Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by J.K. Rowling. I also do not share her homophobic views.

Chapter Fifty-Three

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Once they disembarked from the Hogwarts express, they two little families made their way through to Hogsmeade's central high street. They parted ways halfway down, Hermione drawing both Harry and Draco into a hug before waving them off. Remus had the address for their little B&B quarters and so the other three followed him. It was hot and there was a weak breeze blowing the scent of sweets and cut grass through the air. They trailed after Remus to a small shop that had rooms to rent above it. He collected the key from the shopkeeper, and they moved around the side-street to get to the back entrance.

The first floor flat above the shop was compact but had enough space for the four of them. There were two snug bedrooms and one open-plan living area with a small kitchen off to one side, a dining-come-living room, with a bathroom down the narrow hallway. It was all wonky flooring, exposed oak beams and small square windows that looked out onto the bustling street. It was cosy and Remus looked immediately at home as he walked past the floor-to-ceiling bookcases crammed with tomes.

Draco couldn't prevent his nose wrinkling as he looked in the second bedroom. There was a queen-sized bed squished into one corner of the room, a chunky dresser, a rocking chair and a bookcase with an assortment of knickknacks crammed onto the narrow shelves. It would suffice, for a couple of days, but even so. It was the narrowest room he'd ever been in.

"This is a little snug compared to Grimmauld place, isn't it?" Harry gave an awkward smile as he dropped their shrunken trunk onto the bed.

"It is," Draco sighed. "It'll do for a few days. I just hope I don't suddenly become claustrophobic."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I promise you'll be fine. If you start to get a bit anxious, we can always go for a walk around the village."

Draco turned from the knee-height window and smiled at Harry, "I think I might like that regardless of anxiety."

"It's a date."

A warm blush crept up Draco's neck. He cleared his throat and gestured at the trunk, "You may want to resize that yourself. Not sure what spells I can and can't do at the moment."

Harry rolled his eyes but obliged, resizing the trunk and then flinging the lid open. He took out their belongings in two piles, one for him and one for Draco. Before Draco could even reach for his pile, Harry opened the wardrobe and extracted the wire hangers and hung their clothes up. Underwear and socks he put in the top drawer of the dresser. Draco watched him, arms crossed and a teasing smile on his lips.

"You didn't have to do that you know," he said. "I can handle my own things."

"I don't mind," Harry shrugged. He threw a grin over his shoulder, "Are you comfortable like that? I packed some muggle stuff for you if you feel a bit uncomfortable."

"It is a little stiff. I don't know why I wore it to be honest."

"Putting your best foot forward, right?" Harry said understandingly. "I can understand wanting to put forward the best image of yourself as much as you can, especially at the platform. People there are judgemental arseholes. I'd imagine they'd trash you if you showed up in muggle clothes. At least presenting yourself this way … you're showing them how strong you are. How resilient you are. That they can throw shit at you, and you won't take it lying down, that you'll come back stronger."

Draco's eyebrows rose as Harry prattled while stuffing the trunk underneath the bed. He didn't even seem to be aware that he was rambling, but that just made it all the more endearing. "You really think all that about me?" he asked softly, his lips turned up a little.

Harry straightened up, eyes wide and innocent. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Draco shrugged, unable to keep the smile from his face. He opened his mouth to say something else when I knock on the door interrupted him.

Sirius poked his head into the room. "You boys all settled in then?"

"Yes dad," Harry grinned and flopped down on the bed.

"Right. I was wondering if you'd be alright with me taking Remus for a walk? I think he could use the fresh air."

"We were just talking about doing that," Draco said. "Although, we won't want to interrupt you two."

"We'll be alright here. Just … maybe bring us back some ice cream too?" He grinned cheekily.

Sirius grinned toothily, "If I can persuade Remus not to eat it on the way home, then of course! Well, we're going to head out at about seven. Are you two alright to fix dinner for yourself?"

"Is there food in the cupboards?" Sirius nodded. Harry grinned, "Then I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Right. You don't mind us going out … do you?" Sirius frowned, gnawing on his lip.

"Of course not!" Harry sat up.

"Not at all," Draco shook his head. "It's been a while since you and Remus had any proper alone time together. Enjoy it."

Sirius gave them both a soft smile, inclined his head and retreated from the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, Harry swivelled his head to look up at Draco. "That was awfully nice of you."

