Disclaimer: No, not mine; unless they are, in which case I claim them.

A/N: Yes, slash; yes, unbeta'd; yes, please review; yes, you have my thanks. This chapter is for Shell, thanks for fuelling my latest writing mood with your reviews!

4.

It was 12:20 and Draco sighed, he could think of much, much better uses of the hours they had until they needed to meet the Hogwarts crowd at The Tattered Cover. But if Johansen had arranged for his 'colleagues' to stay and extra day it must really be important. Harry was out soundly, and after years of living with Seamus and Ron's infamous snoring, he could sleep through just about anything when he was feeling safe and secure. Draco leaned down and kissed his lover's brow then reached for his bars. He'd noticed that even with all the rolling and turning Harry had made sure Draco ended up on the side with his chair and with that realisation the blond fell that much more deeply in love with the raven haired beauty in his bed.

He got situated in his chair and made a quick circuit around the bed picking up their discarded clothes. He made a mad dash to the laundry and dropped in their clothes, then sped back to his bedroom. He was nearly there when he remembered he was supposed to organise lunch so he retreated to the kitchen and pulled the delivery menus from the drawer near the kitchen phone.

He placed an order with Egret Sandwich Shoppe and Catering, a snooty upscale deli that delivered. He'd seen their delivery van at several of the houses in his neighbourhood before parties and knew from luncheons the Conservatory had catered, their sandwich spreads were actually very good. It'd be enough to impress Johansen and whoever he was bringing, and save himself the time and trouble of pulling together something from the kitchen. Satisfied, he wheeled into his bedroom and scooted over to his closet, he pulled dressy casual clothes, grabbed underwear and a pair of shoes, set everything out, then slid into the bathroom for a quick shower.

By one he was out of the shower and dressing. Quarter past he was directing the delivery guy to set up in their formal dining room, which, more often than not, ended up being a group study table. He rolled back to the bedroom and failed to rouse Harry, so he left a note on the bedside table wrapped around the earpieces of the infamous glasses. He grabbed his portfolio, a notebook, his pen case and reading glasses, slid them into his chair's pocket and rushed into the foyer to pay the delivery guy and shoo him away. He was two minutes into his 5 minute wait when he realised his hair was loose and a mess around his face so he turned threw himself through his bedroom to grab the silver and turquoise barrette Callie had given him for Christmas off the vanity. Bemoaning his decision to cut his hair into layers of varying lengths that framed his face and softened the severity of uniformly long hair, he was ruthlessly yanking it all back into a ponytail when he heard the front bell. Cursing perfectly punctual professors, he snapped the barrette closed, shut his bedroom door carefully so not to wake Harry, and sped into the foyer. He reached the door a bit winded and threw it open just as Johansen was reaching for a second round with the bell.

Poised, controlled, and respectfully aloof, Draco brought the Malfoy training to the fore and waved the three men inside. "Dr. Johansen, welcome to my home. I trust you found it easily enough?" Deploy aristocratic drawl to up the squirm factor--check. He was keenly aware of the scrutiny he and his home were subject to at that moment. And his inner snob cheered at Johansen's poorly veiled disbelief at the admittedly impressive and expensive décor. "If you'll follow me please," he directed after giving his advisor a chance to stare without appearing boorish. None of the three were wearing overcoats so Draco led them past the coat closet without saying anything.

The hardwood hallway actually bisected the 'great room,' which was a living room on the left and a media entertainment space on the right. Just after the living room was the dining room, which had a sliding door. He pulled the door open, waved them inside then shut the door behind them. At Johansen's questioning look he explained, "I share this house with 6 other people who sometimes use this room as a study or work space. If the door is closed however, they know it's in use and won't disturb the occupants."

The tall salt and pepper haired man with Johansen looked impressed. "That's quite a lot of people for one house. Especially with a musician in the mix. You all must be very organised and dedicated students."

Draco smiled, "Please have a seat and help yourselves," he said waving them toward the four place settings across from each other in the middle table, sandwiches and salads were set to each side. "We are," he said finally responding to the compliment. "In fact, you probably met all of my housemates yesterday at the recital reception. Three were in the quartet, another performed my aria and the other two were in attendance to support me and their partners."

