Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot.
Author's Notes: Hear ye, hear ye! This here chapter contains sexual content! If you are not happy about it/do not like it/etc, why are you this far into the story??? (I feel like a cross between a medieval announcer and a drill sergeant . . .) Thank you, my wonderful readers and reviewers!!!!!
To venilia: Ahhh, don't worry about being late. I almost always am with reading and reviewing updates. I hibernate in my room. ::big grin:: That's my sanctuary. Everything but a fridge and a computer. Once I get those, my family will never see me. Holy crap, two a.m.?????? O.O Oh, my. Well, I'm glad you still like the fic. Hope the chapter measures up to your expectations!!!
To NiimuraYume: Thanks so much for the sweet review! I'm glad you liked it. Here's chapter 5!!! (Hope it hasn't taken too long...)
To Alora: Thanks for the review!! Lol, Harry and Draco are my favorite too. Veeeeeery . . . erm . . . nice. Hehehehe . . . ::eyes glaze over dreaming:: No, I'm not going to switch my fics over LiveJournal. I'm just using it as an update source, so my readers can find out when new chapters will be updated, cookies (sometimes . . .), and woeful ramblings about my pathetic life. ::big tear:: No one ever reads that last part. So, fear not! My fics shall remain on !!!
To SunGoddess1: It was hard writing Draco's beating. I didn't like it, but it was kind of necessary. ::huggles Draco with SunGoddess:: He's so cute . . . Enjoy chapter 5!!
To zoomaphonethepirate: How on earth did you ever think of your penname???? Anyway, I'm so glad you like the fic so far! I certainly hope you'll continue to read and review and tell me what you think!!!
To Jazzylady: WOW! Thank you soooooo much for the wonderful review!!! Oh, my goodness! ::squeals:: It totally made my day. Thanks so much. Hope you'll enjoy chapter 5 as much as the previous chapters!!!
To HellPhoenixSirius: Lol, I love the Wizard of Oz. One of my favorite movies (other than HP, of course!) I had to make them kiss, they deserved it!! Poor Draco had a horrible crappy day, he needed some luvin' in his life! Hey, don't diss caffeine! It's my best friend on those long lonely nights when I'm trying to finish a chapter!!! Enjoy!!
To Isis-mystic: Thanks so much for your review! Yeah, I didn't want to have him killed (or plotted to anyway), but it was necessary for the plot. ::tear:: Poor baby . . . Enjoy!!!!
To driven to insanity: Here's more! Enjoy!!!
To silver-sunn101: I'm glad you liked chapter 4! Worked my ass off on it, trying to perfect it. Lol, Frankie's just the kind of guy that gets you squeamish like that . . . ::shivers, then looks over shoulder to make sure he's not looking:: Hope you like chapter 5!!!
Chapter 5Harry was startled awake by the muffled sounds of arguing. He groggily rubbed his eyes and replaced his glasses in front of his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and noticed he had slept in a chair next to Draco's bed, still dressed in his clothes from yesterday. He must have dozed off as he watched Draco. He stood up and stretched, feeling a crick in his neck due to the odd sleeping position. He glanced down at the injured blonde and sighed softly, knowing they needed to talk when he awoke. For the time being, The Boy Who Lived settled for leaving his bedroom quietly and seeing why his best friends were arguing. Ron stomped over to him as soon as he'd stepped into the living room. Hermione was sitting on the couch, looking up at her fiancé.
"Harry, did you actually bring that asshole back here?" Ron cried angrily.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him that and if you'd keep you're voice down," Harry requested coolly, walking into the kitchenette and pouring himself a cup of tea. "Draco's still asleep."
Ron's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Draco? You're calling the little wanker Draco now?!" Ron shouted, his face reddening.
"Ron, stop yelling," Harry spat, glaring at the redhead. Ron looked as though steam could come billowing out of his ears at any moment. "And, obviously, I'm calling him Draco or else we wouldn't be having this conversation!"
"Harry, what I don't get is why you had to bring him back here." Ron's tone had lowered, but there was still an underlying current of anger and resentment.
"Ron, would you prefer I had left him in that alley to be beaten to death?" Harry asked. He cut his friend off before he could say anything. "Don't answer that. I had to do something. He was hurt and needed help. As a good ex-Gryffindor, what else could I do?"
Ron glared at him for a moment before sighing heavily and raking a hand through his hair.
"I hate it when you play the Gryffindor card," he murmured, glancing away. A grin slowly spread over Harry's face.
