A/N: Hello, everyone! I just wanted to let the people that were confused about the outcome of chapter fifteen know that, yes, Harry did say he might love Draco. Because if you will kindly recall my author's note before the story actually started, I said flashbacks would be in italics. Meaning the part where that point of confusion occurred took place during a flashback. Warning: this chapter will be frustrating. Oh, and for those of you that have reviewed and told me you want me to write more Harry/Draco slash fics, don't worry; I already have another one in the making.
Side note: the song that this chapter is based on is one of my favorite songs, period.
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Chapter Sixteen
"I am losing you again
Let me out and let me in
'Cause you're not alone here, not at all
Let me belong here, break my fall"
"Break My Fall," Breaking Benjamin
Draco woke up, but kept his eyes closed. He could tell the sun had been out for hours because the bed was warm, and light was beating against his eyelids. He groaned and shifted his position so he could fit against the body he was lying next to more comfortably. Body? Draco's eyes shot open and he lifted his head up off of Harry's shoulder. He looked down and saw that Harry was still asleep. How late was it anyway? Draco peered through a slit in the curtains, noticing that the beds on that particular side of the room were empty. Harry's dormmates must have just left without waking him up. Some friends he had. Then Draco remembered running into Thomas the night before. Maybe he had something to do with their leaving them alone? He'd have to thank him later. Draco continued to stare at Harry, not caring if his arm fell asleep.
After a few minutes, Harry shifted and mumbled something in his sleep, his brow furrowed. Draco frowned and moved so he could stroke Harry's head. "It's all right," he whispered. "It's just a dream, Harry."
Harry relaxed, his lips parting slightly, and leaned into Draco's touch. And then Harry was opening his eyes slowly. "Morning," he yawned, stretching. Then his eyes widened and he sat up. "Malfoy? What..."
Draco covered Harry's mouth with his own, kissing him languidly. "Ssh." He traced a vein in Harry's arm down to his elbow.
Harry blinked. "What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"I don't know. We definitely missed breakfast, though. And first period, for that matter." Draco shrugged. "Do you care?"
"Yes, somewhat," Harry said, lifting himself up onto his elbows. "I've been missing so much class lately that... well, I just got rid of the mountain of make up homework I had."
Draco pressed against Harry's shoulders and pushed him onto his back gently. "Well, if you finished your make up homework, then what is there to worry about?"
Harry pushed his head deeper into the pillows to get away from the kiss Draco was attempted to plant on his lips. "I'll be getting more homework today, too," he protested.
"That isn't any different, is it?" Draco murmured, smoothing Harry's hair away from his forehead. "Besides, that Mudblood, Granger, will bring it to you, right?"
"Of course," Harry said, pushing himself away until his head banged against the headboard. "But Snape'll kill me if I miss any more of his classes."
"I'll make sure he goes easy on you," Draco purred, cupping both sides of Harry's face with his hands. He straddled Harry, then leaned in slowly to kiss him.
"But... but..." Harry stammered, weakening.
Draco swiped his tongue along Harry's lips before kissing him slowlyand forcefully. When he pulled away, Harry looked up at him... or rather, through him... with a dazed expression, his eyes glazed over. Draco held back a grin and straightened. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we should go to class..."
Harry's hand shot out and snatched Draco's shirt, then yanked him down so he could kiss him roughly. "Bastard," he hissed, nipping Draco's ear.
Draco shivered and slipped his hands underneath Harry's T-shirt. "Mm, maybe if you convinced me to stay..."
"Convince you?" Harry asked incredulously. "You're the one that sneaked into my dorm, Malfoy."
"Yes, and I think I should probably leave now before we're found out..."
"Found out?" Harry wriggled out from beneath Draco and moved so he was on his knees. He planted his hands on Draco's shoulders and threw him down so he was lying on his back on the bed. He kissed Draco savagely, burying his fingers into the other boy's hair. He pulled away and stared down at Draco, who now looked just as dazed as Harry had a few seconds earlier. "You still want to leave?" Harry asked roughly.
"No, no," Draco said weakly. "I... this is fine. Right here."
"Good," Harry replied, "because I wasn't going to let you go anyway." He resumed kissing Draco.
