VERY IMPORTANT Okay, author "duh" moment here. I have re-edited chapter 3 to NOT include the invisibility cloak, because I like this better. Thank you to my beta and to Bottlebrushtail for informing my of my blonde moment. Sorry! (the plot of ch. 3 has not been altered, just the appearance of the cloak),

A/N- Wow, this update is right on the heels of the last one, isn't it? My muse attacked me today, and I went nuts on writing. It helped that I had all of physics class to work on this, because we're two days out from spring break, and decided to forgo physics in favor of watching Jack Nicholson monologues from various movies, followed by watching "A Few Good Men". Vive la Physics!

So, don't expect updates to come this frequently on a regular basis, but I'm trying.

In other news: It's my birthday! As of 5:28 on March 22 (i.e.- tomorrow morning) I am a fully legal adult! W00t! That means I can write the "fun" scenes for this fic (sorry, not in this chapter, unfortunately), and I am actually legally allowed to read what I've written! Isn't that shibby? I think so.

For my birthday, I would like reviews, please! I would be extra-motivated if I can get to 150 before the end of Wednesday (my last day of school before break)! #wink, wink, nudge, nudge#

To encourage you- More responses to reviewers!

Honeyduked – Good questions! I hope a couple of them got answered. I have plans concerning Lucius, don't worry about that. As for the other questions, they'll reveal themselves shortly. Please be patient! I'll try to get to everything, in time.

Diana Joy- I feel your pain! I, too, am in denial about Siri, and I refuse to believe that JK would just kill him like that. The fact that he just slipped past the veil makes me think she has plans concerning him. I'm probably wrong, but I'm not about to give up hope! #Proudly sporting "Siri lives, and Remmy is with him!" t-shirt# (and yes, I totally just stole that from the Frodo&Sam fans, but it works so well…)

Marthsgirls- I'm glad you like my story! I have to say, the long HPDM fics tend to vary just as much as the oneshots. I've read some horrible fics that go on for chapter after chapter. But, then again, I've read some that I had to come back and reread multiple times, just because I loved them so much. I hope you find the good, avoid the bad, and gain the wisdom to tell the difference before you get ten chapters into it! - A couple of my personal favorites in the 'longfic' category? "Unthinkable Thoughts" by Aidan Lynch (the boys' book of spells is not to be missed!), "Secrets of the Forbidden Broomcloset" by Anthea Rose (if only I had as many reviews…), and "Left My Heart" by Emma Grant (an AU, but a good one, with some lovely fanart. It's not on FFN tho. Just google it). Also, if you want good, solid humor, check out "All's Fair" by Sputzo (available on my favorites list, though I should go add the other two...and make sure you look up the plant. It really does make it funnier). Hope some of those can tide you over until I manage to update again!

Brionyjae- 2 out of 3 ain't bad! The girls were Herm and Ginny. The boy, however… didn't I say they were on different 'sides'? #this is my oh-so-subtle attempt at being sneaky. How'm I doin' so far?# Yeah, yeah, it's Blaise again. I did tell you all to watch out for him, didn't I?

Fefs- #waves magic author wand# Wish granted! Start reading!

Morena Evensong- I will be playing with the Slytherin Quidditch team. Don't they deserve something? I mean, really! Despite Harry's remarkable talent, JK lets Gryffindor get lucky a lot. I will be nice to Slytherin (though I make no Quidditch cup promises), especially with all the nasty people gone (I scowl at Marcus Flint, who was ugly in the movie). Now they're more 'cocky and arrogant' than 'evil and DeathEater-ish'. Just the way I like 'em. And, though I suppose I could have made it clearer, there are students missing from other Houses. What really isn't supposed to be made clear is how many are gone because they're Death Eaters, and how many are gone because their parents thought they might be safer at home. #we know they aren't, but parents can be illogical# That's something that might come into play later, might not. I have to see how the ripples in the plot progress.

