A/N: This is the sequel to my other fic, The Gentlewizard Club, so you might want to read it before this one, if only to know how Draco and Harry got together. :)

This fic is finished, but I still have to go through a round of editing. That's why I'll post a new chapter every week.

As usual, massive thanks to my beta team. :)

A Madness Most Discreet

"Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.
What is it else? A madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
―William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

~CHAPTER 1~

Albert

"I did not dawdle!" Harry said indignantly, pushing his feet to the ground hard and sending his chair rolling back forcefully until it came crashing against the windowsill behind him. The fake window in his office displayed a dark, stormy sky, and Harry fleetingly wondered if the people from Magical Maintenance were on strike again. The weather wasn't enough to shake off his good mood though. Nothing really could these days. For the first time in years he felt a constant, underlying happiness. And most of it was due to the giant git currently resting his arse on top of Harry's desk, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Well, you certainly took your time opening that door," Draco said, the hint of a smile on his lips.

"They were showering us with all kinds of hexes and curses you were supposed to deflect, you smug bastard! What did you want me to do?"

Draco's mouth curled up in the most annoying smirk. "Open that door?"

Harry rolled his chair all the way back to his desk, his eyes narrowed in defiance. The dramatic effect was somewhat diminished by the ridiculous little steps he had to take to reach said desk again. Draco snorted and Harry hit his dangling leg in retaliation, scoffing when he heard Draco gasp.

"Twat," Draco muttered, rubbing his shin with a wince, before letting his foot rest against Harry's thigh as usual.

Harry smiled. "Takes one to know one, Malfoy."

"Kids," Blaise tutted from Draco's own swivel chair. Harry had almost forgotten he was in here with them, feet elegantly crossed on Draco's desk, sporting that haughty air Harry was familiar with.

Blaise had become a regular fixture in Draco and Harry's office lately. Ostensibly, it was because their office, situated at the end of the building, was famously larger than any other regular Auror office. Harry had not asked for it, far from it, and he would have been satisfied with a regular, smaller office, but apparently Draco had thought differently. Harry had no real proof of that, but he suspected Malfoy had used both his charms and Harry's reputation to get them the biggest, brightest office. It wasn't enormous, but it comfortably fitted their two desks on two adjacent walls - Harry's facing the front door while Draco's was opposite an ugly bright orange sofa Draco had collected Merlin knew where.

But the real reason for Blaise's regular visits had more to do with his Auror partner who, for some reason, had a hold on Blaise like no one else had ever had. "Well, at least you didn't have to spend your day looking after a bloody Kneazle. I swear Mrs Crawley is going to be the death of me."

"Have you given in to carnal pleasures with her, then?" Draco asked with an evil grin, turning to Blaise.

Harry tried hard not to let the pale expanse of Draco's neck distract him.

Blaise's face was a good mix of disgust and repulsion. "No thank you. Even I have my limits." Blaise's smile turned smug. "Her daughter, on the other hand…"

Blaise never got to finish his door flew open, revealing a very angry-looking witch. Susan Bones wasn't tall, but she had a presence that could chill a room filled with the toughest Aurors in a second.

"Susan?" Blaise ventured. "What a pleasure to see you, you look very…" he trailed off when she shifted on her feet, her arms folded across her chest, glaring daggers at him. She didn't have to say a word for him to stand up and follow her sheepishly out of the office. "I'll see you later," he called before closing the door behind him.

Harry turned his attention back to Draco, immediately overwhelmed with a hot rush of pure want that was reflected in Draco's eyes. Draco reached for his hand and gently laced their fingers together, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

Four days after the memorable weekend at the Gentlewizard estate in Yorkshire, Harry still had a hard time believing they were now much more than just Auror partners.

Auror partners.

The words clicked in his fuzzy brain, reaching through the surge of want that had gripped him and he forced himself to step back, breaking eye contact and removing his hand from Draco's.

"We need to…" he trailed off, trying to remember what the hell they were supposed to do now.

He was rescued by a familiar thump on the window. A couple of years ago, the Ministry had decided to make the windows part of an internal network, allowing owls to fly directly to offices to deliver heavier packages. It had done a fair bit to assuage complaints about the less pleasant aspects of having birds flying above people's heads all day.

One look at Draco's beaming face told Harry all he needed to know: it was that time of day again. Harry hastily flicked his wand over his overcrowded desk to Banish the bottles of ink, just in time for the massive package of fan letters to spread open and spill all over the place.

