Disclaimer: Not mine, obviously!

Ch36

When James got in the Great Hall, the students were getting ready for another of Hogwarts' delicious suppers. Most teachers hadn't arrived, which would make things a little easier for James, for what he had to do to get Lucius back would take a great deal of courage.

He scanned the room in search for the Slytherin boy and found him surrounded by a bunch of excited girls. Since it was Lucius, he was far from being annoyed. He looked rather amused and flattered to have so many girls around him – squeaking like Banshees in James' point of view.

Taking a deep breath, James walked towards them resolutely, trying hard to control his killer instincts as he watched Paola, the Slytherin beauty, latch her arms onto his neck and bash her long eyelashes seductively.

He stopped in front of them, but nobody seemed to notice him. James made a face, and then he coughed to get their attention, thinking that he looked just a little stupid as he did so. Lucius was the only one who looked at him, rather surprised to see him there.

"Can I talk to you?" James asked bashfully, hating himself for it. It wasn't time to be shy. It was time for action.

Lucius opened his mouth to say something but the girls interrupted him by laughing at something that one of them had said. The results were that James couldn't hear a word he said. Some of the girls looked down on James and made sure to stand in his way, blocking his view from Lucius. James clenched his fists with a scowl. He had had it.

"MALFOY, I have to talk to you!" he shouted angrily.

The Great Hall went silent. Everybody stared at James curiously. The girls glared at him murderously. Even though the red-head's face became the colour of a ripened tomato, he didn't back down. He was a man on a mission after all.

"I've got to talk to you," he repeated for the third time.

Lucius seemed thoughtful for a moment, and James thought he saw a glimpse of hope and expectation in his eyes.

"I've got nothing to say to you," said Lucius insolently, making clear that he was still far from forgiving him.

James was taken aback for a second, but Paola's smirk made his blood boil with anger. His green eyes flamed, and he went on determinedly, "Have it your way then. If you'd rather discuss our personal affairs in front of the entire Great Hall, I don't care!"

Lucius seemed to be amused by his words. James fumed even more. Soon he would explode like a bloody cartoon.

"Nah. You don't have the guts," Lucius said, sitting back and relaxing as Paola sat on his lap sneering. "But go ahead. I'm rather curious to know what you have to say to me since you were the one who started this whole drama."

"I'm not the only one," James replied. "You're as stubborn as I am."

"It's you who prefer Edward Matthews over me," Lucius pointed out.

There were gasps everywhere. James gritted his teeth.

"And you're the one who prefers Eugene, your French ex-boyfriend, over me!" James retorted.

More gasps. Paola jumped from Lucius' lap at the word 'boyfriend' as if he was contagious. There was another period of silence, followed by exciting voices filled with every possible emotion.

"You're gay?" shouted a girl from across the room with a crying face.

"I knew it!" shouted another one, beaming and collecting some money from a short blond girl.

"Oh, no! This is terrible! Another good one got rotten!" cried a Ravenclaw girl as she was consoled by her friend.

"Aw! That's so cute!" exclaimed a freckled Irish girl from Gryffindor.

"Quickly! Hand me that quill, Camilla! We've got to put this on writing! This will sell more than Vanessa's latest story!" said Celly excitedly.

James seemed to be taken aback by the sudden commotion, and he realised just how big his gesture was. He felt awful. He didn't mean to expose them in such a manner. Lucius, however, seemed unaffected by the crying, the gasping and the words that reached his ears – sometimes carrying positive remarks, sometimes negative. He only had eyes for James.

"Did you figure them out, James?" Lucius asked quietly.

The room went silent again. Nobody wanted to miss any of the love-birds' words.

James blushed violently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did you figure out your feelings for Max?" Lucius insisted sharply.

Max, who had just entered the Great Hall with the twins, made a face as he heard that. From across the room and close to the Professors' table, Mathias was staring at them intently.

"So Max is gay too?" whispered a girl to her friend.

"How lovely! A love triangle!"

Vanessa turned to May from Ravenclaw and threatened her, "Don't you dare write that down! We own the rights to that plot!"

And with those words, another discussion began to form beside them.

