Draco meandered through the corridors on the train, trying to find Harry's compartment. In order to find Harry's compartment, Draco had to contend with the myriad of horny teenagers hoping for a Christmas kiss with Hogwarts' Veela, and that was becoming an increasingly stressful obstacle to mitigate.
"No, no thank you." Draco hastily backed out of a carriage of amorous fourth years who were inviting him to stay.
"Awww, no, stay! Come on, it'll be fun." They cooed at him, tossing their hair and giggling coquettishly.
Draco backed away quickly, slamming the door of the carriage in the faces of the cloying fourth years. Taking a steadying breath, he schooled his features into a blank mask and set off along the train to try and find where his Gryffindor was.
After passing a large group of Hufflepuffs (fleeing for the most part) and hiking through a section of Ravenclaws Draco sighed in relief and revelled in the irony that he felt safer in the midst of the Gryffindors. Safe as a snake in the midst of a proud pride of lions. A year ago Draco would have hexed anyone who suggested such a thing, but now he could only shrug it off.
Recognising familiar faces, Draco relaxed a little. Away from Blaise and Pansy and their berating influence Draco began to feel the calm of the magic he associated with Harry.
He could feel Harry's magic was near and the tension in his shoulders rolled away from him. Taking euphoric steps towards Harry's compartment, Draco realised he just wanted to feel safe, where he knew he wouldn't be judged or scorned, and Harry would make him feel better. He wanted the security of knowing he made the right choices, of standing up for Harry and their relationship. Unconsciously the bond reached out for Harry, glowing to lure his mate to him.
Hearing Harry's laugh, Draco walked with purpose towards the far compartment, but his path was suddenly blocked by a solid body.
"So that's three liquorish wands, and – oh hey!" Seamus paused and looked down at the smaller boy. "What's up Malfoy?"
"Nothing." Draco said, distracted and irritated by the Irish boy's presence, blocking his path to Harry.
"You alright? You want to come in and sit for a while? You look a little upset." Seamus stopped and squatted down to get a closer look at Draco's face.
"It's nothing. I'm here to see Harry." Draco said dismissively, frowning at the taller boy, looking past him to the compartment from which he heard Harry's laughter.
"Oh." Seamus' voice was slightly off. "Oh yeah. He's just down there. With Ron and Nev."
Finnegan stared at Draco for a while longer, his eyes blank and unfocused.
"Uh." Draco blinked, realising the trouble he was in. "Finnegan?"
"Yeah?" Seamus asked in a similar far away voice. His eyes trained to Draco's lips, moving across the rest of Draco's pale face. The reflection of Draco's glow made the Irish boy's skin look shiny, the oils on his nose and forehead glistening in the mild white light.
Draco recoiled slightly from the face, still looking down the corridor to Harry's compartment, to impart a small sense of security and nearby sanctuary.
Finnegan leaned into Draco, taking a step forward, and Draco flinched.
"Finnegan? Move?" Draco asked. He meant to say it definitively, but he couldn't help the quaver in his voice.
He was upset before, and he was always uncomfortable around Finnegan since the attack. He really couldn't help it. There were times when his strength would just falter and the fear and panic he felt in the corridor would bubble up in him and make him feel helpless again. It was then that Draco would cleave to Harry for comfort, and Harry was just down the corridor.
But Finnegan took Draco's request the wrong way and took another looming step closer to the small blonde, the vacant unnerving look in his eyes causing a spike of panic for Draco.
"Finnegan?" Draco asked again, his voice laced with panic. "Where is your amulet?"
Drawn by the tones of panic, Dean Thomas and Terry Boot poked their heads out from their compartment curiously.
"What amulet?" Seamus murmured, his mind muffled by his susceptibility to Veelic magic. Draco took a hesitant step back, aware of the present need to get as far away from Finnegan as possible while he was like this.
"Mate?" Dean questioned casually. He barely had time to take in the distant expression on Seamus' face before the sandy haired Irish boy propelled into action, reacting to the threat of competition, leaping on Draco and pushing the blonde to the floor.
Several of the boys yelled with the sudden motion, surprised at the swiftness with which Seamus switched from lucid to lustful. Perhaps this was the reason for their lack of action.
In an instant Seamus was straddling Draco and pinning him roughly to the floor, tearing at his clothes wildly. Draco flinched and twisted, trying desperately to repel the other boy. He managed to draw his wand, but barely had time to react when it was knocked from his hand, skittering across the corridor floor.
"Ahhh, get off me! Let go! Let me go!" Draco shrieked, struggling against the larger boy ineffectively. He pushed and writhed away from the stronger boy's hands tearing at his clothes, at his skin, until Seamus grabbed his shoulders and slammed him painfully against the floor, stilling Draco for a moment's pain.
Dean and Terry gaped at Seamus, for a while not processing that the violent act that was occurring before them was actually happening.
Dean especially had been in denial for the longest time that Seamus was capable of hurting anyone, even the tempestuous Malfoy, despite Draco's protestations. Even when Seamus had lunged for Draco that time in Harry's bed, Dean hadn't believed Seamus would have done anything. He had thought it was an overreaction on Draco's behalf.
Now seeing the Slytherin Veela gasping in pain and fear at his best friend's hands, his eyes screwed shut with loathing, partly to stop the tears from slipping out again, Dean realised he couldn't deny it anymore.
Seamus dragged his tongue over Draco's neck, holding his head with one hand, the other hand pinning Draco's arm to the floor. Draco screamed in agony when Seamus bit down hard on his neck, the pain affecting him twice as much due to his Veelic nature.
At this Dean and Terry sprung into action, diving on Seamus and trying to pull him away from Draco. Yelling, Dean and Terry tried hauling Seamus' arms back only to face the Irish boy's flying fists.
The commotion could be heard from down the corridor, and the moment Harry registered the screaming, coupled with the tension he could feel in the bond he was on his feet and racing to find Draco, Ron, Hermione and Neville tearing after him.
