Chapter Eight: So It Begins

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were created by J. . I firmly believe she forgot between the final chapter of DH and the Epilogue that their original purpose in life was to shag one another, and am therefore obligated to attempt to reconcile this disparity.

Warnings: Mild slash. Language? I don't even notice, sorry.

A/N: I am SOOOOOOO SORRY that it has taken me so long to get this chapter done. There are two reasons for this. First, I got really, really sick for a while - I was hospitalized and everything; it was very bad. It took a while for me to recover and afterwards, I'd had to move and do not have regular internet access. I did just get a laptop yesterday, though; which will allow me to write even when I don't have internet access and update the chapters when I get the chance. That should speed things up quite a bit.

The other reason is that I've really been struggling with this story, because the non-con and torture occurs in the next chapter. I'm struggling with how to portray it without being too graphic, and how to write the aftermath of it.

I'm also very frustrated with the direction this story is going. I will never write a story that doesn't have a happy ending, but this story is going to get very dark, and I'm struggling with how to end it positively without being trite. I want it to be realistic, because doing otherwise feels disrespectful to those who've lived through some of the things that these characters are going to go through. So please, bear with me while I try to write this story in a way that will satisfy you while being true to both the story and myself.

(Also, I should note that the poll for whether or not to add MPreg to this story is still active. Please vote if you want it or not. Thanks!)

Well I was walkin for some time
When I came across this sign
Sayin "who are you and where are you from?"
We don't like when visitors come.

I don't need no sympathy
I won't cry and whine
Life's my light and liberty
And I shine when I wanna shine

Make their faces crack
There's no turnin back

Trespassing - Adam Lambert

Draco hummed to himself as he slipped back into the eighth-years' common room. He was still feeling the after-waves of pleasure that came from a really spectacular blow job. He sauntered over to the couch by the fireplace and threw himself down on it, draping one leg over the arm. He smiled unconsciously.

Harry loved him.

The thought made his chest constrict with happiness. His smile widened into a grin.

He and Harry had just had sex.

Twice.

The memory made his cock twitch, though he was too spent for it to do much more than that. He hummed again, also unconsciously.

He was quite happy.

"You're doing better."

Draco looked up, slightly startled, into the smirking face of his best friend. "Pansy."

His friend peered at him with a raised brow. "Who'd you shag?"

He gaped. "What makes you think I've been shagging?"

She snorted. "First; you look happy for the first time since the whole fiasco with Potter, and second; darling, you're humming. You always hum after you've gotten laid. Everyone in Slytherin knows it."

Draco frowned. Did he really have such an obvious tell? He would need to work on that.

"Now I know you didn't shag Blaise, because he'd been trumpeting it from the Astronomy Tower if you did. Same thing with Daphne. You certainly didn't shag me. So who was it?"

Draco smirked. "Potter."

Pansy's jaw dropped. He held up an imperious hand to head her off before she could lambast him for being stupid.

"I spied on him and Granger, and found out that I'd jumped to conclusions about what I saw with the Weaslette. Apparently he's very, very gay; his equipment doesn't even work for girls. And the Weaslette had been trying to get him to act on his feelings for me for months. She figured out that something was going on between us in the hospital wing, same as you; so she cornered him in the alcove to get him to spill. After he told her she congratulated him and he hugged her as they climbed out of the alcove. That's what I saw, and naturally I came to the logical conclusions about what it looked like. He's been trying to set me straight ever since, and he told Granger that he's in love with me."

Draco sat back, grinning like the cat that ate the cream. Pansy just gaped in astonishment, her mouth opening and closing several times as she tried to work out what to say.

"Dray," she said. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Frankly, it makes sense. I feel a bit like an idiot for the way I acted over it. If it bothered me that much, I should have confronted him and kept up a disdainful front until I decided to accept his explanation or not. But it's over and done with now." He grinned wickedly. "Harry Potter's in love with me, and he's the best shag I've ever had in my life." He paused. "No offense."

Pansy snorted. "You must be gay, if you think Potter's a better shag than me. Not like he's got a wealth of experience, is it?"

"Actually, I just took his virginity." Draco let himself reminisce for a moment, not noticing the rather dopey smile that overtook his features.

"I thought you said you guys were having sex before?" Pansy's nose was crinkled in confusion.

Draco coughed. "Well, blowjobs and such."

Pansy sniggered. "It must be love," she declared. "Not only have you swapped genders for him; you've practiced abstinence!"

Draco swatted at her with a scowl. "Stupid bint," he snapped. "This isn't funny."

"On the contrary," she giggled. "I think it's hilarious."

He glared at her while she chuckled, then she laid a hand on his arm. "Dray, I'm happy for you."

His annoyance dissolved and he hugged her. "Thanks, Pans. I really... I think I really could fall in love with him, you know?"

She smiled. "I know."

"So, who've you been shagging lately?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "No one. Absolutely no one."

He arched a brow. "Well, we need to find you someone. You're much more bearable when you're shagging regularly, and since I can't do it anymore I insist on finding some lucky bloke to take up my mantle."

"Leave it, Draco." There was a warning in her tone, and his good humour faded as he stared at her in bewilderment.

