AN: Ok! Back from Japan! Refreshed and ready to go!

Chapter 10: The Boy Who's Just Been Caught

This had turned out to be one of the most bizarre Tuesday mornings of his life.

From waking up with the worst possible hangover imaginable, followed by a love confession from a once-thought-of rival, followed by an attack from an old dorm mate who was supposed to hate the one who loves him but if that's true then why did he storm into the house demanding to know why Harry was kissing him last night, to being bombarded with Daily Prophet reporters to which Harry now dared looked outside his window to see if they were gone in fear of being blinded by flashing cameras.

Harry and Draco now sat side by side on the sofa, Harry having made some tea in the kitchen, and had now been sitting there together for an hour, ignoring the Daily Prophet newspaper still on the floor. He didn't have to read it to know what they'd put. Besides, he may just explode from embarrassment if he did.

It was another bizarre feeling, for it was the first time the two of them had ever had a conversation that hadn't involved some kind of insult thrown in amongst it. They'd talked, just talked, about mundane things, like Quidditch results, Harry telling Draco about the incredible bad luck his team was having. Draco told Harry of his troubles with learning all the strange muggle items he found in the hotels he had to stay in, having decided to stay away from the 'tellavishions", and the one time his curiosity got the better of him and tried what he thought was doing to turn it on, ended up exploding on him.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at that image, and had earned a halfhearted scowl for that. Draco had continued on his story of having to work for a while in Diagon Alley to raise more money, before converting it to pounds in Gringotts and heading off into the muggle world. Harry listened intently to his story, and had to bite back the urge of commenting how that must have damaged his pride to not only work in a common little shop but have to live among muggles. He only wanted to say it because it felt 'normal' for little insulting comments like that to be passed between them, but he didn't say it, because after all, Draco had done all of this just to find him, and asking him how much it must have damaged that Malfoy pride of his wouldn't have gone down very well.

But that was the normal that was them a year ago, not now though. Apparently, according to Draco anyway, 'normal' for them now was to have an arm around Harry's shoulders, making him lean back against him, and sitting there practically cuddling together while Draco played with odd strands of Harry's hair.

Like he said, bizarre.

Still, it was a nice bizarre.

Harry still didn't know quite what to make of all this. There was no point in denying that he didn't feel anything for Draco anymore, because if he didn't there was no way he'd be sitting here like this with him. There was something, he didn't want to say what, not that he was he sure what 'it' was anyway, but there was something there, and admitting that felt like a first wave of relief wash over him. It was easier to say that 'something' was happening, rather then giving that something a name, like 'like' or even more impossible, 'love'. 'Something' was easier, it gave a much wider range of possibilities.

Harry had never had anyone to hold him, never heard those words "I love you", until Draco came back into his life. He wondered why it had only taken a few days for 7years worth of hatred to go disappearing down the drain, but when he thought about it, it wasn't really a few days, because he'd been thinking about him every day since Draco had kissed him that first time back at Hogwarts. He never realised how much the blond had been on his mind, until he had the actual person there in front of him. He'd had a whole year for feelings to develop. A whole year for feelings, if overwhelmed with confusion, to form for the first one to make him blush after kissing him. Cho never did that to him, for as short as their relationship had lasted anyway, but one kiss from Draco, just out of the blue, and he'd been blushing insanely that night.

But still, Harry frowned softly in thought at the darkened fireplace as Draco ran his fingers through his hair. Did this mean he was gay? Really? It was strange that throughout this whole ordeal this morning, that it had worried him more that it was Draco himself he might, possibly, may-very-well-be-but-not-going-to-say-anything-because-it-might-mean-something falling for, then the fact Draco was a guy. When he'd said the words 'I love you', it was a more of a shock that it had been Draco to say it, then the fact a man had just told him those words. But now the shock had faded that it was Draco, and remembering those words from his mouth sending a small shiver of…happiness?...down his spine, the detail that Draco was indeed male, didn't really seem to be that important.

