Chapter Title: Long-time Coming

Harry felt Draco watching him, again. Harry always knew when Draco was watching him, though he'd learned quickly how to hide it, along with the strange pull he felt towards the Slytherin. He almost always knew what Draco was feeling. It hummed down that strange link between them, sending Draco's strongest emotions wafting through his head like some heady perfume, haunting and compelling.

At first, before that battle, the glances had seemed more appraising, curious, and Harry could easily ignore them. Then, Harry had looked up into Draco's dazzled, and dazzling, grey eyes over rocky hills littered with bodies. He'd expected to see indifference or curiousity at best, disgust at worst, it was known even among the Death Eaters Draco's aversion for senseless death. What they didn't know was that Draco saw every death in the war as senseless and layed the blame squarely at Voldemort's feet.

What Harry saw instead was respect, awe, and something that made him more nervous than being surrounded by his enemies ever had or could. An emotion he was powerless to do anything but acknowledge, though he refused to give name. This didn't stop it from glowing darkly in his eyes, like sunlight through leaf-toned storm clouds.

Though Harry'd been momentarily distracted by the spy, himself, what he saw for the first time, and had seen ever since, as he stared at Draco across those blood hills shocked him. Looming over the Slytherin was a dark, hulking shadow with swirling silver eyes as turbulent as the man before him. As time passed, the shadow had gone from ephemeral smoke to the almost solid presence of a black dragon, the eyes remaining as crystal clear as always, eyes that always seemed to be staring at him, even more often then Draco, himself.

Even now, those swirling mercury orbs were trained on him with impatient intensity. Though the sight should have sent him screaming, as it would any normal witch or wizard, the steady regard of the dragon wasn't frightening, but comforting. This, too, the dragon and it's affect on him, Harry had learned to ignore, unsure how the obviously oblivious Draco would handle being haunted by a dragon's ghost, if that was even what it was.

With an almost physical jolt, Harry's eyes met Draco's, that link tugging at him, bringing a tender ache that seemed dangerously close to his heart. Harry watched surprise flit across Draco's face with amusement. It wasn't often he caught the man offguard. The longing in his chest increased just a bit as Draco's lips smirked, a slender blonde eyebrow arched at him questioningly. With a smile, he had began to count on these near silent conversations for his sanity in the chaotic aftermath of the war, he leaned back in his chair and raised both ebony brows at Draco, clearly telling him that Draco had started it by staring at him.

Harry watched with, first disbelief, then surprise, as Draco's pale skin flushed rose from collar to the roots of his now shoulder length blonde locks. He couldn't help it. Harry through back his head and laughed, the joyous sound rising from his chest and flowing from his mouth like happiness given form. The sound was so rare and beautiful that many turned to smile at Harry, who was oblivious to all but the blonde at the other end of the Hall. The blonde that was rising from his seat.

Harry watched, his laugh subsiding to a delighted chuckle, as Draco rose, turning on his heel as he fled towards the Entrance Hall doors in a swirl of black cloth.

Draco fled the Great Hall, seeing the move as pure self-preservation. It had taken more will power than was allowed to stop himself from going to the Gryffindor, to stop himself from touching him, from feeling the pleasant rumble of Harry's laugh against his own chest. The physical ache to be near him had almost been his undoing. Something has to be done, he though frantically. I don't know how long I can fight this. For a second he entertained the thought of a brief affair with the beautiful man, but immediately rejected the idea. Some part of him knew that he'd never be satisfied with anything less than permanent, and that knowledge scared him more than anything else.

He wasn't sure how he got there, but he found himself suddenly staring at the stretch of stone wall that marked the entrance to the Slytherin common room. He paused a moment to collect himself. The once-Prince of Slytherin had been made less than welcome in Slytherin house since the end of the war and the knowledge that he had been a spy for the Light had been made public. Dumbledore had offered to set up a suite of rooms for him outside the house, but Draco had declined. He had and always would be a Slytherin and he refused to be bullied by anyone, especially his own housemates.

While he took the time to regain his composure, he heard footsteps behind him. Before he spoke, Draco knew it was Harry, even without the connection between them, he would always be sensitive to the other man's nearness. A part of him thrilled at the proximity, the rest of him was just weary. He was tired of fighting. Harry had been haunting him for the better part of two years now, even before that fateful battle. He just wanted it to end, or begin. He wasn't sure which, and, at the moment, he was too tired to figure it out.

"Hey, Draque, what's wrong?"

"Why won't you just leave me be, Harry?" Draco sighed out, pressing his head to the cool stone of the wall in front of him. He was far too tired to pretend anymore. He made the decision than and there. No more running, no more hiding. For some reason, the decision made him calmer, steadier. He sighed and turned to face the green eyed brunette, all the sadness and fatigue still evident in his eyes.

Harry met Draco's eyes, his confusion clear on his face as he moved towards him. Harry stopped, inches from the Slytherin, his sympathy shining in his eyes as he reached forward. As Harry's hand connected with Draco's cheek in what was meant to be a comforting caress, the faint tendrils of flame that licked their skin every time their eyes met flared like a banked bonfire set alight, searing them both as thier bodies collided, forced together by the sheer intensity of passion too long denied.

Draco's last thought before sanity became a mere memory was one word: Finally!

A.N.- First off, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone that reviewed! Though i had more chapters planned, i didn't want to post them if no one was enjoying the story!

Secondly, sorry about the wait. The internet at my house has been down for over a month. It's still down. I'm actually posting this from the computer at my local library. I'm just starting on the next chapter, so it'll be a bit before it's done and up. THANKS EVERYBODY and KEEP REVIEWING!