Title:The Rightful King

Pairing:Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy

Warnings:Torture (though it's rather light), abuse, slash (this means boy on boy action people. Don't like, don't read) and idiocy (on the part of the Dursley's. People that stupid deserve a warning).

Disclaimer:The characters are not mine. Hogwarts is not mine (unfortunate, that). The poems are mine! If you wish to use them, please ask.

Summery:The Griffindor Kingdom is in ruins. Poverty plagues the land as the vile and greedy King Vernon sits on his golden thrown and watches. A marriage, long arranged, has finally come to pass. Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin, has come to Griffindor in order to wed the prince and make peace between the feuding lands. When rumours of a Rightful King reach the Prince's ear he must decide just what lengths he's willing to go to in order to avoid marrying Prince Dudley. But who is the Rightful King? And what, exactly, does the beaten, starved, beautiful but fiery slave Harry got to do with any of it? A tale of mystery and sorrow, friendship and love and the never-changing fact that nothing is ever as it seems...

Authors Note: Chapter three! Hurrah, the halfway point. I'm beginning to realize that, for the most part, no one will notice I've edited this until I post the last chapter. Oh well. I'm not editing this as a beg for more reviews. I'm editing because the articulation makes me cringe. Isn't it odd how much things can change in three short years? Gosh. Three years. Sounds like forever and no time at all, doesn't it? Okay, that's enough reminiscing for today. I hope whoever reads the new edited version of this story enjoys it even more than the original. At the risk of sounding hypocritical: read and review. :)

True that we just met,
But often strangers meet,
So let us talk and carry on,
Come here and take a seat.
For though my tales are many,
And, you'll see, as are my woes,
I'd rather that we shake as friends,
Than start our lives as foes.

Chapter Three: Getting to Know You

Harry took his time showing Draco the palace. He answered all his questions, gave what history he knew and generally avoided the secret passageways. He hardly trusted the Slytherin Prince enough to show him those. Draco seemed fascinated by everything, and while Harry was taking care not to run into any of the other servants (who might report him to King Vernon) it was only a matter of time before Draco asked to see the throne room.

"You've already seen it," Harry reminded him, having no desire to run into King Vernon.

"Well, yes," Draco admitted, "But I was a little preoccupied at the time."

"Wouldn't you rather see the gardens?" Harry asked pointedly. Unfortunately, it seemed that Draco was as stubborn as Harry himself.

Harry showed him there only reluctantly. Though he doubted it would do him any good, he acted as though he'd every right to be there. People with a purpose were rarely granted a second glance. As Harry showed Draco in, he glimpsed, from the corner of a pointedly turned eye, that King Vernon was sitting on his throne as always and apparently (for the moment) paying him no mind. Distantly, and Harry wondered if he only left the throne to eat and sleep. For a man who was apparently all-powerful and secure in that power, he spent an awful lot of time reminding everyone he was King. Unfortunately, however, Harry's presence did not go unnoticed for long. The King did not look pleased to see him.

"What are you doing with the prince?" The king questioned him sharply. Harry felt his hold on his anger slip and marvelled, with all the spite he possessed, that this man was directly related to him.

"I have been ordered to serve him, my King." Harry replied at once, putting on his 'I-am-nothing-compared-to-the-wonder-that-is-you' act immediately.

"By whom?" The King (and now, even thinking the title made Harry feel ill) asked sharply

"The Queen, my King." Harry answered calmly, bowing again. As the King could not possibly dispute this, he changed tracks.

"I've been informed you did not complete your tasks the other day?"

Harry swore inwardly

"I am afraid I was struck by a sudden sickness and was unfit to complete them." Harry lied calmly. He knew he'd be punished no matter the excuse he concocted but it never hurt to be thorough and, besides, it was expected of him.

"Sick?" Vernon echoed, disdainfully, "You should have waited until you were finished working until you indulged your sickness."

"My apologies, my King." Harry said humbly, bowing lowly

"Youdo know the punishment for not completing your chores, do you not?" Vernon prompted eyes glinting. Harry sighed softly

"Five lashes, my King." Harry answered, trying not to wince at the thought.

"I'll tell you what, because of your long and faithful service here, I'll make it ten." Vernon taunted smirking.

