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oakstone730) wrote2012-10-23 07:53 pm
Firebond Part 4/?
Summary: Draco is forced to tutor Harry in potions. A slight problem occurs during their first lesson.
"I knew I was going to go to Hell, but I didn't think you would be here with me."
Harry turned his head and found himself staring straight into the startlingly grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. He'd only been able to sleep in short fits and sometime in the night Malfoy had turned in his sleep and was now closer than before. He was also lying on Harry's arm so he couldn't pull it back, "This isn't Hell, it's Hogwarts," he said tiredly.
"Same difference," Malfoy muttered as he flipped on his back and Harry immediately pulled his arm away. Instantly there was a wrenching pain as if they'd been torn apart. Malfoy arched in agony, his eyes bulging in alarm, "What the fuck!" he gasped.
Harry hastily reached out and grabbed Malfoy's arm and the pain stopped, they both lay still, panting as they recovered from the shock, "Sorry, stupid bond."
"Is that why..." Malfoy motioned to their two beds.
"Yeah," Harry nodded, "I woke up here and it hurt, the bond hurt I mean, not as bad as that though, and you weren't waking up. It's been two days and you hadn't woken up. So, I had your mother move the beds together, it help-"
"My mother?" Malfoy's voice had dropped perceptively and Harry reluctantly nodded.
"They know, they all know. The Weasleys, your mum, Pomfrey, McGonagall."
"Fuck."
"Tell me about it," Harry said tiredly. When Malfoy didn't respond he turned to look over at the other bed to see that he had fallen back to sleep. Harry lay there watching him until his eyelids blinked close.
ooOooOOO
"Harry."
Harry turned towards the voice from where he was watching the changing colors of the sunrise against the Hospital Wing wall. George was standing on the other side of the bed. Harry flushed as he saw that George was staring at Malfoy who had turned again and was now sleeping on his side facing Harry, his hand tightly holding onto Harry's hand.
"It isn't what you think—" Harry said hastily.
"It's okay, trust me. I'm the last one you'll have to explain it to, I understand," George sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I have to go back to the shop but I wanted to offer, if you want, to come back and talk to you and Draco about being bonded," his face was somber and Harry could see no traces of joking this morning.
"You mean—"
"Yeah. Fred and I were bloodbonded. It isn't exactly the same as firebonds but I thought it might help."
Harry looked down at where his arm was falling asleep from the awkward position Malfoy had pulled it, "That would be good, I don't understand any of this."
George gave a quick laugh, "I pretty much picked up on that whilst dragging your half-dead body into the floo. Maybe if we talk you two can stay alive until Christmas."
"Can I ask you a question now?" Harry asked hesitantly, "It's about Fred."
"What's that, then?" George's face had the same tight expression it always had when someone mentioned Fred.
"Draco's mother said that if he had jumped off the tower, that I would have died because of the bond."
"So how come I didn't die, when Fred died?" Harry nodded, "What his mum was talking about is because your bond is so new, Fred and I bonded when we were fourteen, but that was just a matter of form, our magic had been working together for years. With you, your magic is still trying to balance and if Malfoy had jumped the shock would have caused a magical surge that would have stopped your heart, just like an electrical shock."
"That's what it felt like, before we bonded, when we touched it was like an electric shock."
"It will eventually be safe. The discomfort that you feel when you aren't touching will go away also."
"The sooner the better," Harry muttered, his arm had fallen asleep under the weight of Malfoy and he didn't know what to do about it.
"I'll come back when you are both stronger, there are things you can do that will help," George said, he patted Harry on the shoulder, "Trust me, there are some cool things that you'll be able to do with the bond."
"If you say so," Harry said with a sigh, "Thanks, George."
He nodded and said good-bye, as he was walking away Harry suddenly remembered something, "Hey, George," he called out softly, when the redhead turned around with his eyebrow raised, Harry hesitated then asked, "What you said when I first woke up, about your parents and Malfoy's mum planning a wedding. That was a joke, right?"
George's face broke into a grin, "Harry, a wedding is the least you have to worry about right now," he was still chuckling as he walked away. It wasn't until he was gone that Harry realized that he hadn't answered the question.
"Is he gone?" the whispered words came from Malfoy's bed. Harry turned to see that Malfoy was laying there with his eyes closed.
"He's gone. You awake?"
