Draco ignored the eyes boring into the back of his head. He had made sure to step between the stares and the boy, and was calmly waiting for Harry to calm himself down to the point where Draco would not be viewed as a threat.

Draco was beginning to think he was the only person who is a student who read anything about Autism and Harry outside of what was presented from the boy's primary school. If the others had, they either didn't appreciate that the difficulties were "invisible" or they misjudged Harry's coping skills. If Snape and Draco had their way , the boy would have been allowed to visit the school before term started in order to acclimate himself to the new environment-and to the magical world in general.

Snape and Draco cringed when they recalled Hagrid's tale of Harry's visit to Diagon Alley. Not that he blamed Harry for "acting out," as Dumbledore had called it. If he had been dragged from a neat, controlled, explainable world into a place like Diagon Alley without any warning, he would have "acted out," too. In Snape's  and Draco's opinion, Hagrid had been the wrong person to send in the first place. Well, what was done, was done, and it served everyone better to focus on how to prevent issues in the future.

Draco  realized Potter had stopped his humming and was now looking around the hall with interest. His hands were still, though he was slightly rocking.

"Sorry," Harry muttered as he registered Draco's presence.

"You need not apologize for something that isn't your fault." said Draco. "It's time for supper. Let's go sit down."

The boy balked and Draco caught a plaintive look towards the door.

"On second thought, let's take a walk and go over a few things, shall we, Potter?" Draco said as he gestured towards to the door.

He would take advantage of the empty halls and quiet corridors while had them, and now was a better time than later to introduce Harry to some of the more obnoxious quirks of living in an enchanted castle. It would also give him the needed privacy to talk about some of the accommodations the staff was making so that the boy would be on more equal footing with his-he paused as he searched for the word the Muggles used-neurotypical classmates.

Harry grinned. He decided he liked magic after all. This student he liked he is kind and  incredibly astute at reading body language.

As they made their way past the house tables, Draco could hear the whisperings and muted giggles. And then he heard the word. He hoped Harry hadn't heard it, but the way the boy's shoulders dropped and hunched inward told him otherwise.

"Retard."

It had come, not from the Slytherin ilk as he had expected, but from a Gryffindor.

Snape  glared.

"10 points from Gryffindor," he snarled at the Gryffindor table, "and if I hear that word used in that context again, it will be another 10 points. Per syllable."

The house gaped at him. The offending student started to speak again, but was cut off.

"Not. Another. Word." He spat out before turning smartly on his heels and stalking to the heads table as Draco started walking out the great hall with Harry in tow.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Harry struggling a bit to keep up until Draco shortened his stride.

"I'm not, you know," Harry said finally.

They stopped.

"Not what, Mr. Potter?" Draco inquired, although he suspected he knew already.

"What they said, what they called me. I am not retarded." Harry's voice trailed off to a whisper, as though he didn't really believe those words himself. "Before-before I found chemistry, they thought I was. Finding Dudley's book was the best thing that happened to me. Now they know I am not."

"Well, the best thing until Hogwarts," he amended, and glanced up at Draco.

"Potter, I am aware, as are all the teachers and staff at this school, that you are not, as you say, 'retarded.'" Draco looked down at the boy, who seemed to brighten a bit at that pronouncement.

"Tell me about this 'chemistry' that you love so much," Draco said as he started walking again.

An hour later, he regretted that statement. The boy had chattered non-stop about biochemistry and organic chemistry and atoms, elements, molecules, compounds, bases, acids, and energy. Draco was lost fairly quickly, his crash course of the subject via a textbook purchased at Muggle bookstore rendered quite useless after a few minutes of the boy's lecture.

No, Draco mused. More like the boy's monologue. He never stopped to ask Draco if he understood, or to see if he needed clarification. He was sure that Harry wasn't even aware that Draco had stopped following along over half an hour ago. Not that Draco minded. He as a student and the Hogwarts staff would work with Harry on conversation skills later. Right now, Draco  just wanted the boy to feel comfortable.

As they walked the castle, Draco  interrupted Harry to point out their head of house classrooms, the entrance to his house's common room, the moving staircases-oh, the boy hated those! Draco had to hold Harry in a bear hug to keep him from bolting and hurting himself. "Will they always do that?" Harry had asked tearfully once he had stopped fighting Draco and calmed down.

"Yes."

He half expected Harry to melt down right there, but the boy just sat there for a few minutes. "Is there anything that isn't magic like that at this school?"

Draco was delighted to answer this question.

"Potions."

"Potions?" Harry echoed.

"Chemistry."

At that, the boy completely forgot about the staircase.

"Science," he stated matter-of-factly, "is the best kind of magic because it isn't magic at all if you understand it." Harry's eyes grew huge and his hands flew to his mouth, covering it as though he had said something terrible.

Draco grinned in spite of himself and stood up, dusting off his knees. "I happen to agree with you."

And suddenly the hallway was filled with loud voices. Dinner was over. As they were right next to the Slytherin common room they just waited for Snape to appear.

Then out of curiosity, as much to pass the time, he asked "Harry, why do you not like the color red?" He immediately regretted it, as the boy started rocking back forth on his toes, clearly agitated.

"Oh, I hate red. Loathe red. Detest, abhore, despise, and dislike red. No red. Mustn't wear red. Cannot eat red." Harry said in a monotone. "red hurts. Red is hateful. Red is bad. Red kills."

Draco placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Red kills?' he questioned, slightly reticent to push the subject, not wanting to upset the boy to a repeat performance of his behavior during the Sorting.

"Red kills. Yes, Red kills." Harry was rocking faster now, shaking his head and wringing his hands. "Flash of Red. Always a flash of red. And then dead. Do not like red. Will not wear red. Cannot eat red. No red. No red. No-"

Harry stopped the mantra as Draco enveloped him in another bear hug. Harry seemed to like the deep pressure of a bear hug and did not fight it or shy away from it like he did with less deliberate touches, like being brushed up against in a crowd.

"No red," Draco stated and let go. He could hear the tramping of feet coming their way. He thought it best for Harry to meet his housemates as normally as possible, and being seen wrapped in a bear hug by Draco would certainly not be considered normal. Draco hoped that Harry's behavior in the Great Hall would be brushed aside or forgotten by their housemates, or, if it wasn't, that Snape's behavior towards Harry and those who chose to tease or torment him would be remembered.

"Thank you," Harry said, "for telling that boy not to call me that. It won't do anything, though. People will still call me that."

He glanced at Draco and quickly looked away.

"They always do. Worse things, even. Words hurt, you know. Worse than being hit."

Draco sighed. He did know, more than the boy realized.

"I know a bit what it is like to be bullied, Potter," Draco said quietly.

Harry looked shocked. Before Draco could explain, the boisterous group of Slytherins made their way to where Harry and Draco were waiting.