Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. J.K. Rowling and the people who wrote/directed/whatever gives you the rights to a movie did.

A/N: Allusions of abuse in this chapter. Mostly Draco and Harry fluff though.

Chapter 26

There were only a few moments in which Draco could truly say that he had been surprised. Sure, he got was surprised in the little jolt of awareness way, but the kind that made him numb with shock rarely happened. The first time it had happened he had been five and had said thank you to an elf, and his father had slapped him so hard he fell out of the ornate chair he was sitting in. The last time it had happened had been when Harry had snogged the life out of him for the first time.

The point was, it didn't happen often. He could count on both hands the number of times it had happened.

This was one of those times.

"Oh Harry," Draco breathed, his hand reaching up on its own accord to touch him. Harry jerked back, his green eyes wide on Draco's, and Draco pretended that did not make his heart pang in hurt. Of course Harry was cautious of him, he had just been a damn git and screamed at him because he had been getting help in a way Draco knew couldn't have been easy.

Draco lowered his hand and took a step closer. Harry flinched and Draco stepped back before he realized that Harry hadn't been flinching, but gasping, big deep ragged breaths that caused his shoulder and chest to move entirely.

"Harry," Draco tried again, moving and crouching slightly so he could meet Harry's eyes with his own. Harry's eyes were bright and green, but they were also dazed and Draco was entirely positive that he was not seeing the room he was actually in.

Harry was having a panic attack, Draco suddenly realized. They were common, he remembered Severus telling him, in abused children and people in general. Draco knew that the summer he had been taken away from his father he had his fair share of them.

But just because he had had them didn't mean that he knew how to help Harry get out of it.

Think Malfoy, he commanded himself. What helped you?

The time after his panic attacks were still blurry, but he vaguely remembered that Severus had always been touching him when he came to. He took a step closer to Harry.

"I'm going to touch you, okay?" He asked Harry nervously. The gangly dark haired boy didn't respond, but Draco took the liberty of moving forward anyway. He slipped a hesitant arm around Harry's shoulders and pulled him into him. When Harry didn't appear to worsen or better he gently pulled the dark haired boy down, settling him on top of his lap and curling around him as much as he could. Harry's head ended up nestled against Draco's neck, his panicked breath huffing out warmly against Draco's collarbone.

"You're okay Harry," He promised roughly into the boy's inky dark strands. "You're safe now, I promise. Even if I'm being a big headed git, Severus wouldn't let anybody hurt you. You're safe, I've got you."

Draco kept a constant stream of commentary, full of the mushy stuff he would deny until his dying breath, running a shaky hand up and down Harry's bony back until the breaths on his collarbone started to even out and Harry stopped heaving in each breath.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, though he had just spent what seemed like ages ensuring that Harry was, indeed, okay. Harry froze for a brief moment and Draco worried that he had just sent him into another panic attack until Harry moved, nestling his face into Draco's neck and mumbling something. "What Harry?"

"'m embarrassed." Harry enunciated.

"Why?" Draco asked, running his hands up and down Harry's back and pretending that each scar induced bump didn't make him want to chase down Harry's horrible fat lump of an Uncle and kill him. Slowly. And painfully.

"This is the second time I've freaked out like that." Harry confided in him. "When Severus found out about it this happened too."

"I hope you didn't come around on Severus like this," Draco said lightly, though inwardly he was berating himself. How could he have been so stupid and blinded by his jealous to think that Harry would do that to him? With Severus of all people?

"I really didn't do it," Harry whispered, clutching himself closer to Draco. Draco held him closer as well, to convince himself that Harry was here, with him, and that he was safe.

"I know," Draco admitted, ducking his head down to press a kiss against Harry's unruly hair. "I was just being a… what did you call me?"

"A goddamn idiot," Harry chuckled, his breath huffing out warmly across Draco's neck. Draco got the distinct impression, even though he couldn't see Harry's expressive eyes, that he was amused with himself because of that one.

"You're amused with yourself, aren't you?" Draco asked, lowering his hands and scrabbling at Harry's ribs. He had always known that Harry as a scrawny git, but tickling him like this gave Draco a new feel at just how distinct his ribs actually were. Harry twisted away, making a noise that was not quite a giggle but the closest he had ever heard from Harry, and it renewed Draco's resolve to tickle him.

"Draco, stop," Harry whined, pulling away. Draco caught him with his spare arm, holding him in the spot with a large palm laid flat against Harry's lower back and Harry froze.

"Did I hurt you?" Draco asked, stopping his tickling. Harry shook his head, his chin tilted deliberately down. "Harry?" Draco prodded.

"You're touching my scars," Harry said quietly, his chin drooping almost to his chest. "Doesn't it disgust you?"

Before answering Draco placed a hand on either side of Harry's jaw, forcing him to look up and meet his eyes.

"Harry Potter," He said sternly. "There is only one thing disgusting to me about you," Harry's green eyes dimmed and Draco rushed to continue. "How absolutely Gryffindor you are." Harry eyes brightened and Draco pretended not to notice, continuing. "I mean, honestly, it makes my stomach turn sometimes. You're so brave and self-sacrificing, and honestly, so dim-witted sometimes."

"Git," Harry interrupted, shaking with laughter as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Draco's jaw.

"Well, you wouldn't expect me to change the way I feel about you just because you have some scars on your back, would you?" Draco asked. He knew that it was understating things, saying that Harry only had scars on his back and other things hadn't happened to him, but he wanted to make sure that Harry understood without being too mushy.

This changed nothing.

Draco was still incorrigibly and utterly in love with Harry Potter.