I'm so sorry for the the huge gap between last chapter and this one! I had written it weeks ago, but Menecarkawan was suffering from her carpal tunnel. Actually she still is, but felt better. Thank you for your patience and hope you enjoy!

WARNING: There are sexual situations in this chapter and unfortunately, there's rape. You've been warned.

Ch. 6: Blind Game Again

Harry awoke as he felt a blindfold being placed over his sleepy eyes. He gasped, but relaxed when he felt tender kisses being placed on his neck and bare shoulders. He moaned softly as he felt hands traveling over his naked body, thoroughly exploring every area they found. Harry licked his lips and as soon as they were moistened, a mouth claimed them, tasting them hungrily. During the kiss, the hands continued to explore the singer's frame. Soon, the kiss was broken and Harry sighed in ecstasy as his lover's lips made a trail from his forehead to his cheeks, down to his neck and chest, then lower to his belly and swirling his tongue in the belly button before moving lower again. He stifled a scream as that wicked mouth claimed his hardness, swallowing it to the base in one go. He moaned in pleasure, blindly tangling his hands in his lover's silky blonde locks, visualizing it in his mind. He wanted to cry his lover's name out loud, but held himself back. It didn't take him long to climax and he moaned loudly, knowing his lover was tasting him, and feeling his lover's tongue lick him clean. The blindfold was removed to reveal a smiling Draco hovering over him. "Good morning," the blonde said in a husky voice.

Harry thought he was in paradise. His life couldn't be more perfect, even with the loose strings he still had to tie up, such as Tom Riddle. Nothing could pull him from his state of euphoria when he was with Draco Malfoy. He loved the writer more than life itself.

Harry was in a very happy mood that morning as he made breakfast, prancing around the kitchen and humming songs as he placed bread in the toaster and eggs in the frying pan. He leaped on one foot to the table, carrying the breakfast trays, which miraculously didn't fall.

Draco, for his part, didn't even spare a glance for the exuberant teen, choosing instead to keep reading his newspaper that he'd picked up from the floor in front of the flat's door only minutes before. He looked up with a bored expression as Harry finally placed the food on the table and both men were eating shortly thereafter.

"So," Harry started happily. "Did you sleep well, Draco?"

Draco, who had been about to take a bit of toast and eggs, stopped with the toast halfway to his mouth. "What kind of question is that, brat?" he asked before rudely stuffing the food in his mouth.

"I was just wondering," Harry replied, ignoring Draco's tone. "What are you doing today? I'm going to G-P, as usual, and we'll probably be rehearsing all day. Have I told you about K? He's a great manager, even if he is a bit rough. Mr. Longbottom, Neville I mean, was such a softie—"

"The company obviously decided that you needed a tougher manager," Draco interrupted. "I wonder why," he added sarcastically. "Well, brat, I have to leave. Hope you have a nice day." Draco had finished his breakfast quickly. He stood up, took one last sip from his coffee and started toward the door.

Harry became misty-eyed. In his mind, Draco was the sweetest person alive just because he'd told Harry to have a nice day. "Thanks!" Harry called after him happily. "You too!"

Draco waved over his shoulder without looking back as he headed out the door.

That day, Draco had a meeting with his editor to discuss the title for his new novel, among other things. Meanwhile, Harry was dealing with the band's affairs and learned that they would soon begin recording their debut single at long last. When Harry got home, he told Draco all about the upcoming debut CD, but the novelist didn't share anything about his meeting or the title of his new novel. It was always that way; Harry would tell Draco everything about his day, but Draco would never share anything in return. Draco was a great listener, and he enjoyed listening to Harry, but the truth was that Harry wanted the other man to open up and speak about himself too.

"So when is this single hitting the market?" Draco asked.

"We haven't started recording it yet, so I'm not sure," Harry replied excitedly. "It'll be soon, though, you'll see!" Harry grinned mischievously as his curiosity took over. "Why? Are you actually going to buy it?"

Draco smirked, answering with a question of his own. "Have you read any of my novels? Or better still, have you bought any of my novels?"

