Chapter 2

Harry held his side until the sharp pains caused from colliding forcefully with the sink had subsided enough for him to catch a breath and return to washing dishes. As he submerged his hands in the water once again he heard footsteps coming from the back storage room. Quickly he swiped the tears from his eyes and desperately tried to act as though his side wasn't sending shooting stabs of pain through his entire body. When he heard the voice that accompanied the footsteps he turned, knowing he didn't have to pretend.

"Harry mate, was that MacNair?"

Harry turned to see a tall and buff redhead looking at him in confused concern as he balanced three large boxes in his arms. He nodded, "Yea Ron. That was him alright."

Ron bent to put his boxes in the floor, ready to check his friend to see why his face was that distinct shade of white, when a harsh roar filled the small room once again.

"Weasley! We would like to have those supplies TODAY! Get them up there now! Potter! Those dishes won't do themselves!"

Harry whipped around to return to the dishes and MacNair's glare was enough to make Ron move as well, promising himself to come back and check his friend at the next available opportunity. However, that opportunity never came and three hours later Harry was still elbow deep in fresh dishwater, ready to burst into tears as the last of the lunch dishes was deposited in the ever growing pile next to the sink.

Harry argued relentlessly with himself as his anger gave the energy needed to attack the new dishes with gusto. He slammed a particularly greasy, industrial size pan into the soapy water.

"Meet MacNair Harry! He needs your help Harry! Of course Uncle Vernon! I'll GLADLY be a bloody slave to your MAN-WHORE of a friend! No of course I wouldn't expect to be PAID for doing work! I'll do whatever you tell me to do. You know me, poor little WEAK Harry! I'll show him weak--the stupid, overgrown, fat pig of an oaf! Harry you IDIOT! You're so stupid, why didn't you--"

Harry interrupted himself as he slung the now sparkling clean pan into the rinse water.

"Why didn't I what, huh? Why didn't I run away? Well I guess I could have if I wanted to wind up DEAD!"

As Harry continued his back and forth debate with himself, he was completely oblivious to the four people entering the restaurant from the back door. Lucius and Draco were accompanied by two lovely girls, the shorter had attractive auburn hair, and the other had adorably, wild, brunette curls that bounced with each step she took. The odd group halted as they entered, captivated by the picture Harry made. He had just finished rinsing the pan and was sloshing it in the sanitizer before slamming it into the drainer. Barely 5'7, the huge sink came up to his chest, and he had to stand on his toes in order to successfully submerge the dish fully in the water. His drenched, black hair was plastered to his head and he was waving his arms in wide gestures as he loudly provided sarcastic comments to no one, much to the amusement of the newcomers, as he marched back to the soapy sink to begin the process all over again with a grimy cookie pan.

"Could have been a bloody--"

"POTTER!" MacNair's voice once again interrupted Harry. "What's taking SO LONG? Hurry up with the spatulas! NOW!"

The booming command came from the front of the restaurant but no one appeared. Not that an appearance was needed. The thought of what the owner of that voice would do to him caused Harry to swiftly throw the spatulas in the water, scour them clean, and dip them in the rinse and sanitizer for a brief two seconds before running with them up front.

Lucius turned to his companions and said, "Well, not that it wasn't entertaining, but shall we go out and then re-enter so as not to embarrass the poor lad?"

The girls nodded and followed Lucius back out the way they had come. Draco stood for a split second in hesitation before he, too, followed, his face encompassed with a deep and thoughtful expression.

The door closed behind him not a moment too soon. Harry came limping back, holding to his side with his hand, eyes squenched shut in pain.

"Darn it was almost gone too." His voice was wistful as he stood by the sink, glancing around to make sure no one was about before lifting his shirt to try and glimpse the skin beneath. Just as he'd thought, a nice bruise. My this one certainly was a beauty! It would definitely make a nice addition to the others. The center was a black, surrounded in alternating colors from a pulsing purple to a swirling greenish yellow and could that be a blue near the edges of the half foot long bruise? Yes, definitely a blue. Harry sighed as he felt the all too familiar stab of pain begin to shoot through his abdomen. If only he'd had the spatulas done sooner! Then MacNair wouldn't have had to call back for them and that would mean he wouldn't have needed to kick Harry as a punishment, when the spatulas finally did arrive. Determined to not let this happen again, Harry was about to lower his shirt, ignore the pain, and get back to his washing when a horrified exclamation made him turn swiftly to the back door.

He saw two very familiar girls, entering with two very unfamiliar, but very attract--okay simply gorgeous, men.

