Broken Hearted

AN: In this one Blasie is a girl as this was written before the Sixth Book!

part 1…. Overheard

Five years later...

Well this was a fine mess he had gotten himself into. Sighing, Neville tried to remember the undo spell he'd been taught in cases like these. *Damn those, Slytherin and their practical jokes! * he thought as he sank deeper into thought. After all, it just would be his luck to get swatted in this form, being transformed into a fly and all, by two Slytherin jerks. The sound of voices brought him out of his musing.

"Isn' he going to be all right?" Professor Hagrid asked.

"I honestly do not know. It would seem Mister Potter's condition is growing worse with every passing day. But I'm sure given time we'll have him good as new" Madam Pomfrey replied.

"Tis all me fault. I shouldn't have healed it. Should'a found somebody that twas better at magic..." Hagrid's sentence trailed off.

"If you hadn't helped that boy when you did, he would have most likely died. You did the only thing that could have been done at the time." Madam Pomfrey placed a reassuring hand on Hagrid's arm as they walked by the place Neville was watching from on the wall.

"But what iffin' he gets worse? Harry could ... He could..." Hagrid choked on tears that threatened to fall.

Tightening her grip on the large man's arm, she stated. "The Head Master would never allow something like that to transpire. Dumbledore will see to it that young mister Potter will get through this. Even now he and I are searching every possible avenue we know for the cure."

Nearly wailing at the woman, Hagrid asked "But his heart?"

Stopping at the end of the hallway, Madam Pomfrey turned the giant man to face her. "HEAR this, Hagrid. In all my years here I've never lost a patient." Sympathy flooded her face as she wiped away the tears on her companion's face with a lacy kerchief.

"Harry could survive this unscathed. He is the strongest person I've ever met. That young man has been through much pain in his life. He will get through this, not to worry." Giving him a comforting smile, she changed the subject. "Now enough of this, tell me Hagrid how is Fluffy doing these days?"

Their voices faded until they were too far away to be heard. Neville, who had over heard every word of their conversation, transformed himself back into his 6 ft. tall, brown haired, form and sat down hard in stunned silence. *Should survive? Should? By the gods! * Inside the seventh year student's head the little voice screamed that it couldn't be true, but it was. He'd heard it with his own ears. * Harry Potter... heaven help them all... was dying! *

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Stumbling into Gryffindor Tower's common room, Neville barely made it to the couch by the fireplace. So many questions whirled within his head and no answers where forth coming. Trevor, in his frog like way hopped up on the disturbed boy's lap, sensing Neville's need to be comforted. Hours past as Neville tried to piece events together to find some clue of Harry's sickness. In the end only winding up with even more questions than before. Exhaustion took over his worried mind and the seventeen year old fell into a nightmare filled sleep.

The following morning Neville realized Harry was in the hospital so getting the answers from Harry was near impossible. However, Hermione and Ron would be at the breakfast table soon and he decided to corner them both to find out the truth.
When he finally wove his way through the throng of people and to his table, Neville was about to jump clean out of his skin. Nervous, exhausted from a troubled sleep, the Gryffindor felt sick to his stomach as he awaited his friends to arrive. Dean sat down next to him and tried several times to find out what was wrong but Neville kept shaking his head and telling him he couldn't talk about it.

Breakfast was nearly over when he finally spotted the two and he wasted no time heading over to them. His mind was so consumed with its purpose that he never saw Blaise Zabini of Slytherin house standing by the door.

"Is he dying?" Not one for subtlety, Neville jumped right in.

"What?" Ron and Hermione asked in unison.

"You heard me. Don't try to just put me off like you usually do. I want to know if what I over heard Hagrid and Madam Pomfrey say is true. Is Harry dying?" he demanded.

"Not here, Nev. Ron grab us a bite and meet Neville and I in the library." Hermione had barely gotten the words out before she was dragging the other boy, toad and all, down the hall, leaving Ron behind.

