Edge Of Gravity

Harry let the tears drip down his cheeks as he tried to process what he had just been told. “Hagrid?” He whispered, pulling his legs up to his chest.

“Yes.”

“McGonagall?”

“Yes.”

“Snape?”

“Yes, as far as I know.”

Harry turned his head, looking at this older version of Malfoy. His eyes were downcast, his body slumped; so unlike the arrogant young boy he had disliked all of his Hogwarts days. The boy that had called Hermione a mudblood or taunted him into misery. This was a man who had seen too much death for someone as young as he was.

“Last I saw of Snape, he was trying to fight off a Death Eater from your…”

“Body.” It was a strange thing to know you have died, that your very soul had been sucked from your remains and then remember it as clearly your first kiss.

“Yes.” Draco’s voice was strained, strangled to a mere movement of lips as he tried to hide the tears he was wiping from his face. “He fought to the very end for you, till they were able to get your body away.”

“What made you change sides?” Harry remembered Draco watching on one of the moving sets of stairs before he heard Avada Kedavra.

“You.” Draco didn’t try to hide that he had been on Voldermort’s side, he was even going to take the dark mark in one week’s time after school had let out. He had thought he would take his rightful spot by his father, but then - the attack on Hogwarts. Voldermort had killed without mercy, student after student; Had killed without remorse like a mad man. He hadn’t cared if those bodies were on his side or not, he had just killed.

It had been during their last year exams and Harry had been on his way to Snape’s class. He had watched from above, as the stairs moved and student after student died. Harry had pushed Granger out of the way as spells were tossed at him and students collapsed around him like flies.

He had watched in grim fascination till he watched Potter drop. Harry wasn’t suppose to drop, he wasn’t suppose to lose. Sure he was going to be beat one day but by him, not by someone else. “Potter!” He remembered screaming as his father was pulling him down. “Stay down.” His father had hissed in his ear, but he couldn’t.

Harry Potter was not dead, he couldn’t be.

The next he remembered he was peaking over the banister and saw Snape fighting against the rising group of Death Eaters. “I watched you die, Potter, and I knew it was wrong.”

“Why, because it wasn’t you?” Malfoy flinched, realizing Harry knew why he had thought it was wrong.

“Yes.” He whispered.

“Harry, you have to understand, no one knows that you’re alive. It can’t get around. If it does, they could truly destroy you this time.”

“What do you call what they did the first time, Hermione?” Harry deadpanned, looking out the window of his old Hogwarts room. “Hell, I can still feel what it was like.”

“Harry…”

“No.” Draco raised his hand as Granger’s voice wavered, her eyes brimming with tears. “Potter, I know what you have been through but--”

“You KNOW WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH?” Harry screamed, as much as his recovering vocal cords would allow. “MALFOY YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE!”

“Harry.” Hermione choked, a fresh batch of tears streaming down her cheeks.

“No, all I wanted to do is graduate, be happy, have a life but I died! Do you know what that fucking feels like Malfoy? Do you know what it is to die?”

Harry stood up from his window sill, trying his best not to let his legs give out. “I know. I know *just* what it feels like to feel yourself slipping the fuck away, do you? Fight with all your fucking might but still lose. Do you know--”

“HARRY STOP!” Draco clenched his jaw, turning away. “You need to save your energy, Potter.”

“Draco, was just trying…” Hermione fell silent as Draco raised a hand.

“Potter, I do not wish to fight with you.” His voice was strained as though the world was sitting upon his shoulders.

Harry nearly fell back on the window seat, taking a step back from Draco, before turning away. This was not the boy he had known when he was young, the boy who always looked smug and made attempts to prompt him into fights. Hell, if he was still in school they would of cursed each other by now, but it wasn’t, was it?

Harry could feel Hogwarts then, it was not the Hogwarts he knew that made you feel warmed even in your darkest hour but something else that could only be described as misplaced.

It made him feel more lost, made him feel like he was standing more outside himself then before. The world he had left, the one he knew, had fallen apart and not even the memories could revive it. It made him shudder with the thought that maybe if he would have just jumped out of the way, if he would have…

“Don’t do that, Potter.”

