Disclaimer: Not mine. :)

Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long to finish, I've been working on an original slash story for NaNo. This chapter is a bit shorter than the last ones, but the end is a natural break before some smexing finally!!! Anyway, thanks to everyone who messaged me and asked where the next chapter is; I appreciate your interest! So, on to the chapter and beware - there is good and bad times coming up for our boys before they can be happy - or as happy as they can be.

jamie xxxx

Draco felt like a fool for not realising how dangerous Theo was, for having not noticed that he was not quite right. Now that it was obvious Theo Nott was insane, Draco was truly frightened. He struggled harder to try and escape the bindings, but he only succeeded in burning his wrists as the ropes pulled tighter and rubbed against them. The cloth that covered his mouth, kept him from taking a fresh breath. Every inhalation through his nose captured Theo's foul-smelling breath and dragged it into his lungs.

Fear and disgust turned his stomach and he felt like gagging, but he was too desperate to escape and he furiously quelled the reflex. Where the bloody fuck was Harry? He ignored Theo's insane chuckle and continued to fight the bindings.

'I should have done this back at Hogwarts,' Theo said, standing a few feet away from Draco. 'Would have saved both of us a lot of trouble. You really are made for this, aren't you?'

Draco shot him a glare, determined not to let Theo know just how frightened he was.

Theo aimed his wand at Draco and muttered something Draco didn't understand. He was expecting pain, but instead the buttons on Draco's shirt flew in all different directions, leaving the garment flapping open, exposing his chest.

'See, this is what I don't understand, Draco. You say you have a "thing" with Potter, yet he marred your body so dramatically.' Theo moved closer and traced Draco's Sectumsempra scars with his wand. Draco flinched but felt no pain, only more disgust.

He mumbled, 'leave me alone you fucker,' behind his gag but the words were unintelligible. Not that Theo cared; he seemed to know exactly what Draco had said, because he merely smiled, a smile that was rapidly becoming greedy like a feral animal seeing its first meal in weeks.

'Perhaps if you'd listened to me back in school, your life might have turned out vastly different. You'd have been pure and unmarked by these hideous scars, for one.' Theo's expression twisted into a leer. 'And that arse of yours would have known no filthy, perverted half-bloods.' The sentence ended with Theo spitting the words.

Draco tried to argue; his scars were barely visible - even he didn't even remember them unless someone pointed them out, but the gag, now soaked in saliva, absorbed his words, and he yelled in frustration.

'I would have protected you.' Theo's voice was softer, now, chilling Draco and sending a shiver of dread along his spine. The man was clearly unhinged. No one could have protected Draco from Voldemort; not even his parents had been able to do that.

Despite his fear, Draco rolled his eyes, knowing it might provoke Theo into inflicting physical pain instead of taunting him with lunacy, but he didn't care. He'd be damned if he'd let Theo get away with thinking Draco gave any credence to his mad ramblings.

Theo waved his wand again and the button of Draco's trousers flicked away.

Harry, please, Draco pleaded silently, swallowing the cry fighting its way up his throat. Hurry up! Twisting his hips, he tried to escape the inevitable next step of his zip being lowered. Of course it was futile; he could no more escape that magic than he could the very real bindings on his body. All he was doing was giving crazy Theo a thrill at seeing Draco writhing on the chair; captive to something that frightened the life out of him.

If he survived this he was going to kill Theo for daring to think he had the right to inflict himself on Draco like this. How dare he? Fear coalesced into furious anger. Draco welcomed it; being paralysed by fear was going to get him nowhere and played right into Theo's hands.

As the anger took over his shaking body and calmed him, stilling his movements, he glared at Theo with all the loathing he could gather. At least it gave Theo a moment of indecision because he stepped back a fraction, narrowing his eyes as if trying to decipher what Draco's next move would be.

It only lasted a moment, before the smug smirk appeared back on Theo's face, though; the reality of the situation was that Draco could do nothing in his present situation. Theo held all the cards here.

That didn't mean Draco would go down without a fight.

Somehow he'd hang on until Harry arrived.

If he arrived… his subconscious reminded him.

