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Harry followed Malfoy into the bathroom prepared to interrogate him. He was going to find out once and for all what Malfoy was up to.
Instead, he found Malfoy, bent over a bathroom sink, sobbing. Snobby, posh, eloquent Draco Malfoy had never looked so utterly broken. Harry froze.
Malfoy glanced up, suddenly aware of another presence in the room, and met Harry’s gaze in the mirror. Malfoy’s face contorted as if he were attempting a glare but couldn’t quite manage it. He looked helpless, and desperate, and overwhelmingly terrified.
Malfoy spun around, wand raised, a hex on his lips. His eyes were red, and tears still streamed down his cheeks, but he looked angry enough to be dangerous. Luckily, Harry was faster.
“Expelliarmus!” Malfoy’s wand was wrenched from his grip and flew through the air into Harry’s waiting hand.
Malfoy looked like a caged animal, his last defense taken away. Harry took a tentative step forward. Malfoy looked like he was about to bolt.
“Malfoy.” Harry spoke softly. He wasn’t sure where this tenderness had come from. He had never seen Malfoy this vulnerable. It was disorienting. Harry wanted to protect him. He took another step forward.
Malfoy dropped to his knees as if a crushing weight descended on him. His face fell to his hands, and he was sobbing again. Harry was startled. They had barely begun and Malfoy already looked defeated.
Harry’s legs were moving before his brain could catch up. He sunk to his knees beside Malfoy and awkwardly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Malfoy immediately turned toward him, clutching at the front of Harry’s robes, burying his face in Harry’s chest. Harry stayed put on the cold, tiled floor and held Malfoy as he cried.
They stayed like that for a while, minutes, hours, Harry wasn’t sure. When Malfoy pulled away, Harry felt cold and has to resist the urge to pull him back. Harry felt dizzy. His mind was racing with what in Merlin’s name he could say after what had just happened.
Malfoy stood and faced the mirror. He wiped his face and smoothed his hair, before turning to Harry, expression cool and collected despite the redness of his eyes.
“We can help.” Harry scrambled to his feet as Malfoy turned to face him. “I mean... I can help. And there are other people who can... er... who can help, too.” Harry stumbled to get the words out before Malfoy could dismiss what just happened.
“I don’t need your help, Potter!” Malfoy snapped. He closed his eyes and took a breath, then continued much quieter.“This didn’t mean anything. This doesn’t change anything.”
Harry didn’t want to waste time and let this opportunity slip away, so he got straight to the point.
“You have a task from Voldemort, am I right?” Malfoy flinched at the name, and Harry felt the urge to reach out and take his hand. He squashed the feeling and tried to focus. “Whatever he’s asked you to do, you don’t have to do it. You have a choice.”
“I don’t have a choice.” Malfoy’s words were barely audible. He wouldn’t look at Harry.
“Malfoy.” Harry’s voice was so gentle and Malfoy seemed to sway towards him for just a moment, before shaking his head.
“He’ll kill me.” Malfoy whispered, his shoulders starting to shake. His eyes fell shut. “He’ll kill my parents and then he’ll kill me. So, just stop. I don’t have a choice.”
Malfoy’s whole body was trembling when Harry reached out to grip his arms securely. He waited for Malfoy to meet his gaze.
“I know people who can protect you, places you can hide. You and your parents. We could keep you safe. You do have a choice. They can give you a choice.” Harry spoke more firmly now. He needed Malfoy to understand this was a serious offer.
Malfoy stared at him for a long time. Finally, he relented with a nod, accepting Harry’s help.
---
“Sirius?” Harry called out into living room of 12 Grimmauld Place through the firecall. Harry had owled Sirius earlier to tell him he needed to talk. It was late, half past two in the morning. Harry was tired, but he needed privacy for this. Malfoy was down in the Slytherin dorms firecalling his mother, as well.
“Harry!” Sirius called back. Harry heard shuffling and something being knocked to the floor, before Sirius appeared in the fire. “Sorry, Harry. I dozed off a bit.”
“Is that Harry?” Another voice half whispered from behind Sirius. “Is he alright? Has he told you what’s wrong?”
