A/N: Dear Reader's,

Thank you so much for reading my story. The reviews, the story-alerts, the favorites have all made me sublimely happy. I'll admit that this is the first story I've ever let anyone read of mine (minus my fiance reading my work). This is also my first finished story in twelve years. Before this, I was riddled by a severe case of writer's block and would only write a few pages before giving up or even as little as a sentence before saying screw it. I guess, I had no inspiration. J.K. provided that, and so, I must thank her as well. Thank you, J.K., for creating, quite possibly, the most amazing characters that have ever existed, and inspiring me to write. Also, the same goes to you, Dear Reviewers, Story Alerters, and Favoriters. Without you, I would never have finished. Again, thank you. Thank you so much.

All my Love, Appreciation, and Undying Gratitude,

DanuMarie

Chapter Seventeen: Life Force

"Harry?"

Why could he hear Ron? Had Ron died too? But that seemed silly. Ron had been fine just before Harry had slipped away into Heaven's embrace.

"Harry! Open your eyes!" He heard Ron yell.

Feeling betrayed by being pulled from Heaven, Harry did as Ron commanded. And what he saw around him was that glowing light that had exploded out of his wand swirling around him and Draco, lighting up the entry hall so brightly that Ron had his arm lifted to shield his eyes.

And then Harry realized: Draco really was touching his cheek, his skin illuminated with the magic of Harry's protective spell , and when Harry lifted his head and looked up, he saw Draco staring at him, his silver eyes shining warmly at Harry. Harry felt his heart leap into his throat. How was this possible? How was Draco alive?

"Draco?" he whispered, his voice so soft it was almost as though no sound at all had issued forth from his lips.

Draco smiled and moved his hand down to Harry's chin where he then gently tugged at him until Harry's lips were hovering over Draco's. He whispered, "You didn't really think I'd leave you that easily, did you, Harry?"

Tears spilled from Harry's green eyes, and he gave a small sob even as Draco raised his head slightly to close the distance still separating them, and pressed his lips – warm and soft, and gloriously wonderful lips – against Harry's. And Harry delighted in the feel of those lips and the emotion behind the kiss until he finally slipped down into the recesses of oblivion.

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"I've never seen anything like it, 'Mione. I was just getting ready to step in and bring Harry here, because the fool wouldn't let me before he passed out, when Draco suddenly lit up so brightly that I thought someone was shining the sun down on him. I actually had to cover my eyes."

In the silence, voices began to intrude, and Harry slowly made his way to the surface of awareness as the voices continued to swirl about him.

"And you say he was dead, Ron?" came Hermione's inquisitive voice.

"I…" Ron hesitated, "I hadn't meant to kill him. I…"

"But you did?" Hermione asked him.

There was a couple seconds of silence, and then, "Yeah…I did."

"And you're sure?"

"'Mione…a person doesn't cry…I mean, yeah – I'm sure."

Harry smiled. He didn't know why. He supposed he found it amusing that Ron was trying to save his, Harry's, dignity.

But then Hermione said, "A person doesn't cry – what?"

Ron's voice lowered to a whisper, "A person doesn't cry the way Harry did unless they've lost what they love most in the world."

"Oh? And how do you know that?" and there was a touch of doubt and ridicule in Hermione's voice.

To which Ron strongly answered, "Because that was the way I cried when I thought Mal-…er…Draco had killed you."

Hermione didn't say anything at first. And then her choked reply finally came along with a rustle of movement, "Oh, Ronald. I love you so much."

Harry imagined that Hermione had just thrown herself in Ron's arms, and when Harry finally forced his eyes open, that was exactly what he saw. Hermione and Ron clinging to each other tightly at the end of his bed.

Ron pulled away first, and Harry quickly shut his eyes. He wasn't ready to talk yet. He just wanted to listen.

"I don't think Harry will ever forgive me, 'Mione," came Ron's sad voice.

"Harry loves you like a brother, Ron. He'll forgive you," Hermione assured him, her voice warm and soft, and not in the slightest bit doubtful.

"I killed the man he's in love with," Ron insisted.

And Harry couldn't help the quick inhalation. Had it been a dream then? Was Draco still dead? But…no…it couldn't be.

"And Harry's love saved him. Harry will forgive you," Hermione insisted.

Harry felt the tension loosen in his body.

"'Mione, do you think…do you think he would have…" but Ron didn't finish.

