Disclaimer: If we owned Harry Potter, it wouldn't be in the Young Adult section, if you know what I mean…;)

Recap: Draco reeled at Harry's words. He really wanted to kiss him, but if he did, his lie would be uncovered and Harry wouldn't want him or James. Harry would reject him like everyone in his life had ever done. But another part of him was shouting at the top of its lungs to do something impulsive for once in his life and kiss the man he loved. Staring into Harry's unseeing eyes, he slowly brought their heads together, stopping a breath away. He closed his eyes in rapture, trying to remember everything he was feeling at this moment. He could feel the smooth skin of Harry's cheek, the breath the two were sharing, and most of all, he felt loved for himself. A whisper of lips touched Harry's velvet cheek, and then, with great reluctance, Draco pulled away. "I can't." he said as softly as his lips had touched Harry a moment ago. Releasing Harry's face from his gentle grip, he got up and left the infirmary, leaving the boy on the bed confused and disappointed about what had just occurred

A/N: I know that we usually post thanks to individual reviewers but it has been to long since we can post a chapter. We wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. We will resume the individual thanks next chapter! Please know that we are VERY thankful for any reviews we get. We are really wanting to see reviews for this chapter. We want to know how our readers feel about the chapter and if they think we are heading in a good direction. Thank you again to all our faithful readers and reviewers. So on with the show!

Chapter 13:

Draco raced out of the hospital wing cursing under his breath. He had been so close to kissing Harry as himself. But he had screwed that up. Things were getting more and more complicated as each day went by. He needed to get back to his room and quickly. He could feel an unfamiliar pressure building up behind his eyes making them burn and it scared him more than anything. He was crying. Draco quickly brushed the tears from his eyelashes and leaned against the stone cold wall. His fist began slamming into the stone over and over. Slowly he slid to the floor, overwhelmed by his emotions. He had royally fucked everything up and he didn't know what to do about it. He needed to get to his room fast before someone saw him, the Slytherin Prince, looking weak and pathetic with tears in his eyes.

Draco raised himself from the wall slowly and started down the long hallway. As he rounded the corner, he saw a portly man sporting an ugly mustache. The man had cold eyes; colder than anything Draco had seen in a long time. This man made Draco shudder. Picking up his pace, he walked past without another thought, wanting to send the entire memory of that stranger to the back of his mind.

Draco finally reached his room after what felt like miles of walking. He felt drained and almost defeated. He had no idea how to fix everything. He knew one thing though- James could no longer exist. All he had wanted was Harry and now he had him, but not as himself. Draco knew that sooner or later he would get caught and as soon as Harry found out everything he would be done for. Nobody, except a few select people, knew that he was indeed responsible for Harry's blindness. He paced back and forth in his room trying to think of what he could do to fix everything. Maybe there wasn't a solution, he thought. He walked to his window and leaned his face against the cool glass. It was soothing on his burning skin. Unbeknownst to him, someone had snuck into his room. Hearing a floorboard creek, he started at the noise, but before he could turn to face the intruder he was hit with a spell that sent him crumbling to the floor, unconscious.

Hermione sat curled up in a chair pretending to read a book. Her fingers were absentmindedly massaging her tender wrist. She knew it was probably broken. A simple healing spell would have healed it quickly but it was a reminder of what Draco had done. Every time she looked at the bruising it reinforced her anger towards Malfoy. She glanced up to see Ron coming through the portrait entrance and gave him a quick smile.

"Hey, did class go alright?" Hermione asked as she set the book beside her on the table.

"I guess so." Ron mumbled as he threw his books on the couch. He looked up, smiling at his beautiful girlfriend. "So am I allowed to steal a kiss from those beautiful lips of yours?" Ron asked a blush tingeing his skin. Hermione smiled but rolled her eyes.

"Ronald Weasley, have you perchance been reading any of those romance books I gave you awhile back?" She asked with an amused smirk. Ron grinned back sheepishly.

"Maybe…" he reached over and grabbed her hands. As he pulled Hermione to him she almost collapsed in his arms. She had screamed out as he had tugged on her broken wrist.

