Draco walked down the white corridor towards Harry's door and placed his hand upon the surface. He knew Harry had survived the night since his alarms had remained silent, but he was still concerned for the other man's mental well-being.

He peered through the two-way mirror to see Harry facing towards the window again, eyes open and staring.

Draco took a deep breath, mentally preparing for whatever was going to happen on the other side of the door that morning. He deposited his wand into the glass container before rapping sharply on the outside of the door. He waited a moment before entering the room and walking over to sit in the empty bedside chair. Harry's eyes tracked his every movement, and Draco noted the familiar glint of anger glaring back at him.

"How are you feeling this morning Potter?" he broached carefully.

"You mean after you tried to fucking kill me last night?" Harry demanded loudly, his voice echoing off of the walls in the small room.

Draco sat back in his chair, gazing at him calmly. Harry obviously still felt safer reverting to anger. "How is that Potter?"

Harry's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in his rage. "I couldn't fucking move so I nearly choked to death!"

Draco crossed his arms over his chest as he regarded him carefully. "And how would you have dealt with the situation had you been in my shoes Potter?" he asked, keeping his tone calm and composed.

"I wouldn't be in your shoes Malfoy," Harry replied scathingly, "because I wouldn't be trying to save your worthless Death Eater life!"

Draco smiled in amusement. "Glad to see that the scope of your insults hasn't changed in five years Potter. And we both know that that's not true, you have saved my life on occasion."

"Don't think I don't regret it Malfoy."

Draco managed to ignore the impulse to roll his eyes and decided to try a different tack. "The only way to safely begin your healing process is to keep you restrained so that you cannot harm yourself and thus render my efforts futile."

"You just don't want me to die because it'll affect your bloody statistics."

"No," Draco replied, looking directly into Harry's emerald eyes with intensity. "I don't want you to die because I don't want you to die."

Harry was the first one to break eye contact and Draco noted that the other seemed to squirm under such frank emotions. He stored this information away as being perhaps the most useful way to deal with the Gryffindor.

"Now, if you're ready to begin, I'm sure you have lots of questions for me," Draco continued proficiently. "What would you like to know?"

Harry narrowed his eyes and seemed to be considering the question. "When can I get out of this fucking bed?" he finally decided to ask, a threatening undertone to his voice.

"Today."

Harry blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting that answer, and Draco could literally see Harry's brain suddenly working away, quite obviously trying to think of ways to escape from Draco the first chance he got. The thought of escape eased the tension in Harry's expression a little and prompted him to continue with his line of questioning in a more compliant manner.

"What are you going to do to me today?"

Draco decided to allow Harry to think that he had any chance of escape for now. "For the first few weeks, all I wish to accomplish is to allow the drugs to fully leave your system and have your physical state return to normal."

"So… do you keep any bennies here then?" Harry asked, using one of many known street names for amphetamines.

"And why would you think I kept that on-hand?"

"So you can wean your patients off of it slowly," Harry answered as though speaking to a child. The idea of escape was obviously filling him with a bit of adrenaline and causing him to be more conversational.

Draco shook his head. "No Potter, I do not keep any drugs on hand to feed to my patients."

"Shame, you look like you could use a hit," Harry replied with a smirk.

Draco swallowed and shifted in his chair, he could see a familiar hunger growing in Harry's eyes and he wanted to change topics straight away. Talking about Harry's favourite drugs and how great they made him feel was not going to be beneficial for either of them.

"So Potter, I thought today we could let you out for a walk around the grounds," he said.

"On my own?" Harry asked optimistically.

"I shall accompany you."

"Fantastic," Harry muttered, eyes shifting to look out the window.

Draco stood up, causing Harry's gaze to instantly switch back to his face. "Are you ready then Potter?"

"Now?"

Draco frowned at the flash of panic in his patient's eyes. He had assumed that Harry couldn't wait to get out and attempt his great escape. "Yes, unless you wish to wait until later, or perhaps tomorrow?"

Harry swallowed and shook his head back and forth on the pillow, his thick dark hair getting more and more matted. "No."

Draco nodded. "Right then, hold still and I'll release the bindings."

Draco lifted a hand and the soft leather cuffs encasing Harry's wrists and ankles carefully unstrapped by themselves and fell away. Harry rubbed at his wrists before slowly using his hands to push himself into a sitting position.

Draco watched him closely, noting the effort in which it took Harry to sit up. It was obvious he was still quite weak and posed no threat of running away. As long as Draco kept the magical dampening spell on him, he shouldn't lose him outdoors.

