Chapter 2 is here, at last. I'm trying to aim for slightly faster updates, as I suspect I've developed a slight reputation for not updating as quickly as people may in fact prefer. Hopefully that will change

And to my guest reviewer: thanks for the review, always a pleasure to read them. Haha, I have a certain love of teasing my readers by ending a chapter just when things are about to get interesting ;)

Haha, and yes, they really did apparate in the middle of a muggle club. I may be bringing that back in at some point, not sure yet. Anyway, thanks again

On a side note, if anyone can guess what happened at the end of this chapter, leave it in a review, and I'll make a mention of those who got it right ;)

Onwards we go people!

A moment later, a loud crack, similar to a car backfiring, rang throughout the small London apartment, as Draco and Harry appeared as if from nowhere at the foot of his bed, still locked in their embrace. Harry had never been fond of apparition as a form of travel, but it was certainly fast and efficient, once one put the sometimes unpleasant side effects of vomiting and loss of limb aside, not to mention the fact that the spell itself came with a somewhat unpleasant feeling. Some years ago, Harry recalled comparing it to being forced through a very small and tight rubber tube.

This time though, his mind had barely been on the sensation that always seemed to accompany apparating, instead far more occupied with the Draco's almost unnaturally cool body, still pressed so tightly against his own. He felt Draco's hand slowly untangle itself from his hair, and began to gently trail down his face, stroking his cheek; Harry couldn't help but sigh softly, and lean into the touch.

"I'm impressed Harry" Draco's voice as soft, as gentle as his touch "Your Apparition skills have improved vastly since I last saw them, not to mention your...accuracy"

Harry glanced up at the blonde, eyes flashing with a mischievous glint, slowly licking his lips. He couldn't help but feel an odd sense of perverse contentment when he saw the way Draco's eyes trailed after his tongue, their focus so intense he was shocked there wasn't a physical force to accompany it. Harry allowed his hand to trail down Draco's back, appreciating the feel of his skin beneath such soft fabric, moving past his belt and down to Draco's surprisingly muscular arse, squeezing the flesh ever so slightly, only to repeat the action with more force upon hearing the low moan Draco gave in response.

He smirked up at Draco, enjoying the sounds the blonde had started making, and the sensation of him gently grinding his hips against Harry.

"Guess I really want to be in my bedroom then, don't I Draco?"

If it were possible for Harry Potter to purr, then he did so at that very moment with a glint in his eyes; he began to slowly step backwards, pulling the blonde male along with him, maintaining as much bodily contact as was possible, until he felt the backs of his thighs touch the bed.

"Eager, aren't we..." drawled the blonde, somehow still sounding aristocratic and sarcastic, even in this more intimate setting "Who knew The Saviour was such a sex fiend"

A faint blush arose on Harry's lightly tanned cheeks, though he couldn't help but grin up at the teasing male; seeing Draco in such a situation was certainly different, and he couldn't help but enjoy it. He squeezed Draco's impressive arse one more time, generating an approving growl from the blonde that seemed to vibrate throughout his entire body, before he slipped his hand into those long blonde locks that seemed to glimmer like pale gold, dragging him down into a rough kiss. It started as a mere clash of tooth and lip, but quickly became something rhythmic and fiery; they battled for dominance for a few short moments, though Harry quickly submitted, allowing the other males tongue to explore his mouth at will, groaning continuously at the sensation. His hands tangled into Draco's hair, holding him closer, trying to bring their bodies nearer, though it was physically impossible. He felt Draco begin to grind against him again, and arms with more muscle mass than one might expect wrap themselves around his body, holding him close. His mind was filled with nothing but the scent of Draco Malfoy, and the sensation of being kissed so forcefully; all too soon, Draco pulled away, leaving Harry dazed and panting, craving more.

Draco smirked down at Harry, grey eyes stormy, raking over his face and settling on his kiss swollen lips. He unwrapped his arms from around Harry, bring them up and resting them lightly on his shoulders.

"On your knees Potter"

Harry shivered pleasurably at the commanding tone the blonde used, and dropped to his knees immediately. He slowly ran his hands up Draco's slim yet firm legs, appreciating the feel of them through his smart trousers. When his hands reached Draco's belt, he carefully undid it, pulling the leather from its loops, then undoing the button and zip on Draco's exceptionally smart black trousers. Harry paused briefly, nerves suddenly springing forth; he took a deep breath, before grasping the blondes trousers, and pulling them down in one swift move, only to find his eyes met with something he couldn't help but find exceptionally amusing. Suppressing the urge to laugh, he glanced up at Draco.

