Sacrifice to Love

by little hecate

Draco/Seamus SLASH... or it will be. war brings out the worst in most, but the best in some.

4. Falling Into Place

Disclaimer: These lovely creatures belong only to JKR. Except for Seamus' family. I own them. But I promise I'm not making any money off of them. I'm not that sort.

Warning: This contains some male/male interaction. If this sort of thing squicks you, please go elsewhere. I already know I'm sick and twisted; you needn't tell me.

Rating: I'll go with R this time, there is some sex here. I know, I know. Finally!

A/N: I fear I may have been a bit long winded here, but what can I say? I was on a roll. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my little Slytherin hottie, Rubicon, who is always and forever my muse. Like the title suggests, this is Seamus and Draco falling into life with each other. It's really just setting the scene for the following chapters, which I promise will come quicker than this one did. This one really liked playing with itself, as I am sure you will notice. Anywho, on with the show!

Falling Into Place

31 August found Draco in a right state of utter distress. He had spent the previous two months preparing for his stint as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. He'd learned how to design a curriculum for all seven years, homework, and tests, how to assign and grade assignments, and preparing his classroom. For all intents and purposes, he was ready for his first day teaching. Excepting, of course, the fact that he still couldn't grasp being in such a position of authority over his former fellow students. He'd spent the majority of the evening pacing around the apartments that Dumbledore had provided for himself and Seamus, and was driving the latter very close to the brink of madness.

"You'll do fine, Draco," Seamus said for what was probably the three hundred thousandth time that day. "Please stop pacing."

"Easy for you to say. You've not got to stand in front of a classroom all day and lecture when you've never-"

"DRACO!" Seamus finally yelled, causing his partner to stop dead. "Love, stop it this instant. I can't stand to see you like this; you're absolutely unbearable." He pulled his stressed out lover on to the sofa with him. "I will not stand for any more of this nonsensical panic. There is absolutely no reason for it. Just be glad that you know what you're doing and that these people already know you."

"Which is exactly why I'm such a bloody nervous wreck. I went to school with them and now I'm supposed to teach them? I- I-"

"Am going to blow them all away. Now stop all this fussing. You don't even technically start tomorrow, anyway."

"No, tomorrow they'll all come back and see me sitting at the damn staff table…"

"And just why are you so concerned with what a bunch of undergraduate witches and wizards think? You are to teach them, Draco, and if there was any doubt about your ability to do so, I am more than certain that Dumbledore would not have put you in such a position."

"Yes, you're right," he sighed.

"Of course I'm right," the little Irish wizard replied with a grin.

Draco couldn't help but smile as he relaxed into the safety of his lover's arms. "I'm sorry I've been so-"

"Will you shut up already!" Seamus exclaimed, laughing.

"It's perfectly natural, you know, to be nervous before starting a job," the petite blonde tried to rationalize. "Besides, you were pretty touchy before you started at Gringotts."

"Now that is no basis for comparison! I never worked myself into a state of absolute panic before I went to work," he spoke defensively.

"No, you sat in the bathtub for three and a half hours trying to figure out what you were going to do when they fired you for 'being a stupid prat', as you put it." At that Seamus blushed, but Draco proceeded unscathed. "And you are the best in your division, now, aren't you?"

"Not the best…" he trailed off.

"And I suppose that you got a promotion after a month just by completely random chance, then." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"All right, so I'm absolutely smashing in my element. Just like you are in yours," Seamus finished triumphantly.

Draco sat sceptical for a moment before it finally sunk in that what his lover was telling him was true. "Fine." He tried to put on his best I-can't-believe-you-won't-let-me-be-right face, but all it got him was laughed at.

**

"All set?"

Draco looked up from the lesson plan he had been studying to find Snape standing in the doorway. Instead of his usual scowl, he wore an almost warm smile. (Snape had been informed that Draco had taken the Defence job just before Dumbledore told him that he was too valuable as Potions Master to place in any other position. His ego was satisfied, so he had chosen to welcome Draco with open arms.) He relaxed a bit and replied, "Yes, I should think so."

"What's your first class?"

"Ummm," he searched for the schedule. "Ah, first year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor."

Snape looked down at his watch. "They should be here any minute. Good luck."

"Thank you, Sir."

"You can call me Severus, now, Draco," he said before disappearing out the door.

"Well," Draco muttered to himself. "Never expected to be on a first name basis with him. Never in a million years."

