Hey everyone. Chapters six and seven are going up together just as soon as I figure out why my account isn't letting me add new chapters.

Jade woke up in only his boxers and some bandages in an unfamiliar bed. Staring up at a dark, stone ceiling, he tried to remember how he got there. He shifted his weight and instantly regretted it as the pain and his memories came flooding back. He stifled a groan.

A dark chuckle invaded his senses from just beyond his line of vision, "Welcome back to the land of the living."

What is Snape doing here? I'm not in his rooms am I? "Is it too late for me to just not wake-up?"

"It seems so, but with the amount of blood you lost you should consider yourself lucky."

"Funny. I don't feel lucky."

Another chuckle, "No, I don't suppose you do."

A potion flask was held to his lips.

"I did not know when you would wake up. It seems wasteful to give pain potions to an unconscious body."

Jade gave a pained laugh, "I should've known. How long have I been out?"

"Four hours. You recover faster than anyone I have ever come in contact with. Magical inclination toward self-healing is considered a sign of long-term abuse."

Jade waited. He's really not going to ask. "Yeah well, you've seen the scars; or, at least you did if you undressed me. You were the one to undress me, right?"

The man laughed and the sound went straight to Jade's groin. Oh great. I barely have enough blood left to stay awake but apparently that is not where my body's priorities lie. I hate being a teenager.

"Yes, I removed your clothing. It was necessary to tend your wounds and I believed you would prefer to be somewhat comfortable. You have quite the collection, almost as impressive as my own."

Jade snorted, "We'll have to compare sometime." He blushed furiously when he realised what he had just implied.

The man beside the bed smirked at him, "Perhaps."

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but why am I here instead of the hospital wing?"

"I was rather hoping you could answer that. Mr. Malfoy insisted on my treating you. I am no healer. You would most likely recover a great deal faster in Madame Pomfrey's care."

"I don't like hospitals. I guess Malfoy's just looking out for my best interests. I did save his life after-all."

"And how, pray tell, did that occur? I have not had an opportunity to leave my chambers since your arrival and as such have yet to hear of your heroic deeds. From what I have been able to discern, you decided to play with Hagrid's newest pet."

"I may have jumped in after Malfoy when he was knocked into the pen," Jade gave a sheepish grin.

"I cannot even bring myself to express astonishment. I often wonder if you might not be more Griffindor than Slytherin, especially considering the manner of our meeting."

"I tend to just react when someone around me is in danger."

"Yet another trait you share with our missing boy wonder," Snape's dark gaze roved over Jade's face. "Anyone who has not had the dubious pleasure of extensive personal interaction with you would suspect that you and he were one and the same."

Jade smiled, "I wouldn't call my interactions with anyone at Hogwarts 'extensive'. What category do you fall into?"

"I had the displeasure of spending a great deal of time with said golden boy, enough that I could predict his every reaction, if not his thought processes. You, on the other hand, are something of a mystery even to me. Your reactions are unique and I generally find your presence tolerable. I could easily conclude that despite ridiculous similarities in all but disposition and intellect, you are not the boy-who-lived. And then you do something so incredibly stupid with no regard for your own life and cause me to doubt myself. What could possibly have been going through that faulty contraption you call a mind?"

"Hmm, you don't strike me as the type that is generally prone to self-doubt. Why start now?"

"I confess; I started doubting myself from nearly the moment I set eyes on you. My very life often depends on my ability to judge the potential reactions of others, yet I can never begin to guess how you will respond in any situation."

Jade watched as the man's relatively open expression closed down. He seemed to realise that he had said too much. Jade decided to show a little mercy, "If you're referring to your spy status, it's probably the worst kept secret in the wizarding world. No one but the two men who call themselves your master knows where your true loyalties lie, and at least one of them is wrong. As long as nobody questions your allegiances too publicly, you're pretty much safe."

The potions master snarled, "Sweet Circe! That's exactly my point. I am a spy, for Merlin's sake, and you read me like a bloody book. Dumbledore could not have discerned my thoughts from that slight change in expression, yet you do it like you have known me all my life. And your first reaction is reassurance? Reassurance! As if you care. I cannot even typecast you by house. Slytherins are usually smug and wary in my presence, Griffindors are resentful and fearful, Hufflepuffs are terrified, and Ravenclaws are nervous. But not you, oh no, you are lying in my bloody bed, getting shouted at, and looking amused. Fucking amused!" The man had fisted one hand in his hair and was pacing with jerky, desperate movements.

Jade flexed his wounded shoulder to keep from laughing out loud.

"Half our world hates me and the other half is afraid of me. How can you be so relaxed? You are at this moment completely at my mercy. You have yet to even search for your wand since you woke," the man took a deep breath and sat on the foot of the bed.

"Are you finished?" Jade's voice was barely more than a whisper.

"I suspect so, for now."

"Where is my wand? I hadn't realised it was missing."

A chuckle, "Top of the nightstand on your far side."

Jade did not even bother to check, "How long until I can leave?"

