Summary:

When Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts after the war, he has to reorient his life in a castle full of old feuds and new scars, overwhelmed with finding a new role for himself and plagued by recurring nightmares. Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy, his parents in prison and his future uncertain, has to relearn navigating a world in which he has no power, no friends, and many enemies.

Borne out of necessity, the two form a most unlikely alliance, and what starts as taking advantage of each other's skillset and experience turns into an unexpected friendship and eventually more, because as it turns out, time doesn't heal all wounds and not everyone is ready to bury the past…

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Content warnings: bullying, nightmares, substance abuse, canon-typical violence, abusive upbringing