*Thanks for your patience with this story. I'm not updating as often as I intend to. Oh, well, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions- my mother always said lol. Anyway, I got a new computer and I've been playing around with it, and sort of neglected Draco and Harry for a while. But don't worry, this story is not in danger of being forgotten.
idreamofdrarry- I loved your line about Casper's balls dropping
KeegSlytherin- wow, I hope I didn't turn you off to this. One thing about my stories, no matter what I put them through-I'm a sucker for a happy ending, or mostly :) Thanks for sticking with it!
PomSaysOm- LOL maybe I should have Draco wear a pink tux
Thanks also to luvsallthingsslash, FantasyFiend09, DeiStarr, Cc, cassy1994, ananna, Daddys little crazy bitch, mochiusagi, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, YinKeket, , Rocklife Dude, Guest, MrowProw, and Twerkwihmpels for reading and reviewing! I appreciate all of the feedback!
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Harry knocked on the bathroom door. "Draco, hurry up."
"Just a minute."
"It's been half an hour already. We're going to be late."
"Just a minute."
Harry sighed and plopped down on the sofa. He glanced at the clock again. Fourteen minutes after eight o'clock. He sighed again. He hated being late, even if it was only to chaperone a dance.
"You're going to wrinkle your dress robes sitting like that," Draco said, coming out of the bath.
Harry stood and tried to smooth out his clothes. He turned around.
"Well, I wouldn't have been sitting there if-"
Draco quirked an eyebrow.
"Okay, that's worth the wait," Harry said quietly. "Do we have to go to the dance?"
Laughing, Draco took Harry's arm and began to lead him out the door.
"You're staring," Draco smirked as they walked down the staircase.
"You look . . . so handsome," Harry said, sounding somewhat star struck. "Not that you don't always, but . . ."
"It's just a hair cut," Draco told him. He looked down. "And new dress robes. And a manicure." He held out his hands to show Harry, who took hold of one.
"It's so soft and smooth. Especially compared to my hands."
"If you think it feels soft on your hand, wait 'til you feel it on your cock."
Harry visibly shuddered. "Now I really don't want to go to this dance."
They continued to walk toward the Great Hall for the Valentine dance. As they approached, Knox walked into the large foyer. He stopped and appeared to vacillate between running away and crying.
Draco loosened his grip on Harry's hand, but Harry held tight.
"Hello Harry. Malfoy," Knox said, standing his ground after all, yet looking a bit beaten down. His physical wounds were long healed. But his emotional ones were still very much fresh. Losing Harry, or rather not being able to win him over in the first place, was bad enough. Finding out his parents were not the people he thought they were, had left him shellshocked.
Harry glanced quickly at Draco before speaking. "How are you holding up, Knox?"
The man shrugged. "All right. I've had to go in for questioning a few times, but I think that's over now." He paused. "I had no idea. I'm not a Death Eater. I thought my parents were here fighting on the right side." He looked at Draco. His reaction would have been laughable if the situation weren't so sad. Clearly, he hadn't noticed Draco's new look before as he had been focused on Harry.
"I'm sorry about what my father did to your mother," Knox said sincerely.
"She's fully recovered now," Draco said, not exactly accepting the apology but acknowledging it at least.
Knox nodded.
"Shall we go in?" Draco asked Harry. "I don't want to miss any more dances with my fiancé."
"Fiancé?" Knox's mouth dropped.
"Yes," Harry answered. "Draco and I will be getting married soon. We've taken over Flitwick's old quarters." He held up his hand, the one holding Draco's, to show Knox the ring. "You didn't hear?"
"No, I've been . . . out of the castle a bit the last two weeks. Mostly to the Ministry."
"Oh, right. Are you chaperoning the dance?" Harry asked, noticing that he was in dress robes, though, not haute couture, as Draco's were.
"I was, but . . . I'm not really feeling well. If you wouldn't mind giving my excuses to McGonagall."
"Of course not," Harry said. He smiled sympathetically. Though he would not be drawn into friendship again with the man, he did feel sorry for the turn his life suddenly took. "Good night then."
"Good night." Knox turned and walked back up the staircase to his quarters.
"That was awkward," Harry commented. "But you behaved exemplary."
"I didn't see the point of kicking the man while he was down."
"Well, you did a little bit, calling me your fiancé," Harry smirked.
"And you didn't, by showing him the ring?" Draco smirked back.
Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Come on, then. Let's show you off."
They made their entrance in the middle of a particularly raucous musical number, and went largely unnoticed. Sybill walked by and smiled absently on her way to the refreshment table, where McGonagall was keeping watch.
