Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

WARNING: Offensive language.

Chapter Thirty-Six

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Draco stayed in his room for three days after he went to see his father.

It made Harry jitter as he watched Remus climbing the stairs with a tray in his hands or a cup of hot chocolate. On the second day, Harry had asked Sirius about the chocolate and Sirius explained it was almost an automatic reflex for Remus when bad things happen. He believed that chocolate cured bad thoughts and energy that would cling to a person. Harry had vague recollections of Dementors being the ones that guarded Azkaban, his skin itched at the nightmarish echoes in his head from that first ride on the train. However, Sirius confirmed that the Dementors were no longer guarding Azkaban and so Harry went full-circle in his jittery confusion.

Several times he had hovered outside of Draco's door, silently praying for an invitation to go inside or for Draco to come out. Neither happened, and Harry tried so hard not to take it personally, even if the sting on his heart lasted for hours at a time.

He had heard Remus and Sirius talking in the lounge one evening, long after they'd thought he'd gone to bed. Still, they kept their voices low as they finished off a bottle of muggle wine and leaned against one another on the sofa beside the fireplace.

"What do you think Lucius could have meant about Draco breaking the chain?" Sirius furrowed his brow, swirling his wine. "After seeing the memory, and having known Lucius, it's hard to say."

Remus shrugged. He ran his fingers lazily through Sirius' curls. "It could be taken either way. Remember, Lucius isn't being driven mad in that prison, not by Dementor's anyway. So, he is very lucid and very aware that he can still feel ashamed and humiliated in front of auror's without the guise of insanity to hide behind."

"You think he meant it as a good thing?"

"It's entirely possible," Remus hummed. "It could be an indirect way of saying Draco was the one that broke the Malfoy alliance with the Dark Lord once and for all. Better late than never, and all that."

Sirius pulled a face. "I don't know. That man is like a statue; I can barely get a read on him unless he starts spitting at something."

Remus rolled his eyes with a hint of a smile. "It's a wonder Draco even let me have the memories at all."

"You're a good dad, Remmy. He needed strength and support and you gave it to the boy threefold. Don't belittle yourself for stepping up to the plate," Sirius said, setting his wine glass on the side table.

Remus didn't look convinced. Sirius took the wine glass from his hand and set it beside his own. He then guided Remus to sprawl out across the sofa, with his head nestled again Sirius' chest. Now it was Remus' turn to have his hair combed out of his eyes and let his eyelids grow a little droopy.

"It's just … I'm not his father, you know? I just couldn't let him think he was alone or unwanted or Merlin forbid, rejected. He just came out to his father." He shook his head in disbelief, "Such a brave boy."

Perched on the stairs just out of sight, Harry's heart drummed heavily in his chest.

Draco was gay?

The rest of their conversation turned somewhat muffled as Harry quietly crept back up the stairs to his room, his blood roaring in his ears.

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The following morning after breakfast, Harry watched as Remus took another mug of hot chocolate up to Draco's room, along with a letter from his mother. Harry felt his insides twist. It felt weird not to have heard Draco's voice for several days in a row. Come to think of it, even when they had been at school together, Draco's jibes and taunts had been a constant, as welcome as the insults had been. The only time he'd really get break from it was when Draco would go home for the holidays or when he had to go back to Privet Drive.

As he did the dishes, much to Kreacher's annoyance, Harry's eyes wandered to the calendar hanging up by the fridge. He grimaced at the circled dates. Draco would be sitting his N.E.W.T.'s at the end of the following week, along with his friends, and apparently it was also the same week as a full moon.

It was a wonder anyone was able to function when those glaring dates were just around the corner.

Despite it being May, and having gorgeous weather most of the time, today was a little on the bleak and breezy side. So, as soon as Remus was free, Harry bundled Teddy in his arms and carried him astride his hip into the study where Remus was hunched over the desk with his glasses on his nose.

Harry stopped in the doorway with a frown. "Are those your glasses?"

Remus startled and hastily removed the glasses. "No, no. They're Sirius' I was just -testing them?"