"No, Potter. I'm still asleep," he opened his eyes and stared over at Harry, "What was he doing here?"
"I flew to his place that night. He found me and brought me back."
"Why not just advertise in the Prophet that we are bonded, have you never heard of discretion?"
Harry was tempted to ask Malfoy how discrete he thought it was to intend to jump off the top of the Astronomy Tower but didn't dare. "Prat," he said lamely, too tired to even try to fight with him.
"Git."
Harry gave a laugh and looked over at Malfoy who was staring out the window. Malfoy hesitated and then asked quietly, "You said we were out for two days?"
"It's been three days now, since it happened," Harry said, picking at the blanket, "I slept through most of yesterday. You were... you were still in pretty bad shape. That's why..." he motioned to the beds.
"You said," they both looked down at where Harry's hand was still gripping Malfoy's arm. He hadn't dared to let go of it a second time. "We can't hold hands for the rest of our lives."
"No," Harry sighed, "This is temporary, because we were so weakened when I flew away."
"Knew it was your fault," Malfoy said tiredly.
"Yeah, well. If you had told me that we could bond accidentally I wouldn't have attacked you."
"What did they say?"
"Who?"
"My mother, everyone."
"Not much. They wanted to know what happened. I told them about the fight...so they know we didn't..." Harry trailed off.
"Sex, Potter, you can't actually even think it let alone say it, can you?" Malfoy laughed, "I'm sure none of them thought that we bonded through sex. They know that you'd never deign to consort with a bloke let alone the enemy."
Harry turned to look at him, "You're wrong. They did think that we'd had sex."
"What?"
"Ron...Hermione. They know that...I'm bent...but -"
"You're what?"
"Bent. Gay. Queer." Harry said with a sigh, turning to look out the window again, "I came out this summer."
"You came out? The Boy Who Lived is a poof?"
"Yeah. You have a problem with that?"
"Not hardly, just find it difficult to believe that even if you are you would dare to admit it."
"Became a little hard not to when Ginny decide to announce it at the breakfast table the day after we broke up," Harry admitted, staring down at the bed covers and restlessly picking at the wool with his free hand.
Malfoy laughed and after a minute Harry joined in. "It wasn't funny at the time," he protested.
"I beg to differ, I'm sure I would have been quite amused if I'd been there." Malfoy said, his cheeks had a faint pink color which made Harry relieved. They were both clearly getting stronger. "Even if they know you are gay, it is a pretty big leap for them to think that you and I..."
Harry shrugged, "Since there aren't any cases of wizards bonding any other way than sex, and since we couldn't explain. They had two days to wonder. Don't want to imagine what the Weasleys and your mother thought about it."
"Did my mother...did she say anything?"
Harry felt Malfoy's hand clench, he didn't bother to pretend to misunderstand, "She said that you'd owled her, she said she thought you would've gone through with it."
"I meant to...don't know what happened. Can't remember much after seeing you fly away."
"You blacked out, because of the bond being stretched when I left."
"So you saved my life, again," Malfoy said the words bitterly. Harry didn't have a chance to respond because of the slamming of the doors and the sounds of heavy footsteps and a loud argument.
McGonagall was arguing furiously with the two aurors who were striding towards them, their red robes fluttering out behind them.
"This is outrageous! You have no authority to enter Hogwarts and-"
"Our warrant gives us all the authority we need. The subject violated the terms of his parole by fight-"
"I am responsible for determining if Draco violates his parole. I -" McGonagall was standing her ground, shielding the auror from seeing Harry and Malfoy. Harry slid his hand, still holding Malfoy's under the covers. He could feel Malfoy's hand trembling.
"You did not report that he had been in a fight, we received three separate owls informing of his violation," the auror said coldly. He turned to face them and Harry watched as the auror's eyes widened at the sight of their beds pushed together.
"Mr. Potter?" he looked between the two beds, "What is going on here?"
Harry sat up, carefully keeping the covers from revealing their hands. "What do you want?"
"We are here to place Draco Malfoy under arrest," the other auror said, drawing his wand as he stepped to the other side of Malfoy's bed. Malfoy shook his head, and the faint color that he been in his face drained away completely, "We've received numerous reports that you've been fighting."
"You can't take him," McGonagall said firmly.
"I assure you we can and will," the first auror seemed to have regained his footing, "Whatever is going on here, Mr. Potter, can't save him. It is Azkaban for Malfoy for violating the conditions of his parole."
