All This Time, You Were Missing From My Heart

Chapter Two

"Harry? Harry?" Ron's voice shook him out of his day-mares.

"Huh? What?" Harry looked up, startled.

"Are you sure you're all right? I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes!" Ron gave him a look that clearly said that he needed to visit Madame Pomfrey.

"Yeah! I'm fine, Ron. I'm just a bit tired that's all," Harry gave him a fake yawn for confirmation. He picked at the potatoes on his plate and took a bite under Hermione's scrutiny.

"We're just worried, Harry. We didn't get any post from you because Ron had Hedwig, and Padfoot owled us saying that he thought that something was wrong. He says your letters were like you hadn't written them," Hermione told him.

"Of course I wrote them! They were in my handwriting. He knows my handwriting," Harry scoffed.

"They were in your handwriting, he said, but he thought someone was telling you what to write," Ron agreed.

"Like your Uncle," Hermione said quietly.

Harry seethed. He gripped his fork until his knuckles turned white. Neville's remembrall was sitting in the middle of the Gryffindor table next to its owner when it exploded, sending glass everywhere.

There were several screams as glass hit those around what used to be the remembrall. Hermione and Ron looked over to the injured, and when they turned back to Harry, he and his things where gone.

"That sneaky little bastard!" Hermione growled, shocking Ron. "If he thinks he can stop us from caring, he's got another thing coming."

***

"Potter!" A voice called out from behind him. "Wait up!"

"Malfoy," Harry acknowledged as he slowed.

"Hermione and Ron are just trying to help, you know," Draco said as he walked along side Harry.

"Yeah, I know," Harry sighed. "But they can't possibly understand."

"Maybe they can't, but I can," Draco said quietly.

Harry turned to him. "What makes you think you know what's wrong with the 'great Harry Potter'?"

"Cause it happened to me. On the train, I saw it in your eyes. You didn't realize till then what had happened, did you?"

Harry shook his head.

"I figured. You went and threw up, right? Couldn't stand having both food and that thought in you," Draco and Harry shuddered.

"Amazing how two people, who are totally against each other are so alike," Harry murmured.

"Yeah, who would have thought Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had something in common?" Draco laughed slightly.

"Actually I was referring to Uncle Vernon and your dad, but it works for us too," Harry grinned.

"Ah. That works better. Cause you and me, we aren't against each other any more, are we?"

"Nope. Guess not. You're not as evil as you made yourself out to be, Malfoy," Harry smiled.

"Call me Draco."

***

"Harry! Why'd you run off at dinner?" Ginny asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "That was really bizarre, when Neville's remembrall exploded! No body could figure it out."

Harry blocked her out. He had jarred one of his ribs when he had sat down on the couch in the common room. He was trying to suck in as much air as he could without hurting his ribs further, thereby attracting unwanted attention. He just had to last until Mal... Draco could get him the numbing draught from Snape's personal stores.

"Harry?" He glanced up. It was Hermione. Harry sighed. He knew he should have gone up to his dorm room.

"What, Hermione?"

"We just wanted to make sure you're okay," Hermione said quietly. "We're worried. You might think we're prying, but just know that we're your friends, and you can tell us if something's wrong, or if you like somebody, or anything like that. You're our friend and we won't judge you. Even if you won't talk to us, we want you to talk to somebody. One of my muggle friends kept too many things to herself, and it killed her. She just snapped and then killed herself. I love you, Harry. You're like my brother, and I don't want to lose you."

"I know, 'Mione. I'll talk to somebody, ok? You and Ron don't need to worry. Padfoot does that enough. He's like a mother hen," Harry smiled slightly at her. "I'm not used to it."

"Harry...," Hermione began, but then thought better of it. "Why don't you go lie down? You look tired."

"Okay. I need some sleep," Harry yawned.

"Good thing tomorrow's a weekend, you can sleep in. We don't have to put up with Snape till Monday," Ron said from behind him.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Ron!" Harry jumped.

"Who?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"I didn't know Dursleys were religious."

"Yeah. Never took me, though. Always left me with Mrs. Figg," Harry wrinkled his nose, ignoring the pain from the bruises on his face protesting the movement. "I picked it up from her."

"What are you two talking about?" Ron questioned.

"I'll tell you later, Ron. Harry, go on up to bed," Hermione ordered. Harry noticed the Head Girl badge on her robes. He wasn't surprised at all that it had already gone to her head.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry snickered. He stood, careful not to jar anything.

"Hermione, your ego is bigger than Snape's nose," He heard Ron tell his girlfriend as the Boy-Who-Lived limped up the stairs.

***

Harry cast a silencing charm around his bed and slowly lay down. His entire body was throbbing. His wrist was sending shooting pains up and down his arm and every breath he took just made everything hurt more.

An invisible hand parted the curtains around his bed.

"Harry. It's me," Draco said as he let his invisibility cloak fall away from his head. Harry started to sit up, but Draco told him to lie still. Draco climbed into the bed with Harry and closed the curtains again.

"Here," Draco pulled the cork from the phial. "There's enough here for about six or seven weeks. Open your mouth."

Harry complied and Draco tipped the phial over Harry's mouth and let a few drops fall from the glass.

"Just a few drops will do," Draco told him. "To make it easier to take it, you can put some in a glass of water. Only water, though."

"Won't it dilute it, though?" Harry asked, moving a bit to try to get comfortable. He had been surprised; the potion hadn't tasted bad, like he'd expected. In fact, it had tasted like strawberry chocolate.

"No, it won't. It's like oil; it won't mix with water," Draco replied, re-corking the blue phial.

"Thank you, Draco," Harry closed his eyes.

"You're welcome, Harry. I'm giving you the help I didn't have," Draco smiled.

"With all the things we've done to each other, anyone who could see us now, they'd prolly die of shock," Harry quipped, his eyes still closed.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Draco agreed.

"I'm glad you're not a Death Eater, you know? You're the only one who knows what I'm going through," Harry opened one eye to look at him.

"I'm glad too, Harry. I couldn't stand hurting someone like I've been hurt," Draco informed him. "The things my father and the Death Eaters think are stupid, too. I still would have turned from them, had Lucius not done the things he did. He took me to a Death Eater's meeting, and the things that they did to that poor muggle were horrible. She was only about seven years old."

Harry was surprised to find tears in the blonde's eyes as he recalled the dark night.

"They tortured her with the Cruciatus. She kept crying for her mother, and she was holding one of those...rosary beads, I think. She was just a little girl, but she was very religious apparently. They tortured her some more, until she was almost brain dead. Then all of them, they took turns on this poor little creature!"

A few tears slipped from Draco's eyes. Harry knew the details. He'd had this dream a few weeks after his birthday.

"Then they took and killed her, by slitting her throat," Harry and Draco both spoke. Harry was aware of his own tears trailing down his face.

Despite all the pain they'd both experienced and the understanding between the two, witnessing the death of the innocent little girl brought the Gryffindor and Slytherin closer than anything else could have.

End Chapter Two