The man's brows rose nearly to his hairline. "3 musicians, a vocalist, and a composer all under one roof! That is some feat. I'm surprised you all haven't killed each other yet."

Draco smiled slightly, "It's four musicians, a vocalist, a composer, and a music education major actually. We're all students of the Conservatory and we've survived nearly three years in each other's company. The odds are good we'll make it to graduation. We are all very conscientious about respecting each other's space. It helps too that our practice rooms are soundproofed as are our bedrooms, so rarely do we disturb each other too badly."

Johansen balked, "You have practice rooms?"

Draco nodded curtly, he was getting annoyed. Johansen hadn't made introductions. He hated small talk. He wasn't in any mood to be feeding the school gossip mill about his house, nor did he want to give a tour of his home, "Yes. The garage was renovated and is actually three practice rooms. It's especially convenient for me as not all of the entrances to the Conservatory are ADA compliant, especially the late night entrances so I prefer to practice at home. And of course, if any of us are working on joint projects or collaborations it's nice to be able to do so at any time."

Since he had to play up to Johansen anyway he might as well get in his little dig about his constant complaint to the Conservatory Administration. He noticed with some satisfaction that the men accompanying his advisor looked rather displeased with that revelation and that Johansen himself was now nervously picking at his turkey sandwich.

Draco cleared his throat, "I'm sorry I didn't catch your names gentlemen. I'm constantly running melodies through my head and I am sometimes distracted at inopportune moments," he added a little self-depreciating chuckle but was well aware that he had subtly and politely called attention to his advisor's gaff without putting the man on the spot.

"Oh. Oh well, we all know how it is when you're working on a new project, but since we'd lost your attention Draco, this is Peter Brandeis with the Boston Symphony," Johansen gestured to the salt and peppered haired man at his left. "And to your right is Ashley Caruthers with the London Symphony. Both are old acquaintances of mine and they'd expressed an interest in attending your recital following the glowing profile and review you received in the 'People to Watch' issue of Music Today. We were all very impressed with the quality and originality of your recital pieces Draco."

He nodded and was sure to make eye contact with each man, "Thank you. I worked very hard on those pieces, and I'm glad to learn they were well received."

"Yes, well," Caruthers who'd been silent to this point slipped in, "To be frank we are each interested in making you career offers following graduation Mr. Malfoy. It is evident that you are supremely talented. I, for one, and I'm sure Peter as well, would like to take a look at your portfolio and continue to be in contact with you."

Draco reached behind his chair to pull the thick leather binder and two CDs. "You're more than welcome to examine my portfolio and you may take the CDs as well. There are twelve tracks. 10 are original compositions, 2 are adaptations. I'm afraid none are the pieces you enjoyed yesterday. But if you wish, that recording will be available in another week or so, and I can send you copies then."

Caruthers smiled, "Yes I'd noticed the young woman at the sound board. I'm glad you had the foresight to have your recital recorded. Not enough students exercise that option and lose out on a valuable feedback tool."

He merely nodded and pushed back from the table. "I'll leave the portfolio with you to look over briefly. If you'll excuse me for a moment, there's something I must attend to."

The three men at the table nodded. Johansen and Brandeis rising to join Caruthers in examining the collection Draco decided best represented his range of compositions as he slid open the door and wheeled to the laundry. It was already half two. He had no idea where the time had gone. Luckily Harry's clothes would be dry in about half an hour if he put them in the dryer alone. He picked out his clothes and left them on the drying rack next to the sink, tossed Harry's clothes in the dryer, and headed for his bedroom.

He pushed open his door and smiled. Harry was so beautiful when he slept, even if he was sprawled across the bed, his hair a riot and…yes…he was drooling. Draco laughed at himself for being such a sap and went for the one sure fire way to wake Harry Potter.

He grabbed Harry's right foot and went to work.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! Stop that s-s-stop it! Stop not funny-ha-haah…stop! Draaaaaaaaeee!" After a series of impossibly adorable chortles, whimpers and giggles, Harry managed to yank his foot away from his tormentor, sat up, and glared. "I am now awake. What do you want you cruel, cruel man."