"Uh huh," Harry cocked an eyebrow. "If you need glasses, Remus, you should get your own."

"I take it you didn't cart my son all the way up here to lecture me on my eyesight," he intoned drily.

Harry chuckled. "No, I actually wanted to ask you if we could maybe practice some spells."

"Oh, sure that's fine. Did you have anything in mind?"

"I was thinking … maybe the Patronus charm?"

"Oh?" Remus smiled smugly as he leaned back in his desk chair. "You know, you were this age the first time I taught it to you. Are you -are you remembering those times?"

"Maybe a little," Harry shrugged awkwardly. "It was more what you said about Dementor's and I remember them coming to stand guard at Hogwarts on how you fought one off on the train …"

"Ah, yes. Nasty creatures," Remus grimaced. "I'd be happy to help. We should go to the dining room upstairs. Why don't you go and set up and I'll go and grab Draco?"

Harry shifted awkwardly. "Are you sure? He hadn't left his room for ages."

"I'm sure," Remus affirmed. "He needs to practice this as much as you do, for his exams. We may as well all do it together."

That decided, he brushed past Harry -pecking both boys in the forehead -before trotting down the stairs two at a time to Draco's floor.

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Harry felt his shoulders slump. His throat felt raw, and his magic was crackling in the air around him, but still he wasn't able to produce more than a silvery whisp. He tried not to let it dishearten him, because Remus explained to him how most wizards couldn't even manage that. Yet he could see the silvery stag so clearly in his mind's eye that he could almost reach out and touch it.

"Do you want to take a break?" Remus asked, arms folded across his chest.

Harry shook his head, "No, no, I want to keep going a little longer."

"I'm not sure the theology will be the same, Harry. Try not to put so much pressure on yourself. This is complex magic you're trying to learn. You didn't even get it right the first time around."

Harry pursed his lips.

"Why don't you try to relax and rest for a few minutes? Then we can let Draco have a go."

Harry glanced up through his fringe at the blonde who was stood off to the side, keeping an eye on Teddy who was playing with some wooden blocks in the corner. His skin was greyish, and his hair was limp against his forehead. He had opted for comfort today and was wearing a muggle jumper and soft trousers that oddly suited him.

"Let's not deprive Harry of his fun," Draco muttered. "It's not like I'd be any better at it anyway."

"What makes you say that Draco?" Remus asked, turning to face the blonde.

"You need happy memories to produce even a puff of smoke," Draco shrugged. "I've barely felt cheery enough to brush my own teeth."

Harry fought to bite back a smile at the thinly veiled sarcasm. Readjusting his grip on his wand, he readied his stance, prepared to go again. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the click-clacking of the wooden blocks in the corner, or the throb of his heartbeat in his ears. He could feel his magic crackling and flexing around him, building up from his core. Images rushed through his mind, of Remus and Sirius slow-dancing by candlelight, Draco playing twister with Ron and Hermione, Sirius playing football with him, stealing a box of chocolates for Draco, helping Draco with potions and feeling so elated when he managed to do something correctly –

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

He could feel it! The magic was bubbling up through him, like champagne! He gripped his wand a little tighter –

A thick, silvery mist plumed out of the end of his wand, expanding into the air and, for a split second, Harry thought it was taking shape. However, before any real solid form could emerge, the silver cloud dispersed, leaving his magic humming in his veins. He looked at the spot before him where the smoke had been. It had been about to take shape, hadn't it? It felt silly to be so disappointed in not managing to make a corporeal patronus. From what he gathered, his shield was thick and strong, which should have made him feel proud, yet something was missing. Something felt off.

"Very well done, Harry," Remus clapped him on the shoulder. "That was an impressive shield. A few more lessons and you may get to see what your patronus is."

Harry frowned at the words. "But -w-wouldn't it be a stag, like my dad?"

Remus' smiled faltered. "Oh -you see, Harry, there are a lot of factors that go into making a patronus corporeal and one of the key factors are our emotions. Your patronus may still be a stag but there is also a possibility that it may have changed its form."

Harry jerked away from Remus' touch. "I -but -w-what?"