Harry cringed slightly. Reading definitely wasn't one of his pastimes. He laughed a little nervously before muttering, "Er… no."

Draco smirked again before leaving Harry alone in the living room. He headed for his home office to answer the call on the cell phone that was vibrating in his right trouser pocket.

Harry wasn't the only one dealing with family issues. Draco too had issues with his family. His cell phone wouldn't stop ringing (or vibrating, depending on the mode he'd set it on) because Pansy just wouldn't give up. She appeared at his flat several times during the next few days and kept calling him, asking him to formally break the engagement at the very least.

"Why should I bother formally breaking something that the old man arranged for me?" Draco asked coldly every time she called or showed up, alarming her somewhat. "I never agreed to the engagement in the first place. The old man took it in his own hands to set it up, so let him break the contract himself!" He hung up on her each time, or slammed the door in her face if she'd showed up at his flat.

Pansy Wood was furious with her brother. She even decided to invite Harry over to eat, thinking she might still be able to use the boy to get through to Draco. There was a problem though: She came personally to one of Bad Wizard's rehearsals at the G-P Productions building and was spied upon. Gregory Goyle saw a woman he knew to be Oliver Wood's wife take Harry from the rehearsal to speak to him in the middle of the aisle. Goyle hid behind a wall to listen.

"So will you come?" Pansy was saying, sounding a trifle desperate. "It will just be lunch."

"All right," Harry replied, sounding cheerful. "I don't think I'll have any problems with that. I'll tell Ron and the others. Wait here."

As the woman waited, Goyle quickly went to find Blaise in the studio where Slytherins was rehearsing. "Blaise!" he said upon spotting him. "You remember telling me to report anything suspicious about that lowly singer? Guess what? Mrs. Wood herself just came to invite him to lunch! Maybe they're having an affair! Wouldn't that juicy bit of gossip be enough to destroy him?"

Blaise smirked triumphantly. "Brilliant, Greg! Have they left yet?"

"No," Greg replied. "You can catch them if you hurry!"

Blaise felt like a jolly hunter as he carefully caught up with Pansy and Harry. His joy was even greater when he saw them walk into one of the restaurants near the G-P building. He got a table close to them, partially hidden behind some potted plants and listened in on what they were saying.

"So do you think that you can convince my dear brother, Harry?" Pansy asked, touching Harry's face gently. They'd been conversing for a while as they ate.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "The truth is that he doesn't tell me much about himself and I don't want to make him angry."

"Do you mean to tell me that he hasn't spoken to you about his past, his life, his achievements, the novel he's working on, nothing?" Pansy asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Harry said looking sad. "I love him so much, Mrs. Wood—"

"Please, call me Pansy," she interrupted. "How long have you been living with Draco at this point?"

"About two months," Harry said thoughtfully.

"I can't believe Draco would live with a complete stranger for so long!" Pansy exclaimed. "No offense to you, but if he doesn't share anything with you, you may as well be strangers." She paused, eyeing Harry coyly. "Harry, maybe you should just leave him. He's a very cold person. He'll only hurt you." She caressed Harry's left cheek gently.

"No!" Harry exclaimed angrily, Pansy jerking her hand away as though she'd been slapped. "You're wrong! He's kind and gentle! He… he can be very sweet!"

"He used to be sweet Harry," she replied, holding up a finger to make her point. "Used to be. You don't know anything about him. I'm only warning you because…" Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice broke as she continued, "Because you remind me of how he was, of how he used to be. So lively and joyful!" She broke down in sobs, covering her eyes.

That shocked Harry. He simply couldn't imagine a lively and joyful Draco Malfoy. What had happened to him? What had changed him so much? "What happened to him, Mrs., er, Pansy? What is he hiding from me?"

Pansy shook her head. "I can't be the one to tell you that, Harry," she said sadly. "If he wants you in his life, he'll tell you himself."

All the while, Blaise sat behind the convenient plants and listened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Potter had effectively dug his own grave. This gossip was even better than he'd thought! Potter wasn't having an affair with Mrs. Wood, who was at least female. Blaise laughed silently as he stood up. He'd only had a coffee while he'd been eavesdropping on the conversation. He shook his head. Potter was having an affair with none other than the famous novelist, Draco Malfoy, he thought blissfully. The scandal would be bigger than he'd anticipated because it was an affair between two men.

