tied to him ✔

chapter twenty-two

Harry woke up on a dark surface. He was all alone. Blood coated his body like a layer of skin, and his body shook in pain.

He screamed out when he saw a knife protruding from his abdomen. It stung, and Harry tried to move his arm so he could pull it out, but his arm wouldn't move. Paralyzed and anxious, he shrieked and called out, but no one heard. His cries faded into the distance, the darkness absorbing them like water.

"No one can hear you."

Harry whipped his head around to stare at-

Himself.

He was standing in Hogwarts uniform, his tie green and silver. His red pupils looked like a cat's and he hissed like a snake.

"Who are you?" Harry asked. The Slytherin Harry laughed.

"I'm who you should've been."

"What are you saying? I already am who I was meant to be!" Harry said, trying to hoist himself up. His golden and red tie was choking him, and he struggled to breathe.

"But you're completely happy, are you?" the Slytherin asked. "No compromises? No regrets?"

"Everyone has those!" Harry argued. His tie got tighter.

"You weren't supposed to survive, Harry," the Slytherin hissed. "You were supposed to die, along with all those other useless witches and wizards!"

"They're not useless! I loved them!" Harry exclaimed in anger.

"Don't lie to yourself. Where were they when you destroyed those Horcruxes? Where were they when Dumbledore was falling off the Astronomy Tower? The countless warnings you gave them, yet they still ignored you. You hate them for it!"

The Slytherin version of him crouched down in front of him and pulled him up by his hair. His tie tightened an impossible amount more, and he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head.

"It's time to let it all go, Harry. It's time to tell yourself the truth. You owe it to yourself."

Harry grunted as he was dropped roughly to the ground.

"So how about a duel? You win, you get to go back. You lose, you'll stay here, where you belong." his eye's glinted.

Harry stared up at him, and his eyes sparkled red with malice. "Bring it on!"

He had his wand thrust at him, and his tie loosened. He winced as he stood, but he kept the knife inside him as he lifted his weapon.

DRARRY DRARRY DRARRY

"Is he alright?" Draco said worriedly. Harry had stopped breathing a few moments ago, requiring him to be given a large amount of magic from Draco to receive energy and keep his blood pumping.

"I think he'll be okay for now," Madame Pomfrey said, rushing around the room frantically as she looked after the other patients.

Draco sat down next to Harry and gave his hand a comforting squeeze, bringing it up to his lips to give it a soft kiss too. He saw Harry mumble something incoherent before tugging his hand out of Draco's grasp. It fell off the bed and remained there, limp. His lover sighed.

"No improvement?" Draco jumped at the sound of Hermione Granger, her head poking in through the door. He shook his head sadly.

"Oh," she said disappointedly, coming over to sit in a chair by Harry's bed. She ran an anxious hand through her thick curls. "I'll understand if you want me to leave, by the way."

Draco looked at her, perplexed. "Why would I want that?"

"Because I'm in love with your boyfriend," she said, trying to smile but failing. "Don't you want to keep him to yourself?"

Draco opened his mouth to lie but thought better of it. Of course, he wanted Harry to himself! Was that so wrong? To be jealous?

"You're his friend. It wouldn't be right of me to keep you two apart," he said, clearly irritated. Hermione sighed sadly.

"He made the right choice, being with you," she said, running a loving hand through Harry's hair. She looked at Draco, an unreadable air surrounding her.

"It's a crush. I'll get over it," Hermione said as if she was reassuring herself. "Eventually."

A throat cleared from the doorway. The two looked back to see Ron standing there, clearly uncomfortable. Hermione got up.

"I'll leave. I've got, uh, Potions homework."

She left quickly, leaving Ron looking after her with a frown on his face.

"I feel pathetic," Ron said, leaning against the doorway. Draco got up and joined him, confused.

"Why?" he asked, a teasing light to his eyes.

"Because I'm in love with someone who played me and tossed me aside like some broken toy," Ron's voice quietened, his pride dissipating rapidly. "I didn't want to admit it. I didn't. But you can't help you love. No matter how much they hurt you."

Draco looked over to where Harry lay on the bed, broken and battered.

"I understand, Weasley," Draco said honestly. "I didn't want to accept my love for Harry either. But seeing him kissing you-"

"I thought we had agreed that had never happened?" Ron said, cocking an eyebrow.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, I didn't agree."

"Well now you know. It never happened," Ron said, challenging Draco to say any differently.

"See, I recall differently," Draco said, leaning against the doorway and admired how Ron's ears turned as red as his hair.

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"Make me, Weasel."

"..."

"What?"

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