AN: Woot woot! Chapter 7! yah, i don't know where some of the scenes in this chapter came from, they just jumped me and i couldn't get away. Anywhoo, the long awaited get together scene is in this chapter. i was originally planning to have them get together later in the summer, but then this scene jumped me and wouldn't let go. Can't say i'm sorry though. ;P
Warnings: Mild sexual situations between two males. i have warned you before, and if you haven't left yet - it's not my problem. Later in this fic there will be violence, cursing, etc. Don't say i didn't warn you.
So, Read and Review. Hope you enjoy Ch 7 of Black, White, and Gray!
'Blah' – Harry's thoughts
'Blah' – Draco's thoughts
Black, White, and Grey
Chapter 7: Potter Manor
They arrived outside a beautifully wrought iron gate. On either side was a wall that extended for ages, or at least far enough that they couldn't see where it ended. Harry walked up to an indentation where a keyhole should have been, and touched his Potter ring to it. After a moment, the gate slowly opened silently. Harry and Draco stepped through it, and it shut behind them. They followed the path, not really caring where it went as long as there was a bed there.
They did take notice of the scenery though. For about a mile past the gate was a thick forest, creating a towering wall of green on either side of the path. Once out of it, there was a vast field that surely extended for many, many acres. They could also see how the forest surrounded the edges of the fields, and they guessed they were somewhere near one of the major forests – probably far to the north, judging by the drop in temperature and the types of trees they saw. They could also see mountains rising from the forest in the distance, so they guessed they were somewhere in or near Scotland. The path they were on cut through the field, and a fair distance away they could see a magnificent manor set atop a small hill. They could see it was of gray stone, and the wings coming off the main structure seemed to give both an impression of order and being built as they went along. They quickly resumed their trek once they saw their destination, silently cursing the paranoia of the Potters in making such strong anti-apparition wards; not even the Lord would be able to apparate through them.
At least an hour had passed when they came to the great wooden doors of the manor. Harry stepped up to the door, and touched his ring to the door in the same manner he had to the gate. They heard the sound of locks being disengaged, and the doors slid open without a sound. They quickly stepped inside, both excited and apprehensive. The first thing they saw was a great layer of dust.
Harry saw Draco scrunch his nose in that adorable way of his. 'Adorable? Where did that come from! He's not adorable, he's smokin'. Wait, WHAT! No, no no no no no. I can't think of my friend like that even if he is gay.' He'd had an attraction for the blonde for the past few days, but knew he wouldn't do anything about it; he didn't want to ruin the friendship they had. Actually, if he was honest with himself, he had held that attraction for him since he had seen him smile a genuine smile that day they had met at the park. He was thrown off this train of thought by Draco's voice.
"Merlin! They must have liberated their house-elves for the Manor to be in such a deplorable state." Draco continued when he saw Harry open his mouth to ask. "Many old families merely send away their elves for a time, and the elves return when the family magic tells them it is safe to do so – in your case, when Voldemort vanished. They would have been making sure the estate remained in top condition for the Lord's return. Judging by the layer of dust they have not returned, and the only reason they would not return was if they were freed and thus no longer had any connection to the Manor or its magic." He paused and surveyed the dusty entrance hall. "I wonder why they did that thought."
Harry shrugged. "Don't know, and right now I don't care. What I do care about is where the master bedroom is, since right now I want I want nothing more than to go to sleep." Draco turned back to him and cast a quick scourgify on the hall. It didn't get rid of all the dust, but it was a start.
"Well, the master rooms are usually on the top floors, but I have no idea which wing they would be in." Harry shrugged, and was about to suggest traipsing about the manor in search of any bedroom when his Potter ring gave a slight pulse and he just knew where the master's rooms were. "C'mon, they're this way." Draco looked at him confused for a moment, then slapped himself on his forehead. "The ring?"
"Yup." Harry had a bit of a goofy smile; it never stopped amazing him that Draco let his guard down around him. Around others, Draco was the Slytherin Ice Prince they all remembered, but around Harry he was Draco, and that pleased him to no end.
Harry walked toward the north wing, turning on torches as he was too lazy to open the curtains, and Draco followed next to him, casting cleaning spells the whole way. They eventually reached a large staircase, and began making their way up. They stopped on the top floor, and Harry made a mental note to explore the attic, as he saw a small half-hidden staircase heading still further up. About half way down the long corridor, Harry stopped at an ornate wooden door. He touched the door, and after a pulse from the ring told Draco, "This entire floor is for the use of the master and his life partner. This door leads to the study, and the one we passed a bit earlier to an intimate drawing room, for use by the master and his close friends. A bit further and on the opposite side of the hall are the bedrooms."
