The Real World

A/N: Here’s my first story. I’m not sure how people will take it because this chapter only sets the mood and gives hints of the situations to come, but I hope someone gives it a chance.

I do need a beta reader. Please email me or leave a message in a review if you’d like to be mine.

Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

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The inside of his mouth tasted of copper.

Worried, he tried to pry his eyes open, but one seemed to be swollen shut. With one blurry glance around the room, Draco knew that last night had not been a dream. He scrambled to the side of the bed and reached for the wand that wasn’t there.

With fear growing inside him, he sat up in bed and felt a sharp pain in his side. He whimpered slightly and moved to sit on the edge. One hand nursed his broken ribs while the other propped him with what little strength he had left.

The pain finally subsided and his vision cleared. The room that he thought was his wasn’t. In fact, it was one that he had never seen before.

The door to the right opened slowly and, to his dislike, Harry Potter walked in with a tray. “This is the third time I’ve saved your life,” he commented, setting the food and medicine on the nightstand next to the bed. “The least you can do is not scowl at me like that.”

“I’m not scowling. I’m in pain,” Draco replied, carefully reaching for pills, “I’m wincing.”

“It looks like a scowl to me.”

Ignoring him, Draco popped two pain killers into his mouth. “Where’s my wand?”

Harry handed him a glass of water and then pulled a wand out of his back pocket. “I didn’t want you to curse me when you woke up,” he explained, handing it over. “Know any mending spells?”

He shook his head. With his wand was back in his possession, Draco returned to nurse his injury. “Well, that’s a lie. I know a few.”

“Well…”

“Well, what, Potter?”

Rolling his eyes, he sighed. “Mend yourself.”

“I don’t use magic,” Draco replied. “Not anymore.”

“Then why ask for your wand,” Harry asked.

“For comfort, I suppose,” he explained.

A silence fell between them. It seemed an understanding was building, but Harry just shook his head. He loved magic and from the way Draco abused it in the past, he was sure the blond loved it, too. “Why-“

Draco shook his head to cut the question off. “That isn’t something I want to talk about right now,” he said shortly. “Where’s the bath?”

“Just through the door,” Harry replied, pointing to the door on the other side of the room. “There should be towels and stuff. I’ll find you some clothes.”

He nodded thanks and slowly got to his feet. The pain trickled through him, but he did his best to ignore it. He could feel Harry’s gaze on him as he waddled to the room and forced himself to bite back the comments that wanted to spill. After all, he did owe the idiot a lot.

Safely in the bathroom, he let out a sob. He wasn’t sure why he was crying, but he wasn’t going to stop. Maybe it was the pain. Maybe it was the guilt. Or both.

He stood there for what seemed like hours before a knock on the door startled him. “Yeah?”

“I found some clothes that could fit you,” Harry called from the other side of the door. “They might a bit loose, but Eric seemed to be about your size.”

Eric? “Your flatmate?”

An uncomfortable pause broke after Harry cleared his throat. “Yeah. Ex-flatmate.”

He felt no need to question the situation and nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be out in a few.”

He made his way to the sink and quickly rinsed out his mouth. It tinted the water pink until it disappeared down the drain. Repeatedly, he gargled water, even after the water ran clear. He never liked the thought of his mouth being bloody and he brushed his teeth enough times to forget it.

The shower was difficult, but once the hot water hit him, he hardly cared.

But as promised, Draco was out in a few minutes with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Harry was on the bed when he returned, flipping through a book and relaxing as if nothing happened.

“You look comfortable,” Draco commented, reaching for the fresh set of clothing.

Startled, he jumped and dropped the book. “Well, you took such a long time, I thought you had drowned.”

The blond nodded as he slipped on a pair of boxers. It was painful and he tried not to show it, but a groan slipped. “Losing me would be a comfort,” he replied.

“I didn’t say that,” Harry countered.

“But you implied it. That’s just as bad,” he grinned.

Harry sputtered and tried to explain, but he caught the other’s grin and just shook his head. “Guilting people isn’t nice, Malfoy. Especially when they’ve saved your ass.”

Draco chuckled and finished buttoning his shirt. “That is very hypocritical of you, Potter. But, you’re right.” The astonished look on Harry’s face made the blond laugh more. It ended quickly when a new wave of pain washed over him.

Harry heard the hiss and got up from bed. “We should get you to a hospital if you’re not going to mend yourself.”

Draco shook his head and moved to the tray. He grabbed the pills and ignored the food once again.

“You have to wait until you take more of those,” Harry explained. He crawled across the bed and snatched the bottle out of Draco’s hand. “Four hours.”

“My ass,” the blond replied as he glared at the medicine.

“Yeah, that’s what you’ll be falling on if you overdose. I didn’t save you last night so you could die on my bedroom floor,” he sighed.

Draco understood, but didn’t find it reasonable. He didn’t understand Muggle medicine and was sure Harry knew best, even if he didn’t want to admit it aloud. “Fine. I expect it in four hours,” he mumbled.

Harry silently agreed. “So, are you going to tell me why you were in Muggle London last night?”

He dreaded that question. “No.”

“Then will you tell me why those men were kicking your ass?”

“No.”

Frustrated, Harry stood face to face with the blond. “At least tell me something, Malfoy! You owe me that much.” Once again, Harry was right. It seemed that he was always right.

“I owe them money.” He saw the second question etched on the brunet’s face. “I stole it.”

“Why would you do that? I thought your family was rich!”

Draco rolled his eyes and made his way to the armchair in the corner. “Was. After the war, my father paid his debts. He had a lot. They were mostly to high officials in the ministry. It was jail or money. He couldn’t leave my mother.”

Harry slumped back on the bed and stared at the floor. Obviously he was trying to work out just how that linked Draco to the Muggle world. “But that doesn’t explain why you were in Muggle London.”

“I know.”

“Well, aren’t you going to tell me?”

“No. I have my reasons, Potter, and none of them deal with you. I told you that much because you were involved last night,” Draco snapped. “I thank you for helping me, but everything else doesn’t concern you.”

Harry ignored Draco’s attempt to end the conversation and pressed on. “Are they going to come after you?”

“More than likely,” he mumbled.

“Well, you can’t go back home. They’ll kill you!”

Draco nodded. “It’s a suitable punishment.”

“For taking money? That’s a bit extreme.”

“There’s more to it than that, Potter. Look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He pushed himself out of the chair and headed to the door. “Thanks for helping.”

“You can’t leave,” Harry insisted as he rushed to the blond’s side. “You said they’re after you.”

“You’ve played the hero part too long, Potter. I’m starting to think you actually care.”

Growling, he shoved Draco in anger. “I’m not trying to be a hero, but I don’t want someone to die. You owe me, remember? So, stay here to pay me back, you know, until we find a safer place for you.”

He was torn. Should he stay with a man he was raised to despise? Or risk going home to his death? He sighed and nodded. “But I snore.”

“Well, that’s good then. I’ll take the couch.”

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A/N: There’s just a taste. I wasn’t sure where I was going with this when I first started, but now I have it planned out. If people are interested, I’ll continue. Please review!