Uninvited Houseguest

Rating: PG-13

No Spoilers

Pairing: Harry/Draco of course! Implied Ron/Hermione!

Harry was sitting in his living room watching television, some show about switching spouses or something of the like. Not that it really mattered any to Harry, for years now nothing mattered to Harry. His two best friends had died in the fight against Voldemort. He lost his reason for fighting so he turned to anger and left alone to seek out Voldemort and his followers. Once he found them, he killed then all. Every single one of them, anyone who got in his way who even slightly resembled a death eater was killed in Harry's wrath.

And so Harry sat, pondering his life and the choices that he had made. After the war, Harry left the wizarding world and bought a cozy little flat in the muggle world. Then he got a job working at Wendy's fast-food restaurant. His job wasn't at all fun but it gave Harry something to do during the day and sometimes during the night.

A sound pulled Harry out of his reverie. Before Harry could comprehend what the noise was, it sounded again and Harry realized that someone was knocking on his door. Harry didn't have any friends except for the people he worked with, but they didn't know where he lived. Figuring that the person or persons were his annoying neighbors, Harry ignored the knocking. Once the knocking became insistently louder and faster, Harry begrudgingly walked to the door and opened it. What he saw shocked him. His past had finally come back to haunt him. There in his doorway stood a very disheveled looking Draco Malfoy.

After a few very awkward minutes Draco finally spoke. "Hello Harry."

Harry, not only shocked at the obvious change in Draco's voice, was also shocked to hear the deep voice drawl his actual given name. "Uhh… hi?"

"It's ok to be… well… shocked. I umm… need your help…" Draco said hesitantly.

At Draco's words, Harry's eyed bugged out and his mouth dropped. "…you need my help?"

"Yes."

"You seriously need my help?"

"Yes."

"You've never needed my help before and now, years after we've even seen each other you suddenly need it? And… how did you fine me? Why do you need my help? Huh?"

"Alright Harry-"

"DON'T call me Harry!"

"Okay… Potter, I really honestly need your help."

Still not being able to grasp the fact the Draco Malfoy, son of Voldemort's greatest follower, was standing on his doorstep asking Harry of all people for help. Harry responded, "Ok Malfoy… do you want to come in?"

"You always were way too trusting Potter." Harry thought that it was ironic that once he showed some sort of sympathy for his school rival the said rival goes back to the name-calling. "Aren't you worried that I'm one of the dark side's spies out to kill you?" Draco questioned.

"…You know I really should be, but I'm not. And I'm now comforted that you brought it up. Shows me that that's not the reason why you're here. And I guess if I'm wrong then at least I died while trying to help someone. Of course nobody would ever believe that I was trying to help Draco Malfoy. Well, who knows really- I mean, you did end up screwing your father over and fought for our side but-"

"HARRY!" After Draco was sue that he had all of the now wide-eyed Harry's attention, he continued, "First of all- don't ever speak of my father again and second of all- I really honestly am not here to kill you." Harry visibly relaxed. "I'm here because I really honestly need your help. You're the only one strong enough to… well, as horrible as this sounds… you're the only one strong enough to protect me."

"Protect you? From what!"

"Yes Potter, protect me. And I DON'T like asking for protection so don't rub it in," Draco replied angrily, his silvery eyed piercing into Harry's own green ones. "I need your protection from-" It seemed as if Draco was about to tell Harry why he was there and seeking the great Harry Potter's help when he decided against it. "Well… you know how it is… you're the boy-who-saved-us-all so…"

"Oh I see how it is. Everyone wants Harry Potter, Harry 'the bloody Hero' Potter to protect them. But no one really wants to ask what I want. Nooope, they just assume that I want to be all great and wonderful, saving people left and right! It's all fine and dandy for me because hey – attention – yay! But then people die Malfoy. I've seen so many people die that I've probably filled my share of death witness quota for fifty lives by now. And two of those very people happened to belong to two of the greatest people who ever lived." Harry broke into gut-wrenching sobs.

Draco, not quite sure what to do, just sort of awkwardly patted Harry's shoulder and made comforting noises.

After Harry could finally breathe normally, he said to Draco, "Thanks… I'm sorry about that."

"I know that I can't ever begin to understand what you went through or are going through so I own't say that. But all I'm asking is if I could just stay here in your home and… just be. Nothing could really happen to me here with all of your protection wards and everything that I'm sure you have up to protect yourself... Please let me stay here Harry."

With his scratchy voice, Harry replied, "Alright Mafoy. But I want it to be as if you weren't here at all."

"I can do that Harry."

"Good."

"Thank you Harry."

"One last thing… Stop calling me Harry."

Harry, still a bit miffed with this new, pleasant Draco, nodded at the changed man and walked to his bedroom. He suddenly felt very tired and he didn't think that he'd be getting much sleep in the next couple pf days. Harry started to wonder many things about his new houseguest. Like how was it possible that Draco Malfoy had changed? What force could be so strong as to force Draco to come to Harry for protection and help? Harry had no idea, and almost didn't want to know… almost.

A/N: I read this article in MSN which I will not tell you about until I'm finished with the story, but it gave me an idea that I really wanted to write. But I also really wanted to build up the story before hand and make it a big ole story thing! So here is the first chapter of my Big Ole Story Thing! LOL! Please let me know what you think and if you think that I should continue writing this story or if I should just give up and start something else!