Draco turned and continued down the hall, stopping at the door Harry had mentioned. He quickly opened it and gasped. Harry went to his side and gasped as well when he saw what was in the room.
The torches had lit as soon as Draco had opened the door, illuminating the elegant and rich bedroom. It was of a rectangular shape, and on the far wall were the windows, currently blocked by heavy but elegant curtains. The whole place was as covered by dust as the rest of the manor, but a quick cleaning spell later and they could see the full scope of the bedroom. On the wall to their far left was a king-sized four poster bed of mahogany, with lovely silk hangings of sheer white – a direct contrast to the deeply red bedclothes. Under their feet was an oak floor, covered in various places by luscious floor carpets. There were also two medium-sized mahogany desks placed underneath the windows – one each for the master and mistress they supposed. To their right was a large fireplace, and on either side of it a large bookcase filled with books. The walls were covered in various places by paintings – of landscapes, thankfully. They didn't even want to think of previous owners being peeped on by portraits. The wardrobes were tucked away in the corner to their immediate left, near the beds. There was also a door that they presumed led to the bathroom.
Harry merely gaped at first, then cleared his throat. "Um, it's nice?" Draco looked at him like he had offered him a lemon drop with a twinkle in his eyes. "NICE? This is bloody amazing! Just as good as you would find in a manor like my father's. It's in excellent condition too. There must be some kind of spell work to prevent damage."
Harry beamed. He'd been a bit worried about Draco not having the lifestyle he was used to over the summer. "Great! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm hitting the bathroom. Mind making sure the room's livable while I take a shower?" Draco shook his head and set about making sure the room was sufficiently clean and didn't hold any nasty surprises. Harry had him unshrink his trunk, and he took out his toiletries and hit the shower. Five minutes later, he walked out slightly wet with his shirt in his hands about to be put on to see Draco half-undressed and bent over his trunk in search of his pajamas. Harry's breath caught; he hadn't seen Draco often without his shirt at Privet Drive, and the glow from the fire Draco had lit in the fireplace seemed to heighten his beauty and unconscious sensuality. 'Beautiful and – Merlin – so sexy He didn't mind the view of his arse and muscular back much either. Evidently, the exercises they had done to stay conditioned had very nice side effects. He tore his eyes away before his 'problem' could get worse and focused on the fire to get that image of Draco out of his mind.
Thus, he didn't notice Draco turn around and face him.
Draco straightened and turned around to face him, about to ask him if he knew where he'd packed his pajamas. He only got as far as opening his mouth when he saw Harry. His hair was still dripping slightly, and it ran down his bare muscular chest and abdomen in rivulets that Draco had the nearly irrepressible urge to lick. 'Oh Merlin, I try to ignore the attraction I have for him and he comes out looking like that. Is he trying to kill me? This is the reason I started avoiding him after his showers. Mmm.'
His eyes followed a drop of water that fell from Harry's hair and dripped down to the waistband of his pajamas. His eyes followed hungrily, irrationally wishing that he was that oh-so-lucky water drop. His eyes trailed further downwards, and he saw the slight tent in Harry's bottoms. He eyes flashed to Harry's face in shock. He saw Harry's face averted toward the fire, a slight blush on his cheeks. He didn't miss, however, the look of hunger and desire in Harry's eyes as he gazed into the flames.
He made up his mind then and there that he wanted Harry and that he was going to try and catch him, because he wanted that adorable, hot, strong man with a heart of gold to be his, and he'd be damned if he didn't at least try.
Harry blocked out all else but the fire, trying to think of non-arousing things to lower his hard-on, but that image of Draco kept popping into his head. 'Ugh, this is not helping! Get out of my head Draco!' He finally felt it wilt in his misplaced anger, and felt it was safe to turn and look at Draco. Big mistake.
Draco was looking at him with an absolutely sinful smirk on his face. "Was that for me, Harry?" Harry felt his face heat up and he took a step back as Draco started to move forward. "Well, was it? Did you like me bent over, displaying myself to your wandering gaze?"
Harry was mortified at being caught with a hard-on by the same friend who was the cause of it, and nodded embarrassedly. His hard-on had also sprung back up at seeing that sexy smirk, and it twitched at the voice Draco was using; it was like liquid sex.