"Ginny! Hermione! What are you guys doing here?"

The girls seemed incapable of answering as they both stared at his side in horror. Harry quickly realized he'd neglected to lower his shirt, an error he corrected immediately, but the damage had been done.

The oldest of the two Greek gods escorting his friends took the opportunity to speak, "Would you mind explaining how that happened young man?"

Harry bit his lip in indecision as he glanced to the hall that led to the front, and ultimately MacNair. He would certainly be in trouble if he told anyone who was not an employee about the goings on of the restaurant. But if these men had entered by the back door then they had to work there. And they certainly didn't look too important, so they probably weren't inspectors, maybe they were just new, and they were just starting today! Maybe if Harry told them the truth they could get out before it was too late! Glancing once more to be sure of their solitude he opened his mouth and told them the truth.

Draco woke from his snooze with a start. Lucius was smirking at him in a most disturbing way and Draco quickly checked the mirror. Hmmm…no drool, no embarrassing facial creases from the upholstery, not the slightest sign that he'd had a nap. He looked back to his father and had to ask, "Is there something wrong or am I just that attractive?"

Lucius didn't falter as he replied, "Well, you are attractive, but looking at your parents I can honestly say I'd have been shocked if you weren't capable of looking like "sex-on-legs." No, I'm just amused that you're so, well, unintimidating in your sleep."

It took a moment for the implications of the last sentence to reach Draco's brain since it was already occupied with ridding itself of the horror involved with his father mentioning sex so casually. The perfect sneer of revulsion quickly fled to be replaced by one of horrified fear however when the comment DID successfully process.

"Dad! What did I do?"

The smirk on Lucius' face turned into a sly smile as he registered Draco's slip to "dad" instead of "father." Being a Malfoy, he'd always been taught that the allusion to respect combined with an appropriate amount of sarcasm, wit, and pride was enough to maintain control of any meeting. This characteristic was one reason the Malfoy family had been the front runners in all the political, financial, and social decisions of the country for decades. However, Draco was like his mother, in the fact that he was emotional and sentimental, Lucius privately attributed this to his sons sexual orientation, and he'd had a difficult time stifling the desire to call his parents "mom and dad" rather than "mother and father."

Shaking his head in mock despair he said, "I can't believe my son, any Malfoy at that, would engage in such a behavior in their sleep!"

Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Dad what did I do? Fart? Twitch? Oh God I didn't…I didn't snore did I?"

"Snore" came out a whisper as Draco tried to imagine himself snoring. He couldn't have--it was so plebian! There was no way he would have done something so undignified even in his sleep.

"No calm down Draco. Nothing like that. It's just, well, don't go to sleep when you're around anybody with any type of influence or clout. I mean, yes you did it as a child, but really, I thought you'd grown out of it."

Before he could stop himself, Draco glanced down to his pants. Nope, completely dry. His eyes returned to his father's to see them sparkling with mirth.

"Problems son?"

Draco frowned and sat back in his seat to pout. Rolling his eyes his father said, "Oh alright. I at least must warn you so you'll know how serious this is. Draco, in your sleep, you were…I don't know if I can even say it…you were, ug, smiling."

Silence filled the vehicle as both Malfoys looked at one another. Abruptly they burst into laughter, but of the dignified variety, and the issue was forgotten.

Several hours later they had just left the next to last restaurant and were heading to the one in which Lucius was most interested. So far responses and results had been the same.

Surprise over the visit, excitement to show how things were done, and eventual approval from his father were events that were getting old in Draco's book. Draco was tired, frustrated over his lack of options to ask to the dance, and very hungry since it was after lunch by now and they'd still not eaten.

He brooded the entire 30 minute ride to Hogsmeade. When they arrived at the restaurant, the driver pulled around to the back and both men exited to stretch extensively. As Draco waited for his father to adjust his casual outfit, so that they would fit in he'd claimed, he noticed two girls standing near the garbage cans looking undecided as they argued quietly. He pointed them out to his father and they walked over to them.

"Hermione, it's your turn cause I went last time." The shorter was proclaiming as her strikingly red hair whipped through the air under the influence of a calm breeze. Her companion glanced at the restaurant, both still not noticing Draco or Lucius, as she bobbed her curly brown locks in agreement.

"Yea Ginny, but um…Remember MacNair said I was never allowed to come back. He'll kill me if he sees me in there again!"

Lucius and Draco exchanged a glance before Lucius cleared his throat.

"Is there something we can help you ladies with?"

The girls swirled in fear, and then noticing the men were not who they'd thought, they quickly calmed. Running their eyes down their own clothes and then looking one another over they both began giggling.

