The evening that Hagrid was fired, Draco was in the library with Blaise. Manimi, coiled in his bag, had started to hiss when a loud cracking noise accompanied a burst of red light from outside the jewelled windows. Looking up from their textbooks, the two boys made brief eye contact before looking at the window, waiting for another sound. When none came, Blaise raised an eyebrow and returned to his work.
Another sudden noise made them both jump. This time Draco closed his textbook, draped Manimi over his shoulders, and walked to the window, opening it into the darkness and looking around.
A little way away, several figures surrounded Hagrid's hut. Draco recognised the unmistakeably squat figure of Umbridge and the huge mass that was Hagrid, as well as several other people. Blaise, peering out from behind Draco, pointed at something moving a towards the figures.
"Is that... McGonagall?" He asked, incredulously.
"Shh," Draco hissed as he strained his ears. McGonagall, for it was her, was screaming something that Draco couldn't quite make out at the people standing around Hagrid's hut, and a second later, a cacophony of light and noise met their eyes. Manimi gave a sound that was more like a cat spitting than the normal hiss of a snake, and even though Draco didn't speak Parseltongue, he completely understood. Suddenly, out of the mass of spells, they saw Hagrid running with something in his arms, his long strides too fast for Umbridge and her minions. A spell flew close to him, illuminating his massive beard and outlining his body for a fraction of a second, and then he was gone, vanishing into the darkness.
Both boys yelped as the window slammed shut and they turned to see Madam Pince holding a finger to her lips and pointing with her other hand back to the table where they had previously been sitting.
"But-" Blaise began, but Madam Pince swiped the air with her hand.
"Be quiet, or leave," She hissed, and swept away.
"What on earth was that all about?" Blaise asked under his breath as they sat back at their table.
"I guess they were trying to sack Hagrid. Do you think McGonagall is okay?" Draco looked to the window again, biting his nail.
"She'll be fine," Blaise said confidently. "It'd take more than Umbridge to hurt her."
"Sneaking up on him in the dark like that," Draco shook his head in disgust, "Bloody cowards."
"Come on, then," Blaise said after a moment. "we've still got a History exam to revise for, no matter what goes on put there."
0o0o
"We're finished!" Theo was grinning as together he, Draco, Blaise, and Pansy walked into the sunny grounds. "No more exams!"
The history OWL had gone better than any of them had expected after Professor Bins' abysmal teaching, and even though he was tired after a night of extreme cramming, Draco felt light and happy. Their exams were over. They were free to do what they wanted, and that meant enjoying the sun while it lasted and then getting very drunk at the post-exam party later that night. Better yet, he and Harry were meeting after dinner, and Draco had a good idea of how they were going to celebrate.
But for now, the sun was shining, the breeze was cool, and his friends - for they were his friends now, not merely allies to a familiar cause - were laughing together as they walked by the lake. Gladly, Draco joined in.
0o0oHarry0o0o
A high, cold voice came from Harry's mouth as he regarded the figure before him.
"And I ask again, Black. Tell me where it is."
The man in front of him stared at him defiantly. Shelves covered in glowing orbs surrounded them. They seemed to emit a faint humming. Sirius Black, bound to a dark wood chair by black chains, did not speak.
"Crucio!" Harry cried, and his long, white fingers felt the magic as it coursed from the wand to the man. A scream, terrible and agonised, filled his ears.
"You will break, Sirius," Harry smiled, as he watched the man before him panting from the pain.
"You'll have to kill me," Sirius Black muttered.
Lord Voldemort's mouth - Harry's mouth - twisted into a callous smile. "Oh, I will."
0o0o
"Harry! HARRY!"
With a jolt, Harry opened his eyes and sat up, looking wildly around. Hermione was kneeling by him, a hand clutching his shoulder. Ron was standing over him, looking worried.
"He's got Sirius," Harry said shakily, scrambling to his feet.
"What?" Asked Ron, incredulously.
"He's got Sirius, and he's torturing him!" Harry was already walking - almost running - back to the castle. Hermione grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.
"What are you doing?!" Harry shouted, "We have to go and rescue him! He could already be dead!"
"But don't you see?" Hermione asked imploringly, "this might be what he wants you to see? This might be a trap?"
"Who cares?" Harry had to stop himself from pushing her away.
"Harry, you're being too rash," Hermione pleaded with him.
"No I'm not-"
"You are! I mean, you do have a bit of a thing about... saving people,"
Her face fell as she saw the look Harry gave her.
