Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
A/N: This fic will be ten chapters long. Please review and let me know what you think!
Chapter Two
Severus Snape considered ignoring the non-stop knocking on his door, but there could be only one likely person who would ever come over to his house.
"Coming, coming," the man grumbled under his breath as he pulled his cloak tighter to his body before opening the door.
Harry barreled in, offering no greetings or apologies.
"Well what has you in such a state?" Snape drawled, shutting the door and following Harry's retreating form to the kitchen.
The young man collapsed into a kitchen chair and glared. This did not surprise Snape since the boy was extremely moody ever since his fall-out with Draco. He sighed, expecting to hear once more about the woes of Harry and Draco.
"Guess who came to visit me. Minister Riddle."
Snape's eyes widened considerably and he quickly cast a strong silencing and locking spell on the house. For once he did not bother making tea and he watched Harry run his fingers through his hair making it more unruly than usual.
Harry relayed what Minister Riddle said to him and Snape grew more pensive and concerned by the minute.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Harry asked. "I won't let him threaten Draco or Teddy. He knew that I had no intention of defying the Ministry in the Games yet he's using me as the scapegoat! He practically stated that my feelings for Draco were genuine too. Well, he knew what I meant." He stood and began to pace back and forth. "Now I have to act like a perfect minion of the Ministry's when we go on the Victory Tour."
"Not to mention everyone in the other districts still believe that you and Draco are in love," Snape added. They would have to include Draco in this or at the very least tell him about the Minister's visit if he would listen.
Sighing, Harry sat back down in the chair and rested his head in his hands, elbows bent on the table. "How did it come to this? All I wanted is to survive the Games and for Draco to live too and now it's turned into this mess."
"The first thing we are going to do Potter is force Draco to listen. If I must stun him and tie him to a chair then I will. He will no longer act like a petulant boy," said Snape, the plan formulating in his head. This time they would all have to work together because it's how they ended up in the position they were in to begin with.
"Yeah, okay," Harry agreed, not exactly liking the fact that he was sure it would come to this, but Snape was right. It had been months now and it was time Draco listened to what they had to say.
"Then, with Draco's cooperation, we will prepare ourselves for the Victory Tour. You will do as the Minister says Harry. I'm afraid that will be the easiest."
"What!" Harry shouted, head turning towards Snape with a look of loathing. "Why should I?"
"Because," Snape said firmly. "The Minister will not go back on his threat. There will be a new Hunger Games this year and soon you will be just a victor. The Ministry will be amused with new tributes and you and Draco will hopefully fall to the wayside. Do not cause more trouble, Potter."
Harry frowned, but nodded. He did not feel like fighting Snape right now and for once maybe his former mentor was right; if he and Draco pretended as if all was right on the Victory Tour then the Ministry would let them be.
But the Minister's words left a sinking feeling in Harry's stomach and he found it hard to believe that things would be so easy.
Two days later Harry received a note from Snape that told him to come over immediately. Thankfully Teddy was at school so Harry rushed over to Snape's house as fast as possible. He knocked and heard a shout beckoning him which was quite unlike Snape. A tad confused, Harry entered and followed the muffled sounds that led to the kitchen. What he saw made him want to laugh, but he held back because his heart was pounding faster than normal and his breath caught at the sight.
Draco was bound to the kitchen chair with ropes and a piece of cloth was wound around his head to gag his mouth. He was trying to speak, or more likely shouting obscenities, and glaring hatefully at Snape who was sitting across the table.
The blonde's head turned when he saw Harry enter, his shouts ceasing momentarily and his eyes wary.
"Now that we have all gathered," Snape began, but at this statement Draco began to try and shout once more. "We can speak. Mr. Malfoy, please. Cease this childish behavior this instant and listen. I have had to go to such extremes in order to get you to listen. I believe Harry should explain first."
Snape nodded and Harry moved further into the room, pulling up a chair so that he and Draco were sitting rather close. Draco, Harry noticed, had finally fallen silent and Harry began to recount his story of his recent meeting with the Minister.
When he was finished they were all quiet with Draco not even trying to speak. Harry noticed that the other teen appeared rather defeated at the news.