"Thanks, Ron." Harry ran into his room and pulled his moneybag from a drawer in a small table by the door. He walked back into the room, digging in the bag. After a moment, he shrugged and closed the drawstring on the bag, holding it out to his friends. "Here. Go out to dinner or something tonight, my treat."
"What?! Harry . . . no, we can't take your money," Hermione objected, getting up and moving to stand next to Ron.
"Yes, you can."
"No, we can't."
"Yes, you can. And you will," Harry ordered. "You'll go someplace nice in the wizarding quarter, or Hogsmeade maybe."
"Are you sure, mate?" Ron asked, his eyes on the bag, their previous argument forgotten for the moment.
"Positive. Here." Harry placed the moneybag in Ron's hand and turned to the bathroom. He splashed his face with water and brushed his teeth before heading back to his own room. He closed the door and cautiously made his way over to the window. He opened the blinds a bit and looked at the bed in his room. Draco was stirring gently in his sleep. Harry smiled and lightly ran his fingers over the blonde's cheek. Suddenly, Draco's eyes flew open and, pushing Harry out of the way onto the larger bed in the room, he attempted to shoot out of the bed. He managed to stand up, pain flitting across his face, but his injuries prevented him from doing more. His face paled and his leg threatened to give out on him. Harry jumped off the bed and caught Draco just as he started to fall. He sat at the head off the cot and settled the blonde back on the bed. Draco squirmed around a bit and relaxed once he was leaning against Harry, closing his eyes. Harry's own emerald eyes widened in surprise.
"What was that little stunt all about?" Harry asked softly. Draco opened his eyes and looked up at him.
"Whenever I've woken up in a strange place before, it . . . hasn't . . . been good," he murmured, casting his gaze to the floor. Harry's forehead creased with worry and he hesitantly encircled Draco with his arms, careful to avoid the bruising. Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes shining, and brought his own hands up to catch hold of Harry's. This simple action made Harry want to protect and hold the blonde man in his arms forever. He ducked his head and gently placed a kiss on Draco's cheek. The blonde moved around again, this time, almost so he was sitting up. He was face to face with Harry and turned in his arms to face him. Harry looked into Draco's grey eyes. He was captivated by those eyes. He was sure he could spend hours on end just staring into them. Draco, however, had different plans. He closed the distance between them until Harry could feel Draco's breath ghosting over his lips.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Draco murmured. "Because I'll never let you go, I've dreamt of this for too long."
Harry didn't need to think about it.
"Yes," he whispered before he leaned forward to capture Draco's lips in a sweet kiss. Harry's mind flew as the kiss continued. This must be heaven on earth. He nearly pulled out of the kiss when he felt Draco's tongue run across his lower lip, begging for entrance. He eagerly obliged and was immediately brought to a new kind of flying. Forget what he said before. This was heaven on earth. That was just the ride there. Draco tasted like spices and mint, an intoxicating combination he couldn't get enough of. What started as a simple kiss soon progressed into a possessive lip-lock. Their tongues dueled as the bruising kiss continued. Harry's hand traveled up Draco's body to tangle in his hair. When they broke a few moments later for lack of air, Harry looked surprised.
"Well, Potter, you're a better kisser than I could've imagined," Draco remarked softly, chuckling as Harry burned crimson. He reached up and ran a finger down Harry's jaw line. Harry caught his hand and pressed a kiss to the fingers. Draco sighed contentedly and settled into Harry's embrace.
"Now what?" he asked, holding Harry's hand to his heart.
"Now we have Hermione come in and make sure nothing bad happened to your injuries when you bounced out of bed," Harry told him, standing. He propped Draco up on a few pillows and smoothed his hair back. Draco settled back against the cushioning, wincing as he did so.
"Merlin, how did you handle being in the hospital wing so much at school?" he grumbled. "It's exhausting."
Harry grinned and kissed his forehead before leaving the room. Hermione and Ron were sitting on the couch, poring over several parchments spread out on the coffee table. They looked up at him as he walked over to them.
"Can you believe we've got to start this already?" Ron complained, handing Harry a sheaf of papers. He looked down at them and made a face when he saw 'Class Schedules' scrawled across the top of the sheet in Minerva McGonagall's legible script. Ron grinned. "That's about what I said."
"Yeah, but you're the Flying instructor," Harry retorted. "That's not terribly difficult."
"Still . . ." Ron shrugged. "I'm lazy."
