A/N This is the last chapter of the orignial story. By that i mean i have completely changed where this story is headed from the next chapter on, and you know what? I like it better and i hope you enjoy too.

Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter

Caught

Draco Malfoy was sitting in a far corner of the seventh year's common room. Just like everyone else in the room, he was studying, unlike everyone else, he was distracted by a sharp pain from his behind every time he shifted. This sharp pain was the result of bottoming for the first time, and despite the pain, he would do it again (as long as Harry was on top that is).

Draco was awoken from his thoughts about Harry and his impossibly hard ancient runes translation, by someone sitting on the chair next to him.

"Hermione! Just the right woman to help me! The Ancient Runes assignment, I can't translate question… what's wrong?" he started getting very self conscious from the look she was giving him, and he suddenly had a strange desire to confess everything he had ever done wrong… and that could take awhile. "Is there a particular reason why you look like you'd like to decapitate me? Or are you road testing a new facial expression?"

"Your head isn't what I want to cut off Draco, think lower." Despite her words Hermione spoke in a pleasant if not pompous voice. "Could we step outside, I have something I really want to discuss with you."

"Of course, it's always a pleasure to be in the presence of our dashing head girl." Draco's words dripped with sarcasm.

"Save it." She stood and walked to the portrait door. "Are you coming?"

Draco packed up his homework into his bag. "It's a prefect's duty to follow their heads everywhere."

The two walked down the corridors together, with Draco shooting suspicious glances out of the corner of his eye at Hermione.

"So are you going to tell me why you look like you bet against Bulgaria in the last world cup?"

"Not here you idiot." Hermione snapped over her shoulder.

"I must have done something to really piss you off, if only there was a way to know what I did." Draco mumbled to himself.

Hermione gave him a deadly stare that could have stopped a pack of angry wolves, Draco bit his tongue on any further comments and then walked on in silence.

Five minutes later, Draco found himself standing outside of the room of requirement watching Hermione pace forward and back. His stomach felt warm as he thought of the last time he was here, less than twenty-four hours ago with Harry. The fuzzy feeling abruptly disappeared and was replaced with a sense of nervousness. The thought of Harry seemed to click everything together, Hermione's attitude and her seemingly 'random' venue for their 'chat'. Once again, Draco found himself thanking his father for his cold emotionless mask.

Once the door appeared, Hermione let Draco walk in before her, she shut the door with a highly audible 'snap' then rounded on the Slytherin.

Draco swallowed and took half a step back. "So Hermione, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"

"I think you know what I want to discuss Draco." Hermione matched Draco's step back with one forward.

Draco took yet another half step back (he spared a thought to the fact that this probably looked like some kind of demented tango). "I don't think so."

"Take a wild stab in the dark." Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"Honestly Granger, I have NO idea what's got you in this mood. So I'm going to sit down here and you can prattle on about how I've wronged you." Draco sat on a seat that appeared behind him, and studied his nails.

"Damn it Malfoy I bloody saw you!" Hermione finally let loose on the rage she was holding back.

Draco put his head in his hands and rubbed his face roughly. "Hermione, don't, just don't. I'm asking you as a friend, please, don't. You really don't understand what's going on here."

Hermione scoffed at this. "I think I understand enough to know that I saw the two of you kissing outside this very room last night."

Draco looked up at Hermione. "What do you honestly want me to say?"

The head girl sat stiffly across from him. "I want the truth. Are you sleeping with Harry?"

"You're insane."

"Am I, really? All I know is that ever since we got back from Christmas holidays he's been different, something's changed, he's not the Harry I grew up with, and who was with him over Christmas? Everyone else is too blind to actually see anything, but I'm not Draco! So tell me, and tell me now, are you sleeping with Harry?"

"Ok first of all, you are blind if you're only picking up on the changes now. And second, like I said before, you really don't understand and I'm not about to betray him by telling you anything that may or may not be happening. Maybe you should talk to Harry about it, but good luck getting any of the answers you want from him."

"What do you mean by that? He's is my best friend."

"Maybe that's the problem Hermione" Draco's voice was barely above a whisper.

Hermione bent her head and closed her eyes. "What's going on Draco, please, talk to me?"

Draco merely shook his head. "Talk to Harry, but, let me be there."

