Oblivio Nex

Chapter 14

Harry was worried. In fact the boy was more than worried and with, he thought as he scowled darkly, very good reason.

Not only had Draco locked himself up in their bathroom all night, now he'd disappeared. Harry had taken one look at the boy's shredded pillows, after not being able to find him anywhere, and had started to panic. It didn't really help that his Invisibility Cloak had also disappeared and so had made it impossible for him to go and search for the missing Slytherin.

Harry angrily wondered what Draco thought he was doing and cursed himself for allowing Madam Pomfrey to give him that sleeping draught. If he had been up waiting for Draco then perhaps Harry would have been able to speak to the boy and would know what had happened with his father, as well as why he'd mysteriously vanished.

It was just coming quarter past seven in the morning when Harry saw the bedroom door open seemingly by itself, after which Draco stepped out from under the now visible Cloak. Before Draco could even see that Harry was awake, Harry had stormed up to him and shaken him angrily.

"Just where the hell have you been?" the irate Gryffindor hissed.

Draco looked up at the boy, stunned. Why was Harry so angry? Had Harry found out that he had just been to meet Zabini? Draco quickly shook that thought off, Harry couldn't have followed him - he was just being paranoid. After all, Draco had walked around that classroom for several hours after Zabini left (the conversation with the other Slytherin and the final instructions disturbing Draco more than he'd like to admit) and even in his pensive mood he would have noticed someone there.

"Do you have any idea how bloody worried I've been?" Harry yelled, his face flushed with anger as he interrupted Draco's thoughts.

Draco's eyes lowered to the floor, unable to stop the feeling of guilt that was welling up in him as he saw the hurt in Harry's angry green eyes. The boy's grip on him tightened and he flinched as Harry's hands dug into his bruised flesh.

"Did you just not think? Or did you do it on purpose?" Harry carried on.

Draco's eyes hardened as he heard that.

"I have no idea what you're on about, Potter," Draco snapped as he threw off Harry's hands and stepped back. "And besides, you certainly weren't worried about me before."

Harry frowned at the Draco's sudden defensiveness and wondered what the hell was going on, while Draco continued with a slight sneer, "That is unless you were trying to communicate your concern for me through the level of your snores."

"What?" Harry frowned before remembering how he had fallen asleep outside the bathroom. "Of course I was bloody concerned! I was so worried that Madam Pomfrey decided to knock me out with one of her damn potions," Harry shouted back at the boy, not liking the other's haughty tone.

Draco bit his lip when he heard that and turned his face from the other boy before carrying on in a quieter voice.

"I don't see why you should be so concerned; there's nothing wrong, and certainly nothing so much the matter as to work yourself into such a-"

Harry cut off Draco's words angrily, "Nothing wrong? Ever since you came back from that meeting with your father you've been acting strangely. You wouldn't let me touch you or speak to you, and then you went and locked yourself in the bathroom all afternoon! Then, when I woke up I found your bloody bed all ripped to pieces with you gone - Merlin knows where - and you're still acting…"

Draco looked at Harry sharply, "What? Go on, say it – like someone else, someone selfish, cruel, arrogant, hateful, cold; which one is it, Harry?" Draco yelled at the stunned Gryffindor.

Draco turned his head again, trying to stop the hot tears from being released, trying to retain some of that now elusive self-constraint that he had been oh-so-good at before… before the boy in front of him had wormed a way into his heart.

Draco felt a gentle hand caress his face slowly and then he turned his head to face concerned green eyes.

"You are acting like you don't love me the same way I love you," Harry whispered.

Draco reared back in surprise as he looked up at Harry.

"L-love?" he stammered. Draco's heart hammered in his chest as he heard that; love? Harry had never told him he loved him and Draco hadn't expected it, as they'd only really 'known' each other for a few weeks and had been acting as boyfriends for less than that - was it long enough for Harry to have fallen in love with him? Draco loved Harry but he'd never spoken it aloud, he hadn't even whispered it to himself for fear that the words may somehow be used against him, but now it was Harry who was speaking the words, and Draco was shocked.

Harry blushed and nodded in confirmation of his confession, a small smile quirking his lips as he regarded the unsure boy who now stared at him with bewilderment. He gently took one of Draco's pale hands and studied it carefully, watching the slender fingers tremble slightly as he stroked them with his thumb. Everything about Draco had always seemed so wonderfully delicate, the boy's very appearance hiding a strength that Harry knew to be there. Since the moment he'd seen those curious grey eyes peek at him from around the hospital bed curtains he'd known his feelings would be forever held hostage by the young wizard, but they were happy hostages.

