How time had passed so quickly, Draco didn't understand. Here he was sitting on the Hogwarts Express once more on his way home for Easter holiday, and he couldn't dread it any more than he was. Pansy was clinging to Blaise like she used to pester him. He couldn't deny that he was glad to be rid of her, but even Crabbe and Goyle were acting rebellious towards him.

Seemed like his father's plan had backfired, Greyback had clearly spread around how he had punished Draco and he had become the laughingstock of the Death Eaters. How he didn't want to go home… How he wanted to go back to that one day he had spent in Neville's arms. It had been the last time that he had talked to him in private. The Gryffindor seemly had it too busy with Dumbledore's Army, if he went by the rumours. Blaise sat down opposite him and let out an annoyed huff.

"Take her back!" he said with creepy widened eyes and Draco smirked at him.

"No way."

-DNDN-

Having dinner with his family, had never felt this tense. Draco really wanted the earth to swallow him up, right now.

"You've been neglecting your studies," Lucius stated, and Draco simply wanted to drop his face on the surface of the table.

"I'll increase my study time, father," he tried to appease, and his mother smiled at him.

"See that you do," he stated before the house-elf showed up with a scroll held out to him. "If you'll excuse me." Lucius was already getting up and Draco really wished he wasn't so relieved to see him go.

"Can I be excused too?" he questioned his mother, who nodded at him. As he got up and left the room, he felt her follow him. Clearly, she didn't want to eat alone. He stopped to look in the direction of the secret cellar and she stopped beside him. "Who's in there?" he questioned, and she sighed.

"People our Lord won't miss, if they're gone," she cryptically answered, and he turned to her with a disbelieving look.

"Is the Lovegood girl down there?!" he demanded, and his mother looked at him sternly.

"Draco," Narcissa said without raising her voice, before giving him a horrified look, "she isn't the one you love, is she?" Greyish eyes widened stunned.

"What? No, I already told you it's a guy." Draco returned his mother's horrified look just perfectly.

"Oh, well, then you don't have to worry about her." She faked a smile at him before patting his back to get him moving again.

-DNDN-

Draco was staring at Harry Potter - the boy who he had just refused to identify – sitting in front of him on the floor of the Malfoy Manor.

'What's Harry Potter doing here?!' he was screaming in his mind. His eyes went from Ron to Hermione and back to Harry. 'This is bad!' He could hear his father and his aunt fight over the right to call Voldemort. 'No, no…' He wanted to hide under his sheets and cry until he forgot everything. 'Stop, stop, no…' He closed his eyes and opened them again, when Bellatrix was yelling something about a sword. 'Isn't that…' His aunt ordered Ron and Harry to be put in the cellar, before she tried to get the truth out of Hermione the only way she knew. Again, he closed his eyes, he didn't want to be here. He wanted it to stop.

"Draco! Bring me Griphook!" he blinked up at her and she gave him an impatient look. He just nodded before scrambling towards the cellar with Wormtail behind him. How Wormtail actually knew how to access the Malfoy's secret cellar, was beyond him and it proved just how much they had fallen out of grace. Luna looked at him with worry in her eyes and he hated the look. He didn't deserve it. He preferred the looks of hatred and betrayal he got from Harry and Ron. He was quick to grab Griphook and pushed the prisoner upstairs, while Wormtail was looking at him with mockery in his eyes.

"Now, we'll now if it is a copy!" Bellatrix announced with the arrival of the goblin. "Is it the real or not?" she demanded from Griphook. Draco watched the goblin inspect the sword and after taking his sweet time, finally announced it was a fake. Draco didn't know if he should feel relieved or not. His aunt started laughing like a madwoman and summoned Voldemort, before Lucius could. He knew now he felt definitely not relieved.

