Here we go, next chapter, ahoy…PLEASE REVIEW!

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mean a flashback.

mean a scene change.

"No, cmon, that's gotta be deep – it's gotta hurt –"

"Its. Nothing," Harry emphasized. Really, it wasn't anything to any other kind of hurt Harry'd every felt - especially not that of the recent events. Draco walked nearer to Harry, touching his shoulder.

"Get off me. I don't need your help any more then I needed Ron to read that out loud." That was a lie if he ever heard one. ALL he needed was Draco – that's it. Everything else could go to hell.

"Potter – look – I can read this and fuck up your head, or I can give it back."

"Yes, that could be a way of putting it, as is I could also let you read it and then I wouldn't do anything about it because everyone will just realize that I deserved what I got, or you can give it back and try to act like the good person that I know you're not. You're just like him, aren't you? Just like that bastard. Lucius fucking Malfoy. Him and his fucking sister killed me that day."

"Po – Harry – I'm not like him."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "How do I know that? All my life I've been lied to, and now, here's my arch nemesis telling me that he's not like the man who made him; the man who KILLED MY PARENTS AND RUINED ALL HOPES OF ANY SORT OF HAPPINESS!"

"WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME? I'M – NOT – LIKE – HIM!"

"You didn't really understand those poems, did you? It's not JUST your father I'm mad at, but the world," Harry continued, looking out into the now evening sky. "The wizarding world, and the Muggle world. They've put me through hell. Total and complete hell."

"Yeah, well you're not the only one."

Harry turned around. "Have you been abused?"

"Yes."

"Mentally?"

"Yes."

"Physically?"

"Yes."

"Starved?"

"Somewhat."

"Beaten to an inch of your life?"

"Well – not really – "

"Gone from 125 pounds to 85 in 2 weeks?"

"What?? No –"

"Been hated with every fiber of ones body?"

"I don't think so – "

"Ever had everything you ever had, wanted, or needed taken away?"
"No -"
"Been rape-" Harry's eyes got wide. "Wait - I didn't mean that one. Sorry -"
Draco was astounded. Why would Harry ask that? Unless - "Has anyone every WHAT?"
"Nothing - nothing -"
"Wait – were you –"
"NO!"

"Potter –" Draco was speechless. Was he? Had he been – he didn't know what to think.

"Look, I was just asking to see if you had been, okay?" No reply, just a stare. "Give me the journal now. I swear I'll Obliviate you."

Draco dropped the notebook at his feet never taking his eyes off of Harry's.

"Harry-"

"It's still Potter to you – nothing's changed but me. None of this happened, I never talked with you now, and you're going to keep this within you. You cannot – will not tell anyone what just happened here," Harry stopped, closed his mind, and breathed deeply. He opened his eyes again, and said in an almost pleadingly and strained voice, "Please, Draco. I don't know what I'm going to do, but this encounter between you and me will have never happened to anyone else, okay? You tell your friends that you beat me around; had yourself a little duel, and that's where I got all of these bruises, okay?"

"I'll tell the Slytherins what I can to cover, but – what about your friends?"

Harry narrowed his eyes in a way that looked scary for a moment, but they then softened. He laughed, and looked at the floor with a very far away feeling to himself. "I have no friends to tell anything, but I have everything to tell no one." And with that, Harry Potter was gone.

Harry strode down the hall carefully yet quickly. He'd rushed down the tower stairs only to find that his legs now ached. Where the hell can I go now? Harry thought. Ah. The usual spot.

Harry walked slower to a room on the farthest end of Hogwarts, in the highest tower. He opened the door and saw – Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore – I – Sorry, I shouldn't be here – I'll go –"

"No, no, my boy. This is where you'll be staying! Get comfortable here, and – oh, dear me. It's slipped my mind to tell you, Harry – I've heard of what went on near the dungeons earlier, and I must say that I'm most disappointed in Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore had a sad look in his eyes. "That's not something that a Gryffindor as himself would do…"

"Wait – You think he wasn't – himself?"

"OH! No, no, no. Mr. Weasley has not been possessed – we would be able to tell, hmm? Yet I'm just a bit curious as to why he was so happy from what happened on that date that you didn't want him to read – can you tell me what it said, Harry?"

Harry looked down to his feet, remembering the incident.
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"GET DOWN HERE, BOY!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry trudged down the steps, with his wand tucked in-between his pants and his knickers – just in case. Well, that case was today. But he wouldn't be able to use his wand.

"Get over here – spot check." Vernon searched Harry for any weapons – and found his wand.

"WHAT'S THIS FOR? PLANNING TO USE YOUR – YOUR ABNORMABILITY ON ME? I DON'T THINK SO! WE PUT A SHELTER OVER YOUR HEAD, CLOTHES ON YOUR BACK, FOOD ON YOUR PLATE, AND YOU THREATEN US? THREATEN ME, MORE IMPORTANTLY!" Vernon was now red in the face. "You'll pay for this one, boy," he snarled.

Vernon proceeded to punch, kick, slap, and beat Harry in any way possible with any weapons within reach. Harry pleaded with Vernon to stop, and pleaded with the only other people he thought would listen – Sirius, his mum, and dad – for Vernon to NOT go into the kitchen. Just his luck.

