Is this love? [Drarry]

Chapter 3

TW - minimal mentions PTSD, ED, depression, & self-harm in this chapter

Harry's POV

I laid, my head on the soft pillow, my legs straight down the bed, crossed at the ankles. I glanced to the other boy making his way around the bedroom. I had finished unpacking a while ago, but Draco likes to do things so slowly. Probably why I always caught the golden snitch before him.

I couldn't help but notice the detached look on the boy's face. His eyes looked glazed over, the bags under them were dark. His slightly longer hair gently curling at the ends, no longer neatly gelled to the top of his head, but falling against his face. His uniform hung more loosely on him than it did the previous years. I didn't notice any of this before, on the train I mean. Of course I didn't study him either as I found myself currently doing.

"Potter." I was snapped out of my thoughts. "You're staring." The words came out of Draco's mouth as more of a whisper.

"Uhm, er- sorry." I finally stated. My eyes had migrated to the ceiling once again, cheeks flushed.

...

Draco's POV

I laid on the cold, hard dungeon floor of the Malfoy Manor, a place I'd known all too well. My body couldn't move, I tried, but it couldn't.

"Draco, you've disappointed me. I thought you could do better, but it looks like not everyone is cut out for this job, now are they?" The Dark Lord himself lingered at the metal gated entrance.

I still couldn't move, but I could listen. I could listen while the man I hated most unlocked the unbreakable lock with the snap of his fingers. I listened while his muted steps made their way across the floor, robe trailing behind. I listened, and even saw his ugly face peer down over me. An evil smirk permanently plastered on said face. He sneered.

"You're pathetic, Draco Malfoy. A joke of a Malfoy, you don't even deserve the name. You couldn't complete a single task I had assigned you. There was just one, and you have failed." He spit the words like venom over my paralyzed body. "Look at you. You're laying on the cold, hard ground. After a mere couple minutes of the Cruciatus. You can even stand that? And yet you expect to stand up to your whole school, to your teachers, to Harry Potter, "the Chosen One," himself? You're nothing, Draco. Nothing. Just dirt on the ground." Voldemort kicked me harshly in the ribs before walking back through the opening in the wall, locking the gate once again behind him, and disappearing up the stairs.

Tears streamed down my face as silent sobs wracked my body. I wanted to scream, but I was unable. What would the worth in that be anyways. I haven't got anyone to rescue me. My knight in shining armor was no where to be found. So I just cried. Until I felt hands on my shoulders, my body began to shake more violently than before.

"Draco?" I heard a voice say quietly. "Draco are you there. Are you okay?" the voice became increasingly louder. "Wake up, Malfoy. Wake up. You're having a bad dream, it's alright. I'm here. Wake up."

My eyes shot open as I was greeted with emerald ones looking down over me. I was struck with fear. I quickly swung my feet over the edge of my bed, and stumbled to the bathroom without a word to Potter. I couldn't face him, not like this. I was too vulnerable.

I peered up into the mirror. What I was greeted with was terribly ugly. My eyes were puffy and red from crying, still decorated with large dark circles under them. Dried tears remained on my cheeks. The pajama shirt I was in fell over my shoulder, leaving too much bony body revealed. A slight splotch of black shown from under my shirt sleeve. I yanked it up my arm to reveal the ugliest part of my body. My dark mark, covered in an abundance of scars, which I had given my self. I started as an attempt to maybe distort the mark enough, but eventually, I found pleasure in the pain. I've stopped though, knowing that no matter how much I slice through the tattoo, it would always be a part of me.

I was startled by a soft know on the door, causing me to rip my sleeve back down, making sure my mark was covered.

"Are you okay in there, Draco. I'm out here if you need anything, anything at all. I know what you're going through. The dreams, I mean. I've had many of my own before, still a couple to this day. I know how you're feeling. The guilt of the past, and just the overwhelmingness of everything around us. But it get better, I promise you it will. And I know this might sound like rubbish to you at the moment. Just a bloody old saying. I still feel that way sometimes, well a good amount of the time. But maybe we can get through this together, Malfoy. So if you need to talk i'll be right out here."

I rested my head against the door, just listening to Harry's kind voice. Nobody had ever spoken to me like that. Not even Pansy or Blaise, especially not Crabb or Goyle. Is this what it was like to have a true friend?  Someone who actually cared about me. Or was he just faking. Just because he knew how I felt, but he didn't really care. Maybe he was just sitting on his bed secretly hoping that I never come out of the bathroom, secretly hoping I'd die in there.

I sighed. He wouldn't be like that, would he? Not everyone is bad. "Pot- Harry. Why have you forgiven me? I was so horrible to you... and Weasley and Granger.... just so horrible."

"I forgave you because I know that deep down in you, there is good. Ever since you lied to Bellatrix. You lied to save my life, because you're not bad, Draco. Just a good heart in a bad environment, that's all. And I think I really want to get to know that good heart. Forget the past. I'm starting over, and I don't think that'd be a bad idea for you either."

The way his words sounded from his lips was so calm, I could almost drift to sleep listening to Harry talk. I carefully opened the door to the bathroom and appeared from the restroom.

Harry stood, waiting for me to near him. So I did. He stuck his hand out in front of him.

"The names Potter. Harry Potter. And I would very much like it if you'd be my friend." Harry half asked, half demanded as his lips formed a goofy smile.

I shook his hand in return. "I'd very much like that as well Harry Potter."