"Hermione?" Ron asked his voice full of fear. Hermione leaned against him her face quite ashen.

"I am fine Ron." Hermione's voice was shallow and breathy. He gingerly pulled her hands away from Ron's but before she could let them fall to her sides Ron grabbed them again though softer. He had seen her reaction to him grabbing her hands. He slowly pushed the sleeves of her robe up to her elbow and hissed at the blackish purple finger prints encircling her wrists. The bruises appeared to cover most of her forearm up to her elbow.

"What in the bloody hell happened to your wrist Hermione?" Ron shouted his voice echoing through the common room. Hermione shrank back.

"Nothing happened, Ron! Back off!" She yelled back. "I can't talk about it! Don't ask me about it again. Please!" She begged, her voice growing more desperate as she spoke.

"You can't ask that of me Hermione and you know it. You are my girlfriend and I have every right to know who the hell put their hands on you. Your bloody wrist is probably broken. You expect me to just let that go and not ask about it again? Fuck that Hermione!" Ron's face was flushed red with anger.

Hermione just shook her head. "I can't! I need to protect Harry!" Hermione clamped her hand over mouth, her eyes wide with fear.

Ron turned and walked out of the common without another word. Hermione stared after him in shock with what she had said.

"Ron, wait! Stop please!" Without looking back, he pointed his wand towards her and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione stiffened and she fell back against her chair.

"I am sorry…" He whispered though his body was quivering with rage.

Harry was beyond confused and was even feeling quite angry. He was not sure if he should be madder at Draco or himself. He had almost cheated on James with Draco. What kind of person did that make him? But part of him just could not help it. As each day passed he was falling more and more in love with each boy. How could he love more than one person? Being with both of them felt so right, yet with Draco it also felt wrong. Wrong in the sense that he was supposed to be Harry's enemy not his lover.

Harry was so deep in thought that he had not noticed he was all alone in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had left to deal with someone who had thrown up in class. He heard the door creak open and he smiled. Maybe one of his 'boys' was coming back.

"Boy…" A deep voice rang out in the silent room. Harry's breath hitched and he felt himself start to shake. What in the bloody hell is Uncle Vernon doing at Hogwarts? Harry thought his heart racing a mile a minute. Fear stabbed his stomach over and over.

"That stupid nurse of yours kept sending bloody owls to my home demanding I come see you. Seems having your family here would speed up your recovery and possibly bring back your sight." Uncle Vernon spat out his voice now very close. Harry could feel his presence at his bed side.

Shrinking back into his bed, he whispered "You're lying! She wouldn't ask you to come here. You are a muggle."

Uncle Vernon's beefy hand connected with Harry's cheek sending his compress flying to the floor.

"You think because you are here that you can talk to me however you please?" Spittle hit Harry in the face as his uncle's face came within mere inches of his own. "I am still not through making you pay for what you put my Dudley through." His uncle's voice was frosty and full of pure hatred. It wasn't the first time Harry had feared for his life while in the presence of his uncle.

"No…" Harry cried out as his uncle began to pummel him. Uncle Vernon's fists slammed into Harry's back, legs, arms, face, and any other body part that was within his reach, knocking him off his bed and onto the hard tile. It seemed as if the never ending stream of punches and kicks came from every direction, not leaving any part of his body untouched by the abuse. There was no way Harry could avoid any of the attacks as he couldn't see where his uncle was going to strike next. Harry struggled to push himself from the floor but his uncle had him pinned. Blood was pouring from Harry's lips and nose, and bruises were appearing all over his body.

Harry's cries grew weaker and weaker as the beating became more intense. It was as if his uncle had an unending amount of energy. This beating was worse than anything his uncle had ever done to him.

"Dudley told us how you would come into his room at night and sexually abuse him! Do you really think I can allow you to live after you defiled my son over and over? You deserve to die!" Vernon shoved Harry so that he was on his stomach. Grabbing his hips, he ripped Harry's pants and boxers clean from his body.

"You will feel what my son felt every time you hurt him." Vernon spat out as he unzipped his pants.

