Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews on the last chapter and for everyone who loved the artwork to match!

Chapter Forty-Three

.

"Sirius you need to calm down and take a breath. This isn't going to help anyone," Remus said as he stood in the doorway of the third floor dining room.

Sirius was currently throwing every power household cleaning spell he could think of at the walls, trying desperately to rid the old grimy wallpaper of the blood that had dried overnight. He ignored Remus, blowing a stray curl out of his eyes. He cursed as the scrubbing charm only served to cause a pale orange stain to spread over a damp patch of the wall. "Incendio!"

"Pads!" Remus yelled, hating the immediate tensing of Sirius' figure. He walked up behind Sirius and squeezed his arms from behind, tipping his head forward to rest on top of the mop of curls. "Padfoot, I know this is horrible, but burning the place to the ground won't help matters."

"I just … can't look at all this blood," he breathed, lowering his wand arm. Remus could feel the shaking of the tense muscles beneath his palms. "I can taste it in the air, Moons, and Merlin knows how sick you probably feel just being near it all."

It was true, that the tang of blood hung heavily in the air and was suffocating on a level that only Remus could be aware of. Sirius' human senses were sharpened thanks to his canine counterpart; however, it was as superior as Remus'. The taller man buried his face into Sirius' curls, desperate to block out the sight and smell of the drying blood encompassing him. With a sigh, Sirius slipped out of Remus' arms and raised his wand towards the walls.

"I have one more idea to try," he said, glancing sideways at his partner.

With a complicated twisting of is wrist, Sirius murmured a spell too low for even Remus to pick up. Within seconds the wallpaper was shredding itself off the walls, the sound harsh on the ears as decades old paper and paint dropped into piles on the floorboards. Beneath, the walls of the house were as scarred as to be expected considering the dark magic that had resided there for years. Remus watched with wide eyes as the thick, dark wallpaper was summoned into a pile.

"Incendio!"

They burst into flames before his eyes, the sickly smell of bubbling blood immediately assaulting Remus so hard he staggered back through the doorway with a garbled exclamation. Darting a grimace to his partner, Sirius shot a jet of water, immediately extinguishing the flames. The smell still clung, only now it was accompanied by the smell of burnt paper.

"Kreacher!"

Pop!

"Master Black is calling for Kreacher, sirs?"

"Take care of this," Sirius pointed at the sodden pile of blackened wallpaper. "Dispose of it properly and then air this room out."

Kreacher bowed low, "Yes sir, Kreacher is disposing of filthy black magic for the Master." He gathered the pile into his small, gnarled hands and disappeared with a pop.

Sirius ushered Remus away from the door and onto the landing, and closed the door, trapping the aroma inside. Remus hunched over the bannister, gasping for air and trying not to heave. A hand on his back made him shiver. He tried to focus on the weight of the hand instead of the swirling nausea in his stomach.

"Moony are you okay? Do you want to lie down?"

"Can't –" he gasped. "H-have to get … b-breakfast …"

"Come and sit down for ten minutes, okay? I need to get ready. I want to see if I can catch Kingsley first thing."

"Kingsley?" Remus turned his head to look over his shoulder at Sirius. "W-why?"

"Umbridge," he said shortly. Taking Remus' hand in his own, he gave a gentle tug and began leading the way towards their bedroom. "Come on. Ten minutes. I'll even lie down with you."

Remus rolled his eyes and relented. "Fine. But only for ten minutes."

He should have known better than to trust Sirius. He could already feel that it had been longer than ten minutes when his mind swam back into focus. For a brief moment he wondered what had woken him up, and then he heard a soft 'thump' and a hissed string of curses.

Sirius was currently stuffing himself into a pair of stiff-looking robes that had been charmed to alter themselves to fit him immaculately regardless of his current physique. His hair was a wild mass of black curls and his grey eyes were wide and frantic as he sheathed his wand in his holster and busied himself finding parchment and other documents. He had sent an owl to the ministry as soon as the sun had come up and demanded a meeting with Kingsley as a matter of urgency. He would keep the meeting, regardless of what Remus said now, but even so the tall man needed to try and calm Sirius down before said something he would regret.

