"Malfoy? Are you here?"

Harry tentatively rounded the corner, searching down the hall. It was the last day of Malfoy's rut, and he was hoping to get one last visit. He'd gotten interesting information about what his ruts were like, and he wanted to know more.

However, what he saw quickly killed his good mood.

It looked like someone had barreled over half the bars, splitting in the middle. His sheets and blankets were strewn messily around the room, coated in... Red. Red liquid that looked startlingly like blood.

And Malfoy was nowhere to be seen.

Harry's world seemed to close in around him, putting him in a bubble and making his vision tunnel. What if he lost it? What if he found Harry and tried to force himself on him? This part of the castle was secluded, no one would be able to save him.

The stories that he'd researched flashed through his head. 

"He was so sweet, then his rut came and... He was completely different. They're monsters."

"They deserve to be locked away, is what they deserve! Primal, horrid creatures! Acting purely on animal instincts!"

"He promised he'd never hurt me..."

Harry collapsed back against the wall, nails digging into stone, his legs turning weak- boneless, like his arm had been when Lockhart tried to mend it. 

"Omega?"

Harry whirled on the sound, taking a stumbling step back as he saw him. Standing in the middle of the hallway, his hands and covered in blood. Harry took another step back, his eyes wide, locked onto Draco's face, flickering between his eyes and the dried blood on his hands. "S-Stay away."

He tried to sound threatening, but the Alpha just frowned. 

"Are you alright?" Draco looked at his hands as if just realizing. "Oh! Oh, this is probably rather startling, I'm so sorry. I tried to conjure some red ink- Stupid, considering I didn't have a wand- and it backfired. Clearly." He tried for a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Why are your bars busted, then?"

Draco glanced at his room-cage-thing and frowned. "Another backfired spell- The one we learned with Umbridge. I left so I could tell Professor Lauralee."

"No- No, stay- Stay away." Suddenly remembering he was a goddamn fucking wizard for fucks sake, he brought out his wand, raising it- pointing it directly between Malfoy's eyes from ten feet away. "I'll-I'll h-hex you."

"I'm not going to do anything to you. I told you, just magic accidents. Ruts make magic go on a rampage."

And ruts make Alphas go on a rampage.

"I don't believe you. You're not... You're not you. You're not Malfoy."

"Oh please, Omega, enough with the nonsense-"

"Tell me my middle name. Tell me my middle name or I hex you."

The Alpha paused, pursing his lips before tracing over them with his tongue. When he opened his mouth, Harry realized his teeth were red.

"Why would I know your middle name? We're not friends."

"You know my middle name, Malfoy. Petrif-"

Harry's wand was forcefully yanked from his hand. With a shock, he realized it was zooming away from him- and straight into Malfoy's waiting hand. 

"See, now, that's not very nice, Omega." He grinned, showing off his crimson-stained teeth, which somehow seemed sharper in the lighting as he twirled Harry's wand in one hand, his other stuffed in his pocket.

Harry took a panicked step back, eyes wide.

This was it. He was helpless. He'd only been able to do wandless magic during his heat, despite his attempts to recreate his outbursts. 

For every step back Harry took, Draco seemed to take two steps forward. Finally, he turned on his tail and starting to run as fast as he could. His footsteps sounded far as they slammed into the stone, each step propelling him further, faster, harder-

Something grabbed the back of his shirt collar and yanked him back. In half a second, he was being smothered- arms wound around him, holding him captive, holding him tight against a broad chest. He wanted to scream, but his panic silenced him, even as he thrashed and fought against the arms and hands squeezing him too tight- so tight it was painful.

Malfoy's head lowered next to his ear, and Harry tensed. He prepared to be claimed, to be bitten, to be ridiculed for being a small and helpless Omega. A warbled sob broke free of his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, nails biting into the Alphas skin, coated in what definitely wasn't red ink as tears came to his eyes, leaking down his cheeks.

"James," a voice whispered, so softly Harry could barely hear it. "Your middle name is James. Harry James Potter, after your father."

Harry gasped softly, eyes flying open, despite only being able to see the dark hall in front of them, and a flash of blond hair to his left.

"I promised I'd never hurt you, sweetheart. I wouldn't lie to you." 

Despite everything, Harry felt his cheeks warm.

"I did lie about the magic, though. I'm sorry. I bit my hand to try to ground myself, that's the blood in the room, and then when I broke the bars and climbed through, I cut myself. I tried to stop the bleeding- that's why my hands are bloodied. I just didn't want to scare you away."

"W-Why did you break the bars?"

"I wanted you," Draco admitted, still quietly. "I wanted your comfort. I'm so sorry. I should never have left. I thought I had more control. I barely remember it, it's all... It's all hazy. I only remember grabbing your shirt. I'm so sorry."

Draco squeezed his arms around him again, but this time, it felt more like he was being comforted than trapped. 

"My rut is ending. It'll be over in an hour or two."

"You should see Lauralee. For real, this time."

"I'm fine, as long as you're here. You're... Grounding. You bring me back."

"Clearly not all the way, since you're hugging me and calling me 'sweetheart'."

"Maybe this is all the way," Draco murmured, giving another gentle squeeze. 

"We hate each other. It's just pheromones."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"Mm. Maybe. Maybe it's the bond making me talk crazy. I want to take care of you. Want to spoil you, want to kiss you, make you smile and blush and protect you from all the other Alphas in the world. And eventually..." Draco moved his hands so that they were resting against Harry's stomach, "Want to watch your stomach swell with a baby. That's definitely the rut talking, though, hm?"

Harry's face was burning so red he was surprised Draco couldn't see it glowing, even while he was standing behind Harry. "I-I'd say so."

Neither of them moved for a while- not until there was a whirl of magic as a frenzied Lauralee stepped out of one of the walls in Draco's cell, looking around wildly and letting out a panicked sound upon the sight of the blood and broken bars. 

"He's right here, professor," Harry spoke cautiously. 

Lauralee looked pissed. 

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, do you have any idea how worried I was when I came back to my classroom and found all of my alarms going off? Harry, dear, are you safe?"

"I'm safe. It's okay."

"It most certainly is not! If Draco hadn't been able to contain himself... I shudder to think about what could have happened!"

Draco slowly withdrew from Harry, frowning. Harry shivered when the warmth of a body pressed against his dissipated. "I know. I'm sorry, professor, I didn't mean to. I barely remember it."

She ushered him towards the cell, making him climb back through the hole and reminding Harry an awful lot of Mrs. Weasley after they'd gotten back with the car. Frenzied, angry- and most importantly, worried. 

She mended the bars with a flick of her wand, and Draco pulled Harry's wand out of his pocket, holding it out to her.

"This is his."

"Ah. Mr. Potter. I can't believe you, either! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to interact with an Alpha during rut? Coming down here was completely careless, ignorant, and just... Ridiculous!"

She took his arm, pulling him away briskly. Locking eyes with Draco, he managed to speak one final thing- though not directed towards him, it made Draco's chest swell. 

"He wouldn't hurt me."

I rewrote the last half of this chapter so many times, I hope this suffices. Enjoy.