To Crash and Burn

"Don't bring it up if he doesn't."

"He's acting-"

"You can't blame him, Ron. Look at what he's been through."

"But still! He knows we'll always be his friends." Ron sighed. "Sometimes I just don't understand him."

"Maybe that's just it, Ron. Maybe he doesn't. We have to show him. Harry doesn't see right now."

"See what? What do you want to show me?"

"Harry, we need to talk," Hermione said.

"I can't, I'm busy."

"After you're done, then."

"I'll be late."

"We'll wait."

"Suit yourselves."

He walked away. Ron was gob-smacked. "See that?!"

"Give him time, Ron. Harry needs time."

"And one Merlin-size lens!" Ron watched her pick up her books and followed suit. "It's been a week, Herm... we usually know by now, one way or the other..."

"Come on, potions starts in a few minutes." They walked through the portrait passage that Harry had left them through moments ago.

Harry walked in. The Slytherin turned to him. The door closed loudly behind him. He walked in and through to his seat. Malfoy walked towards him purposely. The door opened and closed as other students started to arrive.

"Have you thought about it, Potter?"

"No," Harry quickly replied, trying to avoid anything that would spur him into detention. He was tired. And he was tired of it.

Malfoy sneered victoriously for some reason Harry did not understand. "Hello, Potter."

"Malfoy," Harry replied.

Malfoy walked back to his seat.

"What the hell was that?" Ron hissed to Hermione later.

"Not Harry. This is definitely not Harry."

"Why won't he just tell us what's wrong? Rather than-"

"He'll come around. We need to be patient."

"But it's-"

"-Patient!"

The door opened once more and Snape walked to the front in a fury of robed. With a nod, class time had begun.

Meaning to pay attention for the sake of forgetting his thread, he did exactly the opposite. He forced himself to concentrate on the ingredients and instructions, and failed miserably. He tried to pour dragon blood into the cauldron.

"Shaking dragon blood to death will not improve your grades, Potter."

Hermione saw that and quickly took the cylinder from Harry. "Here, let me do that. Peel newt skins?"

Harry picked up the scalpel and started to peel, ignoring the little red elf dancing around his head and chanting 'murder him! murder him!'. He lost himself again.

"Peel, Potter, not shred!"

Harry was blasted out of his thoughts and dropped whatever his hand held. He watched his left pointed bleed. Nothing else mattered. As the blood seeped, so did the last breath of life in Harry's eyes. A tear fell from his left eye, as if grieving the final loss. His empty expression frowned.

"Let's go see Professor McGonagall, Potter," Snape said, cursing his pooling guilt. He approached Harry, whose lips slightly trembled, tears still in his eyes, never looked away from his finger. Harry blindly followed Snape, who started cursing his constricting heart as well, through the gossiping whispers. "You wait here."

Snape entered the classroom. Mcgonagall turned towards him, not appreciating the interruption. "The phoenix, professor."

McGonagall's expression changed into one of curiosity. "Continue practicing, I shall return momentarily." She went out with Snape and stopped short at the sight of Harry Potter, her hand moved quickly to her heart. "Oh dear."

Harry was sobbing, sitting on the floor, still staring at his bleeding finger.

"BARON!" Snape bellowed. The Bloody Baron flew through the wall seconds later.

"Professors," he acknowledged.

"We need Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey. Do be hasty, Baron."

The Bloody Baron left them. Snape kneeled next to McGonagall. "This is very new," she admitted. "Very new indeed."

"Professor, the Gryffindors have started a brawl in class," they heard Malfoy's approaching voice say.

Snape quickly made his way back the dungeons, muttering things along, "blast those good for nothing Gryffindors."

Seconds later, Malfoy said, "Hello professor."

"Mr. Malfoy, I do suggest that you go back to your class," McGonagall said without turning away from Harry.

"Yes, professor."

"Now, Mr. Malfoy."

Malfoy watched Harry. Harry lifted his hand and pointed his bloody finger to Malfoy like the two-year-old to his mother.

"It's not that bad, Potter," Malfoy said, raising an eyebrow. He lifted his wand and with a flick said, "sterilis et sanare." It disappeared. Harry looked at his finger in curious bewilderment. They raised their eyebrows. "Wasn't so bad, was it?"

"He's repressing."

For a fraction of a second, Malfoy looked at McGonagall then back at Harry. Harry was looking up at him, the corners of his lips up in a sweet, innocent smile hardly possible on someone so deep and dark.

Malfoy warmed. "Now then. I should be going back to class."

Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey arrived. Malfoy walked the other way towards Potions with a nod.

"Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall acknowledged before turning back to Harry and putting her hand out. The smile was gone and he was out, his head on his bent knees.

"I see. Yes. Yes, Minerva. I'm afraid our worst fear has, in fact, caught up on us."