Though Remus had had a chance to sleep on his anger and though it still simmered just below the surface, he also had to remember that they weren't twenty years old anymore. They had other people to consider now. "Pads what're you doing? It's a little early for you to be going to lessons isn't it? Are the boys even up yet?"

"I can't stop, Rem. I need to go and see Kingsley. After last night -I can only imagine no one truly knows what she did at that school," he grunted, stuffing a phial with the memory of last night, into his inner pocket.

"I grant you that bitch deserves even more punishment, but Sirius," he rolled up into a sitting position and took the older man's hand in his as he passed by, effectively stopping him mid-stride. "You cannot go storming around and throwing accusations."

"She did it, Remus! We know that for a fact!"

"I'm aware," he bit out, before adopting a soothing tone. He fingered Sirius' lapels and picked a bit of lint from his cuffs. "I just want you to take a breath. Think about Harry. He cannot get drawn into a long complicated trial against Umbridge right now. I can only hope the memories will suffice. And when Harry is fully aged, he and Draco can both give statements as to what Umbridge did, but until then … Just give Kingsley a heads-up about what's been going on."

Sirius sighed, the tension ebbing from his shoulders. "You're right," he swept a hand through his curls. "Goddamn it, Lupin, why is it that you're always right?"

Remus chuckled, "Well, I was the only Marauder sneaky enough to not get detention every week."

"I like that sneaky charm of yours," Sirius tried to smirk. "It was quite disarming."

Rolling his eyes, the taller man took his hands and pressed something into them. When Sirius looked down, he let out a bark of laughter at the chocolate frog packet sitting there. Looking at Remus with a bemused look, his lover merely shrugged. "Wouldn't want you to get hungry. You're going to miss breakfast."

"I'll be home for lunch," Sirius assured, leaning down and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. Remus melted a little inside, a faint pink tint reached his cheeks as Sirius pulled away. "Love you, Moons."

"Yes, yes, love you too you mangy mutt. Now shoo!"

Sirius swatted his shoulder before disappearing out the door in a swish of his robes.

.

Down in the potion's lab, Harry and Draco sat facing one another at the workstation. Draco had a small pot of a cool, creamy substance that he said he'd made as a more potent version of dittany but with a soothing component to it. It was bright blue and smelled oddly like berries and something else. He had one of Harry's hands in his own, palm facing upwards, and was gently applying the soothing cream to the lacerations across Harry's fingers and palms. Whatever he'd done last night to make himself bleed hadn't been enough to wake him from his sleep-walking, apparently.

As Draco worked quietly, his face bowed down and his expression sombre and focused, Harry had to try and suppress a smile. The snobby brat who had been at Umbridge's beck-and-call all throughout fifth year was a complete opposite of the tall teen expertly smoothing the cool cream over his fingertips and palms. His skin tingled whenever Draco touched it, his fingers massaging the cream into Harry's own, one digit at a time. It made his heart do strange fluttery lurches in his chest.

"Ah!" he hissed in pain as the cream touched over an especially deep cut along his middle finger.

Draco stilled his hands immediately, before slowly trying to pry Harry's clenched fist open again. He was patient, exceedingly so, and Harry felt like a horrible patient whenever he flinched away. He'd had far worse; the Basilisk fang in his arm alone had been sheer agony. Besides, he rather liked Draco spending an inordinate amount of time slowly rubbing and massaging his hands.

"I still have no idea what you did to your hands, Potter," Draco arched an eyebrow. "But whatever it was, don't do it again."

"If I could remember what it was …" he trailed off lamely. His fingers tingled as the skin finished the work the dittany had started the night before. Still, he didn't move his hand away. "Thank you for this. You didn't have to waste your morning helping me."

"What else is there to do around here?" Draco shrugged. "I'm happy to help. Plus, it's nice to have a test subject for my new concoctions."

"You -you hadn't tested this before?" Harry blanched.

"Nope, but let me know if your hand falls off," he smirked as Harry slumped in his chair. "Oh, come off it, I'm only joking."

