Disclaimer: I do not own (sadly) any of what you see before for you, Harry potter has never been and will never be any of my property. All that is mine is an OC or two and even those I'm willing to lend out ever so often.

Warning: this is a Slash story, most likely of the HP/DM variety, so if such easily offends you, I suggest that you exit this site immediately. There is also likely to be some course language and explicit violence. A bit of torture here and there and quite possibly sex in the later chapters.

This is why I have rated this story M and not for the tender hearted.

A/N: This is my first published fan fiction so please, be gentle.

Description: The summer of Harry's 6th year, right after the ministry debacle. Harry is coping poorly and an unexpected, and rather beat up, guest doesn't help matters much… until an agreement is met…

Keywords: Harry, Draco, Bonds, 6th year.

Chapter 4

Draco had never been a morning person. In fact, unless he got his morning dose of Pepper Up potion, or the muggle equivalent of caffeine, Draco was dead to the world. This morning, he bodily threw himself out of bed, barely glancing at the human shaped lump by the dumpy looking desk. Stumbling out the bedroom, he made his way across the hall and into the bathroom to relieve himself. He trudged over to the sink, after flushing, and ran the water as cold as he could get it. Sticking his head into the stream and the half-full basin, he felt himself wake up some. Of course, this was also when the memories of the past few days came rushing back, last night especially.

He pulled his head out, sputtering. He stared at his reflection again. This time his brain registered the pale scar running down his face. Movement outside snapped him out of his reverie and reminded him of his temporary roommate.

"Potter," he whispered. Ignoring the water that was running down his back and chest in droplets, he walked into the hall to move towards Potter's room. There were some questions he needed answering, he was sure Potter had some of his own and Draco didn't think that he would be brave enough to answer them later.

Now that plan would have worked out great if the thing resembling a small whale had not chosen that particular moment to trudge down the hall. The two blondes stared at each other for a moment, both eyes widening, both wondering whom the other was. Whale boy, amazingly, was the first to recover himself and the first thing he did was scream… for his mother. /And he is how old? It is a 'he' isn't it? / Draco thought as he heard a crash and rushing feet from the far bedroom. A woman, bearing a striking resemblance to a horse, burst from the room.

"Duddykins!" /Duddykins? / " What's wrong? What can mummy fix?" She kept rambling on until her eyes lit upon Draco. /How in all the hells did she breed that/ She let out another yell, this time for someone named Vernon, and another person came crashing out of the bedroom. / Oh, that's how. Wow, that must have hurt. I wonder how she didn't get crushed? Maybe they adopted? Nah, too much resemblance between the two whales. / He thought idly as Vernon started to bellow at him while trying, without success, to hide his wife and son behind his own generous mass.

"Well this has been fascinating," he said, completely ignoring whatever it was that Vernon had been saying, "but as you can see, I have pressing matters to attend to elsewhere… away from you." This said, he rushed off to Potter's room, slamming the door behind him.

"Well that's one way to wake up." He mused ruefully to himself as he slid down the door to the floor. A snort from the side of the room made his head snap up. There was Potter, dressed as he had been last night in only baggy black jeans, belted tightly to his waist, and still shirtless. His feet were up on the rickety desk and the chair tipped back. His arms were behind his head, exposing his finely toned chest and abdomen to the sunlight filtering through the window. Draco had a hard time focusing on Potter's words.

"Have a fun time meeting the relatives?" Potter's face turned towards him.

"You are related to them? How in all the bloody hells did you turn out so good then?" Potter raised an eyebrow at this causing Draco to go for a random save tactic. Diversion. "I mean, come on! Who in their right minds would name their kid 'Duddykins'? It just screams 'Here I am! Kick my arse so I can go flounce about crying for my mummy!' which he did by the way." He pointed a finger at the now grinning Potter.

"His name is Dudley." He said, slipping off his chair and walking over to Draco. He held out a hand to help him up. Draco stared at him for a moment, a distinct Dejavu hitting him, before throwing caution to the wind.

"Not much better now is it?" he returned as he slipped his hand into Potter's and was hauled to his feet. "Shamu fits so much better, don't you think?" he looked up into Potter's face. / When had he gotten so tall? / A hollow bark of laughter came from Potter as he released Draco's hand.

"Where did you-" He was cut off by a loud banging on his door. "Get on the bed, quick." He hissed, glancing at the door with a not-so-nice look in his eyes. "Pretend to be lounging, and do not react to anything he might say." Draco nodded dumbly as Potter gave him a little shove in the right direction.

Draco slipped onto the bed with his back against the wall and his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. One arm was behind his head and the other was draped across his still bare abdomen. He slipped on his practiced mask of indifference but added an air of indignation at being interrupted. Potter looked at him appraisingly for a minute, his uncle still bellowing outside, and then grinned evilly. He quickly went to Draco and mussed up his saturated hair and undid Draco's pants, all before he could react.

