The Man I Never Knew.

Prologue.

A few years after the war, Harry was lost and utterly clueless. Firmly believing that he wouldn't live to see his eighteenth birthday had resulted in him failing to plan for his future, and now he was paying for it. Everyone he knew, his friends and ex-classmates had all flourished post-Hogwarts – Ron was climbing his way steadily up the ladder of the Ministry, becoming a successful Auror and Hermione was constantly petitioning for some rights or other, whether they be for humans or magical creatures. They had gotten hitched not long after the war, declaring that they couldn't wait any longer, and they weren't the only ones. Luna and Neville had surprised everyone with a whirlwind romance and a quick engagement, and they seemed to be genuinely happy with each other, and Ginny was now engaged to Dean Thomas…or so Harry had heard. I wasn't like he had spent a lot of time over at the Weasley's since his break-up with Ginny two years ago. He just didn't feel as if he was welcome these days.

With a resigned sigh, Harry fixed an almost bored gaze upon the clock resting on the mantle, willing time to pass. But still, it was only just after seven o'clock, and thus, far too early to even contemplate going to bed. And he'd already exhausted the library of Grimmauld place, as well as scrubbing the place from top to bottom, with Kreacher's help, in a desperate attempt to make it somewhat habitable. He briefly contemplated visiting some old school friends, but seeing how successful they had become, how much they were enjoying their lives, left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, and he always had to make excuses to leave before he said something that he would regret.

No matter what he chose to do, however, he knew one thing for sure. He needed out of this house, before the groove in the armchair became a permanent one, and the very sight of sunshine became nothing but a memory.

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A short while later, he was somewhere in the middle of a seemingly never-ending queue that winded around the corner of various buildings, before coming to a stop at Knockturn Alley's newest Wizarding club. He didn't dare enter Diagon Alley just yet – despite the war having had ended a few years prior, Harry's celebrity status unfortunately had not decreased, and any time he set foot outside, he was bombarded with autograph requests and photographs. Thus, Knockturn Alley was as close as he could remain attached to the Wizarding community, without resorting to infiltrating the Muggle one just yet. He may be lonely, but he wasn't that desperate. Yet.

So far, he hadn't seen anybody familiar, and no-one had yet noticed his face – which was hopefully a result of some meticulous grooming and a somewhat effective glamour. It remained like this for a moment, and he shuffled forward ever so slowly as the queue gradually shortened, and finally he was inside the building, the loud boom of music washing over him, causing him to smile softly. Here, he could lose himself in the beat, in the words and in the grinding of bodies. Here, he could hide away from expectations and rumours, and just be Harry. Weaving his way through the mass of writhing bodies, he slipped into a nearby corridor, merely scanning the space for now, in case he suddenly had to get out. It didn't hurt to be too careful when one was Harry Potter.

And that's when he heard it. A faint whimper and then a following bang. His curiosity getting the better of him, he crept forward, hearing what sounded like an argument between two men, one voice louder than the other, and he turned the corner with the intention to intervene, before the two men turned away, the smaller blonde one held in a tight grip by the taller, darker male, who seemed to be physically dragging the former male onto the dance floor. Cursing his inquisitive nature, Harry immediately followed and then promptly lost the two males in the sea of people. Scowling petulantly, Harry huffed and made his way to the bar, and had just settled down on an abandoned bar-stool when the mouthful he had just taken, exploded out of his lips as he blinked in shock at the sight before him.

Out there, in the sea of writhing, grinding bodies were Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, looking far too close to be allowed out in public, in Harry's opinion, yet he found himself unable to tear away his eyes from the rather erotic sight before him. Malfoy's back was pressed against Zabini's chest, the latter male's fingers gripped tightly onto the blonde's hips as he swayed them in time to the beat of the music. As Harry watched, Zabini slowly slid up Malfoy's shirt to reveal a thin torso, and that's when the disgust set in.

Instead of being captivated by the milky white skin that was being displayed in front of him so tantalizingly, Harry couldn't help but focus on the bruises marring Malfoy's otherwise perfect skin. They weren't your usual lovemaking bruises, at least in Harry's opinion. And that was evidently clear now that the two ex-Slytherins were a couple, or there was some very unresolved sexual tension occurring in front of Harry. But then, upon closer inspection – and then Harry wondered when he had left his bar-stool, as he made his way through the clubbers- they weren't even normal bruises at all, unless one associates boot-prints on the skin with good sex, which unless Harry was still that naïve, that definitely wasn't the case. And then Harry noted the look on Malfoy's face as he danced with Zabini, recognising the fear in his eyes and the tension in his thin frame. Was he scared of Zabini? Was he being hurt by him?

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Despite Harry's best intentions, noble in his eyes, to intervene, he knew that he had to be careful. He and Malfoy had never got on (and wasn't that the understatement of the century?), therefore it was highly unlikely the other male would willingly spill his secrets to Harry of all people, and that was providing he could even get the blonde alone for all of five minutes. As Harry stood there, he had seen Zabini's grip tighten around Malfoy's waist, who in turn grimaced before automatically nuzzling backwards as if that was the reaction that was expected of him. And then to every person who dared approach them to ask for a dance, Zabini visibly gritted his teeth and growled at them until they quickly left, the fear in Malfoy's eyes increasing throughout the night.

Praying then, that his disguise would work well enough for his plan to succeed, Harry, like the others, made his way through the dancers and approached the couple with a flirty smirk, eyeing them up and down like he had seen the others do. "Care for a dance?" He murmured huskily, inwardly allowing his eyes to slowly dart between the two men, judging their reactions. And it happened like it had previously – Zabini growled and tightened his grip around the blonde, Malfoy winced and averted his eyes. The only difference this time was that Zabini shot Malfoy a look of pure loathing, before harshly tugging him off of the dance floor and into a nearby corridor, Harry instantly following before their shadows had left the room. Just as he skidded to a halt suddenly, he heard a faint bang and then a soft yelp seconds later. Just managing to separate their voices, he focused on the conversation in front of him:

"What the fuck did I tell you not to do before we left the house, Draco?" Zabini hissed, voice tense with rage, and as Harry peeked around the corner, he saw Zabini slam Malfoy against the wall, glaring down at him. "What were my exact orders?"

"N-not to-" Malfoy stammered out, trembling as he shrunk back from the fierce glare upon Zabini's face, eyes widening. "Y-you-"

"Oh, for fuck's sakes, Draco! And you wonder why I'm the only person who will have your sorry arse!" With that, he grabbed the smaller boy's neck, looking as if he would dearly love to do nothing more than crush the blonde's windpipe. "I told you that you were mine and that you were not to even look at anyone else under any circumstances! Do you remember that little conversation?"

Malfoy nodded jerkily, his fingers trembling by his side as he cringed, making to turn away. Almost instantly, his chin was gripped tightly and his head was whipped around harshly to face that of Zabini's, any protests vanishing in that moment.

"Apparently you've forgotten all about it! Are you such a slut that you will go up to anybody in a bar? Beg for them to fuck you? Am I not enough?" Zabini growled, spitting with rage as he pressed Malfoy against the wall, lifting him up off the ground as the other male kicked out weakly. "You know fine well that no-one else would even dare touch Death Eater Scum like yourself! I pity you, Draco, I really do, and you would do well to apologise, or I'll leave you here to the mercy of everyone. What do you think they would do to an ex-Death Eater?"

Malfoy dropped to the floor suddenly as Zabini relinquished his grip, and the blonde immediately shifted onto his knees, the very picture of submission. "S-sorry, Sir." He whispered, and to Harry's horror, actually kissed the tips of the other male's boots. However, this action seemed to somewhat please Zabini, or at least that's what Harry thought until he backhanded Malfoy across the face, sneering as the blonde let out a wail of pain as he immediately reached up to clutch at his face.

"Now, come on, whore. You've still got to be punished for your disobedience. I think a few Crucio's ought to make you more obedient, don't you think?" Zabini cooed and scooped Malfoy into his arms, apparating out of the building before Harry could even move forward a step.

Malfoy's faint cry of fear echoed in his mind for days after that.

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A/N: I'm back! I have a few other stories planned – some even partially written, but this one wouldn't leave me alone! I have some of it written out in my head, but I have yet to put it down onto paper, so please be patient! I'm planning on this becoming a chaptered fic, although I haven't yet decided on the actual number of chapters.

Also: WARNINGS FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS - domestic violence, swearing, possibility of NSFW material. More warnings will be added if and when I come across them.

Please let me know what you think?

Thank you for reading x