Harry was in the common room with Ron and Seamus, playing Wizard's Chess, enjoying a night of no homework. He had just been beat by Ron and slid out of his seat for Seamus to take his place when he felt the heat in his pocket. It took him a second to work out what it was before he realised and his eyes widened. He made an excuse to nip upstairs, pulling the galleon out. There was no message, which could be bad news. He yanked out his map and found Draco's unmoving dot in an empty classroom.
He picked up his bag with his cloak and walked as casually as he could out of the Common Room, telling Ron and Seamus he was going to the kitchens for snacks, which they whole-heartedly encouraged, and stepped out the portrait hole, immediately breaking into a run.
He burst through the classroom door and found Malfoy slumped against the wall, his belt lying at his arm, a needle lying beside him, the galleon held loosely in his limp hand.
"Fuck, Malfoy" Harry whispered, quickly checking for a pulse, as the door burst open again and Hermione ran in.
"I followed you down here, is he alive?" she asked worriedly.
"There's a pulse" Harry said shakily, exhaling in relief.
"Why couldn't he have pressed the galleon first, why did he take it?" Harry shook his head.
"I think he must have regretted it the second he did it" Hermione said sadly.
"What do we do now?" Harry asked her.
"We need to take him somewhere safe to sleep, and watch over him tonight" Hermione said.
"The Room of Requirement works well" Harry said and Hermione nodded.
"I'll levitate him there under my cloak, then can you take a quick watch while I go to the kitchens? I don't want the others getting suspicious" Harry said. Hermione nodded again and they followed that plan. Harry getting back as quickly as he could afterwards and joining Hermione again.
They had lain Draco on his side again, doing what Harry had done the first time and stuffing pillows behind him so he couldn't roll backwards.
Harry sat with Hermione in the seats beside the bed and sighed, running his hand back through his hair.
"This is harder than I thought it would be" Harry admitted. "I didn't realise there'd be so many setbacks"
Hermione bit her lip. "I really think he'd be better in a facility that can watch over him all the time. He needs proper attention and medication to help him stay off it"
Harry sighed, feeling like he had let Malfoy down. Even though he and the blonde weren't friends, he felt responsible for him, had fully invested in getting him recovered. "If we do that he'd be expelled" he whispered.
"If we don't he might die" Hermione replied gently.
Harry knew she was right, but he still didn't want to be responsible for ruining Malfoy's future.
"There's a reason behind all of this, I'm sure of it" Harry said desperately. "If I just knew what it was..."
"There might have been one in the beginning Harry, but now he's started, the addiction is enough on it's own to keep pulling him back"
"But if I could get him away from whatever triggers it, if I could just find a way to be there all the time -"
"You've offered to support him Harry, not be his round-the-clock doctor, it's not possible!"
"I just wish he'd talk to me, trust me with whatever is going on!"
"It's understandable that he has trust issues, he needs real therapy for that"
"I know Hermione, I just -" Harry gestured helplessly.
"I know Harry" Hermione replied sadly.
"I'm going to stay here tonight, and talk to him in the morning. Is there anything I can give him in the morning?"
"I did bring a couple of potions in case he had taken something" Hermione said, pulling out two potions. "One is for the morning, it should get some it out his system, though he will be sick with it. The other he should take afterwards as a painkiller and will replace some nutrients"
"Thanks Hermione, you're the best" Harry said gratefully.
Hermione took the first shift and let Harry sleep for a few hours, then Harry took over and Hermione went back to the dorms and Harry watched over Draco into the morning when he finally gained consciousness around 7am. He stirred blearily and opened his eyes, looking around the room for a second before focusing on Harry. He stared at him in surprised confusion for a second before his face fell into shame and guilt, covering his face with his hands and turning to lie on his front, burying his face into the pillow to cover the vulnerability.
Harry walked over, taking a second to shake out his numb legs, and sat down on the bed, making sure to keep a safe distance so Malfoy wouldn't panic.
"How are you feeling?" Harry asked gently.
The blonde just shook his head against the pillow, and Harry noticed he was shaking, his shoulders heaving a little, and Harry knew he was crying. It killed him to know how much the Slytherin wanted to quit, to see him tear himself apart like this.
"I've got a couple of potions for you to take, to help get it out of your system, and then we need to talk" Harry said softly. "I've put the first one beside you, take the whole thing when you're ready, it will make you sick but that's good, and then I'll give you the second one to make you feel better okay? I'll give you a few minutes"
Harry walked over to the chair that faced away from Malfoy to give him the privacy to go to the bathroom without Harry having to see his teary face.
After a few minutes there was shuffling, and he heard Draco go to the bathroom, take the potion, and start throwing up.
Harry took the other potion and walked through to the bathroom, using his wand to clean up the mess as Malfoy lay back against the wall, breathing hard and shivering. Without thinking, Harry squatted down and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Malfoy to flinch away violently.
"Shit sorry" Harry said apologetically, withdrawing his hand quickly. "Here, take this, it should make you feel a bit better" he handed over the second potion.
