Beloved: Glad you like it and I appreciate the well-written comment. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Silver Salamander: Hey, threatening the author is not a smart move, especially when I have the ability to take a year or two or three to update, although I'll be nice and try for no more than two weeks. Aren't I nice? Coughyoubetteragreeorelsecough!

Zoomaphonethepirate: Calm down, breath, breathe, that's it. I believe this chapter will be like a nice breath of fresh air. Hopefully.

Flammy: I update to please. I'm sure you're not thick; I'm probably just not explaining something properly. I always think up these complex plots, but assume that since I get it everyone else should as well even without explanation. Just ask me about whatever you don't get and I'd be happy to explain.

Sinilu Silverspell: Yah! You're back. I'm so happy. Breaks down crying Hey Sinilu is named after you cause you're my bestest favorist reviewer and I look forward to reading your reviews every single chapter. Yah!!! Hey I love cliffies; I mean what can I say I'm evil at heart. Tries to hide horns Ok well all over evil anyways...yes I want to put a bit of your essence into Sinilu for the realistic characterization thing, so you must review. (PWEASE) Gives puppy dog eyes Now if we shave you head bald...Looks for shaver Oh and I think you'll be happy with how much Harry is in this chapter. That's not the last time I plan on using the apothecary shopkeeper so be aware, I gave a hint. Snickers at being evil again Ok, the first time I saw an interpretation of Tom he looked like a normal wizard not like the one in the movie. So try imagining him as being a normal wizard and not a hunchback weirdo. Want my hankie? Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Kinky Krooks: Glad you like it. Thank you, someone finally doesn't threaten me to hurry up with the next chapter. What a nice person. So nice in fact, that I'm dedicating this chapter to you. Enjoy!

Morena Evensong: I hope you find this chapter interesting, I mean I hope you like the way I did Draco and Harry's confrontation. I hope I didn't go too fast or something, and I hope I covered everything, well you'll see when you read it. Please tell me what you think.

Princesspepper: I'm not mean; I'm just not very nice sometimes. Sticks tongue out Glad I could help with explaining my madness, I mean my story, yah...anyways shopkeeper, nice, we'll see. This is not his last appearance, but I won't say anything else. Evilishness...me likes.

Author Note: Please review all you silent readers. Don't think I don't know you're out there. Thirty-six people have me on their author alerts, yet only eight people reviewed. Somehow it doesn't exactly add up does it? All right fine. Gets on hands and knees PWEASE REVIEW! Enjoy!

Chapter 6 – Stars Cry Too

A loud thud followed by a small cry of pain echoed from the bathroom. Draco made a mad dash for the door: swinging it open full force in a rush of utter panic. He froze for a moment at the sight before him: Potter was laying entirely naked half in and half out of the bathtub, which was overflowing with the water that was continuing to pour from the faucet.

Draco rushed over and turned the water off as he plunged his hand into the icy water and pulled the plug. He turned his attention to Potter as he let out a small moan of pain. Draco scooped him into his arms and carried him out of the bathroom and over to the bed, where he laid him gently beneath the covers.

"What where you thinking, you bloody prick", Draco growled angrily, not really caring whether or not Potter was listening.

Potter was breathing heavily as Draco took the three little bottles out of his pocket and set them on the nightstand beside the bed.

"After all the trouble I had to go through to get these, you better not die on me." Draco was having trouble masking the concern from his voice. He picked up one of the bottles and popped the cork off, as he gently lifted Potter's head and poured the entire contents of the bottle into his mouth. Potter coughed and struggled against Draco, but he didn't have enough strength to put up much of a fight.

Draco tossed the empty bottle to the floor and proceeded to empty the other two down Potter's throat as well. He dropped the third bottle to the floor, then pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down, as he watched the cuts and bruises slowly begin to fade and sighed in relief as Potter's breathing began to steady and become softer.

After a few more moments of silent waiting, Harry began to slowly open his eyes. The light pouring through the open window made him blink a few times before opening them completely. The world seemed to swirl blurrily before him as he attempted to take in his surroundings. He couldn't seem to recall how he got here, or where here was to begin with. His entire body was sore and he had a huge headache. Harry suddenly noticed the fuzzy shape beside him. He couldn't be entirely sure, but it appeared to be a person.

"Potter? Can you here me?" That voice: it was so familiar, but Harry couldn't quite place it. He nodded nonetheless.

