True Friends

By: Craw/Brad

Author's notes: Thank you all for waiting so long. Classes started again a few weeks ago and then a natural disaster ripped through my state... That really isn't any excuse though... I have told you all that I hate typing haven't I?

AN2: I hope that this answers your questions, Dargenphly.

Chapter Nine

Needless to say, Starfire won against Hugglebunny. Was there even really any question of who would win? The really sad part though, was the simple fact that the two flags were within a hundred feet of each other. The Match only lasted ten minutes.

So, now my team was getting ready to come up against Winners. Our 'base' was under a great oak and our flag was folded and placed in a birds nest at the top. We started with the entire team together until the whistle blow. At this point we all split to do our pre-assigned task.

Hermione, Boot, and Vince stayed with an assortment of second and third years at the base. Mixed groups like this had been sent out all over the area. The first years had all been sent out on their own. The basic plan of action was to let them get captured and then follow them back to the enemy camp.

The plan worked perfectly as we followed a first year that had been captured by Semus Finnigan. Harry trailed them on their left and I, on their right. When, finally, we came to the end of the woods, we stopped.

Tim, the first year, was leaning against a large tree. Two feet to his right, just laying across a branch was their flag. With lightening speed, the three enemy guards were dispatched. I quickly undid the binding spells on Tim and Harry retrieved the opposer's flag.

We then started to sprint back to our base and Bam! Harry got cursed from behind. I looked back to where he had fallen and ran back to him. Small cuts were sprouting up all over his body, or rather I assumed they were. They were covering his arms and face, I really couldn't see much more skin than that.

"Harry!" I yelled as I fell to my knees beside his prone body. "Tim, come here!" I called before putting up a barrier ward around us. "Say something Raven."

"Ouch?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Smart ass!" I replied with a smile. "What do we do now? Who cursed you?"

"Nice to know you go your priorities straight." He said threw gritted teeth. "The curse was on the flag and now you carry me back to base as Tim watches our back."

"I don't know if that is such a good idea." Tim said from my side. "I'm only a first year, I'm not even that good at DADA. I'm much better at History of Magic, or COMC."

"Then you damned well better learn fast." I snapped at him. "Like it or not, Raven won't get any medical attention until this stupid game is over, so we are going to end it soon."

Ok, so the plan wasn't perfect, but so what? An ok, so upper body strength isn't really my biggest attribute, but I managed to lift the Boy Who lived's lithe frame into my arms. I cradled him as I made my way back to our base and he cradled their flag.

I should have known better than to underestimate Nott and Amothus. Even if they aren't forces to be reckoned with, they are still Slytherins. After all these years, I should have known they would come up with something.

We were within sight of our base when the hexes started to fly. I was kinda surprised to find out that Tim could shield us like he did. Some spells still got through, but the majority couldn't touch us. I continued running the tree as Boot and Granger began to shoot curses back at them. Three had fallen by the time we touched the trunk, and won the game.

X

After Pomfry had treated all of the wounded, we regrouped in front of the teacher's raised platform. I had to suppress a groan when the Headmaster stood. Really, the man spent far too much of my precious time talking. I mean, I have things of far more importance to do! 'Like what?' You might ask. Well I will tell you, it involves Raven's luscious lips and a dark cornor of the Common Room.

To bad that wasn't an option at the moment. "Seeing how it has gotten late, we will adjourn these games until tomorrow afternoon. That will give our two winning teams time to discuss strategies. For now, let us all go to dinner. I'm sure you all have worked up quite an appetite." Then, with a smile, the man lead the way toward the castle.

X

"Harry, can I talk to you?" I asked as we entered the common room.

"Sure," Raven replied with a raised eyebrow and smirk. We brook off from our group and headed to our rooms. Once we were inside our common room, he asked, "So, what's up?"

"Well, you see, it's like this," I started nervously. What was wrong with me? Malfoy's don't do nervous! "I was wondering if you could tell me... the exact answer to the question that I may or may not be about to ask you?" Wow, even to me that sounded awful.

