My heart swelled impossibly large as his words resonated in my heart. However, regret reared its ugly head again, and an apology was on my lips before I even had time to arrange my thoughts.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you." He started to object, but I interrupted. "I did. I know I did, and I… Hate myself for it. It was never your fault, my mind just ended up in this maelstrom of resentment, and you were the closest person to me at the time, so I just ended up taking it out on you. You didn't deserve that."

My own words echoed in my ears, and I winced internally, but his vulnerable expression shifted into something like compassion.

"Stop beating yourself up. You don't deserve that. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we both deserve a break."

The regret twisting my heart suddenly relaxed, and I found gratitude swell up to replace it. I took another sip of my drink, fighting the grimace as the last drops slipped down my throat.

"Guess you're right." I coughed once, and observed him silently. He was twirling his empty glass in his hands idly, and that face was playing at his features. Suddenly, I stood and took his glass from his hands. His curious expression followed my hands to the floor, where I set our empty drinks before I braced my hands on either side of him against his chair, pressing my lips to his silently.

Predictably, my heart raced, but suddenly a thought surfaced that I immediately had to share with him. I pulled away, still leaning over him as his eyes refocused on mine.

"I forgive you." A multitude of emotions flashed across Draco's face, but I continued. "You used to be a prick, and you're still a prick," I smiled, recalling all the times he'd teased me. "But now… You're different. You're my silver lining." Both our cheeks flamed as I reiterated Hermione's prior assessment.

Draco suddenly looked like he might cry, and I leaned away to kneel before him, bringing his hands into mine. He swallowed and blushed down at his lap as I gripped his appendages, waiting for a reply.

"I-" He tried to say, but his voice came out as a whisper. After clearing his throat, he tried again. "I don't know what to say," he eventually confessed. He still wouldn't meet my eyes as his began to water. "I can't wrap my head around how you can see beyond my past." His voice broke, and it seemed to strike an arrow through my heart.

"And I can't wrap my head around how you are somehow so different from who you used to be." Finally, he tearfully glanced up at me, and I squeezed his hands tighter. "And now, neither of us has to be alone." My lips shaped a small smile, and a sob broke in Draco's throat.

Instantly, I'd pulled him into my arms. I hope I said what I should've. Communicating feelings has never been my strong suit… I always feel like a fumbling idiot when I try to talk about heavy things. Still… He's hugging me back.

His shoulders shuddered in my embrace, and I squeezed him tighter.

I wish I was better at this kind of stuff. What would Hermione do? Come to think of it... Experimentally, I ran one hand up and down the length of Draco's back. His response was to lean even further into my arms, nestling his face into my neck. Hot tears spilled onto my skin, but his shuddering frame seemed to relax as he took a few deep breaths. My hand continued steadily up and down his back as I allowed him all the time he needed. He fits against me so perfectly.

We sat like that a few moments more as Draco caught his breath, but I could've held him for hours. Eventually, though, he sniffed and pulled away to wipe his eyes on his sleeves. A hiccupping kind of laugh choked out between his lips as he gave me a wavering smile.

"Sorry, I…" He hiccupped again. "I think I needed that."

"Anytime. Let me get you some water."

I stood and replaced our empty glasses back in the liquor cabinet, instead withdrawing two clean glasses and summoning water into them both. Draco gladly accepted, hiccupping once more before chugging the entire thing. After refilling his once, I sat back down beside him, still carefully watching him and sipping my own water.

"You know, you make this face sometimes… When you're deep in thought, I assume about something pleasant, where your lips curl up just slightly, and your ears turn pink." One of his hands lifted from his glass to grasp his ear, and I grinned. "The first time I saw it was our first day in the library, when we were picking out our books. I think it was probably the moment I realized I fancied you."

Draco's cheeks, still flushed from crying, darkened a shade as he dropped his eyes down to his water. His fingers worried his earlobe adorably.

"D-did you have a moment like that? About me?"

Now it was my turn to awkwardly drop my gaze. I traced the rim of my glass anxiously as he took several moments to respond.

"I… I think it was… When you came to find me by the lake. I'd expected you to be tense around me, but you weren't, and… W-when I glanced up, you were pulling grass out of the ground and your glasses had slid down your nose. It was p-probably when you pushed them back up and looked at me."

My heart squeezed in my chest as I realized they were both casual, candid moments.

I remembered the exact moment Harry must've been talking about. I'd been considering - indeed, with great pleasure - the companionable activity we'd found ourselves doing. How simple a thing it was, working on a school project together, but for some reason it made me immensely happy. And when I'd glanced up to catch him staring at me, there was this look of rapt fascination on his face. I flushed with pleasure, again, as I glanced up at Harry's smiling face.

"I'm so glad you came back," he said, and I couldn't help but return his smile.

"Me too." If I had known this was waiting for me, I could've saved myself a load of agony. Downing the rest of my water, I sniffed and stood again. "Another drink?"

"Sure. Maybe… Something sweeter?" I petitioned hesitantly. His answering grin seemed to grip my heart.

"I'll see what I can do."

He was at the liquor cabinet several long moments as I emptied my glass of water. With shaker in hand, he turned back towards me.

"Honestly, do you know nothing about liquor?" As he shook the shaker like an expert barman, I flushed. "I'm this close to reforming this room."

He laughed, and I joined him as I suddenly remembered our conversation about my being a barman. He'd be much more suited. I couldn't ignore how hot he looked, mixing us drinks, but he was pouring them back into the glasses we'd previously used before I could comment.

