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This Chapter is in Harry's POV!

I was still in a very odd mood when I dropped Teddy off home with Andromeda, spending ten minutes to organise my next visit when I could take him out for the day. Teddy seemed incredibly excited to see his grandmother again and I could see the excitement in her eyes too. It was obvious that she was delighted to be looking after Teddy; he was all she had left of her family. Right after the war, when Andromeda found out that her husband, daughter and son-in-law had all been killed, she had gone to pieces – like so many other families had done too – but little Teddy was beginning to fill the gap that the others had left. Teddy had reminded me so much of myself that I had felt it unfair, to lose his parents so young; but I knew there were people to look after and care for him, he would never be alone. I bade farewell to Andromeda, and hugged Teddy goodbye before leaving and apparating to a spot about a five minute walk from Grimmauld Place. It had taken all of my will power not to return to St. Mungos' straight away. It felt like there had been a breakthrough with him today on so many levels. I was still reeling at him eating that sandwich – alright it hadn't been a lot, but the look that had been on the healer's face when he had seen there was food missing was enough to tell me that it was a first. Draco had mentioned his mother, he had said that she was in St. Mungos' too, even more mental than he was, that was how he had described her. That had to be difficult – father in prison and mother in hospital and, by the sounds of it, not too many friends desperate to visit. I was too busy revelling in my thoughts to realise that I had been standing in front of the house for quite a while. My hand was on the handle of the front door and I was about to turn it when I changed my mind abruptly. Running down the steps I started heading left, away from the main city and towards the little street of shops that ran parallel behind our row of houses. With any luck that little deli might still be open…

Equipped with my plastic bag in hand I stepped through the fake window into the reception area which sounded surprisingly quiet. An uneasy chill crept through me as I climbed up the stairs towards the ward that Draco resided in. But when I got there Healer Kiely wasn't on duty, instead there was a younger man with long chesnut brown hair and a smile plastered across his tanned face.

"Hi." He said, "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Draco. Is everything alright? He's not in his bed." I asked, fingering the handle of my plastic bag nervously. The healer's eye flicked up to my forehead and noted the scar near my hairline.

"Oh! So you're the Harry that's been visiting Draco!" He exclaimed, "Harry Potter!"

"Keep it down will you! I don't need you letting the whole hospital know I'm here." I told him quietly. "Yes, and I would like to see him now."

"I was just going to collect him from upstairs actually; he's been visiting his mum." The healer answered, "Do you want to come with me?"

"Uuh… is that allowed?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah, of course it is." He laughed, "I normally go with another person, just in case something happens. He might be a very thin guy, but he's not small." I smiled weakly and placed my plastic bag down. I followed the healer out of the ward and along the sparkling white corridor.

"We've got some stairs to climb." The healer seemed to be rambling, "I didn't realise when Healer Kiely said that Draco had a friend that was visiting him that it was you."

"Well yeah… I kind of ran into him by accident." I didn't really want to talk to this guy about it. We climbed what felt like twenty sets of stairs, before coming to a very secure looking ward, very similar to the permanent spell damage ward. The healer opened the door with a casual wave of his wand.

"Mrs. Malfoy's room is third on the left, I'm just going to speak to the healer here and find out she's doing." The healer turned to knock on what looked like the staff room door, my stomach jumped into my throat, he was just leaving me to go and find Draco on my own. The whole ward was eerily quiet; it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I hadn't caught the name of the ward, but by the way Draco had described it, it seemed like this was a long time residency ward but for those without having been affected by magic. I walked slowly, what had the healer said: third door on the left. Just before the third door there was a large panelled window with a set of open blinds – I stopped before I came to it and peered very carefully inside. I could see a huddled figure sat on the bed, knees drawn up to their chest and unmoving, staring in front of them. I could see the back of Draco's head rising above the chair that he was sat upon. From the tiny crack in the door I could hear a trickle of noise, Draco's voice as he talked to his mother;

"I thought this might be something you'd want to talk about mum." Draco's voice floated out, sounding rather sulky, but perhaps it was just covering up how upset he was really feeling. "Of all things I thought that your son wanting to start a relationship with someone would make you want to talk." He was pleading now, "Mum, you know how we chatted about relationships, about who I liked and all that stuff that we said we'd never tell father… You must've listened to me whine on about Zabini treating me like a play thing and Warrington tease and get on at me, but at least you replied then, even though I probably ignored everything you said to me then. And now I actually do want you to reply and tell me what to do cause I don't know and you won't even open your mouth to say a single word." He sighed loudly enough for me, standing outside the door, to hear him. "Mum, I really like Harry…" My heart jumped from my throat right to the back of my mouth. "I don't understand what I'm meant to do, I do like him, but I always end up stuffing this sort of thing up… I don't do people very well. I'll screw up and end up on my own again, won't I? I sometimes think that's what father wanted to happen to me, become so socially inept that I'd never be in a relationship, unless it was one planned and arranged by him." I didn't know whether to turn around and go back to Draco's ward so there was no chance he would realise I had heard him. Very quietly I turned around and went back down to where I had left the healer and stood, almost wishing that I hadn't heard what Draco had been saying. There was a hell of a lot more going on behind Draco's calm exterior.

"Oh, hello." The healer made me jump as I hadn't heard him exit from the room where I had left him. "Did you find Draco?"

"Uh, no… I couldn't remember what room you had told me." I lied, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Oh alright, come with me then, it's time for Draco to go back down to his own ward." The healer said and moved down towards where I had been standing listening to Draco talk. I wiped my hands on my jeans as they were covered in cold sweat. Good lord, what was I supposed to say to him now I had heard that? Now that I knew he really did like me I knew I had to actually do this properly, and be honest. The healer knocked on the door of Draco's mother's room;

"Draco… it's time to go back now. You've got a visitor as well." The healer informed him, Draco didn't even move in response. "Come on Draco." Finally Draco pushed himself out of the chair and turned to look at us, he stood frozen for a few moments.

