Disclaimer: I don't own these people.
A/N: From here on out I need to mention that not only is saras_girl editing she is also offering the occasional line which is what happens when has such a wonderfully quotable girlfriend.
Chapter 11
Compare and Contrast
I know the reason you talked behind my back,
I used to be among the crowd your in with
You say I've let you down, you know it's not like that;
If you're so hurt, why don't you just show it?
I wish for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes
And for just one moment I could be you.
Positively 4th Street – Bob Dylan
'How did I let McGonagall talk me into this?' Harry thought as he flipped to the section on Inferi and began trying to list all the pertinent information about dealing with them. He should have just said no, said that he wasn't ready to do his exam yet, asked if there wasn't someone else who might be able to tutor him independently in the evenings so that he could have sat his exam at the same time as everyone else.
If he had just had the balls to say that at the time then maybe he could be sitting on the roof terrace with Draco, drinking the cherry cola that Draco was now addicted to and enjoying the last hurrah of the summer rather than holed up in this stuffy library poring over Defence books.
'So, what do you think about?' Draco asked, dragging Harry's concentration from his study. He noticed that despite only learning the charm the day before, Draco had already managed to gain enough control over his silvery fox Patronus to make it wind innocently around Harry's feet in a play for attention.
'Why do you want to know?' Harry snapped and immediately regretted the fact that once again his tongue was refusing to wait for him to think before leaping into action. For a moment Draco looked deflated; his wand dropped to his side and the bright fox at Harry's feet shimmered and faded.
The hurt look didn't remain long, however; a fraction of a second and a cold hardness replaced it and Harry was facing his arch enemy once more. A shiver rippled down his spine at how quickly Draco had turned into Malfoy.
Without another word Draco turned on his heel and stalked from the study. Harry sighed and pushed back his chair. There really was no excuse for snapping at Draco—yes, he was being annoying and with the exam only two days away Harry felt like he was never going to remember everything he needed, but still… there were nicer ways he could have asked Draco to be quiet and let him study.
There were ways he could have done it that wouldn't have sent Draco off in a huff, and if he'd applied some thought to it he was certain that there were even methods he could have used that would have seen Draco bringing him the occasional cup of tea.
Unfortunately the method he had chosen had simply ensured that he wouldn't be getting any work at all done for the next couple of hours as he spent some time grovelling and making it up Draco for his outburst.
It took him a good couple of minutes to track Draco down. This was their first fight of any kind and he had no idea where he might retreat to. After all, however they dressed it up this was his house and Harry was still a little nervous that Draco simply felt like a guest here.
When he found Draco in their bedroom his nervousness about that subject at least dropped off a little. Draco was sitting on the padded window seat, head resting on his drawn up knees as he looked out over the square. Harry headed into the room and lowered himself so he was sitting, cross legged, opposite Draco, leaning against the window frame. Still Draco refused to look at him and rather than simply staring at his boyfriend for any sign that he was forgiven Harry looked out of the window too.
'I'm so sorry, Draco, I shouldn't have snapped at you, that wasn't fair,' he apologised. Seeing Draco glance sideways at him he decided to continue. 'I'm just really stressed out with this exam coming up. There's loads of stuff that's on the curriculum that I have no idea about. I'm just getting so frustrated, this guy thinks I know too much to be taught but the truth is I really don't know that much, I'm just really good at improvising,' he said, surprising himself with the intensity of the rant.
Cool fingers sought his, wrapping themselves around his hand in reassurance.
'Stupid Gryffindor,' Draco muttered. 'I'm sorry, too,' he offered and Harry's sceptically raised eyebrow was rewarded with a vicious pinch.
'I know you're stressed, I guess I can just be a bit of a brat sometimes,' he shrugged as he pulled Harry's hand close and turned so he could lean back against his chest.
'That's not the issue, Draco. It wouldn't matter if you were the brattiest person in the world, I still shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm sure if I'd just asked nicely you would have left me alone to work.'
'Well yes,' Draco said thoughtfully as he extended Harry's fingers with his own and began the thorough stroking of his hand that Harry had come to realise was something of a secret pleasure for him.
'And you know if you'd asked, I might have even helped you again. I didn't ask you to teach me the Patronus, remember; you needed to make sure that your written instructions were up to scratch. I'm more than willing to help.'
'I know, Draco, I really am sorry,' Harry offered, dropping a light kiss to Draco's hair and deeply inhaling the cool, fresh, minty smell that was just 'Draco' and allowing it to soothe him slightly.
'You know,' Draco began, and Harry recognised the tone that informed him that Draco was about to say something that he thought might scandalise Harry. 'I think one of the things I'd be best at helping with is relieving some of that stress,' he suggested, bringing Harry's hand to his mouth and laying a gentle kiss against each fingertip.
'Oh?' Harry asked playfully. 'And how would you have managed that?'
Draco slid from the window seat and knelt in front of Harry, with a bright, cheeky grin, as he brought up a hand to cup Harry's face.
