Author's Note: Yes, this story is slash, to anyone who asked. I apologise if you don't like it, but if you feel the utmost urge to flame me, please refrain from doing so; I won't take kindly to it.

Other than that, thank you all for you reviews. You had me bouncing up and down in my seat and squealing when I checked my e-mail.

The Human Stain

By Anna Kate

Chapter Five- Of Princesses and Dolls

A week had passed by in the Evans household without much fuss. Draco had insisted taking Harry, Claudia and Emma to dinner on the first night, and Harry had grudgingly been dragged along. He hadn't bothered dressing up for the occasion though, much to his credit; he wore his jeans and a t-shirt and jacket, even though it was freezing. Draco had laughed at him all the way home when he had complained about the weather.

Draco had settled into the apartment nicely if he described it, where as Harry would just mumble and shrug. He (Draco) had not yet slipped up on anything about Harry's new life, and even called him Evans, instead of Potter (though there were a few times where Harry had had to kick him to stop him from spilling his secrets).

All in all, life was getting back to normal, excluding the strange person who haunted Harry's apartment (Draco). Claudia was beginning to get used to Draco and had almost agreed to go shopping with him, until Harry had point-blank refused to let Draco drag his daughter around Farnham.

The first day of school for Claudia came too quickly, for anyone's liking.

Dressed in her green tartan skirt, white blouse, green sweater and black school-shoes, Claudia was pale and looking around the school with wide-eyes. She looked to Draco.

"If you like living with me, you'll kill me," he laughed at her, and touched her cheek softly. He had grown quite fond of the girl.

"You'll be fine," he said gently, and he pushed her towards the main school doors, where a girl with long blonde pigtails and a boy with messy red hair waited for her. She smiled, waved at Harry who waved back and disappeared into the school with the boy and girl.

The men turned on their heels and headed back to the car. Harry walked faster than Draco, and slammed the car door. Draco slid gracefully into the passenger seat.

"What's up with you?" he asked, doing up his safety belt. Harry glared at him and slammed the car into reverse.

"Nothing." He said, almost hitting a teacher to the ground. He switched gears and sped off down the drive.

"Harry! Slow down, you're going to get us killed!" Harry's foot slammed down on the brakes as his heart squeezed painfully. He was gasping for breath and his vision was blurred suddenly.

He felt a hand on his back.

"Calm down, keep calm, and breathe." Malfoy was muttering to him and he felt a warmth coming from Malfoy's hand, into his back then into his lungs. He found it easier to breathe and he sat up straight.

"Thank you," he whispered and started the car again, driving at a slower pace, Draco's hand still on his back. When he pulled into Potter's Court, only then did Draco drop his hand. They both got out of the car and went up to the apartment.

Draco went into the kitchen while Harry curled up on the sofa facing the currently off television. He watched the blank screen emotionlessly, only waking from his trance when Draco placed a cup of tea on the table next to him.

"Drink your tea, then we'll talk." Draco said when Harry opened his mouth to speak. Harry silently complied, though he did not agree with it, and drunk his tea. Draco sat on the table opposite him and watched him drink, while drinking his own tea.

When Harry had finished his tea, Draco took his cup to the kitchen and put both cups away. He then returned and sat down opposite Harry. He crossed his legs and rested his chin in his hands.

"Why did you freak out like that?" he asked gently, as though not meaning to pry, but doing it anyway. Harry looked at him blankly. "Earlier, when you almost got us killed in the car," Harry winced "Why?"

Harry sighed, and sat up, crossing his legs on the sofa.

"I... I was jealous, I guess. Of how Claudia was paying more attention to you than to me. I'm not used to it..." Harry shrugged and trailed off. Draco was looking at him with those unnerving grey eyes, it was making him twitchy.

"Why should you be jealous Harry?" Draco asked, almost like a psychotherapist would ask a patient. Harry didn't want to really answer, so he stood up and walked around. Pulling his jumper sleeves down over his hands, he shivered.

"It's cold in here." he said. Draco stood up too.

"It isn't cold, Harry. Sit down and explain to me why you freaked out." Draco was talking gently, and it was making Harry mad; so, he snapped.

"NO!" he threw his arms up and stormed into his bedroom. Draco walked after him, but got a shut door in his face for his troubles. He leant against the door and knocked gently.

"Harry, you have to talk to me sometime." Draco muttered against the door, and he could hear Harry flopping down on his bed. Hearing no further reply he went on.

"You can't hide in the dark forever. You can't tell me anything forever. For your sake and mine, I need to know what's happening inside your mind," there was no reply. "Harry, please, talk to me."

No reply.

Standing up, Draco shook his head and retreated into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee then go out on the balcony to top up his nicotine levels. Standing out of the balcony, he thought for a moment.

Could Harry have some form of depression? It seemed very likely, if the rapid changes in his emotions were anything to go by. However, having no concept of psychological illnesses or disorders, Draco didn't know any of the signs. He was just a Natural Healer, one who could tap into his own or the surrounding energy to heal someone.

