Disclaimer: Characters and names are not mine, they belong to JKRowling. I'll put them back when I'm done playing.
Warning: Some cursing, some creepiness, some mentions of m/m,etc.
Author's Note: This first chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I expected it to be (10 pages!). Please keep in mind that this is m/m slash and an AU. Rating will start at T but may change to M later on.

xxx

Admired

Chapter One: Stalked

xxx

Draco Malfoy glanced out the window of the third floor chemistry lab for the nth time that day. For the last week or so, Draco felt as though he was being watched almost constantly. He had shook the feeling off at first; having become used to being stared at long ago. He knew he was considered attractive and people generally enjoyed looking at attractive things, so he learned to ignore the looks and to glare at anyone who seemed daft enough to attempt a touch. He could handle ordinary people, but this was different. The gaze watching his every move was intense and strangely possessive. He wasn't being stalked was he?

Draco shuddered. He had been good-looking even as a child, although in a more innocent way, and his looks paired with the Malfoy family's wealth had made him a prime kidnapping target. The bastards had almost succeeded, but a neighbor's kid had seen him being lifted and had immediately reported it to an adult. In the end, Draco was rescued and unharmed. The kidnappers were arrested and his father made sure they would never experience life outside of a prison cell again. He rather hoped he was merely being paranoid and that he'd never have to go through something like that again.

He sighed and shook his head. This was ridiculous. Why was he fretting over himself when he had absolutely no proof that he was being followed? The watched feeling could simply be from nerves. Draco had been working almost obsessively on a research project for Professor Snape's lecture class. The stoic man liked Draco well enough, but he really needed to do well on this assignment if he wanted one of the private lab rooms in his senior year. Or if Draco was really lucky, he might manage to impress Professor Snape and earn an apprenticeship with him. That would do wonders for his future career.

Draco jotted down a few more observations and smiled to himself. He had run his experiment several times now and received the results he had been expecting. His hypothesis seemed to be correct and with a little more research his project would be complete. Draco silently began to clean up his work station as he mentally berated himself for having gotten worked up earlier. How could anyone on ground level possibly be staring at him if he was on the third floor of the building? The nagging feeling he felt was nerves and nothing more.

Unfortunately, a muddy football chose that moment to crash through the lab's window. The ball managed to make a direct hit to several flasks with various amounts of different chemicals in them. Glass and potentially dangerous substances splattered everywhere and Draco narrowly avoided being hit by anything. He pressed two fingers to each temple and tried to soothe away his frustration as a few scales were knocked over before the ball finally stopped moving. Draco's heart was still beating wildly in his chest from the scare as he located and pressed a red button that would alert the appropriate people that chemicals had been spilled.

"Hey! Is anybody up there?" A regrettably familiar voice called from the lawn below the shattered window. Draco didn't even have to look to know the voice belonged to a shabbily clothed body topped with irritating red hair.

"Weasley, I should have known." Draco drawled as he peeked out over the window ledge; making sure to be careful of the glass. The Weasel choked and turned a shade of red that was quite similar to his hair.

"Malfoy," he spat the name as if uttering it caused a foul taste to permeate his mouth. "Figures it'd be you." Weasley's glare was nothing compared to Draco's. "Send our ball back down."

It wasn't a request. Draco frowned and was sorely tempted to hurl the chemical coated sphere directly at the freckled face below just to see what would happen. However, they were not children anymore and Draco refused to act like one. Besides, Draco was fairly sure that it irritated Weasley when he chose to act maturely. It demonstrated his superior upbringing.

"I find that I must decline. Your ball landed in some potentially dangerous chemicals and I dare not touch it." Draco smirked when the lack of insult in the response caused the insufferable git to freeze up. It didn't surprise him that Weasley was incapable of holding a civilized conversation.

"Chemicals? Are you all right Malfoy?" Impossibly green eyes stared up at Draco from just a few steps behind the Weasel. Draco was mildly surprised he hadn't noticed their company but blamed it on the distracting gleam of light caused by Weasley's wretched hair.

"Just fine, Potter. I won't need your services today." Draco answered, waving off the concern and unconsciously making a dig at Potter's unfortunate knack for always managing to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe it was a fortunate talent for being at the right place at the right time? Draco guessed it depended on who you were asking. When something went wrong or someone needed help, Harry Potter always just happened to be around to fix things and lend a hand. He had appeared on the front page of the paper for the umpteenth time just last week for something laughably cliché like saving a baby from a burning building.