Seeing his Veela struggling, screaming and sobbing on the floor under another boy, Harry's vision flashed red with possessive anger. The anger empowering him, Harry stampeded down the corridor and in one swift movement, wrenched Seamus off Draco and threw him into the corridor wall.
Terry and Dean had minimal success at repelling Seamus, and so were dumbstruck at Harry's display of strength that they couldn't move. Therefore they didn't prevent Harry from pummelling his fists into Seamus' face.
"I said don't fucking touch him!" Harry yelled with each punch. Seamus fought back in a sort of vague haze. He blocked a few of Harry's punches, but slowly seemed to be coming back to himself.
Ron, Terry and Dean stood awkwardly, unsure whether to break up the fight, but Hermione hurried to Draco's side, helping him off the floor. Draco shivered getting up, cupping a hand to the wound on his neck and snatching his wand up from the floor, his breath hitching with the pain and shock.
"H – Harry?" Seamus blinked, realising who was fighting him and where he was.
"He's mine." Harry growled, holding Seamus by the scruff of his collar.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, her voice reprimanding.
Harry shook Seamus once more, glaring angrily at him, before slamming him against the corridor wall again and leaving him alone. He turned swiftly to Draco and put his arm around the blonde's shoulders, his hand resting on the nape of his neck, and led him wordlessly to the end compartment, not looking at anyone else.
Ron and Hermione started to follow him, but Harry closed the compartment door behind him, signifying that he wished to be left alone with Draco. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, before turning back to handle Seamus and the boys.
The moment Harry and Draco were alone, Draco jumped onto Harry, wrapping his arms around the taller boy's neck.
"Oh God! I've been looking everywhere for you." Draco gushed, trying not to sob as he felt vulnerable enough already. He was shivering, and pressing his face to Harry's neck, soaking in the magic for comfort.
Harry clutched Draco tighter to him and brushed his hands through his blonde silky hair, pressing a firm kiss to his forehead. He paused for a minute, then whispered.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not you." Draco replied, nuzzling into Harry's neck. "Everyone else. Pansy, Blaise, that Finnegan idiot."
"Are you hurt?" Harry smoothed his hands down Draco's back.
"I'll have some bruises. Nothing I can't handle." Draco answered. "And ... my neck."
"Let me see." Harry murmured, tacking on the order nullifying "Please." As an afterthought.
Draco nodded and displayed his neck, tilting it to expose the injury to Harry and closing his eyes to pretend the wound wasn't there.
He could hear the sharp intake of breath as Harry saw the bite marks, and when Harry started muttering colourful expletives Draco sighed and sank into the window seat.
The rattle of the compartment door was followed by Harry bellowing.
"Hermione!"
Draco sighed again, realising that he needed this deep breathing to calm down. He had the unfortunate habit of forgetting to breathe when people attacked him, and it was sad that he was beginning to notice the pattern. These attacks were happening far too often, and the fact that he almost thought it a normal occurrence was possibly more worrying.
When Granger bustled into the carriage Draco continued to close his eyes.
"He needs healing?" She asked, her voice business, tinged with concern.
"On his neck." Harry's voice was tight, still reigning in the anger he felt. Strangely enough, Harry's anger didn't bother Draco. Certainly Draco could feel Harry's tension, but as it wasn't directed at him Draco still felt safe and protected.
Draco could feel Granger leaning over him and so turned his neck to show her the bite.
"Oh Draco, that looks painful." Hermione worried.
"Are you going to heal it?" Draco asked, his voice dull and disinterested.
"I am, but –" Draco blinked an eye open to take in Granger's contorted features framed by her frizzy hair. "Don't you want to report this?"
"Report it?" Draco puzzled.
"Well, Seamus attacked you again. He can't be expected to get away with that." Hermione frowned.
Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, like he got away with it last time? I'm sure reporting the 'incident' will make it all better."
Hermione's forehead furrowed and Harry angrily hit the wall of the compartment.
Draco sighed and leaned back against his seat, then nudged Harry with his foot.
"Deep breaths."
Harry looked frustrated for a minute, before smiling softly at Draco's lazy attempt to calm him down.
"Right." Harry rolled his eyes, his tone sarcastic. "Because I'm the one who needs comforting."
"Oh, you're more than welcome to comfort me. Once Granger gets this thing off my neck, feel free to indulge." Draco drawled, his head tilted at an odd angle to avoid irritating the bite.
Hermione's eyebrows disappeared into her frizzy hair-do. "Really?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as Theo sometimes."
"Fine." Hermione withdrew her wand. "Show me your neck and I'll leave you alone."
Draco offered the plane of his neck for Granger's perusal, and she began healing the bite. Finnegan had nearly broken the skin, and it was rather painful.
Hermione's murmured spell proved effective and Harry let out a sigh of relief. Draco met his eye then smoothed his fingers over the healed skin, acknowledging the new sensitive patch with his Veela magic. Even his own fingers felt good against his skin. He looked up at Harry and saw his green eyes fixating on Draco's neck.
Great. Draco thought. Another erogenous zone he can now use to reduce me to a daft puddle of Veela mush. The thought alone made Draco's pulse flutter.
"Well, that's as much as I can do for now. If your skin were darker, you'd have a lighter patch there, but I'm not sure that's even possible on you." Hermione mused.
"I am much obliged Granger." Draco straightened up in his seat. "I can't say I was looking forward to explaining another mark to my parents."
"Another mark?" Harry queried.
"They had a field day with the bruises on my back." Draco yawned.
"That was when you were first cursed, wasn't it?" Hermione asked curiously.
"The family medi-wizards said that magical bruising had to heal naturally, and of course my father didn't take too kindly to the idea that someone could just go and mark his son." Draco explained, brushing down his robes and straightening his cuffs. "It's funny. Dacribade hexed a great pair of hideous wings on my back, and father was worried about the bruises most of all."
"Is that so?" Hermione cast a side-a-long glance at Harry, the silent look implying their main worry about the holidays. The dark mark.
Hopefully, if Lucius was opposed to others marking his son, that would spare Draco from any Death Eater activity. Harry had seen Lucius Malfoy at the graveyard last year, confirming his Death Eater status. The order also delivered extensive reports of the resurgence in Death Eater activity, keeping tabs on Lucius and the other known Death Eaters, noting the times when they were bereft of an alibi.