Next, she offered Hermione to Greyback, which made him feel horrified and he was actually glad when Ron showed up and disarming Bellatrix. Things happened so fast and for a moment he thought that maybe the golden trio could escape before Voldemort showed up. Too bad his aunt got the upper hand once more, thanks to a knife held to Hermione's throat. Harry and Ron dropped their wands as ordered and Draco was forced to pick them up. He eyed the wands intensely, - as he didn't want to see Harry's and Ron's glowering expressions – and recognised Wormtail's and his aunt's wands. Slowly he turned around and watched stunned how the crystal chandelier suddenly fell down on top of Hermione and Griphook. Bellatrix had jumped away just in time, but to where Draco hadn't been able to see as pain took over all of his senses. He screamed it out as blood filled his vision and felt the wands being ripped out of his hand before someone pulled him backwards. Next thing he was conscious off, was his mother's voice chanting and he realised the pain in his face was starting to disappear.

"You're all right," Narcissa said soothingly before they all stiffened with the entrance of the Dark Lord.

"Where's he?!" Voldemort demanded and Bellatrix immediately dropped to her knees in front of him. She started blabbering about what happened and how it wasn't her fault, while the angry dark eyes swept over everyone present. Narcissa tried to hide Draco behind her, but she couldn't save him from the Cruciatus Curse.

-DNDN-

Seemly walking aimlessly, Draco stopped in front of the Room of Requirement and stared at it with the little bit of hope he had left. He had been back at Hogwarts for a week now and it had been hell. His friends didn't dare to come near him any longer. He had giving up on going to class as everyone was staring at him, judging him. And to make it worst, Neville seemed to have dropped from the face of the earth, together with all his other Gryffindor friends.

"He's here, isn't he?" he asked the invisible door before him.

'Show me Neville. Show me Neville. Show me Neville!' Hopeful, he stared at the wall, but nothing happened.

"No, Neville. Give me Neville! Neville!" he was screaming now, and he started kicking the wall until he was simply crying at it. He slid down against it and felt so empty. 'He couldn't have left me,' he was shaking his head in disbelieve. 'He wouldn't.' His tears were falling freely. 'He must have heard that Harry saved Luna…' His body started shaking. 'He finally figured out that he doesn't need me.' He started laughing loudly between his hiccups. After a while, the tears dried up and the laughter quiet down. Slowly, he got up and went back to walking aimlessly around the castle.

-DNDN-

"We're nearly there," Seamus encouraged Neville, who was heavily leaning on his shoulders. The dark blond made a sound and they stopped in front of the Room of Requirement. The Irish wizard moved him inside and Neville found it ironic that the room had turned into the hospital look it had, had when Ginny had brought Draco here.

'I hope he's all right,' he thought for a moment and pain shot through his leg as Seamus set him down.

"Bloody hell, that looks bad." The boy's face contracted with disgust and worry at the same time. Next the Irish lad walked over to the rack with potions. "Here, take this painkiller," he put the vial straight to Neville's lips. A little surprise by the abrupt action, the dark blond drunk the vial empty before looking down at his leg.

"If you hadn't push me out of the way…"

"That would have killed you," Seamus stated matter of fact. "I'll clean it, then splint it before healing it."

"Why does it look like you know what you are doing?" Neville chuckled a little and his friend gave him a big grin.

"Keeping up appearances. No for real, I've had my share of treatments that I had to perform this year." The dark blond grimaced at those words.

"At least the Carrows are good for something," he mumbled and got a sneer from the other.

"Great, I've got medical expertise," Seamus joked while splinting the wounded leg before handing the other a couple of potions. "Here, drink." Neville recognised the bones-setting potion and for a moment wonder about Draco again, before emptying it in his mouth. He felt his bones set itself again and let out a scream.

"Bloody hell!"

"Just let it out," Seamus grinned and started casting charms. When he was done, Neville was glad to see his leg in pretty good condition. "Keep off it for a couple of days and it should be as good as new," the Irish wizard smiled at him.

"Thanks," Neville sighed, "we're going to have to find another way to get food." Seamus stood up and looked around the room. "Didn't Malfoy get those Death Eaters inside Hogwarts through here?" he wondered aloud.

"The vanishing cabinets?" the dark blond asked.

"Yes those, can't we use them?"

"I don't know, the other one must be in the hands of the Death Eaters," Neville said unsure and the other grimaced.

