Draco hissed softly as Harry's weight crashed into his own. sharply bruising his shoulder before he pulled away and bashed him back. they were, of course, neck and neck and fighting over the snitch fluttering not two feet away from their outstretched hands.

harry veered off course, cursing loudly, making Draco laugh as he fell back. Draco's outstretched fingertips grazed the snitch before he lunged at it, falling from his broom, taking the buzzing lump of gold down with him. he closed his eyes and let himself drop, lapping up the crowds cheers and basking in the feeling of victory. he had beaten potter, for the first time since third year.

behind him harry watched as he fell, dumbstruck for a moment, before diving to catch his now limp body. noticing a small smirk on Draco's face as his arm closed around his waist, pulling him into the broom in front of him.

Draco's eyes fluttered open again and a smile lit his face as he was held against Harry's broom, swiftly descending. noticing Draco's reaction he shrugged and muttered, "good catch Malfoy." Draco nodded a little stiffly before frowning.

"what'd you catch me for potter?" it was a little arrogant but, at the same time, a bit confused. harry shrugged in response, going slightly pink.

"reflex"

touching the ground Draco pushed off from the broom in one fluid motion and landed nimbly on his feet. cheers erupted as harry walked the other way, towards the showers, shaking his head a little.

gently putting his broom on the bench by his robes, he grabbed a maroon towel and took off his shirt. not even glancing at his teammates as they walked moodily through the door after him. his jaw was set in a steely line as he let disappointment wash over him.

Draco had beaten him, and yet... he didn't really mind that. Draco hadn't thanked him for catching him, not even smiled at him. he growled lowly and pulled off his jeans and boxers. he flung his towel over the door and shut it, turning the water on.

it came out freezing.

he didn't move an inch, glad for the distraction from the confusing thoughts going round in his head. Draco's face was blissful as he fell. no annoying smirk or scowl that was characteristic of his ego. he looked, dare harry to even think it, kind of cute. sexy in fact. harry allowed himself a nervous chuckle, followed by a frown, at the thought. he shivered and turned his face up into the water, gasping as it ran down his previously shielded neck, down his chest.

he heard a giggle from next door, closely followed by a much lower pitched groan. gingerly he bent, letting the water slip down his back now. peeking under the wall at the next shower he saw two pairs of bare feet, close together. one of said pairs were lifting and dropping rapidly, the owner, or perhaps the other person, releasing another growling moan.

harry shook his head and straightened up quickly washing the sweat from his chest and legs he wrapped the towel around himself, muttering a spell and flicking his wand he had retrieved from the nearby bench. the sound of running water accompanied by two shrieks made harry chuckle sadistically.

"mean potter, didn't think you had it in you" came the silky drawl from the corner of the now empty changing room. harry started, and slipped on the wet floor. surprised to feel cool arms draped around his stomach, setting him back on his feet.

"i guess we're even now" he muttered and turned to find Draco inches away. he blushed and took a step back. he felt strangely bare underneath Draco's gray scrutiny, before realizing he was standing with a towel around his waist, or, if there was a freak gust of wind, completely starkers.

harry blushed and hurriedly pulled his sweater over his head. Draco smirked and turned around whilst harry struggled into his boxers and jeans.

"ok, I'm decent" Draco turned slowly, "now why the hell were you in the corner of the Gryffindor showers?"

at this Draco blushed. a sharp hue of pink came to his pale cheeks and he quickly turned to hide it. so fast in fact that harry had trouble believing he had actually seen it. harry cleared his throat impatiently but Draco stiffened and remained silent.

harry began to get impatient as he stood there for several minutes waiting for the now statuesque Slitherin to answer.

he jumped when Draco finally made a noise. it was some sort of strangled gasp that ended in a shuddering sigh. for a moment harry thought it was like a death rattle but then noticed the proud standing blond to suddenly crumple. he sat down heavily on the bench and folded his face into his hands.

out of instinct harry sat, although rather awkwardly, next to him and draped a reassuring arm over his shoulder. Draco leaned into the stiff embrace and mumbled something against Harry's still freezing chest.

harry pushed him just far enough away to see his flushed face and whispered for him to "say again?"

he froze as Draco's face became centimeters away from harry's, his usual cold gray eyes now red and swimming with tears that poured down his cheeks in tiny rivers. his brow set in a troubled frown.

"w-why didn't you just let me drop?" he grasped Harry's arms in anguish, "why can't you just let me die?!" he crumpled, sobbing, into Harry's arms.

harry held him in sudden shock. he held Draco's frail body in a tight embrace, as if trying to keep him from falling apart. harry pressed his face to the silky hair of the blond and shushed against his head.