With a trembling hand, Draco took it from Harry, avoiding his eyes, and downed it in one, leaning back against the wall and shutting his eyes as the pain in his head and abdomen faded a little to a dull ache.
Harry filled a glass with water and put it beside him. "Come and talk to me when you're ready" he told Draco, then went and sat in his usual armchair.
While he waited, he thought about what Hermione said, that he needed a real facility to treat him, give him round-the-clock attention. Maybe that was best. Harry hated to feel like he was failing him, and didn't want to be responsible for him getting expelled, and part of him would miss the blonde. Hogwarts would be empty without the constant drama that Draco brought to his life. He ran a hand over his face. But Draco's health was the most important thing here, he needed to put that first.
After a little while, Draco eventually peeled himself away from the bathroom floor and came through, sitting in front of Harry on his own chair and wrapping his arms around himself. He looked devastated.
"Malfoy" Harry began carefully. "I think you should go to rehab". Draco's head shot up at that, looking at Harry with piercing silver eyes, panic settling in. His hands moved to grip the side of the armchair as though if he kept holding on to it, nobody would be able to take him away.
"No, Potter please, I'm sorry, I'm trying, I'm trying so hard I promise, it won't happen again, it won't, please give me another chance!" his eyes pleaded with him and Harry felt an uncomfortable knot in his stomach as he looked back into the large, pleading, silver eyes.
"You need to be looked after, by people who can be there 24/7, who can ensure you aren't getting drugs" Harry told him, trying to ignore the twist of guilt in his gut. "I just can't do that for you"
Draco's face crumpled. "Please" he whispered, gripping the arms of the chair tighter. "I know I can do this. Please!"
"You don't tell me the truth Malfoy, you haven't talked to me honestly, and I can't force you to, but you won't get better if you can't be honest. I'm glad you used the galleon yesterday but you'd already taken the heroin, how am I meant to help you?"
Draco's eyes flickered and Harry could tell he was weighing up his fears of telling the truth, against his fears of being expelled. He swallowed hard.
"I'll - I'll tell you, anything you want to know, just please don't give up on me yet" he begged. You need to save me, I need you to save me, he thought.
Harry bit his lip, weighing it up. One last chance, he decided. If he can tell me the truth then maybe I can figure out how to help him properly.
He nodded slowly. "Okay, but you need to be honest with me" Harry told him seriously. "I can't help you if I'm in the dark about everything"
Draco nodded, still looking nervous, but some of the tension dropped from his shoulders and his hands let go of the arms of the chair, wrapping back around his chest.
"What happened yesterday?" Harry asked him.
Draco felt his throat tighten. It was one thing to say he'd be honest, it was another entirely to actually be honest. He hesitated for too long and Harry sighed in frustration. Draco felt guilty and ashamed.
"Fine" Harry gritted out. "Where did you get the heroin?"
Draco sank deeper into the chair. He couldn't answer it, he couldn't tell him that another Gryffindor, the son of an important Ministry member, had given it to him. He didn't know what Harry would do. Would he call him a liar? Protect McLaggen? Or would he go after McLaggen, try to punish Cormac and his father? And then Mr McLaggen would call Draco a liar, and Lucius would... No, both were risks he couldn't take. He didn't reply.
Harry growled in obvious anger. "Okay Malfoy, at least tell me why it is that you won't talk to me, what is it that you're scared of?"
Draco looked up at him, he needed to be truthful, if he wanted to stay out of rehab and keep his father from learning the truth.
"I'm scared of how you'll react" he said shakily. "Because I don't know what you'll do or who you'll be angry at, and if you'll turn against me, or fight for me and I can't risk either of those"
Harry felt his anger dissipate into confusion. "Why would me fighting for you be a risk?" he asked.
"Because" Draco started, his body trembling, his voice weak. "I made a deal to not talk about something, in exchange for someone also not talking about it and not telling anyone that I'm a - a drug addict. And I'm scared that telling you will put those secrets at risk"
Harry stared at him for a minute, trying to get his head around it all.
"Why would you think I might turn against you then?"
"Because of who the person is" Draco replied anxiously.
"They're a friend of mine?" Harry asked, bewildered.
Draco thought for a few seconds to if he'd ever seen them as friends. "I don't think so in particular, but..." Draco trailed off.
But they're also a Gryffindor that cornered you in the courtyard and threatened you with exposing your addiction and blackmailed you into quitting Quidditch, Harry realised.
"McLaggen" Harry said, staring at Draco.
Draco's head whipped up and he met Harry's eyes with fear. "W-what? I didn't say -"
"You didn't have to" Harry sighed. "You've been fighting non-stop this year, even though you've practically never spoken before, and he threatened you in the courtyard... Just like I did" Harry said guiltily. "And I think he blackmailed you into quitting Quidditch as well" Harry guessed.
Draco just stared at him in shock, then began to panic.
"You can't tell anyone any of that!" Draco exclaimed.
