Professor McGonagall seemed determined to prove to Draco that he was not yet ready to attend N.E.W.T. classes with his peers. Draco was determined to prove her wrong. Every time she asked a question, Draco’s hand shot into the air faster than Hermione’s, and the Professor always picked him.

“What are the three main differences between Transmogrification and Transfiguration?”

“Transmogrification often results in grotesque or amusing shape-shifting, is more often than not a useless practice as the results are never practical, and Transfiguration is more widely used as not just shape-shifting, but complete transformation from one thing to another, sometimes permanently.”

The Transfiguration Professor was hard put not to grudgingly offer Draco a slight smile and a nod of approval. Perhaps the boy had worked harder than she thought. “Ten points to Slytherin. Can anyone tell me the correct spell to use when trying to change an animal from one species to another?”

Draco didn’t bother to raise his hand this time. He’d answered nearly every question for the entire review session, and he was bored of it already. He scribbled down a few notes whenever something came up that he didn’t already know, but other than that, Double Transfiguration was extremely boring. Except for when his eyes trailed over to the other side of the room and focused on the back of a head full of unruly black hair.

The thin morning light streaming through the high windows of the Transfiguration classroom unfairly glinted off the locks of spiky black hair, dazzling his eyes as he drifted completely away from the lesson. That hair was soft, he knew that. It also smelt really good. Like soap and sweat and earth. The skin trailing down the back of his neck was soft as well, and tasted as good as it felt. He had the strongest urge to run his finger through that hair, and trace his tongue down that neck.

“Mr. Malfoy!”

Draco shook himself out of his reverie as Professor McGonagall shouted across the classroom. His heart jumped into his throat as the head he was staring at before turned, and bright green eyes met his. They looked completely haunted and beyond exhausted. He swallowed as he tore his gaze away and looked up at McGongall, who had moved to stand in front of him.

“Are you feeling well, Draco?”

And there was his opportunity to get away from those penetrating green eyes. Draco did his best to appear exhausted and ill, shaking his head slowly. He did still have a headache, after all, though it was starting to feel like a permanent fixture now. “I don’t think so, Professor. I have a really bad headache. May I be excused to the infirmary?”

The Professor looked slightly disbelieving, but she nodded anyways. “Yes, you may. Mr. Potter, will you please escort Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary?”

“Really, Professor, I can make it on my own – ”

“I will not be blamed if you end up passing out halfway there. Mr. Potter will escort you.”

Draco gulped as he turned and met Harry’s eyes again, flinching at the fear in them. Did he think Draco was going to hurt him? Well, he’d be right to fear that, since Draco had already hurt him once pretty badly. He gathered up his belongings and put them in his book bag, taking as much time as possible without making it look like he was stalling for time – which he was.

They met at the door, and the tension between them was almost palpable. Harry stood back and allowed Draco to pass through the door first before following, closing the heavy door behind them. The thick silence in the corridor felt oppressive and mocking, like the walls knew that the two teens were trying their hardest not to seem awkward around each other.

Draco felt bereft as Harry walked at least four feet away and a little ways behind him, watching the ground as they walked down the corridor, heading towards the stairs that would lead them up to the next floor and the infirmary. That strong urge that had seized him before in the classroom took hold of him again, and his steps faltered, causing Harry to stop abruptly behind him.

“This is so stupid.” Draco’s angry voice bounced off the walls and reverberated against the high windows as he turned to look at Harry, who looked shocked at the Slytherin’s outburst. The fear that had plagued his haunted eyes was gone, however, and Draco felt such a strong sense of relief that his entire body slumped as he leaned back against the wall, dropping his book bag beside him. He rubbed his temples, wishing his headache would go away so he could think straight.

“Draco, are you alright?”

Draco squeezed his eyes closed against the image of Harry’s concerned face coming closer to him. Even after everything he had said to the Gryffindor, and the sickening memory that Harry had been witness to, he was still capable of compassion for Draco. He let out a shuddering breath as he opened his eyes and found Harry much closer to him than before, looking like he wanted to reach out, but he was hesitating.

“I’m stupid, Harry,” Draco gasped as he pushed himself away from the wall and into Harry’s arms, which wrapped around him instinctively, then tightened as the Gryffindor hugged him back.

“I’m sorry, Draco, I should have told you before – ”

Draco pulled away and pressed a finger to Harry’s lips, feeling his warm breath waft over his fingers as the Gryffindor took deep breaths and exhaled haltingly.

