Author's Note: This story is very OOC and contains RAPE/ATTEMPTED RAPE. Warning for a small portion of het smut during this chapter, but it is the ONLY het smut ever in this fic; don't let it stop you from continuing.

This story is Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy SLASH! Don't read if that offends you, and please, no flames!

Chapter 1:

It's August and it is hot. Harry Potter stands up in the garden in the small backyard of Grimmauld Place, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans. His owl, Artemis, who he bought quite reluctantly after the war and the death of Hedwig but whom he now loves, comes flying in front of him and lands on his shoulder. She holds out her right leg for him to take the letter offered. He looks at it, finding it has the Hogwarts seal on it. Probably the invitation to return this year, he thinks to himself, opening the letter:

Dear Mr. Harry Potter,

Due to your and your classmates' lack of education this past year, you are invited to

return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this coming fall starting on the

date, September 1st, 1999. Because you are eighteen, you may turn down this offer if

you wish to do so; however, it is highly recommended that you return, especially you,

considering your absence for the whole year. Please notify Headmistress Minerva

McGonagall with your answer by August 15th so she may make arrangements for you.

On behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,

the Board of Governors

Harry snorts as he reads the letter. As if I have a choice whether I go back or not. I very well know I could get any job I want without taking NEWTS or even going back for a seventh year at all, but between the Board of Governors' need for a "savior" to paw at and Hermione's persistent nagging of, "Harry Potter, if you want to become an auror, you're going to need to take your NEWTS. Celebrity or not, you need to work hard to get what you want," it's nearly impossible for me to think about not going. While Harry doesn't necessarily want to go back to Hogwarts and walk the halls where all of his friends died for him, he knows that he needs to, especially now that he does not want to be an auror anymore.

Harry walks balk inside the house, deciding to write McGonagall now and just get that out of the way before he heads to the Burrow for dinner. They've been inviting him over nearly every weekend after the war, and this is the second time Harry doesn't have a believable excuse not to go. It's not that he doesn't want to see his makeshift family, he does. It's Ginny he doesn't want to see. The girl cannot keep her hands off him for five seconds whenever she's around him, and when she isn't close enough to touch him, she always flirts with him another way. It doesn't help Harry's opinion of her for him to know about her very active sex life after the war, either. Harry figures he should tell her he's gay tonight before having to endure another year of her incessant hero worship. He knows she probably won't take it well but hopes that the rest of her family will be okay with his sexuality. He realizes the wizarding world is a lot less prejudiced than the muggle one, but he can't shake the feeling that someone is going to have a problem with it and not just Ginny either.

Sighing, Harry quickly signs his name at the bottom of the parchment and sends it off to Hogwarts. He stands to go upstairs and get ready, resigning himself to his fate at the hands of the Weasleys.

Harry is surrounded by warmth, his ears assaulted by noise , and his nose hit with the intoxicating scent of home-cooked food as soon as he stumbles out of the floo and into the Burrow. Molly Weasley immediately scoops him up into a suffocating hug, followed by Hermione and then Ginny. "Harry, we've been waiting for you to get here so we can eat. I saved you a seat next to me," Ginny says, waggling her eyebrows suggestively at the last bit. Harry tries not to gag, and fortunately, he's successful. The group makes their way into the dining room and everyone takes their seats; Arthur is at the head of the table next to his wife followed by Fleur and then Bill, Hermione and Ron, then Fred and George, Charlie, Percy, Ginny, and finally Harry next to her.

"So, what have you been up to, Harry?" Ron asks between bites of his shepherd's pie.

"Not much, sadly. I worked I the garden today; I'm trying to clear it up so I can grow my own vegetables, but I guess that'll have to wait till next summer because we're all going back to school this year."

"Harry, that's wonderful! If you ever need any pointers, I'm only a floo call away!" Molly pipes in excitedly.

"It is 'ard for me and my Bill to grow any plants in our backyard, since it is all sand. I envy your ability to do so, 'arry," Fleur states sadly.

"I actually have something I've been needing to tell you all, but it can wait until after supper," Harry tells the family nervously. What if they don't allow me to wait to tell them when I'm ready? Hermione looks at him questioningly but lets it go, accepting the promise of later.

Ginny scoots her chair closer to Harry's before speaking, "So, Harry, have you been offered the quidditch captain position again this year?"

"It didn't say anything about quidditch in the letter I got today, so I guess not. I wasn't really planning on playing this year anyway. I think I'm going to focus more on my studies and finding a career that interests me," Harry responds.