The sound of footfalls in the hallway forced him back to his plans. Within five minutes the classroom was full of curious eleven year olds. All twenty faces were trained on their teacher as he stood and moved around to the other side of his desk. Draco smiled at them and they seemed to relax. "Hello there, everyone." He sat on the desk as he began to memorize the names of the students before him. "Well, it looks like everyone is here. Lets get started then, shall we? You are here to learn how to defend yourselves against all manners of curses, creatures, and anything else that doesn't fall into one of those categories. I must demand all of your attention, Miss Talbot, as we are living in such times that require defence at every turn. We will be starting off with poisonous plants, so please turn to page 149 of Magick and Medicine of Plants."

There was shuffling of bags as each student brought out their book, parchment, and quill. A rather burly Gryffindor raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Talbot?"

"Isn't Herbology where we learn about plants?" she asked with a snotty tone.

Without skipping a beat Draco replied, "Yes, in Herbology you learn how to grow and care for plants. I'm afraid that you don't get too deeply into the properties of the plants, though. The first we will be discussing is nightshade. There are several kinds of nightshade that you'll want to avoid. Deadly nightshade is also called Belladonna. It does have many magickal uses and is also used in some medicines-"

"If it's a medicine why do we have to defend ourselves against it?" Talbot interrupted.

"Because only those who are trained in medicine and potion making know what parts of the plant to use and the correct amounts. It's not as though one can just eat the plant and feel better. It can be fatal in excessive doses. Now please don't interrupt me again; I will be sure to answer whatever question you'd like to ask as long as you refrain from being rude."

"Sorry, Sir," she muttered, turning red.

"It's all right. Anything else before we continue?" Draco was fighting to keep from laughing.

"No, Sir."

"All right, then."

The rest of class went rather uneventfully, with only a few more interruptions from the Gryffindor, Dana Talbot. The sixth year Ravenclaw/Slytherin class went by without a hitch as well. They received him rather graciously, much to his surprise. All he had left was the planning period after lunch and the seventh year Gryffindor/Hufflepuff class.

As soon as each student crossed the threshold, they silenced. Draco began to get very apprehensive. This was the class he had been dreading most of all. Well, second to the Slytherin/Ravenclaw seventh years that he would have two days later. By the time the entire class was assembled, the tension became almost impenetrable. "Hi, then. Ahm, I'm afraid I don't know everyone's name here so-"

"Oh, that's all right, Malfoy," some boy on the Gryffindor side of the room drawled in imitation of his teacher's former personality. "We don't expect you to know our names."

"Now, now, he deserves respect now that he's our teacher," a girl on the Hufflepuff side responded before bursting into laughter.

Adrenaline was pumping through Draco's veins. He could feel the panic rising in his chest, but he refused to give in before his class. "So I am going to take note right now."

"Yes well, better late than never, I suppose, eh?" Colin Creevy piped up, trying to get a point in for Draco. "Colin Creevy, Sir."

"Thanks, Colin."

"Suck up!" the Gryffindor yelled back.

"You know, Fairfield, you might as well get used to this. It's not like you can change it, so you might try and make the best of it," Colin replied coolly. "I for one would like to get the day done and over with, all right? It would go so much quicker if you would just shut your sodding trap. All right?"

No response came from the back of the room. Draco continued to take roll and when he was through he began to calm down considerably. "Okay, it looks like we're all here, so on with the lesson. This year will be spent largely on research and presentation. There's not going to be many practical lessons this year, I'm afraid, though there will be some." He cleared his throat, stifling the whispers in the back of the room. All eyes returned to him and he continued. "We will first be discussing the body chemistry of the vampire. Please open your books to page 372. Now, in order to successfully fight against such a creature, one must be aware of how the thing itself works." The Gryffindor boy turned to the girl next to him and continued his conversation. "I am dreadfully sorry you're not interested in this, Mr. Fairfield, but I will not have you distracting the others who are here to learn something. Please keep your comments to yourself."

"Or what?" he asked, picking at his fingernails.

Completely taken aback, Draco just stared at the boy. He couldn't believe that one of his students would be so incredibly rude to him. He could feel the heat surrounding his eyes, but he fought it off with all his might. "I really would rather we not start out this way," he said with a cold note to his voice. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I want you to go back where you came from, you filthy, Death Eating scum." The boy was leaning over his desk, his eyes narrowed to little more than slits.

The rest of the class was silent, as though afraid to even breathe. All eyes went from the boy to Draco and back again. For a moment their teacher stood staring at the boy with a blank expression. "Well," Draco started, going round to other side of his desk and sitting down. "If that's the way you feel about it." He began writing something and after a moment stood up again. "Please come with me, Sir." The boy gathered his things and stood. "I will be back momentarily, and I apologize for the disruption," Draco apologized to the remainder of his class, leading the fuming Gryffindor out of the room.

"What is all this about?" the boy asked, snorting in disdain. Draco handed him the parchment. "Detention?!" he shouted. "You're giving me detention?"