"I'm off," Harry said, standing up swiftly and heading for the door. "I'll go and see if we've got assignments."

"That is an utterly questionable tactic to avoid facing the reality of-"

"Yeah, well, you can always tell me all about it when I'm back."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I certainly will."

"Good," Harry said, grateful that the Ministry had abandoned its use of cubicles in favour of closed offices as he was sure the broad, smug smiles they exchanged would have given them away in a second, had anyone been around to witness it.

"Ah, just in time," Draco said as soon as Harry stepped back in a few minutes later. A dozen flying memos followed him into the room and landed in a heap on the floor; Harry's desktop was already crowded with love letters and Draco's delectable arse.

"Listen to this: 'You are, undoubtedly, the sexiest man alive,' Draco declaimed, adopting a dramatic pose. "That's because she's obviously never met me." He grinned at Harry over his reading glasses.

"Obviously." Harry couldn't help smiling back as he made his way to his desk. Draco's grin morphed into something softer and sweeter and Harry wanted nothing but to ravish him on the spot. He took out his wand instead and performed the spell Draco had taught him to organise the memos in order of importance.

Draco turned his attention back to the letter. "You're just too good to be true."

"Can't take my eyes off of you," Harry replied absentmindedly.

Draco frowned and looked at Harry over his glasses. "You'd be like Heaven to touch."

"Oh I wanna hold you so much."

Draco opened his eyes wide, his mouth forming an almost perfect 'o,' before slitting his eyes, a small smirk forming on his lips. "You cheater."

"What?"

"I knew it!" Draco was beaming now. "I knew you were the one writing all this fan mail. The Truth, finally revealed! I mean, who could believe for one moment that that many people would find you interesting?"

"Hey, I did defeat the Greatest Dark Wizard of the Past Fifty Years," Harry argued as he pointed at the Prophet's cover bearing the pompous headline that Draco had annotated with funny remarks and framed behind his desk.

"Potter, I'm impressed," Draco said in a patronising tone. "True, you've learned from the best, I'll give you that, but I did not expect that level of mastery from a Gryffindor."

"What? But that's…" Harry trailed off.

Draco ignored him, and jumped from the desk. He leaned closer to Harry, looming over his chair, making himself comfortable in Harry's personal space.

"Now tell me," he started in a conspiring tone. "How did you do it?"

"I-"

"No, no, no, don't tell me." Draco went back to sit on Harry's desk, both his index fingers on his lips, a variant of his famous 'thinking pose.' "I know," he said slowly, lifting a finger up in the air. "You employ a whole bunch of sad house elves that work day and night in the cellar of your building to write those pathetic letters."

"Draco-"

"No, no, no, don't tell me."

Harry removed Draco's remaining finger from his lips and forced Draco to look at him. "It's a song. A Muggle song."

"What?"

"What you've read from the letter. It's the lyrics of a famous Muggle song. My Aunt Petunia used to sing it all the time."

Draco scrutinised Harry for a moment. "So you don't have a cellar full of house elves?" he whispered.

Harry crossed his arms. "You know I don't."

"Well, you'll still have to prove it," Draco said, his foot resting against Harry's thigh. "And I'm still convinced you write at least some of those letters in your free time. But that's not the point right now." He smiled his odd little smile again, and Harry settled between his open legs and pressed a kiss to Draco's lips, unable to stop himself. Draco's smile widened and he kissed Harry back before grabbing another letter from the stack.

"You're going to love this one."

"My anticipation knows no bounds," Harry deadpanned.

"Just listen: 'You are so hot, that my insides are blazing with a fire only you and your powerful Saviour hose can extinguish.'"

"You're making this up."

"Me?" Draco placed a hand on his chest, looking offended. "Never, Potter."

"That is not real. Show it to me." Harry grabbed the letter and skimmed through it. "Fuck," he said. "She actually did write that..." He scanned the letter again, feeling his cheeks heat a little at the words.

"Told you," Draco said with a triumphant smile. "And you haven't seen her gift yet," he added with a smirk.

Harry frowned. "What gift?" He scanned his cluttered desktop and his eyes stopped on something so ridiculous he barely had words for it. "What. Is. That. Thing?" he asked, pointing at a glowing pink heart hovering a few inches over his desk.

