Disclaimer: It's all J.K's. I merely fix the (various) mistakes that she made in her (wrong) interpretation of the events in the Potterverse. Just like the rest of you- otherwise, where would we turn for hot boy-on-boy?

Warning: Slash (boy-on-boy), Super powerful!Harry, slightly Dark!Harry, devious(but o-so-cute)!Draco, Sub!Draco.

Authours Note: So- yeah. I know that this is a step away from what I usually write, but the Massive-Evil-Plot-Bunny-From-Hell bit me and now I'm doomed. So- I made a deal with the creature; I write this, and it leaves me alone so I can go back to my (two) Super-Massive-Almost-Forty-Chapter-Long Snarry's and my Tame-Plot-Bunny-Farm-Where-They-Let-Me-Type-At-My-Own-Pace.

Yeah.

Title: Damaged Goods

Chapter 1

Draco grabbed at the wall before he fell down, and a pained grimace crossed his face. He drew his hand away from his side and eyed the brilliant red fluid that coated it with distaste. Wiping his hand off on his once spotless but now torn and ripped shirt, he staggered upright and continued on.

There was no where for him to go, but he couldn't stay here any longer.

His feet carried him across the courtyard of their own accord, his mind not actively engaged in directing them. No one bothered him, for no one was here. Just as his father always arranged it when he had to 'punish' Draco.

But this time it was worse, this time Lucius had gone to far. Draco could feel the life draining from his body as his feet stumbled blindly over polished cobblestones, and smirked faintly as he realized he was going to die.

A hand shot out to grab his arm as a threatening darkness overwhelmed his sight, and all Draco saw as he collapsed into grasping arms was his Godfathers astounded and terrified face.

… … …

Draco woke slowly to voices speaking across him, but made no effort to move from his eminently comfortable position. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt no pain. No where. It was enough to make him smile- had he the energy.

After a moment, the softly spoken words began to make sense.

"… found him… courtyard of Malfoy Manor… didn't think Narcissa was… the truth when she summoned me…"

Draco would have stiffened had he not been floating in a comfortable pain-free cocoon of warmth and security. Who was Severus talking to?

"… I am glad you found him… you did, Severus. Poppy assures me… hairs breath away from death when you… here. I am going… he will stay in the Castle… summer- and I will cut off Lucius Malfoy's rights as a father." Dumbledore's strong voice filled Draco with a sense of safety that he found slightly overwhelming.

"… I was just going to suggest that, Headmaster." Severus' voice, though perfectly calm to one who didn't know him well, was filled with such relief that Draco could taste it. "I will keep an eye on him… he is here- there are only two weeks till… starts anyway."

"He shall have the room… your's then, Severus. I trust that you will find a way to let Mrs. Malfoy know?"

Draco drifted away as the feeling of warmth engulfed his senses, and fell asleep with the profound knowledge that he owed his life to his Godfather.

… … …

The next two weeks passed quickly for Draco- mainly because he spent ¾ of it sound asleep. When he did manage to wake up and move around, however, he saw that somehow Severus had managed to acquire all of his personal belongings from Malfoy Manor. While he wasn't quite sure how Severus had done that, he was absolutely positive it must have been with Lucius at the tip of his wand.

Draco let a hand drift across the silken sleeves of the expensive shirts hanging in his closet and sighed as he drew his hand away and shut the door. Turning his back on the hidden garments, he let his body slump to the ground as exhaustion overtook him.

His legs folded under him neatly, and the backs of his hands rested lightly on his knees, palm up. He gazed in distaste at the long elegant digits, thanking the listening gods that he took after his mother in all the ways that counted.

It seemed that she had given Draco half of her accounts to live off of, as his father had cut Draco from his will, and had given Guardianship of Draco to Severus for as long as the boy was away from his mother's care. His father had apparently thrown the hissy fit of the century when he had found out that Narcissa, along with Dumbledore and Severus, had convinced the Wizengammot to sever all legal ties binding Draco to his father.