Draco frowned, "What?"

Ginny smiled as she explained, "We're not ladies. I mean look at us."

It was true, neither was anything like his mother. They wore identical gray t-shirts and muddy brown shorts. Their hair was free, unlike the elegant braid his mother would most likely have advised.

Lucius saw his son's thought process, but interrupted before he could say anything, "Be that as it may, what seems to be the trouble?"

The girls looked them over. Dark denim jeans and sporty polos were as casual as the Malfoys had owned. T-shirts were certainly out of the question. Apparently deciding that these men seemed decent, Hermione told them the issue.

"We have to deliver lunch to three of the guys in there. Ginny's mother told us to. But the guy in charge, MacNair, literally had me thrown out two days ago, and Ginny is still bruised from the way the brutes grabbed her arms yesterday. We're scared to--"

"That is to say we've decided it's against our better judgment to enter the establishment today." Ginny interrupted.

Draco was quite proud of his father. He hadn't even flinched when he'd heard how his employee had treated these girls. Under normal circumstances Draco was sure he'd have announced his identity and then stormed the fortress, so to say, to exact his vengeance. However, knowing that his plans for today were sneaky espionage, it was no surprise that he didn't even hint at his identity.

His father seemed to be processing the news, so Draco rescued him.

"Well, la--girls. We were going in the back entrance. Perhaps you'd like to join us?"

Draco then experienced how it felt to be seen right through. Hermione folded her arms across her chest and questioned, "And just how are you able to enter the back door? Oh, and how would our being with you be of any help?"

Lucius responded without missing a beat, "We're new employees. They said to use the back door. So, who were these men you're bringing food? Maybe we can give them their lunch so you don't get into trouble."

Ginny nodded vigorously and immediately began to describe them, however both men noticed Hermione staring intently at something over their shoulder. Draco was getting ready to check what exactly was so interesting, but Hermione returned her attention to helping Ginny describe.

"Well," began Ginny, "First of all. This one is for my father. He's the only man wearing an apron that has red hair."

"Oh, is he a cook?" Draco questioned.

"No, but he runs about everywhere doing whatever MacNair says, so he needs the apron."

"So he's a manager?" Draco persisted.

"Well," Hermione said, "he does the job, so as for what he does then yes he's a manager. Actually, he does more of MacNair's jon than MacNiar does. But MacNair won't give that title to anyone else, so in title Mr. Weasley is simply another crew member."

Lucius nodded and Ginny continued.

"Anyway, this one is for my brother, and Hermione's BOYFRIEND, Ron."

Hermione blushed prettily as Ginny emphasized the boyfriend part. She took over before Ginny could embarrass her more, "He does all MacNair's heavy lifting. From like the stock room and so forth. It's easy for him to eat his lunch cause he's always in the back unless they're really busy. Mr. Weasley has a harder time cause he's always up front."

"Why don't they eat on their lunch break?" Lucius inquired.

Ginny sneered, rather well surprisingly, "They don't get lunch breaks. MacNair clocks them out, but they don't get to stop and eat. They work through all their supposed breaks, and when they get home they're starving unless we somehow managed to sneak food into them. Poor Harry's the one I feel bad for."

"No break?" Asked Lucius.

"Harry?" prodded Draco.

Hermione explained as she began walking towards what Draco and Lucius assumed would be the direction of the back door.

"Yes, MacNair claims it's more profitable for them to work right through. Of course Mr. Weasley always tries to make sure everyone actually does get at least a 10 minute break. He'll send them to the stock room for some obscure item and then wink to tell them it's their break. But when it's really busy he doesn't have time to run back to relieve Harry. And even if he could, the cameras are always on the sink, Harry does the dishes all day long, so Harry couldn't leave anyway."

"It's such a shame," Ginny sighed dreamily, "he's so pretty but he always looks so worn down and tired."

Lucius was feeling sick at the treatment his employees were getting, but Draco was well off enough to tease, "Is that your boyfriend Ginny?"

Both girls chuckled a bit and Hermione replied, "Nah, Ginny's not his type. I'd say you're more his type."

She grinned suggestively as Draco let it sink in, "Oh. So he's, er, bent."

She smiled widely as she nodded. Draco questioned in what he hoped was an uninterested fashion, "Taken?"

At their amused shakes he quickly began planning on how to ask this Harry person to the dance, if he was attractive that is.

Hermione interrupted his train of thought to say, "So Mr. Malfoy, please tell me you were unaware of how MacNair has been treating your employees."