"I think I have always loved you, Draco. Ever since we kissed that day in the corridor I was sure of it, w-weren't you?" Harry asked hesitatingly as he searched the boy's flushed face.

Draco hardly knew what to think. This was all he had ever wanted to hear from Harry. Love. Harry loved him. It felt like a bitter knife twisting in his gut, those last words seemingly said to finish off his already exhausted emotions, and so he couldn't help but finally give into those cursed tears yet again. Even as he buried his head in the crook of Harry's neck he inwardly scowled at how very easily he gave into the other boy's soft comfort, all pride forgotten as Harry embraced him gently and let him sob in his arms.

Harryfrowned down at the hiccupping blonde head that rested on his shoulder and slowly stoked his silky hair, wondering what on earth was going on. Draco had seemed happy when he'd told him he loved him, in fact the slender boy had smiled so beautifully it had taken Harry's breath away, but then the boy had seemed to think of something and the smile had slipped off his face.

Harry gently coerced Draco over to his bed, the sobbing boy following without any argument, and there Harry pulled Draco fully into his arms and waited for Draco to stop his muffled cries. Harry's panicked thoughts were leaping everywhere searching to explain the cause of the pale boy's distress, thinking of everything from himself and his declaration of love to whatever had gone on with Draco's father yesterday.

Draco's soft cries finally ebbed, but the blonde still kept his face buried in Harry's chest as a mixture of emotions swirled through him – shame, surprise, guilt, grief, relief, and most of all something that had plagued Draco for ever so long – love.

"Draco? Draco," Harry's voice called quietly. "Are you okay now?"

Draco sniffed as he looked up at Harry, his watery eyes unsure and afraid.

"Are you okay?" Harry repeated, as he swept back the boy's blonde hair and lightly stroked his flushed face.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Draco murmured quietly, finally saying the words that he'd most wanted to say.

Draco Malfoy never apologised, as Malfoys apologised to no one, yet this specific apology had been building up inside Draco for six years, and now it bubbled up inside him so fiercely that he could think nothing but those guilt ridden words.

"Wha- What for?" Harry's voice cracked a little. Was Draco about to tell him that he didn't share his love?

"For everything. For not trusting you, for being so horrible to you," Draco whispered painfully, his eyes lowered from Harry's confused gaze.

Harry stared at the boy with wide eyes, wondering why the atmosphere seemed so suddenly tense, why Draco's words seemed to cut right into his soul and why he found himself falling in love with the boy all over again. He shook his head, pushing aside his emotions, and smiled at the slender boy softly, his thoughts focusing back on their previous anxieties, his emotion back to just simple relief that Draco wasn't rejecting him.

"It's okay. I mean, you don't have to tell me what happened, all right?" Harry said, believing that Draco was referring to what had happened with his father as well as the strange day that had followed the announcement of the Dark wizard's presence in their lives.

Draco nodded. His heart, however, was still not at peace, as Harry didn't know what Draco was apologising for, and he most likely never would. Draco's eyes closed briefly before he threw off the sad emotion; this Harry might not have the memories that completed him but he was still Harry, and Draco thought that maybe, just maybe, in some subconscious way he really was being forgiven.

"Thank you, Harry."

When Draco's eyes locked with Harry's hopeful ones, Draco seemed unable to stop himself from hesitantly saying another three words that he'd longed to say to Harry, despite his vow that he would have nothing more to do with the dark-haired boy.

"I- I love you."

Harry's heart leapt as he heard those words and he grinned at the boy who was looking up at him so uncertainly and when he got a shy smile back, he tightened his hold on his boyfriend. As long as Draco wanted him, Harry knew that there was nothing and no one who could take this away from him. Draco Malfoy was his and there was no way in hell he'd ever lose that; it didn't matter what Lucius had done or said, Harry was never going to let that black hearted bastard hurt Draco again, and he surely had done if the boy's strange moods were anything to go by.

"Whatever happened, Draco, I swear I'll never let it happen again. If that bastard hurt you-" Harry growled, unable to stop himself repeating his thoughts aloud.

Draco looked up at him worriedly.

"Harry?"

"Mmm?" Harry looked over at him with a distracted frown, which all but melted off his face when the other boy leaned up and kissed him sweetly.

Harry smiled at Draco and returned the kiss enthusiastically, loving how the other boy moaned as the kisses grew more heated. Harry's hands crept down Draco's back, and he was just about to persuade the other boy that he really didn't need his shirt when he heard a gasp and a shocked yell.

"BLOODY HELL!"

Harry and Draco jumped apart quickly and they both groaned when they saw who it was.