"Very astute observation. You will spend the rest of this class period in the library, researching vampires. Unless you feel that you're adult enough to keep your comments to yourself for the next forty five minutes."

"It's got nothing to do with being adult, Sir," he stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm at that last word. "I just can't stomach the fact that Dumbledore let such slime be in such contact with students."

"All right, then. I shall see you in forty five minutes," he finished, leaving the fuming boy outside. He stood there for a moment before heading off for the library.

Once inside the confines of the classroom, Draco was once again taken in by apprehension. "Does anyone else share Fairfield's attitude?" He was answered with silence. "Wonderful! Where were we? Ah, yes. All right, can anyone tell me how vampires first came into existence?"

Forty minutes later Draco was standing outside his office door, waiting for Fairfield. He appeared moments later, looking rather blank, and they went into the dimly lit office. Draco sat at the desk and gestured for the boy to take a seat on the other side. Once both were settled, there were a few moments of silence.

"So, how do you propose we solve this conflict of…. Er… personality?" Draco inquired calmly. The boy sat silent, sizing up his teacher. "I am not resigning, you know." It was merely a statement, but this only seemed to anger the boy further. He sat, silent and fuming. "I'm sorry if I've wronged you and just don't remember it. May I ask where this is all coming from?"

"I know about your father, Malfoy. And I know that you're here on his business," he said through clenched teeth.

Tears threatened to fill Draco's eyes once again, and once again he fought them off. "I am not my father, I promise you. And you are quite wrong about where my loyalties lie. I can assure you that I am supplying no one with any information, and it is none of your concern where I came from. I apologize if something I have said or done offended you. But I will not stand for nonsensical accusations. Now, you are going to tell me what you propose we do about your obvious dislike for me," he ground out, a cold, hard edge to his voice.

"Are you suggesting I've got options?" the boy asked sarcastically.

"Your options are limited. You will not be welcome in my classroom if this is the attitude you feel you need to maintain. You will spend your time in the library doing all the same projects as your fellow students. Keep in mind that if that is what you choose to do, you will be missing out on class discussions and practical lessons."

"Oh, that would be a shame."

"You will of course have reduced marks, you know," Draco replied coolly.

"You can't do that!" he exclaimed.

"I can do as I see fit, sir. If you like, we can take this to the Headmaster. Though I would much prefer if we could work this out between the two of us." At that point, Draco checked his watch. "I've got other matters to attend at the moment, so I'm assigning your detention right now. You will meet me here at eight o'clock this evening. You needn't bring anything with you except for your self and your Advanced Defence book," he finished, standing. He held the door open for the boy and locked it after he was out, and they went their separate ways.

**

"Extrapolation? Sounds like some great sexual technique. Wanna try it?" Seamus exclaimed. He'd been reading over some parchments that Gringotts had sent him to work on. Draco was sitting at the same table he'd been sitting at since his discussion with the unruly Gryffindor earlier that afternoon. He didn't even look up at his lover's outburst. "Draaacooo," he whined. "Will you stop sulking? You're not very pretty like that, you know."

"Yeah, well-"

"'Yeah, well' nothing. You take everything too hard, you know. That was one bad kid out of how many? Sixty? Honestly, you're just being ridiculous," he said, pulling the sulking blonde out of the chair and into his arms. "Please, love?" He stuck his lower lip out in a pout he knew the other couldn't refuse.

"All right already," Draco laughed. "You're such an insufferable git, you know that?"

"Spoiled prat."

"Wanker."

"How'd you know? You watch me, don't you!?! You've got some weird third eye or something, right!?"

"Not an eye, exactly," the former-Slytherin hottie said very suggestively. "What was that you were saying about straps?"

"And what time did you say you had that detention?"

Checking his watch, Draco groaned. "Damn time!" He grinned cheekily. "That's all right. Shan't take long, I promise."

"Well, if you should need me to rough the little beast up, I'll be right here," Seamus said almost proudly, puffing his chest out and eliciting a laugh from the other. He gave Draco a short kiss and led him to the portrait hole that served as the door. "Good luck, love."

Renewed by his lover's faith in him, Draco approached his office with a confidence that he was lacking earlier in the day. The Gryffindor boy was already there waiting for him. "Nice to see that you're punctual, at least. I appreciate that," he said cheerfully as he unlocked the door. Again, he held the door open for his student.

Instead of sitting at the desk, Draco led the boy to the chairs that sat in front of a crackling fire. It wasn't particularly cold, but it gave the room a nice light. "What's all this, then?" asked the boy.

"You know, I think that maybe we just started off on the wrong foot. Did I honestly do anything to you that I just can't remember?"

