AN: Hi! So i think im almost done with this story maybe a chapter or two left because i like smut and fluffy endings hehehe.

"Harry! You're not even dressed! The gala starts in half an hour you're supposed to speak on the Auror division's behalf!" Hermione shouted while wildly searching through Harry's closet to find the outfit that she and Harry chose for the gala.

Harry was sat at his desk with his feet propped up and some files he was going over before he was so rudely interrupted by two of his best mates. Rolling his eyes at Hermione's attempt at convincing him to go to some sodding gala that he had tried in vain to forget about Harry asked "Mione can't you tell Kingsley that I don't feel well or something I really don't feel like kissing a bunch of ministry officials arses as a starter for my new year thanks"

Raising her eyebrows Hermione wondered whether or not this was the same Harry from two weeks ago that could not stop talking about the upcoming gala and had actually fretted about what he was going to wear.

"Really cause a week or two ago you seemed oddly gung ho about it, Harry. What's changed?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Harry feigned.

"Bollock's, Harry." Ron interrupted. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain mind healer you took home would it?"

"How the fu-"

"Fred." Ron answered simply with a shrug before Harry could finish his sentence. "He said something about if he's going down he's taking you down with him."

"Assuming bastard" Harry gritted out. Because in all honestly he wasn't going to tell George about Fred dating some distant relative of Satan himself in the first place, no he was going to let Fred handle that all on his very own thank you very much.

"Why didn't you tell us Harry?" Ron questioned a little miffed that the twin monsters seemed to know more about what was going on with Harry lately than he and Hermione did.

Pausing from her search of appropriate suit attire Hermione let the information sink into her bottomless brain and she realized Harry had probably seduced his therapist.

"What? Your therapist Harry, really was that the smartest decision?"

"Oh just wait love until you here who it is." Ron found himself anticipating Hermione's reaction as much as he was anticipating Harry's answer. Because really with Harry being the vanquisher of evil and all that you'd think he'd choose someone that hadn't made all of their lives hell during their years at Hogwarts. Ron thought that people could change but not by much. When he found out who it was that Harry had taken to bed he didn't know if should have laughed or cried out in anguish first.

"Ron come on it's not even about that"

"Eh you're not getting out of this one mate consider this your punishment for not telling us. Now spill or I will."

Hermione, exasperated at the thought that after all they've been through, Harry could still be so secretive sometimes.

"Tell us Harry after everything you should be able to trust us and-"

"It was Malfoy he's uhm the mind healer that Kingsley assigned to me. And at first I mean I hated it. I hated that he would try to fix me like I was some broken doll or something and he had me writing in a diary which made me hate him even more and then, and then I don't know it's like we became friends sort of after a while and he's just, he does this voice and he's funny like Malfoy he is legitimately funny and he always smells like vanilla and God he tastes like-"

"HARRY!" shouted Hermione and Ron in unison, which successfully brought Harry out of his rambling.

"Ok enough mate we get it you fancy the bloke. But Merlin we could go without knowing what Malfoy taste like"

"Yeah, Harry." Hermione agreed giggling at the almost pained look on her husband's face.

Though Hermione and Ron always tried to be supportive of their friend, some things were better off just left to their imagination or in this particular case firmly locked away in a some deep dark cave that neither one of them wanted to revisit. Surprising however it was not. Harry and Draco were always somehow drawn to each other since their school days but instead of the ever present simmering heat of hostility and loathsomeness they had between themselves was now turned in to a different kind of fire.

"I'm sorry I got carried away a bit there. But anyway I think it was two weeks ago, I wanted to go get a pint with George so I could talk to him about how I was contemplating on asking Draco to go to the stupid gala with me"

"Wasn't George heading off to where ever the hell he is coming back from tonight? Japan? South Korea?" questioned Ron.

"Yeah he was just finishing up some paper work before he was going to leave. He couldn't make it to the pub so he suggested that I go find Fred instead and when I got to where Fred was he looked like he was about to have a panic attack. It turned out that he was meeting some people there and when I turned around to see who it was he was meeting it was Pansy Parkinson and Draco. I freaked out and felt like I too was going to have a panic attack and then Pansy somehow turned everything around and announced that I was to be Draco's date."

"Jesus, Harry. Never mind Fred dating Pansy but being forced in to a date with Malfoy by Parkinson. I'm so sorry" Ron managed to make it sound like Harry had been once again captured and tortured by Voldemort himself.

"Well you see the thing is, is that it wasn't even dreadful. I was just surprised because I was nervous about even the thought of asking him out when all of a sudden I find myself on a double date with the git. I mean sure Pansy's innuendos were embarrassing but I didn't really care because I could barely focus on anything that wasn't Draco. At the end of the night I got a little sloshed and he helped me home and started saying things in French and I just lost any control I had and, and then well uhm yeah we…"

"Spent the whole night talking and telling each other secrets, Harry?" said Hermione positively dripping in sarcasm.

