Title Night
Pairing Draco/Harry
Rating R, NC-17 in later chaps readers… this has been edited for ‘legal’ submission)
Warnings Slash
Disclaimer All characters belong to JK Rowling. No money was made for this story.
Genre Romance, General
Summary This story takes place after Book 6. Sirius is still alive and Lucius is not in Azkaban. Harry finds Draco in a difficult situation and takes him in. Draco begins to rethink his loyalties once he learns more about the war and the situation his family has been placed in.
Notes HBP Spoilers. Please review if you read.

Draco sat alone in the complete darkness. His robes were tattered and his white shirt was stained with blood. He hadn’t had a warm shower since he had fled Hogwarts with Severus months ago. He was never allowed warm water. They were on the run now from the people that understood least. His only hope was to reach the Dark Lord before anyone else found them. Draco knew his Master would be upset that he hadn’t finished the job himself, but he had been so blinded. He’d actually thought for a moment that the old wizard could save him. That misconception had to be worth something. Perhaps the Dark Lord would be more forgiving given these circumstances.

“How could I have been so stupid?” Draco asked himself as he pulled back his torn left sleeve and peered at the Mark he found there. He was branded forever now… Like his father, his mother, and Snape. He was one of them… and now he was a coward. He hadn’t been able to kill the Wizard because of that one moment of weakness, and so Snape had been forced to finish the job. This exile was no less than he deserved. Running and hiding in weakness and regret was the only fate fitting for him now.

“We need to move,” Snape said roughly as he walked up to him. “The Dark Lord has another assignment for you, but you cannot fail this time.” Draco looked up and nodded, thankful to get another chance, but not really looking forward to it. He didn’t want to prove himself worthy to the Dark Lord. He just wanted to be home and safe with his family. Still, he was glad for the second chance. He had assumed the Dark Lord would just kill him. What did Voldemort care for the lives of others? At least his life had been spared this time. He hadn't been particularly excited with the idea of finding out what the afterlife was like.

“Where are we going?” Draco asked quietly. Snape snorted, but ignored Draco. The blond boy just sighed. He should’ve known better than to expect any kind of decent answer from the man. He was used to this treatment by now, but he wished he would have made a few different decisions. It became quite apparent that Snape had absolutely no intentions of answering him, so Draco just stood and followed silently as he always did for what seemed like ages. Draco didn’t even realize when they reached an old building on the opposite end of the small town.

“What do you think you are doing?” Severus questioned in a harsh tone as he stopped and looked back at the boy. Draco stopped dead in his tracks and looked up silently at the man. Severus sneered cruelly at Draco and then walked behind a black curtain. Of course that was it. He was not to follow Severus into any of the buildings he went into. He always had to wait outside for his orders to be barked at him. The Dark Lord would never even imagine giving the orders directly to Draco. Sometimes the blond boy wondered if Severus had spoken to the Dark Lord at all. There were times that he thought Snape just made things up to keep Draco busy and out of his greasy, unwashed hair.

“Stay here, Draco,” Draco said to himself, mimicking the way Snape talked to him lately. “You don’t actually believe the Dark Lord would waste his time talking directly to you, do you?” Draco sighed and kicked at the dirt on the ground. He wasn’t even entirely sure how far they had come. All he knew was that Snape had to be inside securing his next assignment right now. Hopefully it would be something simple so Draco could just finish it and get on with his life. He wanted to drop out of the Dark Lord’s ranks and fall under the radar until this war was finished.

“Let’s go,” Snape said roughly as he hauled Draco up by his now shoulder-length hair. He was looking more and more like Lucius every day. Draco mumbled something under his breath, but Snape obviously thought it unworthy of his time. What Draco wouldn’t give to bring back those days when he was favored by Snape instead of serving him. He absolutely despised this type of servitude, but it was better than what he’d heard Wormtail had been through. Still, he felt that he would receive that treatment before his time with Snape was finished.

“What did He say?” Draco asked quietly. He was eager to find out what he was supposed to do next. Anything would be better than this meaningless drivel and at least he would have the possibility of not being around Snape anymore. Chances were the Dark Lord would need Snape for something more important. Now that was the only hope he was able to hold on to. This new mission could mean freedom from his captor if even for a short time.