There was the sound of hurrying feet and Harry turned to see the Weasleys and Narcissa Malfoy hurrying towards them, Mr. Weasley still had a napkin stuck into his collar. "What is going on, here?"
"This doesn't concern you." The auror responded coldly, "Come on, Malfoy. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
Malfoy's mother was standing on the other side of the bed, her hand resting on his shoulder. Malfoy was shaking, "It is out of the question, he has been extremely ill." She said, looking pleadingly between the two men.
Harry nodded, "You can't take him. He has to stay here."
"As I told you, Mr. Potter. You have no say in this, no matter what your...relationship is with him," the shorter auror said, his lip curling in distaste, "Although the reports we received said that he had fought with you which does lead to more questions. Lovers spat was it?"
"Draco is not leaving this school." McGonagall said firmly, ignoring the man's comment.
The aurors shared an amused look, "Go on, tell us why we can't."
"Because you would have to take me with him. He goes, I go," Harry said with more firmness than he felt.
"Potter...don't," Malfoy said faintly, the first time he'd spoken since seeing the aurors walking towards them.
"If they separate us, we both die."
The taller auror shook his head, "No need to be melodramatic. Perhaps your status as the Savior will give you conjugal visiting privileges." He ignored the outraged gasps of Molly Weasley and Professor McGonagall as he motioned to the other auror, "Take him."
The room burst into alarmed cries as the adults tried to stop the auror from pushing Narcissa Malfoy out of the way and grabbing Malfoy, "You can't!" Harry shouted to be heard above everyone else, he threw back the covers and held up their clasped hands. His pajama sleeve fell back revealing the red ring circling his forearm, "We're bonded."
Silence filled the room. The two aurors stared at the matching bondlines on their arms. Malfoy had been pulled up right when Harry had pulled his arm forward. He sat next to Harry, a mere foot separating them, staring defiantly at the aurors.
The shorter auror took a step back, looking to the other for guidance. "You're bonded," he said dumbly.
"Yes," Harry said, "And there is nothing you or anyone can do about it. If you don't want the Prophet to hear that Harry Potter is in Azkaban I suggest you leave now."
"You can't be bonded to a Death Eater," the auror closest to Malfoy said, pointing at the Dark Mark on his arm, "It's obs-"
"Draco isn't a Death Eater. As was clearly proven during his trial, he was forced to take the mark by his father," Draco's mother had found her voice and said the words firmly, "My son and his bondmate bonded less than three days ago. If you separate them, they will die."
The aurors had looked at one another, they clearly didn't know what to do. "I'll just show you the way out, shall I?" McGonagall said, holding her arm out towards the exit. They braced their shoulders and headed towards the exit without saying another word.
Harry waited until they'd left until sagging back against his pillow. The confrontation had exhausted all his energy.
"Fucking hell, Potter," Malfoy muttered as he stared down at their hands that were still clutching each other. Harry didn't want to risk letting go again anytime soon after what had happened earlier.
"Language, Draco," his mother said automatically, she was pale in the aftermath of the confrontation.
"I agree with the sentiment, if not the words," Molly Weasley said. "The news of your bonding is going to be in tomorrow morning's Prophet, I'm afraid. We've been successful until now containing it, but now that the Ministry knows..."
"Brilliant, Skeeter will have a field day dreaming up headlines," Harry said tiredly.
Malfoy gave a half laugh, "I bet she goes with 'Boy Who Lived Bonded to Death Eater'"
"Or, 'Savior Sentenced To Live With Death Eater'."
"No! I got it "Final Revenge-"
"Are you boys done having your fun?" McGonagall was back and was looking sternly over at them. Harry stopped laughing to look at Malfoy in surprise. Judging by the expression on Malfoy's face he was as shocked as Harry was that they had been joking together. In fact, as Harry thought back, they hadn't fought the whole morning. McGonagall made a coughing noise and they both turned to look at her.
"We've given you a little bit of time to adjust to being bonded, but it is time that we discuss this situation."
"Must it be now, Minerva? They both clearly are still recovering," Molly Weasley looked anxiously at Harry.
"I fully expect that we have not heard the last from the Ministry, and I would like to have a clear understanding of the circumstances before I have to speak to anyone about it," McGonagall looked at Malfoy, "Harry has told his side of what happened, I would like to hear yours."