"Since when do we have a painting there?" Seamus suddenly asked surprised and Neville turned around to see the painting of a girl holding a book.

"Could you get me those crutches?" the dark blond asked, while pointing to the side of the potion rack and with his friend's help got on his feet. "This room always gives us what we need," he stated while moving towards the painting. "Miss, might you know of a secret passage out of here?" Neville politely asked and the girl gave him a thoughtful look.

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because, we need food and water, the castle has become too dangerous for us." She blinked at him.

"Why?" she asked again.

"Is she playing some kind of game!" Seamus hissed and Neville shushed him.

"Because Death Eaters are running the castle," he answered honestly.

"Why," the Irish boy was ready to blow up at her, but again the dark blond stopped him, "do they hurt you?" she slowly asked, while eyeing his leg.

"Bloody hell, because we're Dumbledore's Army!" This time Neville couldn't stop his friend and he shot him a look, but the girl smiled at them. She signed them to follow her as she started to retreat into the painting. Seamus and Neville looked confused at each other and the Irish wizard felt at the painting, but it was still solid. Next his hand moved to the frame and without resistance pulled one side of the painting from the wall to reveal a wooden corridor. "I'll go check it out," he said to the dark blond, while glancing at his leg and Neville nodded. Seeing Seamus crawl into the opening and disappear, filled him with worry and it seemed to take forever before the Irish lad came back, with arms filled with bread and butterbeer. "You'll never guess where this passage leads too!" Seamus called out excited.

"Euh, the Three Broomsticks Inn," he joked and got an impressed look back.

"Close, really close!"

"It goes to Hogsmeade?!"

"Yes, but not the Three Broomsticks Inn."

"Then the other one? The Hog's Head Inn?"

"Yes, and do you know who runs that place?!" Now Neville was at a loss.

"No idea."

"Aberforth Dumbledore," Seamus widely smiled as his friend's mouth fell open.

"Dumbledore's brother?!"

"Yes," the Irish lad completely stepped into the room and closed the painting behind him, "and meet Ariana Dumbledore," he introduced the girl in the picture, who smiled at him. Neville went from shocked to disbelieving to excited.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ariana," he said to the girl, who's smile seemed to widen.

-DNDN-

Draco could see Snape walking towards him with a determined look in his eyes. Really not in the mood for a confrontation, he quickly moved into an adjacent corridor and started running. He could hear his name being called but didn't care. He ran until he couldn't anymore and leaned against a wall to try and catch his breath.

'Where am I?' he wondered and could hear Severus' footsteps coming closer. 'I need a place to hide. I need a place to hide. I need a place to hide. I need a place to hide. I need-." Stunned he looked at the door of the Room of Requirement appearing behind him. 'I'm… here.' The footsteps got closer and quickly; he pulled the door open to close it behind him. Taking a step backwards he let out a sigh of relief. 'There's no way he'll find me here!' he mentally cheered and turned around to find a dozen of students pointing their wands at him.

"Bollocks, what's a Death Eater doing here?!" someone called out.

'I'm so dead,' Draco realised as he took in all the hateful stares. 'Well, that might not be so bad,' he had to admit and slowly raised his hands while pressing his eyes close.

"Draco!" His eyes immediately shot open as he registered that voice. His eyes instantly locked on Neville as the dark blond made his way through the crowd.

"Neville?" he asked, almost in disbelieve before something seemed to break inside him and he flew towards the other. He knew he avoided a couple of spells by an inch but didn't care as his arms finally wrapped around the Gryffindor's shoulders and he could hide his face in his neck again. He couldn't hold his tears and clung to him like he was his lifeline. He was openly sobbing in the den of the enemy and he didn't care. Neville hugged him back and started manoeuvring them backwards.

"Come, sit down, Draco," the dark blond ushered him to release him, but he shook his head. "Come on, Draco, let me have a look at you." Draco made a protesting sound, but Neville didn't need a lot of strength to force him off him. "What happened to you? Have you been eating?" the Gryffindor was asking one question after another and the blond frowned.

