Save Me
Its My Turn
Upon exiting the shower, Harry had found folded clothes on the bed with a note telling him to come out once he had dressed. Neither man had said a word to each other since Alderic's departure, but Harry knew it was too good to be true. It was time to face the music. He wondered whether Malfoy would simply decide he was too much trouble and send him away, or worse. The note had said they needed to talk, and everyone knows that's never a good sign.
When he left the bedroom (not without trepidation), he saw that Draco had taken up his position from the previous night's talk, two cups of tea included. This calmed Harry slightly. At least Malfoy was going to be civil about it.
"Malfoy, I-"
"Take a seat, Potter. Your tea will get cold." Malfoy interrupted, gesturing to the cushion next to him. When Harry sat, he continued. "There are two main topics to discuss. Your living arrangements and your situation with Chevalier. Which would you like to touch upon first?"
"Well... what are my living options?" Harry asked, as he did not, under any circumstances, wish to discuss Aldrec. Plus, Harry was completely at Malfoy's mercy. It wasn't as though he had anywhere else to go. He watched as Draco sipped his tea with a thoughtful expression, waiting for the ax to fall.
"You could stay here, of course." With that, Harry's eyes widened to the size of sausers. Malfoy, seemingly haven correctly interpreted his expression explained, "We were never friend's, its true, but I like to think we have moved beyond childhood rivalries. Or..."
"Or...?"
"...or I could help you contact Weasley and Granger, if that is more agreeable to you." Draco finished. "The decision is up to you. Neither decision is set in stone. You are welcome to stay a few days if you need time-"
"Ron and Hermione?" It was Harry's turn to interrupt. "They wouldn't take me. They wouldn't even reply to my owls," he spat out bitterly.
"What are you on about, Potter?"
"My former best friends. I owled them, you know. All the time. After a year or two, they got so busy with their own lives they wouldn't even reply to my letters, right when I needed them the most. I finally stopped after about a year of no response."
"That's preposterous, Potter. I know for a fact that Granger and Weasley- wait. What owl did you use?"
"My own."
"The snowy one you had at Hogwarts?"
"No..." Harry replied, his chest clenching in memory. "Hedwig was killed before the final battle. Alderic gave my current owl to me after he found out I was a wizard as an apology for flying off the handle about it..."
"And it never occurred to you that perhaps this was the first step in controlling you? Giving you a bird with loyalties to him, that he could control and cutting you off from your friends?"
"Well, I... I never thought... I trusted him. I loved him."
"Sometimes, Potter, you can be so thick."
***********************
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose against his oncoming stress-headache. Releasing it with a sigh of frustration, he released his nose and turned to Potter, apologizing.
"For what?" Potter asked, the perfect picture of confusion.
"For commenting on your intelligence level. Old habits die hard, it seems." Sighing again, Draco reached for his tea to distract himself momentarily from his annoyance with both himself and Potter. "I do not have my fire linked to the floo system. I happen to be in contact with Granger through a charity I sponsor. I know she would love to hear from you. If you would like me to-"
"No." Potter said abruptly. "No, I'd like to stay here for a few days to... sort out some things."
This confused Draco, but he didn't expand upon the subject beyond a simple nod of assent. Now he had to decide what aspect of Chevalier and Potter's relationship he would like to approach first.
"Chevalier. Did he... assault your person... frequently?" The usually eloquent Draco kicked himself mentally for the pauses. He prided himself on being straight forward and confident in business, why should talking to Potter make him lapse?
Potter did not reply right away. This was a good sign, Draco though, because too quick a reply would have been a lie. But as the silence pressed on he had to fill it. "He did." Draco confirmed with certainty.
"Only... only sometimes. It was especially bad when he was drunk. And he would always apologize so sincerely afterward. I could handle the physical but sometimes he'd call me..." Potter wouldn't look at him while he spoke. His voice was barely a whisper when he concluded, "freak."
"Freak?" Draco repeated, incredulously. "Why would anyone call you a freak?"
“He's not even the first,” Potter’s voice harsh. Potter went on to explain about his relatives, these Dursley people who forced him to live in a cupboard under the stairs. This infuriated Draco and he felt the strange urge to hold Potter in his arms as Potter finished recounting his childhood. Shaking the odd feeling off, he decided that Potter had had enough for one morning.
“How about I cook the two of us something for breakfast?” Draco asked, standing. He looked a Potter who nodded. Just as he turned to leave, Potter spoke his name.
Draco paused and turned back around, eyebrow raised in question. "I truly am sorry about all of this. I've seen Alderic do terrible things to adversaries..."
"Don't you worry about me. Things were getting boring around here anyway." Malfoy replied with what was quickly becoming his signature playful half-smirk in Harry's mind.
For some reason that caused Harry's chest to tighten once again. "Is that why you helped me?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Well," Draco considered. " I've heard a lot about you from Granger. You didn't deserve that bastard's treatment of you... no one does. And secondly, now we're even. You saved my life once upon a time, both literally and figuratively. Its my turn."
Author's note: Again, I'm writing this directly into the text box so please feel free let me know if there are any formatting, spelling or grammatical errors! General constructive comments meant to improve my writing is, of course, most appreciated! I'd never imagined in my wildest dreams I'd have this many replies!
Replies
Jane: Thanks! Gotta love that Malfoy control. :P Sometimes its more aggravating for those you dislike if you remained controlled... I think that is was Malfoy was going for. :)
Tachimaru : I'm so glad you liked it! You shall see. :) He does have his magic... he just hasn't used it in a while (aside from writing on Draco's wrist and, well... something that may come up later).
Jillian : That would be amazing! Thanks! :) I'm glad you liked it. Ah.. but is Draco's armour so shining? We shall see... :) That may be the reason. It might be that because my writing for the past few years have consisted of solely historical, reasearch-oriented works that the switching of omniscient perspectives is throwing me off. I'm not sure. ^^; I hope some of your questions are explained in this chapter. If not, feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to get my ideas across more effectively. :)
snappy pants: XD! I know! Cliche, isn't it? I couldn't resist! :P
Dragonsnurse: There's always a reason. Whether you agree with it or not is up to you. :P
Kura / Kitsune :Thanks for the review! :) *heart*
paganwoman: Well, it actually doesn't take that much to do that sort of damage. Simply breaking the nose creates two black eyes. :)
Madamdragon: Oh! I'm sorry! "Mon coeur" is a French term of endearment... it literally translates to "my heart" and is the equivalent of "Sweetheart" I suppose. And Chevalier is 'Knight.' Sorry again for the confusion. :)
mithrilandty: Here, here! :)
sugarbabe: Yay! Thanks! Here it is! :)
Dragon: Thank you! I hope I don't spoil those stereotypes too badly for you! :) *heart*