Harry used to think he was broken. But that was no longer fitting, in his eyes. Broken was fixable. Harry was beyond fixable, he was far beyond broken. He was shattered.

No one could believe it. Ron, who could always put a smile on your face, who would shove food into his mouth like he would never eat again, was dead. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He bolted out of the room before anyone could stop him, just wanting to escape it all. But no matter what he did, all he could see was that body, lying on the ground...suddenly he just broke down, right there in the passageway. His knees buckled, and he cried helplessly on the floor, because his best mate, his brother, the first friend he'd ever had, was gone.

After bawling for about five more minutes, Harry collected himself, stood up, and continued on his way out of the passage. When he reached the tree, he didn't even try to suspend the tree. Miraculously, he wasn't hit, though Harry didn't notice. It was like his body, emotions and all, had shut off completely. He walked into the Forbidden Forest, not really sure where he was headed, just letting his legs take him wherever.

Eventually his legs came to a stop, and he looked up from the ground. The place was all too familiar, for he had died here not even a year ago. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to die here again.

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Hermione watched as Harry ran out, still wrapped in Pansy's arms. It was torture, every minute that passed by. Ron was dead, Harry was probably going to do something stupid, and Blaise hadn't moved an inch. Not to mention the unconscious body on the ground that still needed to be dealt with. So, that being said, Hermione removed herself from Pansy's arms, and walked over to the blond. After a few spells, his eyes slowly opened. She carefully sat him up, conjuring a glass of water and handing it to him.

"Where's Harry?" Draco asked in a hoarse voice, ignoring the glass in his hand.

"He took off," Pansy said quietly, walking up to her friend.

"But why would he..." His voice trailed off as his eyes wandered to the unmoving body on the ground, and he inhaled sharply. "Is he..." Hermione nodded sadly, and Pansy once again encased the girl in her arms.

Draco felt he wasn't allowed to be upset, since he'd hardly known the redhead. For years he'd made fun of the Gryffindor, all because he was poor, and didn't have everything he had. He'd called him names, ridiculed him countless times, and after all that Ron had still found it in himself to forgive the other. Draco really hadn't deserved the friendship, or anyone's for that matter. Because when had he ever been pleasant to be around? He'd tried to change, tried to fix his mistakes, but who was he kidding? People can't change that much, and Draco was no exception. Here he was right now, making everything about himself like always.

A million feelings were swirling around in the ferret's chest, and he just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe Harry had the right idea running out. So he got to his feet, a little shaky at first, and sprinted out as well, staggering a bit as he went. Pansy wanted to go after him, but Hermione rested a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Let him go, he needs some time to himself right now. Besides, I need your help carrying Ron back to the school." Pansy sighed, and turned around. Blaise still hadn't moved, his eyes trained on the body beneath him. She walked to her friend, and put an arm around his shoulder. He was unbelievably tense, but he did turn his head to look at Pansy.

"Come on Blaise, we have to go back to the castle now," Pansy said, her voice sweet and soft. He nodded, and Pansy pulled out her wand. She cast a spell to make Ron's body lighter, then cast another one to lift him up. Hermione did the same, and the three set off.

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Draco got a bit lost before he found his way to the trapdoor. He opened it and went through the underground tunnel that he vaguely remembered from earlier. As he was walking, he noticed something silver lying on the ground. He poked it. It was silky, but also soft. Draco picked it up, recognizing it as Harry's invisibility cloak.

Another ten minutes passed before he could finally see the daylight again. Casting a quick spell to immobilize the tree, he walked forward, getting just out of reach of the tree's wrath before the spell broke and the branches began thrashing around. He continued walking back to the castle, thinking of possibly finding Harry to give him his cloak, maybe comfort him. Well, that was before he saw a path of reckless destruction heading towards the Forbidden Forest.

Figuring it could only be Harry, he followed the trail. He didn't have to walk long, maybe a minute or two, before the dork with the glasses came into view, his wand in his hand. His eyes were red and puffy, and his cheeks were stained from the tears. Draco watched curiously from a distance as Harry raised the wand. Then he noticed that the wand was facing the wrong direction, the tip pointing towards Harry. Draco frowned, about to point it out to him, when Harry started saying a spell.

"Avada Ke-"

"HARRY!" Draco ran forward, snatching Harry's wand out of his hands, which Draco noticed were shaking. He grabbed the boy's hand, which were drenched in a cold sweat, though he didn't care.

"Dr-draco?" His eyes were wild, lost. They frantically looked around everywhere, moving so fast it made Draco's head hurt a bit. Finally they landed on Draco, and stayed there.

"What were you thinking?" Draco pulled the smaller boy into a hug, and he hugged Harry tighter than he'd ever hugged anyone in his entire life.

"It's not right. Ron died, and it was my fault, and he should be alive right now, and I should be the one who's lying on the ground in the Shrieking Shack," Harry mumbled into Draco's shoulder.

"Harry, you more than anyone deserves to live right now. Your childhood was so messed up, at least let yourself be happy now."

"But I was happy then. I was carefree and stupid and happy, and I hate that me. I hate the old me, the current me, and even the future me. Because I'll still be destructive, and everyone that I grow too close to will die. So no Draco, I really don't think I deserve to live right now. And by the way, I really like you, so we can't be friends anymore, or you'll die too." Draco froze. Did he mean like like, or like like?

He pulled back, keeping his hands on Harry's shoulders, studying the boys face carefully. "What do you mean you like me? Expand on that, please." Harry gulped.

"I said that? Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry. I mean, your obviously straight, and I-"

"Excuse me! Obviously straight! I'll have you know that I am very much gay, thank you very much. I am also deeply offended."

"Sorry, I-wait, what do you mean your gay?"

"I mean that I don't like girls, and that I fancy Harry bloody Potter."

"But...that's me?"

"So? Is that a problem?"

"No. Wait, yes. Well...it could go both ways."

"Why's that?"

"Because Harry bloody Potter fancies you too, but he's a very destructive person."

"Well, I don't care. Now come on, we're going back to the castle. And you are not getting this," He held up Harry's wand, "for a very long time with the way your using it. And you aren't allowed anywhere near the Astronomy tower, and, just for good measure, you aren't even allowed out of my sight."

Harry couldn't help but smile, despite all that's happened in the last couple hours. Draco laced Harry's fingers with his, and they walked hand in hand back to the school.

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