Fairfield was becoming increasingly nervous. "Admittedly, no," he spoke in little more than a whisper.

"Then why all the animosity? I mean, I'll be the first to admit what a mean-spirited individual I could be, but-"

"Since when the hell were you a decent human being?" the boy exclaimed, cutting the other off.

Draco laughed out loud. "Since about a year ago, actually. My goodness, it's been almost a year! Time sure does fly, you know." He was growing thoughtful, though the smile never left his face. "Amazing. The first six years I was here, time just crawled, you know?" He came back to Earth and looked at the startled boy across from him. "Is it the age thing? I mean, does it bother you that I'm only a year older than you are?"

"Yeah, it does, sort of," he said to the floor. Looking back up he spoke so softly that Draco had to lean closer to hear him. "You know when… when You-Know-Who… I didn't want to think that…. that I could be affected, you know? Or that anyone I knew could be affected." Draco nodded sagely. "My aunt was attacked by the Death Eaters two years ago. I heard that your dad was like the… the leader, you know?…. Sorry…. I guess… I guess I just took it too hard," he finished, returning his gaze to the floor.

"No," Draco whispered, "you didn't take it too hard. You really can't take such a thing too hard."

"I don't mean to like…. accuse you…."

"Got a funny way of showing it," Draco chuckled kindly. The boy looked up at him, a smile crossing his face.

"Yes, well, I'm kind of a funny person."

"Would you like to go over the lesson you missed?" the Defence teacher asked, tactfully changing the subject.

"Um, yeah, that would be great."

**

"Uhh… Seamus?" Draco called. The apartments were rather dark and very quiet. Draco always got nervous when Seamus was supposed to be home and it was quiet. It usually meant that he was doing something he didn't want to get caught doing. 'Last time it was the dead chickadee stuck to the ceiling. God only knows what spell he botched this time.' "Seamus?" A few candles lit as he passed and more lit up ahead of him. They were leading into the shared bedroom. 'Please, God, let this be something nice,' he prayed silently to himself. Round the corner to the bedroom, he could see light coming through the crack under the door. Apprehensively, he pushed the door open.

"Not as long as I expected you to be," Seamus said from his position at the end of the bed. He was leaning against one of the posts, twisting something in his fingers and grinning devilishly. "Gives me that much more time to tie you up."

Breathing was not on Draco's list of priorities, as it very suddenly ceased. "T-tie me up, eh?" he gasped.

"Are you going to object?"

"Only if you want me to."

Seamus shook his head as he approached. The thing he had been twisting in his fingers proved, upon closer inspection, to be a scarf. "Not tonight, love. Just encourage me."

"I don't think that will be a problem," he whispered into his lover's ear. The latter was quickly undressing them both. Draco didn't even realize when the scarf that Seamus had been twisting in his hands was tied, binding his hands together. Only when he tried to put his arms around the other's neck did he notice that he was restricted. "Should I start now?"

"Wait." *kiss* "I've not even started yet." Throwing the less muscular body of his lover onto the bed, Seamus quickly bound his tied hands to the headboard. "Just about… *runs tongue along ribcage, earning a moan* five more minutes."

"That's all?" Draco feigned disappointment.

The Irishman grinned. "I could tease you more, if you like." He stuck his tongue out, flicking it over the straining erection in front of him. Draco moaned, crying Seamus' name very softly. "Hmm…." He cocked his head to one side. "You do need to be teased. You've got that look."

"What look?" Draco asked, scandalized.

"The lusty-beast look. It just screams 'give it to me'. You get it a lot."

"Yes, well, you do bring out that beast in me."

"Mmm," he hummed around the fingers he was sucking on. "I've noticed," he finished, sounding innocent, although what he was doing with those fingers he'd been sucking on was anything but. "In fact, I've grown rather fond of it."

At that point, Draco was almost beyond words. He was staring at the black canopy that hung over the top of the bed, though he really wasn't seeing anything at all. All he seemed capable of was gasping 'Seamus' and 'please' and 'more' repeatedly. His hands were clenched into fists, his fingernails biting into the tender flesh of his palms. Blood trickled down his wrists as he stretched the little wounds into gashes. "God, Seamus…"

"God, aye? Never really fancied myself the all-powerful sort before. But then again *flicks tongue over lover's nipple* you do strange things to me."

"Oohhh….. you need to to to do stranger things than thaaaat…. Ooohhhh…… NOW!" Draco screamed.

Once he got his giggles under control, Seamus simply asked, "How strange, love?" Twisting his hand elicited another scream from the writhing boy. "Stranger than that?"

