Title: Stand By

Author: Danea

Previously published under another pen name at a separate site

Summary: After the events of the TriWizard Tournament, Harry finds himself depressed and terribly lonely. Even his closest friends can't see what's wrong. A chance encounter over Winter Break with one of his greatest rivals (no, not Voldermort or Snape) leads Harry down a path he certainly never expected. Rated M for language, mention of abuse/rape (non-descript), slight AU.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I am American, therefore any misuse of British slang is simply ignorance.
Author's Notes: As always, thank you for the reviews!

Harry lingered over his dinner that evening, hoping to put off his meeting with Draco as long as possible. All day, his headache had been steadily getting worse, to the point where he wanted nothing more than to sleep through the rest of the pain. But he had a feeling Draco would be less than sympathetic, and Harry didn't dare risk breaking their agreement. The other boy had been leaving the hall just as Harry sat down, which meant he was surely waiting impatiently in the library.

Still moving with a heavy reluctance, Harry pushed himself up from the bench, doing his best to ignore the spike of pain that made his eyes water slightly as he moved into a standing position. He only hoped that Draco's homework assignment was a simple one, because otherwise Harry doubted he could focus enough to get the other boy the grade he expected.

Even the walk to the library was pure torture, each step seeming to compound the blinding pain. Harry grit his teeth, resolutely putting one foot in front of the other. Maybe he could convince Draco to just give him the assignment and then let him go back to the dorm to complete it. That way Harry could at least lay down for a bit before giving it a go.

As soon as he entered the library, Harry caught sight of Draco sitting at a table, an array of books and papers already spread out before him. Surprisingly, he didn't look impatient at all. In fact, he seemed to engrossed with whatever he was doing to have even noticed Harry's lateness. He glanced up briefly as Harry plopped into the seat across from him, but Draco quickly returned to his reading, not saying a word.

Harry took the opportunity to rest his eyes, leaning his head into his hands so he could massage his scalp. It was a small help, but the relief was more than Harry had enjoyed all day. The reprieve was brief, however, as Draco set down his book and turned his focus to Harry.

"Finally decided to show up, Potter?" Draco sneered.

"I was enjoying the roast," Harry replied dully.

"Yes, well, while you were dawdling in the Great Hall, I decided I didn't want to waste my time having you do my DADA homework tonight. Homework can wait." The smile Draco flashed Harry was none to reassuring. "I think I'd rather get started on the other part of our bargain."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked warily.

"I've got some spells I need to work on. And I need a test subject."

The words took only a second for Harry to process before he was quickly on his feet, backing away from the table. "Hell no, Malfoy!" Harry cried. "No way! I'm not going to put myself at your mercy!" Harry shook his hands wildly, as if he could disperse the very idea with the movement.

The look Draco leveled at Harry was both dark and threatening. "I don't recall giving you any sort of choice in the matter, Potter. It seems to me that we had a deal, did we not? And you agreed to help me with my extra-curricular activities. This happens to be one of them."

Harry paused, thinking over the situation. He knew Draco wouldn't hesitate to share Sirius' secret with the world, something Harry could not afford to have happen. But he'd be insane to agree to let Draco cast unknown spells on him. Who know what Malfoy Senior had been teaching his son?

"Do you think I'm bonkers? I would never have agreed if I'd known you meant to curse me! There is no way!" Harry shook his head vigorously, ignoring the resulting spikes of pain. "Malfoy, I'll do your homework, make a fool of myself, anything else you want...but I won't do that!"

Draco looked entirely unimpressed by Harry's rant. He gracefully folded his arms across his chest, pursing his thin lips in a show of impatience. "Look, Potter, we both know you'd do anything to save the convict. And I'm not budging on the one. So save us both time, and just get over it," Malfoy sneered.

"But...uh..." Harry trailed off, at a loss for an argument to fight back. "How do I know you won't try some awful spell out on me?"

"Oh, please, Potter." Draco rolled his eyes, seeming to lose what little patience he still retained. "If I wanted to kill or maim you, wouldn't I just do it? Why would I ask your permission first? Look, we'll stay close by. And if it will make you feel better, we can even let Dumbledore know that we are studying together, so that if you should mysteriously die, he'll know who to come to," Draco offered.

Between the argument and Harry's pre-existing headache, he was more than ready to drop the whole subject and give his head a rest. "Fine! Whatever, Malfoy!" Harry cried, putting up his hands in a sign of resignation.

"Good," Draco said, a satisfied smirk curving his lips. "Why don't we exit to a more fitting location?" He rose, not waiting to see if Harry followed as he gathered up his books and left the library. Harry trailed after him, moving with a slow dread. Though he had agreed to Draco's arrangements, he was still not looking forward to the experience.

The empty classroom Draco chose was just down the main hallway from the library, hardly out of the way. Harry had expected to find himself lost somewhere in the dungeons, typical Slytherin stomping grounds. But Draco seemed to be sticking to his promise of remaining close to the other castle occupants. However, Harry didn't miss the number of silencing spells Draco cast on the room before locking the door.