Harry clenched his fists briefly before he tempered himself. In the past, Harry had always wondered why the King seemed to despise him so greatly. Now that he knew, he detested the king even more. Who could be so cruel to their own nephew?

"Take this piece of trash to the dungeon and show Prince Draco to his room," Vernon called

"That won't be necessary." Draco cut in smoothly, "If you permit it, I would like to go with the servant. I have not yet seen the dungeons and as a future ruler to this kingdom I would like to witness with my own eyes how punishment is carried out."

Harry was rather impressed. Draco said all this so coldly that had he not winked, carefully, at Harry beforehand, Harry would've thought he wanted nothing more than to see him tortured.

"Of course, of course." Vernon allowed at once, "This one is tortured all the time. Expects us to go easy on him because of the whole 'defenceless orphan' routine. Pathetic really."

Draco bowed and followed as Harry was led from the room and shown through the many hallways to the dungeon. He was shoved in rather forcefully and, warningly, shot a look at the man holding him. Draco was right on his heals and no sooner than he'd walked through the door that it was slammed shut behind him and a man, as ill-dressed as Harry, stepped forward. Draco studied the man carefully and, most of all, his eyes. He did not have the eyes of someone who tortured. This man had the eyes of someone who once laughed frequently and well. A man who was kind and gentle. A man that had no business whatsoever of handling a whip. The smile he graced Harry with, full of a sweet sorrow, only served to heighten this impression.

"Back so soon Harry?" The man asked lightly, calmly, "What is it this time then?"

"Didn't complete my chores" Harry admitted, shrugging sheepishly

"Well," the man sighed, seeming honestly troubled, "What's the verdict?"

"Ten lashes," Harry answered at once, "But you, with you bad hearing, only heard me say eight"

The man smiled at that, clearly amused.

"Eight lashes? Two more than usual? That seems about right for you Harry. I really don't know what the King has against you" The man said, sighing lightly. He eyed Draco curiously while he spoke but, as well trained as the other servants, said nothing.

"My blood," Harry muttered by way of an answer. The man froze at once and shot him a calculating look. Harry dutifully ignored it and moved to the introductions.

"Seamus meet Draco. The Slytherin prince."

Hearing Draco's title, Seamus bowed immediately. Draco, as regal as ever, simply nodded.

"Lets get this over with shall we?"

So saying, Harry stepped onto a board that had two pieces of wood parallel, around a meter apart, and a piece of wood connecting them from above. Harry's hands were to be shackled to the cuffs that were nailed there and Seamus, only pausing to allow Harry to shed his shirt, hastened to do so. Though the man had no-doubt administered dozens of punishments, he still appeared unsettled.

"Why do you have to get in trouble so often Harry?" Seamus lamented, "Do you get kicks out of seeing me upset? You know I hate torturing you."

"I know." Harry replied softly. Seamus raised a long leather whip but hesitated.

"The King is a bastard." Seamus muttered angrily. "A blind beggar would make a better King than that lump of lard. Any man would."

"And would you support him if he chose to chase the throne?" Harry asked carefully, giving Seamus a significant look.

"Till the death."

"You do realize they call this treason?" Harry quipped lightly. Seamus rolled his eyes

"The King has no Royal blood in him and you know it," Seamus pointed out. He raised the whip again only to hesitate once more.

"It's alright," Harry assured his friend gently, "All I ask of you is do it as painlessly as possible and I, in return, will try not to make a sound."

From the tone of Harry's voice, Draco could tell this was not the first time such a promise had been exchanged. If he had anything to do with it, it would certainly be the last.

Seamus closed his eyes and struck the first blow.

Draco watched, in morbid fascination, as Harry was struck again, and again and again. Each time the whip cracked Harry would make a small sound of pain but, true to his word, he never cried out. Seamus looked more miserable than Harry himself did as he administered the blows, apologizing profusely as he did so. Draco wondered why the man had taken on a job he so obviously hated and guessed that he had had no choice. Finally and at last, Seamus got to the eighth blow and stopped. Harry, hanging limply from his wrists, looked rather dazed and said not a word. Draco felt he had never witnessed a more heartrending sight as he did at that moment, watching a single tear streak it's way down Harry's face. Seamus, throwing the whip away without care, unshackled him and Draco rushed forward to lend his support, since it was obvious Harry could not stand.

