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Chapter Nineteen

A dash of pepper

Harry paused, leaning against a pillar, gasping for breath. He'd been running all about Hogwarts, looking for Draco, but always got sidetracked for some reason. Hermione or Ron popping up, running errands for Filch, Hagrid, and Snape. Also, he'd been unable to find the door that led to the Slytherin common room--it'd been bad enough having to go down into the dungeons!

He looked up, as a large murmur ran throughout the majority of the students dawdling here and there by the library entrance. What on earth? Wondering what the commotion was, Harry tapped another Gryffindor on the shoulder, asking. As a hush went about the room, the boy raised his gaze upwards, and pointed.

Cracks were creeping, steady and slow, up the glass panes of the Hogwarts windows.

Suddenly, with a deafening tinkling that echoed about the castle, the windows, large, tall windows high above them, shattered. Glass burst out from the window frames, falling down to the floor. Chaos broke out. Screaming, shrieking, pattering of many running feet, and the ear piercing sounds of breaking glass filled Harry's ears.

But Harry remained where he was, frozen, still as stone. Every single window was breaking, crackling, thousands of splintering glass shooting in all directions. Soon, but what seemed to Harry to have been absent a million years, came silence. Not even one window frame was filled now with glass.

Lurching from his trance of shock, Harry whirled around and rushed towards the Headmaster's office.

A time of destruction had come upon Hogwarts; Draco had done it again.

-----*-----

Wiping sweat from his brow, Harry sighed for the tenth time in the span of the last five minutes. Gaze one of extreme weariness, he leaned heavily against the closed doors of the hospital wing. He'd been forbidden to go in there. No matter how much he'd protested, Madame Pomfrey, the professors, and even Dumbledore hadn't permitted him to go see Draco. And Harry so badly wanted to check up on the Slytherin. He knew the other boy had been wounded very badly.

What had happened? Charlie said he'd found Draco lying face down on the ground, at the area near the Astronomy Tower. Their secret room was on the floor below the top of the tower, Harry knew that was a clue. But he couldn't figure out a clue to what.

So many things had happened in the past few weeks. Harry was now glad he'd confessed his love to Draco, because even though the feelings weren't exactly returned, there was always hope. A burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew the Slytherin didn't, couldn't possibly hate him anymore. Maybe there was some dislike, that rose up here and there when Draco became angry, but otherwise, they'd reached an okay albeit awkward balance of sorts between them. They hid it though, acting as spiteful as usual toward each other in and in between classes.

Harry was worried, though. He knew he couldn't go on forever loving Draco with no reaction. And he knew that he was causing Draco anxiety. Why else would Draco's uncontrolled Summoner powers be destroying parts of Hogwarts left and right? Harry knew what he had to do, had known for a while. But he had no idea of the details of how to do it. All he knew was that if he could break the barrier between he and Draco, the sturdy fence they'd built in years of enmity, if he could destroy it, things would get at least a bit better.

But Harry didn't know how to break that barrier, and he didn't want any help of any sort doing it. This was between he and Draco, and no one else. Meanwhile they had to keep it all secret from the Slytherins and Gryffindors, and Draco had to learn control of his powers. Somehow. Someday. Harry sighed again.

He lost his balance and almost fell, as the hospital wing doors opened behind him. His hand flew back into Charlie, keeping him from falling. Turning around to face the redhead, voice low, Harry asked, "How's he doing?"

Charlie shook his head, saying, "It's hard to say, Harry. I mean, well, he'd be doing real badly if it wasn't for all that power of his. But, as it is, he's alright. Real weak though, not exactly conscious all the time. It's weird, you know, because it really seemed to me as if he'd fallen from up high..."

Harry felt a pang of horror shoot through him. "You mean...someone pushed him?!"

The Weasley shook his head, frowning, and said, "No, Harry, I think...he jumped."

Giving Harry a vexed look, Charlie walked past, giving Harry a pat on the shoulder. "Be careful in there, we don't want you having a heart attack from shock. He's in pretty bad condition, although you can't tell unless you inspect real close. He's in no state to talk much, but still spirited. Just...don't provoke the kid. We don't want Hogwarts' walls falling down around us."

Harry croaked a hoarse, "Alright," and slowly walked into the hospital wing. Approaching the bed, he felt mixed emotions swimming through him, none of them very positive. Swallowing his want to burst out and shout his feelings, he drew back the curtain.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. Lying there, looking as weak and vulnerable as ever, was Draco, bandaged, bleeding, and apparently asleep. One ankle was twisted oddly, one crushed looking arm bandaged from the elbow up, black and blue bruises scattered here and there on him, and a pile of blood stained cloths was wadded on the table by the bed. The Slytherin's condition surprised Harry, yes, but what dismayed him was the air of hatred around Draco. Self hatred.

The emotion pulsed and swam all around Draco just like the power that flowed in his veins. It was palatable enough for even Harry to feel it. A spark of aggravation went through Harry; Draco was constantly changing his demeanor and attitude towards him, one moment he hated Harry, the next they were talking to each other on an equal basis, then Draco hated Harry again, and yet the next he was kissing him, and now the boy was hating himself! Harry wished Slytherins weren't always so determined to be unpredictable and secretive.

Tentatively taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Harry brushed some hair from Draco's forehead, worry creasing his brow at the other boy's cold skin. Why always so cold? Tears stung his eyes, and he vowed to protect Draco against anything and everything, even though the Slytherin was unaware that he needed protection. Moaning at the touch of Harry's fingers, Draco stirred, and opened his eyes to look up at Harry.

He didn't scoot away, he didn't glare, he didn't spit an insult; he just looked, and looked, staring up at Harry. Then, moving ever so slowly to make space, Draco gestured that Harry lay down beside him. Reluctant and confused, yet wanting to comply to the other boy's wishes, Harry double checked to make sure no one else was around, before slipping to lie beside the other boy. They lay there, gazing at each other for some time, moments passing.

Then, moving to press himself lightly against Harry, bits of silky skin rubbing against the Gryffindor's, Draco said quietly, "I don't know what you see in me worthy of caring for at all, but you helped me release some of the darkness that gave me such pain, I thought about everything you've said, thought about you, and I..." Harry was surprised as he thought he glimpsed a hint of tears in Draco's eyes. Voice trembling, Draco fiercely whispered, "Now that you've taught me so much, given me so much, helped me believe there's hope for anything, I just...I can't let you go!"

His uninjured arm reaching outward, Draco grabbed hold of Harry's shirt collar, pulling the other boy into an open mouthed kiss. Heart beating fast, Harry cautiously, gently wrapped an arm around Draco's waist, pushing his lips hard against Draco's as his shirt slid up and he felt the Slytherin's skin against his. Feverishly hot with passion, his tongue glided past Draco's smooth lips into the interior of a caressing mouth. Teasingly evading the other boy's tongue, Harry's darted back and forth across the crevices and gorges of Draco's mouth.

Hairs of his neck standing on end, he allowed those cold, dexterous hands to slide up his shirt and rub soothingly against his burning hot skin. Libido screaming inside him as their bodies reacted eagerly to each other's closeness, he moaned at the pleasure of their tongue's entwinement. Harry ignored the way his scar pulsed ragingly when his fingers brushed against the other boy's scar momentarily in the process of he unbuttoning Draco's shirt.

Then, they heard the highly audible clunk of the hospital wing door closing upon another's entrance. Reluctantly they pulled away from each other in haste, and Harry rolled off the hospital bed and to his feet just as the bed curtain was pulled aside.

Standing there, curious and accusing, was Ginny Weasley.