Captivation
Important Author's Note: Thanks to LadyDragonWolfKnight, who let me know that the party scene was kind of boring, I went back to read it and by golly it was! I mean, it was very slow because there wasn't much dialogue or anything so I went back and changed a few things during the party. Hopefully it's more interesting now! Sorry about that—I guess I was a bit rushed because of that darn English essay I had to finish.
Warning: Sexual content in this chapter!
Chapter 24: Love's Ordeal
The next couple of months passed by rather fast and soon it was close to the end of the year. Summer break would be coming shortly but it wouldn't be for long since classes started up in July. However, Harry was looking forward to the break. They had won the two other Quidditch matches that they needed in order to compete in the mock finals for the year. After all, the written exams in the last week of April the Quidditch finals would be held on May first. After that whoever won the year-round trophy would have a celebration thrown at their school. And the party would be the lead-in for summer break.
Harry's relationship with Draco was stable in that they were still together. Draco didn't mind when he slept with him on the couch while he was studying, which Harry had done again. Although Draco had initiated the incident at Hermione's birthday party where he combined their sleeping bags, he was still reluctant to show his sensitive side a lot. Harry understood that which is why it didn't bother him. It hadn't even bothered him when the blond had ignored Ron the morning after the party. Not even a glance at the red-head had been made and Ron didn't seem to make any moves to talk to Draco either. They both pretended the other one didn't exist. Harry knew it would take time before he fully trusted Ron again and it would take Draco even longer. And Ron was still accepting their relationship in his own mind, but at least he felt bad about what he had done. That wasn't concerning him now.
However, his thoughts had begun to stray to the future. What would happen after the school? Would Draco still want to be with him? What if Draco got accepted onto a team and he didn't (or vice versa)? Or what if they got accepted onto different teams? Harry wasn't sure what to expect, but he did not believe that after coming this far together (after Draco changed his name and opened up to him) that it would suddenly have to end.
It didn't help that as final exams were closing in (and the last Quidditch match for that year) a bit of strain had been placed on their relationship. It wasn't much but Draco was a very stubborn boy still and he hated to admit when he was stressed out. And unfortunately two weeks before finals both Harry and Draco were stressed out that they began taking it out on each other. Draco criticized his flying and Harry, who normally was level-headed, reacted negatively and began yelling at him. The strain had begun even earlier at the beginning of April when homework began to get more intense. In fact, despite sleeping in Draco's room almost every night, they hadn't had sex for almost a month. That, to Harry, was a sign that they were entering a rocky phase of their relationship.
He was still angry about Draco having criticized his flying, but at the same time he finally realized what the stress was doing to their relationship. It was pushing them to the edge and Harry didn't want it to come to a huge fight that could potentially cause them to break-up. Since it was Wednesday night and they had finished classes, Harry was searching for Draco. When he hadn't found the blond at dinner, he had asked Lucas and Tavis if they had seen him. Tavis had seen him heading in the direction of the library so Harry began walking there, hoping that Draco was in a good enough mood to talk.
As Harry entered the library, since the door was jarred open, he suddenly stopped still in his tracks. From the angle he was at he could get a clear view of most of the library and standing right in front of the door nearby the librarian's desk kept him at a far enough distance away that he hadn't been heard. Draco wasn't the only person in the library. A youthful girl (probably about their age or a year older) was seated at the table with the blond. What made the sight clutch at Harry's heart was that she was seated right next to him—so close that her bare arm was actually brushing up against Draco's. They seemed to be conversing quietly and although Harry didn't want to jump to any conclusions he couldn't help but feel furious.
Before either of them could detect his presence, he slipped out of the library and headed toward his room not even caring that he hadn't eaten dinner. It wasn't like he had caught them making-out or anything—there really wasn't anything there to suggest that Draco was essentially cheating on him, or rather that he had found someone more compatible, but it still made Harry's stomach churn so badly he began feeling nauseous. He had felt this sensation vaguely before. It had been when he had seen Cho dancing with Cedric. The feeling now however was very strong and it filled him with a restless anger that made it impossible to concentrate on anything else.
Even though he hadn't caught Draco actually doing something that would definitely harm their relationship (or end it), it was enough to get him suspicious. Harry had already been feeling like their relationship had reached a brink again and now he was afraid perhaps Draco felt the same way and had decided to open his options up to other people. He would most definitely have to confront Draco; he was going to find out what was going on.