Draco moaned into Harry's mouth and removed his shirt quickly, relishing in the feel of the other boy's hot skin touching his hands. Harry groaned and started to remove Draco's pants. Draco thought it was only fair to return the favor, so he tugged on Harry's boxers until they were down to his knees, and Harry backed away long enough to kick them off the rest of the way. He then yanked off Draco's pants and tossed them to the other side of the bed, then straddled Draco. "This is going to be fast," Harry warned, "and this is going to be hard." He bent over and bit the soft skin at the hollow of Draco's neck. "And it's most likely going to hurt."
"Fuck me," Draco ground out, bucking up into Harry.
Harry, needing no further encouragement, entered Draco and promptly began fucking the living daylights out of him. At one point, Draco realized the bed was moving around and he held on for dear life, hoping it didn't break. Harry was clinging to the headboard, using it for leverage to drive into Draco hard enough to make both of them shake. "Oh, fuck," Harry gasped between thrusts, "I'm going to come soon."
Draco reached up and dug his fingernails into Harry's shoulder blades. "Me, too. Merlin!" he shrieked, coming, the room seeming to be filled with a brilliant white light. Harry, no longer having a reason to hold on, let go and came as well, collapsing next to Draco, his head buried into the crook of the other boy's neck. Draco fought to breathe, his eyes closed. He reached out and rubbed Harry's back in slow, smooth circles.
Within a few minutes, their breathing returned to normal. "Jesus fucking Christ," Harry mumbled, his lips tickling Draco's skin. "That was bloody brilliant."
"Yeah," Draco replied, eyes closed. "I guess it was all worth getting you angry then, right?"
"What?" Harry asked, lifting his head up.
"I get you angry and we have the best possible sex there is."
Realization dawned on Harry's face. "Fuck," he cursed, his tone holding no real malice.
Draco smirked. "Later, definitely." He stretched out on the bed and inhaled deeply. "Your bed isn't half bad," he commented. "However, we will have to move it back to its original location before your fellow Gryffindors return."
"Huh?" Harry asked, confused. He poked his head out through the curtains, then drew back in quickly. "How the hell did we get all the way over here?" he asked, leaning over Draco to look out to the other side. "We're on the other side of the room!"
"I know," Draco replied, intent on the muscles of Harry's torso, which were stretched out above him. God, Harry was beautiful.
Harry moved so he was sitting back on his heels. "But this bed must way a ton!"
"Yeah," Draco said, grinning. "Way to go, Golden Boy."
Harry narrowed his eyes and frowned. "The only reason I'm letting you call me that right now," he said, "is because I've just had wonderful sex and I'm in too good of a mood to hurt you. Particularly because I want to do that again."
"And you think it's sexy when I call you Golden Boy."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"No!"
"Just a little bit."
Harry groaned. "Fine, a little bit. Now, shut up."
"Anything you say, my little Golden Boy."
"Shut up!" Harry exclaimed, throwing a pillow at Draco.
Draco just laughed.
Harry lunged forward and pinned Draco against the bed. "Fine, asshole," he spat. "You asked for it." And then realization hit Harry. "You're just trying to make me angry so I'll fuck you again."
Draco sighed. "Damnit."
"Fine," Harry said. "Well, it's not going to work now." He moved away from Draco and sat with his knees pressed up against his chest and his back to the headboard.
"Oh, come on," Draco wheedled, slinking up to Harry. "You want to, too." When he received no response from Harry, he flopped onto his back. "I'm sorry, okay? But how else are we supposed to have angry sex ifyou don't get angry?" Still no response. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He moved so he was sitting in front of Harry.
Harry looked away. "Yeah, so? Is that supposed to mean something to me?" He shrugged and made to get off the bed.
"Oh, no you don't!" Draco hissed, throwing Harry onto his back and spreading out on top of him so that they were stretched out across the bed horizontally. He nibbled a trail from Harry's neck to his jaw, then began to thrust into him just as savagely as Harry had a few minutes before. Harry's hands shot out behind him to grasp the bed curtains, pulling on them roughly every time Draco drove into him. Draco had to clasp the sheet, which proved ineffective when they moved with him. But they managed, and when they came, each of them screamed incoherently, with Draco ripping the sheet apart, and Harry yanking the bed curtains off of the railing.
