"Mate, can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked Ron as Ron plopped down beside him in the Great Hall. Hermione was distracted talking to Luna and Neville, so now was the perfect time.

Ron nodded. "Everything alright?"

Harry smiled.

Ron's face promptly drained of colour. "Oh god . . . Don't tell me you and the ferret have-"

"No. And even if we had, it's none of your business."

"You're my best mate. Of course it's my business."

Harry sighed.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Ron asked.

"Him," Harry answered.

"What about him?"

"What was that stunt you pulled earlier this week? Walking out on us?"

Ron pursed his lips. "Harry, I know what I said to Luna, but . . . Seeing you two together just . . . Made me feel . . ."

"What? What did it make you feel? Disgusted?"

"Weirded out!"

"Why?"

"Because it's Malfoy. The bloke you've hated for seven years. Now, all of a sudden, you're into him, and it's . . . Disconcerting. When I think of you two doing stuff together, I-"

"Well, then don't think about that," exclaimed Harry, perturbed.

"I can't help it!" argued Ron. "When I see you holding his hand, or smiling at him, my mind just immediately jumps to that, and I feel sick."

"Because I'm gay?"

"No, you tit. Because it's Malfoy."

"But we've been over this already," said Harry, "with Luna. You said it yourself he was worthy of forgiveness."

"Forgiving him and seeing him with my best friend are two completely different things," said Ron.

"Well, I'm not giving him up any time soon," said Harry, "so you're going to have to find a way to deal with it."

"So you've mentioned," said Ron, biting into his asparagus.

"What I want to know is why can't you just be happy for me."

"Because even though Luna spelled everything out for me, a part of me is still worried he's going to turn around and do something horrible to you. I can just imagine it now. 'Potter, you went and fell in love with me? Potter, the saviour of the wizarding world, bent for me? Potter the poof?'"

"Would you stop?" growled Harry. "He's not like that at all."

"He used to be."

"Can't you just move on already? Merlin knows everybody else has."

Ron bit his lip. "Maybe I haven't moved on because I want you to be safe, and Malfoy isn't safe. He's so cold he could snap your heart in two like a twig."

"I'm tired of defending him to you, so I'll let you have your own opinions on him," said Harry. "But I'll say one thing. He understands what I went through in the war, on a level few others can."

"We all suffered in the war," said Ron.

Rage flared through Harry at his friend's ignorance. "We weren't all used as puppets and forced to commit acts we didn't want to commit!"

Ron's eyes widened, but Harry wasn't done. "We weren't all forced to act a certain way all our lives, trained like dogs, to satisfy somebody else's wishes."

"Harry, I never thought about it like-"

"And we certainly were not all used as killing machines-"

"Alright, alright, Harry. I fucking get it."

"That's the thing, Ron," Harry said. "I don't think you ever will."

"Maybe I didn't experience what you went through," said Ron, "but I understand as a friend how hard it was for you."

"No, you don't," said Harry. "Has your family been taken away from you?"

"Fred-"

"I'm talking about your parents."

Ron opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"I'm not making this out to be a competition of who had it worse, Ron. But Draco and I have been through really similar things, and it helps me to have someone who understands that on a personal level."

"I wish you told me sooner," said Ron. "I would have tried to be there for you more. I thought since you didn't talk about it, you didn't want us talking about it."

"That's still true," admitted Harry, "but the reason I didn't talk about it was because I didn't want to burden you guys with my problems when you couldn't even understand."

"Harry, that's . . . I don't want you to feel like a burden with us, ever. We're your best friends. That's what we're here for."

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat. "Thanks, Ron, that's really . . . Thanks."

"I might have overreacted in the common room the other day," said Ron.

"Might have?"

"Shut up."

It had been two days since Draco had invited Harry back to his bedroom and almost had sex. Two days of Draco's cock throbbing at the mere thought of Harry pinning him down and-

"Draco?"

Draco looked up from his Transfiguration essay, and saw none other than Harry and Weasley. He felt conflicted, because on the one hand he felt the onset of a smile, but on the other he did not want to reveal in front of Weasley how happy he felt to see Harry.