"Why?"

"Just do this, please. I can't guarantee that you'll get the answers you want, but this is the best chance you've got."

Hermione huffed. "Ok fine then, at least I might be able to get some bloody straight answers, instead of this cryptic bollocks."

"Merlin you've got yourself a filthy mouth."

Hermione just ignored him. "So when will the three of us sit down together?"

"Well we had planned to meet up here tomorrow night, I suppose you could tag along."

"Ok until tomorrow night then."

They both stood at the same time but before Hermione could turn Draco had one last question. "Are you going to tell Harry?"

"Why? So the two of you can get together and create a fantastic cover story? I think I've been lied to enough lately, don't you? Will you tell him?"

"First chance I get." Draco answered honestly.

Hermione nodded curtly, and then left the room with a swish of her cloak. At that moment, Draco knew that Harry would not know about the meeting with Hermione the next night.

*

Draco's theory about Harry going in blind to the meeting was proven painfully correct the next day. Hermione didn't let Harry have a moment alone, even when he went to the bathroom she sent Ron with him. As it was Friday, Hermione simply covered her behavior up by using the excuse that all their classes were the same. By the time dinner rolled around everyone could see that Harry wanted to punch something, only Draco knew that the raven haired boy just wanted five minutes alone.

Draco thought he had found her perfect opportunity, Harry was walking back to the tower… alone apparently Hermione was distracted by a certain dark skinned Slytherin. Just as Draco was about to call out to the head boy, someone beat him to it. Ginny Weasley dragged Harry away for a walk around the castle, before he had to 'supervise the first year's detentions' in half an hour.

So here Draco was, with one hand on the door to the room of requirement, he was procrastinating his entrance. He was not looking forward to the night ahead, he had no idea how Harry would react to being discovered. Worse still, how would Hermione react when the truth was finally revealed to her? Draco summoned all, if any, of the courage a Slytherin posses and opened the door.

"Draco," Said a relieved male voice, Draco was glad to see that Hermione was yet to arrive. "You wouldn't believe the day I'm having."

"Harry." Draco couldn't help but smile at the other man. Harry started making his way forward, but Draco, despite the urge to run forward, stopped him. "Wait, there's something you need to know."

"What is it?" Harry suddenly looked worried. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

The blonde laughed slightly. "Yeah I do know that. But it's not about me, well it is, more about 'us' actually."

"Draco, you're scaring me, what's going on?"

Draco took a deep breath. "We were caught."

Harry's eyes went wide with fear. "What? When? How? Who?"

"It was the other night."

"Who? Who caught us Draco?"

"That would be me."

"Hermione?" Harry stuttered. The girl in question had just walked over the threshold, closing the door behind her. Harry staggered back into a double sofa beside a large fire.

Draco sat down carefully next to him putting an arm around his shoulders. "Are you ok?"

The boy in question both nodded and shook his head at the same time, confusing Draco immensely. Harry looked up at Hermione. "So what exactly did you see?"

She sat down in a chair across from the two, crossing her arms and legs across her body. "I saw the two of you kissing outside in the hallway."

"Oh." Harry didn't know whether to be relieved by knowing that was all she saw, or horrified that they had messed up enough for her to see even that.

The head girl turned to Draco. "So does this mean that I am going to be getting some straight answers now?"

Draco moved his arm away from Harry's shoulders. "Like I said last night, you can know as much as Harry wants you to know."

She looked back at Harry. "Are you sleeping together?"

Harry looked from Draco to Hermione and back again. "Yes."

"HARRY!" She squealed. "What about Ginny? You can't go shagging some bloke behind Ginny's back."

Draco scoffed at this and threw Hermione a dirty look. "Again, like I said, you don't understand."

"Then explain it." She pleaded.

"How much do you want her to know?" Draco asked Harry.

"Tell her everything."

"Are you sure?"

"Well for one, I know Hermione and there's no way she's leaving here without her answers. And two, she's my best friend, she deserves to know. And then after we tell her, we'll see where we go."

So Draco did exactly as Harry said, he told her all. From the first day on the train, to the night Draco found Harry crying in the Great Hall, all the way up to when Hermione found them two nights previous. He worked around the graphic details, and the part about Ron and Seamus (he figured that it wasn't his secret to tell).

