Draco sat slumped on a hospital wing bed, morosely staring out of the window at the swirling mist covering the dark school grounds. He had been stuck here for a total of three days and he was ready to chuck his curse healing ointment at Pomfrey's knowledgeable head. He knew that the wounds Potter had given him were serious, the empty blood vials were proof of that, but never the less he still pouted every time he was barred from leaving.

He sighed and prodded the now light pink scars littering his chest and stomach, wincing as the tender flesh broke and putrid green ointment leaked out. He really was far from being himself again.

It wasn't that he was angry with Potter for doing this to him; quite honestly, he deserved it for what he knew he had to do in the next few months. No, the anger that swelled within him was because the stupid git knew he wasn't as cocky about his future as he made out.

Draco knew that he had worked it out, that Draco had that ugly mark on his arm and was little more than the Dark Lord's gimp. The face Potter made when he saw his tear stained face flashed into his head. He poked his scar with purpose to take his mind off it.

Pity.

Pity is what he saw first on Potter's face, which hurt a hell of a lot more than the revulsion that replaced it. He was almost thankful that the fool decided to make the blood inside his body leave at an alarming rate instead of consoling him. Almost.
Draco couldn't remember the last time anyone actually consoled him about anything. Yet, Harry Potter, the one person he could always count on to ridicule him actually pitied him for a second.

Draco's watch beeped quietly on the bedside table next to his abandoned textbook, it had just gone 3am. Sleep continued to stubbornly evade him ever since the summer; his usual clear porcelain skin had a sallow quality to it with deep dark eye bags encasing his silver eyes.

The door to the medical wing creaked slowly open and shut again; something invisible paused just inside the room. Draco rolled his eyes, ever since he was admitted he had a night-time visitor sneak in a sit on the bed next to him. It was obviously Potter, checking if he had accidentally killed his rival yet. Draco was half temped to hold his breath and cover himself in dragon blood from his potions supplies one evening just to scare the idiot away. He didn't know how he thought he was being sly, he must know that half the school knows about his invisibility cloak by now, especially Draco.

For two nights in a row he had come here to stare sullenly at his "sleeping" form while Draco was seething quietly. However, this evening he did not feel like pretending to be asleep, he wanted to see if Potter would be thick enough to think he could creep over to him unnoticed. Judging by the still footsteps at the door his tiny mind was furiously working though this problem.

After a good ten minuets of standing still while Draco stared stubbornly at the ceiling soft footsteps slinked towards the neighbouring bed.

Dear lord, Draco though, is he really that stupid to think I wouldn't notice? The bed sank around the boy's weight and a part of the cloak slipped off his old trainer.

Draco scoffed "Potter, if you're really that adamant on visiting me at least wear something nice. I could do with something pretty to look at while I'm stuck here"

A strangled sound came from beside him and Potter's face slid into view, looking at him like Draco had slapped him across the face.

"How did you know I was here?

"Was that curse supposed to make me stupid as well as kill me? You have the elegance of a mule, I would've noticed you come into the room even if I was sleeping in Pomfrey's bed"

"Oh... should I go or...?"

"If you want" Draco reclined back and hid a grimace as the freshly poked scar stretched uncomfortably "Either way I'm sure my mind wont be hugely challenged with or without you" he smirked as he saw Potter bristle

"I didn't come here to get insulted, Malfoy"

"Well, unlike you I didn't have much of a choice in coming here" he said, satisfied by Potter's abashed expression "Why are you here anyway?"

"I just thought, after everything this year I mean, you wouldn't want to be alone right now" he mumbled

"And what a fantastic companion you make under that cloak. I mean, who wouldn't want to feel something staring at you all night?"

"Fucking hell, Malfoy" Potter ran his hand roughly through his hair "You don't have to be such a prick about it. I'll go if my company is that awful"

"That would be the nicest thing you've done for me in the last six years" Draco smiled sweetly and picked his text book up again when it was abruptly ripped from his hands

"I know you're not okay Malfoy and if you stop being such a stubborn asshole we could help you"

"The golden trio, help me?" Draco put a hand to his heart in mock shock "I'm sorry to break it to you but the last time you tried to help me I ended up with a considerable amount of my body ripped open"

Potter stood there, visibly shaking in anger, and would no doubt love nothing more to punch that smug look off of Draco. He took a step forward, Draco knew he should feel afraid of the magic crackling off him but something in him almost wished he'd just finish him off. Harry grabbed him roughly by the collar of his pyjamas and Draco closed his eyes, prepared for the incoming pain but instead felt a pair of chapped lips crush against his. Potter pressed him into the bed and he felt a flicker of fear, the considerable weight of Potter's lean figure made it very hard to push him off. He was getting heavier and heavier, Draco's chest heaved as he tried to pull in a breath...