"You've got to start, too, Harry," Hermione reminded him. "We've got to have lesson plans finalized and in to Albus by the twenty-ninth of August."
"I can't believe we've only got another week and a half before term starts again," Harry groaned. He dropped the parchments on a chair and hugged Hermione from behind. "Draco's up." She turned to look at him and nodded, placing her lesson plans on the coffee table. Harry ignored Ron's stiffened posture and followed Hermione into his bedroom. Hermione sat down on the edge of the cot.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.
"Like a hippogriff ran me over," Draco replied. Harry smiled and grasped the blonde's hand, his thumb stroking his skin. Hermione's eyes widened, but said nothing. She quickly looked over Draco's injuries and, after muttering a spell as she waved her wand over his chest, pronounced him fine, with the exception of his ankle. Harry and Draco both watched as the dark bruises marring his skin disappeared.
"Harry, could I speak to you for a moment?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded and squeezed Draco's hand. He stood up and followed Hermione into her bedroom.
"What's going on, Harry?" she murmured, her hands on her hips. "With Malfoy."
"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I want to give it a try," Harry told her honestly. She looked up at him for a moment before throwing her arms around his neck.
"If you're serious about seeing Malfoy, I support you," she said, her voice slightly muffled. Harry hugged her tightly.
"Thanks, Hermione."
Harry grinned at her as he headed out the door. He took a detour to the kitchenette to grab some toast and a few peaches. It was nearly noon and Harry was starving. He returned to his bedroom and smiled at Draco.
"Here, I brought you some toast," Harry told him, holding it out. Draco smiled up at him as he took the food.
"Thanks," he murmured. He nibbled at a corner of a slice as Harry bit into his fruit. Harry watched him for a few moments until the mounting silence became unbearable.
"This is going to sound kind of stupid, given the recent events, but . . . what's bothering you?" he asked finally, setting his fruit on his bed. "Something's wrong, I can tell."
Draco sighed and placed the remainder of his toast in his napkin.
"I'm just wondering. About where . . . we go from here," the blonde murmured. Harry looked at him for a moment before he picked up Draco's food and placed it next to his own. He sat on Draco's bed and enveloped him in his arms. Draco closed his eyes and clutched Harry's arm.
"We take it one day at a time," Harry replied softly. "But first, I'd like to hear more of how you got to be working for Frankie, and what went on during your employment."
Draco frowned. "Do I have to?"
Harry looked down at him, amused.
"Yes, you do. Or else."
"Or else what?"
Harry thought for a moment.
"Or else I shall never kiss you again," he said triumphantly. Draco's eyes narrowed and he stared at Harry speculatively.
"You're bluffing."
"Would you like to try?"
A pause.
"No," Draco decided as he settled against Harry. Harry smiled and placed a kiss on the top of Draco's head. The blonde sighed and plunged, somewhat hesitantly into his story. "Well, as you know, I fought on your side -- Dumbledore's side -- in the final battle with Voldemort. Before I switched sides, I saw my -- Lucius heartlessly murder dozens of Muggles and Muggle-borns just because he felt like it or he was in a bad mood or Voldemort told him to do it. That was actually why I switched sides. I realized Muggles and Muggle-borns were just like pureblooded wizards; their ancestry was just a little different. Anyway, I watched the people I'd known all my life die. I watched my parents die and I realized . . . they were wrong. After the battle, I Disapparated to the Manor. I soon came to find my parents were deeply in debt, but had no actual intention of paying their bills. I paid off as many of their debts as I could, but there just wasn't enough money." Draco paused here and looked up at Harry. "You said everyone looked for me after Voldemort was defeated. You couldn't have looked very hard," he accused. Harry squirmed.
"Well . . . no, we didn't. Could you blame us? We hated each other for seven years. We couldn't let go of the animosity when you joined us, especially Ron," Harry admitted.
"I never hated you," Draco murmured, casting his gaze to the floor. Harry looked at him for a moment before pulling Draco to himself.
"Then you did a bloody great job acting," Harry replied, running his hand through Draco's silky blonde locks.