Nightscanr3- Didn't he tell you? That's Draco's little secret… #but maybe you'll find out later anyway#

Read, and enjoy the fluff! Oh, and the whole "plot development" bit, but I know you're all just here for the kissing part, sooo… I won't kid myself. #sigh#

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Chapter 21 – Appearances

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Harry was dreaming again. He could tell that much, but this dream seemed different from the ones he had had before. He remembered them clearly, all of a sudden, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why he hadn't remembered them before. The figures of three women flashed through his mind, and he spun around quickly, expecting one or the other to be standing just behind him. There was no one there, but the room he was in was intimately familiar. Why, though, was he dreaming of being in the Great Hall? He looked around again, more carefully this time. The long House tables were gone, and his footsteps echoed loudly in the large, stone room. There. There was someone sitting at... no, on, the head table. A woman, he could tell, but he was too far back in the Hall to see her clearly. She had her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she was wearing jeans rather than the sundresses that the women in his previous dreams had.

He strode forward, steps resounding in the air. The woman on the table watched him come, letting her legs swing off the edge. He finally got close enough to make out her features. Her hair was and interesting shade of ash blonde, with highlights almost as light as Draco's platinum and lowlights almost as dark as his own raven mop. Still, she bore a striking resemblance to all of the other women he had met before, in the flower field. Was this another 'sister'? He couldn't be sure. There was something in her face to remind him of each of the others; something in her eyes reminded him of the grandmotherly woman of the poppy field, but her smile was that of the girl he remembered from the dream he had had the night Draco arrived on his doorstep. Despite those resemblances, however, her posture suggested more of the bubbly one that he had dreamed of at Grimmauld Place.

"Harry. It's good to see you. We trust you are well?" She inclined her head in polite inquiry.

"We?" Harry questioned, a bit wary still. Ocean eyes locked on him. The woman smiled.

"You're getting better at this. Very good. If you couldn't handle us, you would never be able to handle the Guardian. But that is a conversation for later. Yes, we. We are three sisters, as you may know. You have met us, though you do not know our names. That is as it should be. It is we who should call upon you, not you upon us. However, we felt it best to come to you in this form beforehand. Does it suit us?" She spread her arms, as though inviting his scrutiny. He simply nodded.

"You said beforehand. Before what? And why do you need a form? What was wrong with the other three?" The woman laughed.

"Oh, you are getting good. Keep paying attention, you may yet stand a chance. As to why we required this form; well, we couldn't agree on which of our individual forms might be the best. So, a compromise! As to what this is before, you will know soon. We can't expect you to go in unprepared. First of all, that would be stupid, and we are never stupid. Second, an ignorant helper is no help at all, only a hindrance. And third, we can only access one of you this way, and even that is dangerous. We are far too traceable when we do things like this, at least to those who know what to look for. And believe us, Harry, our mutual enemy knows what to look for."

Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean Voldemort." It was a statement, not a question. The woman nodded.

"Indeed. There is a great unbalance developing, and if he succeeds in his plans..." She sighed, looking beyond Harry and into her own mind. "We must teach you, and your partner. And there is no better place to teach than a school." She shrugged, and Harry was disconcerted by the sheer humanness of the gesture. "You must be taught how to follow, and he must be taught how to guide. Both of you must be taught how to handle what you will find. And there's the Guardian to deal with, of course. But all that will come later; such knowledge takes time, and we haven't much of that, unfortunately."

"Not much time?" Harry was getting confused again, though at least it seemed that he wasn't going to be thrust into anything uninformed. Not that anyone would ever do something like that to him, of course. Of course. "I'm still not quite sure what you're talking about."

The woman smiled enigmatically. "If you did, we would not have chosen you. Not that we had many other options." She slid down off the edge of the table to stand directly in front of Harry, and he was suddenly aware that she was not much taller than he was. Somehow, she had seemed larger before. "We will speak again, very soon. Until then, sleep well. You'll have much more to deal with, sooner than you might think." She looked at him a bit sadly, then reached out to touch a finger to his forehead.

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Draco woke that morning with the sense that something was very wrong. Well, not wrong, perhaps, but certainly different than it should have been. For one thing, he was too warm. The dungeons were notoriously cold in the mornings, no matter how warm the weather or how well the house elves kept the fires burning. He usually woke up shivering, but this particular morning he wished nothing more than to snuggle back down into the covers and go back to sleep. It was the reason for the warmth that kept him from doing so. His leg was trapped under something heavy. Something heavy and moving. His arm was thrown across what seemed to be the same thing, and he could feel something pressing down around his waist. Putting all of this together as rapidly as a brain on Monday morning could, Draco came to the inescapable conclusion that there was someone other than himself in his bed.

