*Hey there! Hope everyone was feeling a little better after the last chapter :)

DarkLinkLovesLink- I got my Pottermore account last summer when the beta testing started. It was supposed to open to the public in October, but they're still working out bugs.

cassy1994- One thing I could never do in a story is kill one of the main characters for real. It's hard to have a happy ending that way.

Alli97nomel- Thanks for your thorough review. I like to know which parts work and which parts don't. I don't mind groupies :)

FantasyFiend09- I think it was natural for each of them to be embarrassed about their confessions, and doubting the other's.

hotflower901- yeah, it was a little awkward, huh? lol but they sort of made up for it in the hospital. There might still be some awkwardness going on . . .

Thank you all for reading my poor little neglected story :)

H P D M

"Potter, will you please stop doting on me?" Draco said the words but, secretly, he was enjoying the attention.

Harry put down a tray carrying a pot of tea, along with two cups, a sugar bowl and a small carafe of milk, on the sitting room table of Draco's flat. He took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"

"I've been living on my own for three years now," Draco smirked.

"I mean with your injuries. You're still using the cane," Harry observed.

The room fell silent. Since the hospital room declaration and a shared kiss, the tension between Harry and Draco had become almost unbearable. Draco lifted the teacup to his lips and took a small sip.

"Thank you, by the way." He glanced quickly at Harry. "For helping me home this morning. And the tea."

"Of course. It was the least I could do. It's my fault you went through what you did."

Draco took another sip and set his cup down. "And you sustained no injuries at all? That's amazing."

"Well, my blood pressure was elevated. And my brain chemistry was off," Harry laughed.

"Oh, perhaps I should be caring for you then," Draco said sarcastically.

Harry swallowed at the phrase caring for you.

Draco continued. "I volunteered, remember. You don't have anything to feel guilty about. I'm glad you weren't hurt. It wouldn't do for both of us to be gimps," he snickered.

The pair talked about the particulars of the case. Shacklebolt had filled Harry in on some of the items found in the Manor and what was to be done with them. If Lucius was to come out of hiding, he would arrested on sight. There would be no avoiding Azkaban.

They spoke about the Auror training Draco was to go through after he was healed completely. Harry explained the tests he would have to go through. Though, in Draco's case, they were a formality. The Ministry was honoring its agreement. Harry told him he particularly enjoyed the Stealth and Tracking training.

"I didn't care for the Potions training. That's no secret. But you'll have no trouble with Potions. You never did," Harry smiled. "Oh, speaking of potions, you're due for one."

Draco cocked his head to one side slightly and furrowed his brow. "I don't think I need one. The pain really isn't bad."

Standing, Harry shook his head. "No. Miss Gwilt made me promise to give you your potions. All of them." He walked to the kitchenette and retrieved a bottle filled with light green liquid, holding it up to the light and making a face. When he turned around, Draco was standing right in front of him.

"I still say you make a fair nurse maid. But that's not what I want from you. When are we going to stop dancing around the subject of you and me?"

Harry licked his lips as he watched Draco's mouth.

"Draco . . . you've only just left the hospital."

"Then perhaps I should be lying down," the blond whispered. He leaned forward and brushed hips lips against Harry's. The Auror closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss. He set the potion down and placed his hands on Draco's hips.

Draco dropped the cane in order to run both hands through Harry's thick, dark hair. Harry reciprocated, appropriately fondling the silky locks this time. Without the dust from the crumbling Manor, it was even softer.

As glorious as kissing Harry in the kitchen was, Draco was eager to proceed to the bedroom. His erection strained against his trousers so tightly, it was becoming quite uncomfortable.

"I want you," he murmured against Harry's mouth.

"What's the rush?" Harry asked softly.

Instead of answering, Draco pressed up against him, deliberately digging his cock into Harry's belly. Harry groaned, feeling the blood rush to his own hardening appendage.

Reluctantly, Harry gently pushed Draco back slightly.