"Whoa" Harry held his hands up in surrender. "It's okay Malfoy. Listen, I won't do anything about it that you don't also agree to okay? How about that? Well I mean I'll keep you away from each other as much as I can, but I won't mention any of this to him"
Draco nodded slowly in agreement.
"What's the secret you both have?" Harry asked him.
"Potter, I can't" Draco begged.
"Malfoy, please" Harry leaned forward. "I won't do anything about it that you aren't okay with, but please tell me so I can help you"
Draco looked at him and shut his eyes. Fuck it, you need to get better, and as long as he doesn't tell anyone you'll be fine. Maybe it would be good to have someone else to help you get everything under control again.
And so with a deep breath, Draco told him. He avoided Harry's eyes through the whole story of how he went to the Ministry after-party at the McLaggen's, how he had been blackmailed into doing the cocaine. His voice shook as he told him about Mr McLaggen assaulting him, how he went home and his father kicked him out after hearing from Mr McLaggen. He avoided mentioning his father's abuse. He told him about how he slept on the street, met the guy in the van who got him on heroin, gave him the oxy, how he met the dealer, took heroin again, was caught on camera by McLaggen, Smith and Finch-Fletchley. How they blackmailed him with it. He didn't tell him about the self-harm.
He stopped and opened his eyes to see Harry staring at him, his mouth open in shock, his eyebrows furrowed together in anger, and Draco felt stupid, why did he tell him all of that? Saying it out loud made him realise how ridiculous he had been, all the wrong choices he had made. It had just been a blowjob and a beating, and as usual he was overdramatic and started on heroin, god no wonder Potter was looking at him as if he had wasted his time, he should have just got over it and moved on like a normal person. His father and McLaggen were right, he was pathetic.
"I" he started, then felt tears sting the back of his eyes. "Fuck, forget I told you all of that, I'm such an idiot, you must think I'm pathetic, taking heroin after something so small. I should leave, I've wasted your time, I -" Draco stood up quickly from the chair, but the sudden movement after taking heroin and being sick made his vision swim and he swayed dangerously. Harry jumped up and caught him, steadying him, and before Draco had time to panic at the touch, Harry had pulled him back down into the chair and let go, sitting back down in his own.
"Malfoy" Harry said slowly, leaning forward and staring at him with honest eyes. "None of what you just told me was small, and I don't think you're pathetic in any way. I'm just furious at McLaggen and his father, he should be punished for assaulting you, they both should, you know that right? You didn't do anything wrong. And you're father kicking you out is despicable, there's no excuse for that!" Harry told him seriously.
Draco looked down.
"That was my fault, not his, I can be difficult" he mumbled, having the impulsive need to protect his father's reputation. Harry frowned at that but didn't push it.
"Can you keep going?" Harry asked gently. "Fill me in on what's been happening from then up until now?"
Draco nodded slowly, he just needed to get it all out, pretend he was talking about someone else.
"I managed to get off the drugs for a bit, or well enough that I could get through the days without taking anything, I still wanted it all the time, but I stayed at home so I wouldn't be tempted. Then I... had a disagreement with my father and left the house. I stole some Muggle money and found the guy with the van and bought heroin from him, quite a lot of it, I was taking it every day and staying in the van, then one day I shot up in the street, and that's when Will found me..."
Draco trailed off as he remembered meeting Will.
Draco sat down in his alleyway in the late evening, his usual spot now when he wasn't in the van. He had talked back to his father on the touchy subject of arranged marriage which would be in his near future. Talking back had resulted in the usual beating and hexes and he was thrown out. He lay back against the cold stone, pulling his sleeve up and tying his bicep with his belt, shooting up and slumping back, getting as comfortable as possible on his newspaper bed and letting the heroin do it's thing.
He had been taking it a lot over the last few days, more than he ever had before. But now that he had it in his hand he couldn't stop.
He was vaguely aware of a figure coming to stand in front of him and he blearily opened his eyes, the man leaned down to his face, he was speaking to him. Draco couldn't focus on the words, dazedly zoning in and out of the man's face.
Next thing he knew he was being pulled up and was laid down in the back of a car. Draco couldn't even register that he might be in danger, he just didn't care about anything. After a while the car stopped, and he was pulled out, an arm wrapped tightly around his waist and his own arm pulled around a pair of strong shoulders. His head dropped, unable to keep it up, but he tried to move his feet to make them walk.
He couldn't remember much after that but he was aware of a soft surface under him and in the morning he woke up, realising that for once he wasn't awoken in the early hours of the morning by the cold or discomfort. He was completely confused to find himself on a sofa, with blankets on top of him, a bottle of water on the floor.
Rubbing his eyes, he weakly sat himself up, feeling himself shake with the effort, and with the lack of food and water over the last few days. He heard a throat clear and he whipped round, seeing a man sitting in a chair opposite him. Draco stared at him, trying to decide whether to thank him or panic.
