On The Tightrope 13/48
Title: On The Tightrope ~ Standing At The Edge (13/48)
Author: Lire lire_casander
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Rating: PG this chapter. NC-17 overall.
Word Count: 1406
Beta: Lovely gurliemoviegeek. Any mistakes left are my own fault.
Disclaimer: I do not own in any form or shape these characters, JK Rowling does. Just playing with them for my own amusement and yours.
Summary: Harry Potter has saved the world, and now the world has left him out. When desperation becomes too much to bear, he finds solace in an unexpected act of salvation committed by an unexpected hero.
Warnings (overall): Angst. Intents of suicide. Dark themes. Fluff. DH-compliant, including epilogue. Takes place between the final chapter and the epilogue.
Warnings of this chapter: Angst. Implied attempt to cause self-injuries.
Author's Note: Written for 100quills's prompt table using prompt 32. Dream.
When Harry woke up the next morning, he stretched before turning his head towards Seamus' bed, where he could spy a figure peacefully sleeping. Smiling softly, he got up and crossed the room to wake Ron up, but he was distracted but a whining coming from his left. Frowning, he turned around in time to see Malfoy fighting against his bedclothes, whimpering in his sleep. Harry had already seen how distressed Malfoy seemed when he slept, as he had spied on the blond ever since he had started sleeping in the Common Room. But he had never been able to witness it when Malfoy actually had space to budge.
Draco's head was tossing from left to right and from right to left, sweat pearling on his forehead, as Harry approached his bed. The blond was muttering too, incoherent sounds that made Harry think of his own nightmares, until the noises became too loud and tears started to roll down Draco's cheeks.
"No, please, no, anything but this, please set her free, please... I'd do anything, anything..." Draco was almost screaming in his sleep, and from the sounds at his back, Harry knew for sure that the blond had woken Ron too.
"Shut him up," Ron muttered, voice thick with slumber. "Make him shut up or something, Harry..."
"Draco," Harry whispered, his words drowned by another series of wails and whines coming from the blond's lips. "Draco, wake up." But the wizard was still tossing and turning in his bed, and Harry decided it would be better to try physical contact to avoid another ruckus. He knelt on Draco's bed, his hand ghosting over the pale skin of those thin arms. When did he lose so much weight? he thought, staring at the boy who was nearly yelling. "Draco," he repeated, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Draco, wake up, it's just been a bad dream, Draco..."
All of a sudden, Draco opened his eyes, and Harry was swallowed by an ocean of grey, unfocused desperation. Not knowing what to do, he was startled when Draco clutched his forearms and leant into him. "Don't let me go," the blond whispered. "Don't let me go, please..."
"Shhh, it's alright," Harry muttered, still unsure about how to behave. "It was just a bad dream, Draco, just that. Everything is fine now, believe me. I've got you." The words escaped his mouth without any thought about possible consequences; it was as if his brain and his vocal chords had been disconnected from one another.
"No, no," Draco was trembling, and he hadn't bothered in hiding his tears. "He was going to kill her, and I said... I said... he was going to kill her!" he whimpered.
"Kill who, Draco?" Harry asked, his eyes never leaving Draco's face as Ron approached them with surprise painted in his face.
"Pansy," he explained. "He... he wanted to kill her and I... I said I'd give my... my soul to him if he just spared her life..."
"Why did he want to kill your friend?" Ron demanded softly, sitting at the other edge of the bed.
"Because of her family... He said they were a disgrace for his cause, that they had betrayed him... I never really understood..."
"But he didn't kill her, Draco. I killed him before," Harry tried to reason, but his words were met by a shocked expression in Draco's features.
"It was not Lord Voldemort," the blond whispered. "It was my father."
Ron and Harry shared a stunned look over Draco's head, which was once again buried in Harry's chest. "His father?" Ron mouthed. Harry just nodded, his heart aching for the boy who had had to grow up faster than he could assume. He thought that, in the end, Malfoy and himself were not so different - just raised up in different beliefs, but raised up in the lack of love and the rigid rules.
"Here, Draco, now you're going to get out of bed and get ready for breakfast. No need to go against what I say." Harry helped him stand up. Ron and he watched as the blond staggered until finding his balance and then walked clumsily out of the room. Neville almost ran into him while coming back to the bedroom. "What has happened?" he asked to his two friends.
"Malfoy had a nightmare," Ron said. "I would have never imagined... what a horrible situation..."
"I sometimes suffer nightmares too, but they aren't half as bad as his," Harry whispered. "They are just bad dreams, Voldemort's memories and all that stuff, though I sometimes hear my mom... I don't want to think about what Draco might hear if a Dementor ever approaches him..." He fell silent, as if lost in his own thoughts, and his friends left him alone for a while. They knew better than to stay around when Harry became melancholic. Neville and Ron walked down the stairs to the Common Room and waved off Hermione's concern about Harry's absence. Ginny just looked past them and walked out of the Fat Lady without a single word.
