Draco woke first, Harry's arms still wrapped around him. He turned to face him, waking Harry. He didn't open his eyes, but gave a sleepy smile.

"Hi."

"We've been asleep for hours, it's the middle of the night."

"Then go back to sleep." His eyes were still closed.

"I should go back to my dorm."

"No." Harry tightened his arms around Draco's waist, "you aren't going anywhere."

Draco snuggled under his chin against his chest and fell back asleep.

Saturday Morning

"Harry, get up, we're going to Hogsmeade." Ron pulled back the curtains.

"Mmm, later." He turned to see his friend, his face drained of blood.

Draco stirred next to him, Harry froze. Realizing that Ron was staring at a just barely covered version of him and Draco.

Ron, up until this point, Ron had been extremely tolerant and patient of Harry and Draco's relationship. But this seemed like too much.

Ron took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He shut the hangings back around them.

"I will meet you in the common room." he said evenly.

Harry heard the door close and he started laughing.

"Okay, up, Draco. I have to go meet Ron."

"I cannot believe he just saw me like this."

Harry admired his boyfriends reddening face, then kissed his forehead.

"I have to go, babe."

"Babe?" Draco raised a white eyebrow.

"It just came out."

They climbed out of bed, throwing glances at one another, checking eachother out.

Neither could hide their smile.

"So last night, after . . . you know, and then I asked that question about . . .?"

"Oh, you mean when we had sex for the first time and you asked me to marry you?"

Harry pulled his jeans over his hips.

"Yeah, that." Draco was dressed and staring at Harry.

"What about it?" he asked.

"I - well, I guess I was just -"

Harry silenced him with a kiss.

"I said yes, didn't I?"

"Yeah. okay. Great." Draco struggled to speak, happy it wasn't part of post-sex dreaming and Harry really had yes and they really were engaged.

Now he had to tell his mother.

"I -" Draco started, "I'm going to see my mother today."

Harry turned to face him, "you are?"

Draco nodded, his face serene, but Harry caught his nervous habits rolling through his body.

He smoothed his hair down, looked at the ground, and straightened his clothes, before tapping his wand against his hand.

"Are you going to tell her about -?"

"Yes." he said confidently, "I may be back tonight, I might be back tomorrow, depending on how that goes."

"Okay." Harry draped his invisibility cloak over Draco's shoulders, "I love you."

They kissed one more time, Harry covered him with the cloak and they went down through the common area.

"Hey Ron, ready?" Harry asked.

"Is he?" He gestured to the air around Harry.

"Yeah, just til we're, you know, outside."

The three of them walked out the portrait hole. Draco slipped off the cloak and handed it to Harry.

He nodded to Ron, "Morning, Weasley." He gave Harry's hand a squeeze and headed for the kitchens for a bite.

Ron and Harry walked the grounds to Hogsmeade. 8th year students had much more freedom than the younger years and were able to visit the town any weekend they wanted.

"I'm sorry you found us like that, Ron." Harry said, sliding down the dewey grass.

"It was just . . . unexpected. That's all. I didn't know you two were . . . you know."

They were silent for a bit, the sound of their shoes on the grass making the loudest sounds.

"Last night was our first time." Harry blurted.

Ron's ears reddened but he said nothing.

"And it wasn't planned or anything."

They had left the Hogwarts grounds and were now trekking along the familiar worn path to town.

Before they reached Hogsmeade, Harry pulled on Draco's elbow to stop him, "I need to tell you something else."

"I don't want to hear about your sex with Malfoy -"

"It's not about that. Well, it kind of is. He asked me to marry him last night."

"HE WHAT?!" Ron yelled, "YOU BLOODY WELL SAID NO, RIGHT?"

"Ron, quiet!"

"Harry, please tell me you didn't say yes to that git."

"Come'on, I thought you two were getting on just fine."

"Only cause he's your boyfriend. Otherwise we'd still be hexing eachother in the corridors!"

"Ron, really."

"Yes, Harry, Really! I hate the bastard."

Harry's heart sank deep in his chest. 'I'd choose you in a heartbeat' he'd said, he didn't think he'd ever have to prove it.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. Draco has really come 'round on you. He doesn't even call you weasel anymore."

"Oh, how nice of him." Ron mocked.

Harry had to admit that wasn't really a great argument.

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd be happy for me."

"You've only been together for like, two months. You can't possibly know you want to spend your life with him."

"I love him, shouldn't that be what's important?"

"I can't believe this is happening." Ron ran his hands through his hair and over his face, "this is all wrong. Honestly. You were supposed to marry Ginny! It was perfect, everything was perfect until that ferret made us play that stupid game in detention and somehow fixed it to get you into that closet."

"That's not what happened." Harry spoke quietly now, Ron's anger was taking up so much space.

"That's exactly what happened!"

"I thought you were understanding and supportive? What happened to that?"

"I thought this was just a thing you were going through. Your first year as a person with no worries, no evil wizard on your tail, no one trying to kill you. I thought Draco was a phase!"

Harry was relieved that this was not a Hogsmeade weekend for the whole school, otherwise everyone would have heard this.

Harry's eyes glistened with tears, threatening to spill over.

"Well he isn't. We may not get married anytime soon, Ron, but you need to accept the fact that we are a set now, one does not come without the other and if you can't handle that, I don't know, find yourself a new best mate."

He'd said it. He laid it out pretty clear, either Ron accepts Draco or he loses Harry. Ron took a step back at his words.

"You're going to choose him over me?"

"I shouldn't have to choose, Ron, but wouldn't you do the same for Hermione?"

Ron stared at him without blinking. Harry waited, hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

"Fine!" Ron bellowed, "Fine! Uggghh!"

Harry's smile stretched across his face and he felt so elated. He grabbed Ron in a crushing hug.

"Thank you."

"Whatever, I need a drink."

They went to Madam Rosemerta's for a mug of butterbeer.

"Draco is coming to dinner tomorrow night."

"Swell."

Harry smiled, "and I'm going to tell everyone."

"That' you're dating?"

"No, that we're engaged."

"Merlin, Harry, how many people are you trying to piss off?"

"They're going to find out eventually."

"And what about Ginny?"

"I've already spoken with her. Did you know she's dating Blaise?"

"What? That's absurd, they never even talk."

"I know. I said the same."

They continued throughout the day, occasionally, Ron would say something in hopes of encouraging Harry to reconsider.

"You still want to marry him after the time he put that journal into Ginny's book stack and caused her to be possessed by Riddle?"

"That was his father, Ron."

"Remember when he hexed you and you were throwing up those giant nasty slugs for" gag "hours"

"Ron, you tried to hex him and it backfired on you."

"What about that time, you were fighting in the bathroom? He could have killed you!"

"I almost killed him, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Okay, the time -"

"Ron, it's not happening."

Ron grumbled, "Fine."

They collected everything they needed from Hogsmeade and spent most of the day talking. When they returned to the castle, Harry told Hermione the news. To Ron's displeasure, she was ecstatic and happy for Harry. The three of them spent the evening in front of the fire in the common room.

"It's a bit weird, isn't it? Having a normal school year?" Hermione said, her eyes slightly glazed and staring into the roaring fire.

"Yeah," they agreed.