By the end of Draco's tale, Hermione's eyes were swelling with tears. "Oh god Harry, was I one of the people putting this pressure on you?"

Harry refused to say a word, and suddenly found his shoe laces particularly interesting, but this was all the answers Hermione needed. "Oh no, Harry, I'm SO sorry! I didn't realize what I was doing. Oh Harry, forgive me, please?"

"Hermione if there was one person I could always forgive it's you." Harry gave her a small but true smile, one that he only gave the people he cared for most.

Draco felt a bubble of jealousy work its way up his chest from his stomach as he sat back and watched this exchange. Harry and Hermione have always had a noticeable connection, a sort of natural chemistry but he had never seen it up close at such a deep level. It was then that Draco saw how people could confuse what they had for a romantic attraction, but he could also see that their relationship would never be anymore than one of family.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, when he opened them again he asked his most pressing question. "You now know my biggest secret Hermione, now I need you to tell me something. Are you going to tell Ginny?"

Hermione sat back in her chair, she looked at the two boys, taking in each subtle detail and movement even the ones they weren't aware of. As she did this, she let all she heard and all she felt sink in and tried to make sense of it. "I know I should, because no matter how noble the theory, the action is still an extreme betrayal. But in saying that," Hermione added when she saw Harry's saddened but accepting face. "I know that I won't. Ginny has changed dramatically, and I've known that for quite awhile now. But, Harry, you need to tell her before someone else does, or she finds out the same way I did."

Harry felt his chest tighten it felt like a metal vice was caught around his ribs and his breathing became irregular. "I can't Hermione… I just… I… I'm expected…" Harry shot a pleading look towards Draco."

"Hermione, you need to listen to me, and understand this, Harry's not ready. He is in complete control of what we have here, but that's the only part of his life that he is. What do you think will happen if he breaks it off with Ginny now? Things would spiral out of control and he'll probably even end up back with her, worse than how he is now. He needs to do this in his own time, in his own way. We would both understand if you felt you had to tell, but right now, we can't."

During Draco's monologue, Harry's breathing started to calm down and the vice around his chest loosened considerably.

"I won't tell, I told you I wouldn't, I promise you I won't. And when this comes out, I'll be on your side both of your sides."

"Thank you Hermione." Draco's voice held a small croak.

"Can I ask you something? It may sound odd but I need to know."

Harry had a small smile on. "I don't think we have secrets anymore Hermione."

"Are you… do you love each other?"

"WHAT?!" The two boys exclaimed together.

"No." Harry laughed. "It's really not like that. To use Draco's phrasing, we don't use 'labels' and 'we're friends who just happen to have sex'."

Hermione chose not to mention the fact that they were holding hands, and had been for some time now, she actually wondered if they knew about it. "I should have seen this so much earlier Harry." Tears were forming in her eyes. "If I had of known, maybe I could have helped you, at least make it easier."

Harry got up and kneeled at Hermione's feet. "This isn't your fault Hermione, you had no idea the effects the words 'expect' and 'expectations' have on me, if you did, I know you wouldn't have done it." Harry took a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. "I don't know if what Draco and I are doing is going to sort out the mess I'm calling a life, but I have to try, having something that's mine, and only mine, makes me really happy."

"Hermione?" Draco muttered softly, he almost felt guilty for destroying the perfect moment. "Ginny isn't the only one who can't know, no one can. Please, tell no one?"

"I won't, I promise." Hermione looked up at Draco, while holding Harry's hands.

"Not even Blaise?" Draco insisted.

"Harry is my best friend and a long time ago I knew that I would protect him until my death."

Harry stood at the same time as Hermione, sharing a family kiss. "I should probably leave, someone needs to tell Ginny that the detentions are running long."

"Thank you Hermione." Draco said as they shared an awkward hug. Just before she could leave, he added; "Oh and, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to wrong you, I was very wrong."

She merely smiled and said; "Like a very wise man once said; 'second chances'." she then left the room, closing the door with a gentle 'click'.

Draco pulled Harry back down onto the chair they were sharing. "So, how are you feeling? After what's happened, your head must be spinning."

Harry lent his head back and thought for a moment. "Would it be weird if I said happy?"

This response threw Draco off slightly. "You're actually happy that Hermione knows?"