"MUCH STRANGER!" He tried to force Seamus further inside him, whimpering in frustration when it wasn't working. "Please… please… I neeeed…" Whimpers of frustration turned to gasps of delight when he felt a tongue slide between the fingers that were scissoring him open. Screams tore from his throat when the fingers hooked and found that very sensitive spot deep inside him.

"Like that?"

"Uh-huh."

"Want more?"

"Uh-huh."

"You sure?"

"Dead… fucking… POSITIVE!"

"Hmm," came the insolent reply, "I don't believe you."

"You.." he trailed off. Tongue flicking nonchalantly across his head, he almost went over the edge. Almost. "Please, Seamus, please," he pleaded with his partner.

"Well." He pushed himself into the space his fingers just left. "You've convinced me." He began moving his hips very, very slowly. As he moved he untied the binding from the bed itself, then from Draco's hands. Draco scarcely noticed, he was in such a divine state of rapture. For the better part of an hour they remained like that, Draco occasionally crying his lover's name. He screamed one final scream then both collapsed, exhausted.

"You know," Draco panted when he found enough breath to speak, "I think that that made up for about a thousand shitty students, love."

Giggling, Seamus replied in the same insolent tone he'd used earlier, "That was the object, you know." He gave the other a very deep kiss. "You're quite a bright one. No wonder they made you a professor."

"Although, you're going to have to get stranger."

"How strange?"

Grinning in a scandalously seductive manner, "Wanna find out?" was the only response he offered.

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

"What? Had enough, have you?"

"Enough of you? Surely you speak of the impossible!"

**

For what Seamus figured was probably the five millionth time that day, Draco checked his bag, making sure that he was together. They were going to spend Christmas with Seamus' family and both were in states of absolute and utter panic. In the two years they'd been together Seamus had never introduced Draco to his family. Draco's family was simply out of the question, so that cut down on the obligatory visits they both dreaded. Actually, dread would be too weak a word. Terror would be a more accurate description of the way they were feeling.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Seamus asked. "We don't have to do this, you know. We could just stay here and have a quiet holiday all to ourselves."

"No. There's no way you're copping out now. No. You've gotten me so sodding worked up about this, there's no fucking way we're not going!"

"But, loooooove."

"God, Seamus! Stop that. I'll do anything you like, just stop that dreadful whining."

"Does that mean we're staying?" Seamus was jumping about in excitement.

Unable to stifle a laugh, Draco told him in the firmest voice he could muster, "No, it doesn't mean we're staying. What are you so worried about, anyway? How bad could they really be?"

"Oh, god, don't say that. You've no idea how bad they are," he replied, paling.

"Why? You're always going on about what a cool old lady your grandmother is."

"Yes, but she's only one out of seven. You've never met my brothers, or my mother, or my nieces, or my sister-in-law."

"And at the rate we're going, I'm never going to, either."

"Can't we please stay?"

"You already told them we'd be there, Seamus. And just think of the look on your poor, old granny's face when she finds out that her favourite grandson has ditched her with the rest of the lot," Draco stated with his lower lip stuck out and his voice full of mock pity.

"Yes, I know. It was worth a shot, though. Can't blame me for trying."

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'm going to be."

Once they were outside the Hogwarts gates, they very quickly disappeared. Moments later they were standing on the doorstep of the house that Seamus grew up in. He took a deep breath and knocked briefly on the door. It swung open to reveal an ancient woman who was about half of Seamus' size. Her face broke into a wrinkled, toothless smile upon seeing her grandson.

"Oh, I was afraid you'd changed your mind!" she wheezed as Seamus pulled her into a hug. She then turned to Draco. "Ah, so you're Draco, eh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The old woman gave him a quick once over, beaming all the while. "Please call me Anne, son. I hate that 'ma'am' shite; it makes me feel old." Draco found himself being embraced by the woman and blushing fiercely. Upon releasing him, she took both boys by the hand and led them into the main of the house and into the sitting room. She took a seat opposite them as Seamus took the liberty of conjuring a pot of tea. "So, Seamus tells me that you're a teacher."

"Yes, I teach Defence Against the Dark Arts," he spoke timidly.

"Wonderful! How do you like it?"

"Oh, I love it. There are really a lot of bright kids in Hogwarts. And they seem to like me so I can't complain."

"Oh, how could they not?" she exclaimed. "Seamus, why didn't you bring him home sooner? He's really quite delightful." Draco was feeling as though he was no longer in the room. She turned to him once again, stating, "I always said that Seamus had good taste in men." Turning back to Seamus, she asked, "How long do you have to stay with us, dear? You won't be running right off, will you?"

"Not right away, no. We've got a few days, yet," Seamus replied. "Is Thomas here yet?"