"As you can see we must deal with this issue, Draco, and that requires the cooperation of us all, but especially you and Harry," said Snape. "I feel I owe you and Harry both an apology." Draco glanced towards Snape, but he looked away and down at his lap. "It was wrong of me to have suggested to Harry to pretend to be in love with you before you two entered the Games. I will have you know that he did not follow through and hardly listened to any of my instructions."
Snape shot Harry a nasty look, a clear reference to the start of the Games when Snape told them both to not go after the cornucopia. Harry refused to listen as soon as he saw the bow and arrows.
"The feelings that he…developed for you were genuine and not an act."
Snape quieted and sent a pointed look to Harry to explain.
"He's right, Draco," Harry said quietly, not daring to glance at the blonde yet. "He wanted me to pretend to love you so that we could gain sponsors and more attention, but I didn't listen. It was when we were in the Games that I finally discovered that I did like you and not just as an ally."
Harry chanced a look at Draco to find gray eyes boring into him and he couldn't look away. "I meant what I said, Draco. I didn't want to leave the arena without you. After the Games were over you just walked in at an inopportune time and wouldn't let me explain. I've been trying to tell you that I do like you, a lot, and if you would only give me a chance then I could prove that to you without others trying to kill us in some arena."
Nobody said anything for a moment until a muffled sound escaped from Draco. Harry quickly said a spell that caused the cloth around his mouth to fall.
"Finally," muttered the blonde. Gray eyes traveled from Harry to Snape and then back again, but Harry could not tell what Draco was thinking for his face was impassive. "Can you undo these bindings now? I promise not to throttle either of you or run for the door."
Harry nodded, not even glancing towards Snape, and the ropes fell to the ground. Slowly Draco moved his arms and legs to get feeling back into the joints.
"I think you both know I was extremely angry at first and I felt duped by you both," Draco began. "I'm still upset with you Snape for trying to use me as you did, but now that I've finally been forced to listen I'll get over it." Snape only nodded and then Draco turned towards Harry. The dark haired teen felt his pulse quicken and his palms begin to sweat. "Can you and I talk later?"
"Of course," Harry answered quickly. Snape snorted and Harry sent him a peeved glance, but he didn't miss the smirk Snape was trying to hide.
"Alright," said Draco. "So what are we going to do about the Minister? The Victory Tour starts in two weeks."
"Yes," spoke Snape. "And I received notice today that you two will be sent to the Ministry two days beforehand to prepare."
Harry grumbled under his breath about the fact that he had to return to the Ministry one more time than he desired, and to be poked and prodded once more, but when Draco sent him a small smile he stopped and smiled back.
Snape rolled his eyes at the interaction. "Back on track boys." Both teens blushed but turned their attention to the man. "I told this to Potter, Draco, that it is imperative that you both act like nothing is wrong, that you have not gotten word of rebellions and are extremely happy that you two are alive. Once the Victory Tour is over you two can live in District Twelve without the Ministry breathing down your necks."
"That seems too easy," said Draco with a shake of his head. "And if the rebellions don't stop? What if seeing Harry on the tour causes more revolts against the Ministry?"
"Then we will deal with that as it comes."
Silence reigned once more until Harry and Draco caught each other's eyes and Harry tilted his head towards the door. Draco nodded back.
"I'm sure we'll speak again soon," Harry said to Snape as he stood up. "But Draco and I need to talk in private."
"Of course." Snape stood and escorted the two to the front door. "I'll be in touch about the preparations for the trip."
"Right," stated Harry, his eyes not leaving Draco's form. In the moonlight Draco's hair was illuminated and stood out in the dark for there were no lights in Victor's Village, let alone 12, to light the streets or paths.
Snape sighed and muttered good-night, knowing that it more than likely fell on deaf ears.
"Want to come to my house?" Harry asked. "Teddy's probably sleeping by now."
"Okay."
They made the short distance to Harry's house and entered, only a small table light offering them a source to see.
"Lumos," Harry whispered and a hall light hanging above came on. "We can go to the sitting room where he'll be sure not to hear."
Once in the sitting area Harry began a fire and they both sat on the sofa across from it, Harry consciously avoiding looking at Draco for the moment. He felt nervous and unsure of what Draco wanted to say to him, but throughout this time apart Harry had never been surer of his own feelings.