So he suppressed the smile and formed his face into a frown.

"Weasley," he said, glaring daggers. "Can I help you with something, or are you just going out of your way to dampen my day with your presence?"

Weasley looked at Harry, furrowing his dark ginger brows. "See, I told you, Harry. He couldn't play nice if we held a wand to his head."

"Oh, I can play nice, Weasley," purred Draco, standing up and placing a hand on his hip. "Just not for you, I'm afraid. I've got to keep my hands clean, you see."

Weasley's eyebrow twitched.

"Draco," said Harry, looking equal parts exasperated and amused. "Can we talk?"

Draco felt his heart begin to thump in his chest. This was it, Harry was breaking up with him, and he'd brought Weasley along for moral support. Draco was about to be humiliated in front of Weasley, and he didn't think he could take it.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked as lightly as he could.

But Harry must have picked up on a note of panic in his tone, for he frowned and reached for Draco. But Draco scooted away, lower back hitting the table painfully hard.

"Draco-"

"I'd rather talk alone, if you don't mind," Draco said frostily, preventing himself from slapping a hand over his aching chest. Harry was going to break up with him. And Weasley was going to get to watch and laugh.

Harry furrowed his dark brows. "Why?"

Because he absolutely refused to be humiliated in front of Weasley? Because he loved Harry and Harry realized that loving him back was social suicide? Of course Harry didn't want to be with him. The press would never leave him alone.

"I just don't want-" Draco stopped speaking, for he choked up. He swallowed thickly. "Nevermind. What is it you want to say?" he asked, steeling himself for the imminent rejection.

Harry now looked concerned, even worried, and Draco wanted to jump off a cliff because this was all too much-

"Malfoy, there's actually something I want to say. That's why we're here," said Weasley. Draco turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Come to give me the 'he's my best mate so don't you dare hurt him' speech? Well, rest easy, Weasley. Hurting him's the last thing on my mind."

"I know," said Weasley, and what?

Draco had been expecting to hear a lot of things, but that was not one of them.

His eyes widened.

"Can we sit?" Harry asked softly.

Stunned, Draco nodded. Weasley sat across from him, and Harry sat next to him.

"Malfoy, I . . ." Weasley cut himself off, scratching at his head.

Draco raised a brow.

"Listen, I just wanted to say . . . I'm sorry."

Draco could have fallen out of the back of his seat. Hell, he nearly did, because suddenly the world was all fuzzy and spinning.

"W-What?" The weak word was out before he could muster control of his emotions.

Weasley sighed. "I said I'm sorry. For the way I acted toward you in the common room the other day. It was wrong of me."

Draco's gaze flitted from Weasley to Harry, back to Weasley, back to Harry. He had no idea what to do.

"Y-You're sorry. You're sorry?"

"I'm also sorry for the way I treated you when you apologized to me and Hermione."

Draco felt himself go completely slack, because this had to be a dream. No way was Ron Weasley sitting across from him apologizing to him.

"Harry," he began faintly, feeling his breaths begin to go heavy.

"Ron, it's okay," he heard Harry say from far away.

"Malfoy," Weasley tried again, and why was he still talking to him? "I'm really sorry for everything. Truth is, I know you aren't that bad a guy. I've known for a while, actually. I don't expect us to be mates right away, but for right now could we at least work on being civil?"

Draco's gaze returned to Weasley, who looked at him with nothing but kindness and sincerity in his eyes, rather than the typical guardedness and coldness he usually regarded Draco with.

"Y-You want to be civil," Draco echoed, carefully spelling the words out as if they were skittish and would disappear on him at any second.

Weasley nodded. "If you want to be, that is."

Draco had wanted nothing but. He knew how important Weasley was to Harry, and even though he personally did not like the boy much he'd promised himself he'd make an effort for Harry. Maybe he'd grow to like him. Maybe they had more in common than he thought.

However, Draco was nothing if not defensive, and if Weasley wanted a peace offering, he was going to have to work a little bit harder. "That depends."

"On?"

