A/N: So because the last chapter was so short and I'm feeling generous, here is more. Thanks for the well-wishes for my laptop. It's still not 100% but may be on the mend... TLC seems to help :)

Also thank you for the reviews. I'm hoping for more of them because this is a bigger chapter *hint hint*


*** Chapter 3

"Potter," Draco spoke quietly so his voice didn't travel in the ancient library. "Come with me."

"But it's only Wednesday," Harry burst out before he could stop himself.

"Were you led to believe we would only meet on specific days?" Draco asked with an eyebrow arced.

Harry sighed, realising he'd be better off not arguing or worse trying to resist. The punishments and resulting pain still lingered in his mind, even if his body was fully healed. Knowing he could talk to no one about it meant he knew he had no choice but to go. Resisting would be futile and only cause more punishments. Having grown up with the Dursley's he had learned to avoid punishment for his own good. So he hurriedly gathered his books and followed Malfoy out of the library, receiving curious looks not just from Ron and Hermione.

Once more they made their way to the Dungeons, entering the same room they'd used before. It looked a little differently now, compared to the first time Harry had entered it. The work bench was still there and so was the table and chair in the middle of the room. But to one side a bed had been added. A large double bed; which had allowed them to spend nights in the room as well, thus not having to worry about finishing before curfew.

"I was told to work with you on Potions but your work in Charms today was worse than appalling. It hurt to even watch you." Draco shook his head with some disgust. "You're going to be practising tonight until you get it right."

"But..."

"Do not argue with me, Potter."

Harry went silent and hung his head.

"As you will need your wand I will let you keep it tonight. I advice you not to use it against me. If you do, any pain you've ever experienced will be nothing compared to what I'll do with you."

"I won't," Harry said quietly.

"Good. Now conjure a goblet and show me your best shot."

Harry did as told. Standing in the middle of the room he held out his hand and conjured a goblet into it. This was an easy enough task and he had no problem with it. The real trouble came with the spell they had been taught in Charms today. It was supposed to make a goblet sing like a bird only when it was empty.

Concentrating on what he wanted to achieve, Harry waved his wand and spoke the incantation. His goblet gave a tiny, feeble, squeaky tweet and then went silent.

"That was the best I've seen all day from you and it was still appalling." Draco shook his head, then he went and stood behind Harry, wrapping his wand hand around Harry's and guiding his movement. "You have to turn it into one fluid movement, like this."

"Right," Harry murmured, feeling somewhat distracted by the heat radiating off Draco's body.

"Now go again."

Harry did as told, focusing his mind he moved his wand the way he had just been shown and spoke the incantation. Nothing happened.

"Atrocious. Go again."

The next attempt was no more successful than the previous.

"You need to focus your mind, Potter. Empty your mind and visualise only the goblet and what you want it to do."

"Empty your mind..." Harry grumbled quietly with a shake of his head. He tried again and failed as miserably as before.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Potter. It's not particularly difficult magic. I know you're capable of far more difficult spells. Unfortunately that was your last free try. I'm going to have to punish you for every further attempt you need."

Harry looked up at Malfoy at that, his eyes showing his fear.

"What did you think this was? Time for you to fool around in? I'm supposed to teach you something and without incentives I don't see any hope for you. Now take off your robe and shirt."

Draco walked to the shelf in a corner of the room and picked up a whip, hiding it out of sight from Harry. He didn't want him scared, just focused. Turning back to the brunette he saw him hesitating, looking down at his still clothed body.

"Damn it, Potter. Get your kit off now or I'll spell it off and then I will take it all."

This time Harry hurried to obey, wondering why he was listening to Malfoy and not just running away.

Draco could sense Harry's worry and hooking the whip into his robe pocket he stood behind Harry again, laying his hands on the bare shoulders in front of him, massaging them gently. "I'm here to help you, Potter. You may think my ways unconventional but they work, you'll see. Now relax so you can focus your mind."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that if I know I'll fail and get hurt because of it?" Harry cried almost whiningly

"If you think you will fail you aren't likely to succeed. Do you not have faith in yourself and your abilities?"

"I do. When it comes to useful things," Harry moaned.

"Useful? What do you mean with that?"

"Well this is the most useless spell I've ever heard of. Why the hell would I want to make a goblet sing like a bird? Bloody ridiculous! Millennia of wizardry and this is what you come up with!"

Draco took a step back in anger at first, then he took another step back, took out the whip and swung it down against Harry's bare back with all the strength he had.

Harry was so surprised he couldn't even cry in pain when all the air went out of him. He stumbled forwards from the impact, losing the hold of his wand and the goblet, needing his hands to brace himself against the wall. He leaned against it for a long time while his back continued stinging from the single blow. "What the hell...?" He eventually managed to croak out, turning slightly to look at Draco.

