Warning: Er, Did I mention that Snape isn't dead? Well, now I did! I need him for a part that can't really be played as well as Snape's character can manage. You'll see what I mean as the story progresses. If the fact that he's still living bothers you – Well, don't read then.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter and co. and I never will.

Chapter Three: Without Emotion, We Perish

Luna continued to steer Draco towards the hallway, and each step they took was pulling him further away from something. Something, that he just couldn't quite grasp – It just felt like something, important. Something he should know, something deep down he should never have forgotten. But he couldn't even think straight now, not with everything spin and moving and hurling around him so quickly and chaotically he thought he would lose his lunch at any moment. He needed to stop and turn around. But, no – He needed to keep his feet moving away from the painful reminder, the betrayal – But why? He didn't know.

With each step the anger, the pain, the memory began to settle, fade and slip away. Draco noticed they were almost to the doors now, but it felt as if they'd been walking forever. His body ached, a sense of tiredness so deep overwhelmed him so suddenly that he stumbled slightly before Luna could adjust and right him. His mind was floating in a sort of emptiness that Draco hadn't felt in a long time, no emotions threatening to bubble over, no pulse pounding against his brain like a beating drum. There wasn't a sense of loss or pain threatening to rip his very soul out anymore, there was just nothing…

He felt empty. As if his life was nothing, just a dark, tumbling void where he'd been placed. Confined and pushed aside from everything that held life, and color, and emotion. He felt trapped, almost caged within a set of boundaries he couldn't explain. And his mind was so jumbled he couldn't seem to remember how to move his own feet. And so he stumbled again all clumsy feet and shaking hands, his vision swimming in and out of focus so rapidly he felt almost paralyzed. He didn't feel like he was moving anymore, had his feet finally stopped working altogether. He felt himself falling further or maybe it was rising higher, he was unsure which direction he was even traveling. Or maybe he wasn't moving, but simply spinning or twirling – Maybe he was standing completely still. This immense sense of darkness that had overwhelmed his senses was leaving him vulnerable and unsure.

Frantic at the sudden loss of everything around him, he tried to pull at the anger, trying to latch onto it with a starving need. He felt as if his sanity was suddenly at stake, how was it possible to feel this much of nothing? Even in the past when he'd been overwhelmed with nothing but fear, he'd still felt the bubbling emotions of anger, and bitterness underneath it all. There had never been a complete hold on all of his emotions, regardless of how strong his masks had been. All those years of hiding emotions, pushing them aside, forgetting he could feel – But they'd still been there, simmering under the surface just waiting for the day Draco would be able to unleash them once again.

He could suddenly see for a moment, the hazy outline of Luna was swaying precariously in front of his eyes, her features were in a constant state of movement; blurring around the edges, sliding in and out of clarity. The urge to scream overwhelmed him so suddenly, his mouth opening but the sound bubbled in his chest, burning up his throat before promptly dying before it could escape his mouth. Choking on nothing, he tried to breathe and found that he'd forgotten how.

He started to shake but he wasn't sure why, he wasn't necessarily scared or at least he felt no fear – Just an ever present sense of urgency that he couldn't understand. He figured that maybe he was dying, finally paying for his crimes, maybe his father's as well? But - how could he possibly die - with so many things undone, so many mistakes unfixed, so many apologies unsaid. All those regrets he couldn't make right, all the choices he'd made wrong, the bad decisions that had been highly present throughout his childhood. He wanted to cry then, so overwhelmed with the lack of hate and fear and despair, yet he felt only the absence of emotion and therefore he couldn't truly call the tears forth. But still, beneath all the nothing - there was an underlying longing to live that burned so strongly within him, he couldn't help but struggle against whatever was pulling him apart.

And why was it that Harry had to mess everything up for Draco, why couldn't he just see for once – See what he was doing to him, how badly he needed him. Thoughts of Harry not understanding caused the clenching in his chest to increase rapidly and he suddenly felt the world tilt on its axis as he doubled over in a pain so strong he felt as though his magic was going to rip him to shreds. He could suddenly hear a muffle scream that seemed to bounce and echo within his mind, and something was telling him it had been Luna. He wanted to reassure her, tell her it was okay, but she sounded so far away now and he couldn't see anything anymore; a dark haze had fallen over his vision. He tried to shake it away, but that only caused pain to pierce through his skull.