“Since you were an utter failure when it came to ridding us of that old Wizard, the Dark Lord has decided to assign you a rather different task. It will be more difficult, no doubt, but different,” Snape said coldly. “The mission he has given you is much desired by all others, so if you fuck it up there will be someone in line behind you. Know that your life is expendable.” Draco snorted. So he had been blinded when it came to Dumbledore’s murder, but he’d learned from that mistake and there was no chance he would make such a grave error again.

“I knew that when I took the Mark,” Draco responded, trying to sound respectful, but failing miserably. He didn’t even brace himself for the blow he knew would come. There was no point. The force of the blow knocked Draco backward and he gashed his forehead against the rock he hit. This was the treatment that he was accustomed to now.

“Watch it, Draco. Your tone is most disrespectful and I won’t stand here and listen to it. I don’t have to take your shit anymore,” Snape said in a low growl. He didn’t have the patience to deal with the boy outside Hogwarts and he wasn’t about to. “You are to find Harry Potter and bring him to the Dark Lord.” Draco looked up and scowled. He stood again and wiped the blood off his forehead. Damn that vile man.

“How am I supposed to do that?” Draco asked harshly. “He hates me. He won’t even talk to me, remember?” He touched his forehead again and scowled when he found his fingers were stained red with his own blood. This entire situation was becoming unbearable, and if finding Potter was what he had to do to escape Snape then he was more than willing to take on that challenge. He wanted nothing more than to drop out of the Dark Lord’s radar, but if he had to do this one last thing before he could disappear then he would.

“I don’t really care what you do or how, but somehow you are going to find him and earn his trust,” Snape said. “Or rather, he will find you… alone, cold, and poor… in the gutter. From then on, you are completely up to your own devices. If you succeed then that just saves someone else the trouble of coming out here and picking up pieces. If you fail, well, we will deal with that when it happens, as I am sure it is bound to at some point. Honestly, if you couldn’t even manage to get rid of Dumbledore in his weakest state, how will you be able to win Potter over? It doesn’t seem very likely to me. Nevertheless, the Dark Lord seems to think you have the best chance of succeeding in this endeavor.” Severus grabbed Draco’s arm and disapparated. Before Draco knew it, they were near the Leaky Cauldron and Snape was beating him. Draco tried his best to guard his face with his hands.

“Stop it!” Draco cried, but no one was around to hear him. It was very early morning. Snape sneered as he tore at Draco’s clothes and beat the boy as badly as he could. He then pushed him down in the gutter, disapparating as quickly as he had apparated on the street. Draco was quite alone, and didn’t believe anyone would find him until sunrise at least. He curled up trying to make himself disappear, but he couldn’t roll up small enough. He tried to hold onto enough consciousness to see if anyone would come along.

Lying in the gutter in the darkness of early morning was actually a better fate than remaining with Snape. With everything else that had happened a soft, cold drizzle began to fall silently on the empty London streets. Draco tried to pull in closer to himself. He knew he would find no warmth and no comfort on this street tonight. If only he had stayed out of things like his father had warned. Now his life was left completely up to chance. As he lay in the cold moisture, too afraid to try to move, he heard footsteps approaching him slowly.

“Do you see something up there?” a voice said just above a whisper. Draco tried to call out to alert them and see if he could get help, but he was unable to find his voice. He only hoped that the people would come closer to examine what they had seen. At this point Draco didn’t even care if they were muggles. He just wanted somewhere warm to sleep and a nice hot shower.

“It looks like… a person?” It was a female voice this time. Maybe it was someone that could cook. Or better yet, maybe it was a plump pureblood witch with a warm manor and houselves. Draco floated closer to full consciousness as he focused on the voices. He almost recognized them, but it was as if they were from a long forgotten dream. He slipped closer to that sweet engulfing darkness.

“Who is that?” This voice was unmistakably familiar. Draco groaned, but didn’t roll over even though he had found the strength. He didn’t want Harry to see him this way. He didn’t want Harry to see him at all. “Fuck… It’s Draco.” The blond boy could hear the other voices again, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying before he let the darkness consume him completely.