"Never insult magic!" Draco hissed, his anger still obvious. "You may be no more than a half-blood but you have ancestors that gave their life to develop the spells we use today. No matter how ridiculous a spell may seem to you, someone put an awful lot of work into developing it. Many lose their lives when experimenting with spell creation. Many never achieve the desired result but instead accidentally find another spell. Many that continue don't survive their experiments. It is not a matter of mockery. Do you understand?"

The last part was said so low and dangerous that Harry shrank away from it. "Sorry," he whispered honestly.

"Every spell you learn is taught you for a reason. With each new year your learn more complicated spells. It is necessary to learn each one in order for you to be able to learn the next one. If you cannot learn a spell like this how do you expect to learn more complicated spells later? Your learning of spells won't stop with leaving Hogwarts. Whatever job you take will require particular spells, which will be more complicated than those taught at Hogwarts."

"You mean more difficult spells like the Patronus Charm?" Harry said petulantly, getting fed up of Draco's lecture and feeling defensive.

"You learned that out of necessity, I know. It was taught you too early. Especially if you now think yourself something better for having learned it early."

"I don't think I'm something better."

"Then make a bloody effort to learn this spell!" Draco half shouted, just as fed up of Harry as Harry was of him.

"Fine!" Harry hissed back and stood up, wincing at the pain it caused in his back. He took the goblet and his wand and got ready. Closing his eyes he empty his mind as best he could, trying to visualise the goblet, singing like a bird. Then he waved his wand.

The goblet started tweeting for all of two seconds before it went quiet again.

"OH bloody hell!" Harry cursed in annoyance.

"That was your best effort yet, well done. Try again," Draco said calmly. He couldn't lose his cool with Harry or they'd end up doing something they'd regret, he was sure.

Harry looked up surprised, he'd expected punishment. "Didn't... I thought..."

"If you do well you get rewarded, if you mess up you get punished. You made an effort and your reward is no punishment this time."

"Oh..." Harry sighed. A moment later he tried to focus again, then cast the spell. Nothing happened. He closed his eyes and clenched his muscles in preparation. He heard the swoosh of the whip before he felt it. This time he only took a half step forwards to catch his balance but he cried out as the pain flooded his body and mind.

"Try it again and be more careful with your wand movement."

Harry did as told and received what sounded like a half-arsed tweet coming from the goblet. This time he had barely a chance to prepare before he heard the swooshing of the whip. It knocked him forwards again and the pain was so bad this time he screamed.

"Keep trying, you'll get there," Draco said encouragingly.

Steeling himself Harry glared at the goblet. 'I can do this,' he thought to himself. He repeated it like a mantra, focusing on a singing goblet. Then he cast his spell. This time his goblet started tweeting like an actual bird and it continued ...and continued. "Oh my God!" He called out, utterly surprised that he had seemingly managed the spell.

"Well done, Potter. Set it on the table, we have to test if it will sign when filled."

Harry did as told and set the goblet down only for Draco to cast an aguamenti, filling the goblet with clear water. The goblet stopped singing the moment the first drop touched it. Draco vanished the water again and the goblet started singing again.

"You've done it, Potter."

Harry grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Thank you, Malfoy."

"I told you my method works."

Rolling his eyes, Harry chose not to reply. He hardly appreciated the stinging in his back and the pain he felt every time he moved and stretched the skin of his back.

"And I did say you would be rewarded for doing well." This time it was Draco's turn to grin as he approached Harry, standing right in front of him. He ran the back of his hand down the side of Harry's face before leaning in and pressing his lips against Harry's.

They had done plenty of this during the previous weekend but Harry had never responded. It didn't seem right then. Now he'd had time to think about it and the idea didn't seem quite as bad as it had before. If this was his reward he would make the most of it. And so he found himself answering by pressing his lips against Malfoy's.

Draco was pleased with the reaction and took it as incentive to go further. Parting his lips he let his tongue trail over Harry's lips. Then he took Harry's bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it gently. Harry gasped at the feeling and Draco used the moment when Harry's lips where parted to push his tongue between them, exploring as yet unfamiliar territory.

For a moment Harry was stunned but he soon answered the kiss and wound his tongue around Draco's. For some time they both just stood kissing, exploring each other's mouths. Eventually Draco pulled away, getting light headed from lack of oxygen.

"Hmm, well Potter, I am pleasantly surprised. You're not as inept at kissing as you are at magic."

"Gee, thanks!" Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

Draco ignored him. "Now, I think we should continue our lessons from the weekend."

"No..." Harry whined, slapping a hand against his forehead.

Again Draco chose to ignore Harry's reaction. "You may be only a half-blood but you are, for unfortunate reasons, a well-known person. You will be required to know wizarding etiquette. Tell me what I taught you at the weekend."

Harry sighed but listed what he could remember from the weekend. Draco corrected him when he was wrong, prodded him when he left something out and whipped him when he got things completely wrong or kissed him for particular efforts.