Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I would love to borrow Draco for a bit but I think Natasha would protest.
A/N: Okay, so this chapter is really very, very angsty, but I know some of you will be happy with it. I would also like to say that this chapter has been written for the entire time I have posting this story so I have not folded to public pressure! ;)
Chapter 8
Breaking Point
She is so pretty but if only she knew
I only do it when I'm thinking of you
I hit the ceiling when the lights are low
You are my fantasy I won't let go
Look at me look what you've done to me
I'm shaking uncontrollably, stuck in this fantasy
I'm thinking things I shouldn't be, burn myself out with you
I wouldn't but I have to. Only for you
Only for You – Halo
'So, what do you want to do for your birthday?' Draco asked, stretching out on the sofa and dumping his feet into Harry's lap. He smiled to himself when his impertinence was rewarded by Harry taking his left foot and firmly running his thumbs across the sole. If he'd been a cat, Draco would have been purring.
'I don't know. What do normal eighteen-year-olds do on their birthdays?' Harry asked curiously.
'You think that I am a good judge of normal eighteen-year-olds, Harry? Really?' he asked sceptically.
'Perhaps not,' Harry conceded and then with a cheeky smile, 'there's nothing normal about you.'
'Hey!' he exclaimed and, feigning offence, pushed Harry lightly with his foot before dropping it back to the boy's lap to allow the stroking to resume, which it did.
'Alright, sorry,' Harry apologised with a chuckle. 'Seriously, though, I have no idea what I want to do and it would just be nice to have a birthday like everyone else for once. I was usually at my aunt and uncle's for my birthday so it would just get skipped on the whole. I mean, my friends sent me gifts and everything, but I very rarely got to do anything on the day.'
'Hmmm,' Draco said thoughtfully. 'Well, I always used to go shopping on my birthday, if I didn't have exams. My mother would call me home from school for the day and we would have lunch and then we would shop all afternoon.' He smiled as he remembered the mother and son shopping trips which had always been undertaken with an intensity that underlined just how seriously they both took the pastime.
Draco wasn't sure if originally he had requested these excursions because he loved shopping or because it was a pastime that his father didn't care for. Either way, it had resulted in the same thing, he and his mother spending the afternoon together doing something they both loved.
'That sounds like fun,' Harry admitted. 'And it would be nice to get your opinion on stuff,' he added shyly and Draco felt a grin spread across his face.
Quickly, he grasped around for something that would move them away from the sentimental moment. These were getting more and more frequent recently and Draco was finding it more and more difficult to avoid shoving Harry up against the nearest wall and kissing him each time it happened. It had occurred to him several times that Harry appeared to be encouraging him to do that just that, but at the same time, he didn't want to mistake tactile familiarity for anything more and end up destroying what he had.
'As for what normal eighteen-year-olds do, well, I was rather under the impression that they got rolling drunk and went to nightclubs, so we could do that as well if you like,' Draco suggested nonchalantly, trying to squash down the image of a drunk, relaxed Harry dressed in something sinfully tight and grinding up against him in time to a pulsing beat.
'I've never been to a nightclub,' Harry commented with a touch of interest in his voice. 'Have you?' he asked.
'Once,' Draco admitted. 'It was at the end of our fourth year. I went to stay with Blaise for a little bit that summer, he was always a little wild and at that stage of his rebellion had developed a habit of sneaking Aging Potion in order to gain entrance to Muggle nightclubs. He managed to convince me to go along with him whilst I was there.'
'Was it fun?' Harry asked curiously
'It was,' he admitted.
'Okay, let's do that as well, then,' Harry asserted. 'Do you have any idea where we can go?'
'I have an couple of ideas,' Draco said, thinking back to the flyers that had sat in the changing rooms of one of the smaller independent clothing stores he liked. 'Leave it all to me, I will arrange everything,' he reassured.
* * *
The morning of Harry's birthday was bright and warm and Draco relished the smell of dew-damp air and caress of the newly risen sun as he made coffee for himself and Harry. On any other day he wouldn't drag himself from the warmth of his bed for at least three more hours but he knew how Harry liked to rise at daybreak to go for a run and Draco was determined that he would be awake to bring Harry coffee this morning.