Although things were quiet for now the fact that Voldemort was back was still a present threat, the news stifled by the ministry. As there was little evidence to convince the ministry otherwise, the general consensus was to remain within the ministry's good graces so the Order could have sufficient manpower to strike back should Voldemort make his move publicly.
Harry had been conversing with Dumbledore to arrange protection for Draco's safety over the holidays and somehow an accord was struck up between the Lord Malfoy and Dumbledore that ensured Draco's protection. Dumbledore wouldn't explain it to Harry, but assured him the situation had been dealt with. Draco had been kept out of this particular political loop, knowing nothing past the fact that he would be safe at the Manor, as he expected to be.
Voldemort was up to something though, but since the dreams during the Triwizard Tournament, Harry had no inkling of what it could be. The mental link was blocked, and Voldemort seemed dead set on keeping his business private. There were little sparks of emotion from time to time, but nothing too extreme.
The sentiments and thoughts conveyed by Harry and Hermione's glance had been in the background for some time, resurfacing only now that Harry found Draco's security at risk because of him. It was easy to believe nothing existed outside of Hogwarts.
"When you are quite finished exchanging significant looks, I have just been tackled by an Irishman and I think that warrants at least a massage." Draco drawled, a deliberate pout on his pink lips.
Harry's eyes snapped over to Draco and he felt the edges of his lips tug up into a smile.
"A massage is it, beautiful?" Harry grinned and advanced to Draco's chair, sliding up next to him.
"If you can bear to pull yourself away from Granger's stunning display of eye contact." Draco smirked, his eyes gleaming at Hermione teasingly.
"What do you think Hermione? Can you bear to let me go?" Harry glanced cheekily up at Hermione, winding his arms possessively around Draco's torso without realising it.
"So you can cater to your incredibly bossy boyfriend?" Hermione queried, her mouth picking up in a half smile. "Don't tell me 'beautiful' is the new nickname."
"Granger, you've got yourself a ginger weasel to stare at if you're bored." Draco raised a blonde eyebrow. "He's probably down along the carriage, roaring inarticulately about food or something similar. Why don't you go 'keep him company'?"
"Subtle." Hermione grinned seedily. "I like it."
"You really are as bad as Theo." Draco grumbled in an amused way.
"What's subtle?" Harry quipped, his hands already sliding under Draco's shirt.
Hermione rolled her eyes and took her leave, more than aware of what would happen in her old compartment. Grabbing her book from the seat across, she poked out her tongue at the boys before retreating out the door and shutting it behind her, an odd smile on her face.
Draco twisted around in his seat until Harry was sitting behind him, cuddling Draco with one arm and carding his fingers through the blonde's hair with the other.
"That isn't a massage." Draco pointed out helpfully.
"I know." Harry continued his odd patting and moved his legs to either side of Draco's body, so he was nestled between the V of his legs, pressing his crotch to Draco's arse. Harry's hands began kneading at Draco's scalp, moving down the back of his neck to his shoulders. Draco's eyes closed and he felt a rumbling purr reverberate through the magic.
It was extremely relaxing and helped rid the tension in the bond and Draco's body. Draco started to talk, which was not surprising as it was a continual habit for the blonde to talk when it wasn't called for.
"What where you laughing at before?" Draco asked.
"Hrmmm?" Harry's focus on the nape of Draco's neck, brushing the fine baby hair with the his thumbs using only the lightest of touches, was thrown off by Draco's comment.
"I knew which carriage you were in because you were laughing your arse off at something or other."
"Oh. Exploding Snap." Harry explained, enjoying how Draco leaned into the massage.
"You have a really weird laugh, you know?" Draco mumbled, practically purring with the tug of Harry's hands.
"I don't have a weird laugh." Harry snorted, amused that Draco would muse on this particular topic.
"You do. I could hear it a carriage and a half away. It's loud when it's not meant to be." There was a pause before Draco moved on to clarify his comment. "Not like 'you there, you're laughing too loud'. It's like someone laughing at a funeral. Whether or not it's intentional, it becomes painfully obvious." There was another pause. It wasn't deliberate, Harry just had no clue what to say. "Not that you would laugh at a funeral, I doubt that. That sounds more like something Theo would do; he's not good with serious situations. He was laughing like an idiot in front of a Boggart when his grandfather died. But that's not what I meant. I just meant that I could hear you laughing a carriage away and it was odd. I shouldn't have been able to hear it, and I did. And, er, because I did ... I thought 'how odd'. That's all."
There was another six second pause before Harry could come up with some input of his own.
"Really?" Harry's voice was saturated with humour, a grin playing about his lips.
"Shut up. Keep going." Draco grumbled, pushing his body back into Harry's to increase the blissful touches.
"You really like massages. People touching you. I remember you blackmailing Pansy and Theo into doing this before." Harry mused.
Vaguely recalling the instances where he had seen the blonde draped across his desk, his shoulders worked over by his Slytherin friends. Pansy massaged for a bit then started complaining, Theo's hands became increasingly grabbier until Draco shooed him off – and Blaise. Harry remembered with a flicker of irritation that Blaise used to give Draco backrubs when he was overwhelmed by the general Hogwarts populous, and Zabini seemed to do so willingly, without complaining or demanding favours in return.
Had he asked something in return? Harry's jealous side bubbled up as he worked the tension out of Draco's shoulders a little harder than necessary. Harry wouldn't ask for anything. Harry would soothe the blonde without complaining or asking of him until Draco was satisfied, determined to outdo anything the dark skinned Slytherin had done before him.
Draco exhaled a contented sigh, his eyes closing in his sluggish state. He rolled his shoulders when Harry's hands moved them, reclined wherever Harry placed him, and just enjoyed the general feeling of having his worries gradually depleted by Harry's soothing hands.
"You're very good at this." Draco commented in a light, sated voice.
"You're enjoying it then?" Harry asked, rolling his hands over Draco's back, paying particular attention to his shoulder blades.
