Harry avoided Draco every second since the incident in the library occurred, and although the two weeks since had passed in pain, Harry let up no remorse. It's not that Draco didn't try to make things up to Harry, oh no, his hand was still cramped from the letters he wrote to him, but Harry threw them away before he could even read them.

He didn't know what he was thinking or saying. He just got jealous, and maybe it was because he hadn't anything to be jealous about before, or maybe he didn't know what it felt like to lose something he cared about.

But now he did.

Draco found that the hole made in his chest was now filled with self-loathing. Why hadn't he just shut his mouth like a human being and talked about it to Harry later?

And of course, he wasn't angry about losing Harry (he was determined to get him back against all odds just to get that even worse-er feeling out of his chest) but more-so the timing. The horrid, horrid timing. It was right before the last task, and Harry'd talked about it earlier with him before their break up. Draco knew the boy was absolutely petrified.

And could see it in his face at dinner, and during classes, and all the time in between. But he could see no one was helping him, and he'd kill just for a moment to talk to Harry and make everything okay. Or to at least wish him luck and reassure him he'd be fine.

How could he have been so stupid? Harry could die tonight. That thought made him want to puke.

The wind sent a chill down Draco's spine- or maybe it wasn't the wind- when the champions made their way out into the arena. He gripped the railing when he saw the Gryffindor and a lump grew in the back of his throat.

Dumbledore explained how the maze was to go, but Draco couldn't hear, couldn't think. He just stared at Harry, burning holes in the back of this head. Diggory stood next to him, readying himself since they could go first, although the Hufflepuff went unnoticed by Draco. He only saw Harry.

It wasn't before long until the boy turned around and saw Draco, and Draco took the opportunity to mouth, 'You'll be okay,' but Harry scowled and rolled his eyes in return before turning back to the maze.

Before he knew it, the cannon rang and Harry was gone all too soon without another look.

Draco's throat burned, and the back of his eyes heated. He didn't notice Pansy take his hand. He didn't notice her rubbing circles on his knuckles. He didn't notice Blaise patting his back in reassurance. He could only think about Harry.

Some time later, Pansy spoke. "He's going to be okay. He's Harry Potter. He's always okay."

Her words didn't console him. He swallowed and shook as he did. Everyone around him was chatting, laughing and waiting all together for the champion of the tournament. It was sick.

Fleur had already been knocked out, and her appearance didn't calm Draco to the least. She looked as if she'd been to battle, bruises and dirt covering her face. Blood rested in a pool on a cut on her face and she was crying.

Suddenly, red sparks flew in the air and Draco's eyes went wide. "Pansy! What does that mean! What does red mean," his voice cracked in a panic, tightening their hands, "Red's bad, isn't it?"

Pansy didn't have a good answer for him, so she kept her mouth shut and clanged to him tighter, knowing that if she didn't, Draco would run into the maze and search for Harry himself.

So this is what pain felt like. This is what heartbreak felt like, not knowing where the person you cared about most was. Draco hated it. Period. With this newly feeling of an empty whole in his body, he knew he wanted to change for Harry. He knew his ways and beliefs were wrong, and would do what it took to get him back.

He'd do anything to make the pain go away.

Soon enough, Victor came from the maze, looking even worse than Fleur did, however he was taken away before there were any conclusions made; Draco could have sworn he'd seen demonic eyes.

But before he could think anything of it- FLASH!

Silence took over the stadium, hearts beating for the champion to return to the arena, but neither Cedric nor Harry appeared. Draco's mouth went dry and the blood pumping in his vains stopped. Where's Harry?

Surely it'd been long enough. Surely there should have been a champion at this point. Surely Harryw as okay. He wanted his boyfriend back, whether or not he was in a fight with him. Ex or together, it didn't matter. They'd settle the details later.

What wasn't helping was the professors' faces. Panic was laced within them. Draco knew: portkeys never take this long to travel. Dumbledore called officials to fly over the maze in search for the two. It was what seemed like an eternity when the officers came back. They mumbled something to Dumbledore which turned the man pale. But Draco didn't miss a beat.

Harry was missing from the maze.

Draco's breathing grew erratic, and he hyperventilated. Tightening her grip, Pansy tried to calm him down although nothing she did could help him - hell, nothing in general. The only thing to make everything okay again would be Harry in his embrace.

