J.K Rowling's characters.

Learning Your Enemy

Harry Potter was currently lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. He was just lying there. Not much to do. Not really doing anything, except counting the leakages that were dripping through Dudley's second bedroom; watching every drop one by one. The mid-summer down poor outside, had excused Harry from his chores in the garden. This meant that for the first time in six weeks, since he had arrived home from his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry was able to rest. But of course it was on rainy days like this that he had to be extra careful not to disturb his uncle, who was downstairs watching the Sunday afternoon movie with Petunia. The bruises and cuts from the last time he had disturbed Vernon by "breathing too loudly" still stung.

He wriggled out of the way of a newly developed leakage, which had by some unnaturally bad luck, appeared above Harry's head. He was now balancing on the edge of his bed with his eyes closed and glasses off; attempting to relax and ignore the painfully repetitive drips.

At the sound of a loud crack, which echoed through the room, Harry simultaneously snapped his eyes open, jumped and hence lost his balance, tumbling onto the floor. Getting back on his feet, he spewed out some colourful curses to show his irritation and pain from the fall. A malicious chuckle interrupted Harry's swearing. He looked around but seeing only blurs, Harry grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and stared at the person before him.

"Malfoy" Harry croaked out. How? Why? What? Thoughts flew through his head and Harry just stared. What was his arch nemesis, Draco Malfoy, doing in his room?

"Potter." Malfoy nodded his head and took a tentative step forward. He assessed the teenager, taking in every detail.

"Potter. What the hell happened to you? You look like shit?" Harry had large blue rings under his eyes. Dudley's shirt was falling his shoulder and the size of it only emphasised Harry's skinny, small structure. And he most certainly did look skinny with many of his bones showing through on his cheeks, collars and wrist.

The insult snapped Harry out of his daze.

"Well, excuse me ferret, I wasn't expecting guests." The nickname made Malfoy bristle. He hated memories of that delirious professor. "Anyway, since when have you been interested in my well-being? Not getting a soft spot are you?"

"Don't be stupid Potter. Why should I care for an ugly orphan such as yourself?" Sneered Malfoy.

"Well you seem to care enough to visit… What are you doing here? And how did you get through the wards?"

"First of all, I don't care. And some wards you have Potter. It seems they only stop You-Know-Who and those with the dark mark from coming through. Really quite pathetic if this is your defence against the mad man. I'm surprised the chosen one isn't dead already."

"Oh… I never realized the defence was quite so crap." Harry muttered "But that doesn't explain why you're here." Harry snapped, giving Malfoy some evil glares.

Malfoy quickly looked down and started to scuff his shoes along the floor. "Um… well I-…ikinda need…I need a fa--.." Malfoy stumbled across his explanation in whispers still not meeting Harry's eyes.

"…What?"

"I said I like.. Well I need your…. I need…I need your help!" Malfoy finally spurted out.

Harry looked at Malfoy as if he had lost it, or this was some great dream blessed upon him. Still distrustful Harry decided to go along with it without gloating. This must be important for Malfoy to have come to him.

"What do you need me for?"

Malfoy looked up at Harry, clearly astonished by the lack of insults. "I don't want the dark mark. I don't want to be a servant or death eater, they won't stop hunting me down. I don't know what to do." In a moment of weakness Malfoy blurted out his thoughts, his voice wavering slightly at the emotions pouring out of him.

Although Harry did sympathise for Malfoy and was already foolishly starting to believe his confession, Harry still couldn't help but avoid helping his enemy. So why not send him somewhere else?

"Why don't you just go to Snape or something. Or contact the Order, I'm sure they'll help."

"Snape's on a mission and I can't reach him as his letters are being monitored and the Order only try to kill me."

"So.. What? You want me to write you a letter allowing you to join the Order?"

"No! they won't believe a letter. Jeez, you idiot. You may be the boy-who-lived but you can't just write a letter and assume your word is law. And they'll only think it's a fake."