"Mmm hmm." Draco shifted around slightly.
By now Harry had encouraged him to lay on his belly along one of the plush leather benches in the compartment. Harry was sitting on the edge of the seat, working his hands over Draco's muscles.
"Here." Harry suggested innocently. "Do you want to take your shirt off? I can work more that way."
Draco made an odd humming noise in agreement and quickly ran his fingers down the buttons on his shirt, pulling the shirt off and laying back down contentedly.
Harry saw all the beautiful pale skin bared for him and loosened his tie a little, a goofy blush spreading over his face. Harry had seen Draco shirtless since the beginning of term, but now that they were 'intimate' the action had more meaning. Harry was still marvelling at the wondrous reality that when you have a boyfriend, you can kiss them, touch them and be with them any time you liked, and they'd let you, because they considered the same of you. Harry's bouts of jealous insecurity were easily washed away when he would suggest something like this and it was so casually accepted.
Working his hands over the smooth cool skin of Draco's back, feeling it warm slightly beneath him, Harry pressed harder, focussing on areas where the muscles bunched up into stress knots.
"Mmmh, that's good." Draco murmured, resting his face on the seat contentedly.
"Hey, do you mind if I move a bit?" Harry asked, all ulterior motives hidden. "There's a knot here that's really hard to work out."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Draco answered, smiling dreamily as his tension was worked away. He didn't complain when Harry swung a leg over Draco's body, straddling him as he furthered the massage.
Harry smiled a salacious smile. Draco was so naive, so innocent, so trusting at times. The fact that Harry was getting off from sitting on Draco's arse, running his hands over Draco's bare torso, lavishing attentive touches on the blonde, leaning more towards the intimate side of things, seemed to evade Draco completely. The blonde merely gave a happy sigh and snuggled into the leather seat. Even when Harry started rolling his hips with the massage, Draco just sighed and smiled peacefully, resting his chin on his forearms and closing his eyes.
Of course, Harry was just as oblivious as to how sneaky Draco really was, and though the Gryffindor couldn't tell exactly how much Draco was enjoying this massage, the leather seat beneath him could, his burgeoning erection giving him away.
Harry was kneading the backs of Draco's arms, moving down from the shoulders when the compartment door slammed open.
"Hey Malfoy, I'm really sorry. I – what the fuck?" Dean hurriedly took a double take and started backing out of the compartment.
"What?" Draco's head popped up sleepily, and Harry, realising how compromising his position was, hastily scrambled off Draco, straightening his trousers, to grab Dean's arm.
"Hey, no. It's not what it looks like."
"Oh-kaaaay." Dean's eyes were darting shiftily, and a dark blush coloured his cheeks.
"What?" Draco repeated, sitting up slowly and frowning at the intruding Gryffindor.
"I really didn't mean to interrupt whatever ... that was. I didn't – I mean, I don't – I mean – Harry, should you really be doing that after Seamus attacked him like that?" Dean stuttered nervously.
"What?" Draco said again, his voice sharper with a dangerous edge.
"No, Dean. It's not what it looks like." Harry said again in a serious voice.
"I mean, I know some people prefer that kind of relationship, but really, shouldn't you be more considerate. I mean, it doesn't really seem appropriate what with your current situation and all." Dean babbled, apparently unable to stop himself.
"Wha –" Draco started when he realised what Dean was insinuating. "No! No, that wasn't it at all." A pink blush stole across the Veela's pale cheeks.
"I know that it's hard to expect an outsider to understand these things, but I'm not judging you. I mean, I could never do it, but each to their own I suppose." Dean rambled.
"It was a massage you dolt!" Draco exclaimed. "He was giving me a massage! Nothing else!"
"Ah." Dean's sheepish expression faltered. "A massage?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you." Harry sighed.
"What did you think it was?" Draco surveyed the embarrassed Gryffindor through narrowed eyes.
"Nothing!" Dean quickly replied. A little too quick. "Nothing at all. I never even suspected anything like that."
"Like what?" Draco scowled.
"Nothing love. Dean didn't mean anything." Harry said, trying to soothe his suspicious boyfriend. He moved back next to Draco, pulling him back into his seat, as he had slowly started to get up to interrogate Dean, and rubbed comforting, placating circles up and down Draco's bare arms.
"Oh right. 'Dean didn't mean anything'." Draco quoted mockingly. "Nothing at all, I'm supposed to believe. He only came bursting in here to ramble on about idiotic things for absolutely no reason."
"Not feeling bitter now are we?" Harry questioned the blonde with a teasing grin.
"Fuck no." Draco crossed his arms grumpily. "I just want my massage."
"Course love." Harry kissed Draco affectionately on the cheek and tugged him closer to him. He looked expectantly up at his friend. "Did you want something?"
Dean shook himself out of staring. It was easy to become preoccupied when Harry displayed such easy intimacy with his Veela partner. The fact that Draco just accepted it too was an alluring concept, because as of last year, Harry was a normal school boy (or as normal as anyone who survived being AK-ed could be), just the same as Dean, and the fact that he could draw and maintain a Veela's attention gave hope to the rest of the student populous.
Dean was also more than a little turned on imagining what kinky games the Veelic couple were bound to play, as Veela sex was purported to be the best in the world, and lord knows Dean had enough to think about when he stumbled across Harry's giant pot of lube.
Before the rise of Wizarding Science and these new bonds, Veela were regarded as 'The Untouchable'. Veela chose wizards only if they wanted to, and such an event was very rare. Wizard Veela couples were virtually unheard of, and they were very dependent on a bond in order to keep the Veela from moving on. Veela were "flighty" in a word, and they rarely stayed in a monogamous relationship long term.
Whether it was the bond or Harry's rather affectionate behaviour, somehow he had managed to pin down (both figuratively and literally) a flighty Veela for himself. And Dean was beginning to understand why.
"Ah, right. Um, I actually came in here to apologise." Dean bit his lip nervously.
"Apologise?" Harry queried.