'Well, I think to start with I would probably kiss you until you forgot all about curses and counter-curses,' he suggested and Harry's eyes closed as Draco's soft thumb traced his mouth before being replaced by the first gentle brush of lips. Quickly, Draco became more assertive, nipping and sucking at Harry's lower lip as his darting tongue mapped out Harry's mouth.
Not used to being passive, Harry tried to kiss back but received a tug to the hair at the back of his neck and he realised that right now the only thing Draco wanted from him was his compliance. Slowly, he surrendered himself to the taste of mint and coffee on Draco's tongue and the feel of soft insistent lips on his own, causing the world to drop away.
When Draco pulled back, all Harry could do was pant; his head spun with the sensation. His hand gripped at the cushion beneath him in an attempt to ground himself. From beyond the darkness of his closed eyes, Draco's voice came again, less sure this time though, more breathless and needy.
'Then I think I would take you to bed,' he suggested, and Harry felt him stand before he himself was tugged to his feet. He watched as Draco took his hand and pulled him seductively towards the bed.
A sudden tug pulled Harry off balance and sent him sprawling across the bed. Before he was fully able to appreciate his position, Draco had flipped him over and had straddled his hips, dipping his head to attack Harry's mouth once more. Time stretched out and Harry lost himself to sensation; the only place he existed was in the slide of Draco's tongue against his own and in the firm touch of his exploring hands as they roamed over his torso.
When the kiss finally ended, Harry felt its loss keenly but before he was able to gather himself enough to register a complaint, the mouth was back again, now against his throat and sinking lower, leaving a damp, rapidly cooling trail across his chest as Draco flicked out his tongue to tease a nipple and his fingers began to dexterously remove Harry's jeans and underwear.
As Draco's skilled fingers closed around his achingly hard cock, Harry couldn't stop himself from letting out a long slow groan. Draco's mouth continued to travel south, trailing kisses and licks across Harry's stomach and pausing to dip his tongue into his navel, making Harry mewl with pleasure.
At the first light brush of Draco's lips against the head of his cock, Harry gasped and his eyes flew open as he looked down at Draco, who simply flashed him a wicked grin before swiping his tongue across the tip. Harry exhaled sharply, unable to tear his eyes away as Draco seemed to delight in teasing him, circling the head of Harry's cock a couple of times before pulling it into his mouth and sucking gently.
Harry's arms gave way and he fell back against the pillows; he'd never felt anything this good before and as Draco began to slide more of his erection into his mouth, Harry couldn't help but thrust up into the delicious, wet, warmth. Harry felt Draco's hands rest firmly on his hips, thumbs stroking gently over the sensitive skin there as he restricted Harry's thrusts.
Wrapping his fingers into Draco's hair, he felt himself begin to unravel as Draco began to incorporate the lightest scrape of teeth into his ministrations.
'Draco, I'm gonna…I'm gonna,' Harry heard a strangely disembodied voice stutter and groan as the buzz of something electric began to gather at the base of his spine.
Rather than drawing back as Harry had expected, Draco increased his grip on Harry's hips, holding them firmly as he slid down the last couple of inches until Harry felt himself brush against the back of Draco's throat. It all became too much his brain ceased to function as pleasure tore through him, his vision whited out and he emptied himself into Draco's mouth. Draco continued to suck at him, dragging out the sensations for an impossible amount of time as tremors kept him gasping, before he finally released Harry and he sat back on his heels.
'Do you have any idea how fucking good you taste?' Draco drawled, slightly breathless himself and all of a sudden Harry had the overwhelming urge to find out. With surprising speed he shot out a hand to grip the front of Draco's sweater and pulled him so he ended up sprawled on top of Harry. Crashing their lips together, Harry took advantage of Draco's surprise to seek out the salty taste of himself on Draco's tongue.
This time it was Draco's turn to groan and Harry smirked with every intention of returning the favour, wanting to hear that amazing sound a few more times. Unfortunately the moment's exertion appeared all he was able to manage and after a moment Draco was easily able to pull himself from Harry's grip as his strength deserted him and his mind became a little fuzzy around the edges.
Draco smiled warmly at him as he brushed hair from Harry's forehead and Harry felt himself drifting into sleep, Draco's comforting warmth wrapped around him.
When Harry awoke it took him a couple of moments to understand exactly what was going on. A dim light filled the bedroom as the sun began its descent below the horizon and he lay there for a moment breathing the comforting scent of Draco's minty shampoo, mingling with fabric softener and his own cinnamon-y cologne. The soft sighing issuing from Draco's sleeping form next to him eventually prompted him to move and he rolled on to his side.
He did this every morning; after he woke and before he went for his run he would take a few moments just to watch Draco sleeping. Draco was beautiful when he was asleep. Actually, Draco was beautiful all the time but there was something about him when he was sleeping peacefully next to Harry that just took his breath away.
