Several days later had Harry sitting on the bed in Snape’s house, discussing Quidditch with his enemy. The blonde haired boy was sitting across from Harry, arguing over which broom had better speed. Both boys had come to a silent agreement. They didn’t like each other, and most likely never would, but in order to survive the summer they came to a truce. Though that didn’t stop the fights when Snape descended into the room every night with a dreamless sleep potion . . . Harry swore if he was forced for one more night to drink the potion he’d scream.

“Harry, are you even paying attention to what I’m saying?” Draco sneered at him.

Harry blinked and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, so you mean that annoying sound that I’ve been hearing was your voice?” Harry shot back at him. Draco narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, smacking Harry on the back of the head.

“You’re a real riot, Potter,” Draco said, shaking his head. Harry smirked.

“I do believe I am growing on you, Malfoy. If we were at Hogwarts, you would’ve hexed me or punched me,” Harry said with a sloppy grin. Draco shrugged.

“I promised Snape I wouldn’t add to your injuries. And I don’t feel like scrubbing cauldrons during summer time, so I guess I’ll just have to do my job and keep an eye on you,” Draco droned out in a bored tone of voice.

At the mention of his injuries, Harry rolled his eyes and flopped onto his back. Most of his bruises were healing so he didn’t feel as stiff as he had just a few days ago, just a little tender. But his knee did not seem to be getting any better.

“Maybe it’s your nap time,” Draco said, smirking at Harry’s theatrics.

Harry sat up and glared at him. “Stuff it, Malfoy,” he snarled.

Draco stood up and shrugged. “Oh, stop acting like such a baby. You could use some real sleep without it being potion induced.” Draco pointed out. Harry rolled his eyes again.

“I swear between you and Snape, it’s like I’m dealing with two mothers!” Harry groaned.

Draco growled. “I am not your mother, Potter, and if I were, I’d jump out the nearest window.”

Harry glared and moved his hand to snag the pillow just beyond his head. Draco followed his hand with his eyes and raised one eyebrow.

“Are you sure that you want to do that? Snape taught me some rather useful spells the other night. One of which can have you flat on your back unable to move and another that can have the pillows grow until they trap you in the bed with just enough room to breathe.”

Harry scowled at him.

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

“Go bother someone else, maybe get eaten by a dragon,” Harry snarled. Draco smirked.

“But I have so much fun bothering you!” Draco exclaimed a fake look of shock on his face.

Harry groaned and pulled the pillow from behind his head and covered his face. Draco smirked, shaking his head. He knew whenever Harry actually did manage to fall asleep on his own, he woke up from nightmares. It was something both he and Snape had witnessed. Most of the time Harry had been so distraught he hadn’t realized that he had woken up, and Snape was able to force either a dreamless sleep down Harry’s throat or a calming draught. Luckily anytime the teen had fallen asleep on his own, it had been during the day, but at night Snape had been strict about forcing a dreamless sleep on him. Draco sighed and shook his head again.

“Don’t go trying to suffocate yourself, Potter. That’ll be my job once we get back to Hogwarts,” Draco reminded him casually. Harry shrugged his shoulders but removed the pillow to look at Draco directly in the eye.

“Actually that’s Voldemort’s job, sorry to disappoint you,” he said.

Draco was silent for a few minutes before he shook his head and hit Harry on the top of the head roughly.

“Quit being so depressed.”

“I would if I haven’t been stuck in this room for days!”

“When you’re able to be up and about I’m sure we can move you…”

“I DON’T NEED ANYONE TO MOVE ME ANYWHERE!” Harry shouted. Draco stood smirking.

“Go ahead stand,” he challenged. Harry narrowed his eyes and cautiously slid off the bed and stood, balancing most his weight on his good leg. His head began to throb as pain snaked its way upward from his knee; he knew he paled but he managed to keep his feet beneath him despite the pain. Both teenagers were silent as they stared at each other. Finally Draco sighed. Walking over to the door, he grabbed a pair of crutches from the closet and handed them to Harry.

“If we are going to go outside, then use these.” Draco scratched his nose as Harry took them, staring in shock at Draco.

“Outside? Snape’ll kill you,” Harry pointed out. Draco sneered.

“I’m not a goody, goody like you and your friends, Potter,” Draco snapped before he could stopped himself. Harry smirked.

“No, then again you also don’t smell good, so I guess your bad all around,” Harry said grinning. Draco narrowed his eyes before he turned and walked out the door.

“If we are going to sneak outside, then we had better go now,” Draco snapped. Harry quickly adjusted the crutches and moved to follow Draco. Draco stepped down the stairs, careful to make sure he stayed near Harry should the teen stumble. Once down stairs the two slipped out the kitchen door and collapsed onto the grass laughing. They grew silent and simply laying in the grass staring at the sky, neither one needing to say anything. Finally Draco sat up.

