I blinked my eyes open slowly.

I was lying on a soft bed in what appeared to be a hospital bed.

What the hell???

I frowned in confusion and tried to sit up.

Dizziness and pain swept over me and I lay back down again swiftly.

Where was I?

I groaned slightly. And why was I so tired?

I felt like I'd fallen off a two hundred foot high broomstick.

And I might have done for all I remembered.

But this place- this place played on the strings of my memories.

I'd been here before.

I concentrated on the swimming memories in my mind, focusing on the one of this room, my eyes drifting shut.

Holy shit.

My eyes flew open as I remembered.

I was at Hogwarts.

The main base of the enemy.

I gaped in astonishment.

To think of all the fun I could have here.

But- why was I here?

My memories of recent events were a bit hazy and I concentrated hard, trying to remember.

A collapsed building littered with bodies and covered with blood.

An intruder.

A scream that had affected me more than it should have done.

And a pair of green eyes widened in shock as a green light flashed through the room.

But whose eyes?

I froze.

Oh shit.

Well that was the understatement of the century.

I'd killed Voldemort. The Dark Lord himself.

I was so dead.

The door opened and I jerked, wincing as I realised how much it hurt to jerk.

The familiar, annoyingly cheerful face of Dumbledore appeared.

I relaxed slightly.

Dumbledore may be a dangerous enemy to have but he was nothing if not honourable.

And killing one of his ex-students in a hospital bed was not honourable.

'Mr Malfoy.' He smiled at me. 'Are you feeling alright?'

Was *he* feeling alright?

'Fine.' I said cautiously.

'Good. So you won't mind a chat with a friend of mine?'

Before giving me a chance to say the less polite version of "no" the door opened and a face I recognised by reputation appeared.

I was on my feet in an instant, searching frantically for my wand.

I knew there had to be a catch somewhere.

'Draco please calm down.' Dumbledore said kindly. 'There is no cause to be alarmed.'

'There's no cause to be alarmed?? You brought the bloody head auror here and you're telling me there's no need to be alarmed????' I hissed.

'Yes.'

'Oh.' That floored me.

'Mr McRain is not here to arrest you.'

'Of course not.' McRain smiled slightly at me. 'I must admit Mr Malfoy- I truly had no idea. Perhaps you should think about going into acting after this whole mess is sorted out.'

'Pardon?' I asked, feeling more than a little confused.

I was in the same room as Quintus McRain who had been tracking me down for three years and as of yet he had not made any move to capture or kill me.

And he was actually being nice.

'Well it must take great skills to convince Voldemort that you're on his side when you're not. And becoming his second in command! I never imagined that any of our side could infiltrate his ranks that high up!'

The penny dropped.

'I'm not a spy.' I said in faint alarm.

'Draco there is no need to lie in this room.' Dumbledore assured me. 'There are no traitors here.'

'I know there aren't; myself included.'

'Mr Malfoy. Professor Dumbledore has shown me the letters between the two of you, do not fear for your safety.'

'What the hell is wrong with you all?' I exploded. 'I am not a spy. I'm a death eater! I'm Voldemort's second in command and I'd kill you all in a heartbeat.'

Dumbledore exchanged glances with McRain. 'You must excuse him Quintus, he is in shock.'

'I'm not in bloody shock!' I yelled. 'I'm a Death Eater. Look I've got the bloody mark on my arm.' I shoved my sleeve up angrily. 'I've killed hundreds of people, I'm a murderer, a killer why the hell aren't you arresting me???'

'Ah.' McRain said suddenly. 'I see.'

Finally.

'You should not feel guilt about what you had to do Draco. These things have to be done when you are a spy. It is all for the greater good.'

I buried my head in my hands.

'In what ways am I not making myself clear?' I said desperately. 'I'm a Death Eater. A real one, every bit as real as you being an Auror or Potter being the saviour of the wizarding world. I like being a Death Eater. I have more power than any of you idiots can or ever will imagine. I killed dozens and dozens of aurors. I-' their faces remained unconvinced. 'I cast the crucio on Potter. Ask him!'

Thank God, that should convince them.

No spy would dare touch Hogwarts' Golden Boy with a 10ft broomstick.

