Chapter two: News

And he did.

Firm hands had wrapped themselves around Draco's waist and he was being pulled back onto the roof, back to safety. He had only been in the air for less than a second before he had been pulled back. Now, he opened his eyes and turned around to look at his savior. Harry was standing there, facing Draco, his hands still resting firmly on Draco's hips. Draco realized suddenly that he was crying. His face was wet with tears and he was gasping for breath. It had all happened so fast.

Harry pulled Draco into his chest and let Draco cry. After Draco had calmed down a bit, Harry whispered, "Don't you ever do that again, Malfoy. You gave me a right scare." Draco didn't say anything, but continued to cry softly.

"Shh…It's okay. You are safe, now," Harry murmured, holding Draco close and never wanting to let him go. "You're safe."

Draco looked up into Harry's eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered. Harry could see his hands were shaking.

"Come on," Harry said. "You need rest."

Then, he took Draco's shaking hand in his own and led the boy down off of the roof. Once they reached the fifth floor, Draco pointed at one of the doors and said, "That's my room."

"You really think I am going to leave you alone after what you just did?" Harry asked. "Come on, you are sleeping in my room tonight."

Once they reached the third floor, Harry led them to room 94. He opened the door and let Draco in. The room had one large bed, soft red curtains and was not as posh as the room Draco had been staying in. But Draco didn't care. He had finally gotten a grip on himself and had stopped crying. He felt foolish for being seen so weak by the one he loved. But, he tried not to think about that. Had Harry not seen him weak, he would have been dead.

Draco scanned the room once more until his eyes settled on a large orange armchair, much like the green one he had been sitting in earlier. He immediately went and sat in it and Harry pulled up a rough wooden chair and sat facing him.

"Why are you here?" Draco asked.

"I am an Auror," Harry said, "and I had a mission. But it is over now, so I was told to find a hotel and rest." Harry did not need to ask Draco why he was here; it was common knowledge that Draco was an outcast from the Wizarding World.

"I was searching for an old friend of yours, Blaise."

Draco looked at Harry quizzically, unsure of what to make of this new knowledge. Harry saw the look and continued.

"I know you probably don't get news from the Wizarding World much. I suppose you have not seen a copy of The Daily Prophet in years."

"Yesterday," Draco said shortly.

"I'm sorry?" Harry asked.

"Yesterday," Draco repeated. "That was when I last had a copy of The Daily Prophet."

"Then you must know," Harry said. "You must know about everything if you can get a copy that easily."

"It isn't easy," Draco began. "And no, I don't know. I only scanned the news for things I thought were important."

"Bloody hell, Draco." Harry said. "You really don't know anything?"

"I told you. I only looked for what I thought to be important. Maybe it is because I am a Malfoy and stubborn, but I didn't bother reading anything unless…" he trailed off.

"Unless?" Harry asked.

"Unless it was something to do with you." Draco replied, a sheepish look on his face.

"Come on Malfoy," Harry said, "Now is not the time to try and please me. I want to tell you what is going on…but if you already know…"

"I don't know." Draco said flatly. "I told you, I only searched for what I thought was important."

"Bloody hell," said Harry again. "If I had been outcast from the Wizarding World, I would have gotten a Daily Prophet as often as I could. And I would have read it, every single page of it, so often that I had memorized every article."

"We are different," Draco said. "You grew up with Muggles. Of course you would be dying if you had to go back to your old life. Although I hate living around the Muggles, staying connected with the Wizarding World is not as important to me. I have no one left anyways. Besides my Mother," Draco said sharply. "And I am a Malfoy. I am stubborn. If I want to know something, I will get to know something and now I want to know what you were saying about Blaise."

"You knew him, didn't you?" Harry questioned.

"We were good friends," Draco replied shortly. He didn't want to tell Harry exactly how close friends they had actually been.

"Well," Harry began. "I didn't realize you and him were that close…You rarely spoke to one another."

"He was a good friend. But he had style. I kept Crabbe and Goyle around as my bodyguards in a sense…But Blaise and I actually spoke, actually got along." Draco said in an answer to Harry's unspoken question.

"Well," Harry said again, "I expect you know how the Death Eaters were treated after the war?"

"My father was slayed." Draco said coolly.

"It was not my doing," Harry said. "The Ministry was against your father. There wasn't anything I could do to stop the execution. All Death Eaters were killed. You know that. Pansy, although she tried to hand me in, was spared. It was 'an act of desperation' as they called it, and I do not blame her. You might have done the same." Harry said.

"I would not have done," Draco whispered.

"That is beside the point," Harry continued. "You and one other were outcast from our world. You and Blasie Zabini."

This Draco was shocked to hear. He hadn't known there was another outcast besides himself.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "Lavender Brown came to us with some new information a few weeks ago."

"Brown?" Draco questioned, "The Weasel's old girlfriend?"

"Yes," Harry said, a note of annoyance in his voice. "Ron's old girlfriend. And she told us that Blaise was not as innocent as we had thought. She told us how he had captured her, put her in a headlock and pointed his wand at her throat, asking where Ron was and saying that if she didn't tell him, he would kill her. He was hungry for power. He thought Ron would lead him to me and he could take me to the Dark Lord. He would be rewarded."

"Blaise wouldn't do that," Draco said.

Harry gave him a quizzical look before continuing. "She said that when she told him she had no idea where Ron was, he did not harm her himself. Instead he threw here to Fenrir."

"Blaise would do that," Draco whispered quietly, looking at his feet. "Leave the burden and guilt on somebody else."

Harry once again looked questioningly at Draco, but he continued none the less." We were told to capture Blaise and take him in for questioning. But he was not found where the more…er…experienced Aurors were searching. He was caught by a lesser Auror who fired the curse at him. Blaise is dead, Draco." Harry finished with a Ministry-official sounding tone.

Draco's head shot up. "No," he whispered. "No…"

"I'm sorry, Draco," Harry said. He could see Draco was trying to hide the sadness that was creeping into his pale features.

"It doesn't matter," Draco said. Harry could see he was desperately trying to hide his feelings. "It doesn't matter," he said again.

Harry then went and put an arm around Draco's shoulders. "You need sleep," he whispered into Draco's ear.

Draco reluctantly got up and made his way questioningly over to Harry's bed. Harry pulled back the covers. He turned away uncertainly as Draco pulled off his clothes so that he was only in his boxers. Draco climbed into bed.

"I'll sleep in the armchair," Harry said as soon as Draco was positioned in the bed.

"Stay with me," Draco muttered. "I don't want to be alone."

The look on Draco's face was so full of the fear of rejection. Harry pulled off his shirt, but left on his jeans, as he climbed into bed next to Draco.

"Sleep," Harry commanded. And Draco reluctantly closed his eyes. Harry stayed sitting in bed next to sleeping Draco for a few hours. He did not want Draco to wake up and try to jump again. But eventually, he became over taken by tiredness and let himself sink into the soft mattress from the hotel, the warm and comforting body of his former nemesis, sleeping soundly beside him.