Ok... so I don't own Harry Potter or anything connected with him. There.
This is a some what mushy chapter, and the end will leave you hanging, but don't worry, tomorrow I have no work and I have almost all day to write and decide what to do next. Also, I need the time to catch up on the spells and potions that they use.
Kudos to everyone who has reviewed thus far. Much much thanks for the comments and support!
Pain. Blinding pain ripped through Draco's body. He couldn't scream. He could barely breathe. Harsh laughter filled his ears. More pain, more silent screams. He was staring at a window. He wished he could get out through that window. Run through the fields beyond. Run as fast as he could until he got back to England. Back home. He would find Harry. He would run into his arms. He would be safe there. Finally he got enough air in his lungs to scream.
"HARRY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Draco! Wake up!" he heard a voice say in his ear. His eyes opened. He was in England, in Harry's guest room. Finally realizing where he was he also realized that he was teetering on the edge of the bed. The only thing keeping him on the bed was Harry's arm around his chest.
"Harry... umm... sorry," he stammered out.
"Don't worry about it," said Harry calmly, "just hold still." Harry's arm tightened around his chest and he felt Harry pull him back a few inches onto the bed. Draco laid his head back down on the pillow and shut his eyes.
"You all right?" asked Harry gently.
"I'm all right... just a memory, in a nightmare. Sometimes, when one of them was raping me, I'd think about escaping through a window, run across the fields, run back here, and I hoped that I could find you and that..." Draco couldn't say the next part. Harry squeezed Draco gently.
"You hoped you would find comfort and safety with me," said Harry. "You have it. I'll take care of you as long as you want me to." Draco covered Harry's hand with his own. Harry shifted and cuddled closer to Draco. Draco could feel goosebumps rise all over his skin when he felt Harry's breath on the back of his neck.
"It was a stupid thought. We were enemies in school."
"We were children."
"Why would I have thought that you would help me?"
"You knew I would understand. Even if you were unsure about coming to me, you knew that I would be the one person you knew that might understand. And I do." Draco could have sworn he was dreaming when he felt Harry's lips gently brush his neck. The contact made him gasp slightly and his heart jump. Then it happened again. He didn't know what to think.
"Harry...?" he whispered.
"Yes, Draco," Harry replied with confidence in his voice. Every question Draco had seemed to be answered with those two words. But he still had to know. He turned his head and stared straight into Harry's green eyes. Harry stared back with matching intensity.
"Harry... I love you." Draco watched to see if there was any change. He was waiting for the yelling and the rejection that he had always expected, but there was none.
"I know," said Harry gently before kissing Draco gently on the lips. Draco's eyes fluttered closed and wished that this was all real. The kiss was so innocent and gentle, it was like being kissed by a child. When Harry pulled away Draco opened his eyes and looked at Harry. "I love you," Harry said with a sigh of relief. He let go of his last secret that he had been keeping since Draco had appeared outside his door. He loved the man lying next to him. That's why he let him stay, why he had cooked for him, why he had listened, why he had stayed with him that night to keep the nightmares away. And now Draco knew.
Draco was amazed. He never thought that the man he secretly loved would also love him. Cautiously he lifted his hand from Harry's and touched his cheek. Harry turned into the touch and made Draco gasp again by kissing his hand. Harry trailed light kisses along Draco's arm all the way to his mouth again. The kiss was intense and burned through their senses. Draco finally turned on his back and threaded his fingers through Harry's hair. He wanted so to go farther and do everything. But it felt his body stiffen and his mind begin to zone out.
"Wait," he managed to choke out as Harry kissed his neck. Harry stopped and looked Draco in the eye. "Harry... it's not that I don't want to... it's just..." But his words trailed off as Harry gently stroked his cheek.
"It's all right," Harry said gently. He laid down next to Draco and rested his head on Draco's shoulder.
"Please say you're not angry with me."
"Of course not, why should I be angry? If something happens, I want you to be willing to do it as well. I don't want to hurt you." Draco ran his fingers through Harry's hair and kissed Harry's forehead just as Harry had done to him just a few hours earlier. Harry shivered slightly and pulled the blanket up over them.
"What time is it?"
"It's one in the morning. I don't have to be into work for another nine hours. So I figured we could sleep a little longer."
"I'm sorry I woke you."
"Don't apologize. I stayed in case something like a nightmare did happen."
"How long do you have to work today?"
"Umm, I open at ten and I stay until five. Why?"
"I want to make us dinner tonight." Harry cuddled close and before he drifted off to sleep again he whispered to Draco,
"I'd like that."
Harry looked at the clock for the ninetieth time that day. It was five minutes to five and he was looking forward to his dinner with Draco. After his last table left he cashed out as quick as he could.
"What's the rush Harry? Hot date tonight?" his boss asked him with a grin. Harry couldn't help grinning as well.
"You could say that." He winked at his boss and walked quickly out the door with his tips in his pocket. These days he walked home. It gave him time to think about things. Today he wanted to run home as fast as he could. Even if they couldn't do anything sexual now, he felt wonderful in Draco's arms. He felt like he belonged to someone. Just thinking about his gray eyes would bring a smile to his face.
As he approached his house he noticed something that made him slightly nervous. There were no lights on in the house and there was no smoke coming from the chimney. Draco preferred light and heat. Harry figured it had something to do with his travels in Europe but felt it best not to ask now. Harry quickened his step when he saw something else. He kept a potted plant of sage on the porch. The pot was broken and the soil spilled out onto the wood. He stopped at the door. His blood ran cold. The door was open. There was no one inside. There was a note on the door.
"We came to fetch our lost child. Took us months to finally track him here. He's ours, and he will never be yours."
Harry's fingers curled into a fist. He punched the door and busted a window.
'If only I didn't have to work. If only I had been here.' Harry shook his head. He looked at his fist and saw the blood from the cuts from the glass. 'Not again. Not again.'
Harry sped through the house. He ran up into the attic and landed hard on his knees in front of his old trunk from Hogwarts. Throwing it open he picked up his wand for the first time in a year. He pulled out his cloak and put the wand in the inside pocket. He found his invisibility cloak out of the trunk as well and stuffed it into a messenger bag. He also put in a few potions that he had made into the pockets in case Draco was hurt when he finally found him.
Stomping down the stairs he ran into his room and stuffed a couple changes of clothes in the bag. He ran into the guest room and grabbed Draco's bag. At first he was hesitant to open it, but once he got the zipper open he dug through it without any hesitation. He found Draco's wand and his cloak. Both he quickly packed. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed some food. Then he opened the closet in the kitchen. Behind his regular broom was his Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick. He grabbed it up and walked to the window. Hedwig, his faithful owl was on her perch. He quickly wrote a note to his boss, knowing that his boss might fire him now, but he didn't really care.
"Here Hedwig," he said securing the note to her leg and then feeding her some seeds, "take this to the Witch's Hat for me and make sure my boss gets it. I've got to go away for a while." Hedwig ruffled her feathers nervously. "I know. But I promise to be back as soon as I can." Harry watched as Hedwig dutifully flew off. Then Harry walked out the back door onto his back yard. He pulled on his cloak to keep out the cold, put his bag on his back, mounted his broomstick, and then flew in the direction of Hogwarts to the only person that he knew could help him.