"Hermione, Ron," Harry greeted them in a falsely cheerful voice. "How are you?"

Draco could see Weasley's face turning that curious shade of purple-red that never failed to announce the redhead's hot temper. Draco should know it - after all he'd spent many years perfecting the ways to get the boy's face that specific colour, yet he'd never managed to get Weasley so mad in such a short amount of time – it was a great moment.

Draco's eyes flickered over to Granger and noted that she didn't seem at all shocked. Well, Draco supposed that he shouldn't be surprised at that, the girl nearly seemed to have Dumbledore's knack of omniscience when it came to knowing things that had nothing to do with her.

"We're fine, Harry. I don't suppose you know yet when you'll get your memories back?" Hermione asked calmly as she sat down, ignoring Ron's stunned stance.

"I – they – you-"

Harry abruptly forgot that his two friends had interrupted his fun with Draco and his expression lost the artificial cheer and turned into something more sombre as he nodded.

"According to Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape will have it ready soon. I guess it might even be today," Harry answered, his eyes troubled as he glanced at Draco.

"I, er, see you and Malfoy have taken another step in your relationship?" Hermione asked tactfully.

"He – Ferret – wha – gay-"

Harry just grinned and took Draco's hand in his own.

"I hope you have no regrets after taking the antidote," Hermione said kindly enough that neither Harry nor Draco took offence.

Draco avoided the girl's eyes and frowned slightly. Why did Granger always have to see to the bloody heart of everything?

"I'd be a fool to ignore these past few weeks." Harry's soft reply caught Draco off guard and he unconsciously tightened his grip on Harry's hand, bitterly knowing that the other boy would certainly believe himself a fool when he finally remembered everything and went back to hating Draco.

"When – how – Harry – gay-"

"And what about you, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

Draco looked up at her, surprised how the girl he'd hurt so many times could just brush it all aside and talk to him so gently like that.

"Have you figured out why you act differently to how you used to act before Oblivio Nex?" the girl inquired.

Draco shook his head. For some reason he felt his cheeks flush and he wondered if her kindness could really shame him that much.

"I – I have no idea," he murmured, looking down at the bed.

Harry looked at him with concern and stroked the boy's hand comfortingly.

"We'll find out, don't worry," he reassured him.

Draco couldn't take it anymore, so he quickly moved off the bed and stood up, looking awkwardly at Harry, who had tightened his hold on his hand.

"I'm going to shower, okay?"

Harry studied his uncomfortable grey eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

"Don't stay in there too long," he responded at last, with a small smile.

Draco smiled back and just before Draco left the room, Harry pulled him down by the hand that he still held and kissed him quickly on the lips. Draco flushed again when he saw Hermione's arched eyebrows and he quickly retreated, hearing Weasley's continued litany of nonsense.

"Friends – but – never – kiss - Malfoy-"

Harry sighed as he watched the boy go and then turned to Hermione with a distracted frown.

"How did you get in here, anyway? Without the Cloak, I mean?"

Hermione smiled wryly. "Well, it seems that our visit last time didn't go unnoticed. McGonagall somehow found out and she cornered Ron and I on the way to breakfast, but instead of being angry she seemed a little preoccupied. She asked us to give you a message. She wants you to go to Professor Dumbledore's Office straight away."

"Oh, um, okay. I don't suppose this has anything to do with Malfoy?"

Hermione frowned as she heard that and then wondered when she'd got so used to Harry saying 'Draco'.

"Why, what's the matter with him? I noticed he was pretty quiet but I didn't think it was anything serious."

"Huh?" Harry frowned, mentally unwrapping Hermione's question. "Oh, no, I meant his father – Lucius, the Death Eater."

"What? What about Lucius?" Hermione asked anxiously.

Harry sighed as he realised that the headmaster's request was to do with another problem instead of just the first.

"Never mind. I guess I'd better go to Dumbledore's office?"

"Yes, you should. We'll take you if you like," Hermione offered, still a little concerned by the mention of Lucius Malfoy.

"Thanks, but, er, would that be okay with Ron?" Harry asked as he looked over at the now pale-faced boy who was still muttering one and the occasional two syllable words.

"Oh he's fine – he'll snap out of it, just you see," Hermione said as she pulled Ron along as the three left the room.

"Malfoy – Harry – Harry - bed-"

SMACK!

Ron blinked and he looked at Hermione in surprise.

"You hit me!" he said with horrified disbelief, his hand cradling his reddened cheek.

"See? We have a full sentence, he's fine," Hermione said cheerfully, seeming oblivious to the two boys' now apprehensive stares.

-

To be continued…