Another update at last! Menecarkawan is still suffering from bad pain in her wrist, but she finally sent me back this chapter. Hope you like!

Song: 'Abura kadabura' by Kinya Kotani (singing voice for Shuichi in 'Gravitation)

Ch. 7: Abracadabra

It was almost noon when Harry woke up, attempting to straighten himself out but wincing when his whole body flared up with pain. He began crying suddenly as he remembered what Zabini's hired thugs had done to him. He remembered strong ropes, knives, teeth, tongues, foreign fingers and hands hurting him everywhere. He wailed miserably, burying his face in the pillow. He knew he had done it for Draco, to protect him, but at the same time, he felt that he could never face Draco again. Aside from that, he had bigger problems to worry about. His face was plastered all over the media which meant that he'd be hearing from his lawyer sometime soon, and not just for happy chit-chat. He'd probably be yelled at for being so stupid. All he wanted was a normal life, and to be a singer, but now…

He cringed again when he moved to get up, but forced himself out of bed in spite of the pain. On the mirror, there was a note.

There's plenty of food in the fridge, and don't worry about the company. I've told them that you're sick with a bad cold. Brush your teeth and try to take a bath, but don't you dare leave the flat!

Ron

After changing into a pair of jeans and a jumper, Harry dragged himself into the kitchen, standing in front of the fridge for several minutes without opening it. He stood there staring at it, unable to contemplate eating, when the doorbell rang. He jumped in surprise before slowly heading to the door. He found Sirius on the other side holding a bouquet of flowers and two pink bunny plushies, one of which looked much older than the other.

"Hi!" Sirius exclaimed happily, invading Ron's flat without waiting for an invitation. "They told me you had a cold, so I came by to make you feel better! I even brought you flowers and a clone of my lovely Kiki!" He held up the older bunny for Harry to see. "Do you like him? I made him myself. I'd already made one for you, and I decided today was the perfect day to give him to you!" Sirius paled as he finally noticed what Harry looked like. "This must be the worst case of cold I've ever seen," he said quite stupidly. His features hardened and his childlike enthusiasm vanished. "What really happened to you?"

Harry remained silent, dragging himself to the sofa and falling onto it inelegantly, still not saying anything. He cringed when his body met the sofa, the pain flaring anew. He desperately wanted some painkillers.

Sirius continued to stare at him, making him feel rather uncomfortable. "Could you please look somewhere else?" he muttered.

"Like where?" Sirius asked, continuing to stare at the bruised and swollen teen. He held out the newer of the pink bunnies. "Here."

Harry carefully extended his arm and took the bunny, hugging it tightly and lifting his legs onto the sofa, getting into a fetal position. "Thanks," he said quietly, but still refused to look at Sirius.

"What happened to you?" Sirius asked again.

"It was silly, really," Harry said, trying on a smile, even as tears came into his eyes. "I got drunk and fell down some stairs. I'm just crying because it hurts so much!" He promptly burst into heart wrenching sobs, burying his face in Sirius' gift.

Sirius looked honestly concerned for his friend. "Did you go to the hospital?" he asked.

Harry shook his head without raising it from the Kiki clone.

"I hope Kiki makes you feel a little better," Sirius said awkwardly. "I-I'll just go now, all right?" He placed the bouquet on the table before making his way to the door. "Get better soon, yeah?" He gently closed the door behind him, wondering if he should mention Harry's actual state to Oliver. Harry definitely didn't have a cold. It looked as though he'd gotten into a major fight and was now hiding himself away from everybody.

Harry looked at the plush animal called Kiki and then looked at the door. He went to the phone, and just as he was about to pick it up, it rang, startling him. "Hello?"

"Mr. Potter!" Dumbledore's voice came through, making Harry go pale. "Is that you? I'm glad I found you at Mr. Weasley's flat! I called the other day and he said you were living somewhere else!" Dumbledore sounded exasperated and tense. Harry remained silent, but Dumbledore just continued speaking as though Harry had answered him. "How could you have done this to us? You're face is all over the media! Have you gone mad? You can't afford this kind of exposure! Whatever possessed you to become a singer? You must quit! I'm sending some officers to pick you up! You are going into hiding whether you want to or not!"

