Body Warnings and Disclaimers: a little more disturbing than usual, even for me. please refer to part one for all the rest. thanx.

Note: i've thrown in a bit of a Clockwork Orange reference for all you lovely fans. actually, this is more like the third or fourth. did you catch the first? it is in the first chapter. five points to whoever did. Rubicon, this does not mean you.

Partners In Light

'What the hell is that?' I thought upon hearing the tapping on the window. After I'd found my glasses I opened the window and Remus's exhausted owl fell inside. I picked it up and laid it on the bed before detaching the letter from it's leg. It was from Dumbledore and it was addressed to me. With trembling hands I unfolded the parchment.

Harry,

We now have Mr. Malfoy in our care and he is fine. Madame Pomfrey

is looking after him. I will not say more now, as I am quite sure the rest of this

needs to be said in person. There will be a car for you at 8:00 in the morning. I

expect all three of you here.

Albus Dumbledore

Draco was at Hogwarts and he was fine! This was more than I would dare to hope. I had half convinced myself that he was never coming back to me alive. I reread that first sentence over and again about a thousand times before I was satisfied that it was for real. Then I reread the whole thing and my heart sank. What could there be to discuss only in person? There were a multitude of things, for certain, but I immediately started thinking the worst.

Even if he truly were fine, there were undoubtedly going to be things very wrong with him. I wondered what had happened when he left the train station. Even if no horrible acts had been committed upon his person, there was probably some serious emotional trauma. Then again, why would Madame Pomfrey be looking after him if his person was intact? How bad off was he really?

Eight o'clock didn't come soon enough. There was no sleep for me to have after the owl from Dumbledore. I was laying in bed when Remus and Sirius woke up and made coffee. I only got out of bed after Sirius had poked his head in the door.

"Good morning," he said, smiling.

"Good morning."

"How long have you been up?"

"Since three o'clock this morning. Dumbledore sent an owl saying that there will be a car to pick all three of us up at eight. Are you all right, Sirius? You look rather puzzled."

"Yes, I'm all right, but what is this all about? Slow down when you talk, I'll be able to understand you better," he said lightly. He was still groggy and I threw a lot of words at him at once.

"Dumbledore sent an owl saying that Draco is at Hogwarts and he is sending a car to pick all three of us up at eight o'clock. He said there were things that needed to be said in person," I explained as plainly as I possibly could. He thought a moment, then nodded.

"We'll hurry, then, and you might, as well. It's already after seven, you know," he told me as he left the room.

After getting dressed there was little more to do than just wait. I sat at the table and drank several cups of very strong coffee to like prepare myself for a very long morning. Admittedly, I needed a little sobering up before I would be ready to face the inevitable. I knew that no matter what, Draco was going to be in a horrible state when I got there and I did not want to fall to pieces in front of everyone. No, everything was going to be fine and everything was going to be taken care of.

After Sirius had transformed into the huge black dog, we left. There was a youngish looking wizard in blue robes waiting for us just outside the front doors of the flatbuilding. He opened the door for us and jumped inside himself. He started the car and as soon as we started moving we were driving up towards Hogwarts Castle. The jolt in the car was nothing like the jolting of the Knight Bus, so it was relatively painless. The castle looked much bigger than it did when school was in session. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I was visiting it under no educational pretence. I was becoming very panicky about what was going to happen.

Much to my surprise, the car pulled up directly in front of the doors and Snape was standing there. The thing that really surprised me was the lack of his usual sour expression and the lack of murderous intent in his eyes when his gaze fell upon me. Instead of the usual murderous glint there was something like guilt, respect, sorrow, and exhaustion all mixed together. I wondered exactly what was going on and why Snape looked and felt so much different than usual. He led us through the front doors and through the winding hallways and staircases to Dumbledore's office.

Snape gave the password and the gargoyle jumped aside. Only Remus, Sirius, and I went up the stairs to the office itself; Snape had gone the opposite direction. Apparently, whatever was about to unfold did not concern any others than us. After passing the many portraits of former headmasters, we reached the main of the office. Dumbledore was sitting behind the desk, engrossed in some bit of parchment before him. A moment later he looked up as though he just realized we were standing there.

"Oh, dear. I apologize, I didn't realize you were here already. I would like to have a word with Harry before anything else," he told Sirius (who had assumed his natural form) and Remus.

They nodded respectfully and left the room, shutting the door behind them. I was becoming increasingly nervous. It seemed an eternity that Dumbledore sat there composing his thoughts before he actually spoke.

"Harry, I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"Is he okay?" I asked without really meaning to. I was desperate to see Draco and find out the state of his well-being, but I didn't want to be interrupting Dumbledore in the process. He didn't seem irritated with me, he just sighed and sat back.

"I find that in situations like these, honesty is the best policy. You are now a young man and no longer a child." I didn't like the way he was saying this. This was far worse than I had anticipated. His words seemed to be causing him pain. He took a breath before continuing. "Last night Arthur Weasley and Meg Parika found Draco..." he trailed off. He obviously didn't quite know how to say whatever it was he had to say.

"What do you mean they found him?" I was inches away from full fledged panic.

"They secured a search warrant and searched Malfoy Manor. You were quite right in thinking that something horrible was happening to him. He was- He was chained to the wall in one of the dungeons." Chained in a dungeon? "He was bleeding to death from slash wounds over his entire body. He was raped repeatedly, although how repeatedly I can not say. I am only telling you these things so that you are prepared for what you are going to see."