With Seamus helping him, they started to carry him to Draco's room –as much for convenience as for common sense. No one would dare disturb them there. As they walked, and to distract him from the pain Harry was obviously in, Draco pondered the conversation Harry had shared with Seamus. It was as if they had been talking in code. Like Harry was asking Seamus something and was satisfied with the answer he got…

"Would you support him if he chose to chase the throne?"'

Quite suddenly, he remembered what the messenger had said about there being a true King. It seemed that Harry was asking if Seamus supported the true King… but that would mean that the Potter prince still lived, most likely hidden away in the city and far as possible from the clutches of King Vernon. If Draco was correct, then he could probably presume that there was some sort of resistance going on, some sort of plan to restore 'The Rightful King' to the throne. It would certainly be better than marrying Dudley. Slytherin's, traditionally, only looked out for themselves but Draco was a future King and, as such, it was his job to care about his kingdom. Like it or lump it, this was his kingdom. Or at least it would be. He had to do what was best for the people and if there was another prince out there that was more suited for the job than Dudley (which would not be hard to accomplish) then Draco would do whatever he could to help. Harry was only a servant -a slave really -and probably not a major piece of any plans they had. Still, he could help get him involved and that was something. And seeing him tortured had, inevitably, connected them.

Maybe, if he was lucky, he wouldn't have to marry Dudley after all…

They finally got Harry to Draco's bed (where he promptly passed out) and after Seamus left Draco tended to Harry's wounds. He did it very gently, but the fact was he wasn't a healer and, honestly, he couldn't attest to his skill. Seamus came back with bandages and between them they managed to adequately clean and bandage Harry's wounds. Seamus looked regretful.

"I hate doing this," He admitted with a sigh.

"How often does he see you?" Draco asked with concern, tracing the many scars that littered Harry's back with his eyes as he bandaged the fresh wounds.

"All the time," Seamus replied regretfully, "He's the only friend I have. Every one else resents me for what I do. Not Harry. The first time he saw me he actually started up a conversation while I was torturing him. Pointless things. The weather, the King, the castle. I was convinced he was mad at first but, after a while, I started to talk back and soon we began to learn more about each other. He even visited me in his time off, which is saying something seeing how little he has. I tell you; only Harry would attempt to make friends with his torturer. He could kill someone and the last thing the dying man would do is hold out his hand and congratulate him on his fine fighting skills."

Draco looked at Harry thoughtfully. There was just something about the man. Something that got under his skin and irritated the hell out of him. He was so… innocent. And yet, it was obvious the King -something else that Draco just couldn't understand. How could anyone hate someone so pure? Draco wasn't going to speculate the sort of life Harry had led but he was more determined than ever to aid the revolt, if indeed there was one.

For Harry.

When Harry awoke it took him several moments to figure out why he was in such pain. Then, of course, he remembered.

His uncle was a sadistic bastard.

Feeling keenly as though someone was watching him, Harry looked to his right and saw that Draco was fast asleep, his head resting on his folded hands and sitting slumped on a chair that he had obviously brought in. Harry craned his neck to look at his back (he was, for obvious reasons, lying on his stomach) and saw that it was very crudely bandaged. The blood had seeped through slightly but the wounds had obviously stopped bleeding. Harry, hesitating only slightly, placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and shook him gently

"What?" Draco mumbled sleepily, not opening his eyes.

"Wake up," Harry coaxed gently.

It was almost amusing how quickly Draco opened his eyes, and, in the blink of an eye, he was on his feet and inspecting Harry's back closely.

"Are you alright?" Draco inquired worriedly, "Is the pain bad?"

"I'm fine." Harry assured him, unused to such concern and feeling rather flattered, "And the pain isn't too bad. Who on earth bandaged my back?"

"In my defence I've never done so much as apply a band-aid." Draco shot back at once, though Harry hadn't meant the question as an insult, "I think I did an alright job and its not as if I could have stolen any potions."

Harry laughed gently at Draco's impassioned self-defence and Draco, relaxing at the sound, smiled despite himself.

"You did a great job," Harry assured him, smiling gently.

