Draco had his own reasons for saving Harry, I still think he's a selfish, ferret-faced git so his change will take some time. Also, I called him Draco last chapter to distinguish him between Lucius, he's going back to being called Malfoy in this chapter.
-DA-
Harry and Draco stopped spinning and fell out of the floo, Malfoy landing on top of Harry, who was in a daze. He felt the weight leave him a second before he was pulled up off the ground.
"Quickly, Potter. My father and Lestrange will apparate here in a few moments. We need to find Knockturn alley..." Malfoy had dragged him out of whatever store they'd ended up in and was leading him through the street, muttering incoherently to himself.
They made a sharp turn where Harry assumed Knockturn Alley began and walked down the main alley a ways, ignoring people on the streets shouting deals at them. Turning into a side alley on their right, they followed that before making another right and Malfoy started counting, before stopping so suddenly Harry ran into him.
"Watch it, Potter. Alohomora." Harry heard a door open before they started moving again, Malfoy pausing a moment to close and re-lock the door behind them. He led them down a flight of stairs, locking another door behind them at the bottom.
"We're safe for the moment. I suppose now you'll want to see and talk, won't you? Finite incantatem. Finite incantatem." Harry felt a wand point first to his neck then to the magic surrounding his eyes.
Opening his eyes, he found everything blurry, his glasses not having been on during the entire trek. Something cold and hard touched his arm and he jumped, turning to face Malfoy, who was handing him his glasses.
"Th-thanks..." Harry slipped his glasses on and looked around, finding himself in a sort of underground cafe, clearly abandoned years ago. There were several tables and chairs, some of which were broken and on the floor in pieces, a counter with a faded menu stuck on the front, and dust covereing nearly every surface. The only light in the came from a dirty old lantern near the doorway they'd come from.
"Found this place when I ran away from home, the summer after I started Hogwarts. I think I'm the only one who know this place exists, besides you now. It's protected against tracking spells and charms, even the Trace. I stayed here for weeks and they never found me until I went out to get some more food." The blonde said, casting a scourgify on a chair and sitting down.
"Since we have so much time, why don't you explain why you saved me?" Harry said hoarsely, his voice still rough from screaming. He would have asked what the Trace was, but Remus had explained that in a letter earlier in the summer.
"Oh, I didn't save you, Potter. You just gave me a chance to run away like I was planning to. Your presence is merely one downside to being free from that place. My father normally has the floo disconnected so I can't get away, I was lucky you were tortured enough to not be up for Side-Along Apparition. Don't think I've changed sides, I've just decided to sit it out and join whoever wins." Malfoy replied, waving his wand and summoning a shimmering clock above the table, which showed it to be 3 pm for a moment then disappeared.
"3 pm? It can't be... I left the Dursley's around 8 last night..."
"You were out until noon. My father used too much of that muggle drug to knock you out. Cholofrom or something."
"Chloroform. I've read about it, it normally shouldn't knock someone out that quickly, except in stories." Harry muttered, thinking of those instances he'd been able to visit the library in London while the Dursleys were doing something else.
"He enhanced the anesthetic properties with a spell so it would knock you out quicker, and he reduced the toxidity so you wouldn't die if he applied too much. And you know what happened after you woke up. They wasted an hour trying to get information you don't know out of you. Though some of it was revenge, I'm sure." Malfoy had conjured up two glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey and was busy splitting it between them, though Harry noticed his glass wasn't as full as Malfoy's.
"I suppose I should be grateful, but being kidnapped twice in under twenty-four hours isn't something I'm used to." Harry said, sitting across from the other boy and looking him over. His light hair was longer, just down to his jawbone and framed the pale, pointed face, which was downing the glass of firewhiskey.
Never one to really look at boys, Harry hadn't understood why everyone said Malfoy was so good looking, but stuck in this old cafe with nothing better to do, Harry understood now as he noticed how the pale skin seemed to glow even in the small amount of light. His eyes were a light shade of gray, which really wasn't unattractive when combined with the silvery colour of his hair. The eyes he was staring at looked up, locking with his own emerald ones for a moment. He shrugged and looked down at his glass, which seemed the perfect thing to have right now. A few gulps brought the burning liquid down his throat and he coughed a few times after it went down, his eyes watering.
"Not a drinker, Potter? Looks like you're not as tough as most people think you are." Malfoy sneered.
"I'm a better drinker than you think, Malfoy. I bet I can drink you under the table." Harry shot back, secretly hoping Malfoy wouldn't listen to him. He was a horrible drunk and he knew it.
