FOURTEEN SECTUMSEMPRA

     Nothing really felt different after Xander's late-night confession to Diana. It was less like a confession and more like an elephant in the room that had finally been addressed. Xander was relieved if he was being honest. Secrets were one his least favorite things -- especially when they were being kept from Diana. They were sitting in the Great Hall now for breakfast after Xander had gotten probably one the best night's sleep since he got back from the winter holidays. It sounded cliche, sure, but it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Hey, Xander, look, Katie Bell is back," Diana asked, smacking the boy gently to get his attention away from the food on his plate. She pointed where Harry Potter was now speaking to the girl who had left school months ago after being cursed. "Merlin, what's it been? Like six months?"

"Yeah," Xander confirmed, "I think so. I'm glad she's doing okay, I was worried after how terrifying that whole thing had been. Seeing someone get cursed like that... I never wanna see it again."

It was then that Draco Malfoy entered the hall. He and Xander still had yet to have any form of a conversation since the train back to Hogwarts and Xander had somewhat hoped that a lack of interaction would cause these odd feelings he had to cease, but apparently, as his heart fluttered at the very sight of him, he had no such luck. In fact, he thinks it may have gotten worse. Great, just what he needed. Xander watched as Draco stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he saw the girl. Their eyes met from across the hall and the blond turned and hurriedly left the room. Before he even knew what he was doing, Xander was out of his seat and running after him. It seemed he wasn't the only one with that idea as he could hear Harry Potter close behind him. Xander had a bad feeling about all of this as he chased after Draco.

"Sorry for what I'm about to do," Xander muttered to himself as he pulled out his wand while running, turning, and casting, "Arresto Momentum!"

Harry slowed to almost a full stop, pushing through an invisible wall of resistance which gave Xander enough time to catch up to Malfoy without having to worry about Potter being hot on his heels. He had half a mind to cast stupefy, but that one would get him in significantly more trouble than he would like. He wished he thought before he acted and then maybe he wouldn't get into situations like this.

Xander followed Draco into one of the bathrooms and he saw the boy had pulled off his Hogwarts sweater and loosed his tie. More importantly, he had a white-knuckled grip on the sink and was  -- shockingly -- sobbing. Not even a light, manly cry, just full-on sobbing. Xander didn't know Draco was capable of such emotions.

"Draco --" he called out softly, stepping forwards slowly as he tried to make sure the other boy knew he wasn't a threat. He locked the door behind them and pocketed his wand, holding both his hands up so the boy knew he wasn't going to try anything. "I -- uh, do you wanna talk about it?"

The boy laughed through choked tears, but there was no humor behind it. Meeting the boy's clouded gray eyes in their reflections, he could see the pain he was in. Muttering more to himself than he was to Xander, Draco said, "I never, I never wanted any of this, but he -- he chose me! I don't have a choice."

"Who? Who chose you?" Xander made the mistake of pushing for more information, but he had to admit he was enamored by the idea that someone would have such a power over someone who had always been a poised figure of emotionlessness and strength. He had always thought Draco was strong, which made it even more daunting to see him break like this. He reached out carefully as if to place a hand on the boy's shoulder, but his actions were one step ahead of his brain like always, "Draco --"

"Don't touch me!" Draco exclaimed, shouldering away from the boy as Xander nodded and took a step back. "I'm not -- I'm not a good fucking person, I'll probably kill anyone who comes near me at this point. Get away, please."

Xander listened as he took another step back, giving the boy the space he had asked for. Partially because he didn't want to get hexed, but mainly because he thought the boy deserved to be listened to. The moment was broken as the door was unlocked and Harry entered silently, glaring daggers at both of them. Xander kept a close eye on both of them as he watched Harry reach for his wand. The dark-haired boy went to reach for his, but Draco was quicker as he cast a hex Harry's way before Xander could even catch his breath. Before Xander can blink, it's a full-blown duel.

"Shit," Xander mutters as he pulls out his own wand, trying to defend Draco because he's an idiot with feelings, and also Harry has a habit of pissing him off lately which is hard to do. "Harry, calm down! Let's take about this!"

"Do you even know what he's done? He's the one who cursed Katie!"

"He didn't mean to!" Xander shot back, trying to figure out where Draco was hiding for cover while trying to hex Harry at the same time. "I don't think he wanted to hurt anyone!"

"He was trying to kill Dumbledore!" Harry shouted and Xander ducked as a hex was shot his way. Draco came out of where he had been hiding to get in front of Xander and shoot a spell Harry's way. He noticed an arm shot out to keep Xander from moving forward almost as if Draco were protecting him, but it would be idiotic to think such a thing.

