For DanceThroughMyStory :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

{OT}

This wasn't something that he was looking forward to, Draco decided. It wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself. All of this was ridiculous. When did his opinions ever matter though? Potter wouldn't have listened anyway.

So here he sat, staring out of the window that watched out into the garden that his late mother had spent so much time in. His bedroom had looked out over the beautiful flowers ever since he could remember. It was a comfort.

After the war everything had slowly began to repair itself. Families recovered and the world was starting to right itself after the horrid hit that it had taken. That was, he thought, until he began to receive the threats from escaped Death Eaters.

The missives claimed that he was a traitor and thus needed to pay for his betrayal in the end. For months he had ignored it, believing that the Auror's would catch the criminals and the letters would end.

However, when a poison doused note made its way into his hands, that was the last straw. He had spent weeks in St. Mungo's recovering from the way the poison seemed to suck the life out of him. It had taken a while, but he was eventually able to come home; which brought him to the situation he was now in.

A quiet knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts and Draco turned around with annoyance. He stood with a sway to his step and marched across the room, ready to swing open the door and give Potter a piece of his mind.

As the door was opened with such force that it hit the wall with a bang, the harsh words caught in his throat and he backed away from the stranger that stood in his doorway. After a moment of careful deliberation, he had deducted that the man was a Weasley; who else had that god awful red hair?

Playing dumb Draco sneered at the man, who was at least a foot taller than himself, "Who are you?" It wouldn't do to give this plebian the upper hand. There was a long moment of silence before the man smirked and stepped forward into the room.

"Charlie Weasley," a hand that could easily engulf his own was held out and with a frown Draco accepted the shake, "I'm your bodyguard, I was hired to protect you." The words were something that the blond had expected.

Snorting, Draco turned and walked back to the seat by the window. Sitting down with a flourish he spat over his shoulder, "I don't need protecting." He could tell that the man was rolling his eyes, that infuriating smirk still on his features.

The presence behind him lurked about the room, obviously checking for any danger, "I'm sure you don't. That is why I am here, to watch you protect yourself." Sarcasm dripped heavily from the words and to show his full appreciation, Draco threw a silent hex at the redhead; what he didn't expect was for it to be canceled out. Damn. In retaliation, his flashed the man his middle finger.

{}

Weeks had passed at a slow crawl and the constant presence of the second Weasley child was beginning to wear on Draco's mind. It was hard to keep his words in line and he had to. He couldn't fend off the man, if made angry.

Charlie was slender in build with wide shoulders that would normally make Draco take a second look; but he would not look twice at the infuriating jerk. Through the weeks, the blonde hadn't been allowed to do anything.

When he had tried to go out and fly, Charlie had thrown him over his shoulder and took him back inside kicking and screaming. He couldn't even go to the Lou without having to shove the brute out of the bathroom so he could have his privacy.

According to the Weasel, there were too many dangers outside and apparently the Death Eaters were likely to try to attack him when at his most vulnerable, thus the protection in the Lou. All Draco had done was to roll his eyes, stalking off to his room and locking himself in.

Nowadays it was the only place that he had his true privacy. The day of his arrival, Charlie had spent hours throwing up protective barriers and wards around the room, making it a sanctuary of sorts. Draco had to admit that it was a bit smart of the man.

Though he wouldn't dare say it to his face; nothing could make him do it. Sighing, the blonde frowned as he stared out the window for the fifth time that week. It was getting old, sitting by the window and the rarity that the act provided was wearing thin.

Shaking his head, Draco stood with an annoyed expression. Damn it, this was his house and he would go wherever he liked. Just because Potter and Charlie thought that there was true danger didn't mean that there was.

So, with the resolve in mind, he stormed across the room and out of the doors. Immediately turning to the left and way from where Charlie stood on guard. Before the redhead had the chance to race after him, Draco had rushed down the corridor and down the stairs; disappearing into the second floor of the Manor, choosing the library and office.

As the door shut softly behind him, the blonde waited a few moments to see if the man had tracked him down; but when everything in the hall remained silent, Draco let out a relieved sigh and walked to one of the couches.

Plopping down, he picked up one of the novels that he had previously been reading and flipped to the last page he had read. Just like that he was at peace with himself and everything seemed to even out.

His eyes roamed over the pages following along with the story when the door to the room opened softly. Peace broken, Draco looked up with a weary expression. There standing in the door was an unfamiliar stout man, "Draco Malfoy?"

Confused, Draco stood with a frown, "You know my name?" At the quick nod from the man, the blonde turned, laying the book back on the table. "Must be a partner of Charlie's." It took a few moments for him to remember what Potter had said the day after Charlie arrived.

Charlie is an experienced bodyguard; he'll take good care of you. Just remember, he works alone, so there won't be anyone around but you and him.

Slight fear wracked through his chest as Draco fought to keep his breathing even, "And why are you here?" However, as he turned around, something blunt struck the back of his head and his consciousness slipped away before he even hit the ground.

{}

Pain radiated through the back of his head as Draco woke up with a groan. As he shifted, he felt the soft sheets and realized that he was in a bed. Everything came rushing back to him and as he gently touched the bruise, his eyes shot open.

With a quick glance around, he found that he was lying in his own bed and Draco wondered how that was possible. Had the strange man taken Charlie down as well? Had the Death Eaters invaded his house?

A soft scraping alerted his attention and his eyes flickered to the right. There sitting beside the bed was Charlie, his deep blue eyes watching Draco with a strange intensity. It was a look that he had never been on the receiving end of and frankly it made him feel uneasy.

Standing up, Charlie sat on the edge of the bed and reached over. Unable to move back Draco just let the man pull him up and gently grip the back of his head. He immediately regretted it as the redhead's mouth pulled into a thin line and the hand pushed harshly against the bruise.

"That is what you get for thinking you could take care of Death Eaters that put your father to shame." The scolding words tore at Draco's heart and he fought down the tears that burnt at the back of his eyes. He refused to believe that they were from the disappointment from Charlie instead of the pain.

Biting the inside of his lip, Draco refused to speak as he allowed himself to be lowered back onto the bed softly. With a flick of his wand, Charlie set a cooling charm around the bruise and the blonde sighed in relief as the pain began to melt away.

As the man stood to leave the room and stand guard once more, Draco caught his wrist. Those intense eyes turned on him once more and he was only able to whisper out, "Thank you." The smirk that he so hated lit on Charlie's lips.

Leaning down the man placed a quick kiss on the blonde's forehead before stepping away and walking out of the room. It was only seconds later that the shock drained into anger and Draco threw a pillow at the door. His only answer, the mocking laughter that echoed back.

{OT}

Thanks for reading! I only used Charlie from the entry that DanceThroughMyStory submitted. I hope that that was alright :)

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