Time Heals All Wounds?

Chapter 14

It took weeks for people to stop leaning together and whispering whenever he walked past. As much as it upset Harry, he didn't tell the blonde Slytherin. He was enough of a burden as is, he didn't need to add anything else on top of it. By the end of the first week, Harry's nerves were beginning to fray. He hated the attention that he normally received due to being the stupid Boy-Who-Lived. He didn't even really do anything, but the Wizarding World acted as if he had Avada Kadavraed the noesless man at the age of one. Now, not only did he have that to deal with, he also had to suffer everyone gossiping whether or not the 'Saviour' was beaten by Muggles. It took everything in him to walk down the corridors without hyperventilating. With the whole school talking about it, it was only a matter of time before Vernon discovered that the secret was out.

Harry had realised that and almost threw up. He was going to die. He was genially going to die. Unfortunately, he was mid panic attack when Draco had entered his room. The blonde immediately raced over to his side and tried to calm him, but Harry couldn't hear him. He was going to be beaten to death when he got home. He felt the air change as Draco left his side, but was too focused on what his Uncle was going to do to him in a few months when school got out. He was a dead man.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Draco rushed to the library and hoped to any and every deity that may exist that Hermione was there and not in the Tower. He stopped just outside the library door and composed himself before entering. He was worried about Harry, but he wasn't about to disgrace himself for it. Upon entering, he was relieved to see that the library was mostly empty and he was able to spot Hermione quickly. He quickly made his way over and stood beside her. The girl looked up and must have seen the look in his eyes, because she just gathered her parchment and books, put them back in her bag and then gestured for him to lead the way.

They made their way in silence, until they reached the dungeons. Draco did not want to say anything that would further the drama for Harry. The dungeons however, were safe. No one would repeat anything they heard for fear of what would come out about them. So, Draco took the opportunity to briefly explain the state that he found the dark-haired boy in when he arrived in his room and the decreased appetite and skittishness of late. The Gryffindor girl sighed sadly and nodded her head.

"I think I know what to do. We have to hurry though, because going by what you have said if we don't reach him soon we might not be able to get him to calm down without medical help. He has never hurt himself during an episode, but best not risk it." With that, the two increased their speed and made it to Draco's room. To find that Harry was not where Draco had left him.

"Harry? Harry!" at first the blonde was confused, but it quickly gave way to panic. Shit! He shouldn't have left Harry alone when he was in such a state. The two went further into the room and tried to look for Harry. After searching the bedroom top to bottom, the two went into the bathroom and here horrified by what they found.

(WARNING: Mentions of self-harm)

"HARRY!!" Hermione screamed at the prone boy on the bathroom floor and the small, but growing, puddle of blood that surrounded him. She dropped to the floor at his side and started looking for an injury site and promptly found multiple deep slashes on his wrists. Draco couldn't move, he just stood frozen before the scene.

"Oh, Harry! You poor, poor baby. What was going through that head of ours that caused you to do this? You should have come to someone about this. My, poor baby brother." She brushed the hair from his forehead and laid a kiss on it before quickly waving her wand to heal the wounds. They didn't heal completely, but enough to stem the bleeding and prevent risk of further damage. She then turned her attention to Draco.

"That should hold for now. Sadly, they are going to scar. From the look of them, they will scar badly. Would you mind helping me lift him? I don't want to hurt him any further." Draco snapped out of his frozen state and quickly made his way over to the boy on the floor. Together they lifted Harry and gently placed him on the bed. Hermione then wrapped white bandages around both of his wrists after adding antiseptic cream to prevent infections.

"Do you have a way to get a Blood Replenishing Potion without me trying to steal one from the Hospital Wing? I would prefer not to, obviously, but Harry comes first." Draco thought for a moment and contemplated going to Severus. He voiced this to the girl who looked contemplative.

"How likely is he to ask what it is for?" Draco rubbed his hand over his face and sighed.

"The chances of him inquiring are equal to the chances of him grumpily shoving it into my hands and demanding I leave him alone. The question is, is it worth the risk?" Hermione bit her lip and nodded.

"I think it is. If he does ask, we tell him the truth. Even if he does dislike Harry, I think it would be highly unlikely that he would withhold it." Even as she said it, Draco saw a flicker of doubt cross her features. Draco straightened his posture and smoothed out his clothing and hair.

"Well, he needs it. If we wait much longer, it could be bad. Would you mind staying with him while I go to see my godfather?" Hermione smiled tightly and nodded

"Of course! Good luck." With a quick thank you, he swiftly left the room.

* * *

Draco returned a few minutes later with a few vials in his hands. Snape had been in the middle of marking first year essays, so hadn't bothered to ask because he was too busy muttering about dunderheaded pupils. Hopefully, his godfather wouldn't remember that he had asked for them. He quickly gave them over to Hermione and in turn, she administered them to a grey looking Harry. Thankfully, some colour returned to his face once the potions had been administered. Draco sat beside the unconscious boy and adjusted his blanket higher so it covered his chest. Draco and Granger shared a tense silence as they watched the boy before them, before she left to go eat dinner in the Great Hall. The blonde stayed beside Harry instead, but had to promise Hermione that he would eat at some point before he went to sleep that night.

He tried to keep his mind off everything by completing his homework, but his mind kept wandering back to the scene in the bathroom and the state Harry had been in before it. After about an hour of failed attempts at a Herbology essay, he gave up and moved back over to sit beside Harry. The softness of the boy's hair surprised him the first time he had run his fingers through it, because it looked to be coarse and wiry. Draco snuggled up against Harry with his back against the headboard of the bed. He gently ran his pale fingers through the messy black locks and earned a quiet sigh from the sleeping Harry. He continued to stroke a hand through his hair and got lost in thought again.

A yawn escaped the young Malfoy and he decided it was time to ready himself for bed. When he went to get out of the bed, he found a mop of messy black hair across his lap. With a small smile, Draco gently lifted the head off his lapand rose from the bed. After he carried out his normal routine, he returned to the bed and curled in next to Harry who seemed to relax in his presence.However, sleep did not come as easily as the blonde had hoped. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Harry on the floor. His pale white face and black hair a stark contrast to the blood that surrounded him. He thought he had lost Harry at that moment and he had just stood there. Thank goodness that Hermione had been there, or Draco wasn't sure that the result would have been the same. Everything was okay now though, the blonde tried to reassure himself. Harry was sleeping beside him; the colour had returned to his face and he was breathing steadily. Everything was okay and he was determined to do a better job of protecting the smaller boy from now on, even if that now included protecting him from himself.

Sorry this took so long. I couldn't get this chapter just the way that I wanted it. I am putting it up now before I wreck it any further. Enjoy xx