I never want this moment to end. Standing in someone's warm embrace and just letting myself be held. It has been a long and hard struggle to finally get to this point, but now, the past seems to be fading away, leaving only the good. The sensation of the world fading away around you really does happen, and in a prison, that is truly saying something.

I close my eyes as Draco places a gentle kiss to my temple, and I nuzzle in closer, smelling the very salt in his skin from dried sweat. It smells wonderful. He smells wonderful. The whole world suddenly smells wonderful.

I chuckle, my lips brushing against his collarbone.

"What?" he asks questioningly, feeling the reverberations from my laughter.

"I…nothing." I blush, keeping my head down. There's no way I'm telling him that I'm feeling giddy with euphoria - especially when it's because of him. That'll swell his head to twice its size.

"We probably shouldn't do this."

"What?" I say in alarm, opening my eyes and looking at him.

"No…" He smiles affectionately and cups my face in his hands. "Not us, I meant displaying this kind of affection out in the open like this."

"Oh, right." I sigh in relief and take a reluctant step back from him.

We both glance out the cell door, checking for any lingering guards. Luckily there aren't any.

"Do you wanna sit down?" I suggest.

"Sure."

Without discussing it, we both climb up onto Amari's old bed and sit side by side. I smile with pleasure when a hand secretly intertwines with mine out of sight from the door, and away from prying eyes.

"So…" I start awkwardly, not quite sure what to say.

Draco smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. "I guess there are a few things we need to talk about."

I breathe out with a smile and look at him. "Yeah."

Draco takes a deep breath and leans his head back against the stone wall behind us, closing his eyes for a moment. "I suppose you're wondering about the sudden change of heart."

"Um, yeah. I'm a little curious," I say with a smile.

Draco glances at me, and I am relieved to see that his eyes are sparkling with amusement. "It's all your fault, you know."

"Good. I gladly accept full responsibility."

"You're such a prat," Draco says with a roll of his eyes, but his tone belies the affection in his words. "It all started when you attacked me in the laundry room."

"I did not-"

He holds up a hand to stem my protest. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

I close my mouth and narrow my eyes at him, conjuring up the best pout I can manage.

"As I was saying, you threw yourself at me and kissed me, and as you no doubt remember, I got a little upset."

"A little?" I snort.

"It wasn't so much the kiss that upset me, but the fact that I wanted to kiss you back."

"Did…did it scare you?" I ask after a pause.

"You have no idea." Draco rubs a hand over his face and back through his blond hair. "It was everything I'd always told myself to ignore, to hide. I'd never kissed a boy before, and promised myself that I never would, and then suddenly there you were – and I wanted nothing more than to stay there and continue kissing you."

"I wish you had," I murmur.

He turns to look at me, eyes full of emotion. "Me too."

"So then what happened?" I prompt, his hand warm over-top of my own.

"So I was angry for awhile; with you, with myself. It was everything that I had ever denied myself to even think about, I just couldn't handle it on top of everything else going on."

"I'm sorry about that," I speak up apologetically. "I should never have just kissed you like that."

Draco flashes me another affectionate smile. "You don't need my permission, Harry. You weren't wrong, I did want you to kiss me, very much."

"But you told me that you weren't gay, so really, I shouldn't have done it." I pause. "That wasn't the moment when you realized that you were gay, was it?"

"No." Draco chuckles. "You don't get credit for changing my sexuality, Harry."

I laugh too, and kind of wish that I could lay my head down on his shoulder while we talk. I think Draco somehow feels the same and gives my hand another comforting squeeze.

"So then," Draco continues, "I kind of stew in my own juices for awhile until Amari is sent away. Deep down I knew that you weren't really to blame, and I felt bad for you when he left, so I tried to talk to you…"

"I remember," I say with regret. "And I wasn't in a very…erm, talkative mood."

Draco smiles at the memory. "No, you weren't." His expression darkens and he raises a finger to softly stroke my cheek. "And then you were attacked by those fucking monsters."

I can't help but shudder at the memory and Draco's hand tightens on mine.

"You think I'd be used to it by now," I try to shrug it off casually. "Violence just seems to follow me around."

I look up and am surprised to see that it looks as though Draco is holding back tears.

"Draco?"

He looks even more miserable as he once again touches a finger to my cheek.

"What is it?" I ask in concern.

"And I hit you, too," he says quietly, the self-loathing evident in his eyes. "I'm no better than the rest of them…no better than him…"

"Who?" I ask, even though I have a pretty good idea.

"My father."

"Did he hit you?" I ask hesitantly.

Draco shakes his head and refuses to meet my eyes. "No, he never hit me."

I bite my lip, noting the emphasis on the word 'me.' "Did he…hit your mom?"

"I don't think so…"

I patiently wait for Draco to explain, holding his hand in silent support.

"Remember when I told you that my father had…lovers?"

"Yes," I reply encouragingly.

He lets out a bitter bark of laughter. "Lovers isn't really the right word for it, that word would indicate that actual feelings were involved."