Draco waved his hand in front of Harry's eyes, but only received a strange squinting stare in response.

"You're as blind as a bat without your glasses, aren't you", Draco joked.

"Malfoy?" Harry squinted, trying to make out if he was right.

"Don't strain yourself, Potter. It's me." Harry relaxed and closed his eyes for a moment. The pain was lessoning and his headache was slowly ebbing away. When he opened his eyes again, he looked back at Malfoy.

"Where am I...why am I here...what happened?"

"Good question Potter. I was going to ask you the same thing. Imagine my surprise when I rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the summer and open the door to find you, a bloody mess, strewn across the bed."

"A bloody mess? What was wrong with me?"

"You tell me, Potter. You looked as though you'd been tortured or something, and what was with the gigantic bloody hole in your shoulder?"

Draco's words brought a dramatic change to Harry's expression. The memories flooded into his mind a mile a minute: the satellite, the fall, the beating, the gun, the bang, then just running and running, until there was no where left to go, but after that, everything was blank. He had no idea how he'd gotten here.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Harry slowly sat up. "So why aren't I still a bloody mess...or dead for that matter?"

"Because, oh golden boy, the great Draco Mal...the great Draco decided to take you under his generous wing and tend to your wounds."

"Oh please, what's in it for you? Holding me for ransom, or for Voldemort, or perhaps you just wanted to heal me so you could torture and kill me yourself."

"Get a life Potter. Do you really think you're so important that I'd waste my time healing you, just to watch you die? Trust me, you're not worth it."

"Then why don't you tell me your reason, because the Draco I know would have left me for dead without a second thought."

Draco finally broke eye contact and starred intently at the floor.

"Yah, well, perhaps you just never met the real Draco."

"The real Draco? What kind of a farce is that?"

Draco wished that Potter could see the evil look he was throwing him, but settled to merely throwing every bit of spite he had into his next few words.

"Get off your high-horse for a just a moment Potter and listen up! I've given up everything, everything I have because I refused to become a death eater! My father has disowned me; he cleaned out my entire vault! All I own is sitting in my school trunk over in the corner! And what do I get for refusing to help Voldemort, nothing but a whiny Gryffindor, whom the entire wizarding world will probably accuse me of kidnapping once you're well enough to leave!" By the time Draco had finished, he was literally in tears.

Draco lowered his head and starred at the floor again, trying to stop the tears from flowing. He quietly sniffled not knowing what to say after his out burst. Suddenly a hand slowly caressed his face and wiped the tears away. He lifted his head and stared into Harry's eyes.

"So, the real Draco cries and is even brave enough to say Voldemort's name. Don't think I would have guessed that one in a million years." Harry said it in a voice unlike anything that he had ever used toward Draco. It was kind and sincere and full of the utmost concern.

Draco didn't know what to say. The touch of Harry's hand on his face had taken his breath away. He couldn't explain it, but he liked it. Draco finally got a hold of himself and pulled away from Harry's hand.

"Yah, well, with as screwed up as my life is now, what else would you expect?"

"You know...I'd have to say I like this Draco a lot better than the old one. This one has a heart, a warm one, and he's not afraid to show it." Harry gave Draco his warmest smile and Draco couldn't stop the blush that flushed across his face. He was just glad that Harry couldn't see it, or was he?

"Why don't you get dressed...and then...we can find someone to take you home." Draco sighed. He had a horrible feeling, as though a rock had been dropped into the pit of his stomach. For some reason, the thought of Harry leaving hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before. Harry's next comment came as somewhat of a shock to Draco.

"Actually... I'd rather not go back." Harry flopped back against the pillow and starred at the ceiling.

"What? Why not?" There was a long silence, before the realization finally hit him.

"Your relatives did this to you, didn't they? And that shoulder wound; it was done by some muggle contraption, wasn't it?" They were more of statements than questions really, but Draco still feared the answer.

"It's called a gun, and... yes... they did." A single tear rolled down Harry's cheek, and he quickly looked away.

"You know, just because you're the boy-who-lived, doesn't mean you're not allowed to cry too." Harry's head snapped back around and starred at Draco with a slightly shocked expression. He was right and Harry knew it too, but for some reason, it still embarrassed him.

"You know, you could always stay here with me for the summer. I mean since there are no other vacant rooms and all, but if you don't want to I completely understand. I mean..." Harry put his finger to Draco's lips to silence him.

