Saving Myself || A Drarry Story

XLIII: Broken

"Harry, " Draco said, taking a step towards him.

Harry continued to chuckle, ignoring the pain in his ribs. "What do you mean?"

Draco put a hand on his shoulder and asked again, receiving the same response from Harry along with, "My father paid me a visit."

"What?" Draco hissed, looking around. "Where is he?"

Harry said through a laugh, "I think he left early into the morning because I woke up and it was noon."

"He . . .did this to you?"

"He hit me pretty hard, " Harry giggled and mimed putting his fist up and touching his eye and jaw. "Then he kicked me. Called me names."

"What were they?" asked Draco through clenched teeth. "What did he say?"

"Called me a faggot, " Harry grinned. "A pussy, a disgrace!" he cackled.

Draco touched his face lightly, his finger touching Harry's cheek softly. "Your glasses are broken."

"They are?" Harry asked, taking his glasses off and squinting at them. Eventually, he shrugged and put them back on, grinning as he said, "Wanna something to drink?"

"Uh, no---what are you---" Draco stuttered as his boyfriend grabbed him by the front of his robes, trying to bring him down to his level. He wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of whiskey. Harry tried to kiss him, but Draco put his hand over his lips, feeling Harry smile and lick his hand. 

"What's wrong?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Are you drunk?" Draco asked. Harry shook his head and Draco saw the empty bottles, telling him, "Come on, we're going to see Dumbledore and ask if he has some more for you."

Harry, with an excited gleam in his emerald eyes, followed Draco as he led the way to Dumbledore's office in the middle of the night. He grabbed Harry's hand, telling him, "Keep up and we'll be quick."

Harry grinned as they walked briskly, Harry swaying and stumbling as Draco silently seethed. Did Harry even fight back? By the way he looked and how he told his story, Harry hadn't even tried. He must have just taken it.

When he got to Dumbledore's office, he knocked loudly, hoping that he was in there. "Enter, " he heard and he opened the door.

"Professor Dumbledore, " Draco said, "there was---"

"Can I have my drink?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, " Draco said. "Just sit down and wait a second."

Dumbledore, his hands folded on top of his desk, lifted his head as he saw Harry's bruised face. "What happened, Mister Potter?"

Harry laughed and Draco went to Dumbledore's desk, saying quietly, "He says that his father came and---and did this to him. He's drunk."

Dumbledore nodded and pulled out a drawer, taking a vial out and telling Harry, "Drink this."

Harry snatched it, taking it in his hand and drinking it quickly. He licked his lips and, after a moment, he blanched, his face pale and his hands shaking as he gasped and fell to his knees. The smaller boy groaned as he clutched his middle as if that would bind him together, clenching his teeth in pain as the agony coursed through his body.

Draco stood silently for a long time before Harry looked at him, his eyes wide and terrified, as he said, "Draco . . .?" Without warning, his small body convulsing with loud, almost animalistic sobs.

Rushing over, Draco said, "Harry! Harry, what hurts!"

Harry shook his head, tears falling fast and sobs still racking his body violently. "My father---"

"What did he do, Harry?" Draco asked softly. "What did he do?"

Harry shook his head again and his cries were tenfold. "He got---he got---" Harry put his two index fingers at his temples, choking out, "Inside my head!"

Draco looked at the headmaster as he clarified, "He used Leg---"

"Yes!" Harry sobbed, interrupting him. He turned his terrified eyes to Draco, grabbing him roughly by the shoulders. "He saw everything! Us, we, our! The dream! My . . ."

Draco eased Harry's hands off of him, making soothing gestures. Harry wasn't making any sense. He turned to Dumbledore, who told him, "Mister Malfoy, it may be best if you go and get Madam Pomfrey and tell her to bring up something for shock and to calm Harry down."

Draco started to stand, wanting to help Harry the best he could, when the smaller, hysterical boy said in the most pained and anguished voice imaginable, "Please don't leave me."

So Draco stayed, sitting on the ground in front of Harry, his shoulder a nice place for him to put his head as he continuously cried. Draco touched the boy's left arm, earning a sharp cry. "Don't!"

"Don't what?" Draco asked as Dumbledore bent down to look at Harry's arm. "Harry?"

"He---" Harry started until he gave up and held out his arm, his body shaking. He winced when Dumbledore tried to roll up his sleeve until he simply made the sweatshirt vanish, revealing an ugly and crude image on his forearm.

Harry had been given the Dark Mark, the flesh around it angry and red, hating the world and everything in it. Some parts were burned in a bit deeper, making it look more black in those spots while some were thin, as if hurried.

"Your father did this, " Draco said through clenched teeth. It wasn't a question.

Harry nodded into Draco's shoulder, tensing when the blonde circled his arms around him. Dumbledore, who had sent a message to Madam Pomfrey via wand, said, "I will contact Fudge and tell him to apprehend James Potter at once."

"What are we going to do about the Mark itself?" asked Draco.

"Get it off . . ." heaved Harry.

A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey rushed into the headmaster's office, a pink vial in her hand. She gave it to Harry, instructing him to drink it, which he did. His sobs stopped, but his shaking didn't, as well as his silent tears.

"Thank you, " he whispered as he stood, leaning heavily onto Draco.

"We have to . . .carve it off, " said Dumbledore as they walked down to the Hospital Wing.

Draco looked down at Harry, who told him, "Just do it. I don't care."

When they did get to the Hospital Wing, however, Madam Promfrey gave him a potion for pain. Harry collapsed onto a bed, asking Draco to stay with him as Madam Pomfrey used the tip of her wand to carve out the ugly and black Dark Mark on Harry's forearm, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

"I always will, Harry, " Draco replied, soothingly brushing Harry's hair with his fingers, "don't forget that."

"I won't, " whispered Harry, looking straight up at the ceiling.

An hour later, Dumbledore healed over Harry's bleeding wound with his wand, but, instead of smooth, tanned skin, an ugly and pinched white scar was in the Marks place. Madam Pomfrey wrapped it in gauze as Harry turned his head to face Draco, who looked nauseous.

"Sorry, "

Draco shook his head, telling him, "You have nothing to be sorry about."

And Harry relaxed, falling asleep with Draco's shushing sound in his ear and his hand in his right.

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