"I believe this is a testimony of her deep love for, well, you and your…" Draco's eyes trailed down. "Saviour hose."

Harry reached for the pink heart and a wave of unknown magic coursed through his fingers. He read the inscription in flashing golden letters: I heart my Saviour!

Draco inched closer, and Harry let go of the little pink heart. Harry's brain stopped functioning when Draco delicately brushed their lips together. He parted his mouth expectantly, closing his eyes, ready to surrender.

"You have something floating by your ear," Draco murmured against his lips. He pulled away abruptly, leaving Harry simultaneously cold and frustrated.

Harry opened his eyes to find Draco smirking at him. "What?"

"There." Draco pointed to the little heart still hanging next to his ear.

"Oh." Harry went to catch it, but his fingers closed around thin air. He tried again with no more success than the first time. He tried a third time, and a fourth. But no matter how many times he tried, the little heart managed to slip through his fingers before resuming its position by his ear. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" he cried out in frustration. "Can't you help?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Draco said with a sadistic smile. "This is highly amusing. Besides, I'm not sure helping is entirely possible."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know much about these things, but from the look of it your magic got mixed with whatever Charm there was on the heart."

Harry felt the blood leave his face. "And?"

"There's a good chance it has to be magically removed."

"Bloody hell," Harry said, rubbing his hands on his face. "Fine. Let's do it then."

"That's it, I'm giving up," Harry said ten minutes later, throwing his wand on his desk in annoyance. They had tried absolutely everything, from Severing spells to Vanishing ones, to no avail. The little heart was still happily following Harry wherever he went. "Robards is going to kill me."

"Oh yes, he definitely is," Draco replied seriously. "He will rip you apart."

"Thank you, that's helpful."

Draco beamed. "You're very welcome. I like helping people, it's my altruistic side."

"But honestly? Why would anyone send something like this?"

"For what it's worth," Draco said, "it's a rather good look on you."

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny. Seriously though, I'm never going to hear the end of it."

"Hey, come over here," Draco said in a strangely soothing voice, as he curled two fingers around the belt loop of Harry's jeans, tugging him in closer.

Harry saw no reason to protest, not when the look on Draco's face had shifted from utterly amused to almost concerned. Draco gently removed a strand of hair from Harry's eyes and threaded his fingers through his hair, sending shivers down Harry's spine.

"I've always had a thing for your hair," Draco murmured.

Harry smiled, revelling in the soft caress on his skull. Draco raked his fingers through Harry's hair again, making him forget all about ridiculous little hearts for a moment.

"Mmm." He leaned into Draco's hand and closed his eyes. Draco's fingers gently curled around his neck before settling on his shoulders. Draco kneaded his fingers into Harry's collarbone and Harry let out another moan, gradually relaxing.

"I can't believe I'm here doing this to you," Draco said and Harry opened his eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by the intensity of Draco's darkening eyes.

"I can't believe it either," he said, voice rough. He wrapped a hand around Draco's hip and reached for Draco's face with the other. "I never imagined that one day I would get to do this," he whispered as his fingers traced Draco's pale eyebrows one after the other. "Or this." He ran his fingers down Draco's straight nose and Draco let out a soft sigh that went straight to Harry's groin.

"And I certainly never imagined I would get to do this," Harry said again, his voice barely audible, as he brushed Draco's full lips with the pad of his fingers. Draco's mouth opened at the touch, his breath hot and damp against Harry's skin. It sent a rush of desire and need and warmth so strong Harry's knees nearly gave in. "I've wanted you for so long."

Draco took hold of his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his fingertips. "Of course you have," he said and then Harry was being thoroughly kissed. He pressed harder against Draco's body and moaned into his mouth.

Draco's lips were pliant against Harry's and their tongues slid together in a wonderfully familiar way. It was hot and deep and intense and fuck, Draco's heady scent combined with his sweet taste made Harry dizzy. He let himself drown in the heat of the moment, temporarily forgetting all about raving fans and little glowing hearts to focus on his own, rapidly pulsing heartbeat.

They arrived just in time for the daily meeting with Robards. Harry's glowing pink heart was still floating on the left side of his head. It had garnered him a couple of barely hidden snickers and whispers, which he blatantly ignored, on their way to the conference room.

Harry entered the room after Draco, his head held high, daring anyone to react in any way. Like in the corridors a few minutes before, there was a low murmur and some restrained laughter, but nobody dared say anything in the presence of the Head Auror. Harry and Draco took their usual seats by the door.