Draco was merely glad that he had been asleep for most of it; he had not wanted to see the trail in any event, and the fact that they had used photos of his broken and unconscious body as Article of Evidence Number 1 only strengthened that feeling.

He didn't hear Severus enter the room, but he saw the man settle onto his haunches in front of him and look at him with a question in his eyes. Draco sighed as he returned to regarding his hands distrustfully.

Severus reached out and took the boys pale hands in his own; noting that the slim appendages were limp.

"Draco," he said seriously, "School begins again tomorrow. Are you sure you are ready?"

Draco lifted his head and let it drift back until it hit the closet door. "I'll be fine," he assured the black-haired man. The delicate strands of his hair glided across his face, obscuring his vision as Severus raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

Severus placed Draco's hands back in his lap carefully, handling the boy like he was made of glass, and sat back on his heels. Clasping his own hands tightly, he thoughtfully considered his next words.

"Draco-" he began, but halted, his well-placed words suddenly inadequate for the task assigned to them. He tried again.

"Draco- Potter and his gang, even after being warned by Minerva, will still seek you out as an object to vent their anger and frustration on as they have these past years. No matter what, you are going to have to pretend like nothing happened to you. Dumbledore has kept the Wizengammot from telling the general public of the trail- and the goblins will never say anything- but it will not remain a secret for long."

Severus stopped as he chose his wording precisely. "You are either going to have to make friends with the three of them, or you are going to have to find another way to end this feud that that four of you have." The words fell like sawdust from the older man's mouth as he advocated that Draco do the one thing that would surely ruin his reputation as a Slytherin for all time- align himself with a Gryffindor.

But there was nothing else to do. Unless Slytherin House followed Draco's lead into friendship with their greatest rival, Draco would be ostracized from his own House. But that was better than having anyone find out about what had happened. Wasn't it?

Severus pushed aside his doubts as Draco opened startling silver eyes to smile wanly at his Godfather. Even though the expression spoke of nothing more than a bleak and realistic outlook on his future, it was still like looking into Heaven and gazing into the face of the most beautiful angel.

Draco spoke quietly. "I have it planed, Godfather. I just need to rest if I am going to be able to function tomorrow."

Severus agreed immediately; Draco did need more sleep- the potions he had been taking required lots of rest and a distinct lack of motion to work properly; and stood, offering a hand to his Godson as the boy just stayed where he was.

Taking the outstretched hand, Draco rose to his feet and swayed. Letting his body fall against Severus, he allowed the older man to guide him across the room to his bed, and barely bothered to take his robe off before falling bonelessly onto the sheets and covering himself. He was sound asleep before he finished bringing the sheets up to his chin.

Severus conjured a chair next to the bed and sat in it, studying his charge as though he had never seen him before.

The fine, silken strands of his platinum hair crowned his head, creating the impression of a halo atop the sleeping boy. His face was as pale as the white sheets he lay against, and his cheekbones were high and sharp.

His lips were slightly opened, a startling ruby against the alabaster color of his face, and the fine blue veins that ran just under the surface of his skin were in shocking contrast to his snowy complexion. The silver eyes that were so rare in humankind were closed, and they too were shot through with the subtle blue veins that lined his body. His creamy lashes were long enough to stir envy in the hearts of most girls, and they rested against his cheeks delicately.

He was of average height, Severus knew, but the slightness of his body led one to believe that he was much taller. There was little to no muscle on the teen; any he had was the work of playing Quidditch for the past six years. He was well-proportioned, but Severus knew that he was too thin. Draco was more than twenty pounds underweight according to Poppy, and that fact was finally beginning to show.

Severus sighed as he pushed back his chair and vanished it. Leaning down to press a kiss to his Godson's forehead, he turned and walked away. It would be a stressful day for all of them tomorrow.

… … …

Harry cried out in shock as Hermione tackled him from behind, squeezing him hard as he tried to get his breath back. When he finally did, he turned and caught her in a real hug, lifting her up and holding her as tight as her could, laughing at her when she squealed at him to put her down.