But Mental illnesses? No way!

00

On the other side of the door, Harry had gotten off his bed and was leaning heavily against the wall. His eyes were closed and he was taking deep calming breaths.

He didn't know what was happening. He was so confused; the world seemed to be spinning the wrong way, the room wavering in and out of his view.

Was he going mad?

Of course I am! Harry snorted and kicked the wall. That hurt.

Clutching his toe, Harry stumbled over to his bed and collapsed on it again. Tangling himself in the covers, he thought and thought and thought. Finally, he realised he actually needed to talk.

And since Emma was at work, and Claudia was at school, Draco was the only option.

Sighing and disentangling himself from the bed covers, he left the sanctuary of his room and went outside. Draco was in the kitchen, making what looked to be a toasted cheese sandwich. And the sight of cheese really shocked Harry.

"We don't have cheese in the house." He mumbled stupidly.

"You do now. Why didn't you have some in the first place?" Draco said, popping a chuck of cheese into his mouth. Harry shrugged.

"Claudia's lactose intolerant," Harry could see Draco was confused, since Claudia mostly drank tea. "Milk alternatives; Soya milk and so on." Draco nodded. "It's absolute hell trying to make her a birthday cake." Draco just stared at him.

"That was random." He said.

"Quite." Harry agreed, and he sat down at the kitchen table. Draco looked mildly shocked and annoyed.

"Now you want to talk?" he snapped. Harry nodded.

"Yes, now." He said, quite charmingly. Draco ran a hand through his hair and sat down at the table, pulling up a chair next to Harry. He looked at Harry expectantly.

"What do you want to talk about?" he said expectantly. Harry thought for a second.

"About me, I guess." Draco snorted.

"Makes a change," He said, making to stand up, but Harry grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down.

"What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked, and Draco looked at Harry.

"Us, I guess. Where we stand, at the moment. Why you are the way you are, why I'm the way I am." Harry shrugged and Draco looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Let's go for a walk." he said, leaving no room for argument. So Harry nodded, and got up from the chair to go and find a coat.

00

They chose Farnham Park to walk around. It was quiet since it was cold and most people were at work or at school. That was good; they needed the quiet. They decided to start on a rather nice easy topic; their lives.

"Did you marry?" Harry asked, brushing back his hair and looking at the blond. Draco nodded and put his hands in his jeans pockets.

"Yes; Pansy Parkinson, about a year after your disappearance." Harry looked a bit shocked at the news.

"But, you're gay." Draco shot him a sideways look.

"How observant of you," he walked over to the nearest bench and sat down. "Marriage in the Pureblood circle doesn't give a shit about sexuality. My mother was a lesbian," Harry stared at him and Draco grinned. "News for you, eh?" Harry nodded.

"I just never guessed. Your mother... well, she never looked or acted like a lesbian, if you get what I mean?" he said, taking a seat next to Draco.

"She wasn't obviously gay, like I am?" Harry nodded and Draco grinned. "No, she wasn't. Actually, many people thought she was straight up until she decided to kiss Toya Humbrooke in the middle of Diagon Alley. That was a rather big scandal," he paused for a moment. "Almost as big as yours." Harry shifted uncomfortably where he sat and looked at the floor.

"I'd rather not talk about that."

"You have to. You just kept it bottled up when it started, and then you disappeared." Draco pursued the line of conversation.

"I left for good reasons." Harry snapped and Draco glared back.

"That's bullshit. You left because you were scared and because you were ashamed."

"I was not ashamed." Harry was getting angry and he needed to calm down. The news that he wasn't ashamed was shocking to Draco. "I was never ashamed." Harry repeated with a forced calm. Draco nodded stiffly and stood up, as did Harry. They kept walking.

"What happened to your marriage with Pansy Parkinson?" Harry asked, looking at the man next to him. Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We got divorced after seven years of hell. We had one child during the marriage; a little girl called Chryseis Narcissa," Draco smiled at the mention of the little girl. "I loved Chryseis very much." He mused, then he got a pained look. Harry decided not to continue with that line of conversation and changed topic.

"What about after you got divorced? Did you see anyone after Pansy?" Harry asked and Draco snorted.

"First off, I wasn't really seeing Pansy. Rather, we had sex one time, that produced Chryseis, and we stayed away from each other after that," Harry laughed and Draco continued. "I was single for about a year, then I got together with Blaise Zambini."

"I thought Blaise was a Death Eater?" Harry said, struggling to recall facts that had been buried in the back of his mind for over fifteen years. Draco nodded.

"He was. That's why I broke up with him earlier this year."

"Oh." Was all Harry could say. They had been together for seven years? That was quite a long time by Draco's standards. "Did you see anyone after Blaise?" Draco shook his head.

"I didn't have the time. Between the healings and my father... I didn't want to put anyone at that much risk." He sighed.

"Healings?" Harry was curious as to what those healings were.