“No, listen to me. I was scared, and so disgusted with myself that I thought you would never want to touch me again. How could you, after you saw what those men did to me? But then I realized, or rather Hermione forced me to realize, that you had seen that memory long before we’d gotten together; before the accident, even. If it had changed anything about your feelings towards me, it would have happened long before now. You’re not a distraction; you’re what keeps me alive, what saved me from myself when you pulled me out of the coma. I love you and I’m an idiot. Forgive me?”

Draco let out a half sigh, half sob as Harry pulled him close and planted warm, wet kisses all over his face, finally ending with a rather forceful, passionate kiss to his trembling lips. His bones all seemed to turn to jelly and he slumped against Harry’s wonderfully solid chest, happier than ever to have the Gryffindor holding him up, being his anchor and his rock.

“I forgive you.” And those three simple words were enough to tear Draco apart and put him back together again as he sobbed against Harry’s shoulder, letting out all of his frustration, pain, and anger at the universe for royally fucking him up so completely.

S~S~S~S

It was a free period already, and because of his grounding, Harry made his way down to the dungeons to spend the period in his room, revising for the test he had in Potions on Thursday. He sat his book bag heavily on the couch, pulling out his Potions book to take to his room. When he turned to walk down the hall he felt his heart jump in his throat as he drew his wand and brandished it.

A small barn owl was sitting on the bookshelf beside the hall, right at eye level. Harry didn’t bother to lower his wand as he moved forward to read who the letter was addressed to.

“‘Panther’?”

A stark scene of watching his father transform into an elegant black panther rose up even as he recognized the handwriting. Remus had finally written! Forgetting all about Potions review and his grounding, Harry carefully took the scroll from the owl, who gave a soft hoot and nipped at his finger as it flew back up through the hearth. He knew his father was teaching a class at the moment, but he didn’t care; Remus had written, and Severus needed to know.

Being so very close to the Potions classroom, Harry took a moment to hesitate before knocking on the classroom door and waiting for a response. A girl that could be no older than twelve opened the door and looked up at him with wide, adoring eyes.

“I need to talk to Professor Snape right away.”

The door was taken from the girl’s small hand as the Potions Professor stepped forward to peer out at his son. “Harry, are you alright?”

Harry smiled at the clear concern in Severus’ voice and nodded as he held up the scroll for Severus to see. “Remus has written.”

A look of sheer relief washed over the Potions Master’s face before his carefully constructed mask was back up, turning to his classroom full of curious second-years. “Continue reading chapter twenty on your own.”

The classroom door banged shut as Severus reached for the scroll and slit it open, unrolling it quickly with shaking hands. Harry respectfully let his father read it on his own first, in case there was anything he shouldn’t see written on the rather scraggily bit of parchment. He saw the tension leak from Severus’ shoulders as the man read on, glad for the small smile tracing the usually stern man’s lips. He gladly accepted the letter when his father handed it to him.

‘Panther,

I am well, though I must say that winter is most unforgiving these nights. I wish I had you here to keep me warm. I predict that it won’t be much longer now before I am home; there has not been a scrap of information regarding my hunted. I hope you and the pup are doing well, and I miss you both dearly. I love you.

Yours truly,

Moony’

A mix of emotions swarmed in Harry’s stomach, confusing his sense of relief with a sense of dread. Remus was alright, but there was no information on where Tonks was or who had her. That mixed with the very vague reference to being kept ‘warm’ by Severus and being referred to as ‘the pup’ sent a very strange feeling of warmth and indignation warring with all of the other emotions.

“When you teach me how to become an Animagus, I hope I turn into something like a monkey or an elephant; then our family would be like a magical menagerie.”

The startled laughter from his father made Harry grin as he handed the letter back and gave the Potions Master’s a quick, tight hug.

“Why aren’t you in class, Harry, and who delivered this letter?”

“I have a free period right now, and a barn owl was waiting in our quarters with it. I saw Remus’ handwriting on it and I brought it straight to you. I hope that fits in with my grounding,” Harry said with a cheeky grin as his father cuffed him on the back of the head and rolled his eyes.

“Infernal brat. Back to your room, then.” Just as the Potions Professor was turning back to his classroom, Harry caught his sleeve and smiled at his father.

“You know how you said I could invite Hermione to study with me? Can we include Draco in that?”