"Draco, are you certain you're up for this?"

"Yes, can't you feel it," Draco leered. "If you're hesitating because of my injuries, I assure you-"

"That's part of it, yes," Harry confessed. "But . . . we've hardly even talked about . . . us. Where is this going?"

"I'm trying to get it going to my bedroom," Draco grinned.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Draco sighed. "I don't know exactly where this will end up. Nobody ever does. Do they? But I've never felt this way before. No one else has ever made me literally feel weak in the knees." He paled a shade.

"As much as I'd like to take credit, I don't think it's me." Harry caught Draco just as he began to pass out. He scooped him up and carried the ailing man back to the sofa, gently placing him down.

"Draco? Draco?"

Grey eyes fluttered open. Draco groaned. Now he would never hear the end of it from Harry.

"You passed out," Harry informed him. "I told you, you needed that potion."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said, feeling more than a little foolish for his semi-monologue earlier. Harry went back into the kitchen to get the potion Draco was supposed to take. When he handed it to Draco, he had his own monologue to recite.

"You're right. No one knows where any new relationship is going to go. But I don't think anyone has ever told me I made them weak in the knees."

Draco blushed and looked away as he took the horrid tasting potion.

"Frankly, you do the same to me. And I'm not even injured," Harry chuckled. "This has been building up so slowly between us, I really didn't see it coming. I've never been friends with anyone before becoming lovers. Friendly, yes, but not real friends. Well, except for Ginny. But the point is, I think this has the potential to be something special and I don't want to rush it."

Harry's little speech wiped the sour expression from the potion right off Draco's face. In theory, he agreed with Harry. Blaise had been the only friend-turned-lover for Draco but they never had the sort of relationship Harry had with Ginny. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that there was no pretense of love involved. He and Blaise were in it for the sex. As intense his physical reaction to Harry was, he didn't want their relationship to be only about sex.

Draco nodded. "Okay," he smiled shyly, an unusual look for Draco.

Harry nodded as well. "Good. Now get some rest. Get your strength back. You'll need it," he grinned. "I plan on shagging you senseless for days on end. And I don't want to be interrupted by a trip back to St. Mungo's."

Draco couldn't help let out a small gasp at the thought. He wanted to tell Harry to fuck it all and take him right then and there. But by then, the potion was working its magic.

"Damned potion," was all he could get out before losing consciousness.

H P D M

"Oi, Harry!" Ron called from down the hall. He jogged up to him, slightly out of breath. "I've been looking for you."

"What is it?"

"They found your cloak. I have it in my office."

Harry had forgotten about the cloak he left by the door in Malfoy Manor. "Great, thanks. How's the clean up going there?" He had gone to the mansion the day after the mission as Shacklebolt had requested. When he saw how many members of the Ministry were already involved, Harry told the Minister that he would be available if necessary, however, he was just getting in the way. No one had owled or floo called, so Harry assumed things were progressing smoothly.

Ron shrugged. "All right, I guess. My dad told me the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts team is having a field day with all the stuff they found. They asked Dad to help catalogue it."

"What about the mansion itself?" Harry asked.

"It's pretty far gone. I supposed it can be repaired, though. Why so interested?"

"Uh," Harry hesitated. "Just curious. Draco asked about it. He has his own place, but with his parents missing, the Manor is his responsibility."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Draco?"

Harry remained silent. After all, it wasn't as if it were an actual question.

"Since when did he become Draco?" Ron laughed a little. "So Mione was right."

"About?" Harry questioned, frowning.

Shaking his head, Ron said, "Nothing. I suppose if you have something to tell me, you will. Did you get lunch yet?"

"No. I was just about to go out," Harry told him, still frowning.

"Great, me too. Where do you want to go?"

"Um, actually, I was planning to . . ." Harry sighed. "Fuck it, sounds like you two already suspect anyway. I'm going to Draco's place, to bring him lunch and make sure he's keeping up with his potions, like I've been doing the past few days." He held up a previously confiscated wand in his hand. "And he's been home without a wand, so I thought I'd give him this."