“Is he alive?” Hermione asked with her voice full of concern. Harry bent down next to him and checked for a pulse. Hermione was looking over his shoulder at Draco’s still form. She may have hated the boy in school, but she was still concerned for him now regardless of her feelings. She didn’t want to see anymore people die in the wake of Voldemort’s terror.

“Alive, but unconscious,” Harry responded. “We should probably take him upstairs. He’ll be safe with us and this way we can keep an eye on him. He’ll cause less trouble if we are able to watch him.” Harry looked over Draco’s nearly naked body to see what the damage was. Draco was bleeding badly in places. He was quite beat up, but the physical wounds weren’t anything that couldn’t be taken care of with magic.

“Are you sure we are going to want him with us?” Ron asked. “How do you know he won’t try anything?” It was obvious that he was a bit nervous, but he was concerned as well. It was hard not to feel for one of their classmates even though they didn’t particularly like him. Especially since this was all happening in the aftermath of Voldemort’s anger. Still, Ron couldn’t help but think that Draco brought this all on himself.

“Will you help me mobilize him? I am afraid that he won’t stay stable enough if I do this by myself,” Harry said. Ron nodded reluctantly and removed his wand from his robe. Hermione stood by and watched as Harry chanted several different spells and Ron followed his lead. All the while, Draco never moved once. It was really hard to believe that he was still alive as still as he was. Hermione turned and went into their room at the Leaky Cauldron so she could open the window. Floating him through there would be much better than parading him through the bar full of people.

“Careful,” Harry said as he and Ron worked on passing the body slowly through the open window. They set Draco down blindly as soon as he was completely inside and then went into the Leaky Cauldron. Harry rushed quickly up the stairs with Ron following grudgingly behind.

“Hate to ask, Ron, but I’ll need your help again,” Harry said as he gestured to the still form on the floor. Ron rolled his eyes but grabbed Draco’s ankles as Harry supported his head and shoulders. They moved Draco onto the bed. Ron sat in one of the extra chairs and Harry stood next to the bed looking down at Draco. There were so many bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Harry wondered if the physical evidence was all that was actually to the attack.

“I’ll watch him if you two want to go get something to drink,” Hermione offered as Harry pulled back scraps of Draco’s shirt to check the damage done to his ribs. Even Ron was flinching at the damage on the boy’s pale skin. The bruises looked even harsher against the white glow of Draco’s usually flawless body. Hermione’s statement had apparently gone completely unheard.

“I don’t think I am going to do anything just yet,” Harry finally decided. “It isn’t a good idea to have him in great condition when he wakes up here. I’ll help heal the wounds after I have spoken to him. Tell me when he wakes up, okay?” Hermione nodded and pulled up a chair next to the bed while Ron and Harry walked into the other room. Hermione could still hear their voices through the cracked door.

“Can’t you just ship him off to Azkaban?” Ron questioned tensely. He didn’t feel comfortable with having one of the most wanted Wizards under the same roof as him. It was almost as bad as having Voldemort himself in close proximity.

“I can’t just dump him off on the aurors there,” Harry responded. “I don’t think they would appreciate the notion of babysitting Draco.” He began to pace while he was trying to think of something to do.

“So we should babysit him then?” Ron asked roughly. There was too much going on with everything they had to do. Now they would have to look after Malfoy as well until Harry had decided he was quite finished with him. This was exactly how Ron had wanted to spend his life.

“No, not babysitting, but would you take this and get him some proper robes. Tell Madame Malkins this is an emergency. There is a little extra in there for her trouble,” Harry said as he handed Ron a small pouch full of galleons.

Shortly after the boys had begun their conversation in the other room, Draco began to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room he was in. It was clear to him that he was in the Leaky Cauldron, but he couldn’t remember why he would be there. The things that happened hours ago seemed fuzzy and far away. He could barely make out the outline of the witch sitting on the chair next to his bed, but he could see a small slit of light coming from the cracked doorway.

“He’s awake,” Hermione called gently. She had been sitting by his bed, apparently waiting for movement. She was watching him like a hawk would and refused to look away for even a moment. Not a second later, Harry was there gazing down at him. “Why are we helping him again?” She had a look of disgust on her face. Things were different now that he was awake and well.