Harry continued to remain silent.

"Harry?" Dumbledore said in a softer, more paternal tone. "Are you still there?"

"Yes," Harry whispered.

Dumbledore sighed. "Okay, so I won't send any officers, but you must understand the dangerous situation you're in, my boy. This is no game, and we need you alive. Can you understand that, Harry?"

Harry didn't reply.

"At least quit your band, all right?" Dumbledore pleaded. "And stay away from that writer! That Mr. Malfoy! You can't afford to be connected to anyone as famous as he is! Is that clear? I'll call later to schedule an appointment."

The line went dead as the lawyer hung up, but Harry kept holding the phone. As least he knew that no officers were going to be dropping by anytime soon. He still remembered his last day of school in tenth grade. He'd been happy when he arrived home, only to find the carnage that Tom Riddle had left behind. Remus Lupin, Harry's godfather, was dead. His head had been placed on a plate in the living room, right on the coffee table, and the limbs were scattered throughout the room. There had been blood everywhere, but some bits of his godfather, such as his thighs, had been missing. The femur bones had later been sent to the police with a note stating how much Riddle had enjoyed cooking and eating the meat.

Harry remembered screaming at the sight of his godfather's severed head and being dragged from the house by men in military uniforms. He'd been put into psychiatric treatment and intense training in target and sharp shooting that whole summer. He never wanted to be surround by military men again. They were cold and brass and they made Harry uncomfortable. If his lawyer was going to send officers, then he'd just have to escape.

The young singer came out of his reverie and hung up the phone. He stared at it for a long moment before picking up the receiver again. He dialed Neville Longbottom's number from memory and waited for Neville to pick up.

"Yes?" Neville's voice said after only one ring.

"Hi, Mr. Longbottom," Harry said in a strained voice. "It's me, Harry."

"Potter!" Neville exclaimed, sounding worried. "Mr. Weasley said you had a bad cold. You really sound bad, you know. Rest! Stop worrying! Mr. Wood knows you're sick, and he likes his singers to be in optimal condition! He's such a considerate president for the company. He wants you to get better and—"

"Long—" Harry started, but Neville kept going on and on about how wonderful Oliver Wood was. "Mr. …" Harry tried again, but again, Neville kept talking. "NEVILLE!"

Neville went quiet at that.

"I quit," Harry said simply.

There was a moment's silence and then, "WHAT?"

"I quit, Neville," Harry repeated. "I'll only be causing Mr. Malfoy trouble if I keep on." Harry had other reasons for quitting, namely Tom Riddle, but wasn't going to mention that to Neville.

Harry jumped when Neville's voice was replaced by the strong, deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. "You can't quit!" he shouted into the phone. "You're under contract! We'll sue you if you quit, Mr. Potter!"

"Then sue me, K," Harry replied. He almost smiled at the way K was trying to trap him with the contract.

"No, no, no!" K exclaimed. "You can't quit! Is this about what happened with the media? You don't have to worry about that, the fans loved it! That was actually the push you need! The minute the first single is released, bang! Instant number one hit because of the scandal! Scandals sell, Potter, don't worry about the media! Just get better and we'll see you soon! We have a single to record! Rest!" K hung up without giving Harry a chance to reply. Harry couldn't help but smile as he hung up. K was a great manager and Neville was definitely a good producer.

Harry instinctively got into a fighting stance when the door flew open, but relaxed when he saw it was just Ron.

"Whoa," Ron said, holding his hands up. "Are we paranoid, or what? Zabini's not going to come here, mate."

Harry almost wanted to say Zabini wasn't what he was worried about. The first thing he'd thought of when the door opened was that either Dumbledore had sent officers after all, or that Tom Riddle had come to finish him off. "I might be a bit paranoid, yeah," he said lightly.

"Don't be," Ron said, actually smiling now. "You have a hero out there."