In his waking hours, Draco was all refinement and knowing looks with weariness in his eyes that bore testament to the suffering he had endured during the war. Whilst he slept, however, this weariness dropped away. Messy blond hair and lightly flushed cheeks combined with slightly parted lips to give an incongruous demeanour of innocence.
Harry dipped his head to place a gentle kiss against Draco's lips. Draco issued a soft contented sigh and turned so he was sprawled on his back, dislodging the covers as he went and revealing to Harry that he had taken the time to remove his clothes before he had curled up to nap. Sliding the quilt down a little further, Harry began to stroke his fingers softly across Draco's jaw, and down his neck. Draco murmured encouragingly in his sleep but did not wake up.
Feeling emboldened by Draco's encouraging noises, he allowed his fingers to trail lower across smooth pale skin which was marred only by a thin pink scar that traced over his lightly defined pectorals and firm stomach.
Lowering his head he flicked out his tongue to tease rapidly hardening nipples as his fingers continued to drift lower until they caught on the waist-band of Draco's boxers. Harry only hesitated with indecision for a moment before dipping his fingers below the elastic to bury them in blond curls.
Apprehensively, he allowed his mouth to follow the path his exploring fingers had taken, carefully tugging off Draco's underwear when his lips brushed against the fabric barrier.
Draco's cock lay hard against his firm stomach. For a moment, Harry just looked at it, before gently brushing his fingers down its length, appreciating the feel of impossibly soft skin. He had never done anything like this before; what if he hated it? What if he wasn't any good at it? What if he ended up hurting Draco?
Draco's cock was already slightly slick and Harry's curiosity joined forces with his desire to please Draco and overcame his concerns. He swiped an inquisitive tongue across the head of Draco's cock and was rewarded by a low, soft moan from the sleeping man.
Encouraged by Draco's obvious enjoyment and the not unpleasant salty taste that was lingering on his tongue, Harry lowered his head again, parting his lips to slide the head of Draco's cock into his mouth and sucking gently. The sound that issued from Draco's mouth at this was nothing short of exquisite.
The grey eyes opened slightly and met Harry's, a look of surprise already flooding Draco's features. Satisfaction swelled in Harry's chest at the bemused smile on Draco's face and he sunk lower, taking more of Draco into his mouth, losing himself in the weighted slide of Draco's cock against his tongue.
Fingers tangled in his hair and Draco began to meet his downward strokes with a slight lift of his hips. As he began to unravel, the moans from Draco became more and more wanton and Harry applied himself to his task with increased enthusiasm as Draco's fingers wove tightly in his hair, enough to hurt a little.
When Draco whispered Harry's name in a voice that was low and needy, Harry wondered if he might come again on the spot as a pleasant shiver raced its way up his spine. Draco's fingers twisted almost painfully in his hair as he groaned again.
'So close…'
Harry pulled back a little, running his tongue languidly around the head and dipping into the slit at the top, as he relished the experience of having Draco Malfoy writhing and vulnerable before him as much as he enjoyed the act itself.
Taking Draco as far into his mouth, as he could he gave one final lick before his mouth was flooded with salty bitterness and Draco was arching up into him frantically as Harry continued until Draco began to relax again.
Rocking back on his heels, Harry couldn't keep the grin off his face as he looked down on a thoroughly debauched Draco. A light sheen of sweat clung to his flushed skin and a marked forearm was thrown across his eyes as he struggled to recover himself.
'Well, that was unexpected,' Draco said, a smirk settling on his lips.
'I could have said the same thing,' Harry murmured, falling on to the pillows next to Draco and gently tugging his arm down to reveal smouldering silver eyes.
'I'm sure you could have if you hadn't just passed out,' Draco grinned, teasing.
In response Harry ran his fingers over Draco's ribs, causing him to yelp and flail about helplessly for a moment before he was able to catch and restrain Harry's hands. The glare he shot Harry managed to have totally the reverse effect and Harry felt warmth flooding his chest as he smiled indulgently at Draco and bent to capture his mouth in a kiss.
'I really am sorry, you know,' Harry offered, when he had sunk back into the pillows, arms fastened around Draco's waist. 'For earlier,' Harry clarified when he took in Draco's confused expression.
Draco groaned, bringing up his hands to cover his face.
'You really can stop apologising now, you know, you apologised I accepted it and now we move on, that's how this works. If you keep apologising for every little thing then we will never have time for other, more amusing, things,' Draco said with a suggestively raised eyebrow.
'That's how it works, is it?' Harry asked, covering how moved he was by Draco's reassurance with a joke.
'Yes it is, and you would do well to remember it,' Draco asserted, lazily resting his head possessively against Harry's chest. 'So, your exam's in three days, are you going to let me help you now?'
'I think I'd be afraid not to,' Harry smiled, placing a kiss on top of the fine blond hair whilst Draco stroked his fingers.
'In which case, you should go back to your books and I will go and make us a cup of tea before I come and test you.'