"I had orders." Harry held Draco close as he continued. "Anyway, I was in Muggle London one day, taking a walk, and I ran into Frankie. He invited me for coffee and I accepted. I realized I liked guys more than girls in sixth year, when I discovered I had a rather debilitating crush on . . . well, someone. Things seemed to really click, between Frankie and I. We met quite a few times before he finally asked me why I was so stressed out. I explained to him that I was having money problems and the situation was worsened by the fact I was unemployed. He kind of smirked and asked me how deep in debt I was. I told him and the next time I saw him, he had the exact amount I needed in an envelope. He also told me there was a job opening at his club if I was interested. I told him I'd be forever grateful to him and I distinctly remember him sort of sneering and saying, 'Damn right you will.' But of course, it hadn't really bothered me at the time. I just thought he had a weird sense of humour.
"A week or so later, I'd sold the Manor and the bills were finally paid off. Frankie brought me to his club -- I thought it was a normal club; you know, drinks and dancing." Harry noticed a slight catch in Draco's voice as he described how his life had plummeted. The blonde seemed to be having a hard time continuing his tale.
"What happened when you got to the club, Draco?" Harry asked softly, placing light kisses on the ex-Slytherin's temple.
"There -- we walked in and . . . and I saw a man with his leg hooked around the pole, sliding down it! And Frankie turned to me and said, 'Can't wait to see you up there!' I didn't want to, Harry, I swear, but he made me!" By now, Draco had buried his face in Harry's shirt and was sobbing freely. Harry himself had to make an effort to stay composed.
"Shhh, it's okay, love, no one will hurt you now, I won't let them," he murmured soothingly. He gently rocked Draco as he traced indifferent designs on his back in a calming manner.
"He made me . . . and he sold me when I didn't listen," Draco sobbed. Harry was outraged.
"WHAT?!"
Draco flinched at the anger in Harry's voice and let go of him like he'd been burned. He curled up, his head on his knees, and began chanting softly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry . . ." Harry chastised himself for his anger and scooted over the bed to gather Draco in his arms.
"No, it's not your fault, Draco; it's me who should be sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," Harry whispered as he held the weeping young man. He soon calmed and finally managed to stop his tears, instead replacing them with the occasional hiccup and sniffle. Harry closed his eyes and just murmured soothing noises. He felt Draco lay his head on his shoulder and his hand on his stomach. He could feel the light brush of Draco's tear-moistened eyelashes against his skin as he lazily opened and closed his eyes and the hot puffs of breath skimming across his neck as he breathed. Harry knew that he would never allow anyone to hurt Draco. He couldn't. He heard his bedroom door open and looked up.
"Ron and I are leaving, Harry," Hermione told him quietly. Her brow creased as she looked at Draco. "Is he all right?"
Harry nodded. Hermione gave him a brief smile and closed the door. Harry looked down at the battered young man in his arms.
"Draco, love, look at me," Harry murmured. Draco looked up at him, a glint of something shimmering in his eyes. "You're safe now. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. Ever."
Draco smiled and pulled Harry down to him. Their lips met in a sweet kiss and then Draco laid his head back on Harry's shoulder.
"You'd best be careful, Potter," he whispered, his breath ghosting across Harry's neck, sending an involuntary shiver up his spine. "Or else I might start falling in love with you again."
"Again?" Harry asked, mildly surprised.
"It was you I liked back in school," Draco confessed.
"I see. Well, if you did, would it be such a bad thing?" Harry mused nonchalantly.
Draco looked at him wonderingly before launching himself onto Harry. Their lips met gain, this time in a possessive, heated kiss, their tongues dueling. Their hands traveled, mapping out unmarked territory. Draco feverishly unbuttoned Harry's shirt and slid his hands over the sculpted chest. Harry moaned as he was assaulted with the wonderful feeling of Draco's mouth on his body. Draco dipped his tongue into Harry's navel and that's when The Boy Who Lived realized how far down his body the Slytherin Prince actually was. His eyes flew open and he fought his way out of the swirl of pleasure he was experiencing.
"Draco -- wait! Don't," he gasped as Draco paused at the waistband of his jeans. Draco pulled away, hurt. Harry's heart melted. He sat up and pulled Draco into his arms, shivering slightly as their bare torsos aligned.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you wanted this as much as I do," Draco whispered, his voice just barely audible.
"No, Draco, I do, I just . . . I want to make this work. Make it last. I don't want to just jump into bed, okay?" Harry murmured, brushing a few strands of hair from Draco's face. The blonde nodded and sighed. Then he glanced down at himself.
"Harry, d'you -- do you mind if I take a quick shower?" he requested. "I feel disgusting. I haven't taken one for two days."
Harry grinned. "Of course not. And afterwards, I'll take one and then you can finish telling me what happened. Come on, I'll help you up."