Fuck.

Draco shot up, sweat pouring off of his body and sticking his already tangled hair to his face. In all of the "Potter murdering him" dreams he's had that's the first time it included the added risk of Potter's tongue. Not that it was wholly unpleasant to think about some sort of touch other than sharp strikes across the face.

While staying in Malfoy Manor after fleeing Hogwarts with Snape last month Draco was having reoccurring dreams, often based after he was attacked by Potter, where he is gruesomely murdered. The parts where Potter had visited him in "secret" were true, annoyingly true, but he never bothered to have him reveal himself. It wasn't worth the hassle of having to talk while he was still seething over being maimed and humiliated. Most of these dreams either ended with Potter finishing the job in some sort of way he was probably most incapable of. He couldn't even kill his mentor's murderer for god sake let alone his school rival.

Draco realised, much like in his dream, he wasn't alone in the room. A small round hunched figure was lurking in the shadows, the source of the awful weight on his chest made sense.

"Roach, would you stop trying to smother me in my sleep?" Draco sighed,

"Master is awake?" A fat house elf shuffled into the moonlight.

Draco found himself longing for the days where his family still had Dobby when interacting with this creature. Even while hosting the Dark Lord Malfoy Manor needed cleaning. For such a job they needed a house elf of a certain mental aptitude, one that wouldn't ask any questions. Thus, Roach was found, an old pure blood family in Russia had him as a nanny for their children, which meant he was very childlike and spoke very little English. Perfect for a cleaner in the Death Eater's headquarters.

"Obviously, Roach" Draco pushed his aching body out of his bed. He felt a growing bruise on his side from the beating last night.

Ever since he failed to kill Dumbledore he fell from the Dark Lord's favourite to his minion's stress ball.
Roach stood at the side of his bed wringing his hands, his chubby face pinched with anxiety. Draco felt the familiar feeling of dread seep back into his body, Roach only got like this when someone higher up needed Draco.

"Master must follow now" Roach pulled at Draco's pyjama bottoms "Quick"

"Roach, hold it would you? I need to put some clothes on"

"No time, follow" The elf dragged him out of the door with surprising strength.

The creature had taken a shining to Draco as soon as he arrived. He quickly figured out that Draco was the youngest at the manor and tried his best to look after him.

Draco let himself be rushed down the hallway and down into the abandoned servants quarters where Roach had set up his bed. For a house elf Roach had actually always dressed and slept quite nicely. No grubby tea towels or rags for a bed for him, Draco reasoned that Russian elves looked after themselves a little better that British ones.

"Here, take" Roach silently closed the door behind him and shoved a little piece of gold into Draco's hands "Brought from old master. Use now, change..." he gestured to Draco's bruised face "this"

Draco gaped at the chubby elf, in is hand was an extremely intricate and bejewelled time turner. Of course... just because the collection of British time turners had been destroyed doesn't mean that other countries didn't have more. This one had obviously been apart of a collection as there was a label hanging off with a tiny number five scrawled across.

"Roach, I can't... When they find out they'll kill you, my disappearance wont be secret for long"

"Then change, you stay happy and I stay happy in Russia" Roach clutched at his legs imploringly as footsteps started down the stairs "Go to where it started, go change"

Draco clutched the creature's fat arm in silent thanks, he had to decide where would be the most effective place to start and quick. He turned the dials and squeezed his eyes shut as the room quickly span around him. Figures and buildings flashed before his eyes as he simultaneously changed the date and also location. His small dinner the night before threated to come back up.

Then, he came to a standstill. He felt significantly smaller and was faced with a very familiar person. An eleven-year-old Harry Potter, being fitted for his robes for the first time, stared owlishly back at him.

"I'm Draco Malfoy" he stuck his hand out and smiled, hopefully convincingly "I'm so excited to meet another new Hogwarts student!"

Harry look startled at Draco's hand, like he was holding a small bomb in his fist. Then at last, a huge smile broke out on his face as he took his hand "I'm Harry Potter"