* * *
Harry broke free of the small stuffy exam room and made his way quickly towards the elevator, eager to escape into the warm September afternoon. He only realised now that it was over that he had completely wasted the last week. Well, not completely; the working relationship he had developed with Draco had been worth spending all that time studying on its own but he certainly hadn't needed it for the exam; he couldn't help but wonder if anyone ever failed it.
The staring and pointing had been minimal on his way into the exam that morning but now, with everyone knowing he was in the building, the crowds of Ministry administrators having 'meetings' in the lobby had increased exponentially.
It turned out that not getting the Daily Prophet hadn't prevented the arses that ran it from printing shite about him; apparently, his and Draco's little visit to Diagon Alley had provided the vultures with enough to speculate about for a whole week full of articles.
When he had arrived in the exam room, looking harassed and confused, Professor McGonagall had informed him of the articles and had invited him to use the Floo point in the Minister's office to return to Hogwarts to save him from having to brave the lobby again and he had been sorely tempted. That would have just led to more problems, however.
Hermione had owled him yesterday to inform him she was back in the country and to ask him if she could come over for coffee and a catch-up. For the first time, he had been glad of the exam and the opportunity it afforded him to legitimately meet Hermione out of the house.
He remembered the way that Draco had rolled his eyes as he had explained for what was probably the twentieth time that it wasn't because he was ashamed of him. It turned out that Draco was well aware of the fact that Harry wasn't ashamed of him, that he understood that introducing Hermione to the concept of 'them' gently was the only way to go.
Of course this had been before he realised that his sudden 'friendship' with Draco Malfoy was the current water cooler topic of choice and that Hermione would have to be blind, deaf and as stupid as Zacharias Smith to not be aware of the fact that there was something happening between him and Draco.
Still, it was better that he dealt with it in public than at home. At least in public Hermione would exercise some restraint when she told him how stupid he was being and not scream or shout. He also didn't want to expose Draco to a hysterical Hermione. Harry was used to her hissy fits and knew that once she understood something she would immediately calm down but there was no way that Draco would accept the screaming harpy that Hermione could become calmly and passively.
Not that she had done that in a long time, of course, and Harry really hoped that he was doing his friend a huge disservice, but where Draco's state of mind was concerned he was going to adopt a better safe than sorry principle. This was all too new and too good to risk.
Ignoring the Floo connections and Apparition points, Harry made his way to the Ministry's pedestrian entrance, knowing that he was going to need the chance to walk off some of his Prophet-induced irritation before he was forced to deal with Hermione quizzing him about the exam and his relationship with Draco and whatever new drama Ron had decided to create.
She hadn't mentioned Ron at all in the note, no mention of whether he had started to get over the Ginny, thing no mention of how he had reacted to the Draco thing. Not that she had mentioned that at all and now that he thought about it, it was obvious that she knew about it.
Hermione had never been one to stand on ceremony; she would show up at any time and just hope you were there. At school it had taken till the sixth year, and her walking in on Ron and Lavender for the third time before she had even begun to knock on doors. The fact that she was owling to see when it was convenient for Harry to meet meant that she was concerned about what she might find if she just turned up at the house.
Out on the street, Harry took a moment to appreciate the way the early afternoon sun warmed skin that had been chilled by the over-effective air conditioning system within the Ministry. As he made his way towards the small café that he and Hermione had arranged to meet at, he felt his anxiety about the meeting increase. It had been only three months since he had seen Hermione last but in that time so much had changed that he wondered if she would even recognise him.
The scent of good coffee flowed out onto the street as Harry leant against a familiar phone box to await his friend's arrival. As his apprehension increased he found himself wishing that Draco was there with him. Not that Draco's presence would make the situation any easier, he knew that, realistically. Draco's presence was more likely to exacerbate than diffuse the situation.
Still, that didn't stop him from longing for the steady, acerbic presence. He wondered what Draco was doing now. Probably curled on the sofa, nose buried in a book and that hugely oversized mug balancing precariously on his knee whilst music blared from the speakers.
He often wondered how it was that Draco managed to balance that mug on his knee like that without empting the contents onto his groin; he figured that it must have some crafty charm work on it in some way and reminded himself to ask Draco about it when he got home.
If Harry had been there he would have curled silently into Draco's side and an arm would have come out to silently encircle his shoulders and their contact becomes all absent minded touches and careless kisses as they simply enjoy each others presence.
Instead he was standing on the edge of impending doom as clouds started to drift across the warm autumn sun and the temperature dropped significantly and drew a shiver from Harry. The street, which minutes before had seemed bustling and cheerful, was now gloomy and gray and Harry couldn't help but wonder if his own apprehension might be the cause of the portentous change in the weather.
It was his friend's gait that he recognised first, before he could even really discern their silhouettes. The long, loping, haphazard stride was trademark Ron and for a few seconds hope swelled in Harry's heart—maybe he'd come round, maybe he wanted to make amends.
