Scars III

Chapter 2: Saying Hello

Harry felt a lurch and glanced at Viktor.

“Ve’re surfacing,” Viktor told him. Harry nodded and turned his eyes back to his feet.

“No long faces!” Greg said. Harry ignored him. Greg and Marla hadn’t originally planned on going for the tri-Wizard tournament but since Harry was going they had said they would. Marla’s reasoning had been that she wanted to see people that Harry had called friends. Greg had just shrugged and said he didn’t feel like staying at school when all his friends where leaving.

Harry sighed as the ship stopped lurching. It was time to face Hogwarts.

“Ready?” Viktor asked him. Harry nodded and moved for the exit.

~~~~~

Draco had not bothered to watch the entrance of the other schools. He didn’t really care about that. He didn’t care about any of it really.

But now he was sitting at the Slytherin table for dinner and he kept getting odd chills down his spine. So far he had managed to ignore the sensation in favor of poking at his food but it was getting annoying. Glancing up he nearly ran from the room as his eyes met emerald green.

Sitting across from him was none other than Harry Fucking Potter.

“Hello Draco,” Harry said in a flat tone.

Draco felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. After a second of complete shock he found himself opening his mouth. Before he could think words were spilling from his lips, “Hello? That all you have to say to me? What the fuck is wrong with you! What the fuck are you doing here! My god Potter! How…why…FUCK YOU!”

Somewhere in that speech he had stood and now he was leaving the great hall. He could hear Snape shouting after him, something about reducing points for language or some crap like that. Draco paid no mind. He was crying and he didn’t want to be. He was freaking out and he wanted to disappear. He wanted to be dead right there and then.

What had happened? What had he done. He was confused and he hated it. He had to run away but wasn’t that what Harry had done? He hated Potter. But he loved Potter. And he wanted an escape and he couldn’t think. But he was outside and his hands were shaking but the fag was lit and now he was taking a drag.

Oh gods. “Oh gods.” He couldn’t think. He just couldn’t. Not anything. He…fuck…he just couldn’t do this.

~~~~~

Harry stared at the door Draco had just exited through and sighed.

“He’s the von?” Viktor asked from Harry’s left. Harry nodded. “I think you should follov him…he does not look so good,” Viktor said.

Harry turned on him, expecting a smirk or maybe a lecherous grin but all he saw was a pointedly concerned look.

Harry sighed and stood. He noticed that most eyes were now upon him. Shaking his head he headed out the door. Glancing around he realized he had no idea where Draco had gone. Sniffing the air he grimaced and headed outside. He did not want to be doing this.

He found Draco sitting with his back to the castle wall, a fag in his hand.

“Since when do you smoke?” Harry asked.

Draco glanced at him and Harry flinched when he saw the tear tracks. “When you left,” Draco said in a monotone.

“Oh,” was all Harry could think to say.

“You left,” Draco said suddenly. Harry nodded mutely. “You left me…all of us…do you know what you did?”

“I…I needed to gather my thoughts,” Harry said and knew it was lame even as he said it.

Draco laughed and the sound made Harry shiver. Draco had never laughed like that. Draco’s laugh had been snide and full of malice or mirth. But it had never been this flat, soulless sound of air coming from the lungs. It was almost a gasping instead of a laughing.

“Yeah…while you did that,” Draco said and paused while he took a drag from his smoke, “I became the princess of Cuba.”

Harry lowered his head but raised it when he heard Draco stand. The blonde approached him and Harry felt his blood pump hot as Draco leaned in so close their noses were almost touching.

“You should leave,” Malfoy said, his voice was calm even as his eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “Just leave and stay gone this time. Because…you can’t do this to me again…I can’t let you do this to me again.”

Harry opened his mouth to speak but stopped as Draco continued talking.

“I won’t let you, Potter. I let it happen once. But I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t let you make me love you again. You ran away, you did exactly what I knew you would. I always knew you would leave. But this time it’s different. This time, when you leave, I won’t be broken…because I won’t let you do it to me again.”

Harry gaped at him and Draco turned away.

