Author's Note: Yeah, well, this is a weird beginning even for me. And of course, I couldn't finish it until I'd resolved Harry's issues in general (don't worry, there is a little smut). Enjoy!
Harry entered a corridor, startled not only to find Draco Malfoy in a mostly unused part of the castle, but also that the blonde regarded him seriously for several seconds. "Come with me," he urged, "there's something you need to see."
Without thought, he followed the blonde down another corridor, telling himself it was only because he was curious – and he wasn't appreciating the blonde's arse. He had one look, since this was the only time he'd been behind the blonde when his school robes hadn't been in the way.
He hastily raised his eyes when the blonde turned and held his finger to his lips. Harry's eyebrows rose, but he nodded. The blonde gestured for him to get closer. Then he slid a tapestry away from the wall, and led the brunet into an antechamber.
Harry flinched when female moans started. He turned to the blonde in shock. Again, the blonde held his finger to his lips, and slid a still painting aside enough to reveal a hole big enough to peer through. Harry shook his head harder as the moans got louder.
Draco leant until his mouth was against Harry's ear. "You really need to see who it is," he spoke, voice the softest whisper. Tense, the brunet gave a short nod and leant forward. He pulled back like a scalded cat in a split second. Closing his eyes, he took a deep, inaudible breath…and looked again.
Once he was certain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he retreated from the room, the blonde behind him. "This isn't a trick, is it?" he asked softly as he led the blonde away from that section of the castle.
"I wouldn't be that low," he stated.
Harry nodded in acknowledgement and ducked into a disused classroom. "Why did you show me?" he asked softly. The blonde's eyebrows arched. "I need time to process."
"All right," he murmured, and settled against a wall with his arms crossed. "A classmate bragged. I normally wouldn't pay the least attention to it, but what he said seemed too accurate to be mere boasting. I pointed him in the direction of that room, and had just come out after seeing for myself the truth of his words." He paused for a moment, then continued honestly. "I had just been debating on what to do with the information, when you arrived and decided it for me. After all, if our positions were reversed, you would tell me if my girlfriend was cheating on me."
"Even if I didn't have proof yet," he admitted. "Which would cause more problems than it solved," he added ruefully.
"Sometimes it works to your advantage."
"A very small amount of times. Okay, I've got to ask, why was she…?"
"While it is acceptable to conceive before getting married, it is taboo to give birth to the child out of wedlock, and since it isn't possible to get married before the age of sixteen…"
"Why not just use contraceptive charms? I mean, rather than-" he cut off, blushing.
"Contraceptive charms can fail. It doesn't happen often, but most don't take the chance. And the act itself can be pleasurable, if parameters are met," he added negligently.
"That can feel pleasurable?"
"For women and men," he replied easily. "I'd offer to show you, but since men can get pregnant too…"
"Men can get pregnant?" he repeated, shocked.
"You didn't know that?"
"Obviously not," he retorted. "Wait, did you just-" he cut off with a scowl. "I don't want pity," he stated firmly.
Draco smirked. "No pity," he drawled. "Just admiration, and you can't tell me you don't feel the same. I felt you staring at my arse." Harry blushed. "Too soon?"
"Well, considering she's cheating on me, I'm considering the relationship as over, even if she doesn't know that yet. You really want to sleep with me?" The blonde crossed the distance between the two of them in a smooth glide, cupping Harry's cheek before he plundered the brunet's mouth. "That's a yes," he breathed.
"I've wanted your attention from the first," the blonde stated, stroking his cheek gently with his thumb. "If you want to leave sex until we've begun relations, I can wait."
Harry glanced down, and spotted the bulge in the blonde's trousers. "I can't leave you in this state," he stated with a grin and slid down to his knees. "Can't guarantee I'll be any good though," he warned as he released the blonde's hard cock from its confines.
"Don't do this because you feel you have to," the blonde implored.
"I'm not," he assured with a smile, before a wicked grin curved his lips, "though you do deserve a reward for your good behaviour." His tongue flicked out and lapped the beads of precum off the head. He let out a pleased hum and sucked the head into his mouth, taking a moment to grow accustomed to the sensation before he started to take more of the blonde's shaft into his mouth.