Vernon came back in with a knife in his hand – not a huge butcher knife, one that was small enough to look innocent but sharp enough to make you wet yourself. It glinted in the light as Harry realized what it was for.

"Please – please, Vernon, please - " He was silenced as Vernon brought it right up to Harry's neck, and had a very threatening look in his eyes – one that made Harry's blood go cold.

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What had come next still brought tears to his eyes

"N-no, Professor – I can't. Sorry –"

"No, Harry. Some things are meant to be secret and personal – but there are people who care, you know that, yes?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore." Harry was lying through his teeth, and they both knew it.

"So have you ever been to this part of the school, Harry?" Harry snapped out of his thoughts abruptly.

"Oh – yes – I wasn't really supposed to – but I come here sometimes to just – think and be alone – and I won't come anymore if I'm not supposed to, but-"

"No, no, Harry. Quite the contrary. This – will be where you'll be staying! I hope it's fine for you, because it's the only room that I haven't found occupied by students late at night – ahem, well – take a look around. Like the changes?"

Harry gasped. The room that he'd known as a deserted classroom was now furnished, carpeted, painted, and with a blazing fire.

"Professor – surely you didn't do this for my needing a place to stay –"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

Harry was shocked – that itself was an understatement if he'd ever heard one.

"Harry, come here. Is there anything you'd like to know – I personally know that all that we've put upon you today must have had a great impact."

"Well – yeah. What in the name of bloody hell just happened?"

Dumbledore slightly chuckled, "Ah, yes. Well, you revealed some emotions of utmost 'worry-worthy-ness,' as Mr. Black so articulately put it, in Potions. You've had the last link to your late parents brought back from the Middle World –"

"The what?"

"In time, Harry. You've been betrayed by almost your whole house, and the rest it yet to come," he finished gravely."

"Almost my whole house?"

"Mr. Longbottom is an extremely passionate person when it comes to secrecy. He understands your situations rather well, I must say."

Right – like anyone could understand, Harry thought.

"Yeah, maybe I'll talk to him if I see him. Wait – no – Professor, I know it's kind of – well, rude, but could you do me a favor?"

"Why, of course!"

"Do – do you think you could ask Neville to come up to here –like, this room? I don't know what'll happen if I go back to the common room – I don't want to think about it, either," Harry added with slight black humor in his voice.

"Certainly, Harry. Get comfortable, here! Well, I must be off. Besides contacting Mr. Longbottom, I have some rather important to attend to. Ah, yes! The password! Tap the painting three times, say your full name, and 'yexus impods,' then the password. So long, Harry!"

"Yeah – bye Professor." Harry was about to open his trunk, which was already there, when Dumbledore popped back in with a paper bag in his hands.

"Mind my manners, Harry! Care for a lemon drop?" Harry just shook his head with a small smile. I'll never understand him, Harry thought, unpacking his robes.

Bloody hell, what have I done, Draco thought. A million and one things were running through his mind. Harry's depressed. We've got that. Check. Sirius is innocent. I've known that forever. Check. Harry may be suicidal. Check. Sirius is Harry's godfather. Obviously – who else would Potter senior trust?? Check, anyway. Draco could feel his hate for Harry decreasing ever so slowly. He remembered so clearly what'd gone on.

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"Have you been abused?"

"Yes."

"Mentally?"

"Yes."

"Physically?"

"Yes."

"Starved?"

"Somewhat

"Beaten to an inch of your life?"

"Well – not really – "

"Gone from 125 pounds to 85 in 2 weeks?"

"What?? No –"

"Been hated with every fiber of ones body?"

"I don't think so – "

"Ever had everything you ever had, wanted, or needed taken away?"
"No -"
"Been rape- Wait - I didn't mean that one. Sorry…"

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Had Harry been raped? Who would rape the Boy Who Lived! And the venom in his voice –

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"It's still Potter to you – nothing's changed but me. None of this happened, I never talked with you now, and you're going to keep this within you. You cannot – will not tell anyone what just happened here - Please, Draco. I don't know what I'm going to do, but this encounter between you and me will have never happened to anyone else, okay? You tell your friends that you beat me around; had yourself a little duel, and that's where I got all of these bruises, okay?"

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The last part had most definitely been pleadingly said, but Draco hadn't noticed it at the time. Why do I even care if he gets pissed or not? Draco was worried. That was it. Worried – ha' Yes, he was worried about Harry Potter. He was beginning to think that he wanted to be friends with Potter – but to do that, he had to be on the Light side.

He pushed that out of his head and thought about all that he knew about Harry's home life. He can't have it that bad – he's the freaking Boy-Who-Won't-Stop-Living! The muggles must worship him! Except for his parents and Cedric and all of that – bloody hell, no one should have to deal with any of that…Draco thought, oblivious to his visitor.
"Mr. Malfoy, a word, please," Dumbledore said, after having watched the blonde boy stare out the same window Harry had with a thoughtful expression. Draco swallowed, and tried to regain his composure once again.

YAY! Another chapter done!