They had been in the room that they had always met in and just finished a long snogging session. Harry was twisting Draco hair in his fingers, and Draco had just found out that almost everyone hated him.

He remembered how much that hurt and how it surprised him. He had been so sure that no one cared about him nor ever noticed him other than those who tried to gain power through him and his family.

He remembered thinking that it wasn't too late, and he could go back to his original plan. Just tell Harry and get out of the mission altogether.

'I need to tell you something.' He was going to do it, but Draco knew it wasn't going to work. Harry wasn't going to help him. 'Voldemort told me to get close to you so that he could use me as bait to kill you.'

'I know, you told me. I'm sorry, but I have to do this.'

Sorry? Was he sorry? He was supposed to stop it not go along with it. He was supposed to be helping Draco not just giving Voldemort what he wanted.

Then it was a couple of weeks later, and Draco was straddling Harry on the couch, and he was laughing at something Harry was saying about his annoying friends. They had their hands intertwined, and Draco leaned forward to kiss Harry. Draco was happy and comfortable, and it got him thinking about how it was going to end. He snuggled against Harry's shoulder.

'What's wrong?' Harry asked.

'Nothing, it's just.' No matter how many times he told himself that it was the only way. That if he didn't do his mission his family and he would be killed, he also thought that if he just told Harry it would be okay. That Harry would find a way to make it better, even if he ended up hating Draco when he found out. 'I'm sorry, I've been lying to you.'

'Everyone lies sometimes. I probably don't want even to know.'

'Voldemort asked me to do this; he's going to try to use me against you.'

Harry closed his eyes and, at the time, Draco thought that it was because he was mad. It was strange being able to feel those feelings and yet he current feelings at the same time. He knew that Harry was just frustrated that Draco kept telling him when Harry was trying to keep Draco on the path of fulfilling his mission. Then once again:

'Obliviate.'

Harry must of let him know because he had some plan to help Draco. Draco was sure of it. Even through his anger, he could see that Harry had, in a way, been trying to help him. And partly, Draco was angry with himself. He had never been one to forgive easily, so he planned on spending at least a week or two "thinking" about it.

He could also tell that it was driving Harry crazy, which he deserved by the way. He would watch Draco when they were in the same room together. Then on the Monday of his second week of him ignoring Harry's existence Longbottom, of all people, during Herbology, of all places, decided to talk to him.

'You know you could at least tell him it's over so he could move on.'

'What?' Thankfully none of the other Slytherins decided to continue with Herbology, and no one else there ever paid any attention to Draco or Longbottom.

'Harry,' Longbottom said, 'You know: black hair, green eyes, glasses, scar, your ex.'

Draco glared at him and hissed, 'He told you.'

'It was written all over him actually.'

'No, him being a depressed, pathetic loser is written all over him… not his… involvement with… anyone.' Draco glanced around just to be sure that no one was paying them any attention.

'Well, right. So he did tell me, but just because he misses you and is waiting for you to talk to him.'

'Why would I want to talk to him? Did he tell you what he did?'

Neville shrugged. 'I think you'd be an idiot not to talk to him.'

'Of course. you'd think that,' Draco snarled.

'I mean you've only been obsessed with him since you were eleven.'

Draco glared at the plant in front of him but refused to respond. He was not obsessed with Harry just because he thought about him a lot.

'And it's only a matter of time before he gives up on and gets with someone who is not quite so difficult. Anyone would wonder why he would bother with you since it comes with so many problems.'

'What are you talking about?'

'His best mate still won't talk to him since he found out about you two, your family hates him. Wants him dead actually, and even without politics, like I said you're a difficult person to be around. Notice that now that you're single you don't have a line of people beckoning you for a date daily.'

'Who's been asking him out?' Draco demanded, and Longbottom laughed while he shook his head at him. Draco fumed then turned and left the greenhouse completely ignoring Madame Sprout as she asked him where he was headed.