The Potions Master sighed dramatically, a knowing look on his face. “I really shouldn’t, but I imagine you two need some time to talk, perhaps. You may invite Draco to study with you. I’ll see you at dinner, Harry.”

Harry beamed at his father before turning around and heading straight for Draco’s personal quarters, already missing his boyfriend even though they had seen each other at lunch a few hours previous. He was afraid that he was being a tad too clingy, but after the last few days, he had reason to be clingy.

After pounding on the portrait about twenty times, Draco snatched it open from the inside, looking extremely annoyed and ready to throw curses. Who the hell had the nerve to pound on his door when his head felt like it was going to explode at any minute? When he saw that it was Harry, he scowled, but it slowly turned into a smirk.

“Miss me already, did you?”

Harry chuckled as he grabbed the front of Draco’s robes and pulled him close, grinning as the other boy gasped. Their lips met in a very claiming kiss, each taking ownership of the other. Their relationship had seemed to take a deeper, more intense turn after the threat of losing each other, and they both welcomed it.

“Dad said you can come study with me, even though I’m supposed to be grounded.”

Draco smirked, and Harry could almost see the mischief reflected in his slate grey eyes. So what if it made his heart speed up and his breath catch; he liked Draco this way.

“So what are we going to study, eh?”

“I was thinking Potions, since we have a test on Thursday, and I could use some help with the review,” Harry said, slightly distracted by the way Draco kept nibbling on a sensitive spot on his neck.

“Hmm, I was thinking more along the lines of anatomy,” Draco drawled against the soft skin of Harry’s neck, laughing when the Gryffindor shuddered.

Harry could feel the blood pulsing through his veins, gathering in uncomfortable places and making his cheeks burn. Draco had never been quite this open before, and Harry wondered if he had regained more memories, bringing him closer to his real age, with the real hormones of a sixteen-year-old Wizard. “They don’t teach that here, Draco.”

“Then I’ll make it a private study.”

Harry tried to resist as Draco pulled him back into his quarters, though he didn’t fight very hard. “I can’t miss anymore classes, Draco; my dad will have a fit.”

Draco was pulling Harry by his tie, waving his wand to make the portrait close behind them. “You won’t miss anymore classes. We still have forty minutes left of our free period. Come on, Harry,” Draco whinged, drawing out Harry’s name as he pulled the Gryffindor close and started to unbutton his shirt. 

“Oh, Merlin.”

S~S~S~S

Dinner was pretty quiet for the start of the new term, but at the Gryffindor table, whispers were being sent down the table along with strange glances and covert giggles. Harry was getting highly annoyed as a group of fifth year girls started pointing at him, whispering to each other and sending him awed looks. Hermione slammed her fork down and glared at the girls, who stopped pointing at once.

“This is getting ridiculous! Don’t you all have better things to do than gossip? It’s sickening! Get over it already.” She scooped up her book bag and made a quick retreat out of the Great Hall without finishing her dinner.

Of course, Harry should have known they were talking about him and Hermione waking up together in the Gryffindor common room over winter break. Harry looked across the hall towards Draco, who was staring at Harry with the fiercest glare he had ever seen. Pansy Parkinson had just finished whispering in his ear.

“Oh, shit.”

Harry made his way out of the hall at the same time as Draco, but he failed to notice Ron following him out into the Entrance Hall as well. Draco had stopped and turned to stare at him with his arms crossed over his chest. Just when Harry thought he and Draco were doing so well...

“What the hell am I hearing about you and Granger, Potter?”

Ron stepped up and placed himself not exactly beside Draco, but definitely not on Harry’s side either. He looked just as thunderous as Draco did, and Harry felt a headache forming already.

“I’d like to know the same thing, actually.”

“Can we please not do this in the middle of the Entrance Hall?” Harry whinged at Draco, feeling the stares of people who were leaving the Great Hall lingering on the three of them.

Draco looked like he wanted to protest and cause a huge scene in front of all of the other students, but he grudgingly gave in and nodded. This was not helping his headache at all. “Fine, but I want to talk about it now.”

“I’m going with, then!” Ron protested loudly as Draco started to walk towards the steps leading down to the dungeons, Harry following him. Ron hesitated at the top of the stairs as he realised where he would be following the other two. He gave a dramatic sigh before following behind them anyways, determined to figure out if all the ridiculous rumours he had heard were true. If Harry had touched her – if she had touched him – there would be hell to pay.

“We should probably talk about this in your room, Draco. Dad will probably be home, and I’d rather not have this conversation in front of him.”

