"Where's Ron?" Harry poked his head into the living room, where Draco was pointing at things he wanted Bean to clean up.

"I thought he was with you," Draco said. "He's eighteen now, he doesn't need to tell us what he's doing."

"Draco," Harry said softly. "Fred."

"Oh," Draco's eyes widened. They rushed up the stairs to the second floor and found the door to the twins' room open. Ron was lying face down on Fred's bed, his arms curled around the pillow.

"Ron," Harry said softly. "Are you okay?"

"He's gone," Ron's voice was choked and weak.

"I know," Harry said. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't tell me," Ron rolled over and squinted at him.

"I didn't think I should."

"How can he be gone so fast?" Ron asked. "It's all coming back to me so quickly, one minute I'm remembering talking to him and the next he's gone, and it's all in my head."

"It's not in your head. It's real," Draco said. "But you're so close to the end, and then it will stop feeling like this. Just hang in there."

Ron stared at him for a moment, his brows stitching together in an expression of confusion he wore frequently these days, especially when looking at Draco. His anger with his schoolmate had peaked three days prior when he was sixteen and had leveled off since then.

"You're a two-faced bastard," Ron said weakly, his eyes filled with betrayal. He laid back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. Draco said nothing and went back downstairs.

"Ron!"

"Your mother's calling," Harry said. "Come on, pick yourself up."

Ron dragged himself off of the bed and brushed past Harry. He thudded down to the kitchen to answer the call. Harry followed him and joined him at the Floo as Draco was quietly slipping into the living room behind them.

"Hi, Mum," Ron's voice was transparently glum.

"What's wrong?" she was instantly concerned. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Ron tried to sound brighter. "Just a little bored."

"Well you two had better have that house cleaned up," Molly said. "We're coming home tomorrow night and it had better be spotless."

"It will be, Mum," Ron rolled his eyes.

"Your sister has asked me to tell you that she will be checking her room to make sure neither of you touched her belongings," Molly added.

"We didn't use her room," Harry said quickly. "We stayed out of it the whole time, I promise."

"She'll be the judge of that, I'm sure," Molly winked. "Okay, that's all for now. We'll see you tomorrow night!"

"Bye, mum," Ron said as she withdrew her head from the fire. He turned to look at Harry. "Will this be over by then?"

"I think so," Harry dug the well-worn hex information card out of his pocket. He had been carrying it around all month long, and it showed a pattern of wear from the number of times he had unfolded it to read it and folded it back again. "Tomorrow should be thirty days since you were hexed."

"What is it going to feel like?" Ron asked. He was visibly nervous.

Harry shook his head, "I don't know, mate. Like nothing, I hope."

Draco leaned in the doorway and watched them quietly. Ron looked back and forth between him and Harry.

"It's not going to be the same, is it?" he asked. "I mean, I'll catch up to present, but I'll still remember what happened."

Harry and Draco nodded.

"And you two are together now," Ron went on. "That's not going anywhere, right?"

Harry and Draco shook their heads.

"I guess we'll just see how it goes," Ron said. Then he went back upstairs to his room.

That night Draco laid next to Harry in bed, curled up on his shoulder and perfectly still. Harry brushed his hair back from his face and kissed his forehead and stroked his hand but Draco was unmoved.

"What's wrong?" Harry murmured. He slipped his glasses back on, pulling the soft blur of his face into focus. .

"What happens tomorrow?" Draco asked. His voice was so quiet that Harry could barely hear it.

"We'll finish cleaning up and when the Weasleys get back we'll go home," Harry said.

"Should I be here when they get back?" Draco asked.

"Of course you should," Harry squeezed his shoulders.

"They don't like me any more than Ron does." Draco said. "The she-weasel certainly doesn't."

"I'd advise you not call her she-weasel," Harry chuckled. "Just be polite and I'll stand by you."

"Will you?" Draco raised his head and studied Harry closely.

"Of course I will," Harry drew him in and kissed him. "You think this is a summer fling?"