"This morning," he answered, while wondering if he actually had.

"It's in the afternoon, you must be starving!" Neville sounded shocked and the Slytherin shook his head.

"Neville," Seamus suddenly entered the room and Draco finally noted they were alone in a room that looked like an office. "They're freaking out there. What do I tell them?" The dark blond pulled a tense expression, which the blond didn't like.

'I can help…' "Harry," he said and both men looked at him, "Ron, Hermione, Luna, Dean, they escaped," he told them.

"You saw them?! They're alive?!" the Irish Gryffindor asked with wide eyes and Draco nodded.

"During Easter…" he mumbled.

"Now you know what to tell them," Neville said to Seamus, who nodded and quickly left the room. "Let's sit down now," the dark blond ushered him, and the blond glanced at the door once more before finally sitting down. "They'll leave us alone, don't worry," Neville said reassuringly before eyeing him up and down. "Draco, what happened?" Greyish eyes observed everything in the office, before settling on the other.

"Greyback and some other guys, captured Harry, Ron and Hermione," he started and the other nodded encouraging. "Harry's face was bloated, and they wanted me to identify him. I didn't! I told them I didn't know!" Draco needed to make the other see.

"That's good," Neville gently smiled.

"They had the Gryffindor sword-."

"They have the sword?!" the voice sounded surprised and the blond frowned.

"I don't know… Griphook said it wasn't the real one… The real one should be in my aunt's fault, but I don't know…" Draco hated the disappointment in those blue eyes.

"Griphook? A goblin? Did they capture a goblin?" he nodded as answer. "Why would Harry have a fake Gryffindor sword? Is he planning on replacing the real one with it?" Neville wondered and the other shrugged. "Maybe he already did it? Maybe Griphook lied?" he continued, and Draco shrugged again. "They're clearly continuing the fight," the Gryffindor smiled more to himself before concentrating on him again. "How did they escape?"

"Dobby."

"The house-elf?" A nod. "Without a fight? Without meeting You-Know-Who?" Draco's eyes widened as his breathing accelerated. He tried to make himself as small as possible.

'He won't find me here! He won't find me here!' Next, he was leaning against that warm chest again and those arms were around him once more.

"You're safe," Neville whispered into his ear and he felt his mind clear up a little.

"There was a fight," he mumbled. "Harry got the wands. He was gone, before… our Lord arrived." He didn't dare to address Voldemort in any other way.

"Did you get punished?" the dark blond carefully asked and Draco hid in his neck again as his body started to shiver. Neville tightened his grip on the other and simply held him as close as he could.

"You're safe here," he mumbled again and after a while the shivers finally stopped.

'What now?' Draco wondered as he knew they couldn't sit here like this forever. 'He doesn't need me. I already told him everything.' His grip tightened. 'But I need him…' he lessened his grip and looked at the skin of the other's neck. Carefully - almost testing - he pecked the skin and Neville hummed approvingly. Feeling encouraged, he continued with open mouth kisses and moved to the other's lips. The dark blond let him lead and he hungrily deepened the kiss, while pushing to other down before crawling on top of him. All too quickly, he needed more and started grinding on top of the other. He needed their bodies to touch more and started pulling at the other's shirt.

"D-Dra-hm-co," Neville panted between kisses. "Slow down," he forced the blond to stop and greyish eyes widened in panic. The Gryffindor quickly kissed him again, before pulling back with a smile. "At least let me lock the door," he said while grabbing his wand and mumbled the lock charm at the door. Draco glanced at the door, before staring back down at the man beneath him. He didn't dare to move. "Let's get this off," Neville's hand rose and pushed off his robe before moving to the edge of his sweater. Blue eyes glanced at him for permission and Draco immediately pulled his sweater and his shirt over his head. Neville's eyes moved over his chest and his hands followed, before he leaned forward and kissed his collarbone. Unsure, the blond now pulled at the other's shirt and the dark blond gave him a smile before pulling off his own shirt. Next, he pulled the other down on him again and Draco loved the feeling of their naked skin on each other. They locked lips again and the blond quickly lost himself once more. His hips started grinding again and he felt himself getting hard.