"Really, Hermione!" he admonished teasingly, "I thought you had manners!" The two of them laughed at each other; hiding the tension that threatened to overwhelm them. The letters that had been flying between them all summer needed to be discussed, but now, when others were watching, they acted carefree and happy, ignoring Ron as he walked past them. Harry and Hermione went to find Neville, Ron drifting along behind them even though he knew he wasn't wanted.

The platform was packed, and Harry cringed as the wave of noise hit his ears. Two long months with the Dursley's had made him sensitive to noise- again- and he was still getting used to the fact that normal teenagers were a loud, rambunctious lot.

He followed in Hermione's wake like a fish caught on a line, knowing full well that he was defenseless against Hermione's bright eyes and happy smile even if they were a mere shadow of the expressions that once lit her face. A smile touched his face reluctantly, though, when he saw the reception Hermione received from the group of Gryffindors she had just ambushed. Squeals of glee from the girls, and hearty hugs from the boys, and Harry was dragged into the mix as soon as they saw him, receiving the same treatment.

He was surprised to see how Neville had filled out, and grinned devilishly when Luna came and wrapped her arms around the still-somewhat-shy boy. Cat-calls and wolf-whistles rang through the air, causing the other occupants of the platform to turn and stare at the Gryffindors with puzzled and (in the case of the Slytherin's) disdainful expressions.

"Something you forgot to tell us, Nev?" he joked, and Seamus and Dean joined in, teasing the couple mercilessly. Harry smiled at the banter, standing in the crowd watching as his best friends reaffirmed their devotion to each other, smiling a small, private smile at the affectionate merriment until the whistle on the train told them that they had better get moving.

The crowd dispersed immediately, each attacking a different person, leaving a clear path to the train for Harry, who grabbed Hermione by the arm and (with a short nod to Seamus-who was detaining Ron) ran for the train and an empty compartment. Finding one rather quickly, he opened the door and shut it firmly behind them, locking it with a wave of his wand.

Another wave had a silencing charm on it and he turned to Hermione, who sat suddenly and hid her face in her hands. Sitting next to her, he ignored the sounds coming from outside the compartment as the other students filed on and wrapped an arm around his best friend.

She hid her face in his chest, and- after a moment- began speaking.

"It was fine all summer, really. We were writing letters, and nothing seemed to change, but one day I got a letter from him saying that he was going to live with Percy for a little bit. That was a little strange, given how the Weasley's feel about him, but I just thought he was going to try a reconciliation. So I encouraged him to go.

About a week later I got another letter from him, and he sounded a little different, but I just thought that that was the influence of living with Percy for a week. I laughed and shrugged it off." Hermione stopped to clear her throat, and buried her head into Harry's shoulder as his arms tightened around her.

Taking a shuddering breath, she continued. "Three days after the last letter, he came to my house. My parents were away, but it was Ron, so I invited him in. He seemed uncomfortable, but I thought it was just because he was in my home. We sat and talked for a little bit, but then he came over and kissed me. We'd kissed before, obviously, but he was going further, Harry, and I didn't want him too and-" she broke off, her voice hitching as tears stung her eyes.

Harry wrapped both his arms around Hermione and turned in the seat so that they were facing each other. He pulled her closer, his blood boiling as he forcibly restrained himself for seeking Ron out right now and killing him.

He channeled his rage into his magic, saving it for later, and listened intently to make out the words Hermione was trying to say through her tears.

"He kept t-t-touching me, Ha-Harry, and he w-wouldn't stop. And I t-tr-tried to make him but h-he was t-too st-st-strong and it hurt, Harry, it hurt and he w-w-was p-pulling his p-p-pants down and I was screaming at him to s-s-stop but he didn't and oh God, Harry, my neighbor came over and st-st-stopped him, and called the c-cops, and Harry-" the young witch couldn't speak any longer- the tears overcame her voice and choked off anything else that she might have said.

Harry couldn't see past the crimson that coated his gaze, and as he held Hermione he rocked her slowly, stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other. Many, many thoughts of stringing Ron from the rafters with a cord tied around his neck flashed through his head, and he -barely- restrained himself from leaving right now to find the pervert and kill him.

