Thank you guys for your patience on this. Thanks to all my new and old reviewers. Reading those really motivate me to keep writing. I've got a plan for the chapter after this, so I hope it'll be up soon. Also to lexakitty8656, I totally get what you're saying about bringing back that motivation and thanks for your review. I also noticed you're an old reader/reviewer from 2014, and I can't tell you how cool that is that you came back.
To say that Draco Malfoy was thoroughly pleased with himself was an incredible understatement. He had never slept so well in his life than the night after Harry Bloody Potter agreed to let him court him. However, reality had to set in with the sunrise. Due to the day before being so eventful, the prince had a lot to catch up on. The king had been off the grounds on a trip for a while now, which was both a good thing and a bad thing for Draco. On one hand, the only person that was his superior wasn't around to tell him exactly what needed to be taken care of. On the other hand, with his people having no one else to come to with their official business, each and every one of them were up his arse.
Harry was by no means a morning person, so Draco could take advantage of that and handle his duties before the brunet even woke up. He had been up for two hours now, trying to clean up messes and tie up loose ends with the nobles . He was finally back in his chambers, enjoying a hot shower. Hot water streamed down aching muscles as the prince was lost in thought.
I still have to see about the potential found soul in Ireland, stand in for that treaty signing and Merlin knows what needed to be finished for tonight's ball. Well, maybe not Merlin, but Erin probably will.
The blond begrudgingly left the comfort of the warm spray to dry himself off, draping a towel around his bottom half and returning to his room. He barely managed to select and pull on a pair of trousers when a knock on the door echoed through the room.
Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.
"Prince Draaaaacccooooooooo!" A familiar, squeaky voice called, coming through the door without even waiting to be invited in.
"Yes, dearest?" The prince in question called back with the most sickly-sweet voice he could.
A head of bright red hair bounced into the room attached to a girl that was far too energetic for nine in the morning on a Saturday. Erin had been Draco's royal advisor and right-hand woman since he had arrived in the castle. She was human but trusted within the royal clan. Her normally waist length hair was tied tightly in a high ponytail and she carried a clipboard with her.
"Are you avoiding me today? I've haven't seen you at all." She asked with a raised eyebrow, unfazed by Draco's half naked form. The two of them became close friends long ago, and Erin was probably the first to find out he was gay. Just like any teenager, Draco had gone through the phase of trying to "discover himself" while at Hogwarts. Everyone always thought he and Pansy were "meant to be", but she was nothing but a friend with benefits. And by his definition, the benefits weren't even worth it. No one in school had ever found out about his true sexuality, but Erin seemed to figure it out in a matter of weeks.
"Of course not, darling. Last time I checked my shower was a private space."
"Well, I think we both know I'd love to join you, but I don't think the feeling would be mutual." She offered with a mock pout to boot.
Draco just laughed and proceeded to select a dress shirt from his wardrobe and started on the buttons. "Yes well, that is unfortunate. Now, I'm sure you broke into my rooms for reasons other than to gawk at me. Why the official looking clipboard today?"
"For the record, the door was unlocked, but I'll let that one go. As for the clipboard, it has on it everything I need to have that conversation about tonight's festivities that you don't want to have. I've got the guest list you have to approve, the dinner plans, décor layouts, and everything in between."
The prince couldn't help but groan at that. He had moved on to the mirror to straighten his clothes and dry his hair. "Erin, are we certain that you aren't telepathic? I was just thinking about that not moments ago."
"Positive. I've just been around long enough to know you love avoiding this stuff. By the way, the king sent a letter and says he is returning early. He plans to be here by midday just in time for the ball. Now, do you want to start now or after breakfast?" Erin had a very smug smile on her face as she proceeded to get cozy in the armchair nearest to the fireplace.
Draco paused at that, now completely finished making himself look his absolute best for a day with Harry. The only remaining hurdle was Erin and her incessant reminders, which was actually easier to handle than one would think. He turned on the girl with a charming smile that would make his mother proud and fluttered his lashes for effect. "Erin, my love, have I told you how absolutely stunning you look today?"
