AN: I know this update took a long time. My only excuse is a lack of inspiration and a horribly long book I'm trying to read. It's around 600 pages, which isn't that bad, but it's not an easy read. Argh! I wouldn't care how long it took me, but I have to finish it before school ends, and besides it's really interesting.
Anyways, to all of you who don't know, 'special brownies', which I made references to in my last chapter, are brownies that are baked with drugs in them, usually marijuana I think. So now you know. You learn something new every day! Oh, and the title of this chapter is also the title of a Sheryl Crow song. The title just came to me and refused to leave. Oh well. So, sorry for the delay, I should be updating at least once every two days, though I make no guarantees.
Harry had returned the next day, and in one piece. Of course this piece was pretty bruised and definitely shaken, but at least he was alive. At the current moment, Draco was in charge of taking care of the worn slave, as Ginny was at training, Sirius was working in the vast expanse of land the Weasleys' called a garden, and Remus, who was in charge of the care of the younger slaves, was currently teaching them.
Arthur Weasley had discovered long ago that educated slaves fetched a higher price on the market, since they didn't usually make stupid mistakes that cost their owners time and money. Since then, he had put Remus in charge of taking care of the young ones' educations. He had a few other slaves to help him, and together they helped give the young slaves the best education they could find.
Frankly, the appointment had relieved both Sirius and Remus. Remus was an intellectual slave, not one that could do a lot of manual labor. When Dumbledore had found that Remus had an aptitude for learning he had set about making sure the young werewolf got the best education a slave could get. And while that was nice and all, most households had no need for smart slaves, unless they wanted a tutor for their young children, but then they usually turned to a free being. However, now that Remus had gotten the job there was no threat of him being separated from Sirius, and it provided a less stressful occupation for him. Manual labor was naturally hard for Remus because of the weakness his lycanthropy caused him. And besides, Remus found he got a great sense of fulfillment by teaching the young ones. So all was well.
Draco heard a soft groan come from the other side of the room. He looked up from the sewing in his lap over to the bed where Harry lay. Yes, Draco could sew. And he was damn proud of it too. Despite sewing being considered a woman's work it was pretty useful when you were a slave. Not only could you mend your own clothing, but also on occasion you could create more clothing for yourself if you happened to get your hands on some fabric. Even better, if you happened to have some knitting needles and some yarn, then you could create blankets for the cold winter months.
At the moment, Draco was patching up some clothing for Harry. Truth be told, it was some of Draco's old clothing. The new clothing rations wouldn't come in until July, which was three months from the current point of time. While the clothing no longer fit Draco, it would be fine for the malnourished boy lying on the bed. In fact, besides mending some of the clothing, Draco was also taking it in, as it was too big for Harry even in it's current state.
Draco walked over to the bed, and sat carefully on the edge, so he wouldn't disturb the occupant. This turned out to be unnecessary, as the occupant was already awake and staring at him with big fearful green eyes. Draco sighed, and brushed some hair away from Harry's forehead in a purely comforting motion.
"How do you feel?" he asked, carefully brushing Harry's cheek with the back of his hand. All he got in reply was a pitiful moan.
"I understand. The first time is never easy. But it will get better as you get more experience. You'll learn how to, umm, well, do your work, without causing yourself a lot of discomfort, and your body will adapt. You'll see, things will get better."
Harry nodded, and slowly closed his eyes. Draco continued stroking Harry's cheek in a comforting way, which the boy seemed to enjoy, considering he was leaning into the touch. Soon, Harry's breathing was regular, and the boy was fast asleep. Draco attempting to get up to return to his sewing, but the moment his hand left the other boy's face, the black-haired youth let out a pitiful whimper. Draco smiled to himself and sat down on the edge of the bed, and continued petting the other boy's face. He dropped a kiss on Harry's forehead, and found himself lying down next to the boy. He was tired from staying up worrying the previous night, and he couldn't help himself.
Draco was soon fast asleep next to Harry, a smile gracing his face. He unconsciously moved his arms around Harry's waist, snuggling closer to the boy. Harry moved closer to Draco, as close as he could get at least, and rested his on Draco's shoulder, a smile on his face as well. And that was how Ginny found them two hours later. She chuckled to herself and covered them both with a blanket, before leaving them to their privacy and sweet dreams.
AN: I hope you liked it. If you didn't that shouldn't stop you from reviewing though! Well, I'm off to do laundry. Lalalala Laundry!