"Do you need a hand?" Draco asked as Harry carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and let his feet touch the ground.

"No don't touch me," Harry immediately responded without looking up.

Draco nodded and took a step back. "Perhaps a walking stick?" he suggested.

"Fuck you Malfoy," Harry said breathlessly as he tried to stand, his legs shaking slightly beneath him.

"Such a martyr," Draco uttered without malice as he walked to the door and turned, waiting for his patient.

Harry was standing upright but his legs were shaking so badly that he couldn't seem to take a step. "Maybe if you fucking fed me something then I wouldn't be about to pass out Malfoy," he spat, the venom in his tone overridden by his obvious embarrassment.

Draco plucked his wand from the container outside of the door and conjured a sturdy walking stick which levitated over to Harry's side.

Harry shot him a lethal glare but grabbed a hold of the cane none-the-less.

Draco stood back and waited patiently as Harry slowly hobbled his way to the door and peered out into the hallway. Harry gazed around before dropping his eyes to the wand in Draco's hand.

"Do you have my wand somewhere Malfoy?" he asked.

"No, it wasn't on you when I picked you up so I'm afraid I'm not aware of its present location."

Harry frowned but turned away, looking up the long hallway. "Which way?"

"To the right," Draco replied, indicating the direction in which Harry was looking.

Without a backward glance, Harry began to shuffle up the corridor as fast as he could – which was at a snail's pace.

Draco discreetly uttered a few spells, flicking his wand towards Harry, before joining him and walking along at Harry's pace.

Draco led him up the corridor to the lift and pushed the button for the first floor. They rode down in silence and Harry obediently followed Draco into the foyer and up to the large front doors. The brunette was breathing heavily by now but looked determined.

Draco grabbed two warm cloaks from the coat rack and wordlessly passed one over to Harry. Harry seemed to hesitate in defiance but then acquiesced, leaning his cane against the door before slipping his arms into the warm wool covering, Draco mirroring him at his side without comment.

"Ready?" Draco finally asked when it looked as though Harry was done.

Harry nodded, eyes on the large wooden door in front of them.

Draco placed his palm on the panel beside the door, which was keyed into his touch only, and the door swung open with a whoosh, a cool breeze instantly brushing across their faces.

Draco stepped out into the crisp air and Harry followed. He led him down the walkway towards the vast gardens on the western side of the house.

They walked in silence for a long time. Draco finally stopped and motioned to a stone bench near the coy pond. Harry was breathing quite heavily by this time and he wanted his patient to take a rest, and hopefully open up to him a little.

They both sat and gazed out over the beautiful gardens bursting with autumn colour.

"I know you put some spell on me Malfoy, before we left," Harry said, breaking the stretching silence.

"And I know that you know," Draco replied, turning towards him as Harry continued to stare off into the distance.

"What was it?"

"Just a couple of protection spells to keep you within the grounds and to keep you from harming yourself in any way," Draco explained, watching him closely.

"I was going to run away you know," Harry admitted tonelessly. "But I don't think running is in the cards today."

"Perhaps tomorrow," Draco suggested with a small smile that Harry didn't return.

Harry finally turned towards him. "Am I the only one here?"

"Yes." Draco nodded, and then elaborated. "I usually treat several patients at once, sometimes being in a small group of people going through the same thing can aid the healing process, but I didn't picture you as the group therapy sort Potter. Especially seeing as how I forced you here, I didn't think you would be very cooperative to start with."

Harry turned away without a response, looking back over the grounds laid out before him.

"I know what you're thinking," Draco continued. "That you won't ever cooperate with me or my methods, but I am positive that there will come a time that you do cooperate and are grateful for my help."

Other than a snort of derision, Harry remained silent.

Draco looked over towards the coy pond; grey eyes watching the large golden fish cut gracefully through the water at the bottom of the round pool.

"You couldn't possibly know what I'm thinking."

Draco turned at the softly spoken words.

"Maybe you've treated hundreds of people who perhaps all have the same symptoms and the same emotional outbursts but you don't know what it's actually like," Harry continued with quiet intensity.

"Maybe I don't know what it's like to be Harry Potter with a drug addiction but I know what it's like to be Draco Malfoy with a drug addiction."

Harry's head snapped round to stare at him in surprise.

"That's how I got into this profession in the first place," Draco explained openly. "I fell into substance abuse to escape the memories of my past and to dull any feelings instead of dealing with them head on. If it wasn't for Severus – Professor Snape – I would probably be dead."

Harry's brows rose to his hairline, appearing taken aback by Draco's confession.