Harry tried to smile. "I never knew how smart you were."

Draco shot him a look.

"I mean I knew you were book-smart and could follow instructions. That's great and all. But this," he waved his hand at this little pot of the pearly blue cream. "This is smart on a whole new level. Even Hermione hasn't created anything brand new, like a spell or what-have-you."

"There's a compliment in there somewhere I'm sure," Draco smirked.

Harry bit his lip, feeling his cheeks turn pink.

"So, when are you next going to see your friends?"

Harry cocked an eyebrow, "Trying to get rid of me?"

The blonde scoffed, busying himself with sealing the pot of cream and writing out a label in his cursive hand. "I couldn't care less here you go. However, I'd like to point out that it is the middle of summer and you're not on house-arrest. I'm -I'm sure the Weasley's miss having you around."

"I knew it. You are trying to get rid of me!"

Draco rolled his eyes, "I'm just saying that maybe you can spend some time with your friends now that you're not running from a madman all the damn time."

"Maybe we can go to the Burrow this weekend then?" he grinned. "Can have another Quidditch friendly."

"You know you don't have to wait for the weekend," Draco arched a mocking eyebrow at him. "None of us have schoolwork to do. You're free to go over and see them whenever you like as long as you let Sirius know."

"But I want you to come with me, which means Sirius would have to come!"

"And what? You suddenly hate your dad?"

Harry scoffed, "Don't be an idiot! It's just a lot of hassle instead of just us flooing over."

"Then go by yourself," Draco shrugged. "You really are just over-complicating everything."

"Draco why are you being such an arse?"

The blonde clicked his tongue but kept his attention on organising the potions he'd bottled up earlier that morning. It was impossible to have a lie-in when you had time sensitive potions on the go. He could feel the weight of Harry's gave on the back of his neck. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Harry," he said. "I'm barely used to hanging around with Ron and Hermione as it is but throwing me in at the Weasley's all the time is just asking for problems. Besides, I don't have to tag along to every outing you have with them."

Harry fidgeted and chewed on his lip. "I just … I want them to get to know you. This new, grown-up you. I mean … I like you so …"

Glancing over his shoulder, Draco smirked at him. "Oh, you like me, do you?"

Harry froze, his mouth hanging open. "I … I mean … o-of course I do."

Draco set the glass vial down and came over to lean across the desk. He delighted in the fact that, renewed growth spurt or not, he was still taller than Harry. "So, you like me. That's good. I like you too," he lowered his voice, smirking wider at the small shiver Harry tried to suppress.

His breath hitching, Harry glared up over his glasses, catching on to what Draco was doing. He gave the blonde a playful nudge. "You're such an arse," he grumbled.

"Watch it, brat! I'm not going to keep applying this cream to your fingers if you reopen the wounds all the time!"

Harry rolled his eyes but refrained from any more pushing or shoving for the next twenty minutes. He liked talking to Draco and was surprised at how similar their humour was, when they were snapping and griping at one another. He wondered how long it would have taken for Draco's true self to shine through, if Harry had been put into Slytherin like the sorting hat had wanted.

Once everything in the lab was cleared away and Harry's fingers had stopped tingling, the younger teen stood up and stretched and ruffled his hair. "Right, I'm going to see if Sirius fancies a day at the Burrow. You're welcome to come with, if he agrees."

"Maybe you should ask Mrs. Weasley before casually inviting Death Eaters into her house."

Harry's grin faltered. "Draco, you know she doesn't see you like that."

The blonde said nothing. Instead, he closed the cellar door and heaved a sigh. "Fine, go and talk to your dad. If he says yes, I'll have to notify Auror Buxley."

"I hate that you have to report all your movements," Harry said wrinkling his nose. "When is your probation up?"

"There wasn't really an end date. I think it was three years, but they may review it once we get out N.E.W.T. results."

"I hope they do."

"So do I."

.