“Why do you always get into trouble?” he asked. Harry blinked and sat up himself, bracing his hands behind him so that he was leaning on them.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said in a tight voice. Draco rolled his eyes.

“Oh, come off it, Potter, every school year you are almost killed. I mean it’s like you have no self-preservation in you!” Draco said, rolling his eyes. Harry glared at him.

“And you were always following us around, trying to get us expelled!” Harry yelled.

Draco leaned over and covered Harry’s mouth. “Are you trying to get Snape to come out here and find us?” he demanded, releasing Harry’s mouth.

“Sorry…” Harry muttered.

“You take too much to heart, and yeah, I was always following you around and trying to get you in trouble. You and your friends acted like you owned the whole school, but I didn’t see them really there for you these last two years.” Draco pointed out. Harry winced and looked away.

“They were busy,” he defended Ron and Hermione. Draco shook his head.

“Whatever you say Potter. But I think you need to get yourself some real friends.”

Harry didn’t even bother looking at him he just stared out into the distance. Then he felt it; there was something odd about the way the wind suddenly picked up. He shifted on the ground and froze as he heard a chilling voice.

“Draco Malfoy, just what do you think you are doing near that boy?” a man’s cold voice seemed to fill up the entire yard. As Harry turned to look at Draco, he noted the teen had gone still and was extremely pale. Lucius Malfoy strode into the yard, his cape bellowing in the wind and a sick, twisted grin on his face.

“Draco, come here,” Lucius commanded, and Draco, his face twisted in fear, scrambled to obey his father. Lucius smirked at his son and pulled out his wand and pointed it at his son.

“Father…” Draco began swallowing. Harry slowly moved to his feet unsteady, but he was careful not to call any attention to himself as he watched father and son face each other.

“You need a lesson Draco…I thought I had taught you better than to hang out with the likes of Potter,” he snarled, and Draco took a step back.

“Father…you don’t…” Draco began again but was silenced by a wave of his father’s wand.

“Be quiet when I am talking to you, boy. You need a lesson, and a lesson you shall receive. I believe that my lord had a right idea when he taught his followers this way…” Lucius stated smirking. “Crucio!” he shouted, but before the spell could hit his son Draco was knocked back by a blur. Then he heard someone gasping. He narrowed his eyes to see Harry on the ground thrashing.

“Idiot!” he snarled and raised his wand again.

“Accio Lucius’s wand!” a voice snapped from the house, and Lucius’s wand flew from his hand into Snape’s waiting one. Then Snape raised his wand again.

“Keep Harry still, Draco, pin him down if you need to,” Snape explained. He knew the spell had been already stopped, but that didn’t stop the aftermath of the spell. Draco quickly crawled over to Harry, grabbing the teen’s arms and forcing him to lay still. Harry’s skin was as pale as it had been when Draco had first arrived. Draco was still seeing the moment flash in his eyes. He hadn’t even heard Harry move, but before he could think, the Gryffindor had pushed him to the ground, taking the spell himself. Lucius snarled and took a step toward the two teens, and Snape hissed at him.

“Stupefy!” Snape shouted.

Lucius yelled as the spell hit him, but then he dropped silently to the ground. Snape quickly rushed over to Harry, forcing one of Harry’s eyes open so he could look into it.

“Is he alright?” Draco asked in shock. Snape nodded.

“The spell didn’t last long enough to do much damage,” Snape said then slowly he turned to Draco, temper lighting his eyes. “Just what did you think you were doing when you brought Potter out here? I believe I instructed you to keep him in his room.”

“He was going nuts locked in that room!” Draco snapped. Snape’s eye twitched; then he glanced at Lucius’s still form.

“I am bringing you and Har-Potter back to his room, and you will stay there until I come and tell you it is alright to leave,” he said sternly.

Draco nodded quickly as Snape gently gathered Harry’s still form into his hands. The boy had at least stopped thrashing, though Snape knew the amount of pain he had to be in just from the few seconds the spell lasted. He walked to the door, Draco following closely behind.

“Severus…” Draco began. But Snape shook his head.

“I am furious, but I am not going to punish you…this time. Other than force you to stay in the same room with Potter,” he said in a tight shaking voice. He had been terrified when he felt the wards move, and had rushed to check on his two charges. When he found their room empty, it had only added to the fear. He thanked all his potions that both were relatively safe.

“Severus…Potter jumped between me and my father and pushed me away.” Draco said softly as they entered the room. Severus was silent as he laid Harry down on the bed and then turned to look at Draco.

“Potter is an idiot. He values other’s lives over his own. My guess is he didn’t want to see you hurt,” Snape said and walked to the door, leaving his godson staring at Harry’s body in shock.

“Get some rest Draco, it is going to be an extremely long night. I have to contact Dumbledore. Get me when Ha-Potter wakes up,” Snape said then quickly left the room.

Draco shook his head and moved to what he considered his seat and sat still staring at Harry. He was sure of one thing…Harry Potter had a death wish…