Title: Burdenless Love

Author: Queen Delphina

Email: possibly R for later chapters

Warnings: Slash (this means boy/boy love! Stop now if this squicks you!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides the original characters. I do own the rights to the word 'Burdenless' (not really). This story is based on the characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I'm just holding the characters hostage for the duration of this and any other fics I intend on writing.

Summary: Harry gets himself kicked out of the Dursleys and finds himself at a Muggle café. The same café that Draco Malfoy frequently visits.

Author Notes: Thanks and dedication go out to Macai for the plot bunny this story was hatched from and for initially corrupting me with slash. Also big thanks to Poca, Princess Jewel and Queen Sunny for keeping me on task and being my dedicated betas! I apologize for the lack of breaks in the story. I didn't know that the asterisks were not showing up until last night. I hope it isn't confuing but I used IIIII to signify gaps in the story where time elapses. Please R&R!

Chappy 4

Sleepwalking

Harry rolled out of the fireplace into the headmaster's office, sooty and on edge. Draco already sat in a chair facing Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked pointedly to Harry.

"Are you alright? Mr. Malfoy has already told me that his father found the two of you." Dumbledore then raised his wand and quickly cast a spell to seal off the Floo from anyone else.

"I'm fine, Headmaster. But Lucius had backup. They arrived right before I could Floo away."

"Ah, so you had to fight them off?"

Harry nodded.

Dumbledore pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote something down. He scribbled quickly and then folded it up. "The question is where to keep you. I can't ask that you stay here. It would be too dangerous. Hogwarts is not as safe as we would have hoped. I--"

"What?" Harry asked. "Why isn't it safe?"

"I cannot tell you why now. The both of you will find out soon." The headmaster rubbed his temples. "So I suppose another flat shall have to be procured for the two of you. This time I will put protection spells into place right away to prevent an encounter like this morning's from happening again."

Protests spouted from both boys' mouths. "We can't live with each other! We'll go mad before the summer's over!" Harry said loudly.

"You promised that it would only be for one night," Draco pointed out.

"Yeah, Malfoy's right," Harry agreed. "Could I go stay with the Weasley's?" he asked, hopeful.

"No, I'm afraid not, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"I will not stay with Malfoy the whole summer!"

"Now, now, it can't be that bad," Dumbledore answered with a twinkle in his eye. "I dare say you'll get along soon enough. We can't have The Wizarding World's most wanted men getting caught, now can we?"

Draco scowled at Dumbledore's hidden meaning. He was trying to say he had plans for him and Harry. He shook his head mentally to rid himself of the thoughts.

"How soon can you have a flat ready?" Harry asked.

"A flat can be procured soon enough." Dumbledore called Fawkes over to him and attached the parchment to his leg.

Fawkes took off, singing a tranquil song. Harry calmed down a bit and realized it wouldn't be that bad to live with Draco. He even smiled at the thought.

"Good," Harry replied.

"If you like, the two of you can go scrounge up food in the kitchens. I daresay that Harry knows the way there."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Scrounge? Malfoy's do not scrounge."

Harry rolled his eyes and walked out of the office, intent on getting breakfast, since he di not get to eat the one he made. What would happen to the Death Eaters? Had they escaped? Maybe Dumbledore sent Fawkes with a letter to the Aurors, telling them about this morning's attack. His thoughts were interrupted when more footsteps were heard behind him. Malfoy, he figured. He didn't bother to slow his pace. In fact, he quickened it. Soon both boys were running. Harry finally stopped, completely out of breath in front of the painting of the bowl of fruit.

"What is this, Potter?" Draco asked irritably.

Harry ignored him, tickling the pear.

The portrait turned into a door and Harry hurried in. The house elves grinned as Harry came in.

"Harry Potter!" they squeaked. Dobby came forward. "Why is you here, Harry Potter?" he asked.

"I'm here to get some food, Dobby," Harry replied.

"Dobby? We used to have a house elf named Dobby. Father said that he was killed by a pack of our blood hounds."

"Master Malfoy?" Dobby asked. "You stay away from Harry Potter!"

Harry chuckled. "Malfoy this is Dobby. I suppose your father never told you how I outsmarted him, did he?"

"What?" Draco asked, trying his best not to sound surprised.

"Back in second year, Dobby warned me about--" Dobby tugged impatiently on Harry's sleeve. "Yes, Dobby?"

"The Malfoy's are evil." Dobby said, stating the obvious to the other house elves.

The house elves began pushing Draco out of the room, on Dobby's orders.

"Unhand me!" Draco pulled the creatures off of him. "I am a Malfoy!"

The elves continued to push and pull.

"Don't harm Harry Potter!" many of the elves chanted.

"Let go of me! I will-I will curse you all!" he finally said. He had originally started to say he'd tell his father, but that thought brought up a great deal of memories.

It seemed as though the house elves were immune to Draco's threats. "Leave now," Dobby hissed.

"You cannot tell me what to do! I am leaving!" Draco huffed. "I only wanted breakfast," Draco said as the door closed on him.

Harry smiled. He sat down at a makeshift table and ate some really nice food: pancakes, eggs, and waffles. He washed it all down with a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Ah, poor Malfoy. Hungry?" Harry taunted after they left the kitchen area.

"Yes, actually."

"Considering the fact that you ate my breakfast earlier, that's very funny." Harry smiled.

Draco scowled and hurried off.

IIIII

It was nearly midnight, by the time Harry and Draco Flooed into a spacious flat, complete with two bedrooms and some much needed furniture.

Harry chose the smaller room, lavishly decorated in burgundy and a rich gold.

Draco got the much larger room, complete with green and silver snakes.

Harry yawned. "I'm going to get ready for bed."