"Hi" the man said. "My name is Will, I found you last night and was worried about you, so I brought you here, to my home"
He was a tall, well-built man, maybe in his late thirties, with light brown hair, and lightly tanned skin, he was quite good-looking but something about him was a little intimidating, he had a strong presence.
Draco looked at him for a second, then sat up, trying to get himself together enough to find the manners his parents taught him. He held out his hand, and Will gave a half smile, taking it.
"Draco" Draco said to him, his throat scratchy.
Will raised his eyebrows a little but said nothing about the name. "Nice to meet you Draco"
"Why did you bring me here?" Draco asked curiously, still a little nervous and feeling self-conscious of how dirty and disgusting he was.
"I know that you take heroin" Will said, cutting straight to the point. Draco sat up quickly, was he Muggle police, would Draco be arrested?
Will held out his hands to calm him. "Don't worry, please, you're not in trouble. I used to be a heroin addict too, it nearly ruined my life, I was hoping I could help you"
Draco sat still and stared at him in shock. "You want to help me?"
"I do" Will nodded, then gestured at the water. "And please, help yourself, it seems like you need it. I'm going to make breakfast, I'll make you some toast with eggs and bacon"
Draco felt confused, Will was direct but nobody had ever treated him like this before, he felt a small ache in his chest at the feeling of being looked after. He nodded. "That sounds great, thank you"
Will nodded and gave him a smile, walking into the kitchen. Draco opened the water and downed it immediately, not realising how much he'd needed it.
He joined Will at his kitchen table and was given a plate full of hot food, even the smell of it warmed Draco up, he felt like he might start drooling if he didn't eat it now.
"Tuck in" Will told him.
Draco didn't have to be told twice. He finished his food in record time, smiling sheepishly at Will, who smirked a little. He cleared their plates away and turned to Draco.
"Go for a shower and then we'll talk" he told Draco. It wasn't a question or an offer, it was an order. Draco blushed in embarrassment at his filth being addressed, but obeyed, relishing in feeling the dirt wash off him. He came out of the shower to see Will standing in the bathroom watching him. He quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist. Will was staring at him without shame, with a slightly predatory look in his eyes. It was odd being looked at in such an overtly sexual way. Draco was attracted to men, part of the reason he opposed the arranged marriage though would never tell his father. But he had never been looked at like this by a stranger, and someone that was helping look after him. Part of him liked the feeling. He handed Draco a clean shirt and boxers. Draco blushed and took them, saying a quiet thank you.
"I put yours in a bag" Will told him. "I didn't know what your situation was. Do you have a home?"
"I do" Draco replied, though he thought 'home' wasn't quite the word for it. It had definitely never felt homely. "I'm going back tomorrow"
Will nodded, frowning thoughtfully.
"I'm not asking to stay here" Draco rushed to add. "I'm really grateful that I was here last night. I can figure something else out for tonight"
"We'll see" Will said, giving him an intense look. "I've got somewhere to take you today"
"Oh? Draco asked curiously, and a little nervously.
"We're going to a meeting, for drug addicts. It's what helped me through my addiction. I also have something for you to take to help you with withdrawals. It's oxy" he handed Draco a pill. Draco took it from him, still standing in the bathroom dripping wet. He explained it was an opiate and would ease the withdrawal symptoms. Although Draco already knew that.
"Take it" he told Draco, his blue eyes staring piercingly at Draco.
Draco felt a little apprehensive but popped it in his mouth and swallowed.
Will gave a satisfied smile and left the bathroom, leaving Draco feeling confused. He was a strange character, so blunt, but Draco did, for whatever reason, believe he was helping.
Will took him out to a meeting for recovering drug addicts. The whole thing was odd. Everyone stood up and said their name, a few new people spoke about their experiences. Draco stayed quiet for the whole thing, finding it hard to focus hard for any length of time. He guessed it was maybe the pill that made him feel this way, but he wasn't getting the itch and restlessness and edginess of withdrawal for which he was glad. He was vaguely aware of twelve steps being mentioned, something about admitting your addiction to yourself but for now he was just happy he was somewhere indoors, with free food and drink that he could make the most of before another night on the streets.
After the meeting was over, Draco left, following behind Will, who headed outside then turned to face Draco, staring at him intently. "What did you think?" he asked.
"Um" Draco started, trying to wrap his head around the whole thing when he was feeling a little woozy from all the drugs. "It was odd, but reassuring, I guess, to know there are other people like me"
Will cocked his head and gave Draco that intense, predatory stare. "Oh I don't think there's anybody else like you" he spoke in a husky voice.
Draco blushed under the scrutiny and cleared his throat. "Thank you for bringing me here, I should probably go home..." he said awkwardly, looking around, not entirely knowing where he was, still finding it a little hard to focus.
"You're not going home until tomorrow" Will said, again not a question, just a fact. "You'll stay with me, and we'll start going to meetings every few days, until you can look after yourself"
So that was the plan then. Draco didn't argue, he needed someone to take the lead on this. God knows he didn't know what he was doing.