'Harry understands that you had to, to protect your cover.' Dumbledore told me. 'He told me to tell you that he forgives you totally and you shouldn't worry about it.'

I began to hyperventilate.

Strangely the warnings I'd been given about being captured did not include being protected from capture and imprisonment by Dumbledore himself.

'I give up.' I muttered wearily. 'I'm too tired to do this.'

'Indeed Mr Malfoy- right now I think the best thing you can do is to rest. Killing Voldemort used up a lot of your energy and inherent magic. It needs time to recuperate.'

They left the room, leaving me alone in the infirmary.

Oh this was horrible.

*I* Draco Lucius Malfoy, the highest ranking Death Eater in the world, was going to go down in history, not as the wizard who took over the world, but the one who killed Voldemort.

I'd saved the world.

I shuddered.

Why not just stick a scar on my head and call me Harry Potter.

Although hopefully without all the bad clothes.

Let's face it - the guy has no fashion sense whatsoever.

Although at least now he had clothes that fit.

The door opened and I sprang to my feet, searching in my pockets for a wand that was no longer there.

Although as soon as I saw the person I really wished I had.

'You!' I exclaimed, pointing a finger at him in anger.

Harry Potter looked at me in mild confusion.

'Where the hell do you get off telling everybody I'm a good guy??' I exploded. 'Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to have everybody think that I'm some kind of hero???'

His lips twitched.

I glared at him heatedly and he instantly wiped any trace of a smile off his face.

'What possessed you to tell them that I was a spy?' I yelled. 'I'm going to be in enough trouble already without you adding to it!'

'They'd have thrown you in Azkhaban otherwise.'

'Not if you'd just left me there - but no. You had to be the hero and drag me all the way to bloody Hogwarts and lie to make me seem like a good guy.'

'They'd have killed you.' He said simply.

'Well that would have been my problem!' I snapped. 'How is it any of your business whether I live or die? I'm your enemy! You're supposed to kill me not protect me!'

He took a step towards me.

I stepped back instantly. 'Stay away from me.'

Wandless and in the enemy base I was not feeling at my best.

'I'm not going to hurt you.' He said soothingly.

'As if you could!' I snarled.

He ignored that. 'I just want to talk.'

'Well I don't. I want to get the fuck out of here.'

'Ok.'

I looked at him suspiciously. 'What's the catch?'

There was always a catch.

'There's a mob of wizard's outside who want to kill you.'

See?

'What? Why?'

'In case you haven't noticed you have killed quite a lot of people over the years and now everybody knows you're here, they all want payback.'

'I killed Voldemort.' I crossed my arms. 'I saved the world.'

He raised an eyebrow. 'You've changed your tune.'

'Yeah? So? If you're going to ruin my reputation I might as well get some hero worship out of it. I killed the Dark Lord - I saved all their fucking lives- they can't touch me.'

Or is Dumbledore the only person on the other side with any sense of honour?

'Even if that was true- which I'm not really sure it is then they're the least of your problems.'

'How'd you figure that one out?' I folded my arms.

'Well the Death Eaters aren't going to welcome you back with open arms are they. Like you said: you killed the Dark Lord.'

Oh fuck.

I'd really done it this time.

Everyone on both sides wanted to kill me.

'Screw you all.' I stated. 'I don't know what you want but you're not getting it from me.'

'We don't want anything.' Potter said gently in that infuriatingly sincere tone he'd always used.

I laughed derisively. 'People always want something Potter. That's a lesson I'm never going to forget.'

Because Voldemort has a charming way of teaching.

'Look I'm not going to make you tell us anything. If you feel like helping your cause further and telling us where all the Death Eater bases are then that's your decision.'

I snorted and folded my arms. 'And what makes you think I'll help you?'

'Nothing.'

'So why are you all doing this?'

'You saved my life.' Potter stated.

'Yeah and trust me I'm beginning to regret it.'

A small smile flickered on his face. 'You haven't changed a bit.'

'Yes I have.' I said firmly, immediately. 'I've changed more than you know. If you thought I was bad before Potter, you have a lot to learn about the meaning of the word.'

'I know.'