Ron made a disgusted noise from behind Harry, his face scrunched up unpleasantly. “Do you even hear yourself, Harry? You talk to him like he’s you’re new best friend, and you’re calling that greasy bat ‘Dad’! It’s disgusting.”

Harry whirled around so fast that he caught to redhead off guard, nearly poking his eye out with his wand. “You shut up about both of them!”

“Can we save the duelling until we’re at least somewhere where we can silence the screams?” Draco drawled as they drew closer to his private quarters. He was reluctant to let Weasley in, but he whispered the password and allowed both of the Gryffindors into his room.

“You can start explaining at any time, Potter,” Draco snapped as he sat on the edge of his bed, his arms still folded tight over his chest. He was extremely angry, of course he was, but he was also really hurt to think that Harry could have touched someone else, wanted to be with someone else. Especially a girl.

“Why the hell do you care who Harry is...involved with?” Ron asked from his position of standing beside the door, almost like he was making sure he had a quick escape if he needed one.

Harry sighed as he took the desk chair, deciding that he shouldn’t be too close to either of the two teens at the moment. This wasn’t how he imagined Ron would find out, but there was no way around it now.

“I guess I should start there. Ron...Draco and I are...dating. I’m gay. So really, there’s no need to think that any of those rumours are true. I love Hermione like a sister, she’s my best friend, but she’s a girl. I have no interest in her other than strictly platonic friendship.”

The look on Ron’s face would have been extremely comical had the situation not been so serious. He looked angry, disgusted, confused, and just a tad bit curious. Before he could so much as utter a word, Draco cut across him, still looking thunderous and not ready to let it go.

“I know you never went back to your room that night, Harry, that’s why you’re grounded. Pansy said she heard Jenicka Jenkins telling Kelsey McBride that you had her wake Hermione up in the middle of the night, half naked, and that at least fifteen people witnessed you and Hermione curled up together on the sofa asleep. What am I supposed to think of that?”

Harry made a promise to himself that the first opportunity he got to do so, he would curse that stupid Jenicka girl six ways from Sunday.

“First of all, you’re supposed to trust me, Draco. Yes, I didn’t go back to my room, I went to talk to Hermione because I was upset and you and Dad wouldn’t give me a chance to explain anything! I had to talk to someone, and she’s my best friend. I was wearing sleep pants and my dressing gown because that’s what I had been wearing when I tried to talk to you. We were both exhausted after talking for hours, and we both fell asleep. It was purely innocent, I promise you. Why can’t you just trust me?”

Draco felt a niggling of guilt in the back of his mind start to surface as he saw the honest hurt in Harry’s eyes, again. When would he learn to stop being an arse and have faith in his boyfriend? “I do trust you, Harry, I just...I guess I panicked. I thought that maybe you were so upset with me that you...that you wanted to be with someone else.”

Harry ignored the disgusted snort from the direction of where Ron was standing, focussing completely on Draco for the time being. He could curse Ron later. “I would never do that to you, Draco, and especially not with my best friend, who also happens to be a girl.”

“What happened to liking Cho, and what about my sister, eh? You led her on, but you were just a closeted poof the whole time!” Ron shouted, his face turning a delicate shade of scarlet as he glared at Harry. Of course he had skipped over the part where nothing had happened between Harry and Hermione and started insulting Harry’s sexual preferences.

“Would you just shut up already? I thought I liked Cho, but I realised this summer that it was Cedric that I had a crush on, and I never said I had any feelings for your sister! If she had those ideas in her head, it’s because she put them there herself. She led herself on.”

“I don’t even know who you are anymore, Harry,” Ron whispered, finally showing some emotion another than selfish anger. He seemed to deflate after accusing Harry of leading Ginny on, then having it shoved right back in his face.

Harry sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling more emotionally exhausted than any sixteen-year-old should ever feel.

“I’m still me, Ron; I’ve just been through quite a lot since the beginning of summer. The Death Eaters killed the very last members of my family; even if they weren’t the most loving people, they were still my only family. Severus saved my life, and I ended up saving his as well. There’s no way you can go through that and not form a bond with someone. I can’t ever fully explain my feelings towards Severus or Draco to you completely, but I love them both, and they’re my family now, along with Remus. Can’t you just be happy for me?”

There was a long silence as Ron looked anywhere but at Harry or Draco, obviously stalling for time to decide what to say. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and Harry couldn’t help but think that he deserved all the discomfort.