These hopes were quickly dashed however; his posture was hunched and his hands were shoved deeply in his pockets as Hermione almost jogged along at his side, trying to keep up with him and shooting him apprehensive glances. Still, Harry was determined to try, to be the bigger man and he hitched a smile on to his face.
He opened his mouth to greet him but didn't get the chance. Ron kissed Hermione quickly on the cheek, muttered a quick 'see you later' and kept on walking straight past Harry, determinedly not looking at him. Part of Harry wanted to force Ron to acknowledge him, to have it out right there in the middle of the street, but by the time he had recovered from the shock of such juvenile behaviour, Ron was turning the corner at the end of the street.
He turned back to Hermione, a questioning look on his face, but she just looked at him sympathetically. He sighed and struggled to put it behind him; at least he still had Hermione and he stepped forward to wrap her in a warm hug.
'It's good to see you, 'Mione, you look amazing,' he offered, pulling back but keeping his hands possessively on her shoulders. She did, too. The Australian sun had done her a lot of good. The tiredness that had hung around her almost constantly for the last year was gone. Her skin was an olive brown colour and her brown ringlets were shot through with gold where the sun had bleached them.
'I missed you,' he asserted honestly.
'Did you indeed?' she asked, raising a sceptical eyebrow. 'I was under the impression that you had a rather interesting time in my absence,' she suggested and Harry had to work hard to suppress a groan. There went the last possibility that she might not be aware of his shopping trip with Draco.
'Why don't you tell me about Australia first,' he suggested. 'And then I shall answer any questions you might have about any shopping trips I may or may not have been on with Draco Malfoy.'
Hermione's eyes brightened and widened at the prospect of gossip. Not that she really was a gossip; Harry knew that he could tell her anything and it would never find its way to another person's ears unless he was planning on putting himself in unnecessary danger, but she did like to know whatever the latest gossip was. He'd always suspected it helped her to maintain her slightly supercilious expression.
'Deal,' she said with a grin as she opened the door to the coffee shop, releasing a wave of warm coffee-scented air that caused Harry to close his eyes and inhale deeply as images of warm grey eyes peering over the edge of a coffee cup flooded his mind, along with the ghostly sensation of warm fingers closing around his hand as a joke was told in a poor attempt to cover their desire to touch one another.
Hermione looked back at him curiously as he stood in the door way of the coffee shop inhaling deeply and he felt a blush creep up his cheeks at his foolish behaviour. He would complain that he was behaving like a love sick teenager but the truth of the matter was that he was indeed a love sick teenager. A small knowing smile played on Hermione's lips as she led the way to the counter and ordered her tea.
'So, how was the exam?' Hermione asked and Harry grasped on her momentary distraction to add two pieces of cake to their order and pick up the bill, earning himself a half hearted scowl from Hermione.
'Went fine, I probably spent a lot more time revising for it than was strictly necessary, because I breezed through it,' Harry said confidently, pleased that Hermione was going to allow the subject of Draco to drop, for now at least.
'I still don't understand why you had to take your exam this year,' Hermione added slightly snippily and Harry paused for a moment, trying to understand whether it was her lack of understanding or the fact that he was going to have a NEWT before her that was making her irritable.
'Because the new DADA professor has refused to teach me, it's that simple. I wish he'd been able to get over himself and teach me but apparently that role is now even harder to fill than it used to be.'
'Do you know who it is?' Hermione asked as she led them to a small table with two large squashy armchairs in the window.
'No idea,' Harry responded as he dragged about his own armchair until his back was to the wall and he had a good view of the café. 'But I hope you give whoever it is a really hard time for me next year,' he added, grinning.
'I'm sure that can be arranged,' Hermione agreed with a mischievous smile as Harry finally settled into his chair.
'So, how was Australia? Did it go okay with your parents?' Harry asked, sipping at the frothy foam on his cinnamon latte and knowing that Draco would scowl at him if he saw him drinking this.
Hermione's face grew serious for a moment and Harry knew that whatever had occurred in Australia hadn't been easy.
'Well, I found them and removed the memory charm, but they weren't very happy when they realised what had happened. They were furious at me for having put myself in danger and for not talking to them, that is when I got them to believe me about what we had done last year. I had to take them to the Ministry's consulate before they would believe me.'
'But they forgave you, right?' Harry asked, wincing in sympathy. He needed to know that her relationship hadn't been irrevocably damaged because she had chosen to help him.
'Eventually, Mum decided to see the bright side, she's wanted to move to Australia for years but hasn't been able to arrange it, but they are there now and so they intend to stay.'
'Well, that'll make for nice holidays,' Harry said blandly, not knowing what to say and already dreading where this conversation was going to go next.
'Hmmm,' Hermione answered, apparently agreeing that there were many more important things to talk about but also at a loss for how to start the required conversation.
Silence reigned for a few minutes and they sipped their drinks, deliberately ignoring the elephant that had settled in the corner. Finally realising that simply waiting for the awkward moment to pass wasn't an option, Harry braved one of the subjects he'd been dreading.