Lucius sighed as he watched the girls arguing. He stood up and walked towards James, stopping just a few inches from him.

"See what you did?" he said softly.

James didn't care anymore. Now that he had Lucius´ full attention, he was mesmerized by those eyes. He had missed Lucius so much those past few days. He sighed.

"I realise what you mean about Max," James whispered.

Lucius' spirit damped as he heard that. "So… I'm guessing you talked to him."

"Yes, we did. But you're wrong, Lucius. I do love Max, but he's more of a brother to me than anything else. It's you who's made me realise what love really is. It's you who has awakened in me such strong feelings. You've helped me in so many ways… That fight was silly, I admit it. I was jealous of Eugene. I overreacted. You didn't help at all by making me angrier!"

"That's because you were being stupid with that whole love letter thing!" Lucius said, already losing his patience as he remembered the incident. "I was angry with you because you dared to doubt my love for you!"

"Because of Eugene…"

"No, Eugene has nothing to do with this," Lucius interrupted him.

James frowned. "He's still in love with you."

"James…" Lucius clenched his fists, but then he relaxed and sighed heavily. "This isn't about Eugene or Max."

James looked down. "I know."

Lucius stared at him expectantly. "You do?"

James looked up and their eyes met. The turmoil around them vanished. There seemed to be only Lucius and James in the Great Hall.

"I guess…" James began slowly. "I guess we're tired of hiding our love from everybody. I know the girls have been more aggressive to you. I know you receive many confessions every day."

"And some boys and girls have been flirting with you as well," Lucius pointed out moodily.

"I haven't really noticed," James said.

"That's what makes you so cute, and that's what also makes me so crazy about you. But you know… I get jealous. I'm afraid… that I'm not enough for you."

James widened his eyes at that. "What're you talking about? You're more than enough for me! In fact, I'm afraid I'm not good enough for you. You know I'm moody, and I have a difficult temper… And I can be very stubborn and spoiled…"

"But I like that about you," Lucius said with a warm smile that made James melt.

"How can you like that about me?" James asked, making a face.

Lucius caressed his face tenderly, and they slowly approached each other.

"I like everything about you," Lucius whispered.

"Then why did you break up with me?"

"I didn't. You did."

"Not really. You were the one who asked us to take a break from each other," James pointed out.

"And you went along with it just fine," Lucius stated. "It shocked me!"

"It shocked me as well!" James exclaimed.

They looked into each other's eyes, and then they smiled.

"Don't ever shock me like that again," Lucius said against his lips.

"Does that mean we're back together?" James asked full of hope.

"I'm thinking about it," Lucius teased.

"Can you promise me that you won't hide Eugene's letters anymore? I want to know when he sends you something."

Lucius wrinkled his nose. "Really, James, do you think this is necessary? I mean, Eugene is just…"

James glared at him murderously and Lucius thinned his lips before saying, "Okay. I'll even introduce him to you next time! Now I want you to promise me that you'll tell me when other men hit on you so I can take care of them properly. As for Max…"

"I told you that Max and I…"

"Yes, yes." Lucius spotted Max in the crowd trying to separate Vivian from another girl and he smiled. "But Max is a great guy. I feel threatened by him sometimes," he confessed.

"You're the great Lucius Malfoy. How can you feel threatened by anyone?" James asked, surprised and touched by that side of Lucius.

"I know. What was I thinking?" Lucius said with a wink, making James smile beautifully at him. Bewitched by that smile, Lucius embraced James tightly and whispered in his ear, "I missed you. Don't ever leave me again."

"I missed you, too," James whispered back, surrendering himself to Lucius' arms. "Don't ever make me leave."

"No more silly fights?"

"Do you really think that we can promise each other that?" James asked doubtfully.

Lucius laughed mischievously. "Nah. We're both stubborn and block-headed. And we're both very possessive, which means that we'll probably fight a lot in the future."

"But I still love you," James declared, stroking Lucius' silky blond hair.

"And I love you," Lucius said a second before his lips met James' in a sweet but intense kiss.

It was pure bliss.