An image of the girl in the clothes shop at Hogsmeade popped into his mind—her pink cheeks, her shy laugh, the way she posed her hand flirtatiously and the way her glossy lips smiled in thanks. And suddenly the fear consumed him. Why would Draco be in the library during dinner with this girl—just the two of them—without having told Harry about it? And he hadn't spotted any books so it didn't seem like they had been studying. Angrily, Harry punched his pillow several times. After everything they had been through trying to figure out how they felt toward one another and the slow progress of their relationship, this had to happen. Draco went through a drastic metamorphosis that allowed Harry to chip away at his defenses and the wall blocking the blond's real emotions and charm to the point of even changing his name and breaking ties with his family so that they wouldn't have to hide their relationship. Now it seemed that their bond was weakening when it should've been getting stronger.
Harry fell asleep a little while later with his troubled thoughts. He woke up earlier than usual the next morning and went to Draco's room. He knew the blond would still be asleep but his anxiety was so intense that he just couldn't wait any longer. He rapped several times before the door finally opened and a disheveled Draco, clad in only his short, silky-black boxers, glared at him.
"Potter, what the hell is wrong with you? It's six thirty in the morning!"
"We need to talk," Harry said bluntly, pushing the door open so he could come inside.
"Potter!" Draco exclaimed in frustration as he came inside. The blond shut the door and angrily crossed his arms. "You couldn't wait till a more decent hour to talk!"
"Where were you at dinner last night?" Harry asked suddenly.
Draco's eyes narrowed. "Potter, I was studying in the library at the beginning of dinner and as I recall you're the one who wasn't there."
"And who were you studying with?" Harry questioned firmly.
The blond slowly uncrossed his arms and approached him. "Are you spying on me now?"
"I wasn't spying!" Harry exclaimed. "I went looking for you at dinner and found you in the library with someone else. You didn't tell me you were going to meet someone."
"So, what are you like my mother now? I have to tell you everything?" Draco shot back heatedly.
Harry felt his anger grow even more. "Who was that girl?"
"Is this an interrogation?" Draco drawled, narrowing his eyes even more. "If you must know, Potter, she's a classmate who asked me for help."
"But I didn't see any books on the table," Harry argued.
Draco scowled angrily. "So if there aren't ten books piled on the table that means I'm lying does it? And anyway, Potter, I can hang out with whoever the bloody hell I want to! Just because I don't tell you about where I'm going every second of the day doesn't mean you have the right to follow me around everywhere and make accusations!"
"Look," Harry raised his voice. "I was looking for you yesterday so that we could talk. We haven't been getting along these past few weeks an—"
"Well now you know why," Draco drawled coolly. "Because you can't help but try to control everybody else, can you? The world doesn't revolve around you, Potter!"
"I never said it did!" Harry shouted, clenching his fists in frustration. "But you could've let me know what you were doing so I didn't have to find you like that!"
"Right, Potter," Draco drawled, "let me just write a list for you to show what I'm doing every minute. Perhaps you'd like to follow me around all day like my shadow? Even come with me to the bathroom every time I need to go because you think I might be hanging out with someone you don't approve of?"
"Stop making me out to be some horrible control-freak! I just wanted to know whether or not something is going on between you and that girl, that's all! I never said you have to tell me where you're going every minute or write down who you hang out with."
"Good, then we agree," Draco drawled, getting back into bed. "I'll hang out with whoever I want to and you'll stop waking me up this early to complain."
"You still didn't answer my question about the girl," Harry retorted, trying to resist the urge to punch him.
"I told you already," Draco drawled, turning away from him.
Harry stared at him biting down on his lip to keep from screaming at the other boy. Finally, he left the blond's room shutting the door rather harshly. Draco had said that the girl asked him for help, but he hadn't stated with what or why there weren't any books out. Harry was feeling so angry and frustrated that he went to the showers in order to relax a bit. While in the shower, he contemplated the steps it had taken in order to get Draco to open up and let his true feelings show. And even throughout their arguments when they weren't quite together they had still gotten through them. Harry didn't know what had happened. Sure, the stress had school had caused them both to become grumpy but it didn't seem like that could be enough. Draco had been a little quiet at Hermione's party, but he had seemed to have fun.
After the shower, Harry didn't feel as tense but he was still angry and upset. At the party things had gone well but then afterward they had slowly begun to get a little worse. He wanted it to work out between them, but he didn't know what to do. He had confronted Draco who hardly told him anything and they ended up getting into another argument. As Harry got dressed and headed to the dining hall for breakfast he tried not to think negatively. Just because they had some arguments didn't mean they were going to break-up, but it was the girl that worried him. Who was she and why did she ask Draco for help out of everyone in the class? Was there something starting between them? Harry was relieved when he spotted Lucas already there. He sat down next to him.