"Pans, I was only –"

"Just don't, Draco; alright?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She stared into the fire, her jaw set, mask firmly in place. There was turmoil in her eyes.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right, Pansy?" His voice was soft.

"I know." She closed her eyes. "I will, I promise. Just... not yet. Alright, Dray? I'm not ready to talk about it."

He nodded, wondering what had happened to his friend while he was absorbed in his own drama. "Let me know if you need anything?"

"Just keep me distracted from myself until I'm ready to talk."

"I can do that." She shot him a grateful smile, and they began gossiping lightly.

"Hey, Draco."

Draco looked up, his face splitting into a wide grin when he saw Harry. He and his Slytherins had paused outside the Great Hall on their way to dinner when they ran into the group of Gryffindors. Looking at the looks of confusion on their faces, Draco realised that only Pansy was aware of the changed state of things between himself and Harry.

"Harry," he smirked. "Feeling better?"

Harry blushed.

Draco's grin turned feral, and he stepped closer, leaning in to whisper in his boyfriend's ear. "I have plans for us, after dinner. I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to sit down for a week."

Harry blushed harder, and gazed at Draco with desire in his eyes. "You're going to start rumours," he whispered back. "If you keep talking to me like that here."

"Would you mind?"

"No."

"Good." Draco captured his lips in a passionate kiss. When he released Harry, the brunet was panting, and he rested their foreheads together. The taste of Harry was addicting. He felt sure he'd never tire of it. The sound of the Weasel moaning, "Bloody Malfoy; why did it have to be Draco bloody Malfoy?" only added to the happiness of the moment.

All around him he could hear the shocked gasps and whispers of the other students; the murmuring about how he must have done something to their Saviour. Because of course, no one could possibly want to be with Draco Malfoy without being brainwashed or evil. Especially not the hero of the wizarding world. Naturally, it must be a trick of some kind.

Of course I brainwashed him into dating me. Brainwashed with awesome sex. Draco couldn't help feeling smug about that. He found he didn't really care all that much about the opinions of the people around him. None of them mattered; none except Harry. And Harry was in love with him.

Draco spoke in a low voice just loud enough to be overheard. "You're mine, Harry James Potter, and I want everyone in Hogwarts to know that."

"Yours," repeated Harry dumbly, his eyes slightly glazed.

"Yes." Draco pulled away, smirking some more. "I'll see you after dinner, Potter."

He turned around to enter the Great Hall, listening to the shocked murmurs of the other students, completely missing the silly grin that split Harry's face.

Harry sat on a log outside the Shrieking Shack, staring up at the moon. He'd snuck out of Hogwarts, taking the Honeydukes passageway and his invisibility cloak before making his way here. His invisibility cloak lay inside his bag, tucked behind the log. When he was finished, he'd be returning to Hogwarts through the tunnel underneath the Shrieking Shack.

For the first time since his date with Draco, he felt at peace. He'd missed the full moon; which was when he completed this little ritual, because he'd been so caught up in what was happening with the blond that he'd forgotten. So he did it now as it did every month, in memory of Remus, and of Snape.

"Draco Malfoy is my boyfriend," he said. "I don't know what you'd think about that, Remus. I hope you'd be happy for me. Professor Snape, I know you'd probably be disgusted with his lapse in taste and judgement. But he makes me happy, and I love him. I'll do my best to make him happy, too."

He smiled to himself as he sat in the cold. He shivered. It was nearly Halloween, and he shouldn't have gone out without a warmer cloak. But he wasn't ready to go back yet. His mind wandered back to the events right before he'd left Draco's bed.

Draco traced the line of Harry's jaw with his tongue.

"Merlin, Harry," he moaned. "You taste so good. I can't believe I lived this long without your taste before this."

Harry gasped, arching up into Draco, who pressed him down into the mattress.

"Want you again, Draco," he whispered huskily. Draco chuckled against his skin, before biting his neck, licking and sucking a mark on it.

"I've created a monster," he whispered, his breath hot against the shell of Harry's ear. "Tell me; do you think I can make you scream loud enough to break the silencing charm on these curtains?"

"I think we'd better find out," Harry answered with a smile, turning his head to capture Draco's lips. Their tongues met and danced as they panted and moaned into one another's mouths.

Harry fumbled with Draco's shirt buttons in his haste to undo them. He could feel Draco hard against him, the blond's erection jutting into his hip and it still thrilled him beyond belief to know he could affect Draco that way. He canted his hips upwards, rubbing his own cloth-covered cock against Draco's willing body and both felt and heard his boyfriend groan in response.

Draco tore at his clothing, speaking in short staccato bursts between kisses.

"You're mine." Kiss. "What you," another kiss, "Do to me," and another, "Is positively criminal," Draco kissed him again, "Harry." He succeeded in ripping Harry's shirt open, and leaned forward to take a dusky nipple into his mouth. Harry gasped and arched his back.

Draco mapped his body with his tongue, moving down Harry's stomach till he reached his trousers. He opened them swiftly, before yanking them down and taking Harry's pants with them.