They walked back to Will's house and entered through the door. They didn't exchange any small talk, Will clearly wasn't one for mindless conversation. They got in and Will gave him some leaflets that he had picked up for him at the meeting to read over. He explained that he would become Draco's sponsor, someone for Draco to get in touch with if he needed talked down from taking drugs. He gave Draco a small bag of pills, the Oxy that he had taken earlier, and told him to take one every couple of days to ween off the heroin. Not any more than that.
Draco looked at the leaflets, pretending to read them though he couldn't concentrate. They didn't say much for most of the day. Will put the TV on and they watched some shows, then Will ordered them some dinner. After they had ate and Will had set up the spare bedroom for Draco to sleep in, they sat back in the living room.
Will sat beside him on the sofa. They both had a drink in their hands, Draco's water, Will's something alcoholic. Will leaned forward and took Draco's drink out of his hand, placing it down on the coffee table. Draco turned to face him and was met by a pair of lips meeting his own.
Draco froze in shock for a second. He knew Will had been looking at him these last two days in an obviously sexual way, but he thought the drugs would have put the other man off. He felt relieved that someone still wanted him in a sexual way, it had been a while since he'd had sex with a man though, he'd only done it a couple of times before, with a Durmstrang student that his father would never cross paths with, just to be safe. It had been a summer romance, ending the summer by finally going the whole way, taking a turn on top each. Since then he hadn't done anything but surely Will wouldn't expect that of him, they had only just met. And Draco was still feeling slightly groggy from his turbulent lifestyle and the Oxy.
He began to move his own lips, relishing in the distraction that a good make-out session would bring. Will tilted Draco's head and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into Draco's mouth. Draco mimicked him, and Will pulled Draco's thigh, dragging his leg around so Draco straddled his hips, his large hands gripping Draco's arse and pulling him in close so they were rubbing together. Draco moaned as they started a steady rhythm of pushing together, his erection grew as he became turned on. Draco thought they would stay like this until they came but Will spun them round so Draco was lying on the sofa on his back. He unbuttoned Draco's trousers and pulled down those and his boxers, doing the same with his own, then grabbed Draco's hard dick, stroking it.
Draco was shocked at the speed they were going at, but the feeling was too good to stop. A handjob was fine, he could do that. He took Will's own impressive erection in his hand and started stroking it too. They did that for a little while before Will pulled his hand away. He gave Draco another fiery kiss on the lips then, in a flash, grabbed him by the ankles and flipped him round. Draco registered the sound of a condom wrapper being ripped before he started panicking a little. This was too fast wasn't it? Should he stop him? But Will was helping him. And he had to admit he was flattered that Will wanted him, despite his problems. He battled with himself as Will slipped the condom on and squeezed lube onto his fingers. He started to insert a finger into Draco and Draco tried not to clench in panic. He couldn't say no, Will was helping him get his life back, he couldn't jeopardise that. He squeezed his eyes shut, biting down on his thumb to stop himself from whimpering at the intrusion. Will pushed his penis into Draco in one swift, strong movement, stunning Draco into silence. That had hurt. He wasn't used to this, and as Will kept up a strong pace, Draco shut his eyes, still biting his thumb. He didn't want to come across like an inexperienced teenager, he wanted to impress Will, make him feel good. But fuck, it was tight, and Draco just had to hang on and take the pain.
"Moan for me" Will instructed, his voice a little ragged as he got closer to his orgasm. Draco felt awkward and blushed, but obeyed, scared of looking stupid or wimpy if he didn't. He moaned obediently as Will thrust into him, and finally Will came, pushing in hard as he rode out his orgasm and clambering off Draco.
Draco felt confused. He hadn't come, given the soreness and shock, but Will didn't seem to care. Maybe that was normal for relationships? He didn't know. But Will looked at him and looked satisfied, and Draco felt relieved about that. Hopefully he wouldn't chuck him out if Draco had made him happy.
They pulled their clothes back on in silence until Will spoke.
"I take it that you're happy with me helping you? That getting over the addiction is enough for you?" He asked Draco. Those piercing blue eyes watching him intensely.
Draco furrowed his brow in confusion. "I'm so grateful that you're helping me, and yeah I don't want to be doing drugs at all" he answered, not sure what Will was asking.
Will nodded, obviously satisfied with the answer. "Good, it's a dangerous and expensive addiction, your life is more important than money"
Draco didn't understand, his head still a bit unfocused but he didn't want to seem stupid so he nodded. They parted ways and went to sleep. In the morning, they said their goodbyes, agreeing to see each other a few days later for another meeting.
He entered Malfoy Manor later that morning, feeling fidgety and anxious. All he wanted was to take more heroin, or even Oxy, just to stop the constant edginess of withdrawal he knew was starting. He walked in and was greeted by a house elf who told him his father was in his study and wanted to speak to him. Draco gave the elf his dirty clothes to clean.
