Guardian Angel

Chapter 1

Draco walked down the stairs slowly. He wanted to know where his father was, so he could avoid him. He stopped and listened carefully. The sounds of dinner being made were coming from the kitchen, and he could hear that Quidditch was on in the living room on WWN. He was safe, at least, for the moment. All Draco had to do was make sure that his father didn't see him from his usual chair in front of the telly. Draco knew what would happen if he did. He tiptoed down the last few stairs, hopped over the patch on the floor that creaked, and entered the kitchen.

Ever since Draco's father was accused of being a Death Eater, the Malfoys had kept a low profile. They had moved from the manor near a small village in Scotland, and into a small house in Surrey. They now didn't have any of their 100 house elves because they lived in a muggle area, so Draco's mother had to do all the cooking, and his father had to get a muggle job. Lucius and her were always in fowl moods nowadays. Draco couldn't blame them, but he just wished that they wouldn't take their anger out on him.

Narcissa was pottering about, making the evening meal for Lucius and her. If Draco's parents were in a particularly good mood, Draco would get the scraps from their plates.

Narcissa turned around when Draco entered and shot him a look that could have burned bread. Draco knew what that meant. He was in for it. They didn't need a reason to beat him; they just did it to vent their frustrations. Draco didn't even complain anymore.

Draco avoided his Mother's eyes and made his way across the room. He was aiming to pick up his school supplies and head upstairs to get a start on some summer homework. Unfortunately for Draco, that was when Lucius came in.

Draco heard him behind his back and whirled round. he backed up against the wall as Lucius advanced. Draco looked over at his mother and saw that she was carrying on as if nothing was happening. He even thought that he saw a small smile on her face.

Draco felt the first blow to his face and gave up all hope of getting any homework done. This had happened too often. He didn't even care anymore.

Lucius started small, punches and slaps and the occasional knee to Draco's stomach. It was painful, and Draco wanted to cry so much, but he knew that would just make his father angrier. Malfoy's don't cry.

Lucius stared bashing Draco's head against the wall and Draco felt the world starting to spin. Narcissa's smile had grown. After a while the blows started getting further down Draco's chest, ribs and stomach. He could feel the bones cracking, and something burst inside of him, but he didn't care.

The pain was getting worse, but Draco hardly felt it. He had learned from a summer full of beatings, if you think about the pain, it just hurts even more.

Draco suddenly felt Lucius yanking his trousers down and turned him round so his face was up against the wall. Draco whimpered. Lucius entered him roughly, and Draco screamed. It felt as though he were being ripped in half. Lucius was thrusting deep inside of Draco. As the pain built to a crescendo, Draco felt something rip, and he screamed again. he couldn't see his mother but he guessed that she had left the room. Not that she would do anything to stop this anyway.

Draco tried to block it out but the pain was too severe. Finally, the pain vanished completely as the ground rushed up to meet him and everything went black.

^ ^ ^

He woke up feeling cold. That was all he knew. Draco tried to move but his body felt stiff and sore. That was when he remembered. As the memories came rushing back he felt like weeping. His father had gone too far this time.

Draco opened his eyes and found himself in his own back garden. It was the middle of winter and he was covered in snow, so that explained the cold. Draco considered the situation. He could go back in that house, or he could lay out in the cold. He knew that if he lay out in the snow with no trousers on he would die, but he didn't care. He felt so sleepy.

As he got colder, the sleepiness got worse. Draco finally gave in to the temptation and slipped into sweet oblivion, not knowing if he would ever wake again.

---

There was noise everywhere. He could feel the world swaying and jerking beneath him. He could hear the wind rushing by his ears and someone gasping for breath. He was cold still, but he also felt warmer somehow, safer. The swaying and jerking stopped and suddenly he felt warmth sweep over him. It was so warm that it actually hurt. He felt himself being separated from the safety he had felt before, and laid down on a soft surface.

It was a kaleidoscope of feelings and sensations, and his mind was in no fit state to make any sense of them. He heard voices in the background. Loud voices. The world was still swaying, although he knew he was no longer in someone's arms. The voices were not coming from anywhere nearby, but they were getting louder. If he concentrated he could just make sense of the words.

