Story: Moira
Chapter Thirty: Panic Attacks

One full day of starving did not help Harry's mood. He was in a very foul mood when he woke up – partly due to the horcrux and partly due to Ginny. Deciding to end his misery, he set the horcrux on the sofa he was previously on then bound it to the cushion using a complicated dark charm. This itself incinerated him to destroy the horcrux.

"Open!" he hissed at it. It did as was told and a scarlet eye looked at him. Before he even raised his hand, Riddle-Ginny and Riddle-Ron appeared out of the locket. Harry swore then closed his eyes in concentration.

"Trying to kill me again? Haven't you killed me already by not telling me know that Ginny is my sister?!" Riddle-Ron jeered. Riddle-Ginny laughed evilly.

"Why would he do that? All he wants is power, Ronald," she sneered. Harry opened his now scarlet eyes and the dark aura surrounded him. "But unfortunately, Potter won't achieve power or my love. I hate you, Potter, to the depths of your skin!"

Before she could continue, however, Harry had thrusted his half black misted hand on the locket. It let out a shrill, ungodly scream before the whole room turned silent. Harry felt his energy drain out completely and his eyes unfocused again before he fell to the ground in a flurry mess.

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It was half past ten and a full moon night, yet Harry had not retreated to the dormitory. Draco didn't let it show but he was deeply concerned for his best friend.

Ever since Harry's failed date, he had always been tensed and on high alert. Draco felt as if he had been thrown back into the days when the Dark Lord was alive and training Harry to be dark.

Draco had never liked the man's presence. It was always unwelcome and fearful when he was around them.

Ron was nervous too. He was all fine when around Hermione but whenever Ginny showed up, he would tense up and avoid looking at her. Draco could not help but feel worried for both of his best friends.

The amount of worry and panic which was coursing through him was getting high with every increasing second. Harry never stayed out late. He was always the early sleeper and early riser. Even on those rare occasions he did stay up late, mostly due to training, he would still be the first one to rise. Where even is the git? Draco wondered.

"Where's the git?" Draco voiced out his thoughts.

"I don't know," Ron answered, popping a chocolate frog bit into his mouth. Draco got up from his bed and started pacing around nervously. "Draco, calm down. He might be back any minute," Ron tried to reassure.

With every sound of a twig cracking somewhere in the distance, Draco looked up at the door with a jump. Ron frowned after twenty more minutes of desperately reassuring. He was getting worried too but he knew that Harry could take care of himself very well. Draco, on the other hand, was not like that and Ron knew why.

It was the night of the full moon. A distant howl was heard and a small blonde boy, about the age of seven, shuddered.

"Don't worry, Draco. It was somewhere far away," another boy with red hair assured Draco who nodded timidly. "Your turn."

"Okay Ron. P-pawn to E4," Draco ordered and a chess piece moved across the board.

"Rook to –" Ron started but was interrupted by a loud sound. He looked around and saw the door opened widely. A silhouette was standing there, breathing heavily. Draco and Ron ran to each other.

"W-who are you?" Ron asked. Instead of a verbal answer, the silhouette roared and launched itself at them. When it came under the light of their cottage, they could see the angry features of a werewolf.

"HELP!" both the boys shouted at the top of their lungs. They hugged each other and closed their eyes, fear overtaking them.

Footsteps accompanied by a 'swish' and a flash of light tempted them to open their little eyes slowly. In front of them was another boy with jet black messy hair. The werewolf howled in pain before scurrying out of the cottage. The black haired boy of their age turned around and faced them with a stony expression.

"Are you both alright?" he asked. In response, Draco and Ron ran and hugged him. The three friends stayed the same way and that was how Harry, Draco Malfoy and Ronald Black formed a thick friendship.

Ron blinked then looked at Draco. He was breathing heavily as he paced around the dimly lit dormitory. "Draco. Stop it. Y'know you can't worry this much! You'll be prone to panic attacks!" Ron warned. Draco sighed then slumped down on his bed. Ron walked over to him and sat beside him. He offered the blonde boy a chocolate frog.

"Eat it. It will help," Ron said gently. Draco took it with shivering hands and gobbled it down. Ron slowly laid him on the bed as his stress relieving potion took effect, rendering the blonde boy unconscious.

