Memoirs of a Male Escort

Authors Note: This chapter was titled in honor of my favorite mythological god, Odin, which is an old Norse god of war, death and fury. (He stands for much more than this, but these are the aspects that apply to my tale.) Also, since it was brought to my attention earlier on that Colin actually died in the war (I can hardly keep track of all the characters JK killed off) I have replaced him with Dennis Creeey. Also thanks go out to my beta for this chapter and the next one, Shannon. Yay team awesome!

Chapter 14 Odin’s Wrath

Once you begin a career like mine, you run the risk of losing everything. Respect, love, family, those are all things one might wish to pursue, but are impossible to achieve as an escort. Let’s face it, I’m just a glorified prostitute and that means love me and leave me. It also means the death of most dreams and ambitions.

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“Fuck, Draco, don’t leave me. You have to wake up! Keep your eyes open,” Harry shouted between frustrated sobs.

None of the healing spells he and Blake were using seemed to do any good against the ragged wound on Draco’s chest and side, and Draco was quickly slipping away from him.

The effect from the hex reminded him of the sectumsempra spell, but no one else had been in the room when Draco was hit and Harry had no real idea what spell he was actually attacked with. He looked up briefly to see a giant chunk of glass missing from the window.

“Someone shot through the window,” he hissed, more to himself than Blake, who was carefully applying pressure to Draco’s bleeding gashes. Very few people had access to Grimmauld Place or even knew where it was, swiftly narrowing the possibilities for the attacker.

“We have to get him to St. Mungo’s,” Blake shouted, breaking Harry from his Auror honed thoughts.

Harry nodded curtly and ran the back of his hand over his eyes. It managed to clear the silent tears he was shedding, but also smeared Draco’s blood across his face like war paint. That paired with the furiously determined look in his brilliant green eyes made him a sight to behold: like the god of vengeance had come to life.

He scooped up Draco with a strength and swiftness he hadn’t known he possessed and carried the wounded blonde to the nearest fireplace, flooing them directly into the lobby of St. Mungo’s Hospital.

The healers and mediwizards bustling around him all paused in their duties the moment they saw Harry in the lobby. A second later someone levitated Draco from his arms and someone else shuffled Harry along behind them as they placed Draco on a table in the emergency ward.

“Minister, are you hurt?” a tall slim healer asked.

“No, not me. It only hit Draco,” Harry choked.

“Sir, is that Draco Malfoy?” the healer asked and Harry nodded distractedly, watching as healers worked on the man he loved, pouring potions down his throat and casting several spells in quick succession. His whole body was quivering with the need for Draco to just wake up and look at him again.

“The death eater?” the healer asked, and Harry rounded on him at once.

“Is that going to be a problem, healer?” he spat, his tone biting and fierce. “Draco Malfoy was cleared of all charges and deserves the same treatment as any other patient.”

“I’m aware of that, sir, it’s just that some of the staff here have been personally effected by the Malfoy family during the war. It might make them uncomfortable to have him treated here,” the healer stated plainly.

Harry leveled his wand at the healer’s chest, causing a fluster of gasps throughout the room and healer paled. “Draco is to be treated the same as you would treat me. An attack against him is an attack against the Minister for Magic. Am I making myself clear?” Harry snarled and the healer quickly nodded.

Lowering his wand Harry cast a glance around the room, surveying it for potential threats. The staff seemed to understand the severity of the situation and they all swiftly moved from Harry’s line of sight, appearing as busy as possible.

He grabbed the arm of a friendly looking mediwitch scurrying by and tried to soften his gaze, doubting whether or not he was getting the desired effect with the blood still smeared across his face. “Can you have someone contact Hermione Granger, please? Tell her where I am and that I need her here straight away.”

The mediwitch nodded and ran toward the front desk to relay Harry’s message while he paced in front of the large glass windows keeping him from the emergency room. His anger began to crumble into despair as he watched the main healer who had been working extensively on Malfoy from the moment they arrived, put his wand away and walk from the room with a solemn face.

Harry braced himself for the words he could tell were about to spill from the man’s lips. ‘I’m sorry for your loss’; as if they knew anything of what Harry was losing by losing Draco. His whole happy future was carefully wrapped up with Draco’s life force, and if one was snuffed out, then so would the other.