"Hey," I said awkwardly, waiting for Draco to move. For a split second it looked like he was going to faint, then he moved towards us and in silence the three of us moved away down to the door of that ward. Nearly halfway down that corridor I bumped accidentally into Draco's arm and then Draco's cold fingers touched mine, only for a fleeting second at first; then they connected closer with my warm hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. In the first few seconds I didn't know what to do – my head was still reeling with everything I'd overheard, but his hand felt just right in my own; like it was a perfect fit and I didn't want to let go.

I sat down next to Draco on the bed in his ward, still with his hand interlinked with mine.

"Do you go and visit your mum often?" I asked eventually, once figuring how to break the silence without sounding insensitive.

"Not very often." He answered, "I'm not allowed to go and see her that much." His voice sounded thick so I didn't want to press the issue. Draco suddenly shifted slightly towards me and rested his head on my shoulder. "I don't have much to do with my family, it's too complex." He sounded very tired as he rested against me.

"I brought you a present." I said quietly, "But I'm not sure that you'll like it…" I scooped the plastic bag from the floor and placed it on Draco's lap. He took his hand away from mine and opened the plastic bag; a small grin broke over his face.

"You got me oatcakes and pate!" He was almost laughing. "I can't believe you did that for me…"

"Well, it didn't really take that much effort – and you did say that it was your favourite food…" I blushed.

"Do you want some?" Draco asked abruptly.

"What… now?" I said surprised, Draco shrugged.

"I'm sure the healer would allow it." He replied, "I was going to go out for a cigarette actually, I might do that before we eat." I didn't say anything. Draco turned round on the bed and waved quite frantically at the healer. "Hey, can I go out for a fag?"

"Of course Draco." The healer agreed, not even batting an eyelid.

"Oh, and when I come back in, can we have some of this?" Draco handed the plastic bag to the healer, who peered inside and then stared at Draco. "For god sake, do none of you people talk to one another in here? I have eaten something of my meals today! Now I would like something to eat when I come back in, so don't look at me as though I've gone mental." Draco snapped at the man, re-displaying some of the Draco character that I had been used to at school. The healer stayed in the same place until Draco gave him such a fierce glare that he turned very quickly and marched down the ward.

Outside in the muggle high street the darkness had completely crept in and there wasn't any other person in view. Draco sat on the bench and stretched out his legs in front of him, and pulling a packet of cigarettes from out of a pocket.

"D'you want one?" He offered me, I shook my head. "Suit yourself…" I sat down next to him as he lit his cigarette. I looked sideways at Draco, a cold chill sweeping over me again. Did I feel for Draco as much as he had told his mum he felt for me?

A month ago I hated Draco… well no, I didn't hate him as strongly as I had during school, but he definitely wasn't my favourite person. Draco wouldn't have been talking to his mum like that if he wasn't actually serious. But did I like him that much? Still glancing out of the corner of my eyes I flicked my gaze up and Draco, taking every inch of him in and my stomach clenched tightly. I realised I was smiling, and was glad that it was getting darker, cause I was worried that I might have some ridiculous expression on my face. I did like Draco – and I liked him a lot; why else would I have been to visit him virtually every day since I had found out he was in St. Mungos'? And why could I not stop thinking about him when I wasn't near him…? And I didn't really care what other people thought, I wanted to look after him and make everything okay. Yeah, I did like him enough.

"Draco." I started very tentatively as he took another pull on his cigarette. "When I came to visit you tonight I kind of heard you talking to your mum."

Long silence.

"What did you hear?" He seemed calm.

"Just stuff…" I replied vaguely. "But I don't think you'd screw up every relationship. I think if you wanted it to work, it would. It might take some effort, but if you were willing to do that then I don't see why it wouldn't work…" The silence filled the space between us as I tried to think how to say that I really did like him too… Draco's hand that wasn't holding the cigarette found its way to my knee, and he rested it there gently, making the skin all over my body erupt into goose bumps.

"But how do I know whether it's worth making the effort? How do I know that I won't just fuck it all up as usual?" Draco had stood up exceedingly quickly, taking his hand off my knee.

"I don't know that Draco. I think tis one of those things that you just have to take the risk and hope it works out…" I answered unsurely.

"But… but, how am I supposed to know?" He didn't sound so calm now, I got up off the bench to stand next to Draco, his head was bowed and he was staring at the ground.

"I can't tell you Draco." I sighed.

"Do you think…" He stopped, then re-started. "Do you think if I worked at it then we would work?" My heart did another back flip in my chest.

"I think if we both worked at it then it might." My throat had gone quite dry and my voice was higher than usual. Draco was looking down at me, I felt very small, he was only a couple of inches taller than me, but it felt like a considerable difference. I, very carefully, put my arms around Draco's waist and pulled him into a hug. He smelt like smoke, cleaning detergent and another kind of musky smell which was unique to Draco, it was incredibly reassuring for some reason. Our lips met, he was bending down and holding himself very closely to me, almost protectively. His hands were roaming all over my body until he got to my hair. I wanted this more than I wanted anything else at this moment… just Draco. I didn't care if anyone wandered past us while we were kissing passionately.

When we pulled apart Draco held onto me and said very seriously;

"I want to try and make it work between us Harry. If you want to I mean… but I 've never thought I'd feel strongly for anyone, I didn't think I could love at all…"

"I want to try it too." I nodded, kissing him again.

It seemed like everything was going to work out between Draco and I…

A/N: So! What do you think of the ending? I beg of you – review! :D and then go and start Falling Inside the Black! :D

Love you eternally, SeverEst xx