Draco didn't notice. He was deep in thought. Dumbledore thought he was safe last time and still his father had found him. What if this place wasn't safe either? This time he had to worry about the safety of the Sodding Boy Who Lived, too. It weighed heavily upon his conscience. He changed in his room, and dropped down on his bed, exhausted.

They laid in their separate rooms and thought of each other before falling asleep.

Both boys were heavily plagued with nightmares. Harry's were of his last encounter with Voldemort and watching Sirius, his beloved godfather; fall to his death after a heroic battle against his cousin, Bellatrix.

Draco's nightmares also included Voldemort. His proved just as personal. He watched his father and the other Death Eaters go on a mission. He remembered Voldemort's look as he sidestepped his way out of the mark. He could hear the screams of the Muggle girl, echoing over and over in his mind. He also remembered the pain of the Cruciatus curse inflicted upon him in the house. It burned. Draco screamed, loudly, wanting it to stop.

IIIII

Morning came and Draco awoke with a creak in his neck. He opened his eyes, and stared. This was not his nice, warm bed. He jumped up, realizing it was the couch.

Harry strolled out of his room, feeling like he didn't sleep. His nightmares tended to keep him up half of the night. He headed for the coffee that had been nicely stored in the cupboard. The rich aroma filled the kitchen.

He saw Draco standing near the couch, scowling.

"Malfoy, look at your hair!" Harry laughed.

This time, however, Draco did not run for the bathroom. "Ha ha, Potter."

"Oh, nice comeback." This was making Harry feel much better, forgetting his nightmares.

Draco scowled. "Bugger off, Potter."

"Did you sleep on the couch?" Harry asked, hiding a smile.

"Of course not. I just happened to wake up before you."

Draco left the room. "I'm going back to bed."

"Do I care?" Harry said to the empty room.

IIIII

Draco found himself lying on the rug in front of the fireplace the next morning, a blazing fire roaring that hadn't been there before.

"Are you that cold?" Harry asked. "There's a thing called a bed. Works wonders."

Draco closed his eyes again on the rug, too sleepy to offer a remark.

Harry bit his lip, becoming increasingly worried. He wondered if Dumbledore needed to know about this. He already knew about Harry's own nightmares. He sighed, knowing there was nothing that could be done, outside of a dreamless sleep potion; something Harry had already declined. He wanted to remember Sirius, even if it was through nightmares.

IIIII

The third morning was worse.

Harry found Draco laying on the floor in the bathroom, tangled in the shower curtain.

"No, Father! No!" Draco threw his arm out and hissed "Crucio," at him.

Nothing happened as his wand lay in his bedroom. Still Harry jumped back, horrified.

"Malfoy!" Harry yelled. "Malfoy!" He kneeled down on the floor

Draco awoke, sweaty and panting on the cold tile floor in the bathroom still tangled in the shower curtain.

He quickly stood, leaving the room.

"Malfoy, wait."

Draco continued into his room.

Not another word was passed between the two the rest of the day.

IIIII

Draco was getting more and more tired with each passing day. He didn't even bother to retort when Potter said anything to him. He closed up inside himself, hoping to rid his mind of the memories turned nightmares.

"Malfoy, we need to get you some help for your sleepwalking. It's dangerous. Look at earlier. If you had had your wand with you, I could have been hurt!"

"But I didn't!"

"You could have!"

"Shut up, Potter. Just leave me alone."

IIIII

The next night, he sleepwalked into Harry's room. Harry turned over but did not wake, lost in his own dreams. Draco walked over to the bed, bumping into it. He whimpered, thinking it was his father hitting him with another curse.

He was drawn to a warmth radiating from the boy in the bed.

He lay down and the nightmares stopped, leaving him exhausted, yet peaceful.

IIIII

In the morning, Draco and Harry were both too exhausted to crawl out of bed. However, Draco forced his eyes open, noticing there was this problem of WHO was laying beside him. "Potter? What are you doing in here?"

Harry slowly blinked his eyes open and looked around. "I sleep in this room, remember? So I should ask why you are in my room." Harry could feel anger and confusion dimly radiating from Malfoy. It confused Harry as well.

Draco didn't answer.

"You were sleepwalking again, weren't you?" Harry suddenly asked.

"I certainly was not. Malfoy's don't sleepwalk."

"Sure they don't."

Draco scowled.

Harry could remember the events from this past week, the way Draco had turned up in all of these different places.

"What are your nightmares about?" Harry asked, trying to be civil.

"None of your bloody business, Potter!"

"Let's just forget about it," Harry said, while putting his glasses on. "I'm going to go make breakfast."

"Not hungry," Draco countered. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep again.

"I wasn't making anything for you, anyway," Harry told the sleeping blond.

Harry slipped soundlessly out of the room to see just what he could make to eat.

On the kitchen table sat a yellow envelope. Harry cautiously picked it up. It was from the Weasleys.

Dear Harry,


Professor Dumbledore told us where you have gone. We are terribly sorry that you will not be spending the rest of the Holidays at the Burrow. We do understand his need for secrecy for your protection.

Best Wishes,

Molly Weasley

Also enclosed was a letter from Ron.

Dear Harry,

Heard about you getting kicked out of the Dursleys'. I can't believe you have to stay with that arrogant prat! Even if Malfoy isn't a Death Eater, I'd still be wary of him. The little ferret'sno good!
Good luck and I'll see you on the train.

Ron

Harry was glad it was Dumbledore who told them. He didn't know if he would have been able to. Footsteps sounded behind him

"What happened to breakfast?" Draco called sleepily.

"You said you weren't hungry!"

Harry scowled and walked over to the sink anyway and got out the ingredients for making omelets deciding not to tempt Draco, scared of what would happen if he was pushed to the edge.