Usually, Harry would put the coffee on when he got back from his run, leaving it to drip through the machine whilst he took a shower. Then he would wake Draco, breezing into his room, smelling of toothpaste and cinnamon and freshness, and bringing with him the seductive scent of fresh coffee.
The first time he had done it, Draco had been certain he had still been dreaming and it was only when Harry had deposited himself cross-legged at the end of his bed to sip at his own coffee that Draco realised it was actually happening. Then, every morning after, Draco would be woken the same way.
Harry sitting on the end of his bed whilst they drank their coffee, talking about what they had planned and other less important things until Harry would disappear off to make breakfast whilst Draco would have his own shower. He was now beginning to get the distinct impression that Harry seemed to enjoy taking care of him and the gentle fussing was so unfamiliar to Draco that he accepted it greedily.
This morning he was determined to return the favour, though he had seriously reconsidered it when he realised just how early it required him to get up. As he waited for the coffee to finish, he looked carefully at the neatly wrapped box that sat innocuously on the side of the tray and debated for about the hundredth time since he'd purchased it whether to give it to Harry or not.
The shell chip necklace had seemed like a good idea when Draco had first spotted it, but now he couldn't help but wonder if Harry would read more into it than was intended? 'No,' Draco realised, that wasn't physically possible. The worry was that Harry would see it for exactly what it was.
The coffee puttered to a stop and Draco pushed the indecision from his head as he toyed with the leather band that was never removed from his wrist. This would mean no more and no less than Harry gifting him the wrist band. Whatever it was that had meant.
Draco levitated the tray with the coffee behind him, as he tapped lightly on the master bedroom door and pushed it open. He paused just inside the door as his eyes adjusted to the light drenched room. The walls of Harry's bedroom were painted a silver colour that caused the whole room to glow slightly when hit by the rays of the rising sun. Draco had seen Harry's room before, of course, and had thought that the grey walls and navy blue bedding looked rather stylish, but this was the first time he'd seen it as it was clearly intended to be seen.
Harry was awake, only just, but the green eyes peered at him from above the duvet, squinting slightly. He reached out and patted the bedside table for his glasses.
'Draco? Is everything okay?' he asked, concern flooding his voice as he shuffled upright.
'Of course,' Draco reassured, disappointed when the neck of Harry's t-shirt came into view. 'I just thought since it was your birthday and everything,' he explained, lowering the tray with the coffee towards the bedside table and situating himself cross-legged atop the silver satin bed-spread folded at the end of Harry's bed.
Harry's grin was dazzling as he reached out to wrap his hands around his favourite mug, inhaling the steam deeply, with eyes-closed appreciation.
'Happy birthday, Harry,' Draco announced, pushing the box forward across the duvet and taking in Harry's look of surprise.
Taking a swig of his coffee, Harry placed the mug back on the bedside table and picked up the gift, turning it over in his hands a couple of times before carefully peeling back the paper. Draco's anxiety rose with every second that Harry took to remove the paper and pull the box lid free. He wanted to yell at him to get on with it but managed to restrain himself. Eventually Harry had the box open in front of him and for a long moment he just gazed at its contents.
'I know it's only small but I figured I'm taking you to lunch later and shopping and clubbing,' he pointed out, wishing that he had little more control over the speed that he was speaking. 'I picked it up in one of those shops you like, the ones that aim to make everyone look like they've wandered in from the beach, because I know you like that stuff,' he gushed and watched as Harry removed the necklace from the box and quickly secured it around his neck, beaming at Draco.
'I have to like that stuff,' Harry joked. 'Nothing else goes with this hairstyle.' And then, reaching forward to take hold of Draco's wrist, 'Thank you, it's awesome,' he assured, falling back into the pillows and reclaiming his coffee.
From there, the morning continued relatively normally until Harry returned from his run and they sat down to breakfast. Draco was going over his plan of attack for the afternoon so that they could visit all the shops that would appeal to them both when a tapping came at the kitchen window.
Two owls flew in and settled on the end of the kitchen table. One was Archimedes, to whom Draco immediately offered the corner of his toast; the other was unknown; both carried packages. Harry relieved Archimedes first, a look of trepidation on his face as he unfurled the note. Draco watched as a sad little smile settled on Harry's face.
