Draco was on his hands and knees on the floor of an empty classroom trying to catch his breath; as he choked on his sobs. He hadn’t meant what he said to the other boy last night, he only was only angry that he hadn’t accepted his apology. He didn’t even know why he was crying so hard he never actually liked the boy did he?

He was jealous that Potter always seemed to get away with everything and that everyone catered to him. He hated that the boy had refused his friendship in their first year, but he didn’t want him to die.

He shook his head back and forth, refusing to believe it was true. Harry always came back and beat the odds; the gunshot wound had proved that. He held his stomach as he cried, unable to get the image of the boy struggling for his last few breaths on the bed.

The images came frequently, how blank Harry had looked the night before; and then he was suddenly dead.  His stomach gurgled as he remembered the boy fighting for life and then how the life was suddenly whooshed out of him. He felt a sick feeling creeping up his throat and he though he tried to forget the images he couldn’t.

He found himself overcome with nausea and soon he had vomited all over the floor and himself, but so caught up in his grief he didn’t care. Harry’s death was so sudden to him and it left everyone in the infirmary silent. He mashed the heels of his hands in his eyes trying to stop his tears from flowing. He wished that his father or someone would come after him; feeling like he was suffocating on his tears, but no one came.

“I’m sorry Harry, I’m so very sorry,” he repeated to himself, the anguish and misery clear in his tone.

~*~*~*Gryffindor Boys Dorm~*~*~*~*~

Neville was looking around his silent dorm room at everyone. Dean and Seamus were sleeping peacefully thanks to the dreamless sleep they had gotten from the infirmary. They had taken the whole bottle yesterday and they were still asleep. Ron and he had only drunk half of theirs wanting to save it for tonight. Speaking of which; Ron was staring at Harry’s bed, Neville wanted to know if he was aware that he had tears continuously running down his face. He turned towards Harry’s bed telling himself that Harry would beat this. He knew that his friend was strong, but he hoped that he hadn’t lost the will to live.

He couldn’t think about this anymore it was too easy to get caught up in thought, and though he hadn’t noticed it before but his friends were looking to him. Even though he wasn’t that close with any of the boys in here, he had no doubt that if he suddenly went missing they would jump to the wrong conclusion. This was completely understandable; given that he had told him his story.

“Ron it’ll be ok, Harry will pull through,” he said firmly. He noted that the red head didn’t turn to look or even give any response that he had heard him. Neville sighed and turned towards Harry’s bed at the same time his trunk disappeared along with all of his personal belongings. The process took only a few seconds, and when it finished it looked like no one lived there.

“Where did Harry’s stuff go?” Ron asked turning to look at Neville in horror, his eyes wide open in terror, the redness evident that he had been crying for awhile.

Neville shook his head once, he didn’t know. What did this mean? Did that mean Harry didn’t make it? He couldn’t think about that, and he turned towards Ron, confusion clear on his face.

“Where is it? Where are his posters, and his robes? They can’t just be gone can they?” Ron asked as he looked through each and every drawer of Harry’s dresser and wardrobe, only to find them all empty.

He turned back to Neville and looked at the newly made bed; that was his best friend’s. There were no personal items that showed that there was even a 5th boy in the room with them. He shook his head in denial, as his emotions started to push themselves out. He fell to his knees as he gasped refusing to think that Harry was really dead. Just because his things had gone didn’t mean anything, did it? Maybe the headmaster moved them? He found himself moving towards the now empty bed and burying his head into the covers and sobbing.

Neville looked on silently, though his own eyes glistened with tears. What was going on? He had no words that he could say to his mate who was weeping across from him. He felt like doing the same thing, but he didn’t have proof. He wouldn’t jump to conclusions no matter how much his heart was telling him it was the truth.

~*~*~*Gryffindor Girls Dorm~*~*~*~*

Hermione was in her dorm room the only one of the girls awake. Everyone else had taken the potion but something was stopping her. She couldn’t get out her head how hurt Harry had sounded and how cold he had looked at her. She guessed she really didn’t know him, she didn’t know that he had suffered so. Hermione felt like a failure, she had always been so focused on her grades that she couldn’t see what was going on in front of her. She was one of his best friends, how did she not know that he was hurting so.

She couldn’t help the tears that welled in her eyes, as she thought about him shooting himself. You had to feel and be at an all time low if you felt like life was that bad to want to end it yourself. She frowned wondering if anyone had told Ginny what had happened. She didn’t want to tell the younger girl until Harry was out of the woods.

 She was so thankful that they were magical ways to heal someone, because she had no doubt that had this been in the muggle world Harry probably wouldn’t make it. Hermione hadn’t looked away as he shot himself; a part of her was hoping he wouldn’t do it. She turned over and buried her face in her pillow as Neville spoke of his own battles with bullying.

She was no stranger to being picked on, but she had always hidden in her books. How could Harry hide if he was always in the spotlight? She whimpered silently as the tears fell as she cried herself to sleep. Forgetting to take her potion once again, her dreams were littered with Harry shooting himself over and over again, and every time she tried to stop him she failed again and again.