Everything was too fuzzy, and too hot. And he was suddenly feeling smothered. He tried to rip away from the white hot heat enveloping his body. But there was a sudden blinding green light that broke out within his vision. And the want to close his eyes against the brightness was outweighed by the desire for more, just more of that light, and the heat, and something – something more, just more. Suddenly he could hear clearly, a soft whisper of a voice; gentle, strong and pleasant against his tender ear.

"Draco," Harry whispered softly, his grip on Draco's shoulder tightening as he began to panic slightly. Something was wrong, he could feel it somewhere deep within that something was seriously not right – Draco needed something. Deep emerald eyes filled with concern, as Harry's hands clenched tightly around Draco's hands attempting to pry them apart, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. Everything was hot and bright and suffocating. He could feel Draco's magic pulsing and swirling, and it shifted beneath the surface. Harry was overwhelmed by his own emotions, and the echoing within his own mind that he couldn't understand because they weren't words - but colors and feelings and a burning so bright it was causing him to lose focus.

Something had shifted within his being the moment that Colin had pressed his mouth against his skin, there had been a clear second of overwhelming pain followed by a sense of guilt and betrayal and confusion. He'd known immediately that Draco had been in pain, there had been buried turmoil and sadness hidden beneath angry quicksilver eyes as he'd glared across the hall. Harry had felt the intense urge to coddle and protect Draco in that moment, to make right what he'd messed up; to comfort and soothe him, until he would forgive him completely.

Deep down Harry had known this was coming, knew he had been foolish for pushing it aside and trying to forget about it for so long. He'd been determined not to let fate make any more life-altering decisions for him and now look what he'd done. Because of his own selfish foolishness, he's hurt someone so precious. Harry continued to repeatedly call Draco's name, running a small hand softly through tousled blonde locks hoping to comfort the writhing boy in some way.

His name, someone was saying his name, Draco shook his head and tried to concentrate on the voice and not the pain. It sounded so familiar, like coming home. It was; deep and husky, melodic and soothing. Draco held onto that voice, as it repeated his name over and over again like a prayer. Slowly his vision began to clear, and the pain withered away into nothing but aches from the constant tensing of his muscles. He sagged suddenly as he stumbled forward into strong arms that steadied him.

He looked up with hazy eyes, and overpowering warmth enveloped him. His eyes locked onto Harry's and Draco had to force himself not to physically jump back, Harry's eyes were practically glowing green and his body was encased in a bright white light. Draco noticed suddenly that the Great Hall was deathly silent and Luna was nowhere to be seen. Shifting slightly to his left leg Draco peered around Harry and saw that everyone was pressed against the furthest wall away from them, as the Professors watched the pair with cautious eyes.

"Harry?" Draco said softly, his voice was hoarse and his throat felt as if he'd swallowed a bucket of sand.

"Draco, are you okay?" Harry's voice was deeper and huskier than Draco had ever heard it before, and it wrapped around him, warm like a sheet of velvet. Draco had to suppress the shiver that wanted to pass through his body, and that warmth it was so inviting. Draco just wanted to lean forward, fall more firmly into those smaller yet stronger arms and fade away into bliss – Draco shook his head quickly, annoyed with his own mind. He tilted his head slightly, looking down into glowing eyes that intrigued Draco more than anything ever had before.

"I'm fine," Draco said cautiously, wondering why he wasn't afraid. He felt nothing but a sense of peace encased within Harry's arms. Tentatively he raised his hand, brushing his fingertips along Harry's jaw. Draco watched Harry closely mesmerized as emerald eyes slide closed slowly, and he leaned into Draco's touch. "Harry,"

"Yes Draco?" Harry questioned softly, eyes opening slowly as he tilted his head to once again look at Draco. He smiled slowly, before placing a soft kiss to the center of Draco's palm. Draco couldn't help the soft blush that bloomed across his cheeks.

