Sorry it took so long everyone! Thank you for the reviews; I've never gotten that many before :)

This has alot of fluff and cuddling, but it was the hardest chapter I've ever written. I found Draco very hard to write this time...no idea why. Thankyouthankyouthankyou to Think-Of-Nargles for writting like half of this chapter :D

Also, I want to add that they ARE NOT magical creatures. I took liberities with wizards, and decided that they have mates in my story. So that's why :D

Chapter 5: Ama

Everything was a blur – Blaise went upstairs to fetch Harry's trunk, then Draco shrunk it while Blaise cursed all the Dursley's silverware to attack them the moment they came home, and finally Draco said "Portus" to a teacup.

Suddenly they were at Malfoy Manor again. Narcissa Malfoy, Aurora Sinistra, and Petra Sen came running out seconds later, all talking over each other.

Petra was Indian, with a beautiful dark-skinned face, and breathtaking golden-brown eyes. She had been Severus's nanny when he was young, and as a matter of fact, when Eileen Snape left Tobias, Severus was just thirteen, so Petra quietly got legal custody of him. They had lived together up until his death the previous year. Aurora, of course, was the Astronomy teacher at Hogwarts, and a good friend of Narcissa's, especially now that Lucius was sulking in a corner of the mansion frequently and therefore not around to interfere with happiness and such.

"I thought you were going out–" Aurora started.

"Who is–" gasped Petra over her, clutching a stitch in her side.

"– With Harry," continued Aurora.

"– that?" Petra finished, wide eyed, staring at battered boy.

"What happened–" started Narcissa.

"Is that him?" gasped Aurora, staring wide-eyed at her former student.

"–to him?" Narcissa gasped over the other two, looking at the raven haired boy as well.

Harry was cradled in Malfoy's arms as if he was a fragile as a piece of porcelain glass, to precious to lose, and for these to men – the men that had found him bleeding and inches from death – he was. The raven's hair was tussled, his torso just as bare as it was when they found it, and his eyelids shut. Draco sincerely hoped that being unconscious would help Harry not feel as bad as he must have before they found him. The blonde shot a frantic look at Blaise, wondering what to do next.

Thank Merlin the spell had worked, as it was only a Muggle weapon – wizard implements were usually cursed against Stasis spells. The boy wasn't bleeding, but he was out cold and his back and wrists looked horrible. This caused more worry to Draco than he would like to admit.

"Not sure," said the worried blonde. "His Uncle did it, we think."

Aurora stared at her former student's back in horror; Petra looked quite sick. Narcissa simply looked murderous. Harry had, after all, saved all three of them from Azkaban. He deserved much better than abuse from some Muggles.

"We need Potions." Blaise ordered, always the level-headed one. Now, however, it was obvious to even Aurora that he was hiding behind the Pure-Blood Mask; his hands were shaking.

"Now." He added when none of the women moved.

"I'll get them!" cried Petra, running back towards the house, happy to get away from the boys' pain.

"Here, I'll–" offered Narcissa, stepping toward Draco with her arms out, but the blond jerked backwards, shaking his head.

"No." he said simply, his heart thudding in his chest. Something deep inside of him wasn't ever going to let Harry go again. He glanced down at the small body in his arms, his eyes fiercely protective. He would protect him, even if it was from his own nightmares, his own mind.

Draco knew some of what it was like for mentally and physically abused kids – being the Slytherin he was, it was easy to overhear conversations that were never meant for his ears. So he knew that it was going to be very hard to help Harry from this point on, but first, they had to get him stable, had to get him well...at least in the physical sense.

The others followed – very confusedly on Narcissa and Aurora's part – after Draco as he nearly ran towards the Manor, still holding Harry securely.

"Here," said Petra, appearing from a side door that led to the potion's lab as they crossed through the elegant entrance hall. Blaise started to reach for the vial she held, but Draco shook his head. Petra had, after all, been employed for years at St. Mungo's. She was one of the few people the two Slytherins would trust with Harry, and she knew it.

The Indian woman expertly tilted the raven's head back and massaged his throat to help him swallow. Immediately, there was a soft gold glow surrounding Harry, and the five gathered around him watched as the wounds in his back started to knit back together.

"He'll have a few scars," whispered Petra sadly, not moving; the looks on Blaise and Draco's faces could have killed this 'Mr. Dursley' on the spot. "Some of those wounds were very deep, but they should heal very quickly. He does look malnourished though…And he'll be sore for awhile."

Both the boys nodded, and the women knew they were luck to get that much out of them.

