Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot.
Thank you's: People, I don't know what I'd do without you . . .
To Noename: Hehehe, excited much? Thank you soooo much for your review. It really made my day to see all of your praise. ::does a happy dance clutching Noename's review:: I loved writing that little part in the conversation!!! That was my favorite part of their argument!!! Enjoy chapter 4!!!
To Dumbledude: First of all, love the penname. Very cool! Second, thanks for your review! Hope chapter 4 measures up to your expectations!!
To SunGoddess1: I'm so glad you liked chapter 3!!! Hope you enjoy reading chapter 4 as much!!
To Kavfh: Thanks for saying my fic is great! I love getting reviews like your; theyr eally make me sooo much happier!! Enjoy!!
To driven to insanity: Hehehe, love the penname!! Hope you enjoy chapter 4 as much as the others!!
To silver-sunn101: Hey, you're reviewing this story too!!! Yay!! I'm so glad you like the fic so far and all of the mini-genres encompassed in the fic (am I using that word correctly?? Encompassed??). Anyway, yes, Drac's story will be told in detail in a chapter in the making (i.e. very soon). Until then, enjoy!!
To Isis-mystic: I had to stop their kiss!! They are waaaaay ahead of schedule. Yeah, even though Draco was a jerk their whole school-lives, she's a good Gryffindor, she's gotta get him!! Enjoy chapter 4!!!
To kt: Thank you sooo much for your review!! It was so sweet!!! Enjoy!!
To NiimuraYume: Thanks for you review!! I'm a very dramatic person, so there is going to be a lot of acting! Lol. Anyway, thanks for your review, and hope you like chapter 4!!!
Chapter 4Harry took a deep breath as he turned the handle to his apartment at a quarter to midnight. He'd hidden in the shadows of the club and surreptitiously watched Draco perform his "Fever" dance. He smiled at Ron and Hermione as he entered the room. Ron stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed and glaring at him. Hermione was in her pajamas and curled up on the sofa, idly flipping through an edition of Witch's Weekly.
"Hey, guys," Harry greeted weakly. "How was your evening?"
"Lovely, Harry, thank-" Hermione began.
"Don't. Even. Try," Ron interrupted between clenched teeth.
"Ronald . . ." Hermione said in a tone that clearly said, "Watch it."
"Stay out of this, Hermione," Ron snapped. "You went back to see him, didn't you? You went to go see Malfoy!"
"Ron-"
"Don't lie to me, Harry!"
"I wasn't going to! Yes, I went to go see him! Is that a crime?" Harry shouted. "Merlin, Ron, you're not my bloody keeper!"
"Why did you go see him?" Ron demanded.
"I just don't like him being there, that's all," Harry replied shortly, pushing past Ron. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed."
He walked into his bedroom, closing the door a little harder than necessary. He heard Ron say something about taking a walk and the front door opening and closing. Harry sighed and threw himself on his bed. He buried his face in his pillow, half-hoping he would suffocate and wouldn't have to deal with Ron and Malfoy and everything else. A moment later, he heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.
"Harry?" came Hermione's timid voice. Harry lifted his face enough to be heard.
"Come on in, 'Mione," he mumbled before dropping back down. He heard the faint creak of his door opening and closing and the bed dipped slightly as Hermione sat down and placed a hand on his back.
"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, getting right to the point. Harry laughed dryly and flipped over
"Not one for subtlety, hm?" he murmured, dragging a hand across his eyes.
"I'm tired and want to go to bed, but first I want to find out what's going on with one of my best friends," she replied frankly, giving him one of her intense looks.
"I see."
"So . . . what's going on with you? And don't try to tell me nothing's wrong, you're fine, I can tell something's wrong," Hermione interrupted him as he opened his mouth.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm just very . . . confused," Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. He was beginning to feel the itches of sleep tugging at his eyelids, dragging them down.
"About Malfoy," Hermione prompted. Harry looked at her sharply.
"How did you-?"
"Ron's smarter than he looks," she told him sagely. Her brow crinkled. "And acts sometimes, for that matter. Anyway, it's obvious the two of you have something for each other."
"But I don't want to have anything for him!" Harry exclaimed. "He's Malfoy, for Merlin's sake!"
