A/N Hey everyone. So I actually started writing this one before No One Better, but they are completely seperate. And for those who have read No One Better, I haven't stopped writing it I promise. There'll be an update soon. anyway...

Hope you enjoy this xo

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

CHAPTER 1

As the Slytherin's filed out of the hall and down toward the dungeons, one of them quickly darted into a passage leading off the main corridor. He knew his "friends" saw him do it but he also knew they wouldn't dare follow him. It happened every time they came back from holidays. He wanted to be alone. To soak in the safety he felt at being back at school. And to nurse his wounds… again.

Harry Potter had had enough of lying awake in bed listening to his fellow Gryffindor's snoring. They all did it and after a while it had gotten unbearable. So he had dragged himself out of bed, grabbed his wand and the marauders map, from where they were stashed under his pillow, and made his way out of the Gryffindor tower.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good"

The map immediately showed the brunette that there were no teachers anywhere near him… in fact there were none wondering the castle at all… this made sense considering it was nearing 3 in the morning.

Keeping the map as it was and sticking it in the back of his tracksuit pants, Harry started his aimless walk of the castle. He marvelled in being back, he loved it here, where he belonged. Everyone here seemed to want to be his friend… except for one (and his followers, but Harry hardly cared about them). Draco Malfoy. The boy was insufferable… yet Harry always found himself thinking about the Slytherin prat. And usually it wasn't in a bad way. This pissed the Gryffindor off to no end. Draco hated him, Harry just wasn't sure why… okay so that wasn't true. The blonde had probably been brought up to hate him, since his father was one of the most loyal to a certain Dark Lord who seriously wants to kill Harry. But he'd never done anything to Draco particularly, unless he asked for it of course.

Harry's inner babble was broken when he turned into a corridor where he heard shuffling coming from a nearby classroom. He stopped walking. Why the hell hadn't he grabbed his invisibility cloak? He took the marauders map back out of his pants and carefully opened it, hoping that whoever was in the room didn't decide to come out yet. Once he finally located himself on the map he looked around himself. His mouth dropped open when he spotted the name closest to him. It just happened to be the exact person he was just thinking about… again.

Harry didn't know what to do… unfortunately his feet were ahead of his head and he was standing in the doorway of the classroom before he could stop himself. His eyes fell on the blonde Slytherin, who was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, knees up against his chest and head leaning on them with his arms wrapped around his legs. Harry bit his lip. He'd never seen Draco look that… innocent? No. Vulnerable? Yeah that's it. But Draco vulnerable? That couldn't be right.

He was just about to back out the doorway and leave, when the blonde lifted his head and looked straight at Harry. Their eyes met and neither said anything for a moment.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" his familiar drawl oddly calmed Harry down a little. "It's after curfew."

"I know. Why are you out here then?"

Very uncharacteristically Draco sighed.

"I don't know, Potter. I've been here for a while."

Harry looked down at the floor, not knowing how to answer. That's when he saw the white school shirt lying on the floor. His eyes flicked back to Draco who, Harry now realised, was still wearing his school pants as well as a plain white polo shirt. Said shirt hugged Draco's body in all the right places as far as Harry was concerned… Oh Merlin! He was doing it again.

Draco shifted and that's when the brunette saw the bruises down the Slytherin's arm. He didn't want to pry and he knew Draco would probably get pissed if he did… but Harry couldn't help himself.

"Umm Malfoy… are you okay?"

Draco scoffed. "Of course I'm okay, Potter." His voice was clipped but his face showed just how not okay he really was.

"Liar" Harry said softly, ducking his head.

"What did you just call me?" Silver eyes narrowed on the Gryffindor.

Harry lifted his head and looked Draco right in the eyes. "I called you a liar."

Draco's eyes stayed narrowed and Harry started to fidget under the intense glare.

Draco was the first to look away.

"I'm fine, Harry, just drop it."

Both boys realised what the Slytherin had said at the same time. Draco's eyes widened in disbelief and Harry's heart started beating faster. The only time they ever used each other's first name was when they used the other boy's full name. Other than that they strictly addressed each other by their last name. Harry always referred to the blonde as Draco in his mind, but whenever spoken aloud it was Malfoy.

The fact that Draco had addressed him with his first name made Harry want to stay even more than he already did. He mentally braced himself, stepped completely into the room, shut the door and sat on the ground next to the Slytherin.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Draco didn't sound like he meant it; he was just saying what he thought he should say. "I don't remember asking you to join me. Why don't you be a good little Gryf and go back to bed?" truth was, Draco didn't want Harry to leave, having the brunette sitting next to him didn't bother him at all; this surprised him.

Harry chuckled, "I will not. Not until you tell me what the hell you're doing sitting on the floor in a classroom at 3 in the morning. And why you have bruises on your arm."

"It's none of your business, Potter."

"Come on Malfoy. I can see you're hurt. I just want to help…" oh crap! The brunette couldn't believe that he had basically just admitted that he cared about the other boy.

"Why the hell would you want to help me, Potter?" Grey eyes narrowed on the smaller boy.

"Hero complex." the Gryffindor replied cheekily, pointing toward himself.

"Pfft. You can't turn that off?" he replied, with absolutely no venom what so ever, surprising both boys.

"No. And you don't want me to, do you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You haven't insulted me in the last five minutes."

"So…"

"So… you don't actually mind me being here" at this the blonde dropped his gaze back to the floor. "And that leads me to believe that you want to be saved… from what I'm not sure but still…"

This made Draco sigh. How can The-Boy-Who-Will-Not-Die possibly know that?

"Draco…" The emphasis on his first name made the Slytherin look at the other boy. "Where did you get the bruises?"

With another sigh and half-assed glare toward the Brunette, "My father" was the mumbled reply.

An audible gasp came from Harry's lips before he could stop it. He wasn't sure if it was because Draco actually answered him or the answer itself… perhaps both.

Unfortunately for Harry his body moved before his head again. His arm reached out and his hand covered Draco's. "I'm so sorry…"

"I don't want or need your pity, Potter!" Draco snapped, standing abruptly.

"That's not… I wasn't…"

"Leave it. Just forget about this okay? Go back to being the golden boy that everyone adores. Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone." And with that the Slytherin Prince stormed out of the classroom and toward the dungeons.

Harry still hadn't moved from his position on the floor. Draco's father bashed him? Why would he do that? Slowly the brunette stood and made his way out of the classroom, extinguished the lamps and returned to the Gryffindor tower.

A/N There will be more I promise.