-This is a heavy edit/rewrite of this first chapter. 15-year-old me had some good ideas but was a bit cringy in the execution… Hopefully this second try is better and sets the stage better for the rest of the story! –

TW: This fic contains self-harm and suicidal ideation, if you think this might be a trigger for you in anyway please proceed with caution- your mental health is far more important. Please take care of yourself.

"Potter! Can't you even brew a simple Cure for Boils? Are you really that big of an imbecile? You're even more incompetent than your father." Harry winced as Snape yelled at him. It wasn't bad enough that Sirius had died at the end of last year, but the Dursleys were worse than ever. Not only did Harry have to deal with the constant torment from Dudley, but his uncle had taking to hitting him. If Harry so much as looked in the direction of Dudley or Petunia, Vernon would beat Harry until he was barely conscious. Harry had tried to escape the pain by sleeping, but once he was asleep, he was forced to relive Sirius' death over and over. Every morning he would wake up more tired than when he went to bed. One night he just couldn't take it anymore. Once everyone was asleep, he snuck into the bathroom and grabbed one of the blades out of a spare razor cartridge that he was sure wouldn't be missed. Slowly with tears in his eyes, he pressed it against the skin of his forearm. He hissed as it pierced the skin and watched as it slowly turned crimson against his usual pale complexion. Sighing at the feeling of tension leaving his body, he slowly dragged it further down his skin. He knew he found his escape, a pain he could control. He watched the blood pool around the shallow cuts before running it under water to erase the evidence. He grabbed a rag, held it to his wrist to dry the water and clean the smears of blood, and silently took the blade back to his room. Drained, he fell into a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks. Harry had turned to his escape every night throughout the rest of the summer, getting worse as each day passed.

When the time came for him to finally go back to Hogwarts, he was grateful for the long sleeves on his outer robes. They helped him avoid the questions and worries that would surely follow if his friends saw his scars. He didn't want them to worry about him. Especially since Ron and Hermione were just starting to get together. They deserved to be happy. "Potter! Pay attention! No wonder you can't brew a simple potion." Snape's sneering voice brought him back to the present. Harry shrunk under the Snape's glare, and he kept his head down for the rest of Potions. Harry kept to himself on the walk to the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione eventually stopped trying to pull him into the conversation. "Oi, you okay mate?" said Ron. Harry replied, "Yeah I'm just tired. I had a lot of stuff on my mind last night." Hermione looked at him with a worried expression, "Is it about Sirius?" Harry shook his head, "No, I just have a lot of stuff going on." When they reached the Great Hall, Harry turned and said, "I have to go to the library. I'll catch up with you guys later." Before Hermione could protest, he walked off in the direction of the library. Once he got to the library, Harry went off to the section that he had recently become very familiar with. When he got there, he reached for the book that he needed. Just as he started pulling it off the shelf, he heard a sharp voice behind him. "Oi, Potter! What book is that?" Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy standing behind him. Draco reached over and snatched the book off the shelf. Leering at Harry, Malfoy sneered, "Loosing a Loved One. Having trouble dealing with your parents being dead Potter? You know you'd think you'd be over it by now, seeing as you never met them." Harry tried to grab the book back, " Give it back you git!" Malfoy just pulled the book back and held it above his head. "Can't reach it now, can you Potter?" Harry jumped up and snatched the book, but not before his sleeves fell, giving Draco a full view of Harry's scars. Harry quickly yanked his sleeves down and ran out of the library, leaving Draco with a shocked expression.

Harry ran back to the Gryffindor tower. He couldn't believe what had happened. Malfoy saw his scars! Harry fought back tears as he thought of what would happen next. Malfoy would be sure to tell anyone who would listen, which would be the entire school if he was being honest. Hogwarts wasn't immune to teenagers love of gossip, even if it was a wizarding school, if anything that made it worse seeing as there wasn't the normal drama that would allow something like this to blow over. Oh no, this would stick around like a bad hex. Soon everybody would think he was some crazy, depressed kid or worse, that he was doing it for attention. Surely that would be the angle Malfoy would take. He already loved to hold Harry's "Chosen One" title above the young brunet's head, never mind that it was a title he didn't ask for and frankly didn't want. Once it got around the school his friends and his teachers would all worry about him and everyone else would avoid him as if he had the plague. Harry stopped before he got to the Fat Lady. He reached into his robe pocket and grabbed the blade he had put in there. Taking a deep breath, he hurried into the common room and up the stairs to put the book away and draw the curtains around his bed. Everyone would be at dinner right now anyway so if he simply put a spell on the curtains to keep them shut, he was sure the other boys would assume he turned in early. Tapping his pocket once again to make sure it hadn't fallen out, he turned and headed out to the bathroom in one of the corridors closest to the Room of Requirement. He knew he had the lowest chance of someone walking in on him there, not that he could muster up enough energy to truly care about that in the moment.