"Hey," Harry smiled softly.
"Morning," Lucas smiled brightly. "How are you?"
Harry sighed. "I had another argument with Draco."
Lucas' smile faded into a concerned expression. "Are things okay between you two?"
"I don't know," Harry leaned his elbow on the table, exhaling deeply. "I saw him with a girl in the library last night. I confronted him about it and he got angry. He said it was nothing but yet he wouldn't tell me who she was. He just said I'm not his mother and that he can hang out with whoever he wants."
"Hmm," Lucas frowned. "It could be that he became defensive because he figured you were accusing him of being unfaithful."
"I guess but I had a right to be suspicious. I mean, why didn't he tell me about her?"
"Maybe he didn't have time to tell you because it happened right away. And perhaps he thought it wouldn't be a big deal to hang out with her without telling you. Without knowing the circumstances of their meeting it is unfair to assume just because he was with a girl that something is going on between them," Lucas pointed out gently.
Harry sighed and raked his hand through his hair. "You're right. It's just that we've been pushing each other's buttons for the past few weeks and…we haven't been intimate for a while," Harry added quietly. "I guess I already was afraid our relationship was weakening so when I saw him with that girl it was like my fear had been proven."
Lucas nodded in understanding. "Just give him a little time to cool off then talk to him again."
Harry nodded and then finished eating. He took Lucas' advice and just left Draco alone that day. He didn't have any classes with Draco like he did the first semester so it made it easier. After lunch, in Harry's second to last class he was approached by a nervous looking boy while everyone was packing up to leave.
"Hi," the boy said softly, glancing downward in embarrassment.
His disheveled brown hair was very short and straight. He also had hazel eyes and his face was turning a bit pink.
"Er, hi," Harry nodded to him. "What's up?"
"Um…I just…well, I…," the boy stuttered nervously, wringing his hands together. "I was wondering if you might have some time to…to show me some of your flying moves. You see…I got into this school based on grades and my essay, which earned me a scholarship too, but I'm honestly not that talented with flying. I'd like to be…and I know you're really good, so I…," he trailed off, glancing down uncertainly.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind helping you out," Harry answered honestly.
The other boy looked up, surprised. "You…really?"
"Yeah," Harry smiled. "If you want to after Quidditch practice today we can meet out on the field."
"Oh thank you!" the boy exclaimed gratefully. "I really can't tell you how much this means to me! I mean, I want to try out for the Quidditch team next year so I thought I should start practicing, but of course I don't know what techniques to practice or how to," he babbled.
"It's fine, really," Harry said, smiling awkwardly. "Er, what's your name?"
"Oh, sorry! My name's Aron Blackwell."
"Nice to meet you," Harry said. "I'm Harry Potter."
"Yeah, I know," the boy smiled and Harry felt even more awkward.
"Er, okay. I'll see you tonight then."
"See you!" the boy exclaimed, waving to him as he left.
Harry left with the few remaining students and headed to his last class for the day. Even at dinner Harry didn't approach Draco who was back in his original spot at a different table beside some boys and girls Harry was vaguely familiar with. Harry was tempted to approach him, but he didn't. Instead he went on eating and then went to practice. Draco was punctual as usual, but Harry didn't even glance in his direction. He wanted to give the blond some space and let him cool down, as Lucas had suggested and then hopefully the next day he could approach him.
Practice ended a bit early because they were going to have intense sessions for the next few weeks until the final match. Instead of following the others back toward the school Harry walked toward the center field and remained there. Everyone had left and he only had to wait fifteen minutes before the boy, Aron, came running toward the field with his broom in hand.
"Hey Harry!" Aron called as he approached him, seemingly out-of-breath. "I'm sorry I took so long."
"It wasn't that long," Harry smiled. "Okay, you ready?"
The other boy nodded eagerly and then Harry posed on his broom. Aron followed suit and the two took off to the sky. Harry began with basic moves, such as spinning or turning rapidly the other boy caught on pretty quickly. Unfortunately, when it came to the spinning, he lost grip of the broom and Harry hurried to catch him. Aron wrapped his arms around him so as not to fall, looking relieved.
"It's alright. I didn't get it right the first few times either," Harry smiled.
