Title: In The Interests Of …

Author: I_nv_u50

Pairings: DracoXHarry

Disclaimer: See all those in earlier chapters.

Harry: She must be getting bored.

Draco: (sarcastically) Oh no! Duh Harry, of course she doesn't want to think up new ones for every chapter. She's too busy trying to think up new ways for me to kiss you or you to kiss me to think up original disclaimers. Honestly!

Harry: (fondly) Wiseass.

Draco: (smirks) You love my ass. Admit it.

Harry: (grins) I'd be insane if I didn't.

Now that that's over . Erm… Sorry 'bout that, they just take over sometimes ^^  I'm sure they mean to. -.-;

Chapter Rating: PG13 cuz I cant remember what the singular ratings mean? If there are any objections, complain to Norbert.

Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to get out. The reason being that… Well, I like to have about at least 5 chapters written ahead of time before I type out the next chapter, and my writer's block has been seriously depressed, so anything I write lately will turn into a death fic. I think I'm over it now. Nobody died in the chapter I wrote last night, there was just some odd angst. As a future warning, I don't think I'm too good at angst either. Don't like sad stories ^^;; Except lately. I've been feeling particularly vindictive lately, and want everything I write to have a sad ending O.o;

Harry: You know … I think I'm scared.

I_nv_u50: As well you should be. (smugly) It's about time I got some respect from you and dragon boy.

Harry: What? No, sorry, I wasn't talking about you. Draco just gave me the advancement on the bunny. He wants the story to get a higher rating.

I_nv_u50: (flatly) No.

Draco: But!

Enough of that. Also, there's one other thing… As too the ending of this fic, I've got two vague ideas. One's where they all live happily ever after … somewhat. The other's where Draco and Harry die, and everyone mourns them for a few years until the epilogue where they come back as something. Thus ensuring a sequel. Maybe. With Harry as the sorceress? And no memories of this life? Sounds clichéd, don't it? Tell me what you think. Note, also, that if they do die, there will be an epilogue, but it'll probably end with them meeting … Yea. And there might not be a sequel; we'll see how it goes. Tell me what you want then, k?

Anyway, onto the story, sorry it took so long to get out ^^. Enjoy it, and please review! Next chapter out whenever. Hopefully not before too long. I'll go out on a limb and suggest within about 10-12 days? A week or so.

Whatever.

Ok, I'm done ^^;

PS: There is a little kissing in this one … Thanks to Baby Ty Ty who gets a free favor from Draco. He's very grateful, you know.

Draco: (impatiently) Very grateful. (turns to Harry) What the hell took you so long?

Harry: Eep!

Draco could feel Harry was angry. It was surprisingly hard to miss, given the distance between them. As Draco thought about it, calmly having a soda and pleasant chat with Zell, whom he quite liked, he thought it would be best to find out just what Harry was so upset over. It wouldn't do either of them any good if one didn't know why the other was feeling what he was feeling.

The official report hadn't been made yet, but an experienced and trusted SeeD official had called in with the news about the strange knight. Draco had only started listening after multiple assurances that Harry was all right and on his way back.

He could feel Harry working himself into something just short of hysteria in his agitation. As Draco was still new at this whole bond business, he couldn't think of any immediate way to get Harry to calm down, the distance between them, though easing up quite a bit, was still too great, and the bond still too new to send solace emotionally.

The second Harry was in the building; Draco figured it was too late to start sending out comfort, seeing as how Harry would be actually with him in a minute or two.

Zell calmly backed against the wall, out of the direct path from the door to Draco, and Harry's haywire emotions reached frenzied level as he sprinted through the building, unerringly following Draco's presence in his mind.

"He's coming." Said Zell unnecessarily, the door was thrown open and Harry tumbled through, heading straight for Draco, who merely opened his arms for Harry to run into. Harry did so without a second thought, his cheek pressed against Draco's shoulder as his arms held on tightly to Draco's waist.
Zell watched with obvious amusement, as Harry babbled out everything that had happened over the past few hours, getting the order of events wrong uncaringly, his voice muffled by Draco's shoulder.

Draco looked over Harry's shoulder and smiled ruefully at Zell. "I don't know why he's doing this. He isn't usually this scatterbrained. Harry?" Draco spoke the name quieter than the rest of the words, and Harry pulled away, punching Draco's arm in a half-hearted attempt to hurt the sorceress.

"You bastard!"

Draco blinked. "What? What'd I do?"

"You collapsed, didn't you?" Harry poked Draco's chest with his finger as he spoke. "You collapsed and it's all my fault!"

"Oh Harry …" Draco sighed, and Zell discreetly left, nodding goodbye to Draco who smiled at him gratefully.

When the door had shut behind Zell, Draco advanced on Harry, who was now pacing around the room, a thoughtful crease between his brows.

Harry stopped when he saw him coming, and started to back away, wary and suspicious of the almost angry look in Draco's eyes.

"Um … Draco?"
Draco just growled, low in his throat and shoved Harry against the wall, his hands gripping Harry's shoulders hard.

Harry's eyes were wide with surprise behind the glasses, and Draco took them off to look better at the fearless eyes, only the slightest bit of suspicion in the emerald depths.

Harry had to blink a bit to refocus his eyes again, but when he did, Draco's face was a little further away.

"Don't you dare do that again!"