"I can be nice!" Draco protested. Harry raised his eyebrows and smirked. Draco knelt over on the bed, snagged a pillow and whacked Harry over the head with it. "I. CAN. BE. NICE. SCAR. HEAD!"

"AGH! CLEARLY!" Harry grunted as Draco continued to rain blows down on him. "OKAY! I YEILD! YOU'RE LOVELY! ACK! STOP! DRACO!"

Tossing the pillow to one side, Draco leaned over the younger teen on his forearms, his blonde hair slightly ruffled, cheeks flushed. "Just for that, Potter, you're helping me cook tonight."

Harry pouted, leaning up on his elbows. "You suck. And here I was thinking you were wanting to cook me a romantic meal," he stuck his nose in the air in a vague imitation of Draco.

"And what on earth makes you think I was going to do something romantic for you?"

The hilarity from Harry's smile faltered slightly. "Oh … I -I was just kidding …"

Draco swallowed thickly. "Would you … w-want something like that?"

Harry floundered, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. They stared at one another as Draco adjusted his waist straddling Harry's thighs.

"ALRIGHT BOYS WE'RE OFF! WE WON'T BE BACK TOO LATE!" Sirius' voice called out from the front door.

"O-OKAY!" Harry choked back, his eyes never leaving Draco's. As soon as the door clicked shut, he let out a deep sigh and dropped back onto the remaining pillow, hands covering his face. Draco sat back on his haunches, watching the younger teen with interest.

When the silence became a little too much, Draco reached out and cupped Harry's face, "Harry, look at me."

"Not until you get that look off your face!"

"What look is that?"

"The one where you look as though I've said something completely idiotic!"

"Oh, so how I usually look at you then?" he teased.

Harry dropped his hands and scowled up at him, although Draco could see that there was a sheen of hurt in his eyes. Harry drew in a deep breath and focused on fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt. "I … I want that sort of stuff with you," he mumbled.

"What sort of stuff?"

"I want to go on dates with you! I … I don't want to just be a snog in an alcove, or … or … or a quick fumble because you don't have anyone else to get you off. I want to date you; I want to go on dates with you. I want to hold your hand in public. I want to deal with the shit storm in the newspapers because … I want all the trouble to be worth it."

Draco swallowed as Remus' words from the train echoed in the silence. 'You, Draco Malfoy, are worth fighting for.'

"You can't know that you'll want all of that with me once you have all your memories back," Draco said, resigned. He climbed off the bed and made his way to the dresser and pulled out a pair of thin cotton bottoms and a t-shirt.

Pushing himself up against the pillows, Harry frowned. "Draco, what stuff happened that was so bad that you think I wouldn't want anything to do with you?"

"It's more your perspective on everything that happened."

waist. Resting his cheek against Draco's shoulder he said, "Draco, until my memories completely return, there's no way to know how I'll react. Can we just … please enjoy it?"

Draco sighed, "So I lose even more? I get a taste of all things good and then get shafted?"

"Draco -"

"Harry."

"Can you just … wear something comfortable and then come and help me with dinner?"

Draco clicked his tongue. "Fine."

The loss of Harry's arms around his waist made him feel incredibly alone and a shiver ran down his spine. He changed with no real enthusiasm and then debated on what he wanted to say or how he was able to clear the air between him and Harry. He didn't want them to be at odds with one another, especially not the day before an incredibly stressful day like the graduation ceremony. Raking a hand through his carefully styled hair, he decided that he needed to just put on a brave face and just tackle the situation head-on and hope for the best.

"God, they're turning me into such a fucking Gryffindor," he hissed under his breath before yanking the door open and leaving the bedroom.

~0~

Hogsmeade had barely changed in the last twenty years. The cobblestone pavements and roads blended seamlessly together, and the crooked little houses pressed close together, felt almost like a security blanket as they walked hand in hand through the streets. The early evening dusk was casting a blue blush across the trees and the pathway that led over the hills towards the station. The streetlamps had started to flicker to life, creating a golden aura over their heads. The glow bathed them both as Sirius gently led Remus up the road towards the Three Broomsticks. Remus wasn't in the mood to be around other people, so Sirius sat Remus down on the outdoor picnic benches, dropped a kiss on his head and then ducked inside to get them some drinks and food.

Drawing in a deep breath of the honey-scented air, Remus tipped his head back and relaxed. He tugged self-consciously on his sleeves; Sirius had persuaded him into wearing a t-shirt with three-quarter length sleeves and cut off jeans. He had a lot more skin exposed and it was definitely hard to decipher the looks thrown his way. Were they because he was wearing muggle clothes or because his werewolf scars were glaringly obvious? He tried not to let it bother him, he'd had it most of his life, but even so. It irritated him, like a rash.