"It can happen, I'm afraid. Dora's patronus changed after Sirius died and I isolated myself from everyone in the Order. For a while we'd all thought she was heartbroken because of Sirius' death, but it wasn't the case. She was heartbroken because I shut the world out. I was the one who was heartbroken. I wanted to punish myself and I felt like Dora deserved better than what I was." His shoulders slumped heavily, "Her patronus changed because she realised how much she loved me. She could have lost me that night, and she didn't. Then when I disappeared, I broke her heart. It deeply affected her magic."

Harry screwed up his face and hands, shaking his head. "But I have so many new memories! So many happy ones! Why should my patronus have to change if I'm happy? It's not fair! It's the one thing I shared with my dad other than looking like him! The one deep-rooted connection I had with him!"

The lights flared as Harry felt his magic surge and bubble over.

"Draco, take Teddy downstairs."

Grateful for any excuse to duck out, Draco scooped the toddler into his arms, grabbed his wand and strode briskly from the room. He didn't hear the rest of the altercation between Remus and Harry, but eventually the thunderous magic rolling in the air, simmered down and he felt as though he was able to breathe easier again.

As he sat on the sofa with Teddy nestled beside him, watching a cartoon on the TV, Draco felt his heart twist when he heard a door upstairs slam shut. Harry had probably stormed off to his room and would remain there for the rest of the day. Draco found that he could very easily sympathise with Harry. He had known about their secret club in fifth year and had joined the inquisitorial squad to put a stop to it for one reason only; he was jealous.

He would never admit it out loud, but he had been jealous that he hadn't been able to participate. They had learned NOTHING that entire year under Umbridge's tutelage, even he could admit that. He heard hushed conversations about what spells they would be learning, how to perfect charms that even Flitwick hadn't gotten to yet, and it made him seethe. He would question everything. Would he have been permitted to join had he been less of a dickhead to Harry for all those years? Perhaps if he hadn't called Hermione a mudblood, they'd have begrudgingly let him come a time or two?

Then again, perhaps not. To his understanding, only one Slytherin had ever bothered to join. He knew that most of Wizarding Britain assumed that all Slytherin's knew enough about the Dark Arts to last several lifetimes.

He had day-dreamed about those meetings though. What it would be like to improve on various duelling techniques. Watching the Weasley twins work their charm and magic, even when facing-off against one another. Hell, even to have Harry tutor him. Granted, he had always thought the guy was a lucky idiot who was reckless to a fault. Yet, he had managed to teach a large group of students, students who had managed to pass their O.W.L.'s with decent grades in the practical assessments. Draco and a few other Slytherin's had managed purely by working at it into the early hours or the morning in the common room.

If only things had been different, maybe Draco could have been able to produce a patronus. That could have given him some hope when he had the Dark Lord living in the manor.

He didn't realise how late it had gotten until he heard the roar of the floo in the kitchen.

"Anyone in earshot who wants an iced tea?" Sirius called out from the kitchen. "Going once! Going twice!"

"I'll take one!" Draco called back. Turning to Teddy, he gathered the toddler to rest on his hips. "Let's go and see your nutjob step-dad, eh?"

Entering the kitchen, he saw Sirius' work robes strewn over the back of one of the kitchen chairs along with his briefcase he used to cart around his students' homework for marking. Sirius turned to the kitchen table with a tired grin and set two glasses of iced tea on it.

"Come here, little man, let's have a cuddle," he said, already extracting Teddy from Draco's grip. Not that the teenager minded, as he slipped into a seat with ease. Sirius cradled Teddy in his lap, offering the toddler a biscuit to nibble on. With a flick of his wand, Sirius' dark curled coiled up into a knot at the back of his head and he sighed with relief. "That was a long day. I finally had to set a three foot long essay assignment just so that they would sod off and be quiet."

Draco snickered into his tea, with a rueful shake of his head. "You're so mean."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I couldn't care less. My reputation as an escaped convict has officially gone up in smoke."

"Sucks to be you, then."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him, taking a long sip from his drink. "So what did you guys get up to today?"