The news of Malfoy being accepted into Gryffindor spread like gunpowder once the younger students entered the Great Hall for breakfast. When Harry reached the door to hang the names confirming the new Interhouse Quiddicth Team, he tried to shrug off his worry about Malfoy's mental state before entering, but the whispers he was greeted by only made him think more about the blond. It's as if he is losing himself, Harry thought as he sat down by his friends. Ginny, sat across the table just in front of him, whispered something to one of the other Sixth Year girls and they switched their seats. Harry sent a surprised glance towards Hermione, but the witch just shrugged and kept eating.
"Ron," he mumbled. "I wanted to thank you for showing so much... concern before. I thought you didn't like Malfoy."
"And I don't. But he seemed so small and afraid, and you were trying to help him. Plus, I've seen you writhe and scream whilst having your own nightmares, and I know how important it is for you to find comfort. I just thought he deserved a bit of that too. But I mostly was there because you were."
"Right," Harry tried to conceal a small smile. "Whatever the reason, thanks. I'm sure he also thanks you for that."
"Speaking about the git," Ron said louder. "Anyone seen him?"
His question met shaking heads and muttered nos. When everyone finished their breakfast and Draco hadn't yet come down from the tower, Harry began to seriously worry about him.
Getting past the mass of students that had congregated in front of the Great Hall's door to read his announcement and a note titled Hogsmeade Excursions in bright, big red letters, he rushed up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower and almost yelled at the Fat Lady for not granting him access without saying the password. He crashed inside, looking everywhere he could think of, but Draco was not there.
"Had you allowed me to speak," the Fat Lady said once he stepped outside, "you would have known before that this Malfoy boy went to Myrtle's bathroom about an hour ago. The ghost herself told Martirius Ablonged, and the news reached me."
"Who?" Harry asked impertinently.
"Martirius... I can't believe you've been living here for so long, son. Martirius is the man portrayed in the canvas hung in front of that bathroom's door."
In his haste to find Malfoy, Harry didn't bother to apologize to the Fat Lady. He turned around and ran downstairs in his blind search of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He saw the doors closed long before he actually could open them, and his heart flipped in his chest. "Malfoy?" he asked aloud, through the crack in the doors, his head popping inside the bathroom. "Draco, are you here?"
Not receiving any response, he stepped inside the bathroom. Myrtle greeted him from over the stalls, but he was too busy trying to find Draco that he didn't consider asking her for the blond's whereabouts. He passed his hands over the wooden stall doors, feeling every notch under his fingertips. "Draco, it's me, Potter. Please, Draco! We need to discuss some issues regarding the new---" When he finally arrived at the last stall in that row, he had to suppress a choked, surprised sound.
There was blood dribbling under the stall door.
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Author: Lire lire_casander
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Rating: PG this chapter. NC-17 overall.
Word Count: 1406
Beta: Lovely gurliemoviegeek. Any mistakes left are my own fault.
Disclaimer: I do not own in any form or shape these characters, JK Rowling does. Just playing with them for my own amusement and yours.
Summary: Harry Potter has saved the world, and now the world has left him out. When desperation becomes too much to bear, he finds solace in an unexpected act of salvation committed by an unexpected hero.
Warnings (overall): Angst. Intents of suicide. Dark themes. Fluff. DH-compliant, including epilogue. Takes place between the final chapter and the epilogue.
Warnings of this chapter: Angst. Implied attempt to cause self-injuries.
Author's Note: Written for 100quills's prompt table using prompt 32. Dream.
When Harry woke up the next morning, he stretched before turning his head towards Seamus' bed, where he could spy a figure peacefully sleeping. Smiling softly, he got up and crossed the room to wake Ron up, but he was distracted but a whining coming from his left. Frowning, he turned around in time to see Malfoy fighting against his bedclothes, whimpering in his sleep. Harry had already seen how distressed Malfoy seemed when he slept, as he had spied on the blond ever since he had started sleeping in the Common Room. But he had never been able to witness it when Malfoy actually had space to budge.
Draco's head was tossing from left to right and from right to left, sweat pearling on his forehead, as Harry approached his bed. The blond was muttering too, incoherent sounds that made Harry think of his own nightmares, until the noises became too loud and tears started to roll down Draco's cheeks.
"No, please, no, anything but this, please set her free, please... I'd do anything, anything..." Draco was almost screaming in his sleep, and from the sounds at his back, Harry knew for sure that the blond had woken Ron too.
"Shut him up," Ron muttered, voice thick with slumber. "Make him shut up or something, Harry..."
"Draco," Harry whispered, his words drowned by another series of wails and whines coming from the blond's lips. "Draco, wake up." But the wizard was still tossing and turning in his bed, and Harry decided it would be better to try physical contact to avoid another ruckus. He knelt on Draco's bed, his hand ghosting over the pale skin of those thin arms. When did he lose so much weight? he thought, staring at the boy who was nearly yelling. "Draco," he repeated, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Draco, wake up, it's just been a bad dream, Draco..."
All of a sudden, Draco opened his eyes, and Harry was swallowed by an ocean of grey, unfocused desperation. Not knowing what to do, he was startled when Draco clutched his forearms and leant into him. "Don't let me go," the blond whispered. "Don't let me go, please..."