Soft moans spilled from Draco's mouth, causing Harry's bright green eyes to fill with satisfaction. He got halfway and came back up to breathe. His eyes flicked up to the blonde blissed-out expression and took a deep breath, before determinedly taking whole of Draco's cock into his mouth and down his throat.
He quickly came back up and gasped for breath. "Go easy," the blonde murmured, tenderness in his expression. "It's not like you've done this before. Or have you?"
"No," Harry gasped, "but I want you to feel good."
"Go halfway and stroke the rest, I promise it'll feel good." Harry nodded and followed the blonde's instructions. "That's it," Draco purred, stroking Harry's hair gently. "That feels so good." Harry dipped his head again, moaning at the feel of the blonde's cock on his tongue. "Harry, I'm-" he gasped in warning. The brunet sucked harder. "Harry," he moaned as he came, flooding the lion's mouth with seed. Harry swallowed and withdrew, sighing wistfully. Draco smiled fondly. "I volunteer for any future practise."
Harry grinned. "But I want more than that," he stated, and rose gracefully. He leant up and offered his mouth for an open-mouthed kiss the blonde couldn't resist.
When they parted, they were both panting heavily. "I don't care if other people think it's too soon, this has been years in the making," Harry stated.
"Marry me," Draco breathed.
Harry giggled, then blushed. "Let's at least try dating first." He looked over the blonde's frame and back up. "Or at least, ask me once you've had time to think about the ramifications," he murmured.
Draco took his mouth again in a heated, possessive kiss, his hand gliding down until it could caress Harry's cock through his trousers. His lion moaned into their kiss. He pulled back and Harry pouted, causing the blonde to chuckle. "I have to find out what you want," he drawled, smirking at the brunet's shiver. "Want me to stroke you…or return the favour?" he tempted.
"Suck me," he breathed, "please."
"With pleasure," Draco purred, unable to resist taking his lion's mouth another time before he delivered.
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
"Harry Potter, don't walk away from me!" Ginny yelled. "We need to discuss this."
He paused with a sigh and turned back to face her. "What is there to discuss?"
"You can't just say we're over without an explanation," she spoke heatedly.
His eyebrows rose. "I know you're cheating on me Ginny," he spoke with resignation.
"Whoever told you that, they're lying!"
He scoffed. "I saw you Ginevra," he stated.
"Polyjuice-"
"You really think someone would use Polyjuice," he interrupted, "a potion that takes a month to brew, to convince me you were cheating on me?" She licked her lips. "Just be honest with me."
"It was just sex," she spoke quickly.
"That makes it worse," he said hotly. "Throwing away our relationship for something meaningless." He shook his head. "Look, I am trying to do this as nicely as possible, so just leave it, all right?" He spun on his heel.
She caught his arm and spun him back to face her. "Is there someone else?" she asked shrilly.
"Only after I knew you were cheating on me," he stated and tugged his arm from her grip. "Don't try and turn this back on me Ginny, you cheated on me Merlin knows how many times." He blew out a breath. "Just leave it." He strode from the room before she could say anything else.
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
Harry sat by the lake, gazing at its tranquil water. "How could you do it?" Ron demanded.
He was pretty sure he knew what this was about. "What?" he asked with resignation as he turned.
"How could you break my sister's heart?"
"She cheated on me Ron," he spoke flatly. "I bet she didn't tell you that bit."
"Who told you?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "They could have been lying."
"No one told me Ron," he spoke with a sigh. "I saw it for myself."
"Shit," Ron spoke with feeling as he cringed. "Sorry," he breathed as he plonked down beside the brunet. "Who…?"
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Hit me with it."
"Theo."
"Theodore Nott?" he asked, aghast.
"Mm, no accounting for taste," he retorted.
"You know you're part of her taste, right?" he asked with a grin.
Harry snorted. "I tried to be nice about it, by the way," he informed. "Tried to just end it without blame. She wouldn't let me," he added with a shrug.