"Yes, he and Marjorie took the kids to the grocery with your mother." A heavy sigh wracked her body as she laid a withered hand on her grandson's knee. "Don't worry, love. Everything will work out just fine."

In the next room a door slammed and the sound of pounding feet grew close. Within seconds two very little girls had rushed into the room, throwing themselves at Seamus. "Oh! Uncle Seamus, we missed you," they shouted in unison. Draco unconsciously leaned away from the attack zone, inadvertently drawing both girls' attention. "Who are you?" the littlest one asked.

"That's Uncle Seamus' wife, Lil," a voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to glare at Thomas, leaning against the doorframe. A sickly sweet smile was plastered across his face. He took the chair next to his grandmother after kissing her cheek, at which a rather disgusted look crossed her face. "Or have you decided not to go that route?" he asked Seamus in contempt.

"I think that's quite enough out of you," the old woman muttered sternly, though Thomas took no notice.

"Draco, this is Lily," Seamus ignored his brother's remark and began introducing the little girls in front of him. "And this is Juliana," he gestured to the slightly older girl, who was curtsying.

"Lovely to meet you," he said, taking each of their tiny hands in one of his own and kissing them, eliciting giggles and blushes from both girls.

"Are you really Uncle Seamus' wife?" Lily asked innocently.

"He can't be, he's a boy," Juliana replied in a very matter-of-fact tone. "He's his husband," she finished, beaming at Draco, who had gone white as a sheet.

"Actually, we aren't married," Seamus told them.

"Are you going to get married?" Lily asked her uncle.

Draco and Seamus exchanged a look. "Maybe some day."

"Why don't you see if your mother needs help in the kitchen," Thomas ground out. The girls made a hasty exit. Silence lay over the room like a blanket. "Well," he began, sounding as though he were trying to sound sweet, "aren't you going to introduce me to your- hmm, what is he? Significant other? Is that description ambiguous enough for you? I know how vague you love to be, Seamus."

"Actually, I've gotten over that, thank you. I'm not ashamed to say that this is my boyfriend, Thomas, especially since it makes you flinch."

Sure enough, Thomas had flinched at his brother's use of the word describing his companion. His face had darkened and he was wringing his hands in his lap. "It isn't the word that makes me flinch. I assure you that."

Rolling his eyes, Seamus replied in a monotone, "Yeah, I know, it's my deplorable lifestyle that irks you. And you just can't believe that I would have the bollocks to bring someone home for the holiday, right? How dare I subject the pure and innocent members of my family to the likes of sickos like us, right? I've heard it all before, and I am growing rather tired of it, Thomas, so please lay off for once. If you really dislike me that much, why do you insist upon being in the same room as me?"

"Because it gives me such pleasure to see you squirm," he said through clenched teeth.

"Well, Thomas, I didn't know you swung that way! Does Marjorie know?" Anne interjected. The two on the couch burst into laughter while Thomas himself became a lovely shade of lobster red. "Hmm, I guess not. I wonder how she will take it?"

"That's. Not. Funny. Gran."

"Actually, it's a riot," Seamus replied, still giggling. "Seeing as you're the one squirming, and all."

"Get fucked, Seamus. And you," he pointed at Draco, "you keep your goddamn hands off of my kids. If you ever so much as-"

"That is quite enough, Thomas!" Anne jumped up, raging. For a moment all Thomas could do was glare. Abruptly, he stormed out of the room. The old woman took her seat as she poured herself another cup of tea. "Don't mind him, Draco, dear. He's all bark and no bite as they say. Marjorie will set him right, you'll see."

"Yes, if the cycle of the moon is agreeing with her," Seamus sarcastically muttered.

Stifling a giggle by sipping her tea she whispered, "And this cycle is rather agreeable, thank the Powers That Be." The woman in question entered the room as if on cue. "Ah, speak of the devil!"

"Actually, he just left," she laughed, taking a seat next to Draco. "Hi there, Draco, is it?"

"Yes, thank you. Marjorie, I presume?" He shook her hand.

"That would be me. Sorry about Thomas. He's…"

"No need for you to apologize. Really."

"So you're the reason Thomas is in such a huff!" another woman shouted upon entering the room. Seamus grabbed Draco's hand and they held on to each other for dear life. "I should have figured as much," spat the woman, glaring pointedly at her son and his lover. Abject terror had seized Draco. "Well? What have you got to say for yourself?"

"I- I'm sorry?" he tried. Those were the only words he could muster; his vocal cords had locked up.

"As well you should be!" At that point, she glanced down to see their locked hands. "And knock that off this instant! I will have none of that going on while you are under my roof, boy. Don't you have any decency? Really!" And she was gone as quickly as she had come, Marjorie following right behind her.