After tucking Draco in, Ron walked to the window and looked out. He was thankful to have had a small sprinkler with the potion. Draco often got panic attacks and Ron had forgotten to stock the potion up before leaving Durmstrang. He sighed in exasperation. "Harry, where on hell have you gone to? Come back soon. Please. Please come back soon, mate."

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The next morning, the situation got out of hand. Harry had not returned and when Draco wake up, he threw a fit. Ron tried lying that Harry had returned late and had left to train early in the morning but Draco just would not listen.

In his worry, Draco faced a panic attack, fainting after a few minutes of pacing around the dormitory. Ron knew of only one person who could help him out and so he ran to the castle.

On his way, he saw a tired looking Ginny. "Ginny!" Ron exclaimed when he approached her. She stopped then looked at him with raised eyebrows. Her eyes were bloodshot and she seemed to have been crying. "What happened to you?"

"I'm –" she cleared her throat and answered again. "I'm fine. What happened to you?"

"Astoria! Where is she?"

"Probably in the Slytherin common room. Why?"

"Please ask her to go to the Durmstrang ship! Draco needs tending!"

"But I don't know how to get – oh!" she exclaimed then hit her forehead. Ron looked half-confused and half-amused. Ginny closed her eyes then took out her wand. Waving it lightly, she muttered: "Expecto Patronum!" A magnificent white horse shot out of her wand and sped off towards the dungeons. Ron looked at her in awe. The patronus charm was one charm which even Harry couldn't master.

"You can do a patronus?" he asked, unable to keep his curiosity. Ginny nodded tiredly.

"What's wrong with Draco?" she asked as they started walking to the hall together. Ron was assured that Astoria would definitely take better care of Draco then himself so decided to spend time with his sister.

"He's had a panic attack."

Ginny gasped. "Oh my! How's he?"

"Fainted." Suddenly, Ron felt a pang of anger at Harry. Although he was to be pitied, why on earth should he make his friends worry and faint of panic attacks?! Harry knew all too well that Draco had this problem since the werewolf incident.

Ginny's hand on his shoulder brought Ron back to the world. He blinked before looking at her. It was then that he noticed the similarities between them: the shade of their hair, their freckles and the way she smiled despite being tired.

"Ginny, no offense but you look terrible," Ron said truthfully. Ginny laughed a mirthless laugh and they entered the hall. As soon as they took a seat at the Gryffindor table, amongst the huge crowd of starving students, Ron spotted Astoria running to the door. She had probably got Ginny's message. "What's happened?"

"Nothing, Ron. Just – just preparing for the third task. It's tiring," she replied. Ron nodded and took a piece of sandwich which had appeared on the table along with several other aromatic breakfast delicacies. "Why did Draco experience a panic attack, if I may ask?" Ginny asked in a low tone, taking a small bite of her bread. Ron swallowed his sandwich before answering.

"Harry. The git's disappeared to Agrippa knows where for the whole day yesterday!"

Ginny froze, her spoon was only halfway through to reach her mouth. She swallowed heavily before standing up. "We must f-find him then," she stuttered. Ron groaned softly.

"Breakfast?"

"You finish and search the lower three floors. I will tell Hermione to help you. I will also ask Nev and Luna to look around the middle three floors. I'll take the seventh," she ordered.

Ron nodded and got up. If she was going to search for his pseudo brother, he must too. Ginny nodded then left the hall in a fast walk. Ron looked at her retreating figure with remorse. He had never really had time to talk to her before and when he got to know that she was his long lost sister, he was fated to not talk to her peacefully. He internally cursed Harry then with a concerned sigh, left to find him.

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By the time Ginny reached the seventh floor, she was totally breathless and perspiring heavily. She walked to the wall facing a portrait then closed her eyes. 'I need a room where I can find Harry.'

A door materialized as soon as she opened her eyes. She pushed it open and walked in, only freezing before she reached the boy sprawled out on the floor. She broke into a run to him and kneeled down.

Placing his unconscious head on her lap, she gently tried to wake him. He responded in negative so she conjured some water and sprinkled them on his face. "Harry? Harry! Harry!"

The boy did not wake. With her deepest worries increasing, she checked for his pulse. It was there but feebly beating. "No . . . Expecto – " Her wand fell down on the marble tiles with a 'thunk'. She gulped then took it again. "Expecto Patronum!"

Leaving the chapter with a cliffhanger. Your thoughts? Comment!

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x