"Draco…"

"No, I need to say this."

I nod and fall silent.

Draco takes a steadying breath, his gaze lost in the distance, remembering. "My father would get these men from the Muggle world, people that no one would remember if they were to go missing."

"Muggles?" I repeat in disbelief.

"He would bring them back to the Manor and use them for a few days, then…dispose of them. He would kill them as if they weren't human beings, as if he hadn't just shared his bed with them." Draco's breath catches in his throat and I quickly put an arm around his shoulders, not caring about the guards anymore.

The blond seems to find strength from that and plunges on.

"After I discovered him that first time in his study, I followed him and discovered what it was he did to hide any evidence of his secret life. It was disgusting, the Muggles looked so scared. They had no idea my father was a wizard, they were like animals being led to the slaughter."

"Oh Draco…" I can't help but sigh sympathetically. "Did your father know that you'd seen anything?"

"No, he never knew. I was a coward, I should've told someone, or confronted him. But I didn't."

"It's not your fault."

"As strange as it sounds, he was still my father," he says unevenly, "and I looked up to him. He'd always been my role model in everything. I didn't want him to be sent to Azkaban. I was scared about what it would do to my family. To me."

I nod in understanding.

"That's not the worst of it though," he continues, sounding pained. "One night I saw my father with a new Muggle. They were both sitting in his study; talking and laughing. It was strange. I'd never seen him so relaxed and easy around anyone outside of the family before, but there he was, sitting there with some stranger, drinking sherry and smiling."

"It wasn't the last time I saw that particular Muggle either. Over the next month I saw him a lot. I found out that his name was Michael. I found out that he'd told my father that he loved him, and I heard my father say those same words back to him. I couldn't believe it, but I was also relieved because I knew that this Michael was saving the lives of quite a few name-less others that would have continued to die."

Draco stops and swallows.

"What happened to him?" I ask in trepidation.

"My father foolishly allowed Michael to live in the east wing of the house after awhile, where no one but my father ever went. I never saw him unless I followed my father to that part of the Manor. Then one night, I woke from my sleep around midnight and heard yelling and screaming. I got up and went downstairs." Draco pauses to lick his lips before carrying on with determination.

"In the dining room were about half a dozen Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. I couldn't move, I just stood there frozen. Voldemort had Michael on the ground in front of him, writhing and screaming under Cruciatus. I heard Voldemort thanking my father for giving him this Muggle to play with. It was obvious that my father had been with Michael in the dining room when Voldemort had unexpectedly shown up."

"What did your father do?" I ask, my mouth dry.

"Nothing. He just stood there and watched. He let it happen. I know my father loved this man, I know it. And yet, he just stood there and watched as Voldemort tortured and then finally killed him before his eyes."

"Did anyone see you there?" I ask.

Draco shakes his head, eyes still unfocused. "No, I finally ran back to my room and locked the door. I felt sick. They were in love, and my father still couldn't bring himself to defend Michael. He couldn't save him. He was selfish and a coward, only caring about his own survival."

I take Draco's chin in my hand and force him to look at me. "You're not scared the same thing will happen to us, are you?"

Draco's inability to meet my gaze is all the answer I need.

"Draco, the very fact that you are worried about this means so much. It shows that you already care."

He finally raises those blue/grey eyes to my face. "But what if it does happen? What if one day it is Voldemort against the two of us, and he gives me a way out? I'm just…I don't know…"

I smile. Strangely, Draco's fears are melting my heart. "Draco, you already risked a lot when you switched sides. That was pretty selfless."

"But-"

"And," I continue loudly. "You already came to my rescue from those Carnal Boys – twice!"

"But-"

"And you also stopped me from…well, you know. Thinking about doing something really stupid."

Draco closes his mouth and gazes into my eyes searchingly. "Were you really, Harry?"

"I was thinking about it," I say uncomfortably, wanting to be honest.

"And now…?"

I smile reassuringly. "I'm feeling much better."

"Because of me?" he asks slyly, the beginnings of a smile twitching at his lips.

"Yeah yeah, don't act so smug, Malfoy." I grin.

"I guess I'm the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Save-The-Boy-Who-Lived."

I laugh, despite the use of that irksome nickname. "I always thought I should have an assistant."

"I am not your assistant," Draco says, insulted.

"Okay. Body-guard then."

Draco considers this for a moment. "That's a pretty big job for one person," he muses. "I'd have to be with you twenty-four hours a day."

"You already are," I point out dryly. "I'm afraid I can't pay you in money at the moment, but once we're out…"

"Or," Draco cuts in with a mischevious look. "I could take my payment in a different method."

"Credit card?" I ask innocently.

Draco smirks and quickly kisses me on the left-hand corner of my mouth.

I can't help but smile back. "I thought I was the one paying you."

I lean in and give him a chaste kiss on the lips.

Draco licks his lips, pondering. "I don't know if the job's worth it."