"That's Ginny," he murmured. "We okay?"
"Long as you're not pissed at me about it."
"I just reacted," he stated. "If I would have thought about it, I would have realised it didn't make sense. You don't do anything without a reason, even if it's not easy to see."
Harry snorted again. "Sometimes even I don't know why I do things."
"What are you going to do?"
"Hope the drama dies down soon." He licked his lips. "But I've actually got someone else that's interested," he spoke slowly. "It started after I knew about Ginny."
"I know," Ron replied. Harry's eyebrows rose. "You're not the type to cheat, you're too loyal."
"Thanks."
"Welcome." He met his best friend's eyes solidly. "Look, if she tries to make things awkward for you, I'll tell everyone the truth."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
Harry tugged Draco into a classroom. "Hello," the blonde drawled.
"Hi," he responded with a smile. He shook himself. "Have you been besmirching Ginny's character?"
"She has been doing that to you," he drawled. His lion waited, and he sighed. "I simply corrected the rumours, by encouraging Theo to brag in the hearing of other Houses." Harry opened his mouth. "You only had relations with me, because you considered your relationship over the moment you discovered she was cheating, it was simply a matter of making it official. I can understand protecting one's own or family's reputation, but pointing the finger of blame when it is your own is unacceptable."
"You mean like you and Buckbeak?" he retorted.
"I could hardly admit it was my own fault for ignoring Hagrid's warning," he defended. "And I never pushed to have him sacked, did I?"
"No, you just milked it," he retorted, unable to help his smile.
"Well," he drawled, with a slight shrug. "I don't understand why you don't," he murmured.
"I don't like attention," he replied immediately.
Draco cupped his cheek and he leant into the touch. "You enjoy mine, don't you?"
He rubbed his cheek against the blonde's hand. "Now we're having pleasant interactions, I do," he answered honestly. "I don't enjoy being the centre of attention. I can cope with Quidditch matches, because I'm one among the crowd that's being watched."
"How did you cope during the Tournament?"
"I had more pressing concerns." He glanced up at the blonde. "You want to spend next Hogsmead weekend together? Or would you sooner-" his rush of words was stilled when the blonde placed his fingers gently over his lips.
"I would love to," he replied.
Harry gently lifted his fingers. "But what about-"
"If I need to, I can say I'm working on corrupting you, but I need you to know that I want to be with you."
"Draco," he breathed, "that's dangerous." The blonde blinked. "If he discovers that you genuinely want to be with me, not that you're working on getting into my good books to either see if I could be swayed to his side, or deliver me to him, there's no telling what he'd do to you," he spoke in a rush. He blew out a breath. "Did you follow that?"
"Yes," he assured. "What would you have me do instead? Keep our relations a secret, and hope that somehow everything will work out all right?"
Harry licked his lips. "It would be safer for you, if we kept things a secret until after things are resolved. Whether the Dark Lord is defeated, or ultimately wins and I die, it would be less dangerous for you in the interim if he didn't know about us." The blonde opened his mouth. "He could torture for just for doing it, not to mention he would use you as bait for me," he stated. "And once I walked into his trap, there's no telling what he would do to you while I was watching, because he would know it would hurt me to see it."
"Surely he is not undefeatable," he murmured.
Harry blew out a breath. "I don't have all the information yet – the Headmaster has a habit of only giving me dribs and drabs – but he made Horcruxes."
"Are you certain?" he demanded.
"We viewed a memory of him discussing it with Slughorn."
"How many has he made?"
"In the memory, he discussed making seven, but I don't know if he actually made that many," he stated. "There was the Diary, and the ring, that have both been destroyed, but other than that…" he trailed off.
"What?"
"Dark magic leaves it's mark, right?" The blonde nodded. "So if a person was a Horcrux, would they feel a connection to any others?"
"Only those that were made by the same person." He scrutinised the brunet's expression. "Why?"
"I think I'm one," he breathed.
"Why?" he asked again, voice deliberately neutral.
