It was two weeks after that night- the kiss- when Lucius finally wrote to him.

Draco was lounging in the Slytherin Common Room, allowing Pansy to rest her head in his lap even though the longer she laid there, the more his stomach felt uneasy. His friends sat on the opposite couch, having a heated conversation about some Quidditch player or another, but other than themselves, the room was empty.

An incredibly regal-looking owl came in soon after and landed onto the couch they were sitting on. He absentmindedly pushed Pansy away, ignoring the soft moan she uttered at losing contact with him, and pulled the letter off the owl's leg.

Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise paused their conversation about Quidditch to look over. "Who's it from?" Blaise asked.

Draco stared for a few moments at the scroll in his hand, frowning slightly. "My father," he said simply, voice cool, and he got up and walked out of the common room. He had a feeling that whatever was in this letter was not something he wanted anyone else to see.

He walked briskly down the hall, eyes on his feet, not even noticing when he passed the Golden Trio.

Hermione and Ron glanced at Harry who watched the Slytherin pass, the letter clutched in his hand, and Harry sighed. "I'll catch you up, alright?" he said quietly to them after Draco was out of sight.

"Good luck," Hermione said softly. Harry smiled at her briefly before turning around and following Draco. He'd come out to both of his friends and, after the shock wore off, he told them how he first realized it. Ron, Harry remembered with a wry grin, had fainted.

Soon, Harry found Draco near the lake, sitting cross-legged and bent over a piece of parchment. Harry kept his distance for now and took to looking up at the sky. It was a dark Saturday morning; grey clouds swirled overhead, and the air seemed to buzz with energy just waiting to be unleashed in the form of lightning. It was a little windy, but deliciously warm nonetheless.

Harry looked back down at Draco, who, he noticed with some surprise, was staring at him intently. Harry walked the rest of the way down to the lake and sat beside him. "Is everything okay?" he asked, as though they'd been friends for years.

Draco laughed bitterly and thrust the letter at him. Harry frowned, looking down at the very neat, slanted handwriting, and read:

Draco,

We've decided that we will not disown you. However, you will marry a Slytherin female and I will not permit you to date other men. That is absolutely sickening and I will not have it. As you know, I have connections in Hogwarts and should I hear a rumor that you're dating a male, I will put you in a muggle high school. This is not an empty threat- I have enrollment forms in my hand as I write this. Do not test me.

Lucius

Harry read it through twice, wondering vaguely how someone could treat their child like that, and very calmly rolled it up and stuck it in the mud next to the lake.

For several minutes, neither of them said a word. Draco never took his eyes off the water, it's dark depths reflecting the sky... and Harry never took his eyes off of him.

It was Draco who finally broke the silence. "Why did you follow me that night?"

The corner of Harry's lip twitched up into a smile, and he said softly, "You mean the night I kissed you?"

Draco cut him a dark look. "Why, have there been other times?"

Harry chuckled, and said, "I was actually planning on going to Hagrid's. He said he had something important to show me- some illegal creature, I'm sure- but he didn't want to get me in trouble, so I should only come down if I thought I could risk it. I was halfway across the grounds when I saw you, and you seemed upset, so I figured your need was greater than Hagrid's."

"So you sat there and bloody eavesdropped on me while I was talking to myself?"

Harry grinned. "No, I stood there and eavesdropped, Malfoy. Why do you sound so annoyed? I was just trying to help." Harry laid back, resting his head on his hands and looking up at the dangerously dark sky.

"You call making me more confused than I already was 'helping'? Coming out of the closet for the first time to parents who hate me is enough as it is without you sneaking up and snogging me," Draco said, his voice a little cool.

"I apologize then. But I meant what I said..." Harry looked at him again, being perfectly serious, "you aren't alone."

Draco mumbled something, turning away from the other boy.

"What was that, Draco, darling?" Harry asked smoothly, smirking.

Draco looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. "First off, never call me that again, Potter. And I said... I said you didn't need to apologize. I enjoyed..." he trailed off, looking as though he had a very bad taste in his mouth. "You know, I really hate this sentimental crap."

Harry chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure pretending to be bitter enemies with me has really worn you down in that respect."

In one swift movement, Draco had reached inside his robes and whipped out his wand, pointing it just between Harry's eyes. It was his turn to smirk. "Who says we've stopped being enemies?"

Harry sat up a little and gently bit the end of Draco's wand, smiling when he heard the other boy's quiet gasp. "I do," the raven-haired boy said out the side of his mouth.

"Sometimes, Potter," Draco said, trying to keep his voice even as he pulled his wand out of the other boy's mouth, "I sincerely think you've gone mad."

Harry laughed, getting up and brushing his robes off, looking pleased with himself. "Well, I'll see you around, Draco," he said nonchalantly, turning around to leave.

"Wait, you're leaving?" the blond asked, confused at the sudden departure and standing as well.

Harry turned and shrugged. "I've got to meet Ron and Hermione in the library, we were about to study."

Draco nodded, looking down and putting his wand back inside his robes. Suddenly, Harry was standing very close to him, and before he could even look up, Harry's mouth was covering his. Draco's heart immediately began to race, but he returned the kiss this time, both boys' lips moving and pressing hard against each other.

Just as Draco began to relax against Harry, the emerald-eyed boy pulled away, his breath uneven. "I'm sorry," he said in a hushed voice.

Draco, whose mind was still trying to soak everything in and having some difficulty, chuckled, and answered, "I hope you don't apologize every time we kiss, Potter."

"Are you implying that you would like to do this again?" Harry asked, catching his breath and smiling in a rather devilish way. However, before Draco could answer, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and there was a fierce crash of thunder, shaking the leaves on the trees.

"I think that's our cue to go in," the Gryffindor muttered, and Draco nodded. He did not really care if they got caught in the rain but knowing Pansy would be looking for him soon enough made him agree.

"'Till next time, then, Potter," Malfoy said, nodding once in his direction. He then turned, brought his foot down on the rolled up letter still sticking out of the mud, and made his way back up to the castle without another word.

Harry watched him go, a warm smile on his face. "'Till next time, Darling."