No one had ever said those three little words to him, and now that someone had, did the fact it was male really mean anything at all? Did it really matter? Harry sighed and frowned annoyed at the fireplace again. Wasn't he really just making things a lot more confusing for himself by asking all this? Why couldn't he accept this as easily as Seamus did when he fell for Dean? Harry wished he had his confidence; Seamus had never seemed to be as confused as Harry was feeling, he just accepted it like that and got on with his life.

Leaning forward a little to let Draco pick up his cup of tea, Harry's eyes wandered back over to the closed door leading out to the stairs. He hadn't heard the front door open, so that must mean that Dean was still here. He'd looked so furious at the thought of Harry kissing Seamus, what was that all about? He couldn't be jealous surely? The reaction of seeing Seamus over the Downs made it all too clear he still didn't like him, the reaction over the newspaper…Harry sighed softly. As if he had enough problems with his own love life, now he was worrying over Seamus's.

"Harry?"

"Mmm?" Harry said distractingly, still frowning in thought at Seamus's situation.

"Can I move in with you?"

Harry's mind instantly cleared of any thoughts regarding Seamus and he blinked, peering up at him with wide eyes, "Stay here?"

Draco nodded, "I'm living in a muggle hotel remember, and now I've found you I've come to the end of my journey. I don't have anywhere else to go and…" he looked away sheepishly, "…and I'm running out of money." He added quietly, as if the very thought of no money brought physical pain to his body.

Harry didn't say anything, but slowly sat up from leaning on him and shuffled back a bit more against the sofa, "Well there's, what with Ron moving in," he said quietly, "there's no more spare rooms." He stared at the floor, deliberately avoiding Draco's eyes because he knew very well what he was thinking, because Harry was thinking the exact same thing.

"I could share yours, if you wouldn't mind."

Harry could feel the heat building in his cheeks again but blatantly ignored it, "Well…you already know my beds not that big it-"

"I meant sleeping on the floor." Draco interrupted with a smirk, watching the redness in Harry's cheeks seem to double its reddening pace as Harry flushed and coughed nervously.

"Yeah…that's what I meant…" he trailed off, risking a quick glance at Draco's smirking eyes and flashing a quick embarrassed smile at him, before returning his stare to the floor.

Damn Slytherin.

"So can I stay?"

Harry looked back up at him, a now strangely solemn expression on his face, and sighed, "I don't know," he said truthfully, "I dunno how Ron would take all this. I know Seamus wouldn't care…in fact he'd probably tease me about for the rest of my life," he added quietly, "But Ron doesn't even know I've been seeing you, let alone kissing you."

"And groping me." Draco added.

"Shut up." Harry said affectionately, trying not to grin to himself.

There was another pause between them, Harry running his hand through his hair as he pondered over everything in his mind. If Draco stayed, Ron would ask why. Well, he'd probably shout and scream why, but the 'why' would be in there somewhere. That would mean he'd have to tell him what had been happening between them, but would he really be telling Ron that he was actually gay? Once again it all came down to that one question. If he told Ron that yes he and Draco had sort of been seeing each other, then it would certainly come across as Harry being gay, but how would Ron take that? He didn't want to lose him, and finding out that not only was his best friend gay and seeing his once rival in the same sentence might be too much information at once.

At least he knew that Ron didn't mind gay people after last night, even though he may coil away from it, like when Seamus had to kiss Harry during Dare. He said he wasn't homophobic, just as he wasn't gay didn't particularly like being groped by them, which was fair enough. It was a start in the right direction, but of course when it's your own best friend coming out he might not take it with such an easy breeze.

But what choice did he have? If he was still leaving Draco hanging with a yes or no question to officially being with him, then he was going to be seeing him a lot more, and Ron would only find out, and he'd rather tell him that something might possibly be going on between them then having Ron find out some other way, like catching them at it.

Harry mentally scolded his brain for the image that came forth with the "catching them at it" line.