They found Sirius sprawled across the sofa in the study, his head tipped back over the arm while Teddy happily scrawled across, what looked like, student assignments with brightly coloured crayons. Looking at the adorably chaotic scene before him, Harry felt bad that Sirius was working every other week just to stave off his own boredom as well as taking care of three boys. It wasn't like any of them really needed any money. Remus working was easy to understand; the man was too damn proud to live off an inheritance that was centuries old and left to the sole surviving heir.

Still, the burden didn't need to fall onto Sirius' shoulders if he didn't want it.

"Should we wake him?" Harry fretted.

"Just shove him off the sofa. Quick and painful. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, I don't see you doing it, blondie."

"You don't think I will?"

Harry shrugged, blatantly goading the older teen. Draco huffed, shoving Harry with his shoulder and walked over to the sofa. Leaning over he noted the silver threads weaving their way through Sirius' dark mane of curls and how Azkaban had aged him around the edges. Reaching down he shook his cousin roughly on the shoulder.

Air vanished and he yelled as he was thrown onto his back against the floor, Sirius' wand against his cheek and the weight of him pressing down as he straddled Draco's abdomen.

"Sirius! Draco!"

Grey eyes blinked away the glassy glaze and recognition dawned in them. He jumped off of Draco immediately and hauled the blonde to his feet. Both men were rumpled, their hair messed up and cheeks flushed a little. Harry's eyes darted between them; lip caught between his teeth.

"Sorry about that," Sirius clapped Draco on the shoulder. "Intense dream and … I overreacted. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I … I get them too," Draco confessed in a strangled tone, his eyes briefly darting over to Harry.

The air was thick with tension. No one wanted to address the erumpent in the room. Silver eyes flickered back and forth, before Sirius walked around to the big leather chair behind the desk and collapsed into it. He frowned as his gaze swept over the bare wood.

"Merlin, where are my assignments? I was meant to mark them for Friday."

"I think Teddy's taken care of the marking," Harry quipped, nodding towards the blue-haired toddler.

"Oh, Edward Remus Lupin what do you think you're doing?!" Sirius whined, hurrying over and dropping to his knees in front of the child. Teddy stared up at him with wide eyes, trying to decide if he was in trouble or if this was just Sirius being over-dramatic. Sirius shuffled through the assignments, skimming over the black ink between the coloured lines and whined again. His eyes caught on a line mid-section on one of the pages and he snorted, "To be honest, this one does deserve a big brown poop drawn on it, because this kid is thick as sh-uh-sugar."

Draco snorted at the clumsy save.

"Honestly! Who thinks that horklump juice can be used as a headache cure?"

"They wrote that?" Draco looked shocked. Harry sniggered at his reaction. "Yeah, leave the brown scribble. They don't deserve at actual grade for that."

"Gosh, you're as bad as Snape was," Harry said.

"Take that back!" both Sirius and Draco snapped, turning to glower at Harry.

Raising his hands in surrender, he threw them a grin and settled down in a chair to watch Sirius gathered up the remaining assignments and spill them across the desk. Draco grabbed a roll of parchment and spread it out on the floor so Teddy could continue drawing. It was odd to see the otherwise uptight blonde sitting on a Persian rug with his baby cousin, commenting on how 'those apples look delicious Teddy!' and 'is my hair really that yellow?' Only to have Teddy immediately change his hair to white-blonde to match Draco's.

Turning in his chair, Harry eyes Sirius as he started vanishing the scribbles from the parchment. Now was as good a time as any. "So …" he hedged. "I was wondering, if you weren't busy, maybe we could pop over to the Burrow for the afternoon?"

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at him. "Just dropping by unannounced?"

"Obviously we'd announce ourselves," Harry rolled his eyes. "I just haven't seen Ron and Hermione in a while and Draco pointed out that since none of the seventh years or … eighth years? … have any lessons anymore, maybe we could hang out today?"

Sirius dropping the assignment to steeple his fingers together, resting them against his lips as he contemplated. On the one hand, Moony would kill him if he didn't uphold his share of the markings. On the other hand, the professors only had another week and a half of teaching to go. For their last week, they'd decided to teach together, to make a right show of it as true Marauders. Organising the end of term exams had been super fun, especially as the creepy crawly creatures like Grindylows and thestrals seemed to take a shine to Remus and encourage his advances, rather than snap their jaws at anyone who approached.

