Draco woke up to warm softness of a body and soft snore. He opened his eyes and found Harry's face only inches apart from his. His body wrapped in Harry's slender arms. Draco did not want to get up from the comfortable position he was lying in but his bladder protested. He gently lifted Harry's hand and sat up.
"Umm Draco!" Harry said sleepily.
"Sleep Potter." Draco reassured ignoring Harry's slippage of calling him Draco instead of Malfoy.
The house was quite. Everybody else was sleeping. Draco did not meet the Dursleys till now. But he had seen from window a woman, slender with horse like face in the garden and a man, fat and beefy getting into a car. He presumed they are Harry's aunt and uncle.
He emptied his bladder and then took a shower. It is always enjoyable to clean your body at your own space. He wrapped a towel around his waist and headed for Harry's room. As he turned corner, something big and heavy slammed into him. He fell to the floor with the force of it.
"What in the name of Merlin…" he stopped as he looked at the whale of a boy staring at him. He followed the boy's stare and found he was looking at his bare thighs which were revealed during his fall.
Draco flushed and something uncomfortable trickled at the back of his throat. He covered his leg and stood up, hurrying for the room's safety.
"So you are the freak Harry was hiding up at his room!" Dudely called from behind "Are you his boyfriend like that Cedric boy?"
Draco did not know Harry was gay or He had any relationship with Diggory. May be the boy was just making it out.
"I am Dudely Dursely, Harry's cousin and you?" The boy followed behind him.
"Draco Malfoy" Draco answered not knowing how to behave around Harry's relatives.
"A very freakish name I think." The boy replied.
Draco saw red at this comment. If he had his wand with him he would have cursed that boy. He thrashed verbally instead.
"I never thought you with your fat little muggle brain of yours will understand the legacy and beauty of the name of either Black or Malfoy lines. Neither have I thought you are aware of the name of constellations and celestial beings. So, I forgive your mistake." Draco sneered.
As Dudley stood dumbfounded trying to understand whether this Draco Malfoy had insulted him, Draco returned to his room and shut the door loudly.
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"What the Hell!" Harry woke up loudly. His eyes fell on a very bare Draco, only a towel wrapped around him. Droplets of water slid through his bare chests and wetted the towel at his waist. A tiny butterfly tried to flew out of the trap built under Harry's belly. He avoided his eyes from Draco's chest.
"What happened Malfoy?" Harry realized his mistake after he uttered the words.
"Your cousin happened. Dudley Dursley, what a stupid name! He just barrelled into me just I left the shower. He did not even apologize. He asked my name. Then when I told him, instead of being polite he insulted me. Said I have a freakish name! As if a filthy muggle like him can understand the aesthetics of my name. I swear Potter give me back my wand so that I can curse your cousin." Draco said in one breath.
"No, I can not do that. You'll curse him."
"Yes, of course I will curse him. He needed to be taught his place." Draco said.
"That's what Remus also thought. That you will be unable to control yourself."
"Who cares what the werewolf thought." Harry glared at that comment.
"Please Harry! I feel vulnerable without my wand." Draco tried again to persuade him.
"There is nothing to be afraid of him Draco. He is nothing but a fat headed bully who is dead afraid of magic." Harry countered.
"He looked funny at me." Draco murmured, his eyes downcast "like he wants to….ravish me."
Harry had heard rape victims go through emotional and psychotic break down. He assumed Draco was going through such phases. He tried to assure him.
"There is nothing to be afraid Draco" he repeated, "After what had happened it is easy for you to become suspicious. But I assure you I'll not let any harm come to you." Harry promised.
"Then give me back my wand! Where did you hid it?"Draco was angry.
"Sorry. I can not do that."Harry thanked God that Draco did not know about the loose floor board as he hid Draco's wand there.
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Draco was beyond angry with Harry. What was that guy thinking! Because he was the boy who lived he'll save Draco. As if Draco could not protect himself from muggles. A small part of his brain said that he failed to save himself and his family from dark lord. But he quickly shut down that part of his brain.
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Draco locked himself up as usual in Harry's bedroom that day. During lunch and dinner Harry joined him. That night also Harry comforted him during nightmare. The next day Draco joined Harry in the garden. He only met Harry's aunt on his way who determinedly ignored him. Harry was getting rid of the weeds. His face sweaty, his muscles tanned working under the sun.
"Malfoy!" he wondered.
"Call me Draco, as you usually call when you are less self-conscious." Draco sat on the grass.
"So what are you doing?" Draco asked curious. He had never seen a wizard work manually on the garden. That is house elf's work.
"Getting rid of weeds, tending the flower bed, watering the trees." Harry shrugged.
"Can I help you?"
Harry was out of mind. The great pureblood Draco Malfoy wanted to help Harry in gardening!
"Yes! You can water the trees. That is the easiest of the entire work. But don't over exaggerate. Mind your injuries." Harry said.
The gardening became fun. At the end, they both lied down in the shadow, looking at the blue sky, their t-shirt wet and tossed somewhere. Draco's face sun kissed, his golden hair swiping on his face in the gentle breeze. The same butterfly was flying wild in Harry's stomach.
"Look at the flowers, Lily and Narcissus, blooming side by side. Just like our mothers, both sacrificing their lives for their children." Harry murmured staring at the corner of the garden where the two flower plants stood side by side.
Small tears trickled down Draco's cheeks. He entangled his fingers with Harry's.
"She was my greatest support. I could confess to her anything. She tried to shield me away from the harsh world till the very end."
Harry squeezed his hand trying to comfort him.
"People thought that she was cold blooded and arrogant, but she was very different at home. She was not a purist fanatic, but she loved father very much and she supported his decision no matter what her opinion was. She only got angry when father got caught in the ministry, because that made dark lord come to Manor and to punish father he gave me the suicide mission."
"You are courageous Draco! Even when Voldemort threatened your whole family you choose the right path. You did not kill Dumbledore." Harry said.
"And look what that led me too! Whole family murdered, myself tortured and raped, a reward on my head…" his laugh was bitter.
"Vodemort is sadistic. He did not even spare me when I was one year old. You at least have memories of your parents. I have nothing. All my life I only knew hatred and indifference from my family. Harry sighed. He felt some toxin left out of his system talking this out loud. This time Draco squeezed back his fingers.
Harry's hairs are as dark and messy as ever, there is small fuzz on his chest and armpits. Draco's spine shivered.
"Potter! There is something on your nose!"
"What?" Harry opened his green green eyes.
"Here!" Draco rubbed Harry's nose, trying to clean the black spot of earth from his nose. Harry touched side of his face and he leaned on him, their lips almost touching. Draco inhaled Harry's smell, earthy, pure like honey dew. Then there was a loud caw just above them. A large raven flew over them. And just like that the moment was broken.
"Potter! What the hell are you doing?" Draco sat up, his whole face red.
"I am sorry Draco. But I thought you were interested!" Harry tried to explain.
"Just because I was raped it does not mean I am available or gay!" Draco tossed his shirt over his head and stormed off. Harry sat there flushed and ashamed, not knowing what to do in this situation.
Unbeknownst to them another pair of eyes observed the whole incident, a smirk forming on their lips.