"What the bloody hell are you doing to my best friend?"
Draco recognized the voice that was cursing his name and threatening to do evil things to him, but he couldn't quite make the connection because he had just had positively the best sex he had ever had in his entire life. And from the look of things, Harry felt the same way, due to his eyes being glazed over and his lips being twisted into a foolish grin. But reality came crawling back slowly when someone grabbed his neck from behind and began strangling him. Fortunately, he was saved by another intruder, who believed killing Draco was not the best way to handle the situation. Draco collapsed onto the floor, coughing and massaging his neck. He looked up to see who his attacker was and saw Thomas, Finnegan, and Longbottom holding back a wild, outraged Weasley. Shit.
"What the hell were you doing?" Weasley bellowed. "You'd better start running now, Malfoy, because as soon as I get these fuckwits off of me I'm going to kill you. I'm going to rip your fucking head off with my bare hands, you fucking bastard!"
"Ron! Just back off!" Finnegan gasped, digging his heels into the floor and hauling backward to keep his friend from killing Draco.
"He's not worth getting expelled over!" Longbottom was clutching one of Weasley's legs and crying.
"Forget expulsion. You're going to get yourself sent to Azkaban. Now cut it out!" Thomas roared, tackling Weasley to the floor.
"You mean you have no problem with seeing that... that... Ferret doing... that to Harry?" Weasley yelled, attempting to push Thomas away.
"No, shut up and listen to me, damnit!" Thomas smacked Weasley's hands away and pinned them to the floor. "What if Harry wants him to?"
It became clear that this was the wrong thing to say when Weasley froze for a second, his face becoming deathly pale. Then the color rushed back to his skin and he shoved Thomas off of him with such force that it sent him flying into the wall. "What?" he shrieked, leaping to this feet. "Harry! Is this true?" he asked.
Draco turned around slowly... he was rather nervous about having his back to Weasley at the moment... to catch Harry's response. Which there wasn't much of, because Harry was still lying on the bed, dazed. Draco held back a groan. If there was ever a time when Draco wished he hadn't shagged Harry senseless, it was right now.
"I think he's been shagged senseless," Finnegan remarked, approaching Harry's bed cautiously. He peered down at his friend, then lifted the ripped up sheet and covered him with it. "Yep, he's been shagged absolutely senseless. Way to go, Malfoy," he complimented. Draco just stared back at him, horrified. Finnegan had just assured his early death.
"What? Draco fucking Malfoy has shagged Harry senseless?" Weasley's voice was so loud that Draco was positive that everyone in the entire school had heard him.
"Shut up!" Thomas hissed, diving across the room and slamming the door shut. He locked it, then turned around. "Quick! Seamus, Neville, help me move this bed!" He was already attempting to shove Finnegan's bed toward the door. After a few seconds they managed to brace the door with the bed.
"Maybe we should have gotten Ron out of the room first," Longbottom remarked, studying Ron's murderous expression.
Finnegan gulped. "Forget Ron. Get me out of here!" He looked at the nearest window. "Do you think I'd die if I jumped?"
Thomas smacked Finnegan's head sharply. "Don't make it worse than it already is!"
"Well, it's not my fault that nobody tells me anything!" Finnegan retorted. "That's what you and Harry were talking about, wasn't it? The thing I already knew too much about? Hey, Malfoy and Harry were at..." Finnegan was promptly cut off due to Thomas' punching him hard on the face. He dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Thomas stared down at Finnegan in shock, then at his fist, then at everyone else in the room. "He'll be all right. Just a bruise..."
"What was he talking about?" Weasley asked, his tone low and dangerous.
"Er... well... that is..." Thomas leaped across the room, grabbed his broom, and flew out through the window, sending glass shards everywhere.
"What's going on? Has the world gone crazy?" Weasley bellowed, glaring at Longbottom.
"I d-don't know..." Longbottom replied, backing up into a corner.
"Weasley, will you shut up and calm down long enough for me to explain?" Draco asked, wrapping the other half of the ripped sheet around him so his reasoning would be more effective... he couldn't very well talk to Weasley while he was naked... and threw a glance at Harry, who was still lying on the bed completely motionless.
"Calm down? How the hell did you expect me to react when I walked in here to see if Harry was all right and found him shagging his worst enemy?"