That was partially a lie because Harry had been chosen as a Seeker during his first year because of an amazing and graceful move that included not only spinning but diving and pulling up perfectly when he caught Neville's remembrall. However, he wanted to give the other boy some confidence. The boy pulled away, blushing in embarrassment and nodded.
"Let's go again," Harry encouraged him.
He showed him some minor detailed moves, such as learning how to stop abruptly and also ducking at the same time as flying diagonally. Aron, although he was still faltering with the gracefulness of his spins and some of the moves, was doing better after an hour. Harry didn't even realize how long it had been and noticed it was almost curfew. So they stopped and landed. Almost instantly Aron hugged him tightly in thanks. The move was so sudden, Harry stumbled a bit and he turned his face in surprise which caused his face to brush up against the side of Aron's neck and face. After a minute the boy pulled away both blushing and smiling.
"Thanks so much Harry," Aron stated.
With a smile Harry nodded in return. "You're welcome."
The two of them walked back inside and Harry headed to his room. Feeling a bit better after flying around and relieving some stress, he decided that he would try to talk to the blond now. Hopefully they both had had time to cool off. With more positive thoughts in mind, Harry fell asleep shortly after he lay in bed. The next morning he woke up hoping things would be better. When he went to the dining hall however he saw Draco sitting with the same girl from the library. Harry tried to push his fear away and told himself that Draco had said he was helping her. So after breakfast, Harry saw Draco leave with the girl and went to catch up with them.
"Draco!" Harry called out.
The blond stopped and turned and the girl did the same. Harry slowed down and approached them.
"Checking up on me again?" Draco crossed his arms.
Harry's eyebrows furrowed, wondering why the blond's tone sounded forced. "No, I just thought we could talk later."
"I don't feel like talking," Draco stated coolly, as if he was angry.
Harry was trying not to get angry in front of the girl so he bit his tongue and nodded.
"Could we at least get together later?"
"I'm busy tonight," Draco stated, glancing at the girl from the corner of his eye.
"Okay…when will you be free?" Harry asked, trying so hard not to raise his voice.
"I'll let you know," he stated, turning around to signal he was done talking.
Harry didn't even wait to watch them walk away for he headed in the opposite direction, inwardly fuming. Draco was suddenly being cool and distant again and Harry didn't understand why. He thought that giving him some time to cool off would allow him to get through his stress from studying. He decided that despite the blond's cool attitude he was going to confront him again that night. So after Quidditch practice Harry followed Draco up to his room.
"Potter, why are you following me?" Draco quipped in annoyance as he entered his common room.
"I told you we need to talk," Harry said firmly.
"And I told you I was busy tonight," Draco shot back, tapping his wand on his door to open it.
"Draco, why are you acting this way?" Harry blurted out as the blond took a step inside his room.
"Why?" he exclaimed. "Because you're being annoying Potter!"
"How am I being annoying? I'm trying to work things out between us!" Harry shot back.
Draco suddenly wheeled around to face him and took a step outside of his door. "Work things out? Is that what you call flying around with some other boy?"
"What?" Harry's eyes widened. "I can't believe it! So you complain about me supposedly spying on you but then you do the same thing?"
"That's not the point Potter!" Draco angrily exclaimed while narrowing his eyes. "I saw you two being all cuddly with each other. You were out there for a long time with him. So just because you assume I'm having some fling with a random girl you can just go off with someone else even when you have no proof against me, is that right?"
"I wasn't going off with him, Draco! I was helping him with his flying moves!"
"I saw you two hugging and it didn't look like a friendly hug!" Draco shouted.
Harry glanced around the common room nervously and then back at the blond. "Can I please come inside so we don't make a scene?"
Pursing his lips, Draco flung the door open and Harry entered his room. The door was slammed shut behind him and the blond crossed his arms angrily.
"Nothing happened between me and Aron! He was just hugging me in thanks for teaching him some flying moves!" Harry exclaimed in exasperation.
Draco snorted in response and leaned up against the door. "Well it seems like he's more interested in getting close to you," he drawled.
"Look, you're the one who didn't want to talk to me! I gave you some space so that we could both cool off! I'm telling you that Aron asked me in class to help him with his flying techniques and he hugged me in thanks. Ask him yourself if you don't believe me! And at least I'm giving you all the details. You wouldn't even tell me what you were helping the girl with or even what her name was!" Harry argued, gesturing with his hands.
Draco uncrossed his arms, furrowing his eyebrows. "She is a classmate who needed help with her essay because her English isn't perfect, alright? When you saw us in the library I was telling her about what we learned in class and how she might do an outline for her essay!"
