A/N I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry for the long wait!! I've been thrown headlong into school and headlong into A-levels :O SCARY!!!

I am also sorry about this being a bit short but I reasoned - with myself and my writer's block - that it would be easier to understand if it's in short bits...seriously, I tried explaining my 'Dark Mark Theory' to my mum and she made me break it down evern further for her...so little bits you get :D

DEDICATION!

Emma!! You are so amazing and we are For Good babe !! I love you so much and your feedback means more to me than anything (apart from our friendship ofc!) !! Keep up with your innocence - and yes you can read the whole chapter as it will help maintain your innocence :D

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter - if I did, Voldemort would have a nose ^.^

*

Harry woke in Draco's bed and stretched. A wave of pain crashed over him, forcing him to curl into a ball and cry out. Pain swept through his body, centering at his chest but spreading through his body life wildfire. Harry was vaguely aware of hands trying to pull his body straight again but he batted them away. When they came back, Harry growled and felt an unfamiliar wave of hatred sweep through him. Momentary shock paused his actions of beating the hands away and he found himself pulled out straight and lay on his back. He arched in pain as it swept through him once more and held his breath, waiting for it to stop. As he forgot to breathe again, he felt hands rubbing his lungs, massaging them back into action.

'Master Harry needs to be breathing.' Harry nodded and struggled to take in a breath. Hatred and anger washed over him and he grabbed the hands of the house elf.

'Kinks?' He ground out before closing his eyes tight. He pulled back from the elf and arched again, trying to escape the pain, when the pain got too much, he slumped down and bit his lip. 'Make it stop.' He whispered at the elf before the pain took over him and he passed out. Kinks looked down at him and spotted something through his shirt where Harry had torn it open in his bid to escape the pain that was possessing him. The elf pulled the fabric aside and his eyes widened as he backed away in shock.

'Kinks needs Master Draco.' He murmured before running from the room.

*

Draco stared down at his father's arm and looked to his mother, a grin breaking over his face. Narcissa mirrored her son's actions before pulling him into a hug.

'Is it….gone?' Mother and son switched their attention to the man shaking in the chair, with his eyes closed tight, by their side. Draco knelt down, taking his father's hand in his own.

'Father…' He began. Lucius opened his eyes to look at Draco and smiled softly.

'I'm sorry son. I have failed you again.' Draco felt his heart break at the sound of failure lining Lucius' voice. He shook his head vehemently.

'No Father! You have never failed me! It's gone…look…Harry did it.' Lucius frowned at his son before reluctantly looking down to his forearm. When he examined his arm for a few seconds he looked up at Draco and Narcissa, tears forming in his eyes.

'That boy will never cease to amaze.' Draco beamed and hauled his father to his feet, placing his hands around the older man warily.

'Father, you have never failed me. Don't ever think that…you hear?' Lucius chuckled lowly, raising his arm to gaze at it in wonder.

'We must thank Harry dear; he has brought much joy to us.' Lucius looked to his wife as if seeing her for the first time.

'Cissy!' he cried and let go of Draco, sweeping his wife up in replacement. 'We're free.' He yelled gleefully before sealing his lips over hers.

'My eyes!' Draco yelled before chuckling at the uncommon show of affection between his parents. He had to thank Harry for a lot. Still chuckling, he didn't notice his house elf enter the room until he was pulling on Draco's sleeve.

'Master Draco sir….Harry be needing you now…' The elf panted out. Draco knelt by him and grasped the elf's shoulders.

'You ran?' The house elf flushed.

'I panicked sir…I needed to get to you and I forgot. Kinks will shut his ears in the oven tomorrow sir but Harry needs you sir.' Draco heard only one phrase of it.

'Harry needs me?' The house elf nodded frantically before being pulled tightly into Draco. 'Get us there.' The house elf cracked his fingers and disappeared, leaving Draco's parents unaware as to what had happened.

*

Draco appeared in his room to see Harry arching from the bed in pain and grasping at his shirt. Dropping the elf, he rushed to the other boy's side and tried to restrain the writhing mass. Harry bucked and arched beneath him, crying out and whimpering, clawing and grasping but Draco didn't let him go.

'Sir, you need to be letting him go…I need to show you something sir.' Draco glanced at the elf and glared.