All too familiar with the Slytherin's ways, the redhead simply rolled her eyes with her answer. "Of course I do, I don't need you to tell me that. Now, focus. First thing is the guests. You know you have to overlook this list because these are all the people that will be there. You have to be on your best behavior with every single one of them."
Draco was not planning on giving up so easily. "And what if there was one person in the world that I would trust with not only my life, but also such a crucial task."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, your highness. And don't you dare with your little mind witchery! What are you up to?" She asked with a sharp glare and an unamused look on her face.
The prince's smile faded and quickly dropped into a pout. "I have no idea what you're on about. I just think that you're so good to me that you could handle this much better than I ever could."
"And what's the real reason? This is about that little friend of yours isn't it?" Her eyes widened with curiosity. "Is the all mighty prince trying to play hooky for a little pretty boy?" She asks teasingly.
"For the record, he is not a 'little pretty boy'. He just so happens to be the one that I am courting, thank you."
All attitude of professionalism was gone from the woman and replaced by that of a gossiping schoolgirl. "Wait! When did this happen? And you couldn't be bothered to tell me? I thought we were friends?"
Draco laughed at her sudden change in mood. "Calm yourself, it only happened last night. You wouldn't believe it. I accompanied him to see Metteri for his final check on his shoulder. We finally got to see his wings for the first time, and turns out he's been a submissive this whole time. After spending the day together, I finally got the nerve to ask him formally. I nearly fainted when he confessed that he felt the same way about me."
"Aw! My little Draco's in love!" She squeaked and jumped up to hug the taller man. "I'm so happy for you!"
Draco leaned out of the hug just enough to look her in the eyes with a toothy smile. "Happy enough to let me get away for the day to spend with him?"
Another eye roll from his advisor only made Draco's smile broaden, if that was possible. "I suppose you could sign off on these and we could pretend you went over it. And I suppose I was going to adjust the dinner menu after you saw it anyway, so what's the point in you helping?"
"You know you are amazing, right?" He kissed her cheek and frantically started to pull on his shoes and jumper.
"Yes, yes I know. But I swear to the gods, if you aren't on time and/or don't look your best tonight, I will personally rip your wings off by hand. And don't mess this up okay? I want to be a godmother before I get too old, you know?"
"Trust me, I'm working on it slowly." He said with a wink before moving towards the door. "I owe you."
Harry had a similar morning to Draco's, in which he was just about as happy as he'd ever been. The sun shining through the curtains didn't seem to bother him like it normally did. The memory of the blonde's words the night before still hung in his head. On top of that, he learned that he was a healer dragon. He stretched underneath the warmth of the covers and let himself sink back in with a satisfying sigh. After a moment, he remembered what he was supposed to be doing today and thought to have a quick shower.
He couldn't come up with the last time he was actually concerned about his appearance for the sake of somebody else. The brunet wanted to make sure everything was perfect today, regardless of the fact that he had no idea what exactly Draco had in mind. He washed and dressed himself faster than he ever had in his eighteen years. Draco took the time to give him more clothes than he could ever need when he arrived, and that was before they had confessed their feelings for each other. Merlin only knows what it's going to be like now.
A soft sigh left his lips at the thought. It was such a weird sensation, this feeling of adoration. Not only did he have a chance with Draco, but the blonde actually felt the same way? It was almost too good to be true. Stopping in front of the mirror, he briefly considered even doing something with his hair, but it would've been a lost cause anyway. A flick of his wand showed a glowing 9:34 am in the air. He should be here any minute now.
"Well, I wouldn't want to make you wait too long." A smooth voice said from behind. Harry spun to find Draco standing in the doorway, letting his eyes rake over Harry's body. His hands were tucked into his pockets and his crown sat atop his head, completing the regal outfit he was wearing.
"What are you looking at?" The shorter man asked, embarrassed by the gaze.
"You. You look absolutely incredible. I only wish I could've started dressing you sooner. You've been holding out on me."
