Hmmm…this is going to be my longest chap. I'm thinking about doing three or four more chaps. And do I smell a tad bit of citrus?….Just a tad. 

Chapter 9: I Think I Love You

The next morning, Draco sat unhappily at my kitchen table with a paper spread out in front of him. I did my best to ignore the git, but he was crumpling the pages so loudly that it was near impossible. Whether it was revenge, pouting, or his way of making me want to apologize, I didn't know nor did I care. I was still fuming from the day before.

A blue SUV pulled into the drive, and I watched as Remus got out with his usual smile in place. He looked quite tired, but that was nothing knew. The man worked himself to death. In fact, I was rather surprised that he had made it out at all. I met him on the porch, before he had a chance to encounter the snake at my table. "Good morning," he said happily.

"Good morning," I returned. "I take it you haven't seen your Godson?"

Remus nodded. "I have. You need to be more thick skinned about that sort of thing, Severus. Harry is different. He doesn't hide that fact. People are ignorant, but it doesn't mean that they are necessarily mean spirited."

"You don't know Draco," I retorted. "Malfoy through and through."

That got his intention. "As in Lucius?"

I nodded.

"I didn't know you still were involved with that viper. Your taste in friends never ceased to amaze me," he said shaking his head.

For an instant, old wounds began to sting again. "As if you've any right to talk! Your "friends" were the most spiteful pricks I've ever met. Sirius tried to kill me! Or have you forgotten? Have you forgotten how they humiliated everyone outside of their little circle? But then again you never had to worry. You were their lap dog from the beginning. Scraping and bowing to Black and Potter like they were gods! You never did grow a spine, did you Lupin?"

I never saw the blow coming. For an instant, my world spun. Remus had hit me! I stood there in shock for nearly a full minute, before I noticed the wetness in his eyes. He looked every bit the schoolboy he had been twenty-five years ago. "Don't you EVER assume you know why I called them my friends! They were not perfect. I can tell you Sirius's faults more than you can believe, but don't you EVER talk like that again! Without Sirius and James, I would have…."

He turned to walk away, but I knew this was not over. "No, Remy, tell me. I'm sorry, I didn't know. You would have what?"

"I would have finished the job."

It all came rushing back to me. I remembered that Remus had been sent away from school for a while. When he came back, his right arm was bandaged. Later, I saw the horrible scars. An accident, he claimed, but after that Sirius and James never left his side. Not long after, Sirius and Remus began spending a lot of time alone. I never did question what had brought them together, but now I knew. "You cut yourself," I said softly.

He nodded. "There are some things that even being a Marauder didn't save me from. I'm sorry I hit you. How is your face?"

I let my sneer returned. "It's a good thing Black never taught you how to fight. I'm sure young Miss Weasley packs more of a hit."

Remus laughed. "Not for lack of trying, I assure you."

With Remus smile back in place and only a slight red mark on my cheek, we went into the house. "What happened to you?" Draco asked innocently as I came in the room.

"Nothing," I said. I made introductions, and I could already see sparks of interest in Draco's eyes. It took all of my being to not warn him to stay away from the decent men.

Remus looked down at the paper sprawled out on the table. "Job hunting?"

Draco nodded. "Eventually I want to get a place of my own. I'll need some way to pay my bills."

"Have you ever waited tables?"

I let out my usual sarcastic snort, and watched the blonde's cheeks turn pink. "I've never had a job."

Remus seemed unfazed by this. "Well, I own a restaurant. If you're willing to put in the work and effort, I will hire you on a trial basis. That way if you find something else, or decide I'm an intolerable tyrant you can leave."

Draco's blush actually deepened. "I don't think I could ever think that about you."

Holding back my gag, I couldn't help but torment the boy. "I believe you already met Remus's son, Harry."

Remy shot me a glare, but remained happy sounding as he spoke. "Yes, Harry told me that you would be joining us this evening. We're also having over a few friends of ours. Are you familiar with the Weasleys?"

"I believe I saw one of them, but we were not properly introduced."

"They are an interesting bunch," I commented. "Are all of them attending tonight?"

Remus laughed. "All of them and their respective others. Though no one particularly cares for Fleur, Bill's wife. I will see you this evening."