Hermione did, and she supplied an answer as well, "Do I think he would have forgiven you if Draco was still dead? I don't think it would have mattered, Ron. I think he would have died."

The room filled with silence, but still Harry didn't open his eyes. Not yet.

He heard the shuffling of feet, and then the feel of a soft hand on his forehead as his hair was pushed back. "Harry," whispered Hermione, "you can stop pretending to be asleep now."

Harry opened one eye and looked up at Hermione, gazing down at him, and then he opened his other eye before looking to the end of the bed where Ron was wearing a bewildered expression. Ron smiled, more a look of relief than anything, "Harry! Thank God." He then came to Harry's other side, "I was worried sick, Mate."

Harry looked between the two of them, and gave a very small smile, "How long…?"

"Only a few hours, Harry," Hermione answered his unfinished question.

Harry's smile grew. He loved how Hermione always knew what Ron or he was about to say. He found himself wishing that, one day, she would be able to do the same for Draco.

Draco?

"Hermione, where's Draco?"

Hermione smiled reassuringly, and then stepped out of Harry's way. Harry turned his head and saw Draco lying in the bed next to his, curled up slightly, snoring softly, and Harry felt as though this was the best day of his life. His heart swelled, and his vision misted over as he whispered, "I thought I'd lost him."

"I'm sorry, Harry," he heard Ron whisper, and Harry turned his eyes back to Ron. He then reached out and settled one of his hands over one of Ron's. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, and Ron smiled, his eyes growing wet.

When Harry turned to look at Hermione, he found her sniffling as tears slid down her cheeks. She chuckled faintly, "What?" she asked in response to the raised brow that Harry gave her, "I can't help myself. I'm just so glad things have worked out."

Harry laughed, and then looked back to Draco. The conversation he had awoken to flowed back into his mind, and he asked, "Hermione, why did you ask Ron several times if Draco had really been dead or not?"

He felt his bed sag on both sides as both Ron and Hermione sat next to him, "Well," came Hermione's voice, "it just seemed familiar, is all."

"Familiar?"

"To Voldemort's horcruxes," Hermione supplied.

Harry's head whipped in her direction, and both he and Ron said, "What?" in the same taken aback voice at the same time.

"Well, to answer that, I'll need you to tell me exactly what happened," Hermione said.

Harry nodded and immediately recounted the events from waking up to find Draco in the middle of a psychotic attack all the way to when Ron showed up, the details after which she was all ready familiar. Hermione then mulled for a bit before she nodded.

"Yes, Harry. I really do think it resembles Voldemort's horcruxes in the way Draco was saved," Hermione finally said.

"I don't understand," Harry replied, "How is that even possible?"

"Yeah," chimed in Ron, "Don't you have to do really nasty rituals and acts to create a horcrux?"

"Well," Hermione continued, "New spells are created everyday. Maybe, Harry, that's just what you did."

"That's exactly what he did."

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all looked over to the neighboring bed where Draco had awoken without anyone noticing. He slowly sat up, and then turned so his legs dangled over the bedside and his feet touched the floor. Reaching up, he dragged a hand through his white-blond hair before he pushed himself up off the bed. Hermione instantaneously stood up as well and walked over to the other side of the bed to sink down beside Ron. Draco crossed the small space between his and Harry's bed, and sat where Hermione had been before.

Harry and Draco just gazed at each other, and then Ron whispered to Hermione, though Harry and Draco heard him clear as day, "He's not trying to kill you…"

Draco looked up at Ron. Conflicting emotions crossed his face before he said, "I don't want to kill her," and Harry was happy to hear only the slightest tinge of dislike in Draco's voice. But he was even happier to hear that Draco was in full control of himself.

"You feel…alright then?" asked Harry.

Draco looked back down to Harry, and his eyes lit up, and a smile curled upon his face as he reached down and picked up Harry's hand, drawing it into his lap where he held onto to it tightly as he nodded, "Other than feeling a little sore from…er…punishment-"

Ron paled and looked away from Draco.

"-I feel fine, Harry. Especially now that you're all right."

Harry lifted his free hand to scratch at his chest, and when his fingers scraped against bumpy material he looked down to see that he wasn't even wearing a shirt. His entire chest was wrapped in gauze, and there was the faintest streak of red going diagonally from Harry's left shoulder to his right hip. He lifted a brow, "Er-?"