"What?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"Your hero!" Ron exclaimed, unceremoniously dropping himself onto the sofa. "Malfoy to the rescue! He asked me where he could find Zabini to teach him a lesson. That writer sure looks scary when he's angry… Harry?" Ron was shocked into silence when Harry, evidently forgetting the condition he was in, ran toward the door. "Harry, where are you going?"

Harry spun around at the door to look at Ron. "Did he go alone?" he asked urgently.

"Y-yes," Ron stammered.

"He's putting himself in danger!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing his coat from the hook by the door. "I've got to help him!" He disappeared through the door, ignoring the excruciating pain that was permeating his whole body.

"Harry, you won't be able to do anything in that state!" Ron called after him. "You're in pain! HARRY!" Ron stared down the corridor, but his friend was already gone.

Vincent Crabbe lay unconscious on the floor, covered in blood, while Gregory Goyle was being kicked and punched repeatedly. The man's ferocious gray eyes were calculating and cunning; neither Crabbe nor Goyle had been able to touch him. "I think my bones are broken!" Goyle cried.

Blaise Zabini, for his part, stood with his back pressed against a wall, shivering with fear as the blonde man approached him, leaving Goyle to moan in agony on the floor. The man lifted Blaise's chin with a finger, asking in a dangerous and intimidating voice, "Did you have fun with Harry, Zabini?"

Zabini's voice was high-pitched and quivering when he answered. "I didn't do anything to him!"

"Wrong answer," Draco said, grabbing Zabini's left arm and breaking it, eliciting a scream from the brunette.

"Please don't hurt me!" Zabini begged. "Greg and Vince weren't even there! I just watched! I only punched him once!"

"Where do I find the bastards you hired?" Draco asked, staring at Zabini with sharp eyes.

"I-I don't know!" Zabini wailed pathetically. "They were just some punks I found in a bar! I don't even know their names! Please don't kill me! Please!" He knelt on the floor in supplication, grabbing Draco's trousers.

Draco wrenched his legs out of Zabini's reach. "What makes you think I came here to kill you?" he asked with a raised brow, his tone still dangerous. "What is the name of this bar?"

Zabini didn't even seem to register the second question; he kept babbling, nearly incoherent with fear. "Your eyes! You-you-you have the eyes of a killer! You've k-k-killed before, haven't you?"

"So what if I have?" Draco drawled, sounding bored.

Zabini started crying. "Those aren't the eyes of a fucking novelist!" he screamed hysterically.

"How ironic," Draco said. "Magazines are always going on about how beautiful my eyes are. Now, why don't we just forget about my eyes, and get back to the issue at hand, hm? I was told you took pictures…"

Zabini immediately produced a roll of film. "There aren't any copies, I swear!" He offered up the film from his position kneeling on the floor and Draco snatched it.

"Never touch Harry again," Draco told him. "Now, give me the name of the bar." His tone left no room for arguments.

"Smashing Asteroids!" Zabini cried, holding his head as though trying to protect it. "But it's not like you'll know who they are!"

"Unfortunately, you are correct," Draco concurred. "However, Harry will be able to identify them if they are there." Draco pulled Zabini up by his collar and kneed him on the groin before punching him in the face, almost knocking him out. After that, he started making his way out of the small theater where Slytherins rehearsed when they weren't utilizing one of the studios in the G-P building.

"I-I can bury you!" Zabini cried after him, his voice strained from the pain he was in. "I-I can destroy you!"

"I dare you to try," Draco replied, turning to Zabini with a smirk. He then turned back around and opened the door, surprised to find Harry panting on the other side. "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking appalled.

"I… I came… to rescue… you," Harry replied, panting pathetically.

"In that state?" Draco asked, amused. "Besides, I don't ever need to be rescued."

"Then you're all right?" Harry asked, looking dizzy.

"I'm perfectly fine, brat," Draco replied with a smirk.

"I'm gla—" Harry's voice trailed off as his eyes clouded over and he fell forwards. Draco caught him before he could hit the ground and immediately realized that the boy was burning up, probably due to the injured state he was in.

"You should be in bed," Draco whispered, lifting the young man and carrying him to the still wrecked car.