"Thirsty?" Harry asked.
"Not for what they have here. But I'll make do."
"Good evening Minerva," Harry said when they got there. He picked up two cups of punch and handed one to Draco.
"My, don't you boys look handsome," she commented. "I rather like your hair shorter, Draco. I feel less inclined to call you Mr. Malfoy."
Draco laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I'll miss the long hair," Harry said. "But I like this shaven part in the back." He ran his fingers along the nape of Draco's neck.
Draco swatted his hand away. "You can mess it up later, Potter."
Instead of disapproving the innuendo, as Harry thought she might, McGonagall gave a small giggle.
"It is good to see the two of you content," Minerva explained. "There were times my heart went out to each of you for the harsh turns life brought you. I feared neither one of you would find the peace you deserved."
"Especially with each other, I'll wager," Harry said.
"Indeed," she nodded.
"By the way, Professor Knox wanted me to let you know he wasn't feeling well, and won't be here this evening."
"A shame about his parents," Minerva said. "He must be devastated."
Harry and Draco remained silent on the subject.
"I should be making my rounds, now. Enjoy the party, boys."
"Hm, I would have volunteered for rounds if I knew it would get me out of chaperoning," Draco said, taking a sip of punch.
"Please," Harry chuckled. "I think you were looking forward to this more than some of the students."
Draco's lip curled slowly into a smile. "Dance with me."
Not giving Harry a choice, he took him by the hand and led him into the crowd just as the music slowed down. Harry glanced around uncomfortably.
"You're not losing your Gryffindor courage now, are you?" Draco said, his face very close to Harry's. "It's not like the Halloween dance. Every knows now."
Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, spurring Draco to hold him around his waist. They swayed back and forth to the music, inching closer to one another until their foreheads were touching.
Slowly, Harry tilted his head, and their lips connected. They danced and kissed a while, until someone bumped into them, and they realized the music had switched once again. Bouncing students nearby jostled the couple.
"That's my cue to leave the dance floor," Harry said. "But you stay. They want you to join in." He gestured to a small group of Seventh Year Slytherins calling Draco over.
Draco flashed a bright smile. He did enjoy dancing. And Harry seemed to enjoy watching just as much.
Hanging back near the refreshment table, Harry spoke to some of the other professors, and occasionally students who came to quench their thirst. It was quite a different experience from the first dance. No longer jealous of the students, but rather pitying them for their youth, Harry was confident that he and Draco belonged together.
Harry smiled to himself as he noticed Professor Trelawney bobbing up and down slightly to the beat of the music at the other end of the table. He picked up a cup of punch and brought it to her.
"Enjoying yourself Sybill?"
"Ah, yes," she answered. "Thank you." She accepted the cup. "It brings back memories."
"So, they had dances like these when you were a student?"
"Dances, yes. But not quite like these. There were very strict rules."
Harry cocked his head. "What sort of rules?"
"The chaperones would spell the wands with a minor repelling charm. When placed between a couple dancing, it would automatically push them the requisite six inches apart," she told him. "And students would never have been allowed to kiss on the dance floor."
Blushing, Harry took a sip of punch. Perhaps he and Draco hadn't set the best example.
Sybill smiled at him. "I'm glad you finally took the tea leaves' advice."
"Sorry?"
"Your reading. The one I did for you just before the term started."
"Oh, yes, of course."
"The tea leaves are never wrong, Harry."
While he doubted that, he had to admit that once he had accepted himself and came out, he did find true love.
Another slow song began and students flocked to the punch bowl. Harry moved out of the way to avoid them. Draco walked up and took Harry's cup from him, downing it in one gulp. He flipped his fringe out of his face, and Harry's heart skipped a beat. He liked the new style, he decided. The spiky, long fringe and shorter layers in the back gave him an almost anime appearance.
"Do you want to dance again?" Harry asked.
Draco shook his head. "I'm still a little out of breath. I need another drink."
Harry just stared.
"Potter, you're staring again."
"What? Oh, heh." Harry blushed. "I was thinking this is how you'll look later on tonight."
One eyebrow raised, Draco leaned closer. "You mean hot, sweaty and panting?"
"Mm."
Draco turned to get more punch after the way cleared a bit.
"I don't believe it," he mumbled.
"What?" Harry asked.
He jerked his head in the direction of the small group of students still on the dance floor.
"Montague. He's dancing with Penelope Pipshaw."
Harry's eyes scanned the room, not spotting them right away. "Oh, I thought you said she was way out of league."
