Saving the Saviour
Warnings for mentions of child abuse.
Nothing good will come of this, Draco thought as he stared at the article before him, the garish headline blaring the news for all to see; 'HARRY POTTER ABUSED?' and realised how much of a prat he'd been his entire life. The article went into horrendous detail, for once backed by evidence, and he shuddered. For years his godfather had ranted about how spoilt Potter was, how arrogant and lazy, and that was quite evidently not true. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table. The entire hall had erupted into whispers the moment the papers had arrived, but thankfully Potter wasn't present yet.
In that moment Draco decided to do something that while selfishly beneficial in the long run might not be worth the immediate hassle. He stood, sweeping out the hall and walked almost straight into the man he'd been searching for.
"Morning," he said. Potter frowned, but nodded at him. They'd formed an uneasy truce that mainly consisted of ignoring each other.
"You don't want to go in there," Draco said. Potter cocked an eyebrow.
"Why not?" he asked. Draco winced. The way the article read suggested that Potter was oblivious to its existence. He could only hope Potter subscribed to the philosophy of not shooting the messenger.
"Skeeter's written a particularly scandalous article pertaining to you."
Potter shrugged. "And?"
Draco stared at him. Potter stared back.
"She's writes so much shit sometimes I wonder if she's misplaced her arse with her hands."
While normally Draco would find such wit a mixture of amusing and vulgar he couldn't find it within him to muster a smile. Potter rolled his eyes and gestured to the paper.
"Come on then, what's the damage?" he asked. When Draco didn't reply he snatched it out of his hands, turning the paper over.
Potter froze as he read the headline. He paled, and leaned against the wall for support. Well. If that didn't confirm the validity of the article he wasn't sure what would. Potter was still gaping at the paper as the morning rush began.
"Come along Potter." Draco grabbed his arm and led him away from the masses to his own room. Each returning 8th year student had their own private space. It was one of the universal conditions they'd agreed to in the event that they return.
"Mimsy! Hot chocolate, and some toast," he ordered their communal house elf. Potter was still staring at the article in his hands, but now actually seemed to be reading it. He finished and the paper incinerated in his hands in an impressive show of wandless magic.
"Oops," he said, glancing up at Draco sheepishly. Draco handed him the mug of hot chocolate, and hoped he wouldn't incinerate that as well. They sipped at their drinks, and he was rather content with the silence.
"I'm going to fucking kill her," Potter muttered. Draco smirked.
"I'm not sure they'd let even you get away with murder."
Potter grimaced.
"I might as well try," he muttered, then shook his head. "Thank you, for…" He waved his hands to indicate the fact that Draco had saved the saviour. Draco nodded. Potter scrutinised him.
"Why did you do it?"
Draco stared into his drink, then finished the last dregs. He wound up his courage.
"I might be a prat but even I can admit to being wrong sometimes. The war is over. I don't want to fight anymore, and I've evidently got a lot to learn about you regardless," he said. Potter nodded.
"Thanks." He stood, rolled his shoulders, made a face, and sat back down.
"Fuck. What am I going to say to people?" He seemed to be talking to himself. Draco smiled.
"You need another copy of the paper. We'll go over discrepancies, and then you'll need to decide what you'll say to the press, to the students, and to the teachers that should have noticed it. How did they find out? Who took those photos? Surely the muggles wouldn't have given permission for random witches and wizards to enter their house?"
Potter actually snorted with laughter,
"Not at all. They hate magic, and everything it stands for," Potter said, slight venom in his words. Draco nodded, and began making a list of things they would need to do. It was about time Potter sorted out his media image anyway.
"Did you ever sue for libel back in fourth and fifth year?" he asked. Potter looked gormless. "That's a no."
"Libel?" Potter asked. Draco rolled his eyes. If he hadn't saved the world, shown impressive displays of magic and had been doing exceptionally well in his classes Draco might actually think he was the idiot he'd once believed him to be.
"Don't worry. I know the best lawyers."
Potter eyes widened.
"Lawyers? Don't they, like, cost money?"
Draco paused from scribbling to stare at Potter.
"Yes," he said very slowly. "Look Potter, you might not be as rich as me, but you're still bloody rich." Potter blinked.
"Well, my vault's alright but…"
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Did you even look in the main Potter vault when you accepted your Lordship?" Potter didn't answer, and there was a strange sinking sensation in Draco's stomach.
"Did you ever accept your Lordship?" he asked Potter, scanning him for clues as to where the Potter ring might be hidden on his person. Potter was pale, his mouth wide open, and his eyes wide.
"What Lordship?" Potter whispered. Draco slapped himself on the forehead in irritation.
"Do you know anything about Wizarding customs or our history? What it means to be an Heir of a Pureblood line?" He frowned at his parchment as he added more tasks. "Maybe two. What did Black leave you in his will?" There was a thump. He looked up. Potter had fainted. He held back a sigh, and levitated Potter onto his couch. When he'd decided he was going to make himself invaluable to Potter, sorting his entire life out hadn't been his plan.
Word Count: 998
Auction Slytherin 56. First line: nothing good will come of this
Insane House Challenge 580. Plot point: a secret comes out
Potions Task 2: write about someone taking a great risk to improve their life
365 Prompts Challenge 74. House Elf
Stuffed Animal Lamb 2. The Great Hall
Buttons Characters 1. Harry Potter
Medium Pinata: Humour