At that, Harry's cheeks reddened even further. "Well, good morning to you, too."
"A good morning, indeed." Draco moved to take Harry's hands in his own with a smirk on his face, locking eyes with the submissive. "Especially since I've gone out of my way to take care of everything I needed to do before you even woke up. That means that I get to devote all of my undivided attention to you for the rest of the day, love."
"And what exactly do you have planned, your highness?"
"Well, Mr. Potter, I'd like to first cordially invite you to the annual royal Halloween ball tonight. Would you do me the honor of being my date?"
Harry brought a hand to his chin in mock thought, looking to get a rise out of the blond. "Hmmm. A grand ball with a handsome prince? I think I'll pass."
"Oh well, that's just too bad. You see, Malfoy's always get want they want, and right now, you are exactly what I want. Your chance of escape only gets worse with the fact that I'm a prince."
"Well, then I guess I could manage for the night. I hadn't realized it was already Halloween. Would you be so kind as to dress me for that as well?"
"Actually, that would be the next part of our date. You see, it's a masquerade ball, and I plan to make everyone in attendance jealous of how beautiful my potential is. I have a friend that we're going to see. He's been helping me plan the perfect outfit for you for a few days now. This morning, I went to visit him to make a few last minute adjustments, seeing as you'll be attending as my date rather than my friend. From there, I'd like to have lunch with you in my favorite spot on the grounds before we have to prepare for all the formal things. How's that sound?"
Even though he was still smiling, Harry couldn't help but worry for a moment. "That sounds perfect, but you really want me at such a formal event? Aren't those things kind of important for you? I feel like I would just get in the way."
The younger man dropped his gaze to the floor with his words. At that, the prince brought his hands up to each side of Harry's face, his tone turning serious as he brought their eyes back together. "Love, I wouldn't want anyone else by my side. Besides, it'll be the first of many times I get to show you off to the world, all those stuck up nobles be damned. Understand?"
A shy smile replaced the worry as Harry nodded his answer. Satisfied, Draco smiled and lovingly placed a kiss on the submissive's cheek.
"Now come on, I need to get you something to eat."
While a castle full of Draconian's was preparing for their annual Halloween masquerade ball, another castle full of wizards was doing something similar. Students were making plans for their costumes and pairing off with each other, driven by their raging teenage hormones. However, one wizard did not have quite as innocent plans.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, staring at a magical spinning top. To the unknowing eye, it looked like nothing more than a brightly colored child's toy, charmed to spin indefinitely. To Albus however, he knew that the toy only spun in time with a certain young wizard's life force. The old man had created the artifact when Harry Potter was born, knowing that he would need to keep the boy under his thumb if he had any hopes of his plans working.
In short, he was successful in using Harry to rid the world of Tom Riddle, but his untapped power was still a threat. The boy didn't realize just how powerful he was, and that is how it was going to stay. Dumbledore had been incessantly watching the top spin for about two weeks now, ever since he was taken by the mystery man, or creature rather, in the tower. He truly had no inclination of who exactly it was, but that wasn't the part he cared about.
The thing had extended dragon wings from a seemingly human body, and there was only one creature he knew that could do that. He thought that the species had been wiped out all of ninety years ago. Wrinkled hands tapped the oak wood desk in front of him in thought. The top hadn't stopped spinning, so the creature obviously did not kill the boy as the rest of the faculty had thought. The teachers had agreed to not tell anyone else for fear of causing panic in the wizarding world. Merlin knows the common community would fall into chaos without their precious Golden Boy, even if he wasn't on the highest pedestal at the moment.
Dumbledore needed him to take the fall for the war. It was incredibly helpful for taking the focus off of the old wizard's antics throughout the years. But there was something even more important now. He knew that if he could get to Harry, he would lead him to wherever they were hiding. No doubt that there were incredible amounts of wards and protective spells around them, given that nobody has been able to find them in all this time. Something like this would take a lot of time and patience, but Albus Dumbledore was a patient man.
:)