The door swung open, and a wall of raucous laughter and clinking glasses rushed out into the quiet night air. A shadow passed over him and soon two tankards of butterbeer were set down on the table along with a plate of curly fries and chicken wings. Remus quirked an eyebrow and smirked as he swung his legs around to slide under the bench.

"Got peckish while waiting, did you?" he quipped.

"Of course," Sirius grinned, plunking himself down on the bench. "Besides, you didn't eat much on the train ride and I figured you must be a little hungry."

Remus smiled, "You know me so well. Thank you, Pads." He popped a chip in his mouth.

"So, how are you feeling on your first weekend away from Teddy?" Sirius asked as they tucked into the food.

Remus scratched awkwardly at the scruff on his jaw. "I'm sure it will be weird, come tomorrow. Or at some point tonight when I don't hear his fussing through the walls."

Sirius chuckled. "I'm sure Andromeda wouldn't mind you fire-calling them again."

"I'm sure she will at one o'clock in the morning."

"Okay, well, within reason, Moony!" Sirius scoffed with a grin. "Do you think the boys will be alright with the ceremony tomorrow?"

Remus shrugged, "I think Draco's going to be on edge until he steps back into Grimmauld place, if I'm honest. I don't blame him. As much as I loved our time at Hogwarts, I know I still get the looks, the judgement. It can be … difficult."

Sirius reached across the table and took Remus' hand in his own. Glancing down at Sirius' exposed forearm, the corner of Remus' mouth twitched a little. He stroked his thumb along the dusting of dark hair.

"Do you still have it?" he asked, amber eyes flicking up to look at Sirius.

"Of course, I do," Sirius said. He took his wand from his holster and murmured 'revelio' down the length of his forearm. The small footprints appeared, like those of the marauders map, a pair labelled 'Moony' that walked back and forth from his wrist. Looking up at Remus, he smirked, "I'd never get rid of it. You're engraved on my heart, Moony."

Remus blushed a little, ducking his head. He squeezed Sirius' hand a little tighter.

"Do you still have yours?"

Huffing a laugh, Remus drew his wand and murmured 'revelio', exposing a matching tattoo labelled 'Padfoot'. The two tattoos walked over their entwined hands and met in the middle. "Of course, I kept it, you daft thing."

Seeing the tattoos walking back and forth, left a fond smile on both their faces. It reminded them of whenever they would go for late night strolls on their own, holding hands, stealing the map so that James and Peter didn't discover them before they were ready.

Leaving the tattoos exposed, they continued to eat and chat lightly until the last drops of their butterbeers were drunk. Setting their empty tankards aside, Sirius stood up and took Remus' hand and together they strolled towards the wooded area that separated the village from the path that led down to the shrieking shack. Remus chuckled when Sirius started to swing their hands gently between them.

"You're like a teenager all over again," he commented with an endearing smile.

"You bring it out in me, Rem. I adore you; I adore being with you, and I adore that we're just mindlessly heading towards your old haunt even though everyone STILL thinks the place is haunted!"

Remus let out a laugh reminiscent of Sirius' own. "You, love, are a beautiful nightmare. Why are we heading to the shack?"

"As sappy as it sounds, it reminds me of good times." They made it to the rickety old fence and hesitated a moment, looking down the sloping hill towards the shack. A breeze ruffled their hair, the darkness stretching out due to the lack of streetlamps. Squeezing Remus' hand, Sirius gave a gentle tug and together they strode down the overgrown path.

They made it to the shack and walking around the overgrown, dried out grass until they got to the back door. It hung awkwardly against the opposite wall; the hinges half nailed into the wall. Instead of going inside, they settled down against the stone wall, the grass tickling their legs. From his jacket pocket, Sirius drew out a pack of muggle cigarettes and an ancient lighter.

Remus burst out laughing, "Really, Padfoot? You're smoking again?"

Sirius shook his head and rolled his eyes. "No, it's just … it'll be like old times." Pursing his lips around a cigarette, he clicked the lighter and inhaled, the tip fizzing in the quiet air. He took in a deep lungful and blew out smoke, with only a bit of a cough.

"Well, good to know prison probably saved you lung cancer," Remus quipped sarcastically. He plucked the cigarette from Sirius' fingers and put it to his lips. He took a deep pull and blew the smoke out.