Harry tried to struggle but he couldn't seem to move. All he could do was lay weakly on the cold floor and allow his uncle to grab him harshly by the collar of his shirt, forcing him upright into a kneeling position. Feeling every scratch and every bruise that Vernon had just inflicted on him, Harry was forced to lean against his attacker to support his body weight. His chest rose and fell with each of his short breaths, even this subtle movement causing agony to rip through his torso. As he felt his uncle hesitate at his entrance, drawing out each sweet moment of revenge, Harry clenched his unseeing eyes shut, desperately gritting his teeth against the sob fighting its way past his lips. He would never give his uncle the satisfaction of seeing him break. Just as his uncle brought his hand up to grasp around Harry's neck, the hospital wing doors burst open, and Harry heard the sound of his best friend calling his name.

"Harry!" Ron shouted as he came through the hospital wing doors. He looked over at Harry's bed and saw his uncle kneeling on the ground beside it, holding a nearly unconscious Harry in front of him.

Vernon looked up at Ron and froze, while Harry looked over at his rescuer with an indescribable look of fear etched onto his bruised face.

"Stupify" Ron shouted, his wand pointed at Vernon's chest sending him flying onto another bed unconscious. Hurrying to Harry, who had collapsed when the man holding him upright had been thrown across the room, Ron grabbed a blanket off the bed and draped it over the traumatized boy. Pointing his wand at Vernon again he looked at Harry.

"I…Harry…What…" Ron stammered. He was at a loss for words at what he had seen moments ago. Harry's shaking hand reached out to touch Ron, as if to make sure he was really there, kneeling beside him. As Ron's hand covered Harry's, meeting him halfway, Harry finally let go of the sob he had been holding in. Harry pulled his best mate's hand closer to him, curling his body around it so Ron couldn't leave. Ron was horrified to see blood already soaking through the blankets.

"Help!" Ron cried out over and over. Someone had to hear. He couldn't leave Harry here with the possibility of his uncle waking up and attacking him again.

Madame Pomfrey flew into the room. She had heard the screams as she was coming back from taking care of a sick student. She skidded to a halt as she took in the scene before her. A pant less man was sprawled unconscious in the bed beside Harry's. Ron was on the floor holding onto a bloody and badly beaten Harry. Her hand flew up to her throat.

"Oh my goodness…" She whispered. She had never seen anything so horrific in her life. An explanation for Harry's bruises was apparent to her now.

"Mr. Weasley, go fetch the headmaster! Now!" She screamed out. Pointing her wand at Harry she lifted him to his bed with a thought. Pointing her wand at the man sprawled in the next bed she shouted out Repello Muggletum to keep him from coming near them. Just in case she also cast a petrificus totalus spell to keep him from moving at all.

Less than ten minutes later Professor Dumbledore came running in the hospital wing with Ron and a very angry looking Hermione in tow. As with Madame Pomfrey, Hermione had skidded to a halt at the sight of her best friend.

"What happened?" Professor Dumbledore asked aiming his question at Ron being that he had been the one to find Harry.

Ron voice quivered as he began to relay what he had walked into when he had entered the hospital wing. Upon fetching the professor, he had only had the chance to tell him that Harry was extremely hurt. The rest of the run to the hospital wing had been quiet. Hermione had caught up to them as they had entered.

Tears streamed down Hermione's face as Ron spoke.

"I came in to find Harry badly beaten and naked from waist down. His uncle was kneeling behind him with his own pants down. He was about to…" Ron said no more as it was becoming apparent what Vernon had been intending to do. Professor Dumbledore's eyes darkened with fury.

"I will call my connection to the muggle police department," the professor stated as he leaned against the post of Harry's bed. In his years as a professor and headmaster he had never come across something like this. Parents and family were allowed to come to visit at any time.

"How bad is it Madame Pomfrey? "The professor asked bleakly. He glanced down at the now deeply sedated Harry and felt his heart ache. He knew something was wrong with Harry but he hadn't thought it was something as wrong as this.

Before Madame Pomfrey could answer the door swung open and in walked Professor Snape carrying an unconscious Draco Malfoy.

A/N 2: We are hoping to post another chapter as soon as possible! Love to our readers and reviewers! -My Angel of Darkness & lilsteves