Remus said it was because of The Wolf.

He supposed that the assignments could wait another day. After the exams, he was pretty sure no one cared about the last little bit of homework they'd been set, anyway.

Relaxing back into the chair he said, "Go and floo the Burrow and make sure it's okay for us to come over. If they say yes, I'll pop over to Remus at lunch time and let him know where we are. Shall we bring Teddy?"

"Why not? Molly would love to spoil him."

"That's what I'm worried about," Sirius murmured. Reanimating, he shooed Harry away, "Go, go! I'll drop Teddy off at Andromeda's if all goes ahead."

"We could just bring him with us?"

"What, on the bike? Remus would have a fit!"

"We're taking the bike?!" Harry beamed, almost leaping out of his chair in excitement. "You need to teach me how to ride that!"

"When you're older, pup."

"I'm technically nineteen now!"

"Technically yes, but I'd rather not have Remus castrate me thank you very much."

Draco snorted from where he was helping Teddy colour something bright blue. "Let's see if we can even go over, first, and then make a contingency plan."

"Right," Harry hopped up. "I'll floo them now."

As soon as the door closed behind him, Draco turned to his cousin with an arched eyebrow. "Five galleons says that Mrs. Weasley will let all and sundry come to her house just so she can smother Harry."

Sirius snorted and shook his head, "That's an easy win for you."

"Okay, if we stay, five galleons says that she'll make you and Remus sleep in separate beds."

"You're on."

~0~

After lunch, Sirius dropped Teddy off at Andromeda's and having informed Remus of where they were going, dragged his bike out from the makeshift garage in the back garden and gave it a once-over to make sure that the side-car and all the charms were stabilised. Harry was almost expecting Draco to put up a fight, but he had rather vivid memories of the blonde riding shotgun and so decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He begrudgingly accepted that he was going to ride in the side-car as he was the smallest out of the three of them.

"Does Remus know we're going by bike?" Harry asked, strapping himself into the snug side-car. "Because we could just floo, apparate or take brooms. This seems … unnecessary."

"Remus doesn't like the bike," Sirius shrugged, handing a helmet over to the two teens. "He knows it's safe, but I'd rather not add more stress onto him. He's dealing with fifth years at the moment. I already feel bad enough that he had to cover for me today."

"Yeah, where did you run off to so early?" Draco frowned.

"I went over to see Kingsley about something. I didn't want to wait around, and I expected to be back by lunch and clearly I wasn't," he sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "That's why I was trying to mark all of those assignments. I didn't want Remus to come home to more work."

"All the more reason to go to the Burrow," Harry grinned. "It's far too busy to get any work done while there. I'm sure Remus wouldn't mind being fussed over."

Sirius gave a wan smile, the guilt still tugging heavily at his insides. He hadn't even meant to fall asleep while grading the assignments, but the previous evening had caused nightmares to flutter like moths to the forefront of his mind. He must have napped, because he could remember waking up to go and scrub the walls. He didn't remember falling asleep though. Scratching absently at his stubble, he glanced up at the dark windows of the third floor. His insides twisted a little. At least Kreacher had gotten rid of the blood. That was a small step in the right direction, but it also made him fearful of what was to come with Harry's new memories -the memories that Sirius hadn't been around for.

"Alright boys, buckle up!" He swung his leg over the bike, scootching up to make room for Draco behind him. Once Harry had huddled down into the sidecar, Sirius fiddled with the knobs on the dashboard, the engine roared to life and with kicking the stand out from under them, they launched down the garden and into the sky.

.

They landed in the field that neighboured the Burrow's main garden. The noise of the bike alerted everyone within earshot of their arrival and so it barely came as a surprise to see Remus standing in the garden in his everyday formal shirt with the top button undone. He had on no tie and no cardigan for a change, although even Draco still noted how he wore long trousers and his sleeves buttoned up at his wrists, instead of rolled up like Sirius'.

