Shattered Castle

4

i cannot believe macabre is pronounced muh-kob

Draco comes to Potions with red-rimmed eyes.

Harry resists every urge in his body to run to the other boy and hug him and ask him what's wrong, and he has to physically grip the ends of his seat to make sure he doesn't get up.

Instead, he waits until Draco sits beside him to murmur "What's wrong?"

He has to resist adding love at the end of his sentence, afraid someone around them might hear him.

"Later," Draco replies softly, and that's the end of the conversation.

They try to make their potion, but Draco is upset and Harry's upset because Draco's upset, and instead of red, their potion turns an ugly green shade.

"Professor?" Draco says quietly, raising his hand. "May I use the restroom?"

Slughorn nods and Draco shoots out of the room lighting fast. Harry's necklace is getting colder and colder.

Harry waits five minutes, trying to find some way to leave class that doesn't make it look like he's following Draco.

His eye catches the board. Skin-Eating Potion.

Feeling a bit sick to his stomach, Harry knocks his potion over and screams when some immediately burns through his jeans and the skin on his lower thigh, right by his knee.

Worth it. I need to talk to Draco.

"Mr. Potter!" Slughorn shouts, rushing over. "Oh dear, run along to the Hospital Wing immediately!"

Harry decides not to point out that walking may very well kill him, let alone running, and he hops off his stool, gritting his teeth at the searing pain that immediately shoots through his leg. He limps out of the room and immediately beelines to the nearest boy's bathroom.

It appears to be empty, but one of the stalls is shut. Harry can't risk saying Draco's name and having it not be Draco, so instead he coughs softly.

The stall clicks and opens, and a tear-stained Draco steps out, eyes wide. "Harry, what are you doing here? People saw you leave after me!"

"What happened?" Harry asks, avoiding the question.

Draco seems to crumple in on himself. His arms come to wrap around himself, and Harry so badly wants to hug him, but he knows if he moves it will hurt his leg and Draco will notice and make him go to the Hospital Wing.

"Blaise came out to the Slytherins last night," he whispers.

"That's incredible?" Harry says. He means it to sound like a statement, perhaps an exclamation, but he's confused as to why Draco is crying. His legs burns.

"A group of seventh years and Greg beat the shit out of him," Draco finishes, his voice shaking. "He's in the Hospital Wing."

"Oh," Harry breathes. "Oh God."

Draco starts crying again and Harry instinctively moves to hug him, only to cry out when searing pain spikes through his entire leg.

Draco immediately stares at him in shock. "What? What's wrong?" His eyes catch on the slightly smoking hole in Harry's jeans and the blood drains from his face. "Harry, how did you leave class without raising suspicion that you were following me?"

Harry winces. "I couldn't ask to go to the bathroom, it would be too suspicious."

"So you fucking spilled a goddamn fucked-up Skin-Eating Potion on yourself?" Draco shouts. "Are you insane?"