AN - I combined Chapter 5 and the short Chapter 6 to make and full 6th chapter.

Disclaimer - I own nothing ('cept the plot). Now shut up and read. P

-Aconitum

Chapter 6




For a week Harry avoided Draco's eyes. Draco had been trying to get a moment alone with Harry so that he could thank him. He had thought about saying it in a letter. But he decided against it because he wanted to thank him in person.

Harry had been locking himself up in his chambers contemplating what he should do. His sexual orientation was no longer a mystery: He was gay. He began to stop giving out assignments that would be graded. Any homework that he had given out, was gone over in class which took an entire period anyway so he got out of teaching that week; and he was grateful for that. Very.

Of all people, he had developed a crush on Draco Malfoy. A man he had thought he hated all his life. He was torn between his hatred and his love. Like a school boy, he wanted him to like him back so they could develop a successful relationship. Yet it was...a guy. A GUY. He didn't, he couldn't. It was too much for this man who had endured too much in his young life.

"Funny." He said to himself "You faced Voldemort almost every year in Hogwarts and you hardly ever cried. Now you cry over a GUY."

He grabbed the pictures of Draco that lay under his pillow and stared at them. No longer were they humorous. They held his beauty for those moments, and Harry was appreciative for that. His fingers lovingly touched the moving figment of Draco when he heard a knock on the door.

He quickly put the pictures back under his pillow and wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

"Yes?" He croaked. He cleared his voice and said again "Yes?" in a more normal tone.

There was a hesitation and then the shadow of the person entered the room; Harry knew who it was at once before the silver mass of hair could be seen.

"What do you want Malfoy?" He asked burying his face into his pillow that hid the pictures.

"I...I just wanted to thank you...for saving my life."

Harry faced him and went very red.

"It...it was nothing Malfoy. Think nothing of it."

Draco looked incredulous.

"How can you lay there and say that?! You saved my life from that mental case and you just act like it's nothing!"

"I'm sorry." He replied meaning it.

"Also..." he trailed off hesitantly "...I want to know why you've been moody all week. You've hardly shown up at any meals and I'm not the only one that's worried. Some of the staff and students are also worried. We just want to make sure you're okay."

"Why should you get worried over me?" He cried defensively for no reason. "WHY THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN FUCKING HEART MALFOY??! I'm your fucking enemy. I put your dear old daddy in jail. You hate me. I hate you. Now get the fuck out of here."

"I don't hate you Harry and I never did." Draco said at once. "'Strongly dislike' is the phrase I would have used in our school days. Now I'm not sure what I would use."

Harry looked at him and held back tears and looked away.

Draco was alarmed at what he was seeing.

"Draco it was a fluke that I saved your life and nothing more. Don't get all excited about it. You could have saved yourself."

Draco could tell by Harry's voice that he was starting to cry. Now he had to know what was wrong. Blame Narcissa for his nosy habits.

"No I couldn't have Harry. And you know it."

He was speaking so gently thinking that if he spoke too loudly it would shatter the man's fragile build.

"Harry, what's wrong?" He whispered it so softly that the sincerity in his voice seemed overdone and almost mocking.

Harry was slightly taken back at the use of his first name coming from Draco's mouth. He soon got over it and replied nastily.

"It's none of your business Malfoy." He stressed his surname as if to remind Draco that they were still on last name basis. But this sudden change in the once friendly atmosphere brought out the old Draco.

"You know Potter," He sneered "for once I'm trying to ignore my father's voice and be my own person. I'm trying to push aside our schoolboy quarrels and be an adult about all of this. I'm trying to do what I spent those seven years in Hogwarts doing: I'm trying to be your friend."

A ringing silence followed the second he stopped talking. It was deafening to him. In Harry's mind all that was heard was the words echoing in no specific order in his head.