XxXxX

Harry woke up and proceeded to stare at the ceiling in confusion. He gasped as he realized that he was in Draco's flat, on Draco's bed. He tried to get up, but a firm hand on his chest pushed him back down. "You're in no condition to be out of bed," Draco said in a commanding voice that surprised Harry.

"I can't be here," Harry murmured. "I'm only putting you in danger."

Draco was immediately interested. "Really? How so?"

"I'll endanger your reputation," Harry tried to correct. "Do you really hate me?" he asked then in an attempt to change the subject. "Did you reject me because I'm not a girl?"

"If that was the reason," Draco said with a put-upon sigh, "I never would have taken you as my lover in the first place. As it is, I… I won't throw you out again. You can stay as long as you want. I'll never say that I hate you again either, but I will eventually disappear from your life. It's better that way, trust me. You can keep the flat if you want." Draco gently caressed Harry's face with a half-smile at the look of incredulity the young man was sporting. "I'm sorry," he murmured, feeling responsible for what had happened to his young lover, but not feeling the need to let Harry know that. He couldn't break down in front of Harry. Just seeing the damaged state Harry was in was enough to tear his heart apart.

Harry's emerald orbs followed Draco's progress as he left the room. He listened as the door to the flat closed, but he didn't cry. He stayed in the bed, wondering if Draco would truly disappear from his life forever, and wondering why Draco was acting so strangely. He stared at the blankets covering half of his bruised and bandaged body, holding them tightly in his fists.

XxXxX

Harry finished singing the second song that would be included on Bad Wizards debut single prompting a celebration among the occupants of the studio. Neville looked on the verge of tears as he hugged Hermione in celebration, and K gave Harry a thumbs-up signal. With a weak smile, the young singer emerged from the recording booth.

"Now for the photo sessions to choose pictures for the album cover," K said, approaching Harry. "You'll have to wear some makeup to cover those bruises you still have. Once again, what in the world happened to you?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, K," Harry replied evasively. "I'm still alive."

K shook his head, knowing that Harry was hiding many things.

A few weeks had passed since Harry had been raped, and while he still had some minor bruising, most of his injuries had healed. Most of the employees at the G-P Recording Studios had noticed Harry's state when he'd returned for rehearsals one week after the incident, but none had dared to ask what had happened. Oliver Wood, however, was not ignorant of the facts, having been informed of the details by Draco Malfoy himself, after Sirius Black had told him about the state Harry was in. For the time being, however, he had yet to deal with Zabini. Slytherins hadn't been rehearsing due to several broken limbs amongst its members.

Oliver had decided to handle the problem internally, rather than going to the police because, according to Draco, Harry seemed to have a strong aversion to police involvement. Oliver was curious about why Harry would want to avoid the police so much. He'd never imagine that it was because of the secrets Harry was hiding. If Harry went to the police, then Dumbledore would find out that he'd been beaten and raped, which in turn would mean that the Phoenix Secret Service Agency would send officers to forcibly put him in hiding.

When Oliver had questioned Draco, the novelist had said that it was because Harry felt humiliated enough with the police involved. If the case was brought to the police, then soon it would be all over the media, and Harry didn't want the pity of his fans. Oliver bought the story hook, line, and sinker and didn't question further about bringing in the police.

During the weeks of Harry's recovery, he stayed in Draco's flat, as promised, but they almost never saw each other. Harry almost felt like weeping, especially after what had happened to him, and it felt as though Draco had rejected him completely. It didn't even seem as though they were roommates, despite Harry having the key he'd been given when Draco officially declared them lovers. Harry could feel Draco becoming more distant with each passing day, and sometimes he wondered if there had ever been something between them. Sometimes Draco disappeared for days at a time, and Harry never had any idea where the blonde went.

That day, after they finished recording some songs, Ron cornered Harry. "So?" he asked eagerly. "What's happened? Has he started speaking to you?"

Harry shook his head sadly. "He always gives me pitying looks and avoids me at all costs," he replied. "Sometimes I feel like I have some kind of contagious disease and he's afraid of catching it. Maybe it's because I was… erm… because I'm dirty. Maybe he's disgusted and has decided that he doesn't want me anymore. I'm going to let him go, Ron. I've decided. I can't go on like this. It's tearing me apart."

