Inevitabilities
Harry was not having a good week. He just couldn't take it anymore, everyone pretending things were fine. Even Dumbledore waved him off.
Malfoy was missing and no one seemed suspicious! He was a Malfoy! And a Death Eater! If he was off doing missions for Voldemort, they had to stop him. Even Hermione and Ron said he was overreacting, but he couldn't be. He knew Malfoy pretty damn well, almost as well as he knew Hermione and Ron, and he knew when something was wrong.
So he left. It wasn't actually that hard. The most difficult bit was hiding what he was doing from his friends, but they had already proven that they wouldn't understand, and were too distracted by their relationship stuff to see how serious things were getting.
Harry was sick and tired of not being listened to.
He packed his bags and walked to Hogsmead, then he hailed the Nightbus. He figured now would've been a useful time to know how to apparate, but he had more important things to do. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Zabini said, about Malfoy actually doing something. It poked at him, and he realised, with no small amount of annoyance, that he was right. Harry still hadn't been able to get Dumbledore Slughorn's memory of Tom Riddle, and every time he returned to the office empty handed the disappointment in the headmaster's eyes grew, and it made him feel like he was eleven again. Already behind in every part of his life, half expecting to get sent back to his cupboard.
So he left, but the thing was, he didn't have a fucking clue where to look.
Honestly, part of him was kind of expecting Malfoy to just pop out of the shadows to taunt him, like he had done for the past five years. He almost missed it, this year.
He could hear exactly what Malfoy would say, "Aw, does little orphan Potter feel left alone? Have to chase me? If I knew you liked me this much I might've stayed."
Ok, talking to imaginary Malfoy's in his head was not a good sign. He needed to find the real git so he could corner him about Voldemort's plans. Maybe he knew something about the horcruxes? He was a Death Eater.
And while he was on it, how could Dumbledore let a Death Eater into the school! He knew there must be a good reason, but it still hurt that he wasn't being told.
What was the most likely place for a dark wizard to be? Harry really didn't know, he'd only ever been to the one place, so that was where he decided to search.
Except Knockturn was useless, every door he knocked on was slammed in his face. He was about ready to grab the nearest person and shake them for information when he heard a loud crack.
He doesn't know who was more surprised, him or Malfoy.
He was tipped oddly to one side, and breathing heavily, but what really got Harry's attention was the fact he was absolutely covered in blood. It stood out starkly against Malfoy's pale skin and hair, even his white shirt was soaked, clinging to him.
Harry had the delirious thought that red looked good on him.
The moment is abruptly shattered, however, when Malfoy's face twists into a familiar sneer. His wand was clutched at his side, and Harry was startled to notice there was a muggle gun in his other hand.
He blinked.
Had-
Had Malfoy just murdered someone?
"Of course," Malfoy spits, "Of course you're here!" He throws both hands up, and the movement makes Harry flinch, holding his own wand up in anticipation.
Malfoy sees the movement, and bizarrely, begins to laugh, "Oh, scared Potter? You can't just leave me be, can you?" He's nearly doubled over with laughter now, both hands coming up to press at his side, "You want a fight? Fine." He gasps, strangely breathless.
He holds his wand up, mouth already forming the syllables to a spell, and Harry doesn't even take the time to blink.
"Sectumsempra!"
Harry didn't see anything different at first, what with all of the blood already on Malfoy, and felt his heart sink, but then a long slash of red worked its way across Malfoy's face, starting from his collar and ending at his temple.
More red began to bloom across the parts of his shirt not already covered, and Harry started to go numb with horror.
Draco just blinked, startled, and staggered back a few steps. He slowly put his hand to the side of his neck, staring blankly when it came away bloodier than it should.
He took a step backwards, then another, and another until his back hit the wall. He opened his mouth, to scream, to cry, to do anything, but all that came out was a strangled, gasping, sob.
It's then Harry is shaken from whatever strange paralysis he'd fallen into, rushing to Malfoy's side. He looks over his body, trying to see through all of the existing blood and gore to where he's hurt, but it's so damn difficult.
'Par for the course, with him' Harry thinks, semi hysterical.
There's just so much fucking blood, it's everywhere now. On the walls, on Harry's hands, on Draco's face. It's all Harry can see, just red, red, red.
"Don't-" he takes in a rasping breath, "Don't touch me."
"God- Malfoy, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I'm so sorry-"
Malfoy's hand shoots up to grab at Harry's wrist, "Sev-" He chokes, blood dripping from his mouth in thin red streams, "Get Severus."
"I don't know how-" Harry says, pressing his hands desperately to Malfoy's neck.
He looks again at Malfoy's face, and is somehow surprised to see tears tracing clear tracks through the blood. For some reason, that is what his mind focuses on, that Malfoy is crying.
There's a broken sob, "Pat-" Another, "Patronus."
Malfoy's head lolls to the side, and Harry quickly yanks it forward again, "Hey, hey," What were you supposed to say? he couldn't remember, "Keep your eyes open, ok? Keep looking at me, I'll call Snape." Oh yeah, that was it, "Just keep your eyes open."
He picked up his wand from where it fell, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to block out the sounds of Malfoy bleeding out next to him.
Spending the summer at Grimmauld, renovating with Sirius, laughing with Remus over school stories of his dad, seeing Ron and Hermione every week in his very own bedroom.
A silver stag erupted from his wand, weak but there. He struggled to speak for a moment, all of his words leaving him in his panic, "Snape. I- Knockturn, Malfoy he's- I don't- Help, please." The stag, sensing his urgency, galloped away, and Harry was left with Malfoy, who's eyes were closed again. Harry shook him, pushing his hand into his neck, feeling desperately for a pulse, "Come on, come on, please." He let out a sob of his own, "I'm sorry, please-" He clutched at Malfoy's face "open your eyes-"
The loud crack of apparition startled him badly, and he looked up at Snape. Harry watched as the situation dawned on him, watched as the horror slowly came over his face, and just curled further over Malfoy's body.
"Move." Snape growled, shoving Harry aside to kneel at Malfoy's head. He looked at Harry over his shoulder, "Go home."
So Harry did. He apperated to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, and left Snape alone with his godson.
Severus kneeled on the ground at Knockturn, uncaring of the blood that soaked into his robes. His godson was dying. That was all he could think. He had held this boy as a baby, and now he was dying.
"Evenerate."
Draco jerked awake with a heaving gasp, choking immediately on a mouthful of blood, "Sev- Sev I'm-" He coughed, "I'm so sorry."
"Hush, foolish boy." He commanded in between healing spells, but the blood just kept coming.
"No, you have to tell him-" Draco sobbed, "I promised-"
"Shut up." Severus growled, but Draco's consciousness was already slipping, his eyes dipping closed.
"Tell him I'm sorry," He coughed again, then gasped in pain as Severus did a particularly invasive spell, "Please tell him."
Severus sees more than feels Draco's chest stop moving, and tosses his wand to the side, locking his hands instead and starting muggle chest compressions.