Theo held his wand out in front of him and smiled. 'This could all go so much easier if you'd just give in to the inevitable,' he said. 'You were always meant to be mine. I decided that the very first time I saw you. When you so stupidly rejected me, I tried to forget you, and when you stayed out of sight after the war, I mostly did.' Theo's wand traced the faint scars on Draco's chest. 'Then you had to save Potter and flaunt yourself in my face again. I was enraged when I saw you two becoming attached at the hip, and wanted you dead.' Theo frowned. 'But I should have tried when the Boy Wonder wasn't around. No matter, because now I think I'll take you with me and k–'

Everything seemed to happen at once then. The study doors literally burst apart, blown off their hinges and shattering into pieces around the room. Draco's eyes shot to the commotion and his stomach dropped in relief when he saw Harry, Ron and several other people ready to charge through.

From the corner of his eyes he saw Theo's head spin around to see. Then in a split second Draco's eyes met Theo's and Draco saw panic in them. 'This is not over,' Theo hissed and cast a spell aimed at Draco. Just as Stunning spells were cast by Draco's rescuers, Theo Disapparated.

Never in his life had he been so glad to see Harry Potter coming to the rescue. Apart from maybe when Harry rescued him from the Fiendfyre, but he'd hated Harry then. Now the relief was almost overwhelming. His hands began to shake in relief even before Harry made it to his side. 'Draco, are you alright?' His hands were at Draco's face, removing the gag, and other, unknown hands were removing the bindings, but all Draco could do was to stare up into Harry's eyes and tremble.

'Draco?' Harry knelt in front of him. Draco blinked as Harry's hands cupped his face; the sudden soft touch and the concern in Harry's eyes breaking through Draco's stare.

'I'm all right,' Draco whispered, not trusting his voice at all.

'Are you sure?'

Draco nodded and found himself engulfed in two strong arms and pulled against Harry's hard, safe chest. It was too much for Draco's shattered nerves. The trembling took over his entire body; he couldn't stop it. Somehow he managed to slide his freed arms around Harry and cling to him, taking in great gulping mouthfuls of air and trying to minimise space between their bodies. It almost felt like Harry's heart was trying to touch his.

Harry just held him tightly and let him shake, murmuring soothing words and stroking Draco's hair.

After several minutes, when he began to believe he was safe, he started noticing who else was in the room. Ron, he'd seen when the door had blasted open. Pansy and Blaise were also there, as were Granger and several other Weasleys. Briefly he was surprised by the fact that any Weasley, apart from Ron, had cared enough to come to his aid when he was in trouble. Later, when he could think about it clearly, he might have to raise them in his estimation a notch. For now, he was just grateful.

'Can you talk now?' Harry asked.

'Of course I can,' Draco snapped. At least he tried to snap but his voice was still under the impression that he was a scared and trembling mass of nerves and it ended up sounding like a plea.

He pulled back from Harry a little, thankful that he hadn't cried like a girl. He cleared his throat and tried again. 'I'm not a girl, and he didn't hurt me, just tied me up and taunted me with his mad ravings.'

'Your shirt and trousers?'

Draco looked down at himself. 'Well, you arrived before he could do anything else.' The thought of what would have happened next made him start shaking again. 'Thankyou,' he whispered, cursing his vocal chords.

Harry looked around. 'Blaise, could you get him something to wear? You'd know about his wardrobe better than the rest of us.' Blaise nodded and left.

Draco pulled his shirt closed around himself, feeling suddenly extremely vulnerable under everyone's gaze, especially the Weasleys he didn't know at all.

'Where's Mother?' he asked, looking around, realising belatedly that she wasn't there.

'She was here; she made sure you were all right, then went to send all the guests home. Kingsley has a squad of Aurors helping her, to make sure everyone leaves safely,' Ron answered.

Draco nodded and addressed Ron again, 'Has anyone gone after Theo?'

'We've sent people to his house and some other Aurors are questioning his friends to see if there is anywhere else he might go, apart from home. We'll catch him.'

Draco could feel Harry's tension right through his arms as they tightened around him again. 'And if I ever see him, he won't know whether to wish for salvation or death.' Harry's tone was merciless. Draco shivered, and not in fear. No one had ever been so adamant about protecting him before. He buried his face in Harry's chest and let himself be held.

