They were on their way to DADA, Hermione and Ron were arguing about whatever it was that Seamus had done this morning. Harry trailed behind them slightly; He didn't care about the petty gossip. God knows he'd had enough of that in his life.

He fiddled with the necklace he was wearing; a vial on some black cord. In the vial; His most treasured possession; a lock of the palest blonde hair. A souvenir of what could not be his.

When the trio entered the DADA classroom Harry noticed that all the tables had been vanished and a large wardrobe had been placed at one end of the classroom.

"What's going on?" Ron mumbled as he dumped his bag on the floor and begun to unwrap a chocolate frog.

As the other students filed in they all had the same question. A couple of student's curiosity won them over and they attempted to open the wardrobe but it was locked and no spells seemed to work to unlock it.

While they waited for the professor, who was obviously late or had forgotten they had a class, Harry found his gaze travelling to a certain blonde Slytherin; who was leaning elegantly against the wall talking to a dark haired Slytherin girl.

His hair hung freely around his face; No longer did he glue it back like before. His robes clung to his well-muscled body and Harry had the sudden desire to run his hands over the muscles that he knew to be hidden under the robes.

He jumped when the door to the classroom was thrown open and professor Lupin rushed into the room. "Sorry I'm late class," he said as he walked across the room to stand in front of the wardrobe "the headmaster had some last minute questions to ask me!"

He folded his arms loosely over his chest and smiled kindly. "Now can anyone tell me anything about a Boggart?" true to her nature Hermione's hand shot up into the air and Lupin's smile widened.

Harry tuned out her enthusiastic explanation and discreetly watched Draco as he finished folding an origami dragon, which came to life and flew about Draco's head a few times before soaring out an open window to complete whatever task it had been given.

He turned back to Draco and was surprised to find his silver eyes staring back at him; Harry turned away as a blush warmed his cheeks in time to see a Boggart-Snape dressed in a hideous dress and vulture hat. He snorted as Ron burst out laughing beside him. "Well done Neville!" Lupin cheered as he patted him on the back. "Now if the rest of you could form an orderly line and we'll continue."

Harry sighed as people rushed to get a good spot. When everyone was in the line; Lupin called Ron forward and Harry chuckled when the Boggart turned into a giant black widow spider. The chuckle turned into a full out laugh when Ron gave the spider skates.

Harry watched as everyone before him had their turns and before he knew it he was standing in front of the Boggart, not quite sure what it would show. The whole class was silent as they also wanted to know what their saviour was scared of.

Believe me Harry was quite shocked when it turned into none other than the gorgeous Draco Malfoy. "Potter, you're fear is me?" the real Draco asked and all the Slytherins in the class laughed, the rest of the class were uncertain but Harry hadn't taken his eyes from Boggart-Draco to look.

"How dare you!" Boggart-Draco sneered making Harry flinched at the sheer hate in his voice; it was a cold sound that made his heart clench.

"You think I'd ever like you?" he derided as he started to circle him slowly, looking at him like a piece of dirt he had found on his shoe. "You; who can't even protect himself from mere Muggles?" Harry shook his head; He didn't want to hear what he knew to be true.

"You've been dirtied; you're nothing but a filthy whore!" Harry wrapped his arms around himself as he felt the tears start to fall and he wondered why no one was stopping this. He didn't know that the whole class were trying to help but all the spells they cast were ricocheted back to the caster. "No one wants you!" Boggart-Draco growled "why would they help you?"

"Stop" Harry choked out weakly as sobs started to shake through his body. "Please stop" he whispered as he looked down at his feet not wanting to see the look of pure disgust on his face. "You are not worthy of any one you queer." He whispered cruelly in Harry's ear.

Harry fell to his knees as the last of his taunts faded away into nothing "Harry?" a soft voice asked tentatively and when Harry looked up he saw two hazel eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright?" Hermione asked as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

It was then that Harry became aware of where he was and when he looked around he saw many confused faces, but it was just the one that had Harry standing quickly and fleeing from the classroom; Draco, who looked at him like the freak that his uncle had assured him he was.

Harry raced through the halls, ignoring the shouts of protest, to the only place he felt safe at times like these; the astronomy tower.

Harry was not sure how long he had sat up in the tower but when he looked up at the sky it was black and the stars twinkled merrily.

He got up and walked over to the edge of the tower, looked over the railing and wondered if it would hurt. It was then that he heard the echoed sound of someone climbing the tower stairs. "Great..." Harry grumbled. It was probably Ron or Hermione; they had probably looked at the marauders map to find him and he lent further over the rail, preparing to hurl his corrupted body to the ground below.