Once the shock had worn off Draco buried his face in his hands, crying into them. Seamus pulled him into his arms, stroking his hair in an attempt to calm him down. Anne was looking nothing short of completely furious. No sooner had Draco regained his self-control that yet another body appeared in the doorway. Afraid of another confrontation, Draco tensed. The boy smiled at him, extending his hand.

"I see you've met Mother." His eyes were twinkling with the same kind of humour Seamus possessed. "Hi, I'm Burke."

"Draco," murmured Draco as his hand was vigorously shaken.

"Don't worry, she makes everyone cry," the boy whispered into Draco's ear. He then moved to his grandmother and kissed her cheek. "'Lo, Nan." Finally, he turned to his brother, grinning. "And you! I can't believe you set Mother loose on him!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Seamus' neck.

"Thomas set her loose, and you know it," Seamus replied, picking on the tiny boy. "Why, if I had my way about it, she'd never be allowed in front of anyone, at all, ever."

"Don't say that," admonished the old woman. "It might do her some good if you were to take her out sometimes. Get her out of my hair."

"Yes, we'll take her to the zoo and throw her in with the tigers," came Seamus' suggestion.

"They'd probably get indigestion," Draco muttered under his breath.

The three other people in the room all turned to Draco with stunned expressions. Laughter followed not a second later. "He's pretty cool, Seamus. Where'd you find 'im?"

"Hagrid's dragon pen."

"Did not!"

"It's true. I walked in one night and found this lovely little creature hidden under a pile of chicken bones," he teased.

"Liar!" exclaimed Draco, laughing. "I was not under those chicken bones, I was merely next to them. And as I recall, it was I who found you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I believe that I picked you off the floor of the dining hall. Or don't you remember?"

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I seem to remember carrying someone off when he went into debilitating hysterics in the hallway. Swept you right off your feet, I did!"

"Ha! And they say that romance is dead!" Anne cried.

**

Three days later Seamus and Draco were saying their goodbyes to the former's family. Excepting, of course, Thomas and his mother. Lily and Juliana had become very attached to Draco in the short time they'd known him. Out of everyone in the family, Draco was the only one who never seemed to tire of their presence. Both Seamus and Draco almost died of shock when Marjorie hugged them and told them to come and visit sometime. Burke was practically beside himself when he found out that Draco was going to be his teacher next year. Wiping tears from her eyes all the while, Anne grudgingly let them on their way only after they promised to send her owls on a more regular basis and 'visit a poor old lady once in a while'.

Christmas holiday was not yet over for the students, but both Draco and Seamus were beyond glad that their holiday had finally come to a close. As soon as they were through their portrait hole the two collapsed onto the couch, embracing each other with everything they had. Onlookers might have thought that they had just seen each other after spending years apart, they were that glad to be home and alone.

"Was it as bad as you expected it to be?" Draco finally broke the silence.

"That first day was worse than I expected, but the rest of it wasn't that bad." He grew thoughtful for a moment. "You made it a lot better than it usually is."

"Thanks, love. Although if that's how they are when you've got company, I'd hate to see what they're like when you're alone."

"Imagine my mother and Thomas times a thousand."

"Really?"

"Under normal circumstances, they would not have kept to themselves as much as they did. They seem to thrive off of my misery. But what about you? What do you think?"

Taking his time with that answer, Draco finally responded, "I totally dig the old dragon. She's great. I like your brother's kids, but I hate your brother. His wife's not bad. Kind of odd, but not bad. I hate your mother. And I can't wait to have Burke here next year." They returned to silence for a few moments before Draco voiced his thoughts. "Seamus, can I ask you a question?"

"I don't know. Are you-"

"Fine, I'll take that as a yes. I'm kinda confused about your family."

"Who isn't?"

"Well, what I can't figure out is why your mum and your older brother are so much alike and yet your grandmother and Burke and you are so different from them. I mean, how could your mum have turned out like that with a mother like hers?"

Seamus tensed. "Actually, that's my father's mother who you met. My mother doesn't speak to hers. Never has," he abruptly replied.

"Oh." Draco was mentally slapping himself for bringing up his lover's past. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up again."

"No, you've got as much a right to ask that as anything else. So do you want the long and drawn out version of events, or just a quick run down?"

"I'll take the quick run down."

"My dad ran off when I was five but I saw him that last time before *chokes* you know." Draco squeezed his arms tighter around the other's waist. "So my grandmum felt that it was like her responsibility to help my mum out, so she moved in with us. Mum got all stuck to the bottle. She was a mess for a long time." Here he stopped to wipe tears from his eyes. "Still is, actually. At any rate, Nan took over raising us after my mum got herself all good and fucked beyond all recognition." Anger was replacing sadness as Seamus viciously cleaned himself up. "You know, one shouldn't really hate one's own parents."