And then he opened his eyes.

And realized that there wasn't someone in his bed.

He was in someone's bed.

Someone named Harry Potter.

He had opened his eyes to a see the dark mass of Harry's hair poking out of a sea of red; shades of rich fabrics all warmed by their combined body heat. It was comfortable; oh, so comfortable. For a moment, Draco was quite certain that he was dreaming. Then he heard the rather obnoxious snoring from outside the curtains.

No, his subconscious would never have inserted other, snoring occupants in the room. Which meant that he was really in Gryffindor Tower, in Harry's bed. And he had absolutely no idea how he had gotten there.

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Harry was awakened a bit differently. Someone was shaking him.

"Erg... Ron, sod off. I'm sleeping." He mumbled, making an effort to roll over. Unfortunately, he inadvertently rolled another person on top of him.

"I'm not Weasel. And could you please get off my arm?" The voice in his ear caused Harry's eyes to snap open. They met a pair of grey eyes, less than an inch in front of his face, belonging to a certain familiar blond. He opened his mouth, only to have it covered by Draco's non-trapped hand.

"Don't yell. No one else is awake, and I don't exactly want to get caught here. Particularly since I have no explanation as to how I came to be here, and because my reputation concerning you isn't exactly spotless. First off, though, will you PLEASE get off my arm?" He made the effort of wiggling the appendage, which made Harry aware that he was laying on it. He rolled back slightly, and Draco removed it, sighing and shaking it out.

"A bit mashed, but no harm done." He took his hand away from Harry's mouth, and Harry sat up.

"What are you doing in here? How'd you get in?" He was more perplexed than mad- after all, Draco hadn't technically done anything but wake him up. Well, at least that he was aware of, but he didn't sense anything wrong. Draco sighed.

"I don't know."

Harry blinked, incredulous. "You don't know?"

Draco nodded.

"You don't know how you got past the Fat Lady? You don't know how you managed to sneak your way into my bed? How can you not know that?" Harry could feel a bit of irrational anger rising. Was Draco lying to him? And if so, why?

Draco was sighing, clasping crimson sheets in tight fists. "I don't know. I honestly don't. After the banquet, I got the password from Snape. I'm still a prefect, you know." Harry nodded. He did know. "I took the First Years down to the dungeons, showed them their rooms. I went back down to talk to Blaise and Pansy for a while about putting the Quidditch team back together, then I went to bed like usual. 'S a bit empty with so many people gone, though. Anyway, when I woke up, I was here. I don't even remember dreaming anything unusual." He shook his head, and looked at Harry imploringly, begging him to believe. Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"So somehow, you got from the dungeons all the way here, and you can't remember how?" Draco nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

Harry bit his lip. "Alright. Well, I'm not mad, or anything, but you should probably get back before everyone wakes up." A quick check of the clock by his bedside informed them that it was a little after 5:30 in the morning. "We've got a while, you should be fine. Ah..." he seemed to be pondering something important, and Draco let him think. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind.

"I'll walk you down. It'll give me a chance to ask the Fat Lady if she noticed anything last night. Wait here a second." Harry pulled down the covers and slipped through the hangings. Draco sat quietly, listening to the activity outside the thick drapes. He heard the distinct sound of snoring, which still permeated the still air every few seconds. In addition, he heard Harry doing something at the foot of the four-poster. A moment later, Harry reappeared, holding something silvery in his hand. Draco gaped.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked wonderingly, stretching out a hand to run his fingers over the cloth. It shimmered, even in the dim light. Harry's eyes were sparkling, like a kid with a new toy that he just had to show off.

"Yeah. It was my dad's." He sounded proud of that, but sad as well. Draco noted the tone, understanding, but was quickly distracted again by the cloak.

"So this is how you do it..." He whispered.

Harry blinked owlishly at him. "Huh?"

Draco looked at his confused face and laughed softly. "Get around the school without getting caught. I could never figure that out. Guess I know now." He was smiling brightly, still fingering the cloak. "I've always wanted to see one of these."

