Author's Note: I need to sleep...and to stop eating things that I'm allergic to because it makes me feel like shit. *sniffles* I only have three food allergies and they are a doozy – wheat, corn, and pecans. Life is so unfair. All the tasty things that I love are made from shit I'm allergic to. *shakes fist at sky* CAKE! WHY CAN'T I QUIT YOU!

Pansy settled herself down in the seat across from Draco at lunch, blocking his view of the Gryffindor table. Crabbe and Goyle stood a bit behind her, disgruntled expressions on their faces.

"What do you want?" Draco snarled in irritation.

She studied him, cat-like eyes tracing across his features as her face scrunched up in disapproval.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she replied, her words sounding forced. "What's your silence going to cost us?"

Draco let an easy smile play out on his face, delicately bringing his teacup to his lips to take a sip. When he felt the silence had gone on long enough, he said, "Call off the attack."

She sputtered in surprise, color rising to her cheeks. "You know I don't have the power to influence my father's decisions."

"Hmm..." Draco replied, holding the girl with an icy look. "That's most unfortunate."

She scoffed, her face contorting in an ugly manner. "If Potter hadn't shown up, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. It would have been your word against ours – and your word isn't worth much these days. It's in your best interest to remember that fact before you start making ridiculous demands."

Draco did not allow the smile to slip from his face. "If that's too difficult for you, then how about something easier? How about you get your snakes in line? Have them keep their fangs away from me until we graduate."

She paused to consider his request, eyes burning with rage at the necessity of this arrangement.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll see what I can do, but snakes rarely listen to anyone. I will not be held responsible for the few that refuse to comply, nor will I be held responsible for others outside of my jurisdiction."

It was enough. Draco was careful not to let the relief show on his face.

"I suppose that is acceptable," he replied.

Pansy stood to leave, a look of utter disgust on her face at having to make these concessions. Crabbe and Goyle hung back as she walked away, eyes darting about anxiously.

"I'm sorry about last night," Goyle informed. "We didn't know what they were planning. They told us that they were just going to rough you up a bit. You know how that goes?"

His eyes met Draco's, an earnest expression on his face. "If we had known – we wouldn't have agreed to it."

Crabbe shifted nervously behind him, looking equally mortified.

"Is that all?" Draco inquired, dismissing them without accepting their apology.

They both looked wounded, Goyle nodding before they both darted away to catch up with Pansy.

While he didn't doubt the sincerity of their actions, he wasn't about to let them off so easily. They belonged to Pansy now after all.

Draco needed some fresh air. He finished off the rest of his tea, setting the cup gently in the saucer before heading off for the grounds. Harry caught up with him a few minutes later, huffing with the effort of chasing him down.

"You didn't wait for me," he accused. "Is everything okay? I saw Parkinson talking to you."

Draco smiled, pleased at the memory of the game he had just won. "We've reached an agreement," he replied evasively.

"Are they going to leave you alone now?" Harry asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"For the most part."

Harry smiled, his body visibly relaxing in relief. "That's good."

A few butterflies in Draco's stomach fluttered as he asked, "Fancy going for a walk?"

Harry's face lit up like a six-year-old girl seeing her first real unicorn. "That sounds perfect."

The butterflies had now formed a tornado and Draco worried for a second that he might be sick.

Not wasting any time, Harry took Draco's hand in his and dragged him along. Draco glanced about in worry, looking for witnesses, but there were none. Harry's hand felt warm and rough in his and he smiled at the thought of holding it like this forever.

/

"Sit there for a second," Draco commanded, pointing at the chair near the fireplace. He pulled out a tube of hand cream his mother had sent him last year and crossed over to kneel in front of Harry.

He squeezed some of the cream into the palm of his hand, taking Harry's hand into his to massage the product in. Harry watched him, saying nothing as he relaxed under Draco's careful ministrations.

"Don't you ever wear gloves during Quidditch?" Draco inquired in irritation, his fingers passing over rough and peeling callouses.

Harry chuckled, his face lighting up in a warm and easy-going expression. "It's not just Quidditch," he remarked. "I do a lot of yard work over the summer break too."

Draco was momentarily distracted by a vision of Harry, shirtless and sweating as he dug a hole. The purpose of said hole was a mystery, but nonetheless, Draco felt a peculiar throbbing sensation in his groin. It was a rather silly thought. He shook his head to clear it, his body protesting his mind's erroneous assessment – it was not a silly thought.

"You should really invest in a good hand cream. A proper skin care regimen will go a long way in the fight against..." he explained carelessly, the rest of his mother's oft-given lecture on the dangers of premature aging freezing in his throat the moment he realized it – Harry had no need to worry about premature aging or proper skin care.

"I'm..." he started to apologize but was halted mid-sentence when Harry placed a finger on his lips, shaking his head with a slight smile.

"Don't apologize. I like discussing the future with you. I need it, actually. Otherwise, I feel like my life is just frozen in time. No movement at all – just waiting – waiting until..." he trailed off, pulling his finger away from Draco's lips with a stricken expression on his face.

Draco leaned forward, his heart aching with regret as he pressed his lips to Harry's, trying to banish the look in the boy's eyes. Harry responded readily, lips parting as the kiss deepened unexpectedly, their tongues at war as sadness transformed into need.

When they finally pulled away, lips swollen and faces flushed, Draco realized that he wanted so much more. It was alarming really, how strange his thoughts had become. He'd never had much interest in anyone – at least not in that way – but Harry's eyes, his mouth, the soft curve of his jaw, even his messy hair, had awakened something unexpected in him. It was torture for him to feel like this.

"You know," Harry said, interrupting Draco's confused thoughts, "I really need to thank you."

Draco stared at him with a questioning look. What had he done for Harry that warranted thanking?

"The other day, when you told me to stop feeling sorry for myself..." Draco winced at hearing his thoughtless words flung back at him. "It really made me stop and think. In fact, I thought about it for most of the following day and I realized that I wanted to live."

It was as if a dagger had been plunged into his heart – hearing Harry profess his want to live while simultaneously knowing that it would mean a continuation of everyone living in fear of the Dark Lord. He knew Harry wouldn't be happy living like that – with all that guilt.

"Not like that," Harry said, chuckling lightly at the look on Draco's face. "I mean, I want to live what little life I have left. I want to enjoy it. I'm tired of moping around, feeling sorry for myself, getting frustrated at how unfair everything is. I want to live – like actually live my life. I want to enjoy it – " he paused, looking momentarily uncertain before he continued. "... enjoy it with you."

Draco's heart was fluttering like a bird trying to escape its cage. He wanted that too – a life together with his first real friend, his first...whatever they were. He lost himself in Harry's spellbinding green eyes, not saying a word. Harry began to frown, shifting a bit to pull away from Draco.

"I mean, if you want that," he mumbled nervously, running his fingers through his hair in a self-conscious gesture.

"YES," Draco shot back abruptly. "Yes, I would like that very much."

They stared at one another, both blushing and uncertain.

"I don't really know how this works," Harry admitted, a nervous smile on his face.

"Me neither," Draco replied breathlessly. "But I suppose the kissing was a good start."

Harry let out an easy laugh, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"More kissing it is," he announced, smirking as his eyes held Draco's. Harry pulled him close, capturing his lips once again, their tongues exploring each other. This was something he could definitely get used to.