"If he told you then what does it matter what I say?"
"There are two sides to every story, Draco. Your perspective is equally as important as Harry's"
Malfoy seemed surprise but then shrugged, "I felt the shock when we shook hands out in the courtyard but didn't think it could be what it was, I didn't think it could be a surge. I mean, you read about it in fairy tales and legends but you never expect it to happen to you. Then, when I was teaching Potter how to stir a potion properly and when I grabbed his hand and it happened again, and it was a big surge. Blew up the cauldron. And I knew, I didn't want it to be true but I knew there was only one thing that could have done that to the potion."
"So what did you do?"
"I got as far away from Potter as I could and went to look up what I could find about bonding. Everything I read confirmed what I thought," Malfoy looked down at their hands that were lying on the bed, "I didn't want this. I didn't."
"We know, son," Narcissa murmured, "But why didn't you go to Professor McGonagall?"
"I thought if I stayed away it would be okay," Malfoy looked at his mother, "I was afraid that if anyone found out that they would think that we'd planned it, used dark magic to make it happen."
McGonagall shook her head sadly, "Draco, we certainly would not have thought that about you. Has the staff done anything to make you feel unwelcome or make you think we were suspicious of you?"
"Potter thought it." Malfoy gave Harry a sidelong glance.
Harry protested, "Only because you wouldn't tell me anything. I assumed you were covering something up."
"I was - I was covering up the fact that I didn't want this to happen!" Malfoy raised his left arm, exposing the band. Harry wasn't expecting the move and his hand fell away, they both gasped as the pain hit them. Harry took a deep breath, it wasn't as bad as it was before he realized after the initial shock passed.
Pomfrey hurried up to the bed, she had her wand out and was sweeping it over them both. Malfoy looked from his hand to Harry's, he looked up Harry, "Not so bad?"
Harry nodded, "Nothing I can't handle, you?"
"It's okay," Malfoy sighed with relief and lowered his arm so it was resting near Harry's but not too close. Harry wiggled his fingers that had been entwined in Malfoy's for too long.
"I must say that I am most impressed with how you two are handling this situation, considering the rather rocky start," McGonagall said.
Harry realized that McGonagall was right, he and Malfoy hadn't argued once since waking up. Pomfrey made a little 'humph' sound and looked at McGonagall, "I rather suspect that that is more of a credit to the bond than anything else."
"You mean the bond is making us not want to..." Harry started to say but stopped as Malfoy finished his sentence.
"...beat each other to a pulp?" They looked each other trying to figure out what had changed.
"Yes, in a word. You both are much stronger than you were before, which means your magic is much more in balance. As your magic blends and strengthens it makes you subconsciously more attuned to one another and with that comes a greater congeniality and understanding of what each other is feeling."
"You mean, Potter is going to be able to know what I'm thinking?" Malfoy looked alarmed at the thought.
"Not likely, but we won't know the full scope of your bonding until you are stronger. I just meant that you'll be aware of one another and be able to tell when the other is angry or upset or conversely, happy."
"Let's have Draco finish his side of the story." His mother said, her voice was tense and Harry saw the flush rise in Malfoy's cheeks. Harry wondered how he felt knowing that everyone in the room knew he'd almost committed suicide.
Molly Weasley must have been thinking the same thing because she stopped Malfoy from talking, "I believe that Arthur and I should go send some owls, the rest of the family will bet anxious to hear that you have woken up, Harry and are doing better," she took Arthur Weasley by the arm and hurried him out of the room.
Harry looked over at Malfoy as he started describing what had happened in the bathroom. He didn't know he was surprised or not when Malfoy's story matched with his, other than that Malfoy had understood immediately the significance of the light that had trapped them.
"I kept thinking about what Potter had said, how everyone would think that I'd done it on purpose. That I did it to get out of my probation. And I couldn't stand the thought of having to face all the accusations. I thought they would arrest me-"
"But, Draco, surely you knew that-" his mother said in protest.
"They were just here to arrest me? If it had been just a regular fight with Potter and we hadn't been bonded I would be in Azkaban right now."
"Well, that is one plus to this whole thing," Harry said, "It would be pretty naive of anyone to think that we could go through a whole school year without a fight."
"Are you calling me naive, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall said imperiously, "I told you both at the beginning of the year that I had every expectation of the best behavior."