'It's from the Weasleys,' Harry explained and Draco stiffened slightly. Harry pulled the box free and opened it to reveal a well protected birthday cake and a couple of bottles of spiced mead.
'Molly apologised for not getting in touch but she thought we could all use a little time to cool off. She says that as soon as I'm ready to talk about it, she's sure we can put things right again,' Harry explained as he offered Archie a couple of treats and removed the cake and mead from the box.
'What do you suppose that means?' Draco asked dubiously, knowing exactly what he thought it meant.
'I think it means that when I'm ready to come back and accept Ginny, all is forgiven,' Harry said cynically. 'I don't expect it to remain like this. There will be a period when she finally accepts it and is angry at me for a bit and she'll actually come round.' He shrugged, moving to unburden the unfamiliar owl. 'I'm not that worried any more.' He grinned.
'Why not?' Draco asked, not really needing an answer; if Harry was happy to let his adoptive family come around of their own accord then that was good enough for him.
'I have you,' he said, not meeting Draco's eyes as he released the scroll from the strange owl's leg.
Draco's breath caught in his chest and his stomach performed a weird little somersault as he realised that Harry did indeed have him, in any way he wanted him and for as long as he needed.
'It's from Hermione.' Harry grinned broadly and then his smile faltered slightly. 'Just Hermione,' he huffed. 'Apparently, Ron is still referring to me as 'that backstabbing bastard'. Merlin, anyone would have thought it was him that I'd broken up with.' Harry dropped the letter on top of the one from the Weasleys and turned his attention to Hermione's gift.
'To be perfectly honest, I always did wonder about him,' Draco commented truthfully. 'He was always fiercely possessive over you.'
'Ron?' Harry questioned halfway through peeling the paper away from Hermione's gift. 'Eww, that's just really creepy.' Draco's heart picked up a little at the realisation that Harry's disgust was at the idea of being with Ron and not with another man. Interesting.
'Okay, Hermione, I get the hint,' he said, smiling at the opened package; inside was a handsome leather binder filled with high quality parchment, an eagle feather quill, a small bottle of colour changing ink, a little pouch of ribbons and stick of sealing wax with a seal. Harry looked closely at the seal and grinned. 'It's a phoenix,' he explained to Draco.
'Well, I'll give Granger this, she certainly has taste,' Draco said, considering the kit in front of Harry. 'I am sorry about Ron, though,' and Draco realised that he meant it.
'I'm not, he's done this so many times now; he always gets his act together eventually. Last time he did it, he ended up saving my life to make it up to me,' he quipped.
The subject of Ron and the Weasleys was dropped as both boys returned to their abandoned breakfast.
'I promised Andromeda I'd stop by and see her this morning,' Harry began and Draco detected a touch of nervousness in his voice.
'Okay, well, nothing I have planned happens till at least midday,' Draco offered, assuming this was the cause of Harry's concern.
'That's cool; I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to come with me?'
Draco was dumbstruck for a moment, and then a creeping fear began to tug at his gut. Andromeda was his aunt, an aunt he'd never seen; the only thing she knew about him was that he was the son of a sister who disowned her because of her husband's prejudice.
'She wants to meet you, you know?' Harry was saying and Draco realised that he must be looking absolutely thunderstruck.
'She does?' he managed to croak out.
'Of course she does.' Harry nodded enthusiastically. 'She hardly has any family left and, y'know, I might have talked about you a bit,' Harry finished, blushing into his nearly empty coffee cup.
'You did?' Draco asked, surprised, and Harry looked up at him sheepishly.
'I did, you live here, I spend most of my time with you, and not talking about you would have just been really awkward,' Harry explained and Draco decided that he could see the logic in that.
'So, will you? Come with me? I promised her I'd ask you,' Harry asked, casting a hopeful smile in his direction and Draco found that he was simply unable to refuse.
'Certainly,' he agreed. 'I suppose I ought to wear something more suitable if I am going to meet my aunt this morning,' he said, indicating his ensemble of one of his more comfortable pairs of jeans and a black Calvin Klein T-shirt.
'Why?' Harry said, looking down at his own khakis and light blue shirt, which Draco had to admit made him look wonderful. As much as he'd teased Harry for his beach style earlier, there was no question that it really did suit him.