"I felt a connection to Riddle's diary, even before it talked to me," he stated. "I have a connection with Voldemort; it used to be that my scar would hurt when he was overly emotional, but then I started to dream of his memories. I can't even blame his resurrection, because that started in fourth year," he murmured ruefully. "But once he was resurrected, I had dreams where I was his snake Nagini as she attempted to do a specific task. I was truly seeing it," he stated.
"I don't doubt you," he stated. "And you probably won't like this…"
"But?" he prompted.
"This works to our advantage," he stated. "It gives me a trump card to protect myself from the Dark Lord's wrath, if it looks as if he is leaning that way. And depending upon what we wish to do, it gives us options."
"Such as?"
"There are rituals that can be done when a person has created multiple Horcruxes," he stated. "If you can get your hands on one of them, you can use the connection it shares with the others to destroy them all. It doesn't destroy the objects," he spoke hurriedly. "It simply returns removes the Horcrux from them."
"What would it do to the person who created them?"
"There are two results," he replied slowly. "Either, you can choose the one that kills the host, or, you can restore them to their former state. The latter is harder," he stated.
"I suppose it would be easier to simply destroy the fragments, and then the final piece, than it would be to try and fuse them all back together with the host and somehow return them to how they were before," he murmured. He blew out a breath. "Would you be willing to use the second option?"
"I thought you would," he remarked with a small smile. He stroked his lion's cheek gently. "I am surprised that the Headmaster has not done the same, or does he not know about you?"
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't," Harry retorted. He licked his lips. "I'm having issues with him this year. Although, just because he's aware that I'm one, doesn't mean that he knows about the rituals." He leant into the blonde's touch. "Can we talk about something more pleasant for a moment?"
"As much as I would love to," he murmured. "I think we need to finish this conversation, so that we can move past it." Harry closed his eyes and nodded. "You do realise, that even if we restore the Dark Lord to how he was before he created his Horcruxes, he might still follow the same path?"
"Yes, but even he deserves a second chance. He was ambitious, but he was also incredibly intelligent, there's a chance that after seeing the consequences from his actions, that he will decide not to go down the same path."
"What are you going to do about the Headmaster?"
"Play along with his games for the moment, and do my best to ensure that he doesn't find out about our plans," he stated. Curiosity filled the blonde's expression. "That's what it feels like sometimes. As if the world is his chessboard, and we're all pieces to be moved at his whim," he murmured. "I know he's tried to say that he sees me as a person, rather than as a weapon, but that's not what it feels like. If he truly cared about me as an individual, he would have done what was best for me, at the cost of the greater good, not the other way around."
"Can you give me an example?" he asked gently.
"He told me that I had to call my Aunt's residence 'home'," he began, feeling his way into how to describe it. "That as long as I stayed in the home of a blood relative for a portion of the year, and considered it such, that I would be protected by blood wards. But is that truly for my own protection, or is it to keep the Chosen One alive and protected from Voldemort? After all, he had to have some inkling of what it was like for me there."
"How?" he murmured.
Harry blew out a breath. "'Mr H Potter, The cupboard under the stairs'," he quoted. The blonde stilled. "Yeah, after that letter, I was given my cousin's second bedroom to sleep in, because they were concerned that they were being watched. But even with that, how could anyone think that was a safe residence for a child to stay in? Surely-"
Draco gently silenced him with a kiss his lion responded to. "It would be better to use a variety of other wards as protection, than to leave a child in such a situation. If they are willing to force a child to sleep in a cupboard, then they are obviously capable of other cruelties. At the very least, they could be charged with negligence, if not abuse of a magical child," he stated. "Would you like me to…?"
Harry leant up and kissed him. "Thank you for the offer, but I really don't want to have to sit through another trial, even as a witness."
"You would not have to," he stated. "No one would dare to force a victim of such a crime to testify, there are other things that can be done instead." His smile was a touch evil. "You know, we could also get Dumbledore investigated about not intervening on your behalf. Everyone knows that he addresses all the envelopes, so at the very least he would have suspected your treatment, and should have passed the information along to have been investigated," he stated.
"We could really do that?" Harry murmured.