"Who is he? What is he doing here? What is wrong with him?"

"He is a friend of mine from school. His name is Draco Malfoy, and I found him in the park. He's hypothermic and he's been beaten up. I think he's been raped as well, because he hasn't got any trousers on. We need to get him to hospital, quickly!"

He recognised the voice of the speaker, but he couldn't place it. He wondered vaguely where he was. All he remembered was cold. He went through the basics in his head. He knew his name, where he lived, who his parents were.

Just as he though that, it all came rushing back. What had happened? What his father had done to him. The conversation in the next room floated through to him.

"Where is he?"

"He's in the living room. I put him on the couch."

"Ok, Petunia, please phone an ambulance. I'll go and see the boy."

He heard footsteps coming closer. They were coming at a quick pace. They were coming to get him.

All too soon, they stopped and he felt a presence next to him. He lay completely still, hoping the person would go away.

For the first time, he felt the pain that racked his body. He was in agony. It felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside. But he didn't say a word, he just lay there, terrified of whatever would happen.

He heard the man utter a curse and felt his presence get closer. He started taking deep gulps of air to control his terror, his memories. Everything was still for a moment, and then his nightmare came true.

He felt a hand on his arm. The man was touching him.

His terror came forth, and thoughts of what was going to happen next ran through his brain. The man would hurt him, crush him, kill him. Why else would he be touching him? He would do to him what his father had done. He shivered and suddenly started shaking. The hand on him tightened, only to make him worse.

Draco started murmuring, without realising it.

"No! Father! No! Leave me alone! NO!"

Suddenly the man shouted, "PETUNIA!"

He felt a hand on his other arm and suddenly started thrashing, but the man was too strong. He held him down. Panic surged through him and his eyes flew open. He screamed at the top of his lungs.

"NO! FATHER! LEAVE ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! PLEASE! AHHHHH! NO!"

The hands on his arms only got tighter, and he finally gave up struggling. Sobs racked his body, and he pleaded quietly for the man to leave him, to not hurt him.

Suddenly that familiar voice spoke up again.

"Uncle! Don't touch him! You are making it worse!"

Draco felt the hands on him lift, and he curled himself into a ball. His sobs continued, and when he felt someone sit down next to him, he started shaking all over again.

"Shh. It's ok. It's not Lucius. It's Harry. Harry Potter. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

He looked up into the eyes of the speaker. Green emeralds looked back at him.

"Oh fuck" was all he said before he collapsed back into unconsciousness again.

===

As Harry sat there waiting for the ambulance to arrive, he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

This boy's own flesh and blood had done this to him. His own father had beaten and raped him, and then left him to die. He had known that Lucius Malfoy was a cruel man, but he didn't think he was a monster. He had proved himself to be power hungry and vicious on many occasions, but never downright evil.

Harry had always assumed that Draco Malfoy had lived a pampered life. That he got everything he wanted, whenever he wanted it. Loving parents, and a nice home situation. Of course Harry knew that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater, and altogether not a brilliant role model, but he had never even considered something like this was going on.

The boy in front of him proved all of Harry's theories wrong. This boy's life was a living hell.

When Harry had told him who he was, the boys face had lifted, and the recognition in his eyes had given way to confusion. He had finally given in to the internal battle, and fallen unconscious again.

He looked back at his uncle when he heard him speak.

"His father did this to him. Did you hear what he said? The poor boy."

Harry and his aunt nodded their heads, for once both agreeing on something.

The sat in silence for a few minutes, and when the doorbell rang, Harry just shouted for them to come in.

A man and a woman walked in, took one look at Draco and got straight to work. The woman asked questions while she worked, and Harry answered them.

"What is his full name?"

"Draconis Lucius Malfoy"

If she thought the name was strange she never mentioned it.

"And what exactly happened"

"I found him in the play park, face down in the snow. He's not wearing any trousers, so I'm guessing that he's been raped. You can see the rest of the injuries for yourself. I brought him back here, and put him on the sofa. We phoned you, and waited for you to arrive."

"Did anything happen while you were waiting?"

"No," said Harry firmly, "nothing."

Uncle Vernon gave him a strange look, but he shook his head.

