Blaise walked beside Draco, heading to potions. "Dray, trust me. Hermione Granger knows everything, and when she doesn't, she always finds the answer. She will take great pleasure in out smarting your Father. If all fails, Harry will tear your Father apart, and whatever man your Father promised you to, and the ministry will just let it happen. You and I both know they won't punish the chosen one." Blaise knew that the last few days had been weighing heavily on his best mate.

Draco looked over to his friend, grateful that through the changes in his life, he had always been a constant. "I am trying to stay positive. Harry says he can smell my anxiety all over the castle and it drives him crazy. I just can't shake the feeling that some how I'm going to lose in this situation. If you had told twelve year old me that I would be disappointed to lose Harry Potter I would have cursed you six different ways." There were so many days that it didn't even all feel real.

Blaise laughed, " You don't have to tell me. I was there for all the Potter rants. I am quite aware. Though, I am surprised that the ice prince himself has feelings like these. Harry brings out the mushy side of you."

Draco punched him in the arm playfully, "Shove it. You don't get it because you're not... mated yet. Even when I'm mad at him for being his dumb Gryffindor self, my omega doesn't let me stay mad. It's like a second voice in my head all the time telling me how lucky I am to have Harry as my mate. It's like a damn Hufflepuff moved into my brain and wants me to swoon every time he blinks."

Blaise let out a loud laugh as they descended the last set of stair cases. "Draco Malfoy swooning over Harry Potter, now I have heard everything." Blaise turned just in time to see what he thought was Draco tripping and falling down the last several steps on the stairs. When Draco didn't move at the bottom, Blaise took the last steps in twos dropping to the ground beside him starting to panic.

Blaise felt anger swell in his chest almost instantly as several boys from Ravenclaw stepped around them laughing. He jumped up, snatching the closest one slamming him so hard into the brick that he lost consciousness. The next one drew his wand out to attack Blaise, but before he could mutter a spell, Blaise heard Ron and Harry both casting spells. What felt like an eternity, was only moments, but all four boys were incapacitated.

Blaise turned trying to calm himself down, adrenaline pumping, seeing Harry lift Draco carefully off the floor, his head hanging limply across his arm. "Is he breathing? He hit hard. Fell down about eight steps." Blaise rushed over to him, his stomach turning at the right of his mangled arm and bloody face.

"Yes, it looks worse than it is I think. A day in the hospital wing but I think he will be alright." Harry looked up at Blaise, "thank you for helping him. I'm going to take him to Madam Pomfrey, if Slughorn needs my recount on the incident just send him that way." Harry paused for a moment and looked back at Blaise, "Draco... he told me this stuff didn't happen to him anymore. That even the articles didn't change anything, he was lying to me wasn't he." It wasn't a real question. He knew the answer already.

Blaise looked at his best friend unconscious in his mates arms. "You have to understand, we were all raised to be prideful, deal with things on our own. It doesn't just go away."

Harry nodded, that was all that he needed to hear. "Thank you Blaise. You are a good friend to him."

Blaise watched as he moved quickly down the hall to get Draco treated and right as rain. As he turned back around, Ron was standing with Professor Slughorn explaining the situation. Blaise picked up his bag and Draco's and stood next to Ron. "Come on Weasley. Looks like you are stuck with me for the class. We can head up that way after class and see how they are making out."

--

Draco heard a faint whispering as he came to. His head was throbbing. He blinked hard a few times, the harsh lighting making him squint. Hospital wing for sure, he thought. He tried to pull himself up to see who was talking and groaned when it proved hard, his arm feeling stiff.

"You know, it's me who's suppose to end up in the hospital wing constantly. Not you." Harry approached the bed dropping in the chair beside it. "Stop moving or Madam Pomfrey will be over here lecturing you. Here, she said you would be stiff when you woke up. She left you a pain potion." Harry pulled the cork and tiled the bottle against Draco's lips helping him finish it.

"What happened? One second I was laughing with Blaise on my way to potions. Next thing I know I'm here." Draco frowned as Harry reached over helping him to sit up against his pillows.

"Some Ravenclaw boys decided to use a trip jinx on you while you were at the top of the last stair case. What they didn't know is that I was not far behind, or that your best friend has the strength of six men all by himself. The kid sleeping a few beds down from you, Blaise knocked him out cold. Lifted him by the front of his robes, threw him against the wall and that was that." Harry looked at Draco taking his hand into his. "Draco, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what exactly? I didn't know they were going to pull a dangerous prank on me." Draco couldn't quite meet the piercing green eyes staring what felt like into his soul.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You won't even look at me. Madam Pomfrey while patching you up mentioned that you are a frequent visitor down here, and that she can't believe that I would allow this to keep happening. Imagine my surprise that she thought I was allowing kids to bully you to the point that you need medical care. Some mate I am huh? Even mentioned that you had been almost sexually assaulted a few times early on. Draco, why are you putting up with this? The Draco I knew would never let others push him around." Harry reached up trying to get Draco to meet his eyes.

"What choice to I have exactly? If I fight back they fight harder. They use their scent to keep me from acting out. For me to take what they dish. They see me as death eater scum. Whether I was cleared by the ministry or not doesn't matter to them. And now, they are convinced I'm ruining their hero. I've corrupted you and forced you to be with me. " Draco pulled away from Harrys hand embarrassed. "I'm not some weak child who needs you to protect me. I've been handling it just fine on my own."

"Just fine? Are you kidding me? Broken ribs, arms and legs. Bruises and cuts. Jinx's that need reversing. That doesn't sound just fine to me. I'm suppose to protect you Draco! I am your mate. This isn't because I'm Harry Potter or a Gryffindor like you enjoy pointing out. This is because my job as your Alpha not to mention I want to protect you as my boyfriend!" Harry was getting angry, though he was talking in a hushed voice, Draco could hear it. He could smell his scent changing as he got angrier.

"I'm not your job to protect no matter what you think!" Draco said Back hurriedly. "I have been taking care of myself for years. Sure, it's been a little rough the last few months, but I only have four months left and then I don't have to worry about this anymore. I don't want you to waste your time or energy worrying about some school yard bullying. You don't need to." Draco watched Harry jump up getting more and more frustrated.

"Of course I don't need to Draco. I want to! I want to make sure you are always taken care of. I love you!" Harry now was shouting. Once he realized he had said the words he looked at Draco swallowing hard. "I love you Draco and knowing that you Have been suffering and keeping it to yourself is breaking me." He said gently.

Draco stared at Harry for a few moments. "What... what did you say?" He wasn't sure he really heard him right. Maybe he his his head harder than he thought he had.

"I love you Draco Malfoy. As crazy as you think it is, I some how can't get enough of you. It's okay if you're not ready to say it back. Don't rush. But I need you to let me do what I am suppose to do as your mate and as your boyfriend. Let me take care of you okay?" Harry sat back down and reached for Draco's hand hesitantly.

Draco let Harry lace their fingers and nodded, "Okay."