For a month now, this had been the way. He would go to work, come home and avoid her. He knew what would happen if he did not. All hell would break loose. She knew. She knew his darkest secret. The one he would never willingly have told anyone. The one he would never have told if his very life depended upon it. He hadn't meant for it to happen. He wouldn't have willingly chosen for it to happen. He had to ignore one of his love's best friends, but there was little more he could do. He had tried reasoning with her. He had tried everything in his power to make her see his point of view.

A month ago

Harry, tapping his pen upon the fine mahogany desk of his Auror office, flicked another of the pages open of the file he was perusing at his own leisurely pace. The door creaking open caused him to look up. A blonde haired, blue eyed woman poked her head through the door.

"Mr. Potter, Sir." Harry motioned for her to come in. She slipped through the door, smoothing her black skirt and blazer down over her curved and voluptuous figure, before carrying on. "They've got him." Her eyes lit up as Harry nodded and climbed quickly to his feet.

"Very well. I shall question him alone." The woman bit her lip and shook her head.

"I have been directed to sit with you, Sir, to get a larger…" She was cut off as Harry snapped,

"Maria, I cannot allow you to sit in that room with…a highly dangerous and extremely powerful wizard in there. If he were to…escape, then I would feel obliged to ensure of your safety rather than giving chase. You could very well jeopardise an extremely important ministry investigation. I cannot allow that possibility to happen." Maria's face twitched in anger as she replied, coolly,

"I wish to gain some experience. How am I to do this, Mr. Potter, when you refuse me access to any interviews which you do?" Harry rolled his eyes and brushed past her, ignoring her question. He made his way quickly up to the stairs to the normal interview room and entered, dismissing the two aurors within the room. A figure was sat in the centre of the darkened space, curtained, blonde hair falling down around his features. Harry pulled up a chair, leaning back easily in it. The figure looked up. The face was covered in dirt and his own blood, bruising and cuts very apparent on what would have porcelain white skin. The rest of his body was hunched over as though in great pain, clothes torn, dirtied. A Prince fallen to a pauper.

The storm grey, icy eyes looked up at him, the familiar smirk sliding across the pointed features as he drawled,

"Potter…you've got me. What punishment do I receive then? A smacked wrist? Lifetime imprisonment? Give me your worst." Harry studied his nails calmly before pushing himself to his feet and circling the blonde dangerously.

"I wouldn't tempt me if I were you, Malfoy." He spat the last word out in contempt. The figure laughed. A chilling and haunted laugh which made the hairs on Harry's arms stand on end before it was broken off by a choking cough. Malfoy glanced up again before saying, seriously,

"You need to control those Auror's. Nasty temper they have…" He tried to stand, but was unable to as his hands were closely shackled to his feet.

"Potter…you could at least make me comfortable before you force me to spill my Lord's plans, my secret's and everything I wouldn't wish for an arch enemy to know." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"And how do I know that I can trust you?" The blonde rolled his eyes, attempting to look haughty, but winced as a cut near his eye broke open again, red dripping down his nose.

"You think they would leave me with a wand? They took everything from me Potter…even my child." Harry stopped circling and stood in front of him.

"Who took everything from you?" Malfoy sighed heavily.

"Who do you think?" There was a pause in which Harry motioned for the blonde to continue. "My Lord, of course. And those bloody aurors. To fall from the honour of society is one thing, but to fall in the honour of someone you have served for 3 years of your life, in terror of your own and your family's lives, doing unspeakable things, is another thing entirely." Harry pulled the chair closer and sat on the edge. He clicked his fingers and the chains lengthened, enabling the other person to sit down fully in the chair, slouched down, legs open and staring at Harry with a calculating look upon his face.

"You don't know what it's like Potter…you've had a mere taste of the danger you're in when in His presence. He loathes everyone. Some say he doesn't wish to love. Other's that, when he split his soul, he split his heart and so cannot love because his heart is not whole. That is what terrifies you. Not the fact that you could die at any second. The fact that…when you look in those eyes, all you see is hate." Harry rocked back into the seat of his chair.

"You say…he took your child?" The blonde didn't answer, his eyes falling to a point just to the side of Harry's left knee. Harry leant forward again, trying to catch the stormy eyes with his own.

"Mal…Draco, why did he take your child?" Draco looked up quickly at being called by his first name, frowning slightly.

"He wanted her. The Mother died…giving birth. He said that she could be a pivotal point in his plans. I…disagreed. That's why he did this to me. Cast me out where those bastards could find me. They tortured me even more. As if I didn't need anymore. I just went numb eventually. Let myself go…" Draco lapsed into silence again.

"What are his plans?" Draco's eyes snapped up to Harry's face, anger flashing suddenly in his eyes turning them from grey to a deeper colour, almost black.

"Have you listened to nothing I have said? He has my daughter!" Draco tried to climb to his feet again, but the chains, even though they were longer, would still not reach past his knees.

"Potter…if these chains did not hold me, you would be dead." Harry fell back into his chair, sighing in exasperation.

"Malfoy, I'll get the answers out of you somehow. It just depends on how you want to play." He did a particularly difficult flick of his wrist and procured a curved, dark blue, finely cut glass bottle. He held it up between his forefinger and thumb.

"The choice is yours…Malfoy." Draco sneered and looked up towards the ceiling, shaking his head slightly as he did so.

"You're just the same as you were Potter. Doing everything you can to get into other people's business. You're pathetic. If I wanted you to know about why he has my daughter…I'd tell you. If I thought me telling you any of his stupid and pointless plans to take over the fucking world would help…I'd tell you. The truth is, Potter, everyone's going to die. He won't be stopped. No matter what you or…whoever does, it will still come to be. You won't defeat him. No one will. If he could be defeated, he would have died that night he tried to kill you." Harry snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Malfoy, I've heard all this before. Cut the crap and get down to the decent stuff." Draco's eyes narrowed as he snarled,

"I could have you, Potter. It's just us alone in this room. I could take you, right now and no-one would hear your screams." Harry pulled himself to his feet, his tall, muscled body unfolding, a couple of inches taller than the blonde in front of him.

"And what do you hope to do, Malfoy, chained to that chair?" He smiled smugly down at him as Draco leant down, clasping the chains within his bloodied fingers. A hissing noise caused the smile to falter on Harry's face. The hissing continued as the shackles from Draco's wrists and ankles disintegrated into a pool of red, molten metal which pooled upon the floor surrounding his chair. Draco straightened again, rubbing his wrists and gliding to his feet, like a cat uncoiling from being curled up, careful not to step in the mess around his chair.

"Why…that, Potter. You don't always need a wand. I've learnt that from you." Harry laughed, still clutching the blue bottle to him.

"Give me your best Malfoy, for it would not touch mine." Draco smirked.

"I do not wish to fight Potter. Just let me go. All I want is to retrieve my daughter from that Cunts grasp." Harry sighed.

"Malfoy, sit down. Otherwise, I will be forced to make you fight." The blonde and the brunette stared each other down, until Draco sat down, sighing heavily as he did so.

"Fine. What do you wish to know Potter?" Harry leant back in his chair, rubbing his chin with his hand slowly and watching Draco thoughtfully.

"Why could your daughter be the thing that Voldemort needs for his plans?" Draco winced slightly at the name of his Lord, but said nothing about it. He shrugged.

"He believes that if he has the child of a loyal follower in his keeping, that he cannot and will not meet his end. Even if all the bloody horcruxes are destroyed, he shall live on in the form of that child. His spirit will automatically enter that child when, and if he dies. His main plan is to eventually take over Hogwarts and kill you. Now that Dumbledore has gone…nothing will stop him. He'll attack…and…he will do it fast. The last I heard of it was the attack was to take place within the next month. He'll take over that, hostage the pupils, force people to join him to save their children and if they don't…he'll kill them. As simple as that." Harry sighed, closing his eyes.

"That…is his all time plan?" Draco nodded. Harry's eyes narrowed as he moved up to Malfoy, biting his lip.

"I don't believe you. Malfoy, I want the truth and I want it now." Draco sighed.

"Potter…that is the truth. I just want to get out of here, get my daughter back by any means I can and then leave this place. Please…let me do this. " Harry smirked.

"Now, now Malfoy. Don't think that just because I'm allowing you to be free of those chains, doesn't mean I'm going to let you do that. Sit down…" Draco had risen from his chair, pulling himself to his full height.

"Potter…please. She's the only thing left in this world that is worth living for. Or dying for." Harry frowned as he saw the desperation in the blonde's eyes. Feelings which had been kept in chains for the past five years began to strain to get free.

"Draco…I'm not making any promises, but I'll see what I can do." He gave him a half hearted smile, reaching out and touching Draco's arm lightly in comfort. Draco's mouth dropped open slightly, before he recovered, a look of mistrust creeping across his face.

"What's in it for you?" Harry sighed and shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing at all." Draco smiled unsurely, a frown creasing his brow slightly as he leant away from Harry. Harry sighed and said, in a voice laced with concern,

"Don't worry. We'll get your little girl back. Even if I have to go alone. Thank-you, Draco." Again, Draco gave him an unsure look but a slight smile curved his lips.

"What for?" Draco asked, quietly. Harry shrugged.

"Telling me what you know. Come on." He took Draco's arm and led him out the thick, oak door, past two of the aurors who were positioned each side of it outside. They glanced round and fell into step beside Draco, grasping his already bruised arms in each of their solid grips. Harry glanced back as Draco let out a groan of pain, before rolling his eyes and motioning at the two aurors to leave them.