~*~*~*~Slytherin Boy's Dorm~*~*~*~*~

“Do you think Draco is ok?”Blaize asked softly.

“He’ll be fine, he wasn’t shot like Potter,” Theo said quietly from his place on his bed. He wasn’t ignorant of how close he was to losing it, but his friend obviously couldn’t see it.

“I know but it was like his body was shutting down, can you die from something like that?” Blaize mused curiously.

“Shut up Blaize! Why in the hell would you ask me something like that?” Theodore said his tone cracking on the last word, as he struggled to keep himself together.

“Theo, relax he’ll be fine,” Blaize said gently, hearing the emotion in his tone.

“You can’t know that, you aren’t a healer. Madame Poppy and the healers can’t fix everything.” He said with a shake of his head, as he angrily swiped a couple tears from his eyes.

“Draco will be fine, you’ll see.” Blaize said unaware that he was reassuring them both.

“Will he; what about Harry? Will he be ok too? Did you see how much blood there was?” Theo asked on a broken sob, not even trying to stop his tears now.

“Potter’s the boy-who-lived, he’ll make it.” Blaize said with a nod.

“He’s more than just that stupid label. He’s the same age as us, what if he dies Blaize? What if Harry doesn’t make it?” Theo asked his body trembling at just the possibility.

“Don’t think about that,” Blaize whispered his own voice thick with tears as he stared at the sleeping boys on the other beds.

“How am I supposed to not think about it? I helped him shoot himself, and if he dies it will be my fault too.”Theo said with a miserable look in Blaize’s direction.

“Theo come here,” Blaise said calmly, ignoring his own tears falling down his face as he gestured for his friend who was on the verge of a breakdown.

“No, I can’t do this, I have to go.” Theodore said standing up shaking his head from side to side as the tears kept falling.

“Theodore you’re not going anywhere in that state.” Blaize said as he stood up and walked over to his friend.

“I just need to be alone for a f-few –m-minutes,” Theo said blinking rapidly as he tried to stop his tears.

“Alone is the last place you need to be,” Blaise said pulling him into a hug.

“This isn’t proper p-pureblooded e-etiquette,” Theo stammered out as he tried to remove himself from the hug.

“Screw that,” Blaize said softly. “Just let it out Theo.”

Blaize could feel him continuing to fight him even as the sobs started becoming louder. He couldn’t understand the words his friend was saying but it didn’t matter. He unlike Theodore and Draco had never taunted Potter. To him the other boy had simply not existed. He had been the only neutral 5th year boy, similar to Longbottom who didn’t seem to care for houses.

It didn’t seem like Theo’s cries were quieting in fact it seemed like they were getting worse. He reached into his back pocket for his wand so he could send a note to his head of house. He didn’t want Theo to cry himself sick. As he turned slightly, Theo pushed him away and both boys fell to the ground hard. He was about to yell out when he saw how broken his friend actually looked and he fell silent. Before he could moved Theo was getting up and running for the door.

“Theo, wait!” Blaise yelled.

Severus made sure that Harry’s room was spelled, but went to double check on the child only to find him asleep. He nodded before quickly making his way to check on his snakes, more specifically Draco and the rest of the 5th years. He headed up the girls dormitory first not surprised to find all of them sleeping.

He knew with the double dose Poppy had given them yesterday they would most likely sleep through the night as well. After yesterday’s incident he had no doubt they would need to bring in a healer, he wasn’t sure how they were each going to cope with this tragedy.

Spelling their room to let him know if someone was in distress; he heading down the stairs and towards the boy’s dormitory. Walking up the stairs he was about to open the door when it burst opened and he ended up with a child sobbing in his stomach. He looked through the door to find a distress Zabini on the floor and once more he found himself picking up a teenager.

He gestured to the other boy to go to his own bed as he sat on the bed and gently let the boy cry it out. He rubbed his back, really feeling for the child. He had no doubt that this wouldn’t be the only breakdown. This he knew was just the beginning and Severus sighed.

About a half hour later the boy had quieted down, and Severus wasn’t taking the chance of talking to him instead slipping him the vial of dreamless sleep on the dresser. When the boy was sleep he tucked him into bed before turning to look at his only awake student in the bed.

“Have you seen Draco?” Severus asked.

“Isn’t he still in the infirmary?” Blaize asked with a sniffled.

“No, he’s awake but he ran out this morning.” Severus said.

“Why did he leave?” Blaize asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” Severus lied, not wanting to tell him the news just yet.

“Is Theo going to be ok?” Blaize asked softly.

“In time he will be ok; are you going to be ok child?” Severus asked gently.

Blaize nodded even as his eyes filled with tears at the seemingly simple question. He blinked and looked everywhere but at his teacher. His face burning in shame at the weakness he was showing, his expression displaying everything he was feeling.

“Crying doesn’t make you weak child,” Severus said coming to sit next to him.

“They’re both going to be ok right; Harry’s gonna make it?” Blaise asked, turning his tear-filled gaze to his teacher.

“I don’t know child, I just don’t know,” Severus finally answered.