Chapter Text
Harry walked quickly further down the train. He didn’t want to be anywhere near Hermione and Ron right now. Not after what he had overheard and how they had been treating him. He was sick of their fair weather ways, and now that he knew they were just using him, spying on him for Dumbledore he wanted nothing more than to not be anywhere near them. So, he was going to take refuge in the one place they would never come looking for him. He walked past a few of the younger Slytherins who were staring at him in shock.
He ignored them in favor of finding a car of the person he was looking for. He knew it was probably going to be a headache; he only hoped the annoying blonde would be willing to have a truce until they reached Hogwarts. They were sixteen, one year ‘til adulthood. It was about time they buried the hatchet anyways. He was willing to if the other was. Finally finding the car he was looking for, he knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
Harry opened the door and stepped in quickly showing his hands and that he had no wand in his hand, “I know what you're thinking, but hear me out before you hex me.”
Malfoy stared at him in a bit of shock. “Potter?”
Parkinson started, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Zabini and Nott just stayed quiet, looking between the two.
Harry flushed some, “I am requesting a truce until at least Hogwarts. I would rather not be found by Granger and Weasley at the moment, this is the best place I can think of to hide out.”
Malfoy stared at him like he had grown an extra head. “A truce?” He glanced at the others in the car before sighing, “Come in and shut the door.”
The youngest smiled and shut it quickly before sliding into the empty seat by the window, “Thank you, Malfoy.”
The blonde just shrugged and scooted over to put more space between them, “I expect an explanation.”
Harry winced, “Can we skip the explanation and just settle with the fact that I don’t want to see them?”
Nott snorted, “That ship sailed when you came to the Slytherin compartment and asked for sanctuary.”
“Sanctuary?” Harry tilted his head to the side.
Malfoy scoffed, “You really are an idiot. When you asked for the truce, you were asking for Sanctuary. It means we can’t harm one another until the sanctuary is lifted. It usually happens during wars when two factions have to team up for some reason.”
Zabini smiled, “The last one happened during the Grindelwald war. At the height of WW2, a bomb fell on a populated wizarding area. They called for sanctuary to help the survivors and it was held for an entire month.”
“Oh. I didn’t know.”
“Obviously, you don’t know a lot of things.” Malfoy sniped.
Harry glared at the blonde, “Well, forgive me for being raised by muggles.”
The car went quiet and he could feel all of them looking at him. He squirmed a little and looked back at them, “What?”
Malfoy stared at him hard, “Didn’t you have tutors though? The Prophet always talked about you having fancy tutors.”
Harry stared at him in confusion, “I didn’t even know magic existed until I got my Hogwarts letter. You believe those rumors?”
The blonde met his eyes, “So you had no idea what my handshake meant?”
“Uhm, you were saying hello like a git?”
Nott and Zabini snickered off to the side as Malfoy sighed loudly, “It was an offer of truce between two families. When you rejected it, you basically stated you were above me and would associate with someone you believed lesser and you accepted a blood traitor's friendship.”
Green eyes widened. “I didn’t know. What’s a blood traitor?”
Nott sighed, “Well, this is lovely.”
The train lurched as it started on its journey and Harry proceeded to get an entire lecture shortcut on etiquette and manners in the wizarding world. His head ached by the end of it and he leaned back against his seat, “I had no idea. The Weasleys did something like that?”
“Not the current generation, but they also never apologised for the incident.” Malfoy stated, “Now, I believe you owe us an explanation.”
Harry sighed, “Fine, but… can it not leave this car?”
Malfoy glanced at the others before nodding, “That's fine.”
Parkinson snorted, “I’m not promising anything! He shouldn’t even be here!”
The blonde turned to her, “Then you can leave Pansy, we gave sanctuary.”
“Well I didn’t! He’s their golden boy and you want him to sit with us!” She sniped back.
Malfoy’s body grew tense, “Pansy! It has already been decided, either agree to it or leave!”
The girl stood up, “You can’t do this, Draco! I am your fiance!” she opened the door and walked out slamming it behind her.
Harry blinked, “I didn’t realize you were engaged?”
Malfoy sighed loudly, “I’m not. She wishes she was but my father will not allow it, nor will I.”