Their kiss sealed their relationship. It was a statement to everybody at school that they were dating each other. But most of all, it was statement for themselves. With that kiss, James stated his love for Lucius for the whole world. He showed his boyfriend that he was ready to accept Lucius and himself as they really were. He wasn't afraid of people's judgement anymore.

As Lucius held him tightly and kissed him, James realised what had been missing in their relationship. They were tired of hiding themselves from the world. They didn't want to meet in secret anymore. They wanted to expose their love to everybody.

A few students clapped their hands at such a sweet display of affection, but some boys and girls were revolted by it. Soon a huge racket spread through the Great Hall, and the Professors had to interfere. Mathias winked at Max as he separated two girls who were pulling each other's hairs in a corner. Vanessa and Vivian cast spells on a couple of boys who were calling their friends effeminate.

It was McGonagall's arrival who put a definite stop to everything. For the forth time that day the Great Hall went completely silent as the old Headmistress frowned upon her students.

"Potter, Malfoy. I want to see you both in my office. Now!" she exclaimed with red cheeks, turning on her heels quickly and heading out as she grumbled something about Dumbledore never having to face such a situation in the past.

Lucius and James stared at each other without a hint of fear in their eyes. Happy that they were together again, they held hands firmly and followed McGonagall.

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Although Harry was more than accustomed to fancy restaurants and wealthy people given his line of work and the fact that he was, after all, the famous Harry Potter, he didn't feel very comfortable as he entered Frisson. The truth was that he had never appreciated the attention he got at everywhere he went.

According to Draco, Frisson was a Muggle restaurant. But because it was the latest sensation in Nantes, and the Chef was internationally recognized, many rich wizards and witches had come to check upon the place and see if it was really worthy. That being said, many eyes fell upon Harry and Draco as they were led to their reserved table. Consequently, Harry, who until that moment had been confident and lively, was now grumpy and sullen.

"Just relax, Harry. Is it so bad to be seen with me in public by so many distinguished wizards and witches who like nothing more than to gossip about other people's disgrace? Wait, did I say disgrace? I meant lives. Must've been a slip of tongue," Draco smirked gracefully and devilishly as he studied the menu.

Harry frowned. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You want us to be seen together. Am I being tested?"

"You're paranoid," Draco stated, looking at him from above the menu.

"Can you blame me?" Harry asked with a sneer.

Draco sighed heavily as he put the menu down. "No, I cannot. But believe me when I say that I didn't plan for this to happen. I was sure that this was a Muggle restaurant only. I forgot about a small detail…"

"What?"

"That Muggle places are in fashion now for the rich and famous wizards," Draco said. "They hate Muggles but can't help mingling with them. Ah, the pain of human existence…"

Harry bit his lower lip and looked round to see an elegant witch staring at them curiously and muttering something to her companion. Harry knew her to be the wife of a famous French and noble wizard whose family dated of centuries before. He took another look at the familiar faces from the wizarding world and greeted a few. They all stared at him oddly, probably wondering what he was doing with Draco Malfoy. It would be the scandal of the year.

"Chill out, Harry," Draco said. "I thought you were used to being in the limelight. What does it matter what they think? Are you that bothered? Want to go home?"

"You're provoking me," Harry pointed out.

"Am I?" Draco smiled in a devilish way again.

Only one glance was all that was needed to make three waitresses come running to attend him. He smiled charmingly while Harry observed him making his order. Harry felt tingles down his spine as he heard Draco's melodic voice speaking French. He watched, mesmerized, the moving of Draco's lips and tongue. At every word Draco professed, Harry felt more and more impelled to take Draco in his arms and ravish him. Draco and the French language were a very sexy and dangerous combination. He even forgot how angry he was for being played at by Draco.

"Potter. Potter!" Draco exclaimed. By the look on his face, it seemed as if he had been calling Harry for some time.

"What?" Harry asked, trying hard to disperse the spell cast by Draco.

"I asked what you would like to order for dinner," Draco said. His eyes seemed to be smiling at Harry, as if they knew exactly what had distracted him.

"Whatever suits your taste," Harry answered with a hint of seduction.

Draco's lips thinned as to prevent a smile. "Are you sure?" he asked in a tone that was a promise of many delicious things to come.