'friend...trying...your.......Malfoy...friend'

He shook his head. His mind quickly went back 12 years...to when he was on the train going to Hogwarts for the first time:

"Is it true?" Draco had said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," he had said. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickest and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they had looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where he was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron had given a slight cough, which had been hiding a snigger. Malfoy had looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Harry pushed aside that memory. It had never pained him before to think back on it. But for some reason it did now. Draco had offered his hand in a friendly gesture and he had flat out refused all because Ron -a boy he barely knew at the time- had laughed. He wondered briefly if he had accepted Draco's hand to shake, then would he had been in Slytherin?

Before he could dwell more on what could have been, his thought was quickly averted with what was in front of him: a silver-haired Slytherin. His gray eyes held fury mingled with warmth. He was shaking so fiercely that his carefully arranged hair fell from it's place and allowed a fringe of his hair to partially obscure his view.

Harry felt a tightening in his chest.

His eyes wound down his neck and focused on the reddish spot on his neck and rested briefly on the unintentional hickey bestowed upon Draco almost a week ago. It had begun to fade away but it still gave Harry an unnatural satisfaction whenever he heard a nasty comment directed at Malfoy about it; be it student or faculty member. His wandering eyes dropped down to the skin tight gray t-shirt Draco was wearing that proudly showed every detail of muscle; It was almost like a second skin on the Malfoy's torso.

Having a feeling of reluctance to lift his eyes away from the young Malfoy's body he asked a question.

"So what you're saying is that you care about me?" he hastily added "as a friend?"

Slightly surprised at Harry's calm voice breaking the silence he answered.

"Yes Harry...I do."

They were now only a foot apart staring intently at each other. This second silence allowed Draco to have his turn to look over the enticing Gryffindor.

His raven-black hair showed visible attempts of trying to be tamed but it proved to be unsuccessful. A bit had fallen into his eyes.

'Those eyes...'

Through Draco's chapped lips escaped a small but audible moan.

Those emerald eyes that had looked upon him lustfully and lovingly in his dreams. He could stare into those eyes of his for an eternity. He mentally made a trail down to his chest where through the clingy red shirt he could see his body tone. He was about to survey him more but it was interrupted by Harry's deep voice.

"So..you want to be my friend?" He asked vacantly. He started taking a few steps towards Draco.

"Yes Harry...I do." He repeated and took a few steps in Harry's direction.

The space between them had now been closed. They were so close their chests were brushing up against each others. They never thought that they would be this close to another man and be so comfortable but nervous at the same time and especially with someone that all their lives they had been convinced that they hated. All it took to close their small distance was a tiny tilt, a little lean in. Their breath grew deeper as they thought about what could be in a few moments. They wanted to explore the forbidden pleasures that both their families had spoken against for years.

It is well known that Gryffindors have unnatural amounts of courage; in all his years, Harry felt that what he did next was the most lion hearted thing he had ever done.

He leaned in and placed his lips on the surprised Slytherins mouth. The young Malfoy was hesitant to kiss back but quickly did as his wanting to do so, soon overcame him. Harry -being the shorter of the pair- reached up and placed his arms around Draco's neck and tangled his fingers in his soft feeling hair. Draco reached down and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and began to slowly rub Harry's lower back. Soon the innocent kiss deepened and Harry's tongue delved into Draco's mouth, busy caressing the roof of his mouth and exploring. Minutes flew by before Draco got tired of Harry's dominance and fought back fiercely with his own tongue.

Their tongues dueled for a while as Draco slowly back Harry into the nearest wall. When he felt the Gryffindor stop as result of the wall, Draco tore his mouth away from Harry's and began a series of biting down the length of his neck. Harry could do nothing but groan at the painfully pleasurable touch of Draco's teeth on his neck.

"Draco..." Harry was able to finally breathe among all his groans. Draco had now begun to kiss gently on the side of his neck that had endured the bruising bites. Draco now went back to Harry's lips and kissed him harder and with more passion then their first kiss shared. Harry had only started to pry open Draco's mouth with his tongue when someone appeared in the carelessly open doorway.

They didn't notice who it was until the familiar voice filled their ears.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On. Here?"

Ron Weasley was in no way amused at what he had just witnessed.