"She is," Draco said absently. He caught Casper's eye as the pair slowly spun, and nodded.
Casper grinned.
Near the end of the dance, Casper and Penelope left the dance floor. They approached Draco and Harry.
"Good evening professors," Casper said with a smile.
"Good evening."
"Penelope, would you like a drink?" the boy asked.
She nodded and smiled. "Yes, thank you."
Casper began to walk away, then stopped and turned back around. "Can I get either of you a drink as well?" he asked Harry and Draco.
"No, thank you," Draco answered for both of them.
Casper continued on to the crowded refreshment table.
"Enjoying the dance?" Draco asked Penelope.
"Yes, professor."
"It really was kind of you to accompany Montague."
"Sir?" She cocked her head.
"I'm sure you must have had invitations you turned down in order to come here with him."
"No, professor, I didn't." She looked up at Draco with a sort of sadness. Tucking a strand of her golden locks behind her ear, she regarded him with deep, forest green eyes that rivaled Harry's for beauty. And yet, they were still not her most striking feature. Her perfect peaches and cream complexion competed with the soft, pink pouty lips beneath her delicately upturned nose. She was one of the most beautiful girls Draco had seen. At fifteen, she hadn't even come close to reaching her full potential.
Draco smiled at what he assumed was her modesty. "I find that hard to believe."
She glanced down. "No, really. I've never been invited to a dance before."
Draco frowned. "Why not?"
Penelope shrugged. "I've been told that I'm . . . intimidating. But really, I'm just a little shy."
Casper walked up at that moment with drinks in hand. He held one out to Penelope.
"Thank you," she smiled sweetly, and sipped.
A few other Ravenclaw girls approached the small group.
"Penelope, we're going back. Are you coming with us?" one asked.
"All right." She looked to Casper. "Thank you for a lovely evening."
"Any, any time," he stuttered.
"Okay," she replied.
They stood gazing at one another for a moment, uncertain how to end the night. Casper looked around self consciously.
"Good night, then, Penelope."
"Good night." She leaned forward and place a small kiss on his cheek, then quickly retreated with her housemates.
Standing in a daze, Casper put his hand up to his cheek.
"She kissed me," he said slowly. "Penelope Pipshaw kissed me."
Harry grinned at the boy's reaction. His disbelief was similar to his own when Draco first kissed him.
"I guess that means she likes you," Harry said.
"I still can't figure out how you managed to be the first one to ask her to the dance when you waited so long to do so," Draco commented.
Casper shrugged. "Everyone assumed she had been asked weeks ago, when the dance was first announced. But no one I asked said they were going with her. So, I figured it was worth a shot."
"Indeed," Draco said. "More than a shot, I'd say. It appears she does like you."
"She told me that none of the boys talk to her. They think she must be a snob or something. And a lot of the girls don't like her, because the boys all do. But she's really nice."
"Sounds like a bit of prejudice and jealousy," Harry said. "People making assumptions about her without really knowing her."
Draco looked to Harry. "We know a bit about that ourselves, don't we. Well, it looks like the other boys' loss is your gain, Montague. I hope this doesn't mean that you'll be even more distracted in class."
"No, sir." Casper paused. "I hope not, anyway," he said sheepishly.
The music had long stopped playing and most of the students had cleared the Hall.
"Time for you to head back to Slytherin." Draco smiled. "But it was awfully Gryffindor of you to gather the nerve to ask her out."
"Yes, professor."
Harry leaned toward Casper. "That was supposed to be a compliment, I think."
Casper grinned and left with several other students from his House.
"Time for us to leave as well," Draco said.
"Do I get to mess up your hair now?" Harry shuddered.
"You can mess up whatever you want, now."
Much to Harry's frustration, Draco insisted on hanging his new dress robes neatly in the wardrobe before beginning any sort of romantic activities. Harry hung his as well, avoiding a lecture about wrinkling his clothes again.
"I've been dying to run my fingers through your hair since you first walked out of the bath," Harry said, doing just that.
The inch or so that was shaved at the nape felt like velvet against his hand. The rest of it was long enough not to be considered short, but a good five inches had been trimmed off. Harry found it most attractive.
"What made you cut your hair?" Harry asked.
"I was tired of people telling me how much I look like my father."
"Isn't that part of the reason you were letting your hair grow in the first place?"
Draco nodded. "I thought if I looked more like him, he would accept me more readily. But that doesn't make sense, does it? Expecting to be accepted for who you are, if you're simply imitating someone else."
