A few weeks later...

I had come home this afternoon to hear that mum had guests coming over again, so I went up to my bedroom and asked a house elf to make me some dinner as I didn't want to bother mum and our guest.

I fell asleep reading, but woke up at about 21:00 feeling extremely thirsty.

I went downstairs and got the surprise of my life.

"...and so I said, 'There's no need to call me 'sir', professor,' and the entire class gasped."

Mother cracked up at the story and when I got a good look at who it was I almost fainted.

"Potter?" I asked, awestruck.

"Oh hello dear, Harry here was just telling me some stories about his Hogwarts years.  Would you like to join us?" Mum asked nonchalantly.

I couldn't believe it.  The company my mother has had for the past few weeks has been him?!  Harry Potter, my school enemy, and he's standing in my kitchen with my mother at 21:00.  Oh god.

"Don't- don't tell me you've got some kind of... messed up relationship going on.  I don't need a step-father, much less a step-father that's younger than me."  I said very firmly.

They exchanged a look and burst out laughing, tea shooting out of Potter's nose.  Which, of course, caused them to laugh more, but Potter's laughter was joined with shouts of sudden pain.

Against my will, I began quietly laughing at their predicament.  Then I realized I'm still going to have to pull the dad card and break them up.

"I'm serious!  I do not want you two in a relationship!  Mum, I'd rather you date a sixth-year or something, even though that's illegal.  What's so funny?"

Suddenly, after wiping up the nose-tea mess, Mum turned to Potter.

"Oh no, I'm in love with you against my son's will!  Whatever shall we do?" She said sarcastically, trying to keep a straight face.

"Dearest Narcissa, I don't know!  Maybe we should run away and elope!" Potter replied in the same tone.

"Draco dear, we're not dating."

"Oh," I said quietly, walking into the kitchen with them to pour myself a glass of orange juice, feeling foolish.  "Then what's he doing here this late at night?  And while we're on that topic, why is he here?"

"He's here because I've been helping him renovate and clean his home, and he's staying here for the night because of it.  He'll be here tomorrow night too, if you want to go spend time with one of your friends," mum answered.

"Malfoy- Black- Dra- What do I call you?  You changed your last name but I don't know if it's still fitting to call you that," Potter awkwardly asked.

"Uhh..."

"Oh pull yourselves together!  Your adults now, not first-years.  Be nice and use each other's first names," Mum said.

"Alright then, Draco," Harry continued, obviously unused to saying my first name. "I can stay somewhere else if you want.  Narcissa just thought it best for me to stay here because she's helping me with the house and it made sense."

"No, that's fine I suppose.  But I want you staying in our guest bedroom, certainly not in the same room as my mum," I said, still scared that they would get into a relationship.

They chuckled and agreed, and I got my glass of juice and headed for the stairs.

------------------------------------------

I wander the halls of the Malfoy Manor once more, everything dark and erie.  I hear shouting, and catch a few words of a common argument between mother and father.  Except... it doesn't really sound like father's voice.  More like...

"Harry!  He's just a boy!" my mother exclaims.

"He's the perfect instrument for the Dark Lord's plan.  He has access to Hogwarts, and he's a Potter, which means no one will dare defy him."  Harry's voice echoes through the hall.  Me?  A Potter?  What's going on?

"He's my son and I will not let you turn the world against him at such a young age!!"

"He's my son, too, and I will do what I please."  What?  "If it helps, the Dark Lord said he'd kill you if you don't let Draco get the mark."  

Suddenly I'm standing in a room with all of my friends and family and Hogwarts professors, and they're all talking about me.

"Draco was such a good student, it's a shame he's been turned bad-"

"-and of course, he's a Slytherin, it's hard not to fall prey to what your parents want in that situation-"

"Who wants a Death Eater in the family?  Obviously someone who's a Death Eater himself-"

"God, I never should have become friends with him.  I mean, he's so pathetic-

"-petty-"

"annoying-

"-pitiful-"

"-worthless-"

And then the words are surrounding me, the words of everyone, the words that break me down and fill my head every day.  That filled my head every time I told myself I was strong enough to leave, to stop being what I never wanted to be, the words that made me silently sob in bed each night, that scare me into thinking I'm not enough, that-

"Draco?"  I hear a voice calling me, pulling me out of the dark pit of words I've dug myself into.  "Draco?" I hold onto that voice as it pulls me to the light.

"Draco?  Draco wake up!"  I shot up in bed and looked around, seeing Harry sitting there on the edge of my bed looking slightly concerned.  His hand was on my thigh which sent shivers down my spine.

"What are you doing in my bedroom?" I asked defensively, trying not to let my voice display how vulnerable I felt.

"I- I just- you were whimpering and I heard your cries as I walked past your bedroom.  I knocked to see if you were alright but you didn't answer, so I just came in and woke you up."

I quickly wiped under one of my eyes and pushed my hair in front of my face, slightly shielding it from view.  

"Well, thank you for the thought but I didn't need to be woken up," I tried to say tartly but it came out a lot shakier than anything.

He looked at me and raised one eyebrow.  So maybe I was grateful that he woke me up, but I wasn't about to divulge my life story.  After a few moments of my silence, Harry got up and headed for my door.

"Really though, thank you," I muttered genuinely.

Harry turned around with a small smile on his face.  "Of course."

With that, he left my bedroom, taking a small piece of me with him.