Chapter-1

Beginning or the end.

Harry lays back down on the grass and stares up at the dark sky. He loves Draco. He loves Draco so much that it's frankly terrifying and right now he is very worried for his boyfriend. He wonders why he was summoned by his parents on such a short notice. The stars are hidden somewhere behind the black cloud that is stretched above. Harry closes his eyes and tries to imagine that Draco is beside him, playing with his hair or grumbling about mundane things. Harry could spend a lifetime gazing into his intoxicating eyes.

He sighs on realizing that it's after curfew. The castle is huge and devoid of the only person Harry is still attending this school for. Were it not for Draco, he would have fled away from this mess, this unending war between right and wrong. His parents died long back and took Harry's childhood with them. He never knew them and he will never know them. The people he does know don't care enough for him. Sirius prioritized revenge over Harry. Remus didn't care enough to come out of his shell and look for Harry and Snape decided to believe what he wanted to.

If it weren't for Draco, he would be lost in this large castle full of strange faces and unending noise. He doesn't want to stay here. He is staying because he wants to create a world in which Draco is free and Harry can perhaps live happily with the only person he has ever loved.

With a sense of foreboding, he heads back inside the castle.

"Mal- Malfoy, please."

Harry freezes when he hears the words. He would know this voice anywhere. It belongs Seamus.

"What do you want? Ask for it."

This commanding voice belongs to Draco. Harry's heart thunders inside his chest. He places his ears close to the door to hear properly.

"Oh for gods sake Malfoy, don't be a git."

With trembling hands, Harry opens the door. He knows not to believe what he hasn't witnessed with his own eyes. But the evidence of Draco's infidelity is glaring at him for Draco is not just with Seamus. Marcus Flint is with them too. They are standing in various states of undress.

"Say, Malfoy, who is the best among your various trysts?" Asks Flint.

Harry swallows bile. His stomach turns when he watches Seamus burrow his face in Draco's neck.

"Why, Potter, of course, despite being scrawny. Although Wood certainly rivals him."

Harry covers his mouth and stifles his gasp and backs off quickly. Horrified to find that his eyes are damp, he heads towards his room wishing that Ron has slept. He stumbles a bit and takes support of the wall.

Thank god for small mercies that Ron is snoring. He heads towards his bed and sits on the edge, staring at the floor. A couple of minutes later, he lays down it and places his hands behind his head. Unable to sleep, he stares at the ceiling unseeingly. He shouldn't want to protect Draco after what he just saw. He shouldn't care. He shouldn't love him except that he does. He can't help it.

Around twenty minutes later, Seamus sneaks inside. His eyes widen from horror and his face turns white when their eyes meet.

"Harry, listen to me please." Seamus whispers.

Harry shakes his head, "Don't. Just go to sleep and don't tell him."

"But-"

"No. Leave me alone, will you?" Harry snaps at the boy.

There is a slighting shuffling of feet and a few minutes later, Seamus climbs on his bed.

He tries to sleep but sleep eludes him. Draco's words replay over and over again in his mind, tormenting him to no end. The person he had been in love with had never existed. He doesn't know when the hours pass and sun rises. Morning dawns and sunlights streams inside through the windows and Harry finds himself still staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Harry. You awake?" Says Ron. Harry doesn't reply. He turns to look at his best friend though. Ron is tying his laces.

"Harry, wake up. We'll be late. You know Hermione. She'll have our heads."

When Harry still doesn't reply, Ron finally looks up at him. His warm eyes widen when they fall upon Harry.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" Harry realizes that his eyes are burning and there are dry tear tracks on his cheeks.

Ron kneels down beside Harry's bed and places his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Harry, what happened. Is Malfoy - is he all right?" Ron asks hesitantly.

Harry nods quietly. It's all very unreal. He can live in the near constant fear of being attacked by Voldemort but he can't live through this. He can't live knowing that Draco was betraying him all along. There has to be some kind of explanation of this, something that Harry is missing. It makes no sense.

"Then what happened? Tell me."

Harry shakes his head. He can't say it. Telling them the truth would mean that he has accepted it. It would make it real. Harry doesn't want it to be real. It can't be real. How can Draco do this? Why should Harry be the one to live through this on the top of everything else. Everything else like being hated by his only living relatives and being hunted by Voldemort every year. It's not fair.

"Come on. Get up." Ron says and forces Harry to get up. Ron takes out his clothes and helps him inside the bathroom. Harry heaves a mental sigh. Atleast, he has his friends.

Cold water falls upon his head and removes every trace of his tears. However the ache in his heart refuses to leave. He places his hands on the wall of the shower stall and presses his forehead on it. Water continues falling on his back. He had known that it was too good to be true. Draco was always very attractive, in every sense of the word and it didn't matter that he was a Malfoy and Harry, well, he was not attractive. Not that it was his fault. It's a miracle that he was even alive after what the Dursleys fed him. He's scrawny and his arms are too thin and his glasses are ugly and even his legs are too thin. Dudley's punches have left blue marks on his forearms and stomach and his hair are too messy. To top it all off, he has a permanent scar on his forehead. He should have known that someone like Malfoy would never fall for him.

Harry takes a deep and unsteady breath and then another and pulls back. He closes his eyes and then takes another deep breath and starts accepting it, like he has learned to accept everything else.

"Draco." Blaise shouts. Draco burrows inside his blanket. He doesn't want to wake up.

"Draco, get up or so help me. I am getting Pansy."

"Go away." Draco mumbles.

However then Pansy murmurs, "Aguamenti" and a stream of cold water starts falling over his head. He screams and sits up, completely drenched in cold water. Blaise is leant against the wall, smirking at him, his arms crossed over his chest. Pansy is seated on Blaise's bed, examining the nails of her left hand, while her wand is in her right one.

He glares at her. But Blaise bursts out laughing and Pansy's lips upturn into a mischievous smiles so he must look funny instead of terrifying.

"We won't be late for breakfast because of your nightly trysts." She sneers.

"That's none of your business." He snaps because it really is not.

"Just get ready." Pansy's answer is short and to the point. Draco doesn't understand why they interfere in this - this thing he has with Potter. It's only a fling. He does not love Potter. Potter is just so easy and naive. Draco needs Potter's protection to get his family out of this mess father has got them into.

Ten minutes later, he is dressed and is walking with his best friends towards the great hall, expecting to see Potter. Potter's eyes are always so expressive. Is it necessary to wear his heart on his sleeve all the time.

"Draco, one of these days, he'll catch you red-handed and you'll lose him." Says Pansy out of the blue and before Draco can snap at her, she has already gone to talk to Daphne.

Draco rolls his eyes.

"She is right. Mark my words. Potter will never forgive you." Blaise murmurs and Draco narrows his eyes. What's with his friends today. His nostrils flare.

"Just-" He starts but stops when he hears Potter's furious voice.

"Look Hermione. Just stop it. I have had enough of your coddling. I'm fine. Will you just- " Potter stops mid speech and their eyes meet. There is something off with Potter today. For one, his eyes are not sparkling and for another, they are tired and quite red. Draco saw Potter just yesterday evening. He was fine at that time.

"Trouble in Paradise, Potter. The war has not even begun yet. How will you win without your minions? Who will die for you now?" Draco mocks and expects Potter to retaliate. It's the act they put on. Draco mocks Potter and Potter yells at him.

But today it doesn't happen. Potter doesn't answer. He doesn't blink. He doesn't even move. His green eyes gaze silently at Draco.

"What are you staring at? Cat got your tongue?" Draco snorts.

"Draco, we'll be late for our class. Come on." Blaise hisses beside him and Draco grits his teeth in annoyance. Why can't Blaise stay out of it? Potter still doesn't say anything. What's up with him today?

Even Weasley and Granger are just staring blankly at him.

A few seconds pass and then Potter turns his piercing eyes away with a calmly uttered, "Come on Hermione. Let's go."

"Did you have a row yesterday?" Blaise asks quietly, "Something is not right."

Draco shakes his head, "No. We were good yesterday evening. I told him that I had to meet father and so we won't meet yesterday night. He said that he needed to catch up on his sleep."

"Do you think- " Blaise looks at him and takes a deep breath before continuing almost gently, "Do you think that he knows? Maybe Finnigan told him."

"Finnigan won't. He can't know. He can't. I need him, Blaise. He's the only one who can protect my family."

Potter couldn't know. He couldn't. Not that he cares. Potter loves him. He would anyways protect Draco. Draco doesn't care. It doesn't matter. Except that it did matter and Draco did care. If only because he was a little afraid that Potter would refuse to protect him if he knew that Draco had been betraying him all along, that Draco had never loved him.

"I did warn you Draco." Pansy's voice come from no where and Draco stares at her.

"I don't care." He says.

"Keep telling yourself that. Let's go." Blaise murmurs and walks inside with Pansy.

With a confused mind and pounding heart, Draco walks inside the great Hall, staring at Potter who is now sitting at the Gryffindor table, his eyes firmly on his plate. He doesn't look at Draco. Not even once.