"Really?" Harry chuckled slightly, unable to help himself, and grinned at the blonde "Always figured you as a plain black type of guy"

"What can I say" Draco drawled, finding Harry's reaction equally entertaining "I like dragons"

"Yeah, I can see that" Harry licked his lips, eyes returning to the underwear "I can see something else as well"

Still grinning like a Cheshire cat, Harry slipped his hands into the waistband of Draco's rather endearing black underwear with a large green cartoon dragon on the front, pulling them down quickly, watching with rapt enthusiasm as Draco's erect and long cock bounced as his underwear came off. Licking his lips one final time, Harry inched forwards slightly, placing a light kiss directly on the tip, causing Draco to shiver slightly. Gaining a certainly level of satisfaction from his response, Harry began to gently lap at the head, before taking all of the blondes length into his mouth in one move, causing Draco to groan deeply.

Within a few quick moves, Draco divested himself of his remaining clothing, no hard task as it consisted of a simple button up shirt and a jacket, depositing them on the floor with the rest of his clothes; he could have a folding charm deal with them later. For now, he had more important things to focus on, like the satisfied moans that seemed to be flowing continuously from Harry's mouth, and the intense sensations he was evoking. Harry seemed to know exactly how to give a very efficient blow job, and his unnaturally warm mouth made it all the better. Snaking his hands into Harry's tangled hair, Draco held his head in place, gentle thrusting in and out of his mouth, gradually building a faster, more forceful pace; all the while, generating increasingly loud sounds from the dark haired man kneeling before him.

When Draco felt himself begin to lose his self control, his orgasm building faster than he'd prefer, he roughly pulled Harry off him, breathing deeply and gazing down at him. Seeing Harry Potter on his knees, mouth covered in saliva; with a dazed look in his emerald green eyes...it gave Draco a rush. A rush that was as much sexual as it was power.

"You're good at that Harry...very good" Draco eyed him, taking in the almost manhandled appearance of him, and loving it "Had a lot of practise them?"

"Maybe" Harry smirked up at the blonde, licked his lips, savouring the flavour that could only be called uniquely Draco.

Slowly, Harry stood up from his position on the floor, wincing slightly at the discomfort that had developed in his knees. He ran his hands along Draco's chest, appreciating how soft his skin was, flicking over each delicate nipple in turn, and causing a sharp intake of breath from Draco. Looking into his stormy grey eyes, Harry stood on his tip toes, and kissed the blonde deeply, humming in appreciation when he felt Draco's arms circle his waist, holding him against his body. After a few minutes, Harry pulled away, grinning devilishly at Draco, a look of pure desire in his eyes.

"Draco..." Harry adopted an almost coy expression "Shut up and fuck me already"

The blonde grinned back, finding the sudden confidence increase extremely attractive, and a pleasant shock. He gestured at Harry, causing the dark haired males clothes to vanish; given Harry's apparent eagerness, Draco was in no mood to slowly undress him. Oh, how he loved the simple benefits of magic at times like these. Draco pushed Harry onto the bed, and stood over him for a moment, taking in every bit of the Chosen One's body. At one stage, he'd been scrawny, but years of Quidditch and now working as an Auror had bulked Harry out, though not to an unpleasant degree. His body was impressively toned, a look that was complimented by the fact that he was still slim, and tanned to an almost natural degree. It was the colouring one got from working in the sun, not from products and other substitute methods. However, Draco found he could not easily draw his eyes away from Harry's groin, and his impressively sized cock. On another occasion, he would have taken immense pleasure in riding Harry until he covered the dark haired male in cum.

Draco licked his lips, enjoying the sight of Harry sprawled on his back, chest heaving, legs slightly raised and spread...it was like an invitation, an invitation he had every intention of taking full advantage of. Draco knelt on the bed between Harry's legs, settling into the space with ease. With his usual speed and efficiency, Draco cast a simple lubrication charm on Harry, causing him to gasp at the sensation.

"Shit Draco, that's cold" Harry exhaled, his breath shuddering, hints of pleasure breaking through "Oooh, that's...warming up...feels good"

The blonde smirked slightly, pleased that his somewhat customized warming lubrication charm had gone down well.

"I wish I could take a little more time to enjoy myself here, but" he grasped Harry's legs, shifting them further apart, and inching closer, lining himself up with Harry's entrance "That rather impressive blow job has left me somewhat more worked up than I'd prefer"

"Don't care" Harry shook his head from side to side, desperation clear "Just fuck me Draco. Hard. Make me cum"

"Hard?" Draco chuckled slightly, leant forward enough to apply some pressure on Harry's entrance "Who am I to refuse the great Harry Potter such a request?"

