Where We Come alive (A Drarry fanfic)

Chapter Twenty

The OWL's were going to be the death of Harry. Ron wasn't doing well either. Hermione had made a time table for her revisions and color coded her notes and merlin knows what. She'd even asked Ron and Harry to study according to the time table that she'd handed them. They really couldn't care less. The exams were months away and Hermione spent most of her time in the library. Fred and George weren't to impressed with Umbridge. She had banned their products and they made it a mission to ruin her entire career. 

Ginny wasn't moping about Neville anymore, even she was worried about the final examinations. It was a bit annoying really. Everyone was studying and Harry couldn't even pretend for a minute that he was studying. He had been distracted. Draco had been sleeping in Harry's dorm almost every night and he had breakfast earlier than the others. He spent a majority of his time in the library, studying. He was avoiding the Slytherins. They'd cornered him once, but Harry was keeping an eye on him with the map. If anyone would even so much as hover around him, Harry would use one of the passageways to come there. Draco was starting to get suspicious but he didn't ask him anything. He was grateful, Harry supposed. He had been deeply worried after what Ginny had told him. He felt a strong sense of protectiveness for Draco, he couldn't let anything happen to him.

One day, things had gone totally out of hand. Blaise had created a scene. He'd hoisted Draco in the air by his ankle. The Slytherins were having a good laugh at his expense. Harry had arrived there as soon as he could've. He had disarmed Blaise and Draco was really mad at him, he even yelled so loudly at Harry. He couldn't exactly help it. The Slytherins were messing around with him and it hurt Harry that Malfoy couldn't stand up to them. He knew that if Draco wanted to, he'd knock the shit out of those Slytherins, but he chose not to and Harry didn't have the heart to ask him why. If Blaise really did plan on using the imperius curse, he would do it carefully, Harry kept dwelling upon it. Draco snapped him back to reality.

"Potter, I told you to stop brooding over it." Draco said softly. Harry ignored that. He had to distract the Slytherins, so that they'd leave Draco alone. How the hell was he going to do something like that?

"Harry James Potter, if you don't study, I won't kiss you. I'll deliberately go where the Slytherins are and get myself cursed in the process!" Draco snapped. That got his attention. He studied for a few hours before retiring for the night. He went to the Black lake, carefully without drawing attention. Draco was studying, Ron was studying because Hermione had forced him to. He just couldn't. Not with that son of a bitch holding a sword over Malfoy's head. He wanted to scream. He closed his eyes and tried to stop thinking for a moment. He realized that he just couldn't. It didn't help that he'd been having nightmares. Voldemort just wouldn't let him live. Stupid guy without a nose. Outrageous.

"Sneaking out of the castle Potter? Did Malfoy not stop you?" Harry lost it. All that temper that had been building up was about to burst out. He didn't care if he received detention. He could just wave his wand and throw every spell he knew at Zabini.

"Aren't you doing the same thing, you prat?" Harry snapped.

"Oh Potter, you just go around protecting that disgusting boyfriend of yours. He's lost everything because of you. His family, his friends and he pretends that it doesn't matter. You've ruined him."

"Oh yeah? What do you know? You're the one trying to use the imperius curse on him are you not?" Harry screamed. "You're a foul sick git, following your stupid disgraceful parents around because you don't have anything to hold on to and follow Voldemort around like a little puppy. You're bullying Malfoy and don't even think for a second that I am going to let you get away with that. You're stupid enough to think that I'd just stand by and watch. I will lay down my life for him if I have to."

Blaise was taken aback. He fished out his wand and pointed it at Harry. He didn't even flinch.

"Scared huh Zabini?" Harry asked as his hands curled around his own wand.

"Flippendo!" Blaise yelled. Harry dodged that one, as he rolled over.

"Expelliarmus" Harry shouted. It sent Blaise flying backwards and it probably would've cracked his skull open.

"Stupefy" Blaise yelled. A familiar voice cast the next spell. "Protego"

Blaise was lying on the floor. Malfoy was running towards Harry.

"What the hell happened?" He asked.

"Is your boyfriend fighting your battles for you again Malfoy?" Blaise groaned. He steadied himself and moved towards the boys. Malfoy shot Harry a look and he knew that this was not going to end well.

"Honestly Zabini, I've been trying to get away from that ugly face of yours for a while now. You're literally obsessed with me and now you're shooting spells at my boyfriend?" Malfoy sneered. "Most people would take that as a hint."

"You're a disgrace to your family Malfoy. Your father is better off without you."

"That feeling is highly mutual." Draco snapped.

Blaise turned and walked away. Harry was very sure that he was going to report him to Umbridge.

"Draco-

"Don't even start Harry. I specifically told you not to stand up to those idiots. You deliberately-

"Hey! He was the one who started to shoot spells at me. He came here. Honestly Draco, they have been cornering you everywhere and this has been going on for so long. Is it too much to ask of you to at least stand up for yourself. You clearly aren't. You aren't letting me do anything about it. You're letting them bully you and make you look like an idiot. You're sleeping in my dorm, I hardly see you eating. You literally look like a bloody vampire. All the color from your face is drained. You act like someone's going to attack you every two minutes. You hog yourself in a library all day. Just throwing snarky comebacks at them isn't going to do you any good. You're Draco Malfoy. You confident, bold and dominant. You're going to let these dunderheads get in the way of that? For once in your life, use it for good."

Draco was silent. He couldn't decide what to say. "Without my father-

"Oh come on! Your father is an arse and you are still letting him hold his power over you. There was a time that nobody would even so much as disagree with you. You know what you're doing? You think that ignoring them will help, that they'll stop being the kind of jerks they are. No, they're immensely enjoying your silence. They are using it to their advantage and getting away with it. You're so much more than what your father says, what those bloody idiots say. Yeah I loathe you when you bully everyone around for no reason, but those morons actually deserve it. So why are you backing away now? Why don't you send them a message that if they step out of line, they'll regret it? Why are you so intent on letting them do that to you?"

"Because Harry, I would gladly become dominant again, I'd love to. But I haven't even told you half of it. I have kept things from you because I didn't want you to worry-

He froze. He had been hiding something.

"What are you not telling me?" Harry demanded.

"Never mind what I'm not telling you. Just stay the hell away from the Slytherins. I will see what I want to do about it. I don't need you stalking me with that god awful map of yours. I don't need your help. I don't need you to protect me. If you are going to jump in and try to be the saint you are, you will only make things worse for me than they already are." Draco shouted.

"Fine." Harry scoffed. He pushed past Draco and headed back to the castle, dreading his detention with Umbridge.