That I would be loved even when I numb myself

That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed

That I would be loved even when I was fuming

That I would be good even if I was clingy

That I Would Be Good ~ Alanis Morissette

Lounging in his living room, Harry waited for Draco with a goofy grin on his face. Thanks to Hermione's unscheduled visit the night before, he hadn't been with Draco since the night Narcissa nearly died and that hardly resembled their usual escapades. He was thinking of all the things he wanted to do to Draco when a soft pop announced his arrival.

"Please, don't be Hermione," he said, afraid to look behind him in case his visitor really wasn't Draco.

Instead of responding with words, like a sensible person, Draco walked around the sofa and jumped him, knocking the air from Harry's lungs. Before he could catch his breath, Draco's lips were pushing into his, biting at him teasingly.

"Definitely not Hermione," Harry said, breathing heavily when Draco allowed him to come up for air.

Draco smirked.

"Well, I see we're in the same frame of mind," Harry continued. "Let's go to bed."

Shaking his head, Draco lay atop him so their faces were only inches apart. "I need to talk to you first."

Already feeling the beginnings of an errection, Harry groaned. "I don't want to talk." His voice was whiny, but he really didn't care.

Chuckling, Draco nibbled Harry's pouting lip. "Me either, but it's important."

The seriousness in his tone frightened Harry. He stared into familiar grey eyes, but as always, they gave nothing away.

"Are you leaving me?" he blurted out.

He'd always known it was a possibility, even a probability. Draco had always been loyal to his family and heritage, neither of which was likely to support what they had. And with the additional stress of his mother's health, their relationship just might not be worth it to him.

"Yes," Draco replied, shaking his head, "and I just jumped you like a wild animal to prove how serious I am about it. Of course, I'm not leaving, you prat." He smiled. "I wouldn't give you up for anything."

Harry relaxed. His breath returned to normal as he smiled back.

"What's so important then?"

Draco lowered his head so it was resting on Harry's shoulder. Harry could feel his breath against his neck. Having Draco so close and not being able to do anything about it was driving him nuts.

"I want to know what Hermione said when she first found out about us. How'd you get her to accept us?"

Harry felt his eyes bulge in disbelief. "Seriously? I want to ravage you and you want to talk about Hermione? That's what you call important?"

"Yes," Draco said, and then added, "Please, Harry." He sounded genuinely desperate.

"She was upset," he sighed, "but a lot of that probably had to do with you being naked. She was mad because I didn't tell her more than anything else. She accepted it when she realized I wasn't drunk and I told her you were the reason why. You're good for me and she sees that."

"Did you mean it when you told Hermione that you didn't care who knew about us or were you just trying to shut her up?"

"I meant it," he replied, making a point to stare into Draco's eyes. "You make me happy. I don't care who knows it. What's this about? Did you tell someone? It's okay if you did."

"I didn't, at least, not yet."

Saying nothing, Harry tried to give Draco an encouraging smile.

Draco sighed, lowering his head to Harry's shoulder again. "I'm thinking about telling Mother, which means telling Father, too."

"Okay," Harry said.

"Okay?" Draco moved to stare at him. "That's all you have to say about it."

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say here, Draco. I don't have parents to explain these things to. I'm okay if you want to tell yours. What else is there to say?"

"Don't you even want to know why I'm considering it?"

Harry stretched his neck so he could quickly brush his lips against Draco's. "I want to know, if you want to tell me."

"Mother's upset. She wants to know who I'm with every night. She doesn't understand why I won't tell her and it's hurting her. She even suggested that I was ashamed of her."

"I'm sorry."

"She asked to meet you."

"I'm probably not what she's expecting." Harry grinned. He could feel the tension in Draco's body as it rested on his own. He knew the stupid joke wouldn't help, but he didn't know what would.

"I'd think not. I'm scared, Harry. I don't know what to do. I'm hurting her, but telling her the truth might hurt her even more. I-I don't want her to be ashamed of me."

Harry wanted to reassure him, promise him that Narcissa would understand, but he couldn't do it. His interactions with her were limited. He knew she loved her son, would die for him. He also knew she was an aristocratic, pureblood who would frown on this kind of relationship out of instinct. There was no way for him to know if love or nature would make this choice for her. He suspected love. She'd lied to the Dark Lord for Draco. It seemed impossible that she'd turn away from him over something as trivial as this. But he'd seen stranger things happen and he didn't want to risk Draco's relationship with his mother on a hunch.

"I wish I knew what to tell you."

"I want to tell her," Draco admitted with a nod. "And she's pointed out that I might not have much time left with her. I love her and I want to know that she'll still love me, knowing the truth. I don't want her to die thinking I don't trust her."

"If you tell her, you'll both have answers."

"But what if they're not answers we can live with?"

"She loves you," Harry offered hopelessly.

"I love her, too. The worst of this is, I could lose more than her love. I could lose her. She's gotten so weak. What if this is too much for her?"

Harry took his hand. "She's strong, just like her son."

"She's stronger than me."

"Don't underestimate yourself."

"Should I tell her?" Draco asked, ignoring the compliment.

"I don't know." Harry squeezed his hand. "I can't make this decision for you, but I can promise to be there for you, no matter what you decide."

"I knew you would be." Draco smiled, getting to his feet and pulling Harry with him.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to bed. You promised to ravish me."

"But what did you decide?" Harry asked, trailing along behind him.

"That I'll think better after I've been shagged."