Born in Frustration

A/N - Sorry it took so long to update. I've had issues

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~Chapter Seventeen: Alone at Last~


Draco left his godfather’s house, content in the knowledge that his secret was safe, for the time being at least. He still had to figure out how to hide his feelings for Harry from the Dark Lord though. While he had been practicing Occlumency with his Aunt, Bellatrix, and was becoming fairly good at it, he wasn’t sure he would be strong enough to fool Voldemort if it came to a face to face meeting.

He couldn’t wait to see Harry again. He couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before and anticipating his next meeting with the other boy, made falling asleep very difficult. Eventually though, sleep overcame him and he drifted off dreaming of that kiss….

Unfortunately for Draco, he ended up spending the entire morning and part of the afternoon with his mother. Narcissa Malfoy had decided that they needed to go to Diagon Alley together and do some shopping, and then insisted on lunching together. Draco had had a difficult time hiding his irritation, but as a good son should, he dutifully played along. Unfortunately, his Aunt Bellatrix also chose to interfere with his plans, insisting that he practice his Occlumency after lunch. Draco was well and truly frustrated and on the brink of pitching a fit, before he finally managed to convince his aunt that he didn’t need, or want, to practice today. And so it was well into the afternoon before he finally arrived at Privet Drive and what he found did not serve to make him any happier...

Harry was sitting on his bed, knees up, his arms wound tightly around himself. His head was buried face down in the nest made by his kneecaps. Draco could feel something was off, not quite right –

“Harry?” he said softly as he approached the other boy.

"'Lo,” Harry mumbled, not raising his head off his knees. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Chills ran up Draco’s spine. “Look at me,” Draco said, carding his fingers through Harry’s soft hair.

Slowly, Harry raised his head and Draco hissed in anger. There was a very large, hand shaped bruise across his right cheek, his lower lip was swollen and split, dried blood trailed down his chin, and his eyes were red and puffy from crying.

“I WILL KILL THAT FAT FUCKER!” Draco screamed, as he whirled to leave the room in search of the dead man, only to find that Harry’s door was, yet again, securely locked.

“DRACO, NO!” Harry scrambled off the bed, reaching out to grab the tall, angry blond. “The Dursleys left last night,” he said quietly. “They locked me in, said they were going to Aunt Marge’s for the rest of the week.”

Draco spun around and looked at Harry. “You mean they locked you in and left you here?” Harry merely shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

“You’ve been locked in since last night? Alone?” Draco questioned. “Why didn’t you send Hedwig to me?” Draco continued, looking around the room. “Where IS Hedwig?” Draco had suddenly noticed that Hedwig’s cage was not in the room with Harry, this fact only serving to increase his anger.

Harry rubbed his eyes wearily. “They locked her in the basement I think,” Harry said as he moved unsteadily back to the bed.

Draco’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Harry, when was the last time you ate?”

Harry blushed, keeping his eyes trained on his lap and mumbling something unintelligible.

“Harry,” Draco said more forcefully.

“Alright, alright,” Harry sighed, looking away in shame, “yesterday, when you and I had lunch.”

“I – am – going – to – kill – that – fat – fucking – bastard,” Draco growled, menacingly.

“No, please,” Harry pleaded, “Draco, you can’t, please.”

“Harry, how can you defend this? No, the better question is where does this Aunt Marge live? I’m going to teach your uncle a lesson.”

“No, Draco,” Harry said tiredly. “I don’t know where Aunt Marge lives, I’ve never been there AND I don’t want the Dursleys harmed.”

“How can you say that, Harry?” Draco glared at the other boy incredulously.

“Because, Draco,” he stammered, “because they’re my family, despite all this.” Harry waved his arms, “They’re the only family I have and I don’t want – I don’t want to be like them. Please, promise me you won’t harm them. Draco, please…”

Draco sighed and moved to sit beside Harry on the bed. “I’m sorry,” he said, placing his arm around Harry, he pulled him close. “I can’t make that promise, Harry.” Harry tucked his head under Draco’s chin, happy just for the contact.

“I knew you’d say that,” he said softly.

Draco chuckled lightly, calming down slightly. “Predictable am I?”

Draco rose from the bed taking Harry’s hand. “First things first, let’s get you something to eat,” he said, pulling Harry to the door as he took out his wand, unlocking the multitude of locks. “Then we’ll rescue Hedwig and decide what to do with you both.”

Unfortunately, Draco’s anger came back tenfold when they reached the kitchen. The boys found that anything edible had been removed from the kitchen entirely. It appeared that the Dursleys had taken every last morsel of food with them. Draco stormed about the kitchen, hissing threat upon threat, and curse upon curse on Harry’s family while Harry sat quietly and waited for Draco to wear himself out and calm down.

After a good twenty minutes, Draco stopped pacing and swearing and instead shouted, “Binty." Harry gave him a quizzical look before jumping out of his seat as a house-elf appeared in the kitchen.

“Master Draco,” the elf squeaked.

“Binty, I need a hearty picnic lunch for two,” Draco ordered, pointing between himself and Harry. “Later, I will need you to arrange dinner for two around nine o’clock, to be served here,” Draco looked the elf directly in the eye. “And not a word to mother, understood?”

Binty nodded and disappeared. Draco pulled a glass from the kitchen cupboard and filling it from the tap, he handed it to Harry. “Drink. Sit. Stay. I’m going to go get Hedwig,” he ordered and turning abruptly on his heel, Draco headed for the basement door.

Harry sat in bewilderment, dutifully sipping the water. He wondered how Draco Malfoy had managed to worm his way into Harry’s life and make him feel like a needy, little fool. He was Harry-Damn-Potter, boy hero. Yet, here he was, sitting in the Dursley’s kitchen, letting his supposed enemy take care of him. And even worse, he, Harry-Damn-Potter had no intention of stopping him.

‘How,’ Harry asked himself, ‘did this happen?’ Harry scrunched his nose in concentration. ‘More importantly, Harry,’ he thought to himself, ‘what are you going to do about it?’

“Nothing. Not one damn thing,” he answered himself aloud, smiling happily.

The more Harry thought about it, the more he decided that it was all too much to think about. The only thing he knew for sure was that he liked this Draco Malfoy. He liked him a lot, and he liked the idea that maybe, just maybe, someone cared about him. Yes him, Harry-Damn-Potter not The Boy Who Lived, but Harry. And really that was all he needed to know for now, he would deal with everything and everyone else later. Right now though, Draco was here, and he was helping him, and Harry found he just didn’t want to let that go. He didn’t care if Snape told everyone and their mother that he saw Harry Potter kissing Draco Malfoy. He’d just deal with all that another time.

Just then, Draco stormed up from the basement with Hedwig’s cage, grumbling about Muggles and a fat-man, all with a spattering of colourful swear words. He brushed right by Harry taking Hedwig outside, telling Harry to stay right where he was; he’d take care of his beloved snowy owl.

Harry smiled to himself. Yes, he liked Draco Malfoy, very much indeed.

Draco came back into the house with the empty owl cage and looked over at Harry, suddenly realising that he and Harry had the entire house to themselves. He grinned wickedly as he stalked toward Harry, rubbing his hands together, he thought to himself, ‘Ah, yes, alone at last.’

As he watched a sudden look of mischief cross Draco’s face, Harry could not help the pang of nervous trepidation that crept down his spine.

“Draco,” Harry gulped.

“Harry,” Draco said a gleam in his eyes, “I do believe we’re all alone.” he said, voicing aloud his earlier thought. “Whatever shall we do…”