A/N Ok this disclaimer goes for the rest of the story because I have no interest in restating it every chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. I only own my ideas and the character Gabe so far. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and the various publishers and movie contracts. I also don't own the songs used in this story. They are Who You'd Be Today by Kenny Chesney and I Do (Cherish You) by Mark Wills. I love both of these songs, and I highly recommend listening to them while reading those parts!
Warnings: This is slash. Guy/guy relationships. Don't like? I have one simple answer for that. Don't read. See? Simple!
Still here? Good! Please review and tell me what you think!
Here we go!
***
The next day, Potter came and retrieved me from The Hog's Head. I was relieved to get out of that dirty rat hole, but I was nervous about what would happen to me. "Potter, where are we going?"
"My house. I couldn't get anyone to offer a place for you to stay. I couldn't tell them who you were, and no one liked it."
"Couldn't you just order them to let me stay?"
"You aren't worth me losing the respect of my team. I will not force you on anyone."
That was a tough blow to my pride, but I needed him, so I bit my tongue. "Except for you."
Potter gritted his teeth. "Unlike you, I keep my promises. I told you I was going to help you, and I will."
"Thank you." Wow, that was weird.
Potter looked shocked, and it took all the control I had pounded into me to keep from laughing. "You're welcome."
"Potter, why didn't you have any friends when you were younger?"
"That's not important, Malfoy."
"Draco."
"What?"
"I told my father that I refused to be his pawn anymore, and he beat me and then disowned me. So, I'm just Draco now. So, call me Draco."
Potter looked thoughtful. "Why don't you look beat?"
"You think that I would walk around showing the bruises and cuts off? I hide them under a glamour." I closed my eyes, waved my wand over myself and gasped when something jarred one of the particularly bad bruises. "Why do you care anyway? Every time I try to be nice to you, you shoot me down. You don't know how I feel. You're the Golden Boy. You couldn't possibly know how I feel."
I opened my eyes. Potter had his wand trained on me. I quickly sucked in breath. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!" He mumbled a spell, and suddenly, pains I had grown accustom to feeling were gone. "What did you do?"
"A healing charm. Everything should be healed now. Let's go home."
For some reason, I liked how he said home. I was puzzled by it, but I pushed from my mind as Potter grabbed my hand and a whole new set of thoughts and feelings were set off. "Call me Harry."
And then we apparated.
Potter landed gracefully in front of an enormous house. I fell flat on my face. I quickly stood up, hoping Harry didn't see that. If he did, he didn't let on, and I was grateful for that. Then I turned to his house. "This is where you live?"
"Yes. It probably isn't as big as your Manor,"
"It's not mine anymore."
"Right. As big as you're used to, but I like it. I have considered selling it, but I never got around to it. It's much too big for one person, but I love the grounds and I have fallen in love with the library."
"For one person? You live alone? I always thought that you and the Weaslette would get married."
"Ginny decided I wasn't enough for her."
"What do you mean?"
"She had an affair behind my back. I came home early one day for her birthday. She was in bed with him, and I left her."
"Who was he?"
"Seamus Finnegan. I thought I could trust him. And now every day at work, I have to face his office with pictures of her and their child."
"Finnegan's an Auror?"
Potter nodded. "So I live by myself." His voice broke a bit.
"You loved her, didn't you?"
"More than my own life."
I put my hand on Harry's shoulder, and he flinched. "What? I know I was a Slytherin that tormented you for all those years, but I'm trying to help!"
"No, it's not that. I don't like to be touched. It's been like that for as long as I remember. Plus, it hurts."
Hurts? Oh. He was reminded of Weaslette when I did that. "I'm sorry."
Harry nodded. "Let's go to your rooms."
I nodded and followed him into his mansion. We went through endless hallways, endless twists and turns and up four flights of stairs. There was no way I was going to find my way through here.
"Don't worry; I took the next month off to help you get used to this place."
"Thank you. Hey Harry, what happened to your glasses?"
"I got my eyes fixed a couple months ago. The glasses only got in the way of my job."
I nodded. "How can you remember where everything is around here?"
"When Gin- she left me, I quit at the Ministry and went into a depression. I walked around here aimlessly on nights when I was drunk. The next morning, I had a complete knowledge of where everything is, and a major hangover."
I smiled at Potter's attempt at humor, but I knew he was still cut up about what happened. "I'm really sorry about what happened with her."
"I am too. Here's your room." He opened the door, and I couldn't believe what I saw. I expected to get a small bedroom in a dusty corner or something. This-this was grander than what I had grown up with. It was completely decorated in emerald green, my favorite and old house color. There was an enormous four poster bed in the center of the room, and huge bookcase filled with books, a lovely dresser, and two other doors.
"Harry, I don't have any clothes to put in there." I nodded at the dresser. "My father burned everything I own, except for my wand. He got a fake one."
"Well, that's a problem. We'll go shopping tomorrow. For tonight, I trust you are alright?"
"I will be fine until tomorrow, but I don't have any money."
"Until you are proven trustworthy, you are living off an allowance from my personal bank account."
It was hard for my pride to accept his money, but I knew I had to. "What happens when I am proven trustworthy?"
"You will get a job. I already have one set up for you to go to when I am ready for you to."
"What will I be doing?"
"You will be helping me out. Basically, you will do whatever I say, and get paid for it.
"You're going to enjoy that, aren't you?"
Potter smiled. "Immensely."
"Fine."
"Goodnight, Draco. My room is just two doors down if you need anything."
"Goodnight Harry."
I fell down on the angel-soft mattress, thinking. Since when had the Puzzle of Potter turn into me actually caring about Potter? Shaking my head, I banished the thought from my mind and turn over to go to sleep.