"I don't know what to think," Draco said.

"It's not a summer fling."

"So when you say we'll go home, where would that be?" Draco traced a finger down the stubble on Harry's jaw.

"Good question," Harry said. "I don't see myself living at Malfoy Manor."

"I don't either," Draco said. "It's high time I got out of there."

"I have a flat with Ron but I don't think he'd want another roommate," Harry said apologetically.

"Understandable."

"For now, why don't you get your own place," Harry suggested. "We'll see where this leads, and then when my lease is up in six months we'll figure out what to do next."

"All right," Draco nodded. He laid his head back down on Harry's shoulder. "And if Ron still hates me when this is all over?"

"That's Ron's choice," Harry said. "It doesn't change anything. I didn't choose him over you the first time, and I'm not choosing him over you now. I have room for both of you in my life."

Draco nodded and curled his arm around Harry's waist. "Okay."

"Come here," Harry lifted his chin and kissed him again.

Draco was hesitant, tentative. Gone was the confidence and bravado that Harry found so appealing. He rolled them over so Draco was on top of him and squeezed his arse hard. Draco jumped and frowned disapprovingly. Harry squeezed again.

"Honk honk," he said, grinning cheekily.

"Are you out of your mind, Potter?" Draco demanded, swatting his hands away in outrage. "You do not, I repeat, do not honk my arse under any circumstances."

"There you are," Harry's grin grew. He rolled them over again until Draco was pinned beneath him. He dove in and kissed him hard, pressing him into the mattress. He could already feel the bulge in Draco's pants and knew his outrage would lose out to his libido.

"Don't change the subject," Draco said sharply as Harry thrust his hand down Draco's pants and caressed his bollocks. He groaned and struggled to maintain his scowl. "You sodding," he shuddered as Harry began to slowly stroke his cock. "You bloody," he groaned again. "Damn you," he kissed Harry ravenously.

Harry worked his way down Draco's chin to his neck, then down his chest with a detour around one nipple and then the other. Then he continued his journey, nibbling around his navel and tickling his nose down the line of fine blond hairs that led to his groin. He traced his tongue up the groove of Draco's hip flexor, eliciting a groan that he tried to muffle with his hand. They had a buffer floor between them and the room at the top of the house, but sound had a tendency to travel.

Harry tickled the tip of Draco's cock with his tongue, tasting the salty precum that had already started to form there. Draco gripped the sheets and tried in vain to thrust into Harry's mouth. Harry shook his head teasingly and gripped the base of the shaft with his hand. He looked up with another grin.

"I swear to all that's holy, Potter," Draco gasped. "If you say honk-"

Harry plunged Draco's cock into his mouth, cutting off his complaint with glee. He took it as far as he could, all the way back to his throat, then pulled back with taut lips. He squeezed the base of his shaft with his hand and descended for another deep swallow, and then released again.

Draco's whole body shuddered with the effort to stay quiet. He bit his lip and his eyelids fluttered, and for a moment Harry was almost too distracted by the sight continue. He forced himself to focus on bringing Draco to climax. He wanted him to come, to know that Harry wanted nothing more than to make him feel this way. He bobbed faster now, working his hand and his mouth together, listening to Draco's rapid breath as he approached the tipping point. He reached down with his other hand and gripped himself, stroking towards his own climax, that he would only permit once Draco reached it first.

"I'm going to," Draco gasped. "I'm going to," his breath caught in his throat as he arched his back and thrust his hips against Harry's mouth. He came with force, and Harry was caught by surprise by the sheer volume that filled his throat. Then his own orgasm struck, surprising himself again with its intensity. He and Draco pushed and writhed and twitched until they were both drained and collapsed in exhaustion.

Harry laid his head on Draco's stomach and curled his hands around his hips. He sighed happily and enjoyed the sizzling thrum of post-coital afterglow. Draco reached down and ruffled his fingers through Harry's hair, still catching his breath from the effort.

"Okay," he said between breaths. "I'm not worried anymore."