"He's changed. You said it yourself," Hermione reminded him. Harry opened his mouth and found he had no reply. "That's what I thought," she added. She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Good night."
She stood up and left the room, closing it behind her. Harry stared after her.
Is it possible? he wondered. Could I feel . . . something for Malfoy?
Draco slung his bag over his shoulder and yawned. It was nearly five o'clock in the morning and he was finally heading home. He waved goodbye to Roscoe and Eric and stopped just short of running right into Frankie at the club's exit.
"Careful there, Dragon," Frankie warned, a leering grin playing on his face. He reached around behind Draco and pulled him close, his hand on the blonde's arse. Draco swallowed hard and struggled to hide his apprehension.
"Sorry, Frankie," Draco muttered, attempting to move past the club owner. Frankie held him tighter and leaned close.
"Get here early tonight, Dragon," he whispered in Draco's ear. "We need to talk."
Having said that, Frankie pressed his mouth to Draco's and forced his tongue between the blonde's clenched lips. The feeling of Frankie's tongue lapping at his own made Draco want to vomit. He now couldn't ever remember what he saw in Frankie and all he dreamt of was to leave forever. He fought down the nearly irrepressible urge to snap his teeth shut on his boss's tongue and instead screwed up his nerve to wait until the 'kiss' ended. If it could be called that.
It finally did, and Frankie pulled away with a satisfied leer upon his face.
"Thanks for that, Dragon. Don't forget to come early tonight. We need to talk!"
With that, Frankie swept into the club, leaving Draco staring after him. What do we need to talk about? Draco wondered. Deciding he would just wait until tonight to find out instead of cooking up half-brained reasons, he turned and exited the club. About halfway down the block, he suddenly stopped as a memory floated to the front of his mind.
"Ah, no, you wouldn't be a very good Gryffindor if you did that," Draco whispered, his face now mere inches away from Harry's. His heart was pounding. He'd wanted to do this since their years at Hogwarts. He could feel Harry's breath on his lips. Just another few inches . . .
A loud crash startled them apart. They both wore slightly guilty looks as Frankie stared from Harry to Draco.
Draco's heart dropped. Oh, no. Ohno, ohno, ohno. This wasn't good in the slightest.
"Harry, are you going to get out of this bedroom anytime today?" Hermione asked, standing over him. He cracked an eye and glanced up.
"I dunno. I haven't decided yet," Harry mumbled back. "What time is it?"
"A quarter to six. Harry, you've been in here all day. You need to get out," Hermione pleaded.
"No, I don't." Hermione sighed at the stubbornness of her friend.
"You got an owl today," she remarked, tossing it onto the bed.
"Okay."
"It's from Malfoy."
This woke Harry up.
"It is?" he asked, picking up the letter and staring at it. Hermione leaned over and tapped the corner of the envelope. It read 'D. Malfoy' in an elegant script. Harry fingered the envelope, wondering why Malfoy wrote him. He heard a soft noise and when he looked up, his door was shut and Hermione had left the room. He looked back down at the letter and, after a moment's thought, tore it open.
Potter,
This letter's slightly awkward to write, but I think Frankie might have . . . seen us and suspected what was going on when he walked in on us last night. You might not think anything of it, but something of this sort has happened to me before and I'd rather it didn't happen again. The consequences last time weren't nice in the least. Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know: He wants to talk to me before my shift tonight, I'm assuming about you. Any brilliant ideas on how to get me out of this, Golden Boy?
Draco
Harry stared at the letter for another few minutes, rereading it several times before he comprehended the entire meaning.
"HERMIONE!"
She came flying into his room, her hair askew.
"What?! What is it?! What's wrong?" she demanded. Harry thrust the letter at her and watched her read it over quickly. When she was finished, she looked up at him her eyes wide.
"What do I-?"
"What the bloody hell are you waiting for?!" This shocked Harry into silence; Hermione never swore.
"What do you mean, what the bloody hell am I waiting for?" Harry cried.
"I mean, go to him! He's going to need your help!" Hermione exclaimed, shooing him out of the bedroom into the living room.
"How d'you bloody know?" Harry asked, bewildered.