'I need to please him!' his mind reminded him, and he forced himself to slow down a little. One of his hand slipped between their chests downwards and groped the other's length. Neville moaned into his mouth and he smiled, while continuing his ministrations. 'This is good!' His hand messed around with the dark blond's belt until it opened, and he slipped inside. His temperature seemed to rise as he directly touched the other's penis. 'More,' his mind supplied, and his kissing accelerated. Neville seemed to be coming undone underneath him, but still he wanted more. He glanced downwards and wondered if his mouth would feel good, but he didn't want to release those lips. 'I'll take him inside!' He felt like he just had an epiphany. Slowly he raised his hips and blue eyes blinked open in wonder.

"Pants," he panted, and the dark blond helped both of them out of them. Completely naked Draco settled on Neville's lap again and went back to kissing him before moving his lips to his ear. "I want you inside of me," he whispered and to his amusement, those blue eyes widened almost comically. "You'll have to prepare me," he chuckled, and the other visually swallowed before grabbing his wand. The Slytherin was so friendly to dictate the Gryffindor which spells to use, but still stiffened when the first lubed-up finger touched his hole. Neville was quick to sooth him with kisses while pushing his finger inside.

'It doesn't hurt,' Draco sighed in relief and let the other open him up little by little. The second finger was uncomfortable, but he got used to it quickly. The third was the most troublesome and he tried to lose himself in Neville's kisses until his body got used to the intrusion. Eventually, he even moved his hips to try and increase the friction of the fingers.

"You seem ready," the dark blond chuckled at his ministrations and he let out a whine. The fingers disappeared and Neville lined the head of his penis with his hole. Blue eyes glanced at him to check his reaction and tired of waiting Draco descended on the hard length himself. A gasp left his mouth as he hadn't expected to feel so full. They didn't move, but he could see the pleasure in those blue eyes. Teasingly he tried to move, and a moan fell from the dark blond's lips. Liking that sound way too much, he moved again and started a steady rhythm. He loved that he could feel the Gryffindor getting even harder inside of him and he unexpectedly fell forward when an unbelievable wave of pleasure rushed through his body.

"Found it," Neville chuckled in his ear, before turning them around. Draco started seeing stars as the other relentlessly thrust into his body. The sounds coming out of his mouth, made him sound like an animal in heat and he didn't care, as long as he could see those blue eyes eating up his entire being.

"Draco," Neville panted with hooded eyes while biting his lower lip. Without a doubt the sexiest thing the blond had ever seen, if you asked him and he came hard while moaning Neville's name. The dark blond also didn't seemed to need more stimulants as he followed swiftly. "Draco," Neville happily sighed as he dropped down on the other. Draco immediately wrapped him in his arms, and he couldn't deny that he liked the full feeling of the other still inside him. As he was flattening, the dark blond pulled out and started grabbing at their clothes beside the couch. A frown settled on the Gryffindor's face and Draco's eyes widened while they immediately zoomed in on him.

"Who's wand it this?" Neville asked surprised and the blond blinked before looking at the wood in his hand.

"My mother's," he answered, "Harry got mine," he explained while accepting the wand. He started cleaning them up and once done, looked up uncertain at the other. 'What now?' he wondered as Neville started getting dressed again.

"Get dressed or you're going to catch a cold," the dark blond said when he noted the other's eyes on him. Draco quickly nodded and rushed to his clothes. Ignoring his stiffness, he had his pants on in record time and as he was trying to get his shirt and his sweater on at the same time, Neville stopped him with a chuckle. "Take it easy," the dark blond said gently and helped him get dressed. When he was nicely dressed, Neville kissed his lips and smiled at him. "And now, I'm going to get you something to eat," the dark blond announced, and Draco nodded. As he watched the other walk out of the room, he felt the seed of hope bloom in his chest.

-DNDN-

As he stepped out of his office, Neville found everyone looking at him. 'I guess I have some explaining to do?' he mentally sighed.