“We just started, Moony. Come here!” More shuffling, and then Remus’s face appeared alongside Sirius.
“Harry, your letter worried us. Why did you need to talk to us so late?” Remus asked.
“I need help.” Harry replied. “I need the Order to protect someone.”
“Of course, Harry. Who?” Sirius asked, ready to come to the aid of his godson, whatever the situation.
Harry took a deep breath. “Draco Malfoy.”
There was a long silence.
“And possibly his parents, too.” Harry muttered.
An even longer silence.
“Are you sure about this, Harry?" Remus asked. "Our intelligence shows Lucius Malfoy is almost certainly a Death Eater, and Draco is most likely on his way to joining them, if he hasn’t already.” Remus spoke more formally now that they were discussing business of the Order. “Giving him any information about what we’re doing or where we are could be extremely dangerous.”
“He could also be an asset.” Harry hadn’t been planning on taking this approach, but it was true. “I already know he’s working with Voldemort. He has information.”
“You know for certain he’s working with Voldemort?” Sirius asked, surprised. “Then why do you want the Order to protect him?”
“He didn’t have a choice until now!” Harry didn’t expect them to understand right away, he knew why they were hesitant, but he was still getting angry. As strange as it felt, Harry understood Malfoy. He wasn’t the only one born into a war his parents were fighting. Harry was just in the fortunate position of agreeing with the side his parents chose for him.
“He doesn’t want to be a part of it.” Harry continued before either of them could say anything. “He’s just trying to stay alive, and keep his family alive. If the Order could guarantee their safety, he would leave Voldemort’s side.”
“We can’t guarantee anyone’s safety, Harry.” Remus said carefully, after waiting for Harry to finish.
“But we can try.” Harry pleaded. “They need help, and we can help them.”
Sirius and Remus looked at each other, and some silent communication passed between them.
“We’ll have to talk to the rest of the Order. We’ll call a meeting as soon as we can.” Remus conceded with a sigh.
Harry frowned. He had been hoping to go back to Malfoy with a yes. What if the rest of the Order were harder to convince?
“We’ll try our best, Harry.” Sirius assured him. “Get some sleep. We’ll call as soon as we have news.”
Harry nodded reluctantly, and wished them both a goodnight. He made his way to bed, where he spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about Malfoy.
---
Harry spotted Malfoy on his way to breakfast the next morning. He told Ron and Hermione that he was headed to the bathroom and would meet them in the Great Hall. Once they were gone, he sprinted towards Malfoy, snatched him by the wrist, and dragged him into an empty classroom.
“Merlin, Potter.” Malfoy hissed, rubbing his wrist. “Could you at least try to act a bit civilized?”
Malfoy’s words didn’t have their usual bite. He had dark circles under his eyes, and look as tired as Harry felt. His usually flawless hair was ruffled, fringe hanging slightly in his eyes. Despite his irritation and exhaustion, something about seeing Malfoy with bed head, made Harry feel warm. He almost smiled when Malfoy blew his hair out of his face with a huff. Harry shook his head. He needed to focus.
“How’d it go with your mum?” Harry asked.
Malfoy stared down at the floor. “She said she needed time to think, but I know she's been looking for a way out. It’s just my father I’m not sure about.”
“You don’t think he’ll be willing to change sides?” Harry wondered if that would affect the Order’s decision.
“My father is loyal to the Dark Lord.” Malfoy stated simply. “Mother said she would talk to him, but…” He gave a weak shrug and shook his head.
“The people who can protect you, they’re going to meet soon to decide what to do.” Harry was careful not to give away too many details until the deal was final. “Some of them are already on board. They just need to convince the others.”
Malfoy looked up at that. “You mean there’s a chance they’ll say no? That they’ll refuse to help us?” Malfoy was starting to panic again. He seemed to be having trouble breathing.
“If we try to leave and it doesn’t work…we’ll never be safe...he’ll find out…he’ll…”
“Hey.” Harry stepped forward, gripping Malfoy’s arms.
“I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure they say yes. I promised you I would help. I plan on keeping that promise.” Harry said firmly.