Draco sagged a little, he had hoped he would be able to crawl into his room and change first, maybe rest, but no such luck. He tried to straighten up as much as possible, slipping his impassive mask into place and walking as confidently as he could into the study.
His father sat behind his desk, and Draco walked up to behind the chair that faced him. His father continued writing for a couple more minutes and the entire time Draco felt his composure diminish as it always did when his father held him in this trap. He knew exactly how to play Draco to get him to crumble.
He began to fidget a little, twisting his fingers to distract himself from his rising heart rate. Eventually, Lucius looked up and did a slow once over of Draco's appearance. He was still wearing the shirt Will had given him and his skin had a sickly colour from all the drugs and sleeping outdoors.
"You look disgraceful" Lucius sneered.
"What do you expect when you throw me out on the street without a wand?" Draco spat back, despite his knowledge of what answering back would bring. But he wasn't in the mood for his father's games, he just wanted to get high.
Lucius's eyes narrowed and lip curled. He stood from his seat. "What did you just say to me?"
"I don't understand why you do this" Draco said, unable to hold back his anger and sadness. "Why can't you just be a normal parent?"
In a split second, Lucius had stormed over and backhanded Draco in the face, hard. Draco's head snapped to the side with the force of it.
"Normal?" Lucius asked. "Is that what you want? Do you know what normal families have Draco? Nothing. That's what. The Malfoy's have been the richest and most powerful purebloods for centuries. I don't see you complaining about the luxuries that brings you. But you can't handle a little bit of tough love and education" he sneered.
"Tough love? Education?" Draco snapped back derisively, laughing at how delusional his father was. "You beat me, curse me and throw me on the streets to fend for myself. What the fuck am I being taught?"
"How to look after yourself! How to rely on nobody but yourself" Lucius bellowed, grabbing Draco by the throat and slamming him against the wall, causing Draco to wince. "You depend on me and my money, but you're worthless, you don't make the Malfoy name proud, you constantly drag it through the mud with your failures."
Draco felt the wind leave his sails, he knew he didn't make his father proud. He cursed himself for not being able to fight back or do anything right.
Lucius stepped away and ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired. "I just don't know how else to train you" he said, looking at Draco as though he was a dog that kept peeing on the carpet. With a sigh, Lucius pulled out his wand and pointed it at Draco and before Draco could say a word, the Cruciatus hit him.
The curses and beatings continued, on and on, until Draco passed out. He woke up hours later, it was dark outside. Draco peeled himself from the ground, wincing as he did so, and made his way down the stairs and straight back out the door.
He walked up to Will's door and rang the doorbell, his hands shaking, his entire body trembling a little from the pain of the abuse. The door opened and Will stood there, watching Draco with his intense eyes.
"Draco. What are you doing here already?"
"I-I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't drop by like this but I just really need somewhere to stay and I didn't know where else to go" Draco said weakly.
Will seemed to weigh up his options, staring at Draco as he did so. Then nodded and let Draco in. Draco exhaled in relief and walked in, glancing at the clock. 10pm, he hadn't realised it was so late.
He was about to turn around and thank Will, when he felt Will's hands slide around him. Draco jumped away, his nerves still frazzled from his father's hexes.
Will narrowed his blue eyes a little.
"I don't know if I can do that right now" Draco said shakily.
Will's jaw clenched in annoyance. "Well that's the price to pay for staying here"
"I - I thought you wanted to help me?" Draco asked, feeling his heart sink. So that's what it was, a favour for a favour. He didn't actually care about Draco.
"Not for free" Will told him, raising his eyebrows as though it were obvious. "Come on, you should know all about that"
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, completely confused.
Will rolled his blue eyes and took a step forward towards Draco. "You don't need to be coy, I know what you are, the service you provide"
"I - I don't know what you mean" Draco was beginning to feel alarmed.
"This act is boring Draco, I know you're a whore, with a name like that and the way you look, people who look like you don't get into heroin unless you're in that line of work"
"What? No! I'm - I'm not!" Draco exclaimed. Is that really how he came across? Is that the only reason Will had taken him in?
"It's fine, if I wasn't doing you a favour by being your sponsor I would pay good money for you"
"I -" Draco felt lost. "I'm really not a - a prostitute" he whispered.
Will cocked his head at him, giving him an appraising look. "Really?" Draco nodded, looking down in shame.
Will took another step forward so they were standing pressed together. He leaned down and sucked Draco's earlobe. "Well it's still the price for a bed and food" he murmured, starting to undo Draco's belt.
Draco closed his eyes. It was worth it right? For a safe place to stay? Swallowing his pride, he undid Will's belt too, feeling him smirk against Draco's ear. He resigned himself to the night ahead.