Draco laughed, "We've got an hour 'til we're supposed to be at the Tattered Cover. You need to take a shower, and snag your clothes from the dryer. Schise! I'm an idiot; you could've just used a drying charm. Well never mind, they're in the dryer so you can grab them do the drying charm if they're still damp and spell out the wrinkles. If I'm not back here by 10 after I need you to come rescue me from the dining room. It's the room right next to the living room where you were all sitting this morning." Draco took a deep breath, "Have everything?"

"Shower, clothes from dryer, needed charms, come to your rescue."

Draco grinned, "Great that's everything. I need to get back. I love you Harry."

Harry closed his eyes and smiled at Draco's declaration, "I will never tire of hearing it. I missed the way it sounds from you mouth."

Draco decided that pompous professors could wait, and tugged Harry down for a scorching kiss. When they broke apart for air, Harry rested his forehead against his lover's, "I love you too Dragon. Now go so we can get out of here."

Harry waved him away and he rushed back down the hall to the dining room and slid the door open. "Sorry for the delay gentlemen."

Draco spent the next half hour asking and answering questions and generally working the Malfoy charm. He was about to despair ever leaving the purgatory his dining room had become when there was a soft but firm knock at the door. Conversation ended as Draco called Harry in, and he really did try to keep his eyes in his head and his jaw off the floor. Really. He just wasn't sure he was successful at the attempt. Harry after all was a walking wet dream in well tailored black pants, and a rust dyed chamois button-down that hugged his frame and made his bright green eyes pop from behind his sleek wire rimmed glasses. Suddenly it all became clear to Draco…was it any wonder he'd passed out this morning, obviously his subconscious had registered the presence of his own personal sex god and love toy. Well…perhaps that assumption was a bit much, but it certainly was a possibility.

"I'm sorry for the interruption gentleman, but Draco and I need to meet with the rest of our friends at half three. We haven't seen him in a while and we only came in to catch his recital and we'll be leaving tomorrow so we'd like to spend a bit of time with him before we return home."

Caruthers grinned, "Ah…Mr.-- "

"Potter."

"Mr. Potter. We certainly don't want to keep you. I'm flying back to London tonight myself so I know what a tiring journey it can be. Did all of your friends come in from London?"

Draco interrupted, "No actually. A few friends came in from Salem as well," he lied smoothly. He didn't want Caruthers thinking he had some sort of advantage. It was better to let them think he had personal connections to Massachusetts and England. If he was going to be courted, he wanted to be wooed properly by his prospective employers.

"Um--Harry thank you for the reminder. I'll be right out. If you would snatch the keys from the pegboard in the kitchen I'll meet you on the patio in a minute." Ahhh….the ever dependable golden Gryffindor. Harry disappeared, presumably to the kitchen, and Draco made the obligatory noises about being in touch, thanked them all for visiting, assured Johansen they'd meet on Monday, then all but pushed them out the door. He left a note on the message and mail centre--a hanging teak framed chalkboard with wooden slots to each side about the sandwiches in the dining room, pulled his keys from Harry's outstretched hand, locked the door and headed down the ramp. He wheeled over to the passenger seat and looked expectantly at Harry.

"Tell me that you do know how to drive Potter."

Harry smirked, "Had you for a minute there didn't I? Yes, I know how to drive. Except for that unfortunate Whomping Willow incident 2nd year, I am an excellent driver."

Draco groaned, "You just had to go and remind me of that didn't you."

"Yes I did. Now-what do I need to do?"

"It's pretty simple really, you pull out that little platform there and I scoot on. It raises me up to the seat. I get into the seat and strap in, you push the platform back into the slot fold up my chair and stick it in the back."

It was simple and quick, and in only a couple of minutes until they were on their way downtown.

"Dragon, you can drive, yes?"

Draco nodded.

"So why don't you?"

"Mostly because of my housemates I guess. We all share the Expedition. If I drove it'd have to be a specially modified vehicle, and it'd be a pain for an able bodied driver to switch over all the time. There's really no where I need to go that I can't get to by bus if I want to go alone. And for when I don't want to go somewhere alone someone in the house has always been willing to drive me. Even if they're just using it as a way to escape revising for a little while."