'Etiquette,' Draco explained simply. 'My mother would have expected it,' he added sadly, knowing that he was right. His mother may have been more carefree than his father but the idea that he would go to greet a relative for the first time in comfortable jeans and t-shirt would have horrified her, no matter how much the outfit had cost.
They Apparated from the roof terrace to the bottom of Andromeda's garden, Draco greatly appreciating the casual arm that Harry threw around his shoulders to guide his Apparition. He was even more grateful when Harry didn't remove it but left it there as they started towards the house, giving Draco's bicep a reassuring squeeze.
The garden was large and sat higher on the hill than the unusually shaped house. An old stone wall lined with fruit trees ran down one side of the garden, separating it from a small lane. A brook ran down the other side with only fields beyond it. Five wide steps led down from the garden towards the house.
'Where are we?' Draco asked as Harry released him to negotiate the stone steps.
'Gloucestershire,' he said. 'The Forest of Dean is about five miles that way.' He pointed back over his shoulder towards the west. At the bottom of the stairs he opened the kitchen door and stuck his head calling out, 'Hello?' into the house before opening the door fully and stepping onto the quarry tiled floor inside.
'Happy birthday, Harry,' came the voice from within the kitchen, and Draco recognised the voice of someone who had once had a rather regal accent but had let it go. Andromeda Tonks came into view and swept Harry into a motherly hug. Draco was relieved that she was not yet aware of his presence as it gave him the opportunity to consider the woman before him.
At first glance she resembled Bellatrix rather than Narcissa, but that was only really in the hair colour and the nose. The bone structure was closer to that of his mother—softer, more refined than Bellatrix, but she also possessed an easy smile and an air of comfort that neither of her sisters possessed.
'I bought a friend with me, Dromeda,' Harry said, stepping to the side to reveal Draco standing behind him.
Harry stretched out a hand in introduction, clearly remembering their earlier discussion about etiquette.
'This is Draco Malfoy, Draco, your Aunt Andromeda.' Draco couldn't help but offer Harry a little smile.
Andromeda offered her hand to Draco and he took it, bowing to place a kiss on the knuckles.
'It's lovely to meet you, Aunt,' he smiled genuinely
'You too, Draco,' she said, inclining her head in recognition of the formality then, dropping the ritual completely, she beamed. 'My goodness, don't you look like your mother?'
Draco grinned, the tension that had begun to build with the start of that sentence, immediately released when his aunt avoided any comparisons to Lucius.
'Thank you, Aunt,' Draco said, positively beaming.
'That's enough of that now, Harry calls me Dromeda and so should you,' she admonished, patting him warmly on the shoulder and turning her attention back to Harry.
'Now, coffee and presents, I think,' she said, clapping her hands together and starting to bustle around the kitchen. Harry slid into one of the chairs at the table and nodded at Draco to join him.
Draco was grateful when Harry took control of the conversation for a while, asking about Teddy and whether he had recovered from the touch of a cold he'd had the week before. They traded stories about high temperatures and sleepless nights with the fussy infant whilst Andromeda prepared coffee and deposited home made shortbread onto a plate.
After she had provided them both with a mug of rather wonderful smelling coffee, she disappeared for a moment and reappeared with two boxes, one rather large and the other rather small.
Harry pushed his coffee to the side and slid the lid off of the larger box. Inside was a green, leather-bound book. Harry lifted it out and flipped open the cover, letting out a gasp of joy at the pictures of Teddy filling the first three pages; after that they were empty.
'Think of it as a present in progress,' Andromeda said and Harry grinned.
'It's wonderful,' he declared and spent a couple more minutes looking at the pictures, before Andromeda's delicate cough drew Harry's attention to his as yet unopened gift. Draco fought to suppress a smile. It was another of Harry's more endearing traits that he was always so amazed when someone gave him something; he could spend hours admiring it.
Flushing slightly, Harry turned his attention to the smaller box and opened it with the same care he opened all of his gifts. When he pulled the lid off, however, Harry's mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes grew suspiciously misty. A hand shot out and searched for Draco's own, which he willingly offered.
'What is it?' he asked.
'This belonged to Sirius, didn't it?' Harry asked, lifting a silver pocket knife from the box with the hand that wasn't currently wrapped around Draco's. As he turned it into the light slightly, Draco saw the initials S.B. inscribed on the casing.