Sirius shook his curls out and dismounted, shooting Remus a sheepish grin from across the rickety fence. Even from half a field away, everyone could see the firm set to his jaw and the hard look in his narrowed amber eyes.

"Hey Moony," he forced a grin.

Remus remained motionless, arms crossed and eyes boring into Sirius' from across the fence. Draco and Harry looked between the two of them, before Draco nudged Harry and took his wrist before edging around the periphery of Remus' glare. Further down along the fence, they managed to slowly climb over the wooden barrier, and then hurried towards the back door, where George and Ron were watching while munching apples. Once safely inside, Draco and Harry turned in the narrow doorway to watch the exchange.

Remus was the first to move, stepping closer to the fence. "Don't think you can just 'Hey Moony!' me, as if everything is going to suddenly be fine."

Sirius frowned. "I know you don't like the bike, Moons, but the boys like it and you know I've put tons of extra safety charms on the bike. It's perfectly safe!"

Remus closed his eyes as though dealing with a toddler on the verge of a tantrum. Sirius immediately felt bad; he was the reason Remus looked as though he'd barely slept enough, he was the reason that Remus was here in the sweltering heat, in his work clothes. Thankfully, he'd thought ahead enough to bring spares for everyone just in case, but even so. With a heavy sigh, Sirius grasped the top wooden beam and hoisted his legs over until he was sitting awkwardly on top of the fence.

"I'm sorry, Moons," he sighed, bowing his head in submission. "I should've told you first, so it wasn't a shock."

"Yes, you should have."

Shoulder's sagging, Sirius was about to hop down and go and sulk inside for a while, when a shadow passed over him. Looking up, he jumped at seeing Remus eye-level with him, the downward turn to his mouth easing up a little. Remus scratched his fingers through Sirius' dark curls, allowing himself to smile as the older man crooned into the touch, much like his canine counterpart.

"I suppose I really should be getting used to your reckless behaviour," he said eventually.

Taking the hand that had rested at the nape of his neck, Sirius laced their fingers together and kissed Remus' knuckles. "Don't get used to it, Moons. Otherwise, there won't be any surprised left between us."

"A world without your surprises? What a tragedy that would be to have a calm, quiet life."

Sirius smirked, "You haven't wanted that since you were thirteen you snarky sod."

Remus chuckled and shook his head. Now that the dark aura had vanished, Sirius was awestruck by the rugged handsomeness of his lover; his pale skin glowed in the sunlight, his tawny hair fell in silky waves across his face to mask some of his scars, and his amber eyes were bright like liquid gold. When he smiled, he looked ten years younger, and it made Sirius melt just that little bit more.

"Why Mr. Lupin, I do believe you're about to kiss me," Sirius smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Is that what you believe is it?"

"Certainly. Especially as I can sense the gaze of the Weasley matriarch watching us from the window."

Remus laughed, shaking his head. "Well, we mustn't upset our audience, should we?"

"Definitely not. We'd be heathens!"

"Scoundrels."

"Barbarians."

"Rapscallions!"

"Rapscallions?" Sirius looped his arms around Remus' neck, his breath hot and eager along his jawline. "I do believe you're trying to seduce me."

"Oh, shut up and kiss me you mangy mutt!"

Sirius barely got a laugh out before Remus crushed their mouths together in a searing kiss that would put the sun to shame.

.

As Remus stepped closer and wrapped his lithe, deceptively strong arms around the darkhaired man, the four young men in the doorway instantly turned away as the kiss deepened. They all took seats at the kitchen table while Ron summoned a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and mismatched glasses from the cupboards.

Harry took the glass and drank deeply. Riding in the side-car had dried his throat out something fierce. It was only then that the general quietness of the Burrow struck him. It made him stiffen up, feeling as though something was wrong, unsettling him in his seat enough to make him fidget. Glancing around for any tell-tale signs of the others, he glanced over at Ron. The lanky teen raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

"So, uh … where's H-Hermione? And … um … Ginny?" he stammered awkwardly.

"Ginny still has lessons until next week," Ron said as though Harry should have known this. He glanced between Harry and Draco, before taking a large gulp of his drink. "Hermione's just upstairs. She … She spoke to one of the counsellors at school and uh … s-she wants us to go camping."

