It was pretty obvious by the votes which side you want Hermione to be on…but I'm still not sure. Guess you'll have to wait two or three more chapters to find out! *Does a really evil laugh* Yep! ;p

Chapter 10: Hesitant Start

Lunch was a tiring affair. Harry had tried to keep up his "Golden Boy" mask but it had been hard. He had to repeatedly stop himself from flinching whenever Draco or Mrs. Malfoy touched him and resist the urge to jump in fear whenever anyone talked to him. The whole meal was basically spent repressing the instincts and habits he had picked up from his life with the Dursleys and he was barely able to touch his food. When lunch was finally over with he fled to his room and fell gratefully onto his bed, his whole body shaking. 'I can't do this! Why does shit always have to happen to me?' Harry nearly sobbed.

A loud knock on the door had Harry squealing like a girl, something he would later deny, and jumping so high that he fell over the side of the bed with a loud thud. The crash of his bedroom door slamming into the wall had Harry screaming again, also denied, and he peeked over the edge of the bed from where he was slumped on the floor.

"Harry! Are you alright? I heard a-" Draco trailed off when he saw Harry on the floor with a dazed expression. It was completely quiet for a few seconds and then Draco doubled over gasping in air as he laughed loudly. Harry glared up at him with an affronted expression.

"It's not funny! You nearly scared the magic outta me!" Harry snapped as he pushed himself up from the floor. 'Evil, sneaky git! Doesn't even help me up from the floor!' Harry pouted and folded his arms as he waited for Draco to either pass out from lack of air or stop laughing.

"Sorry." Draco chuckled. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked with a roll of his eyes. Draco looked at him oddly.

"Harry, you were just-" Harry sighed.

"I'm fine! I have no reason not to be." Harry insisted. 'Please let him just drop it, I can't talk about this right now.'

"Yes you do!" Draco snapped, glaring at him. 'He's probably wishing he had a better mate.'

"Oh really? Like what?" Harry drawled in a good imitation of Draco hoping that his attitude would make Draco angry enough to leave.

"Oh, let me see… Maybe the fact that you were abused for most of your life? Does that seem like a good enough reason? Or how about the fact that you were bloody raped by your bastard uncle! Can't forget that one!" Draco screamed at him with his silver eyes flashing furiously and looking like molten silver.

'Calm down! Calm down!' Harry thought to himself desperately. 'He said he wouldn't hurt me, he promised!' Harry chanted in his mind but he couldn't stop his instinctive flinch when the angry Veela took a step towards him. Harry looked up at Draco's murderous expression and lost it. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head in the submissive position his uncle had often forced him into.

"I'm sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean to make you angry! I'll do better! I'll be better! I swear! So, so sorry." Harry sobbed as he waited for the blows he knew were coming. 'I'm such a worthless freak!' He sobbed even harder. He was aware of Draco moving closer and he tensed waiting for the first punch to land on his skin. 'I knew it! I deserve this for thinking I could be happy.' Harry whimpered and cringed when Draco stopped right in front of him. Harry closed his eyes with defeat and waited for the pain.

.

Draco looked down in horror at the sobbing, pleading boy before him. He walked forward in a daze until he was standing right in front of his distraught mate. He watched as Harry's eyes closed and his whole body took on the posture of someone who had given up.

"Oh, Harry." Draco breathed as he fell to his knees in front of his submissive. "Please don't cry, Love! You have nothing to apologize for, if anything I should be apologizing to you! I didn't mean to yell at you." Draco leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Harry in an attempt to comfort the shaking boy. Harry's sobs rose in pitch and Draco felt as if his heart was breaking. 'I did this. I hurt him and reduced him to this broken, beaten shell. I don't deserve him.' Draco thought in despair.

"Please, I'm so sorry! I didn't-" Draco broke off and tightened his arms around Harry. "I just get so furious when I think of how the people you were supposed to be able to trust, betrayed you. I just want to protect you. Please, Harry!" Draco nearly sobbed himself. He calmed down slightly when he felt Harry start to relax into his arms. Draco continued to whisper reassuring words in his ears until Harry's crying stopped. He pulled back and looked down at Harry.

"Better now?" He asked softly. Harry nodded hesitantly and Draco reached up to gently wipe the tears from his cheeks. 'How could they hurt you like this? Someone so pure and good should not know such horror and heartache!' Draco stood and held out a hand to help Harry up and sighed when he just bowed his head and refused to look at him.

"Harry." Draco said. Harry slowly looked up and Draco smiled at him. "You can trust me."

"I trust you." Harry spoke softly his voice completely serious. "Right now there is a very short list of people I trust. In fact, it's only three people long, Remus, you and me. So don't…just please, don't hurt me." Harry looked up at him his eyes begging for someone to love him for himself and Draco readily took up the task.

"You will always be able to trust me Emerald. I won't let them hurt you like they have in the past and I will make them pay for all the horrible things they have done to you." He held his hand out again and this time Harry took it. Draco pulled him up and resisted the urge to press him closer.