After a moment, Hermione's tears dried up and she moved away from the circle of Harry's arms. Wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, she looked up to find Harry gazing at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. But they softened as she watched and his hand came up to smooth her hair down.

"No worries, 'Mione." He assured her, his voice smooth and soothing. "He'll pay for what he did."

Hermione nodded, and slumped back into the seat as Harry stood to undo the wards blocking the door. Walking into the next compartment, his face slid into an icy mask only after he had politely asked Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, and Ginny to join Hermione. They did as he asked, glad of the excuse to not see that carnage that was about to come.

Harry waited until the door had shut behind all six of them before he glided out into the hallway to find Ron. He knew his face was a frozen mask, he knew that he was smiling a cold, little smile that scared the first years shitless, but he didn't know that they were frightened not only of those, but of the fire burning behind his emerald eyes.

He walked through two of the train's cars before he found his target, and as he widened his cold hard smile a crowd gathered, students peeking out of their compartments to see what was going to happen.

Ron turned to face Harry, saying as he did so "I knew you'd see things my way eventually, Harry-" his voice died off as he finally saw Harry's face, and he paled drastically. Harry smiled as the stupid git realized he had fucked up big time, and dragged the teen out of the compartment and into the hallway by the collar of his shirt.

"Ron," he began pleasantly, his voice as frozen as the Pole's, "You should know by now that I don't let anyone touch my family." He tightened his hold on the boy's shirt, ignoring the pitiful squeaks coming from the red-heads throat. "You messed with Hermione, Ron- and you fucked up. No one touches Hermione. No one."

As he spoke, he called up his magic until the rest of the train could feel it oppressing them. Shivering, the students huddled together as they watched the confrontation, wondering how far their Hero was going to go until he deemed Ron punished.

Harry wrapped both of his fists in Ron's shirt and raised his body off of the floor slowly, gathering his magic into his fists until it almost suffocated Ron. "You are going to pay the price, foolish boy." Harry's voice- made to sound like Snape purposefully- froze the train with fear. This was going too far- and there was no teacher to stop it and no Prefect foolish enough to try.

And the only one with any noticeable control over the Boy-Who-Lived was in a compartment two cars away sanctioning his every move.

Harry called up his magic and let it become visible, a burning verdant cloud that coalesced around Ron and sank into his body. "Until you learn your lesson, you are mine. Body-" the boy stiffened in fear- "soul"- Ron's back arched in pain-"and magic." A dusty red cloud, obscured by fiery green emerged from the teens body and disappeared into Harry.

Harry let Ron slump to the floor, and walked away; calling over his shoulder "Someone take care of that."

He walked back to where Hermione was and sat, pulling her into his arms, saying softly "It's all taken care of," as he caressed her hair and wiped away the tears that had started to fall again.

No one dared to ask what had happened. And no one cared to. Ron deserved to die- and as long as he was still alive, he was going to pay for what he had done.

… … …

Draco was waiting in the Great Hall for Pansy and Blaise as the other students began entering. At first he noticed nothing different about them, but soon he saw that the usually wild children were giving Potter and Granger, along with Longbottom, Lovegood, Finnegan, and Thomas a wide berth.

It was not the usual reaction the Golden Boy received, and it made Draco mildly curious as to the reason. But he wanted to talk to Pansy and Blaise first. He spotted his two friends- followed by Crabbe and Goyle- as they walked into the Great Hall, their face's a mask of polite indifference. But when they saw him, undecipherable emotions flickered over their faces and they came over to him immediately. Pansy wrapped her arms around the blonde's thin shoulders as Blaise sat on Draco's other side. Crabbe stood in front of Draco, and Goyle to the rear, protecting their friend from prying eyes.

"Draco," Pansy started as he returned her embrace, "Have you been here since…?"

Draco nodded as he let his guard down for a second, trusting Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle to shield him from view. "Yes," he replied, his voice a faint echo of what it used to be, "I've been living with Severus these past two weeks." Pansy and Blaise exchanged worried glances over the boy's blonde mane, head bowed so his face was resting in the crook of Pansy's neck.