"I'm a natural healer. I can tap into any energy or magical source, or even myself, to heal another person. I didn't find out I could do that up until the first battle. Now I'm wanted like a weapon of mass destruction." That made sense.

Natural healers were very rare and valued. There hadn't been one since Madam Pomfrey's ancestor Elspeth Pomfrey and that was two hundred years ago.

Shrugging, Harry looked at the floor and they kept walking. The wind kept hitting them in the faces and it was bitterly cold.

"What about you? Obviously, you got married, but what happened to your wife?" Draco asked and Harry tensed. He forced himself to relax.

"She died late last year." Harry sighed, and an image of Anna floated through his mind.

"How did she die?" Draco asked, giving no condolences.

"In a car crash," Harry answered. "I... I was driving," Draco looked to him for more explanation. "It was after a press release in America. There was a party, you know the kind; a lot of drinking and laughing. That sort of party. We were both over the limit and I decided to drive; that was a big mistake. Me and my British way of driving landed us on the wrong side of the road. The roads were rather clear," he paused here, frowning.

"We went to a crossroads and pulled out. And out of no where this truck came and went straight into Anna's side. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in hospital a week later being told my wife was dead." Draco patted Harry on the shoulder awkwardly, but Harry shrugged it off and looked Draco in the eye. "I don't need your sympathy, Draco. I got enough of it from the general public. Letters of condolences, hundreds of flowers at the funeral; every single one of them reminded me she was gone..." he trailed off pathetically and Draco clucked his tongue and looked around.

"Do you want to go and get a drink?" Draco asked, pointing at a small warm-looking café across the street from the park. Harry nodded.

"A hot drink?" Draco laughed and said yes. "Sure, why not?" They crossed the road and went into the café. They ordered some drinks and sat down at a little window table. A waitress with very fake blonde hair and an eyebrow piercing came to them bearing hot chocolate. She spent a little too long staring at Draco, who, even with his dyed black hair, pale almost icy complexion and steel grey eyes, was oddly attractive.

"Can I help you?" Draco said after a few too many seconds of her staring. She giggled and walked off quickly to go and giggle with some other waitresses. Draco leaned forward and whispered to Harry;

"Do you think I should tell her I'm gay?" Harry laughed and shook his head.

"You'd probably break her heart or something," Draco smirked and they both took a sip of their hot chocolate. After a few moments, Harry spoke again. "Can you tell me about your daughter?"

Draco froze halfway through drinking. He put his cup down with slightly shaking hands and pulled his sleeves up over his fists. He brought his hands up and put them over his eyes.

"Draco, you don't have to tell me." Harry said. Draco shook his head and brought his hands down.

"It's okay. I should; I haven't really talked to anyone about it before." Draco took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest, apparently trying to hug himself.

"Chryseis was born on New Years Day, 2009. I was so happy when I held her for the first time. Even though Pansy was shouting at me to give her back, I still held onto her, because she was holding onto me. She had her hand wrapped around my little finger, and she wouldn't let go. I was so scared and so excited about it; about her. From the moment I held her, she was my baby girl and I was her father.

"For several years she was everything to me. I took her out to Diagon Alley, I got her a horse to ride (the ironically named Phoenix) and I doted upon her. She was everything to me, and I knew that if something happened to her, I would be totally destroyed." Draco paused and wiped his eyes again, even if he wasn't crying. He took a deep breath and continued.

"My Father took a great deal of interest in her as well. He would bring her presents from all over the globe; china dolls from Paris, wooden horses from India, those kinds of things. He called her the Malfoy Princess of unrivalled splendour and glory. But, I didn't want those things for her; I wanted her to grow up in a happy household, full of light and laughter. She wasn't supposed to be married off at a young age to some German brat whom my Father had deemed suitable for her. That was never meant for her.

"I told this to my father. I told him everything; that I would not give up Chryseis, with her spun gold hair and lively brown eyes, to another man in another country. And Father was furious. He was all ready gaining power in the world; he had allies in the American government, and in Australia. I was just his son, what could I possibly do?

"Pansy was ever the same; she invited him around for dinner, and held exquisite banquets in his honour. Chryseis would run around between the guests in her white ball gown with her pearl necklaces and silver tiaras. I would watch her from the side-lines, and people would come up to me and state how charming my four-year-old daughter was. And I would thank them and go and collect her for a dance.

"We held a banquet like for her fifth birthday. All the pureblood children from Europe were there, even her future husband. She didn't like him very much and refused to give him any cake or her Malfoy Heiress ring that she was supposed to give him. Father didn't take to kindly to it. He took her hand and led her upstairs. I asked what he was doing, and he just answered 'I have a present for my granddaughter upstairs'. I let him go up, thinking he wouldn't do anything to her.

"After twenty minutes they had not returned. I ventured upstairs to try and find my baby girl. I found her, all right," he paused and covered his eyes again. When he spoke, his voice sounded pained. "I found her dead on the floor." He sniffled and looked up at Harry with red-rimmed grey eyes.

"My Father had killed his little princess."