"Mmm. That makes sense." Harry flicked a cautious glance over at his lover, "So…are you just playing hard to get and being a master Slytherin negotiator, or are you really interested in moving to Boston."

Draco smiled, "Getting right to the point aren't we?"

"Dragon…"

Hearing the warning in his lover's voice Draco's smile grew, "Is there really any question luv? I don't care where I am as long as I can make music. If London wants me, London gets me. I just don't want them to think I'm easy. Turn left up there, and then right at the light, and we'll be there."

"Alright. So…"

"No."

"No?"

"No. I don't want anyone to get their hopes up if this falls through. That includes you Harry. They might change their minds. They might decide they don't want to wait 2 months to fill the position. They might decide they want someone with a graduate degree. Nothing is set in stone, and so much can change in an instant. When I have a signed contract, then we can tell everyone. But not until then."

Harry's face fell, "You're not--"

"As Bree likes to say, 'don't go there.' I am not having second thoughts about us. If there's one sure thing in my life it's that I love you, and want more than anything for us to be together. We'll make it happen Harry, I promise. But we need to be patient.

I won't be able to move anywhere until at least the end of June anyway. After graduation I'll need to pack up the house and put it on the market, or work something out with a property management company to let it out. That's going to take a bit of time. But by then I'll have a job at least, and we'll know where we're going to be."

"The end of June?"

"The end of June luv, I promise. Now park over there"

"Bossy git."

"Useless prat."

"Stuff it Malfoy"

"Make me Potter."

"Alright." With a devilish grin Harry kissed him hard, effectively ending their banter, and cut the engine. When he finally broke away to draw a deep breath, he smiled, "I love you Draco."

"I know Harry, and feel free to shut me up that way whenever you want," Draco added with a little goofy grin, one he'd picked up from Harry, of course. "Now go get my chair and let's get in there before Hermione either buys out the store, or Severus lashes someone to death with his tongue."

Before they knew it they were inside and swapping stories of all they'd lived through in the time they'd been apart. Laughter often rang out in the corner they'd claimed for themselves, but there were also moments of contemplative silence, and moments heavy with the sadness of loss.

Draco had missed this. He'd healed a great deal and faced his daemons, but he'd never had the chance to grieve or to celebrate their survival with others who'd lived through it. The war had changed them all greatly, and really no one could understand but other survivors.

In cutting himself off from the Wizarding world, he'd lost so much more than the love of his life, he'd abandoned the network of support that bolstered him through the war, and took his own strength from them. It was a humbling realisation and an important one.

They had missed him, had needed him and it was good to know he was needed, as much as he regretted not being there. It was one more sin for which there was no penance. Just another truth he'd have to learn to live with, just as he'd have to learn to live with knowing that his own misguided attempts to protect his lover led to a killing rage in the most honourable and giving man he'd ever known.

Time flew and 3 hours passed in the blink of an eye. Draco was loathe to give up the company of his friends, but knew it was important that the two halves of his life meet. Slowly they made their way out. Draco gave Hermione direction's to Eva's, the Cuban restaurant where they'd made reservations for dinner, the wheeled himself to the Expedition beside Harry.

"It's odd walking next to you and not feeling you standing at my shoulder," he said quietly as they made their way through the large parking lot.

Draco nodded, "I guess it would be. Does it bother you?"

Harry thought a moment, "Not really, it's just different. It's something to adjust to--like remembering to pitch my voice so you can hear me down there, or remembering to focus my hearing in a different direction. Little things that remind me of how many big changes there have been."

They got to the Expedition and Harry pulled out the lift. He stowed Draco's chair and hopped into the driver's seat. Before he could turn the key Draco took his hand.

"Harry," Draco looked down at their entwined hands and spoke softly. "Today was wonderful. Being with you that way was so…beautiful, and—and…affirming. But…but things are sometimes different when you look at them in the hard light of day and not in the warm afterglow cast by making love. I…I would understand if you felt this was too much to deal with. I don't want you to stay with me, or want me, out of pity. If this is going to be too hard…if you think there are too many changes to handle…I--we…never talked about marriage or bonding.