"Did you not read his letter?" she demanded. She held it up and read with a flourish, "Blah, blah, blah . . . 'Something of this sort has happened to me before and I'd rather it didn't happen again. The consequences last time weren't nice in the least.' That just screams 'Help me!' Now, go!"
"I'm going!" Harry shouted as he was pushed out the door.
Draco took a deep breath as he stood before Frankie's office door. Trying to control his shaking, he raised a hand and knocked on the door. For one fleeting moment before the door opened, Harry's face flashed through his mind. He was foolish to think the hero of the wizarding world would actually come through to help him. Draco very suddenly found himself with a face-full of bodyguard. The guard stared at him for a moment before stepping aside and showing him into the office. Frankie sat spinning gently from side-to-side in his chair, his fingers steepled and a slight smile on his face.
"Have a seat, Dragon," Frankie said quietly, gesturing to an armchair. Draco struggled to calm his nerves as he sat. "Now, do you know why I needed to talk to you?"
Draco shook his head, fidgeting with his fingers.
"It's about your friend - what's his name again? Jerry? Larry?"
"Harry?" Draco offered timidly, his heart speeding up.
"That's it. Harry." Frankie smiled again, causing Draco's heart to leap into his throat. "Now, when I walked into your dressing room last night, you two looked more than just friends. You know, we can't have things like that when you're working for me," Frankie reminded him, standing up.
"I swear, Frankie, it's nothing like that, we were just talking and the conversation just got a little . . . heated," Draco offered, knowing as the words were tumbling from his mouth that the excuse sounded like a lie. Frankie sneered.
"See, Dragon, that's not what it looked like to me," he disagreed, walking around Draco's chair and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It looked like the two of you were getting ready for a little snog." His grip tightened. "We can't have that, can we?"
"No, Frankie, I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Draco promised, his heart thumping loudly.
"Damn right it won't," Frankie said, his tone turning black. He wrapped his fingers around the back of Draco's throat and lifted his out of the chair. He spun Draco around and grabbed his once again by the throat. He stared into Draco's eyes and smirked. "It's a pity. You're a very pretty boy. I'm gonna miss you, Dragon." He pressed his mouth to Draco's again; this time, however, it only lasted a few moments. "Shawn, Greg," he said, nodding in turn to each of his bodyguards. "Take him out back and finish him, boys." He pushed Draco into the waiting hands of his bodyguards and turned back to his desk.
Draco was terrified as he was dragged through the halls. Several of the dancers poked their heads out of their dressing rooms and clapped their hands over their mouths, horrified that this was going to happen to one of their friends. They all knew what was going to happen. Eric had followed suit, peeking into the hallway; when he saw Draco in the bodyguards' hands, he dashed out into the corridor in front of them.
"Draco, what's going on?" he cried, looking at all three.
"Eric, get out of the way," Draco pleaded. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt."
"Draco-" Eric was cut off by a huge fist courtesy of Shawn smashing into his face. He was thrown into the wall, where he laid, a hand to his head. He looked up at Draco, a tear streaking down his face.
"Good-bye, Eric," Draco whispered as they started off again. He craned his neck to look at his friend. "Thanks for everything."
He was led out the back exit into an alleyway that opened onto a street. He was thrown to the ground, where he laid, immobile, waiting for either Shawn or Greg to deal the first blow. After a few moments, when nothing had hit, he cracked an eye open. Both guards were standing over him, looking at each other.
"Well?" Draco couldn't resist asking.
"Well, what?" Greg replied.
"Aren't you going to beat me to a bloody pulp and then . . .finish me off?" Draco wondered.
"Wow, he's quick," Shawn remarked to Greg. Draco never saw the first punch. All he felt was a blinding pain in the side of his face and suddenly, there were blows raining in from both guards. They beat him with their fists, kicked him, hit him with pipes that lay forgotten on the ground. Draco could feel ribs cracking and bruises forming. He prayed for death to find him, and quickly. Other than the Cruciatus, he'd never felt such excruciating pain. The beating continued. About ten minutes into the beating, Draco, his face streaked with tears, lay immobile on the ground, blood flowing freely. The blows ceased and he dared to crack an eye open to see what was going on. He saw Shawn reach into an inside coat pocket and pull out a Muggle revolver, Greg still holding a metal pipe in his hand. Draco's eyes widened. Bloody hell, this is how it's ending, he thought weakly. Death by a Muggle weapon. Merlin, who would've seen this coming? He closed his eyes and waited for the end. He heard the weapon being cocked.