“Because he didn’t do it,” Harry said quietly as he searched Draco’s face. “I’ve explained this to you already, Hermione.” Harry looked at Draco again, and then pointed his wand at the gash on the boy’s forehead. With a flick of his wrist, the bloody mess was mended. Draco touched his forehead and was surprised when he didn’t see any blood on his fingers. The Harry he had known had never been particularly good at this kind of healing.

“Ron is out getting you more suitable clothing,” Hermione said grudgingly. She still didn’t understand why Harry felt the need to take in this boy. Draco nodded at her. It could have been taken as a thank you or a rude gesture. Hermione just chose to ignore it.

“I’ll help you fix everything else after you’ve had a shower so I can see what they look like,” Harry said quietly. “From the looks of it you were beaten pretty badly. Who did this to you?” Harry handed Draco a towel and a soft white bathrobe. Draco headed to the bathroom to take the first warm shower he’d had in ages. Hermione remained seated in her chair and glared at Harry. They even remained silent when one of the barmaids brought up a small tray of food and placed it on the bedside table.

“Why are you helping me?” Draco asked as he walked back into the bedroom with the towel wrapped around his waist. He sat down on the bed and looked over at Harry. Harry took the food off the bedside table and placed the tray on Draco’s lap. He finally realized how hungry he actually was. Harry watched Draco eat for a few seconds before talking again.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Harry said with a sad sigh. Draco rolled his eyes, but then returned his attention to the food before him. He wasn’t about to turn away free food. This was so much better than anything he had eaten with Snape. When Draco was done, Harry wanted to look him over to make sure there weren’t any major injuries. As he went over the cuts and bruises on Draco’s body he healed them, taking special care to make sure no scars would be left behind. He knew how vain Draco was.

“OUCH!” Draco screamed as Harry went for his left arm. He had thought Harry would leave it at that, but Harry insisted on seeing it if it hurt that bad. “No, Potter. Shove off!” Draco jerked his arm away from Harry, but it just made the boy all the more insistent. Harry wasn’t even thinking about what arm he was trying to look at.

“Merlin!” Harry exclaimed after turning Draco’s arm round. He should have been expecting it, but to assume it was there was one thing… seeing it was something else entirely. “You really did it.” Harry looked at the Dark Mark and then back at Draco. There was so much hurt and confusion in Harry’s eyes that Draco couldn’t stand to hold the gaze.

“What else did you expect from me, Potter?” Draco spat. He pointed to the Mark on his arm. “This is my destiny. This is who I am!” Draco scowled at Harry briefly before looking away again and pulling the blankets over his body. There was too much emotion in the other boy’s eyes. Draco didn’t like it.

“I expected more than this from you,” Harry said quietly. He wasn’t sure why he had said it, but he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “I thought you had been Marked, Draco, but when I saw the stand between you and Dumbledore, I knew I had to be wrong about you.” Harry let out a sad, frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

“You were there?!” Draco asked. “Of course you were… two brooms. Why didn’t I think of that then? The Dark Lord would have been very pleased with me if I had delivered you to His doorstep.” Draco smirked and Harry walked away from the bed. Hermione had moved from the chair and had been standing in the corner watching the entire scene.

“Why don’t you just give it up, Draco?” Harry questioned tiredly. “Why do you continue to play this game when it is obvious you are just a coward who won’t take any action?” Hermione snorted as she saw the anger flare in Draco’s eyes.

“What would you know about taking action? The only reason you are still alive is because that old fool of a wizard saved you countless times. Think about all your triumphs, Potter, all of them while we were at school. Every time you escaped death it was because of someone else,” Draco retorted. The scowl that replaced Harry’s hurt look told Draco that his remark had hit home. Really that was all he wanted.

“Back,” Ron said as he pushed the door open none too soon. He pushed a bundle of robes at Harry. “You know how Madame Malkins is. She wanted my entire life story.” Ron looked at the blond boy in disgust. He hadn’t particularly wanted to help him, but he would do so for Harry’s sake and to hopefully speed on the war. Knowing where Draco was at all times meant there was one less dangerous spy on the lookout for Voldemort.