'So, what's happening at the Burrow? I assume Ron is still pissed at me?' he asked, glancing up at Hermione through his fringe and trying to squash down the spark of hope that Hermione might say anything other than 'Yes, he is.'
'I don't know what to tell you, Harry, things aren't good over there at the moment.' She sighed again and then looked up at Harry sharply. 'Not that that is your fault in any way, you acted as responsibly as anyone could ask, but Ginny's still sulking, Molly's disappointed and we daren't mention your name in front of Ron.'
'What's he been saying about me?' Harry asked resignedly. Ron had one of the worst tempers of anyone he knew, even worse than Ginny because whilst Ginny would get mad and rage, Ron would just would sulk and bad mouth you to anyone who would listen.
'What makes you think he's been talking about you?' Hermione attempted innocently.
'C'mon ,'Mione, as much as he seems determined to ignore the fact at the moment, he's been my best mate for years. I've seen what he does when he doesn't like someone, he spits bile about them to anyone who sits still long enough to listen,' Harry shot irritably, unable to stop himself from thinking about just how quickly Ron had worked to turn him against Draco in the first year. Not that he blamed him for that really; Harry had been willing to be led in that direction but Ron had certainly speeded the process.
'I don't think it really matters what he's been saying, do you?' she asked wearily. 'He's saying the same stuff he always says when you and he have a row, how you think you're too good for him and that you always think of him as a side kick,' she admitted and Harry sighed. She was right of course, what Ron was saying about him was irrelevant; it was the sentiment behind it that was upsetting to Harry.
It didn't seem to matter to him how many times he saw just how much Harry hated his fame; the moment things weren't perfect between the two of them he was jealous. Jealous of the attention Harry got, jealous of Harry's money and he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Harry would have given everything he had to have anonymity and his family, to have never been special in the first place.
'I take it he wouldn't listen to reason, then?' Harry asked remembering Hermione's promise to try to bring him round. Hermione shook her head sadly.
'I really don't know what's going on with him at the moment, I don't know whether its Fred's death or something else but he's just angry all the time and he seems to be focusing most of his wrath on you,' Hermione said sadly. 'I do know it isn't about you, though, it's not about you and Ginny or the way you've treated him or your choice in friends,' Hermione added pointedly as she reached across to grasp Harry's hand gently in her own.
'I want to say I don't care what his reasons are but I think we both know I'd be lying if I said that,' Harry said with a small resigned smile. 'What about the rest of the Weasleys? Is my name mud with them as well?'
'Not so much Bill, Charlie and Arthur, they are just trying to keep themselves to themselves and stay out of it as much as possible. George is pretty furious with Ron and Ginny, he called them attention seeking brats and then left for the shop. He hasn't been home since and Charlie says he won't come back until they both stop behaving like children. I think he'd like to hear from you to be honest. He and Fred were always closer to you than they were to Ron anyway.'
'I don't know about that,' Harry retorted sceptically, his cheeks colouring a little at the implication.
'Of course they were,' Hermione said dismissively as if her statement was in no way seditious. 'It was you that they gave the Maurader's Map to, you that they stood by when Ron started behaving like an idiot in the fourth year. You may not have noticed but no-one ever got as close to the twins as you did; you were their friend not just their brother's best mate,' she finished, clearly aware that Harry was ready to argue against this idea.
'Anyway, that wasn't my point,' she said, steering the conversation back on track before Harry could even begin to think of a way to counter her claims. 'My point was that George is on your side in this, I think he's just keeping his distance because he thinks you won't be in the mood for any of them right now.'
Harry nodded and made a silent vow to send George an owl the next day; if he really was standing by Harry in this, he needed to let him know he appreciated it.
'What about Molly?' he asked, trepidation creeping back into his voice.
'She's not doing that well at the moment,' Hermione admitted sadly. 'The way she talks you'd think you were dead. One minute she'll be talking about Fred and then she'll be saying that they've lost you too. Really, I think she's one step away from a complete breakdown. To be perfectly honest, I think Ginny is behaving like a bit of a brat. I mean, I know she's hurting but you'd think she would try for her mother's sake.'
'I'm not so certain she is hurting, I think she's just a bit put out,' Harry said, staring moodily into the depths of his now empty coffee cup.
'Isn't that a bit harsh, Harry? I know she said some horrible things but…'
'No, it's not that, it's not how she treated me,' Harry interrupted. 'It's just that…' he trailed off, knowing that if he continued his sentence he would lead Hermione right to the subject that he had been dreading since they sat down.
'I'm pretty certain she already has a boyfriend,' he finished, hoping foolishly that she might not ask the question he knew was coming.
'How do you know that?' Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing carefully and Harry could tell from the set of her mouth that this was not news to her.
'Well obviously not from you,' Harry snipped unable to keep the petulant tone from his voice.