"Just go with it, and watch his face, it's hilarious." Potter muttered as he walked slowly to the door, ruffling his own hair and rubbing his mouth vigorously.

On the outside, Draco was as calm and indifferent as ever as Potter opened the door. He even glared indignantly at Vernon when his puffed up purple face appeared. Inside his head, however, he was screaming / I'm NOT GAY/ while steadfastly ignoring the little voice in the back of his head going / Considering last night, are you quite sure about that/

Draco did, however, watch Vernon's face as he took in the scene before him. It was indeed quite amusing and a smirk slipped though his mask. He had not known that a person's could go so many colors without the aid of magic.

So caught up in his own musings, Draco missed most of the one sided conversation between Potter and Vernon. He jumped when Vernon grabbed Potter by the back of his neck and dragged him from the room. Partially doing up his pants, Draco rushed after them, catching up in the midst of a heated argument in the downstairs living room.

"I warned you boy," Vernon's red face was scant inches away from Potter's, "I told you to keep that… that… fagotry out of this house! I will not have you infecting my son with any of your unnaturalness."

Draco had never known Potter to back down from a fight and now was no different.

" 'Infect' him with my 'unnaturalness'? How naive can you be? You don't actually think that he is really coming in from tea with friends at two in the morning, do you? Fools." His voice was dripping with revulsion. / He really has been spending too much time with Snape. He even has the glare down. / thought Draco.

Smack "I will not have you speaking of my-" the rest was lost to the gurgles now coming from Vernon. Draco was only mildly alarmed to find himself in the possession of a table lamp with its cord wrapped securely around the big mans neck. Draco himself was leaning away from the man with his right knee pressing firmly between the man's shoulder blades. Potter was staring at Draco in surprise, seemingly unfazed by the large red mark blooming on his face.

"I swear that if you so much as look at Potter in any way that I deem as less than friendly, I will gut you like the pig you are." His voice was low and steeped in malice. Turning his gaze away from the gasping man slowly collapsing beneath him, he looked into Potter's intense green eyes. "Do we have an understanding, Filth?"

At the slow nod beneath him, he released the lamp, letting it crash to the floor. The man fell, gasping, and Draco just held Potter's gaze.

"I'll be over there if you need me," he motioned to the hallway. Potter, for his part, just nodded. He looked, except for the great red mark on his face, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Slipping out the door, he listened to the conversation inside while leaning against the wall. /God, I need to throw up. /

/ Well that was unexpected. / Harry thought to himself as Malfoy slipped out the door. Turning back to his uncle, he waited until the man had regained enough of himself to stand.

"That was not a very smart thing to do uncle dearest," he said sarcastically. His tone was cold, detached as if he was unmoved by the scene that had occurred before him. Truthfully, it only brought up more questions. "You see, my blond companion that you were just, rather abruptly, introduced to attends the same school as I do," Vernon visibly paled at this, "It would seem that you caught him in a good mood. He is not usually so forgiving. That is, most likely, due to last nights, and this mornings, activities." Harry swore that he could hear a strangled cough from the hallway. He allowed himself a self-satisfied smirk.

"Get out," came the raspy voice from the shaking man.

Harry chuckled darkly. It was a hollow sound, full of despair to anyone who listened closely. "Do you actually believe that that decision is up to you? Surely even one of your limited capacities would have realized that is not the case by now." / Bloody hell. That's it. No more lessons with Snape. I need my own sleep patterns back. /

"I don't care," Vernon rasped out, "I want you out!" Vernon had, by this time, sat himself in the large recliner facing Harry.

Harry tsked at him, moving forwards, "I don't think you fully understand me. I'm being hunted Uncle dearest, by a man that wants to kill me, -"

"So let him kill you!" his uncle half bellowed, half rasped.

"-and anything related to me," Harry continued, "The only reason he hasn't found me here yet is the wards. The wards stay as long as I am still welcome in this house by she who shares the blood of my mother."

"Petunia." Vernon whispered

"Correct," Harry placed his hands on the armrests and brought his face down to Vernon's level, "Those wards fall and they find me, find this house, and destroy everything in it. You will not be spared for your lack of love for me. You are, in fact, the embodiment of every thing they hate. All those times you yelled at me, beat me, shoved me into that hole of a closet, starved me, you just reinforced their beliefs. I understand them, thanks to you, and I have seen what they will do to you with their magic," He stressed the last word as he stared at the visibly shaken man in disgust, "If I stay welcome, you stay safe. It is as simple as that. Understood?"