Malfoy met Harry’s eyes, searching his face. He nodded, apparently finding what he was looking for.
“Alright.” Malfoy whispered.
Tension Harry hadn’t realized he was holding melted away, and his shoulders relaxed.
“You can let go of me now.” Malfoy muttered quietly, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor, though a hint of a smirk was playing on his lips.
Harry dropped his hands immediately and felt his face start to heat. He realized how close he was standing to Malfoy and took a step back as well.
“I, er, should probably get to breakfast.” Harry mumbled, and rushed out of the room before Malfoy could respond.
---
Three long days of constant worrying and barely any sleep later, Harry received a letter at breakfast.
Time to talk. Same time and place.
Harry recognized Sirius’s handwriting. Classes seemed to drag on forever after that. He spotted Malfoy at meals, but avoided him until he actually had something to tell him. Though it was hard to stop glancing at him across the Great Hall ever since he caught Malfoy staring at him during dinner the day before.
After supper, Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, pretending to do Charms homework that he didn’t have any ability to actually focus on. Ron offered to stay up and keep him company until he finished, but Harry managed to shoo him off a little after one in the morning.
Finally, an hour later, the dying fire flared suddenly and Sirius’s face appeared.
“Harry!” He called out urgently.
“I’m here! Is there any news?” Harry asked as he rushed over to the fireplace and dropped to his knees.
“The Order hasn’t made an official decision yet.” Sirius spoke quickly and quietly. Harry wondered if Sirius was allowed to be telling him these things. “They’re still debating. Convincing them to take in a scared teenager looking to escape a bad situation wasn’t hard, but a confirmed Death Eater is another thing.”
“But they’re definitely willing to take Draco?” Harry pressed, hope welling up in his chest.
“Kingsley and Moody want to talk to him first. Ask him what he knows, why he’s leaving.”
“Because he doesn’t want to work for Voldemort! Because he’s a good person!” Harry surprised even himself with that outburst. When had he gotten so defensive of Malfoy? He supposed it was true though. Harry no longer believed Malfoy was a bad person, just a scared person in a bad situation.
“I believe you, Harry.” Sirius placated. “But they need to hear it from Draco.”
Harry nodded.
“What about Mrs. Malfoy?” Harry asked.
“They want to talk to her, too. But they’re most concerned with Lucius.” Sirius explained. “If he genuinely changes sides, then he would be a major asset, but I don’t think anyone in the Order trusts him.”
“What if he didn’t come?”
“What do you mean?” A crease formed between Sirius’s eyebrows.
“Draco told me his mum wanted to leave, but he wasn’t sure if she could convince his father.” Harry hoped this wouldn’t hurt the deal since they were seeing Lucius as an asset.
“Then we would have to get them out as soon as possible.” Sirius was speaking faster now. “If Lucius knows they’re leaving and chooses not to go with them, he may try to turn them over to Voldemort.”
“Would he do that to his own family?” Harry was shocked at the possibility.
“I wouldn’t put anything past a Death Eater.” Sirius replied. “I’ll contact Kingsley and Moody right away to come up with a plan. Talk to Draco as soon as possible. We’ll need an answer tomorrow.”
Harry nodded and said a rushed goodbye. It didn’t occur to Harry until after the connection closed that he had referred to Malfoy as Draco. He pushed the thought aside and ran up to the dorms to grab the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak.
Harry ran through the halls under his cloak, keeping an eye on the map for any teachers or patrolling prefects. When he reached the entrance to the Slytherin dorms, he knocked loudly, unable to think of a more subtle way to get in at this time of night, hoping that there was a student up late studying in the common room.
After a few minutes of relentless knocking, he heard footsteps. The door opened to the confused face of a tired Slytherin boy who couldn’t be older than a third year.
“Hello?” He called into the seemingly empty hallway. Harry slipped passed him, careful not to make any contact. The boy closed the door a moment later, muttering under his breath as he walked back to a table covered in piles of books and scattered parchment.
Harry found his way to the sixth year boys dormitory and opened the door as quietly as possible. The curtains around most of the four poster beds were drawn, so he would have to check each one until he found Draco.