Harry's mouth fell open in shock, a loud, low moan escaping him as Draco thrust into to him in one long, slow move. From there, all coherent thought seemed to fade away, as Draco gave him precisely what he'd asked for.

xxx

Harry found himself standing in a large circular room. It was dimly lit, aside from a faint glow, almost akin to moonlight, yet there was not a crack in the domed ceiling. He looked around the space, noticing the gloomy alcoves that seemed strategically placed around the circular room, and large slabs of rock scattered across the open space. Where they lead, or what was in them, he could not say; each alcove seemed to be pitch-black, as if any form of light would be snuffed out. Harry frowned, and wrapped his arms around himself; it was cold in here, deathly cold, and he had the strangest feeling he'd been here before...yet he couldn't entirely place it. The area was silent, still, almost seeped in fear and despair.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a high pitched laugh coming from his left, a laugh that seemed strangely familiar to him, and was laced with madness. He spun towards the sound...only to find new additions to the scenery. People in dark hooded cloaks, and more in a somewhat eclectic range of attires, all milling around a large stone arch that seemed to dominate the space, despite not having been there a moment ago. The arched seemed to fill Harry with dread, though his attention was immediately drawn back to the figures when they began throwing hex after hex at each other, whist others seemed to dissolve into pillars of light and shadow, pairing off and chasing each other across the space.

This whole scene seemed familiar to him, but he still couldn't place it, until he eyes focused on a female figure perched on a small rise. A figure that appeared to have long dark hair that blew about her with wild abandon. She drew a stick like arm back, wand held delicately in her hand, before thrusting it in front of her, shrieking two words Harry hoped he would never hear again in his life. Time almost seemed to slow as Harry's eyes locked onto the bolt of green energy that shot from her wand, trailing it to where he seemed to instinctively it would be aimed at the two figures standing by the stone arch, with a third figure sprawled on the ground a little way in front of them. The third was dressed on dark robes, and had long blonde hair that stood out in stark contrast with everything else in the area.

The bolt struck the taller of the two, a middle aged male. He stumbled, and began to grow faint as wisp like tendrils emanating from the arch latched onto his body, slowly dragging him into the faint rippling surface that seemed to stretch across the arch opening.

Harry felt a pang in his chest, as he realised at last where he was. The Death Chamber, in the Department of Mysteries. This scene playing out before him was but a memory, the memory of his battle with the Death Eaters, and one of the saddest moments of his life...the murder of Sirius Black, his godfather and the closest he'd come to a normal family, and by association, his parents.

Harry watched himself try to pull Sirius back, though he knew it was futile. A moment later, the younger version of himself rushed towards one of the alcoves, intent on tracking down the maniacal woman who'd just fled through it, Bellatrix Lestrange. A tear slid down his cheek, and a sob caught in his throat, threatening to escape.

"Yes, it was a rather sad day for you, wasn't it Mr Potter"

Harry blinked in shock, and turned towards the source of the voice, to be greeted by a sight that left him feeling mystified. Standing to his right, and just behind him, was a tall figure in a black hooded robe, with subtle silver embroidery running around the hem and the cuffs of the sleeves. The voice gave away the fact that this mystery figure was male; his posture was erect, proud and powerful. In his left hand, he held a large black staff, topped by an ornate red jewel surrounded by an oval comprised of three black strands curving up from the base of the jewel, meeting again at its top.

Before Harry had the chance to say anything, the world faded to shades of grey and slowly started to change. The scenery started to writhe and shift like a pit of snakes, before rearranging itself. Gone was the perpetual gloom and the arch; now, in its place was something entirely different. He looked about himself, recognising the dank cavern even after so many years; a wide promenade flanked by serpentine statues, leading to a flat expanse that gradually dipped into a murky pool of water. A pool of water that surrounded a gigantic stone face with wild hair, glaring eyes, and a long forked beard.

The Chamber of Secrets, the personal domain and lasting legacy of Salazar Slytherin, and on the wet ground before that impassive stone facade was the still form of Ginny Weasley.

"Killing a Basilisk is no small feat Mr Potter, especially at the tender age of 13. More so when your companions were as...inept as they were"

The figure stepped forward, moving towards Ginny's body with powerful strides accompanied by the metallic clang of his staff striking the ground. His cloak billowed out behind him with each step, more so when the figure abruptly spun on the spot, bringing him face to face with Harry, though there was no face to see, just a dark recess under the hood. The hooded face turned towards the girl on the floor, tilting to the side slightly as if curious.

"Tell me..." His words flowed through the air effortlessly, echoing in the space. His voice was strong, cultivated "Why does a Wizard with your potential put himself in harm's way for such chattel?"

For a brief moment, his confusion was replaced by a sudden anger. His features hardened, and he clenched his fists in frustration.

"Because she's my friend, and she's my family" Harry glared at the hooded figure, barely suppressing the urge to snort in disgust "And because I'm not an elitist bastard, and actually believe in helping people"

"What a quaint thing you are Mr Potter" Harry could almost hear something close to amusement in the figures voice. "Every bit as righteous and foolhardy as one might have thought"

"Who the fuck are you?" Harry snarled, hand instinctively going for his wand, only to find it wasn't there. "Where's my wand?"

