I Want to be Your First Choice, Harry Potter

Chapter Fifty Six

We're sitting in the Great Hall, Harry's reading his book again. He seems to be interested in something on one of the pages. I look over to see Katie sitting with her friends.

"Harry, look. It's Katie Bell." I point out. He looks over and gets up to talk to her. I can't really hear what they are saying but I see Draco walk into the room looking flustered. The second he sees Harry he turns around and begins to walk out, fiddling with his tie and looking nervous. Harry notices after he sees everyone else looking behind him, then follows Draco. I don't know if I trust Harry to not do something he'll regret, so I get up as well and follow the both of them. Hermione tries to stop me but I ignore her.

They're walking faster and faster with each step, pushing through crowds of people. I'm far behind and eventually lose them. I wander around the hall looking for where they would go until I hear the sinks in the bathroom begin to flood the room. I'm hesitant before going in since you never know what you'll find at Hogwarts. I enter the room that is partially filled with water. Although I don't see anyone at first, until I walk further in.

"I didn't mean to, Gabriella. I swear." Harry's voice is shaking terribly. I don't know what he's talking about until I see a stream of blood pass by my feet. I feel squeamish at the sight of the deep red liquid intertwined with the water that is spurting from the broken pipes.

I cautiously walk close to Harry, afraid of what I'll come across. I see Draco laying on the ground, wincing in pain with huge gashes all over his body.

"Harry, what did you do?" I ask as I slowly approach the two of them.

"I don't know, I used a spell from the book. I didn't know what it would do!" He shouts.

"Ok, ok. Which spell was it?" I ask as nicely as possible, not to tense him up anymore than he already is.

"Uh sectumsempra." He manages to stutter out. My heart sinks, sectumsempra as in the curse that I read about that night in the common room. I had only skimmed through the book but I didn't see any type of reversing spell to the effects of it.

To our surprise Snape walks in and starts to heal Draco. I don't understand how he could possibly know a way to relieve Draco of his wounds right off the top of his head like that. And to be so sure of it. Harry and I both watch in awe of how the lacerations are suddenly disappearing at the wave of his wand and some words I've never heard, which I assume is the oral portion of a spell. Until he snaps at us to leave immediately. He seems as though he doesn't want us to know anymore about what's going on, even though we were the ones who were there first. It makes me a little bit suspicious of him to say the least.

Harry looks pale like he's going to be sick, his cheeks look flushed. His uniform is untucked, he has a very shaky breathing pattern. We walk a little further from the bathroom until he stops walking. "What?" I ask.

"He tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on me, it was self defense I promise." He explains.

"I believe you Harry." I say putting my hand on his shoulder.

"I almost killed someone." He mumbles to himself rather than me. His eyes dart around the hall looking everywhere until they fall on me when he seems like he's had a sudden realization. "I almost killed someone." He repeats but this time it's directed towards me like he's telling me for the first time, like I didn't know already.

"But you didn't." I try and reassure him. He starts to do sudden movements with his head as if there's somebody whispering in his ear.

"This is exactly what he wants." He starts to breathe heavily. "He wants me to be driven insane." He looks back at me in my eyes. I know he's speaking of Voldemort trying to get into his head. "It's working." I get a pit in my stomach because he's right to an extent.

"Come on." I grab his hand and start walking fast to Dumbledore's office. He'll know how to help. Harry brainlessly takes my orders. His hands are cold and shaky, I start to rub his thumb with mine to try and comfort him but I don't even think he's noticed.

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Dumbledore told me to wait outside while Harry was in there. I plop down on the cold floor and lean my back against the wall, waiting for Harry to be done. I let my mind fill with separate possible situations for what could be going on in that office. One of them being Dumbledore ignoring Harry's needs and continued to pile more tasks onto his already full plate. I swear if that is what's going on I'll have a fit.

The door opens and I jump up, Harry exits looking even more depressed then when I last saw him.

Dumbledore was supposed to help him. From the emotionless look on Harry's face it seems as if he's done the complete opposite. I can't believe this, how could someone, especially one as wise as Dumbledore, be so oblivious to Harry's struggles. Unless he didn't care to notice them.

Harry doesn't say anything to me but he takes one of my hands and puts the other on the small of my back guiding me back to the common room. He's acting odd and it scares me. He's comforting me an extra amount, not that I don't like it. It's just that he's clearly doing it for a reason, which can't be good. I continue to look up at him every few seconds to try and read his facial expression. It's hard though, since he's so good at hiding it.

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As we enter through the portrait hole we are greeted by lots of people around the common room who we don't really want to talk to right now. None of them are out close friends or anything, mostly people in different years than us. It's obvious however, to everyone that something just happened by the way Harry is frantically looking around the room.

He squeezes my hand to get my attention and motions his head to the balcony. I try to keep the amount of shaking that my body is doing down but I know this means that we're about to have a serious conversation. And Harry does his best to avoid serious conversations unless they are absolutely necessary.
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