Harry hadn't been paying attention to where he was backing up, and he felt his back hit one of the posts on the bed. Draco took advantage of his quick distraction and pinned him there with his body. "Do you want me Harry? Is this only hormonal, or is it because you like who I am, because you care about me?" He pinned him with a fierce stare, "Tell me, Harry."
Harry was breathing raggedly. Having Draco so close, brushing against him if he shifted too much, was wreaking havoc with his thought processes. 'Oh Merlin, if he's only teasing me and this means nothing and is some sort of twisted joke-' But he looked into Draco's eyes and saw desire and determination and a grudging happiness, as well as something he couldn't quite identify that warmed him and told him that Draco wasn't playing games.
He gasped out, "I care about you Draco – I wouldn't play games with your heart, not after what I've seen of it." And then he was being kissed, and oh sweet merciful Merlin it was wonderful. Draco's lips were so soft but demanding, and he just lost himself in feeling. Draco ran his tongue across his lip, causing him to gasp in surprise and sensation, giving Draco leave to plunder his mouth, exploring every nook and cranny, memorizing his taste. Then he felt Draco begin to retreat, and he pulled away reluctantly.
They were both gasping, and Harry could feel Draco's hardness against his leg. "Happy to see me Draco?" Draco smirked, causing Harry to go slightly weak in the knees. "As a matter of fact, I am very happy to see you." He smiled – Harry fought to stay standing – and sighed, sitting down on the bed and gesturing for Harry to join him. Harry quickly did so.
"Harry, do you want to be with me? Do you want us to try for a relationship with each other, despite our pasts, and what those we know might do or say?" Unbidden, the words of a faded memory of a dream came to both of them. 'Your Mate will love and support you like no other, if you but have the courage to seek out a life with them. . . they will complete you and make you happier than any other will. . . do not be afraid how others will take them, they are yours and yours alone as much as you are theirs.'
Harry nodded fiercely, "Always and forever, no matter what." He didn't know where the words came from, but he didn't care one bit when he saw the beautiful smile on Draco's face. "Always and forever, no matter what." And Draco was kissing him again, but this time Harry took charge, deciding that Draco's rather prominent erection needed dealing with, as well as his own. He pushed Draco back onto the bed, and straddled him. They both hissed when their clothed erections came into contact. Harry opened his eyes, staring directly into Draco's own desire-glazed eyes, and let his barriers drop fully and completely. Draco stared back, also letting all of his barriers down. Their minds meshed, and they could feel each other's pleasure and emotions, and allowed the bond between them – forged that first day when they had shared their memories and minds with each other – to deepen to a new level.
Harry ground down on Draco, both of them moaning loudly at the spike in pleasure – both their own and the other's. They rocked together, slowly at first, then faster and faster and harder and harder until they both came, screaming each other's name.
Harry collapsed on Draco, who wrapped his arms around him in a comforting embrace. After a while, they broke away only long enough for a cleaning spell and to get underneath the covers. They slept without dreams that night.
Harry woke up to the feel of strong, muscular arms wrapped protectively around him. He stiffened for a moment in shock, then remembered what had happened the night before. His cock twitched slightly in memory, and he blushed as he felt Draco's answering hardness rub against his arse when he shifted. He felt slightly worried about the fact that their relationship already had a sexual aspect to it, but he trusted Draco and knew him so well that he had a really strong feeling that this wouldn't destroy their relationship like he had seen occur to his classmates so many times.
He shifted slightly to get a look at Draco's face; he always looked so peaceful and beautiful while he was sleeping. He brushed a lock of hair aside, settling down into Draco's embrace and watching his peaceful face. He was asleep in minutes.
The next time Harry woke up, it was to the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. He smiled a little and stretched, letting his gaze rest on the now open curtains. It really was a magnificent view. The windows faced south, and he could see the vast expanse of the fields in front of the house; as their room was on the top floor, the roof of the manor didn't get in the way. He could even see the edge of the forest they had first entered the property through. The morning light added a sense of picturesque to the scene.
Rolling himself out of bed, he went to his trunk to find house clothes – which today consisted of a pair of jeans and a black wife beater. They had their work cut out for them if they were going to make this place livable. He sat at one of the desks admiring the view while waiting for Draco to finish his shower. He also fingered the key he had placed on the desk. They needed to make sure the wards were up and running before they could start on anything else. They had already delayed long enough.