Draco nodded arrogantly and Harry rolled his eyes. Draco was such a Slytherin.

"So what's this about the true king?" Draco asked casually. He caught Harry so off guard that he spluttered rather embaressingly for quite some time before he regained his senses.

"What?"

"I gather the rumours are true then?" Draco asked, quite matter-of-factly "Well, I want to help. This other prince would have be a better ruler than the Vernon or Dudley. He could hardly be any worse."

"You want to help?" Harry echoed, surprised. Draco nodded.

"Who is the prince?" Draco asked. Harry hesitated for a fraction of a second before he realized that he had no choice but to lie.

"Actually, I have no idea." Harry replied smoothly, "I'm only a servant, after all. But I have heard he's hidden in the town somewhere safe. I've never actually met him."

"That what I thought." Draco mused absently "I wouldn't mind searching the town for him. He must have some sort of plan. At the very least, I'm sure there's someone we can ask for information."

"I very much doubt it." Harry replied, frowning lightly, "The prince will be very well protected and hidden in the last place anyone would ever think to look. If anyone did know where he was they certainly wouldn't tell us. It's a security issue. If we don't know any information, we can't reveal any information if were caught and tortured."

"I suppose." Draco agreed reluctantly "Still, we might as well try. And I can meet the civilians while I'm at it. A good ruler always knows his people"

"Should be fun." Harry agreed, rather warming up to the idea, "I've never been to the town. When can we go?"

"When your wounds heal," Draco replied at once, looking at Harry sternly. Harry couldn't resist a small pout.

Draco rolled his eyes.

It took three whole days for Harry to recover and he spent the whole of the duration in Draco's bed as Draco bluntly refused to let him leave. At night they slept head to toe, a position Draco detested but was not about to complain about. It would not do to share it normally as it was unacceptable for a prince to sleep so casually with a servant –or anyone for that matter. They passed the time by telling stories or, rather, Draco told Harry all about the Slytherin kingdom and the marriage bond that was arranged between his kingdom and Gryffindor and Harry listened keenly.

"But what about the Slytherin kingdom?" Harry asked curiously, "You came here to end the feud, but who goes there? Will the Slytherin's even have Gryffindor leader?"

"The Slytherin heir will marry a Gryffindor noble," Draco explained.

"Noble?" Harry repeated blankly.

"Favoured by the king and usually- though not always- wealthy." Draco elaborated.

"Wonder who it is…" Harry mused thoughtfully.

"Knowing the king no one kind-hearted," Draco pointed out, sighing sympathetically, "My poor sister."

"A female can rule?" Harry asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes," Draco returned simply, sounding surprised at the question, "In fact, she would have more power than her husband because he would not have Royal blood. The Queen once ruled this kingdom but she officially handed the power over to her husband. He's become the official ruler since she became ill."

"Your poor sister," Harry repeated, making a face, "What's her name?"

"Bella." Draco replied, smiling, "My parents have a thing for other languages."

"What does 'Bella' and'Draco' mean?" Harry asked at once, honestly curious.

"'Bella' is Italian –my mothers favourite language. It means 'Beautiful''.'Draco', on the other hand, is Latin –my fathers favourite language. It means'Dragon'. "

"The name suites you," Harry observed.

"What?" Draco demanded sharply, "You think I have a temper, am large, dangerous, fearful and a total beast?"

"No," Harry corrected calmly, "Your misjudged, graceful, beautiful, wise, kind, mystical and proud."

Draco struggled not to blush.

"I think it's a lovely name." Harry continued, paying no mind to Draco's embarrassment, "My name's quite boring really. What can you get out of 'Harry'?"

"It makes you sound humble, honest and trustworthy," Draco assured him. Harry couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh yes." He agreed dramatically, "Harry the orphan, the most trustworthy slave of them all."

"When I'm king, I'll free you," Draco promised, suddenly serious.

"What would I do then?" Harry asked simply, "As much as I hate it here I have no where else to go."

"I said I'd free you, not that I'd let you go." Draco corrected, smiling "I'll make you my advisor. With pay."

"You'd want my advice?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow.

"Proof that I'm mad." Draco drawled dryly and Harry laughed in delight.

That always made Draco smile.

TBC...