The green eyes watched the other for a moment, taking in his pale features and bright silver eyes. “I understand. So… the explanation…”
The three Slytherins turned to him and Harry squirmed a little in his seat under their stare, he sighed and looked down at his lap. “I caught Ron and Hermione talking… saying how Dumbledore wanted them to watch me closer this year. That they think I am going dark or something. That they hoped they could get me to marry Ginny faster to get me closer to a light family…” He paused and rubbed at his eyes tiredly, “All these years, they’ve been lying. Every time I let my guard down they turn against me or lecture me on what I should or should not do.”
Malfoy snorted, “I did tell you some wizards were better than others. You're not exactly a normal wizard, people will always seek to control you or get something out of knowing you.”
Nott nodded, “He isn’t wrong. But why would Dumbledore want you spied on?”
Harry rubbed at his scar. “I don’t know. All of this just seems like he’s hiding something. I think it has something to do with my scar and Voldemort but I don’t know.”
Nott and Malfoy hissed in pain, the mark on their arm burning. Harry looked at them quickly, “You two… you didn’t.” He slowly began backing up closer to the window, his voice trembling slightly in disbelief.
Malfoy flushed, “Didn’t have much of a choice, and Our Lord isn’t wrong on a lot of things.”
“He wants to kill muggleborns…”
Nott laughed, “Where the hell did you hear that nonsense? Muggleborns are how old family lines are coming back.”
Malfoy nodded, “He doesn’t want to kill them, he wants to integrate them into society earlier in life. Remove them from the muggle world, if possible.”
“So why all the death and torture?”
Nott shrugged, “Don’t know. Dad said something happened to him during the first war, but ever since he came back, he has been better. Saner, according to my dad.”
Harry tilted his head thoughtfully before looking at Malfoy who seemed to be shaking a little, “Are you alright?”
The blonde nodded, “I’m fine. Just don’t say his name around us anymore and don’t go telling Dumbledore.”
“I won’t.”
The car got quiet and when the trolley came by; Malfoy bought a bit of everything to split between all of them. It wasn’t until the soft bell rang signaling they were getting close to Hogwarts did Harry finally stand. “I should find a place to change.”
Malfoy scoffed as he pulled on his cloak, “Just change here. It isn’t like we have any girls here.”
Harry winced, “I’d rather not. I’m not very comfortable with changing in front of others.”
Nott tilted his head, “But don’t you have to be in the dorms and locker rooms?”
“I normally change separately.”
Malfoy growled, “Potter, just fucking change already.”
He flinched and sighed, before pulling his bag out and grabbing his uniform. He pulled his shirt off praying they just wouldn’t say anything as he grabbed his uniform shirt.
A hand grabbed his wrist and he gasped as he was shoved against the seat, his chest hitting the cold leather, “Ow, what the hell!”
A cold hand touched his back and Harry flinched.
“You two leave, NOW!” Malfoy barked and he heard the door quickly open and close and cool hands ran over a few of the still healing marks, “The muggles did this, didn’t they?”
Harry winced and tried to fight his trembling, “Can you not touch them, please.”
The hand trailed lower over one of the deeper and he hissed in pain, “Malfoy, cut it out.”
Breath tickled his ear, “You're under Sanctuary, I won’t hurt you. Just… let me help. Don’t move.”
Harry froze and waited with baited breath. He swore he heard Malfoy mutter something under his breath about not wanting this to be how his father won before something cold and damp swiped across the wound on his lower back. He flinched and squirmed until Malfoy gripped his hip with a free hand. The cool damp returned and slowly the pain began to fade as it worked along one wound then the next. By the time it worked its way to the one along his shoulder blade Harry was squirming for a whole different reason, “M…Malfoy?”
The blonde hmm’ed softly as he swiped his tongue across the last of the open wound, sealing it to help with the healing before releasing the other and sitting back, closing his eyes quickly and taking a few deep calming breaths. “That should help.”
Harry turned and noticed a smudge of red at the corner of the other’s lip, “What did you do?”
Silver eyes opened to look at him, “Just healed them some. It won’t prevent scarring but they aren't open and bleeding anymore. And call me Draco. Finish changing before they come back.”
The younger wizard quickly changed and sat back down, his cheeks flushed. He could still feel the brush of the other’s tongue on his back and it made him shiver. He stayed quiet even as the train pulled up and they all got off and headed to the carriages. He climbed into one with a few Ravenclaws and once at Hogwarts, avoided the others as much as possible, but he knew his luck was fading.