VII. GAUCHE

The consciousness began to rise as silky-smooth ruffle of fabrics broke the silence of the room.

Draco opened his eyes and after making small movement of his toes, his brain and body got their full awareness back. He was lying in a comfortable bed, in a gloomy, decorativeless bedroom. His mother immediately came into his view.

"Umph… Mother," Draco blinked his sleepy eyes away and rose to sit against the headboard.

"How are you feeling, Draco?" Narcissa sighed in relief and then gave a peck on his forehead.

"I don't remember…" Draco rubbed his temple, "But I feel fine."

"You were blacked out during the ritual. You slept for two days. Today is Sunday." Narcissa put her hand on Draco's shoulder.

"WHAT?!" Draco straightened his upper body. "What happened?"

"The ritual was supposed to require only me and Potter's magics. With your magic intruding the bonding that was being woven between Potter and the house, the house's defense acted aggressively and drew all magic from you." Narcissa, saw the horror in Draco's face, continued quickly. "It didn't drain you from your magic completely. Your magic core is all right. Potter gained his consciousness at the right time and stopped it from absorbing your magic any further."

"Bloody idiot Potter!"

"Draco,"

"Pardon, Mother." Draco lowered his head sheepishly. "Where is he now? I'm going to mega-hex him!"

Narcissa eyed her only son for a moment. Then,

"Draco, Potter felt guilty and remorseful for having endangered you. He's been locking himself in his room since you lay in bed. We know that what happened was out of our -his control. But you must understand, Draco. Potter had been abused mentally for years. I dare say he had experienced it for his lifetime. Such abuse damaged him psychologically. He thought what happened to you was solely his fault. His incompetence." Narcissa held Draco's hand with her warm hands. With his motherly voice, she spoke gently, "He is a broken child, Draco. He—"

Narcissa stopped. Draco's eyebrows were furrowed and he looked confused. Since he was born, Draco was always surrounded by his parents' love who spoiled him rotten. He never lacked of anything, and he had Blaise and Pansy as good friends always by his side. Draco had everything he needed and wanted. So naturally, Draco wouldn't understand Potter's situation. So Narcissa stopped talking.

Narcissa shook her head a little. What was Dumbledore thinking, letting a child living in such unhealthy environment?

Draco was silent. He averted his eyes to the warm hands wrapping his own one. He didn't really understand what was her mother talking about. But one thing he could grasp from it; Potter had no one, and that put a little concern on his mother. He didn't like that his mother seemed to understand and care for Potter. His mother was a great mother and Draco always believed everything she said. So Draco didn't make a comment and let the matter go for his mother's sake. But Draco still wouldn't forgive Potter for his jailed father.

~o~

Finished with his breakfast, Draco stepped on the stairs to the second floor of the now safe house. Walking the dim hall, he arrived before the master bedroom door. He tried to hear any sound from inside the room and heard only silence. He knocked the wooden door gently.

No respond. He knocked again. Still no respond.

"Potter, open the door." Draco was knocking the door harder. "Potter, I won't stop until you open the door!"

Half minute impatient door-banging later, hurried footsteps was heard and the door opened in abrupt motion.

"Malfoy!" Harry gasped, staring at Draco with wide eyes.

"Potter, you look completely a mess!" Draco scrunched his nose. Potter's hair and clothes were in disarray. Black circles under his swollen red eyes and Draco could see his even thinner body under Potter's saggy clothes.

"Are you all right?! Can you still do magic? Try cast a magic! Where's your wand? Try it!" Harry was gripping Draco's arms tightly in sudden move. His eyes roamed Draco's body from head to toe.

"I'm fine!" Draco yanked his arms away to let go from Harry's strong grips. "For someone who's been awake for two days and without any sustenance, and refused to take the nutrients potions, your grips are quite firm. What happened in there? Pitying yourself?"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Malfoy. I didn't mean to put you in danger. I'm sorry..." Harry lowered his head, blinking away tears that threatened to fall.

"Shut up—" Draco stopped himself. Calm down. His mother said Potter was worried about him. Well, it's not Draco's fault. It was Potter's fault. And Draco still needed to stay in Potter's house for uncertain amount of time. Draco inhaled slowly and deep, then exhaled. "Potter, clean yourself, have breakfast. Take the nutrients potions. Then we'll have a talk in the drawing room."

