Chapter Text
"How long have you had those blasted shoes, Potter? Did you take it from Dumbledore's crib?"
"Fuck off, Malfoy."
"Wow," Draco Malfoy scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against a crumbling stone pillar. "Went quite quick to the cursing, didn't you?"
"I'm not in the mood." Harry kept his head and back against the wall, knees bent in front of him, arms perched and dangling on the caps. The courtyard was empty for the time being, for he had snuck out right when dinner started. He thought he went unnoticed, he even used his invisibility cloak, but it was apparently futile. He just wanted some quiet.
"Since when are you ever?" Malfoy rolled his eyes, glancing around at the open space. "Why are you out here, Potter? Especially without your 'friends', the runt and the Mudblood."
"Don't call them that. Especially Hermione." Harry's eyes snapped open, previously closed, to glare at the blond in front of him. He didn't expect him to be so close, needing to tilt his chin up. "And it's none of your bloody business. Bugger off and leave me alone, Malfoy."
Malfoy huffed a sound that sounded caught between a scoff and a laugh. "Right. Gryffindors, always the protective ones." Looking away, he cleared his throat before summoning a new stance, projecting more confidence then he obviously felt. "I'm asking you once more, Potter. Why are you out here? You know Dumbledore will have a hissy fit, what with his prized prodigy being out here all alone, especially with the recent attacks."
"Then I guess you won't tell him." Harry snarked, eyes blazing and scar faintly tingling.
Malfoy held his gaze defiantly despite getting lightheaded. "I just might. Perhaps I'll get Professor Snape. He just might put some sense into you."
"He'll put some sense into you, too. You're not suppose to be out here either."
"You're right. However, I was put into Slythern for a reason." Malfoy suddenly surged forward, fingers grasping at what seemed like thin air before he jumped back, Harry's invisibility cloak in hand. "I knew it! I can bring Snape this, and tell him I saw you put it on before leaving. It absolutely reaks of you."
Harry had immediately jumped to his feet, practically clawing at him. "Give that back!"
Malfoy laughed, practically dancing out of his reach, a smug look carved onto his face. "I can't believe the rumors were true. Tell me, did you shag someone for it in our first year? I promise I won't tell." His grin decided otherwise.
"Give. It. Back." Harry snarled.
Pulling out his wand seemingly from thin air, he held it out to the cloak, a bright green flame sprouting from the tip as he muttered 'Incendio'. "Or what?"
Harry produced his own wand in response, pointing it at Draco and declaring, "Expelliarmus!"
The flame-tipped wand flew out of Malfoy's hand before he could react. He stared at his hand in disbelief before cracking a wide grin, not even turning for his wand. "I keep forgetting that's your favorite spell. How childish."
Malfoy seemed to miss the clench in Harry's jaw for he was suddenly knocked backwards with a 'Flipendo!', dropping the cloak who-knows-where. It was a miracle he had even grabbed it on the first try. He skidded to a stop on his back, not at all harmed despite the fury Harry was currently radiating. He could practically taste it.
Harry surged forward before Draco could catch his breath, finding the fabric immediately and pulling it to his chest, fingers disappearing briefly as he glared with such hate in his eyes that he felt himself unconsciously shrink back.
"Potter!" A new voice yelled, and both boys turned towards the sound. It was Professor Snape, with a small crowd forming behind him.
"What is the meaning of this?" Despite his calm tone his body was tense, wand in hand. His eyes landed on Harry's wand, still in his own hand, and then finally to Draco, who was defenseless.
"Malfoy started this." Harry grit out, clutching at what seemed to be just air to the other students. The crowd was growing bigger, and Draco can see Harry's friends pushing through the crowd, along with another professor he couldn't quite see.
"Oh? Did he now?" Snape turned to Malfoy. "I'm going to ignore for now the fact that you two are out here alone, despite the danger. Mr Malfoy." The boy's head in question snapped up. "Did you 'start' this, what, duel?"
"No, sir. I was only defending myself." He kept his face perfectly neutral, the picture of innocence. He'll keep the cloak a secret for now.