Draco's sobbing became rapid breathing and loud sniffs, followed by the occasional sob masked by a fake cough. out of instinct harry rocked him, backwards and forwards, creating a comfortable rhythm for Draco to relax into.

whilst questions threatened to break down the walls of Harry's consciousness and flatten any other though, he pressed Draco's body to his own, considerably larger, chest.

as Draco's crying slowly subsided harry noticed his forehead was crumpled in an almost painful frown. he stroked the hair of the exhausted blond boy in front of him absentmindedly and puzzled over the most likely, and then finally the most unlikely reasons he would ever wish to die. finding no logical answer to this, he resolved t find out, even if Draco wished not to tell him.

Draco pulled away finally. wiping his face in a sort of embarrassed way. confusingly, harry couldn't help but think how sweet Malfoy looked when he let his emotions show. brushing the now common thought away he pushed his face towards Draco's and asked what was wrong.

Draco bit his lip. ignoring his sudden -unexplained mind- arousal, he tried to wait patiently for an answer this time.

harry gasped as Draco began to slowly remove his clothes, staring intently at Harry's face, possibly gaging his reaction. Harry's heart pace quickened as Draco's bare chest and flat stomach were exposed. without seeming to realize harry reached out to touch the taught skin in awe, before noticing a large shadow on it, not caused by the dimly lit room.

staring at the mark he scrabbled for his wand, muttering "lumos" to get a better look.

Draco's body was covered in large, purple- blue bruises. each the size of an apple, some a lot older and healing over. others were very fresh. harry felt a flare of rage erupt in his chest. quickly silenced by horror as he stood and walked around the Slitherin. his arms were covered with slightly older ones.

but his back, his back was the worst. the bruises were most fresh there, a few spaces between them told harry his rival had been beaten many times in the past. some places near the shoulders had been hit so badly the skin had broken, large scabs covered a lot of the skin.

in some places long gashes that looked deep cut through Draco's otherwise wonderfully toned back. harry touched it gently and heard a soft gasp break from Draco's mouth, he shivered slightly as harry passed the finger down his back to rest at the curve of his ribs ending.

unable to contain the horror, along with sheer unexplained fury boiling inside f his chest harry blurted out, "who the fuck did this to you, Draco? who, so i can go kick their sorry motherfuckin' asses."

the words came quick and dangerously quiet.

Draco managed a feeble "never knew you cared, potter" before turning sadly.

"you called me Draco... harry" he whispered and buried his face in the cotton of Harry's black jumper. he patted his Head and chuckled gently.

"of course i would have done, that's you're name isn't it." harry frowned, "i don't think you are quite... Malfoy, at the moment"

Draco made a sort of grunt that seemed to be some sort of agreement into Harry's chest.

"well then? or did you think that was gonna distract me then?" he shook Draco's shoulder gently. "i am a little smarter than that, contrary to popular opinion"

harry smiled a little when Draco chuckled but frowned in worry when he eventually pulled away. he seemed to be debating whether or not he had shown him too much already.

"i-i refused my fathers wishes..." he fumbled with his fingers a little. "he... he wanted me to do something for v-v-voldemort, something i- i guess i j-just couldn't do."

a little shocked harry tried to get him to keep talking. "what was it?... Draco?"

Draco's face had suddenly turned sour. he shook his head stiffly, and then sighed. releasing his facial muscles thankfully.

harry nodded. he would tell him when he was ready, he was pretty sure of it.

then he frowned for the squillionth time that evening.

"but you still haven't answered my question" he paused to feel Draco's face turn upwards, "why were you in the showers?"

harry could tell Draco was blushing furiously from the way he fidgeted against him.

"i... iwantedtoseeyou" cam the garbled answer.

"what?"

Draco sighed.

"y-you're the only person I'm close to. that might seem crazy to you but you are the only person i talk to every day, see every day, heck i think about you almost all the time h-harry" he dropped his voice to a whisper. " i wanted to see you, talk to you. become f-friends... maybe m-more"

the final part was nearly silent. it was breathy, it was suggestive, it was exactly what harry had wanted to hear the past three years. but it was confusing, it was impossible, improbable.

harry opened his mouth to finally answer the now shaking boy, but jumped as the door to the showers crashed open.

Hermione slowly walked out, grinning blissfully as ron trotted out behind her. they were both wearing towels that hardly covered them. walking quickly to the benches they dressed slowly. ron occasionally tweaking Hermione's ass or biting her ear lobe, making her squeal and drop the item of clothing she was struggling to put on her still damp body.

before long she was fully dressed, watching Ron cover himself in denim and cotton. rather uncharacteristically she grabbed his belt before he could and whipped his ass before running to the other side of the bench.

she tried dodging him but he was, of course, faster and pulled her over the bench to his chest. pointedly taking the belt from her and grinning.

she smiled weakly, kissing him harshly before rushing out closely followed by a grinning Ron.