"Camping?"

"Like … outside?" Draco wrinkled his nose. "Why on earth would we want to do that?"

Ron shot Draco a frown, before turning to look down at his hands on the table. Harry noted just how many freckled peppers his friends muscular forearms and he couldn't help but feel proud from how far Ron seemed to have come since his awkwardness during puberty. "The thing is, Harry … We went camping. To help in the war. I think it's left more of an impression on me and Hermione than we realised," he sighed and raked his hand through his ginger hair. "Mione thinks that if we go camping, our new memories could help counteract against the bad ones."

"But if I don't remember doing it … how will it help me?" Harry asked, sharing a confused look with Draco. He shifted his leg a little and felt his breath hitch when his thigh touched Draco's under the table. He didn't dare to breathe, when he felt Draco press back.

"Mione thinks that having good memories anyway will help to counteract against the bad ones."

"I suppose … that makes sense?" Draco grumbled slowly, the idea already making his skin itch.

Harry frowned heavily down at the marred tabletop. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try?" he finally said, glancing between the others at the table.

George hadn't said a word, but Harry caught him glancing across the table at him a time or two. The dark aura that usually followed George around wasn't as overwhelming today. Almost as though George had told the shadows in his mind to face the wall and think about what they did as punishment. Maybe things were getting easier for him. The thought flooded Harry with hope that quivered in his belly.

Just as Harry was about to engage George in non-war related conversation, the sound of footsteps hurrying down the numerous staircases met their ears. All four boys turned to watch Hermione jump down the last two steps in a pair of denim cut-offs and a gingham top tied over her waist. She huffed with a laugh, her wavy caramel coloured hair neatly braided and a rucksack on her back. "Hey Harry, Draco. I heard you guys coming from miles away. Sirius and that bike will do themselves a mischief one day."

She hoisted the rucksack onto the table and the air was filled with the rattling of what sounded like an entire kitchen's worth of pots and pans and other miscellaneous metal things. Ron looked wide-eyed at the back. "Blood hell, Mione, what've you packed in there?"

"Anything we could possibly need, Ronald," she chided with an affectionate smile, her eyes softening as they locked with Ron's blue ones. Turning her attention to Harry and Draco, who had paled at the sight of the rucksack, she grinned, "So, are you boys up for a little overnight adventure?"

Draco arched a sleek blonde eyebrow up at her. Even now, in muggle clothing and with his hair longer than usual, he still managed to appear haughty, as though he owned the very place, he was in. "And what, pray tell, would that be Granger?"

"Camping, Draco," she grinned even wider. So wide, that Harry thought he could see all her teeth. "A night under the stars, two tents, fireflies, marshmallows and a warm summer breeze. What could be more perfect than that?"

"I can think of several other things."

"Oh, go on Malfoy," George smirked, enjoying the blondes discomfort. "I thought you liked a challenge."

Before Draco could retort, Harry placed a hand on Draco's forearm. "I wouldn't mind giving it a go," he said softly, green eyes silently pleading. "If it'll help us deal with whatever I did during the war … p-plus, the Dursley's never took me camping. I've always wanted to try."

Draco held onto his haughty air for a few moments longer, silently willing Harry to back down, but the brunette would not nudge. "Fine!" he sighed dramatically, tossing his fringe out of his eyes. "But if this ends up being Hellish, I'll return the favour tenfold."

Harry beamed, "That sounds like a 'yes'!"

Everyone seemed happy enough with it, and as Hermione started explaining what they would do and how they could make it enjoyable even if it was just for the one night, Harry felt his insides burst with a giddiness as Draco leaned over the table, effectively scooting closer to Harry so that their bodies touched from shoulder to ankle. He didn't know if the blonde had done that intentionally, or not, but he felt his cheeks grow hot.

Despite everyone noticing, there was a silent agreement among the other three, not to draw attention to the fact that Harry's hand hadn't moved from where it lay circled around Draco's forearm.

A/N: Please leave some lovely reviews! I hope you liked the update!

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