He sighed, defeated, and ran his hand through his hair again, "I'm going to have to tell Ron about us."

Draco grimaced slightly, "Eurgh, why?"

Harry glared at him, "He's my best friend! I need to tell him why you'll be staying here then have him walk in on us kissing or something."

Draco's face softened and he smiled gently, "So there will be more kissing between us then?"

Harry glared despite the blush once more arriving on his cheeks, "That's not the point."

"It's nothing but the point." Draco smirked, reaching out to Harry's chin.

Harry flinched back slightly at Draco's sudden movement, but didn't pull away as he held his chin, leaning forward, and holding each other's gaze, kissed him softly. Harry's eyes fluttered closed despite the thought running through his mind that he really should stop melting every time Draco did this and actually take some control over the situation. Draco cupped Harry's cheek softly with his other hand, running his thumb over his cheek bone as he teased Harry's lips apart and slid his tongue inside. Harry could hear himself moaning softly into the kiss, and that little mini version of himself sprouted up at the back of his mind again, jumping up and down and shouting at Harry to pull back and stop this before Draco got the wrong idea. Or maybe it was the right idea? Maybe Harry wanted Draco to push him back onto the sofa like he was doing now? Maybe he wanted Draco's fingers sliding over his chest and under his shirt? Maybe he-

Just then he heard the front door slam softly and Harry's eyes shot open, pushing Draco back away from him and spinning round to the door to the hallway just as it opened slowly. Seamus walked in with his head slightly lowered, and with his hand still on the door handle looked up to see Harry and Draco sitting on the sofa staring at him, Harry looking worried and Draco looking pissed off that they'd been interrupted, and blinked slowly,

"…Oh, sorry, I forgot you were here." He said quietly, and went to turn around.

"Seamus wait!" Harry called out, and Seamus turned back to look at him, eyes strangely somber, a look that didn't befit his usually constantly happy friend, "Um….what happened?" Harry asked lamely.

Seamus looked at the floor for a moment, a struggle in his eyes, before he looked back at Harry and smiled, "We're over." He stated softly, Harry's eyes widening, "Well, not that there was anything to be over about to start with, but you know what I mean." He chuckled, but there wasn't an ounce of happiness in his laugh, and the look on Harry's face must have told him so because Seamus sighed softly. "We chatted," he said quietly, "about everything. He apoligised for how he reacted when I told him that night, and everything else. He…um…" Harry watched as a small pinkness rose to Seamus's cheeks, "He kissed me, and… and it's over."

Harry stared at him, "Kissed yo-…over?" Harry spluttered, not really sure on what to be asking about. Dean kissed him? But it was over? That didn't make any sense.

"Yeah, I'm over him now, it's over." Seamus stated again, a little more strength in his voice, and threw Harry a quick smile.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked worryingly, for he was far too used to seeing Seamus's smile cover up what he was really feeling, that night he broke down on him was the perfect example.

Seamus paused and looked at the floor again, before taking a deep breath and smiling, an all too noticeable sadness to his smile, "I will be. I promise I'll have a chat with you later about it Harry, because I know being you you're going to want to try and help anyway, cos that's what you do." He smiled affectionately this time, "but for now I just…I just want to be on my own for a while. Just to think about things." He added quietly. "I'll go back to my room so I don't interrupt you tw-"

"No Seamus wait." Harry said, and Seamus paused in the doorway looking at him. Harry sighed softly and closed his eyes, turning back to Draco.

"Look Draco, can we…" Harry searched his minds for the words, "I want to-"

Draco sighed, a small smile on his lips, "Typical. Don't worry, I'll go so you can help out the Irish idiot."

"Hey!" came Seamus's voice from the doorway, but it went ignored.

Harry smiled thankfully at him, "You don't mind?" he asked.

"Well there'd be no point in continuing where we left off, because I know all you're going to be thinking about his helping that out."

"HEY!" Seamus said a lot louder this time, and Harry whacked Draco on the arm.

