Would you think again if I was to go?

Draco was making his way back to the castle. The Slytherin quidditch practice had gone on overtime but he was still hoping to catch Harry before the gryffindor left for the night. Draco had a feeling he should try to explain to him what had happened with Pansy Parkinson.

He walked in to the room, and for a moment he thought he had arrived too late. Then he realized to go check to alcove too, and that's where he found the gryffindor sitting with a pensive expression.

"Harry?" Draco said carefully.

"Hmm?" Harry answered, finally tearing his eyes from whatever he had been staring at.

"I know you saw me and Pansy today." Draco had decided to get right to the point. "It's really nothing. She's always like that. Kissing and -"

"Yeah, it's fine" Harry interrupted.

"No really" Draco persisted. "I didn't want her to kiss me. But I couldn't just -"

Harry interrupted him again. "It's okay, Draco" Harry said with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

Draco crossed his arms on his chest, leaned on the doorframe and said nothing.

"What?" Harry frowned. Draco still refused to say anything. "You would have wanted me to be jealous?" Harry asked curiously.

There was something in the way Harry said that, like he was talking to a child, that turned Draco extremely off.

"Well not jealous, but..." Draco started. Harry raised his eyebrows expectantly. How couldn't the gryffindor understand what Draco was talking about? "I know I'd want to be with someone who only wants to be with me. I don't want to be kissing somebody knowing they'll be kissing the next person right after."

Harry looked at the slytherin incredulously. "I want to be with someone who only wants to be with me as well" he said with a frown. "I don't ever want to be jealous, and I don't ever want anyone to be jealous over me. I don't want to think about stolen kisses, private caresses and secret looks across the room" Harry spitted out like it was something too vile to talk about.

But Draco wouldn't yield. "That is my point precisely" he commented. "I wouldn't want anyone to kiss my... object of desire. And I would make sure everyone understood it as well."

Harry thought about this for a while. "You think jealousy is good?" He asked the blonde. "That acting out on a jealous rage is a declaration of affection? I think it's a sign of mistrust. Why wouldn't you let your... the object of your desire handle it? If you are with someone who only wants to be with you, it really shouldn't be a problem." Harry paused for a moment, staring at Draco intently. "Or should it?" he finally asked carefully.

"No, it shouldn't" Draco confirmed quietly. "And it isn't. I just... thought that maybe I had misunderstood" he added lamely.

Harry let his eyes wonder around the alcove for a moment, before focusing on Draco again. "I thought that I had misunderstood as well" Harry conceded softly, before looking out the window again.

Draco could have kicked himself. This was not the type of discussion he wanted to have with the gryffindor. What had he been thinking, barging in here, demanding Harry to be jealous over him? It would have been catastrophic if Harry had acted on Parkinson kissing him. It wasn't even like they were in a bloody relationship.

Draco turned a bit so his back was leaning on the doorframe. "Look, I'm sorry" he said gently. "I guess I'm just stressed. Quidditch didn't go so well." Quidditch had been normal, but he needed a good reason for his behavior.

Harry smiled at him understandingly.

"Come to the couch with me?" Draco asked.

"Sure." Harry stood up and gathered his herbology book and his robe. He walked to Draco who put his arm over his shoulder and they walked together to the couch. Harry put his things aside and they just sat there in silence for a moment, Draco's arm still over Harry's shoulders.

After a moment Harry turned his face and looked at Draco's face carefully. "Tired?" he asked him.

A smirk formed slowly on the slytherin's face. "Not too much, no" he said while leaning closer for a kiss.

Harry met him halfway. Soon both of them were frantically seeking a better position on the couch. Draco was pulling Harry's jumper off while Harry was pulling on his own tie. After a few desperate seconds Harry was jumperless and Draco pushed him on his back, laying himself on top of the gryffindor, never breaking the contact of their lips.

Harry puffed a bit and pulled something from underneath him. It was his long-forgotten herbology book. Harry tossed it aside while Draco attacked his neck. Harry moaned at his forceful attack, but all too soon Draco pulled back.

"I shouldn't have done that" Draco admitted with a sly smile.

"What? Why?" Harry thought it had been bloody brilliant.

"It's gonna leave a mark" Draco explained.

Harry instinctively put his hand on his neck where Draco had just been working on.

"You'll have to feign a sore throat and wear a scarf inside as well" Draco patronized.

"Yes, yes" Harry rolled his eyes.

Draco looked a bit offended. "This is important" he exclaimed.

Harry let his head loll lifelessly to the side. Then he faced the non-understanding blonde again. "Will you bloody get on with it?"

Draco smirked. "Well I guess now that the damage has already been done..." And he leaned in for another bite.

Many hours later Harry decided he should return to his dorm, before anyone got suspicious. Draco was going to stay at 'their room', so he was just contented on watching Harry dress when something caught his eye. Something dark on Harry's left forearm was showing from under the thin fabric of Harry's shirt.

"What's that?" Draco asked, pointing at Harry's forearm.

Harry looked down at what Draco was pointing at. After a moment of hesitation, he put down his jumper that he was about to pull on and unbuttoned and rolled up the sleeve.

"It's a tattoo" he explained, while walking towards the couch to give Draco a better look. "I got it this summer with some money I made."

Draco took hold of Harry's arm. The tattoo was a simple golden phoenix, rising from green flames.

"From a distance, it looks like the... I thought you had the -"

"The Dark Mark" Harry helped Draco out. "I know."

"Why would you get a tattoo like that?" Draco looked up.

"Well... See, there's the phoenix." Harry pointed on the tattoo. "For me, it's a symbol of opposing Voldemort."

Draco wasn't convinced. "But still. It'll be there forever. You won't be able to get it off. You'll look at it and remember the Dark Lord and everything he has ever done to you. It's like you're marked."

"I'm already a marked man" Harry raised his other hand to his forehead.

"It's not the same thing" Draco let go of Harry arm.

"Yes it is" Harry argued, rolling down his sleeve. "Everyday, I look in the mirror and I see this scar, and I remember him. That scar symbolizes everything he has taken away from me." Harry backed away from the couch, put on his jumper and leaned on the desk of drawers. "The tattoo, that's my mark, and it symbolizes everything good in my life. And with it being on my arm, there is no room for a Dark Mark. And there never will be."

Draco didn't say anything, but it was obvious he thought Harry was being foolish.

"Just... Let me keep my illusion of choice" Harry said quietly, without looking at Draco.

"What?" Draco frowned, but Harry was already putting his robe on.

"Never mind" Harry said, defeated. "I'll see you around."

With that Harry grabbed the book from the floor and left.

Title of the chapter from Unconditional love by Kwan

'I want to be with someone who only wants to be with me...' I remember that from the TV-series Queer as Folk (US).

To fallen-angel-of-repression: Yeah... kissing Cho... Well, she was crying, and he wasn't really into it, so I just didn't count it as a 'real kiss'. So I guess I'm waving the 'it's-only-a-fanfic' card. :)
A/n: So, Harry gets a tattoo... What else is new?