"That's wonderful, Harry! With more time to study, maybe you'll get as good of grades as I do!" Hermione exclaims excitedly.

"I thought you wanted to be an auror. After the war, the department's been needing a few people to fill up the spaces," Percy speaks up, ever the Ministry employed work-aholic. "Of course, if you don't want to go that route, I'm sure we can find you a higher withstanding position. It's not like you don't deserve it. Besides, Minister Shacklebolt is—"

"Boys, shh, I've told you; no talking business at the dinner table!" Molly scolds. Percy blushes profusely at being reprimanded in front of guests but apologizes nonetheless.

Harry goes back to his food, content in just listening to the ebb and flow of conversation for the next few minutes. He feels something light bump against his leg. He looks down to see that Ginny's placed her hand on his knee. They lock eyes for a second before Ginny winks and places her hand on Harry's thigh. She slowly begins to move her hand up Harry's leg, swirling her thumb as she goes. Harry turns bright red and jumps, his leg hitting the table, when Ginny's hand wanders too far up. Sensing Harry's wariness without even knowing the reason for it, Molly waves her want and suddenly the table is cleared of all plates and dishes. "Let's move this to the living room where we can get more comfortable. I do believe Harry wants to say something to us."

The party moves to the living room. Harry somehow gets stuck sitting next to Ginny on a couch. She promptly wraps her body around Harry's, putting her head on his shoulder. Harry moves away from her uncomfortably, causing her to pout and confusion can be seen on her face.

"So, what is it you wanted to say, Harry?" Arthur prompts.

This is it. Harry takes a deep breath before opening his mouth to respond. "As you all probably know, having Grimmauld Place to myself has given me a long time to think about… things, and, uh… I've been trying to figure out who I am and what I want and I think that, ummm… Tonight has probably given you some inkling that I don't want to pursue a relationship with Ginny. I love you Ginny, but you know it's purely as a sister." Harry pauses for a second to allow his words to sink in. "Well, uh, the truth is that.. I'm uh… That is to say, I'm not particularly…" Harry trails off as Ginny's hand surreptitiously makes its way to his thigh, despite his previous words, her facial expression making it clear she believes she can change Harry's mind about a relationship with her. Harry looks over at her to find her eyes clouded over with lust. "Oh, fuck explanations! I'm gay, you guys," he exclaims, clumsily scurrying away from Ginny and her wandering hands.

"He looks over at Ginny, expecting her to be angry or upset, but instead, he finds her looking at him only with pity. She moves closer to him once again before saying, "Oh, Harry, thank you for telling us! Now we can get you the help you need to get over this phase of yours!"

All eyes are now on Ginny as she forcefully kisses Harry on the mouth. Harry pulls himself quickly away from her, getting ready to respond when, "WHAT?!" Molly exclaims, baffled. "Ginny, you can't be serious! We all know things like sexuality cannot be a phase!"

Harry takes his eyes off Ginny, scanning the rest of the room. Hermione looks proud and unsurprised, as usual, while most of the rest of the family looks surprised but not judgingly at Harry. Fred and George explode with laughter at Harry's confused face. "I don't understand… None of you are upset? Or angry? I thought for sure that—"

Arthur cuts Harry off, stating, "Harry, we consider you a seventh son of ours; why would we judge you for your sexual preference? We don't judge family."

"Besides," Fred laughs, "everyone knows that Charlie's—"

"Gayer than a Broadway musical on steroids!" George finishes. At Harry's confused stare, he continues. "We took Muggle Studies, Harry, we know what Broadway is!"

Everyone cracks up except for Ginny, who is staring at Harry with a mixture of shock and sadness. "Harry, I'm so sorry about them! They don't realize that you're not actually gay! I can't believe they'd fall for that!" she says. "Come on, Harry, let's go up to my room. Maybe a proper shag will convince you and the rest of my family that you are completely and perfectly straight!"

Ginny tries dragging Harry upstairs but is unsuccessful. Once Harry gets away, he shouts angrily at her, "I can't believe you, Ginny! How dare you try to change who I am! This isn't a 'phase' nor will it ever be a 'phase!' I've had enough time this summer to think about it to know that I'm absolutely sure about it while you've been off shagging a different bloke every damn night! I'm sorry, Ginny, but maybe it's you who needs to reconsider your life!"