The figure merely laughed in response, the sound still strangely melodic and friendly. Slowly, the figure began to fade where he stood, becoming almost translucent, and began to waver, losing its shape. Harry's eyes grew gradually wider at the transformation, if it could be called that, which took place in front of him; gone was the mysterious hooded figure. In his place, a large spectral bird hovered above the ground, in line with Harry chest. He flinched, and quickly brought a hand to his temple when a searing pain erupted out of nowhere, only to be followed moments later by a voice that seemed to come from everywhere...the voice of the stranger.

"Pain, misery, regret...it is all natural, all part of the cycle. We live, we breathe, we fight, we conquer, we eventually expire, yet you feel it more than anyone should." The voice seemed to be getting louder, resonated around the chamber and his head, to an almost unbearably painful extent "Cast off these foolish notions, except what has come to pass, and live"

The voice trailed off, only to be replaced by an ear piercing shriek from the spectral bird. It flapped its wings a few times, as if testing them, before its two glittering red eyes focused on Harry. A faint laugh echoed around the chamber before a string of words Harry could not interpret drifted around the chamber, as if they were the echoes of a whisper.

"Mors ultima linea rerum est"

The bird shrieked once more, and took flight, swooping towards Harry at breakneck speed, appearing to grow more corporeal with each moment. Harry tried to move, but found himself rooted to the spot, unable to move, only able to scream as he felt the creature collide with him, felt its beak pierce his chest...

xxx

Harry shot up in bed, knocking a warm weight off his chest that seemed to make a sound of protest, arm outstretched and words flying from his mouth as if on instinct.

"Reducto!" He was breathless, panting, and his voice shook, yet not enough to prevent him from casting the simple curse with little difficulty. A spark of blue energy formed in the palm of his hand for a second, before streaking across the room. A moment later, a deafening bang rang around the bedroom, shaking furniture and knocking a few items onto the floor as the curse struck something, though Harry did not know what.

Harry took a deep breath, chest still heaving as if he'd run a marathon, and blinked a few times. But found he could distinguish nothing in the perpetual gloom of his bedroom, but, that was the way he'd preferred to sleep for some years now, in the pitch black. As soon as he'd moved into the flat, he'd researched charms that would allow his curtains to act as impenetrable barriers where light was concerned until he chose otherwise. However, that gloomed was banished with little difficulty when a bright white light appeared to his left, seemingly out of nowhere; he shut his eyes as tightly as he could, groaning in discomfort, and raising a hand to cover his eyes even more from the unwanted illumination.

"Out of curiosity Harry, do you always scream in your sleep?" the voice sounded bored, though faintly sarcastic with a streak of annoyance "And destroy parts of your domicile?"

Slowly, Harry began to open his eyes, allowing them to grow accustomed to the light that had sprung from nowhere, and turned to the sound of the voice.

"Umm...Draco?" Harry's voice was rough, still blurred through lack of sleep and the sudden awakening.

"Yes, I do believe that is my name" The blonde snorted in response, sarcasm dripping from every word, though there was a faint smile on his thin lips "Unless I've managed to sprout red hair and freckles since I was last awake. Spending the rest of my life as a Weasley sounds dreadfully horrific"

Harry couldn't help but laugh slightly in response, a small smile forming on his lips; somehow, the corrosive nature of Draco Malfoy was very calming after a dream involving some of the harder points in his life. It was the blondes near inability to lose his cool, and the constant sense of superiority, it was strangely grounding.

"Yeah, think I'd throw up with Ron in bed with me" Harry shook his head slightly, smile growing larger "That would give me nightmares for months"

"On that point, we seem to agree" Draco rolled his neck a few times, the movement generating small cracking sounds "Now, you never answered my question. Screaming and destroying things...is this a normal nightly activity for Harry Potter?"

Harry frowned, but looked around the room none the less, only to find his eyes locking onto his bedroom door. At least what little was left of it; just a few pieces of wood hanging off the hinges, whilst the rest seemed to have been blown into the rest of the apartment. He sighed heavily, and slumped back in the bed, running his hand through his wild black hair, an action that only made it stand on end more than it normally did; it was almost a globally excepted fact that his hair always had the distinct 'bed hair' look to it.

"Oh sod it"

Draco raised one delicate blonde eyebrow in response, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips yet again; there was something oddly endearing about the Chosen One's apparent lack of eloquence, and look of pure embarrassment.

"I shall take that as a yes then" There was a slight teasing note to his voice, with all the usual sarcasm "May I ask why you felt the need to obliterate your door?"

"Umm...Nightmare..." Harry couldn't help but blush, and feel vaguely embarrassed over the whole thing "I have them a lot. Used to have them before the war, and they just continued after; it's not every night...just most nights"

"I'm sorry" Draco couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the dark haired male, after all, he'd had his fair share of nightmares after become a Death Eater. Being in company of people that dark...that sick, left a mark "I have a vague notion of what that's like"

"Thanks Draco" Harry's voice was weary, though held a slight note of trepidation "I appreciate it"

In response, the blonde simply grasped Harry's hand, squeezing it briefly, before returning his hand to his chest, lacing his fingers together. After that, they lapsed into a comfortable silence, each occupied with their own thoughts.