"Harry wanted to practice his patronus charm, but Remus said something about it changing shape or something? That set Harry off and he stormed to his room and hasn't been down since."

"Merlin," Sirius exhaled. "Patronus theology is complicated. I know I was aloof about my studies way back in the day, but when I was fascinated and determined about something, I saw it through to the end. I know it must be hard for Harry. His patronus is a stag, like his dads was. He was so proud of that; like it was another connection he had forged with them without knowing how or why. To know that it may have changed … I'll have to go up and talk to him."

Draco hummed. "I should have tried it myself, but …"

"Why didn't you?"

Draco shrugged listlessly, tracing the whorls in the tabletop. "I guess … I'm not sure that I have any concrete happy memories that would be strong enough. I mean, look at Harry. He managed it the first time, after having the life that he did. Now, he's here, reliving his life in much better circumstances, and he's struggling."

"And you think you wouldn't be able to think of any happy memories? At all?"

"I just -I couldn't even tell you the last Malfoy to produce a patronus? I heard -I heard that dark witches and wizards are unable to feel happiness to that profound level, thus are unable to produce such pure magic."

Sirius snorted, "Draco, that is completely and utter bull -squirt?" he grimaced, glancing down at Teddy who was crumbling a biscuit in his little fist. "The fact of the matter is Snape was able to produce a patronus. Lily was his first and only true friend, the love and kindness she showed him was enough to last all those years. Not to mention, from what Hermione has told me, even that batty old bitch Umbridge was able to produce one. She was no saint."

"Umbridge could produce one?" Draco looked stricken. "How is that possible?"

"Crushing the lives of half-bloods, half-breeds and muggleborn's through completely legal channels and snapping their wands gave her pure joy. It's sick and twisted, but it made her happy in that messed-up head of hers."

Draco blanched, his stomach coiling uncomfortably.

"So, it has nothing to do with which side of the war you fought on. At the end of the day, you love, and are loved. You have so many good, redeeming qualities and you do have happiness in your life," Sirius reached out and cupped Draco's jaw, giving his smooth skin a stroke this his thumb. "You just need to believe in those good things a little bit more. Don't take the good things for granted, Draco."

Draco furrowed his brow. "So … you think I might even be able to produce one? Even if it's just … smoke?"

"You really won't know unless you try, Draco."

~0~

For the rest of that week, Draco and Remus worked on his practicing of the patronus charm, in private. It made Draco feel a little uncomfortable for the first two days, as Harry was ushered off to look after Teddy or to play in the garden, or both. Remus and Draco could come out and join him, both looking flustered and squinting in the brilliant sunlight. They would eat some lunch, or snack and then -feeling guilty -Draco could challenge Harry to some muggle games like goal-scoring or badminton, or even playing twister. Teddy kept waddling over to the plastic mat, and so they had played gently, each of them laughing as they manoeuvred Teddy's little socked feet onto a yellow dot, or his hand to a green dot.

Sirius always came home to them outside, since the weather was nice. Each afternoon, he would offer up more drinks and ask Draco to come inside and help him. The minor reprieve from the heat was a welcome one, and each day, Draco had to answer the questions of how his lessons had been going.

It wasn't until that Thursday afternoon, that things changed.

Harry had been coming in from doing some pruning in the back garden -he'd gotten a little bored as Teddy was having a nap, Remus and Draco were off somewhere and he was a little bored of reading his textbooks -when he heard shouts coming from upstairs. Heart in his throat, he sprinted up the stairs two at a time until he got to the dining room door. He paused momentarily, his thoughts rushing to some very weird and suggestive places, before he barged into the room just in time to see a silvery mist fade into the air before his eyes.

His eyes followed the wand up to meet a pair of shining grey eyes. Draco looked as stunned as he was, his jaw slack and the hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. Any anger or resentment Harry had felt in that moment, vanished when he saw the pride and awe in Draco's face.

"Draco, that was amazing!" he exclaimed gleefully, crossing the room and tiptoeing up to hug the blonde tightly. "You did it! I knew you could do it, well done!"

Draco limply hugged him back, still in shock as he held Harry against him.