'Don't be stupid, he needs me…I'm not letting him go, I can't.' The elf rolled his eyes and for once Draco regretted letting the elf be out spoken.

'I'm sorry sir.' Draco frowned at the elf but found himself being flung from Harry's body and into the wall. The elf's magic held him there as he struggled to make his way to Harry. He watched the elf approach the raven haired boy and tear at his shirt.

'Kinks, I swear by Merlin if you do not remove this magic right now I will give you clothes.' The elf, having removed Harry's shirt, turned to Draco and removed the magic holding him there. Draco fell to the floor but soon picked himself up and knocked the elf to the floor in his haste to get to Harry. He was about to pull his lover into his arms when he noticed what Kinks had wanted to show him. His mouth popped open and he caressed Harry's cheek.

'Oh Harry,' he murmured. 'What happened?' Draco closed his eyes against the tears and turned his head at Kinks. 'Get my father, no matter what he is doing; he needs to come immediately.' The house elf nodded before bowing and disappearing.

Draco settled down at Harry's sighed and moved the black hair from Harry's forehead, pushing it back and laying a kiss on the skin he exposed.

'You don't do things by half do you Harry?' Draco chuckled weakly. 'You know, first year when you rejected me, I made myself hate you. You dared to ignore me - a Malfoy! Yet no matter how hard I tried I couldn't do it. You were always willing to help, no matter who it was. Fourth year was my hell for you Harry. Seeing you compete against the dragon, mer-people and even Voldemort, I can't begin to tell you how much I worried. Then your godfather died. I wanted to be the one to help you through the pain but you wouldn't let me close enough. You did eventually. You amaze me love, you won't open up to your friends but you opened up to 'D' – I'm surprised you didn't guess who it was. But that's dumb Gryffindors for you.' Draco raised his head to the ceiling and blinked back tears. 'When I told you it was me, I was so sure you would just laugh and hit me…but you didn't. I don't know who you surprised more when you kissed me; me or yourself. The secrets? The lies? They didn't hurt me Harry, no matter how much you think they did, they didn't – I had you to make up for it. So you better stop making me a sappy Gryffindor and wake up – break the fucking bond that thing has with you.'

'Dragon?' Draco whipped around to see his father smiling grimly at him at the doorway. Draco wiped his eyes discretely and stood.

'Father – help him please…' Lucius looked between his son's pain-filled eyes and the now laying still boy on the bed. Frowning slightly, he went over to the bed, examining the exposed chest before gasping.

'Draco…' Draco shook his head.

'Don't father! Don't use that tone…I'm the one person who knows what it hides…you have to help him…you have to! After what he did for you – can you seriously say he deserves this?' Lucius placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.

'Draco, neither of us knew the effects removing it would have…'

'Well you should have before asking him to do it.' Draco shot out before tearing away from the grip and running from the room. Lucius sighed heavily before examining Harry's chest more thoroughly.

The Dark Mark that once inhabited the underside of his forearm was now attached to Harry's chest. But it wasn't that simple – not for Harry. The top half of the Mark was above the skin but the bottom half had seeped under; it was still visible through the skin and that made it worse. The tail that the snake had, had wound itself down and under…in the direction of Harry's heart. If Lucius had to hazard a guess as to why that was, he would say to get Harry's hatred. Lucius had enough hatred to feed the Mark from his arm – all the Death Eaters did but Harry had no anger and hatred…well not enough. The Mark had attached itself to the strongest source it could find – even that wasn't enough. It was feeding Harry pain and anger to get the Mark alive. Lucius stared at it for a while before coming up with someone who could help. He left the room, after commanding Tipsy to watch over Harry, with one name in his head

Severus Snape.

*

Draco ran and ran and ran. He ran until he got a stitch. He ran until he couldn't breathe. He ran until he thought he could leave his problems. He ran until he ran into his mother.

'Draco…' Narcissa was flung back a bit by her son flying into her but she regained her balance.

'Mummy.' Draco cried out before hugging her tightly. Narcissa hadn't been called 'mummy' since Draco's last nightmare so she knew it was bad. Judging by the way her son clung to her and his body shook with sobs; Narcissa was going to get angry at someone. Very angry indeed. She pulled her son over to her chair in the room she had been leaving and tugged him down onto her lap, stroking his blonde locks and whispering into his ear soothingly.