"Do you want me to change my mind on letting you stay?" he asked half playfully, standing up, Draco following.

"Malfoy's staying?" Seamus inquired, his interest peeked, and Harry almost flinched and turned to him.

"Um, that's a bit of a story." Harry said sheepishly.

"Well if you need to tell the Weasel then you have time," Draco said, Harry turning back to him, "I'd already paid in advance for another 2 more nights in my hotel, so I can't move in today anyway." He attentively raised one hand and placed it on Harry's shoulder, "But…" he added, almost shyly, "…it really is okay for me to come back right?" he asked, looking at him through his pale eyelashes, Seamus recognising an all too put on pout as he'd used it himself on Harry before when it came to clearing up the wrecked house after Seamus's parties.

Because Harry always melted at anyone who pouted at him.

"Yeah." Harry said softly, and just as shyly, and Seamus rolled his eyes to himself.

"You'd better come back Malfoy, you're wearing my shirt." Seamus pointed out.

"Oh don't worry, I'll be coming back." Draco smirked at him, a glint in his eyes looking back at Harry, "But now I know I can come back, I have a bit of shopping to do."

"Shopping?" Harry inquired as Draco walked past Seamus out into the front hallway.

"Yes, I…" Draco trailed off, a pinkness now arriving on Draco's cheeks, "I just have some things to get…" Both Harry and Seamus eyed him with one raised eyebrow from the doorway, and on noticing the matching looks, Draco glared at them, "Oh shut up." He said, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve again.

"Well before you go we better check if those reporters are still out there." Harry said, and walked pasted Draco to the door.

"Why don't you floo back?" Seamus asked.

"I live in a muggle hotel you ponce, I don't think they'd appreciate me appearing out of a fireplace." He said bluntly.

"Oi what's with all the insults this morning? You weren't doing that last night." Seamus pouted.

"I needed your help to get Harry home last night, now you're just a rival."

Seamus blinked and smirked, "What for Harry?"

"No for Thomas, who'd you think?"

Seamus's smirk disappeared at that name, and Harry glared at them, "Will you two please cut it out?"

Harry turned back to the door, about to open it, when he paused. He looked back at Draco, and Seamus who was still watching them, and turned his attention to the coat closet just to the left by the front door. Stepping over to that instead, he opened it and looked back at Draco.

"Get in."

Draco blinked at him, "Excuse me?"

"Get in the closet."

Seamus couldn't hold back his laugh, "Maybe you should both get in and "come out" of the closet together."

"Seamus shut up." Harry half glared at him, "Look if there are reporters out there and see me opening the door their gonna be all over the place, and the last thing I need is for them to see you still here, so can you just hide in here, just for a minute while I check it's safe."

"I didn't see any when I let Dean out just now." Seamus said.

"Yeah well unfortunately Dean isn't on their front page today. Please Draco?" Harry pleaded with him. If the press caught sight of him and Seamus that wouldn't be too much of a problem, they already knew about him kissing him. But Draco? They'd seen him through the window earlier, and could do without questions about him too. So, reversing the roles on the pouting look, Draco finally sighed.

"Fine."

Stepping inside the small closet, stuffed with coats and what looked like Seamus's old broomstick leaning up against one corner, Harry was about to shut the closet door when he heard keys in the lock of the front door, and before he could turn around, the front door came swinging open, hitting the back of the closet door sending Harry flying into Draco and the closet door slamming shut behind them.

"Ron you are the most insufferable prat I think this planet has ever seen!"

"I know Hermione I know!

Harry was flushed with embarrassment at the sudden close contact between him and Draco, Draco standing half buried with the coats behind him as Harry was squashed right up against him. Harry had his arms pressed against the coats behind Draco, bent at the elbow, one arm either side of the blond as Draco just stood there, Harry's face turned slightly to they didn't bump noses.

Well, that and to ignore the blatant smirk on Draco's face.