"I see," Ron tried not to smile at Harry's obvious discomfort at disclosing that information. "And is that another one of those special services you give your snitches? Or at least one in particular."

"Special, what? I don't . . . what do you mean by services?" Harry stammered. "Is it that obvious?" His shoulders slumped.

"Honestly? I wouldn't have noticed if Mione hadn't pointed it out. She saw you having lunch together a couple of times. And she said you looked disappointed when Malfoy said he didn't mean all those flowery words when he thought he was dying. Oh, shit. He did mean them, didn't he?" He paused. "Does that mean you meant what you told him as well?"

Harry blinked at Ron's blunt question. Ever since he'd become an Auror, his investigative skills improved dramatically. Ron, like Harry, was trained to get information quickly and completely without regard to the sensibilities of those questioned. Harry was beginning to miss those days when Ron's dictum was don't ask, don't tell.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ron smirked.

"And?"

"And what?"

"And that's all you have to say about it?" Harry knew better than to think the subject was closed.

Ron placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Tell Malfoy he'll still have a manor to come home to. We're not taking everything. And, Harry, don't fuck this one up like you usually do." Ron turned to walk down the hallway to look for Hermione, since Harry was busy for lunch.

"I don't - " Harry called out.

"Yes, you do," Ron shouted back. "See you later!"

Harry stood alone in the hallway, insulted by Ron's insinuation. Really, he had no right to be. He did always fuck it up. In the past five years, since becoming an Auror, Harry had several relationships. All ended after a relatively short time, beginning with Ginny. Although, that one was not his fault entirely. Or hers. It wasn't her fault she was the wrong sex, and it wasn't his that he didn't realize it at first. But the others, Harry had to admit, were his fault. The first bloke he'd ever gone out with was a man several years older who worked at the Ministry. They had little in common besides physical attraction. That was his first bad choice. His second came in the form of a muggle boy he met in a pub. It was much too difficult to hide half of his life from someone he was supposedly sharing it with. It lasted even less time than the first relationship. Having frequented the Quidditch matches, Harry was often able to get special privileges, such as meeting the players. They were just as anxious to meet him. A couple of them caught Harry's eye and he gave it a go. But they never lasted. There was never much to talk about once the sex was over. Harry was usually the one to end it. He wanted what Ron and Hermione had. Someone to spend time with. Someone he truly liked. Because sex only lasted so long, and if there was nothing afterward, what was the point? Harry wondered if he gave any of them a chance, or if his expectations were just too high.

He went down to the lobby to use the floo network to go to Diagon Alley to pick up sandwiches from a cafe. He couldn't stop thinking about Ron's words. He really didn't want to fuck this one up.

Harry mindlessly ordered food to go, then apparated to Draco's flat. When he arrived, the blond was not on the couch where he was expected to be.

"Draco? Are you here?" Harry called out. "I've brought lunch."

When he didn't get an answer, he went to the bedroom door and listened. It was the only place Draco could be. He knocked quietly, in case he was sleeping.

The door suddenly opened and Harry found himself face to face with the object of his affections, dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his waist and another being rubbed on his head.

"Shit, you scared me," Draco took a step back.

"Didn't you hear me calling or knocking?"

"No, I was in the bath."

Standing there awkwardly, Harry couldn't stop his eyes from wandering over the former Slytherin's body. Even with the leftover bruising, it was practically perfect.

Draco took the towel off his head, leaving his hair just slightly damp and tousled. Harry had never seen him looking sexier. He bit his lip to remind himself not to pounce on the man.

He gave Harry a dazzling smile. "Are you just going to stare all day? Or did you come over for a reason?"

"Huh? Oh. I brought you lunch." Harry held up the bag.

"Thanks. It's my last day of captivity and I've literally got nothing to eat in this place." Draco took the bag from Harry and walked to the kitchen.