"No, well, I don't think that's why I'm happy."

"Then why?"

Harry half turned his body to look into Draco's eyes, his breath caught at the sight before him. "I have no idea."

Draco lent forward slightly and kissed Harry gently. "I think I know what you mean."

They were silent for awhile, just lying back in each others arms, enjoying the comfortable silence.

"Harry, how do you feel about Hermione knowing?" Draco wasn't going to let the subject drop he needed to know.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth, I really don't. But, I think I now understand how Ron felt about you and me finding out about him and Seamus. Except our situation is slightly different."

"How's that?"

"Well I would have loved to be able to keep this a secret for at least a little while longer. But now that Hermione does know, it's like, I don't feel like I'm sneaking around nearly as much as I did. Things between us seem… different." Harry quickly rose and headed for the door. He was becoming dangerously close to spilling the thoughts he had been working hard to suppress. "It's getting late I should go."

"Harry." Draco hurried to reach the brunette and then laced his fingers with the other boy. "Stop running away, please."

"Why?"

"Because, if you keep running away from your life, you might miss something truly amazing." Draco lowered his voice to a whisper and stroked Harry's cheek. "Besides, I know exactly what you mean."

Harry searched Draco's eyes for any kind of sign. "How can you be so sure of that when I'm not even positive?"

Draco merely shrugged. "Just do."

*

Harry slowly made his way back to the tower. Once he reached the portrait hole, he took a deep breath before creeping though. He was careful to not make the slightest noise that could wake a pack of sleeping lions.

"Harry?" A voice croaked from the corner.

"Ginny," Harry's entire being froze. "Why are you still awake? It's late it has to be at least two."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to wait for you. What kept you so long?"

"Just got distracted by the mush between my ears." Harry lied quickly, he walked over to her and sat on the arm rest of her chair. "But I'm back now, so you can go to bed."

"No, I'm ok." Ginny took Harry's hand and entwined their fingers. "Are you ok? You seem slightly distant."

He stood quickly letting Ginny's hand drop and stretched. "Yeah Gin, I'm just really tired."

"Well," Ginny rose off her chair slowly and would her arms around Harry's neck. "I know of a way that is really effective in waking the body."

'No!' Harry screamed in his head.

She kissed him slowly. "What do you think?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no." A mantra had started inside his head. "My room then?"

Ginny smiled and led Harry towards his dorm room, careful to swing her hips while she climbed the stairs.

Harry wasn't paying any attention to the slender hips swaying in front of him, he was too busy locked in an internal battle. Part of him knew that this was where he was supposed to be, but another (the side that had started speaking up a lot more lately) felt that he was cheating on Draco. Every time he caressed Ginny he felt like he was betraying his blonde savior, the worst part was Draco had told him that it was ok to sleep with Ginny. As they reached his dorm and started making their way to his bed, Harry resigned himself to what was ahead, he would just try and not think of Draco… that feat proved impossible.

As Ginny undressed him, he thought 'Draco'. As he slid off her pink night gown, he though 'Draco'. As he kissed the skin behind her ear, he thought 'Draco'. And Harry thought of Draco as he slid himself into Ginny's tight pick center. The feeling of being inside Ginny was so much different to Draco, almost wrong. Draco was unbelievably, deliciously tight, but the muscles inside Ginny seemed to move around to allow for his size. The final climax could only be compared to an ant mound resting beside a mighty mountain, when compared to his rendezvous with Draco.

Ginny got dressed and kissed Harry good night before leaving for her own dorm room. Harry rolled on his side and tears began to swell as he continued to think of Draco. This is what he had been feeling guilty about since everyone returned to school, being with Ginny was tearing him apart. Every day that went by, his feelings for Draco became more pronounced, and as they grew his love for Ginny turned slowly sour.

Meanwhile deep inside the dungeons, Draco Malfoy was lying wide awake in his own dorm room. The only difference between he and Harry was that tears weren't swelling in Draco's eyes, they were slowly rolling. He had spent the last hour trying to make the tears stay behind his lids, but the thought of Harry being with someone else made controlling them impossible. Every day his feeling for Harry got stronger and he didn't know if that thought excited or scared him. The only feeling he could really comprehend at this moment was his hate for Ginny, hate for being in his rightful place.