Changes

Chapter 7

When he got to their rooms, he practically ran into the bathroom they shared and collapsed onto the floor. His body was shaking from the force of his tears, and he had no idea how to deal with it. So he just sat there in a ball, curled in upon himself, waiting for it all to stop.

When he looked up again, it was because he heard the portrait open and close again. His mind told him to get up, to close the doors, and to make himself look normal. But his body had other plans for him. He remained on the floor, hoping that Draco would find him and go get Severus and praying that Draco would leave him be. He wasn't sure which one he wished for more, and that scared him.

But eventually Draco did come and find him, if the presence next to him meant anything. He looked up, his face only inches from Draco's.

"I suppose you're going to tell me I'm nothing but a crybaby and a loser for breaking down like this." His voice was broken, clearly conveying the hurt inside of him. He was amazed to find Draco protesting.

"No, I wasn't, actually. I came to provide support. I want to help, and I don't know how. That's why I waited for so long." His demeanor clearly conveyed concern and something that Harry couldn't identify. He knew it wasn't pity-he'd had enough of that in his lifetime. He knew what that sounded like. But it wasn't anything he was familiar with. He got to his feet, still shaking.

"I'm going to see Severus. You can come, if you wish, but I'm still taking my invisibility cloak." He grabbed the cloak and walked out the door with much haste-anxious to see the one man who knew just how bad his depression had sunk within the past year.

When he arrived at the door, with Draco at his heels to send off anyone that they had happened to meet along the way, Harry knocked on the door quietly. So quietly, in fact, that Harry was surprised that Severus heard it and answered it within a few moments. He pulled the cloak off only after he was inside, and immediately he was greeted by a warm embrace and an understanding heart.

His weight was no longer being supported by his legs and he realized that Severus had put him in his lap as he used to do. His head lay on the man's chest, listening to the calming beat of his heart that many thought nonexistent. He felt like he was cared for, and he knew that he didn't have to hurry to compose himself. Severus learned quickly that he did much better when given time to let it all out at once than a little at a time. So that's what he did.

He cried for an hour.

When his breathing was somewhat normal again, Harry looked up at Severus-he was searching for some form of condolence, for someone to tell him it was all right and that he wasn't insane or weak.

"Harry, you're not weak. You're no longer carrying the weight of everyone else, I don't know why you still think that you are. I understand what you're going through but that does not confuse me any less. I had a fair amount of responsibility also, and my part is long gone. I no longer feel like you still are. It is not necessary anymore." Harry nodded.

"It's just...I've had to live with it since I was eleven. It's a long time." The next thing Harry knew, he was falling asleep to an old lullabye that Severus used to sing to him late at night after he would have a nightmare. The next thing he remembered was the song ending and picking up again before ending a little while later, as he was being put inside his bed.

"Harry...will you be alright? Do you want me to stay in here for the night?" He expected the words to be coming from Severus, but instead they were coming from Draco. He sighed, and reached out for him.

"Don't go. Please." He couldn't voice much more than that, but as he felt the body next to him disappear, he sat up. "You don't have to...I mean...You can sleep in your bed..." He knew he looked utterly clueless as to what he was getting at, but he truly didn't want to be left alone and he didn't want to freak Draco out. There seemed to be no middle for him with anything.

"Relax. I'm going to get pajamas, I'll be right back." Draco left the room and came back a few moments later dressed for bed. His legs were covered with some silky material and his chest was hiding underneath a black wife beater. Harry could have drooled, if he was awake enough to.

But, he wasn't. He was currently on his side, tense, yet half asleep. It was only when he felt another body slide into the bed next to him that he woke up fully. His eyes widened after they shot open, and his voice failed him as the words he wanted to say tried forcing their way out.

"Shush. Just sleep, I don't mind. Really." Draco's voice was soft and calming, something that Harry had thought impossible in their younger years. He had quickly realized lately that he wasn't always a huge pratt. He relaxed, just enough to close his eyes.

A moment later, he felt warm arms wrap around him, keeping him warm and holding him to a strong and toned chest. He sighed in contentment, and quickly drifted off into a nightmare-free slumber.