At the lack of coughing, Sirius took the cigarette back with a shake of his head, "Either you have amazing lungs, Moons, or you've been sneaking a cheeky ciggie over the years."

Remus shrugged, "Well, in between jobs I would need something to take the edge off my nerves."

They settled into a calm silence, passing the cigarette back and forth. Sirius nudged his foot against Remus', tilting his head to the side to rest on his lover's shoulder. Remus took a drag of the cigarette and then pressed the tip to Sirius' mouth. Clearing his throat Sirius said, "Am I crazy for missing Peter?"

Remus drew in a deep breath, contemplating his answer. "My automatic response is to say 'yes, you're utterly mad', but … I think I get what you mean. I miss the dynamic we used to have when we were teenagers. I just … hate the fact that he felt so alienated that he went looking for more powerful friends, as opposed to the boys' he shared a dorm with for seven years."

"I didn't help at all, did I?" Sirius murmured somewhat forlornly. "I know I was never the nicest to him. I mean, James teased him, sure we all did, but … I know I took it too far."

"What's done is done, love," Remus sighed. "He's dead now. Let's hope he suffered for those seven teen years."

"Oh, from what Harry told me, that fucker got what he deserved."

"Good. Then James and Lils can rest in peace."

Sirius chuckled, "You know, as shit as fifth year was, something good did come out of it. Well, two somethings."

"Oh?" Remus turned his head to look down at Sirius with a smile. "And what were those two things?"

"Well, the first one is that it forced you and Lily to actually build a monumental friendship in sixth year. She was there for you when I royally cocked up, even after school, and I am so fucking glad she was there for you, Rem. It scared me, in prison, thinking of how you were coping after all the news."

"She was amazing. You know, we would cuddle up on the sofa until the early hours. Just talking. I think when you and James were trying to make it all up to me, Lily started to soften towards him."

Sirius chuckled, "It did seem so."

"What was the second thing?"

Sirius looking up with wide, grey eyes. "The second was that … it forced me to confront my feelings for you. About why I'd always go from zero to a hundred whenever something concerned you, why I got so passionate to defend you, why I hung on your every word. Why I did stupid, impulsive shit to try and make you smile. Why, when you became the Quidditch commentator, I would always look for you when I whacked a bludger at someone."

They both laughed as the memories rushed to the surface.

"If anyone else had asked me to be the commentator, I would have refused. I only did it for you."

"It made me realise how utterly fucking in love you with I was. Am. Always will be."

"Well, it was a good thing you told me, because I'd been utterly fucking in love with you since fourth year."

Sirius sat up straighter, "Really? Fourth year, Remus?"

Remus grinned with half-lidded eyes. He tipped his head back on the stone wall, his teeth gleaming in the evening light. "Of course. When you came back from that trip to Hogsmeade with seventeen boxes of their newest chocolate? When I asked you why, you just said, 'Because you couldn't be there, so I wanted to make up for you being in bed all day'. That was the first time I realised, 'fuck me, I'm in love with this boy!'."

"You sure it wasn't hormones?" Sirius quipped.

"Huh … Well, what's my excuse now?"

"Delayed puberty?"

Remus laughed, shoving Sirius' shoulder. He toppled sideways, the cigarette butt finally fizzing down to the filter. Tossing it onto the dried grass, he ground it out with his boot. Righting himself, he tilted his head comfortably to rest on Remus' shoulder, melting inside when he felt the taller man's arm wind around his shoulder and cuddle him close. Remus dropped a kiss to his head, looping his other arm around, linking his hands together against Sirius' arm.

"We're a right pair, aren't we?" Remus chuckled. "Most people go to a fancy restaurant for date-night. You and I go to the pub for a butterbeer -not even alcohol -and then come to smoke behind a supposedly haunted house like we're fourteen again."

Sirius snorted, "I'm a sentimental sod, so sue me. Besides you know alcohol makes you even grumpier during the transformation."

Remus squeezed him close. "You take such good care of me."

"I always will, Moons."

They stayed that way for a little while longer, the sky going completely black overhead. It was a clear, cloudless night with barely any breeze at all. The stars twinkled above them as they started up, mentally connecting the dots to various constellations as they'd done many times before. Eventually, Remus grew somewhat restless and started to fidget in between Sirius and the wall of the shack.

