Song of the Sea

chapter six

Draco lay on his bedroom floor soaked in sweat, his legs flopping about. Wait. Those weren't his legs. Where the hell were his legs?! He had a tail! He tried to sit up, but the new muscles in his…..fin?... were really weak and his skin felt dry and paper-like. He tried to cry out for help, but his throat felt like sandpaper. He could feel his mother’s presence, but did not call for her, knowing it would be useless. He tried to crawl to his bathroom, desperate for a glass of water, but the sliding movement only made his skin flare in agony and through his dry, cracked throat he let out a gargling scream….

Draco jerked upright in his bed in the eighth year's tower, his skin glistening with sweat. His breathing ragged and he felt like the room was spinning. He tried to stand up and walk to the bathroom, but his legs gave out and he crashed to the floor. He curled his body in on itself and tried to slow his breathing. He jerked when he felt a hand on his shoulder and tried to scramble away, but his head was fuzzy, and his breathing erratic. He could tell someone was talking to him, but he couldn't hear over the sound of his own beating heart. Whoever it was was stroking his hair and had sat themselves behind him, pulling him to their chest. His breathing slowed and he was able to hear the person talking, surprise coursing through him when he recognized that the voice belonged to Harry.

"Calm down, take deep breaths, you're going to be fine. It was just a dream, relax, and take deep soothing breaths," he kept saying, over and over. He rested his hand over Draco's chest and guided his breathing to match his own, calming him slowly.

Finally, Draco slumped back into Harry and was able to control his breathing, only feeling slightly light headed from the panic attack. Once Draco had calmed down enough for his senses to come crashing back to him, he scrambled out of Potter's arms and made a run for the bathroom, his face aflame with embarrassed anger. He jumped into the shower, setting it to steaming and set to work on his mussed hair.

HPDM

Harry stared after Draco in concern. He had no idea what the blonde had been dreaming of, but he could tell it was unpleasant. He stayed seated for a moment, debating on what he should do before he got up and went in search of Zabini, knowing that if draco needed to talk, it would only be with him. He quietly snuck into the boy’s rooms and gently shook him awake.

"Zabini, wake up" he whispered. The other boy groaned at him in his sleep and Harry shook him a little harder."Wake up. Draco had a nightmare, and I think he should talk about it with someone. Someone he trusts.'' That seemed to get the other boy's attention and he shot up in bed, looking at Harry with sleep crusted eyes.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"He went off to the bathrooms in our rooms. I think to take a shower."

Blaise nodded to him in thanks and they headed off to the rooms Harry shared with Draco and Ron. "Just be sure not to wake Ron. I'm sure he would love to taunt him for this," Harry said and the only answer he got from Blaise was a stiff nod before he silently rushed to the bathrooms,.

Harry sighed and layed back down in his bed, suspecting he wouldn't be seeing the other boys at all the next day. Harry sat bolt upright in bed, having an idea. Maybe this incident would lead them back to the lake like they had done the other day. Harry needed to get his hands on some gillyweed, and fast. He would ask Dobby to sneak him some, that way he wouldn't have to talk to Snape about it and raise his suspicions. If Snape was protective of anyone besides Harry, it was his godson, Draco. Harry laid back down again, thinking of what needed to be done tomorrow as he dozed off back to sleep.

Just as Harry had expected, Draco was nowhere to be seen when he woke up the next morning. He couldn't find Blaise either when he bounded down the stairs to the common room. He quickly called for Dobby and got the gillyweed before running back up the stairs to grab a change of clothes and heading for the entrance of the school. He quickly made it to the lake and cast a disillusionment spell on himself before swallowing the gillyweed and wading into the lake. He was going to find out what was going on with Draco, once and for all.