"I see Auror Potter has once again found a way to draw attention to himself," Robards finally said, breaking the silence in the stuffy conference room. He leaned forward on his elbows, looking straight in Harry's eyes. Zacharias Smith snorted somewhere on his left and Harry cast him the darkest glance he could muster. He still couldn't believe that the bastard who had been a pain in the arse at Hogwarts had managed to become an Auror. Robards interrupted his train of thought. "Would you care to explain why on earth you have this… utterly ridiculous fixture by your head?"

"It's a pink heart, Head Auror Robards," Harry said through clenched teeth.

"That is not the question I asked you, Auror Potter."

Harry took a deep breath, keeping his eyes fixed on Robards, refusing to give in. "A– Someone sent it to me. I didn't know what it was and when I touched it, it apparently combined its own magic with mine and now it won't go away."

"Really," Robards said contemptuously. "I would have thought that an Auror of your calibre, Saviour of the Wizarding World and Defeater of the Greatest Dark Wizard of the Past Fifty Years would know better than to touch unknown objects sent by random so-called admirers."

Harry stiffened in his seat as Draco pressed his foot against his under the table. "I believe every single letter or packet is thoroughly checked by Detection before it's sent to us, sir."

Robards licked his lips and a strange little smile appeared on his mouth. "Are you now implying that the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects did not do its job properly? Would you like me to call their Head in?"

Of fucking course. Count on Robards to throw Arthur Weasley into the mix. Harry couldn't believe he had walked right into this one. He silently counted to five. "No, sir."

"That's what I thought," Robards said, a detestable, satisfied grin on his lips. "I therefore demand you remove this ridiculous appendage immediately, Auror Potter."

"I can't, sir."

Robards lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. "You can't?" he repeated, detaching each syllable in a way that always disturbingly reminded Harry of Snape.

"I– We've tried everything, and it won't go away."

Robards narrowed his eyes. "Well, I suggest you try harder."

Fuck you, Harry wanted to say. Draco's foot pressed harder against his. The simple gesture grounded him, and prevented him from doing something stupid on impulse.

"We will, Head Auror Robards," Draco suddenly said next to him.

"Well, well, Auror Malfoy to the rescue. How incredibly touching. I will take you at your word, then. I expect this disgraceful addition to be gone by tomorrow morning, or I will be forced to take measures. Now, enough with trivialities; let's get to work, shall we?"

Robards didn't address either Draco or Harry during the rest of the meeting. It was as boring as usual, and Harry couldn't help thinking for the umpteenth time that they were wasting precious time they could spend out there in the field. Instead, they had to endure countless minutes listening to Zacharias Smith assigning case after case to each team of Aurors with a self-importance that reminded him of Percy Weasley.

Harry sighed and let his mind drift away. No need for him to hope for the most exciting cases anyway, especially after the glowing heart debacle.

They stepped out of the room an hour later, and didn't say a word until they'd reached the safety of their office.

Harry closed the door, the little heart buzzing in earnest by his left ear as he leaned a little bit too harshly against it and let out a deep sigh.

"Bastard," he said angrily. "Fucking, arrogant, useless prick," he added.

"Why, you should be delighted, darling," Draco replied with a grin, and Harry rolled his eyes at the pet name. Draco had first used it when they were still pretending to be lovers, but to Harry's dismay, he had not dropped the habit since they actually became lovers. "We get to help Mrs Devon find and capture those precious venomous Indijin Ants of hers that buggered off Merlin knows where. We only have to retrieve all–" He opened the orange file and let his finger slide along the parchment detailing their mission until he found what he was looking for. "–one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-two of them before we can call it a day. Oh, and without magic, that goes without saying."

"Fuck," Harry said again, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Not for a while yet, I'm afraid," Draco said with a bright smile, cupping Harry's face in his hands. "First, we have to…" he trailed off, pressing a soft kiss on Harry's lips that suddenly grew much more intense. "Yes, that's it," he murmured against Harry's lips. "Albert."

Harry pulled out of Draco's grip so fast he banged the back of his head on the door. "What?" he asked, bewildered. "What did you just call me?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Not you, idiot. Him." Draco pointed to the space by Harry's left ear. "Albert. The heart. His name is Albert. I've been searching for a name for this ridiculous little heart all morning but nothing fitted. I thought about Gerard, but it sounded far too plebeian for such a distinguished little heart. I was rather fond of Antoine, I must admit, but it didn't have the same ring as Albert."

