When Harry Potter walked into the backmost compartment of the Hogwarts express the first day of term with none other than Draco Malfoy, it was the first instinct of one Ronald Weasley to make a rude remark about the latter. However, when Ron caught view of the fact that his best friend was holding Malfoy's hand, he had to wonder if he had eaten a bad frog and was now hallucinating. Determining that this was the case, he proceeded to insult the blonde anyway.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" He spat the name with malice. "None of us want you here. It's too early in the term for your ugly face. Get out."

Hermione Granger, unlike her quick tempered boyfriend, was quick to dismiss the hallucination theory and smiled slightly at the sight of their interlaced hands and frowned at her boyfriends comment. Harry Potter was equally as alarmed at this a Hermione. With his best friend's comment he turned to look at his boyfriend, who looked suddenly close to tears.

Draco Malfoy should have known. He should have never allowed Harry to talk him into this. As tears began to sting his eyes he held them back, wishing not to cry in front Harry for the fourth time in half as many months. He should've never done this.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, was not as easily put out. He took a deep breath before speaking calmly to his friends.

"Ron," he said, ignoring his friend's previous comment as though he had never spoken, "Hermione, this is Draco." He emphasised the name. He took a deep breath and squeezed Draco's hand. "My boyfriend."

Having previously known that Harry was gay, the fact that he was dating a guy wasn't a surprise. But it being Malfoy, well, Ron just couldn't understand.

"You're joking, right?" He asked softly, with a quiet laugh. "Malfoy?" Hermione Granger sensed it before even Harry had.

"Ron..." She said gently. "Stop." Harry was the next to see it coming. The tears in Draco's eyes were dangerously close to spilling over. Draco turned to his boyfriend, upset over this.

"I can just go." He whispered with a shaking voice. "They don't want me here." He sniffed and brought a hand across his eyes. Harry frowned, realising the difficulty in which Draco was having trying to keep himself together.

"That's not true, Draco." He said in gentle tone, not wanting the boy to break. He turned to Ron before continuing to speak. "Ron is just being a moron." Said Ron glowered angrily, as Draco, who had not nearly as much self control as he'd like to put off, started crying silently.

"No he's not." Draco snapped, rejecting the green eyed boys attempt at comfort. "I knew they wouldn't Harry. I'll just go..." At this, Hermione, who finally decided that she should speak up on the situation, stood and walked over to the crying boy, who was blushing in embarrassment from the tears, and spoke in just a gentle tone as Harry had earlier.

"Draco," She said, sure to use his first name in attempt to show approval. "Ronald has a quick temper. I'm sure if you and Harry were to speak to him, and explain the situation," she gave Ron a demanding look as she said so. "he'll understand, okay?" Draco looked uncertain.

"I don't know." He sniffed. "I don't know. You hate me. You both do, why should I listen to you?" He brought himself closer to Harry as he said so. Harry sighed at started to wipe at the tears on his boyfriend's cheeks.

"Ron has a quick temper, yes, but he's my best friend, Dray. Trust me, alright?" With another sniff, the blonde finally nodded, starting to stop crying. With that, Harry led him by the hand over to the redhead.

"Ron," Harry said, trying again, "this is my boyfriend, Draco." Ronald, who appeared slightly uncomfortable and could not for the life of him understand why Malfoy of all people had managed to bag his best friend, just nodded slowly.

"Ron." He held it out to Draco, who let go of Harry's hand to grasp Ron's.

"Listen," Draco said desperately, no longer crying but with a shaky voice and rather put out disposition. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done. But... but please. I need Harry. I know how awful I've been... and..." He bit his lower lip, feeling as though he were about to cry again.

"Sit down," Hermione said kindly. "It's alright." Draco did so and wrapped his hand in Harry's again, unable to stomach the thought of being rejected.

"Okay, why don't you explain to Ron and me how you and Harry got together." Draco didn't want to trust her. He didn't understand why he should trust her, when he'd been awful to her for the past six years. She'd even slapped him for Merlin's sake. But despite all this, Draco Malfoy could not help but trust the brown haired girl before him. He nodded, and tried not to cry.

"Okay." He whispered. He squeezed Harry's hand, needing comfort.

"It's okay, baby." Harry said softly, who was currently wondering if he should be amused, or annoyed, by the pale tone to Ron's skin. Draco Malfoy looked to his boyfriend with a look of desperation.

"Do I have to tell him everything?" Draco couldn't understand the growing lump in his throat or why there were tears in his eyes, but they were there and fighting. He wanted to scream in frustration. He hated crying in front of people.

"Not everything." Harry said gently, and Draco knew he was speaking about his father's murder attempt ten years before. Draco sighed and wiped angrily at his eyes.

"I had to stay at Harry's aunt and uncle this summer." He mumbled. "They were trying to make me a Death Eater and Dumbledore took me to stay with Harry." The angry look in Ron's eyes softened slightly upon hearing that the boy did not want to become a Death Eater.

"Okay." Hermione spoke quietly, gently, and Draco sensed empathy off the girl, which gave him more incentive to continue.

