Custody (REDRAFTED- NEW ONE IS POSTED)

Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer:
This chapter will contain mentions of rape, physical, mental, and emotional abuse. If you do not feel comfortable reading this sort of thing then please continue to the next chapter.

Harry was shaking slightly, pressing his palms against his legs in an effort to hide their trembling. He cautiously sat down at the edge of the couch, not wanting to startle Draco but also nervous of getting too close.

“You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t. Not until you’re ready for anyone to know. I promise.”

Draco’s silvery eyes scanned his face, trying to see if he was lying or not. When he judged that Harry was telling the truth, he slowly nodded and looked down.

“Ever since I was young, my father has been very… controlling. When things didn’t end how they wanted it to, he would get angry and lash out. It didn’t matter who it was. Me, my mother, the house elves… all the same to him. You saw how he treated Dobby.” He was also shaking, starting to lose control over his already fragile emotions. “When I would displease him, I would earn a punishment. It was usually something physical. He never went… too far. But punishments were painful. My mother did everything to try to get him to stop and calm down but she could never do it. She would always tend to my injuries when the punishments were finished. But my father would always get angry with her for doing so. As I got older, I learned to take care of myself so that she wouldn’t receive a punishment of her own.”

Harry didn’t say anything yet. Slowly, he reached out, grabbing one of Draco’s shaky hands with his own. Draco didn’t pull away, comforted by the contact.

“As you know, in sixth year, I was given the mission to kill Dumbledore. My father was the one who volunteered me for it. I was given the mark, even though I did not want it. It was either I do it or someone close to me would be hurt. Pansy or Blaise or my mother… I had to keep them safe so I did what I had to do. When word got out that it was Snape who killed Dumbledore and not me… the Dark Lord did not really react to my failure. It was my father who did.” His voice dropped painfully quiet. Harry had to lean in more to hear what he said. “He used the cruciatus curse on me. And when he thought the lesson didn’t get through, he did it on Mother.”

“Oh Draco…” Harry whispered, pulling the blond close to him and hugging him tightly. Draco was taking shuddery breathes, like he wanted to cry but couldn’t. Once Draco had calmed down, Harry started to speak.

“My uncle was never the nicest person. Aunt Petunia and my cousin Dudley… they were awful. Every morning since I was young, I was to wake up at 5 am and get started on chores. Usually it lasted until midnight. I had to cook and clean. Dudley and his friends always thought it was funny to use me as their personal punching bags. I don’t even know if you remember this… I would always wear these baggy clothes because it was all Dudley’s old clothes. I was so much smaller than him that they had to shrink the clothes before I could wear them. Until I was eleven, I slept in the cupboard under the stairs. When I would get into trouble, which happened often, I would be locked in there. There wasn’t a light and I usually wouldn’t be fed or be allowed to use the bathroom for extended periods of time.”

Draco listened to this in horror and in awe. Throughout the time that he had known Harry, he thought that the boy-who-lived must have the perfect home life. He gripped Harry’s hand a bit tighter, trying to keep back tears.

“None of the physical punishments were too bad until I came back from our second year. It was about this time that the Dursleys were getting more and more afraid of me. They thought that with each year I went to school I would become more and more of a freak. On the first night that I had gotten to the house, Uncle Vernon was in a very bad mood. While cleaning up dinner, I dropped a coffee mug. It burned my feet bady but Vernon was angry since I broke his favorite cup. He locked me in my room and took away everything. My trunk, my wand… everything. They didn’t let me out for two days. On the third day. I was starving so I picked the lock and snuck downstairs. Vernon caught me. His punishment went to far and… I’m not a virgin anymore.”

Both boys were in tears now. Harry barely had time to think before Draco was practically in his lap, clinging onto him in a hug. “All those times I teased you… all those times that I thought you had the perfect life. That no one could dislike you because you were you.”

“It’s in the past Draco.”

“So was this.” He retorted, shoving up his sleeve, revealing his mark.

“Yes but you’ve changed.” Harry was quickly starting to notice the position they were in. Draco was sitting close enough for Harry to pull him into his lap. The way they were sitting, their faces were only inches apart. Harry gently grabbed his left wrist, bringing the mark close to his face. Draco’s heartbeat started to speed up dramatically as Harry brushed his lips over the mark. “You’ve changed.” He brought his gaze back up to look at Draco. Draco’s eyes met his before dropping to his lips. Their eyes were still watery, their emotions still out of control.

Both were leaning forward but neither was sure who moved first. The kiss was soft and hesitant, full of pain and regret. But most of all hope. Hope that they would be able to fix the broken messes they had become.

Together.

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CHOO CHOO MOTHAFUCKAHS THE GAY TRAIN HAS ARRIVED IN THE STATION.