"You're-" Harry started, at a loss for words.

"Don't say it," Draco said, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Okay," Harry replied, and Draco smiled before kissing him again.

They left shortly thereafter, Draco, him, and Albert, apparently. And no, it wasn't Harry's dream mission, but at least he was with Draco, and that was enough to brighten his day.

Capturing the magical ants took them hours, and it was way past sunset when they Apparated back to Harry's flat. They crashed in a heap on the sofa, Draco half-sprawled on Harry, their legs tangled together. Harry was unable to move after spending most of the day on all fours looking for terrified ants under all sorts of ancient pieces of furniture. His wrists still bore the mark of the gloves he'd had to wear all day.

Draco had been his usual self, showering Mrs Devon with the sort of attention she probably hadn't experienced since 1962. 'Of course, Mrs Devon, everything you need, Mrs Devon. Would you like another cushion, Mrs Devon?' 'I agree, Mrs Devon, it really is not nice of your nephew to have abandoned you like that, but thankfully I am here for you, Mrs Devon.' Draco spent more of his time chatting to Mrs Devon than actually looking for the bloody ants. He asked her questions after questions about the blasted insects, and how she had got them, what kind of species they were, what kind of food they ate and so on, until Harry was sure he could write a five hundred pages essay on the life and habits of the Indijin Ants.

"Oh, and did you see when I asked her if she had given them names, Potter?" Draco was recalling, as enthusiastic as ever, as if it wasn't nearly ten o'clock on a Thursday night and they weren't exhausted.

"It was hard not to notice," Harry replied wearily, "Since she insisted on sharing the names of all fourteen thousand of them."

Draco sat up swiftly and frowned, one finger held up in the air. "One thousand, nine hundred and eighty-two," he corrected. "Well, at least before you went and lost a whole bunch of them."

"What? I did not!"

"Yes you did. There were only one thousand, nine hundred and twenty-seven left at the end of the day."

"I have looked absolutely everywhere and believe me, there was not a single ant left in that flat." Harry sighed. "And what a difference does it make, honestly? It still felt like millions of them," Harry added, running his fingertips absentmindedly over Draco's forearm, which rested lazily on his stomach. "At least I didn't spend my day flirting with Mrs Devon."

Draco's eyebrows shot up in his hair and a sly smile formed on his lips. "Really?" he said. "Someone did that?"

Harry narrowed his eyes.

Draco pulled back, an indignant look on his face. "Me, Potter? I am shocked you could even suggest I was flirting when all I did was interact with the victim, taking care of her? That's why we're important, Potter. And, I, as the professional I am, made sure you had all the latitude to work. Honestly, you are not very grateful. You sound like Robards, sometimes."

Harry narrowed his eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Draco. "Don't."

"Why, you should take that as a compliment. Robards is such a charming individual," Draco said, a dreamy look on his face. Said face took on a conspiratorial look when he added in a murmur: "I think he likes me."

Harry burst out laughing. "Oh, God, not again!" At the pained look on Draco's face, Harry grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. "You've already said that about Kingsley."

"Well, I stand by that one too. But do not fear, darling," Draco said, batting his eyelids. "I have eyes only for you." He smiled. "And Albert," he amended, glancing up at the little heart still dancing by Harry's head.

"Oh, shit, I'd completely forgotten about that thing!"

"You forgot about Albert? How could you?"

"Tell me about it," Harry muttered and then something occurred to him. "I'm going to Floo call Hermione. She'll know what to do."

"Now?"

"Well, yes. If I have to get rid of this before tomorrow morning, I'd better get going."

Harry disentangled himself reluctantly from Draco's embrace and knelt by the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the flames. A few seconds later, Hermione's head appeared in the hearth.

"Harry!" she said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"Great! I've just got home from work. Now I can get down to my own research."

"Is she talking about Weasley?" Draco said in a low voice, a dubious look on his face. He was leaning on the mantel, arms folded across his chest. He wasn't close enough that Hermione could see him, but there was still a chance she could hear him though.

"No," Harry whispered. "Hermione's doing research on her free time."

"Who are you talking to? Is there someone here with you?"

Harry hesitated. He still hadn't told his friends about his relationship with Draco, because they had only been together for a few days and he still wasn't completely ready for that yet.