"Are you sure about this?" Ron asked delicately.

Harry nodded, looking at the ground miserably.

"Well, let's go then," Ron said.

Harry's eyes came up and he stared at Ron in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"To celebrate, of course!" Ron enthused, sounding as though this should have been obvious. "We finally recorded our first single! We're on our way to the big time! Come on!" He put his arms around Harry's shoulders and escorted him to the motorcycle. Harry stared at his best friend as he was handed a helmet. "Put this on as always," Ron said with a smile.

Harry smiled slightly and climbed onto the motorcycle behind Ron, gripping his waist tightly as the bike began to move.

A few hours later, night had fallen and Harry was completely drunk, walking along under the moon, stars and streetlamps with Ron. Harry laughed bitterly. "How can you drink so much and still be sober?" he wanted to know, gently placing his head on Ron's chest.

Ron chuckled lightly. "How can you have the same amount to drink as I do and get completely wasted?" he countered. He frowned when he saw Harry going pale. "What's wrong?" Harry suddenly rushed away from his friend and threw up in some nearby bushes, causing Ron to laugh. "Oh yes!" he enthused. "Definitely wasted! So, drunkard, are you sure about giving up the writer?"

"I'm not a drunkard!" Harry defended sounding slightly hurt. "And I've already told you a million times, yes! Why do you keep asking me that?"

Ron looked at him seriously. "Because you keep walking toward his flat," he said.

Harry looked around and realized that Ron was right. They were, indeed, quite close to the block of flats where Draco lived. Harry hadn't even noticed that he was leading Ron in that direction. He stared at the complex silently, when he was rudely pulled out of his reverie by a girl's voice.

"It's about time!" she cried, sounding rather exasperated. "I've been waiting around here for like two hours already!"

"Cho?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time.

"None other!" she agreed, looking at Ron tenderly. "By the way, thank you for bearing with me that day after the concert when I was so down." Ron blushed madly at that, but Cho turned to Harry. "You!"

Harry pointed at himself to confirm that she was referring to him.

"Yes, you!" Cho said impatiently. "What are you going to do about Draco?"

Harry looked away from her and said softly, "I'm giving up."

Cho looked shocked and then angry. "What? How can you do that? Do you really love him? And here I thought you were better than that." She sighed, and then looked at him slyly. "It doesn't matter now, anyway. I came here to tell you that Draco formally proposed to me last week, in front of my whole family."

Harry remembered that Draco had disappeared for three days the previous week, but seeing as they weren't speaking to each other, Harry had had no idea where Draco had gone. In any event, it wasn't as if Draco had spoken to him much when they'd been lovers. The blonde always kept to himself. "Congratulations," Harry said expressionlessly and began walking away.

Cho started to say something, but Ron placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, effectively silencing her.

Harry entered the flat and noticed that it didn't seem as though Draco had been there at all that day. Harry fell to his knees and wept. He was still very drunk, and in the middle of the dark flat, he began screaming. "So you had your fun with me, right? You were playing with me all along and decided to get married because you got bored of me? You bastard! How could you leave me like this?" Harry continued sobbing in the dark for quite some time before a light suddenly came on, momentarily blinding him. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"What are you doing there, moping all by yourself?" Colin asked. "So you're still in love with my brother, huh?"

Harry looked away dejectedly. "I don't have a snowball's chance in Hell with him."

"The engagement ceremony is tomorrow," Colin informed him as though he hadn't been listening. "Wanna come?"

Harry looked back at him with astonishment. "Why would I want to go anywhere near that?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Colin gave him a feral smirk and said, "You'll see. Now, go to bed and get some sleep. I'll pick you up in the morning." Then, with a sly smile he added, "I hope you remember, considering how drunk you are." He was still laughing when he left.

XxXxX

The next morning, Harry got ready and was just finishing breakfast when the doorbell rang. He opened the door to find Draco's younger brother watching him smugly.