"I'm positive," Harry said without flinching.

This time the smile on Draco's face was very lascivious. He ordered 'foie gras aux truffes' with a bottle of Sauternes for starters, and as a main course he asked for veal with white sauce and Cháteau-Grillet. (1)

Harry was not wrong to trust Draco's tastes. The meal turned out to be heaven on earth in more than one way – as Harry had decided to relax and enjoy, which made him a very pleasant company.

"Confess that you bringing me here was to test me," Harry spoke softly.

Draco made a face. "I swear on my… No, wait. I promised myself never to swear on anybody's grave ever again… What's the point anyway? All of my family is rotting in hell. But I didn't bring you here so you could be tested. Honestly, Potter, I'm not that wicked. I actually wanted us to share a very expensive and heavenly-like meal in a fine restaurant."

Draco sipped on his glass of wine and went on, "Besides, is it so bad to be seen with me? Do you fear that they will see beneath that serious exterior of yours? Do you fear that they will be able to tell that the glimmer in your eyes as you stare at me hides a deep desire to ravish my body on this very table, and in front of everyone?"

Harry's heart began to beat erratically as Draco's clean blue orbs stared deeply into his own. That stare made him feel like he could do anything.

"Can I make a confession?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded, amused.

"I'd like to pull you in my arms right at this instance," Harry began softly as he came near Draco. "I want to rip off your clothes, pour this wine on your body and savour it all with my tongue. Then I want to drive myself into you until you're panting and moaning and crying for more of the sweet nectar only I can provide you with."

Draco chuckled. The light in his eyes told Harry that he had liked his proposal very much. He was delighted by that new side of Harry.

"Sweet nectar?" Draco grinned. "What if I told you that I want you to taste my sweet nectar, and that I want nothing more than to hear your breathing in my ears while you pant and moan underneath my body as I drive my cock into you over and over again. Do you think I'm being too discourteous?"

"I think it's perfect," Harry said huskily.

"Should we ask for the check?" Draco asked in the same tone, unable to stare at anything else but Harry.

"As fast as you can," Harry answered mischievously.

When the waitress brought them the bill, Harry suggested paying for his half, in which Draco immediately dismissed. They began to discuss who had invited who, and in the end Harry was able to snatch the bill from Draco's hands. He opened his eyes wide at the sight of the price.

"I don't remember eating gold. Was there gold in our food?" Harry asked ironically.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Potter, could you be more bourgeois?"

"Draco, this is absurd! I know many great restaurants throughout the whole world, but not one this expensive."

"Stop being impolite. I'm the one who asked you out. I'm paying for this bill. Give it back," Draco ordered softly but firmly.

"Not unless you let me share it."

"Harry…"

"Draco… This is too much. The food is superb, I give you that. But do you really think you need to spend your money like this? I don't need to be impressed, nor do I need to be seduced in such a way. In fact, I'm the one trying my best to impress you. Allow me to pay for half or I'll show you just how bourgeois I can get," Harry threatened.

Draco sighed resignedly. He was ready to keep up the arguing, and he was more than just a little tempted to see just how bourgeois Harry could get. But hearing Harry tell him that he did not need to be seduced or impressed because he was the one trying to win Draco's affections melted his heart. Besides, he didn't want to spoil the night.

They were about to leave the restaurant when a voice full of hatred and jealousy was heard behind them, and Draco felt chills down his spine.

"Draco!" the voice called out to him. It was loud enough to call everybody's attention.

Draco turned around irritably to face Antoine.

"Is this the real one?" asked Antoine mockingly as he glared at Harry from top to bottom.

"Don't make a scene, Antoine. Not here. It's not your style," said Draco with gritted teeth.

"I'm beginning to change my style to fit yours," Antoine said distastefully. "It seems that now you like your man rough and unrefined."

So that was Antoine, the fake Harry Potter. Harry observed the man in front of him while trying to suppress his anger. Antoine was elegant and charming with his jet black hair and cool blue eyes. He seemed sophisticated, a man suited for Draco. Next to him, Harry felt out of place. It was ridiculous, and he knew. But he couldn't help feeling like the odd one out. No matter how much money or prestige he had, or even the expensive clothes he wore, deep down he would always feel like the poor little orphan.