He heard the shower shut off, and gathered his things before heading toward the bathroom. The door was unlocked, and he walked in. Draco was brushing his teeth – a muggle habit he had picked up at the Dursleys' – and was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. Harry walked up and gave him a peck on the cheek, then started brushing his teeth. Draco gave him a kiss when he had finished, then walked out to give him some privacy. He snorted when he realized how domestic Draco was acting, since he could tell that Draco had just fixed the bed by the slight pulse of magic, and that he was going downstairs to start on breakfast. He hoped there were some damn strong preservation spells on that pantry. He didn't even want to think of what could be in there otherwise.
He finished his shower, got dressed and did a quick brush of his hair before heading down stairs to see what Draco had managed to cook up. He was pleasantly surprised when he arrived at the intimate dining hall, guessing right that Draco wouldn't want the reminder of his old life by eating in the formal hall – like had occurred so many times at Malfoy manor, even if it was just him and his parents.
But the spread was what shocked him. Pancakes, kippers, pumpkin and orange juice, toast and cereal – it was like a small piece of Hogwarts on his table. He immediately set to work demolishing the food, having discovered that he was ravenous. Draco sat next to him, putting away nearly as much as Harry. Hunger sated, they sat at the table planning out their day.
"First, we have to get the wards up. We've left them for long enough as it is." Draco nodded in agreement. "I agree completely. We can take care of everything else after we've made sure the place is safe from outside interference. Where is the ward stone room?"
After a pulse from the ring, Harry answered, "Follow me."
They left the dining hall, heading toward the main stairway at the back of the Entrance Hall. It started out wide at the bottom, narrowing until it reached the first story, where it stopped narrowing but continued upward in a sweeping spiral. Harry led him toward the stairway at an odd angle, eventually leading him to a tapestry to the side of the stairwell that he pushed aside to reveal a large oak door. It opened at a touch of the ring, and he followed Harry down the hallway, noticing that the door closed behind them. 'Great. Why do I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen?'
"Probably because it is. The magic is weird here. Not bad, but not I've only felt this kind of magic rarely. It feels very much like ours."
Draco stared. Harry shifted uncomfortably and said, "You were broadcasting."
Draco shook his head. "No I wasn't. My shields are up full strength." Harry took his turn to stare. "You don't think – last night, I'm sure you felt it?" Draco nodded. "The deepening of the connection? I felt it, but didn't think anything of it. I was rather distracted." Harry blushed but plowed onward resolutely. "This could be useful – we can communicate while still keeping our shields at full strength." He turned and continued down the hallway. "We'll discuss this development later." Draco followed, taking a good look at Harry's delectable arse. "And stop staring at my ass!" Draco snickered but obeyed.
They went through a few doors and up and down a few stairs – it turns out this area was something of a wizarding equivalent of a muggle bunker. Finally, they reached a dead end. An ornate archway was overlaid an otherwise normal wall. Draco paused but Harry grabbed his arm and yanked him forward. They had the odd feeling of falling through a wall of water and being turned upside-down and then right-side up, but when they arrived on the other side they were still in the same condition as previously.
There was a small pedestal in the center of the room. In various strategic areas of the room were the main ward stones of the property – the keystones to the various facets of the warding scheme. They had a rather weak glow about them, and Draco knew that meant the wards were very weak. Harry pulled out the key that was the keystone to the warding scheme and walked up to the pedestal. He felt a pulse from the ring, and cursed when he realized that he didn't have a knife to cut himself with, and it was very unwise to use magic in this room.
"I don't have a knife, and performing magic is unwise in here. Do you see any knives around here?"
Draco, lifesaver that he is, saw the cleverly hidden athame at the base of the pedestal, and pointed it out to Harry. Harry picked it up carefully, and made sure that the key was balanced in his palm before slicing across it. He hissed at the sting but ignored it in favor of finding the spot on the pedestal the key was supposed to go. There was a depression in the pedestal, and he slammed the key into it, letting the pressure this caused make the blood flow more fiercely into the 'bowl'.
Draco felt the increase of magic in the room, and reveled in the feel of it dancing across his skin. The ward stones glowed with new life, almost blinding him. Then the magic in the room calmed, and Harry swayed dangerously on his feet. The key remained on the pedestal, glowing faintly. The ward stones around the room also glowed with vigor. He pulled his hand away – now healed with a very faint white scar on the palm – and turned toward Draco.
"Wow." And then he collapsed into Draco's waiting arms.
Yeah, sorry about the not-so-cliffy cliffy. Hope you enjoyed this instalment of B,W, & G. if you did, didn't, have some new ideas, or are just plain confused, tell me in a review or PM. Thanks for sticking around so far!
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