"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Because you were being nosey, Potter!" Draco shouted, sounding frustrated. He suddenly walked to his desk and began closing some of his books. "You acted like you automatically knew what I was doing and you were treating me like I was some child! I don't need you to watch me every minute and isn't having a relationship about trusting the other person?"
The question surprised Harry and while he knew that was exactly the case, hearing it from Draco had stunned him.
"Er…yeah," Harry agreed, feeling his anger decrease a little. "I'm sorry, okay? I know I jumped to conclusions. It's just that we have been arguing for the past couple of weeks due to stress from school and we've been taking it out on each other. That's why I jumped to conclusions so fast because I was worried our relationship was weakening."
Draco snorted again and crossed his arms. He leaned up against the bed post and remained silent. Harry sighed and approached him slowly.
"I'm sorry," he repeated sincerely.
Glancing at him as he shook his bangs from his face, Draco shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine, Potter."
"Please don't close up, Draco," Harry said, approaching even closer.
The blond stared at him and then raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Harry stood less than a foot in front of him. "I mean that I know we've both been under stress lately, but please don't let that get between us. It was my fault for accusing you like that. So don't distance yourself because you're angry."
"I'm not angry, Potter," Draco inhaled deeply.
"So, you forgive me?" Harry asked.
Draco snorted in amusement. "Yes, Potter."
"And…are we still okay?"
"Wonderful," Draco drawled.
Harry couldn't tell if he was making a joke or not but he rose his hand up and gently began easing Draco's bangs away from his eyes. The blond just stared at him silently, not seeming to mind what he was doing.
"So, were you jealous of Aron?" Harry asked, his tone sounding subtly amused.
"Potter, don't flatter yourself," Draco said, snorting. "You're the one who seemed to be in a jealous rage."
"I wasn't in a rage," Harry argued.
He then stepped even closer to the blond. Slowly, Harry wound his fingers in Draco's hair and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. It had been a couple weeks since he had kissed him passionately and as their lips collided Harry actually felt something in his gut. Almost instantly, the chaste kissed turned into longing and the desperation of not having felt each other's touch in a while. Draco's hands moved to his back and the heat began flaring between them. Just like in the Hogsmeade changing room, their desire which had been pushed down during their arguments was finally released.
Draco grabbed Harry's shirt roughly and pulled him over to the bed. Draco toppled ungracefully onto it first and as soon as Harry landed on top of him he began moving his lips across the blond's cheek to his neck. Harry began kissing and sucking on the blond's neck causing audible sighs and groans to emit from the other boy. With a wave of his wand Draco's shirt disappeared and Harry began trailing his lips over the blond's chest. Draco let out a soft groan as Harry lips passed over a nipple and began sucking down across his muscular abdomen. He explored the blond's body noting places where he was more sensitive and responsive, such as his ribs and close to his hip.
Then waving his wand again Draco's pants vanished and Harry began kissing down farther, tonguing the waistband of his boxers. Draco's breathing was deeper now and he let out a harsh breath as Harry moved the left side of his boxers down with his mouth. Draco's bare hip was revealed and Harry kissed on it before trailing his tongue along the bone and then dipping down into the crease of the blond's pubic bone. Draco's body shifted and he took in a deep breath, obviously becoming aroused as Harry went closer and closer to his destination. Harry kissed over the blond's thigh, covered by his boxers, and moved his lips across the blond's erection. Draco's fists clenched the bed covers and he let out a sound.
Finally, Harry slid the boxers down and stared at the erection, trailing his tongue down the blond's hip before he moved his head toward the bulging penis. He took the tip in his mouth slowly and Draco's hips arched up as he groaned deeply. Instinctively, his hands came up and wound in Harry's hair. Gently, Harry tongued the soft, sensitive flesh of the tip of the blond's penis before engulfing the whole thing in his mouth. Draco let out a loud groan and tightened his grip on Harry's hair as he began to suck consistently. Harry moved his head allowing the penis to slide out of his mouth a bit before he sucked harder as he took it back in. Draco let out a couple groans and moved his hips upward. Harry did this a couple times until Draco was dripping pre-cum in his mouth. He didn't want to finish the blond off so he let the penis slide out. Harry then waved his wand over himself so he was wearing nothing.
Harry then grabbed Draco's hand and the blond began to sit up. Without really even thinking, Harry moved to sit on Draco's lap with his legs spread apart. The blond seemed to understand what he wanted for he adjusted his own legs in his sitting position so that his erection was lined up with Harry's entrance. Harry slowly raised his body up and felt Draco's erection entering slowly. It had been a while since they had sex so while Harry was tighter than usual it felt so much more intense. Harry groaned deeply, closing his eyes and leaning his head back as the erection was gently pushed further and further inside of him.