“I guess I can try to be happy for you, but you can’t expect me to get all buddy-buddy with Malfoy, or think of Snape as anything but the dungeon bat.”

Harry scowled, but tried not to let himself get too upset. Ron was actually trying here, and he appreciated that much at least. “Look, can you just pretend like you respect him while in my presence? I never insulted your dad, so please don’t insult mine.”

Ron sighed heavily, but nodded his agreement anyways. “Yeah, whatever; I’ll try.”

“Thank you. So are we all clear on everything now? I’m sort of grounded still, so I need to get back to my room before my dad has a fit.”

Draco stood up and walked over to Harry, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. They both ignored the horrified sound from Ron’s general direction as they lingered in the kiss on purpose, just to annoy the other Gryffindor in the room. “Make sure you study for that potions exam, Harry; you’d never hear the end of it if you failed your father’s class.”

“Well if you’d stop distracting me from studying I might actually get some of it done,” Harry said, his smirk uncannily similar to his father’s.

“Please let me out of this place before I sick up my dinner,” Ron groaned, making the other two laugh at the horrified expression on his face.

“It’s called a door handle, Weasley; use it.”

Ron immediately grabbed for the handle and made to leave, but he paused and turned back to look around at Harry. “Nothing happened between you and Hermione at all?”

“Of course not, Ron. I love her to death, but not like that. Besides, I would never do that to you. I know how you feel about her,” Harry assured his friend, catching the fearful glint in Ron’s eyes no matter how hard the redhead tried to hide it.

“Thanks, Harry.” He lingered for a few more seconds before leaving, carefully closing the portrait behind him. The Weasley’s had had a very hard Christmas, and Harry could imagine how Ron must have felt upon hearing the possibility that the woman he loved had been with someone else. Despite how horrible Ron had been treating him recently, he couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

“You should go home before Sev freaks out and launches a search party,” Draco said reluctantly, just wanting to hold Harry close forever. Even though they hadn’t been separated for long, Draco had missed this closeness with Harry. Just as he was leaning forward for another kiss, Draco suddenly felt extremely dizzy, and the horrible headache that had taken up residence in his head exploded into a million knives of pain. He gasped and clutched his head, falling against Harry as his vision turned black.

“Draco!” Harry gasped as he caught Draco before he could fall. He held the limp blonde against him, brushing his hair quickly out of his eyes and gently slapping his cheek to try to wake him up once more. He was trying so hard not to panic, but all the memories of watching Draco slowly wither away in a coma came crashing down on him.

Not knowing what else to do with so much running through his mind, Harry screamed at the top of his lungs for his father, who he hoped desperately was in their quarters only a few feet away from Draco’s room.

S~S~S~S

It was already fifteen minutes past the end of dinner, and Harry still hadn’t come home. Severus was almost positive the boy was with Draco or Hermione studying – he hoped. He had been considering un-grounding Harry after the mishap with the memory blew over, but if the brat was going to take advantage and flaunt the rules he had set, then Severus was just going to keep it up until Harry learned that his word was law now, whether the Gryffindor liked it or not.

A nice hot cup of tea was perched close to his lips as he spread out the Evening Prophet in front of him, looking for any small signs or clues of where Nymphadora might be. He took a nice big gulp, then promptly spit it out and spilled scalding hot tea all over himself as he heard the most horrible ear-splitting scream in his life, and it was most definitely his son’s voice.

Cursing and using his wand to dry himself off, Severus ran to the only place Harry could be; Draco’s room. He had no idea what had caused that horrible scream, but Severus was trying his hardest not to panic. The worry in his chest nearly stole his breath, and he despised the feeling. He burst through the portrait hole, not bothering to provide the password, and paused as he saw Harry supporting a slumped over Draco, who looked more pale than usual.

“Harry, what happened?”

“I dunno, we were just talking and he started to sway and then he just passed out. We need to take him to the hospital wing,” Harry croaked, hating the way Draco felt lifeless in his arms, but hating it even more when Severus took over and lifted Draco into his arms. The loss of contact made his heart jump in his throat, and he wanted more than anything to hold Draco in his arms again.

“Come on, we’ll have Madam Pomfrey firecall Healer Smithson,” Severus called over his shoulder as he carried Draco out into the corridor and back into his quarters. He walked quickly over to the hearth, motioning for Harry to throw some floo powder in.

“Hogwarts infirmary!”