XxXxX

That night, Harry had his head in Draco's lap as the two of them rested on the sofa and watched TV. Draco was playing with Harry's hair absently, tangling his fingers in the dark locks. Harry closed his eyes happily as he felt those long, elegant fingers massaging his scalp. Still, something was bothering Harry and he ruined the moment by asking, "What happened to you, Draco? Pansy said that something happened to you once and I can't help thinking that it had to have been something awful… please, will you tell me? I want to know everything about you: your happiness, your sorrows. Why won't you talk about yourself? Why?'

Draco removed his fingers from Harry's hair, causing Harry to sit upright, looking into the novelist's eyes. "There's nothing to talk about," Draco said somberly.

"Draco," Harry said gently. "I love you. I want to know. I want you to share with me what you've been through, your inner pain. Is that too much to ask? Don't you think I have a right to know as your lov—" The words were abruptly cut off as Draco crushed their lips together. He pinned Harry to the sofa, claiming him, making Harry forget for the moment, everything he'd wanted to know. Harry gasped for breath as he lost control of his body's reactions. They removed each other's clothes, pressing their bodies together wildly, wanting to consume each other.

XxXxX

Some weeks passed, and everything was going fine until the sudden explosion came. It was on the local news, in newspapers and even magazines that had somehow obtained the rumor/gossip before their latest editions went to print. The acclaimed novelist, Draco Malfoy, and the budding new star and lead singer of Bad Wizards, Harry Potter, were having an affair. Bad Wizards were having rehearsals to prepare for the recording of the debut single. The public already knew them because they had been in band magazines due to the promotions being provided for them by Oliver Wood and their manager, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and from the many concerts at which they had performed. All of the reports stated that nothing was confirmed, but the rumor had been planted into the public's mind; Bad Wizard's lead singer, Harry Potter, and the well-known novelist, Draco Malfoy, were lovers.

Harry was oblivious to what was going on, but Draco wasn't. After watching the reports on TV, he started to collect all of Harry's things. He neatly folded Harry's clothes and put them into the boy's bags. He carefully stashed Harry's keyboard in its case. Draco kept putting everything into bags because he'd reached his final decision: Harry had to leave for his own good. The novelist continued collecting everything until his eyes fell on a small, dark blue carry-on bag that had a lock on it. That was strange because none of the bigger bags had locks. Draco's eyes kept straying to the small bag as he continued to collect Harry's things, wondering what was in it. Once he'd finished his task, he went to the bag to study it.

Knowing that Harry wouldn't be home for a while, Draco took a ballpoint pen from his pocket, clicking the button to make the tip pop out. He carefully inserted the tip into the seam of the zipper, opening it without breaking it. He'd learned this trick from one of his lovers who had worked in the Baggage Claim department of an airline he couldn't remember. He vaguely remembered her telling him that when a bag was lost, they had to open it no matter what, facing it toward a security camera as they did so. As an employee, it was her job to enter each item contained in the bag into the system for the purpose of finding the owner. They'd match the items to any reports of lost baggage, even if the owner had arrived at a different airport or even another country.

Draco used this trick now to open the zipper, and therefore, the bag. Inside, he found a black case, pictures and what looked like legal papers. It seemed that Harry's lawyer was a man named Albus Dumbledore. It also appeared that Harry had a social worker looking after him named Minerva McGonagall and a psychologist named Poppy Pomfrey.

Draco looked at the pictures, which were of a couple that had to be Harry's parents. The woman in the pictures had Harry's bright green eyes and long auburn hair. The man had Harry's untidy black hair and wore glasses. In Draco's opinion, they definitely had to be Harry's parents. There were other pictures with Harry depicted when he was child, being held by a man who had to be his godfather. Child Harry wore glasses, much like the man that Draco assumed to be his father.