"If you stop calling me a Death Eater at every waking chance you get."

Weasley nodded. "I know you never really wanted to be one, anyway."

Draco tightly gripped the edges of his seat to keep from falling out.

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between Weasley and Draco that they were primarily doing this because of Harry, and that Harry was the unspoken glue holding them together. Without Harry, they would have no reason to speak to each other. This stipulation rattled the sturdiness of their arrangement considerably, but Draco would have done it a thousand times over if it meant he got to keep Harry. And he wasn't so selfish as to make Harry choose between him and his best friend. So he decided to say as much.

"I would never make Harry choose between me or you. For that reason, we can be civil," he said formally.

"That's it? Not because you accept my apology?" Weasley asked, and Draco didn't like the turn this line of questioning was taking.

"Forgive me. It's hard to accept your apology when you're only doing it because Harry is sitting right next to you."

Weasley's mouth gaped open. "Really, Malfoy? You think that's the only reason I'm apologizing to you?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't it?"

Weasley glanced at Harry. "Mate, he's impossible."

Harry smirked. "Tell me about it."

"Oi!" said Draco. "I'm sitting right here, in case you've forgotten."

Harry nodded. "We haven't."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Malfoy . . ." Weasley sucked in a deep breath, fiddling with his wand. "Can we be alright? For Harry's sake?"

Draco knew if it weren't for Harry there would be a zero percent chance of him and Weasley ever having this conversation. So, really, how silly was it for them to pretend to tolerate each other? Weasley certainly still hated him, and Harry had probably pushed him into apologizing. Draco stared Harry down with hard eyes.

"Harry, what is the meaning of this?"

But Harry just looked doe-eyed and confused as ever.

"What are you talking about?"

Draco huffed. "Forcing Weasley to apologize to me like it matters." Then he turned to Weasley. "Weasley, if you could halt the theatrics, that would be splendid."

Weasley's eyes widened. "That's not- I was actually trying to apologize to you!"

"Like hell you were," Draco growled.

It was Weasley's turn to furrow a brow. "If you're going to be like this, then you're the same prat I always knew you were. Just forget it." He made to stand up, but Harry reached forward and clamped a hand down on his wrist.

"Ron, please-"

"No, if he's going to be a dick, then I'm out. I already humiliated myself enough apologizing to him when he won't even accept it."

"Ron, he doesn't mean it, he's just angry-"

"You can't excuse everything he does, Harry! Can't you see that's your problem?"

Harry's entire demeanor changed. He let go of Weasley, and Weasley wasn't attempting to run anymore.

"That's not fair," he said icily.

"Weasley," said Draco, "it's just hard for me to believe your apology is genuine. That's all."

"How much more genuine do you want me to make it, you ponce?" Weasley exclaimed. "I've embarrassed myself quite enough. Good luck with him, Harry. When he breaks your heart, don't come crying to me."

Something snapped within Draco. Something hard.

"When I break his heart?"

"Ron-"

"No, no, let's talk about this." Draco was fuming. "Break his heart? Just what makes you think I'd do that, Weasley?"

"B-Because you're you," Weasley sputtered. "You may not have been as responsible for your actions in the war as I thought, but that doesn't erase all the crap you've said to us here. Just by being yourself you'll do it."

But Draco stopped listening, for there was a very careful implication in Weasley's words that labeled him as an inherent heartbreaker. That Draco was bound to break Harry's heart whether he meant to or not, because that's just who he was.

"Ron, take that back right now-"

"He threw my apology back in my face!"

"I didn't throw it in your face," argued Draco, willing his voice to sound stronger than he felt. "It's just a lot for me to take in, and-"

"You either accept it or you don't. Shouldn't be too bloody hard to make up your mind!"

"If you want me to that bad, then yes, I accept it. You said it yourself, we should be civil for Harry-"

"You're the one who began that dialogue, not me," said Weasley heatedly. "I was trying to tell you I genuinely don't find you that bad a person anymore. But you couldn't just accept that, could you?"

"If it weren't for Harry, you wouldn't be sitting in front of me apologizing right now, and you know it-"

"Who the hell are you to tell me what I would or wouldn't be doing, how I feel?"

