"Mum! Muuuuum!"
The scream broke through Draco's sleep as a drill. His eyes opened wide and he got up in a sitting position, barely conscious of having knocked something out of the bed.
What? Where? Why? The Slytherin tried to think still half asleep.
"Ouch! Malfoy! What the hell?" A voice came from somewhere on the floor.
"MUM! COME HERE! HARRY'S SLEEPING WITH A GUY! AGAIN!"
At that both Harry and Draco were completely awake.
The Slytherin was still sitting on the bed, his hair unruly and the oversized shirt Harry had lent him for the night slipping past a pale shoulder. He observed the scene unsure about what to think about it.
There was a boy in the door, or better, stuck in the door for that he was the size of a little whale, that looked at them with a mix of disgust and horror while screaming at the top of his lugs.
And then there was Harry that Draco had knocked out of the bed at the sudden awakening, sitting on the floor, with his face buried in his hand in a desperate gesture.
Judging that there was no possible way he could make the situation worse, Draco spoke:
"Again, Potter?" he asked curiously.
At that Harry's face emerged from his shaky hands. He looked at Draco with such a fury that maybe, but only maybe, the Slytherin wondered if there had actually been a single chance of making things worse. And if he had hit it.
"Shut. Up. Malfoy." Harry said slowly before turning his attention towards the little whale.
"And you too, Dudley. Shut up." The Gryffindor growled, pressing his hands against his eyes, trying to ease a nasty pounding feeling due to the anger and to a sudden head-ache.
"Harry."
The black-haired guy didn't even look up at the source of the voice, but Draco didn't notice it, too caught up in the apparition of the rest of the family, composed by a fat man and a skinny woman.
"Yes, uncle?" He answered getting up. A part of Draco's mind noticed how little Harry appeared to respect the mountain he had called uncle.
"Who is that, boy?"
The black-haired boy sighed.
"A friend," he answered tiredly.
"A friend?" The man asked, his eyes narrowing in a way the Slytherin didn't like, just like his voice, low and angry. "What did I tell you about your... friends, boy?"
Harry didn't answer but from the way he clenched and unclenched his fists, Draco could tell he was trying hard to keep his mouth shut.
"What did I tell you about doing your dirty games in my house?"
If possible, Draco's eyebrows disappeared behind the locks of his hair.
Oops, he had just the time to think before Harry answered.
"We were doing nothing¸ uncle. We were just sleeping," he said through clenched teeth.
The man frowned then looked at Draco. The Slytherin didn't like the way those pig eyes scrutinized him, they made him feel uncomfortable. And when he felt uncomfortable, Draco Malfoy became dangerously aggressive.
"Do you see something you like, sir?" He drawled teasingly, making the fat man and his family flinch.
"Petunia, Dudley. Get out." He said coldly when he recollected himself.
The door closed with a soft bang behind them and that was the only sound for a while, until the man addressed Harry again.
"You... little queer! How do you dare..." he began approaching the black-haired boy.
"We did nothing! We were just..."
Slap.
Harry next words were cut off. Through narrowed eyes Draco could see Harry backing quickly from the man.
"Don't interrupt me again," the man said, his hand still raised, smiling satisfied before continuing his speech. "It wasn't enough you were one of those... freaks," he said, spitting the word as spitting a slug. "You had to swing the other way too, hadn't you?" He continued still approaching towards Harry, until the boy was with his shoulder against the wall.
"Why couldn't you die with those stupid parents of yours?"
Even Draco Malfoy knew better than bring Harry's parents into discussion, so he sort of expected what was coming next.
"They were thousands times better than you, uncle Vernon," Harry said, looking at him defiantly. "And I would have been glad to die with them if this could have spared me to know such a bastard as you."
He just finished pronouncing those words that Vernon's hand had connected with his cheek.
"I have to teach you a little respect, boy. And when I'm finished with you, you won't dare to talk to me that way again. You won't talk, again," he threatened raising his hand again.
"Enough," Draco interrupted with that single word spoken softly.
Both Harry and Vernon looked at him. The Slytherin was holding his wand steadily towards the man. He had rescued it under his pillow, where he had put it the night before. He knew it was useless to keep it at hand reach, since he seemed to have lost his powers, but some habits are hard to lose, especially if someone as Lucius Malfoy taught them.
