Harry

Draco's breath is cool against my lips. He's so close to me, I can see little flecks of green in the gray of his eyes. He pauses just before our lips touch.

At first, I think it's to build the suspense, but then I really look at him.

He looks scared. I trail my fingers up his chest to rest my hand against the side of his throat. His pulse is beating more irregularly than it should be given the circumstances.

"It's okay, Draco. We can take our time," I murmur.

"I've been wanting..." he trails off. "I've liked you for years. I think since we met. Hasn't that been enough time?"

That surprises me. I always thought Draco hated me in school. I can think about that later. My priority is the man in my arms here and now.

"It is more than enough time, but this right here? This is new to both of us. We've never been romantic or intimate. So it's okay to go slow." I smile at him, trying to reassure him.

Draco does the cutest thing I've ever seen him do. He pouts at me. Merlin... I have to stop myself from kissing the pout off his lips.

"But I want..." His cheeks color. "I don't want to be friends first."

As hard as I try, I can't stop a small laugh from escaping me. His face scrunches up. I can't help it; I kiss his nose.

"Draco Malfoy... will you be my boyfriend?" I ask, winking at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

He hesitates for so long, I start growing nervous. I'm worried he'll say no.

"Harry, have you thought this through? You're my healer. I might die soon. I'm a dis-"

"I swear if you say you're a disgraced Death Eater again..." I cut him off.

"I am!"

"You're not. Draco, you're not a Death Eater. Please stop talking like that. The war was five years ago. You did everything you could to stay alive." I stare up at him stubbornly.

"How can you be so calm about it? I almost got you killed!"

"You saved my life," I point out. "I nearly killed you with that curse in sixth year. I forgive your past. I forgive you for everything you did while you were a kid."

"But-"

"The past isn't your future unless you want to live there, Draco. Voldemort has taken enough from us, don't you think? Let's not let him ruin our future together too."

Draco flinches, but he doesn't break eye contact with me. He's trembling. I'm worried I scared him off, but he drops his head to my shoulder.

"Easier said than done," he mumbles. "The past doesn't want to let go of me. I can't just... forget it happened."

"That's normal, I think. Trauma, abuse... those things are hard to let go of. They're hard to heal from. That doesn't mean it's impossible though." I certainly haven't completely healed from the war or even from the Dursley's treatment.

Draco presses his face into my throat. I think he's crying again. I wouldn't blame him if he is. I think he only told me the bare minimum of what he experienced.

"I was scared to talk about it before," he mumbles.

"Why?" I run my fingers through his hair.

"I didn't... I didn't want to see pity in your eyes. I thought... you would think less of me. That I'm weak. That I'm not your equal. I didn't want you to see how big of mess I am."

He's definitely crying now. I can feel the shuddering gasps of his breath against my skin. It breaks my heart.

"You're not any of those things. You're not weak. You're not a mess. You're hurting. Honestly, I think you are strong. You wake up every day and face those hurts. That's it's own kind of bravery."

Draco scoffs, but his arms tighten around my shoulders. I hold him.

"If you want me there, I'll stay by your side and help you heal those hurts," I tell him after a moment of silence.

"How? You can't just cast a spell, Harry."

I technically could. I could erase his memory or modify it until all of those scars Voldemort left are gone. I'm not going to. I don't think that is a healthy way to cope with this.

"I can't fix this for you, but I can empower you so you can heal yourself."

Draco lifts his head. He seems mildly exasperated. "And how are you planning on doing that?"

"I have a couple ideas." I grin. Exasperated is an improvement from hopeless in my book.

"You're still my healer. Isn't there some law about healers dating their patients?"

"Your position on whether or not we should date seems to be quite contradictory," I point out, trying not to smile.

"It is not! I want to date you, but I don't want you to get in trouble!"

Morgana. He is so cute when he's flustered.

"Fair point... then, I'll just ask you out when you're healed." I raise my eyebrows.

I understand his hesitation. This whole week has been a huge change for us. It's normal to be conflicted and confused in situations like this. I know that I certainly feel a little weird. I just broke up with Anthony yesterday. I don't really want to rush into this.

"Promise?" Draco asks in a small voice.

"I promise."

Draco still looks lost. I give him time to think. I'm perfectly content to play with his silvery blond hair as I wait. His hair feels like silk as it slips through my fingers.