"One, two, shoot on three?" Shawn asked Greg.
"No way," he replied, twirling the pipe like a baton. "One, two, three, shoot."
"All right."
Several tears escaped Draco's control and they slid down his face, cutting clear trails in the blood.
"One . . ."
"Two . . ."
The second before 'three' seemed to go on forever. Draco's mind went blank except for one thing, one face that still floated there.
Harry.
I'm so sorry . . .
At the same time Shawn said, "Three," Draco thought he heard a low cry uttered from the direction of the mouth of the alley.
Harry gasped when he saw Draco's beaten and bloody form lying on the ground. The two guards over him, one with a gun and the other with a metal pipe, growled when they heard Harry. The one with the pipe proceeded to beat the broken blonde with it. The blonde cried out in pain and curled up, hoping to protect himself.
"Hey! Arseholes!" was the shout that made them pause. The guard wielding the gun changed his mind and aimed at Harry, pulling the trigger. Harry dove to the side, rolling and jumping to his feet. The guard suddenly found himself missing a gun. Harry took the momentary confusion of the man to land a solid blow to his jaw. He stumbled into the brick wall, leaning there, trying to stop the bleeding from a split lip. The guard beating Draco was soon sans pipe and nursing a bloody nose. He wiped the stream of blood and started towards Harry with his partner- in-crime at his side. Harry was rather angry at Draco's treatment and picked up several large wooden planks lying nearby. Seething, he hurled the planks at the guards. They staggered back, but kept their balance, glaring daggers at Harry and starting once again towards him. The wizard wasn't fazed and he kicked both guards squarely in the chest. They lost their breath and fell backwards into a large stack of wooden crates. The boxes toppled and covered the guards completely, some staying whole, but most breaking. Harry took the opportunity to quickly kneel down next to Draco. He wiped a trail of blood away from Draco's eye and smiled softly.
"Didn't think you'd come, Harry," Draco whispered, cracking his eyes to look at his saviour.
"Oh, we're on a first name basis now, are we?" Harry teased quietly.
"I'd like to be," Draco replied seriously, his voice barely audible. He looked up into Harry's eyes. Harry looked back. They could hear the guards stirring.
"So would I," Harry told him, brushing a lock of hair from Draco's face. "And you never have to worry about me not coming when you need me. I'll always come . . . Draco."
Draco smiled, feeling a vestige of happiness fight its way into his heart.
"Can you walk?" Harry asked, glancing up. "We should probably get going before Dumb and Dumber get all their strength back."
Draco smiled again.
"I don't know. I can try," Draco answered. Harry placed an arm around his shoulders and grasped one of his hands to help him up. Draco struggled to his feet and found out quickly his left ankle wasn't quite right. Harry saw the same.
"Uh . . . put your arm around my shoulders," he instructed, his cheeks burning. Draco looked at him.
"What?"
"Come on, I've got to carry you, there's no way you can walk on that ankle," Harry explained. Draco knew he was right and reached out a shaking hand, trying to quell the beating of his heart. Harry scooped him into his arms. Draco clung to him, pain coursing through his veins. He rested his head on Harry's shoulder, exhaustion sweeping over him. Harry looked at the beaten young man in his arms oddly, his face taking on a soft look. Draco smiled softly and closed his eyes, one hand grasping Harry's shirt. Harry shook himself out of his reverie and looked over at the two guards picking their way out of the mess of crates.
"You two will never touch him again," Harry growled, glaring death at the men. "You will go back and tell your boss that whatever he wanted is done and he'll never have to deal with Draco again. If anyone comes after this man, I will find you and I will kill you."
Leaving them with that warning, Harry turned and walked out of the alley. He walked a ways down the block and found a secluded little grove of trees. Glancing around quickly, he stepped into them and Apparated to his apartment. He managed to open the door and walked inside. Hermione looked up quickly and gasped. Harry could understand why; Draco looked horrible. She stood up quickly and hurried over to the men. She touched a hand to Draco's temple and looked up at Harry, her eyes full of questions and concern.