"I noticed you didn't eat much at lunch," Harry blushed and Draco smirked at him. "Yes, I was watching you. Anyway, you didn't eat and I distinctly remember telling you to eat since you haven't had anything since you got here." Draco looked sternly at his mate who blushed even deeper.

"I tried!" Harry grumbled indignantly. "It isn't my fault that you all freaked me out." Draco snorted and Harry glared up at him.

"Alright," Draco said holding up his hands in the universal gesture for surrender. "How about we call a house elf and get you a sandwich?" Draco called for an elf and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. When the elf disappeared he turned back towards Harry and raised an eyebrow at the weird expression on his face.

"What?" Draco asked. Harry blinked up at him in surprise.

"How do you know I like grilled cheese and tomato soup?" Harry sounded so confused. 'Merlin! He's so cute when he's confused.'

"I know because I paid attention. We may not have been friends before but you were the only person who ever challenged me. I…respected you and how powerful you were. I wanted to know more about you, even if we weren't on the best of terms." Draco explained.

"You…watched me? All these years?" Harry started to laugh, a harsh and angry sound. "Bloody fantastic! My best friend couldn't care less about me but my school rival knows what my favorite foods are!" Draco sighed.

"Harry, we will get through this. We will show them that we are stronger than them. We will get justice for all the wrongs they have done." Draco promised. Harry looked up at him and smiled, his first real, full blown smile.

"You said 'We'." He whispered happily. "The wizarding world is not going to be happy about their Chosen One being in a relationship with the son of a Death Eater." Harry warned, worry evident in his voice.

"They won't have a choice. We're gonna shove our relationship in their faces and make them like it!" Draco said with a smirk. He stepped forward, wanting to put his arms around his small mate. He noticed the way Harry peeked up at him from beneath his bangs. 'He has to want this for us to work. He has to come to me.' Draco reminded himself not to him push too hard or too fast. Harry stepped forward and looked up at him with a guarded expression.

"Do we have anything that needs to be done today?" He asked softly. Draco looked down at him confused and slowly shook his head.

"Tomorrow we go shopping for your wardrobe and next week we planned to get our school supplies." He said.

"New wardrobe! I don't need…not important." Harry shifted nervously from foot to foot. "So if we don't have anything planned…would you like to…I mean if you aren't busy…I just thought that maybe we could-" Harry stuttered nervously. 'So bloody cute!' Draco thought before cutting him off.

"Harry, relax and breathe," Draco waited for Harry to do just that before continuing. "Now what is it you want to ask me?"

"If we aren't going to be doing anything today then I'm going to finish reading the book (you gave me) and I was wondering if you wanted to lie down and…read…with…me?" Harry had blushed a deep red and was looking down at his shoe as if he had never seen them before. Draco gently lifted his chin until deep emerald eyes stared into swirling silver.

"I would love to lie down and read with you." Draco murmured softly and felt his heart beat faster when Harry smiled shyly at him. He took a quick step back and deepend his breathing. He couldn't afford to act on his desires and kiss Harry right now. It would undermine everything he was attempting to do. 'I'll just have to be careful. I can't lose him, especially not for a small kiss.' Draco steeled his mind against the attraction to his mate and lowered himself onto the bed with Harry. Harry grabbed the book from where he had put it on the nightstand and opened it to chapter four. He looked over at Draco, blushed slightly, and looked back down at the book. Draco chuckled softly and shifted closer.

"Why don't you lay back against the pillows? I'll read to you." He offered.

"Yeah. Okay." Harry whispered and handed over the book to Draco. Draco started to read.

"Chapter Four: Light and Dark Veelas. There are two types of Veelas, one Light and the other Dark. Light Veelas are called so because of their light complexions. Light Veela are known to have pale white skin, light blue, grey or silver eyes, and white-blond hair. Dark Veela are known to have tan skin, brown, green or dark blue eyes, and black or brown hair. Light Veela mature faster than Dark Veela and normally get their inheritance on their seventeenth birthday. Dark Veela mature slower because they are more powerful, magically and physically, than their lighter counterparts. Dark Veela do not get their Inheritance until their eighteenth birthday."

Draco stopped reading when he felt Harry rest his head on his shoulder. He looked down in surprise at the head of black, unruly hair. He opened his mouth and was about to comment when Harry tapped the page he had been reading.

"Don't stop reading," Harry whispered. "You have a nice voice." Draco remained silent and stared at Harry a few seconds longer before picking up where he left of.

.

Harry smiled from where he rested against Draco's side. 'He didn't push me away! Maybe he really does want me.' Harry listened to Draco's smooth voice as it washed calmly over him and helped him relax. 'If he keeps this up I won't be able to resist him.' Harry looked at Draco out of the corner of his eye. 'Merlin please let him keep this up!' Harry thought as he felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep.