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Harry Potter had earnt himself his first detention of his final year at Hogwarts in the second week of October when he had discreetly jinxed Zachariah Smith after watching the Hufflepuff student trip Draco Malfoy as he walked by. The fact that he had never much liked Zachariah meant it wasn’t a stretch for him to reach for his wand however it was the lack of reaction from Malfoy that had really forced Harry’s hand. He was used to withering glares and snide comments, some flicker of anger but there was only a resigned, somewhat annoyed look on his face as he bent to pick his books from where he dropped them.

Harry didn’t like the way students walked by.

The stinging hex that hit Zachariah had been powerful.

Unfortunately, Harry hadn’t realised that McGonagall was coming down the corridor towards Smith at the time and quickly clocked Harry behind him. Harry could’ve been as discreet as he liked but nothing got past McGonagall.

‘I don’t like people being jinxed when there back is turned’ She had said to Harry, pulling him out of the flow of students after sending Smith smartly to the hospital wing

‘And I don’t like bullying.’ Harry shot back quickly.

McGonagall’s nostrils flared.

‘I didn’t see what he did Potter, if I had you know I wouldn’t have tolerated it either, but for the moment you cannot take things into your own hands like this. Whether you like it or not you are a role model to a lot of these students and your actions have consequences. I will see you in my office Wednesday evening.’

Harry had seethed as he walked away but he had not missed the curious grey eyes that watched him as he passed.

That Wednesday found him in McGonagall’s office but to his surprise not alone.

As he sat down at a desk Malfoy himself had walked in and sat down a few seats ahead. He found himself staring perplexed at the back of a blonde head trying to work out what Malfoy had done to end up here.

They had begun to write lines but a few minutes in McGonagall had excused herself from the room to deal with a ‘student issue’ and had left with the instruction that she expected them to continue with their work without distraction. This was accompanied with a rather pointed look.

Despite having ended up in this detention for defending Malfoy everyone still expected them to be at each other’s throats.

‘Malfoy’ He said, trying to catch the boy’s attention, from where he sat a few seats up ahead of Harry.

‘What?’ Came the bored response, the owner not even looking up from the piece of parchment he was writing on. .

‘Can we just agree to get along,’ It felt weird to say the words to the back of his head and Harry felt that old irritation at the git as the other boy continued to write on his price of parchment. ‘I don’t care if it means we just stay out of each other’s way or whatever I can’t be bothered to hate you anymore.’

Malfoy had snorted and turned around in his seat to look at him.

‘Potter I don’t hate you.’

‘Really?’ He had asked, genuinely surprised.

‘I would’ve died in the room of requirement, I owe you.’ He said with a twirl of the quill in his hand, it wasn’t as fine as the quills he had once seen him use.

‘And you didn’t give me up at Malfoy manner, I know you knew it was me, we’re even.

‘You actively defended me and my mother at The Trials. At best I wouldn’t have been able to come back here, at worst I would’ve been sent to Azkaban.

‘Your mother saved my life and you hardly acted of your own free will. Is the only reason you’ve not been actively annoying me out of some bizarre sense that you owe me something?’ He asked.

Malfoy gave him a measuring look.

‘That and fear of your ever present and surprisingly aggressive fan base.’ He said.

Harry couldn’t stop the snort that came out. There always seemed to be one group of students trailing him around the castle and on occasion he has taken to ducking under the cloak to avoid them.

‘But no, I agree with you on one thing Potter, I’m too tired to bother making badges or compose songs.’ Malfoy said as he turned back to his page.

‘They were wonderful songs.’ Harry said with a grin.

‘Wow, Potter-endorsed and everything.’ Malfoy replied with amusement.

‘And I once threw one of those badges at Ron’s head.’ He said. He didn’t know why he was telling Malfoy that other than out of some baffling desire to hear that laugh again. There was something missing from Malfoy’s grey eyes. A light that Harry had always expected to see whenever he and Malfoy were butting heads that Harry hadn’t seen since well before the war.

Malfoy turned slowly in his chair.

‘I would’ve loved to see that.’ He said with such sincerity it made Harry laugh.

‘I bet you would’ve.’ He said looking back down at his own work in front of him.

‘Unfortunately for me, Weasley’s just about as Holy as you now, Granger too. Can’t go around hating them anymore either.’

It had been somewhat satisfying to see Ron and Hermione hate the attention he had always retrieved and he had tried not to take too much pleasure in telling them to ‘just ignore it’ as they had always told him.

‘Well you could. You shouldn’t because they’re great but technically you could.’ Harry said, wondering if Malfoy was actually trying to encourage banter between them.

‘Yeah well, I’m just focusing on getting through the school year, I’ll avoid giving anyone any extra incentives to kill me. Terrorising the ‘golden trio’ definitely wouldn’t help me on that mission.’ He said grinning when Harry all but hissed at the nickname he and his friends had been given.

The comment could’ve been self-pitying but Malfoy spoke so rationally and calmly it didn’t seem that he was trying to get sympathy, he just seemed to be stating a fact.

Harry decided it was time to change the subject.

‘What did you do to end up here?’ He asked.

‘I jinxed some sixth year for calling me a fag,’ He said, ‘He may have been correct but I don’t appreciate the slur.’

Harry’s brain took a moment to catch up.

‘Correct?’ He asked, puzzled.

‘Yes Potter, I’m gay.’ He said in an exasperated voice.

That was new information to him.

‘Huh,’ Harry said processing the information slowly, ‘Ginny does like to say that ‘everyone’s a lot gayer than you think.’ Harry mused.

‘Yes, well she definitely proved that didn’t she, she and Luna make a good couple, I’m glad Luna’s happy.’ The comment could’ve been considered sarcastic but the softness with which he talked about Luna was all the convincing Harry needed of his genuine happiness for her.

Harry had wanted to ask questions about that but decided he didn’t want to push his luck. He knew from Luna only bits and pieces about her time at Malfoy manner but he did know she had struck up some kind of bizarre friendship with Malfoy. Two teenagers that were prisoner in that house not one. It had been another reason he’d gone to defend Malfoy at The Trials.

‘I’m surprised you aren’t seeing anyone; I would’ve thought you’d have your pick of the guys.’ Harry said without thinking.

‘What makes you say that,’ Malfoy asked slowly as he turned to look at Harry again. His entire attention had shifted to Harry.

Harry suddenly realised it was a very dumb thing to have said.

‘Oh well you know… the hair and…the tattoo and the… cheekbones.’ He gestured vaguely at Malfoy who had a small smirk playing across his lips. ‘Also, the whole bad boy thing.’ He finished lamely looking anywhere but at him.

Harry had barely recognised Malfoy when he had returned to Hogwarts.

Not being at war and no longer having the Dark Lord staying in his house had obviously done wonders for Malfoy. He had filled out again, no longer looking ill and gaunt as Harry had last seen him. His pale hair was brighter and longer, down to his collar bones, and he would often pull it back from his face. On one occasion Harry had even watched at the breakfast table as Pansy had braided it back in a French plait that Harry had thought about for longer than he would’ve admitted to. There was a thick tattoo wrapped around his forearm where his dark mark had once been and there were even several hoops in each of his ears and one through his nose. The whole effect was rather distracting.

Malfoy stood up from his chair stalking towards where Harry was sitting, that small smirk still on his face.

The way Malfoy spoke to Harry and the way he acted around him had the same charge it had always had, created the same energy in Harry that it always had, but now that the anger and the violence had gone out of it, it felt completely different. He felt almost magnetised to the boy standing in front of him, sleeves rolled up, tattoo on full display.

He leant his forearms down on the desk where Harry sat so that he was suddenly very close to Harry.

‘Cheekbones, hmm?’ He said, his eyebrows raised. ‘Do I take it Potter, that you quite like a bad boy?’ his voice huskier than Harry had heard it before.

‘Call me Harry.’ He said breathlessly.

Before Malfoy could reply, McGonagall had walked back into the room and stopped dead at the scene as both Harry and Malfoy’s heads snapped in her direction.

‘If you could reclaim your seat Mr Malfoy, this is a punishment, not an opportunity to… socialise.’

Malfoy had snorted at that while Harry had gone bright red.

Whether McGonagall thought Malfoy and Harry were arguing or indeed ‘socialising’ Harry didn’t know but he almost jumped out of his seat as soon as McGonagall said they could leave and in seconds was dazedly walking down the corridor, slinging his bag on his shoulder, as he made his way towards the Great Hall.

‘Potter!’

He stopped dead in his tracks before turning to see Malfoy striding towards him.

‘I told you to call me Harry.’ He said

‘Only if you call me Draco.’

‘Deal.’

‘Deal.’

Harry grinned.

They walked on in silence for a bit before they got to the entrance hall and began to split towards their own respective common rooms.

‘Till the next detention, Harry,’ Draco said as he walked backwards towards the Dungeons.

‘Or before then.’ Harry said, and immediately blushed when Draco smirked, turned and walked away.

*

Harry had gone over and over everything that had happened in the detention over and over in his head.

Every time he caught the sight of white blonde hair or a flash of grey eyes he was reminded of Draco and his cheekbones and his forearms.

The classes they shared were never an opportunity to talk, either sat too far away or not getting paired up.

He was twitchy and distracted to the point that even Hermione and Ron, occupied with each other as they so often were nowadays, noticed.

The whole thing felt so much like 6th year Harry felt he was living in a near constant state of déjà vu. It wasn’t suspicion though that made him want to be close to Draco though. He didn’t really know what it was.

Maybe he just wanted to see those eyes sparkle again while they spoke.

That thought alone made so little sense to him it gave him a headache.

His salvation came in the form of an interhouse 8th year party.

The parties had been started by the 8th year Hufflepuffs who, having taken McGonagall’s calls for interhouse unity to heart, had invited all the returning 8th year students to a party hosted in the room of requirement.

When Harry had received his invite he had been very curious over the state of the room, having been severely damaged by fiend fire during the battle, but as with many things in Hogwarts the room seemed to have mysteriously repaired itself and the party was a roaring success.

It had started a chain of fortnightly parties with the different houses rotating hosting duties and, on this occasion, it had been Slytherin’s turn to host.

Unlike the other houses they had gone all out. Usually houses would supply a table of drinks and snacks, music for dancing and occasionally have some cards or some Knick knacks for some game or other they wanted to play. The Slytherins however had made everything Halloween themed, from the orange, black, purple and green streamers everywhere to the carved jack-o-lanterns bobbing around the room providing flickering candlelight. As Harry stepped towards the table laden with food and drink, grabbing butterbeers for himself and his friends he noticed the apple bobbing that Lavender and Pavarti were doing and Seamus and Dean at a pumpkin carving station, the latter laughing uproariously as the former carved a very large dick into his pumpkin.

‘The Slytherins should host more often.’ Ron said appreciatively as he looked around the room, and Harry and Hermione could only nod in agreement.

Harry had talked, laughed and danced the night away only settling down at around 2am into one of the comfy chairs around the edges of the room, bathed in shadow so as to hide the occupants from others in the room. Harry wasn’t sure if this was deliberate but it was effective and a nice touch.

Whilst Harry had genuinely had an enjoyable evening, he had still been plagued by the distraction that was Malfoy.

He had caught glimpses of him around the room, talking to different students, dancing with Pansy and even drinking with Luna and Ginny who weren’t actually 8th years but were always invited to the parties as honorary members.

He never spoke to or approached Harry but he couldn’t get over the feeling that Draco might be watching him at different points over the course of the night.

For that reason he had almost jumped out of his skin when he had turned to his left and seen the person he had just been thinking about sitting on the chair a few away from his.

‘Malfoy.’ He blurted out, before his alcohol addled brain could stop him.

Draco turned and smiled when he saw it was Harry before he stood gracefully and dropped onto the sofa with Harry.

‘I thought we were calling each other by our actual names.’ He said.

‘Shit yeah, sorry Draco.’

‘I’m sure I’ll find it in my heart to forgive you.’ Came the calm response.

‘The whole party is very cool,’ Harry said, searching for something to say, ‘You guys really went all out.’

‘Yeah we had a lot of fun with it, wanted it to be good.’ Draco said as he looked around surveying the room, butterbeer in hand.

‘Are these chairs bewitched?’ Harry asked.

Draco chuckled.

‘It was Blaise’s idea, he wanted to be able to pull people aside to have his wicked way with,’ he said turning to Harry with a evil grin, ‘but he likes to stay near to the party. It’s a cocktail of different charms that make it both difficult to see and also stop people from wanting to see.’ Draco answered.

‘It’s very clever.’ Harry said, trying to hide his blush that had been caused by the insinuation that the chairs around the room were specifically so that couples could make out undetected.

Harry had to stop himself from staring at Draco’s lips.

As they sat chatting Harry couldn’t help but notice that whenever they spoke, whilst it always started friendly it descended into something more seductive.

One-minute Harry would be laughing at Draco’s exasperation over Slughorn and the next Harry would be making Draco laugh at a well-timed innuendo, the kind he would never have thought he would be telling Draco. He was addicted to making Draco laugh though, it made his eyes dance.

Draco caught Harry looking at his lips after one such joke and he just smiled that cocky smile, taking a sip from his beer, his grey eyes burning.

‘I want to try something Draco.’ Harry said after a moment, completely mesmerised.

Draco didn’t say anything but he stayed very still and continued to watch Harry with those bright grey eyes.

Harry learnt forward slowly to give Draco a chance to stop, watching him carefully before closing his eyes and gently pressed his lips against Draco’s. It was short, chaste even but sweet and Harry pulled back and opened his eyes.

They stared at each other for a beat.

Suddenly, before Harry could think, they were moving and their lips collided. Draco’s hands were in Harry’s hair pulling at the messy strands and his own were on Draco’s waist pulling him closer, holding on tight enough to bruise. Draco’s lips on his made his whole body burn with desire and Harry groaned loudly as his tongue danced with Draco’s, lips moving hard against each other’s. His hands slipped under Draco’s shirt and Draco climbed into Harry’s lap in response allowing Harry to wrap his arms all the way around Draco’s waist, arching his spine off the sofa with a gasp when Draco tugged on Harry’s hair. Harry nipped at his lip in retaliation and enjoyed the feeling of Draco shuddering from his ministrations.

A loud crash behind them made Harry jump and they broke apart.

Harry watched, panting, as a Ravenclaw girl began to collect the broken shards of a glass she had dropped, Draco extricated himself from Harry’s lap, falling back onto the seat and scrubbing at his eyes. When Harry turned to look at Draco, still breathing heavily, his heart sank. Draco wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Harry tried to think of something to say but couldn’t come up with anything, his brain still spinning far too fast to make sense of anything that had just happened and instead waited for Draco to say something.

Eventually Draco stood and turned to Harry at last as he did.

‘Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret that, but you need to decide if this is who you are and what you want.’ He said before turning and striding across the room, flicking his wand at the girl still collecting broken shards and repairing the glass in her hands.

Harry sat dazed and confused for a long time for a long time.

*

Over the next few days every single one of Harry’s thoughts seemed to be consumed by Draco.

It felt like every time he got the blonde out of his head he would catch a glimpse of him walking down the hall or he would be in Harry’s next class.

It was one night when Harry realised that yet again he was unconsciously searching for Draco’s dot on the Marauders Map that he fell back onto his bed and threw his glasses off scrubbing at his eyes.

Did he really like Draco? The answer to that had to be yes.

He thought about him constantly, was hyper aware of his presence whenever they were in the same room, he had even cropped up in his dreams.

Their kiss had certainly been the best one he’d had yet.

But did this mean he was gay too? He’d never even considered it before, he had definitely had crushes on Cho and Ginny but if he was being honest with himself that was probably true of Cedric as well.

He stared up at the blurry red canopy above his head, shocked at this new way of thinking about himself.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, grabbed his glasses and put them on as he raced down the stairs to the common room. Ron and Hermione were sat in front of the common room fire, Ron’s head in Hermione’s lap with his eyes closed as she read her book, one hand absently playing with his orange hair, the firelight making them both look calm and peaceful. They were alone in the common room but Harry thought they probably wouldn’t have even noticed if it was packed, completely at peace in each other’s presence.

‘Can I talk to you two?’ He said in a rush as he walked over to them.

Ron opened his eyes as Hermione looked up from her book and smiled.

‘Course you can, you idiot.’ Ron said eyes closing again, but he opened them when Hermione flicked his forehead.

She looked concerned as she watched Harry, obviously catching something of the wildness in Harry’s eye.

Ron sat up.

‘Cool, okay then, fuck.’ He said, running his hand distractedly through his hair.

‘Take your time.’ Hermione said gently.

‘What she said.’ Ron said, ignoring Hermione when she glared at him.

‘Right then, I think I’m gay.’ Harry said determinedly.

‘Merlin, another one.’ Ron said falling back into Hermione’s lap.

‘Ron!’ She admonished, shoving at his shoulders until he sat up again.

‘Your best friend just admitted something that must have been affecting him for a long time and that’s how you respond!’ She cried, ‘How long have you known?’ She asked as she turned to Harry again.

‘About two minutes.’ Harry replied fighting to keep his face neutral at the absurdity of it all.

Ron was less successful and laughed loudly until even Hermione was smiling.

‘Nah I must’ve I’ve always known I just didn’t realise until recently that something wasn’t adding up, it all just kind of clicked.’

‘You and Ginny are a right pair aren’t you.’ Ron said, still grinning.

‘Are you fully gay then?’ Hermione asked.

‘No idea, I’ve definitely had crushes on girls so I’d guess no, I just know I’m not straight.’

‘That’s a relief, the girls in this place would’ve had a riot.’ Ron said.

‘So, you’re both definitely okay with this?’ He asked, needing that tiny bit more clarification.

‘Of course we are, doesn’t matter to us, does it?’ Ron said, looking to Hermione.

‘No,’ She said determinedly, ‘As long as you’re happy.’

Whilst Harry had logically known they would be fine about it, it was immediately a weight off his mind.

The next problem was Draco himself.

Harry had assumed that Draco’s departing comment had been that Harry needed to decide whether or not he was straight and then actually talk to Draco but with every day that had gone by he had begun to question whether or not that was actually just Draco’s kinder way of saying that he wasn’t interested. But then how could he have kissed Harry like that?

Harry went roun4d and round in circles.

*

When Harry had returned to Hogwarts there had been a certain element of awe that followed him around. He was used to it and it certainly had its advantages when it meant he could sprint through any corridor, the crowds parting for him like the red sea, when he was late for his lessons.

He had even enjoyed watching Hermione and Ron having to deal with the hero worship properly for the first time. It had worn off on Hermione quickly, especially as in the beginning she had barely gotten enough peace and quiet from nosy students to open a book and Harry had watched the frustration grow in his friend with a tiny edge of smugness. Harry had always figured, however, that Ron would have been delighted with the newfound fame and attention, something that Harry had assumed he had desperately wanted, but just like Hermione it had seemed to grow old pretty quickly. In Ron’s case he had suddenly become much more popular with the ladies, but as a result of Hermione, he had no interest and his turning down of dates had gotten shorter and snappier as the weeks had gone on. His scowls had frightened off even the most determined of girls.

However, the air of untouchability that surrounded Harry certainly had its disadvantages too. One such example had come to light when in his new defence against the dark arts class, with its 13 students, he suddenly came up short without a partner. The class consisted of 2 Slytherins, 5 Gryffindors, 2 Hufflepuffs and 4 Ravenclaws and naturally, despite McGonagall’s best efforts towards interhouse unity the students paired up within their houses. Ron and Hermione had automatically looked to each other when their new teacher had called on them to form pairs but then immediately offered to work in a three, switching in and out with Harry.

Professor Palmore, a hardened ex-auror witch had other ideas for Harry offering to pair up him instead.

‘I think,’ She murmured to him quietly, ‘That you and I would be better suited, you can keep me practised and I can help perfect and sharpen your technique’ She offered.

Harry had taken an instant liking to her, she was precise and brilliant with a wand but firm and took no nonsense from anyone, even Harry.

Under her instruction he had been mastering non-verbal spells.

Having settled into this routine Harry hadn’t realised as soon as one person wasn’t present he would find himself with a new partner. With the autumn in full swing and the number of cold and flu cases in the castle rising it had only been a matter of time. In this case it was Pansy Parkinson, one of the two Slytherins in their class, that had been ill and failed to show. Her usual partner, one such Draco Malfoy, was suddenly alone.

‘Looks like you won’t be needing me today Potter,’ Palmore said as the room divided into pairs as usual and Draco reported Pansy’s sickness, ‘Pair up with Mr Malfoy’

She looked calm and even as ever but there was a slight narrowness to her eyes that Harry knew meant she wasn’t sure how this would play out, if getting two notoriously rivalled students to duel was a good idea.

Harry would have been angry that so many people thought he hated Draco if it weren’t for the fact that it had been so true for so many years. He had hated Draco, could one person really develop a crush on someone they had once loathed so much?

‘I hope I can trust you both.’ She added, looking slightly longer at Draco.

Harry grit his teeth, hating the implication on Draco’s behalf, but Draco was his usual charming self.

‘Of course, Professor.’ He said politely before walking away a few steps and taking a duelling stance, withdrawing his wand from his robe sleeve as he did so.

Harry breathed deeply through his nose before he replicated the stance.

‘Been thinking about me much Potter?’ Draco asked with a smirk and Harry’s mouth dropped open. The room was loud enough with the sounds of other partners duelling that Harry was not worried about people listening in but the question shocked him and sent his brain spiralling away from the fight.

Draco took his chance and began the duel with a quick jinx, taking the offense immediately and Harry gasped and focused on shielding and blocking himself from the worse of the attacks. He had started out on a back foot which was unusual for him and he had to concentrate on defending himself whilst looking for an opening to change the direction of the fight.

He was aware of Palmore watching them duelling carefully and flushed, he had always done well in their duels and he didn’t want her to think he struggling all of a sudden.

‘I thought we were calling each other by our actual names.’ Harry said through gritted teeth, avoiding a particularly fierce looking stinging hex.

‘More difficult to do that when I’m actually fighting you again.’ Draco said, but there was nothing malicious in his voice, in fact he sounded more teasing.

A quick move from Harry had him on the offense and Draco moving back accommodating to defence.

It felt like they were duelling for hours, every time Harry was beginning to get the upper hand to a point where he could finish the fight Draco would say something, quietly enough, to distract him and quickly take the offense. As time wore on though Harry could tell that Harry was getting the offense back quicker and Draco was having to defend himself harder. He was waiting for Draco’s distracting comment when he suddenly realised that it wasn’t going to come, the class had grown quieter without the sound of duelling students and Harry realised people around the room where watching them, the last fighters standing, talking to their partners, Harry was pretty sure Dean and Seamus were betting on them.

It seemed Draco would rather lose the fight than say something too risky in front of such a large audience. It seemed like maybe Draco didn’t want to out Harry and something about that almost made Harry want to throw the fight.

But Draco was getting slower and sloppier as he tired and Harry was finally able to end the duel when Draco’s wand shot out of his hands and he relaxed his fighting stance and put his hands up in surrender.

They were both sweating and panting at the end and the room was quiet for a moment. Harry couldn’t help the small self-satisfied smile that tugged at his lips.

‘Well if you couldn’t beat me it would’ve ruined your rather impressive track record.’ Draco said, taking his wand back from Amelia Bones as she handed it to him and offering her a polite smile in return.

‘Duelling skills like that would’ve been useful on Harry’s side of the Battle back in May.’ Said a snide voice.

The smile slipped off Draco’s face and Harry whirled, already seething, to look at Zachariah Smith.

Smith had the decency to look worried as Harry advanced on him, wand still in hand.

He heard the classroom door slam and turned his head, Draco was gone.

He turned back to Smith.

‘I don’t remember you at the Battle either Smith, I remember you abandoning the DA, I don’t remember you ever having to think about fighting your own family, I remember you being a self-absorbed prick, so I suggest you keep that fat mouth of yours shut about things you don’t understand a damn about.’ He said he voice dangerously quiet.

‘Come on mate,’ Ron said, a hand on his shoulder pulling him away, ‘He’s not worth it.’

Harry was pacified to see that Ron, Hermione and many members of the classroom were glaring at Smith too, who seemed defiant in the face of it, glaring straight back at them all.

The bell rang and Palmore called for the class to disperse.

‘Potter may I have a word.’ She asked over the clamour or students grabbing bags and leaving the room.

Harry grimaced, told Hermione and Ron he’d meet them at lunch, and went to get scolded for losing his temper with another student, but once again Palmore surprised him.

‘I just was wondering if you noticed what Malfoy was doing?’ She asked calmly.

‘What?’ Harry asked in surprise, having anticipated an entirely different line of questioning.

‘Mr Malfoy is a very intelligent young man, I think he realised he wasn’t going to beat your skills and experience so every time you were starting to get the upper hand, he distracted you, he was doing it purposefully.

If he thought about it, it made sense, he just hadn’t thought Draco had come out with a game plan. Then again as Palmore had said, he was incredibly smart. But that wasn’t what he first thought about

‘You heard all that?’ Harry asked, not quite sure how to react to the information.

‘If you want to perfect your duelling you need to work on fighting that ability for your opponent to distract you.’

‘Okay’ Harry said, beginning to turn towards the door

‘I imagine that if you could find him, he might appreciate some company.’ Palmore said, and there was a clarity in the way that she looked at Harry that made him feel both slightly self-conscious and gave him the impression she no longer believed as most people did that he hated Malfoy, quite the opposite.

‘Sure.’ Harry said before grabbing his bag and ducking out of the room.

‘Oh and Potter,’ Harry turned, ‘My lips are sealed.’ She said with a small smile.

*

With the help of the Marauders map it had not taken Harry long to find the person he was looking for.

The blonde head was leant against the wall, eyes closed, breathing even.

If Harry could hadn’t watched him frown to himself as he sat there, he would not have believed he was awake.

‘Draco?’

His eyes snapped open and stared at him.

The grey eyes were empty and it actually frightened Harry, seeing them going from being so alive in the middle of their duelling to so dull, upsetting in a way that Harry couldn’t explain.

They closed lazily and his head rested back against the wall.

Harry walked slowly into the astronomy tower and slid down the wall till he was sitting next to him.

‘You okay?’ He asked tentatively.

‘I heard about what you said.’ Draco said, ignoring the question.

‘Really?’ Harry asked, surprised.

‘Mmm hmm, they were all talking about it in the corridor, Harry Potter yet again standing up for Draco Malfoy, always bound to cause a buzz.’ He said quietly.

‘Do you want me not to stand up for you?’ Harry asked, slightly hurt

‘It’s not that, it just reminds me of The Trials, digs up old wounds.’ Draco replies

‘I can understand that that would suck for you.’ Harry said carefully

Draco grunted.

‘I don’t think I actually ever properly said thank you for that,’ Draco said after a few minutes, ‘Not in person,’ he interrupted when Harry went to correct him thinking of the letter he had received three days after the verdict.

‘Yeah well it was a rough time.’ Harry said

‘Shut up.’ Draco said with a tired laugh.

‘What?’

‘You always do that, you’re too forgiving, you give too much and expect nothing in return.’ Draco said, finally turning his head and opening his eyes to look at Harry.

Harry didn’t know how to respond.

‘You stuck your neck out for me and my mum at The Trials and you wouldn’t except anything in return.’

‘I couldn’t help your dad.’ Harry stated.

‘As if that cancels out what you did,’ Draco said, and once again closed his eyes, turned his head and leant back against the wall. ‘Anyway, he tried to kill you multiple times, he deserves to be where he is.’

Harry stared incredulously at Draco who didn’t look at him but must have understood Harry’s silence because his lips twitched.

‘I don’t like it necessarily, but I understand it.’ He amended. ‘Well, I don’t know the whole thing is very confusing to me.’ He said scrubbing at his face with his hands.

There was another long pause.

‘I should be there too.’ He murmured quietly.

Harry was instantly furious and he grabbed Draco’s chin, making him look at him. His eyes flew wide and Harry could’ve laughed at the look of shock on Draco’s face if he hadn’t been so mad.

‘No you shouldn’t.’ He growled, his voice once again going quiet instead of loud with his anger.

Draco stared into Harry’s eyes, his grey eyes searching Harry’s. He didn’t respond and Harry’s hand dropped from Draco’s chin, falling into his lap.

‘I made some bad choices.’ Draco said quietly.

‘I think you had a lack of choice,’ Harry said, ‘I think we’re both teenagers who should never have had to make the decisions we made, to even be in the situations we were in.’

‘And yet you still managed to make better decisions than I did, with everything over your head.’ Draco said twisting a silver ring round his index finger. Harry thought it might have had a crest on it.

‘Yeah well my parents weren’t being threatened, everyone has a price,’ Harry said as he watched Draco twist the ring, ‘I made my decisions to protect the family I have just like you did.’

Draco looked up at Harry then.

‘I’m not going to be able to convince you I’m a bad person, am I?’ He said, eyes dull.

‘Do you still believe in blood supremacy?’ Harry asked bluntly.

Draco chuckled tiredly.

‘I don’t think I ever did, just repeated the things I heard my dad say, the things I thought would make people think I was cool and important. Backfired a bit.’ He said sighing, turning to look at Harry.

Harry kissed him, fast and short and sweet, once again surprising Draco

‘I wouldn’t want to kiss you like that,’ He said, inches from Draco’s lips, ‘If you really were a bad person.’

‘I thought you liked a bad boy Potter.’ He said, a lightness coming back into his tone, as a small smirk twitched at his lips.

Harry groaned and shoved him in the shoulder as Draco laughed.

‘Not gonna live that down for a while, am I?’ He asked, but he couldn’t stop the grin that stretched across his face at the sound of Draco laughing.

‘Knowing what gets under Harry Potter’s skin is precious information, and I intend to abuse it.’ he said playfully.

‘How very Slytherin of you.’ Harry said, standing up and grabbing Draco’s hand to pull him up too. ‘Let’s go get some food, ever seen the Hogwarts kitchens?’

‘Oh of course, the intrepid Gryffindor explorer knows where they are,’ He said in a mocking tone, but he sounded excited at the idea and his eyes were bright.

He didn’t let go of Harry’s hand.

*

The weeks seemed to carry on that way. Harry and Draco would meet around the castle for hours at a time to wonder around, talk and make out. No matter how many times they met up he never grew bored of the time. He thought the electric atmosphere would fade but it didn’t.

But spending every spare moment he could with Draco meant it was becoming more difficult to balance his school work and his commitments and he’d even asked Hermione to help draw him up a timetable, obviously not mentioning what he was doing with several of his evenings and lunchtimes.

Finally being able to get back into Quidditch and on a broom again had been like realising he’d been missing a limb for months and then finally getting it back. Returning as the captain and still with his sixth-year team intact had given the Gryffindor team an advantage over the others that Harry had been exploiting. With the help of regular practise and genuine enthusiasm Harry was enthusiastic about the team’s chances.

They had already beaten the Hufflepuffs 230-140 in the November match.

Harry wasn’t going to let his team relax though and he’d been pushing the team hard at practise.

The session had been wet, cold and long and it had been dark for a while before they finally finished. The few spectators that had come to watch had left long before the end, none of them staying to face the sheeting December rain. Harry had eventually blown the whistle and called the team down for a quick briefing before sending them on their way out of the cold.

The last thing he needed was for anyone to get sick.

He had to stay behind to put the equipment away and by the time he went into the changing room most of the team members were on their way out, eager to get back to Gryffindor common room with the warm fire and hot cocoa waiting.

‘Want me to wait?’ Ron asked as Harry trudged in, his broom over his shoulder, his red hair plastered to his face and his robes hastily thrown over his training gear so he could head back up to the castle.

‘No I want to take a shower, I don’t want to have to walk up to the castle like this,’ He said, gesturing down to himself. Over the course of the training session he had executed a poorly timed dive that had resulted in him coming off his broom and skidding into the muddy pitch. He had been covered head to toe in muck. ‘Don’t wait up for me.’ He added.

Ron grinned, nodded and headed out the door and up towards the castle.

Harry smiled to himself.

The changing rooms were equipped with showers but they weren’t often used due to the fact that there were no stalls or partitions, if you wanted to shower you had to do it in front of anyone in the changing room.

This was not a popular option for any members of the Gryffindor team, most preferred to shower back in the dorms in Gryffindor tower but if the room was empty Harry quite enjoyed the peace and quiet.

He flicked on the wireless that Cootes had brought down to listen to at the beginning of the year, claiming that it helped calm his nerves, and pulled off his dirty robes and stepped into the already steaming shower.

Harry let his eyes go out of focus as he stood in the spray from the shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water loosening the muscles that had gone tight from the effort of the quidditch training.

He watched the water track down his glasses and felt as his body slowly defrosted.

Despite the soft crooning from the wireless, the hot water, the empty changing room something niggled at the back of Harry’s mind, the vague sense that something wasn’t right that stopped him from fully relaxing. He tried to distract himself hoping it was the action of showering in a potentially public place but he knew it wasn’t that.

He was about to turn so that his back wasn’t to the door when he heard it. A rustle, something moving, there was someone in this changing room with him.

Harry froze, his mind going blank. Why the fuck didn’t he bring his wand. There were still death eaters at large, could one of them have snuck back into Hogwarts for revenge? Lucked out on finding him here, quite literally with his trousers down?

He focused on keeping his breathing normal even as his heart raced uncontrollably, listening for even the quietest noise over the gentle patter of the water on the bathroom floor.

Suddenly a slender pale hand wrapped around his waist and he felt as a body pressed up behind him.

He breathed out deeply, recognising the elegant fingers splayed against his abdomen.

‘Sneaking up on me is not a good idea, I was getting ready to hex you at the first sound you made.’ He said, turning his head to the side slightly so he could see blonde hair and a pointed nose in his periphery, the head resting gently on his shoulder.

‘Shit I didn’t even think of that, I just wanted to surprise you.’ Draco said and Harry could hear the wince in his voice.

‘Mission accomplished.’ Harry said with a chuckle.

‘Good thing I’m so stealthy.’ Draco replied, pressing a kiss to Harry’s jaw

Now that he was no longer panicking about being attacked by revenge-hungry maniacs he was suddenly very aware that there was a man stood behind him in the shower and he was naked.

Harry was not exactly a stranger to this, things has happened between Ginny and himself but there has never been the current between them that existed between himself and Draco, and he desperately didn’t want to screw this up.

They had never really spoken about taking their relationship any further, Harry had thought about it but he had never wanted to say anything, had never wanted to put any pressure on Draco.

It seemed as though Draco had thought about it as well.

The two hands on his chest were splayed, and Draco gradually dragged one of them further up over Harry’s pecs.

‘Is this okay?’ Draco asked quietly but clearly, pressing kisses to Harry’s neck and jaw as his fingers slowly explored Harry’s chest.

‘Yes.’ Harry replied somewhat breathlessly as seemingly all the blood in his body went south.

‘And this?’ Draco asked as the other hand trailed lower, inching over the ridges of his muscle past his belly button.

‘Yes.’ Harry said again, his body near humming in anticipation.

‘What about this?’ Draco said huskily, as a pale hand wrapped around Harry’s now hard dick.

Harry just groaned.

Draco’s hand didn’t move.

‘Yes, damn it, yes.’ He said impatiently and then gasped when the hand began to stroke him up and down.

His head fell back onto Draco’s shoulder, his eyes fluttering shut as he focused only on the sensation of Draco touching him.

As Draco jerked him off with one hand, he felt the other gently moving over his chest, scratching him ever so slightly, playing with his nipples.

Before long he was panting, his eyes screwed tight shut, feeling the water running down his body and the heat of Draco’s mouth on his neck pressing kisses into his skin and biting him in a way that Harry knew would leave a mark.

It wasn’t long before he came with a gasp.

His head fell forward onto his chest and Draco continued to stroke him slowly till he could open his eyes and when he was sure he wasn’t going to topple over in the shower he concentrated on slowing his breathing.

‘Fuck.’

‘Indeed.’ Said the voice behind him, and it sounded like Draco was far too pleased with himself.

Harry tried to turn in the arms that were still wrapped around his body but they tightened, restricting his movement.

‘Don’t you want...’ Harry began but he was cut off.

‘I don’t want anything Harry,’ Draco said and there was a smile in his voice. ‘I want you to enjoy something for once without feeling like you have to immediately give back to others.’

‘I don’t do that.’ Harry grumbled.

‘Yes, you do.’ Draco said matter-of-factly and pressed another kiss to Harry’s jaw.

The arms around him loosened enough that Harry could turn around and he was met with those lovely grey eyes.

‘Well I do feel slightly awkward here.’ Harry murmured as he looked down, Draco was fully clothed, although sopping wet, and Harry was entirely naked.

‘Do you want me to turn around and close my eyes?’ Draco said with a grin.

‘I think that ship might have sailed.’ Harry replied, rolling his eyes.

He turned off the shower, grabbed his towel up from one of the benches along with his wand and turned to face Draco again.

He flicked his wand and Draco was suddenly completely dry, his hair going incredibly fluffy as he took a step back with the surprise.

Harry snickered and Draco glared as he caught his reflection in the mirror.

‘hmph, maybe you stick to the defence spells and I’ll do the charms shall I?’

Harry just grinned to himself as he pulled on clothes, by the time he was dressed Draco seemed to finally be satisfied with his hair and he took Harry’s hand and began to lead him from the changing room.

‘Did I ever tell you how much I like your new hair?’ Harry asked.

‘What?’

‘Your hair, its longer and you don’t slick it back anymore, it suits you better.’

‘Oh, I see, yes I guess I like it better now as well.’

‘Mm.’

They walked back up to the castle in companionable silence and Harry thought about how much he enjoyed the simple act of holding Draco’s hand, how right and easy it all felt.

‘Are we going to tell people about this?’ Harry asked suddenly, stopping on the front lawn not that far from the doors of the Castle.

The realisation that he wanted a relationship with Draco had struck him hard and fast but not nearly as badly as the sudden realisation that Draco may not want a relationship from him in return. Harry hadn’t realised how much he felt for Draco, and all from the simple act of walking quietly, hand in hand.

‘What right now? I think its past curfew so we might be looking at more detention Potter.’ Draco said teasingly.

Harry gave him a look Hermione had used on him before.

Draco sighed.

‘It’t not that I don’t want to,’ He said, turning to face him fully, ‘It’s just that it will kick off around here, its going to be in all the newspapers, I’m going to get death-threats again, and that’s fine,’ Draco said quickly before Harry could interrupt. ‘That’s to be expected, but I want to enjoy the anonymity for a while, have you just to myself for a bit before I’m willing to share this.’

‘So you do want this.’ Harry said, his feeling of anxiety both relaxing at the answer and tightening at the idea of the backlash Draco would be on the receiving end of.

‘If you’re asking me to be your boyfriend the answer is yes.’ Draco said with a smug smile.

Harry grinned and leaned in to kiss him, sweet and happy and short.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll hex anyone who messes with you.’ He said as he took Draco’s hand again and began to lead him up to the castle again.

‘Mm, my big strong Gryffindor huh? You got any idea how I’m going to get back to my dorm without being caught by a very angry Filch?’ He said.

‘I might have some little knick-knacks.’ Harry said as he began to rummage in his bag for the map and the cloak.

‘Of course you do.’ Draco said with a sigh.

*

Harry tried his very best not to stare he really did but Draco wasn’t making it easy on him. They had decided after a few more late-night trysts around the castle that it would be difficult not seeing each other over the Christmas holidays and so it had seemed only reasonable that they meet up.

Draco had wanted to go out and had suggested a club in muggle London that Harry actually recognised the name of. He was even pretty sure he’d been there once.

He had been waiting on the corner to the club, watching the line of people waiting to get in when he heard a sigh behind him.

‘Do you even know how to dress up Potted?’ Draco said, he eyebrows raised.

Harry was dressed up, for him at least. He had on his nicest dark jeans and a tight black top.

Compared to Draco however it was nothing.

His sheer shirt was an iridescent green that shimmered as he moved, partially tucked into his tight black jeans. His eyes were lined to make them look darker making the grey stand out and his long blonde hair was loose around his face. His fingers, wrist and neck were bedecked with dainty pieces of jewellery. The whole outfit showed off how delicately he was built and complimented his sharp features.

Harry really did try not to stare.

‘Well I guess it doesn’t matter; I’m dressed well enough for the two of us.’ He said with a smug look at Harry before grabbing Harry’s hand and dragging him into the queue.

Later on Harry sat at the bar and continued trying not to stare. Draco had pulled him into the club and immediately pulled him towards the bar, managing to get them drinks very quickly by flirting shamelessly with the bartender and not even having the decency to look guilty when Harry raised his eyebrows at him.

‘So, are you going to dance with me or not?’ Draco shouted over the music.

‘I think I need one more drink before I’m at that level.’ He shouted back with a grin.
Draco caught the bartender’s attention again and made a gesture that got him scurrying to make Harry another drink.

‘Suit yourself.’ Draco said with a pout before sauntering onto the dance floor leaving Harry to try not to stare at his arse.

He was a good dancer. Sinfully good.

Harry watched him move to the beat of the music and Draco kept his eyes on Harry the whole time, teasing him, grey eyes alive and challenging him.

Clearly Harry wasn’t the only one who appreciated his dance moves as before Harry could finish his drink a man had slipped behind Draco and pulled him against him.

Draco barely blinked as he kept dancing. Eyes still on Harry, eyebrows slightly raised, even as he raised an arm and placed it on the shoulder of the man behind him.

Harry growled.

He swallowed the rest of his drink and stalked onto the dance floor taking the hand that Draco reached out for him and pulling him off the dance floor towards the door to the smoking area.

Once out in the fresh air he continued to lead Draco past the few small groups of smokers and down some smaller alleyways till they were alone, Draco chuckling to himself the whole time.

‘You haven’t forgotten that you have a boyfriend already I hope?’ Harry asked with a growl before he backed him against a wall, attacking his lips with his own for a moment before dropping to his knees in front of him.

‘If I knew all it took to get you on your knees was a little flirting with other men, I would’ve done it ages ago.’ Draco said still laughing as Harry worked his belt buckle open.

‘That was more than flirting.’ Harry grumbled, but he got his hand round Draco’s hard length and fished it out of his jeans, swallowing it down in one fluid motion.

Draco gasped and his hands came to grip Harry’s hair, pulling at the messy strands as Harry circled his tongue and sucked.

There was a crack and they apparated.

Harry wasn’t sure where they landed except that it was in a small but nicely decorated flat. He guessed it was Draco’s but focused on the task at hand rather than his surroundings.

Draco’s head fell back against the wall with a solid thump as he pulled on Harry’s hair again, Harry decided he quite liked the feel of Draco’s hands in his hair.

‘You’re going to have to stop that if you want me to last much longer.’ Draco panted and Harry pulled off him with a self-satisfied smile.

‘Now’s not the time to be smug.’ Draco muttered as Harry rose to his feet again, kissing his way along Draco’s neck till he got to his mouth.

‘What’s it the time for then?’ Harry asked smoothly.

‘You are such a git.’ Draco said and then gasped when Harry ground his hips against Draco’s, letting him know he knew exactly what Draco wanted.

Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and dragged him to a room off the open-plan space they were in and Harry hummed in appreciation at the big bed he saw before he pushed Draco back onto it.

Draco let himself fall backwards onto his elbows and then watched Harry as he scanned him. His clothing slightly askew, his hair mussed, his eyes bright. Harry decided he looked good enough to eat.

‘You’re wearing far too much clothing.’ Harry growled.

‘Are you going to do something about it then.’ Draco retorted easily, the challenging look back in his eye.

Harry grinned as he kneeled down again before removing Draco’s shoes and socks and then grabbed the waistband of Draco’s jeans and began to pull them off his legs. When they were off, he kissed his way slowly up Draco’s legs enjoying the sound of his breathing becoming more laboured the farther up he got. When he reached Draco’s cock and swallowed the whole thing down again just to remind him that he could he laughed as Draco’s head fell back against the sheets after he pulled off.

He kissed his way up Draco’s taught stomach as he undid the buttons on his sheer shirt, standing between Draco’s knees as he did and slipped it off his shoulders as Draco sat up to kiss him, fully naked under his exploring hands.

‘This. Feels. A little. Unfair.’ Draco said between kisses.

‘Are you going to do something about it then?’ Harry asked, mimicking his words from earlier and Draco rolled his eyes before pulling the hem of Harry’s shirt over his head as Harry kicked off his shoes and set on removing his own trousers.

‘Have you got condoms and lube?’ Harry asked as he kissed at Draco’s neck.

‘Top draw.’ Draco rasped as Harry kissed a particularly sensitive spot on his neck.

Harry held out a hand and the draw flew open, the items he was after soaring into his waiting hands.

‘Non-verbal and wand-less Potter, trying to impress me?’ He asked teasingly even as Harry could tell that he was slightly impressed by the surprise in his eyes.

‘Just trying to remind you who’s in charge. Lie back’

‘Yes sir’ Draco replied with that same teasing tone but did as he was told.

Harry squirted a generous dollop of the lube on his fingers and then set on stretching Draco out to be ready for him. Draco writhed underneath him, panting as one finger became two became three.

Harry withdrew his fingers and lined himself up but stopped and Draco wined at the loss at sensation.

‘Is this okay?’ He asked meeting Draco’s eyes.

‘Yes.’ He gasped and his eyes rolled back with pleasure as Harry pushed in.

He gave them both a second to adjust before pulling back and then pushing back in. Draco panted.

As Harry tried to get used to the tight, warm sensation he began to set a rhythm, moaning as he thrust in.

‘Harder.’ Draco gasped and then moaned when Harry snapped his hips forward, his back arching off the bed.

Sweat shined on his body and Harry thought the sight of him writhing underneath him, panting and moaning in pleasure might have been one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.

‘Faster.’ He panted and Harry set a faster more punishing pace, moving between Draco’s legs as they came up to wrap around his hips.

‘You like that?’ Harry asked between pants and Draco could only moan. ‘You close?’ He asked and Draco moaned louder.

Harry was too, he could feel the pressure building but he wanted Draco to come first so he wrapped around Draco’s straining cock and began to jerk him off. Draco’s back arched again at the sudden pressure on the sensitive skin and soon he was gasping and quivering underneath him as he came hard over his stomach.

Harry followed soon after, climaxing so hard he saw stars and fell on top of Draco with a groan.

They lay there for a second, just gasping until Harry rolled off him.

‘Fucking hell.’ Draco murmured and Harry laughed, turning to look sideways at Draco as Draco did the same.

His hair was a mess, still breathing heavy but those eyes were so gorgeously alive and happy.

Harry thought a silent scourgify charm and the cum on them vanished.

‘You’re useful to have around.’ Draco chuckled and Harry rolled his eyes. ‘In more ways than one.’ Draco purred running fingertips over Harry’s chest and he immediately became hard again.

Draco grinned and sat up to straddle Harry’s waist his own cock hard again as he rose up and impaled himself on Harry.

*
Harry woke before Draco did that next morning and after throwing on his boxers and a shirt he found over the back of a chair in Draco’s room he headed out into the kitchen.

Harry froze as he took in the blonde-haired woman sat at the kitchen counter drinking from a steaming mug.

‘Good morning.’ Narcissa Malfoy said over the top of her mug with a knowing smile.

In just his underwear, one of Draco’s shirts (that he couldn’t properly button up due to his broader frame) and his hair wilder than normal it would’ve been an insult to pretend Narcissa didn’t know exactly what was going on.

‘Good morning.’ Harry replied with a slightly sheepishly.

‘I wondered when I might see you around here.’ She said with a sly smile that Harry recognised immediately, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. ‘Tea, coffee, juice?’ She asked.

‘Uh coffee, please.’ Harry said, moving to sit at one of the stools around the counter and watched as she brewed a pot. ‘Draco told you about us?’

‘No, no, of course not, but there was always a connection between you two, I saw it at the trial, a mother knows.’ She replied

‘How have you been?’ Harry asked, not sure how to unpack what she had said, struggling to think of a way to start a conversation with a woman who had barely spoken to since she saved his life.

‘Quite well, all things considered.’ She replied smoothly.

‘I hear you’ve sold the manor.’ He said, dragging up anything he could remember about what Draco had told him, murmuring a thank you as she placed the coffee in front of him.

‘Yes, to a muggle family ironically, it took an entire ministry department to come in and remove all the magic surrounding the house to make it safe. It seemed odd to stay in that entire house just for me.’

‘Have you stayed near the house?’ Harry asked

‘No, I’ve taken a residence in London, it allows me to be closer to my son, perfect for when he remembers he’s supposed to be going for lunch with me.’ She said, giving the reason for her visit without making him feel rude for asking.

‘I could wake him if you’d like.’ He offered

‘No need.’ Said a voice behind him and Narcissa poured another cup of coffee and slid it to him as he sat down next to Harry.

‘I’m very sorry mother but I completely forgot about lunch today, as you can probably tell I’m entertaining guests.’

‘Is that what you kids are calling it these days.’ She said with a smirk.

Harry couldn’t help but snort at that.

Draco only glared.

Harry got up and meandered to the fridge, pulling out bacon and eggs and heading to the stove, rustling round in the cupboards for a pan.

‘That’s three uses.’ Harry said to Draco when he noticed the man watching him from the other side of the counter with raised eyebrows, as Harry began to fry things in the pan and sliced up some bread.

Draco glared harder.

‘Mrs Malfoy, would you like to stay for breakfast, seeing as your son forgot about your lunch arrangements it only seems fair.’ He added.

‘I knew I should’ve kept you two separate.’ Draco hissed as he drank his coffee.

‘Please call me Narcissa, Harry, and yes that would be lovely.’

They chatted happily over breakfast and Harry got the sense that despite his glares every time Harry and Narcissa ganged up on him to tease him about something or other Draco was actually very happy.

Narcissa left after breakfast, having rescheduled their luncheon and she kissed them both on the cheeks before stepping into the fireplace and flooing back to her own home.

‘Insufferable woman.’ Draco muttered, but Harry knew he was no venom to the statement.

‘Who knew young were so grumpy in the mornings.’ Harry said as he set the dishes and pans washing in the sink turning to face Draco.

‘Yes well I was expecting to get some attention this morning,’ Draco said in a playfully sulky voice, but then something shifted in his tone, ‘I worried when I woke up and you were gone.’ Draco said quietly, not quite meeting Harry’s gaze.

‘I was right here,’ Harry said softly, pressing a kiss to his lips, ‘and I’m not going anywhere.’ He said firmly, looking at Draco till he met his eyes.

‘Hmm.’ Draco murmured as Harry began to kiss down his neck.

‘Now what was all that about you getting some attention.’ Harry said as he rolled his hips and set about showing the other man just how much he didn’t want to leave.

*
As Harry sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall having returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas break, he could tell something was seriously wrong. Hermione was giving him a look somewhere between exasperation and embarrassment that Harry didn’t like, despite becoming very accustomed to it over the years, and it was stopping him from enjoying his toast. He strongly associated that look with explaining one of his, arguably, paranoid theories to a teacher and it was difficult not to cringe slightly.

She wasn’t the only one acting strangely either as he looked to Hermione’s left and saw that Ron was red faced and avoiding eye contact. Whilst Ron was quick to blush this particular reaction was something Harry expected more of Ron when someone like Fleur was around, not when he was just eating some breakfast.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the both of them.

There was most definitely something wrong with his friends, something they weren’t telling him, something they felt embarrassed about to mention. Frankly Harry was too tired to bite and ask them what they were so stressed about, preferring to let them sit and stew about whatever it was causing them so much angst. If they wanted to tell him they would.

In hindsight, having swallowed his pride and just asked his friends what was up he probably could’ve avoided the drama that followed. However, sleep deprivation had meant he was just a bit too grumpy and slow that morning to think. Stumbling back into his dormitory at 4am and getting just 3 hours of sleep in his own bed had drained him and Ron had to had to head down to breakfast ahead of him to meet Hermione as he’d been taking so much time.

When he’d arrived at breakfast they’d taken one look at him and their conversation had stopped.

He almost wanted to ask if he had something on his face, but he’d been too tired and irritable to bother.

He looked around the room and saw eyes following his, whispered conversations behind hands, blatant pointing and staring. Unfortunately for him, the chosen one, the saviour of the wizarding world, this wasn’t exactly uncommon and so it was still difficult to judge whether or not anything was the matter.

Some days the whispers and the gossiping were worse than others, although it often had some kind of discernible cause, like the day he and Ginny had broken up. She had expected him to be mad at her, but the complete lack of sadness or anger he felt had worried him more than her sexuality. It made sense now of course, he thought maybe his love of Ginny as a friend and his desire to be a part of the Weasley family had blinded him to the fact that it had never been true romantic love between the two of them.

Someone must have overheard there break up though, either as it happened by the lake shore one afternoon as Harry had promised she would always be one of his best friends or as it was recounted to Ron and Hermione later, the former gobsmacked and the latter trying to be as supportive as possible even as Harry was sure she was pleased with herself for having already guessed. By the evening meal everyone in the school knew that Ginny Weasley was gay and that Harry Potter was single.

At least 13 different girls had come up to speak to him about going on dates by the end of his meal.

At the beginning he had been kind but firm that he needed time to ‘adjust’ and ‘get over Ginny’ and by the last he was irritable and embarrassed.

Overall it meant Harry had become fairly immune to the whispers that always seemed to follow him, getting used to tuning them out, and he understood it even if he resented it.

However even he knew that something was wrong today.

And then the noise in the room kicked it up a notch.

He lifted his head from his breakfast and saw as Hermione and Ron looked, wide eyed, at something happening over his shoulder.

He looked around and his eyes widened as he saw Draco Malfoy strolling up the Gryffindor bench towards him, seemingly without a care in the world.

There was something not quite right about the way Draco looked that Harry could not put his finger on. His robes were on, billowing behind him as he walked, his uniform was pristine as ever, his hair beautifully mussed. But there was definitely something missing.

Harry watched as Draco got ever closer to where he was seated, seemingly completely unfazed by the effect he was having on the room. Everyone was watching, every eye was trained on Malfoy’s progression up the table, probably expecting a fight. Hands were twitching towards their wands, in pockets, up sleeves, on tables, all around the room. Harry could practically feel the stares of the Professors up on the teachers table boring into the back of his head, ready to step in at any moment.

They had always been very careful about not being visible in public together before and after the Christmas break, originally it had been at Draco’s specific request as he wasn’t ready to be outed which Harry had been all too happy to comply with until he was happy to be open about it. He wouldn’t deny he wanted to delay the drama that would inevitably follow them being seen together. And after that breakfast in Draco’s kitchen they had agreed that they would let everyone know but Harry had still been in no rush, happy to wait till Draco decided. And here he was walking up the Gryffindor bench, warily eyed by its occupants as he came, in front of the whole school.

To be fair to his fellow students, Harry didn’t really know what he was expecting either.

The closer he got the quieter the room became and before Harry could really make sense of what was happening the boy was stood in front of him and reaching across the space between them, going towards his neck. There was an almighty scraping of benches, that rung out louder in the silence caused by the scene, as students stood around the room to get a better view of what was happening.

Without a word of explanation Draco had begun to untie Harry’s tie with a small smirk, all the while keeping those startling grey eyes, that Harry loved so much, trained on his.

Harry wondered just how far Draco was planning to undress him, because he wasn’t sure he would be able to say no if Draco stripped him naked and rode him right there on the table.

Cool pale knuckles brushed against his Adam’s apple and he had to refrain from biting his lip, instead opting to raise his eyebrows at the boy who was so clearly enjoying the show he was putting on.

‘This is subtle.’ He murmured quietly, although he knew that in the silent hall at least a dozen people would have heard his remark.

‘Subtly has never been my strong suit.’ Came the quick response.

That was certainly true.

Draco finally unknotted the tie around his neck and slipped it from his collar. Instead of being red and gold like he expected it was green and silver.

Draco threw it to rest on his own shoulder and withdrew Harry’s Gryffindor tie from the back pocket of his trousers and began the process of tying it round Harry’s neck.

Harry tried his best not to flush red at the realisation that the reason he had been receiving more stares than usual and his own best friends didn’t know how to speak to him was because he had been wearing a tie that was not his own.

He had snuck out of the Slytherin common room so late the night before he must not have noticed that he took the wrong tie and had then been so tired when dressing that morning that he had not noticed.

Getting the time and privacy needed to adequately fuck Draco’s brains out was not exactly as easy at school as it had been in Draco’s apartment over the course of the Christmas holidays and so they had taken to late night rendezvous around the school that while very satisfactory, did have the habit of tiring Harry out.

As Draco was finishing knotting his tie Harry noticed that the collar of his shirt was open just enough to see a purpling bruise on his neck that Harry was pretty sure he was responsible for. He wouldn’t have put it past Draco to decide to come out now and come up with this whole performance just because he couldn’t be bothered to explain away a hickey.

Draco stepped back, admired his work, and used Harry’s tie to pull him towards him in a kiss before he dropped down onto the bench next to him and pulled a plate towards himself.

The room burst into noise and Harry swung his legs back round on the bench to face his friends, still completely shocked.

To Harry’s amazement Ron was grinning delightedly as Draco pulled a rack of toast his way and began to butter slices.

Whilst he had known his friends would be supportive he had expected at least a little surprise, maybe a bit of apprehension.

Ron turned to Hermione and held out a hand.

‘Cough up ‘Mione.’ He said still grinning widely.

Hermione glared at him as she handed over a galleon. She looked sheepishly over at Harry whose jaw had hit the table.

‘Don’t give me that look Harry, we knew you were dating someone, especially after you kept sneaking away from the Burrow over Christmas and we guessed it might be a Slytherin because you didn’t tell us about it, we just didn’t know which Slytherin it was. I thought it was Blaise.’

‘And you bet on it?!’ Harry yelped incredulously as Draco snickered.

‘But I knew my best mate, knew he’d been after you Malfoy since sixth year.’ Ron declared, proudly polishing his gold coin with his robe sleeve.

Ron and Hermione weren’t the only ones exchanging coins. Across the room money was being exchanged. Harry even thought he saw a silver sickle move between Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall.

‘Sixth year huh?’ Draco said with a grin.

‘Shut up and eat your toast.’

‘Yes Sir.’ Said Draco in a low voice and Harry tried to ignore the flare of heat in his stomach that the words caused.

Suddenly a pair of arms were wrapping round his shoulders and long red hair was in his face.

‘That was fucking iconic’ She declared loudly, before whispering, ‘Heads up - McGonagall’s coming this way’ in his ear.

Sure enough the head teacher was soon stood in front of them.

‘Mr Malfoy, please could you put your tie on after you so wonderfully demonstrated your ability to tie them.’

‘But of course, professor.’ Draco said innocently.

‘I am sure you are also aware that you should be sat at your own house table.’ She continued.

‘But I’m just trying to promote inter-house unity, like you said you wanted us all too.’ Draco replied, referencing what McGonagall had called for in her first speech to welcome all the students back to Hogwarts, still in that charming, butter-wouldn’t-melt, voice.

‘Yes, I’m sure we’re all well aware of your efforts towards inter-house unity.’ McGonagall replied and Ron choked on his pumpkin juice.

‘Just doing my bit professor.’ He said with a grin. Harry was sure he saw McGonagall’s lip twitch before she turned to him.

‘Potter, you know I don’t care, but please remember I have a school to run and students to teach. If you could scale down the dramatics just a bit, I would be grateful.’ And with that table she turned and strode away.

‘McGonagall said “gay rights”.’ Ginny said with a grin.

‘That was so much fun.’ Luna said dreamily, appearing next to Ginny’s shoulder with a vague smile, ‘Hello Draco, this is such a nice table isn’t it.’

Draco smiled at her.

‘The scenery is pretty good.’ He said, poking Harry in the ribs.

‘Don’t forget your old scenery you fucking goof.’ Said a voice behind Harry and he turned and saw Pansy and Blaise walking up to them.

‘But I keep doing my best to get rid of you losers.’ Draco said with a grin.

‘Drac, I knew you liked your theatrics but fucking hell that was intense.’ Blaise added.

‘Yeah well it sorted out the whole ‘coming out’ thing.’

‘Hate to rain on your pride parade but we’ve got ancient runes Drac, you coming?’ Pansy said.

‘Yeah alright, give me a minute.’

‘Oh hold up, I’ll walk with you.’ Hermione said, kissing Ron before grabbing her bag and walking down the table to meet Blaise and Pansy who were already heading out.

‘Huh, this looks like it might not actually be that messy.’ Harry said as he watched Hermione and Pansy chatting as they waited at the doors of the Great Hall.

‘Yeah not too bad at all.’ Draco said with a grin. And with that he kissed Harry’s cheek, grabbed his bag and headed to meet the others.

Harry just grinned.