Once Harry was adjusted, he rocked forward and it sent waves of pleasure through both of them. Draco's arms tightened around Harry's lower back and waist as they moved in sync. The blond remained in a sitting position as Harry rode him. After becoming adjusted their pace began to quicken until the bed was trembling from the force. Draco was gripping his hips painfully hard as he groaned loudly. Their bare chests rubbed together every time Harry rocked forward. After some time, Harry leaned down and pressed his lips to Draco's, sliding his tongue inside of his warm mouth. Draco accepted the kiss instantly and their tongues wrapped around one another's even as their pace continued. Harry was gasping for breath when he finally released his orgasm. It came between them, getting on Draco's chest and stomach but he didn't even seem to notice. The blond's eyes were shut and he groaned deeply as Harry continued to rock back and forth with the help of Draco's hands that were on his hips. The blond released his orgasm moments later and Harry groaned as he felt the hot sperm flow inside his passage.
It took them some time to come down from their ecstasy and when they finally did Harry slid off his lap and began tugging the blond toward the head of the bed. Draco followed his direction and the two of them slid under the covers, after waving a cleaning spell. Harry then pushed his body right up against Draco's and laid an arm across the blond's chest. They lay in silence for several minutes.
"Draco, we need to find a way to deal with school stress without taking it out on each other," Harry said gently, running his fingers up his chest to his neck.
Draco inhaled deeply and then tilted his head to glance down at him. "That ruins the point of make-up sex, Potter," he said, sounding amused.
Harry laughed softly. "I guess you're right. Er, Draco?"
"Hmm?" the blond questioned sounding a bit tired.
"I was wondering if we could just talk, you know like friends."
"About what?" he asked, shifting back to look at him.
Harry gave him a small shrug and tilted his head so their eyes locked together. "Anything. Let's just open up to each other. Tell me anything that's bothering you now or in the past."
Draco snorted softly. "Like what?"
"Um…like maybe the war," Harry suggested gently. "Like doing Voldemort's bidding or your parents or what it was like growing up for you."
Letting out a breath, Draco stared up at the ceiling in silence for what felt like a while but it was only a few minutes.
"My father basically controlled the way I thought about people, things, the world," Draco began quietly. "He never complimented me he only said what I could improve on and what a Malfoy heir should think like and act like. He yelled at me quite frequently."
"He never hit you, did he?" Harry interrupted, glancing at him with concern.
Draco shrugged lightly. "Not much. More when I was younger and still learning but it was only occasional slaps on the arm or cheek. It wasn't like he beat me."
Harry snuggled up closer and nodded. "He sounds like a bastard."
Draco's lips curled into a smile. "Yeah. And he told me that if I didn't join Voldemort's ranks he was not only going to disown me but that sooner or later Voldemort would find out that one of the family members who's supposed to be loyal to him wasn't and that he'd track me down and kill me or force me to join. So my father told me it's better to join now and do so willingly. My father left no room for argument and kept telling me gruesome stories about what the Dark Lord did to people. Eventually, I agreed out of fear. My very first mission was to kill Dumbledore," Draco stated with bitterness and displeasure. "Not even the Dark Lord had been able to kill Dumbledore thus far but he gave that assignment to me; a new recruit who was much younger than anyone else among his followers."
"Definitely unfair and cruel," Harry said angrily. "Did he ever…you know, torture you?"
"Once," Draco said coolly. "It was when I failed to kill Dumbledore the first time around. He called me in front of many of his other followers including my father and lectured me about failure then he put me under the Cruciatus curse and told me if I failed again it would be the last time. My mother was paranoid so she told my Godfather Severus—"
"Snape is your Godfather?" Harry interjected with surprise.
The blond nodded and continued. "Yeah, so she made him swear to an Unbreakable Vow to help me no matter what so I wouldn't get killed. That's why he killed Dumbledore for me; he honestly had no choice."
"That's…shocking," Harry whispered. "I had no idea. I always thought he was pretending and that he had done it because he had been on Voldemort's side the whole time."
"Truthfully he probably would've killed him anyway even if he hadn't made an Unbreakable Vow."
"Yeah," Harry agreed darkly. "So…when I saw you in the bathroom crying?"
