching Longbottom.”

Draco nodded and replied, “Yeah, I know. Potter had to bring me my History stuff.”

“Bastard.”

“Agreed. But I’m really tired now, so I’m going to bed. Pansy, I’m ok!” he pushed her off, and he and Blaise walked to bed together.

“She’s really smitten with you,” Blaise said, grinning and slapping Draco’s back. Forcing a smile, Draco replied, “Well, my Yule Ball date is assured, isn’t it?”

Blaise laughed as if Draco had said something funny and went to the bathroom to get dressed for bed. Draco sat on the edge of the bed, and rubbed his eyes. He and Harry had ended up talking for two hours about the stupidest things. But it had been comforting, and the candy had filled his empty stomach, while the talking had filled his empty heart. He felt happier than he had in days, and it didn’t think it was because Potter had talked to him. His father could have come down for a heart to heart; Draco was just desperate for someone to reach out to him.

As he lay in bed, Draco began to do a bit of soul searching. Disgusted as he was with his feelings for Harry, there was a definite want. No…it was a need to be near him, to feel the warmth that he gave off.

That night his nightmare returned. He raced through the dark passage, racing towards the light. However, this time it was different. The silhouette of someone stood at the end, waiting for him. But no matter how hard he ran, he couldn’t reach the light. And he didn’t have to look over his shoulder; he knew the dark shape was hunting him.

“Draco!” the person at the end called to him, and it was Harry. Harry was holding out his arms, and Draco knew if he could reach those arms, he would be safe. But his legs couldn’t run faster, and Harry stood there, waiting.

“Help me!” Draco yelled has he began to stumble. Harry sighed and smiled, and called out, “But Draco, you did this to yourself.”