Blaise arrived with some robes, which Draco accepted with a smile of thanks and changed quickly. Just as he finished dressing, his mother walked into the room. He caught sight of her worried face and almost broke down again. As she flew into his arms and held him tight, he could feel just how tightly she was holding on.

'Oh, my poor boy,' she sobbed.

'Mother, please, I am quite all right. I've just had a bit of a scare,' he reassured her.

'But when I think I could have lost you to that…that mad creature…'

'But you didn't. Harry saved me.' His voice softened as he looked over his mother's shoulder into Harry's eyes, hopefully conveying every ounce of feeling he had for Harry in that one look. 'I think he'll always save me.' He was pleased to see Harry blushing alongside the fierce determination to do just that.

She pulled back and looked up into his face, capturing Draco's attention once more. She was still clearly worried, but she managed a small smile. 'I have always said that your lives were entwined somehow.'

'I should never doubt you again, then.' Draco smiled back at her.

Obviously the smile was all it took to encourage everyone else to join in and before Draco knew it, he was whacked on the arm by Pansy and told to never, ever scare her like that again; Blaise gave him a one-armed hug, which just about broke a rib or two. Mrs Weasley, whom he decided he didn't mind being hugged by - she was soft and squishy and, apart from feeling a bit smothered, he felt comforted – took hold of him. Granger threw herself into his arms when they were free and Draco found himself with a mouthful of frizzy hair. If he hadn't been feeling so relieved he was safe, he'd have been spitting it out and pushing her away. Since he'd decided this Gryffindor lot weren't so bad after all and maybe he'd give them a chance, he just accepted it.

He really was going soft.

*

Everyone moved to the lounge and Draco's mother called the house-elves to bring tea and coffee for everyone. Harry asked them to also bring some of Ogden's finest and Draco was grateful; he thought he needed something a bit stronger than coffee. His hands still shook periodically.

His mother sat on one side of him and Harry the other. Harry hadn't left his side, which relieved Draco, as he didn't think he'd remain upright too long if Harry took off after Theo – no, he didn't deserve being called by his first name. Besides, he could get a much more satisfying level of loathing into spitting out the word Nott.

'There'll be a double set of guards around the manor tonight, Draco,' Ron said, a troubled look on his face. Draco nodded as he accepted a glass of Ogden's from a house-elf. 'I'm so sorry, Draco,' Ron burst out. 'If I'd had any idea–'

Draco stopped him. 'It's not your fault. I knew him and even I didn't suspect he was deranged.' Ron tried to protest, but Draco continued, hoping his voice and shattered nerves would hold out. 'He was behind the poisoning, too; he admitted it.'

'What reason would he have to want to kill you?' Harry asked from beside him.

'He's always been after Draco,' Pansy said. Draco looked across at her, noting her dismay.

'One way or the other,' agreed Blaise. 'It seems he took the rejection harder than any of us thought.'

'But why wait all these years?' Harry asked, still clearly confused.

Draco shrugged and sipped at his drink, letting the heat warm him all the way through. 'Perhaps it was out of sight, out of mind,' Draco said. 'All the years after the war, we've kept pretty much to ourselves. Me being in the news all the time must have sparked his…madness.'

'Sounds like you think he wasn't behind the attack on me, then,' Harry said.

Draco shook his head. 'No, I don't think so. He sounded like he'd not given me much thought until he saw me in the news, by your side so much.' Draco finished his drink, starting to feel a bit stronger. Nothing had really happened; he didn't know why his body had reacted as if he'd been violated.

'I still think you should see someone,' his mother said. 'You're all I have left and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. You don't know what he might have done to you.'

'Mother, I'm fine,' Draco said firmly, but his mind paused at that, remembering the spell Nott had aimed at him just before he'd Disapparated. He didn't feel any different, but that didn't mean there weren't any side-effects. He pushed the worry aside; no one else had seen the spell, and he didn't feel ill, so there was no need to worry anyone.

'I'm sorry your party was ruined,' she said. 'Everyone said they were having such a lovely time and we raised so much money for the orphanage. Hortin is extremely happy. And grateful.'