"Shhh, it's alright," Harry muttered, still unsure about how to behave. "It was just a bad dream, Draco, just that. Everything is fine now, believe me. I've got you." The words escaped his mouth without any thought about possible consequences; it was as if his brain and his vocal chords had been disconnected from one another.
"No, no," Draco was trembling, and he hadn't bothered in hiding his tears. "He was going to kill her, and I said... I said... he was going to kill her!" he whimpered.
"Kill who, Draco?" Harry asked, his eyes never leaving Draco's face as Ron approached them with surprise painted in his face.
"Pansy," he explained. "He... he wanted to kill her and I... I said I'd give my... my soul to him if he just spared her life..."
"Why did he want to kill your friend?" Ron demanded softly, sitting at the other edge of the bed.
"Because of her family... He said they were a disgrace for his cause, that they had betrayed him... I never really understood..."
"But he didn't kill her, Draco. I killed him before," Harry tried to reason, but his words were met by a shocked expression in Draco's features.
"It was not Lord Voldemort," the blond whispered. "It was my father."
Ron and Harry shared a stunned look over Draco's head, which was once again buried in Harry's chest. "His father?" Ron mouthed. Harry just nodded, his heart aching for the boy who had had to grow up faster than he could assume. He thought that, in the end, Malfoy and himself were not so different - just raised up in different beliefs, but raised up in the lack of love and the rigid rules.
"Here, Draco, now you're going to get out of bed and get ready for breakfast. No need to go against what I say." Harry helped him stand up. Ron and he watched as the blond staggered until finding his balance and then walked clumsily out of the room. Neville almost ran into him while coming back to the bedroom. "What has happened?" he asked to his two friends.
"Malfoy had a nightmare," Ron said. "I would have never imagined... what a horrible situation..."
"I sometimes suffer nightmares too, but they aren't half as bad as his," Harry whispered. "They are just bad dreams, Voldemort's memories and all that stuff, though I sometimes hear my mom... I don't want to think about what Draco might hear if a Dementor ever approaches him..." He fell silent, as if lost in his own thoughts, and his friends left him alone for a while. They knew better than to stay around when Harry became melancholic. Neville and Ron walked down the stairs to the Common Room and waved off Hermione's concern about Harry's absence. Ginny just looked past them and walked out of the Fat Lady without a single word.
The news of Malfoy being accepted into Gryffindor spread like gunpowder once the younger students entered the Great Hall for breakfast. When Harry reached the door to hang the names confirming the new Interhouse Quiddicth Team, he tried to shrug off his worry about Malfoy's mental state before entering, but the whispers he was greeted by only made him think more about the blond. It's as if he is losing himself, Harry thought as he sat down by his friends. Ginny, sat across the table just in front of him, whispered something to one of the other Sixth Year girls and they switched their seats. Harry sent a surprised glance towards Hermione, but the witch just shrugged and kept eating.
"Ron," he mumbled. "I wanted to thank you for showing so much... concern before. I thought you didn't like Malfoy."
"And I don't. But he seemed so small and afraid, and you were trying to help him. Plus, I've seen you writhe and scream whilst having your own nightmares, and I know how important it is for you to find comfort. I just thought he deserved a bit of that too. But I mostly was there because you were."
"Right," Harry tried to conceal a small smile. "Whatever the reason, thanks. I'm sure he also thanks you for that."
"Speaking about the git," Ron said louder. "Anyone seen him?"
His question met shaking heads and muttered nos. When everyone finished their breakfast and Draco hadn't yet come down from the tower, Harry began to seriously worry about him.
Getting past the mass of students that had congregated in front of the Great Hall's door to read his announcement and a note titled Hogsmeade Excursions in bright, big red letters, he rushed up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower and almost yelled at the Fat Lady for not granting him access without saying the password. He crashed inside, looking everywhere he could think of, but Draco was not there.
"Had you allowed me to speak," the Fat Lady said once he stepped outside, "you would have known before that this Malfoy boy went to Myrtle's bathroom about an hour ago. The ghost herself told Martirius Ablonged, and the news reached me."
"Who?" Harry asked impertinently.
"Martirius... I can't believe you've been living here for so long, son. Martirius is the man portrayed in the canvas hung in front of that bathroom's door."
In his haste to find Malfoy, Harry didn't bother to apologize to the Fat Lady. He turned around and ran downstairs in his blind search of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He saw the doors closed long before he actually could open them, and his heart flipped in his chest. "Malfoy?" he asked aloud, through the crack in the doors, his head popping inside the bathroom. "Draco, are you here?"
Not receiving any response, he stepped inside the bathroom. Myrtle greeted him from over the stalls, but he was too busy trying to find Draco that he didn't consider asking her for the blond's whereabouts. He passed his hands over the wooden stall doors, feeling every notch under his fingertips. "Draco, it's me, Potter. Please, Draco! We need to discuss some issues regarding the new---" When he finally arrived at the last stall in that row, he had to suppress a choked, surprised sound.
There was blood dribbling under the stall door.
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