"Did you know that you're glowing," Draco said slowly, his eyes still closely watching his own fingers dance across the surprisingly soft flesh of Harry's neck. He was intrigued by the jump of firm muscle hidden beneath the stretch of delicate skin connecting neck to shoulder.

"Bloody Hell!" Harry swore viciously, causing Draco to retract his hand immediately. Harry's eyes softened, "Sorry, I still get caught off guard when it happens. I don't even realize it, because I can't actually tell the difference unless I play closer attention to my magic."

"Oh, so it's your magic then? It can manifest so clearly," Draco said softly, his voice full of wonder and awe. Harry smirked in amusement of how much Draco Malfoy truly had changed since the ending of the war, he was much like an innocent child, naïve to the world around him and in awe of everything.

"Yes, it can. It's also a long story and not even as entertaining as you might think. Although it's quite obvious that it's highly important that I tell it to you now," Harry sighed, rubbing a hand against his eye in irritation at himself yet again. Draco watched, fascinated as Harry's magic seemed to slowly fade away. Draco reached a hand forward without thought, as if to touch Harry's magic but his hand just seemed to pass through the light without pause. Draco's eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to grasp Harry's magic, before he realized that it had faded completely now. Draco frowned for a moment before his eyes locked on Harry's, realizing with slight disappointment that they were no longer glowing either.

"Neat trick, Potter" Draco said, his lip quirking at the corner quickly, before his mouth was set back into a straight line. If Harry hadn't know Draco so well, been watching him for so many years, he wouldn't have noticed the subtle change, but he did and he had. "But, seriously – Are you alright?"

Harry's arms were still firmly placed around Draco, holding on to him tightly as they stood but a breath away from one another. Harry could see the deep blue specks that freckled throughout Draco's smoky eyes. Eyes he knew would darken to a near black when his emotions were being locked away. Harry could see all the lines and plains of Draco's face clearly; the strong high cheekbones, prominent straight nose, and angular jaw line. His eyes were deep set, and slightly upturned at the corner, 'elf eyes' Harry thought in ironic amusement. His platinum hair was continuously falling into his face, obscuring those unique and deep eyes, the very windows to Draco's soul if someone took the time to really look at the boy.

Draco was quite a bit taller than Harry, which resulted in him needing to arch his neck backwards to look up at him fully. Draco's shoulder was firm and strong beneath his fingers, Harry knew the rest of his body would be the same way. Draco was cold to the touch, his body often times felt like ice to Harry, yet he had a suspicion that Draco only felt that way to Harry, whereas for anyone else who was to touch him he would feel a normal temperature.

Harry was surprised by the sudden anger and burning that built up in his chest, immediately at the thought of someone else touching Draco. He sighed to himself, it was true and there was no way he could deny it now - especially not when the word, 'Mate' was echoing loudly within his brain. Harry suddenly realized that Draco's mouth had been moving, and it was now set firmly into a pout.

"I'm fine." Harry forced himself to say, smiling softly at Draco. Draco's brow furrowed together, and Harry couldn't stop himself before his hand reached up to smooth down the middle of Draco's forehead. "Don't get a headache," he said simply, as if to explain his actions even though there was no explanation Harry had merely wanted to touch him, soothe him. He felt the sudden need to make everything okay for Draco well up inside him, and he fought against it, pushing it back slightly.

"Are you really sure? I mean, magic manifestation is supposed to be nearly impossible. I understand that you're the bloody Savior of the goddamn world and all that rubbish – I mean, not rubbish, but – Seriously, you haven't been messing with any spells or magical objects, no one's sent you odd packages or anything…" Draco was clearly rambling, and Harry suspected it was due to nerves, because the blonde's pale fingers were fidgeting and twisting into the hem of Harry's shirt.

"Draco," Harry said softly, his hand sliding down Draco arm where it clasped his hand tightly within his own. Draco's mouth snapped shut, as his face bloomed with color once again. "You're quite cutely rambling."