Remus clapped and looped his arms around both boys. "I am so proud of you! Another week of perfecting the incantation, Draco, and you should definitely demonstrate it for your exams."

The blonde nodded mutely.

"Right, well, this calls for a celebration!" Remus grinned. "If you boys need me, I shall be in the kitchen, making a delightfully chocolatey mess!"

Harry grinned as he watched Remus practically skip out of the room. Looking back up at Draco, he waited for the tall teen to reanimate. Suddenly aware of their proximity, Harry felt his cheeks blush red at the solidness of Draco pressed against his chest, their legs practically tangled together. Hurriedly, he took a step back, well aware that his cheeks were bright pink. Clearing his throat, he raked a hand nervously through his hair.

"So, is this what you and Remus have been doing all week?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, practicing for my exams," Draco managed to say. Then he seemed to focus his attention on Harry, on his mussed hair, pink cheeks and the fact that he could still feel the echo of the hug on his body. "Sorry if it felt like we were keeping secrets or something. I just … I needed to focus and it's difficult when … you know …"

"Oh! Yeah, I get it."

Draco have a pleased smile. "For what it's worth, thank you for not thinking I was being sneaky. These exams are important, and I need to pass them as well as I can. I simply cannot afford to make mistakes."

Reaching out, Harry placed a placating arm on the blonde. "I completely understand. Do you … um … want to practice some charms and stuff? I'm sure Remus doesn't want us anywhere near the kitchen until dinnertime, now."

Draco snorted, "I can't wait to have some of that chocolatey mess he promised."

"Yeah, it's going to be great. So, uh … s-should we work on charms of transfiguration?"

Draco peered up at Harry's stammer, wondering why the young teen could barely look him in the eye. The soft blush on his skin made his eyes shine an even brighter green and Draco had to remind himself that he needed to focus on his spell work and not indulge in any frivolous fancies. Not for the time being anyway.

"Let's work on charms. I hope you don't mind being levitated," he smirked.

"Ah -no! I mean, that should be fine, I guess. Just don't drop me, I wouldn't want to crush you. I mean -uh! Merlin!"

Draco chuckled as Harry fumbled for words. The pink blush across his cheeks was deepening, crawling down his neck. It really was endearing to watch the boy who lived get flustered. Why on earth would he get flustered over a simple slip of the tongue when it was just the two of them? Unless -oh. Oh! The realisation was like an earthquake that only he could feel.

Did Harry Potter have a crush on him?

His mind short-circuited.

It took three minutes of Harry calling his name and shaking his arm to bring him back to the present, with an electric surge rushing up his arm where Harry had touched him.

"Draco, are you okay?" Harry bit his bottom lip. "You really zoned out there for a bit."

Draco shook himself and smiled. "Yes, perfectly fine. Now, stand a little more towards the middle of the room. Let's practice as much as we can before your dad comes home."

"Sounds good to me."

~0~

Over the weekend Draco had been trying to decide how best to tackle the knowledge that Harry seemed to have developed a crush on him. He told himself it stood to reason, he was the only person in Harry's life, currently, who he didn't see as a parental figure. His interactions with other people, even with his best friends, were limited. While it was true that Hermione and Ron seemed to come over most weekends, now, it was right on the cusp of their exams and so hadn't been over for at least two weeks. Ron and popped over to Grimmauld place that Friday evening, saying that he and George were going to perform another 'Harry sighting' for the prophet.

Even Draco found it creepy that he had a small glass container with adult-Harry's hairs inside.

Draco reclined on the sun lounger in the back garden, muggle sunglasses on his nose and a charms textbook open in his lap. He felt the most relaxed in that moment than he had all week after coming home from Azkaban. The thought had been startling enough for him as he'd brushed his teeth that morning.

Grimmauld place was his home now.

He'd felt a bit shell-shocked as he glided through the empty house; Harry was currently playing some Quidditch at the Weasley's thought Draco had declined the extended invitation, and Sirius and Remus had taken Teddy to visit Andromeda. Draco had declined that invitation too, which meant that Auror Buxley was on the patio keeping a watchful eye on him. Draco wasn't a dick though; he had offered Buxley food and drink when he made himself some lunch and, to his silent relief, the auror had accepted. If he performed any detection spells on the food, Draco hadn't noticed it.

