Author's Note: Ah! I'm alive! I know December is fast approaching and I'm going to try and get another part to the HYAMLC Arc... But here's another chapter! I'm working on finishing this. Please do not despair... I have not abandoned you!
In the Cold Light of the Morning
by Ellena McKelles
.eleven.
Harry heard the sharp pop of Apparition, signaling Draco had left for the office. He slumped against shower wall, hiccoughing and wrapping his arms around his knees. He stared down between his legs. Deep bruises forming on them and his hip. His head thudded against the bathroom wall. He should be upset, but he had asked for Draco to take him so roughly. He sighed, standing slowly and washing his body robotically. Exiting the shower, he wrapped his body with the plush towel and collapsed onto his bed.
Staring up at the canopy of the impressive queen-sized four-poster, his thoughts drifting back to the previous night. Watching Draco dance in a crowd of people had been an intense turn on. The blonde knew how to move his body in a way that should be illegal. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he slid slowly off the and stalked to his wardrobe. Pulling out a t-shirt and a well-worn pair of sweatpants, he dressed quickly and then headed to the kitchen. Opening a cupboard, he reached to take down a kettle and cup for tea when there was a sharp knock at the door. Moving quickly from the kitchen, he pulled open the door to find a stern-faced Hermione.
"Oh hello, Herm—"
"Seriously, Harry James Potter, what are you thinking?" She smacked him in the chest with a folded copy of the Daily Prophet, pushing her way into the flat. "Just what were you thinking?"
"Good morning to you too." Harry replied, shutting the door.
"I mean, I had understood that Malfoy is a reformed person, but seriously," She snapped open the folded paper. The main image on the front page was Harry and Draco molded against one another. "what were the two of you thinking? Harry, you run a foundation that helps those in abusive situations and Draco is Deputy Head Solicitor to the Wizengamot."
Harry frowned. "Hermione, please, I'm in no mood to argue with you this morn—"
"Harry, you promised you'd tone down the drinking." Hermione crossed her arms angrily. "But there you were gulping down flutes of champagne at your wedding celebration. I heard from Templeton, who was at Lair last night, that you swindled the bartender into giving you a bottle of tequila. A whole bottle of tequila. Not to mention the Snake Bites Parkinson was pouring down your throat…"
"'Mione, I assume that you are trying to make a point that Draco's friends are a bad influence," Harry snapped, walking back into the kitchen. "but I am an adult. Or have you forgotten?"
"I am well aware that you are an adult, Harry." Hermione followed after him. "You promised you'd cut back on the drinking. I've watched you jump from one serious relationship to a marriage with a man I believed that you one-hundred percent hated—"
"Hate is a very strong word…" Harry murmured, reaching up into the cupboard.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Then sincerely disliked…" She watched as Harry reached up, noticing the large bruise on his hip. "Harry… That bruise…"
He pulled his shirt back down and sighed. "It's nothing… We were just a bit overenthusiastic last night."
"The last time you said it was nothing, it turned out to be a big something." Hermione's expression softened. "Are you sure he's not—"
"It's really nothing. We were just drunk, that's all." Harry replied. "I promise."
"You swear?"
"I promise."
"Fine…" Hermione conceded. "Just keep the grinding in public to a minimum. You are the face of the Lilly Foundation." Harry opened his mouth to interject, Hermione held up a hand. "I know, I know… But it would be pertinent for you to just play the good, married wizard who does not gallivant across London drunkenly."
"Duly noted."
"I'm sorry… I just worry about you."
"I know, you're worse than Molly sometimes."
Hermione slapped him on the arm with the paper. "Shut it."
"You want to stay for a cup a tea?"
She smiled. "Always."
.::.::.::.::.::.
"Malfoy!"
Draco looked up from his file. "Ms. Granger, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"
"I was wondering if you had a moment to talk."
He stared down at his pocket watch. "I have a little time between cases. What do you need?"
"I'm sure you saw the Prophet this morning…"
"Yes, and I've already been thoroughly hazed for it." Draco snapped his folder close. "Look, Granger, I have a full docket today—"
"I'm not here to chastise you for it, but I saw Harry this morning and I noticed that he had some bruises."
"Bruises?"
"You didn't see them?"
"No, he was in the shower when I left for the office."
"I see…" Hermione pulled the two of them into an alcove. "He hasn't told you anything a Reed, has he?"
"About Praetor? No, he hasn't." Draco replied. "I'm only aware that they dated for a significant length of time."
"I never liked him." Hermione said quietly. "He reminded me of you. Smug, thought he owned the world…"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, Granger."
"Anyway," She continued. "I always thought something was off. Harry started to change. He's always been somewhat quiet, not a fan of being alone in large spaces, but he became… meek. He couldn't stand to hear a dirty joke. He started drinking more." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. "And then I started to see the bruises."
"You think Praetor hit him?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, they weren't normal bruises. Around his wrists, ankles, handprint marks on his hips. It wasn't until I saw the band bruise around his neck, that I forced him to leave. I wrote the note. The cottage he stayed in belonged to my parents."
Draco swallowed thickly. "You think Praetor sexually abused him?"
"I don't know…" She leveled a gaze at the blonde. "Have you had sex with Harry when he's sober?"
"I…" Draco swallowed again, unable to finish.
Hermione sighed. "I know I've picked the worst possible time to tell you—"
"I needed to know." Draco said quickly. Cristler was motioning for him. "Thank you. I have to go."
"Promise me that you'll take care of him."