The writer carefully placed the pictures back in the bag and touched the black case. The case had a combination lock, but, fortunately for Draco, Harry hadn't cancelled the combination. Draco smirked, thinking perhaps that Harry hated having to find the combination in order to open the case. When Draco finally gave in to his curiosity and opened the case, he gasped at what he found: license documents made out to Harry James Potter. "Why would the British Armed Forces provide you with, and license you for a Browning L9A1, Harry?" Draco thought aloud, looking through the documents. "You accuse me of hiding things, but at least I don't secretly own a semi-automatic weapon. I think it's time to call Finnigan and see if he's found anything."

Draco closed the black case, and then the bag, pulling the zipper closers that had been locked together and pulling them along the length of the zip, closing it up as though it had never been opened. He then pulled the closers back to the center, as it had been when he'd started.

Draco went to phone and called his friend. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk as he waited for Finnigan to answer. "Finnigan!" he said when the other picked up. "It's me again. Have you found anything?"

Finnigan's voice came through. "Malfoy, where did you meet that kid?" he asked. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find as much as I wanted to, but ever since I started digging, I've been having problems. I'm being… watched."

"Is this line secure?" Draco asked.

"Yes, for now their only monitoring out-going calls, but it's best not to take risks. Do you remember Miss Brown's number?"

Draco quickly pressed the 'end' button and looked for a small list of phone numbers. He quickly memorized the one he needed and dialed it.

"Perfect!" Finnigan said when he'd picked up. "Malfoy… Yes, I'm at her house right now. Don't ask. Listen, there's something wrong with that kid you spoke to me about. How did you meet him?"

"It was an accident," Draco replied. "And he was the one who pushed himself looking for me. Why?"

There was silence from the other end for a long moment before the detective spoke. "Okay, this is what I've found out. The boy's parents were James and Lily Potter. They were murdered, Malfoy. The kid was just a baby when it happened. He was at his grandparent's house at the time of the murders, but that's not all. The murderer went after both sets of grandparents. He killed the Evans, who were the mother's parents, of course, and then he killed the Potters too. By the time that happened, the baby was already in his godfather's custody. That man hid the boy for a long time, but when Harry was fifteen, he came home the last day of school and found his godfather dead. The government hid him away that summer. Apparently, the British Armed Forces trained him in something, but I don't know what. He went back to school that September as if nothing had happened. That's all I've found out so far."

"Does that mean you don't know why those people were killed or why Harry needed to be hidden?" Draco asked. "Finnigan, the boy owns a Browning L9A1, which was apparently provided by the Armed Forces."

"Shit, Draco!" Seamus exclaimed, switching to Draco first name in his agitation. "Get rid of that boy! You're in danger if he's some kind of target! Draco, listen to me. I had two men from the Phoenix Secret Service entity in my office interrogating me about this shit! I brought this on myself when I took your case! I had to make up some lie about having met the boy and checking him out because of my natural detective's curiosity, but now they're watching my every move! That kid is being provided with ultra protection for some reason, Draco. Please be careful!"

"Don't worry so much, Seamus," Draco drawled. "I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy. Thanks for your help. Your information is invaluable. Check your bank account in the morning."

"Well," Seamus groused. "After the trouble I've gotten into, I should hope for a nice, hefty amount!" He laughed bitterly. "I think I'll take a vacation and maybe then those Phoenix blokes will leave me in peace. Take care, Malfoy."

"You too," Draco replied. "Sorry for the inconveniences." He hung up the phone and made himself busy placing Harry's bags in front of the entrance.

XxXxX

Harry got home early in the afternoon, bouncing happily, only to find all of his possessions unceremoniously thrown down in front of him as soon as Draco opened the door. Harry blinked at his bags in confusion before looking at Draco. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Go home," Draco said, trying to close the door. Harry stopped it with his hand.

"Why?" Harry asked. "What'd I do?"

"We're through," Draco replied coldly. "I don't want you anymore. Leave."

"W-why?"

"You're immature, pushy, reckless, annoying, a crybaby, a complete nuisance and you suck. Bye, bye." Draco tried again to close the door, but again Harry held it.

"Just like that?" Harry demanded. "Is there something else? A real reason?"

