Nowhere Else to Go

Chapter 3

Draco could hardly believe what he was hearing. He had thought by some chance, somehow, a miracle would be waiting on the other side of that door, bearing gifts. That he'd be greeted with a massive stack of money that would solve all his problems. But there was no point in fantasizing about what could have been.

He spent the next two days packing his belongings, selling all that he could. He kept the essentials and now had a few grand in cash to get himself by after having sold nearly everything to his name. He wouldn't live on the street. He refused to do it. He would be ridiculed to no end. He left his apartment finally, and used the money he'd made to buy himself car. It was nothing grand. Hell, it was barely even stable, but it was what he could afford. He moved the last of his belongings into the trunk and got in the driver's seat, leaving his shitty little apartment behind.

Tears stung at his eyes. How could he be at such a low. He honestly thought he had hit rock bottom, but there was of course always a way for the universe to make things worse for him. He gripped the steering wheel tight, his knuckles turning white. His eyes were fixated on the road ahead of him, unmoving. He pulled into a small parking lot and parked his car, hardly able to comprehend that this was his life now. He was living in a goddamn car. He was ashamed. Of himself, his family, his idiotic inability to ask for a bit of damn help and refusal to let go of that last sliver of pride he had left.

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Days passed, most uneventful. He took a few walks in the nature to keep himself sane, but soon enough, his food supply began to slowly but surely diminish. he cursed to himself and opened the glovebox, pulling ten dollars out of the last thirty he had. He got out of the car and walked to the closest store to get himself some food for the night. He made it in with no less than three rude comments about him being, well, alive.

He bought what he could with his money. Mostly some fruit, and a few other food items that would last him a few days. He let out a soft sigh and exited the store, head hanging low. He would head back to his tiny sodding car, try to get a decent night's rest, and eat in the morning.

He had brushed passed someone on the sidewalk, muttering a half-hearted apology before he was whirled around and pushed into the wall of a building. He bit his tongue and let out a breath, trying to first take in his environment and understand just what the hell was happening. Before he could even manage that, he was shoved to the floor in the center of an alleyway, his grocery bag tumbling to the concrete ground and spilling the food inside. He brought himself to his feet and faced the two men who had broken his grocery bag, and what felt like his back.

"the hell do you want" he spat, glaring at the two. He held his ground, despite the aching pain he felt in his ribs. Then the first blow came. A punch straight to his face, hitting him square in the nose with a sickening crunch. Then the next, hitting him just above his left cheekbone. He stumbled back but kept his footing. He had hardly eaten enough in the past few weeks to have a bloody chance against these guys. Not to mention his wand had been taken away from him in exchange for him being allowed to live in public without being legally considered dangerous. He felt the blood dripping down his nose, onto his lips. He panted softly, and opened his mouth to speak again before he was struck once again, falling to the paved ground without having stood a chance.

That's when the kicking began. Cruel words spilled from his tormentors' lips, calling him just about every damn name he'd heard. He soon gave up on resisting. He laid there, a hurricane of endless bruises and cuts being left on his body. He closed his eyes, just praying it would end soon.

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Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes is how long the ordeal lasted. Down until the last second when they finally seemed satisfied with leaving Draco there, alone and on the brink of passing out. He didn't stir for at least an hour, and when he did, pain soared through his entire body. He cursed to himself and let out a shaky breath, making his way back to where his car was parked.

His stomach dropped as he raised his head, his car nowhere to be seen. Fuck. He cursed under his breath and slid down to the ground, leaning back against the wall. He knew full well if he stayed outside he would end up kidnapped, unconscious, or dead. But hell, maybe death wasn't a horrible option at this point.

He picked himself back up and ran a hand through his hair. He was practically trembling, his hands shaky and his whole body freezing in the cold. His nose was certainly broken and his entire body burned with every movement. He started walking. He had to go somewhere, he knew he wouldn't survive on his own in this state. He forced himself to make his way towards the only address he could think of; Harry Potter's.

He made it to his flat in around ten minutes, praying nobody else would decide it was a good day to beat up Draco Malfoy. He stepped up to the door and took in a breath, before knocking.

He was met with silence; of course, it was expected from knocking on a door in the dead of night. He nearly gave up hope, ready to turn around, when he was stopped by the sound of the door slowly opening. Draco swallowed back his fears and held himself together. At least he'd stopped crying, at least Harry didn't have to see his tears.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked, looking him over with nothing but concern and confusion.

"I...." he cringed and took in a breath, pain strung through his voice. "I had nowhere else to go."