"Gods, Harry," he whispered, his breath ghosting over Harry's cock and making his breath hitch. "You're so beautiful."

"So are you," Harry blushed. "And you're wearing far too many clothes." He reached down to continue stripping the Slytherin, but Draco batted his hands away and licked a long, slow stripe up Harry's cock, from base to tip.

"Mmmm," he hummed, smirking up at Harry with his pale bangs hanging in his eyes. "I told you; I love your taste. I'm going to taste you very thoroughly now. I'm going to take my time with you, this time."

Harry's breath hitched again, before Draco opened his mouth and swallowed him down, making his eyes roll back into his head and eliciting a strangled cry.

"Oh gods; Draco!"

Harry flushed anew as he remembered how very thorough Draco had been; first bathing him with his tongue, then suckling him until he came screaming, and finally fucking him until he saw stars and his voice was hoarse. He could hardly wait until he had the chance to pay the blond back for the pleasure.

His smile faded as his thoughts turned to more serious matters. Once again he spoke to his old teachers.

"I might have to die again."

He was silent for a moment, hoping that somehow saying the words would make them easier to swallow.

"Voldemort might not be gone, after all."

A prick of tears stung his eyes, and he dashed them away, furious. After everything he'd gone through; everything he'd suffered! Everything he'd sacrificed and lost. Everything they all had lost. After so many good people had died...

"If he isn't back, then someone else is controlling the death eaters through the Mark. We're trying to figure out what happened, how and why... and how to stop it. Stop him. If Voldemort isn't gone, we'll do whatever it takes to get rid of him. Even if that means I have to die again, and stay dead this time."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, against the feeling of no fair, it's not fair, just when I had so much to live for and continued. "We won't let your sacrifice be for nothing."

He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry if that means that I can't be here to be a good godfather to Teddy, Remus. I'm sorry for letting you down."

He sat in silence, tears running down his cheeks, as he tried not to fear the future.

As the stunner flew out of the trees and hit him, he never even knew it was coming.

Draco smirked around the Great Hall as he helped himself to some breakfast. His spectacular mood had not diminished in the slightest since shagging Harry last night. The silly Gryffindor had said he had a vigil to keep for the werewolf, Remus Lupin, and refused to spend the night in his bed.

Tomorrow, he'd promised. Draco was going to hold him to it. He'd never wanted to have someone sleep in his bed before, but Harry was different. Draco was looking forward to a lot of firsts with him.

The other students stared at him openly. He was well aware that he and Harry were the subject of conversation in every house, including his own. The only difference was that the Slytherin students knew better than to gawk and let him know they were discussing him. Their glances were furtive, when they thought he wouldn't notice; their whispers only when he wasn't around.

He hadn't minded the notoriety so much last night. But now, in the morning, he wasn't yet awake enough to feel smug. It was simply annoying.

Beside him, Pansy grumbled into her tea. Draco had known her for far too long to risk speaking to her before she'd had her second cup. Normally he'd converse with Blaise at breakfast, but Blaise wasn't speaking to him right now.

He scowled, slightly, as he remembered some of the things that Blaise had said after Harry left last night. Apparently they had indeed managed to break through the silencing charms on the curtains. He realised, with a pang of unwelcome guilt, that he'd hurt his friend. He truly hadn't meant to. But he also believed wholeheartedly that Blaise had been stupid; nursing a crush on him when he couldn't have possibly been clearer about the fact that there was no chance of it ever being reciprocated.

He shrugged it off and scanned the Gryffindor table for Harry. He was surprised that none of the members of the Golden Trio were at the table. Normally they'd be there by now.

He frowned down at his plate. So far, this morning had been quite dissatisfactory.

He began eating, his good mood vanished.

Behind him, someone cleared their throat.

"Mr. Malfoy," came McGonagall's voice. Draco looked up in surprise. He hadn't even noticed she wasn't at the head table. Behind her stood Granger and the Weasel. All three of them looked very ill at ease.

"Yes?" he answered. Privately he wondered where Harry was. A prickle of fear nudged at him, but he refused to allow it to show. "Can I help you?"

Around him his housemates looked on in interest.

"When was the last time you saw Mr. Potter?"

The prickle of fear became a full-fledged roar. "Last night, after dinner. We... spent some time together, then he left to go do something for the- in memory of Professor Lupin. He said he wanted to do it during the full moon but he'd been distracted, and he'd see me this morning."

Granger gasped. "He didn't!"

Draco bit his lip. He couldn't hide his worry now, try as he might. "What's wrong, Headmistress? Where is Harry?"

McGonagall's face tightened. "We don't know, Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter does not seem to be inside the castle."

Granger spoke up, her face pale. "Professor McGonagall, we need to check the Shrieking Shack. If he went to stand vigil for Remus and Snape, that's where he went."

"You mean he left the castle? Alone? At night? With death eaters running rampant?" Draco knew he was shrieking, but he couldn't make himself care.

Granger looked like she was about to cry. "I didn't think he'd do it this month. I didn't think he'd be so bloody stupid!"

"And now he's missing." Draco whispered. He felt like throwing up.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. I would ask you not to panic, but it appears that Mr. Potter never made it back to the castle last night."