Once he knew he was alone, he sank to the floor. He didn't bother going in to a stall, simply sliding to the floor and leaning heavily against the wall. The damn finally broke and the tears he had been holding back began to fall. Heavy sobs racked his body as the emotion burst from him. He cried for his mum and dad, for Sirius, for all the worry and pain he has caused his friends. He mourned all the people that were dead because they defended him. All the innocent people he had put in danger simply by still being alive, hell simply by being born. He sobbed until there was no longer any sound that came out, just heavy breathing and gasps. It was then that he pulled out the blade and pulled up his sleeve. Not caring about the consequences, he pressed it into his flesh much like the first time he had all those months ago. He reveled in that familiar crimson, pausing to watch it rise up to the surface. Spurred on by the sight and the familiar sense of calm that overcame him, he carried one. Each slash going deeper and deeper. He became so engrossed in the feeling of finally being in control of the pain that Harry didn't notice that the door to the bathroom had opened. He couldn't hear Draco walking in over sound of his heart pounding in his ears and the ragged heavy gasps that still escaped him. Draco saw Harry and the state he was in, arm covered in deep wounds, blood soaking into his shirt and rolling off his arm and rushed over to the distressed boy. "Harry! If you go any deeper, you'll kill yourself!" Malfoy exclaimed, the worry and shock showing on his face. Harry just looked up at the blonde and let out a small laugh that came out more as a huff. With a sad half smile and his voice full of the pain from years of torment and hurt, "What do you care Malfoy? What if I want to die? I deserve it after all the pain I've put people through. All I do is hurt people! My parents are dead because of me! Sirius is dead because of me! People I don't even know are dying because of me! How am I supposed to live knowing that they lost their lives protecting me?" Taken aback Draco knelt beside Harry, "Listen to me Harry. Those people, those people who gave up their lives, they did it willingly. They did it because of the hope you give them, the courage you inspire. They are fighting for the same things you are. You cannot blame yourself for something they are willing to do. You have gone through so much more than anyone your age should have to go through. You are so strong to have gone through it and come out with even an ounce of sanity. I know I couldn't have. And Weasley the red-haired blunder certainly couldn't have. You have to live. If you don't want to live for yourself, live for the people who see what you've been through and push on. The people who believe in you and believe that things will get better, the people who had given up hope until you brought their spark back. Live for people like me."

Harry's brows furrowed at that last whispered sentence. "People like him?" Harry thought, "That doesn't make any sense, Draco hates me, he does nothing but torture me."

Draco smiled softly, having an idea of what was going through the other boys head "I cannot tell you how long I've looked up to you, wanted to just be around you. Wanted to be your friend…" Draco trailed off at that, knowing that there was more to the feeling, but he knew he couldn't say it out loud. Not yet anyway.

Harry's eyes shined with tears and his lip trembled, "Really? You look up to me?" Draco nodded, "Really. Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Harry's thoughts raced with a million questions as Draco his wand. Gently taking Harry's hand, Draco pulled so that the boys damaged forearm was over Draco's lap. Draco tried not to flinch when he saw how deep some of the wounds were and pushed away the thoughts that yelled at him for being the reason the boy had done this to himself. Softly Draco murmured, "Some of these are pretty bad. I can heal them but unless we take you to Madam Pomphrey they're going to scar." He glanced up at Harry whose eyes were trained on the cuts. Hearing the mention of Madam Pomphrey, he startled out of his trance and quickly shook his head. "I don't mind the scars anyway…" He trailed off, wanting desperately to pull the sleeve of his robe down, know that all of his scars were currently out in the open. Draco nodded softly, softly chanting the spell that would be able to heal the deep cuts. "Vulnera Sanentur, Vulnera Sanentur, Vulnera Sanentur." Harry watched with awe as the gashes seemed to knit themselves together. Draco was right about the scars, they weren't pretty, but he wouldn't have to go to the hospital wing.

"Is it really possible for him to care about me like that? Am I really someone that can be admired? And what about him? Do I care about him too?" All these thoughts raced through Harry's head as he watched the young Slytherin put away his wand and perform a quick cleaning spell on the both of them. His thoughts were interrupted by the blond reaching over and gently taking the blade out of Harry's other hand, before Harry could try and take it back Draco stood up. Harry whispered, "Thank you." Draco turned and helped Harry up, "You're welcome. Now come one, we aren't done here." Confused but too tired to fight it, Harry let Draco lead him away. He figured if anything he might get some answers out of the Slytherin too. About twenty paces down the hall Draco led Harry straight into the Room of Requirement. The room had furnished itself with two plush couches with large blankets draped over the backs, positioned next to a roaring fire. Draco walked over with his usual strut and sat on one of the couches, "Well? Are you going to just stand there or are you going to come in?" Shaking his head at the slight change in attitude, Harry walked in and sat on the couch across from Draco. Not wanting to sit in silence but not quite sure what was happening Harry softly asked, "So now what?" He kept his eyes trained on the ground, unsure of what motivated his once sworn enemy to not only tend his wounds but want to still be around him. Draco just shrugged, " How about you tell me why you don't feel like you deserve to live?"

Harry took a deep breath; he never thought he would tell anyone, let alone Malfoy. But here he was sitting across from Draco, who was treating him like a friend. "It's a long story." Draco simply turned and stretched his legs across the couch, lounging in his usual Malfoy manor and said, "I've got time." Harry took another deep breath and started to explain everything. He told him about Sirius' death and how he felt it was his fault. He told Draco about the abuse at the Dursleys and how he didn't like anyone getting hurt on his account. He told Draco everything. For once he didn't hold back anything. And Draco listened. Draco didn't interrupt; he didn't say anything when Harry paused to wipe away his tears or needed a moment to find the right words. Draco didn't speak until Harry was done. When Harry finished it was Draco's turn to take a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. He had no idea how horrible Harry's life was. Part of Draco honestly expected that he was treated like the celebrity everyone made him to be, nothing like this. And yet, hearing all the pain and suffering Harry had been through only made Draco's heart hurt for the boy sitting across from him. Draco wanted to protect Harry. He didn't want anyone to be able to harm him ever again. He cursed himself for every mean comment and sneer he had sent the boy, especially what he had said in the library.

Draco looked up at Harry who was watching him intently. All Draco could say was, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Harry just looked at him and said, "It's not like there's anything you can do about it." Draco lowered his head and mumbled, "I could have not made your life a living hell…" Harry stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to that.

Draco raised his head slightly, "You know, we do have a guest house at the manor. Now that my father is in Azkaban my mother is much nicer. I don't think she would mind. It wouldn't have to be permanent, just until we could figure something else out." Harry just shook his head. "I don't want to cause any trouble for you or your mother. I'm pretty sure Voldemort wouldn't be too happy about me staying in your house. But thanks for the offer." The boys sat in silence for a moment. Draco cursing himself for saying something so foolish. "Of course, he wouldn't want to stay with you, your aunt killed his godfather." Draco's thoughts berated him until Harry's sudden laugh broke him out of it. Confused and a bit offended, Draco asked, "What's so funny?" Harry smiled, "I just find it funny that a day ago we were enemies but now here we are, sitting and talking like friends. I mean you just offered to let me stay at your house." Draco couldn't help but return Harry's smile. It was the first time since the school year began that the Gryffindor had genuinely smiled, and Draco couldn't help but be a bit smug that he was the reason.

Harry couldn't help but notice how Draco looked when he smiled. His brilliant white teeth sparkling in the fire, the flames dancing in his grey eyes, giving them a more golden hue. The boys locked eyes, neither of them wanting to look away from the other's twinkling eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke eye contact and began to talk again and get to know each other better. They spoke of things like their favorite school subject, their favorite Quidditch team, and their favorite foods. They were so comfortable around each other that no one would have ever suspected that they had been enemies ever since their first year at Hogwarts. It was as if the universe was giving them what could have been back in there first year if they hadn't started on the wrong foot. They talked and talked until both of their eyes drooped. Harry, being the more exhausted of the two was the first to slip off. Draco, not wanting to wake him, gently pulled the blanket over the sleeping boy and made sure he was wrapped snuggly. Draco watched the boy with a small smile as he too drifted off, listening to the crackling fire and the soft breaths of the sleeping Boy Who Lived.

Author's Note: So, anyone who has read the previous version of this chapter may have noticed that I left some of it out of this new version. It has not been edited out- I am moving it to the next chapter to make the story flow a bit better and honestly the boys went through a lot of angst in this chapter, so I wanted to give them a bit of a breather. It won't last too long, but hey I tried! That being said, it honestly feels really good to get back into this story, I think this could go pretty well and end up fluffy like I originally planned, but fair warning there is a lot of angst coming. Let me know what y'all thank, I love hearing feedback, thanks as always for reading! -SapphireDucchess