"Well seeing as he has been raped, he will need somewhere to stay when he gets out of hospital, so that he can get his confidence back. His emotions will be red raw, and he'll need a place where the people will care for him, and look after him. Do you know of anywhere?"

Harry looked at his Uncle when he spoke. "He goes to boarding school, so he should have somewhere to go as soon as he leaves hospital. But nowhere after that. There is no way of contacting his parents, I wouldn't think. Not that they would care much, I don't think he lives with them."

"So all he needs a place to go when school finishes then?"

"Yes," said Uncle Vernon, "but he is more than welcome to stay here. Of course it's up to him."

"Ok, then I'll have to take your details and things, is that ok?"

"Yes, please follow me."

He led the woman into the kitchen and closed the door. Harry sat in silence for a moment before the man next to him spoke up.

"So, are you coming in the ambulance? Because once you get to the hospital, you will have to owl St Mungos and tell them what's happened."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that you will need to owl. Oh. I'm sorry. My name is Scott Chappell. I have a cousin who is a witch."

"What's her name?"

"Molly Evans. I mean Weasley. She has a husband. I can't remember his name. We were never close."

"Mrs Weasley? I know her. Her son is my best friend."

"Which one? I believe she has quite a few."

"The youngest. Ronald."

"Oh, of course. I should have known. Harry Potter and his trusty sidekicks. Ron and Hermione. Quite the celebrities."

"I know. I hate it. Yeah, hang on, I remember! Ron said something about his mum having a muggle cousin who's an accountant. Would that be you?"

"Yeah. But I don't know where he got accountant. I've never been an accountant in my life."

"He will have gotten the names mixed up. He tend to do that a lot."

"Yeah, most wizards do. Listen, can I say something"

"What?"

"This boy wasn't mugged was he?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"His father did it, and then left him to die."

"Lucius?"

"Yeah."

"Well it's none of the hospitals business. It's up to St Mungos what they do now. I like your story that you told Laura. It's a good strong one."

Just then the woman, apparently named Laura, and Harrys uncle came back in.

"Ok. Who is coming in the ambulance?"

Scott shot Harry a look.

"Me," said Harry.

"Fine. Lets go then."

Laura and Scott lifted Draco on to a stretcher and carried him out. Harry could see the neighbours looking out of their windows to see what was going on, but for once, neither his Aunt nor Uncle seemed to care.

As they entered the ambulance, Harry took his seat across from the small bed. Draco's stretcher was lifted in and Scott came in after him, while the woman drove. On their way to the hospital, Harry couldn't take his eyes off of the boy in front of him. He looked so pale and fragile; nothing like the strong boy that Harry knew him to be.

While Scott did all sorts of things to him, Harry thought about what would happen if Draco didn't make it, if he died, if he just ceased to exist. There would be no more fights, no more arguments and no more entertainment. There would be nothing. Draco Malfoy would be no more. He wanted to speak so badly, but he knew that if he distracted Scott from his task it could be fatal for Draco. So he remained silent and let the tears run down his face.

He wouldn't know what to say anyway.

When they got to the hospital, people ran from the doors to the ambulance and started shouting stats and numbers that Harry didn't understand. He felt useless. He felt scared. The tears continued to fall as he watched Draco being wheeled away. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Scott standing behind him with a sad look on his face.

Scott had hair similar to Harry's apart from that it was slightly tidier. He was fairly tall, but not much taller that Harry, who at 16 stood at 5.11'. His eyes were an intense blue that had a twinkle in them to rival Dumbledore's. The hand on Harry's shoulder felt warm. Comforting. Nice.

"There is nothing you can do now. All you can do is wait. Why don't you go and sit in the family area? I know you're not family, but the atmosphere is much nicer in there. It's closer to where Draco will be as well, so the minute we get news, you'll be the first to know, ok?"

Harry nodded and let Scott lead him through the hospital. They passed the children's area, where the walls were covered with drawings of cartoon characters. A small girl came out of a shop with a large ice cream in her hand. She was wearing a bandanna, but that didn't quite cover the fact that she had no hair. This scared Harry even more. That girl was really sick. She could die. What if Draco died?

He tried not to think about it as Scott led him into a small room just off the corridor. It was empty, and it was just a nice temperature. He sat down on a comfortable chintz armchair and put his head in his hands.

