Chapter Title: A Cruel Game
Summary: Draco Malfoy loses his memory after the battle that destroyed the Dark Lord for good and Harry Potter finds himself protecting the Malfoy heir from renegade Death Eaters who would see him dead for his actions against Voldemort. Rating will rise to M in 2nd arch.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Pairing: Harry/Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione, slight Blaise/Maximus, OC/OC
Spoiler Warning: This fic was written before the publishing of Deathly Hallows, and is therefore not compatible with the seventh book. All canon events within the first six books, however, were taken under careful consideration. This story is complete and has 59 chapters. For the more explicit version of this story, go to aff.

Alternate Warnings: Rating T is for violence, swearing and adult sexual situations (which will occur later in the fic, please be patient) which include, but are not limited to, homosexuality. Also contains characters dealing with serious subjects like death and grief, so standard angst warnings apply. Further warnings apply for suspense, horror, gore, and strong themes like rape and insanity. Rating WILL rise from T to M, and possibly MA, depending on how much time I will have to edit certain chapters before posting.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading.

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Cruel Game

The next morning...

~*~

When Harry first opened his eyes some fifteen hours later and did not immediately see Draco lying next to him, Harry panicked and sat straight up, blinking the sleep from his eyes and looking around madly.

"Potter," Draco murmured to his left. "I am here."

Harry twisted in the sheets and saw Draco reclined in a chair, looking over the rim of a scroll he had retrieved from the library, no doubt, and watching Harry carefully, his face unreadable.

Draco offered half a smile. "You've been alseep since yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"Why the fuck did you do that?" Harry snapped, his eyes suddenly going bright and fevered. Harry immediately freed himself from the sheets and went to stand over Draco and his. "You scared me to death, Malfoy!"

"I was trying to prove a point."

"A point?"

"Did you feel it?"

Harry blinked at him, wanting to scream and shout but rendered speechless because the question caught him off guard.

"When I was dying," Draco said quietly, patiently, lowering the scroll and setting it aside. "Did you feel it?"

Harry remembered the weakness in his limbs and the inexplicable dizziness. "Yes," he said.

"I needed you to understand," Draco said so softly, Harry could barely here him, though his gray eyes spoke in loud volumes. "We're in this together, you and I; whether we like it or not."

Harry's mouth fell slack for a moment before his anger exploded. "COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST--"

"Told you?" Draco interrupted calmly. "I did try, if you recall. But, alas, people don't fucking listen."

Harry snapped his jaw closed and pressed his lips into a thin line, staring back at Draco incredulously. "You must figure out less extreme ways of getting things accomplished, Malfoy," Harry said finally. "You cannot slit your wrist every time we have an argument."

Draco stood, Harry already so close that the action caused their bodies to be mere inches apart. Harry breathed in and tried to classify Draco's scent. It was a sharp, clean smell...accompanied by something else sweet and exotic. Draco smelled like forbidden things, and Harry's heart beat faster for it.

Draco reached up and placed a finger beneath Harry's chin, forcing Harry to meet his gaze. Frustration and the residual murmur of worry swam beneath the surface of Harry's emerald green orbs and Draco was amazed, mesmerized by the meaning behind Harry's gaze. "Such concern for my welfare," Draco whispered.

"I really shouldn't," Harry muttered to himself before lowering his head and pressing his lips against Draco's, lacing his fingers into the fine hair at the base of Draco's neck.

Draco answered almost immediately, clutching at Harry's shirt collar and moaning as Harry's tongue swept into his mouth. Harry's lips moved over his in an almost professional manner, and his limbs quivered with restraint until Draco pulled back slightly to run his teeth along Harry's lower lip. Then, with an animalistic growl, Harry dug his fingers deeper into Draco's hair and yanked violently, using the leverage to plunder Draco's mouth savagely. Overwhelmed by Harry's sudden spike of passion, Draco succumbed to a shivering thing in the young Auror's arms, moaning as Harry's tongue seemed to be everywhere in his mouth at once.

Suddenly, Harry clutched Draco's shoulders, turned him, and pushed him gently onto the bed. Eager fingers reached up and pulled Harry down atop him, and Harry allowed himself a guttural moan as his hardening prick pressed against Draco's. Watching Harry's eyes slide closed Draco wondered, fleetingly, how many people were able to see him this way.