He felt quite relaxed as he flicked idly through the textbook, lazily soaking up the information. Every ten minutes or so, he would be reminded of Harry's fumbling nervousness the other day, and how bashful he'd become. Even that morning over breakfast, Harry could barely look him in the eye when asking him to pass the jam.

Had this been a thing at Hogwart's or was this an entirely new development?

He chewed his lip, trying to ignore how flustered he suddenly felt, or the way his insides seemed to flutter about like he had butterflies trapped inside him.

Perhaps the sun was getting to him.

Shutting his textbook, Draco stood up and stretched before climbing back up into the shade of the old house. Buxley followed him several paces behind, letting Draco know he would be listening to the wireless in the kitchen if he needed anything. Feeling sticky and jittery, Draco opted to have a cool shower and maybe take a nap. It was rare he had the house mostly to himself, save for Buxley, so he was going to try and enjoy it. Or try to, at least.

Since the war, he found it difficult to be alone. He jumped at sudden noises, or thought he saw shadows move out of the corner of his eye. He hated not being able to see the floor, nightmares of Nagini slithering around the skirting boards enough to make bile rush up his throat.

After a much needed shower, Draco pulled on fresh clothes and flopped unceremoniously down onto his bed. Mother would have scolded him, but he didn't care.

Casting his eyes around the room, his room, he felt all the pressures on his mind and body drift up into the pearly shade that enveloped him. His mind went back to Harry. He let his mind wander to eighteen year old Harry, no doubt in this room. Did he sleep in this bed, under these sheets? Did he have any fantasies of Draco at all, or had everything been obliterated by the war? If all he felt was misery, pain, suffering and fear then it was no wonder he wanted to run away from all of that, if only for a little while.

Raking a hand through his hair, Draco sighed.

It made sense. He hated to admit it, but it made sense. Harry wanted to remember simpler times, to feel happy again. He had just come through a war and probably felt trapped, like happiness and love were strange afflictions that would never touch his life again. It made Draco want to wrap the teenager in his arms and let him know that he wasn't alone, that Draco felt all those same things and it hurt -it really fucking hurt, but he was trying and it felt so fucking good to actually try for something again.

Letting his eyes drift closed, Draco smoothed his hands over his abdomen and along the cool sheets underneath, slowing his breathing and letting himself feel that embrace, feel Harry slot against his body and crowd under his chin to get as close as possible, his fingers threading through that unruly black mop of hair. Maybe he could be so bold as to press a gentle kiss to Harry's cheek, not to take advantage but simply to express his understanding. But then one kiss could easily turn into two, or three, and then the dam would break, the dance would spin out of control and his lips would find Harry's, his fingers knotting in that hair, his breathing erratic as they tipped down onto the –

"YOU SLIMY SON OF A BITCH!"

"Flipendo!"

Draco sat on his bed, sweating profusely as Harry flew back and knocked into the wall opposite his bedroom door. He watched as Harry grunted and rubbed the back of his head. He glared up at Draco but was clearly undeterred. Draco scrambled to his feet as Harry got to his, their wands pointed at one another. Draco's heart was still drumming painfully against his ribs and ringing in his ears.

What the fuck was going on?

"What're you doing here?" Draco snapped; the anger was like a second skin now that his wand was pointed at Harry. The Malfoy veneer fit like a glove and it made his skin crawl beneath his fury. "I thought you were at the Weasley's?"

"I was. We were playing Quidditch. And then you know what I remembered?" Harry sneered. "I remember a certain group of Slytherin's dressed up as Dementor's and trying to give me a fucking heart attack!"

It was like ice running down his back.

"It was just a prank! Need I remind you, you landed us in the hospital with your sodding patronus!"

"You were being a bastard! You knew from day one that the Dementor's screwed with my head, and then you did that! What kind of person does that?" he shouted. He advanced into Draco's room and shoved the tall blonde against the wall, the tip of his wand jabbing harshly into Draco's chest. "I suppose it didn't surprise me to learn that it was you of all people."