"Last day of captivity?"

"Yes. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to go back to St. Mungo's for a check up, where I presume they'll give me the okay to go about my business."

Harry's brow furrowed. "But it's only been three days."

"Feels like weeks. Did you forget that you said you would come with me?"

"No, I just didn't realize it was so soon." If Draco got the okay, he would be able to go back to work, and enter the Auror training. He wouldn't be sitting around waiting for Harry's visits anymore.

"It's a good thing, isn't it? Me getting all better?" Draco grinned. "Or did you like me better as the invalid needing you to tend to my every need?"

Harry smiled sheepishly. He did like that Draco needed him. He enjoyed taking care of him.

"Of course I'll be glad when you're all better. I don't want you to push yourself, though."

Taking the sandwiches out of the bag and putting them on plates, Draco reminded Harry, "I've good incentive to push myself. You promised to shag me for days on end, as I recall."

A smile slowly grew on Harry's face. "I did, didn't I?"

Draco shivered. He wasn't quite sure if it was from being only in a damp towel or the look in Harry's eyes. "I think perhaps I'd better change." Whatever the cause for Draco's shudder, it was a prudent idea.

Harry's eyes followed as Draco made his way back to his room. The pale blue towel hugged his arse just so as he walked, showing off every contour. In a short time, that arse would be Harry's. His body began respond to that thought and he was glad Draco had gone and closed the door behind him.

By the time Draco re-emerged, fully dressed in trousers and a loose fitting button down shirt, with his hair properly combed, Harry's potentially embarrassing issue had disappeared. In Draco's absence, he brought the food and drinks to the sitting room table so they could eat in comfort.

"The bruise on your side looks much better," Harry commented.

"Yeah, it feels a bit tender still, but my insides feel fine. I need to continue exercises for my right ankle," Draco told him. "Some of the tendons were damaged along with the break. But I don't need the cane any more. Did you notice?"

Honestly, he didn't. He'd been too busy noticing other things. Harry told him what Ron said about the mansion and the artifacts found. They set up a time for Harry to pick Draco up and take him to St. Mungo's, though Draco insisted he didn't really need an escort. The beauty of being an Auror was the flexibility. Harry was happy to be able to come and go occasionally for personal errands.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Harry said, taking out the borrowed wand. "I don't know who it belonged to, but you can use it for the time being."

"Great," Draco said, reaching for it. His hand brushed against Harry's as he took it, sending a small shock up is arm. The pair stared at one another for a moment before a clicking sound distracted Harry.

He glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Shit. Is that the correct time? I should go. I have some paper work to do."

"All right. Thanks for bringing me lunch and getting me caught up." He started to get off the couch.

"Don't get up," Harry said and hesitantly leaned over to kiss Draco goodbye. Already committed, he pressed his lips to Draco's. The kiss was a tease, as they both wished it could last much longer, not to mention progress further. Before pulling away completely, Harry mussed up Draco's hair a bit.

"I like it a little messy. Makes me feel not so bad about the mop on top of my head." He winked. "Shall I bring you dinner?"

"Um, Blaise is stopping by."

Harry felt a pang of jealousy. "Oh. Okay then. Tomorrow morning at half-ten?"

"You could still come by tonight if you want. It's just Blaise."

Harry smiled, feeling a little better about it. "No. You two catch up. And don't forget to take that last potion."

"Yes, mum," Draco smirked. "See you tomorrow."

Harry disapparated back to the Ministry building. As he walked back to his office, he realized that he and Draco had spent the past hour and a half together, talking practically non-stop. And they hadn't even shagged. He was beginning to think Draco was by far the best choice he'd ever made. He'd better not fuck it up.

H P D M

okay, still a bit awkward. But new relationships usually are. And until Draco gets the all clear, Harry is doing his best to restrain himself. I like Ron as the tell it like it is sort. Hope you do too.