"I guess it's my turn to apologize," Draco said quietly, breaking the silence.
"Apologize? For what?"
"For not allowing you to try and explain the situation. When I heard what Snape said I jumped to conclusions and was so hurt that I used anger to try and cover it up." Wary eyes flickered towards Harry before turning towards the fire. "The last thing I wanted was to see you around town so I tried to avoid you as much as possible. You saved me in the arena and I thought you had feelings for me so when we came back and I heard that…I was crushed. For months afterwards I wished I had perished in the arena instead of coming back here and seeing you every day."
"Draco," said Harry guiltily, voice slightly choked. He couldn't even imagine Draco trying to wish such terrible things as dying in the arena and a sense of despair washed over him.
A slim pale hand grabbed his own and squeezed it. When Harry looked at Draco the blonde offered him a sad smile.
"Don't blame yourself, please. My mother knocked some sense into me, but after that I was too stubborn to go after you and you had stopped trying to bother me."
"Because you yelled at me!"
Draco chuckled and relaxed into the sofa, their hands still intertwined. Unconsciously Harry had begun to rub small circles with his thumb on Draco's soft hand.
"Yes, well, I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind to be reasonable and evaluate the logic of my actions so do forgive me."
"I suppose I can do that," Harry teased. Draco playfully bumped his shoulder and for the first time since that awful day in the Ministry Harry felt happy since the Games ended. "As long as I'm forgiven too."
"You are."
They sat in silence for several minutes relishing the fact that this was how things were supposed to have been all along when they had gotten back to District 12. It was nearly six months later, but Harry was happy that finally he and Draco were together.
"Do you honestly think Minister Riddle will leave us alone, you especially?" asked Draco. He had inched closer to Harry so that he was pressed up against the other teen and was now leaning on his shoulder.
"No. I think us behaving and following orders seems a little too easy and they need a scapegoat. They'll do something in order to make it seem like we were in the wrong even if there aren't any other rebellions."
"Just like the Games."
Harry nodded and wrapped his arm around Draco's shoulder. "Yes, exactly. But if there are revolts and rebellions going on in several districts already what is to make us stop them now?"
"Nothing. The Ministry will only be satisfied until they have everyone under their thumb again."
It was true. They both realized that even if they participated in the Ministry's charade that everything would not be as easy as Snape hoped it would be. The last time there was rebellions District 13 was blasted to smithereens and no longer existed.
"Perhaps the next Hunger Games will preoccupy people a little," Draco added. "It's the Quarter Quell after all."
Every twenty-five years the Hunger Games were coined the Quarter Quell where the gamemakers would add a special twist on that year's Games. In the last Quarter Quell there were twice as many tributes.
"There's still six months left though. A lot can happen in those months."
"True," said Draco, burrowing further into Harry's arms. Harry eagerly accepted the other boy's body warmth and his arm tightened around Draco. "But the Victory Tour will take a month and a half and shortly after that talk of the Quarter Quell will be all about town." He sighed. "Snape is right though, that there's nothing we can do about it at this moment except wait and see."
"I hate waiting," Harry grumbled morosely.
Draco smirked at him. "Yes, you aren't very patient. Always rushing into things and refusing to listen."
"Hey," Harry said with a nudge. "I never said I was perfect."
"No," replied Draco softly, turning in Harry's arms. "You didn't."
It took Harry a moment to realize how close their faces were together and Draco's face appeared so smooth while his gray eyes looked like winter. Their faces were slowly moving towards each other's until eyes shuttered closed and their lips met. The kiss was everything it was supposed to be. Soft, gentle, a slow exploration of tongues mapping the other's mouth with no rush.
When they broke away Draco's eyes were still closed and only opened when he felt Harry's fingers pushing back his hair.
"I'm sorry I was such a prick," Draco apologized.
"Shh, you weren't. We both made some mistakes, but we're fine now."
The only response Harry received was a kiss to the cheek and a nod, but the words were meant to sound more reassuring than they really were. Things were exactly how he wanted them to be with Draco, but an unsettling feeling told him it wouldn't last long.
