"Draco, I'm happy I'm okay too, but can you please stop squeezing me? I can't breathe." Draco released you instantly.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so happy you're still alive."

"Draco, it was a mission for the Order. Ginny and Tonks were with me. What could have happened?"

"You were going after the Lestranges, what couldn't have happened?"

"Nothing happened. They were dead when we got there. Seems like they got on the bad side of Snape or someone working with him. You know he has it in his head to be the next Dark Lord." You shook your head, trying to clear your mind of the images of the destruction at the Lestranges' hideout. Draco was watching you intently.

"If nothing happened, then where did this come from?" He reached up and brushed your hair away from your jawbone and neck. Your long hair had covered the dark bruise and abrasions nicely, but Draco's sharp eyes had still noticed it.

"I told you they got on the bad side of Snape. We ran into a couple of his cronies not far from the house they were hiding in. Nothing big. It only took a couple of minutes. We outnumbered them three to two. It was quick work. Sent them off to Azkaban, though it's not likely they'll be in there long." You rubbed your temples in an attempt to quell the blossoming headache. "It seems that there are more and more breakouts every week."

"Who were they?" Draco had embers smouldering in his ice blue eyes.

"Just the usual older idiot, one of his main people. And Blaise Zabini." You added this last part quietly, remembering the torment he had put you through. You admit you had fully enjoyed the particularly nasty hexes you had sent his way. He was sent to Azkaban covered in acid green pustules that periodically grew to gargantuan sizes before shrinking back down to the size of Sickles. Although you hadn't cared to investigate, you knew they would spread to every single inch of his body before the people at Azkaban had sorted it out. A smile must have crept across your face, because Draco suddenly smiled at you.

"You made quick work of him I imagine." You nodded in answer and he shook his head hopelessly.

"It was great, Draco. You should have seen him when they carted him off!"

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You sat down at the table later that night at Headquarters. Molly Weasley had prepared a sumptuous meal, with so many dishes the table groaned under their weight. Most of the Order of the Pheonix had turned up, all of those who weren't on missions or on one sort of duty or another. Though a third of your total number was missing, many extra chairs had to be wedged in between each other to seat everyone, with the result that everyone needed to keep their elbows tucked to their sides or risk poking someone. You found yourself sandwiched between a very haggard and wispy looking witch and George Weasley. He grinned at you as you tried to make yourself more comfortable. "How's business, George?"

"It's been good. Fred and I run it on opposite weeks so we can still do what we love and help out the Order. It's been working rather nicely. We've had to hire a lot of extra help. I think Fred's smitten with one of the clerks. She's a looker, let me tell you." He winked roguishly at you and you laughed.

Everyone had started to eat, and you reached for one of the many serving spoons within reach. Listening to the talk around you, you heard various things pertaining to both Order and non-Order business. Harry and Ron were talking animatedly down the table about (what else) Quidditch to a small group of interested people. Molly was busy making sure everyone had enough to eat. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks sat a little ways down from you, talking very quietly to themselves. Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood were sitting with Fred Weasley and Neville Longbottom further on down the table. Bill Weasley and his new wife Fleur, who was very pregnant, sat next to Charlie and Arthur Weasley and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Interspersed with the rest of the thirty-odd members of the Order were Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minerva McGonagle, several teachers from Hogwarts, many Ministry of Magic officials, and Aberforth Dumbledore.

You began to eat with enthusiasm, talking with George and the wispy witch, who turned out to be an older cousin of Fleur's from France. Before long the diners stopped eating, having filled their stomachs to the limit. Many had stood up from the table to gather in bunches around the room. When everyone was done, Molly flicked her wand and the table began to clear itself, washing dishes and scooting chairs in.

You drifted towards the door, intending to use the bathroom down the hall. You stepped into the long hallway, still shabby and dank even though it was lit by candelabras throwing merry light on the walls. You stepped past a doorway on your left. Most of these rooms were guest rooms for those who stayed at Headquarters intermittently. You heard footsteps behind you and turned to see Draco a few feet away. A smile spread over your features, and he smiled back, a warm smile, with not a trace of the cruelty and loathing that had been there while you were at school. Seeing the death and destruction firsthand had drastically changed his life, as had the death of Albus Dumbledore, which he had facilitated, though he had no choice. He would have died trying to defend himself against Voldemort, and would likely have died at the hand of Snape whether he had complied with his orders or not. He had escaped to the Ministry not even four months ago, where he was questioned and then introduced to the Order of the Pheonix. He hadn't been on many missions as of yet, and was still learning the ways of the Order. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just going to the bathroom. Did you need something?"

He didn't say a word, but grabbed you by the arms and pulled you to him. After a moment he lowered his head and captured your lips with his. You had stiffened when he had grabbed you but relaxed as his lips pressed against yours. His arms moved down to wrap around your waist as he had done when you had come back from your mission, though less tightly. You tentatively started to kiss him back, your mouth molding to meet his and his fingers worked lazy circles at the base of your spine. You moved your hands up to his shoulders, gripping the front of the Weird Sisters shirt he wore. Your lips clashed with his for several moments, and then you felt the warm tip of his tongue flick your lips. You willingly opened your mouth and felt his tongue stroke yours gently, and you eagerly returned the favor, hungrily so. His hands grew bolder, gripping your hips and reaching down to brush your bottom. You caught his lower lip in your teeth and bit down gently, eliciting a growl of pleasure from his throat. He tore his lips from yours and kissed your jawline and down to your neck. He licked the salty skin and then bit down on the side of your neck. Your breath caught in your throat and you issued a small, suppressed moan of pleasure and longing. He kept kissing and biting your neck and you buried your hands in his hair as he slid one hand under the hem of your shirt, stroking the soft skin of your stomach. You tore away from him, gasping for breath. "Are we going to do this?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes," you admitted, feeling the ache in your abdomen, the coil of pleasure in between your legs.

"Then prove it."

"We can't do it here in the hallway, and we both have roommates."

Draco opened the nearest door. "Shall we?" You followed him into the dark room, empty save for a bed with threadbare red covers. You locked the door behind you, Imperturbing it as well. You set your wand down and then pulled off your shirt.

Draco walked up to you and pressed you against the door. He ground his pelvis into yours as he kissed you again. He reached behind you and unclasped your bra, releasing your breasts. He fondled them and stroked your pearled nipples and your hands tangled in his hair as your breathing grew hot and fast. After several minutes of heavy kissing you pushed him away, making a beeline for the bed. You shimmied out of your jeans and lay down on the bed, abandoning all reservations about doing this. Draco pulled off his shirt and looked you up and down, laying on the bed waiting for him. He unbuttoned his pants and stepped out of them, leaving them strewn next to yours on the floor. He climbed up on the bed next to you and kissed you hard, tongue searching for yours. He stroked your hip and cupped your bottom before hooking his thumbs under the waistband of your panties and drawing them off of you. You blushed as he stared down at you, lust evident on his face. He brought your hand up to his waistband and you pushed his boxers down. He kicked them off and spread your legs. You relaxed your muscles as you felt his considerable girth slip into your body. As he filled you completely you both moaned breathily. He started to move and captured your lips again. Your hands wrapped around his back as he made love to you with his mouth and body, nails scratching slightly as he moved with a rhythm that suited both of you perfectly. You moved together seamlessly, gasping and moaning softly as you brought each other closer to orgasm. When you felt your body tighten and quake you cried out in pleasure. Draco thrust a few more times before he faltered and spasmed inside of you, shooting deep inside you in the aftermath of your orgasm. He collapsed on top of you and kissed you softly. The two of you lay there for a while, not speaking.

"Wow," he said, breathless.

"Wow," you echoed.