Chapter 18
The next morning when Harry awoke Draco was still asleep. In the paleness of the bring light, Harry notified how delicate he looked, as if all Harry had to do was touch him and he'd shatter like glass. The dark purple skin under his eyes made him look like he'd never slept in his life and now he was finally catching up.
Duri had somehow found her way to them though and she slept beside her owner, loyal as ever. That made Harry feel a bit better, that is wasn't just him waiting. Not long later Madam Pomfrey made her way over to check Draco over and make sure all was okay. Well it wasn't okay, Draco had been tortured into, basically a coma. Nothing was fucking okay.
He'd refused to go to breakfast, or his lessons. What if Draco woke up alone? Harry couldn't let that happen. Just as he was trying to think of a way for him to be able to keep Draco safe at all times, Ron and Hermione came through the hospital doors and walked towards him.
"Harry, we heard what happened. Are you alright?"
Hermione's face had deep worry lines on it and her hand was extended, resting on his shoulder.
"What did you hear?"
"That Malfoy was attacked, and you found him and brought him here." Ron didn't look half as worried, but didn't look completely uninterested either.
"Yeah, we guess you were still here when you didn't come to breakfast."
Harry gave a small nod, but his eyes were still focused on Draco's sleeping form.
"I just can't leave him, he wasn't just attacked, he was tortured. If you had seen it..." he shirted just at the memory.
"Yeah it was a shit thing to do mate, but I suppose you could see why they would do it, even if it was a bit drastic."
Harry couldn't believe what he'd just hear Ron say.
"What the fuck Ron? What do you mean 'you can see why they did it'! Is he not human to you or something? I know he did some things that he can't be proud of, but haven't we all? Nobody deserves to be treated like that."
"Well yeah I know that, but you have been acting weird around him. Like he's the only person that matters to you now! I thought this was like when you were obsessed with him because he was up to all that evil shit. But your acting like your in bloody love with him or something! We don't even see you anymore! It's like you've forgotten, he's a death eater Harry!"
"Get out."
"You what?"
"You heard me, fuck off! I don't want you here."
"Harry...he doesn't mean it."
"I don't care, I'm sorry Hermione but you need to go now."
And they did. Their visit was short but defiantly not sweet. God, he'd forgotten how much of a twat Ron could be sometimes. It reminded him of when they'd been hunting horcruxes and Ron had just lost it. Although technically Harry had just been the one to loose it.
"H...Harry?" A voice croaked from the bed.
"Oh my, Draco! I'm here, I'm here. Shhh now, no don't cry I'm here."
Even though he must have been weak, Draco's bony hand was gripping Harry's for dear life and he was hyperventilating slightly.
"You're okay, you're in the hospital wing, I just need to get Madam Pomfrey."
"N-no no, don't go...please?" He whimpered.
Harry couldn't leave him, not when he was like this, he was even shaking slightly.
"Okay I won't, we can just wait until she comes around to check you again."
Draco just nodded vigorously, eyes shut.
"Draco what happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, I mean yes I will tell you, I think saying it out loud will help organise it in my head."
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
"It's okay, take your time."
"I was walking down towards the kitchens and I thought that someone was following me, and when I turned around I was hit with a petrificus totalus and I fell. Then whoever it was, I didn't really recognise them, grabbed my arms and dragged me into an empty classroom. And then he left, I thought that would be the end of it. That he'd just leave me there until someone discovered me today, or until the curse wore off. But sometime later, he came back. He came back with the others."
"I shouldn't have let you go on your own, this is my fault."
"Oh Harry, no. Even if you had come with me, they would have done it another time. I've had a target on my back since I got here. It's nobody's fault but my own. Anyway so when they got back they'd brought some rope so that's when they bound me and unfroze me. Then the curses and hexes started, and finally the cruciatus curse, and I don't remember anything after that."
Harry was mad and shaking with rage by now. The thought of Draco being helplessly tortured for god knows how long. Sour bile rose up up in his throat. He felt the urge to just smash anything in sight.
The sound of Madam Pomfrey's heals broke the moment and before long she was ushering Harry out so that she could examine Draco properly.
While Harry stood outside there were two things he couldn't get out of his head. The first was how was he going to keep Draco safe from now on, the second was something Ron had said.
"It's like you're in bloody love with him or something!"
Shit.