"We have to help him," Harry told her, slightly surprised to find his voice breaking. She looked down at the unconscious blonde and nodded. She pulled out her wand and conjured up an extra cot. "Put it in my room. I'll watch over him," Harry whispered when she could find nowhere to place the bed. She looked at him oddly and nodded once again. They set the bed up in a semi-clean corner of Harry's bedroom and Harry carefully laid the broken body on the sheets. Hermione spent several minutes looking over Draco's injuries and was able to stop most of the bleeding. She magically healed many of the small cuts and bruises that adorned the blonde and bandaged several wounds that were too large for her to charm healthy. Next, she looked at Draco's chest and ankle while Harry looked on worriedly.
"Is he going to be okay?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Probably," she replied, looking up. She gestured at Draco's chest. "He seems to have a few broken ribs, judging by the bruising here, and a sprained ankle. That should heal easily, within the week. His ribs will take a bit longer though. It'll be painful for him to walk for a while."
She left the room and returned a minute later with some healing salves that she'd found in their bathroom. Carefully, she rubbed them over Draco's bruised chest. He flinched and murmured in his unconscious state, but otherwise didn't move. She wiped her hands on a towel and straightened.
"All that's left now . . . is to wait for him to wake up," Hermione told Harry quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. She stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You did the right thing bringing him here," she told him seriously.
"What about-"
"Don't worry about Ron. I'll take care of him," she reassured him. She patted his cheek before leaving Harry alone with the injured blonde. Harry sighed and looked down at their patient. He knelt down and tucked a few stray locks of hair behind Draco's ear, resting his hand on the blonde's head. Draco stirred and slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Harry. Harry blushed and moved to snatch his hand back. Draco caught it and smiled. What he did next was something Harry never thought would happen. Draco brought Harry's hand to his lips and kissed his palm twice before holding it against his heart. He opened his mouth and Harry leaned in close, knowing the blonde's voice would be soft due to the extent of his injuries.
"You saved me from horrors you couldn't even begin to imagine," Draco whispered, his hand placed over Harry's. "For that, I thank you. I owe you my life."
"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Harry told him, his eyes locked with Draco's.
"Nevertheless . . ." the ex-Slytherin murmured. He was awfully close. Harry moved closer. "Thank you."
Draco closed the distance between them and brushed his lips lightly over Harry's. The Boy Who Lived was too shocked to respond, and Draco took that as a sign of rejection.
"That was inappropriate of me; I'm sorry," he whispered almost inaudibly, his cheeks stained pink and he turned his head so not to look at Harry.
"Don't be," Harry whispered back. He placed his free hand at the back of Draco's neck and guided him back so he could look him in the eye. "Don't be sorry, not about that," he advised softly. He leaned down and captured Draco's lips gently. The blonde timidly began to respond. Harry was flying. He'd been kissed before, yes (Merlin knows how hard he's tried to forget the dating fiasco with Cho Chang when he was in fifth year), but nothing like this. Draco's lips were soft and wonderful and were heaven to the touch. They broke when the need for air became urgent. Draco looked up at his, eyes shining.
"You're tired," Harry told him, stroking his cheek. "You've had a horrible day. You should go to sleep."
Draco looked up at his, his brow creased and his eyes confused.
"But . . . what about-"
"Shh. We can talk tomorrow," Harry murmured, brushing the blonde's eyes closed. Draco opened them again to look up at Harry and nodded. He closed his eyes once more and fell victim to the whims of the sandman. Harry watched him sleep and wondered how such a man had gone from being his hated enemy to stealing his heart.
Author's Notes: Ahhh, they kissed! Still ahead of schedule, but when they're this lovely and fun to play with, who can resist? And poor Draco had a horrible, crappy day.
Also, I've started up a LiveJournal for all my slash fics on I'm using it for updates and cookies and that sort of thing. Check it out every so often for more news:
Until next time . . . Review, my pretties, and your little dogs, too! (Sorry, I just watched the "Wizard of Oz" for the five hundredth time. Such a classic . . .)