“You got my robes from Malkins?” Draco said in disgust. Harry threw the robes at him. He wasn’t about to take any of his shit tonight… not after seeing the proof of his devotion to the Dark Lord. It had been easy enough to pretend it wasn’t there when he didn’t know for sure, but after seeing the scarred flesh, how could he pretend anymore? Draco really was one of them, and now Harry had to decide what to do with the boy.

“You should’ve left him in the gutter,” Hermione said. “He’s never given you a reason to save his life.” She crossed her arms as she looked at the two boys. Draco was doing a marvelous job of ignoring every word Hermione had to say about anything. It was so very dull being the center of conversation when those talking about you insisted on pretending you weren’t there.

“You weren’t there, Hermione,” Harry said quietly, recalling the conversation he had witnessed between Dumbledore and the boy again. The only image Harry kept remembering was Draco’s attempt and then the boy faltered at Dumbledore’s words. Did Draco have the Mark then? “Were you Marked at Hogwarts?”

“Of course I was, Potter,” Draco snarled, but his tone softened almost immediately. “My mother didn’t want it, but the Dark Lord insisted. You of all people should know he isn’t the type to make idle requests.” Draco looked scared, really scared as he continued to speak. Perhaps it was then that the reality set in on all four of them that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort would find, and most likely kill, every one of them.

“The important thing is that we try to stay out of You-Know-Who’s sights. The longer we have to prepare for the battle the better off you know we will be. Remember, we haven’t even had the chance to finish our Hogwarts education,” Hermione said, trying to change the subject. The other faces in the room looked so sullen and serious.

“Why are you helping me? It would have been better for all of us if you would have just let me die,” Draco said quietly. The inner battle that had been raging for years was getting stronger. Draco would have to choose a side sooner than he hoped too, but he didn’t know which way to turn. At least he’d had the luxury of tasting both sides. Maybe working with the Trio would work out better for him.

“I am merely providing you with a chance no one else would be willing to give,” Harry responded. “Dumbledore made you a promise that you and your family would be safe, and I am not about to make him a liar.” Draco set his expression and glared at Harry. Still there was a hint of curiosity in those pale silver eyes.

“My family?” Draco questioned without really hoping for too much.

“I know the location of your parents,” Harry replied. “I can’t tell you or it could compromise them if Voldemort happened to get hold of you again. However, I have promised your father that I would see you safely to the end and that is what I intend to do now. It was lucky that we found you when we did. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go looking for you.”

“Do you have any idea why you were able to find me, Potter?” Draco said with a sadistic smirk. He still thought he was able to scare Harry, but Harry barely even looked twice at him. He was finished playing these games with Malfoy. After everything he had heard and seen, Malfoy was the least of his worries.

“You are supposed to gain my trust and then lead me into Voldemort’s hands,” Harry said with a sigh. “Doesn’t take a legillimens to figure that out. Why else would you be here?” Harry looked coldly at Draco. The boy really was such a coward.

“You are trying to get me killed, aren’t you?” Draco asked quietly. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked into the attached room, followed by Ron. It was getting late and this was getting ridiculous. Ron and Hermione were both extremely tired. They had both had more than enough of this arguing and Malfoy’s empty threats.

“There are only two beds,” Harry said, making it a point to change the subject. He pointed his wand at the bed Draco was currently occupying and stretched it with magic. “Stay on your own side.” Draco snorted and rolled over. He wasn’t even the slightest bit tired. Harry changed on the other side of the room and then crawled into bed just to look at the ceiling. Neither boy could find sleep on the lumpy mattress so close to their enemy. Too many thoughts kept running through the minds of both boys.

“Remind me. Why are you doing this?” Draco asked finally. He wasn’t able to remain quiet. He had to find out why Harry always went chasing glory. The boy never could stay away from a dangerous situation, and instead of being expelled or thrown in Azkaban, he was always rewarded for his foolishness. If any other student had attempted half of what Harry did they would have been expelled.