"I'll have Qwerty bring up a light meal for Harry when he gets up…" said Narcissa weakly, thinking about one of their loyal house elves. Again, the two nodded as the others disappeare.

Though Aurora, Narcissa, and Petra were rather close to Blaise and Draco, none of them had ever seen such emotion written on the boy's faces – especially Draco. For a moment, they simply stood, watching the retreating dark and light heads. When the boys had ascended the staircase, Aurora exhaled loudly.

"I could use a drink; what about you two?"

Upstairs, Draco was shaking, Blaise was pacing, and Harry…

Harry was fast asleep, all of his injuries healed – minus the malnutrition, which would, obviously, take much more time. Only five scars remained on his back from the beating.

Blaise couldn't fathom why this happened. Wouldn't someone, anyone, know what was happening to the 'Golden Boy'?

He's a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake! The dark haired boy thought, You'd think they protected their own! Us Slytherins do at least...

Draco watched the sleeping brunette with growing impatience. He wouldn't – couldn't believe that the slumbering boy was alright until he opened his eyes and said the words himself, even if they were only half-truths.

After a moment, Draco groaned aloud in frustration.

"Is he ever going to wake up?" He moaned, pulling at his blond hair.

Blaise chuckled nervously. "He needs his sleep, Dray. But he'll be fine, I mean…look at him!" The Italian waved his hand at Draco, who nodded slowly.

"He does look better. Much better. So skinny though…" A pale hand ran over the black-haired boy's prominent ribs, and Draco whispered quietly, "Adsum, ama. Non nocere iterum..." The pale hand then started stroking through the black hair, and Harry smiled in his sleep. Draco seemed to glow at that; just knowing he could comfort the boy, even a little...

Blaise gasped, and Draco's thoughts were sadly interrupted.

"Aha!" He cried, pointing an accusing finger at the blond. "Emotions! You care about Harry!"

Draco jumped back from the bed like his hand was on fire. The mask was back, and Blaise nearly wished he hadn't said anything. His Mate was so beautiful without the mask…

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said firmly, glaring at his boyfriend. Draco hadn't given a damn about Malfoy protocol and his Mask while Harry was hurt, but now that he was asleep and healed…and not looking at him with those beautiful eyes…

Blaise coughed loudly, and Draco flushed in embarrassment when he realized he had been staring – rather adoringly – at Harry. He hadn't had a chance, really; once a witch or wizard accepted their bond with who-ever-it-may-be, it was hard to hide their love for them. Draco, however, wasn't used to feeling for anyone other than Blaise, and both boys were good at hiding their emotions in public, which was why only their parents and closest friends knew of their relationship. He did care for his mother and mother-figures – Aurora and Petra – and their friends, but not in that way obviously.

But Harry was different. Neither Blaise nor Draco had been abused (or at least not that badly – Lucius wasn't exactly a cuddly type of dad, and Blaise had nearly been molested at a young age) so they weren't as openly protective with each other. It was the natural instinct of a Mate to become possessive of their Mate if something had hurt them badly.

"Alright!" Malfoy finally exploded after Blaise cleared his throat for the third time. "I care about him, okay! It's only natural."

Blaise shook his head tauntingly, the black curls bouncing around jovially as he did so. "No, Dray…I think it's more than that. You loooooove Harry!"

The blonde flushed again, shoving Blaise angrily as he said, "No. I. Don't!" but the darker-skinned boy simply laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Sure you don't, Draco." He said in a would-be casual voice, looking pointedly at Harry, who was yawning in his sleep.

Draco's heart melted at the sight, and he knew Blaise could see it in his face. Damn Potter for being so cute. Damn Blaise for knowing everything. Damn Dursley for hurting what was theirs. And damn his traitor heart from beating so fast!

Draco suddenly had the urge to beat his head against the wall.

"Fine." He finally admitted. "So I l-love Har – Potter. You do too!"

Oh, so we're back to Potter now…Blaise thought with a chuckle. He's cute when he's defensive…Oh bloody hell, he's cute all the time.

"Of course I do." He answered aloud. "I'm not afraid of my feelings."

"I was raised to be afraid of them, it's not my fault." Draco mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking pouty.

"I know," Blaise said, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders and kissing his hair. Draco didn't even pull away; a good sign. "But Harry will need you to show how you feel. Calling him 'Potter', acting like you don't care, and never touching him will hurt him. We need his trust, and we need it by the end of the month or…"

His voice trailed off, neither wanting to think of the 'or', and Draco knew he would have to do it, painful as it may be.

"I'll do my best." He promised, and Blaise knew he meant it.

After the welcoming blackness, Harry never expected to feel anything again. When he did, however, it wasn't actually bad.