Draco ground his teeth together. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Come off it, Malfoy, this is exactly the type of shit you used to do all the time! Anything to undermine me or make yourself somehow look like the cool rich kid who just needed to be the centre of attention!"

Draco shoved him aside. "Piss off, Potter."

He cringed. It sounded wrong somehow.

Harry grabbed his shirt and yanked him back, "Don't turn away from me! You just couldn't take it could you? That I was actually better at something than you. Were you really that spoiled that you couldn't handle a little competition?"

Draco punched him.

For years and years, he had dreamed of punching a gobby Harry Potter into silence and now that it was happening, it literally felt like a dream come true. Only that dream belonged to someone else, to a Draco Malfoy he no longer recognised himself in.

Harry staggered back, bewildered and flustered, as he cupped his jaw. Already it was starting to redden.

Panting, Draco drew himself to his full height. "You know absolutely nothing about me, don't forget that Potter. Unlike you, I trained hard every summer, I followed my favourite teams devotedly and I could recite statistics and players names as well as my own." He scoffed, "You didn't even know what Quidditch was, and yet somehow you took to it like a fish to water. You just kept besting me at every turn! I was allowed to be jealous!"

"Jealous?" Harry let out an ugly, mirthless laugh. "You stupid blonde prick! You knew the Dementor's screw me up and you pulled that stunt? You got what you deserved! I fell off my broom the first time they came, remember? I could have died!"

"Like Dumbledore would have let his precious golden boy die."

"Ugh! You are suck a dick!" Harry grabbed the nearest thing, an inkwell from the desk, and threw it at Draco's head. He managed to duck aside in time; the inkwell shattered against the wall, raining glass across the floorboards and smearing black against the striped wallpaper.

"What the fuck, Potter!" Draco snapped, advancing. "All that shit, it was all in your head. Even the goddamn Grim wasn't real!"

This time a book flew at his head. He cast a hasty shied charm, making the book bounce off to the side and land in a heap on the floor.

"The Dementor's were!" There were tears in Harry's eyes now, his cheeks blotchy and red with an array of emotions.

"It was just so you wouldn't win! It was a harmless prank! You landed us in the hospital wing! Why were you even flying with your wand?!"

"In case they came again!"

"Like it would have mattered! You couldn't even handle it in Lupin's classroom with the boggart, how did you think you were going to survive a group of them?! What the fuck does it even do other than make you freak the fuck out?!"

"I HEAR MY MUM BEING MURDERED YOU MISERABLE CUNT!"

"HARRY JAMES POTTER HOW DARE YOU USE THAT LANGUAGE IN THIS HOUSE!"

Both boys jumped and turned to see a furious Sirius Black standing in the doorway, his wand at the ready and a smudge of soot on his cheekbone. They must have just come through the floo, yet neither teen had heard it. The sudden silence in the room was deafening. Draco suddenly wanted to pant for air, desperate to calm himself down. The air was charged with erratic magic, crackling around them with no outlets. Draco adjusted his grip on his wand, willing his magic to calm down.

With a wave of Sirius' wand, the room straightened itself out, except for the ink stain on the wall. Despite his obvious anger and disgust at what he had just witnessed, Sirius kept himself as calm and collected as possible. "Now," he began, his voice forcibly steady. "I don't know what you two have been arguing about, though I can make a fair assumption. Harry, we have discussed how you deal with new memories and this is not at all what we discussed. Molly was frantic that you just upped and ran out into the floo. Anything could have happened; you could have been splinched!"

"I was fine!"

"Don't interrupt me!" Sirius barked, his eyes blazing. Unfurling his hand, he levelled his gaze at his godson. "Give me your wand and go to your room. I don't want to see you for the rest of the evening, do you understand me?"

Draco shivered. He had only heard Sirius use his detached voice on a few rare occasions, and they had mostly been directed at him. He sneered as Harry threw a dirty glare his way before shoving his wand into Sirius' outstretched hand and then shoving passed his godfather. He stormed along the hallway, banging his feet as he went. The slam of his bedroom door made Draco flinch and break out into a fresh wave of sweat.