"I'd be happy to stay here with you for the summer. With the new Draco that is." Draco blushed again, before getting up and making his way to the bathroom.

"Draco?" Harry couldn't see where he had gone, but Draco returned a moment later with his arms full of Harry's clothes.

"Even though you're not leaving", Draco said dropping the clothes onto the bed, "I still think you should get dressed."

It was Harry's turn to blush this time.

"I guess your right", he said as he grabbed the clothes and got out of bed. Draco quickly turned his back to Harry and blushed the darkest shade of red he'd ever managed.

"You can turn around now", Harry said after a few moments of the sound of shuffling material. Draco slowly turned around and smiled at Harry's handsome figure.

"You look good."

"You think so. Since the clothes actually fit, I'm guessing they're yours." Draco nodded, before remembering that Harry couldn't see it.

"Well it was either that, your oversized torn-up bloody clothes, or... nude I guess." Harry chuckled.

"Thank you. I'll pay you back for this and the healing draughts as soon as I can." Draco put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Don't accuse me of kidnapping you and we can call it even." Harry pulled back sharply.

"Why would I accuse you of kidnapping me, when you were the one who saved me."

"Well, I just..."

"No, what are you trying to say; that I'd falsely send you to Azkaban, just because of a stupid rivalry. I know what those dementors are like and I'd never wish that on anyone who didn't rightfully deserve it."

"No, that's not what I meant at all, it's just... I'm not exactly the most liked person in the world, and well, most people wouldn't hesitate to throw me in Azkaban for no reason. And I... I'm sorry."

"Just forget about it." Harry sighed and plopped himself on the bed.

"So..."

"Yah?"

"What were you doing naked in the bathroom with the cold water running?" There was a brief moment of silence before both boys burst out laughing.

"Actually, I really don't remember", Harry replied as he slowly caught his breath. "But that at least sort of explains why I woke up naked." Both boys continued laughing: clutching their sides with every painful laugh.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Both boys froze whether from shock or fear, neither of them knew.

"It's me Tom, I've brought up some dinner." The two starred at each other and silently understood what to do. Harry raced into the bathroom and closed the door as Draco went and let Tom in. Tom set the tray of food down on the nightstand. There was a huge plate of steak, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables, along with a huge goblet of pumpkin juice.

"I assumed you didn't get a chance to eat lunch, so I prepared a double helping." Draco's eyes grew large and he intently licked his lips.

"I'm guessing that's a yes." Draco over-animatedly nodded his head.

"Well, enjoy then and sorry I can't stay, but we're packed and I really have to get back to work. By the way, I thought I heard someone else's voice in here, is everything ok?"

"Of course, there's no one else here." Draco hoped he was a convincing enough liar.

"Alright then. I'll stop by in the morning with some breakfast. Get some sleep, alright?"

"I will, thanks Tom." Tom left the room and Draco locked the door behind him. When he turned around, he found Harry already digging into the food.

"Slow down, before you choke." Draco didn't know what else to do, but stare.

"Sorry, but you have no idea how hungry I am. You better hurry before I eat it all." Draco quickly sat down and slowly began to nibble on a steamed carrot.

"I know you've been unconscious and all, but you look really skinny. I mean, what I'm trying to say, well what I'm trying to ask is...well...were your relatives starving you." Harry stopped eating and began poking at the food.

"Well, sure they didn't exactly feed me well, but until this summer, I would always get at least a bit of table scraps and..."

"What?! This summer?! How long has this been going on?!" Harry made sure to avoid Draco's eyes, whether he could see them or not. He couldn't face the pity he knew was in Draco's face, even if it wasn't meant in a bad way.

"For as long as I can remember." Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing, or maybe he could. Draco gave an understanding sigh, although he knew he had to ask anyways.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Harry Potter! I'm not allowed to be weak and what's happened to me is about as weak as it gets!"

"It's not as weak as you think. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do and..." Harry sighed deeply before turning to face Draco.

"There's always something you can do, yet some people find themselves enduring the pain with the hopes that things will get better on their own, but they won't." Draco starred at the carrot in his hand not knowing what to say. "How long has your father been beating you?"

Draco's head snapped up and his eyes locked with Harry's. He didn't know why, but the question was like a stake to the heart.

"How did you...", Draco stumbled out.