"He seems…" Draco began.

"Seems what?" I asked. "Be a good boy, and leave him alone. Remus has had enough to deal with from bastards."

"Bastard, am I? At least I'm not a heartless son of a bitch like you and my dad!" he spat. "I loved Blaise! I thought I was doing the right thing coming out for him. My father kicked me out without even seeming like he gave a damn about me. I thought you were different!"

I raked a hand through my hair. The past day and a half had been way more dramatic than I liked. "If I was so damned heartless, you wouldn't be here. I'm just warning you that there will be none of your games, none of your insults while you're here. And do take care with Remus." That said, I went about the rest of my day with very little interaction with Draco. I think we had both said quite enough.

I sat at my computer screen feeling low for over an hour. Two of my main contentions had come into question. One, why hadn't I seen Remus's pain before this? The answer was simple: I hadn't wanted to. It was easier to assume that he had betrayed me by befriending the Marauders. Believing that there was no good in either boy had also been extremely easy. Sirius had nearly taken my life, but he had also stopped Remus from taking his own. And James…well, James had been the one to pull me back from the edge. I'd give him credit that he hadn't wanted me dead, even if he hated me. Secondly, Remus was right about Lucius. The man was about as evil as they came. He never had been my friend in all honesty. It was time to put all this to rest.

I made a sort of almost amends with Draco before leaving for Harry's. "You know, Draco, I don't mind if you wait a while to decide what you want to do. Don't think you have to get a job and move out right away."

He shrugged. "I you were right. I haven't done anything with my life; it's time I start. Besides, it'll give me time to win Remus over to our side."

"Our side?" I asked.

"He's straight isn't he? Though he isn't what I imagined Harry's father to look like."

I shook my head. "He's Harry's Godfather. Harry's real parents were killed in a car accident. Remus is as gay as you can get."

He flashed that Malfoy smile. "I'm glad you told me."

Harry picked us up in his van exactly on time. He was already out of his suit, and into a pair of jeans and t-shirt. If he felt any animosity toward Draco, he didn't show it outwardly. "I hope you're hungry. Between Remy and Molly Weasley, no one is getting out of this without gaining a few pounds."

Moments later, we found out that it was no exaggeration. Remus had managed to turn a simple cookout into a gourmet meal. There was enough food to feed the Weasley family four times over.

"I'm never going to remember all these names," Draco whispered to Remus just loud enough for me to hear.

"Don't worry," Remy assured him. "I'll help you out."

I shuddered to think that there could be something there.

It wasn't long before Harry and Ron got an impromptu basketball game going. Watching the two of them fly around the drive, it was easy to see that they had been working toward this for years. Despite their obvious handicaps, they were athletes. When they took on Ginny and Charlie, there was no real contest. Harry was sinking what seemed to be impossible shots. It did make me wonder, however; what would have been had that accident never happened? I remembered that James was a formidable rugby player. Would he have taken after his dad?

I did smile as I saw the awe on Draco's face as they whipped the second group of challengers, Fred and George. "They're very good," he said.

Molly beamed with pride. "They are. I never would have thought he'd be the ball player, when we brought him home."

"Was he always…?" Draco seemed to be searching for the most polite word.

Molly nodded. "He was born with cerebral palsy."

During dinner, Harry and his friends made every attempt to bring Draco into the group. They teased him every bit as much as they did each other. He seemed to take it all in stride, sometimes getting a shot in himself. He didn't do anything to spoil the night…he left that to Ginny.

I'm not sure what sparked her outburst, but Harry had been talking quietly to her for sometime when she cried, "You're fucking an old man, Harry! How is that better than being with me?"

Harry looked embarrassed. "Ginny, now isn't the time. I've told you; I'm gay."

"NO! I saw you staring at me at the banquet I know you love me!"

"Ginny!" Molly said appalled by her daughter's behavior. "Come on, let's take you home."

Ginny ignored her mother. "I love you! Don't I mean anything to you? You tell me all the time that I deserve a good man in my life, but aren't I good enough for you?"

"You're not man enough for him," I cut in. I was sick of listening to this girl's screeching. She looked at me as though I had stabbed her in the gut. Her large eyes were wide with pain, which soon hardened to hatred.