"Professor Snape owned this estate before me," Draco explained. "He treated patients here in addition to conducting training for young wizards of Voldemort supporters orphaned by his brief period back in power. He took me under his wing and out of the gutter and then left me the place to continue on after he decided to retire a year ago. The orphaned students now attend Hogwarts and I purely treat substance abuse patients now."

Harry appeared to be at a loss for words and so he turned away once more, a frown marring his pale forehead.

"Harry…"

"Don't call me that," Harry cut across him sharply.

"I call all my patients by their first name so I don't wish to treat you any differently." Draco had decided that by calling Harry by his last name he was only distancing himself from him more.

Harry shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "Who are you trying to be Malfoy? This isn't the real you," he said, sounding frustrated.

"I'm not trying to be anyone, this is the Draco Malfoy that went through hell and back and who no longer lives in the shadow of his parents or has to fear for his life every day. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the same person as I was in Hogwarts, and that's a good thing Harry."

"I said stop calling me that," Harry snapped, turning to him angrily. "I don't like you like this, I can't… I can't handle you like this!"

Draco sat back, watching Harry's reaction curiously. "Why is that?" He decided to leave off using the Gryffindor's first name so as not to antagonise him further. "Why can't you accept that I am the same snot-nosed little kid from school who is now trying to help you?"

"Because!" Harry exploded. "Because that snot-nosed kid was a fucking bully who tried to hurt me every chance he got! Whose father tried to kill me every chance he got!"

"People change," Draco answered simply. "I'm not disputing everything you've said, I did use to be that boy, but not anymore. I've grown up and I've changed. As for my father's actions, well I can't be held liable for what he did or tried to do all those years ago. Besides, he's paying for it now."

"And I suppose you're repaying your debt by this goody two-shoes act?" Harry retorted.

"I admit I did stay on to help Professor Snape as a favour to him for all he'd done for me," Draco answered honestly. "But then I began to enjoy the work; it was hard and it was challenging but also immensely rewarding in a way I hadn't experienced before."

"You're lying."

Draco clamped down on the flash of irritation; here he was opening up to the other man and Harry was throwing it back in his face. He knew going into this that it was going to be a challenge and so he forced himself to remain calm. As he'd done before with Harry, he decided to change his approach.

"Remember back at Hogwarts when you would put your own life at risk to help another student? When you would run headfirst into a hazardous situation for someone else with little thought to your own safety?"

Harry ignored him but Draco could see that he was listening to every word.

"I hated you for that," the blond continued. "But I never questioned its authenticity. I knew it was coming from a place in you that was doing it to help a person in need and not for the glory of being a hero, not for the possible accolades that would be coming your way afterwards. You actually cared. That is how I feel about the work I do here. I'll admit there is a small amount of self-satisfaction when a patient is ready for release back into society but for the most part I do it because I know how it feels to be finally free from addiction and I want others to experience the same thing. I thought the drugs freed me but I was so mistaken, they were just another form of imprisonment.

I am free from my parents, from my past, from a life that I didn't want and I'm free from addiction. It is a heady feeling Harry, one that I think you should experience for yourself. While some would say that our stories are very different, I would say that they run a very similar path – which both end here at this place."

Draco almost felt breathless as he finished his impassioned speech. Harry seemed to be absorbing everything in silence – or completely ignoring him – and Draco kept quiet, allowing the other man to think. He hoped some part of it connected with Harry on some level.

Just as Draco had given up that Harry had been listening to a word he'd said, the pensive brunette finally spoke.

"And what would I do after?"

Draco felt a flash of relief, if Harry was even remotely considering a life after his rehabilitation, then there was hope. "What do you want to do above all else?"

"Get high."

Draco turned towards him and smiled at the little smirk that was tugging at Harry's lips. "Besides that?"

Harry sighed and shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "I don't really know…"

"That's alright," Draco replied easily, not wanting Harry to get anxious about future decisions before he was ready to handle it. "I can help you with that later, let's focus on your health first."

Harry still wasn't looking at him but the tension between them had definitely evaporated. "You sound twenty years older than me Malfoy."

Draco chuckled and shifted on the cold bench. "That's what happens when you spend every hour of every day for three years straight with only Snape for company."

Harry actually smiled a little at that one.

Draco thought it was a good time to stop and go back inside. "I don't know about you but I'm getting uncomfortable and a little hungry. Ready to go back in?"

Harry took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Yeah ok," he said after a moment.

And Draco knew he was saying yes to more than just whether he wanted to go back in for lunch or not.