Draco smiled at the warm body pressed against him before the memories of last night stole his breath away. He fought against the tears that were threatening to appear, his eyes prickling uncomfortably as he buried his face into Harry's chest. Harry tightened his embrace, pulling Draco closer as if trying to make them one.

"Can I keep you?" Harry whispered, causing the butterflies in Draco's stomach to take flight.

Unable to find his voice, he simply nodded against Harry's chest.

A pecking sound at the window startled them both. A drab-looking barn owl stood glaring at them through the window, a small envelope with green writing affixed to its leg. Begrudgingly, he untangled himself from Harry's arms, crossing to the window to retrieve the letter.

Mr. Draco Malfoy & Mr. Harry Potter
Slytherin Boys Dormitory - Room #7
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"This can't be good," Draco remarked, noticing the letter was addressed to the two of them.

Harry sidled up alongside him, a frown appearing on his face when he had finished reading the outside of the envelope. Draco quickly tore it open.

Dear Mr. Draco Malfoy & Mr. Harry Potter,

Your presence has been requested in my office after
breakfast. Please be prepared to bear testimony
regarding last night's events.

Sincerely,

Albus P. Dumbledore
Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

When they had both finished with the letter, they exchanged a worried look.

"Guess we should head down to breakfast," Harry announced, shrugging nonchalantly. "You go on without me. I need to go back to my dorm room to change..." he paused to sniff himself, "...and maybe take a shower."

Harry reached out a hand to affectionately stroke his cheek. "I'll see you in just a bit," he promised, a warm smile on his face.

It was startling to see Harry behaving with such normalcy. Nothing about any of this was normal. How was it that life could continue on completely oblivious to the tragedy that was unfolding? How did the sun still rise every day, bringing them all that much closer to the inevitable?

Harry frowned, his eyes growing profoundly sorrowful. "Will you stop looking at me like that?" he implored. "Like you're counting down the seconds in your mind. I can't live like that."

Draco shifted nervously, wondering what kind of face he should be making in a situation like this. He went for the only one he knew well, pulling down his familiar Malfoy Mask of Disdain.

"Better?" he snarled, trying to keep up appearances.

Harry let out a short barking laugh, emerald eyes sparkling in the early morning sunlight.

"Not really," he snorted. "But it will do. I'll see you at breakfast."

Before Draco could think of a witty comeback, Harry had jumped out of the window in a reckless manner. Draco leaned over the ledge in alarm, watching as Harry effortlessly pulled his broom under him as he fell, stopping his descent just in time.

"Gryffindors," Draco grumbled with a shake of his head, his heart beating frantically in his chest.

"When we got to the Headmaster's Office, they clamped up," Hermione whispered, leaning over in a conspiratorial manner. "Parkinson refused to say anything until their parents were notified. Since it was already so late, the Headmaster's hands were tied. He said he would send out notice immediately, but in the meantime, they would be confined to one of the guest rooms in the castle until an investigation could be completed. Participating in..." she trailed off with a shudder, unable to put those events into words. "Well, they can be expelled for that."

"Will they still be expelled though?" Harry asked. "I mean, we stopped it just in time. Technically all they did was bully him up to that point."

"We can only hope that their intentions will count against them in this case," Hermione replied. "It could still be considered sexual harassment in the very least."

Ron had been unnaturally silent throughout the entire conversation, nibbling at his food without his usual gusto.

Harry shrugged, his eyes glancing across the room to land on Draco. He had just finished his meal, taking a few more sips of his pumpkin juice before standing. It brought a smile to his face to see the boy back to his old self.

"I guess we're about to find out," Harry announced, gesturing in Draco's direction.

"Good luck," Hermione encouraged as Harry stood to follow the boy.

"Don't you think it's a bit too convenient that we got there just in time?" Ron questioned darkly, stopping Harry in his tracks. "The more I think about it, the fishier it sounds."

Blood boiling, Harry had to resist the urge to clobber his friends. How dare he imply that this was some sort of set up – that Draco had faked it to garner sympathy.

"You didn't see his face last night," he snarled, stomping off in a rage.

Harry was certain that Hermione would be having words with Ron and didn't feel like sticking around to hear it. He had more important things to do.

"Who's put bulbadox powder in your shorts this morning?" Draco inquired upon seeing the look on his face.

"Ron's being an idiot again," Harry explained, choosing not to elaborate for fear of upsetting him.

"Again?" Draco exclaimed in mock-surprise. "I thought that was his perpetual state of being. You mean to tell me he has moments where he isn't an idiot?"

"A few," Harry grumbled.

They smiled at one another then, feeling a little giddy about the joke they had shared at Ron's expense.

The smile slowly faded from Draco's face, his features hardening in resolve. "You ready to go?" he asked.

Harry's mood took a plunge as well, settling back into the nervousness that he had been struggling with for most of the morning. "No time like the present," he sighed.

Slowly, the two made their way to the Headmaster's office, preparing themselves for the difficult task ahead. The password had not changed since the last time he had been there, and Harry quickly found himself knocking at the door.

"Come in," Headmaster Dumbledore commanded.

Hesitantly, he opened the door and poked his head in. "You asked to see us, Headmaster?" Harry inquired.

"Yes, yes. Please have a seat," he replied, waving his hand at the two empty chairs in front of his desk. "Give me a second to send for the accused."

Harry noted the brief panicked expression that played out on Draco's face at the thought of having to face his tormentors. He moved closer to him to place his hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze before pulling it away. Draco flashed him a quick appreciative smile before taking a seat. Four more seats were set to his right, awaiting the arrival of 'the accused.'

Parkinson was the first to enter, a cross expression on her face. As Nott followed in behind her, Harry glanced at Draco in concern. Draco's eyes seemed to glaze over as if refusing to acknowledge Nott's very existence. Crabbe and Goyle were the only ones of the four to look contrite, their heads hung low, eyes darting away to avoid Draco's gaze as they stepped through the door.

"Good," Headmaster Dumbledore announced. "Everyone is here. Mrs. Granger and Mr. Weasley gave their statements last night, but I would like to hear from the both of you."

Draco glanced in Parkinson's direction, a hard look in his eyes.

"What happened last night was all just a simple misunderstanding," Draco announced, eyes never leaving Parkinson's as he spoke.

Harry choked on his tongue, head whipping around to stare at Draco in wide-eyed surprise. Draco shook his head imperceptibly, a threatening look on his face. Harry couldn't understand what had possessed the boy to defend his attackers. They deserved to be expelled. What kind of game was Draco playing at?

"It was just a silly little prank," Draco elaborated.

Headmaster Dumbledore examined Draco with a sad look in his eyes. He sighed, turning to face Harry with a pleading expression. "And what did you witness last night?" he inquired.

Draco shot Harry another dark and threatening look, his eyebrows raised in challenge. Harry felt a trill of nervous energy race through his body.

"I saw..." he paused, glancing questioningly in Draco's direction. "I saw the same thing that Ron and Hermione did. Nott was half-naked with Draco pinned against the wall. Parkinson was nearby watching the whole thing."

At hearing her name, Parkinson quickly jumped to her defense, exploiting the opening that Draco had given her.

"I'm sorry that you misread the situation like that," she explained in a simpering voice. "It is as Draco said; it was simply a friendly little prank. No one was going to get hurt."

Harry felt his blood boiling at the idea that the four of them were going to get away with what they had done. Headmaster Dumbledore gazed at him in sympathy, sighing loudly before he spoke.

"I'm afraid there isn't enough evidence to corroborate your version of events," he informed before turning to look at the four Slytherins that had just let out relieved sighs. "I expect to see you all in detention with Professor Snape for the rest of the month. While pranks, however harmless they might seem, are generally acceptable, this prank seems to have crossed a few lines. I will be discussing this with your parents when they arrive."

The four nodded in understanding.

"Please report to your Head of House immediately."

After they had filed out, Draco stood to leave as well.

"Mr. Malfoy," Headmaster Dumbledore called. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Draco gave him a curt nod before exiting the room. Harry was stunned at how everything had turned out. In a flash of anger, he chased after the boy, spinning him around at the bottom of the stairs.

"What the hell was that all about?" he screamed, his face flushed.

Draco looked back at him with a defiant expression. "I did what I had to do," he hissed.

"They should have been expelled! Why did you bail them out like that?"

"You don't understand anything, Potter," Draco sneered. "This is the world I have to live in. Malfoy or not, I can't afford to go making enemies of the wrong people. What would happen to me if I got those four expelled?"

Harry sucked in a quick breath, comprehension dawning on him.

"They've actually been rather tame up until this point," Draco elaborated. "I imagine that things will get a little easier for me now that I have this to hold over their heads."

Harry understood now. Draco didn't have the same luxuries, the same social pull that Harry currently enjoyed. No matter what he did, he was still The-Boy-Who-Lived. Draco was just Draco – and he had no defenders.

"You could have given me some warning," Harry grumbled, upset that he had been caught off guard like that.

"Sorry, I didn't think to tell you. It seemed so self-evident to me that I didn't stop to consider that your stupid Gryffindor notions would lead you to other conclusions," he explained with an infuriatingly smug expression on his face.

Harry was torn, feeling like he should be getting angry at the obvious insult, but glad that Draco felt like himself enough to give it.

"I'm sorry," Harry replied with a smirk, deciding to play the game. "I don't make a habit of deceiving people to get out of a difficult situation. I prefer using different techniques."

Draco let out a long-suffering sigh, rolling his eyes at Harry. "You know, you can't solve every problem with just your firsts," he admonished.

Harry took a threatening step closer, their noses almost touching. "Us Gryffindors are just very physical people," he whispered, leaning in to capture Draco's lips with his own in a quick and passionate kiss.

"I've noticed," Draco breathlessly replied.