Year Seven
Harry Potter was at Draco's doorstep, a week early, trembling like a chihuahua. His eyes were red rimmed and puffy, his hair longer than usual. Harry wore bruises like accessories. He was carrying a bag that looked to hold all of his possessions, and his babbling was littered with apologies.
"It was those bloody muggles wasn't it?" Draco cut him off, and Harry looked down at his feet, nodding. Draco held his hand out, and Harry hesitantly took it. Draco led him inside, the house elf taking his bag quietly. Draco led him to the living room with the comfiest couch and sat Harry down on it.
"Harry, you will never live with them again, I promise you this. I will talk to anyone, bribe anyone and everyone I must, to get you out of that place."
Tears started to fall down Harry's cheeks unbidden, and the smaller boy collapsed on Draco's chest, arms winding around him and his small frame was wracked with sobs. Draco rubbed circles on Harry's back ever so gently.
"It's alright Harry, you're safe with me. You'll always be safe with me."
Draco continued to hold Harry long after he had drifted to sleep, winding a strand of hair around his finger. It baffled him that such a beautiful creature could be treated so poorly. Harry deserved the world, it was as simple as that. He deserved all the kindness and affection anyone could offer, and Draco vowed to be that person, from then onward.
III
Harry trudged to the restroom, body sore and aching. His brain was still a little foggy in the morning, the past night coming back to him in bits and pieces. He slowly peeled his clothes off in the gratuitously large bathroom, and checked for the damages done by his so called family members. Bruises everywhere, most from Dudley. Disgust curled in Harry's stomach as he looked at himself in the mirror. He usually avoided doing so when naked. His eyes were drawn to the swells of his chest, and the ribs protruding underneath. Harry's hip bones stuck out rather alarmingly, and only accentuated his decidedly unmanly curves.
A shudder traveled through Harry's abused and tired body, and he turned away to start the shower. Harry wished he could rip the sacs of fat on his chest away. They were always getting in the way, always hanging where Harry could see them and always jiggling. Harry hated the way his body moved. The way he could always feel his breasts, and how his hips would sway of their own volition. Harry stepped into the scalding hot shower, not bothering nor wanting to make it cooler.
It was unfair. It was unfair that so many people felt comfortable and right in their own skin. Why did he have to feel uncomfortable? Why couldn't he just embrace his femininity like his aunt so wanted? Harry had tried, he'd really tried to be a proper girl. He'd tried wearing frilly bras and panties with a pink dress over top. He'd tried growing his hair out longer but it just made looking at himself in the mirror that much harder. Harry didn't see himself in the mirror when he did that. He saw a girl. A frail and skinny girl that looked acutely uncomfortable and unnatural.
Even when Harry did dress as a boy, he always felt like anyone could see that he wasn't. He felt as if any real man would look at him and know that underneath he was really girl with large breasts, only playing at dress up. A poof, a fag, an unnatural creature. Harry's uncle was right, he shouldn't be alive. Not if he had to live this way, in a constant loop of discomfort and self hatred. Harry wished Voldemort had killed him when he was a baby with no sense of gender yet. Things would have been better then. His parents would still be alive and no one would have to deal with Harry's identity issues.
III
Draco knocked on the restroom door, worry creasing his eyebrows. Harry had been showering for far longer than he usually did, and steam was curling under the crack in the door.
"Harry? You doing okay in there?"
Draco waited for a response, then pressed his ear to the door. He could only hear the sound of water from the shower beating down, and alarm shot through him. Draco tried the door, and to his surprise it opened with ease. Draco was met with the sight of Harry Potter sat in a ball at the bottom of the shower, bawling his eyes out as steam rose by his feet. Worry took hold of Draco's common sense and found himself holding the naked and shaking form of Harry against himself while scalding hot water beat down around them.
"Harry? Harry what's wrong, it's okay, you can talk to me."
Harry curled into a tighter ball, shoulders heaving with each sob. Draco's clothes were sticking to his skin, and his hair was curling with the heat, but none of that bothered him.
"I wish I had died."
Draco froze when the words escaped Harry, and he held him all the tighter. "Why would you say that?"
"I'm a nuisance. Almost everybody hates me, Drake! I'm just trying to be a boy but my body is a girls and my real family hates me and-" Harry's speech devolved back into sobs and Draco gently rubbed Harry's back, pressing kisses to his wet hair.
"Harry Potter you listen to me. You are not a nuisance, you are my best friend. Your body is a boys body, it just has some differences. And the people that treat you cruelly only do so because they're dumb enough to not understand that you're just a boy, through and through. You hear me? You don't deserve to be beaten, and you certainly don't deserve to die. Where would I be without you Harry? I would be nothing without you."
Draco wasn't sure if what he had said had gotten through to Harry, or if he had even heard him over the sounds of the shower, but Harry stopped shaking soon afterwards, and eventually looked up, eyes rimmed red.
"Thank you, Drake."
Draco gave Harry a warm smile. "Anything for you, Harry. Anything."
Harry seemed to get lost in Draco's eyes before reality hit, and he pulled his legs more securely to his chest. "Er..."
Draco's eyes widened. "Oh! Right of course, I'll just be going now. I brought your clean clothes, by the way. I'll leave them here." Draco stepped out of the shower, soaked to the bone, and left the bathroom quickly, avoiding looking at Harry for decencies sake. Draco paused outside the door after closing it, then summoned a house elf.
"If you would please make Harry's favorite breakfast? And bring me dry clothes, thank you. Oh, and Dobby? Contact Dumbledore immediately after I get dressed, we need to discuss Harry's current living situation."