Vernon nodded hastily. He looked as if he were about to cry. / Pathetic. /

"Now you listen to me," Harry said icily, straitening and fixing his uncle with a glare, "I have no intention of staying here another night. I can stand you even less than you can stand me. I will only return when I am desperate for a place to hide and to reinforce the wards to keep you safe. Do not mistake this for a misguided act of compassion. I loathe you all. This is merely for my convenience," Harry turned to face the door to the hallway, "Tell no one of this. Those that have been teaching me will ask questions but they can do nothing to you. They are merely tools, pawns, for the man who will lose this war by his follies. Much like I was once," He glanced back at Vernon, "They will leave. Eventually. All you have to do is tell them that you don't know what happened. Is that clear enough for you?"

With a hasty nod from his uncle, Harry swept out of the room. If he had been wearing a cloak, its billowing would have rivaled Snape's.

Back in his room, Harry was busy gearing himself and packing all of his meager belongings into his trunk. Draco, for his part was staring at him with a horrified expression.

"You're leaving? After all I went though to find you?" Malfoy was looking at him as if he had just bitten the head off a live house elf, "You're actually leaving the one place that will hide your magical signature, allowing you to hide? What in the bloody hells is wrong with you?"

All in all, Harry was getting rather annoyed as the blonde's rant continued. / Does this boy ever shut up/ A twitch had formed bellow his right eye when he found that he had had quite enough.

"Malfoy!" Harry snapped, cutting through whatever inane insults Draco had been spewing. Harry continued slowly, trying very hard to keep his anger and daggers where they belonged, "Shut up. I know full well what I'm getting into and I don't need this bloody house to keep my magical signature masked. As for something wrong with me, there are many, too many to count. Now get dressed and packed otherwise it's all getting left behind."

"What? I'm going with you?"

"Yes Malfoy. There are too many questions that need answering. By you. Now get moving or you'll be going the rest of the day shirtless." His voice was so monotone that it was obvious that he was serious.

Twenty minutes later found the pair trudging down Privet Dr. towards town. "So…um… Potter. Where are we going?" Draco asked tentatively.

"I have a few errands to run then we will be going to a friends to stay for a few nights." He pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one.

"Potter, what are those?" he was staring at the smoking tube in his mouth.

Harry rolled his eyes, "This is a cigarette. It really serves no purpose but I enjoy it."

"Well… what does it do?"

"It doesn't actually do anything. You just put it in your mouth and inhale." He handed the stick over to the blonde, who was curious despite the fact that said stick had just been in Potter's mouth. Mimicking what he had seen Harry do; Draco placed it to his lips and inhaled. It was pleasant for a moment until the fit of coughing took him over. A chuckling Harry Potter rubbed his back until he regained some of his composure.

"You actually like these sticks of death?"

"You get used to them after a while. Notice I didn't cough? Any side affects don't bother me because of the medical training Pomphrey gave me this summer."

"Side affects?"

"Yup, smoking too much can cause cancer and damage your lungs. It says so on the box."

"And you do this for fun." Draco gave Harry as look that said I-Always-Knew-You-Were-Crazy.

"Use what little inbred brains you have Malfoy. We are wizards. I heal myself regularly of whatever damages they may cause."

"Inbred!" Draco sounded so scandalized that Harry gave a little hollow chuckle. "Look Potter, I came to you for help. Not to be ridiculed and insulted. I may not like my family but I will have you know that my lineage is pure."

"Ah yes, the ideals of the pure bloods. Marry as distant a cousin as you can to keep up the facade of a pure line. Tell me Malfoy, what will happen when your sister is also your fourth cousin and your niece?"

"That's disgusting Potter, and stop channeling Snape. It's unnerving." Draco allowed himself a little shudder, earning another dry chuckle from Potter.

They were moving into a more populated area of the town. There were a few stores lining the street and fewer houses.

"First stop, clothing." Harry said as he walked up to a dark looking shop that, in Draco's opinion, would have fit in Knockturn alley.

"You going shopping at a time like this? Where will you get the money?" Draco said as a faint chime announced their entrance through the door.

"Didn't you know Malfoy? I'm rich. And I need a special type of clothing for the things I have planned," he pulled out a wallet on the end of a chain. "Gringotts set this up for me. One pouch for wizarding money, one for muggle. I never have to go there physically unless something happens." He said absently as he began to browse the rather morbidly dull looking cloths about him.

"Pick out a few things Malfoy. We cant have you prancing about in the buff now can we?" With that, Harry walked off to find himself a new wardrobe, leaving a blushing, gape mouthed Draco to fend for himself.

"Can I help you?" a soft voice asked from Harry's right. A small girl with dyed red hair with purple streaks stood there. She reminded him of what he used to think vampires looked like with her black dress with webbed sleeves and pale skin. Her dress was cut short and her strapped boots almost made it to her knees. Her face was clear of any makeup or peircings, making her pale blue eyes seem to glow. All in all, she pulled it off quite nicely.