'Then why?' I exclaimed, gesturing around me. 'Why aren't I in a cell or dead at this very moment in time?'

'Why aren't I?' He asked seriously.

Well I guess our reasons were the same then- "I don't know."

'Because you're an infuriating twat who just won't die?' I suggested bitterly.

'The same could be said for you.' He informed me with a smile.

I wondered if I would get in trouble if I hit him.

'Don't you have anyone else to go annoy?' I asked finally.

The fact that he actually took it as a serious question drove me mad.

'No not really.'

My hands curled up into fists.

'But you must be tired so I guess I'll go find something else to do.'

'Yeah you do that.' I said bitterly.

He walked towards the door, turning and smiling slightly as he stepped outside.

'I'll see you later.'

'Not if I'm lucky.'

He laughed slightly. 'And Draco? I'm glad you're here.'

The door swung shut behind him, leaving me confused and fuming.

I certainly had a lot to think about.

***

'Ah Mr Malfoy. I see you got my message.' Dumbledore beamed at me.

The letter was still in my hand and I nodded in affirmation. 'What did you want to speak to me about?'

'Please have a seat.' Dumbledore nodded towards the chairs in front of his desk.

Gingerly I perched on one.

'I'm afraid we have a problem Mr. Malfoy.'

I sighed. When wasn't there a problem in my life?

'Oh?'

'The boundaries of Hogwarts are surrounded by protestors. Should you set foot outside of this building I cannot be held responsible for the crowd's actions. The government is still in the process of informing everyone of your innocence.'

Was he going somewhere with this.

'So?' I prompted.

'You can't stay at Hogwarts.' Dumbledore told me.

'So I'm booked in for an all inclusive lifetime in Azkabhan?' I asked with raised eyebrows.

At the moment stuck with an aging madman and the exasperating Boy-Who-Lived I almost wished that the answer was yes.

Almost.

'We're sending you to a safe house.'

I looked at him in blank horror. 'A safe house? You mean those pokey little houses you send good wizards to when they have a 99.9% change of being assassinated before the week is out.'

'No Mr Malfoy I mean a perfectly decent house in which you can stay until the wizarding world has calmed down after the revelation that you're not a Death Eater.'

'Which is after all a load of total bollocks.' I muttered beneath my breath.

'Pardon?'

'Never mind. So when can I get out of here?' I picked some dirt from under my nails.

'Immediately if you so wish. But there are a few precautions we will be taking, to ensure your safety and that of the others around you.'

'Precautions?' I repeated suspiciously.

'Yes. We will be keeping custody of your wand until you have proved that you will not use it for evil.'

If he thought I needed a wand to cause damage he was seriously mistaken.

'Furthermore you will not be allowed to contact any member of the wizarding world until we give you permission. Similarly you will be unable to leave your safe house until the chaos has settled down.'

This was sounding worse and worse every second.

But anything was better than spending any more time with Harry "I'm so perfect" Potter.

I nodded, calmly. 'I understand.'

Dumbledore looked at me seriously. 'You are being given a second chance Mr Malfoy- but should you return to your previous way of life I'm afraid I shall have no choice but to allow McRain to have his way.'

Anger swelled inside me and I fought to keep it down.

There was nothing I could do- yet.

But a day would come when all these damn do-gooders would regret the day they had tried to help me.

'But in the meantime,' Dumbledore continued, 'if you would like to use the floo network to go to your new home.'

I took a handful of powder from the proffered pot.

He was a little trusting. I could go anywhere I wanted.

'What's the name?' I asked.

'There is no need for a name. The fireplace will only take you to your safe house.'

Ok maybe he wasn't so trusting.

Can't say I blamed him.

Although that didn't stop me from glaring at him.

I stepped inside the fireplace and viciously threw the powder on the floor.

I instantly landed sprawled on the floor.

'Crap.' I rubbed my elbow with a wince.

I'd hit it on a table as I landed.

What kind of a bloody stupid place to put a table was that?

Then again it was probably there to delay people who weren't supposed to be flooing in.

Only my quick reflexes had kept it from being my head that hit it.

I straightened up, looking around the shadowy room.

I squinted, trying to see.