"Here, try this."

I took the glass, full of pinkish fluid, from his hands and hesitantly sipped from it. The flavor of alcohol still twisted my lips, but I found it much more palatable than the previous drink. He laughed at me.

"I'm only using what you gave me to work with." He sipped his own drink, and I was, again, impressed to see his lack of reaction. "How d'you like it?"

I smacked my lips, and chose to take another swig from my water, rousing more laughter from Draco's lips. My cheeks flushed as I registered just how much fun we were having.

"It's… Better than the first, I'll say." Taking another swig, I fought against the contortions my face threatened at the taste. The mouthful slid uneasily down my throat as he followed suit, much more casually than I. A cough forced its way out of my mouth as I continued. "Sorry, I just pictured…" Your father's liquor cabinet. The words died on my tongue as I realized he's probably the reason Draco has so much experience.

"Don't fret too much. You've given me some top-shelf liquor, and I appreciate it, even though you might not."

Chuckling again, he sat back beside me. I took another mouthful of water as he sipped his drink and leaned his head back. His face took on such a serene expression as his eyes slipped closed, but I fought against the impulse to kiss him again. Patience, Harry, patience.

"We have our Herbology presentation tomorrow," he noted.

"I know." With a grimace, I forced as much of the pink fluid down my throat as I could manage. I was beginning to feel quite light, and my inhibitions lowered significantly. "We should get to bed soon."

Draco lifted his head to offer me a curious expression, and my cheeks warmed as I realized what I'd just implied. Instead of shying away this time, though, I quirked my eyebrow back at him.

"Still haven't had enough, have we?" Draco suggested, then downed the rest of his drink, eyeing me flirtatiously.

"Of you? Never." I took another valiant gulp of my drink, but stopped short of finishing it. My throat threatened a gag, but I breathed evenly to keep pace with it.

"You have always been a fighter." He set his empty glass on the floor before standing and approaching my chair, a confident grin settled onto his face. "What did you have in mind, Mister Potter?"

Guess I should've expected him to be a lightweight. This ought to be fun.

As I shoved my hands into my pockets, he followed suit and set his glass down on the floor, a teasing smile playing at his mouth. He stood and stepped so close, his gin-breath ghosted across my lips.

"I believe I have something to make up to you, don't I?"

He'd already done more than enough, but I was curious to see where he would go with this, so I said nothing as he pressed his smiling lips against mine. Instantly, my pulse accelerated in my veins as my arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him against me. His response was to grip the sides of my neck, and I thought our mouths might bruise, but I wasn't complaining. As I started walking him back toward the bed, he stumbled slightly, but remained connected to my lips as he followed my lead. Somehow, even in his slightly tipsy state, his fingers managed to find my top button and began unbuttoning my pajama top.

The memory of his skin against mine had my hands eagerly lifting his shirt up over his head, just as his legs came into contact with the bed. We'd broken away for a moment as it came up over his head, but I pulled back when he came to reconnect. His adorable pout changed to curiosity as I withdrew my wand from my pocket, connected it to the skin of his neck where I knew my love bite was, and uttered, 'finite incantatem.'

The once-reddish welt on his skin was now an enticing purple, and I couldn't resist lowering my teeth to it again, eliciting a startled whimper from Harry. His fumbling fingers froze undoing my buttons, so I took over for him as I gently suckled on his neck. With practiced efficiency, I shed my shirt and pressed our bare chests together. A tremble passed through Harry's body against mine as his hands slid around to my back.

As I lowered him back onto the bed with care, my mouth finally released his raw, bruised neck and I leaned over him. Either intoxication or arousal had flushed his cheeks (probably both), and I was suddenly struck again with just how attractive he was. His half-lidded eyes glanced from mine to my lips, and just like that, they were back on his.

I never want anyone else to see him like this. This Harry is mine and mine alone.

The wave of possessiveness that washed over me shocked me. He's choosing to share this part of himself with me, why would I ever think I had the right to claim it? The somewhat-rational part of my brain that pointed this out also conjured images of him sharing himself with others like this, and I furiously shoved it away. I don't care if I don't deserve it, this Harry is mine.

My right arm snaked under Harry's torso and hoisted him up further on the bed, once again briefly disconnecting our mouths. Once he'd realized what I was trying to do, he assisted, pulling himself fully onto the bed. I heard his shoes hit the floor, and I hastily shed my own as I climbed on top of him. He'd propped himself up on his elbows, and I took a moment to sit back on his lap and appraise him.

"How the hell did I get so lucky?"

His chest heaved slightly as he caught his breath, and my hand seemed to lift of its own accord to brush the backs of my fingers against his warm cheek. He smiled and pressed his face against my hand, lifting his opposite hand to take mine. In lieu of a reply, he offered me an expression I'd never seen on his face before. I watched, fascinated, as he gently opened my palm and invited my middle finger into his mouth. My own mouth fell slack at the wet warmth of his, and I felt my erection twitch.

Quite a bit bolder now that he's got some liquor in him. I'd be truly delighted to see him fully drunk. Oh, god…

He'd started suckling my finger, and I felt the flush in my cheeks spread to my ears. Not fair passed through my mind as he invited my pointer finger in, as well. My already labored breathing turned ragged as his eyes bored holes into mine. I watched, and felt, a mere moment more before I couldn't stand anymore. Tearing my fingers from his mouth, I replaced them with a crushing kiss. Harry was flattened back onto the bed with the force, and my hands fisted in his hair.

Where the hell does a virgin learn a trick like that?