"I will do my best, oh eloquent one."

"Could you... um... What are we?" I finally asked looking at my feet.

"Human? Wizards? Men? You need to be a little more specific Drake." Harry replied.

"Us. What are we doing? Are we boyfriends? Friends with benefits? Nothing?"

"Well, lets take a look at the facts." the boy who lived said with a smirk. "I spend all of my free time with you. I spend most of that time touching you in one manner or another. For the last week I have woken up in your arms... Drake," Here he gasped for effect, "Dear me, I think we might be in a relationship."

"Harry, I don't do things half-assed. If we are together then you are mine." I moved to stand face to face with him, our bodies mer centimeters apart. Now that I knew he didn't think we were just 'having a little fun', I was back to my normal, self-assured self. "No one else gets to caress your cheek or look into your eyes and know the true meaning of lust. No one else is allowed to wake up next to you and know that they are doing at least one thing right. Those things are all mine alone."

"In return I want to be the only one to make you blush. I want to be the first thing you think off when you wake up and the last thing before sleep steals you away. I want there to be only truth between us and," the smaller man in front of me said with a smirk. "I want you to kiss me."

That sounded like a very good idea. So glad that I got a smart one.

X

Seeing how it was Sunday and the games didn't start until that afternoon, my Raven and I decided to have a bit of a lie in. It wasn't until then that I realized how amazing the Golden Boy smelled. It was like a mixture of vanilla and cloves, soft with a bite.

It was ten thirty before anyone thought to come looking for us. Just my luck that it had to be Severus that strood right in. I should have taken back the key after the first time this happened.

"Draco," he called from the common room. "Get out of bed and come eat something."

I was about to reply when my green eyed bedmate threw the conferrer over my head and a hand over my mouth. He then whispered into my ear, "If he can't see us, he'll think we aren't hear and leave." Harry then started to giggle softly.

"I'm not sure that will work," I said back in a thoughtful tone. "Perhaps if we were kissing?"

"I do think that would solve our problem." Harry replied.

Seeing how one kiss turned into three or four... or fifty, it was a huge surprise when my godfather pulled the blanket back in a dramatic move. I was a little disappointed that our brilliant plan didn't work. I mean, sure we were depending on ostrich logic, but still!

Anyway, back to Sev. He really doesn't like to be ignored. "If you and Mister Potter are quite done, your team awaits the brilliant plan of attack you have been up here forming all morning."

"We were just discussing that Sir." Harry said with a smirk. "We were going to stun them with Draco's sheer sex appeal and then... Well, we hadn't gotten past his sex appeal actually."

"Then," I supplied, "We would have the first years round them you and magically chain them to a tree. We would then proceed to ttorturethe location of their flag out of one of the third years."

"If this is the plan that you spent all morning coming up with, you might as well have left this to the first years." Sev sneered.

"Are you saying that you doubt my ability to make people faint from the sexual tension?" I pouted. Who should believe in me if not my godfather?

"I am simply pointing out Mister Potter's faulty excuse. Maybe if he wasn't in your bed, his brain might work slightly better."

"Be nice Sev," Remus said from the doorway. "Honestly, if anyone could pull off it would be these two. Just on, to quote Minerva, 'shear dumb luck'."

"Be that as it may, my team will not be going into battle with 'sex appeal' as their best plan. I want you both up and with Miss Granger and Mister Boot in twenty minutes. They," He left the 'unlike you' unsaid. "have been up since seven planning."

"If you don't mind my asking Sir, what's in it for us if we win?" Harry asked, his head resting on my chest.

"I believe that you will receive your chains back." Sev answered.

"Besides that? I mean, Draco isn't missing anything, so why should he fell compelled to win. I highly doubt that 'the Honor of Winning' simply isn't going to do it."

"There will of course be other benefits. We will get to chose the next of these ridiculous activities." My godfather answered with a sneer.

