Chapter 9

"Would you stop faffing? You look fine."

"I should have worn a different shirt."

"The shirt is fine."

"It's the wrong colour."

"Draco, if you mention the charcoal shirt one more time I might have to soak your head in a bucket. You look very nice."

Draco paused and turned to face Bill, bouncing on the tips of his toes. "I'm so nervous."

"I'd never have been able to tell," Bill said with a lopsided smile. He turned the collar of Draco's shirt down over his jumper and said, "It's not as big of a deal as you're making it."

"What if they don't like me?"

Bill sighed and said, "Tonks already likes you and you've spent time with Remus before. You're just nervous about meeting Andromeda. She's lovely, I promise you. She's…a lot like Mum."

Slightly comforted by the thought, Draco took a deep breath and said, "Ok. Ok I can do this. Do you think the wine I've brought is ok?"

"It's perfect," Bill said indulgently. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Draco nodded and let Bill guide him down the driveway, the man's large hand resting in the small of his back as they walked. The muggle neighbourhood was a pretty and quiet one, a world away from Malfoy Manor. He tried to picture his mother and father visiting and found his imagination simply didn't stretch that far.

Bill knocked on the door and Draco's stomach turned summersaults while they waited. Tonks answered with her usual grin and welcomed them inside. She ushered them down the hallway and into a cosy living room where the others were waiting.

"Mum, Dad," she said to the middle-aged couple standing by the roaring fire, "you already know Bill, and this is Draco.

"Draco," said Andromeda, stepping forward. "It's so lovely to meet you, thank you for coming."

She did indeed look like Bella, but she didn't have the mad, haunted look that his other aunt possessed. She had a softer face and her dark hair was shot through with streaks of grey. She was just as tall and slim, with the same regal stance that his mother possessed, but he had never seen his mother wear the kind of muggle clothes that Andromeda was wearing.

"Thank you for inviting me," he replied, trying to control the nerves in his voice.

"We don't bite, lad. Promise," said the man, stepping forward to join his wife. "Ted Tonks," he said, extending his hand, "very pleased to meet you."

Draco shook his hand and he and Bill were ushered to take a seat on the sofa. Drinks were handed around and Draco took a few moments to collect himself as Bill answered Andromeda's questions about his latest job assignment.

It was clear that Bill knew the family fairly well, and that they were familiar with the Weasleys. It was strange to think that these people were his family; not just people who would step into the void like Molly and Harry, but people to whom he was actually connected.

It was slightly unnerving to see that Andromeda had many of his mother's mannerisms, and the way she tilted her head as she listened to the conversation was uncanny. Tonks was certainly more like her father and possessed little of the Black grace and poise.

"I hear belated congratulations are in order," Andromeda said, turning her attention back to Draco. "Your exam results were outstanding."

"Oh," Draco said, a little taken aback. "Thank you. I…had little else to do but study shut away in Grimmauld."

"It was more than that," Bill said gently. "We have a Healer in the making on our hands."

"Is that so?" Andromeda asked.

"Perhaps one day," Draco replied. "I'll be applying to the programme next year hopefully."

"Not hopefully," Bill said firmly, "definitely."

"Sounds like you have someone making sure you fulfil your potential," Ted said with a smile.

"His missed his calling as a watchdog," Draco said, trying to fight a smile but failing.

Gradually the mood relaxed and Draco realised that he wasn't going to be thrown out on his ear anytime soon. He didn't exactly feel at his ease, but that seemed to be the norm for him these days. As odd as the notion was, the only place he felt settled was at Grimmauld. He rather suspected that that was more to do with Harry and Bill than the dismal old building, but those were thoughts that he had no wish to examine too closely.

Tonks and Remus made an odd yet endearing couple. It was clear that the love and affection they held for one another ran deep and, while they were very different people, their differences complimented each other's. It was also nice to see a couple with an age gap. Lupin was 13 years older than Tonks and it didn't seem to matter much.

