Love, Lies & Loneliness

Chapter 26
(Death’s Cold Hands)

Harry could hardly see through his tears as he ran hastily through the Slytherin common room. The room was full of chattering Slytherin’s freshly returned from dinner, all of whom stared at the sight of Harry Potter running through the room with a death eaters robes draped haphazardly about him. The invisibility charm had worn of the cloak quickly leaving Harry exposed for the entire school to see. There were some gasps of shock and mutterings about truth but Harry didn’t care. His heart ached and he didn’t know how to stop it. Rushing up to his room Harry didn’t pause as he flung open the door and fell to his knees beside his trunk. Flinging open the trunk Harry slipped his firebolt out of its protective leather sock and tucked it under his arm. Standing up from the floor Harry turned to leave again but stopped almost immediately as he saw a worried Draco standing at the entrance. It was clear from the way Draco looked over Harry’s appearance that the boy couldn’t grasp what he was seeing but Harry didn’t care as he tucked the robe tighter about him. ‘Let them think what they like they will anyway’, Harry’s inner voice mocked him nastily and the boy merely sniffed up his tears as Draco spoke.

“What are you doing Potter?” Harry didn’t wait as he snapped nastily back at the blonde.

“What does it fucking look like?” Harry pushed past Draco and began running back downstairs. Draco wasn’t to be deterred though and followed Harry as closely as he could. A crowd had gathered in the common room everyone wanting to see Harry Potter in a death eaters robe. Harry ignored the silence of them as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs and merely pushed his way towards the main entrance into the Slytherin common room, Draco behind him. In their time together there was one thing Draco had refused to tell Harry, and it was the one thing still remaining between them that had reminded Harry that he and Draco would never be friends and certainly never trust one another. It was the password into the Slytherin common room. Reaching the main door that all of the Slytherin’s used Harry found it closed and spun around angrily. Draco froze a meter from him as Harry glared at him the boy’s anger almost radiating from him despite the tears.

“Open it!” Harry gestured with his head back at the common room door. It would have perhaps have been wiser just to use his entrance into the common room but Harry didn’t want to be any closer to Snape’s quarters, and this door he knew led straight into the main corridor of the dungeons.

“No.” Draco folded his arms across his chest as the entire Slytherin populace of the common room fell into support behind the blonde. Harry wasn’t in the mood to play games and the ripples of anger already at the surface broke free in the forms of little purple sparks from his finger tips. At the display of power Draco seemed to falter, already knowing the extent to which Harry’s magic had increased in power. “Do it now.” Harry growled low in his throat desperately trying to control his anger but it was too late for that when Draco shook his head again, this time with less conviction. With a fluid grace only seen in wizards twice his age Harry drew his wand out from his inner robes and pointed it directly at Malfoy’s chest. The colour seemed to drain from Malfoy’s face and the group of support took several steps back remembering all to well the last time the two boys had duelled.

“One last chance Draco or you’ll regret it.” Harry did make the threat lightly and Draco knew it too.

“Gryfindors suck at Quidditch.” The words were barely a whisper and Harry briefly thought Draco was mocking him but before he could hex the other boy a rush of cool air hit his back as the door to the common room swung open. Glancing back at the now open door Harry smiled morosely to himself as he turned back to Draco who looked uncomfortably down at his feet.

“Yeah they do.” With that Harry strode from the common room and began to weave his way upstairs. By the sound of it most of the Slytherin’s were following him, and Harry knew that Draco was among them. Reaching the entrance hall Harry growled to himself as he saw the amount of students still milling around after dinner. Determined however Harry strode through them their conversations falling silent as they realised who it was beneath the death eater robe. Unfortunately among those left was Hermione, Ron, Seamus, Dean and Neville who up until a few minutes ago had been exchanging holiday stories still in the great hall.

“Harry! Wait what are you going to do?” It was Draco’s voice that called him to a halt at the bottom of the stairs Harry not turning around as the considerably crowd now in the hallway and lining the staircases quietened down to listen.

“What do you care Malfoy? It’s not like we’re friends is it?” The comment was meant to hurt and hurt it did Draco inwardly cringing even if no one else saw it, it hurt Harry too. ‘But the truth is always painful in your life.’ Harry’s inner voice mocked him again this time accompanied by an evil little snigger from somewhere deep inside him.

“Okay I don’t care but it’s rude to parade around as something your not.” Draco fell easily back into his Slytherin tendencies, covering his hurt with sarcasm and anger.

“Oh and you’ve not been doing that for years? I’ll do what I like ferret features, and if that means fucking with everyone’s head then so be it.” This time Harry turned around the tears gone from his eyes as anger rose up again in his body causing the staircases and walls to shudder. “None of you get it do you?” Harry’s gaze swept across the sea of faces staring at him his expression lost in an emotionless mask. “I don’t care about you, or him, or anybody. Voldomort has taken and screwed with everything I ever cared about, my parents, my freedom, my friends, and most recently my love, so why the hell would I give two shits about what’s going to happen to all you fucks if I don’t do anything? There’s nothing good for me on the other side of this war, what I ever cared about has already gone so really there’s no point in me caring anymore is there.” There was a silence that echoed so loudly in the entranceway as Harry surveyed the crowd staring up at him. “I’m tired of being your fucking scape goat, go save yourselves cause I don’t give a damn anymore.”

With that Harry turned and began up the staircase the crowd automatically parting for him as he strode away. Harry made it to the fifth floor before his friends and Draco caught up with him. Ron went to jump in front of Harry but Harry was too quick and within the blink of an eye the red head was soaring across the hallway a hex dissipating into his chest causing his head to snap back against the wall and knock him unconscious. Harry didn’t bat an eyelid at having hexed his friend and only had to look at Hermione to prevent the girl from attempting to do the same thing. The Gryfindor’s fell behind him and by the time Harry reached the highest turret in the Astronomy tower Draco was the only one left following him. Harry heard Draco pause in the entrance way to the turret room, the wind already whipping around the empty space from the glasses windows. Harry stepped up to the farthest window and stood up on the ledge and stared out at the darkness. There was clouds on the horizon a sure sign of a thunderstorm and Harry merely sighed as the icy cold wind whipped up into his face making the death eater robes swirl around him.

“So this is it Potter? Going to top yourself?” Draco’s voice clearly wavered despite his attempts at continued nastiness. Harry knew beneath Draco’s mask the boy was scared as shit. Harry knew fear though unlike so many of his peers and having stared into the face of it so many times before knew it was just another barrier to be crossed, another challenge to conquer.

“Perhaps. I’ll decide on the way down.” Harry turned around on the window ledge to look at Draco and with a fleeting smile allowed himself to fall backwards into the endless void, his arms outstretched, his eyes facing the heavens and the death eater robe swirling around him like deaths cold finger tips.

“Noooooooo!”

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

A/N *continues cackling like a freak* Now we\'ve established I am the suspense queen of the world let us move on......but not without some lovely reviews to keep my muse on the good side of the bed.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and yes I admit I would have been perfectly at home in Slytherin had I attended hogwarts....*winks*

Thanks for everyone who took the time to review you guys are great..

RIFFRAFF