I elbow him in the ribs. "You think you deserve a raise?"

He lifts a brow lasciviously and I quickly clap a hand over his mouth.

"Don't even say it," I warn, even as I'm laughing. "Dirty minded thing."

"What can I say? I'm seventeen," he says once I take my hand away.

I roll my eyes and we fall into a companionable silence for awhile, our hands still entwined between us. My hand is getting sweaty, but I don't care.

"The others will be back soon," Draco finally sighs, glancing out the door.

"Yeah," I say glumly, wishing we were still in our two-person cell.

"Anything else you want to talk about before they get here?"

I try to think about all the questions that I wanted to ask Draco if ever given the chance and now I can't remember a single one.

"Well, I have a question for you," Draco says as I flounder.

"And what's that?"

"What do you think of Jack?"

I pause, considering his question carefully. "I think he's a fun guy, and very caring, reckless, funny, honest, and has a hint of danger about him."

"But what exactly do you think of him?"

I frown. "Just what are you getting at Draco?"

"You said you thought of him like your godfather, right?"

"Yeah, they're very similar."

He nods, digesting this. "So, you think of him like…a…parent?"

"Kind of, I suppose. Maybe more like a favourite uncle…" I trail off, suddenly understanding. "You still think I have feelings for him, don't you?"

"Do you?"

"No, ew." I wrinkle my nose. "I told you, he's like a favourite uncle!"

Draco finally relaxes a bit and smiles. "Did you ever have feelings for him?"

I smile reassuringly and put both my hands over his, holding it tight. "No, I never had feelings for him and I never will. I do however, have feelings for you, and hopefully, I always will."

"Good." Draco smiles smugly and leans back against the wall.

"I think I have a jealous boyfriend," I say, watching him with amusement.

"Boyfriend," Draco snorts to himself.

"Yeah, bad term," I agree. "You know, we haven't really talked about what kind of relationship we want to have."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." I bite my lip, wondering how best to put it. "I mean, do you want…um…something long term?"

Draco shrugs and turns his head to look at me. "Let's just see what happens. We should just take it day by day, see if we even work together."

I can't help but feel my heart drop a little in disappointment at his words. "That sounds sensible."

Draco smiles softly as he watches me. "But I would love for this to turn into something permanent, Harry."

"Me too." I immediately grin, turning to meet his gaze.

After another chaste meeting of the lips we both settle back against the wall once more, smiling at nothing and everything.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not going to smoke anymore are you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Good. I was going to withhold kisses until you did otherwise."

Our other lone cellmate finally walks up to the door and it slides open to admit him. I instantly remove my arm from around Draco's shoulders. Draco and I watch as he saunters over to the bottom bunk and lays down, not once looking in our direction. He disappears from view below us and it feels as if we are in our private cell again.

"Can I ask you two questions?" I whisper to Draco, just in case our cellmate is lucid enough to repeat any of our conversation to someone.

"Remembered them, did you?" he smirks.

"Yep."

"Go ahead."

"Alright," I say, fidgeting slightly. "Were you afraid of telling everyone about your dad's secrets when you freaked out about the Veritaserum?"

"Yes," he replies seriously. "I know my father's in Azkaban and can't be punished further, but those horrible past incidents would have followed me my entire life. Maybe it's selfish, but I don't deserve to be punished for my father's crimes."

I nod. "And the second one is, why did you tell me that you hated me?"

Draco's hand finds mine once again between us and gives it a squeeze. "I guess I did hate you at the time. I blamed you for…well, everything, actually. For making me even consider entering into a relationship with you – another man! – and while we're in prison. I felt vulnerable, which is not an emotion I am too familiar with."

Draco looks concerned as he watches me listening to his explanation. But I completely understand, I can't be angry with him over something like that.

"But then," Draco whispers close to my ear. "I realized that if I'm ever released from this hell-hole, a war will be my welcome home party, so…I decided that I deserved some happiness too."

"Very true," I agree wholeheartedly.

Draco smiles and we both jump a little when the lights are suddenly shut off.

"Is that all?" Draco whispers.

I smile at him in the dark. "If I think of any more questions, I'll let you know."

"Deal." I feel Draco shift around until he is lying down on the bed. "Can we sleep now?"

"Yeah, definitely."

I chew my bottom lip, wondering if it would be too presumptuous to just lie down here next to him.

I gasp aloud then chuckle when two arms suddenly grab me and pull me down to the hard mattress and into Draco's embrace. I smile and snuggle back against his warm front, Draco's arms still wrapped around me like a blanket. It's comforting and feels like home all at the same time. I'm still a little shocked by how easily Draco was able to open up to me. I can feel the honesty between us, the walls now torn down and everything is open. I might not know everything about Draco Malfoy, but at least now he'll tell me anything I want to know. All I have to do is ask.

Draco sighs in his sleep, his warm breath ghosting across my neck, tingling my skin.

I close my eyes in contentment and wait for sleep to come.

I could definitely get used to this.