Harry glanced over the blonde, mind still reeling with the changes Draco seemed to have displayed over their very brief time together. Once upon a time, Draco would have taunted him for suffering from nightmares, yet now he was offering sympathy, even understanding. He'd changed, and certainly for the better. Looking at him laying in the light, Harry's mind couldn't help but wonder slightly. Draco had always been an attractive guy, but he seemed even more so now. Slim, lightly toned torso, skin as pale and delicate looking as the snow, with two faint scars running across him; the result of the sectumsempra curse. The only other visible blemish on his body was the now faint mark left from Voldemort's branding, the Dark Mark, a skull surrounded by a serpent. His pale blonde hair was spread about his head like a mane, and seemed to almost glow in the light; he looked ethereal, beautiful...

At this, Harry felt his cheeks heat up, with what was no doubt a very obvious blush. Describing Draco Malfoy as beautiful? It just didn't seem appropriate, yet in a strange way, it was.

He blinked once or twice, trying to shift his mind from this particular course; he did not want to be thinking of Draco that way. They weren't even friends, not really, they'd only had sex. Nothing else. Trying to focus on something else, Harry looked up, towards the source of the unnecessarily bright light, recognising the little ball of energy as a charm; no doubt some variant of lumos. From there, his eyes travelled to the shattered remains of his door yet again, and a few other minor knickknacks that had been knocked over by the concussive blast. He sighed, the thought of actually clearing up not appealing to him in the slightest, but it had to be done. Wouldn't do to have things in such a mess.

"Guess I should clean this mess up" he sighed again, and made no effort to move from his bed. It was just too comfortable, and the dream had left him feeling worn to the bone, not to mention shaken.

"Forget it, I'll do it" Draco grunted slightly, and waved his hand nonchalantly, causing the door to start reassembling itself, and causing numerous smaller objects to begin flying around the room, settling themselves back in their original places.

Harry blinked in surprise, finding himself shocked yet again. Now Draco was fixing things, and tidying up; it was all very strange, and seemed to get stranger by the minute.

"Um...thanks, you didn't have to do that" Harry felt another blush creep upon his cheeks, it felt so odd to see Draco doing little things like that, it just wasn't like the arrogant Slytherin he'd grown up hating.

"It was nothing. Really. I was always a little better at charms anyway" Draco smirked across at the mop haired Harry "Now, I do believe it's time to get back to sleep. And this time, try not to throw me off when I'm comfortable"

"When you're comfortable? What do you...oh" Harry trailed off, when he recalled briefly noticing that something large and warm had been on him when he'd woken from his dream. Had that been Draco? "Draco...Were you laying on me?"

The blonde hummed an affirmative in response, and shifted in the bed until he was resting on his side, head on Harry's shoulder with an arm resting over his torso. Harry tensed slightly at the initial contact, but very quickly relaxed into it. The closeness, the simple sensation of having someone close to him was just what he needed, especially after one of the nightmares that still plagued him.

"Believe it or not Harry, you're actually very comfortable" Draco's hand began to wander slightly, shifting over Harry's defined stomach, travelling up to his chest, before pinching a nipple, causing Harry to squeal slightly "Now, back to sleep. And try not to blow anything else up"

"Ummm, right. Night Draco" Harry stuttered in response, feeling flustered at the casual touch, and having his old school rival tucked rather comfortably against him.

A moment later, the light seemed to extinguish itself of its own accord; Harry shut his eyes, drifting off into a thankfully dreamless sleep faster than he ever had before, feeling strangely comfortable with the warm weight of a certain blonde male lying across him.

xxx

Whilst it took Harry a mere matter of moments to drift off, it took Draco much longer. His mind kept going back to Harry, and the look of complete and utter terror on his face when he'd awoken from the nightmare. He looked so pale, sweat cascading down his forehead, black hair plastered to his face; Draco had never seen him that way before, and fervently wished he never would again. Whatever was in his head had apparently shaken the saviour of the wizarding world to the core, and whatever that was, Draco did not want to experience.

Though, he'd had his fair share of horrific dreams. He'd dreamt of death, destruction, oceans of blood...all courtesy of a certain Dark Lord.

He felt an odd sensation in his chest, a strange non physical pain that set his heart beating like mad. Draco frowned, inhaling the scent of the dark haired male he was currently using as a pillow, only to find it settled him down slightly. Was this feeling...worry? Was he worried about the precious Chosen One, who he'd until recently not seen in a number of years?

It was an unsettling thought.

xxx

Harry awoke slowly, eyes fluttering open gradually. He breathed in deeply, eyes roving around his still dark bedroom, focusing in on the digital display of the muggle clock he kept by the bed.

11:30am.