"Ah… yes. I need a new wardrobe, a good coat, and accessories would be great too. Also, my rather blond, disheveled friend over there will need help from one of your colleagues. Make sure that they tell him that it is either this or he goes nude. He can be one snarky bastard at times." She nodded solemnly and disappeared behind a door that said 'Employees Only'. A few seconds later she reappeared with a few bundles in hand saying that everything was taken care of.

Seconds later he heard Draco complaining loudly. "Lets get started shall we?" he asked the girl, whom he would latter find out was named Catharine.

After trying on a number of different pants and shirts, putting some aside for purchase, Harry had quite an extensive wardrobe. He had some baggy jean pants as well as some fitted ones. Rin had even convinced him to buy a pair of leather pants. The shirts covered all the ranges. He had some long sleeve, baggy, tight fitting, button ups, dress shirts, muscle shirts, and some he couldn't even put into a category. Most everything he picked out was black, though some of the shirts were white, dark green, blood red or silver.

Now he was wearing a dark green muscle shirt, which clung to his torso and abs, and baggy black jeans with a silver embroidered dragon crawling up his left leg. Rin had already rung them up so he would be wearing them out of the store.

She had said nothing when she noticed him put his arsenal in the corner of his change room and cover it with some rejected clothing. She had given him quite and appreciative look when he walked out without a shirt.

"Are you sure your Gay?" she asked quietly. She did everything quietly. Harry had just chuckled darkly, making her shiver.

"Don't allow the blond over there hear you say that. I'm sure that he would have a few choicewords to say about it." She had smirked at that and he did nothing to correct what she was assuming. It would save future embarrassment… for him at least.

At the present moment, Rin was standing before, holding out a leather bundle with a variety of rings, chokers, chains, bands and other trinkets atop of it. He sifted through the pile, disregarding some things and trying on others. He settled on two thick rings, one hematite and one silver, for his thumb and middle finger on either hand, a black choker, silver chain, and black, silver and green hair ties for his hair. That done he turned his attention to the bundle.

"I thought that this would suit you best. Trench coats hide a great many things." Rin said quietly as he slipped it on. "It is as soft as lambskin but it is more durable, less likely to rip or wear." It flowed down him like water and was only slightly heavy. She was right about it hiding things well. The way it moved would adjust to anything in his arsenal.

He slipped it off and handed it to her. "I'll take it." She nodded and went to ring it up with all the rest. Harry went to the change room and donned his weapons yet again. Pin was waiting for him when he exited, holding out his trench. He smiled his thanks and slipped it on again. Now only she would know about his weapons and he was grateful for that. She waited until he settled his clothing then handed him a slip of paper.

"My cell phone number. If you need anything, I have access to more than just cloths."

"I assumed that there was a reason why you didn't react to my… fashion choices."

"I don't know why you carry so much but it is most likely due to the war." His eyes widening was the only sign of his surprise. "My brother was a wizard. He chose a side and died for it. What side did you chose Mr.…?" he had never actually given his name during the hours he had been shopping.

"Potter. And I thing you know my side." He blessed her silently for her ability to hide most of her emotions.

" I think you have a side onto your own. Your blond partner seems to be getting restless. It may be a good time to go pay." Draco was indeed getting restless.

He was standing a the counter with the various bags, 4 for Harry, 3 for Draco, in a clean white button up dress shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was combed in such a way as to hide his scared eye. The strapped ankle high boots finished the picture. His arms were crossed and one booted foot was tapping the ground. Said foot stopped the moment he caught site of Harry and Harry similarly stopped moving when he say Draco.

Harry had never seen Draco in muggle cloths and had to say that they suited him well. / Give the boy an eyebrow ring and a few in the ears and he will have to beat men and women off with a stick. /

Draco's mental reaction was a bit less accepting than Harry's. / When has Potter ever looked that good? Not that I'm gay or anything. But Damn! He has got that whole dark, broody, dangerous thing going on. That does not make me gay. Everyone else in this god-forsaken store is eye humping him… and me for that matter, but that's understandable. Wait… what was that?…NO! I'm not gay! Obey me my body, obey! I command you to stay down! Not gay, not gay, not gay, not gay. Crap he's coming over. Think bad thoughts…wrong kind of bad! Think Snape… dancing… in a thong (urg)… with Lucius. Okay that helped. Oh good, he's paying. I wonder if we will stop and eat soon. /

A/N: and thats another chapter done! i have a new beta for this story. my veryamusingfriend name ED. then next ferw chapters will still be posted here but after a while im only going to be posting on the site you will find on my profile.

hope you enjoyed it!

Reviews

Firefairy42: glad you liked it.

Cithara: thank you for being my beta for my other story but Ed has dibs on this one.

Asaake: just because there is a new book out does not mean my inagination shut down. there shall be many more shapters to come.

Oliver1234: Wait no longer!

Sadious: dont make me hurt you sam. i may be living 4 hours away but i can still kick you ass when i come to visit... which is soon by the way. home wreaker.