He hadn't realized they were so close to the top until the door opened almost hesitantly and then it was flung open with such force that it made Harry spin around suddenly and look into the eyes of none other than the young Malfoy himself.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing Potter?"He asked as he cautiously made his way over to Harry with his hands outstretched in a way you would usually do to calm a wild animal.

"What do you want?" Harry asked quietly as he continued to stare at the worried expression on Draco's face. One of his pale eyebrows rose and he scoffed. "An explanation would be nice."

"I have nothing to explain to you."Harry said stubbornly and turned back to the dark sky. He stared down at the ground far below him and leaned further over the railing. "Potter" Draco warned "leave me alone, you wouldn't understand!" Harry yelled and Draco yelled back "then help me to understand!"

Harry looked at him shocked for a moment before asking "How did you find me?" Draco smiled sheepishly and said "that was thanks to weasel and the mu- sorry Granger; they gave me this," he held out a familiar piece of parchment and Harry growled "How could they?" He looked down at the aged parchment in Draco's hand "give it back!" Harry demanded and Draco cocked his head curiously "it's important to you?" Draco asked as he looked at the parchment in question.

Harry held out his hand expectantly and nodded "then come here and get it!" he smirked and Harry couldn't help but be slightly impressed at his ploy. "Why even look for me?" Harry asked and watched the smirk change into a disappointed frown.

"Come away from there and I'll tell you" Harry growled at the blonde's persistence and turned back to the railing. He lunged over the rusted metal, wanting to just end this humiliation but two strong arms pulled him back and he landed on Draco with a quiet 'oomph'.

Harry tried to scramble away from the contact but the arms held strong. Draco sat up with him still in his lap and asked gently. "What could be so bad that you would want to kill yourself?" but it was spoken to death ears. Harry clawed at Draco's hands to let him go as memories from the summer at the Dursley's were brought to the front of his mind.

"Calm down potter." Draco said breathlessly as he continued to fight to be free. "POTTER!" he shouted and Harry froze. His body trembled as the image of his uncle Vernon, red-faced and holding his belt came into his vision, blacking everything else out.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I'm sorry." He whimpered as his memories consumed him. Harry felt hands on his face but saw only an endless darkness. "Please don't hurt me anymore, I promise I'll be good." he mumbled fearfully as Vernon appeared in the darkness; a smug grin on his fat face as he approached Harry.

"No, don't; I'll be good, please don't." Harry felt the tears fall as a memory from the summer came unbidden and he watched, from the sidelines, as his uncle stopped in front of him. His uncle grabbed his face and punched him in the gut. Harry fought for air as he fell to the floor and curled in on himself.

"No don't please, uncle, I'm sorry." he sobbed desperately as he saw himself thrown onto his front and his trousers were ripped from his body and then he was left with the memory of an unbearable pain and his throat shred as a scream ripped out of his mouth.

When the memory faded Harry still felt his uncle rough hands on his face; holding it in place. He expected another beating but these hands changed, they grew softer, warmer, and kinder. "Harry?" a soft voice called and he searched the never ending darkness for the owner. "Harry, come back to me." The voice begged and Harry frantically fought his way through the darkness.

The darkness faded back to the shadowed astronomy tower and the feeling of being held intensified. Harry held onto the person holding him desperately fearing that the memories would attack him again. "Harry?" the voice asked hesitantly and Harry tightened his hold on the warm body in response.

"Thank god," The voice sighed "that scared the shit out of me." He laughed nervously and Harry looked up into the face of Draco Malfoy. He pulled away from his hold suddenly having completely forgotten that he had been here before his break down.

The Slytherin let go of Harry instantly, probably disgusted with his show of weakness. "So," he began hesitantly. "What was that about?" Harry looked at his face and was surprised by the genuine concern he was showing, so it wasn't because he was disgusted.

He lifted his hand suddenly making Harry flinch. "Sorry" he murmured as his hand rested on Harry's cheek to wipe away some remaining tears. "Why are you being so nice?" Harry asked quietly, not taking his eyes from Draco's beautiful face. He hadn't realized that he had lent unconsciously into the warm hand. "Because seeing you like this, hurts me." He answered with a small smile and dropped his hand into his lap.

Harry frowned at his face, trying to detect any trace of a lie. There was none he looked down at his hands and sighed. "This isn't a trick?" he asked and Draco shook his head "you're not going to go running to the prophet tomorrow?"

