Chapter 17: Right Back Where We Started



Draco winced, fingering the bump on the back of his head.

He had to admit, Weasley was pretty strong. Even stronger still when he was pissed off.

Draco was still seeing stars every once in a while, especially when he got up on his feet. But he was safe as long as he was sitting or lying down. Like he was now.

Madam Pomfrey bustled into the infirmary.

"Are you sure you don't want the healing balm, dear?" she said kindly.

"No!" Draco said quickly.

"I mean, thanks. But I think I'll live." He said, with a weak smile.

The balm she had offered had smelt worse than Crabbe and Goyle did in the morning. And Draco was sure he wouldn't be able to stomach having that disgusting concoction so near his sinuses like that.

Pain was a better option than smelling like he had rolled around in Hippogriff dung for several hours.

"Well, you can stay here for this morning, but if you feel strong enough, perhaps you can still attend your afternoon classes." she suggested, whilst changing the sheets on the other beds.

"Okay, I'll try." he put on his most world-weary and pathetic face for Pomfrey's sake. She tut-tutted and left the room again, her arms full of dirty linen.

*She's crazy if she thinks I'm going back to classes when I have a perfectly good excuse. Not to mention proof!* he thought silently as he gingerly fingered his lump again.

Of course, he was also relieved to escape classes and avoid bumping into Weasley.

Draco hated to admit it, but he wasn't as adept at physical confrontations as the redhead was. But then again, that's what Crabbe and Goyle were for. Draco's strength lied in his sharp wit and stinging verbal insults rather than brute force.

Well, that's what he told himself, anyway.

He sighed deeply as the events of his humiliating morning came back to him. His face flushed uncomfortably every time he recalled how easily Weasley had overpowered him.

*Harry must think I'm a complete wimp.* he thought.

Right then, who should come bursting through the door, his hair even more mussed up as usual, and his glasses a tad askew, but Harry Potter himself.

Gasping for breath, he only stopped when he spotted Draco lying in bed, looking at him with the most surprised expression.

Feeling embarrassed suddenly, Harry tried to regain some semblance of composure and started walking slowly to his bedside.

A slow grin started to appear on Draco's sly little face.

*So, he was worried, eh?* he thought mischievously.

"Hi." Harry gasped out, still out of breath from his sprint. He clutched at his side where a stitch was forming.

"Been looking for me?" Draco drawled silkily, a small smirk on his lips.

"Uhm, yeah. You know, you waren't at breakfast and -" he explained, feeling flustered all of a sudden.

He took in a deep breath and finally, not being able to help himself; burst out with "Are you all right?"

He looked at Draco earnestly, concern plainly etched in his green eyes.

Draco suddenly feeling quite overcome with guilt.

*God, I'm such a bastard. He's really worried about me.*

His chest felt tight and his knees felt quite weak, and quite tingly. Almost the same feeling he got whenever he descended too quickly in the air on his broom. A film of cold sweat covered his body and he curled his clammy palms in his sheets.

"I'm fine. Thanks. Just got a nasty bump on my head." he replied finally, trying to get a grip on himself.

"Oh." Harry frowned, the small crease between his eyebrows still there.

"I'm sorry. About Ron." And he took another step towards the boy, standing by his bedside now.

Draco grunted and waved a hand in dismissal. Somehow he didn't feel like talking about Ron now.

Eventhough he's thought about almost nothing but the many (many) ways the redhead could meet with his sudden yet gruesome death.

Harry nodded silently in thanks and started to straighten his spectacles when Draco noticed the angry red marks on his wrists.

"What happened to your wrists?" he asked, a little alarmed.

"Oh, that." Harry glanced down at them and tried not to grimace. It was better that he didn't look at them; it just made the pain worse.

Draco sat up in bed and reached out for his hands. He turned them over, and gasped at the severely blistered skin.

"Erm." Harry hesitated; feeling quite embarrassed.