Walking like a condemned man, Ron headed off to get something for the three of them to eat. Blaise stood at the doorway and tried to make up her mind what to do. Should he tell her friends first or a certain Slytherin blonde what she had just over heard? She was still in Draco's bad graces after one of her rumors cost their house loss of fifty points. Draco it was.

Running from the door and quickly to her table she tugged on the boy's robe but he didn't respond.

Hissing in his ear she tried to get his attention again "Draco."

Sighing, the blonde turned and graced Blaise with his best cold stare. "WHAT?"

"I just heard something you need to know. Its about Potter." She said hurriedly.

"Potter?" Draco snorted. "Like I care but do go on Blaise. I want to know what is so damned important that you felt you needed to disturb my morning meal."

"FINE. If you don't want to hear about how Potter is in the hospital wing dying then don't give it a second thought." The girl huffed.

"What's he dying of this time?" Goyle asked jokingly.

"Oh. HA. HA. Laugh it up, chuckles. I'll have you know I heard it from the mouths of Granger and Weasley. They were trying to shut Longbottom up about it!" With that she stormed off.

Normally he would just let her go but hearing Blaise claim to have heard it straight from Potter's best friends, changed things. Getting up quickly, Draco caught up with her just as she was about to join her friends. Grabbing her by the arm he hauled her out into the hallway with Goyle and Crabbe on his heels.

"Talk!" he demanded.

"Why should I? You won't believe me anyway." She said with a bit of a gloat in her voice.

"BLAISE! My patience with you is becoming very thin. TALK!" Draco barked the order.

Biting her lip she said almost timidly, "Follow me, but leave the bod squad here." Holding up her hand at Draco's furious expression she added. "They make too much noise and you're more likely to believe it if you hear it from the source than from me."

Reluctantly, Draco followed her to the library. At the door she held a finger up to her lips and grabbed his hand. Pulling him behind her, they tip toed from the doorway to the long line of shelves and tried to sneak in as close as they could get without being noticed. The closer they got to the study tables the clearer the hushed voices became.

"So what are they going to do about it?" Longbottom was asking.

"We don't know yet. Dumbledore says they are searching everywhere for the cure and not to worry. But I've seen the way Madam Pomfrey has been looking lately and I know Harry isn't getting better. I've managed to get in a few times without anyone seeing me and he looks worse than before," Weasley was saying as Draco and Blaise stopped and crouched down to listen.

"I feel so helpless." Granger was sobbing softly. "We've crossed referenced every symptom we know he has and have come up with nothing. If only we had more to work with."

"I don't know if it would help but I can tell you what I over heard last night." Worry ringing clearly in Longbottom's voice.

"Every little bit helps, Nev. Anything you can tell us would be much appreciated." They heard the red head say.

Longbottom launched into his tale, going into great detail about how he was literally a fly on the wall when he overheard the games keeper and the school physician. For a blundering dolt, Longbottom was thorough. By the time he was finished talking Draco felt like he was going to be sick. He should be happy or smug or something, not like this. Not feeling his insides ache and wanting, sod it all, to go comfort his rival.

It was as if the world had suddenly decided that it no longer wanted to make sense.

The Slytherin boy's mind whirled with the things he'd heard echoing in his head. Things like… lack of appetite, collapsing to the floor, electrocution, seizures, excruciating pain, and now something was happening to Harry's heart.

What was worse, Granger seemed to think there was more. Stuff only the adults knew, and not just about Harry's heart either. Weasley seemed to be in full agreement. The three argued for a bit, but had to give up the conversation temporarily because the library was growing busy. Blaise and Draco sat on the floor where they'd been listening long after the Gryffindors had left. Neither said anything for a while, each lost in his or her own thoughts. It wasn't until Goyle and Crabbe found them in the library, that they got up to leave.

For the first time Draco and Ron Weasley were in complete agreement. Something had to be done. From the sound of it they didn't have time to wait on the teachers to solve things. He felt as helpless as Granger did. Draco admitted, if only to himself, that he wouldn't wish that kind of death on his worst enemy. Not even one named Harry Potter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TBC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~