He wouldn't have been able to give her an answer anyway since he wasn't positive where he was headed. Away. Somewhere. He wanted to find Harry, but he couldn't have told her that. Classes were almost out, and Draco knew Harry schedule by heart, not because they were dating, but because he just had always memorised Harry schedule.

That does not make him obsessed, though, it was perfectly normal to know the whereabouts of your enemies. He headed in that direction when he found Harry walking slowly down the hallway by himself. He walked determinately up to him, grabbed his arm and shoved him through the closest doorway. Damn his luck if it wasn't the girl's toilet, and no not the abandoned one that harbored Moaning Myrtle. He shoved Harry against the wall preparing to yell when he heard the gasps from behind him. Why did they always go to the bathroom together?

'Perhaps, we should beat the crap out of each other elsewhere, yeah?' Harry grabbed Malfoy's arm pulled him back out into the hallway, but someone must have already alerted a teacher because he was by the door waiting for both of them.

#

'Thanks for detention, Malfoy," Harry said after they finally got away to an abandoned classroom on the other side of the castle. Alone with Harry and even angrier after being scolded by a professor, once again Draco shoved Harry up against the wall, without much resistance and started his rant.

'How dare you tell Longbottom about our relationship!' he fumed. 'What happened to "this is our relationship" and "talking about things with me first", and who are these people that are asking you out? You are mine! And I am not difficult, nor do I come with problems! I'm the normal one you are the one that comes with problems. It's not my fault that the Weasel isn't talking to you, and I have no reason to feel guilty about that. It's his fault that his is an ungrateful prick, and why were you standing outside the girl's toilet?'

Listening to Draco, Harry went from stunned to slightly confused, onto really confused before becoming angry himself. It was his fault they were fighting, and maybe he shouldn't have told Neville about Draco without his permission, but how was it his fault that he was walking past a toilet?

'Oh, that's my fault, too? Excuse me for walking down a hallway. I had no idea you were going to attack me! And how am I supposed to talk to you when you are refusing to let me, and I don't even know how to respond to the rest of that, except yes Ron's a prick.'

Draco responded by attacking Harry's mouth with his own continually pressing him harder against the wall. After a stunned moment, Harry kissed back just as forcefully. He wasn't sure if that meant Draco had forgiven him or if he just needed the physical release, but he figured kissing was a much better sign than hitting no matter what. Draco had never been that aggressive with Harry, and Harry hadn't expected to like it that much. He didn't want it to end but they both needed air and when they stopped to breathe Draco backed up.

'I told you I just needed to think.' Draco sighed. 'You couldn't just give me that?'

'You haven't even looked at me in over a week.'

Harry crossed his arms across his chest, and Draco sat down in a desk chair then started to spin the ring Harry gave him around his finger.

'Besides, I did give you that. I haven't been following you around begging for you to speak to me have I?'

Draco didn't respond nor did he look at Harry, then after a few minutes, he spoke again.

'What's your plan?'

'What do you mean?'

'You had to have some reason for telling me instead of just Obliviating me again, so what is it?'

Harry uncrossed his arms and then sat in the chair across from Draco. 'I was going to try and get you to switch to our side, or at the very least to not return to him.'

'And what? Let my family die?'

'I wouldn't let that happen.'

Draco smirked. 'I didn't think you would, so again, what's your plan?'

Harry blushed and looked away. 'I guess I didn't have one. Well, go to Dumbledore and see what he said we should do.'

Draco rolled his eyes. 'Insane old man.'

'Voldemort is afraid of him," Harry pointed out instead of arguing with Draco that Dumbledore was brilliant.

Draco didn't deny it but didn't move to agree to see him either.

'It's the best idea that I have.'

Draco continued to glare down at his hands and made no attempt to break the silence, so Harry cleared his throat before he attempted to speak again.

'What did you mean that I couldn't seem to do anything but hurt you?'

'Honestly, Potter?' Draco huffed and looked at Harry like he was an idiot.

Harry didn't get any more of an answer than that and didn't want to ask again, so he tried changing the subject slightly. 'You're still wearing the ring?'

