What a Terrible Mess

Chapter 6

McGonagall had left Harry there in the infirmary with Draco for hours. He still couldn't remember anything else that would be of any use to the medi-witch. He was free to go but he just couldn't. He felt terrible for the fallen Slytherin. He had more scars than Sirius and himself combined. Hermione and Ron came by to go to lunch with him and he'd accepted. Though he didn't stay long, and couldn't find an appetite. He found out that Zabini and Hagrid were still missing- Draco the only one aware of the whereabouts. Hermione had even gotten the Marauder's map and checked, they weren't on school grounds. McGonagall was cancelling classes for the week and considering closing down the school for the year. Everything was just going terribly wrong. It was all falling apart. He returned to the infirmary after that with several books on magical creatures Hermione had in her pile. There was still the mystery of the creatures that had saved them and the one that survived the killing curse.

So, Harry sat there in the chair beside Draco's bed. The curtains were closed and the silencing charm still on them. The only sound that would emmit from them would be if Draco were to worsen. Madame Pomphrey had told Harry when he'd returned that Draco was in a magical coma, he may never awaken, and could not survive without the IV potions she was providing. He'd just been hit too hard. She wasn't sure how he'd even made it this far, or how she hadn't noticed it before when he was there. She assumed the curses and whatever else he'd been hit with, were still working within him- causing his condition to worsen.

Harry thought back on the night Malfoy had reappeared, drifting away from the book open in his lap. The dragon thing that had encircled them had been frightening in itself, rows and rows of needle like teeth gleaming this way and that as it snarled. It's tail...feathers... if that's what they were- were razor sharp, having sliced the bottom of Hermione's robes off as it passed. The color it had been reminded Harry of spilled blood. The other creature... the... he didn't know what it was. It had survived the killing curse. It didn't seem as terrifying to him though he knew of at least two students who had... relieved themselves...when it had covered them with it's massive wings. Ron, Harry and several other members of the DA had thrown themselves against the wings to try to escape and had been cut when they did so, like road rash. Yet, Harry had walked away from the battle completely unscathed. He wondered if Bellatrix and the others had followed Malfoy and Zabini to the school, and how long they'd been running.

With that he glanced back up at the blonde lying in the bed next to him, scarred and dying. He couldn't help but to be curious about the boys story. How had he made it? There were so many questions he wasn't sure he'd ever ask. Harry glanced back down at his book, greatful to Hermione for giving he and Ron the ones with illustrated pictures of each character. That way he could just skim through all of them. Ron had been livid and Hermione upset that Harry would most likely be staying the night in the infirmary. They had understood however, that it wasn't something he could talk about and let it go quickly.

Harry thought he heard Draco move and shot up, spilling books everywhere. But, no, Draco still lay still, breathing a little better now in Harry's opinion. He leaned over the blonde to the table on the opposite side of the bed to get a better look at the vials hooked up to him. He would have to regrow bones, there was one for internal bleeding, fever, dreamless sleep, several pain relievers, flesh repairers for the fresher wounds... the list went on. It was insane to Harry how Malfoy hadn't died. He glanced down at him, looking again at the scars that covered the boy. How long had Voldemort kept him there? What had he wanted with him? Harry leaned back to a standing position, just surveying Draco.

It was then that he spotted the large circular scars on the back of Malfoy's hand. Harry glanced up at the boy again before grabbing one of his hands in his, turning it over. Just as he'd suspected the scar went straight through. It was rather large and he noticed the entire hand felt like jelly. This would have been where Madame Pomphrey removed bones for regrowth. Harry assumed they'd grown back together incorrectly and she'd had no other choice. Reaching for the other hand and pulling it closer to see, Harry discovered the same scar on the other hand. Curious, Harry pulled the sheet up covering Malfoy's feet and looked, the same scars were on both his feet, through and through. They'd nailed him to something to hold him there for sure. It disgusted Harry and he became dizzy with the anger from it.

Stepping back so that he wasn't so close to the blonde, Harry slid on one of the books he'd dropped and fell forward. His upper body landed hard on top of Malfoy and Harry cried out, trying to get off of him quickly. The bed was on wheels and had moved suddenly to the right and Harry did his best to keep it from hitting the vials and knocking anything over. Draco let out a cry in his sleep and Harry jumped backwards, staring down at him. He was just dreaming and the alarm didn't sound so Harry couldn't have made him worse. He leaned back over to check the dreamless sleep potion. If Malfoy's dreams were anything like his, he'd need more. Yet, there the vial was, full. The bed hadn't even touched the table. He thought he could hear footsteps and he quickly pushed back, careful not to fall again. Harry grabbed up the books he'd dropped and stacked them quickly.

He had just sat back down when Madame Pomphrey swung open the curtains. Behind her stood none other than Blaise Zabini.

"Oh, Dray..." he moaned, collapsing in the chair opposite the side Harry was on, "you should have never removed the charm... he's going to be so upset..."

"The charm, Mr. Zabini, is why Mr. Malfoy is out cold. His body couldn't take any more magic outside of his own!" Madame Pomphrey snapped, turning with a huff and flurry of her night robes before leaving. Harry and Zabini stared at each other.

"They don't know if he'll make it..." Harry offered.

"I *know* that Potter!" Blaise lashed out over his friend, Draco moaned again and then more sofltly Blaise tried again, "I mean, I know, they told me. I'm just upset. He's going to be upset about the charm. I'm the only one who's ever seen him this way. He's very vain, you know." Blaise took Draco's limp hand in his and stared quietly.

"Are... are you charmed too?" Harry ventured. Blaise just nodded quietly.

"Draco... Draco... please come back. I did it Draco, Hagrid and I did it- the school..." he teared up, "the school will be safer. They'll all be safer Dray- can you hear me?"

Harry felt very awkward and got up to go.

"Um, I guess I'll be leaving now..."

"NO!" Blaise yelled, then checking his composure, tried again, "no, Potter, stay. I do have to go. The adults want me in the Headmaster's office. They're having a pow wow of some kind. Just... just do me a favor... please?"

"Well that depends. We're not exactly friends you know."