'It was,' Andromeda confirmed, and Draco's thumb began to track a comforting path back and forth on Harry's hand.
'He left it here accidentally, two weeks before he was sent to Azkaban,' she explained sadly. 'I never got the opportunity to return it to him.'
'He gave me one just like this,' Harry explained. 'But it got destroyed in the Department of Mysteries.' Releasing Draco's hand, he pulled Andromeda into an awkward hug. 'Thank you,' he insisted and Andromeda rubbed his back vigorously.
'You're welcome, Harry, you're welcome.'
Finally Harry released her and sat back down.
'Now, I'm sure you two don't want to be here all day. You must have many more interesting things to do on your birthday, so why don't you go and see your Godson and you can get on with whatever fun activities you have planned,' she said, shooing Harry from the room.
Draco caught Harry's questioning look and nodded his assent.
'Yes, yes, Draco will be fine, I don't bite,' the woman reassured.
Obviously Andromeda had caught sight of the look, too.
When she sat back down at the table, she took a moment to gather herself before she broached the subject Draco knew had been coming.
'I heard about your mother,' she said simply. 'Harry mentioned it, though he's certain he's committed some horrifically disloyal act by doing so.'
'He's such a Gryffindor at times,' Draco admitted, smiling slyly.
'That he is,' Andromeda admitted. Then turning serious again, 'I mention your mother because I wanted your permission to go and visit her.'
'Of course you have my permission, should you need it, but I feel it necessary to warn you that she may not recognise you. She no longer recognises me,' he explained sadly.
'Yes, I am familiar with her condition,' she said and then paused for a moment as if weighing her words. 'It is common, in cases like these, for the memory to be erased backwards, starting with the things that happened most recently. It stands to reason that, since Narcissa has known me all her life, her memory of me would be among the last to go. I know that these sorts of things don't always follow reason but I thought it would be worth a try,' she suggested.
Draco smiled once more. He appreciated both the tact and concern that his aunt was showing. She was clearly worried that were Narcissa to recognise her and not him, he might become jealous or hurt. In the past he might have, but right now if Andromeda's presence could bring his mother any measure of comfort, then he would have her do whatever she wished.
'Yes, of course, anything that might comfort her is worth a try,' he agreed as Harry reappeared holding a sleepy, grizzling baby.
'Somebody wants a feed,' he said, throwing Draco a look that clearly asked if everything was okay.
Draco nodded his reassurance.
'Here, give him to me and you boys get off, he'll probably be grouchy for a while now,' she said, holding out her hands to Harry.
Harry placed a swift kiss on top of the baby's fluffy green hair and passed him over as Draco picked up his gifts for him. They headed back to Grimmauld so that Draco could change out of his robes into something better suited to an afternoon shopping in Muggle London.
It was Friday lunchtime in the middle of the school holidays, and so the Italian bistro was completely packed. This did, however, work to Harry and Draco's advantage. Willing as they were to take a small table at the back of the restaurant, hidden from most of the other diners by a large pot plant.
As they ate their lunch and talked about nothing in particular, Draco became increasingly aware that he was watching Harry. Not just looking at him, as is polite when engaged in conversation, but actually watching him. As if he were trying to commit everything 'Harry' to memory.
Like the way he seemed to be trying so hard to remember his table manners but would forget himself occasionally and wave his fork about demonstratively. Or the way he would cock his head to one side when he was considering something, like what he wanted for desert.
The way he would roll his new necklace between thumb and forefinger as if reminding himself it was there. The thing Draco liked the most, however, was the way Harry's eyes would drift occasionally to his mouth whilst he was talking and this would cause a little spark of hope in Draco's chest.
The shops were as packed as the bistro had been but Draco refused to allow it to dampen his enthusiasm. It didn't take them long to find a pair of jeans they both liked. They were loose around the thigh which pleased Harry but they also clung to Harry's arse just enough to make Draco happy, too.