'I didn't know until last week,' Hermione admitted and Harry was pleased to see that she looked slightly bashful. 'When we arrived back at the Burrow he was there. Ron's blaming you for that too, by the way. He's saying if you'd just stayed with Ginny then she wouldn't be with Smith but I asked her quietly and she admitted eventually that it had been going on for most of the year. Still, that doesn't answer how you know about it,' Hermione continued, undeterred from her original questioning.
'Draco told me,' Harry said, looking purposefully at Hermione, determined that she wouldn't see any sign of shame in his face when he talked about Draco.
'Did he indeed?' Hermione asked, her tone thoughtful as her eyebrows came to rest somewhere near her hairline. 'I wonder how that subject came up.'
It was Harry's turn to answer questions now and no matter how much trouble he thought it might cause, he had to be honest with Hermione.
'When you left, after Ron's little outburst, I owled him and we met for coffee. He wanted to know what had happened to me and when I told him, he told me about seeing Ginny and Smith together when he was at Hogwarts for a few weeks last year,' he said quickly, knowing that the longer he took over it, the harder it would be for him to do.
'So, the Prophet's telling the truth? You really are friends?' she asked, as much to the ether as to Harry. 'I mean I know you spoke up for him but I wasn't expecting… are you sure about this?' she asked and Harry felt his heart lighten a bit. She had asked if he was sure, she hadn't told him he was insane, or asked if Draco had perhaps slipped him a potion.
'I'm sure,' he said with a small smile and then, deciding that now was as good a time as any: 'And the Prophet didn't get it exactly right,' he added, feeling a slight flush creeping onto his cheeks.
'Oh?' Hermione asked curiously.
'We aren't just friends, he's my boyfriend and he's living with me,' Harry admitted shyly before biting on his bottom lip nervously and waiting for her response.
Hermione's eyes widened hugely, before her brows drew together and she silently settled into a frown, nibbling thoughtfully on the side of her nail. Seconds stretched into minutes and Harry began to get more and more nervous. He had to say something, had to break the silence that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He had only just opened his mouth to speak when Hermione held up a hand, effectively silencing him.
The silence continued between them until, after a few minutes, Hermione rolled her eyes to the ceiling, a more speculative look on her face.
'Okay then,' she said suddenly and Harry couldn't stop himself from jumping slightly.
'Okay then? What do you mean okay then?' Harry asked nervously.
'I mean okay, I'm sure you've thought this through and if it weren't working you wouldn't be living with him. You say that he's worth your time and I trust you. It would be rather foolish of me to start questioning your instincts now wouldn't it?' she said with a quirked eyebrow.
'You don't have a problem with it?' Harry asked before he could stop himself.
'Would it matter if I did?' she asked curiously.
Harry thought about it for a moment. He knew the answer, had known the answer the second she had asked the question but it was the repercussions of the answer that startled him so much.
He didn't care what Hermione thought, not one bit. Of course he cared as far as he wanted her to be happy for him and he loved her but he knew without a doubt that had she flown off the handle and yelled at him he would have been upset but he wouldn't have considered even for a moment giving up Draco because of it.
'Not even in the slightest,' he said, his tone slightly surprised.
'Good answer,' Hermione grinned. 'So it's serious then?' she asked thoughtfully.
'Yeah, it is, we really get on. Better than I even thought we could, I can't quite figure out how it happened but I'm really glad it did,' Harry said and, embarrassingly, found himself struggling not to gush.
'So, it's really all behind you?' Hermione asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice. 'All the horrible things he did? The things his family did?'
'You know as well as I do that we aren't all carbon copies of our parents and you were there at the end, tell me honestly that you still thought he was evil at the end,' Harry challenged, noticing that his tone was more defensive than he had intended it to be.
'I can't tell you that because if I'm honest with you, I've always questioned how evil he was,' Hermione said honestly. 'I mean, he could be a complete git at times and he would wind me up something fierce, but truthfully? I always felt a little sorry for him. He always seemed so isolated.' Hermione had a sad smile on her face as she said this and Harry felt very proud of his friend who seemed to so easily lay aside years of hostility and accept the change.
'I don't think Ron will see it like that somehow,' Harry said, becoming sullen.
'No, I don't think he will, but then I doubt Draco will be able to just let that one go, either, there's a lot of history there.'
'Do you think I should tell him?' Harry asked nervously; he really didn't want to have that conversation with Ron, especially not at the moment, but it would be infinitely worse if he found out accidentally through the Prophet or through hearsay.
'I think what I'll do is talk to him about you and Draco being friends for now and we'll worry about the rest of it when it becomes relevant, don't you think?' Hermione ruminated, not expecting an answer. 'I assume you're keeping the relationship under the radar for now, otherwise I would have read about it in the Prophet and I can't guarantee that Ron wouldn't do something childish, petulant and hurtful to get back at you.'
Harry grinned; you could always count on Hermione to try and iron out all of life's little problems for you.
'I think you might have difficulty keeping it a secret when you're back at school though, what with you sharing a dorm room with him,' she continued, obviously ready to move onto the next problem.