I'm not expecting it when he moves suddenly. His face fills my vision as his lips press against mine awkwardly. The shock only lasts a moment. I cup his jaw in my hand and move my lips tenderly against his.

Kissing Draco doesn't make me see fireworks. It's not like a movie or a book. It's not even like how some songs describe kissing.

Kissing Draco reminds me of sunshine on a spring day. It feels like warmth and light is filling me.

His lips are soft and taste oddly like lavender and mint. I wonder briefly what toothpaste he uses. His lips part a little under mine and I stop thinking about toothpaste.

I brush my tongue over his lower lip. He trembles in my arms. I can feel his pulse hammering against my hand, so I break the kiss.

His eyes remain closed for a moment, looking like he doesn't want it to be over. I don't either. I have to prioritize his health though.

He slowly blinks, his eyes meeting mine. "That... that was really different."

"Uh..." I'm not sure if that's a compliment. "Compared to what?"

"Kissing Blaise." Draco looks thoughtful. "Maybe it's because I didn't want to kiss him."

"Was that your first kiss?"

Draco's ears turn pink. That's answer enough for me.

"I was pretty jealous when he kissed you earlier," I confess.

"You shouldn't be. Blaise is a hussy." Draco rolls his eyes. "He's always kissing or fucking someone."

"Fair enough... I still wanted to be the one kissing you though."

Draco's head falls to my shoulder again. "Don't just say things like that. It makes me want to kiss you again."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes because I have to wait for you to cure me to be with you." The way he's grumbling makes me smile.

"I guess that's just more of an incentive for me to break this curse."

Draco harrumphs. I stroke his hair. He relaxes. I think he likes his hair played with. I start humming absentmindedly.

"That song... it sounds familiar."

"It's called Let's Dance."

I'm a bit surprised Draco found the song familiar. I can't really picture him listening to muggle music.

"I like it... you humming it anyways."

"You're reading a book?"

I glance up at Hermione. "Surely that's not the oddest thing about this picture."

Draco fell asleep an hour ago. He never moved from my lap. His face is buried in my neck. His arms are draped over my shoulders. I really like it. This feels right.

"Well, I am a bit surprised to see this, but I had a feeling it was only a matter of time." She sits on the bed facing us and takes out her wand. "Anything new?"

"Not much. His heart is failing him. I'm almost certain it's a curse." I hand the book to Hermione.

"How can you be sure?"

"Kreacher said Bellatrix was interested in curses that could cause conditions with the heart. I can't find an incantation though."

Hermione tilts her head, leafing through the book. "Maybe it's not the type of curse to have an incantation."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, some of the more ancient enchantments and curses were done through action. Like that enchantment your mum cast on you. She died protecting you, so you had her protection from Voldemort." Hermione furrows her eyebrows. "Curses and enchantments like that are usually very difficult to break. You have to go around them. Find a loophole."

"You mean like Voldemort using my blood in the graveyard? He said something about my mother's protection was flowing in his veins after that."

"Exactly. We need time to study this. With work though..." she sighs.

"Do you think we should call in the family to help?" I suggest.

"We could. Ron and George have free time after the shop closes and Bill is a professional curse breaker. Luna and Ginny are both free too. I'm sure they'll be eager to help." Hermione looks at the book thoughtfully. "I'll send them all letters."

"Thanks." I smile in relief. It's nice to have help.

"That brings me to another matter... Harry, don't you think you should retire from being Malfoy's healer?"

"Why?"

"You're clearly attached to him. It could cloud your judgment while you're treating him." She says it gently, but I still feel defensive.

"I promised him I would heal him. Not hand him off to someone else."

Hermione holds up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Calm down, or you'll wake him. How about letting me treat him?"

"Hermione..."

"I'm serious. You know I'm fully capable of healing him."

I want to argue, but if I do, I'll be proving that I am too attached to Draco. Instead, I take a deep breath.

"How about this: I'll get your approval in his treatment from now on. If you think I'm making a bad decision, you can stop me. If you think of something I haven't, I'll listen and act accordingly." Compromising usually works best with Hermione.

She narrows her dark eyes thoughtfully before nodding. "Fine. I'll tell Ron to stop at your place and see if he can find more books. Maybe Neville can check the Hogwarts library."

Hermione stands up, hands me my book, and kisses the top of my head. "Be careful with him, Harry. Don't rush into anything."

"I'm not... I really like him, Mione. I don't want to screw this up."