Chapter 25

"Potter, time to wake up," Malfoy whispered in Harry's ear.

"I didn't sleep." Harry whispered back, though he didn't really know why he kept his voice low.

"I know." Malfoy simply replied and crawled out of bed. The blond threw him the clothes they had decided on wearing the day before, and picked up the pants for his own array. Harry caught the clothes midair and spread the garments out over the bed to find what he was supposed to put on first.

"You know," he said as he found the arms of the shirt and pulled it on, buttoning it up. "I've never really known when I was going to have to face death before. This is a first. It feels kind of… strange…"

"Are you scared, Potter?" Malfoy asked, just a little bit of taunting in his voice.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Of course I'm scared." He said.

Malfoy turned his head and opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, then he shut it and just shook his head a little with a bemused smile.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"You are putting your pants on hindforemost. And I'm sure it's easier to clothe yourself standing, rather than sitting in my bed." Malfoy commented.

"You're the one always complaining about not wanting to see my legs," Harry said as he pulled the pants off for a new try.

"I think I can live through this one." Malfoy said with a shrug and pulled a tie around his neck.

They had decided – or rather; Malfoy had decided – that a nondescript muggle suit probably was the best choice of clothes for a mission such as this. They would pose as security guards to get inside of the museum, and then take it from there.

Harry climbed out of bed and put the pants on, the right way this time around. After putting on his own jacket he began searching in his trunk after an appropriate pair of socks. After finding one, Harry sat down on the bed again to put them on his feet.

"We bring the invisibility cloak and the polyjuice; do you think there's anything more we need?"

"If we could get a hold of a couple of bottles of Felix Felicis, I wouldn't complain," Malfoy said, turned to the mirror he had conjured, floating in midair. "But other than that I-… Oh, for Merlin's sake, Potter!" Malfoy burst as he shot a glance in Harry's direction.

"What?" he asked in surprise. The socks were just plain black, what was wrong with that?

"Do you know how to clothe yourself?" Malfoy asked with a heavy sigh.

Something, apparently, seeing as Malfoy walked over and pulled Harry to his feet.

"You missed a button." Malfoy said and pointed. Harry looked down at the bump on his shirt.

"Oh."

Before he could do anything, Malfoy had begun freeing the buttons from their respective holes. Slowly but surely, Harry's torso was revealed.

After unbuttoning the whole thing, Malfoy said: "I'd better do your tie, too, with the skill you have with clothing today you would probably strangle yourself with it…" and picked up the tie from the bed.

Malfoy placed the cool silk directly against the skin on his throat. "Just pull the shirt under it once you have buttoned it again,"

Malfoy's hands worked quickly, making a far better knot than Harry had ever managed with magic. Once done, Malfoy pressed his palm to the fabric, laying it flat against Harry's chest. Then he took a step back, looking at Harry, not far from how an artist admiring his work probably would do.

But as Harry stood there, staring at Malfoy staring at him, something in the Slytherin's face changed. Malfoy looked at him as if he could eat him. Or possibly even kiss him. Harry's breath hitched in his throat as he watched the blond. No one, no one – which really said something -, had ever looked at Harry with such complete adoration. More than anything, Malfoy looked like he wanted to snog Harry down against the bed.

And for an insane moment, Harry thought that he would let him.

But then Malfoy shook his head and stepped back even further, back to the floating mirror.

"I don't know what it is, but hand-made ties always look better than those tied with magic…" Malfoy said, as if the moment that just happened… hadn't happened.

But Harry knew it had. It didn't feel unreal, didn't feel like he had just imagined it. It felt too real. Malfoy's eyes staring at him, making his skin hot and his breath heavy.

What in Merlin's name had happened?

But two could play Malfoy's game. "Yeah, I don't know, maybe magic has a problem with fine motorics…" he said with a little laugh.

Malfoy laughed with him, a perfect, though emotionless really, laugh.

Harry turned away to button his shirt and put on his shoes, and doing so in silence.

Merlin. And the strangest part was that Harry wasn't surprised. Or, no; he was surprised, just not chocked. Like Draco Malfoy actually could look at Harry Potter with adoration in his eyes in real life.

He turned around, feeling the need to distract himself from his raging mind, and opened his mouth to say something. Though he forgot what as soon as he laid his eyes on Malfoy.

Unlike Harry, Malfoy apparently knew how to clothe himself. Whilst Harry felt like he was a ten-year-old running around in his father's suit – well maybe not his father's -, Malfoy looked like he had been born to wear this thing.

The dark trousers made Malfoy's legs seem even longer. The jacket fit snugly around his waist and shoulders and the tie made him look very adult and mature. And for the first time in a long while, his blond hair was combed back.

Sounds slipped out of Harry's mouth, but it certainly wasn't words. It was possible he had entirely lost the ability to speak comprehensibly.

Malfoy looked back at him with slightly raised eyebrows. His face stood out with the hair combed back. The grey eyes were clear, awake, shimmering like silver, and his lips…

Before Harry knew what happened he had taken several steps forward. He just… wanted to touch Malfoy a little. Or possibly a lot.

"You should probably close your mouth…" Malfoy suddenly said, without any particular tone of voice.

Harry blinked and reconnected to his brain. "Yes. Yes, I probably should."

Merlin.

From out of nowhere, both he and Malfoy had suddenly become transfixed with the beauty of the other. Or whatever it was Malfoy had been transfixed with. But Harry was positive; he had never seen anyone as handsome as Draco Malfoy in that very moment.

Thank Merlin they would only be wearing these suits for today.

My, seems Harry fancied that suit... or maybe what's in it...? XD

Er... yes, I might accidentally be... one, two, three... yes, five hours late. In my defence I bought a new video-game Saturday. Dragon Age II. Anyone who has played that or the prequel knows why I haven't touched my computer this weekend (has it on my 360). It's absolutely bloody amazing.

Yes, I'm addicted.

Any late updates can be blamed on the game for the next week or so...!

Anyhow, hope you enjoyed. Until next time, everyone!