"A bit of a thing about saving people." He repeated."A bit of a thing about saving people."
"Harry-"
"I'm going to find Sirius." Harry began to move to the Castle once more, and once again, Hermione held him back.
"Just... check, at least. Check if he's in Grimmauld place before you trust what you saw. Please."
"Fine!" Harry snapped. "We'll have to use Umbridge's fire, though."
0o0oDraco0o0o
Draco looked on in horror as Umbridge interrogated Harry, while he and the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad held Ginny, Neville, Luna, Ron, and Hermione. Harry looked angrier than Draco had ever seen him. Standing in Umbridge's office, watching his boyfriend being borderline tortured, was not how he had envisioned this evening playing out.
"You were trying to contact Dumbledore, I presume?" Umbridge was simpering, not even attempting to hide her smile of triumph. "You were plotting against the ministry?"
"Are you stupid?" Harry sneered, and a loud crack sounded as she slapped him hard in the face. Draco's blood boiled and it was all he could do to resist hitting her. Just as Umbridge opened her mouth to speak, the door to the room opened, revealing Severus Snape standing in the doorway.
"Ah, Severus. Did you bring what I asked?" Smiled Umbridge.
"I'm afraid the last of my veritaserum stores were used on Miss Bell," He said, coolly. "Unless you wish to poison the boy - and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did - then I am of no use to you." Snape turned and was about to disappear from sight when Harry shouted to him-
"He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot, and he's keeping him in the place where it's hidden."
Turning, Snape looked at Harry, and Draco saw something flit across his Godfather's face.
"What is he talking about, Snape?" Umbridge asked sharply, looking between Harry and Severus, who looked at her without emotion, then back to Harry.
"No idea," He said, and disappeared from the room.
"Well," Umbridge smiled at Harry, and turned the picture of the Minister for Magic to face downwards on her desk. "You leave me with no choice. Unless you tell me now, I shall have to resort to extreme measures." She brought her face very close to Harry's and hissed. "The Cruciatus Curse."
"But that's illegal!" Hermione shouted, struggling against Crabbe, who held her back.
"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," Umbridge looked overturned picture on her desk and raised her wand. "You have until three, Potter. One. Two-"
"Tell her, Harry!" Hermione shouted, and Umbridge turned to Hermione.
"Tell me what, Miss Granger?" She asked, a look of savage triumph on her face.
"Well if you won't, I will," Hermione continued, and looking at Harry, Draco saw confusion cross his face.
"TELL ME WHAT?" Umbridge shouted.
"The weapon," Hermione said. "It's in the Forbidden Forest. We can show it to you."
0o0oHarry0o0o
Harry and Hermione ran back to the Castle, leaving Umbridge to the centaurs, her screams growing fainter as they drew further away. Running towards them, they saw Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville.
"How did you get away?" Hermione asked and they met, all slightly panting.
"Puking Pasties," Ginny grinned. "It was Ron's idea."
"I said I was hungry and took out the sweets," Ron laughed, "Of course, they all told me to shove off and ate them themselves. It wasn't pretty."
"That was clever, Ron," Hermione said, and Ron coloured a little.
"No need to act so surprised," He said, smiling.
"So what's the plan?" Asked Luna, and all eyes were turned to Harry. His heart sank.
"Look, I really appreciate-"
"Don't you dare tell us we can't come," Neville said, darkly.
"But-"
"This is what the DA was all about!" Ginny said, hotly, "Fighting. We want to help!"
Harry looked around at them and knew that there was nothing he could do. Admiration for his friends filled him as he met their eyes, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with affection for them all. "All right." He sighed. "How do we get to the Ministry?"
Luna smiled. "We fly, of course."
0o0oDraco0o0o
The hospital wing stank so badly that, if he hadn't already thrown up everything in his stomach, Draco would have been sick. He, Crabbe, Goyle, and two other Inquisitorial Squad members sat on separate beds with buckets of sick in all of their laps, and only the occasional wretching sound to punctuate the silence.
Dazedly, Draco wondered if Harry was okay.