"To Malfoy. I'm really sorry for not believing you before. You know, about Seamus. I thought you were just making a fuss because, well, no one expects their best friend to act like that. And I was listening to Seamus and he kept saying it wasn't his fault." Dean frowned. "But it was, I could see that. You were just walking along and you even asked about his amulet and everything, and he was really violent." Dean shuddered. "I didn't know he could be like that, and I'm really sorry for being rude about it earlier. I shouldn't have done it."
Draco shifted slightly in his seat, subconsciously moving closer to Harry as he did so. He wasn't sure how he felt about receiving an apology for this, but at least Dean wasn't trying to apologise for his friend.
Diplomatically, Draco replied with a brief "Thank you."
"Seamus wants to apologise too, but we've all agreed that it's probably not a good idea to let him see you again." Dean continued.
"That would not be a very good idea." Harry growled protectively.
"I can look after myself." Draco began protesting. Dean wore a sceptical expression, recalling how instantaneously Draco's self defence was neutralised. The blonde didn't know how to fight, physically, and once his wand was taken away he was virtually helpless.
"He will not be seeing you again." Harry declared. "I won't be letting him near you. I know you can look after yourself. Does it matter that I want to look after you too?"
Draco blinked, startled by Harry's sudden vehemence, and Dean supposed Harry was just humouring Draco by implying he was safe on his own.
"No. I guess it doesn't." Draco mumbled.
"Until you go away, I'll look after you. And I will even when you come back."
"I'll be looked after when I'm away." Draco told Harry in vague reassurance.
"You better be." Harry grumbled to himself.
Dean blinked at the hapless couple for a moment, before clapping his hands together by way of distraction.
"So! I've seen a lot of traumatising things, and I apologised to Malfoy. I should probably leave you two to your, er, 'massage'."
"It is a massage." Draco insisted.
"I never said it wasn't." Dean retorted.
"You implied." Draco narrowed his eyes at the Gryffindor.
"Yes, but it's none of my business if you have some kinky BDSM Veela relationship going on, is it? Oh, will you look at the time! I do believe I'm late." Dean got up quickly, hastily escaping the compartment.
"Late for what?" Draco started.
"Shh love." Harry said soothingly, tugging the blonde back into his seat. "Relax."
Draco melted back into Harry's arms, but couldn't help pouting slightly. "Relax please."
"Please love." Harry cooed, wrapping his arms around Draco and hugging him possessively.
Draco glared at the now closed compartment door.
"Well that was weird."
"Us Gryffindors are a weird bunch." Harry replied amicably.
"I mean, I thought Slytherins were weird, but your house definitely out weird's us."
"Wasn't it just yesterday that you were extolling the virtues of Slytherin as being insurmountable?" Harry questioned lightly.
"Yesterday Pansy wasn't being a hypocrite." Draco muttered crossly.
"Why? What did she do?" Harry asked.
"Did you know she wants to break us up?" Draco peered up at Harry.
"Really now?" Harry started stroking Draco's arm. "Well, I did have my suspicions, but I always thought she'd let you choose."
"That's what I thought too." Draco mused, snuggling into Harry's hug. "I don't know. Do you think she might be jealous?"
Harry was grateful Draco's eyes were focusing elsewhere as he rolled his eyes. Draco could be so clueless at times. "She might be."
Draco looked up curiously. "Jealous of me or you?"
"Oh, she wants you." Harry assured Draco.
"Not everybody wants me." Draco denied. "Anyway, you're the one with the fanclub."
"You've got a fanclub too." Harry noted.
"Yes, but your fanclub's got Creevy."
"Yours has got Colin too. And a scrapbook if I recall correctly."
"Yeah, well, you've got two Creevy's, and that's creepier."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure Dennis lusts after you too. He's as bad as his brother, and I think he's been the one stealing your underwear."
"What the fuck!" Draco exclaimed, his back arching, cat-like in disgust. "I thought that was Theo."
"No love. Theo's all talk. I'd have thought you would know that by now." Harry chuckled.
"Well how am I supposed to know that?" Draco sulked.
"It makes itself obvious really." Harry acknowledged.
"Not to me it doesn't." Draco grumbled.
Harry grinned and pressed exuberant kisses all over Draco's face, pausing against Draco's cheek.
"I know, and it's adorable. It is just one of the many things that convince me you are too cute for your own good."
"Cute?" Draco scoffed. "Since when was I debased to 'cute'?"
Harry laughed affectionately and pressed another hail of kisses over his boyfriend.
"Since you wrinkle your nose when you're cranky." Kiss. "Since you add indecent amounts of sugar to everything." Kiss. "Since your cheeks get red when it snows." Kiss. "Since you started being nice to the owls."
"Hey, those owls had it in for me. They had some bizarre feather fetish and just wouldn't leave me alone." Draco protested whilst snuggling closer to Harry, the lingering feeling of warmth and magic permeating from the tiny kisses.
"Animals love you." Harry said warmly, smiling.
Draco batted his big grey eyes at Harry, drinking in the affection in the other boy's stare. It was moments like this when it almost felt like Harry was saying 'I love you' and it made Draco reject any notion of ever leaving him.
"That unicorn followed you out by the lake the other day. A unicorn! Do you know how rare that is?" Harry marvelled, recalling the occasion.
"Oh yes." Draco watched Harry's remembered delight, enthralled by Harry's childlike wonderment of all things magical. "Very rare considering I'm neither a maiden, nor a virgin."
"That's for sure." Harry snorted, and received a sharp jab with Draco's elbow for his efforts. "Ow! I'm serious, Hannah Abott was crazily upset that the unicorn went to you instead of her. She thinks you'll steal her reputation for chastity right out from under her."
"I should have debauched you on the spot then, just to restore my reputation." Draco smirked.
"I wouldn't have minded." Harry smiled a toothy grin.
"Of course you wouldn't mind. Beast." Draco playfully swatted Harry's chest with the back of his hand.
He gave an involuntary squeak of surprise when Harry shifted in the seat and Draco found himself lying on his back on the leather bench of the compartment, Harry on all fours looming over him, a predatory glint in his eye.
"I love it when you call me beast." Harry growled in his lower 'bedroom voice'.