Harry had more important things to worry about then any perverted thoughts Draco may have been having. His heart beat panicked at the sound of Ron's voice behind the door. What the heck was he doing home from work? It was only lunchtime!

"This is entirely your fault!" Came furious Hermione's voice as the front door was slammed hard, "How can you be so heartless!"

"Aw come on it's not like I meant for a reporter to here that! And besides I asked you here to back me up! Not yell at me!"

"It's YOUR FAULT! Of course I'm going to yell at you Ron you are an IDIOT! This is the last thing Harry needs! Why'd you think he moved to such a rural area? To avoid all this!"

"Don't say a word." Harry whispered urgently, as a smirk reached Draco's lips as Harry shifted his weight, the door behind him making him lean forward, but with his arms aching now having to lean against Draco a little more, their chests pressed against each other.

Ron groaned loudly, "Oh I knew I shouldn't have gone out last night! I knew I should have stayed at home! I've ruined Harry's life, nearly slept with a transvestite, quit my job, and found out my best friend was gay all in the space of 12 hours! Oooo mum's gonna kill me."

"Harry's going to kill you! And if he doesn't I will!"

Harry's mind went through a moment of different emotional reactions. First, he panicked even more. Ron must have seen the newspaper this morning, seen him kissing Seamus. Harry felt like hitting himself in the head. Of course he'd have seen the newspaper, he had an owl deliver one everyday. Shit, Harry thought, and he really didn't like to swear. So much for telling Ron himself, and if he thought telling him he was kind of with Draco was bad enough, now he was going to have to explain about why he was kissing Seamus. Second of all, came confusion. Why had Ron ruined his life? What were they talking about? Why was Hermione so angry with him? In fact why was Hermione even here? And thirdly, amusement. Being a reporter or not, Ron's burst of nearly sleeping with a transvestite made him remember Seamus telling him last night that Mari wasn't a girl.

Ron may have plenty to tease him about now, but at least Harry had that one thing.

"Yeah well I might kill him too you know!" Ron whined, followed by the sound of him taking off his coat, "I'm not exactly happy he didn't tell his best friend he took it like Seamus!"

"HEY!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Sorry mate, but it's a bit of a shock to see you two kissing on the front of the newspaper this morning, I nearly chocked on my pumpkin juice, I didn't see him do that last night!"

Harry inwardly groaned. This was going to be a conversation with his best friend he could have really done without.

"Oh yes, because you were too busy finding out the girl you had your tongue down the throat of wasn't a girl!"

"SHUT UP!"

Harry grinned to himself, if he didn't know any better, Hermione almost sounded jealous.

"Harry?" Draco whispered, and Harry turned his head slightly to look at him through the corner of his eyes. When he looked though, Draco had a very predatory glint in his eyes, and before Harry could ask what he was thinking, suddenly felt a hand unzipping his trousers!

Harry's eyes widened like saucepans and jumped at the contact, his elbows hitting the door behind him as he automatically flinched away. But with the resounding bang that went with that and Harry cringed, even Draco's hand pausing as they waited to see if anyone outside the door had heard that.

"What's going on you two?" Seamus asked.

"Ron is the biggest idiot this planet has been cursed with." Hermione filled in.

"Well I gathered that."

"Hermioneeeeeeeee!"

"Ron stop whining!"

Harry released a quiet shaky breath, his heart rate dropping. Thank god for that. If Ron caught him in here with Draco…

Harry gasped quietly, "Draco…"he whispered warningly through clenched teeth, as Harry felt Draco's hand moving against him again.

But Draco did nothing but smile at him, a small smirk to the corner of his lips, and with his other hand, placed it beside Harry's head on the back of the door. Harry turned to face him completely, head leaning back against the door to give some distance, and gulped quietly at the look in Draco's eyes.

A hungry look.

"Stop it…" Harry whispered, but it didn't seem too much of an order, for his cheeks were flushing as Draco's hands brushed over that certain part of his anatomy once again.

