Time Heals All Wounds?

Chapter 3-Results

Draco had agreed to meet Granger at the library again at the same time in a week. Nothing of excitement happened during that week, but Draco didn't think he would have noticed otherwise. Harry consumed all his thoughts and the dreams had continued similar to the one he had the night of the Quidditch accident. The urge to be with Harry was driving him crazy because he couldn't approach the boy. His plan wasn't making much progress because Pansy decided it was best to wait for the feedback from Granger.

Once he woke up and realised that today was the day, he quickly got out of bed and took his shower in record time. The soothing smell of his expensive shampoo calming him of his nervous energy. After getting dressed and tidying his hair, he went down to the Great Hall and grabbed a green apple before making his way to the library. He was already sat at the table in the library reading a book when Granger came in and dumped her stuff on the table with a heavy sigh. Draco raised her eyebrow and waited for her to compose herself. Granger took out a piece of parchment and cleared her throat.

"So, I didn't get as much as I had hoped to, but he did tell me a few things." She looked down at the parchment in front of her "He goes to his aunt and uncle's house every summer. He is made to do all the house work during the summer and he gets punished when he does it wrong in any way. He didn't go into much detail, but he was paranoid that I would stop being friends with him after he told me. He has clung to me more than he normally did since that night," Draco stared in shock at what Granger had found out. That was not what he had been expecting at all. The Gryffindor wasn't finished et, however.

"Malfoy, he didn't come out and say it, but I- I think they abuse him. I think that his aunt and uncle abuse him, but no one has done anything about it. He mentioned people leaving him when they heard about his summers, which is why he was reluctant to tell me." Granger worried the piece of parchment on the table as Draco tried to process the information given to him by the girl. Harry being abused. He could see it now. At the beginning of every ear, Harry came back to Hogwarts looking pale and drawn. He had bags under his eyes and his arms were so thin that the veins were easily seen beneath the skin. Every year, Harry had put up with the physical and emotional abuse from his relatives as well as the mental abuse from him. Guilt hit him hard. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. This was bad, but it wasn't a complete disaster. He hoped.

"His family treated him like a House Elf? Is that what you are saying? Granger," he said as the idea dawned on him "the marks that I saw looked intentional, not that of an accident. They were parallel gashes across his back. It was dark so I couldn't see properly, but I think that there was writing as well." Granger and Draco shared a concerned look. They both knew that Granger wouldn't be able to get any more information from Harry about his past without raising suspicion- even if Harry was oblivious to many things, he would become suspicious to a sudden interest about his childhood.

"I am going to win his trust." Draco said abruptly, surprising himself as well as Granger. The girl sat there with wide eyes.

"What?"

"I said that I am going to win Harry's trust. I am going to save Harry Potter.

"And how are you planning to do that exactly, Malfoy?" Granger asked after short pause. Draco smirked at the Gryffindor girl sat across from her.

"That is the idea, Granger. I have a plan and before you say anything, it will work. Never underestimate a plan arranged by a group of Slytherin's." Granger nodded stunned and Draco filled her in on the basic plan that Pansy and Draco had planned with limited help from Blaise. Granger actually giggled when Draco further explained how useless the Italian was, which caused the blonde to look up in surprise. Granger raised an eyebrow in response.

"What, never heard someone laugh before?"

"No! What! Of course, I have! I just didn't expect you to laugh is all." Draco tried to cover up his stuttering thoughts, but one look at the Gryffindor showed that he hadn't managed it. She really was too cleaver for her own good.

"Right. Well believe it or not, I do actually have a sense of humour. Even if I am just a "Mudblood". Blaise reminds me of how useless Ron can be at times. I know he means well, but sometimes I swear he is purposely unhelpful." The girl shrugged and looked up at Draco "Anyway, that is all the information I have for right now. If I get anything else, I will try to get it to you as quickly as possible. I can tell that you really like him, Malfoy." At Granger's words, a blush began to work its way up his neck. He thanked the girl and quickly left the library.

Once back in the dungeons, he walked through the Common Room and into his room. He sat on his bed and thought about what he had been told. His Harry. His Harry has been abused for years. But, no one had done anything. No one had tried to protect him, or get him out. Draco hadn't realised that he was pacing the length of his room until he heard a knock at the door. The blonde looked up to see Pansy and Blaise stood in the doorway watching him. He waved them in and shut the door. Once the two were seated in the armchairs near the fireplace- a benefit of being a Malfoy- he recited what information he had been told. When he had finished, he stopped pacing and looked at his friends. Pansy looked like she was about to cry and Blaise had gone pale.

"We need to help him, Dray. He needs to know that people can love him." Pansy told him, her voice thick with emotion and unshed tears. Draco nodded his conformation and walked over to where the large board was hidden. He wheeled it over to the other two and they quietly began to discuss how to proceed. They had to change a few things due to the recent information, but Draco was relieved that he had known before it was too late.

Eventually, Pansy decided that the best course of action would to buy some stuff from Honeydukes and give it to Harry. It was a pretty sure bet that the boy had never had many things from a sweet shop before and the small gesture wouldn't be as invasive as their original plan. Due to Harry's past, small steps would be required to win the boy over. Too much at once could scare him off. The first Hogsmeade trip was this weekend, so it was shaping up well. Once the details had been sorted, Draco looked and saw that dinner would be starting soon so, after the board had been safely stored, the three left Draco's room and headed for the Great Hall. The entire way there, Draco couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Soon, he would have Harry for his own and he would ensure that the boy was never sad again.