"Sure, but it is just the way it has always been-" Harry said with a laugh.
"I tried, I spent the first weeks here doing everything I could to just avoid trouble."
"That's true. You did," Harry said, "I noticed."
Malfoy shrugged, "Look what good it did," his head fell back against the pillow and he closed his eyes.
"I think that has been enough for now," Pomfrey said, "We'll have to wait to hear the rest of the story."
McGonagall nodded, "Right, I will go make arrangements for your new sleeping quarters."
"What?" Harry's head shot off the pillow and he sat upright, "What do you mean?"
"Until the bonding is complete you'll need to be roommates," McGonagall said, "We'll have to see after you are both recovered how far apart you can be from one another, but until then you'll need to share a room. Hopefully that will be sufficient to allow you to separate during the day to attend your individual classes."
Harry was glad that Malfoy had already fallen asleep. He couldn't imagine what Malfoy's reaction was going to be, or Ron's. He just nodded to McGonagall and closed his eyes, too exhausted to protest this newest development.
OOOOO
Draco stared fixedly at the ceiling. He'd been staring at it for the past hour. He knew every crack in the plaster and had thought of every possible odd animal that could be seen in the water stains. Draco shifted uncomfortably in the bed, groaning at the discomfort. There was nothing for it, but to wake Potter.
He turned to look at Potter who was sleeping just a couple of feet away. Potter was laying with his back to him, his untidy black hair was all Draco could see.
"Potter," he hissed, reluctantly reaching over and poking his shoulder, "Wake up."
"Harry," came the mumbled response.
"What?"
"Harry. My name is Harry. If we are really stuck being bondmates, I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to you call me Potter for the rest of my life." Potter said as he flopped over on his back. He looked over at Draco, wearily wiping his hand over his face. "What did you want?"
"Harry," Draco said the name with as much sarcasm as he could muster, "I have to take a piss."
"Thank the fuck for that," Potter said as he sat up hastily, "I think I'm about to burst."
"Why the hell didn't you say anything?" Draco said, he swung his feet off the bed and groaned as his overly full bladder protested the movement. Potter got off his bed on the opposite side. The bondmark immediately gave a warning burn as they were now farther apart than they'd been in the last 24 hours.
They made it over to the loo on the far side of the room, Draco eyed the room. It was small, mentally he calculated how far they'd be apart if he closed the door.
Potter gave him a disbelieving look, "Just go! If you don't, I will," Potter nodded pointedly with his head towards the door, he leaned against the wall. "I can handle any pain this thing gives me so long as you fucking go piss so that I can."
Draco didn't need to be told twice, he went into the loo and was pulling down his pajama bottoms before the door even closed, with a sigh of relief to at last being able to piss. The bondmark burned but like Potter said it was not anything he couldn't handle. He flushed and went to wash his hands in the sink. The door opened and suddenly Potter was there in the room with him.
"Sorry, can't wait any longer," and with that Potter in one motion pulled down his pajama bottoms and started to urinate into the toilet, a look of intense relief came over his face.
Draco stirred from his temporary shock of being intruded on, "What are you doing, Potter!"
"I couldn't wait any longer. What's wrong? You've never been in a dormitory toilet before?" Potter turned to look at him.
"Have you never heard of privacy?"
"Have you never heard of having to pee so bad your eyes turn yellow?"
Draco couldn't hold back the snort of laughter that burst from him, Potter looked at him in surprise and then grinned.
The sight of Harry Potter grinning at him (whilst peeing) made everything hit home, "What's going on?" Draco asked the question as he determinedly did not let his eyes stray towards what Potter was doing.
"What do you mean?" Potter asked as he tucked himself back in, adjusted his pajama bottoms and went to wash his hands. Draco watched as he took off his glasses and splashed water on his face. Draco wordlessly handed him a towel from the rack.
"What I mean is fairly obvious isn't it? Why aren't we fighting? We always fight."
"I haven't wanted to fight you for a long time, Draco," Potter was watching Draco in the small mirror hung over the sink. The sensation felt strangely more intimate than the handholding had felt. Potter hadn't put his glasses back on and the green eyes were all the more startling for it.
"You really expect me to call you Harry?" Draco asked. Potter smiled as he slid his glasses back and turned to look directly at Draco. Draco's eyes were drawn to the scar that he'd become so accustomed to seeing that he'd forgotten about it.