He cowered when Sirius turned to him. "I'll be taking your wand as well, Draco."

"But he started it!"

"I believe you," Sirius sighed. "However, things could have easily gotten out of hand and I am concerned that auror Buxley didn't come up. Any questionable spells you cast not for studious purposes could breach your parole, you know that."

Draco bowed his head. He hadn't thought of that. He suddenly felt so ashamed of himself.

"Your wand, Draco."

He handed it over without protest. He suddenly felt as vulnerable as when he first came here.

"I will let you know when dinner is ready."

Draco sank down onto his bed as Sirius walked out, closing the door behind him. He was still seething and embarrassed, his bones aching from where he clenched everything too tightly. This was all Harry's fault; the stupid bastard was picking up on his old reckless behaviour, never thinking of the consequences before it was literally punching him in the face. Draco winced as he looked down at his knuckles; they glowed red in the soft light and his hand jittered as his head started to reel. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and tried to force the tears away.

Fuck this and fuck Harry fucking Potter.

.

Remus had just settled Teddy down into his playpen with some squishie toys when Sirius dragged himself in through the kitchen door and sank down heavily into a chair. He glanced around the kitchen and frowned at Auror Buxley's absence but didn't comment on it.

"I sent him back to the office," Remus said, filling the silence. "He told me the reason he didn't intervene was because it sounded like a juvenile fight and no warnings alerted him to Draco using improper magic. Technically, he was right but, you know … common sense exists."

Sirius hummed.

Remus frowned. Coming up behind Sirius, he started to knead at the tense muscles in his lover's back. He knew just the right places to dig-in, to add pressure, to rotate and rub down. A delightfully pained groan escaped from Sirius' mouth as he tipped his head back to lean against Remus' chest.

"I don't deserve you," he grunted.

"Shut up," Remus smirked. "You did a good job up there, punishing them. You need to de-stress; you've had just a long hard week and you're worn out."

"I can still help you cook."

"Rubbish. I don't mind. Besides, the week after next you're going to be bending over backwards for me. This is just to level the playing field."

Sirius gave a wan smile before sighing and clenching his eyes shut. "I think I am going to ground Harry for the rest of the month."

"That's only another two weeks, Pads."

"Well, he's never been grounded before. Besides, two weeks locked up in this house, studying and doing chores and no friends, TV, or anything fun will soon make him watch his tongue when talking to others. The things he said, Moony …" he grimaced and shook his head.

Looping his arms around Sirius' neck, Remus pressed a bristly kiss to his lover's jaw. "Do you want me to go and talk to him?"

"No. Harry needs to learn the apologise on his own. Just leave him to it, for now. I don't want to see either of them until dinner."

Carding his fingers through Sirius' hair, Remus said, "Why don't you go and have a nice hot bath, hm? I'll get dinner ready. If Harry can't be civil, maybe he should have dinner in his room?"

Sirius nodded agreeably. "Do it. Meanwhile, I am going to have that bath you mentioned."

He looked up and caught Remus' mouth in a warm, open kiss, the scratch of his bristles sending a zip of adrenaline running through him. Pulling back, he watched as the amber eyes flashed with something primal and it took all of his self-control not to respond in kind.

"Don't miss me too much," he smirked.

Remus swatted his backside with a tea-towel. "Off with you, you pampered pooch!"

Listening to Sirius' laughter as he ascended the stairs, was like a balm to his anxiety.

.

When dinner was ready, Draco came down and ate sullenly, looking like a properly chastised young man. Harry, on the other hand, ate in his room, though he didn't move when Remus knocked on the door and he didn't bother to answer when Remus asked if he wanted anything else.

Telling himself it was for the best, Remus begrudgingly returned to the kitchen to eat with the others, leaving Harry to his own devices in silence.

A/N: Please leave some lovely reviews! I hope you liked the update! Feel free to ask some questions, I will answer them at the start of the next chapter in a note.

B x