Harry looked up to see Draco sneering down at him. “Don’t you bloody do that, because it’s to late now to even think about it.”

Draco eyes took on the look of when he was younger, the dare-to-defy-me look that had been patented by the Malfoy’s for so many decades they should have gotten royalties for it. “Because it’s true.”

“Harry.” Hermione voice was so soft, it made him wonder if it was the magic of the castle tricking him. Hermione sounded defeated, so unlike the never surrender attitude he had always known in her. “There was nothing you could have done.”

“I could have destroyed him. It was my destiny.” Harry felt so tired, like he had been rung out and now it was just catching up with him.

“No, Potter. There was nothing you could of done. It was already too late by the time they actually attacked Hogwarts. The Order was already set, even if you could have killed Voldermort, the order would of killed you.”

“Order?” He asked groggily, feeling sleep clawing at the back of eyes. It was too much to deny but he had to stay awake, he had to know.

“Order of Voldist.” Hermione words were choked, making her sound older, more heartbroken.

Harry looked back at Hermione, noticing for the first time the bags and age lines; years of pain carved into her skin that perhaps he could of prevented. “Then why bring me back.”

“Because we needed you.” Draco stated, the sarcasm that almost always dripped from his words was not there.

Harry blinked at Draco, the man looked more like Lucius then he cared to remember, except for a few things that had marked Lucius. The long blonde hair was cut into a short almost jagged cut that fell around a face that was more beautiful then his father. Also, he wasn’t donned in robes that fit a king, but a robe that would match Ron’s hand me down robes. “Ron? Where’s Ron?”

Draco turned away from Harry, his movements stiff. “We better get you out of here.”

“Hermione?” Harry whispered, feeling his stomach bottom out. NO, NO, NO! His mind screamed as Hermione looked passed him out the window. “NO!”

“Draco’s right.” She whispered, trying her best to sound even. She didn’t move though, just continued to stare out the window. He wished he could see the memories flashing in her eyes, the thing that made tears glimmer in them.

“He’s dead isn’t…” Harry didn’t finish as a sharp pain shot through his scar. “Ahh.” He hissed, as he grabbed his head, it had been to long since that had happened.

“Harry?”

“Dementor’s, damn it.” Draco hissed, as he ran up to the window that Harry was sitting by.

“I told you we should have just brought him back.” Hermione’s snapped, as she rushed forward to Harry. “It was to close to nightfall.”

“What would suggest that we do, Granger? Potter wouldn’t have survived the trip.” Malfoy hissed, as he watched the Dementor’s float about the courtyard of Hogwarts.

“He would have survived, and even not, we could of brought him back a…”

“Granger!” Draco turned on her then, eyes narrowing. “We were barely able to do it this time! It was only because of the...” He fell silent, his eyes nervously shifting back to Harry before turning back to the window.

“We could…” She fell silent as Harry gave another hiss. “We can’t apparate from here.”

“We will have to take him to the woods, it is the only safe place.”

“No, you know that isn’t safe in the Forbidden Forest.” Hermione argued, wrapping her arms around Harry’s waist. “They’ll be upon us before we are three trees in.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Draco voice was sharp, as he ran to the doorway of the room. “They will kill us, and you know that Granger.”

“But we’ll die in the…” Hermione fell silent, as Draco pulled his wand.

“Take Potter to the forest, they are coming too fast.” Draco stepped in the hall, his eyes scanning the rubble before waving Hermione out. “Go quickly, and do not use your wand if you can help it. They will only attack if you use…”

Crash.

“Draco, we can run for the...” Hermione clutched tighter onto Harry’s waist as he began to convulse in her arms.

“Granger, get Potter out of here. We can’t afford to lose him again.” Draco hissed as the high pitch screeches echoed. They were within the castle, probably within the dungeons.

“Draco, I can’t leave you…”

“Bollocks Granger, just go!” Draco snapped, setting his wand to ready. “They’re already too close for us to do anything else.”

“I will come back for you.” Hermione voice was shallow, strengthening her grip around Harry’s waist. “I promise Draco.”

“Hermione.” Draco called, glancing back to see her pause as she half dragged Harry away from him. “There is no point.”