Perhaps a little later than he'd normally aim for, but a fair enough time to wake up on a weekend, especially after a night out drinking, and doing other things; then again, he'd always had some trouble arriving to his classes on time at Hogwarts, particularly the first ones of the day. Feeling a slight shift at his side, his mind drifted back to Draco, who was still sprawled out across him; apparently, he really was very comfortable.

As gently as he could, Harry moved his free arm out of the bed and gestured slightly at the curtains, shutting the anti-light charm down and allowing the warm glow from the November sun into the room. Whilst it was by no means as bright as it would be during the English summer, it was bright enough to banish any shadows from the room. Glancing down at the bed, Harry now found he had a new challenge to contend with: how to untangle himself from a sleeping Draco Malfoy.

A sleeping Draco Malfoy who happened to look extremely peaceful and utterly adorable...and yet again, Harry found himself thinking of the blonde in ways that just didn't seem remotely plausible. But, the more he looked at him, the more Harry simply could not escape the fact that Draco really did look extremely cute curled into his chest, hugging him as if he were a Harry shaped teddy bear.

A Harry shaped teddy bear...The dark haired male couldn't help but snort in amusement at that thought; no doubt many people in the Wizarding community would jump at the idea of producing such a range of toys; Harry Potter shaped teddies, and no doubt dolls, or 'action figures' for the more masculine minded. Probably be charmed to cast little spells, or fly around on a little broomstick, maybe come with different outfits as well. Harry grinned, and shook his head. The thought was completely ridiculous, and worryingly plausible with the way some people behaved. His mind had just flicked to the possibility of little witches dressing him in pretty pink floral dresses and having make believe tea parties with their Harry-bears and Harry-dolls when he was brought out of his thoughts me a smooth and cultured voice, that seemed to have developed a certain ability to make him blush. Or perhaps it was just Draco's sense of timing.

"You know Harry, in some circles it's considered impolite to stare at people when they're sleeping" Draco drawled, sarcasm present even when he was still slightly groggy with sleep "Perverse, even"

Harry felt his blush deepen to what was no doubt a very noticeable crimson at being caught in such an act, though he was exceptionally thankful that Draco had yet to look up.

"Yeah, sorry about that Draco. It's just...you looked..." He began to stutter slightly, his words tumbling forth with no real sense or cohesion; suddenly, he felt the unmistakable urge to hide, preferably somewhere that the blonde male was not.

The blonde chuckled slightly in response, the sound warm and rich, awakening a certain thought deep within Harry's mind. For some reason, Harry found himself regretting the fact that he hadn't heard the sound during their time at Hogwarts. Draco rolled to the side, off of Harry, and propped himself up in the bed, back resting against the headboard. A completely naturally thing to do, if not for the fact that it left his entire torso on display, and Harry simply couldn't help but stare at the expanse of bare skin and slight muscle definition. His emerald eyes travelled up the pale skin, taking note of the steady rise and fall, the erect nipples that stood out so drastically and teasingly. His eyes briefly flicked over the faded mark on Draco's arm, the Dark Mark, but quickly travelled on. It didn't bother him. He continued his journey all the way up to his delicate neck and then onto the smirk and silver eyes that seemed so smug, yet amused at the same time. For what felt like the hundredth time, Harry fund himself blushing from a simple glance from the blonde, or in this case a very knowing smirk.

"I looked what? Hmm, perhaps I can help you a little Harry" his words came out in a gentle purr, all teasing and smug at the same time "Handsome? Ravishing? Devastatingly sexy? Any of those help you?"

Harry barked a short laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a grin.

"Are you always such an insufferable bastard?"

"Oh yes, every day of my life. I go to great lengths to ensure people realise it" The blonde grinned at Harry, the both of them unable to hide their amusement "Now, tell me, do you have any coffee about this place of yours? Preferably fresh, none of that instant muggle shit"

With another laugh threatening to erupt from him, Harry slid out of his bed, briefly considering whether or not it was worth putting any clothes on, but instead settling on dealing with the not so difficult task of getting coffee in the nude.

"I only drink freshly ground coffee Draco, and I wouldn't be able to operate without it" Harry paused by the door, his fixed door, and glanced back at the bed and Draco "How do you take it?"

"With cream and a small pinch of brown sugar. If you're lacking the cream, then black with sugar will suffice" Draco smiled sweetly at Harry, or at least his interpretation of sweetly, grey eyes not so subtly travelling up and down the naked body in front of him, paying particular attention to Harry's groin.