But Harry wasn't just an orphan anymore. He was a very rich and powerful man, and he was determined to fight for Draco no matter what. That younger man would be no match for him. After all, he was the real one. He was the one who could mess with Draco's senses.

Causing a scene in public wasn't the way of winning Draco's heart at all. Still, Harry's jealousy got the best of him. If they didn't leave at that instant, he would lose his mind. And to think that just a moment ago he was the one worried about a public scandal almost made him smile bitterly.

"Let's go, Draco," Harry said. He didn't mean to sound bossy, but he did.

Draco stared at him with a frown.

"See?" Antoine said, smiling evilly. "Raw and rude. I don't know why I didn't realise sooner – given how many times we fucked while I was him – that you wanted a Neanderthal for a partner."

"I'll show the Neanderthal in a minute," Harry threatened as he clenched his fists ready to strike Antoine.

Draco touched Harry's hand slightly and said, "Harry, don't mind him. If you play his game I'll be really pissed off." He turned to Antoine next and continued, "We're through, Antoine. Get over it. Not that this is any of your concern, but Potter and I are here on business."

"I don't believe you. Does Potter know your kinky sexual fantasies with him?"

Draco breathed hard. "Antoine…"

"Listen, brat, I don't care about what happened between Draco and anyone else. That was before me. Right now we are together, though. He's mine. Whatever happens from now on is my business. So before I get even angrier to the point of bashing your skull into the wall thus showing you the meaning of raw and rough, step aside and leave us be. He doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. You're through. Find somebody else, because he's with me now," Harry finished, surprising both Draco and Antoine. Although his word were threatening and very revealing, the tone of his voice was calm and serene.

Harry's resolute attitude made Antoine recoil.

"Harry…" Draco whispered, astounded. He'd never expected Harry to be so openly honest about his feelings.

"HARRY!" cried a woman. "What are you doing here? And who is this person?"

And then, from out of nowhere, another person entered the scene. This time it was Draco's jealousy who threatened to surface. Standing there with her hands in her waist, Amanda Kuntz, Harry's fake fiancée, was looking at them puzzled and just a little irritated. Apparently, she had heard Harry's every word.

She was stunningly beautiful with her long blond hair cascading down her back and her sculptural body enveloped in a very tight red dress. Her eyes were icy blue, and she seemed to be the kind of woman who knew exactly what to do in order to get what she wanted. Plus, there was something very familiar in her manner.

Draco only needed to hear a few of her cynical words to Harry to know exactly what it was that bothered him the most. She was his female copy. When he realised that, a smile of amusement spread on his face. While Antoine was a poor substitute for Harry, it seemed that Harry had found a poor substitute of Draco on Amanda. That thought made Draco feel a lot more confident about the whole thing.

"Harry," he said, interrupting Harry and Amanda's bitter exchange of words as they talked about their fake engagement. "It seems to me that today we're being haunted by the ghosts from our past. Destiny is clearly challenging us. You realise what we have to do, don't you?"

Harry looked at him thoughtfully. Then he said, "Yeah, I know." He turned to stare at Amanda and Antoine. "Amanda, we were never engaged. We were together for a while, but that was it. I don't love you, and I certainly don't want to marry you. You used my name to get more work in the fashion industry. I don't care, but now I'll ask you to leave me alone because I'm with somebody else."

"Not him!" she exclaimed indignantly.

"Yes, him," Harry stated. "And Antoine, I love Draco. I'm willing to fight for him, so if you insist on chasing after him, you'll have to face me."

"WHAT?" Amanda went livid, and so did Draco and Antoine. "You cannot be serious. Not only are you gay, but you're also dating a person like him!"

"Yes, I guess I am this sort of person. Deal with it," Harry said with an open smile.