"A real reason?" Draco asked incredulously. "Yes, a very elementary one. I HATE YOU!" With that, Draco pushed Harry back and shut the door in his face.

Harry numbly took his things back to Ron's flat. Ron was very shocked to see Harry bringing his things back, and tried to comfort him when he began to cry. Ron decided to take Harry on a trip to a shopping area to lift his spirits, and they stopped to eat at a small restaurant.

"I still can't believe he dumped me, Ron!" Harry cried. "Just like that!"

"To tell you the truth, Harry," Ron said delicately. "I'd wondered how the two of you lasted this long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked with a raised brow.

Ron uttered a nervous laugh. "Well," he said hesitantly. "You can be a bit… overwhelming at times. But let's change the subject! What do you plan to do now? Cry all night? Get drunk?"

"Getting drunk sounds great to me, Ron," Harry replied sadly. "I just want to forget…" He trailed off as he thought of something. "I've got it!" he exclaimed, causing Ron to jump slightly. "He's angry with me because I've been trying to get him to talk about his past!" Ever since that first time, Harry had continued asking Draco about his life, his childhood, everything. He thought perhaps that Draco had gotten tired of the questions. "I really screwed up, Ron!" he cried. "I must have really infuriated him with all my wheedling!"

"There you have it, then!" Ron said, waving a hand. "Just apologize and voila! Everything will be fine again." He smiled encouragingly at Harry.

"Sure!" Harry enthused, happier now that he'd pinpointed the cause of Draco's bazaar behavior. "That's it! I'll go and apologize and maybe then things can go back to the way they were! Thanks, Ron!" Harry got up ready to go.

"Wait!" Ron cried, standing up hurriedly. "You want a lift? You'll have to take the train if you go alone."

"That's okay, Ron," Harry said dismissively. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll take the train." Harry ran away quickly, missing Ron's last exclamation.

"Harry, wait!" Ron cried after his friend. "You could be recog… nized." Ron scratched his head of long red hair. They had already performed live on several occasions, and they media had announced that their debut single was soon to hit the market. Fans might recognize Harry, but the boy seemed clueless.

Two women stopped Harry when he reached the station. "Hey!" one of them said. "My friend and I have been betting and we want to know. Are you Harry Potter, the singer for Bad Wizards? We saw you in one of your concerts." She sounded very hopeful.

"Oh!" Harry said distractedly. "Yeah. Thanks, but I'm kind of in a hurry. Hope you enjoyed the concert though."

"I knew it was you!" the woman exclaimed happily. "Is it true that you and Draco Malfoy are lovers?"

Harry gasped at the question, but the worst thing was that others had heard the question and reacted to it.

"Draco Malfoy? Where?"

"Oh my God! It's Harry Potter!"

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry suddenly found himself surrounded by a gaggle of women that were trying to touch him. He started running, imagining the women to be evil vampires persecuting him.

He kept running until he was abruptly pulled into a dark corner, the herd of women running passed, not noticing where he'd gone. Harry looked to his rescuer and found a young man wearing a baseball cap and shades.

"You sure are silly if you come out in the open like that," the young man said. "You should always wear a disguise, or maybe just avoid crowded places."

"Who are you?" Harry asked confused.

The young man removed his cap and shades, revealing a handsome black bloke with high cheekbones and dark green, slanted eyes. "It's me," he said.

Harry still looked clueless. "Me, who?"

The man looked annoyed. "BLAISE ZABINI FROM SLYTHERINS, YOU IDIOT!" he shouted. Blaise had made a mistake in his anger and fans immediately started coming towards them.

"Blaise Zabini from Slytherins?"

"Where?"

"Where?"

Zabini grabbed Harry's hand and started to run. They ran as fast as they could until they were out of the station, out of breath and panting. "Come on," Blaise said. "I was just in there to buy some things from one of the shops." He sneered unpleasantly. "I do have a car." He was looking at Harry as though he was a pest, but Harry didn't notice.