Nothing hurt, not really. There was a little soreness, but nothing too bad. He seemed to be in a large, warm, and very comfortable bed, and best of all, there was a soothing weight near him on the bed.

What happened? Wondered Harry, trying to keep his eyes closed and breathing even until he remembered.

Flashes of red, crying, screaming, bleeding….

"Please Uncle Vernon! I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" Harry sobbed, not even ashamed of his very un-Gryffindor-like begging. He couldn't even remember now what he had done, but it must have been something bad. Even if it wasn't, Harry knew he deserved it. He had gotten countless people killed – Sirius, Cederic, his own parents…

"You're damn right you won't, freak!" spat his uncle, panting heavily from the force of beating the child.

Another strike. Then another. Harry screamed, his arms and legs jerking spasmodically in an unconscious effort to stop the pain.

"Please! No more! Please!"

"Harry?"

A quiet voice brought him out of the flashback, and Harry automatically opened his eyes. Above him was none other than Blaise Zabini; dark curly hair, dark eyes, his face showing concern….

For him? For…Harry?

"Are you alright? Does it hurt? Where?" Blaise asked immediately, scanning the blankets over Harry as if trying to see through them. At that moment, the raven felt a dampness on his cheeks and realized he had been crying.

Embarrassed, Harry tried to reply, but his throat was so dry he couldn't manage to form the words. Blaise noticed.

"Here!" he said quickly, picking up a glass of water from the bedside table and lifting it to Harry's lips. The green eyed boy almost cried as he felt the cool liquid fill his dry throat. It was like he could finally breathe again. He suddenly felt all the soreness move to the back of his mind – as long as he had water, the rest would be fine. He gulped down as much as he could get, small drops falling around his mouth, as Blaise was holding the cup. All too soon, he felt the cool edge of the glass leave his cracked lips. He almost whimpered from the loss of contact. He wanted to drink it all! Was that so bad?

"Harry, you can't drink it all, petit amour," Blaise said, chuckling nervously. Harry nearly wanted to cry again. "You have to pace yourself; you'll only get sick."

Harry pouted unintentionally, but he knew Blaise was right. He really should slow down: a few sips at a time, not move too much, maybe eat something….but damn it, he wanted that water!

Clearing his throat, the raven tried to distract himself.

"Where – where am I?" he asked the Italian. "And where's Dra – Malfoy? What happened? Did you guys…save me?"

Blaise smiled, chucking at Harry's use of 'Draco' accidentally. The raven and the blonde were very similar in many ways. "You're at Malfoy Manor. Draco is downstairs seeming off his mother and her friends; they're going to Francefor holiday. And I suppose you could say we saved you…" He reached up to brush some hair from Harry's face – he was just so beautiful – and to his shock the boy jerked back as if he had been hit, scrambling to the other side of the bed and hiding under the blankets like a small child. It would have been cute if Harry wasn't so terrified.

"Harry?" Blaise said worriedly, knowing the boy must have had a flashback. "It's okay, love…" He reached out again, slower, placing his hand on what he thought was Harry's shoulder. Blaise felt his heart break a little when Harry jerked and cried out under his touch, starting to sob.

"Don't…not again…please Uncle Vernon…no…" came a whimpering from the ball under the blankets. "I promise, I can be better. I'll do what they say…"

Blaise frowned. Who were 'they'? And what was Harry supposed to do better?

Questions for another time, he decided as Harry cried harder. He was just thankful that the boy's wounds were healed for the most part; otherwise he would have hurt himself badly by moving so much.

"Harry," Blaise called softly. "Harry, look at me, please." He saw the area that may have been Harry's head quiver slightly. He took this as a no. "He's not here, baby. He can't hurt you again, I promise. Draco and I said we would protect you and we will. We'll never hurt you Harry, no matter what…"

Finally, a beautiful green eye peeked out. He was still crying, but looked to be out of memory-land. Blaise sat slowly on the edge of the bed, and Harry whispered cautiously, "R–really? Can't hurt me? You'll….protect me?"

Blaise nodded. "Yes, love, always. You're our Mate, remember?"

At this a whole head emerged. Harry looked at him for a moment, and then said softly, "Could I have some more water, please?"

"Of course!" Blaise answered immediately. He picked up the cup and handed to Harry, not sure if he should try holding it for him again. To his shock, the raven's whole arm started to shake, and Blaise reached out to grab the cup just in time.

"Sorry!" said Harry quickly, biting his lip nervously. "My arms just don't want to work right…"

"It's fine," the other boy assured him. "You're hungry and you were hurt. It's normal. Here–"

He held the cup carefully for Harry again while he drank, and placed it on the table when he finished. Before Blaise could speak, however, Harry did something completely unexpected...