Draco stared at Harry in awe. He was torn between feeling amazed and terrified of Harry's sudden confession. Although it felt wonderful to know that Harry would go to such lengths for him - and that was proof enough that Harry was indeed doing his best to be with him – Draco had never meant for that to happen in such a way. Their ex-lovers would rejoice in their fall, and they would gossip to the entire world. He could almost see Amanda's beautiful face on the cover of the Daily Prophet, sharing her humiliation to the world as she had been dumped because she wasn't manly enough for Harry.

Things got worse than Draco expected when Amanda took a step forward to slap Harry on the face for being 'outrageously cheated on and dumped' according to her. Now they were definitely on the spotlight.

'FLASH'

Somebody took a picture. Breathing soundly – and feeling like he had had enough for one night – Draco took Harry by the hand and made a quick exit while dodging more flashes and Amanda's tantrums.

"Harry, what the fuck did you do?" Draco asked while they entered the car and hit the road.

Harry was very quiet and thoughtful, and he only spoke after Draco called him again.

"I don't know. Wasn't that what you wanted?" he asked, suddenly aware of the things he had said.

Draco looked at him as if he had gone insane. "No! Not like that anyway! Can't you see what you've done? They'll crush us now. And your family… Your family is going to be berserk! Aren't you worried about your reputation? People will hate you for dating me!"

Harry couldn't believe Draco's words. "That coming from you is precious, Draco! Now you're worried about my reputation? It was you who brought me here in the first place! You knew people would gossip once they saw us together!"

"But that wasn't my intention at all!"

"Well, I don't care anymore! Pull over."

"What?"

Harry was too angry to even know what he was doing. But the fact was that he was tired of running away from everything.

"I said PULL OVER or I'll make you!" he threatened, taking off his wand from his suit.

Draco parked the car in a deserted area and stared at Harry fuming.

"Don't order me around. And do not point your wand at me!" he shouted.

"I'm not!" Harry replied, putting his wand away. "Fuck! Why are you like this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I've just opened up my heart to you! In front of the whole world! And now you act like I've committed a crime! It was you who told me that we should face our ghosts! I thought you wanted me to come clean with my feelings."

"You got everything wrong! When in front of your ghosts, just turn around and walk away!"

"I did that once! It didn't work! It only brought me more suffering. I'm tired of running from myself! I told you I was for real. I love you, damn it! FUCK! I can't believe I just did what I did! Did I really say all those things to Amanda?" Harry asked as if only now his actions had sunk in.

"Yes! I was really surprised."

"Draco… This is not you. I'm supposed to fret. You're supposed to be making witty and ironic remarks about the whole thing. You're certainly not afraid for my reputation or even for what the Weasleys might think of me now. What are you afraid of?"

Draco sighed. Harry was right. He had waited his entire life to have Harry profess his love for him to the world. He was incredibly happy, but he was also afraid of the consequences of those actions. He knew somebody who would be very displeased with the news.

"I'm not exactly afraid, just… apprehensive," he said.

"Whatever happens now, I won't run away anymore," Harry declared.

Draco's heart fluttered, and as he stared at Harry's unwavering stare, he knew he was telling the truth.

"You're such a… Why do you have to be so impulsive, Harry?"

"Isn't that one of my cutest charms?" Harry asked.

Draco couldn't help but smile. He sighed one more time. He would have to be ready for what was to come. He would have to prepare himself for his mother's rage. At least now Harry was by his side. Perhaps this time things would be different.

At that point in life, he could only hope.

TBC…

A/N: FINALLY! An update after such a long time! No, you're not dreaming! This is for real!! And I'll try my best not to delay the next one. I'm fine, thank you. I went to Cambridge, and then I went to London. Amazing days! I loved every minute of it. I saw Daniel Radcliffe naked!! Woo-hoo! He's worth it, people. He's so cute I wanted to go up the stage and hug him like a crazy fan – but I'm not, so… I was happy just seeing him. I still think it was all a dream. I met my French pal there, Falyla!! Falyla translates my stories to French! I love her! She's the best! Thank you so much for inviting me to go see Equus with you, sweetie! And by the way, Falyla was the one who suggested Draco's menu in this chapter.

Having said that, leave comments! I know most of you are angry with me, but my delay was for a good cause. I've improved my English + saw Daniel Radcliffe naked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XDDD