"Malfoy, insulting me is getting you no where." Harry warned.

"Look, I know I don't deserve your help and you probably have no interest in helping me or anything to gain from it, but I swear I'll, like, call a truce or something and I'll forever be in your debt. Just let me stay here for a while then take me with you when the Order pick you up. Please, I'll do anything." Malfoy looked at Harry with hope in his eyes and said the words in an exasperated and desperate tone.

Whoa. Malfoy was practically begging him. And having Malfoy in his debt didn't sound too bad. But Harry was in no situation to let him stay at the Dursley's.

"I'll tell the order about you when they pick me up in ten days, but you can't stay here. I'm sorry you'll have to go."

As Malfoy's last hope denied him, he couldn't help lose his temper.

"WHAT! YOU ARROGANT PRICK! I COME HERE FOR HELP AND YOU SELFISH BASTARD THINK IT ABOVE YOURSELF TO …" But whatever insults Malfoy was going to scream at Harry were abruptly stopped as he found Harry's hand covering his mouth. When Malfoy looked into his eyes, he was confused by the fear Harry was showing.

"BOY!" A yell came from downstairs.

"Oh Shit" Harry muttered. Malfoy's yelling had disturbed his uncle.

"You need to get out of here." Harry whispered

"What?"

"You need to go. Now!"

Thuds could be heard as Vernon went upstairs and a creak indicated he was near. Hurriedly Harry grabbed Malfoy and shoved him in a closet.

"Don't make a sound" Harry whispered and abruptly slammed it shut in Malfoy's face. Harry turned around just as Vernon slammed open the door. Malfoy could see a large, purple faced man standing at the doorway, through the cracks in the door.

"Freak! What the hell have you been doing? Screaming to yourself again? I will not have you make a racket in my house. Do you hear?" Vernon continued yelling as he worked his way around the room.

Harry backed away to the wall, apologising. "Yes Uncle Vernon. I'm sorry uncle, it won't happen…"

Harry's wind pipe was cut off as a hand clasped round his throat.

"I'll teach you not to make a sound unless spoken to." And with that Vernon lifted Harry off the ground against the wall whilst strangling him. At the show of violence before him, Malfoy tried to ram open the door of the cupboard, only to find it locked by magic. Looking back at Harry he could see the saviour's eyes wide with fear and lips turning blue from lack of Oxygen.

Vernon had continued screaming obscenities at Harry and Harry's eyes had rolled back inside his head. As much as Malfoy despised the golden boy, he knew this was wrong. This was the kind of horrors he was running away from, even with all his distaste for the golden boy he didn't want to inflict this kind of pain on the boy. Stuck in the cupboard, all Malfoy could do was watch and he felt so helpless it was unbearable.

Eventually Harry passed out and his uncle threw him to the floor in disgust, not wanting to strangle the boy any longer in case he killed him. As Harry impacted with the floor there was a crunch, which made Malfoy flinch as he recognized the sound of a bone breaking.

The door slammed shut and the sound of locks could be hear clicking. With the blob of a man gone, the cupboard door creaked open as the magical locks were removed. Malfoy rushed over to the crumpled boy.

"Get up. Harry! Come on wake up." He shook Harry gently, trying to get the boy to stir. Harry's eyes fluttered open and a sound was croaked out. Malfoy conjured up some water and held Harry's head up to pour it down Harry's abused throat. He coughed and spluttered but then started to gulp down the water. After his fill, Harry fell back into unconsciousness on Malfoy's shoulder. Lifting the small boy up, he placed Harry on the bed and went over to Hedwig in his cage.

"Alohamora" Malfoy muttered pointing his wand at the cage. Thinking about who he knew Harry could be trusted with, he wrote a quick note to Remus Lupin whom Malfoy knew Harry had been quite close with.

S.O.S.

Harry needs your help.

Attaching the note to Hedwig, Malfoy blasted open the bard windows so the bird could fly off. Malfoy then returned to the still form on the bed to start healing his wounds.