"I – I.. What!" Draco sputtered, pale lips drawing into a sharp frown. "Malfoy's certainly do not ramble, Potter."

"I'm sure they don't," Harry chuckled softly, running his fingers back up Draco's arm and burying them into soft blonde hair. Harry clenched his fingers together, tugging in delight and chuckling again when Draco's eyes sparked and narrowed in both annoyance and defiance. "I think I liked you better before you started calling me Potter again." Draco's head tilted away from Harry as he huffed, and Harry couldn't help but smile at the Slytherin's antics. He certainly was amusing, and so much more. "I'm sorry Dray, really – But, I'm fine. I promise the manifestation is of my own doing, though I don't have complete control over it obviously. Although, there have been certain situations when it's come forth on its own since this summer."

"Okay," Draco said slowly, fingers once against fidgeting. "Well, why did it happen just now then?"

"Well," Harry started, not sure how he was going to even begin to explain to Draco. "We should go somewhere and talk about it, actually. There are some important things we need to discuss."

"Like what!" Draco said loudly.

"Don't worry Dray, it'll be okay. Trust me," Harry soothed, letting his fingers relax and run through Draco's hair softly. Draco melted into the touch, leaning down to nuzzle his face into Harry's neck.

"Mr. Potter, would you kindly remove yourself from around my Godson." Harry's entire body tensed at the sound of Snape's voice, while Draco seemed to ignore the man entirely. Harry slowly began to remove his arms from Draco with reluctance, as he glared at Snape. Draco whimpered suddenly, as he realized that Harry was intending to let go of him – And the darkness came hurtling forward so fast that Draco pressed himself against Harry tightly barely allowing breathing room.

"Dray?" Harry whispered, his voice low and concerned. Draco pushed his face further into Harry's neck, continuing to whimper and refusing to speak. "It's okay, hush now, it's okay. I won't let go, I promise." Harry quickly wrapped his arms around the shaking boy again, pulling him against his smaller body tightly.

"Mr. Potter!" Snape voiced angrily, and Harry turned once again glowing eyes towards his Professor.

"Is there something you need Sir," Harry bit out, his voice deep and even. Snape continued to glare back, before he took a cautious step backwards causing Harry to smirk in delight. Snape's head tilted, eyes flickering to Draco quickly judging the distance as he contemplated how best to go about getting Draco out of Harry's arms. "I wouldn't advise even attempting to try that." Snape's entire body tensed, as he took another small step backwards. Snape noticed suddenly that Harry's magic was emerging once again from his entire body, and it was not only coating the Savior, but seemed to be slowly covering Draco's entire body as well.

Draco sighed and melted further into Harry's arms, content with the warmth that was Harry's magic. The inflamed heat, the flickering pulse, the soft caress – warmth, safety, light. Draco was overwhelmed with it all, yet he wanted more of that pulsing heat that was licking so comfortingly at his skin, it seemed to brush through him, a whisper of Harry's voice echoing into his mind, soothing the slight ache that still remained within his battered heart.

"Stop it!" Snape growled, forgetting to be cautious as he stepped toward Draco, his usually blank eyes slightly widened with anxiety. He wasn't exactly afraid but he wasn't calm either, he knew the danger that Harry's manifested magic posed. Harry growled suddenly, spinning Draco behind his back and glaring at Snape. Draco gasped softly, stumbling slightly before laying his hands against Harry's back softly.

"Don't even think about it, Snape."

"Harry?" Draco whispered softly, silver eyes wide and confused as they landed on Severus a few steps away. Stepping up against Harry's back entirely, looking over his shoulder at his godfather, surprise discernible in troubled silver eyes. "Severus?"

"It's okay Draco, just come here." Snape said softly, hand stretched forward slightly. Draco frowned immediately and clutched onto Harry's shirt tighter. Harry could feel Draco's fear, not only because of the racing heart against his back or the shaking hands fisting into his shirt tightly, but because he could literally – feel Draco through his magic. He could feel the blonde as if he was another part of Harry himself, and while he reveled momentarily in the essence of Draco, he remained conscious of Snape.

