Hola! Well. Once again I have managed to find an unsecured wireless internet connection! Who'd have thunk it? lol. Yeah. So here's some.. as they say in Fire and Hemlock.. Sentimental Drivel.. Basically.. a bunch of fluff. not many laughs.. but i promise the next chapter wiill be back to the laughs. This was just needed for the PLOT (oooooh!) Yeeeeeaaaah. SO. Here ya go!

...Riyan...


Draco was happy. Harry seemed to have an excuse to kiss him. Or at least another one. One that Harry had made up on his own! Just to kiss him! On the cheek to be fair, but still.. And then he had agreed to kiss him on the lips! Maybe Harry did like him.. That way.. Or even at all. Draco sighed and looked at Harry. He looked so peaceful, sleeping. Unconsciously he reached out and tucked a stray piece of Harry's hair behind his ear. He smiled. Then he closed his eyes, fell into a deep sleep and began to dream.

He was in a garden, full of roses, white roses. But they held no beauty for him. He could hear Harry calling out. In agony. His heart was racing. His Harry was in danger! He ran through the rose bushes, wincing as the thorns tore at his arms, face and clothes. He could take the physical pain, it was this emotional pain that was killing him. He was drowning in it, still fighting through the rose bushes. He was bleeding now. Blood running down his arms, his face. He could still hear Harry's cries. They were ripping his heart into little pieces. Shattering. Pain.

He pulled out his wand and killed all the rose bushes, cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner. He could now see what was going on. Harry was tied to a rock, arms and legs spread-eagled. His clothes were ripped and bloody. There was a nasty bruise on his cheek and cuts on his face and exposed chest. He was struggling with his bonds, but that only caused the ropes binding him to cut into his wrists and ankles. Draco ran over to him.

"No!" Harry yelled at him. His voice was hoarse from screaming. "You can't do this. They'll kill you! Get away. Go!" His heart ached. Harry wanted to protect him. But it was Harry that needed the protection. He couldn't just leave him. It would be the thing that killed Harry if he did. He couldn't kill Harry. It would kill him too..

"No. I'm staying with you. My life is nothing without you." He meant it. Every word of it. Something deep down told him this was what was right.

"Please.." Harry begged. "I would rather die than have them harm you." A tear trickled down his face. "They'll call you a deserter.. and you know what they do to deserters.." Another tear fell. The scene faded to blackness. Draco was puzzled. He was a deserter? But he wasn't a Death Eater! With a rush of dread he looked down at his right forearm. There, striking against his pale skin, was the Dark Mark.

"Nooooooooo!"

He woke abruptly, his forehead burning, drenched in sweat. He looked down fearfully at his arm and was happy to see that it was unblemished. No Dark Mark. He breathed a small sigh of relief. And Harry was there, looking blearily at him, apparently just woken up. He was safe! Not bleeding or suffering. Draco felt relief wash through him.

"You're ok!" he said, flinging his arms around Harry.

"Uh.. yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked, sounding both confused and almost annoyed at having been woken.

"You were.. oh it was horrible!" Draco sobbed. "In my dream.." And he proceeded to tell Harry what had occurred in his dream. When he had finished, Harry didn't say anything. He was staring perplexedly at the canopy of Draco's bed.

"So.." Draco said, breaking the silence.

"So what?" asked Harry.

"So what does it all mean?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"I don't know.. You're Harry Potter, you get these kind of dreams all the time!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I understand them!"

"Oh." Draco frowned. Well, there went that theory.

"Maybe it's a prophecy," Harry suggested.

"See! I knew you'd know what to think!" Draco cried.

"Um. Yeah." Harry was looking uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"Well doesn't it bother you? At all?" Harry looked perplexedly at him.

"What? Doesn't what bother me?"

"Well.. that.. it's me you're worried about.. over yourself.. or.. well.. that.. you'll.. love me..?"

"Well to be honest.. I hadn't thought that far into it yet.." Draco said. "But now you come to mention it.. I guess it does a bit."

"A BIT! Just A BIT!" Harry yelled. Draco was feeling highly uncomfortable now. He was trying not to think that this outburst must mean that Harry didn't like him.

"Um.. well.. yes.. just a bit.. see.. thing is.. you're.. you're.. an.. amazing human being.. Harry.." Draco was looking anywhere but at the black haired boy. Well.. the other black haired boy. "How could anyone not believe they might fall in love with you? I've only spent a few days in your constant presence and I can already feel my guard falling.. Hell! It falls completely at times as is! You bring out a side of me that's never come out in front of anyone else before. And in a way I hate you for it. But in another way.. I.. well.. I guess I love you for it. There.. I said it. I love you. But just a little bit. At the moment. Oh hell. What have I just said?" He trailed off at long last. He hadn't meant to say most of that. But he knew that it was all true.

"Draco-" Harry began.

"-No. Don't tell me. I know you must think I'm a complete and utter idiot now. Even if you didn't before. I mean.. I was mean to you for all those years.. and.." he began, to his great horror, to cry.

"Draco would you let me finish?"

"Um.. yeah.." he looked down at his hands. A tear fell into his palm. He closed his hand over it, trying to squish it into oblivion, ashamed of its existence.

"Well," Harry continued. "I.. er.. guess I like you too.. Maybe.. I might love you.. too.. I.. don't know at the moment.. Things are moving so fast.. I.." Draco looked up at him, hope shining in his tear filled eyes.

"Yes?" he asked quietly.

"I almost think.. we.. should.. er.. have a proper relationship.. see how things progress.. that kind of thing.. I mean if that's what you want.." He trailed off. Draco could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Harry wanted him. Or at least. He thought he might want a relationship with him. For real.

He was so happy he couldn't speak. So instead he leaned over and kissed Harry full on the lips, cherishing the fact that he could now do this. For real.

"No more pretend," he whispered into Harry's lips. "That's what I want."

"OK." Harry agreed, kissing him back. "But.. can we take this slowly?" Draco was glad Harry had said that. Harry deserved a proper relationship. Harry deserved to be loved. Not just made love to.

"Yes.. Yes, we can. I'd like that." He smiled. A proper smile. It felt good. He could let his guard down. Harry wouldn't care. He never had. Harry had always hated the mask. His coldness, his arrogance. The face he portrayed to the world. Harry had always seen through it.

"But for now can we go back to sleep?" Harry asked. Draco almost laughed. He had forgotten that it was still the middle of the night. He nodded and Harry kissed him goodnight before rolling over. Draco wanted to put his arms around Harry, but then realised that might be presuming things. Instead he contented himself with thinking that Harry was finally his. The denial was gone. Completely.

Harry smiled softly to himself as he drifted to sleep. Draco liked him. It was something he had not expected a few days previously, let alone something he had thought he would like.

But Draco had changed subtly (and occasionally not so subtly) over those days. And Harry liked the new him. No. The true him. For Harry knew that Draco's mask was really the cold person everyone knew, or thought they did. That was gone, or at least going, and Harry was glad. The true Draco was someone who could be loved. The mask had been a blank wall, absorbing all emotion that was thrown at it. But the mask was gone. Going, going, gone. Gone, going.. Gone.

All that remained was the young man he was slowly falling for.

And tomorrow morning, he would get to watch him eat breakfast topless!


THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! to all my reveiwers. You guys made me laugh so so much! as usual. HENCE i was inspired to write faster and give you some more to read! i would name particulars.. BUT its one in the morning and i have to be up early tomorrow.. so I won't. but I LOVE YOU ALL.

...Riyan...