Time Heals All Wounds?

Chapter 9

Harsh whispers woke Harry and he turned over in his bed but didn't get up. As he moved, the voices stopped, but quickly assumed that he had not woken because they resumed their discussion. Harry quickly realised that the voices did not belong to the boys in his room within the Gryffindor Tower and his heartbeat increased slightly. He nearly had a full out panic when he realised that he was not in his bed. There was no way that this silk sheet covered bed was his. Without thinking he sat straight up in the bed and immediately regretted it as all the blood rushed to his head and made him dizzy

Instantly there was someone beside him and cool hands on his head and face calming him. Harry leaned into the kind touch instinctively and then remembered that he wasn't where he should be and jerked away from the kind touch. It was a trick. He was going to punish him for what he had done. This was his doing. Harry curled into a ball on the bed and waited for his punishment. He was such a waste of space and a freak. This was all his fault. Harry jumped when someone grabbed him gently and he was pulled to someone's chest. He didn't know what to do when he was rocked gently and a hand ran through his hair in a soothing gesture.

"Shh...Harry, you are okay. No one is going to hurt you. Do you remember where you are, love?" that voice, Harry recognised that voice. It had been kind to him. The brunette hadn't realised that he had begun to shake and whimper until the person pulled him closer and wrapped his blanket around him. His blanket! The familiar comfort relaxed him and let the last of the panic wash away. The cool fingers continued to card through his hair and he leaned into the touch again.

"Dra-Draco?" Harry whispered hopefully and smiled lightly when the person holding him sighed.

"Yes, I'm here. Are you okay? You were whimpering and mumbling to yourself when you first work." Harry nodded slightly, but otherwise stayed where he was. He enjoyed the feeling of Draco's cool fingers going through his hair. They stayed that way for a few minutes before another voice sounded from near the bed and Harry immediately drew into Draco to get away from it.

"Harry. It's Hermione. I just came to apologise for yesterday. I didn't mean to startle you when I shouted. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I should know better than to shout when I am around you. I know how much it upsets you when people shout and I did it anyway. I know nothing will be able to take back what I have done, but I have brought you your blanket as a peace offering. I can see that Draco really cares about you and I am glad that you have found someone like that." With that, the frizzy haired Gryffindor rose from her chair "Anyway, I have a group of Hufflepuffs that have asked me to help them with Transfiguration, so I have to go. Goodbye Draco. See you around Harry." Before Harry could say anything, Hermione was gone. Harry whimpered quietly. He had hurt his friend's feelings because he was an over sensitive cry baby. Maybe Vernon was right, he was a waste of space and was better off dead.

* * *

Harry spent the rest of the day curled up in Draco's bed with his head in the blonde's lap. The two had spent most of it in silence. However, it was not an awkward silence that surrounded them like it did when ever Harry wanted to be quiet up in the Tower. This was a content and shared silence. Draco seemed to know that Harry didn't wish to talk about anything and didn't badger him with questions. Instead the two just sat and the blonde ran his fingers through Harry's dark hair in a comforting and calming gesture that reminded him that he wasn't on his own any more.

In the late afternoon, Draco called for a house elf. It arrived with a crack that made Harry jump and move closer to Draco. The Slytherin whispered soothing words to him and then asked the elf to bring them some food. The house elf looked overjoyed with the task of bringing Harry Potter and his friend food and nodded its head enthusiastically before departing with another crack.