"Have a seat, Potter," Draco said, gesturing towards a dust covered desk. "I'll just be a moment." The blonde boy started to idly flip through a book, seeming to consider certain pages before going on, until he'd reached the end of the book. He picked up another, repeating the process before finally coming to a stop on a page, a wicked looking smile crossing his face.

"Malfoy, wait, I'm not so sure about this," Harry started, watching Draco's wand hand warily.

"Would you knock it off?" Draco growled. "You are starting to annoy me." He raised his wand quickly, leveling it at Harry.

Harry never heard a spell, but he was suddenly hit by a blinding, white-hot pain, centered at his scar. He heard himself whimper as he fell to his knees, clutching his hands over the scar in agony. The skin beneath his hands felt hot and raw.

"Stop!" Harry cried, blind with pain, but desperately trying to seek out Draco for some relief. The pain was now unbearable, and Harry felt himself clawing at the flesh as if he could tear the pain free.

Hands gripped his wrist, pulling them away from Harry's head and tucking them against his chest. Draco kneeled beside him, trying to keep him from inflicting any more damage on his sensitive skin. He didn't know what else he could do for Harry, though. Whatever was happening wasn't the result of a spell or curse; Draco hadn't had time to cast one before Harry had collapsed in pain.

"Potter, what the hell is going on?" Draco asked wildly, panic evident in his voice.

"I think...scar!" Harry managed through gritted teeth. Indeed, his scar looked like a fresh wound, raised and bloody where the skin had split. Tiny droplets of blood slid along Harry's nose and down his cheek, giving the oddest impression that he was crying tears of blood.

Draco tried to calm himself, thinking over the situation. He knew he had to get Potter some sort of help, but with the way he was thrashing, it was too dangerous to try and carry him anywhere. However, Draco also didn't want to try and explain why Harry was in an abandoned classroom, surrounded by a number of dark magic books checked out to Draco himself.

"Look, Potter, I'm going to put you in a body-bind. It won't do a thing for the pain, but I'll be able to move you," Draco explained quickly, already raising his wand. Harry didn't protest, but the look he turned to Draco as the spell was cast spoke volumes as to his discomfort with the situation.

As soon as Harry was still, Draco wasted no time in getting help. With the other boy slung awkwardly over his shoulder, Draco ran as best he could towards the closest place he could think to go; Dumbledore's office. However, before he'd gotten more than a few steps, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Draco, what's going on?" Snape asked, giving the strange situation a once over. "What have you done?" The man's brow furrowed in concern.

"I didn't do anything! I think it's his scar...he was screaming bloody murder!" Draco cried in reply, lowering his burden to the ground so Snape could better understand Harry's problem. Snape frowned as he caught sight of the blood trickling from the scar, now frozen midway down Harry's cheek.

"Damn," Snape swore. "Draco, I need you to go get Headmaster Dumbledore. I'll take Potter to the infirmary. But speak of this to no one else, except Dumbledore! Do you understand?" Snape asked, his gaze fixed intensely on Draco.

"Of course!" Draco replied, a bit of indignation creeping into his voice. "I haven't told anyone about his bloody visions yet, have I?"

This remark earned him a dark look from his godfather. "Just go, Draco," Snape sneered.

Draco hurried through the halls, thankful that he met no one along the way. Stopping before the entrance, he considered the stone gargoyle with growing dread. Snape hadn't given him the password, and Dumbledore's office was clearly locked.

"Um, lemon drop?" he guessed. There was no movement. Draco racked his brain for another candy, silently cursing the Headmaster for choosing such dumb passwords. "Chocolate frogs?" he tried. Again, the statue was still. Frustrated, Draco slammed his hands against the stone, crying, "How the hell should I know? Come on! Peppermint sticks! Bloody lollipops! I don't know!"

Just as Draco was about to launch into a barrage of swear words which he was quite sure had nothing to do with the password, Dumbledore voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting him mid-swear. "Mr. Malfoy, is there something I can help you with tonight?" Dumbledore asked genially.

"Professor Snape asked me to come get you, sir," Draco began, slightly out of breath from his outburst. "He's in the infirmary."

"Is he hurt?" Dumbledore cut in quickly, a hint of fear hiding the usual twinkle in his eyes. "Has something happened?"

"No, sir, it's not him," Draco began. "It's Harry Potter."

Draco watched in fascination as Dumbledore went from relieved to horrified, all in the matter of the few seconds it had taken to say the name Harry Potter. "Thank you for coming to find me, Mr. Malfoy. You may return to what you were doing," Dumbledore said. He didn't wait for a reply from Draco before he headed for the infirmary. Draco watched him go, debating whether to follow him or not, but finally deciding against it. After all, it was no concern of his what happened to Harry Potter.