"Yes," he said, opting for the truth. He tossed a glance at Draco. "Draco's here. We– We finished up late and we… He…"

"I see," Hermione said. "What do you want, Harry? You're not calling me at half past ten to ask me about my day, are you?"

"Er, no, not really," he admitted. "I have, er, a little problem."

And he told her all about the letter, the heart, and Robards' ultimatum.

"Um, it sounds like a Heartbinding spell, let me check." And she disappeared from the hearth.

"What do you think?" Harry asked Draco, still kneeling on the floor.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You look pretty good on your knees like that."

Harry's face flamed and he grinned. "Not that, you idiot! What do you think of Hermione's theory? The Heartbinding spell?"

"Oh, that?" he said with a dismissive gesture. "I like my line of thinking much better than yours, Potter."

Harry laughed. "There'll be plenty of time for that afterwards."

"I certainly hope so." Draco grinned back and Harry's stomach fluttered crazily. Was he supposed to be such a sap when he… felt whatever he felt for Draco? "But yes, I think that might be it. I'd dismissed it at first because–"

"I'm back," Hermione called from the hearth.

"Right." Harry faced the flames again. "Did you find anything, then?"

"Well, yes, in fact, I asked Ron and he appears to be rather familiar with the concept."

"What? Why?"

"Well, apparently, that thing comes from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"Sorry, mate!" Harry heard Ron say behind Hermione's back. "It's something we designed for Valentine's Day. Was pretty popular, I must say."

"Great," Harry muttered. "How do I get rid of it?"

"Well, it's pretty basic actually," Hermione said "And not that hard to remove." She paused. Harry could see her biting her lips and a feeling of unease rushed through him.

"But?" he prompted, afraid of what she might have to tell him.

"Yes, Ron, I'm coming to it," she snapped, before turning back to face him again.

"What? What is it? What do I have to do?"

"Well, you can wait for it to wear off, but it takes at least a couple of days."

"So that's not an option. It has to be gone by tomorrow morning," Harry grumbled.

"Or you can have the caster cast a counter-spell."

"Again, not an option." He was feeling more desperate by the moment.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell him, don't be such a–"

"What? What is it, Hermione? Is there a quicker way to remove it?"

"Oh yeah, there is," Ron guffawed.

"Oh, would you please stop that at once, Ronald!" Hermione said. "Harry, the unofficial way to undo the spell–and I am not going to ask why–is apparently to…" Her voice trailed off. He could now distinctly hear Ron through the flames, laughing his arse off.

"To what?" Harry replied impatiently, feeling fear gradually mounting in him.

"You have to, er, that is, be with someone. In a… in an intimate way. Someone other than the caster, I mean."

"What?"

"Yes, you see, the Heartbinding spell is meant to temporarily bond you with the object of your affection, although it's not as powerful as an actual bond. It's basically something someone would use as a prank, so it would go away if it sensed your… interests lay elsewhere."

Harry frowned. "You mean all I have to do is, well, be with someone, anyone and the whole thing will go away?" Harry instinctively looked up at Draco whose face was a mixture of deeply amused and slightly puzzled.

"That's it, yes."

Harry exhaled hard, feeling somewhat relieved. That shouldn't be a problem. "Okay, then."

"Okay? I mean, are you sure you've understood the–"

"Yes, yes, I have, Hermione, and I assure you I'm going to be okay."

"Really?" Hermione persisted. "I mean, it's already late, and if you have to–"

"Don't worry, I'll find a way."

"Harry, you are not going to go back to that pathetic little club, are you? I mean, I know Marco leaving was unexpected, and you probably feel lonely and sad and depressed and useless but–"

"Hermione, please," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "You're not helping."

"It's perfectly understandable, Harry, and there's no shame feeling a little out of it for a while."

"I'm not–"

"But you know what I think about one night stands and how disrespectful it is of the people who–"

"I know, Hermione," Harry cut in again. "And I promise you I'll find a way to solve this little, er, problem…"

"He's not a problem," Draco said, an indignant look on his face. "And his name's Albert."

"Who's Albert?" Hermione asked. "Your new boyfriend?"

The look of pure horror on Draco's face was priceless. 'Payback,' Harry mouthed, before turning to Hermione again. "I assure you, you don't want to know. But I promise you I will not hurt anybody's feelings."