"Well, there's your nickname sorted then. Mrrghm." Draco's mischievous squeal was cut off by Harry's lips sealing on top of his.
The pressure was lovely, and Harry's soft luscious tongue was also highly enjoyable. Twining his hands over Harry's shoulders and dipping into his unruly hair, Draco pulled him closer to try and control more of the kiss, dragging Harry down for more. Wanting more and bringing the kiss deeper.
Harry was well ahead of him, and his hand was already tugging at Draco's belt, trying to remove the obstacle while his mouth was glued to Draco's.
Draco edged his lips away for a moment to speak through his harried breathing. Harry dived on the belt buckle in this moment of distraction, tugging Draco's trousers away.
"Can't – pant – get the clothes dirty – gasp – Mother wouldn't approve – Ohmigod!"
"You won't be wearing any clothes." Harry growled, holding the divested trousers like a trophy.
"Put them on the luggage rack. Your clothes too, I think Mother will want to meet you."
Harry stripped rapidly, bunched all the clothes together and threw them up on the luggage rack.
"Please, no talking about your mother during sex Draco." Harry sighed. "I moved the clothes, are you happy now?"
"Lock the door and close the blinds too. I don't want Thomas walking in again, spouting nonsense."
Harry all but raced to complete his tasks, then he was on Draco like white on rice, kissing and licking a path across Draco's body.
"Mmm Draco."
"Ah."
"Draco."
"Uh –Ahhh!"
"My Draco."
"H-Harry? Ohgodrightthere!"
"Yeah? Ngggh."
"What does – oh – what does BDSM mean?"
"B? – Oh GOD that's amazing! So tight. Oh God Draco. Draco. Draco!"
"Haaaarreeeeeeeee!"
"..."
"..."
"Fuck, that was good."
"Yeah ... So about my mother."
Harry sighed and rolled to the side so he was no longer squashing Draco's smaller frame.
"Fine. What about your mother?"
Draco's hand dropped to the floor of the carriage and he scooped his wand up casting a quick cleaning spell.
"Well, about my mother. Mother will be wanting to meet you, and it's probably best if you try to make a reasonable first impression on her."
"I can do that." Harry decided determinedly.
"Yes, well it's really quite important, because my father already hates you, and at least if you get another Malfoy on your side then you won't be torn to social tatters at dinners and the like."
"Ah." Harry paused. "Wait, does that mean you'll be inviting me to social dinners and the like then?"
"Well." Draco fidgeted slightly. "I mean, we won't be moving in different circles forever. When school finishes and we turn seventeen I won't be living my parents life, but I'd still want you around, and I'd probably be very important when I'm older, and if you miraculously excel in life you will be too, and it's only natural that we'd both get invited to social events like gala's and balls and grand ceremonies. And my parents are important too, so there's a chance they might be there, and if you're there too and they like you, you're less likely to end up a social pariah. But if you at least have Mother on your side you can make some smart social decisions and you'll have a wider range of influential contacts from both the Malfoy and the Black side of the family and Mother can always handle whatever antics Father gets up to. So ..."
Harry marvelled at his babbling boyfriend, both pleased and engaged by the notion that Draco would already be planning out their lives together in such a childlike but adorable way.
This didn't freak Harry out like finding "Mrs Ginervra Potter" scribbled all over Ginny's exercise book did. Instead he found Draco's assumption that they would stay together oddly charming and definitely cute.
The fact that Draco was rambling about it now meant that he was merely trying to cover his previous slip up, suggesting Harry have dinner with his family, so Harry had an inkling that Draco hadn't been writing 'together forever' all over pictures of the two of them, but his sweet way of saying "I'd still want you around" was like an "I love you" to Harry and made his heart swell.
"Ok. It's ok." Harry gently covered Draco's mouth to stop his verbal diarrhoea. "I get it. Sure, I'll be nice to your mum."
"Mmoh, gmph." Draco replied from behind Harry's hand. The words "Oh, good" vaguely audible.
"Of course. I'll be absolutely charismatic and dazzle her with my good looks and roughish charm."
"You're winning her over, you're not trying to date her." Draco muttered, shifting the hand.
"No. I only need one Malfoy." Harry grinned.
Draco preened in the beam of Harry's adoring gaze, almost glowing a little with pride.
"You need me." Draco pointed out in a teasing voice, his expression smug as he looked up at Harry.
"I do." Harry replied seriously.
"You want to protect me." Draco continued, his voice still smug and satisfied.
"You're right, I do." Harry played along, his lips turning up in amusement.
"You'd do anything for me." Draco grinned suddenly, flashing white teeth at his boyfriend.
"Yeah, well, I don't know about anything." Harry said nervously, hastily back tracking once he saw the cheeky glint in Draco's eye.
"Don't lie. Admit it!" Draco purred, running his hand along a silky path up and down Harry's chest. "You would give me anything I wanted. Just because."
"Because what?" Harry asked, suppressing a shiver, his body leaning closer to Draco's without conscious thought.
"Just because." Draco breathed against Harry's lips, working the seduction to his advantage. "I asked you."
Harry inhaled deeply, drawing in Draco's unusually sweet scent and placed his hands on either side of Draco's face, his fingers brushing through blonde hair. Harry pulled Draco's face to his and lavished deep kisses on Draco's mouth.
"Ask me love." Harry murmured against Draco's sweet smelling skin.
"Will you get me some chocolate frogs?" Draco said sweetly, rolling off the seat and reaching for his clothes.
Harry shook his head affectionately before sitting up and reluctantly clothing himself. They had 2 hours left before they arrived in London. It seemed fair that Harry should indulge Draco a bit.
"Sure love." He replied. "You want anything else?"
For the first time, Draco got off the Hogwarts Express without his usual contingent of Slytherins. It felt strange in a way, not to have the familiarity and protection of his constant guard, instead he had Gryffindors.
"The snow melts in London. It's not as clean as Hogwarts is." Hermione mused feeling the frost in the air.
"Are you warm enough?" Harry asked Draco, tugging his winter cloak more firmly around his blonde boyfriend, intending to protect him from even the weather.