"Yes sir, whatever Master Draco wants" Harry bowed his head slightly, gave a mock salute, words dripping with friendly sarcasm, before he turned on his heel, and made his way to his rather modest kitchen, all the while trying to fight off the urge to blush at the heat and intensity from the blondes gaze. He was not accustomed to people so obviously checking him out; he wasn't exactly self conscious, he just didn't view himself as especially attractive. Though Draco's enthusiasm should have done something to dispel that particular thought.

xxx

During Harry's absence, Draco took the time to look at the room he'd spent the night in; he'd been a little too occupied last night to pay any attention to it, more focused on the male in question. Now he fully took it in, the room wasn't exactly what he'd have thought The Saviour, The Magnificent Harry Potter would have gone for, not that he'd exactly known him well. Whilst it may not have been his style of decor, Draco did think the bedroom was decorated in a tasteful fashion: there was a feature wall in a dark chocolate brown, whilst the other walls were painted a light, almost coffee coloured shade of brown. The curtains that covered the rooms only window, and a large window at that, were striped and in the same shades as the walls, whilst the black, almost gothic curtain rails added a sense of style. To compliment this, it appeared that Harry had selected a bed frame to match, metal with a black coating in the same gothic style. Aside from that there didn't seem to be much else to see; a few sets of chest-of-drawers with Hogwarts and Quidditch memorabilia littered on top, and what appeared to be a large wardrobe. At least he'd expanded his clothing range, Draco thought, and was getting closer to being stylish, though he could have done with some tighter jeans. In Draco's not so humble opinion at the very least.

Other than that, the room seemed almost sparse.

Draco's eyes quickly flicked back to the door when he heard Harry return, with a small trey levitating in his wake. He couldn't help but run his tongue over his lips, as he watched the dark haired male walk into the bedroom, still entirely naked. What Draco had very quickly come to realise was that whilst Harry had always been attractive, he was even more so once you removed the awful clothes he seemed to wear; ill fitting jeans and baggy shirts.

Before he could become too distracted with the thoughts of Harry in tight clothes, the man in question slid back into bed, the trey following him. Draco couldn't help but smile slightly when the trey sprouted four legs, stretched itself to the width of the bed, and settled over their laps.

"How inventive" Draco commented dryly, somewhat shocked to see Harry with such a domestic item.

"Gift from Molly a few years ago" The dark haired male responded quietly whilst carefully picking up the large white mug he'd served his coffee in; now he came to think of it, he hadn't spent any time at The Burrow lately, barely seen his unofficial family.

"Hmm, Molly?" Draco frowned slightly, before finally associating the name with someone in Harry's life, who'd be inclined to give someone something like an expanding, enchanted serving tray as a gift "Of course, the Weasley Matriarch. Yes, this is the kind of...unique gift one might expect from them"

"So, Draco, what do you do with yourself these days?" Harry asked as quickly as possible, feeling the sudden urge to move things away from the Weasleys; whenever they came up in conversation he starting feeling incredibly guilty for not having seen them, or made much effort to contact them lately "Umm, do you work at all...?"

The blonde picked his coffee mug up, taking a few moments to consider his answer, the sudden change of topic not going unnoticed. He took a sip of the light brown liquid, humming slightly in appreciate of the flavour; not only had Harry gotten the cream and sugar quantities correct, he also seemed to have a good quality coffee bean in the apartment. The Boy Who Lived was full of surprises.

"Well, I don't work as of yet. As I'm sure you can imagine, there are very few in the Wizarding community who are willing to employ someone with the 'Malfoy' name" the blonde took another sip of coffee, briefly shutting his eyes in something close to pleasure "So, I spend my time in Malfoy Manor. Studying potions, alchemical formulae...researching a few magical artifacts; things that the Malfoy's have collected over the generations"

Whilst Draco had always been good at controlling his emotions, and maintaining a careful mask, Harry didn't miss the traces of anger and frustration in his voice, as well as something he couldn't quite place. It almost sounded like regret, with a hint of sorrow, but Harry simply could not be certain.

"Are you alone there?" Harry swallowed, and quickly felt the need to say something else, given the incredulous look he was currently receiving from Draco "It's just...It'd be a shame if you were on your own"

"Yes, I live alone; aside from a number of House Elves who've chosen to remain. When Father was imprisoned at the end of the war, Mother left the country. Too many bad memories, she said. She's currently living in one of our properties in Italy" His grip on the mug tightened, whilst his jaw visibly clenched "I chose to remain at the Manor"

Harry's heart seemed to drop upon hearing this. Whatever Draco may have done in the war, and done with very good reason in his opinion, there was just something about knowing that the blonde spent all his time alone in a place the size of Malfoy Manor that made him feel intensely sad. People had always told him he was too empathetic, perhaps this was one of those occasions.

"Oh..." Harry paused, unable to help feeling torn between sympathy for the blonde, and confusion as to why he was responding like this "What about friends? People from Hogwarts?"

"Friends?" Draco said the word as it were in a foreign language, or at least one he wasn't well versed in, and snorted in derision "I didn't have friends. Just moronic hangers on, all angling for the next great Pure Blood family alliance. After the war, all my so called friends did their best to separate themselves from me, far be it for them to be tarnished by simple association. Well, more so than they have been already. Don't forget, most of my so called 'friends' were the sons and daughters of prominent Death Eaters. The less contact they have with others in that situation, the better they look in the long run"

"I'm so sorry Draco, it must be awful" Again, Harry felt his heart plummet. The blonde sounded so alone, and it was something he could relate to, to a degree at least "I kind of get what you mean..."