Draco had almost forgotten that the proceeds of the ball were going to the orphanage. He welcomed the change of topic. 'That's good,' he said, smiling the first genuine smile since the ordeal.

'He'll contact you tomorrow about the details. I think he wants to dedicate the new dormitory to you or something.'

'Fine,' Draco said, although he didn't know if he'd want the constant reminder of how his evening had ended every time he heard about the orphanage, if there was a wing named after him. 'What happened to Susan?' he asked Blaise.

'I sent her home; she understood.'

Draco nodded.

Conversation seemed stilted after that and often drifted into lengthy silences. Draco thought maybe they were all waiting for him to erupt into a tirade against someone. Draco didn't want to yell at anyone. They'd all fucked up not seeing that Nott was a suspect; no one was to blame. Then he thought that maybe they were all hoping to hear that Nott had been apprehended before they all retired to bed. He admitted he'd feel better when Nott was captured, but the tension of the day and evening descended on him and exhaustion seeped through his bones. Harry must have noticed him slumping, as he slipped his arm around Draco's shoulder. It was solid and real and offered shelter as well as affection, so he leaned into it.

'Take me to bed, Harry,' he said, stifling a yawn.

Harry nodded and stood up, pulling Draco to his feet. 'I'm sorry everyone, but today has been a long and hard one, and I'm knackered,' Draco said. 'Thank you, all, for …everything.' Draco's voice wobbled. He really wanted to thank his mother and Pansy for everything they'd done, but he thought if he opened his mouth again he might cry.

Everyone hugged him again, Pansy whispering in his ear that she'd seen him bright and early in the morning and catch him up on all the other gossip she'd heard. Ron clapped him on the shoulder and informed him that the wards around the Manor had been re-raised – after having been lowered for the party – and that he'd be safe. His mother kissed him soundly on both cheeks and looked at him steadily for several long moments before relinquishing him into Harry's care.

As they walked to Draco's bedroom, he leaned into the protection offered by Harry's arms and wondered why he'd ever thought he could live without this man.

'What took you so long to get to me?' he asked, remembering how he'd begged Harry to hurry up.

Harry grunted. 'Need to put a directional charm on that bracelet of yours. I felt it right away, but had no idea where you were. Then we were thwarted by his locking spells…it took time. I'm so sorry.'

'Harry, don't apologise,' Draco insisted. 'If you hadn't given me this bracelet, then you'd never have even known. Yet again you saved me.'

Harry stopped at Draco's bedroom door and drew Draco close. Draco's arms slid around Harry's waist and he held on. 'Thank Merlin you told Ron where you were going.'

'Well, I did, and I am all right,' Draco said softly, looking up into Harry's face, seeing the guilt so clearly written in his expression. 'Thanks to you.'

Harry sighed deeply and after several moments, while Draco was still caught up in Harry's eyes, the guilt faded from his face to be replaced by a heartfelt smile. It was enough to make Draco's knees weaken once more and he cursed himself for being such a weakling when it came to Harry.

He turned and opened the door to his room. When he stepped in, he was faced by the sudden realisation that he would have to spend the whole night alone in his room. His pulse started hammering in his throat and he felt like he'd run around the Quidditch pitch a few times.

'Harry,' he said, fighting back the rising panic in his voice. Harry was beside him immediately and was quick to take him into his arms again. Draco let himself be held.

'Don't leave tonight?' Draco asked, the sound and feel of Harry's heartbeat under his cheek calming him again.

'Of course I'll stay,' Harry said.

Draco pulled back a little and smiled, relieved beyond all words. 'Right beside me, in my bed?'

'Well, I'm not sleeping on the floor,' Harry quipped.

Feeling much better, Draco laughed softly and stepped away to undress. 'And, look, it only took a brush with a madman to lure you into my bed,' Draco said, trying to keep the atmosphere light. 'I should have done this before.'

'You'll be the death of me, Malfoy,' Harry said, shaking his head and laughing. He undressed and slipped into bed holding his arms out to welcome Draco into the warmth and sanctuary they offered.

Draco gratefully slid in beside him, cuddled up against Harry's side and was soon cocooned in his arms.

Nothing could hurt him when he was with Harry.