Draco gasped when Harry shifted and then pressed back against him, the friction between them sending shivers up and down Draco's spine and he arched into it. Draco wrapped the sheets around him in his fingers, waiting for the next surge of Harry's hips against his, but it never came. Draco looked up at his tormentor through the haze of his desire, seeing Harry gazing down at him with the same questioning restraint that began the kiss.

"We can't--"

"Oh, no," Draco mocked softly, grabbing Harry's shirt and pulling him down, flush against his body, and grazing his teeth along Harry's jaw-line and nipping at the lobe of his ear. "We can't, we shouldn't, we mustn't," Draco whispered against Harry's ear before running his tongue along the lobe and pulling it gently into his mouth with his teeth.

Harry groaned, the muscles of his arms on either side of Draco quivering as he fought to keep himself from completely collapsing on top of the Malfoy heir.

"But we are," Draco whispered, spreading his ministries down the side of Harry's throat. Harry's neck arched into the touch and he moved his head to the side as Draco placed warm kisses down the length of his throat and the jut of his collarbone, undoing Harry's shirt-buttons as he went. "And doesn't it feel wonderful?"

Harry thrust his hips against Draco's in answer, beginning a slow steady rhythm, and Draco buried his face into Harry's now bare chest, lost in the sensation of friction building between them and the heat pooling in their stomachs. Harry dipped his head, spreading small, quiet kisses over Draco's face, and Draco was swept up in the savage tenderness of it all.

Draco lifted his face; arching his body as close to Harry's as possible and allowed Harry to move his mouth over his once again. Harry's searching fingers sought and found the lower hem of Draco's shirt, lifting it slightly and slipping his hand underneath. Draco shivered against Harry's touch as his hand moved up and over Draco's stomach and chest, gasping against Harry's mouth when his fingers found and gently twisted a nipple before moving on, finding a new place to torment.

Harry's thrusting hips steadily began to gather speed, the friction between their groins making their erections nearly unbearable, and Draco began to lose focus on meeting Harry's kiss, lost in the sensations shooting up his spine and the stars bursting behind his closed lids.

Harry ran his tongue down the flesh of Draco's throat, knowing Draco was lost in the storm of his impending orgasm, keeping the pace of his thrusts against Draco as steady as possible. When Harry reached the collar of Draco's black silk shirt, Harry all but ripped it open causing Draco to smile hazily. Harry dipped his head once again and latched on to one small pink nipple, lapping at it with his tongue in tantalizing circle-like motions before biting down and then smoothing over the sting with a swipe of his tongue, earning small mewling noises from the back of Draco's throat as Harry sped up his thrusting pace to an almost frantic speed.

Suddenly, Draco clutched violently at Harry's arms, digging his fingers painfully into the skin. Draco's eyes went dark with surprise as he stared up at Harry. Harry watched, his intense gaze doing more for Draco than his hips were, as the body beneath him tightened like a bowstring and Draco's eyes lost their focus. Then, meeting Harry's thrusts in four jerky, final movements, Draco groaned loudly, his orgasm overwhelming him, and finally collapsed against the sheets beneath Harry's fascinated, intense gaze.

Without a word, Harry moved to the side and laid next to Draco, waiting patiently for him to catch his breath and re-gather his wits. When Draco finally looked back at him, a slow smile curved his lips.

Harry took in a deep breath, his eyes sharp and knowing. "That was your first orgasm, wasn't it?" Harry asked softly.

Draco chuckled. "No," Draco said answered. "It was my first with another person, granted, but not my first altogether. My own hand does wonders, I'll have you know."

Harry groaned and flung his arm over his hands.

Draco raised a brow, not entirely in the mood for Harry's dramatics. "What?"

"You're seriously a virgin, mate?" Harry clarified under his arm.

Draco frowned. "I was making a potion to save your arse in the Chinese wilderness when you and everyone else was a having their first shag, Potter," Draco said heatedly.

Harry moved his arm and looked back at Draco. "Have I ever thanked you for that?"

"What?" Draco asked, confused. "Your first shag?"

"No," Harry whispered intensely. "For saving my life."

Draco looked away, that nameless thing behind Harry's eyes too much to bear directly. "No...But I don't want you to."

Harry tenderly touched Draco's face, urging him to look back at him. "You need to hear it, Draco."

Draco's surprised gray eyes lifted back to Harry's green gaze.

"Thank you," Harry murmured.

Draco moved forward abruptly and kissed Harry passionately, trying to push away the fright of his own vulnerability that suddenly bubbled up inside of him.