"Worst enemy? Wouldn't that be You Know..."
"Shut up, Neville!" Weasley barked. Longbottom sank down to the floor, whimpering.
"Quit yelling at your friends!" Draco snapped.
"Fine, I'll just yell at you, you prick!"
"Fine with me. Everybody else does anyway."
"Oh, keep talking, Malfoy," Weasley said through clenched teeth. "I'm going to rip you limb from limb you son of a bi..."
"Ron?" Harry's voice sounded from beneath the sheet. "What the hell is going on?" He sat up and took the sheet off of him, then clutched it to him again when he remembered he was still completely naked. Then his eyes widened. "Oh, shit! Ron, I can explain!" He stood up, wrapping the torn sheet around his waist. "It's not what you think!"
"Not what I think? Well, I think you were lying there letting Malfoy shag you senseless."
"Er... well, yes, that is what it looked like, but there's a reason for it all..."
"How could you Harry? I mean, you didn't even fucking tell me."
"Well, we didn't tell anyone, Ron..."
"Dean and Seamus knew!"
"Well, Dean's knowing was an accident. He sort of saw us."
"And Seamus..."
"Isn't a dumbass and can put two and two together," Draco spat, irritated with Harry's feeling the need to "explain."
"And you're saying I can't?" Weasley shouted.
"You had to see us having sex to get the message, didn't you?" Draco yelled, not moving when Weasley came at him. "And even then you needed an explanation." He was prevented from speaking further when Weasley proceeded to strangle him again. But this time Draco was ready and he punched Weasleysquare onthe face. They immediately began to beat the shit out of each other.
"Stop it!" Draco heard Harry's voice yelling from somewhere in the distance. He couldn't quite place it, though, and he shrugged it off and kept hitting Weasley in the face.
And then there was a whirl of black and green, and something was holding Draco back, but then he saw Weasley snarling at him and he hit him again. And then he realized he wasn't hitting Weasley anymore. And Weasley wasn't hitting him. Because they were hitting someone else. And then Harry fell to the floor between them, hunched up and writhing in pain. "Oh, shit!" Draco whispered, dropping to the floor next to Harry. He looked up at Weasley. "Get the damned bed away from the door!" he shouted.
Weasley didn't need to be told twice. He reached into Finnegan's pocket, took out his wand, and after yelling "wingardium leviosa," managed to move the bed away from the door. He turned around to look at Harry. "Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit..."
"Weasley, if you aren't going to help me, then at least make sure nobody bothers us on the way to the infirmary," Draco ordered, lifting Harry up into his arms. Fortunately, Harry was small enough, and light enough... did he not each much? Draco would have to talk to him about that... for Draco to hold without dropping him.
Weasley stared at him for a few seconds, then hurried over to Harry's trunk. He pulled out Harry's invisibility cloak and draped it around Draco and Harry. "When he's okay," he said, "we're talking."
Draco nodded, then realized Weasley couldn't see him anymore. "Right," he said. "Can't wait." And he left the room and made his way to the hospital wing as quickly as he could. Harry was unconscious now. Small wonder, considering Weasley had been kicking at what he'd probably thought was Draco's head. How could you confuse the two? Oh well, it had happened, and now Harry was hurt.
Draco stopped just outside the hospital wing and set Harry on the ground gently, then removed the cloak; he didn't think Harry would like it very much if his secret was revealed to the staff. Particularly Professor Snape or Filch. He attempted to stuff the cloak into his pocket... then realized he wasn't wearing anything with pockets. He growled in frustration and picked Harry up again, managing to hide the cloak between their two bodies. What would Madam Pomfrey think? Well, he was about to find out. "Madam Pomfrey!" he yelled, entering the infirmary. "Madam Pomfrey!"
Pomfrey came around the corner. "What is it? What's the mat... oh!" she exclaimed, taking in the scene before her. Draco didn't know what surprised her more; Harry's injuries, the fact that Draco had brought Harry to her, or that both of them were only wearingseparate halves of aripped up sheet. Madam Pomfrey recovered quickly, though. "Put him on that bed over there. What happened?" she asked, eyeing Draco suspiciously.