"Okay, then. Have fun, I guess. And let me know how it went."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You want me to tell you about–"

"NO!" Hermione said, a horrified look on her face. "God, no, of course not, only about the– the heart, that's it. God, I don't want to know about anything else," she said, and Harry saw her blush through the flames.

"All right, have a good night. And thank you for your help."

"Don't mention it." And she disappeared.

"Well," Harry said, standing up and reaching for Draco's cheek, running his fingers against it just because he could. "I guess now we know what to do with the next hour."

Draco snorted. "As if we didn't know before. I didn't think we needed a reason for that, Potter."

"Stop calling me Potter when it's just the two of us."

"Force of habit."

Harry smiled and cupped Draco's chin in his hand, running his thumb over Draco's jaw before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. He pulled back a little and opened his eyes. Draco's gaze had lost its playful glint and taken on a more intense, serious expression.

Harry leaned forward and kissed Draco again. He revelled in Draco's touch, in the soft lips opening to him, and in Draco's tentative, slightly shaky hand on his hip. Harry wrapped his arms more tightly around Draco, running one hand up the hard lines of Draco's back while the other moved from his cheek to tangle in his soft, silky hair. Draco gradually relaxed against him and Harry pressed their bodies closer together, moaning wantonly in Draco's mouth when Draco's arousal pressed against him.

Draco pulled back and looked down at Harry. "I need the bathroom," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Okay." And Harry never really knew what went on in Draco's head when they were together like this, just the two of them, but he didn't push him. He tried to remind himself that Draco was new to all this… whatever this was. "I'll go after you."

"Good," Draco smiled, pressing his thumb to Harry's bottom lip before kissing him softly again and disappearing in the bathroom.

Harry leaned against the nearest wall and closed his eyes, letting out an involuntary sigh when he heard the bathroom door lock.

"Don't be too long," Draco said as he left the bathroom in a cloud of steam some ten minutes later, hair still dripping onto his tee-shirt. Harry had to restrain himself from licking the tiny drops as they made their way down Draco's neck.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said, kissing Draco before entering the steamy bathroom.

Everything was dark when he stepped back into his living room a few minutes later, except for the soft blue glow of the Conjured flame coming from the bedroom. Harry let out a soft exhale; somewhere deep inside of him, he was always a little afraid Draco would leave.

He brushed the thought away, focusing on the present, and walked into his bedroom. He paused in the doorway and took a moment to enjoy the view: Draco was sitting in bed, now bare-chested, hair still slightly damp. He was perusing the latest issue of Quidditch Weekly, his reading glasses perched on his nose. A soft smile formed on Harry's lips at the sight of this man, this man, in his bed, and something warm, something fuzzy, rose inside him.

Draco looked up at him over his glasses, his eyes roaming Harry's body appraisingly and Harry suddenly felt self-conscious under the scrutinising gaze. He had never thought of himself as even remotely attractive, and he wasn't as handsome as Draco was, far from it, but the way Draco looked at him… Lust and want flickered on Draco's face, before Draco tore his gaze away from Harry.

"Do you miss it?" Draco asked, looking at the magazine.

Harry made his way to the bed and crawled under the covers, relishing the warmth of Draco's body. Draco's leg immediately came to rest against his, the soft hairs of his leg brushing Harry's in a comforting way. "What, Quidditch?"

Draco nodded.

"Sometimes, yes," Harry replied honestly. He did miss Quidditch. The sheer joy of being on a broom, the wind howling in his ears as he scanned the sky for the Snitch. He missed the chase, the extraordinary rush of adrenaline surging through his veins, the fierceness of the competition, particularly with Draco, especially against Draco. "I mean, I do play, sometimes, with the Weasleys but…" He shrugged. "I don't know, it's not the same." Without you, his mind provided.

Draco winced. "I can imagine." He put the magazine away and removed his glasses, folding them neatly by the lamp, making the tiny light flicker a little. "But for now," Draco added with a drawl, "I suggest we cut the talk and take care of Albert, and your, well, Saviour hose, I suppose." The smile on his face was playful, almost mischievous.

"God," Harry said, shaking his head. "You're just-"

"I know," Draco said, and then he ran his fingers through Harry's hair and brought him closer, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to Harry's lips before pulling back, looking at Harry as if he was checking for something. "I am."

And then he was kissing Harry again. The tiredness, the aches in Harry's body, the long hours, everything was forgotten at once as they melted into each other.