At 'No', Snape had already turned back to Potter. "You have been nothing but trouble, boy. You know that there are to be no duels on school grounds. I will discuss your expulsion with the Headmaster. I hope to finally rid you of this school. You never belonged here." Snape sneered, turning his nose up. "200 points from Gryffindor." The students dressed in red behind him gave various noises of shock.
Snape turned to leave, fully prepared to act on his promise, before a cold voice stopped him.
"No."
He turned. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, sorry. No, sir." Harry laughed quietly, sounding unlike himself. A brutal air practically seeped from him, spreading in waves. Malfoy reached for his wand, alert, while the gathering crowd could only stare in shock at the boy who lived. Harry had put his wand down, to make sure he didn't accidentally cause any actual harm.
"You cannot just say 'No' to me, Potter." Snape growled at the teen, taking a step forward. "50 points from Gryffindor."
"Well I said no!" Harry suddenly snarled, bracing himself. "You have no idea what happened, all you ever do is take Slytherin's side! You don't know what he threatened!" He pointed to Malfoy, who was in shock at the Gryffindor's behavior. "I don't care if you take points for me being out here alone, I don't care if you take points for me acting like this, do you hear me? I don't care!" He practically screamed. Even Snape seemed at a loss, even if for a moment.
"What you will not do," Harry continued before Snape could respond, clenching his fists. Ron could tell he was drawing blood with how hard he tried to control himself. "is be an absolute prick to my house for no reason! You weren't here. You didn't see what happened. You never do."
"I don't care." Snape sniped back.
"That's because you're a bloody asshole!" Harry countered, stepping forward. "This place was support to be a safe place! Hogwarts was suppose to be fun, learning was suppose to be fun! But no, you had to be here. Do you know how many times I've seen students cry because of you? How many of them hate themselves because of you? You fucking made Neville almost kill his toad because you thought his potion was made incorrectly, and that would have been lethal to him! Neville's bloody boggart should have been Voldemort or some prick who had a hand in torturing his parents to insanity but no, it was you! You took 35 points away from Hufflepuff because a Slytherin told you a rumour, and despite learning it not to be true, you didn't fucking do anything, not even apologize! You've set fire to a first-year Ravenclaw's books for being twenty seconds late, then took 50 points from Ravenclaw because she still didn't have her books the next class despite them costing so much money she couldn't have paid for it in time! I saw you trip a third-year Slythern down those moving stairs, even! He was in the infirmary for four days, and had to wear a cast for three weeks despite the best potions helping! You did that to him! You're an evil bloody prick who's bullied and tormented countless of us!"
"You have no such proof."
"And you have no proof that I wasn't protecting myself here!" Harry screamed. "We weren't dueling! Malfoy followed me out here to only piss me off! I told him to leave, and he didn't, so what good was I suppose to do?"
"You've dealt with it all before, a simple talk shouldn't have bothered."
"He threatened," Harry's scar burned, and he waved his arm to add emphasis. "My SHIT. I merely blew away his bloody wand so he wouldn't have the chance! And you want to take 200 fucking points away from my house? You want to fucking expell me?"
"Yes." Snape snapped. "You are clearly a danger to those around you. You should be ashamed of yourself, Potter."
Draco suddenly noticed Harry's hands were shaking, blood leaking slowly through the clenched digits. His entire body was trembling more than it usually did. His eyes were shimmering, and he realized he was close to tears. He shouldn't have followed him here.
"You," Harry's voice cracked, yet he trudged on. "should be ashamed of yourself. How long have you been upset over my mother rejecting you, huh? How much do you hate me for having her eyes? How much do you hate my father for apparently 'taking' her away?" A tear slipped. "She didn't ever love you, you emotionless, manipulative, abusive asshole!" Harry had stepped closer with each sentence until he was right in front of him, having to cock his gaze upwards. "All you did when you were my age was still fuck up people's lives! You are nothing but a bully, still somehow clinging on into adulthood. You should have never become a teacher. My mother was right to choose my father-"
Malfoy saw it before any of the others did. Snape had kept his wand hidden from the crowd, and Harry had been too busy yelling. A bright purple and red light sprouted from the tip of his wand as he shoved it practically into Harry's stomach, snarling out what sounded like 'Flipendo' as he did.