"I'm... No." He shook his head. He turned to the boy next to him. "No. I can't, Harry, he'll laugh at me." His voice broke and he was starting to cry again. He didn't understand what was wrong with him. Draco never cried. Only at night. Only when it was too dark. But not this. He didn't cry in front of people. Especially people who hated him and wanted to laugh at him.

"He bloody well won't, Draco." Harry's tone was firm, but the firm quality to his said tone was not meant for the blonde, but for the red head, who was feeling rather disoriented for all that was going on.

"I'm afraid of the dark." He murmured, resting his head on Harry's shoulder and hugging the boy's arm tightly. He resisted the childish urge to clench his eyes closed, waiting for the coming laughter. But the laughter never came.

"Okay." Ron's voice shook. "And what does that have to do with..." he gestured at the contact between Draco and his best friend. "This?"

"I had to wake Harry up." He wiped at his cheeks. "He gave me someone to talk to for once. It just... happened."

Ronald Weasley was willing enough to accept this explanation, to the great relief of both Harry and Draco, who shamelessly allowed the latter to gently stroke tears from his pale face.

"Okay." Ronald Weasley's tone meant business. "Okay, fine, but if you hurt my best mate I'll kick your ass and don't you dare think I won't." Draco nodded.

"Okay. I promise." And with that he hugged himself even closer to the green-eyed boy. "Thank you." He whispered. His eyes closed.

The train ride passed with idle conversation until it's arrival in Hogsmeade station, where, as Harry was getting off and onto the platform, Draco Malfoy grabbed his hand, preventing him from stepping off the train.

"Harry, I'm scared." He whispered. At first, Harry Potter thought that his boyfriend was afraid because it was dark, and partially, this was true. However, with Harry there, the dark, outside, with a crowd of people was defiantly something he could handle. No, Draco Malfoy was afraid of none other than his own dorm mates.

"What's wrong?" Harry gently pulled Draco down to the platform.

"The Slytherin's" The blonde whispered shakily, wrapping his arms around the saviour's waist.

"Come on, Draco. They're assholes but they're still human. You can eat with us in the hall. The only time you have to be around them is at night, baby. You'll be fine." Draco grabbed Harry's hand and stared up at the moon.

"Yeah. That's what I'm worried about. At night. In the dark. I cry when it gets too dark, Harry, you know that." Harry remained silent, sensing that Draco had something else to say. "I mean... I have that candle but... what if it goes out? Who am I... who am I supposed to go to?" Harry frowned.

"How've you gotten through the last six years? You're going to be okay, Draco. Trust me, alright?" Draco Malfoy stared at the boy for moment, trying to decide whether or not he really should trust his judgement, or follow his instincts and sneak into the Gryffindor common room at night when he got scared.

"I'm still scared at night, Harry. Even with the candle. It keeps me from losing it but... when I was with you this summer, I was okay. Because you were right down the hall."

All Harry Potter could think to do was pull the shorter boy into his arms and just keep him there. He gently ran his fingers through Draco's silky blonde hair, shushing him softly.

"It's okay."

Harry's comforting managed to placate the teen for a little while, but by the end of dinner in the Great Hall, the boy with the grey eyes was literally shaking with anticipation of the cold, dark, dungeon room, with nothing but a candle to chase the memories away.

When Harry walked his boyfriend to his dorm room, and just as Draco was wondering if maybe crying could convince Harry to allow him to sleep with him that night, the dark haired boy grabbed his hand.

"I have a surprise for you, baby." Draco stopped. No one had ever given him a present for no reason before and he was having a difficult time believing it.

"What is it?"

"Come on." Harry grabbed his hand and led him into an empty classroom. As Draco sat down on a desk, he marvelled at the boy who had given him so much already.

"Now, baby." Harry started softly. "I know how scared you get a night. And I know that here, there's not much I can do to help with that. But I don't like the idea of letting you cry by yourself in that awful dungeon." Draco was going to open his mouth to tell Harry that though he was still scared with the candle, he didn't cry so long as he had that to keep some of the darkness away, but decided against it.

"So, I thought it over." Harry continued with a little smile, and pulled something from his bag, but kept it hidden from Draco's view. "And I thought to myself, what can I do to give Draco a part of me, so he can sleep at night? And I got an idea. Now, it might seem silly, but I want to think of this as a little bit of me. So you won't be alone."

And with that, Harry Potter offered up to Draco Malfoy a small, soft, stuffed lion. A grin spread across Draco's face that hurt his face. Harry was his Gryffindor. His lion. His saviour. He grabbed the animal, clutched it to his chest, and then pulled Harry as close to him as possible.

"Thank you." He whispered, wondering why in the bloody hell he was crying. The sentimentality, perhaps? He tending to do that a lot around Harry. Cry. But Harry didn't mind. So he didn't care. "Thank you so much, Harry." The boy just smiled at him.

"So you'll never be alone."

Draco Malfoy slept like a baby that night.

Well there it is. As with all my stories, I'm going to ask that you all REVIEW, seeing as this is the last chapter and I'd like to know what you thought of the whole story. Love you all,

xForeversEndx