"Ginny, we're leaving," Arthur told her with his hand firmly on her arm.

"I'm so terribly sorry for all this," Molly apologized to us all.

One by one, everyone left the party. Ginny had killed whatever good humor there was in the group. Remus looked crestfallen as he began cleaning up, though he did perk up a bit when Draco offered to help with the dishes. Finally alone, Harry and I gathered up the trash.

"This is out of hand," Harry said sadly. "I never thought helping a friend could cause so much trouble. Molly told me earlier that Ginny's stopped taking her medication, and…"

"Medication?" I asked setting down the bag. Something told me I was finally going to hear the entire saga.

Harry looked away. "Ginny is bipolar. The girl is as sweet as can be and normal when she's medicated, and a fucking basket case when she's not. Her last boyfriend beat her pretty badly. We all warned her about Dean, but she didn't listen. Afterward, I helped her get her own apartment. I became her shoulder to cry on. Within a month she had taken the schoolgirl crush she'd had on me for years to a new and frightening level. I only wanted to help her."

"But how much can you help her when she isn't helping herself? And how much can you ignore? What if she takes her baggage to the center?" I was only echoing the thoughts that I knew he was having himself.

"I'm going to have to let her go. Ron and his family understand, but it's still going to be rough."

We finished our clean up in silence, but were greeted by laughter when we went in the house. Draco was practically glowing, and Remus looked considerably less tired than he had before. "I always wanted to be a chef," Draco said dreamily. The whole scene made my stomach turn. It was the kind of thing I wrote, true enough, but I never wanted to see it with this pair.

Remus leaned on the counter. "Why not go for it? There are a number of good culinary art schools around this area."

I cleared my throat. "Are you tired, Draco?"

I could tell he didn't want to leave, but he said nothing. Remus took care of it for him. "Why don't you stay a while? Harry can take Severus home, if he's ready and I'll take you back when you are tired?"

Draco nodded. "That'd be wonderful."

Harry made a gagging motion behind the pair and I nearly laughed out loud. I knew we weren't this bad.

Safe in my living room, Harry settled himself on the couch and slid his chair out of the way. I handed him a glass of wine. I had taken note of the wine he ordered with dinner at the Italian restaurant and bought a few bottles. Call me what you will, but I am observant. He must have still liked the stuff because he drained glass after glass. It only occurred to me that he had to drive home after half the bottle was gone. "You're a lush," I teased.

"I am not," he denied lamely. "But I don't think I want to drive."

"Oh, I know you aren't going anywhere, little one." I kissed his cheek. "You stay with me tonight."

I called Remus to tell him that Harry was staying with me. By the time I came back to the living room, Harry was snoring. Cradling him as gently as I could, I picked him up. He made only the slightest murmuring as he rested his head on my shoulder. I placed him in my bed and removed his glasses. Next, I took off my clothes, leaving only my boxer shorts. I knew that I would have to at least take off his pants, but I was loath to wake him. I had almost completed the task when I heard him mumble something. "Severus."

"You're in my bed. I'll sleep on the couch if you'd like."

He shook his head. "Stay. I want you. Why don't you want me?"

"You have no idea how badly I want you," I told him. "I won't take you while you're drunk."

I laid down beside him. Not to be deterred, his hands found their way to my cock. "Please, let me."

All I could do was moan as he positioned himself between my legs and began sucking. His tongue was amazing, but what really got me were those green eyes staring up at me. I knew I should stop this. Morally, it was just wrong to let him do this to me while he was drunk, but I couldn't help it. I had been so pent up for so long, and he was amazing. When he was finished, I pulled him up beside me and kissed him tasting myself there.

"I was staring at Ginny when you were dancing," he confessed.

Whether my brain was still addled by pleasure, or I wasn't connecting the dots, I had to ask, "why?"

"Because I was jealous. I hate feeling like that. Wishing that I was like everyone else, but she got to dance with you."

I kissed his forehead. This was the first and only time, I ever heard Harry say something self-pitying, and I wasn't entirely sure how to take it. "She's a terrible dancer," I told him for lack of anything else to say.

"I think I love you, Severus," he said groggily. Seconds later, he was snoring.