"You're on. Let's see how well Potty can hold up to his boasts." With a wave of his wand a few more bottles of firewhiskey, rum and various other types of alchohol appeared on the table between them.
"How'd you get so much liquor? Aren't you underage?" Harry asked, taking a bottle of firewhiskey and looking at it with a sinking heart.
"I turned seventeen last month. My mother helped me stock the place with food and drinks and she thought I could use some liquor to keeps my spirits high if I ran away again, of course I had to obliviate her so she didn't remember this place, but I've got enough." Malfoy was taking big gulps of some of the rum, smirking at Harry.
"Well then, bottoms up, I suppose." And with that Harry took a swig of the firewhiskey in his hand.
-DA-
Mrs. Weasley glanced at the clock again, seeing no change from earlier. He'd travelled for a short period, though for one fearful moment his arrow had flickered, as if he were dying, then resumed position at 'lost. She heard some people in the garden and hurried into the kitchen, glaring at the two red-headed figures who were striding into the kitchen, howling with laughter.
"I don't see what could be so funny when a member of our family is missing!" Mrs. Weasley rounded on the twins, who stopped laughing merrily, though winked at each other knowingly.
"Oh, nothing, Mum. We just saw that little ferret Malfoy running out of the Leaky Cauldron with an odd fellow, couldn't see his face."
"He had a sort of magical veil on that hid his features, but Malfoy seemed pretty smug.
"So we thought we'd follow him to see where they were headed in such a hurry."
"They went into Knockturn Alley, and disappeared down a smaller alleyway that's filled with dark places."
"Perfect for a little snogging, eh Fred?"
The boys erupted into laughter again at Malfoy's newest secret, but Mrs. Weasley seemed even more furious.
"What if Malfoy knew where Harry was at? Wy didn't you stop him, or stun him? We could have questioned him and been closer to finding Harry!" Her voice seemed to magnify with grief and rage that the twins stopped grinning and were glancing at each other nervously.
"We tried, Mum, but that magical veil seemed to absorb our stunning spells."
"We can show you to the alleyway if you want to try to find him again."
Mrs. Weasley glared at her sons before sighing and sitting at the table.
"No, no. He's probably gone. You two go on up, I'll sit here a bit longer." She said, nodding at the stairs.
"You should get some sleep, Mum. Harry will be fine."
"He's good at getting out of tough situations."
The twins walked past her and patted her shoulders then headed up the stairs to the rooms to share their newfound knowledge of Malfoy.
Mrs. Weasley didn't notice them leave, she was wondering about that boy Malfoy was with. She'd never heard of a spell that could absorb other spells and hide the identity of the person it was affecting. Maybe she should call Remus and Moody.
-DA-
"..so the hag and the troll run out after him, curious as to why he was in such a hurry to leave. The leprechaun replies,' I paid with Leprechauns' gold'."
Harry roared with laughter at the newest of Malfoy's jokes, taking another drink from his glass of rum.
"Your jokes beat Seamus and Ron's, though Hermione has some... some pretty funny ones. They're muggle jokes." Harry said, wiping his hand on his pant leg before reaching for the rum again.
"Mudbloods would tell muggle jokes. What about your jokes? I haven't heard any from you." Draco said, blinking at the other boy.
"Don't say... that. It's a horrible word. And I don't tell jokes... The only jokes I know are ones... ones Uncle Vernon told to impress his... er... superiors at work."
"You're uncle? He's a muggle, isn't he? I think I'd kill myself if I were forced to live with muggles."
"They really weren't... that bad. Except for the forcing me to live in a... cupboard for most of my life." Harry muttered, putting his empty bottle on the ground.
"You lived in a cupboard? I thought you were a rich, stuck up brat. You refused my offer at friendship in the first year because I didn't worship the ground you, the mudblood, and the blood-traitor stood on." Draco snorted, leaning back in his chair.
"Stop saying that, she's muggle... muggle-born. And it was because you... treated them like dirt." His vision was blurry again, which was odd, he didn't remember taking his glasses off.
"I only treated them like they deserve to be treated. You're better than them, even if you're a half-blood. Your father's side wasn't all blood-traitors, and you're powerful, you were able to defeat you-know-who when you were a one year old." Malfoy had his eyes closed, his feet up on the table and his hands behind his head and was relaxing in his chair.
"They're better than you could... ever wish to be, Malfoy. And I only survived because... because my mom loved me and died... she died to save... to save me..." Harry could feel tears starting to form and he quickly wiped them away, knowing the other boy would laugh at his sentimentality. When he got no reply Harry looked up and saw that he'd fallen asleep, his head tilted to the side so his face was lit up just enough for his looks to show.
