Third Place - Angst

Draco never said a word about the incident on the way to the Great Hall, which Harry was supremely grateful for. After the house elf that Draco had summoned delivered a bit of food and water, Harry sat silently and ate while Draco took advantage of the big empty room and practiced his levitation spells on the Hufflepuff table.

Harry was horrified with himself. He had no idea what had started it; it was as if someone else had taken over his body. And everyone had seen it! His housemates and the Slytherins! It was awful. It was sickening.

"Knock it off."

Harry looked up from his sandwich. Draco was putting the table back down. When the ancient wood settled with an audible groan, he turned around and sauntered back to where Harry was sitting.

"So you freaked out. Big deal. You had the right." Draco's tone was casual, nonchalant.

"I embarrassed myself! And my house!" Harry said fiercely. "I didn't freak out, I was a raving lunatic!"

"Yeah, and you're all better now and from now on we make sure you eat properly." Draco shrugged his shoulders, and then grimaced. Harry noticed the darkening mark on the other young man's neck.

"I guess I did try to rip your head off," Harry murmured. "Sorry."

"I'll have Pomfrey fix it when we get up there." Draco said touching the bruise gingerly. He performed a quick repair spell to his school robes to fix the damage Harry had inflicted. "Besides, I told you. You can't rip people's heads off. It's a perk of being a dominant." Draco grinned slyly.

"Draco, do you feel bad at all for what you did to Duncan?"

"No. Gods, Potter, he darted you in the back with enough poison to take out a Dragon. Do you feel any anger at all for what Ferguson did to you?" Draco asked challengingly.

"No. I mean," Harry paused and tried to put his thoughts in order. "I mean, I guess I'm a little angry. It wasn't right to sneak up from behind and cast a spell that he probably only recently learned from a book. He could have hit Ron or Hermione. That makes me angry-,"

"Circe!" Draco cursed. Suddenly he jumped up on the table Harry was sitting at and began pacing back and forth. Harry was reminded of that night in this very room when he had been told everything.

"Aren't you angry for what he did to you? You, Potter, not anyone else. Just you."

Harry shrugged. Draco came to stand right in front of his plate and came down to sit on his haunches, his robe split open to show off his expensive trousers and shiny boots.

"You were this close to dying." Draco held up his fingers with barely a few millimeters between them to illustrate. "You were convulsing so badly in the seizures that I didn't think I could hold on to you. I knew you hadn't eaten that day because you were vomiting up bile and then foam, but your body wouldn't stop trying to get rid of the toxin any way it could. Your skin became pale and clammy. Your eyes were rolled so far back up in your head we could only see white. Pomfrey kept muttering about brain damage and leaving you a permanent resident of St. Mungo's fourth floor." Draco's eyes narrowed. "That is what Ferguson did to you. To you. Not anyone else. He came from behind and tried to put you down like some animal. He decided that he had the right to decide whether you lived or died. So, I'll tell you over and over that I have no problem at all for what I did to him and only regret they were able to put that worthless piece of meat back on his neck."

Draco stood up abruptly and jumped down from the table. "Finish that sandwich and lets go," he barked. Harry quickly swallowed the last bites, stood up and followed the obviously agitated Slytherin.

Harry did not notice their trip up to the Hospital Wing. He was immersed in Draco's words. He had been told what happened to him but Draco had made it seem much more horrible and personal. He couldn't imagine what he would have done if he had to watch someone go through that. In Draco's shoes, he could see why he didn't feel any remorse for it. And Harry had to admit he did now feel a bit of anger at Duncan for doing that to him.

"Mister Malfoy? Ah, and Mister Potter," Madame Pomfrey's voice brought Harry's attention back to the here and now. "What may I do for the two of you?" the medi-witch asked briskly.

"Snape sent us for a pain reliever for Harry's head. We had to force feed him a potion that makes him get a headache," Draco answered in a bored tone. He casually sat on one of the beds without permission.

Pomfrey's eyes narrowed and she peered closely at Harry. "What potion? Why was it forced?"

"He threw a hissy in the middle of Potions. I haven't a clue what it was but it also dehydrated him." Harry blushed at Draco's description of the incident.

Pomfrey placed a finger to her lip in thought. "Hmm, then it was most likely the Lull potion. It has a strong effect that will wear off completely in about an hour. Are you feeling any dizziness or slurred speech, Mr. Potter?"