"No Harry I'm not going to tell anyone, this conversation will stay a secret between the two of us." Draco said with an amused smile on his face. Harry paused for a second debating whether or not it would be a good idea to tell the prince of Slytherin about his gruesome past.

He fiddled with a stray thread on his sleeve and nibbled on his lower lip nervously before sighing and looking up determinately into Draco's face.

"How do you think my life at home was like?" He asked as he watched the Slytherin's face for any deceit. Before Draco could answer Harry spoke again "you think I'm spoilt, that my aunt and uncle worship the very ground I walk upon." Draco began nodding slowly and Harry clenched his hands.

"Well you're wrong." Harry said as he looked down at his clenched hands "my relatives can't stand me, they loathe me." His hands began to sting but he just clenched them tighter, relying on that pain to keep him steady. "They jump at every chance to discipline me. To lock me in my cupboard or whip me with a leather belt."

He opened his hands and stared at the blood on his palms "they only let me eat the tiniest of scraps of food when I'm there; they say that freaks like me don't deserve food and that I'm lucky that I get what they give me."

He looked out to the starry night sky and sighed wistfully "it got worse this summer; my uncle came home in a drunken mood after getting fired from his job." He glanced at Draco from the corner of his eye and took in his tense form and clenched jaw before continuing.

"He took his rage out on me, he beat until I was barely conscious and then..." Harry tried to swallow past the lump in his throat but it just got bigger as the memory of that night taunted him. Harry stuttered on his words and he grabbed at his hair as he began to panic.

Gentle hands on his own, was what calmed him and he looked up into tear-filled mercury eyes. "You don't have to tell me if it's too difficult Harry." He said gently and Harry looked upon that beautiful face with growing hope, hope that someone did truly care for him.

"He raped me" Harry said so quietly that it was barely a whisper. He closed his eyes in hope that he could just disappear. He became rigid when two arms wrapped themselves possessively around his shoulders. They stayed silent for a while as Draco tried to calm his raging fury.

Harry started to tremble as the warmth of Draco's arms seeped into his skin, melting away the ice that had started to encase his damaged heart. "I'll kill him!" Draco growled before breathing in Harry's spicy scent."I'll fucking kill him!" he whispered venomously.

Harry struggled out of Draco's tight grip before gently taking his face in his hands. "Thank you Draco, but he's not worth your anger." Harry said softly with a small, sad smile on his face. Draco looked into his emerald eyes and cursed "Damn you and your forgiving heart." He said light-heartedly before his face became serious again.

"I will not let it go so easily if it happens again." Harry nodded and dropped his hands into his lap in defeat. "Now you know why I tried to kill myself." Harry said as he fought back more tears.

"Shh," Draco mumbled as he tucked a stray hair behind Harry's ear "he cannot touch you here." He murmured into Harry's temple. Harry closed his eyes and Draco laid gentle kisses atop them. He let Draco kiss his face and when he pulled away Harry tugged him back and gently pressed his lips to Draco's.

Draco kissed him gently almost hesitantly until Harry bit his lower lip and then the gentle, loving kiss turned into a frenzy of lips, tongue and teeth.

The only sounds in the room were harsh panting and an occasional lust-filled moan. "Draco" Harry gasped as the Slytherin sucked on his neck, leaving a large love bite on sensitive flesh.

"I would never say any of those things that the Boggart said to you, I hope you know." He murmured against Harry's neck and Harry hummed in encouragement as he was too caught up in his bliss to speak.

"I would shower you with compliments and pretty gifts; I would pamper you even though you probably wouldn't want such treatment." He smiled affectionately and Harry finally opened his eyes to look suspiciously at the young Malfoy. "Why would you act that way towards your enemy?" he asked perplexed.

"You are the dark lords enemy not mine." He said simply as he nuzzled his face into Harry's soft hair "but you're the prince of Slytherin" Harry argued and Draco chuckled shortly before saying. "It is just a label and I do not care for it."

"You confuse me Draco Malfoy." Harry said with a teasing smile on his face. "Do you want to know the true reason for my actions?" he asked and Harry nodded tentatively. Draco lent forward until his mouth was level with Harry's ear and then he whispered so softly that Harry almost didn't catch the three simple words.

Harry pulled away sharply, covering his ear and blushing brightly. His mouth opened and closed but no words would come out. He couldn't believe it; he grabbed at the vial under his shirt and smiled widely. "I love you too" he said enthusiastically and had to refrain from throwing himself into Draco's open arms.

They shared one last tender kiss before they left for their separate dorms, both excited and scared for what would happen in the future now that both their feelings were now returned.