“For everyone,” Harry said quietly. “Everyone deserves the chance to live a peaceful life and it isn’t going to happen with Voldemort around.” Draco cringed at the name again and Harry released a frustrated sigh. Hermione and Ron still wouldn’t say His name either.

“You really think you can defeat Him on your own?” Draco asked, and he sounded hopeful. Harry didn’t know what to make of that. Did Draco really want him to defeat the Dark Lord? Then again, that would make Draco’s life easier. Still though, the boy was acting really odd. It was almost like he was trying to fulfill two different expectations at once.

“Of course,” Harry said. “Dumbledore obviously believed in me. If he didn’t I would have never made it this far.” Harry sighed. The death of the great Wizard was still affecting him. He tried not to think about it, but that just made it worse. It was an incredibly empty pit in his stomach, and he wasn’t sure he knew where to go next.

“I… I didn’t want him to die,” Draco said quietly. “The Dark Lord threatened to kill me… my family… I didn’t have a choice. I don’t want to lose my family!” Here was another bizarre mood change. Harry wondered how many of these he would get to see from Draco. At least it would provide an interesting challenge to try and see which parts he was faking and when he was actually sincere. Harry guessed that Draco was actually sincere this time.

“And you still lowered your wand,” Harry pointed out. “You didn’t kill him. Snape did.” Even though Harry had always hated the man, he didn’t really want to believe that Dumbledore’s judgment had been so far off. He wanted to believe that there had been something more to the situation than he first thought.

“I… couldn’t do it,” Draco said with a sigh. “I guess I really am as weak as everyone thinks I am.” He closed his eyes, but opened them quickly. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that night.

“It proves your strength,” Harry replied. “You knew what the Dark Lord would do if you didn’t follow through, yet you lowered your wand anyway. If Snape hadn’t gotten there, Dumbledore would still be alive, wouldn’t he?” Harry searched Draco’s eyes for something substantial, something a little less broken. What happened before he and Ron and Hermione had found Draco? What could have been done to him that would have caused such a strange change in behavior. This certainly wasn’t the Draco that Harry knew in school.

“Yes,” Draco admitted. “I couldn’t do it.” He balled up his fists and closed his eyes. He could still feel the emotions from that night… the pain and confusion… the gentle encouragement from Dumbledore. Combined with what had just happened to him so recently, it was all too much for him, and now he was more confused than ever before.

“I admire that,” Harry said. “I know what it is like to lose family. I never knew my parents and I am not sure I would have been as strong as you were faced with that choice. Being without my family is more painful than anything else I have faced. Never really whole again.”

“Breaking up with Ginny,” Draco pointed out. He had rather thought that would have torn Harry apart, but the boy was here and still in one piece so he could only assume he was hiding his true feelings. Then again, perhaps it didn’t affect him as much as Draco had thought at first. It was such a short relationship after all. They had barely even begun dating before it was over… for some noble reason.

“That wasn’t painful,” Harry said honestly. “There is someone else that I have loved for a long time, but unfortunately that relationship can never be. The circumstances were never right for it, and they never will be. That is just something I have to learn.” Draco took a deep breath before rolling over to face Harry.

“Who is it?” Draco asked. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to know, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking. Harry shook his head and looked into Draco’s eyes. He would never understand. Draco didn’t have the capacity to understand what Harry was feeling.

“It isn’t important,” Harry said. “It would never be possible so it doesn’t matter anymore.” Draco leaned closer to him, almost so their noses were touching and spoke very softly. Harry’s heartbeat increased as a million possibilities of what could happen next raced through his mind.

“Then you had better stop dwelling on it, hadn’t you?” Draco said with a sadistic smile before rolling over and pulling the blankets up to his chin. Harry laid there in silence for what seemed like hours.

“Draco, what happened last night?” Harry asked quietly. If Draco chose to ignore what he had said then that would be fine. Draco shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. He was glad that the room was dark so Harry could not see his face.

“I was apparated here with Snape,” Draco said, attempting to keep his voice from breaking. “He was the one that delivered the order from the Dark Lord to me. I don’t know why he beat me last night. I don’t know why he…” Draco trailed off. Harry didn’t want to push the issue any further tonight, but he knew that one way or another he would find out what happened and Snape would pay.