Even though his body was with Seamus on the couch, Draco's mind was off in the dark recesses of his past. Over the course of the last two years he had all but forgotten about the person he used to be. As far as he was concerned, that person was little more than a bad memory. The thing that had made him that way, Lucius, was a very bad reality that he had neglected to think about at all. Hatred and disdain were the only words he could find that even came close to accurately describing his feelings for his father.

"…boffing like mad ferrets on every street corner! Unbelievable!"

"WHAT?"

"Catholics."

"You have totally lost me."

"That was quite apparent when your eyes got all glassy a few minutes ago. I was wondering how long I was going to talk before you realized that I'd changed the subject."

"You evil creature!" Straddling his lover, Draco pinned him to the couch. "How dare you tease me like that!"

"It was the ferret part wasn't it?"

"You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Not a chance."

"Seamus?"

"Yes, love?"

"Thanks for bringing me home."

"You mean to say that you enjoyed the torture I subjected you to?"

"No. I enjoy knowing that you love me enough to subject me to such torture."

"Yes, well, like you said: Without you I'm nothing."

**

Boxes were scattered around the small, two-bedroom house. Most everything was put into its place already, though there were a few things yet to be discovered. Stuck in among the newspaper and cardboard were two very exhausted wizards. They'd spent the last two days moving from the apartments inside Hogwarts that they had called home for the last five years to the house in Hogsmeade. The house that they had begged for, for the last three years was finally theirs.

Dumbledore had insisted that they remain within the confines of the school until any threat that might exist against Draco was eliminated. Attacks by the Death Eaters had been so few and far between that Dumbledore had been satisfied that the two were no longer at risk. The last thing he wanted was to lose his most successful teacher and his partner because of lax security on his behalf. He had then taken the liberty of concealing the house from prying eyes and magicks as a type of house-warming gift.

Part of Dumbledore's apprehension in fulfilling Draco and Seamus' request was due to the lack of threats he'd received over the years in regard to the former. Lucius Malfoy had not so much as owled his son since his seventh year at school. Draco had informed Dumbledore of Lucius' extra-curricular activities, but there was little that he could do without assistance from the Ministry. The Ministry insisted upon discounting Draco's testimony, saying that he was nothing more than a vindictive son getting back at his father. Over the years Lucius had maintained his spotless record, never having been identified by the Ministry as a Death Eater, complicating any attempts on Dumbledore and Draco's side to prove otherwise. Draco had secretly suspected that the entire Ministry had been given substantial amounts of money to ignore any accusations that he might raise against his father. If what Draco had told him was true, Dumbledore was anticipating threats if not an outright attack in response to his appointment of young Malfoy to the teaching position he held. When no such thing came, Dumbledore expected that Lucius was merely biding his time, waiting until Draco was out of the headmaster's sight before taking any action.

Five years and not a single threat later, Dumbledore was as cautious as ever. Concealment charms surrounded the little house in Hogsmeade, blocking not just its inhabitants, but the building itself. There was a tunnel built from the house to the castle so that Draco might not be seen leaving it when he left to attend his classes. Every precautionary measure that could possible be taken to protect the two young wizards was performed with utmost success. By the time all was said and done, not even the darkest of wizards could have broken through all the barriers surrounding the house and its inhabitants.

Life had become quiet and normal for Draco and Seamus. They had a place to call their own, both excelled at their jobs, and they actually felt safe. All in all, everything had fallen into place.

*****

Told you I was being long winded. Is it satisfactory? For setting the scene, that is. Please, please, please say it is!

Thanks to all you lovely creatures who reviewed, you made my world! Goddess Shinigami, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou! Without you, I don't think I would continue to do this and even if you were the only one who ever read anything I wrote, I would always do it for you! Yeah, my grammar has gotten kinda lousy. I promise the next chapter will be better off than this one is, so please just give me the benefit of the doubt. Look who I'm asking here! I love you very dearly, and thank you very much. Love and hugs and kisses and Ewoks and butterflies to you!; PepperjackCandy, you're such a sweetie! And I hope that this answers your question as to Snape's position. I threw that part in just for you, actually. I love you! *BIG kiss*; Myr, thanks, I think it's pretty cool, too. Please let me know what you think of this. *kisses*; Mrrrisa, thank you very much. Stay tuned for later chapters, I'll get a bit more into Draco's mind, explaining what changed in his mind a bit more thoroughly. Hope you like it! Cheers, all, and thanks again! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!