"Let me?" he asked softly. Harry's head tilted. "Let me make up for making a horrible childhood worse, by having those that tributed to your…treatment face justice for it," he implored.
"Okay," he murmured, leaning up to kiss the blonde again.
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMDHPMDHPM
Harry sat curled on a sofa in the Room of Requirement, staring into a roaring fire, doing his best not to think. The door opened and he didn't look up, he knew it was Draco. "Are you all right?" the blonde asked as he settled beside him.
"Just needed to get away from the attention," he murmured.
Draco laid a hand over his. "I am sorry about the timing."
One of the corners of his mouth lifted, and he glanced up at his companion through his hair. "You cared enough to do something about it," he stated. He ducked his head. "I'm used to being gossiped about, especially in the papers."
"You shouldn't be," he stated, an undercurrent of affront beneath his neutrality.
Harry squeezed his hand. "Is Dumbledore being investigated?" he asked, straightening.
"It's scheduled," he stated. "Officials will want to finish the trials of your relatives, before turning their attention to the Headmaster. If they find the proof to bring to trial, they want to make sure it can be dealt with swiftly."
"I know something that will help," Harry stated. He rose and walked to the nearest wall. He laid his hand upon it and closed his eyes. A panel appeared in the wall and slid open, revealing an old-fashioned bound tome. "Thank you," he murmured, softly running his hand along the wall the way he would a person's arm. He lifted it out and the panel disappeared as if it had never existed.
"Is that-" Draco was interrupted as the door burst open, and Remus Lupin hurried through.
"Remus?" Harry asked in shock.
The werewolf crossed the distance between them and pulled the startled brunet into a tight hug. Draco took the tome from him before he could drop it. "If I had had any idea how they were treating you, I would have taken you away from there, regardless of the consequences," he spoke fervently.
Harry relaxed and leant into the touch. "I suspected that," he murmured. "It's nice to know for sure." He pulled back to glance over the teen in concern. "Go ahead," Harry sighed. "Cast the spells you want to; you won't stop worrying until you do."
Remus stroked his hair gently before he backed up a step and cast several spells in succession, checking upon the health of his unofficial godson. He stilled. "Worse than you expected?" Draco murmured.
He nodded mutely, before rage filled his eyes. "How could Dumbledore not know about this?" he spoke furiously.
"He knew Remus," Harry stated without inflection. The werewolf's mouth opened. "'Mr H Potter, The cupboard under the stairs,'" he quoted flatly.
The werewolf sank into a chair that appeared behind him. "How…" He looked up at the two teens. "How could he let this happen?"
"Because Harry was never anything but a symbol or weapon to him," Draco stated, patting the seat beside him. Harry sank into it, smiling softly when Draco took his hand again.
"You never told Sirius about that did you?" he asked softly. "About your first letter," he clarified.
Harry shook his head. "How do you know?"
"Because if he had known quite how bad it was, he wouldn't have been able to prevent himself from charging off to retaliate." Harry nodded as he absorbed that. "I know he suspected your situation wasn't great-"
"He might not have known that," Harry interrupted, "but he knew more than you think." The werewolf's head tilted curiously. "How quickly I jumped at the chance to live with him, when I'd known for less than half an hour that he wasn't a mass murderer clued him in," he elaborated. "He encouraged me to tell the Dursleys that he was my godfather, and concerned about my well-being, while neglecting to mention that he wasn't really a murderer."
"He didn't tell me that," he murmured softly.
"Would you have been a typical Gryffindor if you had known?" Draco asked pointedly. He nodded. "Then he was protecting you."
The werewolf closed his eyes for a moment before he smiled softly at the teens. "How long…?"
Harry squeezed Draco's hand. "Not long."
"How did you get together?" Harry blushed. "You don't have to tell me, Harry," he assured. He locked eyes with the blonde. "I trust that you will treat him well?"
"Of course," the blonde drawled.
"Then that's all that matters," he stated, his eyes alighting on the tome balanced on the arm of the sofa. "What is that?" he breathed.
Harry's eyes flicked to it for a moment, before he met the werewolf's eyes solidly. "A record of all the actions Dumbledore made while in the position of Headmaster," he stated.