"Well," Harry shrugged, "Now you get to use one. Put it on." Draco's hand paused just above the cloak.

"Me?" He seemed shocked. And, in fact, he was. Knowing that Harry had such a rare object was already more trust than he had ever expected to receive. No matter what seemed to be growing between the two of them, such a thing... In a way, he was touched, but he felt incredibly unsure. "Are you sure?"

Harry sighed and seized the fabric, throwing it over the blond's shoulders and making everything below his collar disappear. Draco jumped, startled, and Harry laughed.

"Wow..." He extended an arm outside the cloak, then retracted it, marveling at its disappearance and reappearance. Harry watched amusedly for a moment, but a particularly loud snore from the direction of Ron's bed snapped him back to reality, and to the situation at hand. His housemates could wake up any time, and having them find Draco Malfoy in their tower, their room, his bed, was probably not the best way to begin a school year. The next time Draco's hand appeared from under the cloak, Harry grabbed it firmly and tugged the boy up. Draco 'eep'ed softly, tumbling out from under the hangings right behind Harry. Eventually, his feet caught up with him, and he followed the raven-haired boy under his own power, though he didn't let go of the hand.

Harry led him down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, the fires already burning and tended by the ever-present but rarely-seen house elves. There was no one up yet, for which Harry was thankful. After all, he was leading Draco Malfoy's disembodied head and lower arm through Gryffindor Tower at 5:30 in the morning. He didn't feel much like explaining himself. He paused just before the portrait hole, and turned to Draco.

"This is funny and all, but I think the Fat Lady might wonder what's up if your head follows me out of the Tower." With that, he reached around behind Draco's head to take hold of the cloak's hood. The tickling touch of Harry's arm brushing against his jaw, neck and ear sent a little shiver through the blond. Harry looked at him curiously.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. He hadn't thought that whatever caused Draco to climb into his bed might have had some sort of effect on his health. In truth, it hadn't. Something else was affecting him, and it was far from a disease. Almost unconsciously, Draco extended his arms outside the cloak and wrapped them around his waist, tucking himself up against Harry.

Harry froze for a moment, unsettled slightly by the feeling of a half-invisible Draco hugging him tightly. He was warm, and felt oddly hard and soft at the same time- muscular but slender and pliable. His arms, already loosely draped around the blond's neck, found themselves traveling slightly downward to embrace the boy's shoulders and pull him even tighter. He buried his nose in Draco's hair, and felt the boy sigh softly against his neck.

They stood silently in the still morning, the logs in the fireplace crackling and the flames making the shadows on the walls and their bodies flicker and dance. It seemed like slow motion as Draco lifted his head off Harry's shoulder, pulling away and meeting the slightly taller boy's eyes.

Harry couldn't quite make out who moved first- perhaps they moved together- but at the moment their lips met, it ceased to matter. They had morning breath, too, but that didn't matter either. All that mattered was the feeling of that kiss. Draco's lips were as strangely disconcerting as the rest of his body had seemed- soft but strong and demanding. It was chaste, sweet. A meeting, tasting, testing. But when they broke apart, it took only a moment for each to sort, process, and return for another; this one as heated as the other had been tentative.

Harry almost moaned as Draco sucked lightly on his lower lip, teeth nibbling at it lightly then releasing it. His tongue swiped across Harry's upper lip, requesting entrance that was readily given. Harry had, before, been a bit perplexed as to why a person would want someone else's tongue in their mouth. Suddenly, the mystery was cleared up. Draco darted his tongue in teasingly, stroking it along Harry's and then retreating; a gesture that with eyes or hands would be easily translated 'come hither'. Luckily, the knowledge of how to speak in the language of kisses came quickly to Harry, who gently returned the gesture, exploring every inch of the blond's mouth with his own. Morning breath non-withstanding, he loved the way the blond tasted- it reminded him of fresh rain, springtime. It was milder than he would have expected, had he ever before taken time to think about how Draco might taste, but he decided quickly that it wasn't something he'd be happy to give up anytime soon.