He had never felt for anyone the way he did for Draco, and to give that all up before it even began, it broke Harry’s heart. All the words left unsaid still lingered between them, and now they would continue to do so forever.

The healer approached, head bowed and not meeting his eyes, and Harry wanted to scream at him to get it over with, just wrench out the blade and let him bleed out on the floor, right there next to Draco’s cold dead body, but the words never came out, his mind was already to consumed with loss to think clearly.

“Minister,” he said at last. “We’ve managed to stop the bleeding, but he lost a lot. He’s critical, and we’re moving him to the surveillance ward where they’ll monitor him at all hours. We’ve put him into an induced sleep to help him heal, and we should have a better idea of his full condition later tonight,” he added.

Harry collapsed on his knees to the floor, overcome with relief that Draco was still alive.

“Are you okay, Minister?” the healer asked at once, lifting Harry from the green tile floor.

Harry looked up at the healer and gave him the full weight of his gaze. “Will Draco be alright?” he asked.

The healer blinked at the change of subject. “I- Yes, I believe he will. I’ll have my best people on his case. I assure you, Minister, we’ll do everything we can to make sure Mr. Malfoy will make a full recovery.”

Harry nodded and squeezed the hand that was holding his arm. “You have no idea what a relief that news is, Healer.”

The healer nodded his understanding and led Harry into the room where they had carted Draco. “I’ll secure special permission for you to stay with him, Minister.”

“Thank you,” Harry began, his eyes flicking to the nametag the healer wore. “Healer Platt,” he amended. The healer beamed and left Harry alone with Draco, seemingly extra proud of himself.

The blonde was even paler than normal, and Harry folded his hand over Draco’s, trailing the fingertips of his other hand carefully up and down the Slytherin’s arm. Exhaustion from the morning events hit him like a hex to the chest and he had to sit down, leaning his forehead against their entwined hands.

“Harry, oh Harry are you okay?” Hermione called from the door, rushing over to thoroughly examine him. “You’re covered in blood!” she admonished.

“I’m not hurt, Mione,” he said sharply, waving her off and casting a cleaning charm over himself, effectively removing most of the blood.

“I’m so sorry about Malfoy. Will he be okay?” she asked, eyeing the blonde skeptically.

“He has to be,” Harry stated firmly and Hermione nodded lightly.

“How did you even find him?” she asked, her penetrating chocolate gaze boring into his.

Harry looked away, back toward his injured Slytherin, who was breathing deeply and completely unaware of his predicament. “He’s been staying we me for the last couple days. After your warning I thought it would be best.”

“Harry, I told you to warn him and stay away. You know very well what this group would do to you if they found out you were helping him,” she scolded.

“Obviously they did find out. That curse came through my bedroom window, which means they must have been targeting me,” he replied.

“Your bedroom win- Harry you didn’t?” she huffed.

“I didn’t have sex with him. We just slept. Don’t look at me that way, I’m telling the truth,” he replied as she gave him her best ‘of course you did’ look. “It was sweet and perfect, and Merlin, I think I’m falling in love with him Hermione.”

Hermione sat heavily in the chair beside him and put her head in her hands. “Harry, nothing good can come from being with Malfoy.”

“I disagree,” Harry hissed. He needed to be spending time tracking down Draco’s attacker, not defending his relationship to his friend.

“Then tell me, Harry. Name one good thing that could possibly happen,” she challenged.

“I could be happy,” Harry offered at once.

“You’re already happy, Harry,” she scoffed. “You’re the Minister now, not to mention Harry bloody Potter, and despite what may seem fair to you, both of those titles come with a certain amount of responsibility. Surely there is someone else who can get you off,” she added crudely.

“It’s not just about sex, Hermione. Do you even know me at all? Has it eluded you how miserable I’ve been these last few years?” Harry asked, not willing to believe his best friend had been so oblivious to his loneliness.

She sighed and placed a gentle hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I love you, Harry, and I know you’ve been a bit unhappy, but really… Malfoy?” she asked, her voice laced with humor trying to lighten the mood, but her eyes were nothing but serious. She didn’t approve, which hurt. He felt like he had no one on his side.