"How did I know? The most obvious reason is that anyone who thinks that an abusive household is something you can't escape from has to have experienced it for themselves. Secondly, I know how your father is and from what you've just shown me about the real you, you're exactly the kind of person your father despises." Draco couldn't believe how on the dot Harry's words were.

"And what kind of a person is that", Draco asked never breaking eye contact.

"A gentle one with a heart of gold." Draco forced himself to look away as a blush graced his cheeks.

"Yah...well you're the bloody boy-who-lived...why would your own relatives do something like this to you?"

"Simply for the fact that I'm a wizard. They don't like what they don't feel is normal, so to them I'm the most abnormal freak they've ever met and the only thing to do is hate me and hope that they can beat the freakishness out of me before the neighbors notice." Draco once again found himself in utter shock.

"You mean they actually thought they could beat the magic out of you?"

"They don't consider magic real or even it appropriate to mention the word itself." Draco felt like crying for Harry. He couldn't image having to live with those awful muggles. Sure, he'd had it bad too, but from what Harry was saying, it wasn't all that bad. Draco took Harry's hand in his own and gave it a small squeeze. Harry looked at Draco in shock.

"I promise you that I will make sure you never have to go back there ever again." The two boys smiled at each other before Harry pulled Draco into a warm embrace and whispered into his ear.

"Thank you." Draco blushed, before burring his face in the crook of Harry's neck.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light followed by an ear-piercing screech. The two boys jerked apart and screamed in fear of their invisible foe. They stopped as gold coins began falling all around them and a large leather satchel landed on Draco's head.

"This is my money pouch, and all my money, but...how?" Harry pointed to the ceiling.

"What's that?" Draco looked up and a smile exploded onto his face as he did so.

"Sinilu, you rascal. You got my money back." Sinilu swooped down and landed gracefully on Draco's shoulder. Draco scratched Sinilu's head before taking him over to the left over dinner. "Help yourself Sinilu, you deserve it."

Sinilu gave Draco an affectionate nip before hopping to the food and pecking at the mashed potatoes.

"Who's that?" Harry asked.

"This little starling is Sinilu and although Sinilu was supposed to be my mothers, it decided it wanted to stay with me instead." Draco smiled proudly as he watched Harry approach Sinilu and scratch it on the head.

"This is Harry, Sinilu." Sinilu gave an approving tweet before continuing to eat. "I think Sinilu likes you."

"Your starling is so beautiful. It makes me miss Hedwig. I sent her off to Hogwarts when things started to get bad back at my relatives." Harry sighed as he helped Draco collect the coins and put them back into the satchel, before sitting down on the bed. Draco walked over and sat down next to him.

"So how exactly did you end up here anyways?" Draco's curiosity was beginning to get the best of him.

"Actually, I really don't know, or at least I don't remember. I mean I remember running into a dead-end alley and then everything went black. Next thing I know, I wake up here."

"What's a...a gun?" Harry looked curiously at Draco before answering.

"Well it's this metal thing that fires out small metal balls." Harry tried to make his definition as simple as he could to be sure Draco would understand.

"You mean they fired a metal ball through your shoulder?" Draco looked in utterly disgusted shock.

"Basically yah." There was an almost deafening silence before Harry finally spoke. "So why didn't you want become a death eater?"

"Two simple reasons. One, while I hate muggles, especially the kind like your relatives, I don't believe in torturing and killing them, and second, there's no way I'll ever allow myself to become Voldemort's branded slave." Harry let out a chuckle.

"Well that's a new one: Voldemort's branded slave. I love it!" Draco had to chuckle himself. "You don't regret refusing the dark mark, do you?"

"No! Why would you even say that?"

"Well being stuck here with me can't be any better than taking the dark mark."

"Actually, I hate to say it, but I'm kind of glad I'm stuck here with you." Harry looked confused, but somewhat hopeful.

"You really mean it?"

"Yah. Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" Harry laughed at the question.

"Because you are. I mean I have to say I that I'm actually starting to enjoy your company." Harry flopped back against the bed.

"Potter..."

"Would you just call me Harry, already?"

"Fine. Harry, does this make us friends?" Harry starred at Draco and smiled.

"Yah. I guess it does. If you want to be, that is." Draco flopped down next to Harry.

"I want to." He whispered back. Harry put his arm around Draco and pulled him close.

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight", Draco replied as he snuggled into Harry's side and closed his eyes.

Sinilu flew over and nestled itself on Draco's stomach and the three of them drifted off to sleep.