He was aware that Bill was 10 years older than him and, while he often pretended it wasn't happening, he knew he was falling hard for the man. He wondered though what a man 10 years his senior would see in him and whether such an age difference could work. Watching Tonks and Lupin gave him hope, even though he wouldn't admit that he harboured such thoughts in the first place.

The truth, of course, was that he had no example of a relationship from which to draw parallels. His parents' marriage had contained no love or affection and most of the time they barely spoke to one another. Seeing how Molly and Arthur interacted had come as something of a shock; he hadn't known that marriages were supposed to be anything other than functional.

The evening passed pleasantly and Draco enjoyed learning about this part of his family that he had been so estranged from. Andromeda worked for a Ministry-funded charity that worked with homeless people and ted was the equivalent to a magical engineer. It was a stark contrast to the life of glamorised indolence his parents led.

It made Draco feel more vindicated in the choice he had made to break away from them. His parents' beliefs aside, he didn't want to follow in their footsteps and live a pointless life, accomplishing nothing, living off centuries of inherited wealth. He had a real future ahead of him now and he wasn't going to waste it.

"Oh Draco, leave those. You're not here to wash up," Andromeda said as she entered the kitchen and found Draco at the sink, up to his elbows in suds.

"I wanted to," Draco replied, unwilling to admit that he had felt a little overwhelmed and had had to seek refuge. He was enjoying himself, it was true, but it was all so new and alien to him that it would take time to adjust.

"It's nearly midnight, you can't miss the countdown," Andromeda said, handing him a tea towel.

"I won't miss it, I promise. Is this how you usually spend New Year?"

Andromeda nodded and said, "Ted and I used to go to the celebrations in London before Dora was born, but when she came alone we preferred to stay at home, celebrate as a family."

Draco forced a smile onto his face, thinking of how New Year's Eve with his family had consisted of his parents' society friends descending on the manor. He was paraded around as the perfect pureblood offspring while his father held court on the superiority of their kind.

"You seem very close," he said, hoping that his smile was more convincing than it felt.

"We have our moments. I…had a lot to learn about family. Ted taught me many things, things that the Blacks would never have been capable of teaching me."

"Do you feel such a disconnect from them?" he asked carefully.

"Yes. I haven't felt part of them for over 20 years. They're part of my past, and I can't escape that, but I've built a life beyond them. You'll discover how to do that for yourself."

"Sometimes I wonder," Draco said with a sigh.

"It's a process, Draco. It won't happen overnight. You've turned your back on everything you know; things won't fall into place easily."

"I know. It's just…sometimes I feel that I don't truly belong anywhere."

"I understand, but it gets better, I promise."

She smiled a cunning little smile that reminded Draco eerily of his mother, then said, "It seems to me that you might have already found somewhere to belong."

He knew full well what she was getting at, but he faked a frown nevertheless and said, "What do you mean?"

"You know, that whole 'confused' look would work better on someone who hadn't invented it," she said with an arched eyebrow. "You and Bill seem…close."

Draco flushed, and cursed his pale skin that it showed so easily. "He's…been a good friend."

Andromeda's smile turned wicked and she said, "A friend…a close friend perhaps?"

His mouth suddenly dry, he cleared his throat and said, "Yes…I suppose so."

"Come on you two or you'll miss the countdown!" Ted said, popping his head around the kitchen door.

"Coming," Draco said, shifting past Andromeda, glad of the rescue.

He retreated to the living room, where Bill was waiting for him with a fresh glass of champagne.

"I wondered where you'd got to," he said as Draco accepted the glass.

"Just escaping interrogation," Draco muttered, casting his eyes to the muggle on the television who was standing in front of a piano whilst a large clock ticked away in the background.

"Oh, this is it!" Ted said enthusiastically.

"Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!"

Everyone clinked glasses and both sets of couples embraced one another in a kiss. Feeling a little embarrassed, Draco took a large gulp of his drink and tried to ignore the pang of regret he felt at not being able to share a New Year's kiss with Bill.