Several students in various houses screamed as Harry flew back with far too much force, his back slamming into the stone wall Draco had met him at just ten minutes before. His head made a deafening crack as his skull took most of the impact. His body actually stayed there for a full second before sliding down like they did in the cartoons Hermione sometimes watches. His finger twitched, and nothing more.
It was deathly silent for a long moment as everyone watched, stunned, as blood started to pool around the golden boy's head, interrupted by Snape's harsh breathing. Malfoy felt like he was the one who hit the wall, eyes wide at the growing puddle. It was Ron who broke the spell first.
"Harry!" The boy screamed, tears already running down his face as he sprinted and dropped to his knees at his best friend's body, sliding to a stop. Hermione joined him next, face unusually pale despite the determined look in her eye.
"Somebody call for Madam Pomfrey!" She screamed, voice cracking as her hands made quick movements to rip the edges of her own robe, putting light pressure on the back of the boy's head with the fabric. Noone moved.
Ron noticed first and searched for a familiar face. "Neville!" The boy was trembling. "Please get Madam Pomfrey!" The boy nodded and ran off, first turning the wrong way before sprinting in the right direction.
Snape seemed to just be staring at the trio before muttering something under his breath, turning to push through the crowd. He knocked over a few kids, uncaring as they all stared at Harry, the boy who was suppose to live. Draco saw Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore go after him, the former looking fearful yet angry. He briefly wondered why they didn't interfere.
He needed to do something.
Draco shakily got to his feet and walked towards the trio before tripping on something. He looked at his feet, noticing nothing, before remembering the cloak. He grabbed it and carefully walked over to Ron.
The redhead didn't notice him at first, too busy staring at the blood on his hands. When he did, he glared with such fire at Malfoy that his knees went weak. He knelt down, a few feet away, attempting to hide his trembling. He held out his hands, tightly gripping the cloak.
Ron didn't get it at first. He tilted his head in such a way that Malfoy would've made fun of him for acting like a dog, but as his own fingers disappeared into thin air, he realized. He practically snatched it away from Draco's hands, who flinched in response. Weasley stared at him for a long moment, the latter unable to maintain his gaze, before nodding curtly, carefully placing the cloak behind him before turning his attention back to Harry.
Someone suddenly decked Malfoy to the side, causing him to skid across the ground once again, skinning his elbow. He barely felt the pain as he watched Madam Pomfrey inspect Harry before she deemed him good enough to carry. Right as she pulled out her wand to levitate him, his body tensed, straightened, and started to shake.
"Hermione?!" Ron shrieked. "What's he doing! Why is he doing that!"
"How should I suppose to know!" She yelled back, the stress starting to get to her as tears slipped down her face. She was all too aware of the crowd still here, who have only ended up closer to watch and cry themselves.
"What the bloody hell is Potter doing?" Draco felt himself say, despite not meaning to say anything at all.
"He's having a seizure." Madam Pomfrey snapped at no none in particular, cursing softly under her breath. "Quick, turn him onto his side. Keep his mouth open so he doesn't bite off his tongue." As she spoke, his body continued to convulse before finally coming to an end, twitching uncontrollably.
Madam Pomfrey waisted no time in grabbing her wand and yelling to the crowd of students, who have only gotten closer. "Clear the way, before he has another seizure!" When they didn't, only staring in shock, she snapped. "Bloody fucking MOVE!"
Draco scrambled up and started pushing students aside to clear a path as they were all too slow for his liking, knocking over a Weasley and some first-year Hufflepuff in the process. He muttered weak apologies despite knowing he would have never done that before, staring up at the light encasing Harry's body as he was quickly and carefully levitated down the hallway. A moment later, and he heard a door slamming shut, echoing into the once again silent courtyard.
Draco recognized most of the students gathered. He spotted Pansy Parkinson shoving students out of the way to get to him, a weird look on her normally gloating face.
He immediately turned the opposite direction, somehow spotting the invisibility cloak Ron had forgotten to take with him and grabbing it, and ran.
He was always a coward.