Potter frowned and any concern he may have had for Draco's well-being disappeared.

Damn! Despite years of Malfoy training to learn to be in control, he somehow always managed to put his foot in his mouth when it came to Potter. He knew that Potter hated his 'saving people thing' because of the hero worship he received on a semi-regular basis, but Draco never failed to bring it up. He wouldn't usually care if he annoyed someone or not, but he'd always had a bit of a crush on the green eyed prat. Of course he would sooner cut out his own tongue than admit that to anybody, but he couldn't really help it.

It had started when Draco was eleven, but he'd known Potter, or at least known of him for years before that. Both boys had grown up in the same gated community reserved for the especially rich. Potter, heir to the Potter family fortune and a third of the Black family fortune, lived with his legal guardian, Sirius Black, and Sirius' life-partner, Remus Lupin, on the same street as Draco and his family.

Although they lived near each other, the two had never really interacted. It wasn't until an eleven year old Draco had taken a stroll on his own and been approached by a group of strangers that Potter and he met. Yes, the neighbor kid who had seen the men take Draco had been Harry Bloody Potter: The Savior. Even as a small child he managed to be around when someone needed help.

After Draco had been rescued, he began to pay more attention to the boy who had probably saved his life. Potter didn't care about differences in social or economic standing and was willing to befriend anybody. His abundance of mates resulted in iffy school grades in everything expect for physical education; in which he excelled. He also helped anyone who needed it and saved many people over the years. Despite this, Potter never let his dreaded hero status go to his head and resented media attention.

It didn't take very long for Draco to develop a crush that only grew stronger as the years went by. The blond desired to be close to Potter where he could at least speak to him as a friend, but found that his words abandoned him whenever he felt those gorgeous green eyes on him. Rather than just standing there like a twit, Draco always ended up saying something insulting or sarcastic instead; forever ruining his chances of being one of Potter's many friends.

"Mister Malfoy."

Draco started at the sound of his name and quickly turned to face the foreboding figure of Professor Snape and the college's head janitor, Mr. Filch.

"Yes Professor?"

"Perhaps you could shed some light on what is the cause of all," he motioned to the puddles of chemicals and glass, "this."

"Yes sir, a ball from one of the sports fields broke through the window and crashed into a group of flasks before I could return them to the storage room."

The Professor's dark eyes focused first on the broken window and then on the black and white sphere lying next to several toppled scales. He grimaced and Draco knew he was wondering what kind of idiot thought it would be a good idea to put the sports fields by the science wing.

"Very well, write out a list of what chemicals you were using and go. I trust nothing got on your clothes or skin?"

"No sir." Draco wrote the requested list on a scrap piece of notebook paper and handed it to his professor before exiting the lab. He made a quick call to request for his driver to pick him up and settled on a bench by the main entrance to wait. He idly wondered if Potter and Weasley were smart enough to runaway before the Professor or Filch looked out the shattered window to see if the culprits were still nearby. Draco somehow doubted it.

xxx

The Admirer had been watching his angel for almost a month now and was more than pleased with his findings. Draco Malfoy, age 20, was a third year chemistry student at Hogwarts University. The only son of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy née Black; Draco was both rich and beautiful. Everything he did was done with a grace and sophistication that others could only dream to possess. The Admirer's Angel was smart and witty with a sarcastic sense of humor and everything else the Admirer could ever want in a lover.

He had been right. They really were meant to be together!

Draco, he had quickly realized, didn't socialize much, but still had a small group of friends. Pansy Parkison, a petite, pug-faced girl had caught the Admirer's attention first as she seemed to be the closest to Draco. However, he wasn't surprised to learn that their friendship was platonic, because how could someone made for him possibly find interest in somebody else?

Two other members of the group, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, were more like bodyguards than friends. Both men were tall and large but also fairly dimwitted. They were usually seen hovering menacingly behind his angel, glaring at anyone who looked at the blond for too long or in the wrong way. The Admirer appreciated their presence. It simply wouldn't do to have someone encroach on what was his.

The last member of the group was a lovely, dark skinned bloke called Blaise. The Admirer didn't know much about him, but disliked him anyway since he touched or flirted with Draco far too often. When he and his angel were finally together, Blaise would have to go.