"That was after I had been tortured and told I had one more chance," Draco said, shrugging uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. And I'm really sorry for using that spell on you. I honestly had no idea what it was or that it would hurt you so badly," Harry said.
Draco snorted and shook his head. "It's in the past, Harry so it doesn't matter."
Harry blinked in shock. "You called me by my first name."
Glancing down at him, the blond stared at him looking a bit surprised at well. He obviously hadn't noticed the slip. Smiling widely, Harry leaned up and kissed him gently. Draco kissed him back and Harry remained up against him.
"Potter?" Draco asked after a long moment of silence.
"Hmm?" Harry asked, opening his eyes.
"Aren't you going to tell me what you went through?"
Harry tilted his head upward and his eyes widened. "You want to hear it?"
Draco rolled his eyes a bit. "I thought you wanted to talk."
"I do, I just…Yeah, I can tell you," Harry said, feeling his stomach flutter. "Well besides having relatives that locked me in a cupboard and starved me, I guess it started when I first learned I was a wizard."
Draco glanced down at him and his eyes gleamed an unreadable emotion. Harry wasn't sure what he was thinking but he just continued. He began briefly about the Dursleys and went into how he found out his parents were murdered. Then he skipped over his brief meetings with Voldemort through the Chamber of Secrets and so forth. Finally he got to the prophecy and how he lost his Godfather.
"Then Dumbledore told me about how Voldemort achieved immortality by splitting his soul and placing them into specific objects," Harry said, after a long talk.
"Is that why he was so hideous?" Draco asked.
Harry laughed. "I'm not sure, but that's a good theory. Anyway so I basically had to find however many of these Horcruxes he had and destroy them. Dumbledore destroyed one and his hand turned all black and charred so I can't imagine that I would've survived destroying them all, even if I could have found them. So that's when I went back in time and stopped Voldemort from learning about Horcruxes which was no easy task. It felt like it took me months while I was there. Thankfully time didn't really pass in the present, but it was hard finding any books that Tom Riddle might use and then corrupting Professor Slughorn's memories. But it actually worked."
"You didn't think it would?" Draco asked curiously, glancing at him.
Harry moved his head over the blond's shoulder. "No, I wasn't sure it would. But it was really my only option since I couldn't even find one Horcrux. Voldemort had cleverly hidden them. Still I'm glad it did."
Smiling, Harry stared up at him and Draco gazed back. Harry reached up a hand to caress the blond's cheek and was surprised when Draco was the one to bend down for the kiss. As their lips connected and began to passionately move in a slow rhythm Harry felt relief along with happiness flow through him. It seemed that Draco's defenses had finally been completely broken.
TO BE CONTINUED…
To Reviewers:
Narcoleptic86: Yeah I realized the party moved slowly which is why I changed the party scene a bit. It should be better now. Yes, now Harry and Draco can really move on to bonding now that they've gotten things out in the open and they've become even closer, surprisingly. This was kind of the step that was needed in order to break Draco's shell entirely.
QuincePaste: Thank you! I changed the party scene a bit in the last chapter because it was moving too slowly so it should be more interesting now! And now Draco's shell has finally been completely broken! Yay!
DestinyEntwinements: Yep, Draco made a move last chapter and now this chapter is finally showing that his shell has been completely broken. Now the real bonding can begin!
GreenEyedCatDragon: Yeah, I think Ron already had a nice wake-up call seeing them lying together, lol! But you're right, it'll take some time for Harry to forgive Ron and the red-head will see him and Draco together more.
GoddessMoonLady: Lol! Yeah, it's too bad the mirror interrupted them, huh? Yes, Draco finally has lowered all defenses now. The stress actually brought them closer together so finally the real bonding can begin!
Skittlelove: Yes I do love metallic clothing! It's so shiny and pretty and I'm like drawn to it like a bug is drawn to a light. Lol! So I had to have Harry and Draco in some metallic clothing. No, I agree. Draco isn't happy with Ron and won't be for a long while! Oh that's alright! Review whenever you get a chance, lol!
JennBenn3148: Aw, thank you! I'm so glad you like this! Yes, I purposefully made Ginny to be a jealous bitch because I really do think that after growing up and turning pretty and having boys all over her (plus having had a crush on Harry since she was ten) would make her want Harry even more (since he was seemingly not interested). Plus, since J.K. put them together in the sixth book, to my disappointment, I couldn't every well ignore that so I had to find a way to show that Harry wasn't interested. Lol! I think maybe I overdid it in some parts, but she's finally gone now! Yeah I'm not a Ron/Hermione fan either. At one point I was a Hermione/Harry fan, but slash is much more interesting! Hehe! I'm so glad you think Draco and Harry are still in character. It's very hard since technically by the canon characters they wouldn't ever come together, so I'm very relieved to hear that! Thank you very much! I shall update asap!