"Good morning!" he enthused, more loudly than was strictly necessary. "You ready?"

Harry nodded, gripping his thumping temples as he went to the table to clear it of the breakfast dishes. He suspected that Colin was being loud on purpose, but he wasn't about to say anything. After cleaning up, he pulled a Goth style black jacket over his light blue jumper.

Harry was slightly uncomfortable in the elevator a short while later. Colin was wearing a rather nasty looking smirk that made Harry wonder just what the other man was planning. Harry was highly astonished to see Cho Chang sitting in the backseat of Colin's car. "Cho?" he asked, hesitating in getting in and holding the door open with one hand.

"Just get in already!" Cho cried impatiently. "I need you at the engagement ceremony!" She winked at Colin, both of them looking very mischievous. "I don't bite… unless you ask nicely."

Harry smiled a trifle nervously. "You guys aren't planning to murder me and dump my lifeless corpse into the Thames or something, are you?"

Colin and Cho both laughed at that. "Don't be so silly!" Cho chided, pulling Harry into the car by his arm. Harry toppled into the back seat, having never expected such a delicate looking young woman to be so strong.

Harry righted himself and pulled the door closed, still looking wary, but deciding to play along with whatever they were planning for now.

"I know you lied to me last night," Cho said, all playfulness gone from her tone. "Now tell me the truth; have you stopped loving Draco?"

Harry lowered his head miserably and shook it. He was rather surprised to see Cho smiling when he looked at her.

XxXxX

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy looked just as happy as Zhi and Tseng Chang. The four proud parents were at the Parish church, waiting for the young man and young lady that would unite the two very wealthy families in marriage. Pansy Wood was standing in front, checking her watch every few minutes with a frown. It was supposed to be a family ceremony, and if Colin didn't show up, she'd strangle him.

Draco Malfoy was the first of the couple to arrived, dressed in a somber black suit for the occasion. The parents had decided to hold this ceremony to bless the marriage and their children's futures. Draco was slightly surprised to see that Cho hadn't arrived yet. He'd been expecting her to arrive early because of her infatuation with him.

The parish priest smiled at Draco, and Draco tried to return it, but he only accomplished a strained smirk that seemed to make the priest uncomfortable. Still, the priest smiled again and spoke softly. "So you've decided to formalize your engagement under God. It is the power of true love, the love placed inside your heart by the Holy Trinity. Bless you."

Draco smirked wickedly and said, "Actually, Father, I'm only interested in the size of her breasts." He held his hands up and mimed grabbing a pair of invisible breasts. "You see, they are very round and almost the size of small watermelons."

The priest looked scandalized, and both sets of parents were glaring daggers in Draco's direction. Pansy covered her face in embarrassment and whispered, "Draco, behave yourself!"

Draco's witty retort was cut off by the arrival of Colin, who said, "The beautiful bride is here!" He looked back toward the door and said sweetly, "Come on, Cho! Don't be shy!"

An extremely odd looking girl entered, wearing a long, fluorescent orange, sleeveless dress decorated with huge sunflowers over a frilly, long sleeved, white blouse. "Here I am, my dear Draco," she said, in a voice that didn't even come close to resembling a woman's. Narcissa Malfoy screamed, Zhi fainted dead away into her husband's arms, and the priest began wheezing, Pansy holding him up before he could collapse from the shock of it all.

"That is not a woman!" the priest cried, outraged, but still wheezing. "This is an atrocity under God! Blasphemy! An abomination! Mary, Mother of God, have mercy on my soul!"

"Come along, Father," Pansy soothed gently. "Perhaps a little wine will make you feel better." She escorted the priest off the scene through a back door in the church.

Draco rolled his eyes in exasperation before politely excusing himself from the two sets of parents, grabbing the strange girl who had come for the blessing of the union and taking her outside. He threw a disgusted glance at Colin as he passed, taking the girl to safe distance to speak privately.