'Apparently,' Draco wasn't willing to make this any easier.

'Why?'

'Why not?' Draco countered. 'Do you want it back?'

'No,' Harry said softly, 'I want you.'

Maybe Longbottom had been right, and Draco was difficult, though he would never admit that. He had already decided that he wanted to be with Harry, so there wasn't any reason he needed to be fighting with him then. He just felt like he should. Probably because he was still angry that Harry told Longbottom about their relationship and that he had been manipulating Draco for months. Draco felt guilty the whole time thinking he was one the one manipulating Harry, and it was the complete opposite. Draco had every right to be mad at Harry, but it didn't change the fact that he was happier when he was around him. Draco's mother even told him to do what he wanted, and she would stand by him no matter what he chose.

Draco fidgeted as he cleared his throat. He had never been very good talking about his feelings and preferred to ignore them as much as possible.

'I've thought about it, and I think that I still want to be with you.'

'Really?' Harry asked skeptically.

'Yes.' Draco nodded. 'I don't love you, but I…' Draco looked down at his hands, and Harry took his right one into his own. 'I think that I could learn to.'

'So, are you willing to talk to Dumbledore?'

Draco took a deep breath, 'Yeah, I'll talk to him.'

Harry smiled then leaned forward and kissed Draco softly, but he didn't pull back after they ended the kiss.

'So… do you want to go somewhere?'

'We are somewhere,' Draco teased.

'I meant somewhere more comfortable.' Harry pulled Draco towards the door.

'What? You don't like the idea of being on your knees in an unused classroom?' Draco smirked as Harry blushed.

'I think it's more my knees that don't like the idea.'

#

Draco had never liked meeting with Dumbledore. He always smiled and looked at him as though he knew everything about him. On the way to his office, everyone Draco and Harry encountered gave them funny looks. But he just sat there with a smile on his face like he knew they were about to walk in his office right then and had been waiting or them.

Then Harry looked to Draco to talk. When he'd envisioned this, Harry did all the talking. He knew the situation, and he was the one who got on with their Headmaster.

Finally, when the silence got to be too uncomfortable, Draco said, 'Harry thinks you might be able to help protect my family.'

'That's what you start with?' Harry said, shaking his head at him.

Draco gestured for Harry to take over then. It had been his idea.

'You see, Professor,' Harry said. 'Draco was given a mission by Voldemort. He wanted to him to get close to me so that they could kill me when I went to save him.'

Harry blushed as he spoke and distracted by it, Draco almost missed Dumbledore's, 'I know.'

'What?' Harry said.

'You know?' Draco said.

Dumbledore laughed and shook his head at them. 'Harry, Harry, Harry. Why do you always see adults as so useless?'

'If he saw you as useless,' Draco pointed out, 'we wouldn't be here right now, would we?'

'True,' Dumbledore agreed, 'but you never thought for a moment any of us had you two figured out.'

Harry and Draco shared a look. When had anyone seen them?

Dumbledore smiled again. 'Your mother came to Professor Snape, and we all sat down and had a little chat about your odd behaviour during Christmas. Your mother has already been moved. She's safe. Your father can't be moved from Azkaban, but your mother feels he's safe there. In the event he leaves, we plan to find him.'

Draco chewed his lip, not sure he was comfortable with that.

'There is no such thing as perfectly safe during a war, Draco. Narcissa has lived through this before. She understands this and sometimes you have to settle for safe enough for now.'

'So, then, what were you planning on doing?'

'Well, you've already completed your mission, haven't you? We've been waiting for Voldemort's next move. He knows you've completed your mission, but he hasn't done anything since asking your mother to make you late arrive back. We can't make our next move until he makes his.'

'This isn't a game of chess.'

'Life is often much like a game of chess,' Dumbledore said.

'So then,' Draco asked, 'you're saying we just wait?'

'Well.' Dumbledore's smile widened. 'We could give him some incentive.'