Draco sat up suddenly, his expression one of determination. "Pansy. Blaise." He began, as he searched their faces, "We need to talk."

Their attention fixed on him, and he smirked slightly before continuing, knowing full well that it was a pale shadow of what he could have produced mere weeks ago. "Because of my change in… circumstance… Severus believes, as do I, that securing an alliance with the Gryffindors is the only way for us to…" he hesitated, thinking of the right word as Pansy and Blaise schooled their expressions of shock- "… survive the coming War."

Silence met his words as the rest of the school settled down to await the Sorting, and he let his two best friends think about what he had said. Crabbe and Goyle, bless their unintelligent souls, had sent him a letter over the summer, declaring their loyalty to him even though he had been disowned.

Draco smile slightly as he remembered the letter, blotchy and crumpled, that had arrived with the mail three days ago.

Draco, it began,

We no its not good four us to b yur frends, butt we wanna let u no that we r goin to stay with u.

Sined

Crabbe n Goyle

Apparently, they valued him enough that they had done the one thing they hated most- they'd written him a letter.

He was torn from his musings abruptly as a roar of pure fury sounded from the Gryffindor Table. Whipping his head around- and ignoring the resultant headache- Draco lost his calm mask when he saw the scene that greeted his- and everyone else's- eyes.

His first thought was that someone had cast a spell on Potter to make him glow green, but he quickly realized that the glowing verdant cloud was the physical manifestation of Potter's magic.

Which must mean that Potter is royally pissed, Draco thought even as the Golden Boy stood and advanced on the hapless form of Ronald Weasley. Even as Draco took in the prowling teenager, he watched the rest of Gryffindor Table, gauging their reactions. Granger was hidden behind Finnegan and Longbottom, their expressions matching that of their ringleader. Thomas was resting idly against the table, wand out and tapping his leg, ready to interfere if he was needed.

And I'll bet he helps Potter, not Weasley, Draco thought as the rest of Gryffindor looked on with varying degrees of interest. The females ignored the scene completely- or so it seemed. But Draco could see the tension in every one of their backs as they purposely looked away from the brewing fight. Even the Weaslette was ignoring the scene, instead determinedly chatting with Parvati and Lavender.

The males, however, looked on with barely concealed glee, their faces lit with a feral joy at the prospect of their Hero confronting the red-headed boy.

For a moment, the rest of the school froze, teachers and students alike, as they observed the actions of the House renowned for it's loyalty and bravery, wondering what on earth could have happened to cause them to turn on the male Weasley. No one moved, fearful that any motion would attract the attention of the vengeful god that had been Harry Potter.

Potter raised his arm, and Weasley froze, his face contorted into a mask of pain and fear as he futilely tried to escape from the invisible bonds encasing him.

"What, Ron?" Harry taunted, his voice as cold as an artic wind, and affecting everyone who heard it the same, "Afraid?" Potter moved closer to the bound boy, and smiled. Draco's eyes widened- that was his smile- cold, unfeeling, and icily polite. What was Potter up to?

Harry stalked closer to the red-head, and stopped a bare foot away from the teen. He spoke, but the words were to low for the Hall to hear, and as Harry's attention was focused solely on the boy before him. McGonagall and Snape stood at a nod from the Headmaster and made their way over to the pair.

But for the sound of the teachers shoes and the faint hiss of Harry's words, the Hall was silent. No one moved, and no one dared to take their eyes from the scene before them, fearful of missing something. When Snape was immediately behind Harry, he stopped and crossed his arms, perfectly content to let Harry realize he was there on his own.

McGonagall, however, tried to walk up to Harry and touch him, and failed. The glowing cloud that now surrounded the two boys kept her out, and she looked towards Severus with a frown. He shrugged as if to say, 'What did you expect?'

The Transfiguration Professor turned to Harry and said, "Mr. Potter, please let Mr. Weasley go. I'm sure we can work something out in private." Harry didn't even look her way, ignoring his Head of House and her words completely. She tried again. "Mr. Potter, you are facing expulsion for assaulting another student. Please let Mr. Weasley go."

