Disclaimer: Sadly, these characters are not mine. They belong to J.K.R.

This New Life

Chap. 28 . Coming to an Understanding

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It wasn't until after supper on Christmas day that Harry finally got a look at the mysterious book that Draco had unwrapped that morning. Harry and Draco had hurried upstairs as soon as they put their dirty dishes in the sink, and then ensconced themselves in Draco's room. Harry plopped down onto the bed, stretching out to make himself comfortable as Draco shut the door. Upon turning around, Draco made a grimace of disapproval as he saw the state of his bedcovers. Harry had crumpled up the duvet and had knocked one of Draco's carefully placed pillows to the floor.

Harry was lying on his tummy, with his head propped up by his hands. He saw the look Draco was giving him, and then smiled as he reached down to grab the stray pillow from the floor.

"Whoops," Harry apologized, "Sorry about that. So, are you going to tell me about that secret book you got this morning, or what?"

Draco watched as Harry attempted to pull the various fuzz balls and dust bunnies from the fallen pillow. Harry looked up, and when they made eye contact, Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah." Harry's face turned a little red in embarrassment as he pulled his wand from within the folds of his robe and he quickly cast a cleaning charm on the pillow. Once satisfied with it, he tossed it back in its place and addressed Draco again.

"The book…?"

Draco grinned and went to his bedside table. As he withdrew the book from the drawer, he explained.

"It was from Severus just like you thought it was. In fact, look at the inscription inside."

He opened the book before Harry could make out the title and pointed to the small, embellished handwriting in the corner of the inside of the cover. It read:

From the personal library

of

Severus Snape

Harry's eyes widened in comprehension.

"Dad gave you one of his books?"

Draco smiled, obviously pleased that he had received such a gift. If there was one possession that his godfather favored above all others, it was his collection of books. The man only kept what he considered to be the most informative, rarest, or most costly books. For Severus to part with one of his personal books like that, meant a lot to Draco.

Draco closed the cover and handed the book to Harry. Harry repositioned himself on the bed so that he was now leaning on the headboard, next to where Draco had just settled himself. The book was somewhat on the small side, being about half the size of Harry's smallest text book, but it was thick and a somewhat heavy, despite its diminutive appearance. The cover was made of worn-looking brown leather, with the book's title embossed across the top. Harry let his fingers run across the raised ridges of the letters as he read the words.

Understanding Your Sexuality

Harry was silent for a moment, still staring at the book in disbelief. Finally he grinned mischievously and asked, "So, does it have any pictures?"

Draco chuckled in reply and enlightened him, "It's not that kind of book, Harry. This book is mostly informative. It explains the aspects of our type of relationship, and it covers the basics of anything of a physical nature that the relationship might involve."

"Oh…" Harry was somewhat disappointed. Despite how much trouble he had gotten into, he couldn't help but to think about the last book that Draco had shown to him. Just thinking about it was getting him turned on and he snuggled closer to Draco's side.

"Draco," Harry leaned his face closer to Draco's, "Can we kiss for a while?"

Draco swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, and he scooted a little further away from Harry's side. Harry looked at him in confusion and Draco decided that he'd better explain his intentions before Harry's feelings got hurt again.

"Harry, you have no idea how bad I want to kiss you right now, but I made a promise to both Severus and myself to not take things any further until you knew everything it involved. I want you to read this book and then we need to talk about a few things before we can go any further than just hugs for now."

Draco almost cringed at the look of disappointment etched across Harry's face, but nevertheless, Harry took the book and made his way to his room to read it, pouting all the way there. Draco's mouth curved into a smile as he watched the other boy go. Harry wasn't aware of just how endearing he was when he pouted like that, and it made Draco more anxious than ever to be able to take things to the next level with the raven-haired teen.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry spent the following three days cooped up in his room reading the book, only coming out for his meals and the occasional game of chess with anyone he could wrangle into playing with him. At first, Severus questioned the boy's sudden solitude, worried that Harry was withdrawn due to the talk he had had with the boy on Christmas Eve, but when Draco took him aside and explained what was going on, he was relieved, and he commended Draco on his plan of action regarding the situation.

It was late morning on the forth day that Harry left his room with book in hand, stopping in front of Draco's bedroom door to hesitantly knock on its surface. Draco opened the door and ushered Harry inside, neither speaking until they were both settled next to each other, both sitting in their favorite positions; snuggled up to each other as they leaned against the headboard.

What followed was a long talk, where they both expressed their expectations and limitations, and anything else that came up in the conversation in regard to their relationship, until Draco was satisfied that Harry was fully informed on all aspects, including physical ones. Once it all fell silent once more, Draco couldn't help but to look nervously in Harry's direction, wondering if the other teen would still be comfortable with his shows of affection knowing what that type of thing led to. Suddenly, he received his answer when Harry leaned closer and pressed his lips against Draco's. Within a heart beat, Draco returned the heated kiss, pushing his tongue into Harry's mouth and savoring the feel and taste of him.