This continued for much of the summer, Will continuing to give Draco Oxy to keep him off the heroin, and Draco doing well to stay off it, still attending meetings, still sleeping with Will every time he couldn't go home. Until one night, where Draco was kicked out again. He had been given a phone by Will so that he could call instead or ahead of turning up at his house, but his father had threw him out when he'd come out the shower, after finding out that Draco hadn't went to meet one of his potential bride-to-be's and he only had time to put a pair of boxers on before having to trudge out into Muggle Wiltshire to Will's house. He felt humiliated walking through the streets at night in just his underwear. Several people catcalled or jeered at him and he did his best to ignore them. He just needed to get to Will's. He felt ashamed that his life had come to this. He got himself mentally ready for what he had to do to stay there. He thought he could maybe learn to enjoy it but it had never happened.
He knocked on the door, rubbing his arms and chest and moving his feet to try and shake off the cold. Will opened the door, about to say something, but his face changed to one of shock as he saw Draco, giving him a bewildered once-over.
Draco launched at him, kissing him passionately, wrapping his arms around his neck and reaching for his belt, pressing into the warmth of Will's body.
Will shut the door, pulling Draco off him. "You need to leave" Will told him sternly, glancing at the door.
No, Draco thought in panic, he might genuinely freeze to death if he stayed outside tonight. He tried to switch on the sexual charm he knew Will enjoyed.
He leaned up into Will's ear. "I'll make it worth it" he murmured, running a hand over Will's crotch. Will's breath caught in his throat, and he shoved his lips onto Draco's and backed them into the living room, sitting back onto the armchair and pulling Draco on top of him, who began to grind and moan, exactly how Will liked.
Will moaned with pleasure, his breathing getting heavy, and he picked Draco up, moving him into the kitchen onto the table, continuing to rub against him. He then growled and pulled him off, twisting him round and pushing Draco so he was bent over the kitchen table at the hips, yanking Draco's boxers down, grabbing a condom to put on himself, quickly shoving his trousers down, slipping the rubber on and thrusting straight into Draco. Starting a quick and strong pace.
Draco squeezed his eyes shut at the pain, wishing he could enjoy this. How did everyone else enjoy it? He barely remembered what good sex felt like now.
He moaned anyway though, knowing it would get the job done quicker. Will sped up, panting, and came hard. They both breathed heavily, and Will finally pulled out. Draco turned around, pulling his boxers up and froze. Standing in the doorway with pizza boxes and an open mouth was a very shocked woman in her thirties.
Will noticed and turned, his face dropping. He pulled on his clothes and started to apologise, the woman ran out the door in tears and Draco stood in shock. He wished he could pull some more clothes on but he had none, so he stood awkwardly in the kitchen as he heard arguing, then the front door slamming.
Will walked back in and stopped, glaring at Draco. "What have I said about calling first?"
"I'm sorry" Draco said quietly, still stunned. "I didn't know you were in a relationship"
"Get the fuck out" Will said venomously. "I don't want to see you again"
Draco's face and heart dropped. "But the meetings? You - you wanted to help me. You were the one who kept asking for sex! I -"
"No more. I'm done with you. Take this and get out" he threw a bag of Oxy at Draco, and pulled him towards the front door. Unceremoniously pushing him out in just his boxers.
Draco stood in shock for a second as the door slammed behind him. He had whored himself out for nothing. He began to walk, his feet freezing on the cold ground. He pinched a newspaper from the stand outside the shop and made his way to his alleyway, wrapping it around himself, trying not to think about what he had done. He took two of the Oxy, not sure if it was right but knowing that one wouldn't be enough for the night, knowing he had just fucked everything up.
He was woken later by a flash. He opened his eyes and blearily noticed McLaggen and the two Hufflepuff's standing over him, laughing their heads off.
"Oh my god, this keeps getting better!" Smith laughed.
"We should have some fun with him" McLaggen said.
"We should dress him up as a house elf!" Finch-Fletcheley suggested, bursting out laughing.
They transformed one of the sheets of newspaper into a pillowcase and used Diffindo to cut holes for his head and arms, dragging Draco's body up and slipping it over him. He was aware of being pulled around, laughed at, but too drugged to do anything about it.
"Hey Malfoy, are you cold? Do you want somewhere warm to sleep?" Smith asked, smirking. Draco nodded, knowing in the back of his mind that he was cold.
"Well you have to lick all of our shoes before we can help" Finch-Fletcheley laughed cruelly, shoving Draco onto the floor.
Draco just lay on the floor, confused and high.
He was vaguely aware of a shoe in front of his face.
"Lick it Malfoy, go on" McLaggen jeered.
Draco was confused but just did as he was told, not understanding or overly aware of his actions or surroundings. He just knew he wanted to be warm. He was aware of a flash going off every now and then, before he blacked out.
He woke up in the morning, and tried to get his bearings. Where the fuck was he? It looked like an entranceway, a familiar one. He looked down at himself, was that a pillowcase he was dressed in? He stared at it until vague memories flooded back and he realised where he was. This was the McLaggen's! Shit, how had he ended up here? He quickly got up, pulling the pillowcase off himself, seeing he was just in his boxers and remembering the drama with Will. He threw the pillowcase down, opened the door and sprinted home.