Both Malfoys looked up from their separate musings in absolute shock. She rescued them from their astonished and undignified spluttering as she continued, "Oh don't be so shocked, I saw the license plate on your car when we were standing by the garbage cans. Really Mr. Malfoy, "Malfoy" is not the best license plate to use when trying to avoid knowledge of your identity."

Both men nodded as they stared at the telling plate in something akin to awe at their own stupidity. Lucius recovered enough however to respond, "Of course I was unaware! And I am absolutely livid that due to such treatment my own name has been sullied, quite boy!" Draco's snigger at the word "sullied" stopped abruptly as his father mentioned it.

"So, can we please count on your help, ladies?"

The girls didn't even hesitate in their agreement before Ginny added as an afterthought, "Harry will be so shocked! He's so shy, he'll probably pass out when he realizes he's meeting the owner and his son!"

Draco frowned, he couldn't have that! Any intimidation would just get in the way of asking the boy to the dance. Plus, he didn't want him to agree just because he was the owners son. That had happened several times too many and it always ruined the night.

"Actually Ginny, I'd prefer it if you didn't let him know our identities. It works better that way for our sneakiness and such." Lucius requested.

"But sir, Ron and Mr. Weasley will know who you are immediately they see you every time you come visit. Harry won't know just because MacNair always locks him up when you come." Hermione protested.

"Where does he put him? I make sure to visit every place when I come here! And what reason could he have to hide one of the employees?"

The girls sighed heavily as they explained, "Harry isn't a paid employee. His uncle and MacNair are friends, if their kind is capable of such a nice term, and his uncle lets MacNair use Harry during the day so that he's not around the house. Then when he goes home, he's immediately handed a plate of dinner scraps and sent to his room in the attic. We always try to sneak him a little something before he goes home, cause they never give him enough." By the time Hermione had finished, her eyes were tearing and her fists were clenched in anger. So Ginny answered the other part of the question.

"And as for where, I'm assuming you never check the freezer? Because that's exactly where they hide him."

Both men were shocked by these things and without a word the group began marching towards the back entrance. Perhaps it was this lack of talking as each person was left to their own musings that resulted in them catching poor Harry unawares. They entered to hear him talking, rather arguing, to himself as he energetically attacked a huge pile of dishes.

Draco couldn't believe his luck. Midnight hair, smaller form, muscles actively flexing underneath the soaked t-shirt--the boy looked good! And that bum! The loose faded jeans rode low on the boys hips as he stood on his toes to reach into the sink, the material flowing nicely over his rear curves. Draco unconsciously licked his lips, but his imagery was interrupted by a harsh shout from the front.

Harry was soon dashing off, and Draco heard his father suggest a re-entrance. Still in a Harry-induced daze, Draco followed the girls outside. He shook his head once outside, and tried to pay attention to what Hermione was saying.

"Maybe it would work best if you met Harry, not letting him know your identities of course, and somehow got him to tell you what he knows. Then you could go enter in the front and do things that way."

Lucius nodded, and Draco added in, "I think I'll stay in the back. I'll hide if anyone comes back there, but um…I think the plan would work best if I was back there and er--"

"He'd really appreciate some alone time with Harry." Ginny finished with an all-knowing glint in her eyes.

Draco snapped his mouth shut and met her eyes, refusing to blush since, after all, Malfoys do not blush.

Lucius agreed and they entered again to find Harry had returned and was examining what looked to be a fairly large bruise on his side. The girls were obviously shocked, as evidenced by their gasps, and upon Harry's turning Draco was treated to a better view of Harry's naked abdomen. However he was too focused on the bruise to notice anything else. About half a foot long, the bruise reached from Harry's back, around the side, and a couple inches in the front. It was vicious looking and Draco was appalled. How had he managed to get THAT?

His father repeated that question out loud, only in a more controlled way. Harry seemed to struggle with an answer. He bit his lip, looking much too adorable in Draco's eyes, and glanced furtively as if looking for an escape. Finally, he lowered his eyes to the floor and explained how it had happened.

He probably didn't even notice that he also relayed some other key points, with help from Hermione's carefully chosen questions, that let Lucius know exactly what happened in his restaurant when he wasn't there. When Harry finished, Lucius thanked him and bid good-bye to the him and the girls. Absolutely furious at the truth of things, Lucius marched out and around to the front entrance of the restaurant, ready to set things straight.

A/N Sorry it took so long, but I had to wait till one of my days off before I could even write. I hope the length makes up for it. Any helpful criticism is always welcome! Please review! Thanks!