The evening wound slowly down, and towards 1 o'clock people began to say their goodbyes. Andromeda extracted a promise from him that he would keep in touch and issued an open invitation for him to visit whenever he liked. He wasn't sure that he was ready for that, but he appreciated the offer all the same.

He and Bill made their way back to Grimmauld, and Draco was glad they weren't returning to The Burrow. He had enjoyed his time there, and was keen to return, but it was a noisy and chaotic place for someone who had been used to so much silence.

"Well, that was a good night," Bill said with a yawn, placing his coat over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

"Yeah, it was," Draco agreed with a smile.

"No reason to be so nervous, eh?"

"There's always a reason to be nervous," Draco countered. "You'll have a job to convince me otherwise."

"Leopards and spots," Bill said with a grin.

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "On that note, I'll bid you goodnight."

"Wait a sec," Bill said, grabbing Draco's arm gently as he walked past. "We have unfinished business."

"We do?" Draco asked in confusion.

Bill nodded and Draco had half a second to realise that the man was leaning in towards him. He could have moved, if he'd wanted to, but he had no intention of doing so and instead tilted his head to meet Bill's kiss.

His stomach fluttered and he melted into the other man. Bill's kiss was firm but gentle and Draco wound his arms around the man's neck as the kiss deepened. He didn't know what had prompted Bill to action but he wasn't about to complain about it.

"Happy New Year," Bill murmured as he pulled away. "I was determined to see it in with a kiss."

"Starting as you mean to continue?" Draco asked, revelling in the feel of Bill's hand resting in the small of his back.

"That depends on you," Bill replied, brushing his knuckles down the side of Draco's face. "New year, new start?"

"Together?" Draco asked, nerves assaulting him.

"If that's what you want."

"How can I put this?" Draco asked teasingly, before leaning forward and initiating another kiss. The hand in the small of his back pulled him closer and he knew that it was far more than the champagne making him feel giddy.

He hadn't been imagining all those looks, those flirtatious remarks, and now it had finally come to a head. He was in Bill's arms while the man kissed him with a fierce gentleness that quite took his breath away.

Bill pulled back but kept Draco tightly in his hold, a lazy smile on his lips. "I'll bid you goodnight then, Mr Malfoy," he said softly.

Goodnight?" Draco echoed with a frown. "Don't you want to – "

"Very much so, but not now, not yet. There's no rush, we have all the time in the world."

This was new to Draco and he was at a loss how to process it. Bill gave him a smile and a delicate peck on the lips, then turned and left the kitchen.

Draco was confused and he didn't like it one bit. Bill had kissed him and had professed his desire to pursue some sort of relationship, and yet there had been no move to engage him in sex.

There had been further kisses and Bill had begun to treat him as though they were in a relationship but he hadn't initiated anything sexual. It was anathema to Draco and he was becoming irritated by it.

He had had sexual encounters with people in the past, so if Bill was worried about de-flowering a virgin then that wasn't an issue. Had had experience in these matters and he didn't appreciate being treated as though he were some delicate maiden.

Of course, the simple answer was simply to speak to Bill about it, but, while he might have had some experience in the bedroom, Draco had next to no experience navigating relationships. He had never spent more than a night with someone, and it was painfully obvious that his past had affected his ability to deal with interactions with others.

"You're not listening, are you?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sitting here talking to myself, aren't I?"

Draco looked up to see Harry glaring at him across the library table. He tried to look apologetic and said, "Sorry, just thinking. What were you saying?"

"Never mind. What's got you staring off into the distance anyway?" Harry asked, propping his feet up on the table.

"Oh nothing in particular," Draco said dismissively.

"No? You've been sulking all morning."

"I have not been sulking."

Harry snorted and said, "Yeah ok. Where's Bill anyway?"

"Recon work with Tonks and that Fletcher creature."

"I thought you were teamed with Bill?"

"Apparently I wasn't needed this time. Too many of my father's old friends who would recognise me," Draco said with a sneer.