"Draco, he'll be fine," she said.

"How do you know," Draco cried.

"Shh! What happened to, 'Daddy musn't find out.' Screaming it in the middle of a packed arena wouldn't necessarily help-"

Another boom cut her off, and all attention was sent to center field where two body's lay. The band erupted and so did the crowd, but Draco didn't feel any shift in emotion: something was wrong. He could just feel it.

But when a scream screamed loud enough to silence the whole stadium, Draco's believes were validated. It wasn't just two victors, no, but one screaming victor laying over a dead body. Draco's blood ran cold.

Harry.

The boy screamed words to the likes of which Draco couldn't understand to save himself. "He's back!"

That was all it took for Draco to attempt to break from his restraints and run to the Gryffindor, but Pansy held him harder, and Blaise grabbed his shoulders so he couldn't move.

"Let go of me," he struggled, shaking. He had his eyes fixed on Harry, just as everyone else, but no one else knew what Draco was feeling seeing Harry screaming as he was. He jerked to break free, but no let up. "Please! I need to see him!"

"You're not going anywhere," Pansy strained, her finger nails embedding themselves into his skin. He didn't feel it over the burning of his chest and the brick in his stomach.

"Let me go!" Draco had tears in his eyes.

"Calm down, will you," Blaise snapped, becoming aware of the surrounded, to whom saw Draco shaking and raised a brow. "He's back. He's safe. That's all that matters."

"You'll see him soon enough," Pansy said, close to his ear. His body calmed a bit, but his facial expressions and attitude did not.

"Soon enough does not exist. Soon enough is now," he bit, turning for her. "What you think he's okay down there. He was screaming! He was in pain!"

"You can't do anything to change it," she bit back. "This is the price of caring, Draco. From what I recall, you never wanted to care just to spare yourself for this. You brought this upon yourself. Welcome to life."

Draco's eyes went wild, and, although eager to respond, he didn't speak because another small glimpse of the field, and Harry wasn't there. He froze.

"Where'd he go? Is he missing again! Where-"

"Moody took him," Blaise said, "Calm down and shut up. He's fine. He's not everybody's main concern right now."

"He's mine!"

"Look," Blaise said, pointing to Cedric's father and the weeping students. And what Draco never expected happened: he felt his heart split at the justice of other people.

Back in the days before Harry, something like this would dry his throat, but no, now, he wanted to cry, and felt tears form. He'd never cried for the sake of another.

He wondered if he'd ever care that much, like Cedric's father, and if he did, how could he ever cope with the pain of it all. Caring for someone, it was a hell of a job.

------------------------------------------------

Harry felt like a puppet, whom's strings were attached to various adults; as of now, it was to Madam Pomfrey's hands guiding him. Hours upon hours floated by leisurely, being filled with questions upon questions and potions upon potions.

Well past two in the morning was when he was only left alone for rest he knew wouldn't come. Not with his arm hurting as bad as it did, nor with his leg hurting as much as it did, nor with his scar burning as much as it did, nor with the fact a murderous sociopath had been brought back to life and an innocent and bright Hogwarts student was murdered right before his eyes and possibly all his fault.

Right... sleep.

He laid in bed, shaking, all too terrified that at any moment, Voldemort could walk through that door and kill him on sight. The look of Cedric's lifeless eyes replaying over and over again. Tears slipped his eyes and his throat burned.

Just then, the doors flew open and Harry, scared out of his wits, hid under the covers before he could even see who it happened to be. Footsteps got closer and closer.

"Don't kill me," Harry shouted into the pillows, hoping that that would warn off Voldemort.

Yeah... right... Because if a killing lunatic came into the room, those were the rules he'd play by.

"Harry," a voice whispered in haste, "Please, it's me."

Harry knew the voice all too well. He felt another scab being ripped open, and his heart bled even more. He lifted the covers off of him, wiping his eyes in the process. He turned to find Draco staring down at him with a frown.

"Draco what are you doing here?" He tried to sound angry with him, but he wasn't anymore. Not with him looking the way he looked. Draco couldn't fake a look like that, no matter the all the masks he had.

"I had to check on you," he whispered. "Make sure you're okay."