'Come now Draco,' she said after a while. 'what's got you so flustered?'

'Harry.' Draco said shortly. 'The Mark mum, it's on him. His chest. It's latched itself onto him. The person who least deserves it…it's so unfair. Why can't it just piss off?'

'No need for language Draco, there will be a way to be rid of it.' Draco pulled back and looked at her.

'How can you be sure? It's never been rid of before, maybe Harry can't do it and we all underestimated him.' Narcissa smiled softly at him.

'Draco, dear, we know Harry is capable of doing it, you just need to trust he'll be ok.' Draco stood from her lap.

'How can I? Harry's in bed…in agony and there's nothing I can do! Nothing!'

'You're not supposed to be able to do anything, it's up to Harry.'

'How can it be up to Harry when he's unconscious?! Why does no one get it?' Draco yelled before stalking from the room. Narcissa placed one hand over her eyes, leaning on the arm of her chair as she tried to fathom out her son and his lover's predicament. It always happened to Harry.

*

'What now Lucius?' Severus shot at the head in his fireplace. Lucius sighed deeply.

'It's the Potter boy. Surely you know of his relationship with my son by now?' Severus scoffed. 'Anyway, he removed my Mark Sev,' Severus looked up sharply at that.

'H...How?' He whispered. Lucius shook his head.

'I don't know exactly. He has some unknown power in himself, but he was able to get it to release me. He can do the same for you Sev, if you help me … please?'

'Why should I help that brat?' Lucius glared at him.

'Because he's your future Godson-in-law and he can help you in return.' Severus pondered Lucius words before closing his eyes.

'Alright, I'll be there in a minute.' Lucius smiled at him before disappearing with a 'pop'. Severus packed his emergency potion kit and stepped into his floo network calling out 'Malfoy Manor' as he did. Seconds later, he appeared in the Malfoy's living room glaring up at Lucius.

'So glad you could make it old chap.' Lucius said with a smirk. Severus scowled before glancing around the room.

'Well he's obviously not here so where is he?'

'My son's room.' Severus turned a paler shade than he already was and followed Lucius from the room in silence. They were nearing the doorway when Severus was bundled to the floor in a barrel of blonde.

'Sev!' Severus glanced down at Draco on his chest before bringing his spare hand up to caress Draco's locks. 'Please help him Sev, I can't lose him…I love him.' Silence followed Draco's statement as Severus picked himself up.

'I'll do what I can Little Dragon.' Draco looked up at him with hope filled eyes and Severus felt determination fill his veins. He was doing this for Draco now, not himself and certainly not Potter.

They both entered the room and Draco ran to the bed instantly.

'Harry?' He whispered into the brunet's ear. 'Sev is here, he'll help you – I promise. I know you don't like him but I trust him and you trust me so you trust him. See? It will work out love.' Draco kissed Harry's temple and turned to his Godfather.

'What can I do to help?' He asked eagerly.

'Leave.' Severus said shortly but felt his heart go out to the boy as his shoulders visibly sank with disappointment. 'I need to do this alone Draco, I don't need you seeing it.' Draco nodded and looked back to Harry.

'It's on his chest, over his heart.' He said quietly before leaving the room with his father. Severus nodded grimly before shutting the door and shutting them out.

*

Draco had walked the entire corridor length exactly 264 times before Severus reopened the door. Panic filled him as he took in the Potion Master's expression. Was Harry okay? What if something had happened to him…? Draco didn't know how he'd survive.

'Is he…?' Draco left the question hanging. Severus turned to him and smiled slightly.

'He's awake.' Draco smiled widely at him before bounding in the room. Severus turned to Lucius.

'There was nothing I could do.' He said softly before a tear slipped out of his eye. 'I've helped people all my life, people I didn't know, people I didn't want to help but the one I do, I can't.' Lucius felt his heart go out to his friend and pulled him into a hug.

'This will kill Draco.' The older man said just as they heard Draco's cries carry out to them.

A/N So, Sorry for the shortness but I hope you liked it!

I'll try and update soon but no promises due to my workload!

Reviews are appreciated :D

WickedTorchwoodFan