"Make sense," Harry said levelly. "You don't want to put anyone in jeopardy."

"No, I suppose not," Draco said with a sigh. "I just hate being stuck here."

"Preaching to the choir," Harry said prickly.

"Sorry. I know it isn't easy for you. I'm just frustrated."

Harry waved his hand and said, "When's Bill back then?"

"Not sure," Draco said with a shrug. "Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow." He frowned and said, "Why do you keep glancing at the clock?"

Harry gave him a sheepish smile and said, "Uh…Snape's supposed to be coming over at half three."

"Oh? Why?" Draco asked, seeing the way Harry's eyes lit up upon mentioning the man.

"He's coming for an Occlumency session."

"I thought you'd given up that nonsense," Draco said, feeling a protective surge go through him. He knew how previous sessions had ended in failure, with Harry distraught and despairing.

"Snape thinks we need to try again."

"And what do you think?"

"I agree with him."

Draco refrained from rolling his eyes. If Snape opined that Harry should chuck himself off the Astronomy Tower wearing nothing but pink lace knickers the boy would no doubt agree with him. Harry was infatuated and Draco felt that it was a dangerous path to tread.

"Just…go carefully, ok?" he said, knowing that, these days, to criticise Snape was to invite trouble.

"I just hope he doesn't…"

"Doesn't what?" Draco asked, noting the look of muted horror on Harry's face. Unable to resist prodding a little, he said, "Doesn't breach your defences? Pry into your mind and see that you fancy the pants off him?"

"I don't – "

"Oh please. Don't try to deny it, you'll only embarrass yourself."

Harry opened and closed his mouth for a few moments, looking like a fish on land, struggling for air. Draco snorted and said, "The very idea of you ending up in Slytherin kills me. You have all the cunning and subtlety of a Labrador puppy."

"Oh shut up. I wish I'd never told you about that," Harry groused.

Draco sighed and said, "In all seriousness, don't let him see how you feel if you can help it. He'll only use it against you."

"I'm not stupid."

"I know…but part of me thinks that you're hoping he'll reciprocate."

"No I'm not," Harry said a little too forcefully.

Knowing when to push and when to retreat, Draco simply nodded and let Harry have his victory. Harry was too far gone to be able to reason with him, but it didn't stop Draco from worrying. Snape was a bastard, of that he was certain, and Draco felt sure that there was no room in the man's heart for anyone but himself.

He turned his attention back to his own studies. He was focusing on the basics of anatomy, trying to familiarise himself with the correct terminology. The application form for St Mungo's was sitting on his bedside table, and he had promised Bill that he would fill it in.

He heard Harry fidgeting across the table and he refrained from telling the boy to knock it off. He knew Harry was nervous, and he couldn't help but think that the boy had every reason to be.

He was about to suggest making them both a coffee when a huge cloud of white mist materialised and took the shape of a hawk. Draco had a second to recognise it as Bill's patronus before he heard Bill's voice saying,

"Ambushed! Send help! People injured!"

Draco and Harry sprang to their feet, wands out immediately. "Do you know where they are?" Harry asked, stepping around the table.

"Yes," Draco replied, "I can apparate us there," he said, holding out his hand.

Harry took it without hesitation and Draco concentrated hard before apparating them both to Bill's location. They were met with a scene of chaos; the buildings all around them were on fire, and smoke and ash filled the air. Bodies lay on the ground, some buried under rubble, and people moaned and groaned as they tried to move.

"Bill? Tonks?" Draco called, searching amongst the wounded. They were in a muggle area and it seemed that dozens had been caught in the crossfire.

"Harry, send a patronus and get back-up here. There are too many injuries for us to deal with."

Harry complied readily and Draco cast and illumination charm over the whole area. "Bill?" he called again, coughing as the smoke invaded his lungs. "Bill?"

"Over here!" came the muffled response, and Draco scrambled over the debris towards Bill's voice.

He found the man slumped by a half-wrecked building, his ankle pinned by rubble, a cut in his hairline bleeding down his face.