Draco sighed, relieved, as harry removed his hand from over his mouth.

"that was both the grossest, and the most insane thing i have ever seen at the same bloody time..." he muttered shuddering.

harry stared blankly from the bench to the boy now lying in his lap. Draco frowned up at him and bit his lip out of habit.

Draco jumped as harry groaned suddenly and brought his lips to Draco's, pushing his tongue into his hot mouth and lacing his fingers gently in his hair. when Draco didn't begin to respond harry pulled away, shocked at his own actions.

"i- Draco i-I'm sorry. i-i didn't m-" he was cut off as Draco's lips crashed upon his own again. he didn't break contact as he swiftly turned and straddled harry, a smile splitting his face at the seams.

after several moments of kissing the two boys pulled apart. both shocked and staring before breaking into mirrored grins as they awkwardly pulled away from each other. Draco climbing off of harry and harry slipping off of the bench.

silently they touched hands and walked out, both not wanting the contact to end but both scared to take the others hand in their own.

bot stared up and the now risen moon and at the passing dregs who were late for leaving the Quiditch stands.

some of them looked up, confused at the two rivals behavior, but perhaps out of the sheer impossibility of the contact, the had decided it was simply a trick of the light. and really they were two first year girls who were scared of the dark.

harry cleared his throat and turned to Draco nervously. he took Draco's hand and fumbled with his bony fingers.

" th-the password to the Gryffindor tower is er, Caput Draconis... i-if you ever need to talk, about anything you need, come find me... ok?"

Draco looked down at their laced fingers. his mind felt like it was splitting in two, one half was shrieking that he was only gonna make things worse by doing what his father would've hated. the other half was quieter, urging him to take comfort in the fact he could finally call someone a friend, bask in it.

finally he raised his head, a small smile softening his sharp features. he leaned in and gave harry a shy kiss on the cheek before blushing openly and walking away, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

harry watched his retreating figure in awe. Draco had become a great friend from the most evil bastard in the space of just two hours. what was more he actually liked him, and the feeling was (oh my god) mutual. which about a week ago he would have deemed impossible. obviously when Draco would be caught staring at harry at random points of the day, easily noticed by anyone, harry would have sudden rushes and cold sweats breaking out on his back. his mind would fill with strange possibilities eventually ending with harry thinking about the Slitherins permanently.

he shoved his hands in his pockets in a mirror image of Draco and began to trudge moodily back to the castle, at least, he hoped he looked moody. the only problem with his actings skill was that every time he fixed a scowl on his face, the sneaky grin would come back. his face was now distorted in a sort of grimace.

finally reaching the common room he ignored the moping of the other Gryffindor and headed straight for his dormitory. after tripping distractedly on one of the first steps he stared at his mud coated shoes until he ran out of staircase.

thankful to find the room empty he quickly stripped down to his boxers and put on an old, paint flecked t-shirt, intent on getting to sleep without having to listen to more disturbing thoughts.

yeah right.

as soon as his head hit the pillow Draco forced his way into his consciousness, pretty much half nude and smiling blissfully as he said Harry's name in a shy way. blood rushed towards his groin and he groaned, half annoyed half simply because he felt the need to. he tried rolling over and clearing his head, Draco lying in bed crept into his head. he rolled to the other side, trying to think of something generic, Quiditch linked straight back to Draco as did even potions, so he gave up pretty quickly on that.

finally he thought about only Draco, at least his head wouldn't hurt anymore.

for a second he was contented, before he realized how hard he had become at the images of Draco his imagination was conjuring. he twisted his head to the side quickly to make sure no grumpy dorm mates had sneaked up without him realizing. when no-one presented themselves he drew the curtains around his bed.

in the dark he breathed deeply for a few moments, trying to dispel the crazy arousal, of course it didn't work but it was worth a try, right? then his hand trailed down to his hip, flipped up the elastic of his waistband, and crept under int his boxers. his breath caught at the first contact, Draco's kisses firmly in his head. he began to stroke, slowly at first, and then with renewed vigor. his hand was shaking but he wouldn't stop, not for anything in the world because now it was only Draco and him. his shoulder muscles bunched as he grew faster, his breath heaving quickly in his chest.

he propped himself up on one elbow as his climax neared and imagined Draco's platinum head bobbing at his waist, drawing him into his throat. with a grunt he came over his hand, gritting his teeth as Draco's name threatened to surface as his body shook in release.

when he was spent he waved his wand almost lazily to clean himself up, leaving only a sweaty sheen to his body as he fell back, now completely exhausted of the day. his head hit the pillow again ad quickly he fell into a Draco haunted sleep.