Earlier Harry had unwound his Gryffindor scarf and wrapped it around Draco, pressing kisses on his skin and whispering "Something to remember me by." This made Draco laugh and scoff. "As if I would forget, idiot." And their affectionate exchange was aggravated by Ron, who moaned and complained about the virginity of his eyes. After Hermione gave him a good thrashing, he had settled down.
"Just fine. I'm fine." Draco fidgeted with his hair, smoothing it behind his ear. "Is my hair ok?"
"You look perfect." Harry planted a warm kiss on Draco's cheek.
"That's nice Harry." Draco said absently. He then turned to Hermione beseechingly. "Objectively though. Is my hair ok?"
"You've got a ruffled bit at the back. Here, let me." Hermione busied herself with fixing Draco's hair, oblivious to the daggers Ron was glaring at her. Draco allowed Hermione to fix his hair, multitasking by casting anti-crease charms on his clothes.
"There." Draco said, apparently satisfied with his appearance. "Do I look presentable."
"Yes." Hermione answered honestly. Draco's appearance was once again pristine, giving no indicator of the hour and a half of sex and rolling around that he had indulged in on the train ride.
Harry watched his boyfriend fuss over his appearance, amused, that is until Draco turned to Harry.
"Now you." Draco surveyed him. "Can you do anything with your hair, or does it just stay like that?"
"I – yes." Harry nodded, the nod of the fashionably challenged. He was seeking an easy escape. "It always stays like that."
"Right. Well, stay still while I charm your robes. The sex-rumpled look belongs to Daphne Greengrass." Draco started charming Harry's robes without further ado, adjusting the colour and smoothing the fabric.
"Sex-rumpled?" Ron's slow grin indicated that he'd finally caught on. "Harry, you dog."
"Oh God, tell me he's really not that dim." Draco muttered to himself.
"Mate." Harry wore a pained expression as he appreciated Ron's lack of tact. "Not cool."
"What?" Ron frowned, suddenly baffled. "What?"
"Can you get rid of the ginger oaf? My parents aren't really known to tolerate Weasleys." Draco frowned at the lanky redhead.
"I'll bloody tolerate you in a minute." Ron growled before Hermione grabbed his arm and smacked him on the side of his head.
"Stop that." She chastised him.
"But he was rude to my family. Did you just see that?" Ron protested.
"I'm not being rude deliberately, I'm stating a fact." Draco said, although his tone was more frantic then snide.
"You bloody –"
"Ron." Hermione chided her boyfriend. "Just stand over here."
"What?"
"Stand over here and do as you're told. I'll explain later." Hermione cast another look of understanding and concern at the Veelic couple before dragging Ron away behind a column to spy on the boys from a safe distance.
"Do you need to get your luggage?" Draco looked up at Harry, tugging on his shirt to smooth it down.
"Yeah. Do you want me to get yours for you?" Harry's brows pinched together in concern, recalling Hermione's pitying glance.
"House elves get it. You can get yours later. Alright, they'll be over by the apparition point. They can't see us yet. We'll go to them and that way I can give you a proper introduction."
"I've met your parent's before Draco." Harry informed him, allowing his boyfriend to pat down his robes and straighten his collar for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, well they didn't like you then. I'll give you a proper introduction, then they have to like you."
"Hey." Harry caught Draco's chin and looked into worried grey eyes. "It's ok, you don't have to worry so much. It'll be fine."
"But what if they don't like you?" Draco fretted, his wide eyes displaying his insecurity as he started to babble. "They might not let me write to you. They'll take away my owl if they think you're bad for me. Father already hates you. Pansy and Blaise are already trying to split us up. I wouldn't be able to see you if my parents forbid me. They could split us up if they wanted. I wouldn't –"
"Shh." Harry again placed his hand over Draco's mouth, cutting off his soliloquizing effectively. "Shh. I'll be good. But just so you know, I wouldn't care if your parents didn't like me. That wouldn't be enough to split us up. I wouldn't let you go that easily."
"Idiot." Draco breathed as Harry brought his hand around to cup Draco's face. "Promise me. Will you behave?"
"I promise." Harry crooned down at Draco, intent on pleasing the blonde any way he could. Perhaps he was feeling the allure, but he felt such devout devotion for this worried Draco that he'd do anything to make him feel better.
" Now don't do anything stupid." Draco coached Harry, satisfied with his promise.
"I won't do anything stupid." Harry snorted, rolling his eyes.
"You better not." Draco looked up at Harry, a smirk on his lips and a glint in his eye signalling his returned confidence. Harry leaned in to wipe that smirk away with a reassuring kiss.
As it was with all of Harry's kisses, Draco felt like melting away, his frazzled nerves fading easily. Harry also loved kissing Draco, and closed his eyes to the delicious feeling. Tongues collided and lips meshed for several glorious moments, unbidden of the curious stares they received from many of the parents, matching faces to the Prophet article and cooing over Hogwarts' Veela. In fact, there was little that could interrupt this moment until –
"Draco!"
Draco pulled back sharply from the kiss and stared at his parents in shock. "Father."
Having cut a swath through the crowd, tall, blonde and imposing Lucius Malfoy stood a yard away from the snogging couple, a hateful glare levelled at Harry's messy head of hair. Narcissa Malfoy was standing next to him, her expression sly and calculating, her clothing immaculate and graceful, her arms crossed, wand in hand.
Harry returned Lucius' glare with nonchalance for a few seconds before turning to look at Draco, who was nervously re-straightening his clothing. After a deep, steadying breath, Draco gestured to Harry.
"Mother, Father, this is –"
"I know who it is." Lucius hissed, interrupting. "Come Draco. We have to go."
"Go?" Draco blinked, seemingly off-put by his father's interruption.
"The sheer number of Ministry officials on this platform alone is an affront to Hogwarts' so called security detail. Not to mention the idle plebeians gawking so uncouthly. A Malfoy is not paraded as such." Lucius fumed, his own version of a mini-rant reminding Harry surprisingly of Draco's endearing babbling. Narcissa merely focused her sharp gaze on Harry, her lips pursed into the same thoughtful pout Draco often exhibited.
