Hello there readers! I realize that I have disappeared from the face of the planet for over a year now, so , to make it up to you guys, I am going to be writing a Harry Potter fanfiction.

Warnings: Alternate outcome to the final battle.

Warnings for later chapters: SLASH. Some mild torture.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I'm just borrowing them.

So, without further, ado, I present Bleed Them Dry! Enjoy! (:

Feathers floated down from the sky as the owls fought. Harry could have stopped them, but he chose not too, knowing his fearless Snowy Owl would win. He reached out and watched the feathers flutter around his hand before closing his fist around a snowy feather with a trace of crimson on it. He couldn't tell which owl it had come from, but he was hoping it wasn't his. Harry and Hedwig were Voldemort's favorite search and destroy team and losing half of the team could mean his death. He gritted his teeth as a deafening screech filled the air and the smaller Barn Owl plummeted from the skies to the broken ground below. That was the sound of death, it didn't matter how many times he heard it, it still unnerved him.

Job nearly completed the older teen crossed the stretch of destroyed concrete and squatted by the still body of the messenger owl. It was easily recognizable as Igor Karkaroff's owl. Another Death Eater turned traitor it seemed. Harry Potter hadn been defeated, his lord had made sure of that, but the Death Eaters were losing faith in Voldemort. Every week one or more of them would try to betray their Lord and give information to the enemy. Most of them, with the exception of the Malfoy brat, had payed with their lives. That didn't matter to Harry though, he had Hedwig, and together they had a small amount of freedom that Voldemort had granted to them.

He reached down and pulled the message from the small owl's leg, tucking it into his pocket for later inspection. Then, feeling a sudden wave of unnerving guilt, he pulled his wand and muttered a spell that encased the creature in a crystal coffin, protecting it from any hungry predators lurking about. After all, it wasn't the owl's fault he'd gotten a stupid Wizard. "Hedwig," he said with a hint of disgust in his voice, "it's time to return to our Lord." A screech sounded through the air and a the proud, white owl flew from the sky and landed on Harry's outstretched arm. A ghost of a smile lit over the boy's lips and he crooned soft compliments to the loyal bird. "You did very well Hedwig, you are a very good owl. You'll be rewarded greatly when our Lord hears about your outstanding performance." This time the sneer was fully noticeable in his tone.

With a final stroke of the bird's pristine feathers, the captured hero turned on his heal and apparated directly into the Dark Lord's chambers. "We've returned master," he spit out quietly as he bowed almost mockingly low to the dark figure seated in front of him. Then he carefully pulled the letter from his pocket and gave it to Hedwig to deliver. "It was Igore this time, sir. The letter was with his owl when we intercepted it. The bird was not a problem to defeat though, it is now dead and buried so as to not alert the others." The Golden boy paused for a moment as his master read over the letter.

"Were there no other letters sent out today?" The Dark Lord spoke as he finished reading the hastily scrawled message, and stood to face his servant.

"No, my Lord, none that I haven't checked over or intercepted." Harry swallowed nervously, if his master was bored anything could happen to him.

"Very well, here is your reward, do with it as you will." With that Voldemort gestured to the corner where one Draco Malfoy was bound magically to the wall. "He has failed to complete the simplest of tasks once again, but I had the most wonderful idea." Now Voldemort crossed the room to mockingly pat Draco's cheek. "Instead of merely torturing and killing such a finely bred young pup, why not give him to someone who can train him as they see fit and make him worth my previous investments?" The man's snake like gaze fell on the raven haired boy once more, "I'm sure this won't be a problem for you. Will it Harry?"

Harry's hands broke out in a cold sweat, he had no clue what task it was that Draco had failed to complete, but he was certain it was nothing as important as this. He swallowed once more and bowed his head lower, knowing that Voldemort could tell he was uneasy. "No my Lord, it won't be a problem at all."

"Good, good. Have fun with your new toy my slave. Let me know when he isn't such a complete and utter waste of my time." Voldemort glared at the blond and disappeared almost before his final words reached the fallen hero's ears. This was not going to be good. Now not only did he have to find each and every spy, traitor, or mudblood that tried to infiltrate the Death Eaters, and destroy them he also had to baby sit and attempt to train Draco, bloody, Malfoy.