Smurff: Lol! Yes you are very dedicated! And I don't know why FF didn't alert anyone. But I did change the party scene last chapter (a bit) because someone told me it was too slow-moving and I read it over and it was. So it should be a little more interesting now.
Cath: Thanks very much! Yeah, Draco can be cute when he wants to be, lol! I shall update asap!
Fudgebaby: Thank you!
Shoozie: Oh cool an eyebrow piercing? Did it hurt? I only have two piercings on both ears but that's enough for me. You're right—piercings are hot though! Especially on Draco! I shall update asap!
C.Khafre: Thanks! I was told it was a little boring so I did change the party scene so it runs smoother now. And I think it's a bit more interesting. It was a bit boring, lol! But I'm glad you were satisfied enough. And hopefully this chapter is even better! Hehe! Yeah, homework's a killer! I almost went over my goal this time! Hopefully I can get the next chapter up sooner.
Branwen777: You're right, Draco's slowly initiating things. First comes acceptance then comes initiation, lol! So finally Draco's shell has been completely opened so he'll start initiating things more. Also I changed the party scene a bit so it's more interesting now. And I guess you got your wish, in a way. The two of them basically became a bit jealous, lol! Yeah too bad the mirror interrupted them last chapter, huh? Lol! Well at least you got your fill in this chapter!
The Real Jackie-O: Thank you very much! I'm very happy to hear you like this!
The Earth Mystic: Yeah, I love Twister! Lol! I did change the party scene a bit though so it's more interesting now. Draco was a bit distant in this chapter because he was in front of people, especially some from Hogwarts who knew him before. Also he was looking back on how things had changed so quickly between them and he was surprised by it. And this chapter shows that his shell has finally been completely broken so now the real bonding between him and Harry can begin!
Jeje: I'm glad you like the sleeping bag scene! Lol! Yeah, Draco can be cute when he wants to. Also, I did change the party scene a bit, because it was rather slow-moving, so it should be a bit more interesting now. :-)
SilverJadlyn: Wow, you read all 24 chapters? I'm really happy to hear you like this! Yeah, some other reviewers said they either skipped over it because of its summary (because post-Hogwarts stories I guess turn out not as interesting as when it's kept in the canon) but also many said they skipped over a lot of the Prologue, which I don't blame them! I don't like Ginny/Harry but since J.K. put them together I couldn't ignore that. I just had to find a way around it, lol! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm really glad you're enjoying this! Just out of curiosity when you finally opened this to see what it was like, did you skim the prologue too or did it interest you from the start? Just good facts to know for improving my writing. Hehe! And yes I do feel very happy you put me on your favs! Thanks!
Fourth-face-of-the-goddess: Lol! Sorry there wasn't much detail about Draco's reaction. It wasn't actually that important, but at least you know what happened (briefly). I will update asap:-)
GrimWriter: Lol! Sorry this took a little longer than expected to get out. I really am hating homework right now! ARGH! But anyway, I shall update asap!
Ghosthly-Shadow: Yeah, Ron is back although Harry is still going to have a hard time trusting him for a while. And Draco even more so. But things are finally looking up now! More fluff to come!
LadyDragonWolfKnight: I am very happy you told me that. I went back to re-read the party scene and it was rather slow-moving. So I changed the main party scene so hopefully it flows better and is more interesting. Thanks for being honest with me! And yes, Ron apologized but it'll still take time for Harry to completely trust him. At least Draco's shell has finally been completely shattered now! Yay for make-up sex:-)
gbheart: I'm glad you liked it! I did change the party scene a bit to make it more interesting. And yes, Draco can be cute when he wants to be! Hehe! Yes, finally Ron is sort-of back in the picture so things are looking up!
Kari-Sama: Oh yes, it'll take some time before Harry completely trusts Ron again. It'll take Draco twice as long, lol! But like the chapter states, it's a step forward at least. And yes, Draco can be cute when he wants to be, lol! He will have more cute moments!
Hkph: Oh good! I'm glad the party scene was interesting! I had to change it (and you luckily read it after I revised it) because it was pretty slow-moving at first. I'm glad you thought Draco's questioning was in-place. It just had to come eventually, especially since a lot has changed between them in such a short amount of time. I shall update asap!