Again Harry ignored her, saving his words and efforts for the wide-eyed boy in front of him. Minerva huffed in frustration and turned to the smirking Potion's Master as if daring him to do any better.

Severus dropped his arms as he rolled his eyes at his fellow teacher, and spoke. "Potter- this is quickly getting annoying. Please, finish up your game and let us continue with the Sorting and the Feast."

Draco had to stifle a chuckle as McGonagall aimed a threatening glare at his Godfather. But the Head of Gryffindor went motionless a second later as Harry Potter and the seventy-plus students that belonged to her House swung around to face the Potion's Master; their eyes piercing him as they assessed his words.

He stood still, waiting for them to come to a decision. There was no fear in his gaze; which endeared him to the feral Gryffindors- his long years of practice dealing with the most fickle of the House's had prepared him well.

As the seconds ticked by the tension in the Great Hall thickened, but neither Severus nor the Gryffindors cared. Harry stared at the man before him, mind working so fast he was not even aware of half of the things he was thinking, but one stuck in his head- Severus Snape, Potion's Master of Hogwarts, had just redeemed himself.

In a move that was startling after the long stillness, the entirety of Gryffindor House smiled at the black-haired man. He neither sneered nor smiled in response, instead gracefully inclining his head towards Harry, and only allowing himself a small smirk when Harry moved towards him. There was an audible whoosh as the Saviour of the Wizarding World called his magic back into himself, and a thud as Ron's body hit the floor.

"Professor," Harry said in a coolly polite voice as he reached the older man, "Would you care to join myself, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley for a little discussion? Though I am afraid that we might have to wait, as someone had the nerve to pass out. Still, would you be interested when the fourth member of our party revives?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter." Severus didn't allow his shock to show- what was wrong with these Gryffindors? "I would be delighted to attend this meeting."

"Good." Harry turned and walked towards Gryffindor Table, stopping when he reached Hermione. His voice lowered and softened, but it was still clearly audible to most of the Hall. "Come on, love. It would be best if we left now."

Hermione nodded and took the hand he offered, standing and walking out of the Great Hall with Harry at her side acting the ever- courteous gentlemen. No one acknowledged Minerva, and no one bothered the still body on the floor.

Knowing better than to assign a Gryffindor to care for the Weasley, Snape snapped his fingers and gestured for two timid 5th year Hufflepuffs to go towards the body. "Bring that to the Hospital Wing." Knowing they would obey him he turned to Gryffindor Table, raising an eyebrow. "Finnegan, Thomas, Longbottom, with me. Ms. Weasley, if you would?"

He turned and strode out of the Hall, knowing he was treading thin ground as he saw Minerva's furious expression. But what could he do about it? He smirked as he walked by, enjoying the way the Transfiguration Teachers face flushed a deep crimson.

As Severus glided out of the Great Hall followed by four murderous students, he allowed only one thought to distract him from the imminent (but bound to be fascinating) discussion he was heading to: The balance of power had changed. For good.

… … …

"Well," Draco said shakily, hating that his voice wavered, "That was interesting."

"Indeed." Blaise agreed quietly, not commenting on Draco's lack of control, "But it makes our decision rather easier than we thought it would be."

Pansy snorted delicately. "Of course. Now that our Head of House has shown that he has more control over the Do-Gooder-Gryffindors than their own, it will be child's play to convince the rest of the House to join us."

Draco had to think past the web of words to divine her meaning, and Blaise and Pansy waited patently for him to understand. They had agreed with Draco's tenuous plan as soon as Severus had been accepted by the Gryffindors, and were ready to work on the rest of their House.

Draco sighed. He was long since past the stage of being surprised by his friends ability to understand his plans and wishes, and had actually come to like the fact that they could- for all intents and purposes- read his mind. It made life so much easier.

"So," Draco said, reaching up with a shaking hand to rub at his aching forehead, "It begins."

... ... ...

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