Bleed Me An Ocean

A/N: For those of you who read the un-revised version of Chapter 9, you may want to reread it since I have added to it, the last half of it at least, otherwise some of this may not make a lot of sense.

It was late and all of Gryffindor Tower was sleeping peacefully; all, that is, except Harry. The scene outside Potions kept playing over and over in his mind, he couldn't get Draco's wide eyed gaze out of his mind and the way the boy had looked when he'd seen Harry frowning at him. Draco seemed like he had been kicked right then and Harry couldn't help but wonder furiously what was going on with him. He had changed so much in just a few months.

Or had he really? He felt his heart twist in his chest as it finally dawned on him that this was not something new, in fact, the more he thought about it the more he could see Malfoy's subtle decline over the years. He had done a good job of wearing a mask, but certain things had started to slip from beneath it by the end of last term. Harry recalled that Draco hadn't seemed to stand up as straight or joke as loudly with his cronies. In fact, he had hardly spoken some days, seeming distant and wan.

He's been falling apart before my very eyes all this time and I never noticed until now, Harry thought, flabbergasted at the revelation, Well, I did say I was going to keep an eye on him, with that thought, he pulled out the Marauder's Map from under his mattress, hurriedly muttering the words to set it to work and began searching for the, most likely, wayward Slytherin.

Scanning the map, he grinned as he located the small dot that was Malfoy moving down the corridor just below Gryffindor Tower. Quickly glancing at the map once more he was relieved to see Filch was in his chambers, as was Miss. Norris. Malfoy has no idea how lucky he's been these past two nights, Harry thought excitedly as he grabbed his cloak and headed down the stairs and out of the tower.

As he reached the corridor he had seen Malfoy in he checked the map once more before turning the corner. Eyes widening in shock and totally forgetting that he was wearing his cloak Harry pressed himself against the wall. Malfoy was heading straight for him! He could've sworn the map had shown him going the opposite direction. Apparently he had been wrong.

A short time later Draco rounded the corner, staring straight ahead and Harry could only gawk, aghast at what he saw. His face was a mess of dried, caked blood. He looks like something out of a nightmare, Harry thought, his face creasing in worry at the swollen lips and black eyes. Malfoy had taken one hell of a pounding was all Harry could guess. He had no idea how truly bad it had been for the blonde.

Slipping in behind him, Harry proceeded to follow Draco up the stairs that led back to Gryffindor Tower. He's going back to the dormitory. But why?!?, Harry questioned himself, furiously groping for an idea. After last night it was pretty obvious that Malfoy had feelings for him, but how long he'd had those feelings and how strong they really were was still a mystery to Harry, a mystery he desperately wanted to solve.

Reaching the painting of the Fat Lady, sans the painting's namesake who must have wandered off to visit another painting for a while, Draco paused, his hand raised as though to knock. He stood that way for what, to Harry, felt like an eternity, then shook his head and muttered something about being stupid and wandered off in the direction of the old classroom.

As they walked towards the room Harry noticed that although Draco was drinking, and heavily from the looks of it, he didn't seem nearly as drunk as he had the previous night. In fact, he didn't seem to really be there at all. His eyes held a vacant, shell-shocked look to them that disturbed Harry. Yet, for all of his zombie-like appearance, he still seemed highly agitated about something. He would mutter to himself sporadically, then shake his head, as though afraid and denying his guilt vehemently.

Harry caught snatches of Malfoy's conversation with himself while he stood behind him waiting for Malfoy to unlock the door. "Not my fault. It was an accident." then "It was my fault, everything is.", forever reaching to touch his throat, a shudder running through him each time he did. He was starting to scare Harry a little bit. As though finally remembering what he was supposed to be doing, Malfoy jerked his head up and muttered the unlocking spell and pushed the door open, Harry hurrying in behind him.

Taking up his spot in the same corner as the night before, Harry settled in to observe Malfoys increasingly strange behavior. He stood stock still in the center of the room, his eyes darting to and fro in his bloody face. Harry could see now that the other boy had started shaking, hard tremors ran the length of his body causing him to shudder all over as his breath came in harsh gasps. Then he began to pace the length of the room, muttering viciously to himself, only to then whimper and whine that no, no, he was sorry, forever pausing to take a deep pull from his whiskey.

Harry merely stood quietly, watching with unease as Malfoy flung his hand out while uttering an oath under his breath. He watched in silent amazement as several dark droplets flew through the air to patter in the dust near Harry's feet. They lay there, glistening wetly for a moment before absorbing into the carpet of grime. Harry didn't have to see the color to know that it was blood. He's cut himself up again, Harry thought sadly.

Indeed, Draco had cut himself again, and badly from the looks of the blood that streamed down his fingertips to plop into the dust as he paced back and forth in silent torment. Why he hadn't noticed that to begin with, he couldn't say, but now that he could see the fluid streaming from Malfoy's arm and down his fingers, Harry's heart dropped in agony. He couldn't fathom why he was beginning to feel such tenderness towards the obviously disturbed Malfoy, but he was. It was like watching a dance with death. He saw that no matter how hurt he may be, Draco still wanted to live and was, in his own terrible way trying to do just that. Yet, Harry could also see that it was a battle Draco was losing. He slipped farther every day.