"It is my name," he repeated, "Goes with not wanting to fight. Every time you say 'Potter' it reminds me of all the shit that we both gave each other. We aren't eleven anymore."
"I know," Draco nodded, "But it isn't like we can just turn off everything that happened."
Potter shrugged, "It is weird, not automatically getting riled up. Pomfrey said it had something to do with the bond. But I can't say that it is a bad thing not automatically going into a fight mode."
"Do you think it will last?" Draco asked. He felt unsettled by the other man's calm demeanor. It wasn't what they did, and he didn't dare think about the chance of Potter not hating him.
"Don't know, you are the one who read the books on bonding," Potter said with a shrug as he dried his hands.
"The books didn't mention anything about it. Maybe enemies have never bonded before,"
Potter had been reaching for the door, pulling it open and he stopped to look at Draco, "We aren't enemies anymore, Draco."
Draco shook his head but didn't argue. Everything was jumbled in his head and he didn't know if it was because the bond or just the exhaustion he was feeling after being out of bed for the first time in days. They walked down the passageway towards their beds. Draco stopped short as he saw the two beds that were still pushed together and then down at his arm.
Potter glanced towards Pomfrey's door and then looked at Draco, "Should we separate them?"
"Sure," Draco said with a shrug, he was exhausted and the mark was throbbing again, but he wasn't about to tell Potter that the beds shouldn't be separated. Potter narrowed his eyes at him and then took three giant steps away. The bondmark immediately reacted and Draco winced at the pain.
Their eyes met and Potter shook his head, "Keep them together?
Draco nodded wearily and they climbed back into their beds. He noticed that Potter immediately extended his arm to the very edge of his own bed. Draco did the same with his arm and the discomfort stopped. Potter was on his back with his other arm covering his eyes and Draco couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. Even though Potter had said he didn't hate him he didn't think that was true. He'd seen Potter's face in the bathroom when it had sunk in that they were bonded.
Draco shook his head and turned to look out the window. The moon had set and the sky had taken on a dark purple color, with the first streaks of dawn was breaking through the horizon. As tired as he was he couldn't sleep though, he thought back to Potter's vehement denial immediately after they bonded that the bond could be a permanent one.
His anger. Draco could still remember how Potter's anger had been tangible. His eyes drifted shut as the scene replayed in his mind. Potter had said he'd been
He pulled back his sleeve to stare at the bondmark that circled his forearm and cut through the Dark Mark in a deep red circle. The mark was so deep that even the Dark Mark didn't penetrate it. With a frustrated snarl, he pushed back the sleeve to cover the marks and stared out the window.
Harry bloody Potter.
He could spend the next hundred years remembering and contemplating all of his interactions with Potter since they were eleven and still not be able to understand why their lives had always been so intertwined. When he had returned to Hogwarts for this so-called eighth year he had been determined to avoid all contact with Potter. The only reason he had returned at all was because it was the only chance to serve his Ministry hours and still study for his N.E.W.T.s, and he was determined to move forward.
And now, now he was bonded to Potter. For life.
It was his fault. He had felt the magical surge course through his body when Potter had touched him that first time out in the courtyard. After the cauldron had been destroyed, there had been no way to deny it any longer. He'd known what could happen if they stayed in proximity to each other. He should have left the school immediately.
If he had done the right thing, if he had left Hogwarts as soon as he had realized what was going on, then Potter would still be free. Once again, he had made the wrong choice. How many times in his life could he follow the wrong path? And because he had, Potter was sentenced to a life chained magically to him.
Draco shifted nervously and glanced over to see if Potter had fallen asleep. He couldn't tell but he turned on his side anyway, so that he was facing Potter. There was a risk of the git turning and seeing Draco looking at him. Draco didn't think he was asleep he was lying to still to be asleep.
It was beyond all things that Draco could understand that they were this close in proximity to each other. It just felt wrong. It wasn't the way it was supposed to be between Potter and him.
Draco needed that distance between them. If he didn't have it, he shook his head in dismay. This situation they were in could become so much worse. Especially after Potter's confession that he was bent. Draco still could hardly believe that was true. And even if it were, why would Potter admit to Draco of all people?