Draco's home was the same one he had grown up in. His parents were perhaps a bit overprotective and the Admirer assumed that they had somehow convinced him to wait a few more years before moving out on his own. That suited the Admirer quite well. It would take him a while to earn enough money to buy a home befitting someone as lovely and privileged as his angel.

The Malfoy's large, expensive home was located in a gated community that was quite difficult to sneak into. Due to this, the Admirer very rarely followed Draco home, but today he had to. He thought his heart would stop beating when that football crashed through the window of the room Draco was in. The Admirer had struggled to suppress his instincts that demanded he run into the building and ensure that his angel was all right. Luckily, after only a few agonizing moments, a seemingly unharmed blond head appeared through the window to engage in what must have been an argument with the redhead who had kicked the ball.

Now, a few hours after dark, the Admirer sat on a thick tree branch just outside Draco's bedroom window. It was fall and there weren't many leaves left, but he felt as though he was sufficiently hidden. He didn't have to worry about any guards since it was a Friday evening and they usually took the weekends off. It also appeared as though his future In-Laws weren't on the premises either.

He watched as Draco pushed away from his cluttered desk and walked into an adjoining room to shower. As the door shut and locked, the Admirer knew this would be as good a chance as any to finally enter his angel's living space and perhaps take a few personal items that wouldn't be missed. It was still too soon for him to approach and woo his angel, but he was getting impatient. He told himself the wait would be easier if he had a few mementos to add to his photo collection.

The Admirer carefully crept across the branch and tried the window. To his immense pleasure, it was unlocked and he was able to slip in unnoticed. The room was done in shades of green, grey, and black with a large four-poster bed as its centerpiece. Several shelves and bookcases stocked with texts of all sizes and photos of friends and family lined the walls. There was also a wardrobe, Draco's desk, and two doors: one to the loo and another one leading out into the hallway. However, the best part of the room was the air which was heavy with Draco's scent; a mix of vanilla mint and something undeniably male.

The Admirer quickly began to hunt for small, unimportant items after realizing he only had twenty minutes to a half an hour before his angel would be done in the shower. During his search, he noticed that Draco's laptop computer had been left open and logged in, but he decided to leave that for later. He got down on his hands and knees and looked first under the dark mahogany wardrobe. In the dark shadows by the wall, the Admirer found his prize: a simple comb with a few strands of white-blond hair still tangled within the teeth. He bagged and pocketed the item before moving on.

A search of his angel's desk turned up little more than a hastily scribbled note reminding Draco of a scheduled shopping trip with his mother. The Admirer had secretly gone shopping with them so he knew the note was old and that Draco wouldn't notice its disappearance. He was glad to have acquired an example of his angel's handwriting and carefully slipped it into his pocket with the comb.

Just as he was about to search under the bed, the Admirer heard the shower door rattle and quickly hid himself in the small, dusty space beneath the bed frame. A moment later the lock on the door clicked and he watched as two perfect feet stepped into the room. They walked over to a plastic bag sitting by the door and a hand came into view only to vanish again after having retrieved a small bottle.

The feet which were dampening the carpet casually retraced their steps but paused for a moment before the desk. The Admirer wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard his angel whisper something sounding vaguely like a name before he continued walking the rest of the way back to where the shower water was still running.

After the familiar click of a lock, he rolled out from the empty space beneath the bed. The Admirer was about to stand when he noticed the corner of a newspaper clipping sticking out from beneath the mattress. Thinking it to be rather odd, he lifted the mattress a bit and found several more clippings. Just as he was wondering what was so special about these articles that Draco would collect and hide them, the Admirer found what they all had in common: a name and pictures of a messy haired and green eyed bloke.

Harry Potter.

The Admirer had heard stories about the person who many referred to as a hero. He had also seen him playing football at Hogwarts University on occasion. However, since his angel and Potter rarely interacted, the Admirer had not paid him much attention. He only knew what the papers said about him and that he and Draco didn't necessary get along. A couple of times, this afternoon included, the two were seen to be quarreling. However, if Draco disliked Potter, then why would he trouble himself with cutting and hiding away articles about him?

'Harry.'

The name his angel had whispered appeared with sudden clarity in the Admirer's mind and he swiveled his head towards the desk. The laptop had sat idle for too long and now the screen saver was up.