The first bed he walked up to had the curtains open. He couldn’t see it’s occupants face, but it didn’t matter. Harry could see the boy’s dark brown hair.
Harry moved to the next bed. He leaned in close, listening for any sign that the person inside may be awake. He didn’t hear anything, but he worried the curtains may just muffle any sound coming from within. He drew the curtain back just enough to peek inside, still hidden under the invisibility cloak.
Harry was surprised to find a pair of people: Blaise Zabini, fast asleep with his arm draped across Pansy Parkinson’s midsection, while she snored quietly next to him. They looked considerably less mean when they were asleep, Harry thought.
He let the curtain fall back into place and moved on. Harry paused to listen again, before pulling the curtain back.
Draco lay in front of him, face pinched, forehead beaded with sweat, murmuring quietly. Harry guessed he was having a nightmare. He slipped out of his cloak and placed a hand on Draco’s shoulder, shaking him slightly.
Draco’s eyes flew open. He shoved Harry’s arm away and recoiled from the touch, scrambling into a sitting position as far away as he could get, nearly falling off his bed in the process. Harry was just glad Draco hadn’t screamed.
Harry stayed where he was, giving Draco time to catch his breath and get a grip on his surroundings. Harry took the time to notice that Draco didn’t wear a shirt to bed. His eyes wandered over Draco’s heaving chest, his soft, pale skin, his sharp collar bones.
Draco cleared his throat. Harry’s eyes snapped up to meet Draco’s blushing face. He quickly looked away, his own cheeks coloring at the embarrassment of getting caught staring.
“Were you having a nightmare?” Harry tried for a distraction, curious if Draco’s were similar to his own.
“I, um, yes.” Draco replied, caught off guard by the question. Much to Harry’s disappointment, Draco pulled his blankets up to cover himself. Perhaps it was for the best though, fewer distractions. “Why are you here, Potter?”
Harry hadn’t really taken the time to think about how weird this was, sneaking into the Slytherin dorms, waking Malfoy up in the middle of the night.
“I have news.” Harry sat down next to Draco and, under a silencing charm, told him everything Sirius had said. Draco listened quietly with his knees hugged to his chest.
Harry ended up sitting in the hallway outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room while Draco firecalled his mother. Harry acted put out when Draco told him to wait outside, but really all he felt was worry.
Draco opened the door for him almost half an hour later. His eyes were red and puffy.
“Father’s not coming.” Draco stated conversationally, though he was clearly upset. “There’s some kind of plan to sneak Mother away to a safe house. Someone had already contacted her before I called. They don’t know when they’ll come for me. Winter break is only a week away. They may just wait until school is done.” He paced back and forth as he spoke.
“Are you alright, Draco?” Harry asked.
“Draco?” Draco stopped pacing and spun around to look at Harry.
“Malfoy.” Harry corrected himself. Malfoy gave him an odd look before he continued pacing.
“Well, my family’s falling apart, I may never be able to go home again, and my father just chose the Dark Lord over me and mum.” He gesticulated wildly as he spoke.
Draco stopped pacing, closed his eyes, and took a breath. When he spoke again, it was much quieter, almost as if he were just speaking to himself.
“Honestly, if we can just get away from all this without anyone dying, then yeah, I think I’ll be alright.” He rubbed his hands over his face before looking at Harry.
Draco walked back over to him, hesitated, and then hugged him. Startled, Harry tensed for a moment before hugging him back. Harry was surprised by how good it felt to just hold someone and let himself be held.
“Thank you.” Draco whispered before pulling away. He shuffled his feet awkwardly for a moment, and Harry noticed a faint pink rising in his cheeks. “I should go back to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” Harry gave a small wave as Draco walked away, before gathering up his things and heading back to the Gryffindor tower. Harry fell asleep quickly and slept through the night.
---
Draco wasn’t at breakfast the next morning. Harry tried not to worry, but as the day went on and he still hadn’t seen Draco anywhere, he was starting to unravel. Draco’s usual seat next to him in Potions was empty. Harry didn’t register a single word Professor Snape said during the lesson. At supper, Ron had to tell Harry to stop bouncing his leg because he was shaking the table.
