Chapter 27

"Promise you'll be on your best behavior." Harry took Draco's hand in his as they walked up the stone path to Hermione and Ron's door.

"I'll be as respectful as he is." Draco defended.

"With Hermione here, he'll be good. I hope."

Hermione opened the door just as Harry was about to knock.

"Harry, Hi! Come in, Come in!" She gave Harry a quick hug, then turned to Draco, "Draco, thank you for coming!"

Harry thought she looked more flustered than usual. Perhaps knowing Draco was coming over had her a little anxious.

"Uh, thank you, for inviting me, Hermione."

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes and scowled for just a moment, "He's in the bedroom." She turned to Draco with a smile, "Can I get you some wine?"

"Oh, Merlin, please." Draco laughed breathlessly.

Harry watched Draco follow Hermione to the kitchen before heading to the one bedroom in the small house. He knocked quietly, walking in before waiting for an answer.

"What?" the redhead barked from the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"It's me." Harry announced, laying next to him on the bed.

They laid silently staring at the ceiling, Ron had charmed it to be a blue clouded sky.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk about this, just as us." Harry broke the silence.

"Nope." he said.

Harry sensed Ron was feeling some way, he wasn't great at talking about his feelings.

"Look, I'm a little confused, you know. You've never had a problem with my male partners in the past."

"Yeah, they were just partners, Harry, people you were hooking up with for a night or a week. You've never been in a relationship with a bloke before."

"Does that bother you? That I'm dating a man? Cause if so, I gotta say -"

"It honestly just baffles me that Draco is the first man you decided to be in a relationship with. Like, you've been with a dozen guys way better than that ferret out there." Ron sat up on his elbows, looking at Harry.

"Look mate, you've got to get over this hatred towards Draco. He's not the Draco we went to school with, and the fact that Hermione has accepted that should tip you off. He's already nervous about getting your 'approval' tonight, so you don't need to make this harder than it is. You're both uncomfortable, but you're both important to me. You both need to accept that you're gonna be in each other's lives."

"Why do you like him?" Ron asked, sitting up all the way, turning to face Harry.

Harry mirrored his movements, "are you sure you want to know that?"

Ron nodded, "I'm gonna need to understand in order to start to accept it."

"Well I don't know, I guess. He challenges me but accepts my boundaries, understands the whole 'kids come first thing' for the Home. He's bloody brilliant, I don't think there's a potion he can't brew perfectly. He just gets me and doesn't put up with my shit. And he smells nice."

Ron had a grimace on his face.

"I . . . I never told you this, but I used to really have like, a huge crush on him, for a couple years, despite his horrid behavior, it took me a while to get over it, and I'll admit, one of the reasons I was so annoyed Luna had let him start staying with us is because it had taken me so long to stop thinking about him. But that day he apologized to Hermione, when you stunned him, I saw how . . . sad he was, I guess. Alone. I made a semi-conscious decision to stop pushing him away, stop ignoring him. I thought there's no way my old feelings will be coming back, that was ages ago, I'm with Luna, I don't fancy Draco anymore, I thought I could just make him a little less sad, but I was wrong, he was walking around smiling, talking to me, showing interest in the Home . . . I didn't do anything with him and I hadn't planned to but I thought about it. My old feelings came rushing back rather quickly. When Luna broke up with me, I was sad, but not that we weren't together. More as in the sadness you feel when something ends, but I also felt lighter, like this maybe opened a new door, maybe my feelings about Draco weren't so wrong. And they aren't. I love him, and that's good, Ron."

Harry finally finished talking, he'd kept looking at Ron then back at his hands, his face reddening as he continued. Ron had watched him the whole time, his fingers fidgeted, his smile broadened.

"Okay." Ron spoke finally.

"Okay?" Harry looked up at him, hopeful.

"Let's get this over with," he sighed heavily. He couldn't help smiling when he saw Harry's eyes shine with happiness, "no promises."

"I'm only asking that you try."

The two friends walked into the living room to find Hermione and Draco sitting near the fire, a bottle of wine between them.

Hermione looked up cautiously, waiting for someone to speak. Draco stood up, taking a few steps towards them.

He stuck his hand out to Ron, "Thank you for having us over tonight. It means a lot to us."

Hermione watched with bated breath, waiting to see what her husband would do.

Ron slowly shook his hand, not breaking eye contact, "Thank Hermione, she did all the work," a small, forced, smile stretched across his mouth.

Hermione and Harry simultaneously released a breath they'd been holding. Hermione handed out glasses of wine to everyone, holding her own up in a toast, "here's to a new friend, kind words, and a really scrumptious dinner."

Draco chuckled and clinked his glass against Hermione's, then Harry's, Ron tipped his glass towards Draco's and tapped it with his own.

Harry happily clapped Ron on the back; "Let's eat!" Hermione squeaked.

X*X*X*X*X

Draco fell into the nearest chair in the kitchen as soon as he came through the fireplace, Harry quickly followed him in.

"That went well, righ'? Draco slurred.

"Come on Draco, let's get you to bed, you're drunk."

"Ha, YOu're Drunk, Harry." He took Harry's hand and stood up face to face with him, "MErling, Yore hot."

Harry rolled his eyes but his cheeks still rosied.

"Thank you. You're also hot."

He zoned in for a sloppy kiss, "ohmygoodness, Malfoy." Harry stunned him quietly and levitated him upstairs. He quickly undressed him down to his underwear and covered him up. He removed the stunning spell and joined Draco in bed.

"Aguamenti, there's some water for you when you wake up."

Harry scooted down to rest his head on the pillow, looking up at his ceiling, Draco snuggled into his side, almost burrowing under him.

"You're so warm, always warm. I love you, you're so warm."

Harry stiffened at the drunk words, afraid to believe them as truth.

"Go to sleep, Draco."

"Mmkay." Harry ran his hands through Draco's white blond locks until he was in a deep sleep.

Harry stared into the darkness of the room hearing Draco's words run through his head, smiling.