"How did you get that?" he asked softly.
"Hogwarts likes me," he replied, lifting a shoulder.
"Is it really so simple?" the werewolf breathed in wonder.
"He touched the wall for a moment and it appeared," Draco stated. "He used no magic," he continued. "So it could be as simple as he asked, but I agree with your assessment. She always seems to help you, when she can."
"You think of Hogwarts as female too?" The blonde smiled. "Everyone else seems to think of Hogwarts as an it, if they even refer to her at all."
"Few take the time to notice that the Castle has its own energy, let alone determine that said energy is female," Remus stated. "It was the same when we were in school." He looked at the teens seriously. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Hand it over to officials, to help with their investigation," Draco stated. "It is scheduled for after the trials of the Dursleys."
"Good."
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
"Are you ready?" Draco asked Harry. The brunet nodded. "It will-"
"I remember," he interrupted gently. "It's going to hurt, and it'll cost both of us energy."
"Quite a bit of energy," he corrected.
The brunet blew out a breath. "Now we know how much of Tom's path was carved by Dumbledore, I'm more determined than ever to give him a second chance."
Draco nodded and turned his attention to the potion simmering on a table. He gave it two clockwise stirs before picking up a dagger. He pricked his finger and let a drop of his blood fall into the potion. Harry took the dagger from him and pricked his finger, letting three drops of his blood fall into the potion. Draco gave it a counter clockwise stir, before lifting his stirrer from it. He set it down and took back the dagger. He dipped it into the potion, letting the liquid coat the dagger, before he lifted it out and turned to the brunet. Harry held his shirt open, baring his chest to the blonde. Draco held the blade above Harry's magical core, before plunging it several inches into the brunet.
Harry's spine arched as he felt the Horcrux within him calling to all the others, gathering them together, and sucking energy from him and Draco, before shooting from him in a bright flash of white light.
As the light cleared, both became aware that the dagger was no longer in Harry's chest, and he was healed. Draco swayed as the energy loss hit him. Harry's hand went to the blonde's arm, but then the loss hit him too. They fell to the floor together, the Room of Requirement providing them both with a soft landing.
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
The door to the Room of Requirement opened, and both teens shifted their headed to watch as Tom entered. "Tom?" Harry breathed.
"Save your strength," he urged. A bed materialised, the headboard covered in a mound of pillows. "Thank you," he murmured and levitated both teens onto it. He ensured they were stable before he knelt upon it, between them. "I brought provisions," he stated.
"Harry first," Draco breathed.
"Provided the lion's share of energy did you? How appropriate," he murmured, holding a potion vial to his lips. The brunet drank it in one swallow. "So trusting," he chided. The brunet opened his mouth. "I know, if I still wanted to kill you, I would have done so already." He held another vial to Draco's lips and the blonde drank. "Rest, you both need it."
HPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDMHPDM
When the teens woke, Tom was still there. Harry opened his mouth and the older teen held up a hand. "Questions can wait until after you have drunk this," he spoke firmly, floating a cup of tea to each of them.
After the first sip, Harry quickly drained his. "Can I have the recipe for this?" he asked, practically bursting with energy. "It'll come in handy."
"You aren't planning any more adventures, are you?" Draco drawled, giving the lion a narrow-eyed look before finishing his own tea.
"No, but then I didn't plan any of the others, so it's better to be prepared."
"I will give both of you the recipe," Tom spoke before Draco could retort. "Shall we?" Draco gestured for him to go ahead, while Harry nodded. "Thank you." Harry blinked. "You performed the restorative ritual, at great cost to yourselves, instead of just killing me. Thank you."
"You deserve a second chance," Harry spoke easily. Draco inclined his head in agreement.
Tom regarded both teens for a moment. "Only sixteen, and yet you both have already brought about great change. How would you like to work together to make the magical world a better place?" he asked solemnly.
Draco's lips curved upward. "I like the sound of that," he murmured, linking fingers with his lion. "Harry?"
"Sounds good," he replied with a warm smile.