"Guys," began Harry, but he was promptly ignored.

"Because it's obvious," answered Draco.

Weasley frowned. "Listen, Malfoy, all I wanted to tell you was that it's going to take some getting used to, but if you make Harry happy then I want to support that."

"Only because Harry coerced you into it!"

"Draco!" exclaimed Harry. Draco reeled back from the harsh tone as though he'd been slapped.

Harry looked like he immediately regretted the outburst. "Hey, look, I didn't mean to yell, I just . . ." He sighed. "Can you just believe that I didn't coerce my friend into apologizing to you? That he did it on his own?"

"Because I know you had something to do with it. And even if you didn't, you're still the only reason he's here apologizing. If it weren't for you, he would still see me as some slimy Death Eater garbage."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," said Harry, and Draco wanted to fold in on himself.

"Why not? It's how everybody sees me."

"It's not how we see you. Doesn't that matter at all?"

The back of Draco's throat was choking up. "Of course it matters. You're just so vastly outnumbered, it's impossible to forget what they say and do to me-"

"We only have a few more months here, and then you'll never have to see or hear from them again," Harry said.

Draco wanted to bang his hands on the table in frustration, and he nearly did. "Don't you understand, Harry? What I've done, it will follow me everywhere I go. Everywhere. For the rest of my life. If anything, it will get worse after here. I'll be lucky if I get to mop up somebody's floors."

Harry was shaking his head, and it looked like it physically hurt him that he couldn't get Draco to understand his perspective.

Draco wanted to, so badly. But that would mean trusting Harry. And trusting Harry made himself vulnerable, made himself a target to getting hurt.

"Draco, you are one of the smartest people I know. You give Hermione a run for her money. You can land any job you want on pure merit."

And Draco was not going to cry, damnit, he wasn't going to do it again. Not in front of Weasley, never.

"And it hurts me that you think the only reason Ron is apologizing to you is because I made him. He forgives you, Draco. We all do."

Now Draco was shaking his head, because this was simply too much information for his mind to process. "You can't," he choked out. "Weasley, there's no way you can . . . I nearly killed your brother."

"That wasn't your fault," Weasley said, looking him straight in the eye. And Draco didn't realize how badly he'd needed to hear those words, how much it had been eating away at him, until Weasley was saying them. His eyes filled up with water.

"Wasn't my fault?" Draco cried. "Of course it was my fault. I ruined everything."

"Not everything," Weasley corrected. "We're still here, aren't we?"

Draco felt himself smile, ever so softly. "I suppose so."

"Can't get rid of us that easily."

"What sort of parallel universe have I walked into?" Draco asked, not directing the question to anyone in particular.

"One where I finally stop being an arse about things you did when we were kids," said Weasley kindly.

Draco smiled. "I was pretty mean, though. You had a right to be upset."

Weasley stuck his hand out. "Truce?"

Draco shook it. "Truce."

Harry was grinning from ear to ear. "Knew you guys could do it."

Draco punched him in the arm, flushing. "Hush, you."

Harry paid him no mind, insead leaning over to kiss him on the side of the head. Draco's cheeks reddened further.

Ron squeezed his eyes shut. "Blegh! Did not need to see that."

"Come off it, you and Mione do it all the time," said Harry, discreetly reaching for Draco's hand and lacing their fingers together.

Draco couldn't help the full smile that bloomed on his face and the relief that flooded through his body. For whatever reason, Harry seemed to really like him and didn't seem too keen on breaking up with him just yet.

"Finally, some alone time," Harry sighed, running his hands through Draco's soft, blonde hair while mouthing at his neck. The two lay side by side in Harry's four-poster, and the room was thankfully vacant. Truth be said, Harry was slightly nervous by the notion that they could be walked in on at any minute. Draco may have charmed the door locked, and the curtains may have been drawn, but the other boys had keys and common sense.

"Mmm," Draco agreed, rubbing his hands up and down Harry's strong, muscular back. "Haven't had that in days."

"Feels like months."