Harry had tried to buy the pair of Van's he spotted, himself. This had resulted in Draco snatching them from him and leading him on a bit of a chase through the store before Draco reached the counter and paid for them, Harry shaking his head with a frustrated grin on his face
The search for a new shirt, however, took a little longer. Harry didn't just want another version of something he already had. Finally, one shop yielded a white shirt shot through with an indigo thread that Harry liked and they headed off to the changing rooms. Unfortunately this was one of the busiest shops yet and none of the cubicles were free, leaving only the communal area in the middle.
Draco was about to suggest that they wait, not certain that he would be able to cope with seeing Harry half naked at the moment, before he realised that moment had passed. Harry had already dropped his purchases onto the bench and was working open the buttons on his shirt.
As the garment dropped down over his shoulders, Draco heard his own sharp intake of breath. His world narrowed down to Harry and the smooth, tanned skin of his exposed back. Reaching out shaky fingers, Draco traced the twisting and swirling black lines that merged to form a phoenix, wings outstretched across Harry's shoulder blades, its flaming tail trailing to the small of Harry's back.
'When did you get this done?' Draco asked, hearing the awe in his voice but unable to do anything about it.
Harry looked back at Draco over his shoulder and leaned back into his touch slightly.
'June second,' he said significantly. 'Do you like it?'
'It's beautiful,' Draco admitted, finding no other words. Suddenly he realised that he was standing in a changing room stroking Harry's back. He dropped his hand and the moment, like so many before it, was gone.
* * *
The club was hot and the music thrummed around them as Draco stood close to Harry at the bar, just allowing their arms to brush against each other. Remembering something from the one time he had ventured out with Blaise, Draco waited for the barmaid to return with their beers before leaning across the bar and shouting above the music.
'It's his birthday!'
The barmaid nodded in understanding before flashing Draco a grin and turning around to fix something that was green and blue and vile looking.
Harry shot him an inquisitive glance when he spotted the mischievous grin.
'Birthday shot,' Draco explained as he paid the girl for the beers.
Harry eyed the little glass curiously, head on one side before shrugging, bringing the glass to his lips and throwing back his head, slamming the glass back down with a grimace and a shudder.
'That was disgusting,' he declared, swigging on his beer to wash away the taste.
'Birthday shots usually are,' Draco explained. 'Their sole purpose is to get you plastered for free,' he added, enjoying the way he was forced to lean close to Harry in order to make himself heard.
They stood leaning back against the bar, watching the people writhing on the dance floor for a while. Draco concentrated on chilling out and allowing the combination of the beer and a good beat to work together to get him in the mood.
Finally, after a second beer, which apparently had been cut with tequila, Draco began to feel the buzz. Raising a questioning eyebrow at Harry, he decided to join the throng of people on the dance floor.
The music flowed through him and he surrendered himself to it, relaxing into the beat. He glanced around him and was pleased to see Harry was dancing just a few feet away, the effects of the birthday shot rendering him even more insouciant than Draco.
As one song faded into the next, both boys found themselves acquiring partners. Harry's was a rather pretty brunette who really knew how to move. Draco's was a somewhat forward girl with black pigtails who pressed her back against Draco's front and immediately began grinding against him.
Draco considered for a long moment about extracting himself, but another glace at Harry suggested that he was simply accepting his impromptu partner and had his hands resting lightly on her hips as her arms snaked around his neck. Draco closed his eyes and simply accepted the efforts of the girl in front of him, trying for all he was worth to imagine it was Harry.
When he opened his eyes again several songs later, they flew immediately to Harry and his movement faltered and stopped. The brunette was gone and pressing himself indecently against Harry's back was a tall man with long, sandy brown hair. He watched dumbstruck as the interloper slid a possessive arm around Harry's waist and lifted a beer bottle to his lips, tilting it for Harry to take a long drink.
Slowly, Draco's shock subsided into furious jealousy and, realising that his own dance partner had given up when he'd become immobile, he decided to take his jealousy to the men's room before he created a scene in the middle of the club.
Gaining the relative peace of the bathroom, Draco leant heavily against the wall, allowing his head to rest against cool tile and began to address his jealousy. He knew what was wrong, though. Harry was dancing with another man and with a lot more enthusiasm than he had shown the brunette.
Draco had backed off because he had been concerned that making a pass at Harry would horrify him. Clearly this fear had been ungrounded, however, as he had seemed more than comfortable with Mr 'I have a stupid little beard, aren't I cool?' out there. Now Draco had missed his chance.