A pop sounded by the door and they both jumped. Draco sat up and sent a withering glare Slightly's direction and the house elf shrank back, wringing her hands.

"Slightly is here to ask Harry Potter if he would like breakfast like Master told her," Slightly squeaked. "Master did say so."

"That's all right, Slightly," Harry responded kindly, putting a restraining hand on Draco's elbow. "I'm not--"

Draco suddenly whirled on him. "If you say you're not hungry, Merlin save me, I'm going to hex you most spectacularly! You need to eat; especially after last night. Why don't you ever eat?"

Taken aback, Harry's eyes widened and flickered to the nervous house elf by the door. "I'll...have some eggs, Slightly. Hard boiled, if you please. Thank you."

Slightly nodded vigorously before popping back out of the room.

Harry stood and walked into the bathroom, and even though it was cleaned of any hint of blood, Harry still had traces of Draco's dried blood on his skin. Harry turned on the faucet of the sink and watched as the steam from the hot water fogged up the mirror. Slipping out of his shirt, Harry discarded it on the floor and began scrubbing the flaky, dried blood from his hands and arms. Draco moved into the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe.

"What about you?" Draco asked, his eyes laughing again in that insufferable way.

Harry looked over a muscled shoulder. "What?"

Draco gestured casually with a flick of his wrist and Harry glanced down at his still, unbelievably hard erection pressing against his pants. Harry shrugged. "When it concerns you, Malfoy, I am quite certain I've withstood worse."

Draco smirked and moved forward, turning off the faucet and placing himself between Harry and the sink. "Come now, Potter," Draco murmured, deliberately unzipping Harry's trousers and sliding his hand inside. "I find I like it better when you call me Draco. What must I do to have you call me Draco?"

Harry twitched when Draco closed his fingers around his aching shaft and began to move his hand torturously up and down the silky, hard length. "That," Harry gasped, pressing his face into the crook between Draco's neck and shoulder, the muscles in his neck suddenly turned to liquid.

"Oh?" Draco teased, running his thumb over the head's slit and using the using the moisture gathering there as lubricant as he continued to work Harry's straining phallus. "So say it."

"Draco," Harry murmured against Draco's shoulder.

"Hmm?" Draco murmured against a cruel smile, a smile that was only Draco, as he moved to the base of Harry's cock and squeezed, kissing the exposed side of Harry's neck.

"Draco!" Harry gasped, clutching Draco's shoulders.

Draco tugged harder and reached up with his free hand to lift Harry's face to meet his in a brutal kiss. Draco pulled Harry's lower lip onto his mouth with his teeth and sucked on it before releasing it and pushing his tongue past the young Auror's swollen lips. "Again," Draco whispered.

"Draco," Harry breathed against Draco's mouth and Draco twisted his wrist around Harry's cock, now quivering against Draco's skilled hand. Draco reached lower and cupped Harry's balls, fondling them slightly before pressing two fingers against that sensitive spot behind them. Harry cried out against Draco mouth and Draco bit down on Harry's lip when Harry arched against him and began moving his hips to meet the movements of Draco's hand.

"Draco..."

Draco pulled even faster, working the length, twisting and adding pressure, until Harry was moving against his hand so erratically; it was stirring his own groin back to life.

"Come for me, Harry. That's it..."

Harry came with a shout, wrapping his arms around Draco's neck and shivering as the residual spasm of his orgasm shook his body. Draco held him close, rocking him slowly. "Shh, I've got you. I've got you."

When Harry finally calmed and raised his eyes to Draco's, he brought up a finger and traced the line of Draco's jaw before pressing a small kiss to Draco's lips. Draco smirked when Harry pulled away. "Now let's get you cleaned up. You really are filthy."

Harry rolled his eyes and reached passed him to turn the faucet back on. "Real cute, Malfoy. You sure know how to ruin a moment."

"No worse than you, I must say."

"You were right; your hand does work wonders."

Draco laughed. "Um, by the way, where the hell are you sleeping?"

"The study."

"Well, now, that just won't do."

To Be Continued...

A/N: I will say! This was a lot fluffier before I edited it. I cut out soo much, it makes me wince I actually posted half of it when I wrote this however many years ago. I'm trying not to change too much because a part of me feels like I need to know to grow, if that makes sense. But I am doing my best to cut out as many cliché-esque fluff as I can, without re-writing it entirely. I hope this chapter was not as painful for you as it was for me.