During the car trip, Blaise made some calls, speaking in codes so that Harry wouldn't understand what he was talking about. Harry sat obliviously, looking out of the window at the passing scenery. Suddenly, he smiled. "Thanks for helping me out back there," he said, turning toward Blaise. "I didn't know you were actually nice."

"So you did recognize me then?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied, looking back out of the window. "I was just fooling around with you."

Blaise took Harry to his flat, surprising the green-eyed teen. He was then offered copious amounts of alcoholic beverages.

"So," Blaise said, preparing another glass of gin for Harry. "What were you doing at the station anyway?"

"I…" Harry trailed off, lowering eyes reddened by too much alcohol. "Why do things have to go so bad?" he asked with a bitter and broken voice. "Do you think there's something wrong with the way I look? Why wasn't I enough? Would it have been better if I'd been a girl?"

"Draco Malfoy dumped you?" Blaise asked with a smirk as he placed the drink on the table.

"How can you possibly know that?" Harry asked, almost sober now due to the shock of Blaise knowing something like that, although there had been women at the station asking about Draco too.

Blaise shoved a magazine and several newspapers in Harry's face. "These just came out this morning," he said smugly. "Don't you even watch the news?" He laughed.

Harry paled. This had to be why Draco had dumped him. The writer didn't want a blow to his career such as this one. Draco had been protecting his reputation, which could only mean that Draco had viewed Harry as a diversion, a toy. As soon as his fame as a novelist was in danger, Harry had to be disposed of. That wasn't Harry's only problem though; Harry was in deep trouble if he was the subject of media exposure with Tom Riddle out there looking for him. Still, Draco continued to be his main concern. "It can't be," he whispered. "He can't be like that. No…"

Blaise smirked maliciously. "You look so cute all sad like that," he said cruelly. "I want to improve the image, though." He snapped his fingers and five big, dangerous looking men entered the room.

After some time, Harry found himself being taken into a dark and empty alley. He was a little drunk, but not completely smashed. They took him out of the van in which they'd brought him there and one of them punched him in the gut. Harry tried to retaliate, but the five brutes were too much for him and he was easily subdued.

"When you said 'a cute little problem', I thought you meant a pretty girl," one of the men said to Blaise. "He's cute enough, though. He'll do." Blaise laughed when the man licked his lips lasciviously.

The man who'd punched Harry's gut pushed his hand under Harry's lime colored jumper and caressed his lower stomach almost tenderly. "Does it hurt where I punched you," he murmured.

Harry spat at the man and was kicked in his right hip for his trouble.

Blaise approached looking smug. "All you have to do is swear to confess to the media about being involved with Malfoy and break up Bad Wizards, and these gentlemen will leave you alone. That's all I want. Will you comply?"

Harry uttered a bitter little laugh. "I don't care what happens to me," he said through clenched teeth, his voice rough. "But I'll never ruin Mr. Malfoy's reputation because of my own stupidity. I won't speak to the press."

"How noble of you," Blaise commented. "And completely stupid." He punched Harry in the face, but hurt his hand in the process. He hid it behind his back.

The men dragged Harry into what appeared to be an abandoned factory and proceeded to violate the boy in every way they could. Harry could feel, not only his body, but also his soul being torn apart while the men used him and beat to within in an inch of his life. Even so, he wasn't going to ruin Draco's life just to save his own. He refused to betray the man he loved so deeply.

Blaise stood to the side during everything, taking pictures and laughing. "This pictures will make a nice memento," he chuckled.

XxXxX

Ron was sitting on his sofa in his flat, thinking that Harry hadn't come back because he'd mended things with Draco when the phone rang. "Hello?" he asked when he'd picked it up.

A weak and broken voice came through the line. "Ron," it muttered. "Please… come and get me."

"Harry?" Ron asked, alarmed. "You sound awful! Where are you?"

"Do you remember… the abandoned Chinese restaurant?" Harry asked. "The one close to the old factories…"

"I'm on my way," Ron said, hanging up the phone. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest as he went out to the car park. He started toward his favorite vehicle, his motorcycle, before reconsidering. He didn't like the car much, but something was telling him to use it instead. He started it up and drove as fast as he could.