After a few minutes, they broke apart, panting for air. Harry took the momentary pause to straddle Draco's lap, wrapping his arms around Draco's neck and leaning his face down to kiss his way down the pale throat. When his lips reached the juncture where the graceful curve of Draco's neck met the tensed muscle of his shoulder, Harry bit down lightly; enjoying the uncivilized sounding squeak that issued from Draco's parted lips.

Harry leaned back to fully take in the look of lust on Draco's face and the other teen took the opportunity to push Harry back until he rested on the bed, his knees bent, and his feet on either side of Draco's hips. Harry stilled his body and allowed Draco to take control of the situation. And when those skilled hands snaked up Harry's shirt to briefly rub over his nipples, Harry had to suppress the moan the action caused out of fear that one of the adults might hear. The last thing he wanted right now was for his father to discover what they were doing and put a stop to it.

Harry was pulled out of his wandering thoughts when the warm hand that had been pinching his left nipple wandered down and started to undo the button on his trousers. After a moment or two of awkward fumbling, Draco was able to free Harry's straining erection and he wrapped his hand around it. Harry gasped as Draco gave his member a light squeeze, and before Harry had a chance to urge Draco on, the blonde took the initiative and began pumping his hand up and down.

Being wholly inexperienced, and extremely hormone driven at the moment, Harry lasted only a few moments under Draco's ministrations, thrusting up into the heat of his hand until he came, making a mess over Draco's palm and across his own stomach.

Afterwards, Harry felt as if he could melt into the mattress below him. If this is what it feels like, he mused, than I'll have to make a point to do this more often. As he lay there with a silly grin on his face, he felt Draco shift around a bit before he lay down as well, pressing his body up against Harry's. And that's when Harry felt the wet patch of fabric over Draco's groin. Oh God, he came in his pants! The thought threatened to turn him on again, but at this point, Harry was so languid, he could barely muster up the energy to move.

Harry turned his face to Draco and pulled the blonde's head down to engage him with another kiss. This time the kiss was slow and gentle, letting more emotion pass between them than the raw lust of just moments before. Between them passed a moment of understanding. A moment that clearly stated to each of them what was not said with words. A moment that was expressed to each of them as 'I love you'.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was lunchtime, and Severus and Remus sat at the small table waiting for the two teens to show up. The food had been set out ten minutes ago, and Severus irritably drummed his fingers against the table's worn wooden surface.

"Where are they?" He asked of no one in particular. "They know lunch is served promptly at noon."

"Take it easy, Severus," Remus interceded, "I'll find them."

Remus quickly went in search of the boys, deciding to check their bedrooms first. Having knocked on Harry's and getting no reply, Remus headed for Draco's shut door.

As he neared it he could hear hurried movements from within and a steady stream of whispering. He knocked on the door and without waiting for an answer he announced, "Boys, it's Remus. It's time for lunch." He waited a moment longer and then walked in.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry and Draco were lightly dosing on the bed, snuggled together and, at least in Harry's case, still in a state of partial undress. That's when they heard it…footsteps. Suddenly, both their eyes shot open and they spared but a single glace at each other before they leaped off the bed. As Draco hurried to straighten his crumpled clothes and Harry quickly tucked himself away and refastened his trousers, they could hear someone knock on Harry's door.

Panicking, Draco swiftly began whispering directives as he whipped out his wand to clean up the sticky mess that their activities had left behind. "Hurry! Smooth out the blanket. The book, Harry! Put away the book. Oh for Merlin's sake, Harry! Pull up your zipper!"

Draco had just cast his final evenesco over his hands as the footsteps stopped in front of their door and a loud knock resounded through the room. They both immediately stilled, casting their eyes over the room to be sure they hadn't missed anything. Then a strong voice called out from beyond the closed door, "Boys, it's Remus. It's time for lunch."

Draco relaxed slightly knowing it was not his godfather there, but then Remus walked in. The man stopped just beyond the threshold, eyeing the two guilty looking teenagers. His eyes narrowed and he went a step further into the room before he stopped again and took a sniff of the air. His eyes suddenly widened in surprise before swiftly narrowing again in suspicion.

"What have you two been doing in here?"

"Uh…," Harry started to attempt an explanation, but one harsh look from Draco had him shutting his mouth just as hastily as he had opened it. Remus raised an eyebrow at Draco at the suspicious behavior, but still he said nothing. After a moment or two where nothing was said, Remus excused Harry from the room.

"Harry, go on down to lunch. Let your father know that Draco and I will be down shortly."

Harry left the room as slowly as a condemned man towards the gallows. He just knew that Remus had figured it out, and it was only a matter of time before his father knew as well…then he would be grounded for life.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Draco," Remus began, "I want the truth, and I want it now."