Draco giggled as Harry pressed kisses into a particularly ticklish spot on his neck, tilting his head back to grant him better access.

"Hmm, like that, do we?"

Harry could have kissed that sweet, milky neck all night if he could. So he told him as much.

"You're such a fucking-"

"Sap?" Harry smiled at him, diving in to peck his nose. "Heard it all before."

Draco laughed. "Harry, stop!" he cried as Harry began tickling him and attacking his face with kisses, all around his cheeks and forehead and jaw.

"Never." But Harry relented as soon as Draco began kicking.

"Ow, Draco, that hurt!"

"That's what you get for-"

But Harry shut him up by planting a fat kiss right on his lips. "Mmph!"

Draco's arm found solace in Harry's hair as he kissed him, and soon the two were snogging in earnest. Draco boldly inched closer to Harry until their chests were flush, and Harry moaned at the contact.

Draco's mouth parted from his, and he was panting loudly. "Harry," he breathed, eyes fluttering shut as Harry reached a hand around his hip and squeezed one pert arse cheek.

"What is it you want, Draco?" Harry asked huskily, brushing his lips on the underside of Draco's jaw. "Tell me."

Draco released a stuttered breath as Harry squeezed his bum once again. "I-I want . . ." But he didn't finish speaking, for Harry's lips moved from his jaw back to his neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses down to his clavicle.

"Oh, Harry, I want . . . Mmmm . . ."

"What?" Harry asked, playing dumb, because he was certain he knew exactly what Draco wanted. He just wanted to hear Draco say it. "What is it?"

"I want to . . ." Draco hissed as Harry bit at a sensitive spot on his shoulder, soothing the mark over with little kisses.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, fuck, Harry, please," Draco whimpered as Harry decided to be bold and slide his hand down Draco's stomach until he was cupping his rapidly hardening cock.

"Oh, sweet Merlin-"

Harry squeezed, and Draco arched into his touch with a cry.

Harry had always been a very giving lover with Ginny. He supposed it was fitting to his personality, and it was just as well that he would be one with Draco, too.

"What do you want, Draco?" Harry asked him again, palming Draco's cock and pressing down none too gently. Draco bucked his hips into Harry's hand, seeking friction.

"I-I want, I want . . ." Harry continued rubbing, and Draco moaned unabashedly. "Oh, Harry, fuck, I want you to touch me."

"I am touching you."

Draco shook his head rapidly back and forth, colour rising in his cheeks. "N-Not like that. I mean, only if you're comfortable with this, are you comfortable with this?"

Harry halted his movements. He appreciated that Draco was taking the time to check in with his consent, but he thought he'd made it quite clear. Apparently he'd have to make it even clearer.

"Draco," he said, "I am extremely comfortable with this."

"It's just . . ." Draco sat up, rubbing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "This is your first time with a man, and I just . . . Don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Harry smiled at him. "Do I look uncomfortable?"

Draco shook his head.

"Do I sound uncomfortable?"

"No, but-"

"Well, then there you go. I know you're just trying to look out for me, and it's really sweet. But I promise you, if I'm ever uncomfortable, you will be the first to know."

"Okay," said Draco quietly, leaning in to kiss him. "Okay."

And they kissed for a while, letting things progress naturally as Harry slowly began unbuttoning Draco's robes. The little sighs and moans Draco made into Harry's mouth were delicious, and Harry wondered how the noises would progress as their activities escalated.

Draco tugged on the material of Harry's Gryffindor tie, coaxing it off. Harry got the message and tugged the tie off, before returning his attention to Draco's robes and discarding him of his own silver and green tie. As Harry worked on more buttons, Draco grew more frantic and began breathing heavier as his hands began working on Harry's own buttons.

Finally, Harry was able to gently push Draco over so he was lying down and ease the black material over his head. Draco was naked from the waist down, and he had never looked more beautiful.

"It's rude to stare, you know," said Draco, but there was no bite to it. In fact, he looked rather pleased.