The redhead got out of the car as soon as he spotted his best friend sitting against the wall of the abandoned Chinese restaurant, right next to a phone booth. He ran to Harry and had to hold his emotions in check at Harry's appearance. His clothes were tattered and he was covered in blood, shivering in the night's chilly air. Both of his eyes were black and swollen and his body was covered in lacerations. His head was covered in many lumps and cuts and there was blood matting hair to his face. His jeans had been torn in many unique ways, suggesting what had happened. Ron swallowed thickly before gently lifting his friend from the ground. "You need the hospital," he said.

"No," Harry begged. "Please… just take me home."

"Harry, this is too much to deal with at home!" Ron protested.

"They'll ask too many questions at the hospital," Harry murmured tiredly. "I don't want to talk to anyone. I'll deal with my own wounds."

Ron didn't want to do what Harry was asking of him, but he did anyway. He took Harry to his flat and to his amazement, Harry started to deal with the wounds himself, only asking for Ron's help when he truly needed it.

XxXxX

The same night Harry was attacked, Draco had left his flat just to drive aimlessly. He drove and drove, speeding without realizing it as he was overwhelmed by memories: memories of a blonde teenager who was lively and bouncy, a blonde teenager who had almost fallen for a man and who had given himself completely to that man. The boy was always cheerful when he saw that man; just speaking to the man had made the world seem more beautiful and exciting.

Draco trembled as he continued speeding, trying to forget everything about that man. He also thought of Harry and how he'd had to send the boy away. "It's for his own good!" he told himself angrily, glaring at the road before him. "Nothing good can come of him being with me! I'm not worthy of him!" He kept repeating these things, trying to make himself believe. Eventually, he crashed his car into a wall. He was unscathed, but the front of his car was a total wreck. He carefully got out and stared at the wreckage of what had been a very expensive car, when suddenly he got a very strange feeling. He felt as though the wreckage of his car was being paralleled somewhere else. Had something happened? He ignored the feeling, though, writing it off as the effects of an excessively bad day, and stared up at the night sky. He wanted to scream, but no sound would come from his throat. Eventually, he got back in his damaged car and went home. He'd deal with the damage tomorrow. At least the bloody thing still worked.

XxXxX

In the morning, Ron checked to see that Harry was still sleeping. He'd heard Harry moaning, and sometimes wailing in his sleep because of the pain. The young singer was so bruised that Ron could hardly stand to look at it, but as always, Harry hadn't tried to hide what happened. While Ron helped Harry with his wounds, the childish singer had told Ron everything. They'd stayed up until 2:45a.m, by which time Ron was furious. He drove all the way to Draco Malfoy's home that morning. He didn't have to call, though, because Draco was just coming out as Ron arrived.

"Didn't I tell you not to hurt him?" Ron demanded, his eyes full of hurt and anger. "Didn't I tell you to break things off with him sooner rather than later if you didn't want him? Why did you have to wait so fucking long? Why did you have to wait until he was completely in love with you? He doesn't even care about his own life anymore because of you! He let himself…" He trailed off, almost breaking down before forcing himself to continue. "He was beaten, and he let himself be raped, just to protect your fucking reputation! That fucking Zabini from Slytherins wanted him to destroy his career, and yours, by telling the press all about you! He preferred to let them do what they wanted to him because he couldn't bare the thought of destroying you!" Ron took a deep breath. When he spoke again, it was in a calmer voice. "I don't even know why I'm here when you've already thrown him away," he said, running a hand through his fiery hair. "You probably don't give a damn that he's laying broken in my flat now anyway. After all, you weren't the one listening to him weeping and moaning in pain all night."

Ron turned to leave, feeling drained, when a strong arm grabbed his with so much force, Ron thought his arm might be ripped out of the socket. He turned to find Draco's stormy gray orbs burning with suppressed anger.

"Where do I find this Zabini of Slytherins?" Draco growled.

Ron was completely taken aback, but he was going to tell Malfoy everything.

Thanks to all the people that reviewed! And I understand about how the holidays are over and it's more difficult for some readers to review. My best friend goes through the same. Anyway, thanks!