The second the common room was clear at the end of the day, Harry firecalled Sirius.
“He’s here at Grimmauld.” Sirius informed him. “When we picked up Narcissa last night, she had a black eye. She didn’t want to talk about it, but we figured she fought with Lucius before she left. We didn’t want to risk him coming after Draco, so we got him last night as well.”
“They’re both at Grimmauld? They’re safe?” Harry asked, feeling the tension in his shoulders begin to drop.
“They couldn’t be safer than hiding here surrounded by Order members.” Sirius reassured his worried godson with a knowing smile. “He thought we were you at first when we woke him up. Been spending a lot of time in the Slytherin dorms recently?”
“No!” Harry spluttered as he turned completely red. “Just last night… but not… you told me to talk to him right away.”
Sirius laughed. “It’s alright, Harry. Why don’t you head off to bed now? We’ll see you in a few days when you come home for the holidays.”
Harry was too embarrassed to do anything other than nod. Sirius closed the connection, still chuckling to himself, and Harry went to bed.
---
As soon as Harry walked into 12 Grimmauld Place, he was bombarded with affection. Remus and Sirius were on him instantly, wrapping him up in a warm group hug. The house was full with Order members. Kingsley shook Harry’s hand once Remus and Sirius let him go. Mr. Weasley hugged him and told Harry that Mrs. Weasley was coming to stay in a few days with Ron, Ginny, and the twins. Moody waved his greeting as he walked through the group and into the kitchen. Harry knew now that this was what family felt like.
Harry’s cheeks hurt from smiling by the time he spotted Draco, standing awkwardly off to the side. Harry walked straight up to him, letting out a sigh of relief as he pulled him into a tight hug, finally having physical proof to reassure himself that Draco was in fact okay.
When Sirius cleared his throat, Harry blushed and pulled away. Sirius threw him a wink, before Remus elbowed him in the ribs, causing Sirius to pout and Harry to chuckle.
“Food’s ready!” Bill Weasley called, leaning out from the doorway that led to the kitchen. “Me and Fleur made a feast.” He grinned and turned back into the kitchen, undoing the knot of his apron behind his back as he walked.
Everyone followed him, except Harry. He motioned for Remus and Sirius to wait, too. Once the living room was empty, Harry spoke.
“Thank you.” Harry pulled them both into another hug, which they quickly reciprocated. “Thank you for helping them.” It was still a new feeling for Harry to have a family that was willing to fight for him. He suddenly felt on the verge of tears and pulled back.
“You know we’ll always be here for you, Harry.” Sirius gave Harry’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“You should really be thanking Tonks, though.” Remus said with a smile. “She fought harder for them than anyone. Convinced nearly the whole Order on her own.”
“She gave some passionate speeches about second chances and reuniting with family.” Sirius added. “It was inspirational really. I teared up a bit at the last one.”
Remus rolled his eyes. “You cried at every single one and you know it, Padfoot.”
“She’s a powerful speaker, and I’m only human, Moons!” Sirius flung his arms out dramatically.
It was funny to hear them beaming about Tonks. She and Remus had dated while Sirius was in Azkaban, but they broke up when he came back. From what Harry could tell, it seemed amiable. They still talked about each other like best friends.
“Why don’t we go eat?” Harry suggested. “Whatever Bill and Fleur made smells delicious.”
“Fine.” Sirius huffed as though he were annoyed, but still laced his fingers with Remus’ as they walked into the kitchen.
Harry stopped in the doorway when he spotted Tonks and Narcissa at the far end of the long, formal dining table. Tonk’s hair slowly turned a brighter shade of orange as she spoke animatedly. Whatever she was saying made Narcissa laugh quietly, and it softened her in a way that made Harry smile.
When Tonks looked up to see him, she excused herself from Narcissa, rushed over to Harry, and crushed him in a tight hug.
“I don’t know what you said to convince them to come here, but thank you.” She whispered.
“I was planning on saying pretty much the same to you.” Harry admitted.