"Winston's got a case upstairs. Go up to him. I've got this under control." The aurors glanced at each other; their eyes narrowed suspiciously, but nodded and moved off up the corridor to the stairs at the end. Harry glanced around, before leading him a different way entirely. Draco tried to protest but Harry shook his head at him and put a finger on the blonde's lips.

"I've got a plan. I can't tell it you here." He led him to a deserted corridor, turned to look at him and opened his mouth to talk. Draco cut him off.

"Thank-you Pot…Harry. You don't have to do this. It does mean a lot and if there is anything that I can do in return for you…then just tell me." He glanced down at the ground, unable to meet Harry's eye. Harry bit his lip, knowing what it was he wished to ask of the blonde before him, but could not bring himself too. He smiled half heartedly, the ache in his heart nearly forcing him to shout his feelings to the world, to the one he knew he truly loved. He forced himself to nod and reply, in a strangely forced voice which sounded strange to his own ears,

"It's fine Draco. You've got a daughter. She needs you more than a cell in Azkaban does." Draco nodded, his eyes meeting the brunette's in front of him. For a strange moment, their eyes remained locked to each other, an understanding passing between them. Harry moved forward, his hand slightly outstretched towards the blonde before he realised what it was he was doing. Draco's mouth had parted slightly, a look of innocence overtaking the features as he whispered,

"Harry…" Harry breathed in deeply as he stepped back slowly, shaking his head. Draco looked away, flushing a light pink, the heat feeling strange to his normally cool skin. He felt strong fingers underneath his chin, tilting his face up to look at the slightly taller brunette in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the brunette shaking is head slightly.

"Shhh…not now Draco. Not here…" Draco nodded, visibly pulling himself together before he stepped back. He broke the silence between them first.

"Y…you said that y…y…you had a plan?" He stammered, causing him to flush even more. Harry nodded, still gazing at the blonde before him.

"I'm going to say for now that I didn't get any information from you. Another interview will be arranged. I'm going to apply for veritaserum to be used. If I can, I'll swop our drinks around so you'll have mine. If I carry two glasses, then drink down the one I give to you. If I don't, knock it out of my hands. Then I shall have to mix up another mixture, except I'll put something else in it. Some harmless potion for a cold or something. I'll think of something. Do not drink any other drink given to you by anyone else. That's before and after the interview. Then, after that has been done, answer any question I ask you. Without hesitation. 'When I ask 'Were you doing this of your own volition?' say you were under the imperius. Really play up to the minister and the council members. They'll feel sorry for you if you give them a sob story. Then, leave it to me." Draco nodded, sniffing slightly. He moved up to Harry suddenly, catching hold of him and pulling him to him in a hug.

"Thank-you." Harry pulled away from the hug, resting his hands unconsciously on the blonde's hips before giving him a calculating look.

"If you go back to serving…him, then do not expect me to cover for you ever again." Draco nodded, fixing his eyes on the hazel brown ones before him, tempted to pull them closer to him. He replied, a grim look transforming his features into the cold Malfoy mask he was well known for.

"Oh, don't you worry. I don't intend too. I was blackmailed into it in the first place." Harry nodded before, pulling himself out of the blonde's tightening grasp. Draco caught hold of his hand, looking suddenly like a deer caught in front of headlights.

"Harry, I…" Harry again placed his finger over Draco's lips, a slight smile creeping across his face.

"Shhh…not now Draco. Soon…" A genuine smile slipped across the blonde's features, causing him to be transformed, in Harry's eyes, into the embodiment of all things beautiful.

"Come on." He smiled at the blonde, feeling a certain amount of protectiveness to him begin to overwhelm him. He led him back to the corridor they had just left. They carried on down it in silence, occasionally shooting a furtive glance at the other. They reached a towering, black oak door with huge golden bolts, locks and other devices upon it. A fortress within the ministry so they were able to keep prisoners close which they had not finished questioning yet. Harry took out a bright purple card and scanned it within the open mouth of a roaring sphinx. Two aurors met them inside, clamping their hands around Draco's arms. He bit his lip, stifling the groan of pain from them and Harry. They began to lead him away, until Harry, on a spur of the moment thing, called after them. They turned and, motioning to Draco, he carried on,

"Put him in a cell by himself. Give him food and something to drink and get a medi-wizard to clean him up a little. Give him clean clothes and woes betide anyone who hits him. We need him in one piece and willing to talk as he hasn't been very forth giving this time." The aurors nodded and began to lead Draco off. He turned slightly so Harry could see his face and smiled in thanks. Harry winked at him, before turning and flashing the card in the wing of a phoenix this time, before leaving the room.

Review!!! Please. Lol. Had to change the beginning of the story as it didn't make sense at the end.