I have…no--no true claim on you. And I would never want…I don't want you to feel trapped Harry--or…or burdened by me. I-I love you enough to let you go, if that's what's best for you." He forced out the last bit, released Harry's hand, and huddled in on himself. So many things had been said that day and promises renewed, but if Harry was having doubts it would be better to end it before they really began again. It hurt so much and it made him angry, of all people, he thought Harry would see him not his chair.

Draco was so caught in a cycle of self-recrimination and heartache he didn't notice Harry'd left the Expedition. He didn't notice his door opening. He did however notice when he heard a lever click and his seat suddenly whooshed into the full recline position. And he most definitely noticed when Harry clambered on top of him. He looked up into angry green eyes and swallowed hard.

"Don't even think about speaking Draco. I am so angry with you right now I could spit. I can't believe you'd think that of me. I asked before because it's important. Because your paralysis is just something else we have to deal with, just another aspect of you and the changes you've been through. We need to be able to talk about it like it's an ordinary thing and not some…some erumpent in the living room that we're trying to ignore.

"I wasn't trying to be insensitive, or negative, or distant from you. I made a comment about something that is. I mentioned out loud that things have changed. That's all." He stared at his lover hard. "You have to believe that I see you, that I am with you, that I love you. The chair isn't all of who you are, but it's a part of who you are now. I won't ignore it. I won't let you handle everything on your own because you want to spare me, or some such rot. Don't doubt me Dragon.

There are a lot of things I need to heal in myself, and there are things that need to heal in you, and things we need to heal together, and there are some things we just have to accept. You have to accept that I love you, and I will never leave you; that I see you, and respect you. That crap just now tells me that somewhere in you there's a part that's convinced that you're less worthy because of the paralysis, and that part is just waiting for me to realise it and have the world come crashing down on you. You need to exorcise that part because it's never going to happen. Never Dragon. Do you understand me?"

Draco nodded; his eyes itched with the tears he held back. There was a part of him that was still insecure about his paralysis. He was pretty well adjusted, but there were niggling doubts that made it hard sometimes. He'd given into that while Harry was making ordinary conversation. He realised that he didn't let people talk about his paralysis or his chair…he'd explain the mechanics of things, but no one really talked about things once that initial conversation was over. It was something that was there but not there, and definitely not talked about. It was the erumpent in the living room, and just as capable of being explosive, and he hadn't realised he'd been doing it until now.

With Harry above him he couldn't move much so he just ran his hands up and down his flanks, "Thank you. I didn't get it before but I understand now."

Harry nodded, "Good, because nothing is going to come between us ever again Drae. And we are going to talk about everything with each other." He lowered himself further and pecked pale pink lips, but the teasing touch was more temptation than he could resist, and again he bent his head to sample the pleasures his love's mouth offered. He plundered Draco's mouth, forcing the blond to open further and take Harry deeper into himself. He swept his tongue all within that sweet cavern licking against Draco's palate, rubbing against the inside of his cheek, and curling round his wicked tongue. Draco writhed beneath him and made the slight mewl deep in his throat that always zinged Harry straight in the groin, and was guaranteed to make him hard…or, well…harder.

Gasping for breath Draco ripped his head away, turning his face to the side. "Har-harry stop. We need to get to Eva's," he panted, and whimpered as Harry nibbled down the long column of his neck. "Mmm…Harry please. I want you to meet every-unngh-one. Geroff." He pushed weakly at his lover who swept his tongue up Draco's throat one last time and placed a playful smacking kiss on his cheek.

"Okay, but only because Snape will kill me if we don't show up." He slid out of the Expedition and tugged his clothes into place as Draco reset the seat.

"That too. Now c'mon there are people I want you to meet."

Harry smirked and waggled his eyebrows before he shut the door. He found Draco was still laughing when he got back into the driver's seat. "You're mad Potter."

Harry smiled, "About you? Yes. Now how do we get to Eva's?"

Tbc….