He launched himself into Blaise's arms, crawling onto his lap and wrapping his arms around his neck, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Safe…can't hurt me…no more 'customers'…" Harry mumbled happily. The Italian had no idea who these 'customers' were, but that could wait.

"H – Harry?" Blaise asked, resting a hand on his small waist. "Are you sure–?" Blaise wasn't complaining – not at all – but he wasn't sure if Harry was truly ready to be so close to someone. He didn't want to frighten him.

"Sorry!" Harry interrupted, pulling away from him. "I know I shouldn't – I just like being touched…when it doesn't hurt. Sorry!" he added again at Blaise's incredulous look.

"No, Harry, its okay!" the Italian assured him. "I like holding you! You have nothing to be sorry for, bello."

Harry blushed at the endearment, but leaned back towards Blaise hopefully. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Blaise grinned, opening his arms for the other boy, and Harry quickly scrambled back in. Blaise would have liked to chalk it up to his own 'wonderful people skills', but he knew better: their bond was simply making it easier for Harry to accept comfort from him.

Soon, Harry was sleeping again. His messy black hair rested under Blaise's chin, tickling the other wizard's nose. Blaise didn't mind a bit; the smile on his dark face was huge as he buried his face in Harry's hair, breathing in his scent. It felt different, but not in a bad way. He was used to holding Draco while he slept, or just whenever he could. Harry was lighter, way lighter, smaller, and there was also the fact that Blaise felt way more protective of the brunette than he did the blonde.

His mind flashed to Harry's nightmare, shivers running down his mind. As much as he acted the calm one, or like this didn't bother him too much, it did. This scared the shit out of him. Why would someone want to hurt Harry (other than Death Eaters of course, and most of those were in Azkaban)? Who was 'they'? Were 'they' the same as these 'customers'? And what did he have to do 'better'?

No matter what the answers were, he knew, deep in his very soul, he would always protect Harry Potter. Always.

Draco found his Mates like this around fifteen minutes later. Blaise was staring at Harry, who was sleeping on his lap, like he was the only person in the world. Contrary to what he expected, Draco wasn't a bit jealous. He didn't know why – maybe it had to do with how adorable Harry looked at that moment, or that he had rarely seen Blaise look so happy before.

Draco shook his head roughly. He sounded like such a Hufflepuff – it was probably just his worry coming back from when Harry was hurt. Yes, that would be it.

But…Blaise may have had a point when he said that Harry would need both of them to show that they cared about him. Blaise had said that his typical distance could hurt Harry; Draco would have to admit to himself that he could care openly about more than one person, or Harry could be hurt.

He had hid his emotions, his thoughts behind a mask for so long... That's what his father had taught him, and some part of him hated the man for it. It was one of the biggest things he had to learn to be with Blaise.

Blaise was a feeler, and when Draco would push off, or just offhand his emotions, it hurt Blaise, even if the dark haired boy knew why he did that. The blonde had always been like that, and he didn't know how to change that. His father had forced that mask onto his face from a very young age, and as much as his mother was ashamed to say, she hadn't stopped him.

Staring at the two boys on the bed together, Draco just dropped all pretence. He didn't want to be an emotionless Malfoy anymore. Didn't he promise himself that after the war he would leave his old life behind? And what was he doing now? Hiding behind a mask of the past, that's what. He didn't want to be that person anymore, and he had a feeling that Harry could help him with that.

Oh, who am I kidding? He thought, smiling unconsciously at Harry and Blaise. Harry's our Mate and I… I care for him.

After years of denying most of his feelings, Draco was proud of himself to admit this.

The blonde watched them, leaning against the door frame. He smiled when he saw Blaise reach out to stroke the sleeping boy's cheek.

"Hey," Blaise whispered when he saw the smiling blonde, though still very aware of the boy currently sleeping in his lap.

Instead of answering his Mate, he walked over to the too-large bed and lay down in front of them.

"Is he okay?" The blonde asked, his eyes moving to watch the beautiful boy in Blaise's arms.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"I don't want to guess anymore, I want to know for sure he's okay."

The blonde didn't protest as Blaise grabbed his hand, and with a swift shift of the brunette in his arms, they were lying side by side on the bed. Draco reached out and wrapped his arms around Harry's small waist, as Blaise wrapped an arm around the both of them.

"Well, then we'll fix him. We'll make sure we won't have to guess anymore. We will help him."

With that, a determined look passed between both men, with a silent promise to help their other half, before they returned to watching the green eyed boy sleep.