"Right." Draco nodded pragmatically, suddenly aware of the crowd of both children and adults staring at him. "Anyway, Mother, this is Ha –"
"What the devil are you wearing about your neck?" Lucius blathered, his eyes resting on the Gryffindor scarf his son wore. "It's a garish mess. Is that a Gryffindor scarf?"
"Yes." Draco blinked again.
"It's hideous. It's atrocious. Remove it at once. No Malfoy should hold such a thing in his possession."
"But –" Draco began his feeble protest.
"It's mine." Harry said clearly, feeling obliged to disrupt Lucius' ranting if only so Draco could get a word in edgewise.
Lucius narrowed his eyes in Harry's direction, shooting mental daggers at the other boy. "Then kindly take it back Potter."
"It's a gift." Harry replied, his eyes steady and determined, meeting the elder Malfoy glare for glare.
"He doesn't want –" Lucius began, ready to defend his son's sense of fashion before he was silenced by a slender hand on his shoulder.
"A gift?" Narcissa purred, a curious expression on her pointed face. "How charming. Why that is simply adorable. Lucius, Lucius, isn't it adorable?"
Harry stifled a snicker as he watched the Malfoy lord balk under the steely gaze of his wife, emasculated with a glare. He looked sideways to see Draco wearing his best 'innocent and attentive' face that he often wore in class, the unmistakable subtext of victory hiding in the corners of his eyes.
"Hmmph." Lucius responded, crossing his arms and turning his nose up at the offending gift, but he didn't berate the scarf's existence any longer.
"Mother. This is Harry." Draco stated, exchanging a warning glance with his boyfriend.
"Harry Potter I gather." Narcissa extended her hand, oozing hospitality to spite her husband's hissy fit. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I trust you are looking after our Draco in the manner to which he is accustomed."
Harry laughed genially. "Oh, that's for sure. He has me wrapped around his little finger pretty much."
Draco preened and smiled smugly at his father who was showing interest now that it seemed Draco had the upper hand in this relationship.
"I'm glad." Narcissa simpered. Her brows arched as she continued. "I hope you'll understand Harry that in the interest of the safety of that little finger, we really must be going now. It would not do for Draco to dally in a location so unsecure."
"Ah right." Harry sighed and looked sideways at Draco, who stood complacently gazing at his parents, seeming far more obedient then Harry had ever seen him behave at school. "I guess I'll see you later then."
Harry's voice was morose, reluctant to let his boyfriend go so soon, but Draco didn't seem too fussed to say anything to his parents about it.
Harry leaned in and cupped Draco's face for a goodbye kiss, intent on having the blonde securely in his arms before he would be away from Harry's close embrace.
Draco responded obligingly but before they could meet lips a hand was flung between their faces.
"Yes, well, that's all very good. He'll see you next term. Merry Christmas and it's time for us to go. Come Draco." Lucius tugged Draco away from Harry, scowling at the Gryffindor for even suggesting to soil his son's lips in front of him, and pulled Draco to his side, his hand clamped firmly on his shoulder.
Draco looked blankly up at his father, allowing himself to be ferried away. Narcissa rolled her eyes subtly but followed her husband as he cut a swath through the crowd, nodding a quick goodbye to Harry.
"Goodbye Draco." Harry called out, barely catching the flash of silver eye as Draco looked back over his shoulder before the blonde head vanished through the crowd, the crack of apparition alerting Harry of his departure. "I'll miss you."
Harry frowned at the apparition point for a while, intent on having a proper sulk since his romantic-train-station-farewell-scene was denied him, but his brooding was interrupted by a freckled hand patting him on the shoulder.
"So, your talk with Mr and Mrs Ferret was brief." Ron commented thoughtlessly.
"Ron, I was kind of having a moment there." Harry complained. "I planned this massive farewell speech and he was just whisked away."
"You planned a farewell speech?" Ron deadpanned as if he didn't quite believe it.
"It's snowing in London Ron." Harry explained as if this information was essential. "We would have snogged in a train station while it was snowing in London."
"Weren't you snogging him before?" Ron puzzled, looking at Harry as one would look at a surrealist portrait.
"I just wanted it to be romantic." Harry continued, ignoring Ron and staring at the apparition point again. "You know? I wanted him to remember me over the holidays. What if he goes out in the holidays and meets someone else? If he had a train station goodbye speech to remind him of me, maybe he would think twice, you know?"
"Who is he going to meet? Logically I mean. Isn't he basically spending the holidays shut in with a bunch of Healers and his batty family? It's not like he'd be going out anywhere, and he'd hardly dump you just because you're gone for a few weeks." Ron reasoned.
"What if he needs me though?" Harry continued soliloquising, as Ron rolled his eyes in frustration. "What if he needs me in the holidays and I'm not there to protect him?"
"He's got a batshit crazy family with a whole barrage of Dark Spells up their sleeves to protect him. He'll be fine!" Ron exclaimed.
"What if he gets cold at night?" Harry moped artistically, causing Ron to facepalm and grab him bodily by the shoulders to steer him to the luggage bay.
"Hey!" Harry complained as the sight of his boyfriend's departure was removed from his wistful gaze.
"If you'll be like this all holidays just kill me now." Ron grumbled and continued pushing Harry to get his luggage.
"There's no need to be so serious, I was only having a laugh." Harry countered, waggling his eyebrows at Ron and smirking in a manner eerily reminiscent of his boyfriend.
"You've been corrupted. You've been corrupted by that Slytherin devil." Ron decided.
"I think the corruption was mutual." Harry's smirk turned into a pornographic leer.
"Perhaps I'm looking at this the wrong way. Perhaps some time apart will do you good." Ron hauled his trunk onto a trolley, along with Harry's luggage and proceeded to the gaggle of Weasley's who had just arrived on the platform.
"I've promised to write every day though." Harry tacked on, wearing a flippant grin.
Ron looked straight ahead, though his eyes were far away. "Just kill me now."