The Admirer found himself staring at an image of Potter that he had glimpsed on the front page of the Daily Prophet only a week ago. His dark hair was more ruffled than usual and his impossibly green eyes were staring at something just off to the right of the camera as a handsome smile lit up his soot covered face. Girls would kill for a good-looking bloke like that and apparently his angel would too.

His blood ran cold and his vision turned red. The carefully preserved clippings were now nothing but a bunch of mangled wads of newsprint in his tightly clenched fist. The Admirer hadn't even noticed that he had moved halfway across the room so he could tower angrily over laptop screen.

How dare he? How dare that arsehole seduce his angel away from him before he even had the chance to properly court him? And Draco! How could he? How could he choose to ignore the person he was destined to be with and become infatuated with a dodgy bloke like Harry Potter? It was unheard of!

The Admirer was so distracted by his rage, he failed to notice the sound of the shower shutting off and the click of the lock as the door opened.

xxx

Draco had returned home to find a note from his parents explaining that they would be visiting their villa in France for the weekend. It wasn't strange for them to go on spontaneous romantic getaways so Draco thought nothing of it. He enjoyed having the house to himself every once and a while and didn't hesitate in giving the house staff the weekend off to further his solitude. It wasn't until he was alone in his room that evening that he began to regret his decision.

It felt as though he was being watched again.

No! He had already decided that it was just his imagination and that he would not let it get the best of him. Besides, he lived in a guarded community; not just anybody could get inside. Although the gates and guards hadn't stopped his would be kidnappers almost ten years ago…

"I am not doing this to myself," Draco stated as he pushed away from his desk. A relaxing shower would help calm his nerves and afterwards he go to sleep.

Draco grabbed a pair of silk pyjama bottoms from his wardrobe and left the room to shower; pointedly leaving the window unlocked to prove to himself that nothing was wrong.

After washing the shampoo out of his hair, Draco remembered that he was out of conditioner and had stopped to pick some up on the way home earlier that day. He silently cursed his forgetfulness as he stepped out the shower and shrugged on a bathrobe.

Walking back into his bedroom, Draco smirked to himself. The window was still shut, everything was in its proper place and absolutely nothing was wrong. He felt slightly better as he continued across the room to where he left the plastic bag that held his conditioner. Draco retrieved the bottle and was passing his desk when he noticed his screen saver had gone up.

He couldn't stop the small smile that graced his features as he stared at the picture of Potter. When he was public, Draco always used his college computer which was ordinary and held no trace of his crush. However, at home in the privacy of his own room, Draco used his personal laptop. It was childish and embarrassing, but he hadn't been able to stop himself from saving the most recent photo of the local hero. He had hesitated a bit since it was a weird thing to do at his age, but that gorgeous smile made his heart flutter girlishly and his resolve broke.

The blond sent a quick glance around the room to reassure himself that he was alone before uttering the one word he rarely ever allowed to pass his lips: "Harry." Draco usually wouldn't allow himself to speak or even think the other man's name in case it became a habit and accidentally slipped out on its own, but he'd been so stressed lately that he needed to hear himself say it.

Looking away from the laptop screen, Draco returned to the bathroom and finished his shower. He slipped on the silk, loose-fitting trousers he had brought with him then towel dried and combed his hair before finishing other nightly rituals and stepping back into his bedroom.

At first his mind could not comprehend what he was seeing. Who was that strange man glaring at his computer? Why was his expression a mix of extreme rage and deep hurt? How had he managed to find the silly stack of Potter related articles Draco had collected as a lovesick teenager? What was that crazy glint in his eyes as he turned to face Draco after finally having noticed his presence?

His blood ran cold and his heart pounded.

"Draco," the man said pleadingly; his voice sounding cracked and pitiful with a hint of malice.

The blond wasn't about to stick around and find out what was going on. He knew he had to get away and find help before something happened. Moving faster than he ever had before, Draco flew from the room and out into the hallway. The stranger shouted after him and he suspected that the man was chasing after him, but he wasn't about to stop and check.

Draco dashed through the hallways as he cursed his own stupidity. He shouldn't have ignored his instincts. He shouldn't have given in to his desire to be alone for a few days. Hell, he shouldn't have left the bloody window open! What had he been thinking!

"Wait! Angel, don't runaway!" He heard his stalker yell from close behind him. "Let me explain!"

