They landed at the front gates of Malfoy Manor together. Draco scowled. "Potter, you never grab onto someone about to apparate without their warning! You could've been bloody splinched!"

"I'm fine, stop worrying," Harry mumbled, brushing his hands off on his jeans, before promptly stumbling. "Maybe not. I don't feel so good."

"Of course you don't you fool! Come, mother will know how to fix this."

"Mother? Narcissa?"

"As far as I know, that is my mother, yes."

Draco half dragged Harry into the manor, dropping the bag of chocolate onto the floor. "Kipper, retrieve mother for me, would you?"

"Master Lucius would not be pleased with the presence of Harry Potter in his estate, Young Malfoy-"

"Kipper, I am not in the mood to entertain my dead father's rules. Please fetch my mother."

Draco pushed Harry, who was swaying on his feet like his legs were made of jelly, into a settee in the entry way. 

"Draco dear? What's going on?" His mother turned the corner, pausing once she saw Harry. "Draco, what is he doing here?"

"He grabbed me when I apparated. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"You never grab someone when they're about to apparate, Harry. That's a good way to get yourself splinched."

"Draco informed me," Harry muttered, looking rather pale. "That was a long way to apparate. I've never-" Harry let out a low groan, clutching his stomach, "I've never apparated that far before."

Mother cast a diagnosis spell on him, frowning in focus. "There's nothing out of place or missing, so that's good. His body must not have had time to adjust, especially with this being the longest he's apparated before. He'll be well enough to travel by Floo within the next few hours."

"Thank you, mother."

"Indeed. Mister Potter, might I ask why you decided to grab my son?"

"Mother-"

"Silence, boy."

Draco obediently fell silent, glancing nervously between Harry and his mother. 

"I... I didn't want him to leave me again," Harry mumbled, his cheeks growing pink.

Narcissa fell quiet. "I see. Draco, a word in the living room? Now, please?"

Draco silently fell in step behind his mother, sending one last glance at Harry before stepping into the living room, wincing slightly as the large, heavy oak doors slammed shut behind him. 

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," his mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Don't tell me this is the Omega you've been speaking of?"

Draco stayed silent, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Draco, dear, this is asking for heartbreak, don't you think?"

"I know, mother."

"The public would outrage. You're a Malfoy- a Death Eater. They're going to say you did something to make him fall for you- Imperius, potions, black magic, they'll say anything to hurt you. Plus that boy... He hasn't had time to grow up yet. You were forced to grow up too young."

"We've been fine," Draco said defensively, raising his head slightly. "He's more mature than one would think."

His mother sighed. "Does he even like you back?"

Draco paused. "He... He doesn't know yet."

"Draco-"

"Mother, I know. Why do you think I left? I didn't trust it myself. But even if it doesn't work, it was worth the shot. I..." Draco couldn't bring himself to say the words. 

"Like him?" his mother finished softly, bringing one hand up to cradle the right side of Draco's face. 

He nodded shamefully.

"Oh, my precious boy," Narcissa sighed, drawing Draco into a hug. It felt weird, considering he was taller than her now, but he accepted the embrace none the less, burying his head in her hair. "I don't want you getting hurt. You're all I have left."

"I'll be okay."

"If you're not, I'll go to Azkaban for you."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Unnecessary but appreciated, mother."

"Very necessary and you better appreciate it." She pinched his cheek with a sigh and woeful look in her eyes. "Don't get hurt."

"I've already been hurt. A little more won't do any further damage."

His mother sighed. "Yes. I'm sure you're right. Now, lets go make sure our savior hasn't keeled over yet, hm?"

Draco winced. "Mother!"

She waved him off.

x

Harry absently drummed his fingers on his leg, waiting for Draco to return. His mother hadn't looked happy- he hoped Draco wasn't in trouble. That he didn't get Draco in trouble. Narcissa was a scary woman. 

Draco reentered a few minutes later, his mother nowhere to be seen. "You haven't died yet, have you?"

"I don't think so."

"Good. Mother wants you to lay down and is having some tea brought to my room."

"Your room?"

Draco frowned. "Yes, Potter, I don't sleep in a box, I have a bedroom. Or do you just think us rich arseholes don't sleep?"

Harry rolled his eyes, holding his arm up for Draco to assist him up. "I rather thought you slept in a coffin, like vampires do."

"Who told you vampires sleep in coffins?" Draco frowned, walking Harry towards the living room.

"Muggle media."

"That's ridiculous. They sleep in beds. My great uncle was a vampire."

"How did he become one?"

"Went on an expedition and came back one. No one's sure how he became one, really. He told a different story every time."

"Interesting. Did he... Drink from people?"

"We're Malfoys, we couldn't risk the name. No, he bought blood. Died when his wife poisoned it with lead."

"... Oh."

"He was abusive, he deserved it."

"Oh. Um. Good then?"

"Indeed."

Draco stopped them at a door at the top of a set of stairs, pausing slightly. "Erm. This is my room."

Harry was quiet for a while before hesitantly asking "Are we going to go in or..?"

"Yes, yes, sorry, I've just... Never had anyone in my room before. Here." Draco twisted the ornate door handle, pushing it open and guiding Harry inside. 

It was big- though Harry should have expected that. It was Draco Malfoy's, and Draco seemed to have everything. 

Against the far wall was a large four poster bed with light gray, comfortable looking blankets and giant fluffy pillows. His walls were lined with book shelves full of books and odd trinkets, a desk against the left wall stacked high with school work, books and notes. 

"Merlin, no wonder you were always just behind Hermione in grades," he mumbled. 

"Always behind. Never on par. Never ahead." Draco sighed and shut the door behind them.

