Chapter 5: Map Amione

Outside the main entrance, Harry threw the invisibility cloak over Draco and himself before entering the school. They walked arm-in-arm under the cloak toward the entrance to the Slytherin common room. After passing through the nearly deserted corridors of the dungeon, they paused at the closed entrance to the Slytherin common room while still under the cloak so that no one would see them together.

"Well, we're here," said Draco.

Harry just looked down at his feet, filled with uncertainty and hesitated to say a word. Nevertheless, he felt that he did not really want to leave. Draco did not trust that he would be brave enough to continue tomorrow or beyond with their pretence.

"You're shivering" Draco whispered in Harry's ear,

"Come here" drawing Harry in closely to him, he put his arms around his waist and stared straight into Harry's deep emerald green eyes. His deepest desire was just to hold Harry from this moment until the end of time. He hoped nothing would get in the way of their promising friendship. Draco was determined to make this relationship work.

Neither Draco nor Harry had ever really given much thought to their sexuality. Draco always knew that he was attracted to boys more than he was to girls. However, being a Malfoy, he assumed that his final choice for a partner would not be his anyway. His Father, Lucius, seemed to have charted his life from birth so he was petrified about discussing his sexual preferences with him.

Harry had always assumed that he would end up happily married with an endearing witch as a wife and with plenty of little Harrys and Harriets flying around on their training brooms. It never occurred to either boy that the person who would eventually possess their most cherished and sacred possession, their heart, would actually be another boy. Much less likely, neither of them thought that a friendship with their archenemy was possible, much less an amorous attraction.

Muggle love is so intense that its conveyance is mainly thorough speech and action however there is often betrayal of the other partner. Magical love cannot be broken by spells or another's intervention when given freely from one magical being to another. Wizard to wizard marriage is common. Because of the nature of the magical relationships, wizard pregnancy is common and not frowned upon.

The thing that Harry and Draco needed to figure out was what they wanted to do next. They both stood looking at the other with longing eyes and hungry expressions. Being the more forward of the two, Draco put his nose against Harry's so that his eyes were directly opposite his own.

"You are so beautiful. You know that don't you."

Harry's glasses started to steam up from the close proximity of Draco's breath. Although they were under the cloak the flickering torchlight gave them enough light to see each other's face. Harry lowered his eyes. Draco realised that Harry was a little embarrassed at being told this so he repeated it but changed the words to match the hero image that was Harry.

"Sorry, I meant that you are very handsome and powerful. There, is that better?"

Harry pressed his lips against Draco's and kissed him with all his might. Draco responded and for a few moments they felt their life bond igniting. With both having their eyes closed, they did not realise that the heat generated from their touching hands was actually accompanied by something extraordinary. Draco's hands were giving off a faint glow of green energy while Harry's hands were ablaze in red light. The longer they kissed the more intense the light became until the light seemed to join and swirl around each of boys hands.

Pulling away from the kiss, they realised that this was enough excitement for the day and all they were comfortable for the time being. The glow instantly stopped as soon as their lips parted and the heat that seemed to be growing in there hands was now cooling and returning to normal.

"I'm scared of letting you down and not being there for you if people find out. And if things get ugly, shit I'm scared to go to bed in case when I wake this would have been a dream and you will still be my enemy." Harry was rambling.

"Stop that, I am Draco Lucius Malfoy, and I command you to……………"

Giggling a little Harry realised that he was getting the Malfoy equivalent of a team talk. He decided that he would just have to let happen what would happen.

"You better go Draco"

"Will I see you tomorrow Harry?"

"I will see you in class and will send a note to you if I can. We can talk about everything else when we see each other next, okay?"

With that said Draco squirmed out from under the cloak. He whispered the password for the Slytherin house entrance and saw the door appear. When it opened, he disappeared behind it. Harry walked a little further down the corridor under the cloak to be sure he was not being followed. Then he removed the cloak, put it in his pocket, picked up his pace and ran back to the Gryffindor common room. What he needed most of all was his bed. Harry was exhausted.

"Snick, snack, snoop" Harry whispered to the fat lady, who in her sleeping state just swung open and allowed Harry access.

"What the flipping hell have you been doing all day Harry? We've been worried sick, looking all over for you"

Ron spluttered as he hastily jumped up from the game of chess he was playing with Seamus. Hermione, who was pacing back and forth, joined Ron and asked Harry to explain why he had given them such a worry. Harry mumbled something along the lines that he was feeling like a solo day, and that he was sorry that they had worried, and he would make it up to them. Ron accepted this since he was a Gryffindor and that was what best friends did anyway. Ron always trusted what his friends said without question. This made Harry even more upset since he felt at this point in time that he could not tell him the truth.

"Ok mate that's fine, I quite often feel like I want one of them. But are you ok?"

"Yes, thanks Ron. I'm great, just really tired. I think I'll just go to bed"
Harry walked towards the stairway to his dormitory whilst Ron bid him goodnight and continued his chess game.

"I'm not as easy to lie to Harry"

Talking in a strained whisper, Hermione had stepped into his path. Harry looked shocked but knew if anyone would see through any deception where he was concerned it would be she.

Hermione was undoubtedly the most brilliant student that had ever attended Hogwarts and had a worldly wisdom far more mature than her years. She was also a fan of Muggle detective stories and sympathy to anyone who knew her fury because she was so bloody resourceful.

"Hermione I'm not really in the mood for the third degree, can this wait until the morning?"

"Fine if that's what you want, but I don't like you lying to Ron. He looks up to you and will be very upset to know that you spent a whole day with someone he hates"

"What d'ya mean… I mean... how do you know?"

"Really Harry, you are careless at times, I will leave this go for tonight but I want you to promise that you will tell me the truth in the morning"

Harry nodded his agreement, walked past Hermione and started walking to his room. Harry only got a couple of feet away before Hermione called him back and placed something in his hand, The Marauders Map.