Draco barely took notice of Harry's interrogative gaze. He was more concerned of making himself believable to the fat man.
"You... you're one of them!" Vernon said with horror, backing away from Harry.
The Slytherin smirked.
"How lucky!" He exclaimed, faking surprise. "For me, I mean," Draco stated then in a lower tone, getting up from the bed with a graceful smooth move.
"Don't mess with me, boy," Vernon began, regaining a bit of his confidence. "I know you can't do... that... during summer."
Draco sighed shaking his head.
"Let me correct you, sir. You know Harry can't do magic during the summer," he said, noticing with amusement the way the man flinched at the use of the "M-" word.
"But what do you know about me?" he asked as waiting for an answer that never came. "Nothing. You know nothing. That's why you should pay attention. And that's why you shouldn't call me boy," Draco stated calmly, his wand still pointed at Vernon's chest.
"Is that clear? Or maybe you could prefer me to make it clear for you?" He asked politely.
"Alright," Vernon said through clenched teeth. "But we will talk about this, boy," he finished looking at Harry meaningfully before leaving.
Draco sighed, putting down his wand.
"Well well, Potter. What a fucked up family you have. Now I understand many things..." he drawled, yawning and stretching himself lazily.
Then, not receiving an answer he turned towards the Gryffindor. Harry was looking at him blankly and Draco raised an eyebrow.
"What's up now?" He asked confused.
"Come on, Malfoy. Laugh," Harry said, in a dead tone.
The Slytherin frowned.
"What's so funny that I should laugh?" He asked, sincerely puzzled
"Me. Don't you think I'm funny?"
"I don't understand."
"Harry Potter. Queer and child abuse victim. Don't you think this is funny?"
Draco looked at him for a moment before answering.
"Why? Do you?"
Harry frowned, angrily.
"What's wrong with you Malfoy? I thought you would have been happy to know about my home sweet home situation and my sexual preferences. Now you have something to tell your Slytherin friends during winter nights in front of the fire of your common room... Once upon a time there was Harry Potter, the Boy That Everybody Considered the Banner of Perfection and Happiness... And then one day I casually discovered..."
"Potter, shut up." Malfoy said, suddenly.
"Why? Does the truth hurt?" He asked, more and more angry at the Slytherin cold attitude.
"You don't know the truth. You're assuming it. And you're wrong," Draco said tiredly. "Now shut up and clam down. If you keep hyperventilating you're going to faint."
"As you care."
"I care, because I'll have to explain a bloody lot to Dumbledore and to your dear Black," Draco drawled lazily, lying on the bed again.
Harry turned towards the window in silent frustration. Draco was very good at getting under his skin.
Damn! He thought. Why do I always have to find myself stuck in such situations?
Finally he tore himself from the window.
"What time is it?" He snapped, wishing that Dumbledore were already there.
Draco looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"It's time for you to notice a nose bleed."
Harry frowned raising a hand to touch his nose. Then looking down at his fingers he found them stained with blood.
"Damn!" He exclaimed jerking his head back.
"Don't do that, idiot," Draco said getting up and approaching him. Harry felt the Slytherin cold fingers on his own, taking away his hand from his nose and pressing a cloth against it.
"Keep your head down as usual," Draco ordered placing a fresh hand against Harry's forehead. "Come on, sit on the bed," he said, guiding him.
Harry sat down, his head spinning with a strong dizziness, but unsure if it was given by the stress and the nose bleed or by Draco's nearness.
Malfoy's naked nearness, his mind corrected, as Harry noticed that the pale boy was bare chested, since the T-shirt he was wearing was now used to stop Harry's bleeding.
"Better?" Draco asked after a while.
Harry said nothing, paralysed by the sensation of the Slytherin's warm breath against his chin.
"You shouldn't let your emotion control you," Draco stated softly.
Again Harry didn't answer and the silence would have continued for some more if somebody wouldn't have interrupted them.
"What's happening here?"
Draco and Harry flinched, turning towards the source voice.
"Hi Sirius," Harry said happily, his voice muffled by the cloth. "Good Morning, Professor."
"Good Morning to you too, boys," the Headmaster said, a strange glint into his deep calm eyes.