Leaning up, Sirius gave him a sympathetic smile before kneeling up and offering in his hand to his lover. "Fancy grabbing that ice cream?"

Remus nodded gratefully, "Yes please."

~0~

The sky had darkened outside the flat long after Harry and Draco had cooked dinner together and eaten, crossed-legged on the sofa, idly chatting. It amazed Harry sometimes that they still had things to talk about considering they spent practically every day together, but there was always something new to know about Draco. He couldn't deny the slight giddy feeling he got at knowing the older boy better than anyone else.

Earlier, he had felt as though they'd argued even though they hadn't exchanged any heated words. It was perplexing, almost as though adults argued that way, with a lot of meaningful glances and words left unsaid. Harry hated it. He preferred when people yelled and vented; at least you know what the fuck they were angry about that way, even sometimes it also spiralled into spitefulness.

He was pretty sure he knew what their almost argument had been about. Despite how far they'd come, Draco felt unconvinced by Harry's feelings for him, as well as how unpredictable his future seemed to be as soon as he was handed his graduate's certificate. He understood Draco's stance on the matter, but in Harry's head, he was almost seventeen. He didn't have a current war raging outside his bedroom window, he didn't have the stress of studies or anything else to plague his mind. He was able to take his time, dissect his own memories, evaluate how he felt and responded to each of those now with the benefit of hindsight. He could be critical of himself and yeah, sometimes he hated how impulsive he'd been or regretted things he'd said, but it was all done and dusted.

It also meant that he knew exactly how he felt for Draco. The man had been all sharp angles, like cut glass, when he'd first arrived. However, after a year living with his makeshift family, he'd softened around the edges, and it had opened Harry's eyes to all Draco's good qualities. He'd seen the blonde as 'human' at long last, in a homey environment, not with the façade he paraded around school.

They hadn't spoken much while they'd cooked, other than gently directing or helping one another to prepare the ingredients.

As they cooked the tension ebbed away until Harry was startled when Draco gently nudged his shoulder. Relieved, he'd nudged back and soon their gentle touches resumed, a hand on the small of the others back, a ruffling of the hair, a chaste kiss on the cheek. It was all very domestic.

Once their food was devoured and they'd tidied the kitchen away, this time with magic. Then they'd retired to the bedroom and made a best in the duvet and pillows, even though neither of them was cold. Harry had dug out a pair of muggle playing cards and was trying to teach Draco how to play some muggle games, which led to a lot of laughter. The laughter eased whatever tension had remained between them and Harry had never felt as happy as he had in that moment. Seeing a soft, cosy-looking Draco, grinning down at his hand of cards, and debating on his next move made his tummy flip. They talked about their years at school together, about silly pranks and some of their more classic fights and boyhood scuffles in between lessons, laughing loudly at how obnoxious they'd both been.

"You know, for how jealous I was of you and your adventures and all that winning random points for 'pure love'," Draco croaked in an awful imitation of Dumbledore, "I don't think I'd have stopped myself screaming coming face-to-face with a three-headed dog."

"We definitely didn't," Harry grinned. "Of course, it's terrifying! That thing was huge!"

"It's not still at the school, is it?"

Harry frowned, "I don't … think so? Fluffy has no purpose, really, plus he's massive! He needs to run around."

"Fluffy," Draco scoffed. "Fluffy the three-headed dog, Aragog the acromantula, Norbert the fucking dragon. Do you think he called any unicorns Melvin? Or perhaps one of the merfolk has been named Doris."

Harry laughed, flailing to one side, "Yeah, Hagrid does have an affinity for odd names. Then again, wizarding names can be weird anyway."

Draco sniffed haughtily, though he was smiling. "Fluffy though? Anyone else would have immediately named the pup Cerberus."

"Yes, Mr. Classics-buff, they would. But for all you know, Hagrid's never heard of Cerberus. I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't to be honest."

"I hadn't considered that," Draco hummed thoughtfully. "I do forget sometimes that people learned vastly different things growing up. Not everyone had private tutors."

"I certainly didn't," Harry shrugged. "But then when I was in primary school, I didn't have many friends, so I had a lot of time to fill, especially during the winter. Books were easy to get hold of."

Draco played a card and then plucked another from the pile between them, his knees resting against Harry's bare ones. "So, when you get all your memories back, have you thought about going on a holiday or something?"

Harry looked up, frowning. "A holiday?"

"Yeah. That's what people do in between term time, right? They go on holidays?"