'That's not going to be an issue,' Harry said, grinning slightly and preparing himself for Hermione's inevitable squeal when he gave her the news. 'McGonagall has asked me to be Head Boy and I've accepted, so I won't be in the dorms next year.'
Harry was never able to figure out how Hermione was able to cross the table to fling her arms round his neck without knocking their collection of empty coffee cups to the floor, but manage it she did and Harry found himself with his arms full of his excitable best friend.
'That's brilliant, I was starting to worry but it's you, that's brilliant,' Hermione said, not pausing for breath. 'I'm Head Girl,' she stated unnecessarily, grinning the whole time. Harry had never had any doubt that he would be serving alongside Hermione.
'I haven't told anyone yet though, because…' she trailed off and her expression immediately became serious.
'You and Ron are never going to be able to get past this,' she said wistfully, releasing Harry and sliding sadly back into her seat.
'I'm sure we'll figure it out,' Harry offered, suddenly feeling an overwhelming need to reassure Hermione; she looked so disheartened.
'No, it won't,' she replied with a small smile that told Harry she appreciated his attempt. 'I believe that you want to make it right but it's not going to be up to you, and I think that you getting the Head Boy position is going to be just one step too far for Ron.'
Harry looked down at the table, unable to meet Hermione's eyes. He wished she was exaggerating but he knew she wasn't and he was irritated at himself. He hadn't even thought about how Ron might react when he had taken the Head Boy position, he had just been thinking about the fact that he was going to be able to sleep with his boyfriend at school.
'We both know that Ron has always wanted to be Head Boy,' Hermione continued. 'He wanted to be Head Boy, he wanted to be Quidditch Captain, he's always wanted that. I think when Dumbledore made him a Prefect he thought he might actually stand a chance. But McGonagall has brought you in over his head. Not that she shouldn't have, I've always thought you would make a good Prefect, but you know Ron won't look at it logically, he'll just see it as another case of him being pushed aside.'
'I'm sorry, Hermione, this must be horrible for you,' Harry muttered as he began methodically shredding his napkin.
'You have nothing to apologise for, Harry,' Hermione said softly, reaching a hand across to cover Harry's. 'It's Ron that's creating this problem.' She paused for a moment, clearly thinking hard about something.
'You do know that I'm not condoning his behaviour in any way?' she asked carefully. 'I need you to know that normally I wouldn't stand for this but I think that maybe, right now, he needs me to cut him a little slack.'
'I know, Hermione,' Harry reassured, squeezing her hand. 'Look, I better be getting back or Draco will start to worry, but if you want to maybe you could come over next week sometime?' he asked apprehensively.
'I'd really like that, might be an idea if you meet me here though, just in case Ron wants to walk me here.'
'Yeah, of course,' Harry smiled as he helped Hermione on with her jacket. 'I'll send Archie with the details once I've spoken to Draco.'
'I know eventually I'll get used to hearing that adoring tone in your voice when ever you say his name,' Hermione teased, causing Harry to blush.
* * *
The walk back to Grimmauld Place couldn't go fast enough. Harry was so impatient to get back to Draco that he hadn't even gotten half way before he ducked into an alleyway and Apparated to Grimmauld's roof garden, willing to put up with his least favourite form of travel in order to be back with Draco five minutes sooner.
As he stepped out onto the top landing, the delicious scent of cooking assaulted his nostrils. Curious, he crept as quietly as possible down the stairs, peering into different rooms looking for Draco. He'd gotten as far as the first floor landing when he heard a clatter of pans and a muffled string of profanity.
'Draco?' Harry yelled, forgetting about being quiet as his curiosity got the better of him.
'Fucking ow! In here,' Draco yelled, his irritated tone drifting up from the kitchen.
With more trepidation than was reasonable, Harry made his way down the steps and into the kitchen. He stopped on the bottom step and his mouth fell open in shock. The surfaces were completely covered in plates and dishes whilst every pot and pan Harry owned crowded on to the large range cooker. In the middle of the disaster stood Draco; he looked hot and flustered as he sucked furiously on his thumb and glared at a tray that was apparently red hot.
Harry crossed to Draco and pulled his thumb from between his lips, inspecting the shiny burn. Draco acquiesced and watched with interest as Harry drew his wand and murmured both a healing charm and a cooling spell to ease the irritation.
'What happened here?' Harry asked, noticing a smear of what looked like chocolate across Draco's cheek and swiping his finger through it to taste the sweetness.
'I made you dinner,' Draco said, his tone inferring that this should really have been quite obvious. 'It will be ready in ten minutes so go wash up,' Draco instructed before laying a quick kiss on Harry's lips and turning back towards a bubbling pot of something on the stove.
Harry stood and stared for a moment, not quite able to process.
'Go!' instructed Draco, swatting Harry lightly across the backside with the spatula in his hand.
Still not able to process the scene enough to protest, Harry hurried from the kitchen and up towards their bedroom to change with just one thought turning over and over in his head. Where the hell did Draco learn to cook?