III
Harry could safely say he'd experienced one of his worst, and best summers, to date. After one of his lowest points, he'd had the company of Draco to pull him out of his pit of depression. Not only that but he was finally, blissfully, free from the clutches of the Dursleys. Upon arriving his godfathers house, Harry was shown to a room with one of the largest beds he'd seen.
"Draco told me you'd never had a real proper size bed to return home to. I just cast a quick spell on this one."
Harry slowly walked around his new room, trying to memorize every bit of it. There were already posters on the walls.
"Remus insisted that we buy you at least a little decoration before you arrived."
Harry turned to his godfather and Remus smiling at him, then promptly pulled them both into a hug. "Thank you." Harry choked out, and the three hugged for a long while in the doorway of Harry's new room, and the start of his new life.
Harry's beginning of Seventh year brought forth many new changes. He was rapidly progressing towards manhood, and thanks to a few hair growth charms he was developing stubble. Draco was jealous to no end of this.
"No way, you're sexier than me now!"
Harry's cheeks warmed a bit at that, but refused to let it show how much the comment affected him. "Aw poor Dwaco, you gonna complain to daddy?"
Draco laughed and nudged him. "Shut up, prick."
Harry looked at him, a glint in his eye. "Make me."
Draco looked at Harry, heart speeding up a pace, and his gaze immediately caught on the way Harry's tongue stuck out ever so slightly as he licked his lips.
"Drake? Have you been caught with a silencing charm instead of me?"
Draco scoffed and glanced away. "Of course not, I'm not stupid enough to be hit with a charm."
Harry grinned, sharp canines showing. "Oh really?"
Draco had his wand against Harry's throat before another witty remark could escape his mouth. Harry's faint adams apple bobbed gently as he swallowed, and Draco smirked.
"Really."
In true Slytherin fashion, Draco tucked his wand away, then turned and gracefully exited the room before the battle could be lost again. He had no doubt in his mind Harry could easily beat him in any fight with his damn distracting face. Draco smiled smugly at the thought of Harry's face when he walked away, completely dumbfounded. Two can play at this game, Potter.
III
For the rest of seventh year, Harry and Draco spent their free time flirting- challenging each other with mock duels and pillow fights. Draco was over joyed to see the transformation Harry had undergone since just last year. He seemed so much more care free and happy, and the confidence made Harry's back straighten. Draco was pleased to note that Harry spoke out more often in class, almost entirely unafraid of the consequences. That's not to say there weren't consequences, and Harry and Draco often served detentions together, but even then Harry didn't seem put off by it.
To say the least, Harry was mesmerizing, and Draco couldn't keep his eyes off of him. Neither, it seems, could many of their peers. Girls would giggle and whisper to each other whenever Harry entered the room, and a few even boldly strode up to him and asked him out. That is, if they weren't deterred by Draco's masterful stink eye. But Harry always kindly turned them down, much to Draco's pleasure.
It was one day, while Harry and Draco were trying to study, when he snapped. Trying is the key word in that sentence. A gaggle of girls had formed around their table, most trying to flirt with the two, when Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him up.
"Wha- Drake? What's this all about?"
Draco took a deep breath, straightening his back and standing tall and proud. "Harry James Potter, I would be honoured if you would please accompany me on a date to Hogsmeade this weekend."
Harry gaped at him a moment, before nodding dumbly. There was a moment of silence before all the girls broke into chatter, some happy, other glaring daggers at Draco. Suddenly, Draco was being pulled out of the library and into a hallway.
"What the bloody hell was that for?! You could have just sent them away if you were that annoyed!"
"What are you talking about Harry?"
"You! And your stupid fake proposal! I can't believe-"
"Harry."
"And now everyone's-"
"HARRY!"
Harry's mouth snapped shut and he looked at Draco, eyes burning bright with anger. Draco continued on, gently.
"Harry. I love you."
Harry's face slowly transformed from anger to shock to confusion.
"You...you do?"
Draco nodded, carefully taking both of Harry's hands in his own.
"I've loved you for a very long time now, Harry. And I can't stand by any longer, watching everyone fawn over you. I don't want to lose you." The last part came out in a whisper, and Harry pulled Draco into a hug, like Draco had done so many times for Harry in the past.
"You won't lose me Draco. I'm yours. You're mine."
Draco wound his arms around Harry, and the two held each other until Harry pulled back, studying Draco's face. Harry slowly leaned in until their lips brushed, and from there hands groped and pulled and tongues fought for dominance until Draco was pinned against the wall, soft whimpers escaping the both of them. The fast and heated moment was interrupted by a throat clearing. The two quickly peeled away from each other, Draco flushed and Harry's hair looking more like a rats nest than usual.
"Public indecency. Detention, the two of you, for a week." A familiar slimy voice said. Harry and Draco nodded, and yes sirs were spoken before the two dashed off, giggling like mad men.
"That's the third time this month!" Draco said in between bursts of laughter, sagging against a wall. Harry grinned at him.
"I've never been happier to get detention."
Draco rested his head against the wall, throat exposed and gazing at Harry, cheeks pink from laughter. "To many more." He drawled out, a slow and lazy smile spreading. Harry rested a hand beside Draco's head, one curling around his hip and mouthed against Draco's throat. His voice came out like a purr and sent shivers through Draco's being.
"To many more," Harry licked a stripe up Draco's throat, then nipped his ear. "Dray."
Arousal clenched in Draco's gut, but before he could act on it Harry was walking away, hips swaying deliciously. Draco let out a breath. This was going to be a long year, he could tell.
Please leave a review!