This was too much. I couldn't believe that I let him go home to that. I watched him leave the train station. I saw him less than twenty four hours ago. How could this be happening? I started to cry, I was so angry at myself and at Lucius and at the whole stinking world. I thought I had it bad having no parents at all, but Draco had it worse for what his parents did to him. Dumbledore had come round to my side of the desk and rested a hand on my shoulder. When I looked up at him, he looked far older and more tired than I had ever seen him.

"He's alive, Harry, and that is what matters. He's alive and he is in a safe place."

"Can I see him?"

"Yes, he is sleeping at the moment, but I'm sure that Madame Pomfrey would not object to you sitting with him."

"Thank you, Sir," I said before I left.

I was in a daze as I walked to the infirmary. My feet took me there with no help from my mind. I was moving not of my own volition but dazed stupor. My head was full of thoughts and pictures of what had gone on in Lucius Malfoy's dungeon not twenty four hours ago. I was still baffled at how Lucius had found out about us. No one knew. No one knew just how deep it went between me and Draco. And it went so deep no knife could cut it out. It went so deep that I thought I was going to die myself.

"Hallo, Harry," Madame Pomfrey said when I entered the infirmary. "Draco is asleep, but you're welcome to sit with him until he wakes up."

The curtain hiding the bed that Draco was in was almost scary. It was like the doorway to some other universe that no one but Draco was a part of. It was like a symbol of his seclusion and reminded me in a very sick way of the dungeon he was chained inside. But then again, I was going behind that curtain with him and in a way that made it all okay.

As I pulled the curtain away, Draco came into view. He was so thin and pale and there were bruises all over him; his person looked entirely black and blue. I sat in the chair beside the bed and picked up his hand. There were no bruises on it, though his wrist was quite limp. His wrist had a black ring around it; apparently this was where the shackles had cut into him. I pressed my forehead against the back of his hand. He was warm. That was one positive thing. A twitch? I looked up to see him smiling weakly at me.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Are you really here or have I died and gone to heaven?" he asked. He was being his typically romantic self. This was more than just slightly reassuring. I couldn't help but grin at him.

"Is there a difference?" I played with him back.

"Not really, now that I think about it. When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"It's probably time that I woke up anyway. I have no idea how long I've been sleeping. Do you know?" He sounded so innocent. He sounded so untainted by all the horrors that had been inflicted upon him time and again.

"No, darling, I don't know. Quite a while I imagine."

He smiled. "You've never called me that before," he said.

"Called you what?"

"Darling."

I blushed. Draco and I never really used pet names for each other. Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure why. Some things come with time perhaps. "I guess I just...." and I couldn't finish.

"Are you apologizing?"

"No."

"Good."

"Why's that?"

"Because if you were I might have to be highly disappointed," he said with a smile on his face. The last thing I was expecting was to see him smile. Especially in the loving way that he had since we first made love. Before that it was always slightly awkward and not as full as it had become. I guess there are some things one can gain from a physical relationship that one might not find otherwise...

Madame Pomfrey poked her head around the curtain. "Hello, there, nice to see that you've come to. I was afraid that the sleeping potion I gave you was too potent."

"No, it wasn't I don't think. How long have I been here?"

She sighed. "Since about ten o'clock last night."

He seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Five hours." Madame Pomfrey and I just looked at each other. "That was probably the shortest amount of time I have ever spent in the dungeon. I wonder how long it would have taken me to die," he like mused out loud. I was horrified at the lack of emotion behind these statements. It was as though he gave it no more thought than he would a cup of tea. It was like he was too used to the idea to let it affect him. It was like it was just another part of everyday life.

We stared at him with undisguised horror on our faces. He looked over at me and then at Madame Pomfrey. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said as though he were apologizing for nothing more than a slip of the tongue. "I guess it just doesn't hurt anymore. It's over, after all, right? I mean, there's no way he'll ever be able to touch me again, is there?" he asked with a panicked note to his voice. I knew that there was no way Dumbledore would let Lucius have his son back. After what he did, a life sentence in Azkaban was more than given.

"No, sweetheart, you'll never have to see him again," Madame Pomfrey said, smiling warmly. He relaxed again and let her look him over. When she was satisfied, she gave him a mixture of sleeping and healing potions. "The more you sleep, the less painful this will be for you, dear. Just get some rest. Harry, perhaps we best leave him."

"NO!" Draco shouted. "He stays."

"All right, then. Just calm down, it's all right." She frowned at me. "Rub this on his ankles, if you feel like making yourself useful, then," she said as she handed me some kind of joint ointment. She gave Draco and I one last reproving look before going away.

"You know, Harry, I really love you," he said as he drifted off into sleep. I couldn't help but giggle at his tired admission of love. He was so bloody adorable when he was delirious.

Watching him sleep was nothing short of gorgeousness and gorgeosity made flesh. The steady rise and fall of his chest was thoroughly stunning. Mostly because this was peaceful. There was no Lucius to go home to. There were no more horrors to look forward to. There was a new life starting for Draco. A life without torture and rape and brutality. And I was going to be there for it. I was going to be there every step of the way no matter how hard it would inevitably be. Draco needed me and I needed him as deeply. He was like another part of me. He was my opposite in so many ways, but my equal in every way. Our differences were just our differences, not our downfalls. In the end, Draco was my other half and nothing was going to come between us ever again.

*****

Thanks once again to those who reviewed. I promise things will get better for Harry and Draco. *giggles* Yes, I will definitely have to lighten this up before too long; I'm even starting to depressed myself. Anyway, thanks and cheers!