As soon as he thought it, he recognised the foolishness of such a statement. This was a club. Harry was dancing with an anonymous stranger, sure, but he would be heading home with Draco later. And now that he knew that Harry wouldn't be horrified at the idea, there was nothing to stop him from usurping Mr Mouldy Chin.
Just one thing, actually, he was still standing in the men's room whilst the intruder continued to grind against Harry. Anger fading and the jealousy now accompanied by a healthy dose of determination, Draco stalked purposefully from the restroom and back towards Harry.
Harry, however, was no-longer there. Draco searched the crowd for a sight of him and eventually caught a glimpse of the tousled black hair heading towards the exit. He was being half lead, half carried by Mouldy Chin and seemed infinitely more inebriated than he had twenty minutes ago.
Cold fear twisted in Draco's gut and he began to duck through the crowd as quickly as possible, following Harry. Stepping out into the street, he looked around but couldn't see Harry any where. He was about to ask the bouncer when he hear a clatter from the alleyway next to the club.
Carefully removing his wand from its holster on his leg, Draco crept towards the alley. The sight that met him bought all the fury rushing back in a moment. Mouldy had Harry pressed up against the wall, his hands fumbling for the button of Harry's jeans while Harry pushed ineffectually at his shoulders. Draco didn't hesitate.
'Petrificus Totalus!' he called and watched with pleasure as the man's legs snapped together and his arms came to his sides, causing him to overbalance and fall hard onto the concrete. Without support, Harry immediately began to slide down the wall and Draco ran to him, pulling an arm around his shoulders and raising Harry back to his feet.
'Draco? I don't feel right,' Harry groaned, leaning heavily on Draco.
'It's alright, Harry we're going to get you home in a moment, I just need to take care of this mother fucker right here,' he said aiming a kick at the bastard's gut.
Draco thought seriously about putting him under Cruciatus for a moment or two but casting the curse was draining and Harry needed all his energy right now. In the end he settled for a simple Memory Charm and the resolve that if he ever ran into the asshole again, he would be lucky to leave the confrontation alive.
Checking the coast was clear, he Apparated them back to Grimmauld's roof terrace. On landing, Harry lurched forwards, falling to his hands and knees, and promptly vomited. Deciding the tiled roof of the terrace would be easier to clean up than anywhere indoors, Draco dropped into a chair next to Harry and rubbed soothing circles on his back until the heaving stopped.
'You ready to move?' Draco asked gently, vanishing the mess and pulling Harry to his feet when he nodded his agreement. He helped him down the stairs and deposited Harry in his en-suite bathroom, before disappearing back to his own room to retrieve a universal antidote which he kept in his Potions kit. He wasn't entirely sure what it was that the Muggle had given Harry to cause this reaction but he was confident that whatever it was, the antidote would cover it.
Harry was resting his head against the cool porcelain of the sink when Draco re-entered the bathroom and he struggled slightly to lift Harry into a sitting position and coax him to drink the potion. Obviously, some part of Harry's mind was scolding him for being so trusting in the first place.
Eventually, however, he was able to encourage Harry to swallow the potion and he allowed the dizzy boy to lean back against the sink again as he began to run a bath for him. Slowly, Harry's awareness began to return to him, his eyes beginning to regain some focus. Draco watched as Harry's expression slid from confusion to mortification.
'Fuck, Draco, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' he said, his voice small and timid and Draco felt his heart break when he saw the tears brightening the green eyes.
'Shhhh, shhhh, no apologies,' he said, dropping into a crouch next to Harry and smoothing his hair back off his forehead. 'You have nothing to apologise for. Let's just get you cleaned up and into bed, shall we?'
Harry nodded, squeezing his eyes closed tight as he tugged off his shirt and stood up to clean his teeth still leaning heavily on the sink. Draco sat on the toilet seat, looking anywhere but at Harry, as jeans were shed and he slid into the warm water of the bath.
'How do you feel?' Draco asked, needing to break the silence to avoid blurting out something stupid.
'Tired all over,' Harry admitted before sinking below the water to rinse his hair. 'And a little foggy,' he admitted when he re-emerged. 'Did what I think happened, happen?'