"Cut it out!" Harry screeched, when Snape continued to slowly move forward causing Draco to whimper slightly. Later – Draco would look back on his actions from the moment he'd stood angrily at Creevey's actions and be highly ashamed of himself as a Malfoy – But for now, everything was out of his hands and he had little control over his own actions and reactions. The long forgotten students still trapped within the Great Hall covered their ears quickly, as Harry's voice echoed throughout the entire Hall. Draco timidly reached down, lacing shaking fingers with Harry's but he didn't move from where he stood behind the smaller boy. "You can't take him, you can't have him!" Snape grew silent, stunned by Harry's outburst, as narrowed eyes watched the pair of teenagers closely – something isn't right. Draco shouldn't be able to withstand Harry's magic unharmed; he should be in pain possibly even unconscious. Snape was trying to figure out the mystery that lay before him, but he felt as though he was missing pieces to the puzzle and even his brilliant mind couldn't produce an answer for him.

"It's okay Harry, I'm not going anywhere. It's okay, hush now," Draco soothed softly into Harry's ear, rubbing his nose against Harry's cheek and holding tightly to his shaking hand. Harry turned into Draco's gesture, allowing the feel of the other boy to calm his racing heart. Snape watched in fascination as Harry began to calm and slowly drew his magic back within himself, which wasn't the easiest thing for the boy to do. Snape knew that even though Harry was ultimately more powerful than nearly every Wizard still living - he had three times the average amount of magic available within him but half the control of someone his age. He shouldn't be able to turn his manifestation on and off that easily yet, without a trigger or – a mate.

"Potter," Snape said sharply.

"Headmaster," Harry sneered, mock bowing. Snape glared, but allowed the insolence to pass without a second thought, there were more important matters to discuss.

"I think there's something we should all talk about," Snape said slowly, choosing his words carefully – because if he was right, even insinuation of the wrong intentions towards Draco could set him off, somehow Snape was pretty sure there was more to the Golden Boy than anyone ever realized. Harry glanced up at Draco, noticing the way the taller teen's eyes were shifting between Harry and Snape.

"I suppose so," Harry sighed. He was hoping to avoid this for, well ever – today is not a good day. He wasn't overly excited about the exposure of his secret to anyone that didn't have to know, though he figured that Snape as the Headmaster, should have been informed when he'd returned to school. But, he just still didn't care for Snape – regardless of those memories. Snape's personality set Harry on edge, and he'd been treated miserably for too many years by the man to be able to set those linger emotions and memories aside after watching a – then – dying man's memories. No matter how cruel his father had been, no matter how tough Snape's life had been, no matter how much Snape had loved his mother – He couldn't forget years of torment and pain just like that.

Harry huffed, before turning his back to Snape, glancing up at Draco with soft eyes. Draco turned his full attention to Harry, the corner of his pouted lips shifting up for a moment before falling back into an apathetic straight line. Harry smiled slowly, before lifting a hand to brushing against Draco's cheek softly. Draco murmured, before closing his eyes and leaning into the simple touch.

"Let's go with Snape for a little while, okay love?" Harry whispered softly. Draco's eyes opened in wonder, not missing the pet name Harry had given him. He couldn't stop the tumble of butterflies that assault his stomach, nor the blush that graced his usually pale cheeks.

"Okay," Draco whispered back. The teens shared a tender smile, before linking hands and turning towards their Headmaster as not two beings, but one unit. Snape just barely refrained from making a sarcastic comment, and decided to keep his mouth shut for the moment. Nodding and turning quickly, he stalked from the Great Hall in a swirl of black robes. Harry rolled his eyes, before following and pulling Draco along – some things never do change.

Review! I leave for Vacation this week, I'm not sure if I'll get to the next chapter before then, due to work. But I'll try if people are reviewing and reading. I'm also unsure if I'll be able to upload on vacation, I will be writing, but I may or may not have internet. Hope you liked it!