Draco was taken aback at the stern tone that Remus had taken. Usually, the man was very laid back about things; a time or two, he had even stood up for them when Severus had caught them in one of their misadventures. But now, he seemed angry. Well, here goes nothing... Draco thought, and he proceeded to tell Remus about the events of the morning, conveniently leaving out as many details about the physical aspects as he could.

Once Remus was certain that the teens had not gone 'all the way', he seemed to relax a little, but warned Draco that they had better not take things too far or there would be serious consequences. Draco promised to take things more slowly for a while and was able to get Remus to agree to withhold this bit of information to himself for 'as long as you prove yourself trustworthy, Draco' .

Knowing he was safe from his godfather's wrath for the time being, Draco thanked Remus for his discretion and they walked down to lunch together, offering their apologies to Severus for their lengthy disappearance.

Once Draco sat down, he shared a look with Harry that put the boy at ease and they finished their meal without further incident.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After the scare they had the day Remus had to find them for lunch, the two teens were more cautious with their activities. The remainder of their holiday was spent finding new ways to excite each other; and each evening, Harry could be found sneaking his way into Draco's room to sleep after the adults had went to bed.

The first week of January found them finally back in their quarters at Hogwarts, the pair of them not quite as enthusiastic as much as they otherwise would have been, knowing that it would be increasingly more difficult to hide their activities now that Severus' room was next to their own instead of being on separate floors as it had been in the cottage.

Surprisingly though, things were made even more difficult for them when Remus decided to move in several weeks later. The boys were sitting down for supper when Severus broke the news to them, and Harry was absolutely enthusiastic about the whole idea. Even more so when Remus had promised to be the one to take Harry to his check-up with Madam Pomfrey the following week.

They were all pleased to find out that Harry had progressed to a mental age of 14 and was in perfect health. The extra nutrient potions he had been taking on a daily basis for the past several months had strengthened his bones and even contributed to a growth spurt. Pomfrey finally decided that Harry had progressed enough to be taken off the nutrient potions, and Harry couldn't be happier.

As time went by, the teens found that Remus was taking even more responsibility for their care the closer it got to end of term. Severus seemed to stay so busy as of lately, what with preparing his students for their end of year exams and all. Even Harry found himself busier than usual.

Severus had pleaded Harry's case to the school's governors and it had been approved for him to take his 7th year exams at the end of summer, so now each day was filled. If he wasn't in one of his regular classes, Harry was with Remus or his father being tutored in an attempt to make sure he would be ready for his testing in time. Draco helped out where he could, going to great lengths to ensure that Harry would succeed, even going as far as to request Hermione's help in developing a study schedule that would allow Draco an opportunity to tutor Harry himself every once in a while. Draco found that he benefited from all of the extra studying as well, and he really came to enjoy the time they got to spend together quizzing each other. Hermione started to show up every other day or so to help, and Draco was surprised to find that he was actually starting to look forward to the girl's presence.

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By the time April rolled around, the entire school had gotten used to seeing Draco, Hermione, and Harry together. By then, they were being called the new Hogwarts Trio, and could often be found in the library, walking by the Black Lake, or sitting beneath the shade of one of the many trees that dotted the rolling hills around the school.

Harry had been to Madam Pomfrey a few days prior and found that he was finally back to the same cognitive level he had been at before the abduction took place a year and a half ago. With this new found knowledge came new privileges as well, and he and Draco were able to be more open now with their affection towards each other in public. In fact, the boys had to be warned on a couple of occasions when they were caught kissing in the corridors between classes.

Remus had been the first to catch them. The man struggled to keep a straight face as he lectured them, but it was hard to do considering how red both their faces had gotten in their embarrassment. He sympathized with them, certainly. He had been young once as well, and still remembered his adventurous rendezvous in the occasional empty corridor at their age.

The second time, they were caught by McGonagall herself. At first, she merely stared at the boys in shock before regaining her composure and chewing them both out. They had planned on ignoring her warning until she threatened to tell Severus about the incident. It wasn't until McGonagall started to walk away that Harry grumpily muttered under his breath, "I never figured McGonagall would be such a snitch."

When her voice floated back around the corner with a "I heard that, Mr. Potter!" they both took off running, praying to every deity they could think of that she would not tell on them. Little did they know that she turned that very same corner just in time to watch them high-tail it down the corridor, and she leaned against the stone wall and laughed about it to herself.

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A/N: Sorry to end this chapter so abruptly, but I needed a good stopping point. I am going to try to wrap things up for this story, so there is a good chance that the next chapter will be the last…we'll see.

The next story I will be working on will most likely be something with some major angst in it…some abuse, some cutting, depression…that sort of thing. I am open to ideas and suggestions regarding the new story, so feel free to contact me. I already have a general outline of the events, but I might wait to start posting until I have the first few chapters written.

Please don't forget to review; I just love seeing what you all have to say!

Thanks to you all!!