"You look ridiculous," was the first thing Draco said as he fished a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his suit jacket. "You do realize that I'm going to get quite the lecture from my parents for this, right? On the other hand, I'm sure this wasn't your idea." He took a long drag from his cigarette as he observed the silent, make-wearing Harry. "You would have looked better in any dress besides that one, and the color is atrocious. Even a Catholic school girl uniform would have been better than that." He waved vaguely up and down Harry's form.

Harry looked down at the fluorescent monstrosity and used his right hand to touch the rather large yellow ribbon tied to his head. "Sorry," he muttered, flushing with embarrassment. "I didn't choose this dress, you know. I suppose I should have expected Cho to want me to look ridiculous."

Draco smile indulgently and removed a small packet of wet tissues from his right pant pocket, using one of them to clean the makeup from Harry's face. "If I ever see you dressed this way again, with such an ungodly amount of makeup slathered all over your face, I will most definitely throw you out and never see you again, understand. It would be the last straw, believe me."

Harry gave a nervous little laugh, looking closely at Draco. "Erm… did you honestly consider marrying Cho?" he asked self-consciously.

"Only to make you forget about me," Draco said. "Because of me, you were—" Harry silently placed two fingers over Draco's lips, shaking his head. Draco looked surprised for a moment before his eyes hardened. "Do you still wish to know about my past?" he growled.

Harry jerked his hand back as if stung, surprised at the change in tone, but nodded his head nonetheless. "Yes. I love you and I want to know," he replied gently.

"Would you kill the men who hurt you?" Draco asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Harry frowned at this odd question, but shook his head. "It's not in me to take someone's life. I'd be happy just to never see them again."

"Would you still love me if I told you that I've killed people then?" Draco demanded, sounding angry and defensive. "That I've taken lives because they hurt me?" He stalked toward Harry, who was trembling from the harsh look of Draco's eyes and the angry tone of his voice, and Harry began stepping back, frightened. "Can you still love me after knowing that I killed six men when I was only sixteen? Can you?" Harry backed into a wall and could back no farther. Draco leaned his hands on the wall, one on either side of Harry's head, effectively trapping the teen. "Are you afraid of me?" he whispered.

Harry's lips were trembling with the thought of his beloved Draco being a murderer, but no matter what he'd done, Draco would never be like the psychopathic Tom Riddle. "I… I don't care," he stuttered, looking directly into Draco's eyes to drive his point home. "The past is in the past, and I love you no matter what you've done. Even… even if… you've…" he swallowed, "killed people." His eyes misted over as a picture of Remus' head, sitting on a platter on the table, clouded his mind. He started to cry.

Draco had a suspicion that Harry's crying wasn't due entirely to what he'd learned recently about his lover. Wanting to erase those tears and the misery he'd brought to his young singer, Draco tenderly took Harry into his arms and captured his lips.

XxXxX

Cho was in a nearby park with Ronald Weasley, watching Draco and Harry kiss, Ron looking curious about what she'd done and why. "I was surprised when you called and told me to come here," he said, "but are you sure that things are better this way?"

"I'm sure, Ron," Cho assured, looking sad all the same. "I won't marry a man who doesn't love me, no matter how much I love him. I won't trap him because of that stupid arrangement, even though I know I'm going to have to explain this to my parents, and Draco's. I want him to be happy because I love him, and he'll only be happy with Harry." She crossed her arms behind her and averted her eyes to look at some distant point, away from the two lovers.

"I never expected you to be so noble, Cho," Ron said, impressed. "I must admit that you've had an impact on me. The man who wins your affection in the end will be very lucky indeed." He gave her a little half-smile.

"Thank you," Cho said solemnly. "Do you want to go get some coffee? There's a little coffee shop close to here, and they have excellent pastries."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation?" he asked.

"Did it sound like one?" Cho returned with a playful grin. "Just know that I'm not into guitarists."

"Duly noted," Ron played along. "There's a huge difference between critically acclaimed novelists and lowly band guitarists, after all."

Cho giggled and grabbed Ron's hand as they both started walking toward the coffee shop.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed!

The anonymous:

drolleke - hope you get to buy them

Articunomage - It's nice to see someone else who enjoys karaoke. You can always drop by animesuki forums. They have an online karaoke competition.