As if to remind him exactly who was still on his side, Draco’s fingers flexed inside his palm and Harry squeezed them tightly, trying to gather the strength and love from Draco’s grip. “Yes, I’m in love with Draco Malfoy. You can either learn to deal with it, or find a new friend, Mione.”

She stood looking shocked and angered. “So that’s it? You’re choosing him over our friendship? You choose Malfoy after everything he’s done? Isn’t it bad enough to fire your best friend over him, but now me? You’re picking Malfoy over me?” she shouted.

“If you don’t like the answer, then don’t make me choose,” Harry said simply.

Hermione gaped at him, tears swimming unshed in her eyes and Harry’s heart broke a little more. He reluctantly let go of Draco’s hand and went to her, pulling her into a tight hug. “Mione, listen,” he whispered. “I love you, really I do, but you and Ron are together now. You’re starting a family and you’re moving on with your lives. Where do I fit into that?”

“Harry, you will always be our friend, and I know Ron’s being a prat right now, but you’re still like a brother to him,” she sobbed.

“Well, what if I asked you to pick me or Ron?” Harry said. “I never would, because what you and I have is different from what you and Ron have.”

“Clearly, Harry, we’re married, but-“ she began and Harry interrupted her.

“Would you begrudge me the same happiness you have with Ron?” Harry asked.

“Never, Harry, but why Malfoy?” she groaned.

“He’s my Ron,” Harry teased.

“Ron’s never called me a mudblood, and his father’s not a death eater,” she challenged.

“Draco’s never had me thrown in jail,” Harry countered.

Hermione huffed and nodded; seeming to understand today was not the day to fight over it. “Well, hopefully for all our sakes this is just a passing phase,” she muttered.

“It’s not,” Harry replied, with a force that made her blink. He went back and wrapped his hand around Malfoy’s again, caressing the back of it with his thumb. “So, are you going to help me catch whoever did this?”

“Harry,” she began.

“If it bothers you, just do what I asked the healers to do and imagine it’s me. It could have been. In fact, if Draco hadn’t been in the way, the hex would have hit me in the chest,” he added. “Can you help the man who might have just saved your best friends life?”

Hermione shook her head at the image and nodded. “Of course I’ll help. What do you need me to do?”

“Well, first I need the wards checked. I think the spell was cast from inside of them, but I want to make sure no one actually broke through them or took them down altogether just in case. I need to speak with Dennis so that we can organize the Auror force,” Harry added.

“You know that most of them won’t want to do this for Malfoy, right?” Hermione asked tentatively.

“They’ll be doing it for me, and if that’s not enough, they’ll be doing it to keep their jobs at the Ministry,” Harry growled, already sick of the prejudice surrounding Draco’s name. He knew there would be some backlash for being with the Slytherin, but couldn’t even Hermione see why he needed to be with him?

“You’re really serious about him, aren’t you?” she asked quietly, her chocolate eyes holding a familiar sense of awe.

“Mione, when have I ever said that I loved someone lightly?” he asked.

“Never,” Hermione whispered.

“I. Love. Him,” Harry stated plainly.

Hermione nodded and walked toward the door. “I’ll summon Dennis and then go check the wards myself,” she said. As she opened the door to leave, she turned back one last time with a tight smile. “And Harry, be careful alright?” she added, her eyes flicking to the man lying deathly still on the bed before leaving.

He knew she meant to be careful of everything, the attacker and using his Ministry position to get this solved, but he also knew she was more worried about the Slytherin holding his hand more than anything else.

It was nice that she cared; he just hoped that eventually she came around, because he would hate to lose her like he did Ron.

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Authors Note: Yay he's not dead, not that I fooled any of you. lol. I wanted to send a special Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. It gives me great pleasure to note that this chapter will probably put the reviews over 400 on FF . (I also post to AFF & Skyehawke but FF is my main archive ) It makes me giddy to see that we're maybe only halfway through the story and it already has so many reviews.

So, what do you guys want as a prize for reviewing this time?! Also, if I created a forum group for update alerts,polls and whatnot, would anyone be interested in joining? I'm not sure yet if it's worth it or not, so I'm trying to decide.