"Why?" Draco whispered, and closed the distance between them, taking Harry's lips with his own.

"Ron you are going to apoligise to Harry for getting him into this mess. Seamus, where is he?"

A pause, before a rather amused Seamus answered, "Umm…well actually…"

Despite the fact that his two best friends where standing right behind him with only a thin wooden door between them, Harry couldn't help his eyelids fluttering closed at the close proximity and the heat from Draco as he ran his tongue through Harry's mouth. This was bad, this was really really bad, because whenever Draco kissed him he just couldn't say no. His brain was telling him no, but his limbs weren't listening.

Ron is standing right behind you!

"What?" came Hermione's question as Seamus didn't answer.

He's going to find you snogging Draco in a coat closet!

"He's not in bed still hungover is he?" Ron asked.

Forget snogging, he's gonna find me being given a—WHOA!...Ohhhh Draco…..

"What was that?" Hermione asked quietly as a muffled quiet moan came from somewhere nearby, and Seamus chortled to himself.

"Draco please stop it…" Harry whispered urgently against Draco's lips as they pulled back for air, but Draco wasn't listening, and slipped his tongue back inside.

Harry's body really wasn't paying attention to his brain, because despite what he said, his arms wrapped themselves around Draco's neck, leaning into him, desperately trying not to moan too loudly as Draco's hand touched him like it did last night. He swept his own tongue through Draco's mouth, his heart racing a mile a minute. They were going to get caught! Any second now! They had to stop this!

Harry melted to the floor, dragging Draco down with him, tongues feverish against each other as they curled around each other on the floor, squashed against the coats a few boxes underneath them.

"Well look, I'm only going to apologise if Harry apologises."

Harry grabbed onto Draco's shirt, pressing himself as hard as he could against him.

"What on earth does Harry have to apologise for!" came Hermione's shrill voice.

"Urggh…Draco…" Harry pulled back and bit his bottom lip, closing his eyes tightly shut as he buried his head against Draco's neck as he felt that wave of pleasure starting to wash over him, Draco's other hand working its way underneath Harry's shirt and over his back, stroking the soft skin underneath.

"I'll apologise if he apoligise's for keeping his sexuality a secret from m—"

Harry was suddenly very aware of the bright light that suddenly filled their dark closet, and the aching and very annoying feeling that Draco had stopped moving his hand and had frozen underneath him. Draco seemed to have stopped breathing too, and Harry opened his eyes and peered upwards. Draco was staring up at something, and a light breeze suddenly swished around them, and Harry turned around to see Ron, coat in one hand raised to put it in the cupboard, completely frozen with ridiculously wide eyes.

Oh no…

And suddenly that almost rush of pleasure completely melted away, Draco trying to casually remove his hand from Harry's trousers, but keeping the one that was still up underneath Harry's shirt.

Harry stared at Ron. Ron stared at Draco. Draco now stared at Hermione who had just peered over Ron's shoulder to see why he froze, and promptly froze herself. Seamus walked behind Ron and peered over his other shoulder, before his face split into a grin at the sight of the disheveled two wrapped around each other on the floor, with obviously well kissed lips.

"Wha….you…but…" Ron stuttered, his brain as well as his body stilled from shock at finding his best friend making out with Draco Malfoy in a coat closet.

Seamus smirked at the deathly silence that met the formerly full of bickering front hallway, and patted Ron on the shoulder sympathetically as he looked down at The Boy Who's Just Been Caught, smiling sheepishly up at them, "Looks like you're literally coming out of the closet Harry, whether you like it or not ."

To Be Continued…

AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but it needs to finish here. Notes in then usual place later on this evening as I'm at work posting this now and shouldn't be :) Also if anyone's interested I've been making lots of Harry Potter Slash music videos, which can be found at this address: www(dot)youtube(dot)com(forward slash)profile(question mark)user(equals sign)starrose

Or just click on the link for it on my profile.