They each took quick showers and dressed, Draco in a pair of Harry's loose drawstring pajama pants and Harry in another. Both disregarded their shirts. Harry helped Draco back to his bedroom and guided him towards his own bed. The blonde looked at him questioningly.
"Harry -- ?"
"Just thought it would be more comfortable than yours," he replied, shrugging. He hopped onto the bed, Draco next to him. Harry laid down and pulled Draco close, kissing his forehead. "Now, what did you mean earlier, that Frankie . . . sold you?"
Draco glanced away before settling against Harry, his hand resting on Harry's side.
"About a year after I started working there, I met this guy -- Andrew. He was really nice, so we started seeing each other," Draco explained softly. "Anyway, Frankie found out and told me that his dancers didn't have love lives, unless they were with him. He took me out and sold me on the streets, as a prostitute, several times, until he felt I'd learned my lesson. This sort of thing happened a few times, and not only to me."
"Draco, I'm sorry I wasn't there before," Harry murmured, stroking Draco's cheek.
"It's not your fault," the blonde replied, yawning. His eyes closed and he snuggled against Harry's side, using Harry's arm as a pillow. Harry smiled at the sight.
I could get used to this, he thought. Then an idea struck him. He lightly touched Draco's shoulder and shook him gently. "Draco, would you like to teach at Hogwarts?"
Draco opened his eyes sleepily and looked up at Harry.
"Of course! But I don't have a wand," he answered.
"What did you do with it?"
"Burned it. After Frankie gave me the money. Went to Diagon Alley to pay the bills and on the way out, I threw it in the fire in the Leaky Cauldron," Draco explained, yawning again. "I didn't want to have anything to do with magic anymore."
"Oh. Well, we can buy you another one," Harry told him, gazing into Draco's sleep-clouded grey eyes. Draco smiled at him and jumped on Harry. He kissed the young man beneath him deeply before moving on to his neck.
"Draco, what -- ohhhh . . ." Harry trailed off into a moan as Draco alternated between sucking and nipping. He soon had Harry writhing beneath him. After a few moments, Draco sat back and traced a finger over the purplish-red mark on Harry's neck.
"Now everyone knows you're taken and no one will try to take you away from me," he whispered lazily. Harry's hand flew to his neck, catching Draco's. He stared up at Draco for a minute before reaching up with his free hand and pulling Draco down to him.
"I wouldn't let anyone take me away from you even if they paid," Harry whispered back. He kissed Draco sweetly, a kiss full of the promise for tomorrow. When they broke, Draco was smiling and he tumbled down on Harry's opposite side, his legs dangling over Harry. He settled against Harry's side and sighed, yawning as he did so, using Harry's shoulder as a pillow. Harry looked at him amusedly.
"What is this?" he asked incredulously.
"'S com'for'ble," Draco mumbled into Harry's side in reply. Harry smiled; Draco didn't realize just how adorable he was when he did that. He kissed Draco's forehead as the blonde drifted off to sleep, following him soon after.
It was close to eleven o'clock when Ron and Hermione returned to the apartment. Ron, yawning widely, went straight to their room. Hermione headed towards Harry's room and opened the door. She stuck her head inside and started when she saw the two men in bed. Harry's arms were wrapped around Draco. The blonde's head was resting on Harry's chest and their legs were tangled under the blankets. Against her better judgment, Hermione tiptoed into the room and hesitantly took hold of the blanket. Screwing up her courage, she ducked down and peeked under the blanket, nearly melting in relief when she saw both wore light pajama pants. She smiled and pulled the blankets further up to keep them warm. Just as silently as when she entered, she crept out of the room, pausing just before she closed the door. She gazed in at the two men sleeping, wrapped around each other, and smiled again.
"Sleep tight, boys," Hermione whispered, quietly closing the door.
"Hermione?" she heard. She looked up and saw Ron standing in the doorway to their room. "Coming?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Ron," she replied. She walked over to where he was waiting and draped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Ronald," she murmured. He smiled and kissed her as he closed the door.
Author's Notes: I've got a question for you guys. In my lit class, we have to write an essay on our summer reading. My teacher (he's so cool) said if we're a good writer, we don't have to follow a specific format, but if we're not a good writer, we have to follow this format. Now, I don't know if I'm a good writer or not. What do you think???
Answer (please?) in a review, email ), or and IM (DanceLuvr723). Review and answer, my lovelies!!!!!!!!!!!!