He kept away from both Will and McLaggen for the rest of the summer. Determined to get himself clean so he wouldn't be so dependant on anyone anymore, so he'd stop fucking his life up. By the time school started he had even started to ween himself off the Oxy that he'd begun to get addicted to without Will there to monitor it. Though his forearm was fairly mangled as a result.
He was going to be different this year, he decided. He'd stop being awful to everyone. It's not like he could possibly look down on anybody now after this fiasco of a summer. How had he ever mocked people with less money and preached blood purity? He felt ridiculous now, the way he'd sat on his golden pedestal. Look how far he'd fallen.
He was determined to start being better at school, do well at Quidditch, do all the things a Malfoy should. Make his father proud of him.
That plan hit a brick wall when he got back to Hogwarts and a couple weeks later he got into an argument with McLaggen, they had been alone and had argued about McLaggen's father. When he got back to his dorm there was a letter waiting for him on his bed. It was from McLaggen, it contained copies of photos of Draco, wrapped in nothing but newspaper, of him dressed as a house elf, licking their shoes... The letter told him to meet them in an empty classroom, where the three boys had given him heroin. They had told Draco to take it, or they would tell everyone Draco was a drug addict and give the photos to the Daily Prophet.
Draco had felt helpless, he knew McLaggen wanted to keep him on heroin so he was controllable, and an unreliable source if he ever did accuse Mr McLaggen of sexual abuse, but he couldn't be expelled, imprisoned, have his father learn about this. It would ruin his life. He had got off it before right? He could do it again? He took the heroin, and that was all it took for Draco to get addicted again, relying on McLaggen and the others to keep him high. But then one day McLaggen stopped, exercising his control over Draco. Forcing Draco into a withdrawal that left him angry, violent, ashamed, unable to do anything properly. The only way he could focus for even a short time was to turn something sharp to his arm, cutting himself to distract from the internal pain. Until finally, McLaggen gave Draco some heroin again and Draco had ran down to the Quidditch pitch to take it...
"And that's when you found me" Draco said quietly, having recounted the story, minus intimate sexual details, self harm and anything to do with his father's violence towards him.
Harry had been leaning forward through the entire summary of what had happened, giving Draco his rapt attention, never once butting in or giving Draco any judgement. Now, he sat back slowly, processing everything.
"Thank you for telling me all that" Harry said, his mind still reeling. "I appreciate the honesty"
Draco nodded, his arms wrapping round his chest again. Harry found himself wanting to unwrap those arms and replace them with his own. He tried to shake that thought off.
"I'll do everything I can to keep you away from McLaggen and the others" Harry told him. "I think you could have been off the drugs if it wasn't for them"
"I don't know" Draco said quietly. "I was still struggling to get myself off the Oxy, it was all I could think about" he said honestly, thinking about the self harm. "Once Will stopped being an option, I just couldn't control my actions well"
"Will took advantage of you" Harry told him gently. "He may have helped with the heroin, but he was still looking out for himself, I'm glad you're away from him"
"I could have said no, it wasn't like he - he forced -" Draco broke off, obviously remembering the other problem.
"It doesn't have to be forced to be manipulation. Do you want to talk to me about October break?" Harry asked cautiously. They were doing so well, maybe it would be easier for Draco to get it all off his chest at once.
Draco shook his head frantically. Harry was disappointed but nodded in understanding.
"That's okay, you've done brilliantly" Harry smiled warmly at him. "I need to think about all this, but I think it's been really helpful to understand everything, we'll get you through this"
Draco looked at him hopefully, Harry was smiling at him, he looked proud, caring, and it made Draco feel warm, to have Potter smile at him, not at his expense, but as someone he could trust.
They parted ways and Harry went back to the Common Room. Ron was out flying with Seamus and Dean so Harry walked up to Hermione, filling her in on everything Draco had told him. She looked as shocked as Harry had.
"I can't believe all that happened to him, that McLaggen and his father and the other two boys..." Hermione shook her head, taking it all in. "No wonder he kept turning back to drugs, and being blackmailed to take heroin... they should all be in Azkaban!"
Harry nodded seriously, completely in agreement. "I promised him I wouldn't do anything unless he was okay with it. He wouldn't talk to me otherwise" he sighed.
Hermione nodded in understanding. "If only there was a way to keep them apart, but we can't really control that" she sighed. "Is there anyone in Slytherin he would trust, just to make sure he wasn't alone where possible?"
Harry shrugged. "I haven't asked him actually, I was trying to process all of the information"
"It would be good if he wasn't alone so much"
"I think he needs to find a hobby as well" Harry said. "He doesn't do much anymore other than schoolwork and stress and take drugs. I think he needs a distraction"
Hermione nodded. "Yes I think you're right. Especially now that he's quit Quidditch. He doesn't get joy out of much anymore I don't think"
They spoke for a little longer before Harry went and caught up with Ron and the others at the pitch, enjoying an afternoon of flying and Honeydukes with his friends.