"Do what?"
"Go on a mission! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

"Yes." Harry answered evenly. "About as worried as I was when that sorceress told me she was going to kill you? Or about as worried as I was to find out that you collapsed because of me?"

Draco paused, and a look of understanding flitted over his face, before he shoved his face closer to Harry's, their nose tips all but touching.

"That's nothing, Harry. I wont allow you to go on another mission! You almost died, Harry!"
Harry's eyes narrowed to slits of angry green. "It's nothing, is it? How come you can worry about me, but I can't worry about you?"

Draco was unable to think up a reply to that worthy argument, especially now that Harry was close, so close. The bond was pushing now, or pulling, wanting that physical contact so bad he could feel it ache dully in his mind.

It was all he could do to make a noise of frustration, and he pressed his mouth to Harry's in a kiss that was as savage as it was ruthless, just consuming Harry's mouth with his own. Harry melted against him; completely against his own will now that the bond was taking things as far as it needed.

Harry vaguely realized that it felt like a branding, like Draco was branding him as his own in a blatantly powerful kiss, and even if Harry wanted to kiss back, he wasn't so sure he could have, it was just too desperately hungry.

As it was, Harry forgot to kiss back, and when his feverish mind caught up with his dazed and hazy brain he wrenched his mouth away, twisting his head to the side to break contact, his eyes wide and unseeing, gasping for breath.

Draco growled again, frustration and desire making him out of breath and a bit trembly, and he released Harry's left shoulder to push Harry's face back towards him again. Harry broke the grip, ducking under Draco's left arm and backing away to avoid further encounters like the one that had just happened. He couldn't help feeling a little twinge from the bond, and knew that both it and Draco were a little disappointed at the abrupt ending. If he would admit it to himself, he would find that he was a little disappointed as well.

As it was, he just continued the conversation as if the kiss had never happened.

"Did you know then? About the sorceress?"
Draco straightened slowly, still facing the wall, and his shoulders relaxed visibly before he turned around.

His eyes were serious when they met Harry's expectant gaze.

"Yes." Draco answered quietly. "I found out about it the day I had to choose."

"The urgent message …" Harry spoke slowly, realization crossing his features.

"Yes. I couldn't tell because of everything else happening."

Harry blinked and smiled sheepishly. "I guess that's true. I just wish you'd have told me."

"You know what I wish? I wish I had never become a sorceress. I wish I had never been forced to choose a knight. I wish I had never seen my mother die to protect talents she wasn't even fully aware I had. I wish I hadn't been so powerless to help her. I wish …" Draco paused, his head lowered slightly, his hair shielding his eyes from view.

Harry spoke after a second of waiting, his voice gentle, compassion and understanding etched on his face. "You wish?"

Draco looked up again, pain visible in his eyes even from a distance. "I wish you would stop running from me, would trust me. I … I wish … I wish that you would just kiss me back when I kiss you, or even kiss me first!"

Harry fell silent, and Draco smiled bitterly at him.

"Anyway, the point I'm trying to make, is no one gets what they wish for all the time, least of all when they want it to happen." He shrugged. "I'm going up to bed. Try not to worry about the sorceress too much, okay Harry? It does no good; worrying about things you can't change. All it does is make you frustrated."

Harry nodded without saying anything, and Draco turned to leave.

"Draco!" the cry broke free from Harry's lips without him meaning it to, but Draco stopped, not turning around to face Harry, waiting for whatever it was Harry wanted to say.

"I'm sorry. It's just … Well, I …" Harry stumbled over the words, trying desperately to make the loneliness the link was feeding him ease up, knowing that the bond blamed him, at least partly, for it.

Draco just looked over his shoulder, shooting a grin at Harry that was meant to be suggestive, charming and enticing all at once.

"Don't worry about it, Beaumont." Was all that he said.

The door opened and shut behind Draco, leaving Harry alone in the room, wearing a dazed and dreamy expression as he stared at the closed door. He could still feel the remnants of Draco's effect on him; in the warmth in the back of his mind, and the sudden lightheadedness that the grin had produced.

He was still completely out of it as he walked up to his bedroom, and he could hazily feel Draco's smug satisfaction at the state Harry's mind was in, quite obviously pleased with himself for inducing the not-quite-there status.

He flopped down on his bed when he got there, his arms outspread and his legs apart, a goofy smile still on his face as he recalled the grin.

Draco was so … gorgeous!

Even if Harry was gay, which he wasn't so sure about, even with all that had happened, he couldn't help seeing more in that grin than he would have liked. Or rather, should have liked. He didn't really want to admit to himself that he wouldn't mind following that spectacular grin up.

Even as he was thinking this, Harry was aware that he was acting the idiot; anyone who didn't know better would think he was actually falling for his blonde sorceress. He laughed at himself a little nervously. No, that wasn't it. They were merely friends.

Then he was aware of another feeling, one he couldn't place immediately, but when he did, he sat upright in bed suddenly.

"Oh Hyne … hell no!" Harry shuddered, a natural reaction.

There was a knight in the mansion. And … and a sorceress as well!

"Shit!" he groaned, and rolled off the bed.

He had to go warn Draco!

But before he could even reach the door to run to Draco's wing, there was a knock at the door.

Harry took a deep breath, steeling himself in preparation, and opened the door to find his headmaster and two people he didn't know waiting for him.

Harry blinked in surprise. All three of them had the unique aura reading as knights.