"Well, you certainly don't remind me of your father. Even before the hair cut," Harry said. "Besides, I think your father accepts you as well as he can, but not because you look like him. When I spoke to him about marrying you, his reaction wasn't quite what I thought it would be."
"How so?"
"He sneered at first, which I did expect. But I suppose that was directed more at me personally, for not being a pure blood. His objections to our marriage were mostly his concerns about my sincerity."
"Your sincerity? The king of the Gryffindors?" Draco joked.
"He found it difficult to believe that I have left the past where it belongs. And that, the person you are now, is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. But I told him that I've changed too. And if I hadn't, you probably wouldn't want to be with me."
Draco opened his mouth to protest.
"You know I have. I admit, for a while, I enjoyed being a hero. That is to say, I enjoyed helping people, not necessarily the celebrity that went along with it. That was why I became an Auror in the first place. I felt almost obligated to play the paragon. But that wasn't who I really am. I'm really just a man who wants a simple life, and a job helping people. In this case, children."
"Is that all?" Draco asked in a low voice.
"And amazing sex with the most handsome man ever to grace these halls."
"What, are you having an affair with Gilderoy Lockhart?" Draco smirked.
Harry shoved his shoulder lightly. "That old scaredy cat? He wasn't even that good looking. Besides, I wouldn't fancy a visit to ward 49 at St. Mungo's," he laughed. "I'm talking about you, of course. Impossibly, you look even more handsome with your hair this way."
He stroked it and smoothed the front out of Draco's eyes.
"There's another reason I cut my hair, you know," Draco ran his tongue over Harry's neck.
"Hm?"
"I want to look nice for our wedding. We are still getting married, aren't we?"
Harry pulled away and frowned. "Yes, why wouldn't we be?"
"We haven't planned a thing yet, and we've been living here together for almost two weeks," Draco pouted. He went back to licking Harry's neck.
"All right," Harry said. "Let's choose a date."
"Okay," Draco said, switching sides. "When?"
"Well, today is the fourteenth. How about Saturday in two weeks? That would be . . . the twenty-eighth?"
"Mm," Draco hummed against Harry's throat. "February? That's a dreadful month to get married. Besides, two weeks isn't enough time."
"Then how much time do you need to plan?"
"A month at minimum. Preferably two."
"Two months? You just got finished complaining that we weren't married yet."
Draco snickered. "No, I was complaining that we hadn't made any plans. And I wasn't complaining."
"Oh," Harry smirked. "I see. All right, then. Two months from today? Does that work for you?"
"April?" Draco kissed Harry's jaw. "That's doable."
"Second Saturday in April. Done," Harry said.
"Good. Now we can concentrate on tonight." Draco covered Harry's mouth with his own, kissing him hard, in contrast to the gentle kisses he'd been planting before.
Harry responded in kind, pressing his body into Draco's. They slowly made their way into the bedroom, where Harry pushed him onto the bed. Dressed only in their pants, it was clear that both were more than ready to make love.
Pulling down Draco's bright red briefs, Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Bloody hell," he muttered. "That's fucking brilliant."
Draco raised his head. "You like it?"
"I love it. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it." Harry stared at Draco's cock as it stood, at full attention and surrounded by clean shaven skin.
"I thought as long as I was getting rid of hair," Draco shrugged. "I've never gone completely bare before."
Harry bent over and gave the area a close inspection. He ran his fingers over Draco's smooth skin.
"Did you do this with magic?"
"Of course. It's a modified Evanesco. You don't think I would let someone with a blade near my knob, do you?"
"You'd better not be letting anybody near it, with or without a blade," Harry replied. "It's all mine." He gave a lick to Draco's bare bollocks.
Harry sat up and swiftly removed his own pants. "Do me."
"I intend to," Draco leered. He pushed Harry onto his back, with a hand on his chest.
"No, I mean, do the spell on me. I want to go hairless, too."
Draco smirked. "Hairless Harry?"
The brunette rolled his eyes.
"All right. I suppose I wouldn't mind getting the hair out of my way."
Reaching for his wand on the night stand, Draco prepared to do the spell on Harry.
"Wait," Harry said. "Just the hair right? Everything else stays."
Draco laughed. "It's perfectly safe. Believe me, I would be just as upset as you if your dick disappeared."
"I doubt that."
"Do you want me to do this or not?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, all right." Harry scrunched his eyes shut.
Waving the wand at Harry's nether regions, Draco whispered an incantation. He grinned at the results.
"Done."
Harry opened his eyes. "Brilliant."
"Yes, it is." Draco tossed his wand aside and descended on Harry's cock.