"Maybe I am! What's it to you?" Draco called out, firing a hex, "Xander, stay out of this!"

It was then that Harry conjured arrows to shoot out of his wand which Xander thought was rather rude, if you ask him, which caused Xander and Draco to fall to the floor to avoid them. Other than some slight bruising that would probably form from hitting the floor, Xander was fine.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, sounding genuinely concerned as his eyes met Xander's and he realized the boy had one hand gripping the boy's arm like his life depended on it and Xander found he quite liked being somewhat held by Draco Malfoy, but now was not the time for such a revelation.

Before Xander could answer, Harry burst out from behind a corner and hit Draco with a spell Xander didn't recognize, "Sectumsempra!"

Within an instant, Draco was on the floor and there was deep crimson bleeding through the boy's white shirt. The floor was soaked due to one of the sinks that had exploded and Harry was just standing there.

"Get the fuck out!" Xander screamed in a fit of anger he didn't even know he had in him. He fired a hex at Harry's feet, trying to get him to move or just say anything. "Look what you did! Who the hell cares who he is or what he's done, you're killing him! Shit, shit, Draco, hey, hey, it's okay, you're gonna be okay."

As Harry backed up and opened the door of the bathroom to leave, Snape swooped in with his stupid dramatic black robes as he knelt down next to the panicked Xander and crying, bleeding Draco.

"I'm not going to ask what happened here," Snape drawled as he pulled out his wand, placing it against Draco's wounds as he muttered a charm the boy had never heard before. Draco whimpered and cried as Harry ran from the bathroom. Xander had a half a mind to chase after him and use every curse in the book, but he was more concerned about Draco bleeding out on the ground. He watched as the blood began to seep back in the more Snape muttered this strange curse. When things seemed to be mostly managed, Snape turned to Xander, instructing, "That will stop the bleeding, for now, take him to the hospital wing to make sure there isn't any further damage. I will deal with Potter and this later."

"Yes, sir," Xander muttered as he and Snape got Draco off of the ground and his arm slung around Xander's shoulders. The boy was able to walk which he was thankful for because he could not lug Draco's dead weight all the way to the hospital wing. The boy was strangely silent save for the occasional wince and sniffle and Xander couldn't take it anymore, "Hey, do you remember fourth year? When... when you asked me to the Yule Ball as a joke? I know you thought you were being cruel and it kind of was... no scratch that, it was, but I'm gonna tell you a secret and you have to keep it because it's super lame, but I kind of hoped you were serious. I saw you dancing with Pansy and I couldn't help but wish it had been me. Now, you know, that secret is safe with you, I haven't even told Diana."

"What was the point of that?" Draco asked, his voice hoarse and he winced immediately after speaking as if there was lingering pain in his chest. Xander shivered as he remember the sight of the blood. The blond stumbled for a second and Xander panicked to catch him, letting his arm linger around the boy's waist as they continued walking.

"I wanted to give you an open opportunity to make fun of me, I thought it might bring you joy," Xander shrugged as they began to approach the hospital wing. Draco scoffed at this, but when Xander looked over at him he could see the ghost of a smile on the boy's lips.

"Oh, Merlin, what's happened to him?" Madam Pomfrey asked as they entered the hospital wing. She immediately took Draco off of Xander's weight and had him sit down on one of the beds, "Where's he hurt?"

Xander froze for a moment before he came back to reality, "Uh, duel gone wrong. Chest, I think that's it. Snape did some weird healing thing and he told me to bring him here to see if there's any further damage."

"Good job, boy, thank you for getting him to me," Madam Pomfrey nodded as she helped Draco unbutton his shirt to check for wounds. Xander forced himself to look away because now was not the time for his cheeks to flare up. "Please don't tell me you were the one who cursed him."

"No, no, not me," Xander shook his head, "Do you need anything else from me, Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, you're good to go, thank you, Mister Sakai," the nurse nodded and Xander went to leave.

He wondered if Draco would ask him to say, but part of him forgot how prideful Draco could be. Xander turned and the boy's eyes met his. He bit his lip, not knowing what to do, but as the boy didn't say anything else, Xander turned and left the hospital wing.

I honestly didn't think I was gonna update today and then I remembered that this scene was next and I got so hyped up I was like oh I must so now you guys get an update but no promises for tomorrow because I have an essay due at midnight that I've hardly started so yay