The whole situation was wrong. Potter, this specky git who was as graceless as a house elf, deserved better. Despite all the mutterings Draco heard from his fellow Slytherins, Potter had saved them all. And yet now he was sentenced to a life not of his choosing. He, of all people, deserved to live whatever in life he wanted, not to be forced into a life beside a Death Eater.
Draco remembered the exact moment when Draco realized that he had to make things right for Potter. It was when they had stood side by side washing the blood away following their fight, after the bonding. Draco had seen his own reflection in the mirror and known that he had to do the only thing that would release Potter from the bond.
All the reading he had done had confirmed the one way it could be broken. For once he meant to make the right decision. His life had been dictated by the bad decisions that he and his father had made. This time he would not make that mistake, or so he thought.
Which was how he had found himself standing atop the Astronomy Tower that night. He had written his farewell note to his mother with a steady hand despite knowing it would break her heart, because what he was finally doing what was right.
He had been about to climb onto the balustrade when Potter had suddenly appeared on his broom before him. Where in Hades had he come from anyway? Draco wondered with a glance towards the figure next to him. It didn't matter, Potter had appeared and shouted something at him and flown away.
Draco had watched him disappear into the darkness and had been torn by a sense of gratitude and loss. It had seemed fitting, at the time, that they should have one last encounter, however brief. After seeing Potter, It had been difficult to force himself to turn back his thoughts to what he had to do.
What he needed to do.
The edge of the tower was only three feet away and as he had stepped forward he'd felt the crippling wave of pain that made his insides feel like they were being ripped from his body. It was the last thing he remembered until he had woken up next to Potter.
And now, three days later, they were sleeping mere inches away from each other, and Potter had saved his life.
Again.
How many life debts could one man give another before it became redundant? Or worse, a burden?
Draco shifted back onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He had replayed the fight, this latest fight, in his mind a hundred times since waking up in the hospital wing. He could remember every word that they spoke to each other.
The expression of horror on Potter's face as he realized what had happened. The denial. Potter's angry words. He replayed them in his mind again and remembered the one thing that Potter had said that seemed odd to him. He glanced over and
"Potter," he said softly, just in case he really was asleep. He wasn't, Draco realized, as Potter turned to look at him.
"Is it really so hard?" Potter said, he shifted so he was propping his head on his arm.
"Yes, it is, Potter," Draco said with a snort, "In the bathroom after the bondlines appeared. You said something about having to live with a madman in your head. What did you mean?"
Potter didn't answer and Draco looked over to see that Potter was back on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
"You meant the Dark Lord, didn't you?" Draco persisted, unwilling to let it go.
"No. I meant Vol-de-mort," Potter spat out each syllable as he turned to stare at him, "He was no one's lord. Just a man who was evil. Tom Riddle, was his real name. Don't you dare try to make him-"
"I'm not going to argue with you, we are all better off with him being dead. But I wanted to know what you meant when you said that he was in your head. He used Legilimency on you?"
There was no response, Draco reached over and poked his shoulder, "Did he?"
"Don't," Potter grabbed his hand and shoved it away, "He didn't-It wasn't really Legilimency. It was something else."
"What."
"I can't-I don't want to tell you," Potter's face was pale when he turned to look at him, "I suppose I'm going to have to eventually but I can't right now."
Draco had felt the bondmark tighten as Potter got angry, but wanted to know the answer, "How could he be in your-"
"Just drop it, Malfoy. Do I ask you how it felt when the mark was being burned into your arm? Do you want me make you describe what it was like to watch a bloody snake consume a teacher in front of you-"
"Don't-" Draco hissed in response.
"Then fucking get off my arse about this," Harry snapped. Draco gritted his teeth as the pain from the bond worsened. He knew that Potter was feeling it also by the way he was cradling his arm. He had to make it better since he was the one that somehow had forced a way past the calm that the bond had forced upon them.
Draco took a deep breath and looked over at Potter who was staring up at the ceiling, "I thought you liked that kind of thing"
"What?" Potter's voice held a warning in it, daring him to finish his thought.
"You, being bent and all, I figure you like blokes on your arse."
Potter did a double-take, "That's a joke?"
"Salazar, save me from Gryffindors." Draco muttered, "Yes, Potter, it was a joke."
Harry stared at him and then his lips twitched, "Good one," he said as he lay back down against his pillow. Draco gave a sigh of relief as the tightness from the bond eased and he fell asleep, dreaming of bathrooms, and fragments of mirrors floating and haunting him.
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