"At the rate you are healing? If you can dress yourself and make it back to your dorm without assistance you are free to go. Just take a scar salve with you."

His clothes were folded at the foot of the bed. Jade slid out from under the covers, ignoring the pain and the dark eyes following his every movement, and pulled on his pants. "I suppose my shirt was a lost cause."

"Indeed."

His robe was a bit tricky but he managed, and tying his shoes was a challenge. Once dressed and armed, he faced the professor, "Don't feel too bad about the not scaring me bit. Not a lot frightens me, but I think you could manage. ...if you hadn't already admitted to liking me." Jade tossed the man his, by now trademarked, cheeky grin, and made his way unsteadily out the door.

He heard the man mutter behind him, "Cheeky brat." It sounded a bit like an endearment.

The whole school was abuzz with news of Jade's daring rescue. Six girls asked him for a date before the end of breakfast; one of them was a Griffindor. Much to his chagrin, they were still calling him Slytherin's Sweetheart, only now with a lot less sarcasm.

Jade did not manage corner Malfoy until the following evening, but he certainly did not miss the knowing smirks that the blonde kept sending his way. Eventually he just grabbed the other boy and half-dragged him into a deserted classroom, no mean feat with a still tender shoulder.

The blonde smirked at him, "You know, Sweetheart, if you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask."

"Please, for the love of Merlin, don't call me that," he begged. "It's annoying from everyone else. It's downright creepy coming from you."

Malfoy laughed, "Aww, but it suits you so well. So why did you decide you desired my company this lovely evening?"

"Cut the crap Malfoy, you know, and I know you know. The only reason for you to have made sure I went to Snape instead of Pomfrey is because she would have known immediately who I was and then you wouldn't have had anything to blackmail me with."

The other boy pouted, "It's no fun when you get right down to business. You really are a lot smarter than anyone gave you credit for. I cannot believe I didn't see it before though. Besides your looks and a tendency to want to help people, you excel at all the same things. Unlike the rest of the world, I've always known that you were good at more than just Defence and Quidditch. I figured the Weasel was holding you back. If not for the fact that you ditched that golden boy mask of yours and stopped giving a damn what people thought of you, you might as well have been carrying a sign. I suppose it was too obvious. And in order for you to transfer into Hogwarts, without coming from another school, your name must be listed as a potential student without being listed as a currently attending student. How did you manage that? The potential book is self-updating to keep out squibs and students who have been expelled from other schools."

"Loophole; I magically changed my name."

The other boy's mouth fell open, "Bloody brilliant! Most purebloods would never even consider that a possibility. You name is a way of marking your lineage; the average pureblood would never even consider giving his up, no matter the circumstances."

"Yes well, most purebloods fail to factor in how incredibly sick I am of my name. People hear it and assume they know everything about me, and if I'm not exactly what they think I should be then I must be going dark. Of course by their standards I'm already a dark wizard, but that's beside the point and they can't prove it anyway."

Malfoy snickered, "Listen to the golden-boy-gone-bad. As amusing as this is, we should probably get back to business. I am perfectly willing to keep your little secret, but in return there happens to be something you can do for me..."

Jade cut him off, "You owe me a life-debt."

The blonde instantly lost all traces of mockery. He squared his shoulders, clenched his jaw, and curled his hands into fists at his sides. Jade was disturbingly reminded of himself facing Voldemort.

Malfoy's voice was barely above a whisper, "I was hoping you were still too much of a Griffindor to use that; I should have known better. What do you want?"

Isn't it obvious? "Uhh, your silence. What else would I want?"

"My silence? That's it? You're calling in a life-debt so I will keep a secret that will probably come to light in a few weeks anyway. Potter, you could ask for my firstborn and, unless I saved your life before reproducing, I would have to give it to you."

"Yeah, but why would I want your firstborn?"

Malfoy growled in frustration, "You're being deliberately obtuse. You could ask me to spy on the Dark Lord, or anything you wanted. Why would you ask for something so small?"

"Call it my Griffindor side. I'm Slytherin enough to coerce someone into doing what I want but Griffindor enough not to want to harm them in the process. ...unless I really dislike them, then all bets are off. Besides I don't really need a spy; I have a direct landline into Voldemort's mind that I'm sure I could learn to use on purpose with a little practise."

"You don't dislike me?"

"Not really."

The blonde raised his gaze to the ceiling and mouthed what could have been a silent prayer, and then he dropped to one knee. "I, Draconis Lucius Malfoy, do solemnly swear, by my life, my bloodline, and magic itself, to any deity inclined to listen, that from this day forth my allegiance and life shall be bound to Jaden Leonus Lefey, that I may guard his secrets and protect his life and that of those whom he may claim as his own until my last breath. As I will so mote it be." The room filled with the thrum of magic for just an instant.

Jade's eyes and mouth had gotten wider with every word, "What the hell, Malfoy?"

The blonde sniggered and plastered on an expression of fake innocence, "What?"

"You just bound yourself to me for life; I think I'm entitled to be a little confused. And how did you know my middle-name anyway?"

