Escaping Darkness [Book 1 of Through Darkness and Light]

Chapter 23: Pain Stops Not Love

Well this was different.

Harry could hear garbled voices, as he slowly began to regain consciousness. He was dimly aware of the warmth that enveloped his hand, and, as he became more aware, he realized it was a hand.

Green eyes fluttered open, and Harry was suddenly barraged by anxious voices and faces. The most prominent was Draco’s. “Harry?” the blonde asked with concern. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” Harry rasped. Draco immediately handed him a water glass, from which Harry drank. “A little sore, that’s all,” he said when finished drinking.

Draco set the glass down on a side table, his grip on Harry’s hand not loosening. “Merlin, don’t scare us like that,” he muttered.

“It’s not like I tried to pass out to scare you,” Harry murmured, letting his head fall back against the pillows. He looked around; he was in the infirmary, and he was alone with Draco, Ron, and Hermione.

“I’ll go get Madame Pomfrey,” Hermione said briskly. “C’mon, Ron.”

Draco gave the girl a grateful look, before turning back to Harry. “What was all that about, Harry,” he asked seriously.

Harry tried to play dumb. “I don’t understand,” he said, averting his gaze.

“I think you do. I’m sure you didn’t know about the side effects the Horcrux would have, but what about the ring? I know you researched it. You knew what would happen. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Harry sighed, and turned back to Draco. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t like it. I was afraid you wouldn’t accept the ring, knowing the full measure of what it did.”

“I still don’t know all of what it does, but I wish you had told me.” Draco squeezed his hand lightly. “If we don’t tell each other this stuff, bad things could happen!”

Harry grimaced. “I know. I’ll explain it now then, I guess.”

He shifted positions, wincing slightly. Draco noticed, and asked, “Do you need another pillow?” Harry nodded after a moment of more shifting.

“Yeah. One’s not enough. I can’t sit up like this.”

Draco glanced around, but the nearest pillow was too far away, well, too far away by his standards. He was not leaving Harry’s side, even for that. And his wand was on the other side of the bed, resting on the other chair. With a small smile, he climbed onto the bed, ignoring Harry’s protests and questions. “I’m too lazy to go get a pillow,” he drawled, propping Harry up so that the smaller boy rested against his chest. “I’ll be much more comfortable anyways.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Draco just grinned down at him, and Harry smiled softly. “Thanks though.”

“Now, about that explanation…”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Fine. It’s like this. No one can hurt you with any spell, poison, weapon, et cetera. They can touch you, but only unintentional pain can get through. So, when your father grabbed you, you could feel the pain of his fingers digging in, since he wasn’t grabbing you to hurt you with his grip. Everything else is diverted.”

“And what does that have to do with you?”

“When I gave my blood to the ring, it was a sort of a love shield. I don’t really know how to describe it…” Harry thought for a moment, his eyes pensive. “I guess…it shields you, and transfers the pain to me. The levels of pain vary with the type of spell. A stunning spell, for instance, is more uncomfortable than painful. But the Cruciatus spell, while not as painful as what it normally would be, is much, much stronger. It’s an odd pain too…like someone is squeezing my heart. I don’t know why I passed out. Maybe because of the Horcrux earlier?” He grimaced. “Not a pleasant feeling. But worth it for you.”