With that, Harry promptly storms over to the fireplace and floos away, leaving a teary Ginny Weasley and her furious family in his wake.

Two weeks later on August 16th, sixty miles north of the Burrow, Lucius Malfoy stubles out of a grungy bar in Scotland. A thin woman wearing barely any clothes and too much make-up follows him, giggling as he pulls her into an alley. He kisses her roughly, pushing her against a wall. "Merlin, how I want you."

The girl moans upon hearing these words and presses her chest closer to her lover's. She wraps her legs around his waist and he promptly places his hands on her arse to hold her up. His lips move to her neck, sucking greedily, making sure to leave a mark before moving downwards. Lucius, wanting to see his treasure before tasting it, rips her dress open, revealing perky pink nipples on relatively small but wondrous breasts. Lucius shimmies her dress down her body, pulling her panties down with it. He looks upon her wet folds, smiling as she opens her legs for him.

Lucius licks a stripe up her cunt, his tongue swirling her clitoris once, twice, before he continues up the rest of her body, reaching her taut, rosy nipples, biting each before pulling his own trousers down, releasing his monstrous cock.

The whore looks on at it, screaming in pleasure as he thrusts into her without warning. Lucius screams as well but not in pleasure. As soon as his cock made contact with her pussy, he became aware of a presence behind him, and as he thrust up into her, the mysterious figure thrust his own knife into Lucius' back, straight into his heart, killing him immediately.

Lucius' whore, noticing him going limp, gasps as the figure makes himself known. She points at him, terrified. "Y-you…" is all she is able to say before a green light flashes and she collapses against the wall, bringing Lucius' body with her.

Lucius' and the woman's bodies weren't found until the morning of September 2nd. The killer had been extremely careful while hiding the bodies, and the only reason they had been found at all was because the spell put up to mask their scent has worn off without the killer's knowledge. That evening, three aurors arrive at Hogwarts. The headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, is notified that her student, Draco Malfoy, is required in her office. She calls him up, swiftly floo calling the Slytherin Common Room and asking for him. He makes his way to her office wondering why he is needed. Upon opening her office door, he is quickly hit with a binding spell and levitated into a chair in front of the three aurors.

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy," the first auror says with false cheer. "My name is Auror John Wandwithers, and these are my colleagues, James Meriweather and Scoot Booth. We're here to ask you a few questions regarding the brutal murder of your father."

Wandwithers removes the binding spell and Draco immediately stands, outraged. "How dare you bind me like that! I am a free-standing citizen of this country, not to mention a Malfoy, and I deserve more respect than I have been given!" Draco screams, walking towards the men. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he sits back down stiffly. "My… My father is… dead?"

The aurors nod, Wandwithers pulling out a file containing pictures and a description of what they know about the murder. He hands it to Draco, saying, "He was found in an alley in muggle Aberdeen in Scotland outside a bar. Judging by his scent and state of decay, experts say he was killed on August 16th around midnight. He was stabbed once in the back by a mystery assailant while having sex with a prostitute. Judging her body, she was hit with a killing curse, which is how we know that he was killed by a witch or wizard."

Draco shakes his head disbelievingly, not willing to accept that his father allowed this to happen. "So why are you here?" Draco asks, suspicious of the three men sitting innocently in front of him.

"Well, this assault seems premeditated, and we know that you and your father have not been on the best f terms of late, and so naturally, you're on our list of suspects," Booth states matter-of-factly.

"But that's crazy! Sure I hated the man; he was verbally, physically, and sexually abusive," Draco yells, causing the aurors and McGonagall to wince at his information, "but that doesn't mean I would murder him! Hatred or no hatred, he is—was my father. He was family and family means everything to a Malfoy."

"Well, unless you know who the real killer is or if you have an alibi, we're going to have to arrest you for the murder of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy," Meriweather states.

That's when Draco gets his idea.

"Oh, but I do have an alibi! You see, I, uh, on that night, I was—" Draco starts.

Meriweather interrupts him though, "Well, out with it, Draco. If you can't tell us, we are going to have to assume you have no alibi."

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing, actually. I was with my boyfriend that night… Um… We were, uh, fucking around midnight so it'd be impossible, you see," Draco finishes. He knows full well he's going to have to give a name to the bastards.

"And his name, Malfoy?" Wandwithers prompts.

Draco, knowing that if he doesn't give the name of someone credible and trustworthy, he'd end up in Azkaban, replies quickly with the first person he can come up with.

"Why, Harry Potter, of course."