"What are we going to do with him?!" Hanna demanded and his traitorous mind immediately supplied him with visions of what he had just done with Draco.

'Not the time,' the dark blond ordered himself. "We'll keep him here," he answered and could see the others ready to defy him.

"Is he giving us more intel?" Seamus tried to help Neville, who nodded.

"Yes, he told me what happened during Harry's escape."

"So, what happened?" Alicia was the one to ask what everyone wanted to hear.

"Harry's face was bloated when he got captured." He could recognise worry in the other students' reactions. "Draco refused to identify him." Surprise. "They have a fake Gryffindor sword." Confusion. "They might have already switched it with the real one or it might have been the real one. We don't know. We only know that they're still fighting," Neville continued. He could feel the morality rise.

"How could they tell the sword's a fake?" a Ravenclaw asked, seemingly truly interested.

"The Death Eaters had captured a Goblin. The Gryffindor sword's goblin made," he explained as he knew some of the younger years hadn't gone over the goblin subject yet in their lessons.

"How did they escape?" someone else asked.

"Thanks to the house-elf Dobby." Surprise rose out of the students. "We can get help in the most unexpected ways," Neville continued and gave Ariana's painting a smile.

"Even from a Death Eater?" Hanna asked spiteful and the dark blond eyed her.

"Yes, even from a Death Eater."

"Honestly, we can use the help," Seamus added with a shrug and nobody could retort that. "I like Malfoy just as much as anyone of us," the Irish lad continued, "but I can't deny that first of all, he looks awful – I don't want to know what You-Know-Who's has been doing to him –, second of all, he's been less… horrible to us," he tried to find the right words, "and third of all, he's spending less time with other Slytherins." Neville was surprised at Seamus' rant, but he couldn't be more grateful to him. "Even I can't deny that something has changed with him," his friend ended.

"Last time he changed it led to Dumbledore's death," Hanna stated. The Irish wizard helplessly looked at Neville.

"Yes," the dark blond answered, and everyone's eyes zoomed in on him. "But the situation is different now-."

"How?" Hanna spoke hear mind.

"Because then, in his mind, he didn't have any other way out," he tried to explain.

"And now he does," Seamus added while eyeing him meaningful.

"What does he have now, that he didn't have a year ago?" Alicia questioned and the Irish lad smiled at her.

"Neville," he answered with a smile and everyone looked confused from him to the dark blond. "You've all seen his reaction when he saw Neville earlier," Seamus continued, and the others nodded a little uncertain. "It was like, he had found hope again." The dark blond couldn't deny that his friend's words made him warm and confused at the same time. He knew he could influence Draco to a point, but to really call him his hope seemed going a little too far for his liking.

'But it's what they need to hear,' he decided as he looked around to read the other students' reactions and found them calmed down a little. "I'm going to get him some food," Neville excused himself and went to their little kitchen. He grabbed some fruits and some water as he didn't think Draco would be able to hold down more greasy food. As he walked back to his office, he could still read some defiance in a few faces, but the majority seemed to have decided to tolerate the Death Eater's presence. He nodded at Seamus as a thank you before entering his office again. His eyebrows rose as he found Draco still standing where he had left him.

"Here," he said gently as he handed over the bowl with fruit, which the blond quickly accepted. Neville sat down on the couch again and Draco quickly followed his example, while holding the bowl like it was something precious. "Go ahead, eat," the dark blond smiled and the other quickly put one grape in his mouth. 'He's acting strange.' Neville thought as he observed how tense the other was.

"They want me gone, don't they?" Draco quietly asked and blue eyes widened.

"Actually, it's been decided you can stay." Greyish eyes widened. "More precise, you're not allowed to leave," the Gryffindor shrugged apologising.

"I can stay?" Neville nodded and finally the other seemed to relax.

"But they're still not your greatest fans, so maybe don't try to irk them too much."

"No need to worry, I'll stay here... with you?" the last two words were asked hopefully and made the Gryffindor smile.

"Of course." Happily, the Slytherin looked down to the bowl in his hands and picked out an apple.

R&R