Draco wasn't sure Harry would do what he asked to do. But apparently, he didn't have to wait in the bland interior living room in vain. Fifteen minutes later Harry walked in. Draco closed the book he was reading and waited until Harry took a sit on another sofa.

"Don't say it." Draco raised his hand when Harry was about to speak. "Breakfast?"

Harry nodded.

"Nutrients potions?"

Harry nodded again.

"You know, Potter, you are really an idiot if you believed in everything that vile Muggle said about you." Draco was eyeing Harry from head to toe. He tsk-ed. "And seriously, Potter. Don't you have any better clothes to wear? A fit one?" Draco added. His fine sense of fashion couldn't approve Harry's loose and too-big-for-his-body clothes. Not that Draco cared. He just didn't want his eyes sore having to see such uncultured appearance.

"You— you heard him?" Harry asked, aghast, as Draco stared at him with boring eyes. Harry seemed like he wanted to vanish.

"Seriously, Potter. You are a wizard. We, wizards, are above Muggles. Don't lower yourself by taking every brainless word that filthy lowlife Muggle cow said to you," Draco said as he kept his eyes on Harry who refused to make eye contact. "Why did you come back to that house every year if they treated you wrong?"

No answer.

"Potter." Draco didn't ask. But that one word was spoken with authoritative voice.

Harry hated authorities.

"Dumbledore kept sending me there every summer even after I had told him I didn't want to," Potter answered.

Draco was surprised both by the answer itself and by the way Harry said it. He noticed rage in the younger teen's trembling voice. He furrowed. Salazar, Potter does have problem in controlling his emotions.

"You could always stay at your best friend Weasel's house." Draco rolled his eyes when Harry gave him disapprove look for addressing his friend as Weasel.

"They all wouldn't allow me. The Dursleys' house has protection. I had to stay there."

"What kind of protection allows a minor to be abused," Draco sneered.

"I'm not abused!" Harry shouted.

"Why even Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Greater Good, chose to be ignorant of child abu—"

"I'm not abused!" Harry yelled at Draco.

"Yes, you are." Draco's tone left no room for Harry to argue. Then Draco continued, "And you didn't report it? Did you tell about this to anyone else?"

"No!" Harry fumed.

"You're such an idiot, Potter, keeping it a secret. Child abuse is a serious matter. You can't—"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Harry rose from the sofa and left the drawing room in haste run.

Narcissa appeared at the door frame. She gave Draco a meaningful look.

"What? I was right…" Draco sighed, then went after Harry to his bedroom. He flinched when he heard a loud bang from upstairs.

~o~

"Potter," Draco called from the outside of Harry's bedroom.

Harry was currently curling on his bed hugging his knees, crying.

He was questioning himself. Why didn't he want to admit that he was abused by the Dursleys? Was it because they were the only family left that Harry had? He's afraid of losing them? After his godfather's death, he had no one else, sans the Dursleys who despised him to the core. And Malfoy was right. Why he didn't report it? Why didn't he tell anyone about it?

Oh, yeah. Because Dumbledore. And nobody listened to Harry.

Harry heard a click on his door. He raised his head to see and considerately surprised.

"What the hell! How did you manage to unlock the door?" Harry stood up, angry.

"You didn't lock the door strongly enough, apparently." Draco sneered as he stepped into Harry's bedroom.

"Are you not aware of privacy, you rude egotistical arrogant ferret!" Harry pushed Draco hard.

Draco's right eye twitched at the mention of ferret. He imprisoned Harry's wrists in his hands with ease. Harry tried to let go but the blond was stronger.

"Let me go!" Harry stilled. Voice in composed outrage. He stared at Draco sharp in the eye.

Draco clenched his jaw. He reminded himself to stay calm, if he didn't want his mother to behead him, and Potter to kick him out of this house.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked Harry softly.

That, a response Harry didn't expect. The blond's voice and face looked gentle and sincere. He faltered under Draco's holds. His tears were flowing even more.

Why he had to ask? It was easier if people didn't ask if he's okay. He could keep pretending that he was okay because no one ever cared anyway. He was used to people ignoring his wellbeing. Hi didn't worth people's concern. Malfoy wasn't supposed to ask as if he cared about him.

Harry couldn't handle his chaotic feeling about it right now. He wanted to be alone.

"Please leave me alone," Harry begged, closing his eyes. He felt Draco's grips on his hands disappeared.

"Colloportus."

Harry heard Draco closed and locked his door with the spell. How perceptive of him, finally giving Harry a privacy to be alone. When Harry opened his eyes, however, he found Draco Malfoy was still standing before him.