"It wouldn't matter if we did in the first place because next thing I knew I woke up with some half arsed note with a scribbled "thanx" and an empty bed." said Harry, not amused in the slightest by her enthusiasm, or lack thereof, of his decision on taking Draco to bed.

The hurt and bitterness was so obvious in his statement that Hermione wished she had her time turner just so she could go back and watch herself punch Malfoy in the face just one more time. But eventually she decided against that and thought instead that there was no better time than the present. Unlike everyone else Harry embodied both the fighter and the lover side of things. And when he did either he did with passion and whole heartedly. So to be thrown to the side, Hermione knew, must have been hard for him. Harry was so used to being independent lately that he had forgotten what it was like to have someone by his side only to have it back fire in the worst possible way.

"I'll kill em" Ron said staring at nothing but determination filling his eyes.

"Ronald! You don't even know the whole story. Maybe I don't know maybe-" Hermione tried to reason.

"Maybe he's just the same manipulating git from school Hermione."

"I'm going to ignore that" She said pointedly at her husband. "Harry did you talk to him at all after? I know you must have been mad but what if there is some sort of explanation. You know that Malfoy isn't the easiest person to understand-"

"Of course I did. Well not so much as talked to him as I just kind of yelled at him for being a tosser and stormed out." Harry replied.

"Wow, Harry how you've grown." Hermione said dryly.

"Mione he was the one-" Harry tried.

Children the lot of them. Ron, already suiting up to defend Harry's honor. Harry, throwing a fit. And Draco running away like a frightened animal. Really was she the only functioning adult around here?

"Enough! Here's your suit. Get dressed. No complaints. Off to change the both of you!"

"Mione I'm already dressed and this is Harry's room-"

"Ronald!"

"Come on Harry." Ron said while pulling his friend to another room so that he could change. "You know I'm six foot four and she still manages to scare the shite out of me" he muttered.

"You'd think after being Aurors we could at least be at her level of intimidation." Harry said still a bit put off that even in his own home at almost thirty Hermione could still order him about. Harry thought that in all honesty spending time with his friends and eating some treacle tart that were bound to grace the dessert table; seemed a lot better than working on files all night. Thus, Harry started to get dressed…

"FIVE MINUTES" Hermione shouted.

Quickly.

"So in conclusion I want to thank everyone here for all their hard work and the effort they have put in to making the wizarding world what it is today. And although it is a bit late Happy Christmas and have a merry New Year as well thank you."

Applause.

An applause is what he would usually hear right about now at the end of some speech he was asked to give at some event. But now all he could hear was white sound filling his head and the faint claps of his fellow office workers. Draco Malfoy had just entered the room.

Thank God, Harry thought, that Draco had walked in after he had said his little spiel because if Draco had walked in a minute earlier Harry would probably have forgotten every word that Hermione had ruthlessly drilled into his head to say before they got there. Draco looked incredible and he knew it.

The smug bastard.

Walking towards the hall Draco could hear Harry's voice carry throughout the building. Draco felt his heart tug a little. Harry sounded perfectly fine. Like he didn't have a care in the world other than to say what he had to and to dance the night away with some stranger. What if Harry had already done exactly what he said was going to do? "Watch me find someone else Draco". Faltering in his step at the thought Draco stopped and pulled himself together. Now was not the time to lose his confidence he needed all the luck he could get, positive thoughts included. Reaching the door guarded by two very overly sized men Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes and handed over the invitation that would allow him access in to the soiree ahead. Before they opened the door for him, after casting an authenticity charm on the invitation, Draco held up his hand slightly, straightened out his waist coat and ran his hand smoothly through his hair. He knew Harry liked it a little tousled judging by the way Harry seemed to forget his train of thought during their sessions when Draco started to pick up Harry's habit of messing with his hair.

Nodding once to the guards Draco got his double door entrance, his eyes automatically seeking out the man whose voice was filling the room. Applaud burst around them as their eyes connected. His body thrummed with the vibrations of the room's audience of the man whose eyes seemed to rake over his entire being while Draco made his way slowly across the room never breaking eye contact.

Satisfied that the hours of shopping with Pansy the day before had paid off and caused such a reaction, Draco had to remind himself that if he was going to get Harry back it was going to take more than a perfectly tailored outfit that made his arse look great. But it did help boost his wavering confidence for Harry had shuttered his beautiful green eyes and made his way off the stage.

Draco forgot that he knew most of the people in attendance, mostly due to the fact that there was only one person he had in mind that he actually wanted to talk to this evening. Consequently anyone that tried to strike up a conversation made him want to pull his hair out. Talking was dull and being polite was tedious. Draco was on a mission and discussing the turnaround of the Chudley Cannons this year was not helping. So when he felt a tug at his elbow and the opportunity to run away screaming Hallelujah presented itself he didn't even register exactly who it was that was pulling him into a secluded area. Draco just made sure to wave apologetically to his former client that had a tendency to gamble and make a promise to see him later on.

"What are you doing here?"

