Draco tried to roll over, and encountered something hard against him. 'That's odd. As a matter of fact, this doesn't feel like my bed, either. Where am I?' He sat up and looked down to see Harry Potter curled up in a little ball, and the memories of the previous night came flooding back. He blinked; he must have fallen asleep on them, because he didn't remember when Tonks had left, or when Harry had joined him on the bed. 'Wait a minute. Did I just call him Harry? Since when do I call him Harry?' He smiled softly. Curled up like that, Harry reminded him of his friend as a child. He looked so vulnerable. Studying him, he saw there was a fading bruise across one cheek, and a fresh one across his back where his shirt had ridden up. Curious, but not sure he really wanted to know, Draco eased Harry's shirt the rest of the way off. There were large bruises across his chest and back; most of them disturbingly close to the size of an average fist. He traced the edge of one gently, forcing his hand not to shake with the anger that was consuming him. He had assumed -everyone had assumed- that the people he'd lived with loved him; most people assumed he was spoiled rotten, like Draco had on the train that first year, and yet here was physical proof that this was in no way the case. It was obvious that he was beaten regularly, by several different people, judging by the differences in the size and force of the bruises. Harry shifted, his eyes opening slowly to look sleepily into furious silver.
"Wha's wrong Dra'co?" he murmured. He blinked several times and yawned, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked much more coherent, and he looked down at his body. "I distinctly don't remember taking my shirt off. Couldn't stand leaving me dressed?" he grinned up at Draco, trying to lighten the mood, then sighed when the angry look on his face didn't soften. "Talk," he ordered softly.
"Who did this?" Draco whispered, his finger still tracing the edge of the bruise. Harry winced, from the question, not the action.
"I don't remember who gave me that one," he answered evasively.
"DAMMIT HARRY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" Draco exploded. Harry looked away; he couldn't move, Draco had suddenly shifted to pin him to the bed.
"My cousin, mostly. Some of his friends. Sometimes Uncle Vernon. Happy?" Harry sighed heavily, and attempted to wiggle away; Draco's grip on him tightened.
"No, I'm not happy," Draco said harshly, fingers tightening around Harry's arms. He leaned down over him, his weight making sure Harry didn't get away. "I am not at all happy that you are covered in bruises. Why did you not tell anyone? They would have got you out of here."
"The Weasleys know, but the most they've ever been able to do is get me out of here for a couple of weeks at the end of the summer, because Dumbledore believes that even with the way they treat me, I'm safer here, or at least being here several weeks each summer, than I would be elsewhere. He doesn't -can't maybe- believe that they would treat me like they do. I've told him I'm unhappy here, but by the time I get a chance to talk to him, the bruises have all faded. I think he does that on purpose sometimes. He doesn't want to know."
"Then I will protect you. It's not like I don't get enough practice at that," he chuckled, rolling to the side, releasing Harry, not allowing himself to think about the fact that the headmaster seemed to be ignoring the way Harry was treated to forward his own convoluted schemes. Though the Malfoys were said to be willing to do anything to achieve their desires, that was one thing Draco had never approved of; harm to others, especially children, was repulsive to him.
"What do you mean?"
"I have to protect my snakes. From each other, from the other houses, even from their families on occasion." Harry looked surprised.
"How can you protect them from their families?"
"Usually by inviting them to stay at my house. None of their families is so influential that they can afford to snub me by refusing to allow them to visit me. And after a week or so, whatever problem they had has blown over." Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"And your parents don't care?"
"Mother wants me to have companions, and father chooses to look at it as social networking. Or something like that. Mother would allow me to do just about anything I wanted to, father's the one I have to walk warily with." Harry nodded again, stretching his legs out into the recently cleared space.
Draco cuddled up next to him, stretching his body out beside Harry's, shifting when Harry turned onto his stomach and grabbed a book from the nightstand. Draco had deep shadows under his eyes, as though he hadn't been sleeping well lately, so Harry figured he could use some more sleep. As Draco made himself comfortable, he flipped to the marked place, sinking slowly into the theories behind transfiguration, which was proving to be a lot more interesting than he had expected it to be, though that wasn't really saying much. Half an hour later, though, he was asleep too, the book lying forgotten between them, though Harry had -luckily for him- habitually placed the thin, braided bookmark on the page he was currently reading.
Draco woke with a hard corner shoved against his side, and something warm and heavy in his arms. He opened his eyes to black hair, and realized that the weight in his arms must be Harry. Now for that corner . . .. He managed to wiggle off of it without waking Harry, and pulled it up, to find it was a book. An exceptionally boring looking book, which Harry must have been reading to get it onto the bed, because it certainly wasn't him who had read it, he'd never heard of it in his life. He put the book to the side, and snuggled back up against Harry, enjoying having someone to cuddle with in bed, even if they weren't aware of their cuddliness. However, he didn't get to enjoy it long, as the pressure in his bladder, which was what had actually woken him in the first place, forced him to get up to find a bathroom. Coming back, he found Harry sitting on one edge of the bed, sleepily looking for something.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," he teased. "Whatcha looking for?" He walked over to the wardrobe, and borrowed a t-shirt and pair of shorts that Harry must have left there.
"My book. I think I left it on the bed when I fell asleep." On a sudden impulse, Draco ran over and pounced on him, tickling the startled boy unmercifully. When they were both breathless from laughing, they flopped down onto the bed, still vaguely curled around each other. Draco reached out to pick up the book he'd tossed off the bed earlier, and fell off of the bed.
"Ow," he said, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the floor. He picked up the book and tossed it up onto the bed. "Here. Your book. It was digging into my side, and I threw it off the bed when I woke up. It looks incredibly boring, by the way." Harry laughed.
"Yeah, I know, but it's a transfiguration book Professor MacGonigall gave me, and believe me, she'll know if I don't read it. There's books people've given me scattered all around the room. It's actually not as boring as it looks. Though it's not something I'd read for fun, either."
"You read for fun?!" Draco asked, pantomiming shock. Harry whacked him across the top of the head with the book. Draco yelped.
"Yes, I do. I happen to be very fond of sci-fi fantasy books." Draco hid his face in his hands, muttering something about the world coming to an end. He looked up again as his stomach rumbled.
"I'm hungry. Do you have any food, or are you expecting me to starve?" Harry chuckled, noting how the snide tone of his voice wasn't as intense as it was before they had met this summer. Apparently Draco couldn't find it in him to be scathing to someone he'd sworn to protect. Closing his eyes, he focused on the eccentric little elf that had repeatedly sworn that Harry need only to call him if he needed anything.
"Dobby!" Draco's eyes widened as his former house-elf popped in.
"Mister Harry Potter is calling Dobby?"
"Yes. We need lunch."
"Of course, Mister Harry Potter, sir. House elfs is always glad to serve Harry Potter." Draco rolled his eyes. The elf hadn't even noticed him. Time to correct that situation.
"Hello Dobby." Dobby turned in shock.
"M-master Draco. Yous is here with Harry Potter?!" He looked like he would say more, but Harry interrupted.
"Yes, Dobby, he's here with me, and we're both really hungry. We missed breakfast." Dobby disappeared, looking embarrassed. Half an hour, and a hearty meal later found Draco yawning, then looking irritated with himself.