"In a wizard's vow it's the intent that matters; once you start, the words just come to you."

"You never answered my first question."

"I know, but I am far too busy basking in your bafflement to bother explaining myself."

"That's a lot of Bs."

Draco laughed, "You are fun when you're confused. I may as well explain. My father wants me to be a deatheater; and as I have no desire to get a tattoo any time soon I needed a way out. I could have gone to Dumbledore but that would have only gotten me disowned with minimal protection and a price on my head, or worse, the old man would have wanted another spy. I'm well aware that I'm not exactly spy material. This is perfect; my father can't blame me because everyone knows about the life-debt and will assume you demanded my allegiance in return. I can't become a deatheater unless you do, and somehow I don't see that happening anytime soon. I've also just added my name to the list of people you would go through hell and back to protect, not just save when it's convenient. It's win-win."

"You've given this a lot of thought."

"Not really, I came to an epiphany of sorts while we were debating the price of a life-debt? I wouldn't have trusted you enough to try this if you hadn't asked for something so ridiculous."

"Maybe I should have just asked for your firstborn; I could have raised him to be less exasperating."

"Unlikely, I suspect it's in my genes. But it's not too late to find out; you still haven't formally released me from my debt."

"How do I do that? Just say 'I hereby release you from your debt' or something?" Jade felt another burst of magic fill the room before he even finished speaking.

Draco chuckled, "Yes, that will do quite nicely, thank you. Like with the Vow, it is all about intent. I am going to have to give you a crash course on wizarding customs aren't I?"

Jade shrugged, "I'd appreciate it."

The blonde nodded, his eyes going distant. Jade could almost see him putting together lesson plans.

Suddenly, Malfoy returned to the present with a snap, "Before we conclude this little rendezvous, I, as your new vassal and soon to be best friend, have a favour to ask."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"I would like to get my mother out of my father's clutches. I know you can afford to set up some sort of safe-house. I'm not really sure how to get started, though. We would have to have it well warded so he cannot track her, and that will cause a security leak as neither of us can do it. I would rather she did not live alone, in case he does find her..."

Jade cut him off, "Malfoy! It's okay. I've already got the perfect place: Potter Manor. It's warded so no one remembers it exists until the current owner tells them directly. Remus is living there now, but if she can't handle living with a werewolf the place is more than big enough for them to never see each other. Plus I can always have the house-elves ward them out of each other's wings. Just let me know if you need help getting her out of Malfoy Manor." When Jade finished speaking, Draco was hanging his head forward with his hair shading his eyes and chewing on his bottom lip. "Hey, are you okay? If you don't want her living with Remus, I'm sure I can find her somewhere..." He suddenly found himself with an armful of sobbing blonde. Still less awkward than Cho. He sat down on the nearest bench, pulled Draco into his lap, and began stroking his hair and whispering soothing nonsense to him. Eventually, the sobs subsided and the blond pulled out a handkerchief and began to mop up his face.

Draco made no move to leave Jade's lap, "Thank you." The blonde leaned forward and gently brushed his lips over Jade's.

The kiss was best described as 'soft'. Better than 'wet'. Yep, I'm gay. Thanks for clearing that up Draco.

Draco instantly pushed himself off Jade's lap, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I should never have..."

Jade raised his hand and the other boy fell silent. "Relax. I'm not going to freak out. ...though apparently you are. Why do people always kiss me when they're crying? Now you want to tell me what that was all about."

Draco had managed to calm down, "The kiss, or everything else?"

"Everything else."

"You're so bloody perfect, you know that? I was an absolute bastard to you for five years and the first time I need help you come charging to the rescue. I'm not talking about saving my life, that's nice and all but it's something every self-righteous idiot out there is willing to do. I purposely defied what I knew you would choose when I made that Vow. You could have abused it every possible way, but you still released me from my debt, and the first thing you do when I request something else is give me more than I would dare bargain for and ask if I want anything else. You're a bloody saint and I'm using you. You're just cheerfully letting me walk all over you. I don't know whether to kiss you or try and slap some sense into you. I've been so bloody scared for months, with no idea what to do, and the moment I involve you, suddenly everything's okay again. I was expecting to have to beg and bargain and humiliate myself. I never expected it to be this easy. I'm naturally selfish. I hadn't planned on ruining your whole life with that Vow, but if you can't tell me 'no', just because I'm 'yours', that is exactly what is going to happen. I won't stop taking until you make me. I never stop until you make me."

"Whoa, okay, where is this sudden attack of conscience coming from. You're a Malfoy; you were born to get whatever you want. I'm helping you because you need the help. I'm not going to give more than I want to. And when have I ever let you walk all over me? Come on Draco, being stuck with you as an ally is not a death sentence."

"You called me by my given name," the blond frowned slightly.

"I'm entitled. You may as well call me Jade. Now come on; I think we both need some sleep."

Wow. There was a lot more venting in this chapter than I had intended. Reviews please! 20 points to whoever can spot the quote and tell me where it's from. Sorry it took so long. My account has been glitching.