How the hell was I supposed to do anything when I didn't have my wand to light my way.

A simple "lumos" would help so much at this point.

I put my hand on the wall and followed it round, knowing I'd eventually arrive at the door.

My hand ran over a button and I hesitated, my curiosity demanding me to find out what it was before proceeding.

Hesitantly I pressed it and almost jumped out of my skin when light suddenly flooded the room.

Ok.

Note to self - little buttons make it light.

What else was there in this house I had no idea how to work?

I prowled around the house, pressing a little button by every door and sticking my head in every room.

Satisfied that Dumbledore hadn't sent me to a complete shithouse I returned to the living room.

The house seemed quite big for a safe house - three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a study.

And it was pretty decently decorated although there was a bit much warmth and cheeriness for my taste.

Used to cold stone and leather, and green and black being the predominant colours of decoration, this seemed like a different world.

Which, I reflected, it was.

It was a far cry from torture maiming and murder.

I inwardly tensed as I felt someone's eyes trained on my back.

Then a sigh slipped from me.

I didn't have to turn around to tell who it was.

I gave no sign of noticing his arrival and he remained quiet.

'Why did you do that?' I asked finally.

'Do what?'

I turned, meeting Potter's eyes.

'Put your neck out on the line for me. If those aurors found out you were lying you'd be in so much shit- Boy Who Lived or not.'

He shrugged slightly. 'Just returning the favour.'

'Potter I didn't save you out of the kindness of my heart.'

'Then why did you?'

I floundered. 'Because- because- Just because ok? Why the hell are you here anyway? No-one's supposed to know where I am.'

He grinned. 'Well I do live here.'

My heart stopped. 'You what?'

'This is my house.' He said it so casually that I knew it was anything other than casual.

Shock flooded through me.

Please let this be some horrible nightmare.

I couldn't live with Potter.

'Your house?' I echoed weakly.

He nodded.

I closed my eyes momentarily.

'Why?' I seriously considered beating my head against the wall. 'Why here?'

He shrugged.

'Someone had to keep an eye on you.'

I snorted. 'I get it. Someone had to keep an eye on me and who better than Harry Potter, the biggest pain in my ass and trained puppy of the forces of light.'

'Something like that.'

'Are you crazy?' I exclaimed.

'No.'

'Is Dumbledore?'

Well obviously that was a "yes".

He looked thoughtful. 'I don't think so.'

'I could kill you in a heartbeat.' It wasn't a threat; it was a statement.

'True.'

'So why are you here?'

He was leaning against the table, looking perfectly relaxed.

'I can take care of myself.'

I couldn't stand him being this calm.

'So that's why you were captured by Death Eaters, taken to Voldemort's headquarters, tortured and almost killed.'

He blinked. '*Almost*.' He stressed.

'You would have been if I hadn't.' I trailed off.

Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up.

'Exactly.' A triumphant look entered his eyes. 'If you were going to kill me then you would have done it already.'

'I wouldn't be too sure.' My eyes narrowed. 'If you keep talking you might discover you're wrong.'

'Draco.'

'Don't call me that.' I snapped. 'I'm not your friend and you're definitely not mine so will you stop fucking calling me that.'

'What do you want me to call you?'

The question was so calm and sincere that it took me aback.

'What?' I asked in confusion.

'If you don't want me to call you Draco then what do you want me to call you?' He said patiently.

I gaped at him.

'Is something wrong?' He asked concernedly.

'Why are you being so nice to me?'

He shrugged. 'Shouldn't I be?'

'No!'

'So shall I be horrible to you instead?'

'No!' I changed my mind, feeling very uncomfortable. 'Yes!' But that didn't make any sense. 'I mean.' I sighed. 'Are you always this difficult?'

'Me? I'm not the one being difficult.'

'You're *making* everything difficult!'

'Am I?' He looked surprised. 'I think you're just taking everything too seriously.'

My mouth dropped open. '*I'm* taking everything too *seriously*?'

'Yeah you should really try lightening up.'

I couldn't find the words to reply.

'Well I'm going to bed now. Try not to destroy anything.' And with that he turned and walked out of the living room.

My face darkened.

I was so going to kill him.





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