Title: Betrayed
Author/pseudonym: NemKess
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/ Harry Potter, Ron/ Hermione
Rating: R
Status: WIP
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See previous chapter for disclaimers, summary, notes, and warnings
Previous chapters can be found either on , or in my LJ

After Remus had left them, it had taken several more days for Potter to heal enough that he regained full consciousness.

And even then, his waking self had unnerved Draco as much as his comatose self had.

"Will you bloody well stop doing that?!"

Silence.

"Stop it!"

"Draco, leave him alone."

"But he's staring, Professor."

Due to the severity of Potter's injuries, many of the Slytherins' potions sessions had become practical application rather than basic lab work. The pair spent more time in the guest room than anywhere else in the manor. Snape had even gone so far as to insist that Draco study there as well.

Anytime the blonde even thought about protesting, a shimmering gold would appear in front of him, reminding him of the contract he'd unknowingly agreed to. It was enough to keep him quiet about the location but he refused to deal with the bloody staring which was the only thing Potter had done since he'd awoken.

"Would you rather continue to fly into walls?" The potions master snorted in amusement as he carefully measured out a powder to mix into the Gryffindors morning gruel. "The potion I gave him to control his tele-empathy doesn't just suppress the negative e motions that trigger his defense, it suppresses all of them. Love, hate, fear, curiosity, boredom. At the moment Mr. Potter feels absolutely nothing. He stares because without emotions, his brain doesn't really know what to do with his eyes except look at whatever happens to be directly in front of them. You, in this case."

Draco twitched as emerald green remained glued to him. "Well can I go somewhere else, then?"

"No."

"Why not?!" He shot up from his seat, glaring at his favorite teacher. "For what possible purpose am I needed here?"

"My amusement, of course. You make house elves juggle, I torture students." The smug look left Draco fuming silently. "We must all learn to enjoy the simple pleasures in life or we'd go mad."

Muttering uncomplimentary things about Snape's parentage under his breath, Draco made a valiant effort to ignore the gaze that hadn't wavered at all since he'd grudgingly taken the seat near the end of Potter's bed that morning. If it weren't for the occasional blink and the barely noticeable rise and fall of the sheets, he'd think Potter was one of those gargoyles his father kept around the manor to unnerve guests.

The Gryffindor looked somewhat better than he had before, but not by much really. His innate magic working feverishly to at least try and heal his body, the section of splintered bone that hadn't been sticking out of the skin had began to knit itself to the other half at an odd perpendicular angle. Snape had had to break it a second time to set it correctly . The whole process had been delicate, painful, and draining. And it had left Draco feeling as nauseated as he had when he'd first caught a whiff of the wound.

Even through the potions to ease the pain and to suppress his emotions, Potter had passed out before they'd finished.

A twinge of sympathy and respect- tiny and barely worth noticing, of course- welled up in Draco. If the mere thought of the ordeal made him feel faint now, how the blazes had Potter managed to deal with it for so long?

The sudden appearance of two of the house elves jerked him from his reverie. One whispered quick nervous words to Snape, it's eyes big and fearful. Draco had never understood it really. In all the years he'd known the potion's master, he'd never known the man to lay a hostile hand on a single house elf even if they truly deserved it. A terror to children everywhere, but so damn lenient on house elves that it was shameful, that was Severus Snape for you.

Whatever they told him must have been bad considering the thunderous look that came over his face, but Draco merely shook his head and turned back to his book. Wasn't really his concern, now was it?

Before he could get more than a few sentences along, the bowl of gruel was dropped on to of the pages.

"I've been summoned to Hogwart's. Feed Potter and keep an eye on him. It's your responsibility because Dippy is busy elsewhere. If you haven't done it by the time I've returned, the consequences shall be dire."

"But Sev-"

The glare that was turned on him was enough to make him halt his protest. "Don't abuse the house elves while I'm out."

Draco fumed silently as his professor strode out of the room, presumably to prepare himself to leave.

He gave a put upon sigh. Of all the lowly things to be forced to do. How could Severus honestly expect him to spoon-feed Potter? He was an aristocrat, not a nursemaid! Deciding it was better to get it over with, he carried the bowl up to the head of the bed still settled on his book where it had been placed.

The gruel was one of the singularly unappetizing things he'd ever seen, but at least he wasn't the one eating it. "Open up, Gryffindork."

Emerald eyes that had remained fastened on his seat slowly crept up to stare again and Draco growled in annoyance. Before he could say anything though, Potter obediently opened his mouth. The smaller boy looked so silly like that, mouth open, eyes staring that the Slytherin couldn't help but snicker a little. His ire faded and he set about the task that had been left to him.

His sworn enemy and rival was obeying him without thought or care, as if there weren't even the slightest possibility that Draco might spit in the food or something more malicious like poison it. It made sense, he supposed. Trust was an emotion like any other, as was distrust. Put something in front of him and he'd stare at it, give him a command and he'd do it.

"I wonder how far this obedient thing goes?" he asked rhetorically as he pushed the spoon into the open mouth. "Swallow it."

Potter didn't respond, he simply obeyed and opened his mouth again.

Perhaps he could salvage a little of his pride this summer and provide himself with entertainment all at the same time, after all.

TBC

Author's Notes:
What can I say? Harry Potter hasn't really been my dominant Fandom recently but I am still working on it. I appreciate the patience you guys are showing and really appreciate your reviews.
We've moved back into Draco's memories again, as I'm sure you can tell. They'll be staying there for a while. I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story even with how slow it's going. Thanks guys! NemKess

Notes to Reviewers:
Siri Kat- quite simply? They made themselves the rulers and no one else really had what it took to oppose them. Hence everyone's insistence that they're dictators.
Maxennce- no worries! The war shall not be forgotten or missed.
futago akuma-tenshi02- I have to admit that I'm inclined towards forgiveness to Hermione also, but as you'll see.. she could have noticed the truth herself and chose to ignore the signs, so... ya can't feel too bad for her, ya know?
Cat323- He does things that by the usual standard of the wizarding world could only be considered dark, but Harry himself is a lovely shade of green/gray.
Opal Rain Dragon- Yes, I wish this place (my mind) wasn't such a breeding ground for plot-bunnies or that I wasn't so easily sucked into multiple fandoms, but ah well. It's fun even if it can get frustrating when I want to write one thing (this, for example) and something else just won't leave me alone.
Hekate101- 'Betrayed' definitely expounds on the 'The world is neither black and white but endless shades of gray' philosophy. Everything, even Manipulative old Dumbledore will show it. Well, maybe not Voldemorte... ;;
Sanity is Relative- I can't promise I'll finish quickly, and I don't know what will happen tomorrow or the day after, but as long as I'm able, I have no intention of abandoning this fic. In the bad I've had to do that because so much time passed and I couldn't' remember where the story was going but that's not a problem with this one. I've got a complete separate file filled with nothing but notes for this fic and all the things that will happen.