Scars III

Chapter 6: What The Soul Holds

Ginny growled at the blank length of parchment.

“Just start writing,” Hermione said, her tone clipped from annoyance. Ginny grimaced but put the quill to the parchment. Her mind still a blank she wrote the first thing that came to her.

A raucous laughter filled the room and Ginny turned on her knees to see the American boy, Greg standing behind her.

“Th…that’s! Oh God Weasely that’s awesome!” Greg gasped between his laughing. His sister, Marla, made sure to whack her brother in the head before leaning down to read what Ginny had written.

On the parchment, scratched in Ginny’s loopy scrawl were the words: Harry James Potter: Bastard extraordinaire.

As Marla reached the end of the sentence she began to snort, the sound nasally as she attempted to suppress the sound.

“Oh what did you do now?” Hermione asked in exasperation.

“I…oh bloody hell I can’t think of anything!” Ginny cried in defeat and tossed the parchment across the room.

With a sigh Hermione handed her a completed essay. “Don’t copy it,” she warned and returned to her work.

Ginny grinned in triumph.

~~~~~~~

“Vhat’s the point of this?” Viktor asked again.

Harry grimaced and said, “I already told you it’s…”

“It’s going to give you a chance to talk vith him again. Yeah, you already said that. I mean, vhat is the point of talking vhen you knov he’ll only scream at you,” Viktor asked.

“Because…there isn’t anything else I can do,” Harry whispered. His words made Viktor cringe in regret.

Nodding his head Viktor said, “fine, go get ready. I’ll do my part.”

Harry smiled his gratitude and slipped into the room of requirements.

~~~~~~

Draco glared at Krum’s back. “What is it you needed to talk to me about?” he demanded. He knew Harry was friends with this guy. He probably wanted to talk about him…so why was he even here?

“Just come here,” Krum said. Draco sighed and moved to stand next to the older boy.

“What…” Draco had no time to finish his question as Krum hit him with a body bind spell. The next thing he knew he was being pushed backwards through a doorway. Hands caught his stiff body and lowered him gently to the door.

Draco tried to scream his fury as Harry moved around him. He thanked Krum and closed the door. To Draco’s horror the door disappeared.

Harry aimed his wand at him, releasing him from his body bind curse. Draco held still for a moment, slightly astonished at Potter’s willingness to release him. Then again, Harry was a vampire and a lot stronger than him…would he kill him?

Draco stood up. He didn’t care if Harry did kill him! This was beyond cruel. This was…it was…

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he growled.

“I wanted to talk with you,” Harry said, his voice low, almost remorseful.

Draco shook his head. Potter didn’t get to act the wounded party. “You fucking bastard,” Draco heard himself say. “Just what do you think we have to talk about?” For once Draco was grateful for his Malfoy side. He was grateful for the ability to ignore his emotions and speak without remorse for another’s feelings or the impact his words might bring. He just wanted this over with.

“When I left,” Harry started to say.

Draco felt anger boil within him. Harry’s eyes seemed to be glued to the ground, his demeanor screaming: victim.

“When you left it was a blessing,” Draco snarled, and he could feel a faint part of him recoil at the viciousness in his own voice. “You should have stayed away Potter. You should have kept going until you found your own death…or at least found yourself some new pawns to pay with.”

Harry then had the audacity to cringe beneath his words. Draco’s fury rose to new heights and he heard himself scream, “YOU SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE AFRAID TO SLEEP AT NIGHT! YOU SHOULD BE…you should be…” the anger was fading. But that wasn’t right. He had to keep the anger. He needed to keep it close. He had to wield it!

“Draco I…”

“NO!” Draco screamed and took a step backwards. “NO! You don’t get to…you shouldn’t be the…I cried over you!” he stopped. He had just admitted…

“I never…” Harry tried to say, his hands reaching out towards Draco.

“No!” The word was weaker. Draco took another step back. This couldn’t be… “I…I cried…over YOU…but you, you didn’t care did you?”

“I did, I do,” Harry cried out but Draco wasn’t listening.

“I should have died. You were supposed to kill me. But you didn’t. I’m your mate but you never loved me,” he shook his head. The old confusion, the one that made his soul curdle, was returning and he knew he would be a cowering mass soon. He needed to escape, before Harry saw.

“Draco,” Harry said.

“No,” Draco whispered, his eyes scanning the smooth walls. He had to escape. “No. You never knew. You can’t know now. I, there has to be a way, I need to get out.”

Draco could feel his breath coming faster. It was dangerous. He was beginning to hyperventilate, “like that time you bit me,” he gasped. “It all comes back to you. Always you. Comparing and dissecting,” Draco turned his back to Harry and ran to the nearest wall, his fingers moving over the smooth surface, searching for an exit.

“I tried, always trying. Running towards, away, always. Have to fight, no, have to be…punished. Weren’t there. Promised but…I had to take it…punished me…bad Draco…”

“Draco?”

Draco turned. The fear in his gut rose to a bile and he tried to swollow. Things were spinning and he couldn’t get any air. He turned again and the world spun faster. Everything was going in circles but he was standing still and the things were getting gray but wasn’t it supposed to be this way…

~~~~~

Harry ran across the room to catch Draco as he fell to the floor. He had passed out, from hyperventilating.

“Like the time I bit him…” Harry whispered, repeating Draco’s words. “But I was the one that…”

He didn’t bother dwelling on Draco’s words as it was obvious the boy would be waking up soon. The last thing Harry wanted was a repeat of what had just happened. He wished for an exit and the door appeared. Lifting Draco from the ground Harry carried him out of the room. Outside he found Viktor waiting.

“Vhat did you do?” the seventh year asked.

“Nothing, he hyperventilated,” Harry said and sat Draco up against the stone wall.

“Damn,” Viktor muttered, “you certainly have a vay vith people don’t you?”

Harry didn’t even try to respond. Instead he motioned for Viktor to follow him and made a hasty retreat from the hallway.

“You’re just going to leave him?” Viktor asked as they descended the stairs.

“Yes,” Harry said shortly, his mind trying to sort through what Draco had been muttering before he passed out. With a sudden burst of clarity Harry came to a halt on the last step.

“Vha...” Viktor started to say and Harry could feel the air compress where the other boy had nearly collided with his back.

“His father,” Harry muttered and moved again, his steps quicker now. It was Draco’s father. At the beginning of second year Draco had been beaten so badly that Harry could smell his blood before he even set foot on the train. Had the elder Malfoy been punishing him these last two summers the same way?

“Then I’ll kill him,” Harry murmured and made a quick right. He needed to speak with Severus.

“Slov dovn!”
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