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Chapter 6: Somebody Wants You

As Harry took his seat in the Great Hall for dinner that night, his gaze absently scanned the room for something interesting. His wishes were fulfilled when his eyes came to rest on his Potions professor. The man looked fixated on something, and Harry wondered what sparked the look of fear and sadness in his dark eyes. Following Severus Snape's worried gaze, he was directed to Draco Malfoy, sitting at his table with his head in his hands, with Pansy and Blaise on either side of him, casting worried glances at one another every so often.

Harry had come to appreciate Draco's best friends. He was cynical of their loyalty to the blond at first, but as he watched the trio from afar, the two reminded Harry more and more of his own two best friends. He glanced on either side of himself to find Ron digging into the chicken dinner, and Hermione buttering a roll, both stopping when they sensed his eyes on them to give him a warm smile. Harry hoped that he was right about Pansy and Blaise, and that Draco would be protected when Harry couldn't be there.

He once again fixed his eyes on the three Slytherins across the room. This time he watched Pansy whisper something in her friend's ear as he took his face out of his hands. The blond shook his head slowly and sadly. Looking up at Snape, and getting a nod of approval for something, the three friends stood up and made their way through the grand doors of the Great Hall, with sneers from their housemates following closely behind them.

If Harry didn't talk to Draco soon, he was going to explode. It had been days since his slightly disastrous time alone with Draco, and every day since then, the Slytherin's appearance seemed more tired and miserable. He slowly stood up and whispered to his friends, "Don't wait around for me," before practically running to catch up to the others.

As he came out of the Great Hall, he listened for voices to follow. He began to lose hope when all he heard was the faint bustling of students finishing their dinner in the room behind him. Then he heard Blaise's voice.

He rounded a corner to find Draco slouched against a wall, with Blaise and Pansy kneeling by his side. Pansy was rubbing his back reassuringly and whispering things in his ear. Blaise was the one to notice the slightly out-of-place Gryffindor.

"Alright there, Harry?" Blaise asked uncomfortably. Harry realized just then that he hadn't ever really had a conversation with Pansy or Blaise since his new alliance with Draco was formed. Harry nodded.

"I was wondering if I could have a word with Draco… alone." With this proposal Pansy looked quite unsure, but the two looked at Draco for a response. He simply nodded and they stood up slowly.

"We'll be back soon. Don't leave him alone or… well… you know what could happen," Blaise stated with a hint of fear edged in his voice. Harry nodded.

"Of course." With that, they were gone, leaving Harry in the corridor with Draco. The Slytherin didn't seem happy nor sad to see him, so Harry wasn't sure if he should bother. Deciding to stay, Harry took a seat next to the boy who had stolen his heart days before.

"How are things?" Harry started, nervously. A shrug was his only response. He tried again. "Not sleeping well?" Another shrug. Harry considered giving up when Draco's soft voice broke the awkward silence.

"I get nightmares. Don't tell Pansy or Blaise, though." With this statement, Draco's pleading eyes rose to meet Harry's for a moment, and then sank back down to the floor, and Harry felt his own heart sink.

"I get nightmares too. I have for years. I know what you're going through." Draco looked up in surprise.

"Are they memories?" Harry shook his head in response.

"Not necessarily. Sometimes they are, but most of the time they're kind of like premonitions." Draco nodded. "What about yours?"

"They're just memories. Actually, it's one specific memory. I feel like, if I close my eyes, I have to relive it. I can't bear to relive it. So I stay awake. I toss and I turn, and I struggle to fight sleep, but it always comes, and I always wake up in a cold sweat with tears in my eyes. I always wake Blaise, and I have to make up an excuse about potions that Pomfrey gave me. I'm not sure how long I can hide it from him, though. "

"Why don't you ask Snape for dreamless sleep potion?" Draco clearly did not like this idea, as tears came to his silver eyes.

"He won't let me…"

"What? Why?"

"He used to give it to me."

"Didn't it help?"

"It was…too helpful. I began to take it even after I stopped needing it. I kept telling him I was having dreams after they stopped. I was depressed. The potion just made it all go away…"

Harry was stunned. "How long ago was this?"

"About two years ago."

"You've been having dreams for this long?"

"No. Like I said, they stopped for a while… but back then, they were different memories. See… my father… he used to… hit me. One time, he went too far…" Harry had had enough.

"Draco… if he hurt you at all, he always went too far."

"Not necessarily. I deserved it most of the time. One time, I had to be taken to St. Mungo's. He was not pleased. We made up some stupid excuse so he wouldn't get into trouble for it…"

"Nobody deserves that, Draco. Why did the dreams stop?" Harry interrupted, not wanting to hear more of Draco's near-death experience.

Draco shrugged. "He stopped. He started to appreciate me when Voldemort started to show interest in me… making me a Death Eater, I mean." Draco fought to save himself. He knew where this was going. Soon enough, Harry would know.

"Why did the nightmares start again?"

"I was a traitor. I was a traitor to my father, the Death Eaters, and Voldemort himself."

"Just because you refused the dark mark?"

"They had… high hopes for me." Draco hung his head in shame.

Harry's mind was racing to try to keep up with Draco's story. "Okay, so you refused to be Voldemort's… right hand man as we'll call it for now. So were your dreams about you saying no?"

Draco shook his head. "I said my father stopped hurting me when he thought I would become… a Death Eater. When I refused, he started again. Well, kind of."

"Kind of?"

"He had help."

"From who?"

"Voldemort." Harry was practically fighting back tears of sympathy for Draco.

"Did he… perform unforgivables on you?"

"Until my nerve endings died." Harry couldn't bear this.

"It must have been awful." He looked over at the blond to find tears flowing freely now.

"Is that why… you don't like people being close to you?"

Draco shook his head. "No… that's not it." He's narrowing it down. He's going to know. He's going to think I'm a sick bastard.

"Will you tell me why, then? Maybe I can help." Draco visibly shook. Harry placed an arm over his shoulders and held him close. After tensing for a moment, Draco relaxed into him.

"You shouldn't want me, Harry." Harry was confused by the sudden topic change.

"Why not?" It was all Harry could get out.

"I'm a whore." Harry tensed.

"W-what?"

"I… I was Voldemort's whore. That's how they punished me. That's what my dreams are about. He raped me, and now I'm a dirty, worthless whore-" but he was cut off when Harry's lips slammed into his. Harry was careful where he placed his hands, running his fingers only through Draco's hair and over his face. Tears mixed as they flowed freely now from both boys' eyes. Slowly, Harry pulled away and gazed into Draco's slightly surprised eyes.

"You aren't dirty. You're not a whore. And you are most definitely not worthless, Draco." With that, Draco launched himself at Harry and wrapped his arms around the slightly larger boy's neck and sobbed into his chest.

"Why were you out here in the first place?"

"I received an owl." Harry didn't like where this was going.

"I have to go home this weekend."