"Impossible not to when the subject is so breathtaking." Harry leaned down and gave him an open-mouthed kiss before sliding his hands down Draco's sides and landing them on his belt, beginning to fiddle with the buckle.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"It's more than okay," said Draco, grey eyes looking up into his with nothing but sincerity. Harry discarded his own robes over his head and lowered his body over Draco's so that they were skin to skin. The bare contact was maddening, and he needed more. Now.

Harry got to work on Draco's belt, pushing down his growing nerves at coming face to face with another man's cock. This is Draco, he reminded himself. He won't do anything to hurt you.

But Draco must have sensed it, for he said, "Harry? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, but Draco didn't sound convinced, for he propped himself up on his elbows with a frown.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Harry said. "This is just . . . My first time, and I want it to be good for you."

"Oh, Harry . . ." Draco pulled him close so that they were hugging and he was speaking in Harry's ear, "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for. Just say the word and we'll stop."

"That's the thing," said Harry, "I don't want to stop. Honest, I don't."

"Are you sure?" Draco sounded dubious.

"Positive."

"Harry, I don't want to force you into anything you aren't-"

"I'm sure," said Harry softly, pressing a kiss to the top of Draco's head. "Promise."

"O-Okay."

So Harry continued working on Draco's belt. He tried to kiss him at the same time, but it wasn't working. His hands kept fumbling around. Draco laughed into his mouth.

"Here, you oaf, let me do it."

Embarrassed but mostly amused at how imperfectly perfect they were, Harry let him.

"C-Can you help me slide them off?" Draco asked, grey eyes wide and vulnerable.

Harry nodded. "Of course, love."

Draco lifted his hips, and a mesmerized Harry slowly slid Draco's trousers and belt off his hips and down his legs until they were discarded completely.

"I'm naked," Draco said to himself in awe, looking up at Harry. "I'm naked, and I'm under you."

A/N: Aaaaand we're gonna stop it right here, kids! As usual, the adult version is up on my ao3. Username's the same: bluemermaid54.

All too suddenly, Harry heard a jiggle of the lock, followed by a muffled voice. "Why's the door locked, mate?"

"Shit!" Harry exclaimed, springing up off the bed and ducking down to find his clothes. Haphazardly he began to sort them, unsure of whose robes were whose.

"What?" Draco asked, and Harry had to admit even in these dire circumstances his post-sex voice was pretty hot.

"Ron and Neville are at the door," Harry said through his teeth.

Draco froze, eyes widening comically. "You mean right now?"

"Yes, I mean right now, you twat!"

Harry threw him a pile of robes and trousers, not even knowing if they were his and frankly not really caring. "Hurry up."

A simple Alohomora was all it took to get the door open, and as Draco and Harry were hurriedly stuffing their feet into their pants Ron and Neville's footsteps pounded into the room.

"Oh, Harry must be asleep," said Neville, and Harry wanted to laugh because the boy was so innocent.

Ron knew better.

"Yeah . . . Asleep," came his best mate's voice. The sarcasm must have gone right over Neville, for he said,

"Lucky bloke. I haven't been able to take a nap in years, not since the war."

"Tell you what, Neville," said Ron. "How about you and I go to the library and study for a little bit together? Then we can call it an early night and you'll get all the sleep you need."

"Yeah, alright," said Neville. "Let me just grab my things."

Soon enough, the footsteps retreated from Harry's room. Just as he and Draco were about to flee to safety, he heard a pair of footsteps once again. Draco's eyes widened.

Quiet, Harry mouthed at him.

"You so owe me, mate," came Ron's annoyed voice from the other side of the curtains. "Our room? Really? Nice seeing you, Malfoy."

Draco burst in a fit of giggles.

"Thanks, mate," said Harry, mortified.

"Yeah, yeah."

Once Ron was safely out of the room, a half-dressed Draco howled with laughter. Harry slapped him across the arm.

"We're lucky they didn't come in any sooner-"

"Or else they would have gotten quite a show."

"That was impeccable timing," said Harry, pulling up his trousers once his robes were back on then reaching on the ground for his Gryffindor tie.

"Truly," agreed Draco. "Now, I'm famished. Dinner?"