*How do you tell someone that you were tied up in bed just an hour ago, by your best friend and had an audience to boot?*

"Well?" Draco asked again, feeling suddenly protective of Harry in his silence.

"It was my fault, actually. . ." Harry admitted.

"I shouldn't have struggled so. . ." And sighed again, recalling his not too pleasant morning.

A switch suddenly went off in Draco's mind, and everything else faded to black.

"Who was it? I'll kill him. I swear; I'll kill him." A glazed determined look had crossed over his eyes.

Taken aback by Draco's sudden vehemence, Harry automatically tried to take a step back, except his hands were still quite firmly in Draco's grasp.

"I'd rather you not do that." Harry said slowly. "Besides, Ron might just kill you this time."

Draco bit his lip at this, wishing he had something to punch.

But he looked at Harry and simply said, "Some best friend."

Harry nodded wearily.

"I know Ron can get a little over-protective of me sometimes. But he means well, I know he does. Even when he had me tied up in bed just now."

"WHAT?!?"

*Uh-oh.*

"He did what?"

"Ummm. Tied me up. In bed. That's how I-"

Draco fumed silently, and gritted his teeth.

*Bloody hell, and I can just bet that pervert Finnigan probably enjoyed the show, too!* he thought jealously, mentally giving Seamus a kick where the sun doesn't shine.

"And /why/ would Weasley tie you up?" he interrupted, his jaw clenched tightly.

*I better start making a list of people I want to give a good ass-kicking. And give it to Crabbe and Goyle.* Draco decided to himself.

"He thought you had put me under a spell or something. You know, cos he found us - uhm, in bed and all. Remember?" Harry said, flushing.

"Of course. Of course." Draco nodded absently, waving a hand in acknowledgement. How could he forget?

He looked at Harry thoughtfully now.

The list could wait. Besides it was a rather short list; being only Weasley at the top and Finnigan running a close second now.

Draco started to pull the other boy towards his bed, shifting a little to make room, and motioned for Harry to sit down next to him.

Harry complied and perched himself on the bed next to Draco, wondering why he felt so nervous when he had spent a good part of last night in bed with the same boy.

He took a deep breath and tried to relax and slowly leant back against Draco.

*I guess a part of me was afraid he'd pretend last night never happened after all.* Harry thought.

"We seem to be in here a lot." Harry mused out loud, looking around the room.

"Hmmm." Draco agreed, and wrapped his arms possessively around Harry's waist.

"Actually, we're right back where we started." Harry said again.

Meanwhile, Draco was busy contemplating Harry's utterly delectable nape before leaning in to kiss him lightly there.

He vividly remembered how good it felt when Harry had kissed his neck before.

And he breathed in Harry's scent deeply.

"You smell like rain and freshly-cut grass." He commented as he buried his face in Harry's silky hair.

Harry laughed out loud. "Is that a good thing?"

"Mmmm. Very good." Draco mumbled and tentatively sucked softly at his neck this time. Harry moaned softly and tilted his head slightly to give Draco better access to his neck.

Encouraged, Draco sucked harder this time and then gently bit Harry's earlobe.

Harry sighed and leaned back more into the embrace; resting his entire weight on Draco's chest now.

He turned his head to Draco's. And the tips of their noses met briefly before Draco pressed forward to clamp his lips over Harry's.

But he didn't kiss Harry. He just kept his lips pressed against Harry's own, and stayed there, motionless, with his eyes closed.

Though surprised at first, Harry's eyes soon fluttered close as he followed suit.

Almost immediately it seemed all of his nerves were standing on end, and tiny electrical sensations tingled their way thrillingly up his spine and towards his head, finally centering on his forehead, where they circled deliciously.

He felt oddly vulnerable and quite detached from his body but yet he wasn't afraid at all.

Quite the contrary, Harry had never felt anything that was so delicate and exciting at the same time before in his life and he savoured every second of his unique connection with Draco, dreading to break apart from it.

*I could stay here forever.* he thought to himself, wishing it was so.