"Excu-" Affronted that he was being asked this question by someone who practically dragged him off to Merlin knows where-"Oh, Harry!"

"Yes, great observational skills Draco A+, now what are you doing here?"

While Draco and Harry were off to the side a small set of musicians were introduced and began playing beautiful classical music as the party goers carried on.

"Well, Harry. Nice to see you too by the way but I was under the impression that I was invited here. If this is how you treat your dates though we might have to work on that. We'll start with-"

"Date?" Harry said looking as if he'd never heard such a word in his life.

Rolling his eyes Draco pulled out the shrunken journal, returned it to it's original state, cleared his throat and read "Since you and your coworkers are ministry adjacent you guys should come along too."

"Draco."

"You can be my plus one if you like. Accepted, thank you"

"Draco, stop."

Draco ignored Harry's warning and kept reading. "I won't make you dance or anything unless you want to with me or whoever? Of course I want to dance with you who else would I want-"

"That entry was inexcusably nullified as soon as you walked out of my flat without a word Draco so stop acting like you ever wanted anything more out of this than a shag." Harry said disrupting Draco's little speech of his own.

Tired of always being pushed to the side by Harry's anger at him Draco stood his ground and made sure to get every word he was about to say, heard by Harry."I. Am. Sorry. I'm sorry I ran away but I deserve a chance to explain myself Harry. How many times do I have to say it to you, write it to you, show it to you until I have earned the right to do just that?" Draco challenged his own anger rising at being denied the time to say what what he wanted .

"Sorry? Not once have you done any of that!"

"What are you talking about, you're the one who sent them all back! All the letters I wrote to you practically begging you to even talk to me! The flowers I sent!"

Harry was more confused by the second. Letters? Flowers? What in the hell was Draco talking about? Harry hadn't received anything of the sort. And if he did they wouldn't be off in a corner yelling at each other right now but occupied with doing something very different for the night unless…

"Where did you send them?" Harry questioned.

"What?" Now Draco looked to be the confused one.

"Where did you send them the letters and what not?"

"Your house where else woul-"

Realizing what must have happened to all the mail sent to him from Draco, Harry suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Completely unaware of the baffled and then pained look Draco was sporting.

Great. Draco was being laughed at by the man he wanted to be with. Could this night go any better? Turning to avoid any more humiliation Draco tried to gather what was left of his dignity and walk could have been worse than this.

Grabbing Draco's arm before he could even get another step away from Harry, Harry said "it's a spell Draco." Harry rushed to answer Draco's questioning eyes. "There's a shield spell around my house. That whenever I get mail from uhm how do I say this overly enthusiastic fans that try to convince me that they're in love with me through letters or presents they automatically get sent back to the sender as soon as the package comes into contact with it.

Draco was horrified at the thought that, that was the reason why Harry hadn't received any of his written apologies. He was more upset that what he really should have done, he realized, on that horrible Friday was to follow his instinct and ran after the man. Then those awful 2 weeks Draco had to suffer without Harry could have been avoided if had just gotten the guts to do so.

"But the thing is…" Harry continued walking forward and ultimately forcing Draco to back up against the wall "is that the letters and gifts have to reach a certain how say level of mmm adoration before it gets dinged and sent away. Because well, I like the little drawings I get sometimes from kids and stuff and after casting some detection spells, of course, chocolate is always welcome. So unless you wrote some very interesting things in those letters of yours Draco the only way they'd get sent away is if you rambled on about how much you actually wanted me." Harry said grinning from ear to ear and letting go of Draco's arm to cautiously hold instead, his waist.

Harry felt at the moment how he usually did when he was closing in on his target, on an Auror case, that had been evading him for weeks. The adrenaline rush of finally being able to reach out and grab exactly what he, not wanted but, needed. He found himself just short of breath, palms slightly steady, and heart pounding. But his mind, his mind was perfectly clear and focused. Empty of the fog that seemed to invade it when everything around him was a little to quiet. He had never felt like this about anyone else. He would listen to Draco's explanation another time but for now it was vital that he showed Draco how sorry, in fact, he was for being so stubborn.

The musicians meanwhile started to bring their stunning performance to a close.

Gods did he miss this. The way Harry looked at him with affection and want, like he craved Draco as much as he did Harry. Though unlikely because Draco thought that no one could feel like how he did for Harry right now. And if they did then he questioned whether or not normal people actually survived these kind of feelings. His emotions were running so high he swore it could be transferred in to an almost physical pain ebbing away at the pit of his stomach and lodged at the deepest parts of his chest. He was heady with the prospect of Harry even letting him explain himself and yet here he was.

Merlin, I thought I was the one that was supposed to do the wooing tonight.

Draco thought before he was gently pressed up against the wall and Harry's lips were finally, finally upon his own. The room erupted in applaud like the whole room was celebrating their anticipated reunion and Draco could not have agreed more.

Thanks for sticking with me so far guys i appreciate it so much! You are some very, very lovely people ;) Off to bed. Night!