Draco had stopped pacing now, once more standing in the center of the room. His head drooped towards his chest, his hair obscuring his gore-streaked face as he shuddered all the more. Wrapping his arms around himself, he began to rock his upper body back and forth, eyes wide and unseeing.

Harry swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. He couldn't take it. It was killing him to watch this. Without thinking, he strode forward, still wearing his cloak and touched Draco's trembling shoulder. A cry of surprise tore from his throat as he whirled to face whoever had just touched him . . . only to be greeted by empty space. Harry watched the confused look on Malfoy's face and reached forward again to brush his cheek softly. Draco shuddered again, but did not pull away from the touch this time. Instead, much to Harry's surprise, he closed his eyes and seemed to relax a little. Unsure what to do now, Harry did the only thing he could think of.

Whispering softly to try and disguise his voice the best he could while still being audible, he spoke, "Shh. Be still." Harry's skin prickled as he hoped Malfoy would not try to touch him back. He would be able to feel too much then to believe it was a ghost as Harry wanted to convince him. Stepping behind him once again, Harry stroked Malfoy's hair softly until he reached the nape of his neck and gently lifted the hair to allow his cloak-covered fingers to trail over Malfoy's sensitive skin.

Reaching around him, careful to keep his touch as light and ethereal feeling as possible, he stroked his hands under Draco's shirt to caress his chest. Harry's pounding heart slowed as Draco moaned softly, his fingers brushing the hard nubs of Draco's nipples. Then he winced as Harry softly brushed one of the bruises on his ribs. What happened to you tonight?, Harry thought, stroking lower to Draco's hip and around to brush the crotch of his black jeans. He felt a slight bulge in his pants, Draco was almost ready but not quite yet. Still softly caressing him through the dark denim with one hand, Harry reached for Draco's hand with his other. He could feel the cooling wetness of the blood on the boy's fingers through the thin material of the cloth and he raised it, Draco bonelessly allowing it. Pulling Draco's hand back a little Harry softly kissed the bloody tips of his fingers.

=*|*=

Draco shuddered and moaned then, something about that small gesture had set off fireworks in his nerve endings. He couldn't believe this was happening, that he was allowing this to happen; but there was so much tenderness in the disembodied touch on his body that he couldn't refuse it. He had wanted to be touched for so long, that he could not turn it down once the chance had presented itself. He sighed as the cool phantom lips kissed the blood away from his fingers even as the ghostly hand massaged him through his pants.

Fully erect now, his eyes were slits of lust as he felt those same fingers unfastening his pants, slowly pulling his zipper down. He gasped as a surprisingly warm, silken hand grasped his cock and released it from the confines of his clothing. Invisible fingers wrapped firmly around him and began to stroke in long, slow strokes, always pausing to gently squeeze the head of his weeping cock.

Gasping at the unreal feelings that burned through him, Draco began to rock his hips back and forth, sliding his throbbing erection in and out of those fingers. They would pull up as he pulled back, never losing contact with his cock. Glancing down, he groaned and shivered as he watched his cock disappear and reappear as his ghostly lover stroked him maddeningly slow.

As though sensing his need, the speed of strokes doubled within a second, causing Draco to jerk backward at the suddenly new sensation. It only took him a second to recover and he began to pump his hips faster, keeping time to the now rapid pace of the stroking fingers. Without warning he felt the second hand tickle the slight ridge beneath the head of his cock, then begin stroking it as the other hand worked the base of his prick, the hand twisting in a gentle spiral motion. The sensations were more than he could stand and with a strangled yell, Draco thrust forward once more and spilled his seed onto hands he could not see.

=*|*=

Harry quickly released Draco and stepped back after he came. He was terrified he would turn around then and try to touch him. However, Draco only stood still, panting and beginning to look more and more confused. It hurt Harry to have to do things this way, it wasn't how he wanted it all, it felt sneaky and wrong. Yet, he didn't feel confident enough to reveal himself to Draco, especially not after seeing the state he had been in earlier. It may upset him even more to know it was me, Harry reasoned, even though he had a strong feeling that it wouldn't upset him at all once he recovered from the initial shock.

He walked back to face Malfoy, taking in once more his blood streaked face and black eyes. Squinting in the dim light Harry saw a small glint of silver hanging from the center of Malfoy's nose.Then he noticed the dejected look on the bloody mask of Malfoy's face and sighed inwardly. He wished he could offer more comfort and vowed to himself that soon he would. Things couldn't go on this way and Draco certainly couldn't go on the way he was for much longer.

Stepping closer to Draco, Harry dipped his head and softly kissed the pale crescent of Malfoy's hip that was exposed and made his way back to what he had come to think of as "his" corner.

A flicker of recognition crossed Draco's face and then faded as he hurriedly tucked himself back into his clothing and made a startingly rapid exit from the room. Harry waited a few minutes and then made his own exit as well, but not before noticing the words Malfoy had written in the dust that afternoon. Pondering what that could possibly mean, Harry exited the room and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.

A/N: Ok guys, we're getting closer to the real deal. Just stick with me. I promise it'll be along soon. Please review, I love getting them. :)