The only fireplace in the infirmary was in Madam Pomfrey’s office, and she received quite a fright when Severus stepped out of her floo, Harry following close behind.

“Dear Merlin! What’s wrong with the boy this time, Severus?”

“No idea, Poppy. Can you please firecall Healer Smithson and tell her this is an emergency?”

The matron nodded quickly as she motioned for Severus to enter the main ward and lay Draco on one of the stark white beds, Harry coming up to the side of the bed to grasp Draco’s limp hand. As they waited for the Healer to come through, Draco began to twitch and squirm, and Severus knew what was coming next.

“Let go of his hand, Harry.”

Harry did as he was told, though thoroughly confused as to why. He didn’t have to wait long to find out as Draco thrashed around wildly, bile sliding down his chin as he convulsed violently. Harry couldn’t help the sob that escaped as he watched Draco have a seizure.

Severus quickly turned the boy on his side, making sure the Slytherin didn’t choke on his own vomit. He cringed at the way the blonde’s body tensed and shook under his hands. He would stay calm for Harry’s sake, but on the inside he was panicking.

“Severus, Poppy said there was an emergency?” The red-headed Healer walked quickly over to the bed just as Draco stopped seizing. She drew her wand and ran a barrage of spells over him, producing many different coloured sparks and glows to hover around the Slytherin’s prone body.

“Has he complained of any abnormal headaches lately?” the Healer asked as she consulted one of the few red glows hovering in the general vicinity of Draco’s head.

Harry and Severus both shared a look as they thought about the Healer’s question.

“I’m sorry Professor, but I have a horrible headache...”

“I don’t think so, Professor. I have a really bad headache...”

“He’s complained of a headache a few times over the last few days. Why, what’s wrong?”

The Healer frowned as he moved her wand in an arch over Draco’s forehead, watching as a thin blue line traced through his hair and settled near his left ear.

“I think Draco’s has a brain aneurysm, and it is in danger of rupturing. Luckily brain aneurysms occur in wizards as well as Muggles, so there is a potion treatment. What I’m worried about is why it was never detected before now. I’m almost positive it formed during his coma. He’ll need to spend the night in the infirmary while he takes the potion,” Healer Smithson said as she carefully wrote down all of the information her different spells had revealed on a chart she had conjured.

“He’ll be alright though, right?” Harry asked, wanting to touch Draco in some way, but afraid of setting off another seizure. He sighed when Severus grasped his shoulder, taking comfort from his father’s touch.

“I think we’ve caught it early enough not to cause other complications, as long as the potion does it’s work tonight. He’ll need to be closely monitored for a while after. I’ll come back to check up on him about once a week from now on. Poppy, can you stay close by in case he seizes again? I need to go back to St. Mungo’s to get that potion.” The healer waved her wand, making all the glowing lights disappear from around Draco, casting a shadow on his pale form.

“Of course, Abby. Hurry back.”

“Come, Harry, you should get some rest,” Severus said quietly as he tried to steer Harry from the hospital wing. He wasn’t surprised when his son ripped his shoulder out of his grip and glared at him.

“I’m not going anywhere. I don’t care if you ground me for life; I’m staying with Draco tonight,” Harry snapped, turning back towards Draco and reaching for the blonde’s hand.

Severus sighed and debated whether or not he wanted to start a fight by insisting Harry come home with him. Knowing that avoiding confrontation would be the best option, Severus gave in. “Alright, you can stay with him tonight, as long as Healer Smithson and Madam Pomfrey approve. I’ll be back to check in on you both in the morning, alright?”

Harry sighed as he felt the guilt gnawing at him already. He hadn’t meant to snap at his father, but there was no way he was leaving Draco’s side right now. He turned to the Potions Master and hugged him, sighing in comfort as his father hugged him back. “Thank you, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, Harry. Goodnight.”

“‘Night.”

Harry dragged a chair over beside the bed, gently grasping the Slytherin’s hand. He watched as Healer Smithson administered the potion, gently massaging the blonde’s throat to help him swallow while still unconscious. He helped Madam Pomfrey change him into the classic blue flannel pyjamas and carefully tucked the blankets back around him. Accepting an extra blanket from the Matron, Harry tossed it over himself, still clutching Draco’s hand in his own.

It was long after Madam Pomfrey had doused all of the candles and locked up her office for the night that Harry sat watching the steady rise and fall of Draco’s chest, just to make sure he was still breathing.

“Don’t leave me again...Please.”