"Oh Merlin!" Draco said, crouching beside him. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he croaked. "I think my ankle's broken but I'll live. Find Tonks, I think she was hit pretty badly."

Draco tore a strip off the bottom of his shirt and used a quick spell to sanitise it. "Here," he said, holding it to Bill's head, "hold that in place to stop the bleeding. Help's on its way."

"Drake! She's over here!" Harry called, and Draco left Bill to join him.

Tonks was lying unconscious, bleeding from several wounds, a nasty burn down the side of her face and neck.

"Harry, go and see to the people who are trapped. Clear away the rubble if you can but don't move anything too heavy; you could send them into shock with the sudden release of blood."

Other members of the Order began arriving and Draco found himself directing people twice his age. He gave orders and people followed while he advised them how to treat the wounded.

The muggles would all have to be obliviated once they'd been healed, but luckily there had been no fatalities. There were some bad injuries but most were able to be healed in the field.

Tonks and Bill were taken to St Mungo's, where Bill was dosed with a healthy glug of Skele-Gro for his ankle. Draco had taken great pains to reduce the damage from Tonks' burns and he was praised by the Healers not only for his skill but his quick thinking too.

"Oh Draco, what would we have done without you?" said Molly as she fussed with the blankets on Bill's bed.

"Mum! Would you stop? It's only a broken ankle, it's not as if I was in mortal danger."

"You were ambushed!" Molly argued. "Anything might have happened."

"Yeah but it didn't. Drake saved the day."

"I don't know about that," Draco murmured, embarrassed. "Harry and the other Order members did most of it."

"I was fully conscious," Bill said with a smile, "I heard you directing operations."

"I was just – "

"You were wonderful, dear," Molly said, patting his cheek as she walked by. "You'll be a credit to the profession when you become a Healer."

"You tell him, Mum."

"I'm going to go and check on Tonks. Remus should have arrived by now. Get some rest, dear."

"Bye Mum. Thank you for coming and fussing all over me."

"You don't know how lucky you are, William Weasley. Goodbye Draco dear, and well done again on an excellent job."

"Bye Molly," Draco said, waving her out of the room. He stood at the foot of Bill's bed for a moment, taking a moment to say a silent prayer of thanks that Bill hadn't been more seriously injured.

"What happened out there?" he asked eventually.

Bill sighed and said, "No idea. We were ambushed the minute we got there. It's amazing no one was killed; they were brutal."

"You scared the life out of me," Draco said, moving around to sit on the edge of the bed. "When your patronus came…I thought the worst."

"It might have been worse if you hadn't have come. You were brilliant out there."

"Thanks. It was…instinct mostly. I just…reacted."

"Well, your reactions saved the day. This should be proof that you're meant to be a Healer."

"Perhaps," Draco said, smiling at the man's persistence. "I should go, let you get some sleep. That ankle should be fixed by morning."

"Thank you, doctor."

Bill held out his hand and Draco took it, feeling comforted by the calloused palm. "You were excellent today," Bill said softly. "A lot of people owe you their lives, including me."

"Well, I'm sort of fond of you. It was in my own interests to keep you in one piece."

"Sounds like you have plans for me," Bill said with a smirk.

"You'd better believe it," Draco replied. "Get some rest, I'll come and bring you home tomorrow."

Bill gave Draco's hand a tug and he leant forward until their lips met in a kiss. It was sweet and rather chaste, but it gave Draco a sense of belonging he had never felt before. He felt that, in some strange way, he belonged to Bill, that they were forging something special that Draco had never thought he would have a chance at. He was going to do everything in his power to hold onto it with both hands.

AN: I know, I know. I've been gone way too long and I'm sorry. I'm going to get back to trying to update regularly but please don't hold me to that ;)

On a serious note, someone left a review on Learning to Heal by the name of '12 and scared'; I just want to say - please, please come and talk to me if you need to because your review made me so worried! I really want to help if I can and I just hope that you're ok.

Lots of love guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter.