Author: Morien Alexander

Title: It's Warmer Here

Pairing: H/D

Rating: PGish

Note: I wrote this a long time ago, but recently had the urge to go back and start editing all my work. So here is a re-done version of this story. It used to have a long poem attached to it, but I've taken that out as I don't feel that it helps this little smidge much at all. Except to prove that I can actually write poetry. I've left a bit in, though, just because I liked that part.

And then again it's warmer here

So much warmer when you-

And I remember you being cold-

It's a bit like a dying birth

When you say it's warm with me.

Under the thick blue coverlet, Draco snuggled closer to Harry. He pillowed his head on the dark haired man's shoulder and tucked his chilly fingers under Harry's right side. The Gryffindor squirmed for a moment but then settled comfortably back into position. Draco shivered and pressed his slender pajama-clad body closer. He wanted Harry to take notice of his chill and say something sappy and possibly cuddle back, but it didn't happen. Instead, Harry just shifted a little. Slightly miffed, Draco tried another tactic. "It's snowing outside," he said softly into his lover's ear.

"Yeah..." murmured Harry.

They were not alone in the big house. They had invited a good many guests over for Christmas that year. A few, like the Weasleys, lived close enough to travel back and forth during the holidays. But some, like the Finnegans, Draco's friend Petty, and the now-married Hagrids lived far enough away that Harry had offered some of the extra rooms to them. Draco had been against it at first, but eventually gave in after a good foot rub.

"Christmas," said Draco, trying again, "has become too much for me to handle any more."

"Hm?" Harry started a bit from his doze.

"It's too happy."

"Mmmmm..."

Draco sighed and then blew sharply into his lover's ear.

"Hey!"

"Pay attention to me," whined the blond man. He rubbed Harry's cheek with his cold nose. "I'm bored."

"You're supposed to be sleeping," Harry said with a bit of a groan.

"Well excuse me for not working like a clock."

Harry threw an arm over his eyes and barely missed smacking Draco over the head. "Fine," he said grumpily. "If you're going to keep me up, I might as well attempt to stay up."

As Draco had no objection to that, he smiled.

"Just don't make me talk about something boring like politics or work... or I really WILL fall asleep on you." Harry leaned back and grabbed his glasses before shoving them on his face. He never could hear people talk unless he could see clearly.

Draco made a disappointed noise, and was quiet. For a minute, Harry felt sure that he'd be able to fall back to sleep without being bothered again. In fact, he felt it creeping up on him when Draco finally said, "Did I ever tell you where my family's name came from?"

"No."

It was a subject that Draco warmed to immediately. "We used to be Malfaye. With an E at the end. Like Morgana le Faye."

"Oh?" Harry reached around his lover and secured him with a warm arm.

"Yes. Mal-faye. Poisonous to the Faeries." Draco spoke in short sentences as if he was trying to gather his thoughts. "We were the family that started the Faerie Fevolution. We took on the Faye family personally during that confrontation."

Harry half sat up and stared at Draco with somewhat mixed emotions on his face. "Your family was involved in the Faye family capture?"

Draco shrugged. "We don't talk about it much. Mainly because what we did was sort of... illegal. But what they were doing was much worse. Kidnapping wizard children and using them as experiments is atrocious. So if there was a little killing curse here or there, I think it's completely justified." He glared at Harry.

The dark haired man flopped back down on the pillows. "I didn't hear about the experiments in history class. In fact, we barely heard about the Faerie Revolution."

"Of course not." Draco sniffed snobbishly. "All this is highly controversial." He settled back against his lover and tried to rub away the goose pimples he had. "There are still people who back up the Faye family -- saying they did what they did because they honestly weren't humans."

"But they were, right?"

"No one really checked to find out. All we know is that they thought they were superior to humans. Which, of course, they weren't." Draco yawned a little. "Anyway, after they were gone, we changed our name to Malfoy."

"What does that mean?"

Draco gave a highly undignified snort. "I don't know."

"Of course my name means that my family used to make pots," Harry said offhandedly. "I just found out that my father's lineage can be traced back to the fourth century BC when we made enchanted pots that sang."

"Fascinating."

"Oh come on! I listened to you ramble about your family's name."

"At least it was interesting." Draco snorted. "At least I'm not descended from some mud-wallowing artisans from days when they didn't even have proper brooms."

"My family's older than yours."

"Hah! Your father's side is older than my father's side, is all. My mother's family can be traced back to 400 BC, thank you very much. And we were royalty. So eat it."

"Eat what?" Harry smirked.

"Eat my freezing cold fingers!" Draco stuck them on Harry's nipples for emphasis. The other man squealed in a highly undignified manner and retaliated by attempting to tweak Draco's. He was slightly hampered by the pajamas however, and gave up after the first try.

"You're a little brat, you know that, Malfoy?"

"Ooooo you haven't called me that for a while. I'm turned on."

"No you're not."

Draco sniffed imperiously. "I suppose you're right. I'm not." Then he sat up and shivered. "It's no wonder, too. I'm freezing. Doesn't this house get any warmer?"

"If you'd let me use Muggle heating systems, it would," snorted Harry, tucking the blanket around himself.

Draco reached over and grabbed his black silk robe (made for beauty not warmth) and wrapped it around himself. He dropped to the floor and shuffled over to the fireplace where the embers had ceased to crackle. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his wand. After throwing in a couple of logs, he started a cheery blaze with a wave and a spell. Then, throwing the robe off again, he positively scampered back into bed, pouncing on Harry and snuggling close to his partner's still warm skin. "Mine," he growled.

Harry gave a tired chuckle and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "Yeah, now get some sleep or I won't get any."

"What's that got to do with what I want?" Draco asked cheekily.

"Because I'll depreciate in value. I'll end up pale and sleepy looking with foul breath and a bad attitude."

"You'd be valuable to me, still." The Slytherin nibbled a bit of Harry's hair.

"Oh?" Harry's voice held an unexpected edge of tension. He was a little sleepy, but this question had been bubbling in his mind for a long time. "Even if you were a Death Eater?"

"Harry," said Draco seriously. "It's Christmas. That's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny. If you were still... that other way... do you think I would still be yours?"

"I'm not, so stop talking about it."

Harry pushed the blonde man off him. "I want to know."

Draco sat up and glared at his lover. "All I am going to say is that I avoided that path because of you, Harry. And don't ask any more stupid questions."

"That wasn't a stupid question."

"Yes, it was. All questions asked on Christmas Eve are stupid. So stop it."

"Well, I'm not done asking." Harry's voice became low, the way it did when he wanted to be told he was appreciated. "Draco, why do you continue to live with me, even after seven years of quarrels?"

"It isn't all quarrels," said Draco, uncomfortably. But he shifted towards the dark haired man.

"Answer me."

Draco cleared his throat before saying softly, embarrassed, "It's warmer here."

End