"Well … yeah, I suppose. I've never been on one though."

"Maybe Sirius and Remus will take you somewhere. Get you out and explore a little."

"I'd rather wait until you can come too," Harry shrugged. "Besides, what about your wolfsbane project?"

"That's a slow burn project, Harry, it will take time to build up. I'll take it at a steady pace."

Harry huffed. "Well, I spoke to Sirius the other night about careers and stuff. He said I don't have to section myself into any one thing for the rest of my life. He said I can try something and if it doesn't work out, try something else."

"He's freakishly wise when he wants to be."

"I used to want to be an auror …"

"Not now?"

Harry shook his head and bit his bottom lip. "It seemed like the right thing to want in fifth year, you know? Especially with Umbridge breathing down our necks. But I've heard horror stories from both Remus and Sirius from during the first war, and then from what happened during the second. Granted there's no war on right now, but there are still Death Eaters and supporters out there."

Draco reached out and placed a hand over Harry's, giving it a squeeze.

Drawing in a deep breath, Harry said, "I think … I might want to try-out for Quidditch?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Draco teased softly.

"I just … isn't it frivolous? Here I am, saviour of the wizarding world and all I want to do is play a sport?"

Draco chuckled, "I love that I've skewered your vocabulary. You never would've said frivolous two years ago."

"Draco-o-o!" he shoved the blonde.

"Alright, alright," he chuckled again, despite Harry's weak glare. "Harry, you've done more than enough chasing dark wizards and teaching defensive spells and all that, but I never thought you honestly wanted to be an auror."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Draco placed a finger to his lips.

"Here me out," he ordered gently, "You fought dark wizards because you had to, because if you didn't, you would have died. You did what was necessary. You utilised what we learned in school, like any of us could have done, and didn't. But I never felt that was your passion. It was more like … where you felt your duties lie. Personally, I've never seen you as determined as when we were on the Quidditch pitch. Hell, even against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, you had the same zeal. I think that's where your passion lies."

"So, I'm a jock?" Harry bit back a grin as Draco shoved him against the pillow.

"I never said that. I just feel like you'll never be as young as you are now, you're talented as Hell and everyone would want you on their team, you'd be spoiled for choice. You can always go and be an auror later, or whatever, but I think that, for once, you should just say 'fuck the world', and do what you'd enjoy."

The tension that had been coiling around and around in Harry's stomach for weeks seemed to have stopped writhing, as though the pit of snakes had decided to settle and sleep at long last. Had he really been so wrapped up in his own head that he hadn't seen everything in black and white? Was it really that simple? Turning to face the blonde, he quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Is this your way of living vicariously through me?" he teased.

"Perhaps," Draco sniffed, looking down at his cards. "I'm going to start a jar; whenever you say a word, I clearly taught you, I'll put a sickle in."

"Hey! I knew those words before!"

"Could've fooled me, scarhead, you never used them."

"So … Professional Quidditch, eh?" he asked nervously, biting on his bottom lip.

Draco looked at Harry and swallowed back the teasing retort that had been on the tip of his tongue. Setting his cards facedown on the duvet, he turned so that he was facing Harry and cupped his face in his hands. Harry leaned into the touch, pressing a kiss to Draco's wrist.

"Whatever you put your mind to, Harry, you're going to excel at it," he pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead and murmured, "You'll be great, love."

Harry froze at the word.

Draco seemed to realise what he'd said as he pulled back slightly, his own eyes wide and unblinking.

Harry licked his lips and said, "Did you -?"

"WE'RE HOME!" Sirius called, the bang of the front door echoing down the hall. "AND WE HAVE ICE CREAM! HURRY UP BEFORE REMUS EATS IT ALL!"

"Sirius, we have neighbours!" Remus admonished in a much quieter voice. "Although, do hurry up boys, otherwise I will eat all the ice cream!"

Harry cleared his throat and shifted out of Draco's reach to the end of the bed, heart hammering in his ears. "We should um … go …"

Before he'd even reached the door, Draco was on his feet and crowding him back against the wall, hot, urgent kisses pressed to his mouth. "We're not over-thinking this … right now … okay?"

Harry nodded hastily, leaning into the kisses, desperate for them, aching for them. "Ice cream first … we can carry-on later, okay?"

With one last, fierce kiss, Draco grunted and pulled back, "Okay. Fine. Ice cream first."

With a tug on his hand, Harry led him out of the bedroom.

A/N: So this was a bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. X