"Malfoy!" Cristler barked.
Draco placed a quick had on Hermione's shoulder. "I will."
In the Cold Light of the Morning
by Ellena McKelles
.eleven.
Harry heard the sharp pop of Apparition, signaling Draco had left for the office. He slumped against shower wall, hiccoughing and wrapping his arms around his knees. He stared down between his legs. Deep bruises forming on them and his hip. His head thudded against the bathroom wall. He should be upset, but he had asked for Draco to take him so roughly. He sighed, standing slowly and washing his body robotically. Exiting the shower, he wrapped his body with the plush towel and collapsed onto his bed.
Staring up at the canopy of the impressive queen-sized four-poster, his thoughts drifting back to the previous night. Watching Draco dance in a crowd of people had been an intense turn on. The blonde knew how to move his body in a way that should be illegal. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he slid slowly off the and stalked to his wardrobe. Pulling out a t-shirt and a well-worn pair of sweatpants, he dressed quickly and then headed to the kitchen. Opening a cupboard, he reached to take down a kettle and cup for tea when there was a sharp knock at the door. Moving quickly from the kitchen, he pulled open the door to find a stern-faced Hermione.
"Oh hello, Herm—"
"Seriously, Harry James Potter, what are you thinking?" She smacked him in the chest with a folded copy of the Daily Prophet, pushing her way into the flat. "Just what were you thinking?"
"Good morning to you too." Harry replied, shutting the door.
"I mean, I had understood that Malfoy is a reformed person, but seriously," She snapped open the folded paper. The main image on the front page was Harry and Draco molded against one another. "what were the two of you thinking? Harry, you run a foundation that helps those in abusive situations and Draco is Deputy Head Solicitor to the Wizengamot."
Harry frowned. "Hermione, please, I'm in no mood to argue with you this morn—"
"Harry, you promised you'd tone down the drinking." Hermione crossed her arms angrily. "But there you were gulping down flutes of champagne at your wedding celebration. I heard from Templeton, who was at Lair last night, that you swindled the bartender into giving you a bottle of tequila. A whole bottle of tequila. Not to mention the Snake Bites Parkinson was pouring down your throat…"
"'Mione, I assume that you are trying to make a point that Draco's friends are a bad influence," Harry snapped, walking back into the kitchen. "but I am an adult. Or have you forgotten?"
"I am well aware that you are an adult, Harry." Hermione followed after him. "You promised you'd cut back on the drinking. I've watched you jump from one serious relationship to a marriage with a man I believed that you one-hundred percent hated—"
"Hate is a very strong word…" Harry murmured, reaching up into the cupboard.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Then sincerely disliked…" She watched as Harry reached up, noticing the large bruise on his hip. "Harry… That bruise…"
He pulled his shirt back down and sighed. "It's nothing… We were just a bit overenthusiastic last night."
"The last time you said it was nothing, it turned out to be a big something." Hermione's expression softened. "Are you sure he's not—"
"It's really nothing. We were just drunk, that's all." Harry replied. "I promise."
"You swear?"
"I promise."
"Fine…" Hermione conceded. "Just keep the grinding in public to a minimum. You are the face of the Lilly Foundation." Harry opened his mouth to interject, Hermione held up a hand. "I know, I know… But it would be pertinent for you to just play the good, married wizard who does not gallivant across London drunkenly."
"Duly noted."
"I'm sorry… I just worry about you."
"I know, you're worse than Molly sometimes."
Hermione slapped him on the arm with the paper. "Shut it."
"You want to stay for a cup a tea?"
She smiled. "Always."
.::.::.::.::.::.
"Malfoy!"
Draco looked up from his file. "Ms. Granger, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"
"I was wondering if you had a moment to talk."
He stared down at his pocket watch. "I have a little time between cases. What do you need?"
"I'm sure you saw the Prophet this morning…"
"Yes, and I've already been thoroughly hazed for it." Draco snapped his folder close. "Look, Granger, I have a full docket today—"
"I'm not here to chastise you for it, but I saw Harry this morning and I noticed that he had some bruises."
"Bruises?"
"You didn't see them?"
"No, he was in the shower when I left for the office."
"I see…" Hermione pulled the two of them into an alcove. "He hasn't told you anything a Reed, has he?"
"About Praetor? No, he hasn't." Draco replied. "I'm only aware that they dated for a significant length of time."
"I never liked him." Hermione said quietly. "He reminded me of you. Smug, thought he owned the world…"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, Granger."
"Anyway," She continued. "I always thought something was off. Harry started to change. He's always been somewhat quiet, not a fan of being alone in large spaces, but he became… meek. He couldn't stand to hear a dirty joke. He started drinking more." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. "And then I started to see the bruises."
"You think Praetor hit him?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, they weren't normal bruises. Around his wrists, ankles, handprint marks on his hips. It wasn't until I saw the band bruise around his neck, that I forced him to leave. I wrote the note. The cottage he stayed in belonged to my parents."
Draco swallowed thickly. "You think Praetor sexually abused him?"
"I don't know…" She leveled a gaze at the blonde. "Have you had sex with Harry when he's sober?"
"I…" Draco swallowed again, unable to finish.
Hermione sighed. "I know I've picked the worst possible time to tell you—"
"I needed to know." Draco said quickly. Cristler was motioning for him. "Thank you. I have to go."
"Promise me that you'll take care of him."
"Malfoy!" Cristler barked.
Draco placed a quick had on Hermione's shoulder. "I will."