OOOOOOOO
"We're all set," Draco said. "Mother approved the date, though she wasn't exactly pleased with the short notice."
"You said two months was fine," Harry frowned.
"It is. She's just being dramatic. But the date is set in stone. April tenth." He stared at Harry uneasily.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Nothing's wrong."
"Draco?"
"We're having it at the Manor." Draco shrank back a step.
Harry bit his lip.
"You said whatever we planned would be fine. You said you didn't care."
"Yes, but the Manor?" Harry sighed. "How can I expect my friends to come?"
"You've seen it. It's not the same as it was. We can get married in the garden," Draco said. "Mother is already planning to have new rose bushes planted."
Harry stroked his chin. "The garden was beautiful. But the glass house is not very big."
"Not a problem for wizards," Draco smirked. "And we can have a celebration afterward in the ballroom."
"There's a ballroom in the Manor?"
"Of course."
"Well, I suppose it would be all right to get married in your family home," Harry relented.
Draco threw his arms around him. "Oh, thank you, Harry. It will be perfect. But we must send out owls this afternoon. I brought the invitations Mother had made. She's sent them out to my family and their circle of friends. I have a list of friends, which is very short, actually. So, you just need to decide who you'd like to invite. I'll help you."
"Well, I have no family. Perhaps Dudley. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon wouldn't come anyway. All the professors here. And of course, all of the Weasleys," Harry listed.
"What about your other friends? Longbottom or Finnigan?"
Harry hesitated. He knew Neville had voted against hiring Draco. "I don't know. I haven't really been in touch with many of my mates from school. No, just the Weasleys. Shite, I haven't told Ron and Hermione the date yet, it's happened so fast."
"Ron will be your best man?"
"Yes. What about you?"
"It's got to be Blaise. I owled him of our engagement, but I haven't told him the date yet either."
Harry sat down at his desk. "We'd better get to these straightaway."
The pair were nearly finished addressing the invitations when their floo roared to life.
"Hermione! I was just about to send you something," Harry brightened when he saw her face.
"Me too," she smiled. "Iv'e got news."
"So do we."
"You first," she offered.
"No, no, go ahead. You called me."
"Well, it's about our wedding," she began. "We've decided not to have a Christmas wedding after all."
"No? I thought you said you've always dreamed of a Christmas ceremony," Draco said.
"Yes, I know I said that. And Ron was willing to wait all the way until then. But once Molly and I started to plan . . . well, we just got so excited about the whole thing, we decided to push it up."
"That's brilliant," Harry said. "When is it?"
"I hope it's not too short notice, considering you'll be performing the best man duties. It's April the tenth. Molly has been quickly sending out invitations and we've secured a Minister." She paused. "What's wrong?"
Harry and Draco looked at one another. Neither one wanted to be the one to break the news. However, Harry felt it was his duty.
"Hermione, I don't know how to tell you this . . . but, that's the day we've chosen."
"What? When did you pick a date? Why didn't you tell us?"
"It happened so fast. We only decided two days ago. We're making out the invitations now, actually."
Hermione let out a breath. "Oh, then it's not too late for you to change."
"I'm sorry, Hermione, but it is," Draco said. "Mother has already sent out the information to family and her friends. It would be humiliating for her to have to rescind it. I know it sounds silly to you, but in pure blood society, it simply isn't done. As it is, having to announce that your son is marrying another man . . ." he trailed off.
"No, I understand," Hermione said. "You had no idea we'd changed ours. But I don't think we can change ours. The Weasleys aren't high society, but it may be embarrassing for them as well. Besides, we were very lucky to secure a Minister at all. It's Easter that weekend."
"It is? Did you know?" he asked Draco.
Draco nodded. "Yes, Mother had to settle for a public officiant for the ceremony."
"So . . . what are we going to do?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't know," Harry answered. He looked to Draco, clearly distraught.
"I'll talk to Mother. Perhaps, we can change it after all," Draco offered.
"Don't worry, Hermione, we'll figure something out." Harry tried to sound positive.
"All right," she sounded doubtful. "I'll let Ron know what's going on."
"I'll- we'll floo call you as soon as we've worked it out."
"I'm really sorry, Harry."
"Don't be. You and Ron got engaged first. You should get married first."
After ending the call, Harry turned to Draco. "What are you going to do? You said it was set in stone."
"Mother has had to learn to lower her standards a bit since the war. I suppose she'll have to lower them a little more."
"I'm so sorry," Harry told him.
Draco kissed the side of Harry's head. "The important thing is that we're together."
OOOOOOOO