"Will he be ok?" he asked Scott, his voice shaking.

"Yes," he replied. "If science can't save him, then magic will."

"I hope so."

"I know so."

They sat in silence for a while, and then Scott left. Harry tried not to think depressing thoughts as he waited. Instead he thought of what he was going to say to the blonde boy when he woke. He couldn't be mean to him. He knew that. That was not what Draco needed right now. He needed people who would look after him, take care of him, and not force him to do anything he didn't want to.

He needed friends, not enemies.

And that's what Harry planned to be. Draco's friend. Someone he could trust that wouldn't hurt him, someone he could depend on. Someone he needed. The time for childish fights had passed.

The minutes turned into hours, and still he had no news of Draco's condition. He just sat there, staring at the pale walls until the colour hurt his eyes. He wouldn't have minded sleeping, but he was too scared that he would lose track of time and nobody would wake him when they had news. So he stayed awake.

Finally the door opened, and a nurse he didn't know came in. Her face was unreadable.

"Mr Malfoy is awake if you want to see him. He appears to be fine, apart from some superficial injuries and of course the mental ones that are sure to come. You are allowed to see him. Follow me and I'll take you."

Harry stood and followed the nurse down some corridors, and finally to one labelled 'Intensive Care'. Harry knew that this was where they took people who were really ill. Why was Draco here if he only had superficial injuries? He stood in the doorway and looked at the scene before him with wide eyes.

Something had obviously happened since the nurse had been sent to get him. There were crowds of people round one of the beds that Harry assumed was Draco's. Everyone was shouting, but Harry couldn't make out any particular phrase through the rabble. An alarm was screaming loudly from a source near his left ear, and he saw a red light flashing from a box above Draco's bed.

Suddenly there was a loud shout that he recognised asDraco's, and as he heard the words he realised what was wrong.

"NO! Don't touch me! I'm sorry! NO!"

He rushed over to the crowd and pushed his way through. He saw Draco arching up from the bed that he had been strapped to. Harry covered his mouth with his hand and forced back the tears that were threatening to escape. He saw someone try to strap the abused boys head down and suddenly let out a shout.

"NO! Leave him! Can't you see that you're making it worse! FUCKING LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

This seemed to grab everyone's attention because the hands that were holding the strapping device withdrew and a quiet lull fell over the bed. Everything was silent apart from Draco's whimpering. Harry felt rage boiling up inside him.

"You stupid bastards! What the fuck are you playing at! Can't you see you only make him upset when you touch him? He's been raped for Christ's sake! He doesn't want strangers near him!"

"And who would you be?" asked a cocky looking doctor on Harry's left. "What right have you got to come marching in here shouting obscenities, and telling us how to do our jobs?"

"MORE RIGHT THAN YOU! I happen to be the person who found him, his friend, the only person that will ever have a chance of getting near him with out him screaming. So don't you dare talk to me like that again you stupid son of a fucking crack-head bitch, or I will have you fired before you can utter the word 'sacked', do you understand me?"

The man before him looked totally shocked. Harry's anger tended to have that effect on people. That was how he had managed to stay alive so long. People were scared of him, and with good reason. He wasn't one of the most powerful wizards in the world for nothing, and he made sure everyone knew that.

"Yes." the man squeaked pitifully. Harry felt a wave of disgust sweep through him. It was men like that who gave Muggles a bad name. Pathetic.

"Good." he said and turned his attention to the boy in front of him. Draco was looking up at him with wide eyes. Harry wanted to laugh, but he knew that it wasn't the right time. The crowd, who had all seemed to know who he was to begin with, had disappeared. There was only that one man left, who still hadn't left for some reason. He sighed and turned to the man again.

"Two words. Piss and Off."

The man seemed to get the hint and left without a fuss, much to Harry's relief. He grabbed a seat and pulled it up to the bed. The boy seemed to have gotten over his shock and was drifting off to sleep. Just before he closed his eyes, he spoke.

"Thank you."

Harry watched over him for a while, before sleep grabbed a hold of him as well, and he laid his head on the hospital bed and fell asleep, looking for all the world like Draco's own Guardian angel.