He tried to keep a mask of cool indifference on his face, but he could tell that he was glaring at the blond ever so slightly. There really was no question as to whether or not he would train Draco, he would be tortured if he didn't, but he still didn't know why the Dark Lord was giving him so much freedom. Now not only would he have a wand and means to leave the Malfoy Manor, he would also be able to practice his magic with another wizard. It was strange that Voldemort would go as far to fake his own death just to capture him, but now he was treating him in a manner that was far less hostile than it could have been, too.

Deciding he would leave it for another time, Harry crossed the small, dim room to stand in front of the tethered blond. He examined the chains closely for a moment and then the state the blond was in. It was easy to tell that the other boy hadn't been getting fed or given the chance to bathe regularly.

"It seems the might Malfoy has fallen from grace at last," he spit out bitterly. He didn't want to be here, or doing this, but his life, and the lives of his friends, depended on him doing so. "How is your money treating you now? Been rough on you has it? What a shame, poor Malfoy."

Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously as Harry insulted him, not once, but twice. Rich or not, he still had his egotistical pride and that was going nowhere anytime soon. Pulling himself up as much as he could while his hands were chained to the wall, the pure blood lifted his chin and straightened his back.

"Doesn't look like you're much better off, Potter," he spat out angrily. "You look like something the cat dragged in! Not to mention you couldn't even save a mudblood and a Weasley from being captured while you failed your task!"

The sneer on Draco's face made the beast in Harry's chest snarl with rage. How dare he insult the two people who had always been there for him?

Something snapped inside of him when Draco added a slight scoff to the end of his short speech. He launched foreword and slammed the boy back into the stone wall by the shoulders.

"Ron and Hermione are braver and more loyal than you'll ever be you traitorous git!"

Fear filtered through the blond's eyes and Harry snorted in disgust. "But what do you care, everything has to be about you anyway."

Harry quickly pulled away from the other boy and pulled out his wand, waving it through the air silently. The shackles around Draco's wrists fell open and clattered to the ground beneath him.

"I guess I still have no choice but to heal and then train you, though. Can you walk?" The anger was ebbing in the raven-haired man's voice as he took in the blond sitting on the floor. He really didn't look like he'd had any care for weeks.

The blond continued to glare at his enemy of seven years and nodded. He honestly didn't know if he could, but he'd be damned if he told that to the Wizarding Savoir.

"Yes, I'm not weak like you, Potter. I don't need to rely on others to fix things. I can do it myself."

As if to prove himself, the blond rubbed the feeling back into his wrists and, once the tingling ceased, he used the wall and the floor to push himself up to his feet. His legs trembled under his weight and from lack of use, but nonetheless, he managed to stay on his feet without any help from the Gryffindor.

It was all Harry could do to keep from rolling his eyes; once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy. Paying no attention to the blond's protests, he moved to examine the other male's injuries. He didn't know to much about healing, Draco had always seemed to know more about that in truth, but he knew enough to fix the sprain on the boy's ankle and mend the cuts and bruises covering his torso. Once that was done, he looked up and met the grey eyes watching him in disgust.

The blond opened his mouth to spit out a sarcastic line, but Harry beat him to it.

"You're welcome, Malfoy. Now, why don't we make this as easy as possible on ourselves and call a truce?" Harry held up a hand as the other went to interrupt him. "I have enough on my plate without adding babysitting a spoiled brat, Malfoy. Let's just make these easier for both of us and call a truce. I will train you, you can teach me how to not piss of the Dark Lord. Deal?" Here he stretched out his hand hesitantly, not knowing what to expect from the other boy.

Draco Malfoy was not a stupid boy, he could recognize a good deal, business or not, when he saw one. Though it went against the past seven years of his experience with The-Boy-Who-Lived, he nodded and took the offered hand. A brief look of shock crossed Harry's face as he did so and the sneer returned to his face.

"I may be spoiled, Potter, but I am by no means stupid. I will work with you and undergo your... training. In return I will teach you how to gain the Dark Lord's favor." He paused and watch the look of disbelief cross the other's face, his smirk growing all the while. "I will not, however, refrain from being sarcastic, or any other such thing."

Disbelief showed clearly on the Gryffindor's face, but before he could open his mouth to retaliate there was the sound of rustling fabric from by the door. Whipping his head around, his gaze fell on none other than Lord Voldemort himself, and he didn't look pleased at all.

What did you guys think for the first chapter? Leave me a review so I can know what worked and what didn't and the upcoming chapters can be enjoyable for all. (:

Thanks for reading!

~ sugarcide