Harry continued to look around the room. A wardrobe, a closet door, and a separate shelf full of photographs. Most of them were turned face-down. There were two bed stands on either side of the bed and a large chest at the foot of it. On the chest was a plate of tea and crackers. 

"You should sit down," Draco finally spoke, taking Harry's arm and leading him over to the bed, where Harry tentatively sat down. 

"Cream or sugar in your tea?"

"No cream, just one spoon of sugar, please."

Draco took a few moments to make the tea before bringing it over to Harry, who took the expensive looking tea-cup in his hands cautiously. It looked so fragile, he thought it might break if he set it down wrong. 

"Thank you."

"Mhm."

Harry was silent for a while, watching Draco as the blond busied himself with tidying up his desk. "I didn't know your father passed."

Draco's shoulders tensed and his hands stopped moving. "Well, he did. A few weeks into the school year."

"You didn't act any different though."

"I've been trained to not 'act different' in any scenario."

"How did it make you feel?"

"I feel like you're pushing your luck, Potter."

Harry was slightly taken aback. Draco hadn't spoken towards him like that since... Probably he'd confronted him in the Room of Requirement. Sharp. Strict. Emotionless. Though, a few moments later, Draco sighed. 

"I apologize. I don't... Like talking. Especially not about him."

Harry realized that what Draco had said during the shop was right. They didn't talk. When they did, it was about current situations or school or research they'd done on Alphas and Omegas or making jokes. It was never anything personal.

He buried his face in his tea. "That's okay. Didn't mean to push. You were right. About what you said back in the shop. We don't know anything about each other."

"No, we don't." Draco carefully set a book to the side, turning to face Harry as he lowered himself into the chair. "Me being anal and secretive about myself isn't going to help that, either."

"I'm not exactly an open book either, can't blame yourself too much."

"This is never going to work," Draco groaned, burying his face in his hands. 

"Hey, don't be negative about it, because then it actually won't," Harry huffed, resisting the urge to throw the miniscule tea spoon that was in his cup at Draco's head. 

"You don't even know if you like me, and, Merlin, to be honest I don't see why you would, and even if you were crazy, you should have someone better- I mean you're Harry Potter for fucks sake! Merlin!" Draco threw his hands up in exasperation. "This is ridiculous!"

"Draco-"

"No, I know what you're going to say, don't bother. Just..." Draco tossed his head back, staring at the ceiling for several long moments. "Ask me anything. I'll answer truthfully. Get this... You know... Getting to know each other shit going, if we're going to actually try to make this work."

"Anything? You won't get upset?"

"I told you to ask me anything, if I got upset it would be unreasonable of me."

Harry paused for several long moments before tentatively opening his mouth. "I... I've always wondered... Did you ever kill anyone?"

Draco huffed out a surprised breath. "The press is right, you are bold."

"Well I just-"

"I get it Harry. You have reason to be concerned. The answer- The answer is yes. I have killed someone."

"Can-..." Harry hesitated, his hands shaking. "Can I ask the circumstances?"

Draco seemed to notice the shaking and slowly stood, walking over and carefully taking the teacup from his hands, setting it down. "Do you really want to know?" Draco asked, his voice low as he leveled his gaze with Harry's. 

"I do," Harry whispered.

Draco sighed, sitting down next to Harry on the bed. "Alright. It was a couple days after you escaped the manor. He... Voldemort... Wanted to test my loyalty. He suspected that I let you go on purpose. He told me to kill someone to prove it- my loyalty, I mean. I... His name was Hilton Claud. He begged. He said he had a wife and a little girl. He was lying- I looked him up in the Ministry registry. But I didn't know that in the moment. All I knew was it was his life or mine and... You know by now I'm a fucking coward. So I killed him."

"Most people would have done the same."

Draco didn't respond to what Harry had said, instead continuing to talk about Hilton Claud. "I wasn't strong enough- didn't have enough hate to cast a proper killing curse. Not towards him, at least. It took several tries. And he just screamed because, obviously, a killing curse fucking hurts. Not as bad as the torture curse but... It hurts." Draco turned to face Harry, his expression void. "They made mother try to kill me. She couldn't do it, but she tried. We both knew it wouldn't work. Another test of loyalty. It hurts. I'm sorry you had to go through it. Yours must have hurt so much worse considering it actually killed you."

Harry was silent for a while, bringing his knees up to his chest. "Do you regret it? Killing Hilton?"

"I feel horrible that it happened. But I don't regret it. I already told you I'm a coward. It was human instinct- his life or mine, and he was a stranger. And even if I had chosen his life over mine, the Death Eaters would have killed him. He'd seen the headquarters- no one leaves that alive."

Harry frowned. "Then what's the point?"

"They all knew I was the weak link. They just needed to exploit it- to break me- to officially get me out- which, in Death Eater terms, meant kill me."

"I'm sorry."

Draco sighed. "I hate that you give me sympathy. Every decision I made was my own."

"I don't think they really were."

"I don't want to talk about it. Will you lay with me?"

"Of course."

Draco kicked his shoes off, scooting onto the bed and laying down before holding his arm out for Harry to lay on. 

Harry moved closer, letting himself be wrapped up in both Draco's arms and the scent of an Alpha. 

And somehow, despite knowing that he was cuddled up to someone who'd killed someone, he couldn't bring himself to be scared or uncomfortable. This wasn't Malfoy; this was Draco, and Draco had promised to never hurt him.

Draco's other arm draped across Harry's waist, both arms hugging Harry close to his chest, similar to how they'd slept while Harry was in his heat.

It was good to know that it wasn't just for the heat. That Draco cared for him.

Liked him.

Maybe he could even grow to love him.

But would Harry love him back?

He shoved the thought aside and pushed his weight back against the lean form of Draco's body, letting his eyes slide shut. No worrying for now. Just sleep.