Like hell he would! Draco had made it down the main staircase and was halfway across the foyer with the front door insight when a large hand roughly grasped his shoulder. He lashed out when he was forced to stop and turn, but somehow ended up on the floor. A throbbing in the back of his skull alerted him to the fact that his head had smacked against the tile when he fell.

"I'm sorry," the man said as he held Draco down with his greater weight. One of his strong hands held both of the blond's wrists above his head as he struggled to get free. "I hadn't meant to get close to you until you were ready to accept our relationship."

Somewhere in Draco's panicked mind he wondered what nonexistent relationship he was supposed to accept.

"I've been getting to know you for nearly a month now, Draco, and everything about you is just perfect! But you're so perfect and wonderful that I've become impatient." His eyes were staring pleadingly into Draco's grey ones; trying to make him understand just how difficult it was to wait. "I wouldn't have come tonight, but after I saw that ball go through the lab window, I just had to make sure you were all right. Then the window was unlocked and I was going to leave before you got out of the shower but I found…" The man's words trailed off and his grip on his captive's wrist tightened.

Draco was horrified.

This had been going on for a month! Oh, God! He really had been watched in the chemistry lab earlier! And that blasted window! Draco would regret that show of false confidence for as long as he lived. Of course that was assuming the man on top of him growing rampantly enraged didn't kill him first.

"He may have stolen your affections away from me, but you are still mine!" The man growled before slamming his mouth against Draco's. He rudely continued to press their mouths together and ran his tongue insistently along a full bottom lip that had been split when their teeth clashed. The blond tried to turn his head away in disgust, but the stranger forced it back with his free hand.

No! This was wrong, so very wrong! Draco refused to be molested by a complete nutter in his own home. He kept completely still and unresponsive until he had a chance to break free. The man eventually shifted to straddle his hips and Draco made his move. He brought one of his knees up with excessive force and managed to hit the man right where it counted.

The stalker released Draco in favor of cupping his injured manhood and was pushed aside by the escaping blond.

It was chilly night in late October but Draco didn't feel the cold as he sprinted from his house only half dressed. He cut through the gardens and ran down to main gate; aware that his stalker had somewhat recovered and was still running and yelling after him.

The usual guards had gone home and his pale, shaking fingers couldn't type in the code that would open the tall metal gate. Having no other choice, he threw himself at the decorative bars and began climbing. The hem of his silk trousers got caught and tore but he didn't care.

The man was only a few paces from the gate when Draco jumped down. He hissed when the impact set a jolt of pain through his ankle but he didn't stop running. Draco knew the gate wouldn't slow the stranger down for long. Who knew how many times he climbed gates or hopped fences just to get a look at his quarry.

Draco shuttered and forced himself not to think about it. He could still hear the man apologizing and begging him to come back.

He hadn't known where he was running to until his bare, dirty feet stopped in front a large house not too far from his own. The gilded nameplate above the intercommunication system listed the three different names of the home's three different residents: 'S. Black. R. Lupin. H. Potter.'

Potter! Oh, thank the Lord for that! Draco all but threw himself at the intercom unit.

"Potter! If you're there, I need you to open the gate right now!" He hated how panicked and hoarse he sounded, but the man was most likely over the gate and looking for him by now. The intercom remained silent and bars separating him from safety stayed unmoving. Come on! Potter had to be home, he just hadto be!

'Who the bloody hell— Malfoy? What are you doing here?'

Draco had to suppress an uncharacteristic whoop of joy when Potter's electronic voice and image came over the intercom. A part of him noticed that he found the other man attractive even while running from a deranged stalker. He told this part to shut its gob and focus on the problem at hand.

"Look Potter, I'm in trouble and really need you to-," his words cut off as he glimpsed a dark figure running down the street. "Oh, fuck! Harry just open the bloody gate!" The man noticed him and was moving faster now but Draco's remaining strength was disappearing quickly. He listlessly placed his sweaty forehead on the cool bricks beside the intercom unit and pushed the speak button again. "Please."

A short moment later the metal barrier was rattling open. Draco used the last of his energy to slip through the gates and weakly jog up to the front door of Potter's home. The bars were already closing behind him and he heard the man curse when they sealed shut before him.

Draco stepped through the open doorway and promptly collapsed into the safe, strong arms of Harry Potter: The Savior.

xxx

Next chapter starts with Harry's POV.