"I require neither your sympathy, nor your understanding thank you very much" Draco all but snarled in response, cutting the other man off before he could finish "My life may not be perfect, but it will suffice. It was my choice; I could run from my past, or stay and the fate of the Malfoys. I simply did what was best for the family"

Within a matter of moments, the old anger and frustration rushed through Harry, as if someone had opened a dam, releasing all the things he'd pushed aside; he simply could not understand why the blonde had reacted with such hostility. In this moment, the person sitting next to him in bed was not Draco, not the person he'd drank with, but Malfoy, the bastard would be Slytherin royal who'd done his damndest to make his time at Hogwarts a living hell. However, before he had a chance to snap back at the blonde man, a shrill screech echoed around the apartment, a small security ward he'd placed on his fireplace t alert him to any unexpected visitors via the floo system, quickly followed by two voices; one shouting, the other opting for a more subdued volume.

"Harry James Potter! Get out here this minute, and stop avoiding us!" The first voice, belonging to a female, echoed around the apartment with ease, sounding somewhere between concerned and extremely pissed off.

"Come on...can we go? He'll talk when he's ready" The second voice, male, spoke in a much calmer tone, and at a much lower volume "Anyway, aren't you always the one telling me to be polite? Yet you floo into someone else's flat without even asking beforehand!"

"Oh, do be quiet Ronald. I've had enough of this ridiculous behaviour!"

"Hermione...Please, just calm down"

Wandlessly, and wordlessly, Harry cast a silencing charm on his bedroom, and gestured at the bedroom door, causing it to shut. With another wave of his hand, the enchanted serving tray vanished, along with the mug in his hand, and the one Draco had clenched between both hands. He started running his hands through his mass of wild hair, eyes wide in panic, skin strangely pale.

"Shit shit shit shit shit" Harry slid out of the bed, still naked and cursing, and began to rummage around one of the drawers closest to the door, seemingly desperate to find something "Oh, sod it...where did I put that fucking thing..."

After a few moments of fruitless searching he stepped away from the chest-of-drawers, slamming the drawer back in out of frustration. His eyes began to wildly rove around his room, before finally settling on Draco, who was still propped up in bed, and looking mildly amused at the strange turn of events, though primarily confused and somewhat irrated.

"So, care to tell me exactly what's going on? And who you're so desperate to hide from?" The blondes sarcastic drawl did nothing to settle him, but it did give him something else to focus on, if even for a moment.

"It's Hermione" He gestured wildly at the door, still completely oblivious to his lack of clothing "And Ron"

Draco quirked one delicate blonde eyebrow up in response.

"Granger the know it all, and The Weasel himself. I'd be inclined to avoid them as well, especially this early in the day. Dealing with the world's only human shaped dictionary and the ginger haired halfwit is not my idea of a Saturday morning"

Draco was vaguely shocked when Harry did nothing to defend his friends, and merely sighed in response. Once upon a time, any insult directed at any member of the 'Golden Trio', as they'd been known, would have sparked a somewhat violent response from the other members. Evidently, the dynamics had changed slightly.

"I love them both, I really do" Harry's voice was quiet, steady, almost remorseful "I just find it hard being around them at the moment. I've kind of been avoiding them"

Draco simply frowned in response. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to know exactly why Harry felt like this, but it wasn't his place to ask. He settled instead for a small nod, shifting his curiosity aside for another time.

"Look, I'll explain some other time Draco, I promise" Harry glanced at the door again, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly "For now though, I kind of need your help"

"My help?" Draco's frown deepened, as he gave Harry an incredulous look "What exactly could I do to help you avoid your friends?"

"Just..." Harry ran a hand through his hair yet again, desperation creeping into his voice and actions "Just lie to them, insult them. Be as Slytherin as you can be"

Draco narrowed his eyes for a few moments, mind slowly ticking over strange turn of events. Looking at Harry, at the way he paced the length of the bedroom like a caged animal, desperation so clear in his emerald green eyes, he found there was only one thing he could say, only one answer to give. Of course, on some small level, this did appeal to his inner Slytherin; the opportunity to scheme so rarely presented itself these days, and Draco simply couldn't help the small hint of excitement that had crept into his mind.

"Of course Harry, I shall do what I can"

The dark haired male smiled slightly, feeling somewhat relieved. He made his way to the edge of the bed, and sat down on the end, legs crossed, facing Draco.

"I need you to go out there and tell them Harry isn't here" Harry spoke slowly, making sure to articulate every word, all the while his emerald eyes seemed to bore into Draco's "And my name is Marely"

"Your name is...? I don't entirely understand what you...Oh" Draco trailed off, pieces clicking into place as he watched what was happening at the end of the bed "When did you learn to do that?"

Reviews are always welcome

Till next time people!