"You realize no one's allowed in here, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm still angry with you," he lied.

"I'm sorry," Draco spoke fast. "I shouldn't have said that. I was jealous," he swallowed. Harry recognized how hard it must have been to be saying it, since he rarely said anything else besides sorry. "It's just, it drives me through the moon, seeing other people hug you, when really that's all I ever want to do. I didn't know how to handle it. I'll apologize to her, too, if you want."

Harry was speechless, and not knowing what to say, he stood on his knees and pulled Draco into a desperate hug, though a part of him thought he shouldn't. Even thought Ron and Hermione had visited all the time they were allowed, maybe one of them would sneak back. He wouldn't be surprised if they did.

"I'm sorry," Draco mumbled into Harry's shoulder, enclosing his arms around him. Draco felt as if he was being squeezed into a pulp. "All I've been wanting to do is this. All I've been thinking about is you. I miss you. I'll do anything, Harry, please, just let me be there for you. Take me back."

Harry nodded his head and he clenched, trying not to think about how he'd missed him, too. "Draco, I-I," he tried speaking, but his lips quivered too much to create a coherent sentence.

"Shhh," Draco held him tighter, "Calm down, you're all right." His muffled words were drowned in tears. "You're okay, you're safe now."

"I don't feel safe," Harry let go, slumping his shoulders as tears stroked his cheeks. "He's back, Draco. And there's already a casualty, and it was all my fault!"

"Hey," Draco cooed, "It's not your fault-"

"How would you know," Harry attacked, fresh tears falling, "You weren't even there!"

"Because within our three month endeavour, I did so happen to learn a bit about you, and you blame yourself for everything."

"I could have stopped it."

"We don't need to talk about this now. We can pretend it never happened until morning. How about that?" Draco stroked behind his ear, calming him down.

Harry bit his lip. "Stay," he finally said. Draco was caught off guard by his answer. Stay? As in stay the night as in cuddle? They'd never had time to properly cuddle in their strict time frames, and Draco had been happily avoiding it.

Cuddle. He cringed at the word. It just sounded fluffy.

The Gryffindor waited for an answer, looking at him with begging eyes. Draco scarcely nodded and Harry scooted over to make room for him. When Draco sat in the bed, he felt strange as Harry wrapped his arms around his waist, digging his face into his chest, completely oblivious to Draco's discomfort.

He was cuddling.

And it felt... good.

To feel Harry so close, to feel that sense of comfort of their skins touching and the trust building again. It was knowing that Harry didn't want anyone else with him right now, just him, that shoved away Draco's discomfort.

You know, for such a small and bony frame, Harry was unimaginably soft. Soft skin, soft hair, soft... muscles? Sure...

"No one believes me," Harry broke the silence, and Draco pulled him closer. "He's back and no one cares." Harry's muffled sobs rang into Draco's shirt. "H-he tried to kill me, again. He put me in it, just so he could have another go. You believe me, right?"

Did he? "Of course." Yeah, he did. Because no one could be as scared as Harry was without it being true.

"I never wanted this to happen," Harry cried, "Never. I never wanted to have my parents be killed. I never wanted to move in with my aunt and uncle. I never wanted to burn off Quirrell's face. I never wanted I kill Basilisk, or even talk one for that matter. I never wanted to be put in this Devil Tournament."

Draco rubbed small circles in Harry's back and let him cry for a while, realizing he didn't want Harry anywhere else than where he was. "Harry, it's alright, I promise. You're safe now." He whispered into his ear.

After a few minutes to clear his thoughts and his eyes, Harry sat up and looked into Draco's eyes, swimming in them. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Harry. So much. I wanted to be there for you before the task, wanted to wish you luck."

"I should have let that happen. I should have forgiven you."

"Harry, stop," Draco unexpectedly said. I deserved it. I still do. I've thought about it, and you reacted perfectly. You had one rule and I broke it." Draco kissed his forehead. "It's a lesson learned. I'll never say anything like that again."

"Promise?"

"Yes. I promise. Harry kissed his lips, and they met for seconds. Draco most definetly missed that.

"You're safe now," Draco whispered one last time, knowing it was a lie, and Harry sunk down to bury his head in his neck.

The game had just begun.

And Draco realized he very much liked cuddling.