"An accident. He got caught in the middle of something." Draco waved his arms impatiently. "Look, could you just get on with it? He doesn't lookso good."
"You're right," Pomfrey said grimly, still looking at Draco. "He doesn't." She walked over to Draco and looked him over. "None of your injuries are too serious, so you don't have any reason to be here." She turned away and removed the sheet that was covering Harry, looking over his cuts and bruises. Draco felt a surge of jealousy course through him... how dare she look at his Harry?... and he resisted the urge to strangle her just like Weasley had strangled him only a few minutes before. Then Madam Pomfrey turned around and noticed that Draco was still there. "What are you still doing here? I told you to go. Now, please leave." She more or less pushed Draco out of the infirmary and shut the door in his face when he turned around to protest.
"I hate that bitch," Draco cursed, fists clenched. Then he noticed that he was still holding the invisibility cloak. He wouldn't go in there now; he'd kill Pomfrey if he saw her with Harry. He'd come back later to make sure Harry was all right.
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Draco was resting... okay, he was hiding... in his dorm, refusing to let any of his housemates in. The rumormill hadn't yet spread word of his shagging Harry senseless, but it was only a matter of time. He sighed and took another swig from the bottle of whiskey he had taken from Blaise's trunk, trying to dull his worry about Harry's condition. Of course, this had to happen now, just when he was sure things were looking upin their relationship; he'd slept with Harry, no sex involved whatsoever, and waking up next to him had been one of the best things he'd ever experienced in his life. And Harry hadn't yelled at him, or told him to fuck off, or anything like that. No, they'd just had... unbelievable sex. And that sex had cost them their secrecy. Perfect. Just bloody perfect. Draco and Harry had finally taken some sort of step... Draco wasn't really sure if what they'd taken was a step toward, but they'd definitely taken it... and it all had to get fucked up. Draco had always hated Harry's friends, and now he really knew why; they messed everything up, particularly anything Draco found remotely pleasant. And now that Harry's friends knew, they'd probably try to get him to end the deal. Draco's throat closed up and he felt tears well up behind his eyes. No, that couldn't happen. God, anything but that. Just when he'd given in... everything always had to die out on him. But not Harry. He wouldn't let Harry give up on him. Draco sat up, rubbing at his temples. He had to go see Harry.
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Draco looked down at Harry, relieved to see that he was no longer in pain. All of his bruises and cuts had been treated, and he was sleeping. Draco sat down in the chair positioned next to Harry's bed and held his head in his hands. What would happen when Harry woke up? Would he buy in to his friends' protests? Thomas and Finnegan didn't seem to mind much... in fact, they seemed to be supporters of the whole thing. Would that help? He hoped so.
And then he felt it again; the empty feeling he experienced when something he truly enjoyed was drawing to a close. No, his relationship with Harry was not over yet. It couldn't be; it hadn't even really started yet. Harry had just opened up to him at Deity on Friday night. He'd let Draco see part of him; part of the real him. Draco would have to find a way to keep Harry with him. Bloody hell, they'd made a mess of things. And everything had been going so well... Draco should have taken that as a sign. Nothing ever went well for him unless he didn't want something to go well. Then it was bloody perfect. He had actually convinced himself that his relationship with Harry would work out. He'd allowed himself to rely on Harry, to think that maybe Harry was the one who could help Draco escape who everyone believed he was. Who everyone wanted him to be. He couldn't do it alone. He needed Harry to show him the way. They needed to show each other the way so they could break away from all of the hells they'd been through.
Harry rolled over onto his side, a frown playing at his lips. Draco reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair away from Harry's eyes. He wanted to get away with Harry, but at the same time he wanted to get away from Harry. Because today he'd realized just how much Harry meant to him. What if something happened to Harry in the future? What if Harry left him? Just thinking about it made Draco feel like he'd been stabbed in the heart. But it was the way Harry made him feel when they were together that won him over; he felt alive. That night at Deity... he'd never forget that. And he knew that Harry felt the same way about everything. So they needed each other to belong... to live.
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A/N: Don't you just hate Ron in this chapter? I was seriously about to burst into tears (once again with the "I don't really know what I'm typing until I read it over" thing). Where is this going to go? You're going to have to wait until I post the next chapter to find out. Potential reviewers, have at it (please)!