“Come on.” Tonks pulled Harry by the wrist back to where she was sitting. “I was just telling Narcissa some of the old stories mum use to tell me about the things the two of them got up to when they were younger. I think you’ll like this one.”
As Harry was pulled into the seat next to Tonks, Draco settled into the chair next to his mother.
They shared a quiet moment when their eyes met across the table, exchanging shy smiles, before letting the warmth of the meal and the conversation settle comfortably over them.
---
Sirius informed Harry that he and Draco would be sharing a room, saying that the house was too crowded with so many Order members there. Harry was pretty sure there was still room, especially since Sirius winked when he told him.
“Leave the boys alone.” Remus scolded as he dragged a grinning Sirius off to their bedroom. “Goodnight, Harry.” He called down the hallway before shutting their door.
Harry took a deep breath before opening his own door.
The room was fairly plain: two beds side by side, each with a nightstand to the side and a dresser on the opposite wall. Harry had spent much of his breaks helping Sirius strip Grimmauld of anything that reminded him of the life he had grown up with here, leaving the place simple and a bit empty.
Draco was already sitting on the bed closer to him, wearing dark green pajama bottoms and nothing else. He was facing away from the door, so Harry lets his eyes wander for a moment over Draco’s slim shoulders and the pale curve of his back.
“Finished staring, Potter?” Draco glanced over his shoulder with a smirk, though his cheeks were undeniably pink.
“I was just… I wasn’t...” Harry was too flustered to form sentences. He walked quickly over to his duffel bag, resting on top of his trunk at the end of his bed, and pulled out pajamas and his toothbrush.
Harry had to turn and face Draco as he walked back to the bedroom door. “I-I didn’t mean to…” Harry continued trying and failing to explain.
Draco simply grinned, enjoying the show. Harry sighed exasperatedly and walked out towards the bathroom across the hall, Draco’s soft laughter trailing after him.
---
Harry awoke with a start. It was still dark out. He cast a quick tempus charm.
3:02 am
Harry sighed and tried to fall back to sleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, Harry heard a voice. He glanced over at Draco.
“Don’t.” Draco murmured to himself over and over, still asleep, one hand clutching tightly at his pillow.
Harry stood and moved to crouch beside Draco.
“Draco, wake up.” Harry shook him as he spoke.
Draco immediately flinched away when he woke up, but as soon as he realized who was in front of him, he lunged forward. Draco hugged Harry tightly, his hands gripping at material of Harry’s worn t-shirt. Harry sat down on the edge of Draco’s bed and held him for a long while.
Even after he calmed down, Draco didn’t let go. “Will you stay?” Draco asked quietly, his face still pressed against Harry’s shoulder.
“Of course.” Harry replied without hesitation, pulling Draco closer.
---
Narcissa lay in an unfamiliar bed, in a unfamiliar room. She was tired after such a long day, but unable to fall asleep. All of her thoughts circled back to Draco, her precious son, now essentially in hiding from the Dark Lord, and his own father. She tossed and turned in the bed, her guilty conscience relentless. She blamed herself. She knew she shouldn’t, but she did. She felt like a failure for not being able to keep her son safe.
When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she got up. She pulled a dressing gown on over her night clothes and started walking down the hallway. She didn’t know where she was going until she stopped in front of the door Draco had pointed out to her earlier. Remembering all nights when Draco was young and she would check on him in his sleep, Narcissa pushed the door open quietly, hoping to find some comfort.
It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark before she could be sure of what she was seeing. Draco was asleep, tucked against Harry Potter’s chest. Harry had an arm wrapped securely around Draco as he snored lightly against Draco’s hair.
Something warm, that felt suspiciously like hope, bubbled up inside Narcissa. They still had a long road ahead of them. But looking at Draco, sleeping peacefully, wrapped in the arms of the boy who defeated the Dark Lord as an infant, and thwarted his plans ever since, she thought there was probably no safer place for her son to be.
Narcissa closed the door quietly behind her on her way out, so as not to disturb them. She walked back to her room with a small smile on her lips, and slept well the rest of the night.