"The hell, Malfoy! What do you want?" Harry was honestly bewildered by this one exasperating Slytherin Prince. Hah, Slytherin Prince, Malfoy does have slender neck like snake ew!

Draco was staring at Harry impassively in a long pause. Aware of his wet eyes, Harry wiped the tears from his face with his hand.

"I want to apologise for everything I've said to you in the past. I'm sorry," Draco finally said.

Harry's mouth was, understandably, gaped.

"That's a phrase that comes out of my mouth rarely, so you should feel honored and cherish it, Potter," Draco said, chin raised.

Harry was suddenly burst out laughing at that. His carefree laugh broke the ice in the gloomy room. And for a reason Draco couldn't identify, it warmed his heart. Probably he just felt forgiven. Not that he needed Harry's forgiveness, but his mother would be proud of him. Draco shrugged mentally.

"Right. I will use the library for as long until my works finished. Though I don't expect you to ever visit it casually, do not disturb me." Draco turned and walked toward the door. Oh he wished he wore a robe, he would make a graceful turn just like Snape did with his black robe. He still needed more practice to do that though.

"I do some—Ugh!" Harry halted mid-sentence. He inhaled deep as he felt he was being tugged hard by some unknown force. He put his palm over his chest.

"Potter?" Draco stopped and turned back to see what had caused Harry to sound distressed.

"Uh, something is...I feel like my body is being pulled hard," Harry told the Slytherin blond while trying to steady his body by sitting on his bed, confused. "Ah, it's still tugging my body."

"What…" Draco at first didn't get it, but immediately recognised the sensation Harry was describing. "The ward! It's telling you someone is trying to pierce in to enter this house!"

Harry was visibly panicked.

"What?! Who? What should I do?" Harry stood up and was almost throwing himself to Draco in panic.

"Quick, let's find my mother!" Draco walked in haste, followed by Harry behind.

They found Narcissa in the drawing room, browsing antique furniture catalogue.

"Mother! Someone is trying to breach the house's ward. Potter felt it but he didn't know who!" Draco informed his mother.

Narcissa stood up abruptly, dropping the catalogue on the sofa carelessly.

"Potter, describe how do you feel?"

"I feel like something keeps tugging especially my upper body hard," Harry answered, still holding his chest.

"That means someone is using a strong force, insisting to get through the ward," Narcissa walked toward the entrance door, followed by the two teens. They stopped in the hall, before the door.

"Uh, Dumbledore?" Harry guessed. He's the only strong wizard Harry knew and he didn't want to meet him at the moment.

"Potter, this is a spell to reveal who's standing behind the door. Focus on the ward while pointing your wand to the door. 'Reveraturee'," Narcissa told Harry and stepped aside to give Harry the spot, standing right in front of the door.

Harry did as she taught him. He made it on the second try and the spell let Harry see through the ward's eye to reveal who was banging the house's ward. His heart throbbed faster.

"It's Dumbledore."

"What does he want? Potter, have you closed the Firecall network?" Draco frowned at seeing Harry hunched, a fear was set on the younger boy's face. "Potter?"

"We have, when you were in bed rest," Narcissa answered for Harry. She, too, noticed the troubled face on Harry. "Potter, take a deep breath. Try to calm. Close your eyes and concentrate on the ward. Be one with the ward and push back together the force that's trying to break in. You can do it."

It was easier to say than to actually doing it. But after long minutes and several impatient pushes from Draco, cold sweat dampened Harry's hair and shirt, finally he managed to push Dumbledore out of the Black House territory.

He opened his eyes, gasping for air like he just ran miles away without a stop. His green eyes met Draco's gray ones.

"Potter, you are so going to learn about wards right about now!" Draco ordered.

"Oh-kay," Harry nodded, face still pale. He was genuinely scared. He didn't even know why he suddenly felt insecure and frightened. Dumbledore was a strong and intimidating wizard. He could do anything. Dumbledore knew him. He could reach and confront Harry in any unthinkable ways.

So that day, after Harry got changed into dry and clean clothes, Draco taught him everything about house warding control. Meanwhile Narcissa busied herself with reorganising and remodeling the Black House interior. Harry agreed immediately when Narcissa proposed to "enlighten" the Black House atmosphere to him. He even told her to put the furniture bills to his Gringotts account. He already had more than enough galleons from his parents that he didn't know what to do with Sirius' assets given to him.