Lucky git, he takes his good looks for granted. Harry thought, standing up to stretch when he noticed it. A small area on Malfoy's neck, hardly noticeable, but it was there. He shuffled closer, swaying dangerously from his intoxication. There was a dark spot on the side of Malfoy's neck, but it seemed out of place with his pale skin. He inched even closer, since his vision was still extremely blurry, though Harry had checked and found his glasses to be on his nose. When he was only half a foot away he saw the mark for what it was, a bruise the shape and size of a thumb. When he leaned over to check the other side he saw the rest, four finger marks where someone had grabbed Malfoy by the throat.
Glancing up he saw the gray eyes open and watching him intently, a small frown on the lips beneath them. Harry let out a yell and jumped back, tripping over the empty bottles and crashing into a chair, which splintered beneath his weight.
"Didn't know you scared so easily, Potter. I'll have to remember that." The pale boy said, sitting up and blinking at the light.
"You just... just startled me. And I think we're done here... Malfoy. Are there any other rooms... than this one?" Harry replied, pushing himself out of the wreckage.
"Yeah, there's a chalkboard behind the counter about the size of a person, walk through that and you'll be in the employee's area." Now that he was up, Malfoy had taken out his wand and waved it at the table and all of the bottles disappeared.
Harry nodded and slowly made his way towards the counter, stumbling over stool and dust before he finally made it to the chalkboard. Just as he was going to enter his scar started burning before erupting into cold fury.
Malfoy kneeled in front of him, the other dark shadows around them looking at him with mixed emotions. Disgust, pity, hatred.
"I thought you had the boy, Lucius. Were you not perfectly confident in your ability to get him to me?" Harry bent down and ran a finger down Malfoy's cheek, who shuddered under his touch.
"I was, my Lord, before that brat of mine showed his true colours and rescued Potter. He went to Diagon alley and we apparated there as soon as possible, but we couldn't-"
"I didn't ask for an excuse, Lucius. I was asking if you were confident in your abilities. Maybe I shouldn't place much trust in your family, now that I know how unreliable Malfoys can be." Harry stood up, looking at the crowd of Death Eaters.
"Please, my Lord. Give me some time, I'll find that traitorous son of mine and-"
"Lucius, I already told you, I shouldn't place much trust in your family. I will be merciful and spare your life, but I was going to have so much fun with Potter. Maybe you can alleviate the boredom that's consumed me when I learned the boy wouldn't be joining us. Crucio."
The pain receded from his forehead until only a persistent ache ensued and Harry opened his eyes and looked around. He was on the floor behind the counter, his right arm halfway through a chalkboard. Malfoy was standing above him and watching him with an odd look on his face as Harry stood up slowly, rubbing at his scar.
"If you're going to have a famous Potter black out, don't do it in the doorway to the bed chambers." He sneered, pushing past Harry and walked through the chalkboard.
"I can't help that I see what Voldemort's doing and I have to pass out to do so.I don't want to see what's happening, and I doubt you'd want to see you own father being tortured, Malfoy." Harry followed behind him, blinking as he came into a better lit room. This area had one table with chairs around it, and four doorways leading to different rooms.
"He tortured my father? But I was the one who took you away." Malfoy turned around and glared at Harry, as if thinking he was making it up to spite him.
"Yeah, Voldemort said since he's been confident in his ability to deliver me and failed, he shouldn't trust your family any more. Then he said something about alleviating his boredom and cast the Cruciatus on your father." Harry said, glancing at the doorways.
"Well, he got what he deserved. I'm going to sleep, if I find you've been anywhere near my room I'll hex you until you wish you were with you-know-who instead of me." Malfoy smirked and swept into the door on the farthest left, leaving Harry alone, who shrugged and went into the room on the farthest right.
The room was large, as big as the boy's dormitory in Gryffindor, though the walls were painted a dark blue, with gold accessories everywhere for contrast. He walked over to the bed and collapsed on the gold comforter, not even bothering to take off his glasses. Moments later he was asleep.
A/N: The joke that Malfoy's telling can be found at Mugglenet under the editorial The Burrow, April 2005, Round 1. I always thought of Draco as one to hold his liquor very well, so he doesn't stutter when drunk like Harry does. The pain got rid of Harry's stuttering for a bit, but they're in for some nice hangovers. They each had about 3 bottles of firewhiskey, 2 bottles of rum, a pint of mead, and a bottle of wine between them, but that ended up being thrown across the room when Harry tried to hit Draco with it.