Madam Pomfrey didn't want the Slytherins to leave until she was sure of their health, and that meant staying the night. It wasn't so uncomfortable after a few air-cleaning spells had been cast, and after Manimi came and found him, Draco felt a little more at home. Exhausted by throwing up, and the continuous feeling of nausea, Draco was asleep by nine, barely two hours since the puking had begun. It was the fastest he had fallen asleep in a very long time, and as he drifted into unconsciousness he wondered, distantly, if he shouldn't be going to make sure Harry was okay. But he was too tired, far too tired to move even a finger, and soon enough he was enveloped by black. The rest of the Slytherins soon followed suit, and Madam Pomfrey drew the curtains against the light summer evening. Darkness fell in the Hospital Wing.
0o0o
Draco was drowning. It was dark, and his entire body was filled with tears. He tried to move his arm and legs, to swim, but they wouldn't move. He tried to scream. Couldn't. Paralysed. No light source. No up or down. Only water, and death.
Gasping, Draco sat up in the hospital bed and heaved great lungfuls of air into his body. An overwhelming sadness was crushing him and when he touched his face, his hand came away wet with tears. He was sobbing. He had no idea why. He felt as though there could never be happiness in his life again.
Someone came. Draco didn't care. As he was taken from the main sickness bay, the sadness began to dissipate into a dull ache. They reached the door to a private room in the rear of the Hospital Wing and the tears began to dry into an uncomfortable salty residue as Draco took deep breaths of air. A potion was handed to him, and without a word, he drank. The ache didn't leave, but it was as though it had been covered with a blanket. Madam Pomfrey led him to bed at the side of the room and told him to lie down. Disappearing for a moment, she returned carrying Manimi in her arms and placed her at the foot of the bed.
"There now," She said. Her voice was motherly without its usual strictness. Draco didn't look at her. He was afraid he would start crying again. "The potion should help you to sleep. You just get some rest, Mr Malfoy. It's the best medicine." Quietly, she left the room, and Draco sagged onto the pillows.
It had been the ring. It had been Harry's sadness. Fear gripped Draco through the haze of the potion and he tried to get up but found himself unable to move. Something was cushioning his mind, blocking out the world. He fell into a fitful sleep.
0o0o
Draco woke to the streaming sun, and groggily rubbed his eyes. Something was nagging at him from the recesses of his mind, and he reached for it, trying to make it solid. Then he sat bolt upright. Something had happened to Harry last night. Something huge.
Soon he was out of the room and looking around the hospital wing, Manimi slithering behind him. Several of the Slytherins were still asleep, though the absence of some indicated that they were already awake and probably in the hall having breakfast. Draco's eyes fell upon a bed surrounded by curtains and he looked around to make sure Madam Pomfrey was absent before walking to it and peeping around the curtains.
It was Harry. Heart beating, Draco walked briskly over and held Harry's face in his hands, his eyes studying it for any sign of injury. Harry's eyelids fluttered open.
"...Draco?" His voice was husky from lack of sleep.
"You're okay," Draco breathed with relief.
"I'm alive," Harry corrected without a hint of humour.
Draco skipped the pleasantries. "Are you alright?" He asked, still looking Harry over.
"A lot happened last night," Harry said unhelpfully as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Draco saw the scar standing out on the back of Harry's hand, scratched into the skin in his own handwriting. I must not tell lies.
"I felt this really intense sadness through the ring last night," Draco prompted, and as he met Harry's gaze he saw something flicker in his eyes. "What was it?"
Harry shut his eyes. "I really, really don't want to think about it." He said in a small voice.
"Is everyone... alright?" Draco asked carefully, and Harry screwed his eyes shut even tighter, shaking his head. "...Who-"
"Please, Draco," Harry's voice took on an imploring tone, making Draco want nothing more than to hold Harry in his arms and protect him from whatever it was that was hurting him, to never let anything touch him again. "just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm going to shatter. Please, don't make me-"
"Shhh, it's all okay, I'm not going to make you do anything. You're alright."
"I feel like there's some sort of badness in me, something rooted in my soul, and it's eating me alive," Harry whispered, his eyes closed. "I don't know if I can hold myself together."
"You won't have to," Draco stroked the curls of Harry's dark hair as he spoke. "I'm going to keep you safe. I'll hold you together."
Draco whisked around as footsteps came, drawing nearer to the curtain.
"Cloak's in the drawer," Harry muttered, pointing at the bedside table. "I'll see you once I'm out,"
"I love you," Draco said in a rushed whisper as he pulled the drawer open.
"I love you too."
The curtains drew back just as Draco settled the cloak over his head, and without a sound he edged around the nurse and made for the door, wanting nothing more than to turn back and stay with Harry until it was all okay again.