For Draco's part, he couldn't for the life of him explain what had possessed him to do what he did. But whatever it was, he was strongly inclined to thank it. Harry wasn't the best kisser he had ever encountered, but he was far from the worst, and he seemed to be a quick study. A very quick study. Draco could feel himself melting into the kiss, and more than that, he could feel that this wasn't some strange thing resulting from being in too close of quarters all summer. It was something real.

A little too real, all of a sudden. When they broke apart for air, he clutched Harry tightly again, preventing any more kissing from taking place. Not that he didn't want it to. The problem was, he wanted it a little too much for his own comfort, and forced himself to be satisfied with the warm embrace and the feeling of Harry breathing into his hair, ruffling it slightly as he buried his nose in the blond strands. For a moment, there was silence. Then:

"I got your letter." Harry whispered it into Draco's scalp, but the lilt of humor in his voice brought an even brighter smile to the blond's lips.

"I meant what I said about the chinos." He replied, with mock seriousness, taking the opportunity to nibble a little at Harry's earlobe. He groaned and pulled Draco tighter against him. Draco smirked, making a mental note to remember that reaction. Still, this wasn't the time or place for such... activities, no matter how fun they might be.

"Thank you."

If Harry was surprised by the sudden topic and mood change, he did an admirable job of hiding it. "For what?" he asked, placing a soft kiss on the top of Draco's head. If he wasn't careful, he mentally scolded himself, the blond's hair could become a serious fetish.

"For taking care of me." He barely said anything at all, the words were so soft. Harry felt himself melting as he hugged the blond tighter, making unintentional strangulation a real possibility. Draco didn't care- he hugged right back. Finally, though, he dropped his arms from about Harry's waist, giving Harry the silent signal that it was okay to let him go. Harry did so, though a bit reluctantly.

"See you at breakfast?" Harry asked, trying to fill the silence that, all of a sudden, felt immense. Draco nodded his assent. Harry smiled, planting a swift, soft kiss on the blond's lips, and pulled the hood of the cloak over his head. "Come on, before everyone wakes up." He held out a hand, and Draco's invisible palm met his, swallowing his hand within the cloak. Well, it was better than having Draco's arm seemingly floating behind him. They walked through the portrait hole together, and as the Fat Lady greeted Harry a bit sleepily, Draco's hand slipped away. Harry heard his footfalls for a moment, and then even those disappeared.

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"Harry, dear!" A yawn. "Aren't we up early this morning! You know breakfast isn't for another few hours." The Fat Lady, though the hour was early, was her usual cheerful self.

"I know it's early. I'm sorry for getting you up. I just had a question for you." Of course, he wasn't sure how to phrase it. How do you ask a painting if she saw your... what, boyfriend? God, that was a scary thought! Boyfriend... 'I have a boyfriend?' Harry's subconscious had briefly taken over his conscious, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Meanwhile, the Fat Lady was preening.

"For me?" She fanned herself, doing her best to look coquettish and failing rather miserably, though no one would have had the heart to tell her so. "Well, I don't get many questions! I do hope I'll be able to answer!" Harry gave her a smile.

"I was wondering if anything... unusual... happened out here last night." The Fat Lady looked at him oddly.

"Unusual? Whatever do you mean? I do hope its not some sort of prank. Don't you think it's a bit early in the year for that? I don't begrudge you students your fun, but really-" Harry waved a hand to cut her off.

"No, no, nothing like a prank. I just..." He trailed off, wondering how he could ask without arousing suspicion himself. "Well, woke up last night and thought I heard something odd. I don't remember what time it was, but I figured that if anyone would know, it would be you." He emphasized the 'you', and the Fat Lady preened again. It may have been a bit of a low tactic, but it certainly was effective.

"Well, I assure you, young man, nothing at all happened last night. You lot came in after the feast, and no one left all night. I daresay its the last full night of rest I'll be having for a while, though. You will try not to go sneaking about at all hours this year, won't you?" Harry just smiled and nodded.

"I'll try. Bergamot."

The Fat Lady swung away from the portrait hole, even as she said, "Well, that's all one can ask, isn't it?" Then Harry disappeared back into the Tower, and she swung back to her place. "What a nice boy..." She commented, mostly to herself, but the old wizard in an adjacent picture nodded his agreement anyway.