Hermione said, "It's because of the spell you cast to protect Draco, Harry."

Harry's brow lifted higher.

Hermione was more than glad to oblige with a further explanation, "I believe that the spell you created that saved Draco's life wasn't just a simple shield, Harry. Indeed, I don't even think the words you bellowed had any real effect. I think it was the emotion and the want behind the words, behind the need for the spell that brought it to life," she paused as though considering something. And then, with a slight nod, as though confirming her own inner thoughts before she spoke, she continued, "I think you literally tore a piece of your soul out of yourself and used it to shield Draco. Because the killing curse is so destructive, when it slammed into your soul, it actually ended up physically wounding you even though it never actually touched you because your soul and that part of your soul were still connected.

Harry nodded, "And Draco lived because-"

"Because your soul moved inside of me after saving my life, and when my own life force was extinguished, yours was quick to relight the flame," Draco explained.

"Not quick enough. I was sure I had lost you," Harry whispered.

Draco bent and kissed Harry's forehead before repeating his earlier words, "You didn't think I'd leave you that easily, did you, Harry?" Draco leaned away from Harry and gazed down into his eyes. A gaze of adoration that was steadfastly returned by Harry.

"When Voldemort made his horcruxes, it was so he could achieve immortality. I'm not going to live forever, am I?" Harry asked eventually, turning to look at Hermione.

Hermione shook her head, "No. I don't think so. I think the most reasonable theory is that your soul, your life force, was the fire behind Draco's life being returned. Now that he's alive again, he's sustaining his own life, and that part of your soul is burnt out."

Harry nodded, feeling much better now that he knew he wouldn't live forever. Even with Draco by his side, he still didn't wish to live until the end of time. He only wished to live his own life. Harry was never and had never been afraid of his own mortality. He looked back to Draco, who smiled at him.

When no one spoke for a long while, he finally felt the side of his bed on which Ron and Hermione were both seated move back to its normal shape as they both stood up. Harry looked over at them.

"Well, I guess we'll just be leaving the two of you alone then," Ron said. Harry noticed that Ron's cheeks were red and that Ron seemed to be deeply interested in the corner of Harry's blanket as he was both intently staring and picking at it.

Hermione noticed this and reached out, picking up his hand, and taking it within her own. Harry saw her squeeze it before she said, "We'll see you later then, Harry," her eyes flicked to Draco, "and you too, I imagine."

Draco opened his mouth, but Hermione interrupted him, "Don't apologize. I know you didn't mean to. I realize you had no control. It's for this reason that we're also going to close and cold case the squib murders."

Harry looked up, "Hermione, Ron-"

But Ron looked at Harry, "It's all ready been decided, mate. Besides," and his cheeks turned redder, "it's the least I can do since I…"

"Killed me?" Draco asked in a voice that was completely innocent.

Ron gave an uneasy cough, "Erm…yeah." He reached up and scratched the back of his neck.

"I deserved it," Draco said in an off-hand manner. And then he frowned and said, rather seriously, "I'm not sure you guys should close that case. I might have been clinically insane when I committed those deeds, but don't you think-"

"Yes," said Hermione, "I do. But I love Harry, and nothing will change what's been done. But, Draco…"

Draco looked up at Hermione.

She continued, "…if you ever hurt anyone again…"

Draco nodded, and there was no reason for Hermione to continue.

She tugged on Ron's hand, "Come on."

Ron gave Harry a small wave and then left the hospital room with Hermione.

Draco and Harry then resumed their silence. Eventually, Harry scooted over in the bed, and Draco stretched out beside him. Draco then gingerly held Harry in his arms, careful to not jar him too horribly and cause pain in the wound that had been non-healable by magical means. Draco believed that though it would eventually heal, Harry would carry a scar for the rest of his life. However, Draco didn't think Harry would mind the scar marring his chest so much as he had the one on his forehead.

Draco ran his fingers through Harry's hair, "I love you, Harry."

Harry moved his head so that he was peering into Draco's loving gaze, and he smiled. Tenderness swelled inside of him, and he replied, with only the utmost sincerity, "I love you too, Draco."

Together, they watched as the sun rose outside St. Mungo's, and then, together, they fell asleep. When they would wake up they would find their lives intricately weaved together. Because that is as it should be…when you truly love someone.

-Fin-