“I left to keep you alive!” Harry heard himself say.

Draco turned on him, his furry clear on his face. “Then you should have stayed and killed me,” he hissed. “You should have ripped my heart out and eaten it whole! It would have been a kinder act than what you did do.”

Harry had nothing to say to that. Again Draco turned away.

“Goodbye Potter, I hope you go to heaven…so I can burn in peace.”

~~~~~

Harry stared at his feet. He was sitting in Doumbledore’s office. The headmaster had requested a visit with him and Harry had figured he had nothing to lose and so now here he was…waiting.

‘One more minute and I’m leaving,’ Harry thought and almost grinned when the door to the room opened and Albus strode in. It figured that the man would have been waiting for him to break…or get tired of the game.

Harry sighed deeply, resettled his mental barriers and waited for the first question.

~~~~~

Harry was making his way back to the ship, his eyes on his feet and obscenities boiling from his lips, when someone yelled his name. Turning Harry saw it was Ginny.

The little, yet not so little, redhead ran towards him and Harry was too stunned to see her to move out of the way. As it was he was strong enough that when she jumped on him he held her up by moving his arms under her thighs.

Her arms were around his neck and Harry couldn’t mistake the sound of her sobs as she buried her face in his neck.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Ginny whispered. Harry could think of nothing to say.

In the end he sighed, “and I missed you.”

Finally Ginny squirmed to get down and Harry placed her on her feet. The girl was as tall as him now, of course he was still a midget. He hardly stood five foot two. But still…

“How have you been?” Harry asked.

“I…okay…” Ginny said and Harry bit his lip at her lie.

“How are the others?” he asked, almost afraid of her answer.

“Their…their okay too,” Ginny said and the lie was worse than the last. Harry felt like his stomach had just vanished and his heart had fallen into where it used to be.

“I should be getting back…to the boat,” Harry said awkwardly. Ginny’s face fell but she nodded.

“I really did miss you Dev,” she said as she turned and before Harry could speak she was running back the way she had come. Harry shook his head.

~~~~~

“Hov vas Dumbeldore?” Viktor asked as Harry entered the room.

“He wanted to know what I had been learning, why I had left, all that kind of shit,” Harry said dismissively. Dumbledore was a thorn in his side but not an important or even a very big thorn.

“Vhat’s vrong?” Viktor asked him.

Harry shook his head but said, “I…I think my leaving did a lot more than I thought.”

“Vhat do you mean?”

Harry closed his eyes. He found himself rocking back and forth and the sensation of his stomach vanishing was now spreading to his lungs and even his throat. He couldn’t speak and he knew that something inside him was breaking.

With a sudden yell of pain Harry felt himself begin to cry.

“Vhat’s vrong!? Viktor yelled. He stood and moved to Harry’s side, his hands on either side of Harry’s head.

“Their not okay,” Harry whispered. His hand moved away from his lap and he pressed a finger to his cheek. It was real, the tears were there, her was crying.

“Vhy?”

“They…they just fell apart. When I left they fell apart and…Ginny, she’s hardly in her teens but she…she reeks of sex…how can that be?” Harry begged of Viktor. The other boy could only shake his head.

“Draco hates me…he loved me and now he hates me and Hermione…she didn’t even notice I was back and Snape keeps glaring at me and Blaise wasn’t there and Draco smokes and…and it’s my fault. Their to young for this!” Harry screamed.

Viktor watched his best friend shake from sobs and listened to his screams. But when Harry had calmed down enough so that he could be heard Viktor said, “you may have been the cause but you can also be the cure. You can help them, Harry. You can help them.”

Harry shook his head but Viktor had a feeling it wasn’t to say no. Harry was too confused and hurt right now to speak so Viktor carried him to his bed and tucked him beneath the covers. “You sleep nov. Tomorrov you can start to help them.”

Harry whispered something that sounded like a thanks before rolling over and burying his face in his pillow. Viktor rubbed at his face and turned away. There would be a lot to do. But he knew Harry was up for it.
_________________________________
A/N: Review for more