'What do you think happened?' Draco asked, wondering if he should inform him if he didn't remember.
'That guy, he was trying to…' Harry trailed off, clearly unable to say the words.
'He was,' Draco confirmed.
'Thank you,' Harry said, his voice quiet and Draco looked up sharply.
'What for?' he asked, confused.
'You know what for,' Harry said, a small smile finding its way on his face. 'You saved me.'
'I just did what anyone would have done in that situation,' Draco said, uncomfortable with the praise. 'And you wouldn't have even been in that situation if I hadn't disappeared in a jealous rage,' he added silently to himself. He was grateful when Harry let it drop.
Awkwardness crept over him again as Harry relinquished the bath and wrapped a towel around his waist. Draco had no idea what to do now. Harry was clearly competent enough to manage by himself but Draco was still reluctant to leave him and he hadn't yet commented on Draco's presence.
When Draco followed Harry back into the bedroom he realised that he really couldn't delay his departure any longer and since Harry was about to go to sleep, he really didn't have any cause to.
'I shall let you get some sleep now,' he said, reluctantly glancing from where Harry was nestling into bed, to the door and back.
The look on Harry's face was one of pure horror.
'Don't go, please?' Harry asked, and even had these not been the very words Draco was praying to hear, he wouldn't have been able to deny Harry.
'Scoot over then,' he said, dropping his jeans to the ground before sliding between crisp, cool sheets that smelt divine. He lay on his back, one hand folded behind his head, and willed his body not to respond to the half dressed boy next to him.
In the silence, the minutes stretched out and Draco was just beginning to wonder if Harry had fallen asleep and if he would get away with sneaking off for a quick shower and a change of clothes, when Harry spoke.
'I really am sorry, Draco,' he whispered and Draco rolled on to his side to look at him.
'I thought we covered this already?' he asked, just able to make out Harry's outline and his eyes glinting in the darkness.
'But it was my fault,' Harry explained and Draco felt his anger rise again. He considered going back to that alley to see if the bastard was still there so that he could kick him a few more times.
'I don't ever want to hear you say that, Harry, it was not your fault.' He reached out and stroked Harry's face, tucking the unruly hair behind his ear.
'But it was,' Harry protested. 'I know better than to do that,' he explained, 'but I was…' He paused, clearly embarrassed. 'I was trying to make you jealous,' he admitted.
Draco's heart felt like it might burst at that moment, it was so full of conflicting emotion. On the one hand, he was delighted, Harry had wanted him jealous; he had been trying to get his attention. On the other hand, he had put himself in incredible danger in order to get it and that terrified Draco.
'I'm sorry I shouldn't have…' Harry said, obviously mistaking the cause of Draco's silence.
'It worked,' Draco interrupted.
'What?' Harry asked, bemusement in his voice.
'It worked,' Draco said again. 'I was insanely, furiously jealous,' he admitted.
Harry shifted next to him and before he knew it, warm fingers were grazing themselves across his jaw to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck and Harry's lips were brushing gently against his.
It took him a moment to respond but as soon as he figured out what was happening, he slid a hand around Harry's waist and tugged him forwards until they were pressed together, shoulder to hip.
Taking this as encouragement, Harry's kiss became bolder and a questing tongue flicked out and dragged itself across Draco's bottom lip to be granted immediate access. Tongues fought lazily and Draco's gave chase back into the toothpaste-cooled cavern of Harry's mouth, setting out to explore it thoroughly.
Slowly, a thought pushed its way into Draco's lust clouded mind. Harry had been through a horrible ordeal tonight. It wouldn't kill him to take this slowly, to make sure Harry wasn't just trying to rush into something and replace the memory of the other man's lips on his skin. With a restraint Draco didn't know he had, he pulled back from the kiss which he had spent months imagining, placing a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead.
'Tomorrow,' he promised and was rewarded with a beatific smile as Harry nuzzled closer, looping his own arm around Draco's waist and laying his head on his shoulder.
As Draco pressed his face against the top of Harry's head, inhaling the scent that he had grown to love, he realised that he really could wait. He would wait forever if it meant he got to be with Harry. His eyes drooped as sleep loomed closer and Draco surrendered himself to it more willingly than he had in a long time, comforted by the promise of tomorrow.