"Do you mean 'we' as in the team, or 'we' as in you?" Raven asked.

"I will of course have the final say, but it will be the team's responsibility to come up with a list." Sev replied.

"So, if we decided that everyone should run around the Quidditch pitch five times starkers, and you signed off on it, everyone would have to?" The Savior of the Wizarding World asked.

"Yes," Our Potions Master raised his hand to his temple as if fighting off a headache. "If there are no more questions, and I assure you there aren't, get dressed. Now."

"Sure thing Sev." I said, pushing Harry off the side of the bed, where he landed with a thump. I then pulled the blanket off and sat up. Severus and I shared a smirk.

"That wasn't very nice Drake."

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?"

"I would love it if you did, but your godfather is watching and I think he would object."

"We have to get undressed anyway, Shower?"

"Meet you there in three minutes."

X

Sev had insisted on separate showers, so it was half an hour later that we entered the Slytherin common room. Hermione was sitting in a corner talking to Boot. Vince was also sitting there, but it looked like neither of them were consulting him.

I sat down on the only open seat, an armchair, and pulled harry down onto my lap. "So, what did we miss?" I pointedly directed the question at Vince. I knew for a fact he would give me the shortest and most contrite synopsis. Granger and Boot both looked amused.

"Not much," Vince answered. "Boot here is trying his damnedest to find a way to team up with Harry and kick you out of the picture. Granger's all count on the other team playing fair."

"I wounder what your godfather would say if he knew that our plan was the best of the lot?"

"I would say three things Mister Potter." Came Sev's voice from behind my chair. "First, I am very disappointed in Mister Boot's and Miss Granger's plans. Second, there are many open seats in the common room. You don't need to sit on Draco. Third, I forbid you to go into the game with no other plan than stunning them with a nude Malfoy."

"Sir! I never said anything about Draco getting starkers. I was thinking more along the lines of topless and in leather. There are first years out there!" Harry replied in a Pseudo -offended tone. "Plus, I'm comfy here."

"Don't worry Sev, we will find another plan." I said quickly.

"Besides," Harry grumbles after looking to make sure that our potions professor was gone. "It was a perfectly good plan. Who wouldn't stop if they saw you half naked?"

"Have I ever told you how cute you are when you pout?" I asked as I pulled Raven down into a kiss. Glancing around our corner, I added, "We could just go out there and snog. Hermione's already down for the count."

The boy who lived turned to look at his bushy haired friend. Her mouth was hanging open and she was practically salivating. My green eyed Adonis buried his face in my shoulder as he giggled.

"So here is the plan I've come up with," Vince started.

X

The stage was set. This time it was Raven and I that stood waiting with our team banner. For Vince's plan to work the Banner had to be in clear sight, so we also had sixth and fifth years around us. Harry and I were the last line of defense and as such we were behind the younger students.

Vince really is a lot smarter than we give him credit for. In the few minutes between us entering the common room and announcing he had a plan, Vice had combined the best aspects of all the plans.

Harry and I were lounging on our banner in just our jeans. Even the straightest of guys would be a little distracted if they got so far as us. Ok, so it might be distracting us as well, but we would have plenty of warning if anyone were to get through the others.

I hadn't really been paying much attention after Vince explained what Harry and I would be doing. Really, how was I suppose to focus with Boot being so obviously jealous? Well, what ever the others were suppose to do, it evidently work. Granger calmly walked back to base with the other team's flag in hand.

Later that night I found out that they had put a levitating charm on it to make it float to her. They apparently also set an illusion so the other team didn't even know it was missing until the game was called. Yes, Vince is quite a bit brighter than he gets credit for.

TBC

I would like to thank all of you for reading this. I know that I don't update nearly often enough, but I'm lazy. Now that schools back in though, I have more time to sit and write this. I thought that I could do more over the summer, but I was too busy... Anyway, I love all of my reviewers and hope that you will, as well as any new readers, review! Mad love to my beta, Anna. Brad