"No, ma'am. Only when I first, um, drank it."

"And have you eaten?"

"Yes, ma'am. Just now."

"Very well, then yes, I should say that you will be getting quite the headache when it wears off. It is quite effective but its side effects make it unsuitable for long-term use. Did you have breakfast?" The medi-witch pulled out her wand and summoned a tall stool for Harry to sit on.

"No, ma'am," Harry answered as he hoisted himself up onto the stool. Pomfrey began peering into his eyes and feeling his hands.

"Well, that will stop. You must eat. Regularly. You must include plenty of breads and fruits right now. It will help with the sugar in your blood and will aid in balancing your emotional state," she instructed in a no nonsense tone. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"No," Draco complained. Harry gave him an annoyed look. Pomfrey didn't look away from her examination of Harry's wrists.

"Then that will also stop," she said firmly. "You need sleep, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, ma'am."

The medi-witch finished her examination. "I'll just go and get a pain reliever."

"Oh, Draco has a bruise on his neck," Harry quickly pointed out before she went away. Pomfrey immediately focused her attention on Draco.

"Show me, Mister Malfoy," she instructed as she came towards him. Draco moved his school shirt out of the way a bit.

"Stand up, Mister Malfoy. I shall not be bending down if I do not need to."

Draco sighed and stood up. Pomfrey gently prodded around it. "And how did this happen?"

"Harry didn't want to take his medicine," Draco smirked. Pomfrey was not amused.

"Very well, I shall fix that for you." She turned about intent on going to the potions closet.

"And while you're at it, we need a contraceptive as well," Draco called out imperiously and flopped back down on the bed. Harry's head almost spun off his neck he turned it so fast. His eyes wide and his jaw dropped, Harry stared at the casually lounging blonde. Madame Pomfrey on the other hand, simply pursed her lips at Draco's rudeness but nodded her head in acknowledgement. She walked into her office to get the necessary items.

Harry finally found his voice. "I thought you were going to... you know, knock me up?"

"I said that I could. Not that I was going to." Draco raised an eyebrow. "Did you want me to? I thought Granger's whole song and dance was about how you didn't want to mess up your life and all that? You want to go and talk to the snakes, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry admitted. "I mean, I want to have kids someday, but right now would be a little too soon, don't you think?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders, winced, but carried on. "Don't care particularly. Like I told the old loony, we Malfoys are born to breed the next generation."

"But I'm not pure-blood," Harry pointed out.

"You forget, your mother wasn't a true muggle-born," Draco replied smoothly. Harry realized he had forgotten. "Besides," Draco continued, "it doesn't matter. You being Indago makes up for any lack of blood clarity."

"Gee, thanks," Harry muttered. Draco smirked and Pomfrey returned.

"Now, Harry, here is your pain reliever. Drink it fast, its not at all pleasant." Taking the vial, Harry did as instructed. It tasted like burnt sludge. He almost gagged but the medi-witch handed him a glass of water to wash it down. She then went to Draco. Pomfrey merely raised an eyebrow and Draco pursed his lips and stood back up. A slightly lavender paste was rubbed onto the bruise and both the paste and contusion disappeared.

"Now, this is a short term contraceptive," she said, giving them both a stern look and holding up a vial. "It will take effect in fifteen hours and last for approximately fourteen days. Is that long enough?"

"Lustrum only lasts about a week," Draco answered.

"Good." Pomfrey nodded her head. "The longer term ones do not take effect for at least three days. I assume that fifteen hours should not be a problem?" She gave Draco a questioning look.

"Nope. Harry's only in the first phase and I wouldn't touch him if you paid me to. By the way he acted today I'd say we've got another day or so." Harry glared at Draco but only got an evil smile in return. Harry was a bit uncomfortable about discussing sex with the older witch, but he figured it was important. And besides, Draco was the one doing all the talking.

"Fine." Pomfrey handed Harry another vial full of a deep purple liquid. "Drink this, Mr. Potter." Harry took the container and downed its contents. He was pleasantly surprised to realize it tasted fruity.

"To make sure it's taken regularly," Pomfrey said knowingly as she took the vial back.

"Anything else, gentlemen?"

No," Draco answered. Harry shook his head.

"Very well, then, return to class."

Harry hopped off the stool and followed Draco out of the large double doors.

Indago - Chapter 30

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