IMPORTANT NOTICE TO READERS: THIS STORY CONTAINS SLASH (homosexuality). Although it is not
featured in any graphic or sexual way, those opposed to homosexuality or slash should not read this story.
Themes of suicide and child abuse are also dealt with (not graphically) in this story.


Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, or any other person or organisation
connected with the Harry Potter books and/or film. I do not own the characters in this story, and I do not write
this story for any gain (financial, etc.) other than a literary one of writing stories about my favourite characters.
I do, however, own the plot of this story, and I apologise sincerely if it resembles in any way another author's work.



One: Chapter 2; One Life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No! Harry, wait!" Draco scrambled to his feet as Harry backed away. "You've got it wrong!"

"I see it now." Harry hissed. "They sent you here to seduce me and then lead me to Voldemort. It didn't work.
Your plan failed." He turned to run, "I'm going to get Dumbledore."

"Harry, please!" Draco pleaded, tears running down his cheeks. "I didn't want to be one of them. They forced
me!... Please...."

"No..." Harry shook his head as Draco took a step towards him, "No..." He felt tears well up.

"Please, Harry! Believe me!"

"But you've got that...that thing... on your arm!"

"You have to believe me..."

"Why?" Harry demanded. "Why the hell should I believe you? Since the first year all you've done is make snide
comments and get me into trouble. You've never given me a chance to trust you ONCE. Why should I now?"

"Harry, after what we've just shared, how can you not trust me?"

"What we shared..."

"What we shared should have told you that I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"Apart from the previous seven years worth of hurt."

"I don't care about before! All I know is if you run away from me, you won't come back!"

"But you're a death-eater!"

Draco flinched as if he had been hit.

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"Look at me." Draco said, "Do you honestly believe it?"

Harry turned his head away and remained silent. Draco stepped forward and closed the gap between them,
lifting his hand to Harry's face, feeling him flinch, and turning his head to meet his eyes.

As Draco looked into Harry's emerald eyes he saw the fear, the anger, and the betrayal behind the tears that
Harry was now also shedding. It hurt him to see it but he held Harry's terrified stare.

"Do you believe it?" He asked again, softly.

Harry looked up into Draco's eyes and saw the pain and the vunerability flashing across the icy grey.

"I..."

"What?"

"I... I don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?!" Draco asked, his voice rising, the tears still running. "It's either a yes or
a no!"

"I mean, I don't know whether you're telling the truth, or whether you're just a good actor!" Harry cried, his voice
breaking, "The part of me that looked in your eyes says 'no', but the part of me that saw that...thing...says 'yes'. I
want to believe you... But then how did you get the mark if you didn't..." He trailed off.

"You really want to know what happened?" Draco asked, "Do you really want to know?"

Harry nodded hesitantly.

"But you have to understand that once you know about me, you have to stick with me. I can't pour my soul out to
have you leave."

"I'll decide when you've told me."

"You really don't know me." Draco said sadly.

"You never gave me a chance."

"Gave you a chance?! I offered to be your friend the first day of the first year, but you said no!"

"I'm not here for a guilt trip, Draco." Harry said coldly, "Get on with the story."

"This is hard for me, Harry!"

"I've been tricked by you before. Just because you've kissed me, it doesn't mean a thing."

"Fine!" Draco exploded, "I'll tell you who did this to me; My father... he came into my room with all his minions...
and they grabbed me. I tried to fight, but they were too strong. I guess I didn't fight hard enough, huh?" Draco was
so angry with Harry for making him go through it all again, he forgot the tears pouring down both their faces and
carried on, rage in his voice. Isn't it strange how it's hard to start crying, but once you do, they keep on coming?
"They told me I could do it willingly, or they'd force me. I said I'd never do it, so they tied me to the bed."

The look on Harry's face turned to horror as Draco talked, but Draco ignored him and carried on,

"They gagged me... I couldn't do any thing when they burnt that thing into me. I couldn't even scream. First my
father got a knife and cut the pattern out. I could feel the blood running down my wrist. Then he got ink and he
scratched it into the cut with the knife again... over and over -"

"Okay, Draco, you can stop. I believe you." Harry was beginning to get scared by the look on Draco's face. But
Draco carried on.

"No!" He yelled at Harry, "You wanted to know, so now I'm telling you! When they'd stopped they kicked me and
my father hit me! He said that I was part of Voldemort now and that I couldn't do anything about it! And then they
left me there! I was coughing up blood for a week!"

"Draco, please!" Harry pleaded. "Stop!"

"I had four broken ribs, Harry! I almost died! And you know what?!" Draco shouted, oblivious to Harry's or his
own tears, "I was glad!"

"What?!" Harry gasped.

"I was glad they did that because I'd have a reason to finally do it! A reason to kill myself! Because that's what I
wanted.... I didn't want to live anymore! I didn't want to be me, being an arrogant prick all the time, and having you
hate me!"

"Draco, I don't hate you..."

"I was going to do it! I stood there and I got the knife and I cut my wrist!"

Harry looked even more anguished.

"I saw the blood running out of me, but it was like it wasn't really me! But then I thought about you. And I realised
I couldn't kill myself, I had to apologise to you first! It's your fault this happened, it's your fault I'm still here!" Draco
broke down and hid his face in his hands. "It's all because of you." He moaned.

"Oh, Draco..." Harry stepped forward to comfort the distraught boy. Harry knew he wasn't lying. Something about
what he'd said had touched him. But Draco moved away.

"Don't you understand?" Draco hissed. "All this is your fault. If I'd never met you, I could just have got on with my
life. I could have carried on the way my family's been carrying on for centuries."

"Wait a minute, you're blaming me for your family problems?!" Harry exclaimed.

"I shouldn't have questioned it." Draco moaned. "I should have gone along with it."

"Of course you shouldn't! Don't talk like that! What's it got to do with me anyway?"

"When I saw you that day in Madame Malkin's I didn't like you - " Draco began.

" - Don't worry, the feeling was mutual." Harry interupted.

"Please, Harry. It's hard for me to talk about this."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Anyway, I thought that you were just some idiot I'd never see again. But then you were on the train. Do you know
what it felt like when you said you didn't want to be friends with me?"

"Don't tell me you were hurt."

"I wasn't. I was more shocked. No one said no to a Malfoy. And every time I saw you since then you annoyed the
hell out of me."

"Thanks."

"I think it changed after The Triwizard Tournament. I saw what the Dark Arts did to people and I remember
seeing you come out of that maze with Diggory dead next to you and I realised you could have died. Hell, you
should have died... And it scared me." This last statement was barely whispered and Harry had to strain to hear
it.

They stood in silence for a moment and only the sound of Draco's ragged sobs broke the quiet.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." Draco sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

"Draco." Harry moved forward and placed his hand on Draco's arm. Draco flinched but Harry didn't remove his
hand. Harry pulled Draco closer to him and hugged him tightly, stroking the blond boy's hair. "What are you sorry
for?"

"For what I am. For what I've done to you."

"The only thing you've ever done to me is make me realise how lucky I am." Harry said quietly.

Harry already knew what he had to do. Proffessor Dumbledore had to know about Draco's father. Harry would
make sure Draco wouldn't hurt anymore.

But before they did anything else, Harry knew it would take time for Draco to heal.

"I'm going to help. I don't know how, but I will." He promised.

Draco sniffed.

"We have to get back to our common rooms, they'll be missing us." Harry said gently into Draco's hair.

"I can't go back there, not now, not tonight." Draco said. He looked up at Harry sadly and Harry felt a pang of
something.... pity? sympathy?....love? no....surely not....

"I know. Where can you go? You sure as hell can't come back to the Gryffindor tower."

"It doesn't matter," Draco said in mock-wretchedness, "I'll find a cupboard somewhere."

Harry spluttered with laughter at the look on Draco's face and how ridiculus what he'd said sounded.

"What?!" Draco asked.

"Nothing." Harry grinned. Draco almost smiled. "I've got it!"

"Huh?"

"Hagrid's cabin!"

"The flaw in the plan being that, uh, Hagrid lives there?" Draco pointed out.

"But he's not there! He's gone to visit Madame Maxime! He said I could go there if I needed to."

"Hmm..."

"I need to feed Fang anyway. You can stay there overnight."

"On my own?" Draco asked, batting his eyelids.

"I thought we'd agreed you weren't trying to seduce me!" Harry laughed.

"I never said that..." Draco said mischeviously. He stopped suddenly, as if struck by a thought.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Does this mean we're... you know..."

"I suppose so." Harry replied. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"No. It's just..."

"What?" Harry repeated.

"In the space of an hour we've gone from being enemies to love's young dream. It's kind of a bit... sudden..."

"It's strange, but it seems like I've known you for years." Harry said dreamily.

Draco laughed,

"You're getting sentimental already."

"I know what you mean though. What are we going to do tomorrow? We've not thought about this. We're not
thinking properly."

"You mean you're thinking about the consequences of sleeping with me?"

"Draco! No...I mean..."

"I know. But don't you ever wish that for just one day you could ignore your brain and just act on impulse?"

"It doesn't work like that."

"Please, Harry. I need you."

Harry sighed.

"Okay, I'll go with the whole 'no regrets' theory tonight." Harry ran a hand through his hair, "I'm going to regret this."

Draco smiled.

"We'd better get to Hagrid's then. And Draco?" Harry turned to Draco.

"Uh-huh?"

"Nothing is going to happen tonight."

"What do you mean?"

Harry turned to Draco seriously and brushed his cheek with his thumb.

"This is too soon for you. And for me. I won't hurt you by doing something we'll regret."

"But -"

" - No, Draco. Tonight we sleep in Hagrid's cabin. Sleep. That's all. Got it?"

"Yes." Draco said, then looked down at Harry, who was still an inch shorter than him, and still had his hands
at either side of Draco's face. He kissed him quickly. "Thankyou. For listening."

"That's okay." Harry smiled and they walked out of the side room in the wall.

They walked side by side down the corridor, not noticing when the hole in the wall mysteriously morphed into
a completely flat bricked surface, leaving no trace that the side room ever existed.

Out of the shadows stepped a figure. The features slowly became apparent and the eyes watched the two
seventeen year olds walk away down the corridor.

"So that's it, is it?" The voice said slowly. "I'll get you for this, Malfoy, make no mistakes about it."


Hagrid's Cabin
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Harry asked, smoothing Draco's hair. Draco had let his hair grow long, much to his
father's annoyance (which made him like the style even more), and it was shoulder length and wavy, a wonderful
silver colour that shone in the moonlight coming through the windows. "Okay, stupid question."

"Thankyou for letting me come here. I couldn't have faced them in the common room tonight. I hate them for what
they are and what they've made me."

"Shh..." Harry said soothingly. "You're tired. Get some sleep."

"Will you...?" Draco asked, looking pleadingly up at Harry from where he was lying on the oversized bed.

"Yes. But nothing happens."

"Okay." Draco nodded.

Harry looked down at Draco where he lay on the bed and realised how much like a small child he was. He lay
helpless and vunerable. All he wanted was what he'd needed all his life. Love.

Harry took a deep breath and lifted back the covers. He slipped in behind Draco so that he lay with Draco's
back to him and moved closer, wrapping his arms round the blond boy and nuzzling his ear. He realised Draco
was shivering.

"You're shaking." Harry whispered, savouring their closeness.

"I'm s-sorry."

"It's been a stressful day."

Draco didn't answer. Harry peered over Draco's shoulder and saw that he had fallen asleep. He smiled and
rested his head next to Draco's, falling asleep almost instantly still with his glasses on.



Sometime during the night, Harry woke to feel Draco shaking and whimpering in his sleep.

"Draco?" Harry croaked sleepily.

"No..." Draco moaned, "Please..."

"Draco, you're dreaming." Harry shook Draco gently.

"No! Leave me alone! Don't!"

"Draco!" Harry said, beginning to get worried that he couldn't wake Draco, "Draco, wake up!"

"No!" Draco sobbed, "It hurts!"

Draco began to thrash about wildly so Harry grabbed his arms and held Draco to him. At Draco's wrist, Harry's
hand came into contact with something that burned his skin.

"Ouch!" He hissed. He pulled Draco's arm away and looked down. "Yeesh."

The Dark Mark glowed fiercely, red and black like hot coals, on Draco's wrist.

"Draco, wake up, you're dreaming." Harry whispered, shaking Draco awake.

Draco opened his eyes and turned, gazing up at Harry with tears glistening on his cheeks.

"I..." He gasped.

"Ssh. It was just a dream." Harry reassured him.

"B-but I s-saw him!" Draco sobbed.

"Who? Who did you see?"

"Him....Lord Voldemort. He'll punish me for what I've done!" Draco looked around wildly. "I have to get out of
here! Maybe if I go..." He sat up and tried to walk away from the bed, but Harry grabbed his wrist. The wrong one.
"Aaah!" Draco cried out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Harry let go and grabbed the other wrist instead.

"Let me go!" Draco cried.

"You're not going anywhere! You're in no state to go walking about! You just had a nightmare."

"It wasn't a nightmare!" Draco shrieked. "I saw him! I heard what he said!"

"And what did he say?"

"It doesn't matter! I have to get out of here, I have to get away from you!"

"Me?!" Harry sat back, shocked.

"I can't risk it..." Draco muttered, "I won't risk it..."

"Risk WHAT?"

Draco sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and burried his head in his hands.

"It doesn't matter..." He moaned through his fingers.

"Draco -" Harry placed a hand on Draco's back. "Please tell me."

"You." Came the muffled reply.

"What?"

"He threatened to kill you."

"Is that all?"

"ALL?!"

"Draco, as long as we're at Hogwarts he can't kill us. Either of us. Anyway, it's not as if I haven't faced him
before."

"I won't risk it."

"Risk what? My life? Because I'm sorry, that isn't your decision to make."

"I won't let you die for me. I care about you. If not as something more, then just as a friend. It's better if I just go.
Maybe he won't...."

Harry crawled over the bed to Draco and sat next to him. He put his arm round Draco's shoulders and pulled him
nearer to him.

"Don't think about it anymore. While we're here, Dumbledore'll protect us. Please try and get some sleep."

Draco nodded and sniffed, rested his head on Harry's chest and closed his eyes.

~~~

Not that far away, a cold laugh filled the small firelit room. The flames from the fireplace created flickering
shadows that danced their way across the figure's face, not quite shedding enough light on the features to make
them apparent from beneath the hood the figure wore.

"Don't worry, Harry, I'll find a way. And not even that mudblood loving fool will be able to stand in my way. You've
evaded me too many times. This time neither of you will escape."

~~~











To Be Continued........