Chapter 10

"You know, I thought you were a pretty graceful guy…but I'm starting to re-think that."

"Oh shut up. I'd like to see you do better on a pair of crutches."

"The Malfoy breeding would shine through no matter what."

Bill scoffed and continued to practise hobbling up and down on his crutches. The break in his ankle was healed, but he couldn't put any significant weight on it, and he would need to rest and rehabilitate it to get back to full strength.

"You're cute when you're frustrated," Draco said with a smile.

"You're very brave all the way over there."

"Shall I come closer?"

"If you fancy trying your luck."

"I fancy more than that."

"Resorting to terrible puns? Shameful."

"My standards are slipping. Keep practising, I'm just going to pop in on Tonks."

Bill gave him a salute and he moved off down the corridor to Tonks' room. He knocked before letting himself in, finding his cousin propped up in bed, Lupin perched opposite her.

"Hey. How are you doing?" he asked.

"Much better," Tonks replied, and she did indeed look it. "Could have been a lot worse if it hadn't been for you."

"I didn't – "

"Draco," Lupin interjected, "the healers themselves have said that Tonks wouldn't have made such a recovery without your intervention."

"I'd have been scarred for life without you," Tonks said with a smile. She gestured to the papery burn on the side of her face and said, "Thanks to you, this will heal nicely."

"Well," Draco said, clearing his throat, "I'm just happy I could help. Have they said when you can go home?"

"A few more days. Then it's back out on assignment."

"You are joking?" Draco said incredulously.

Tonks shook her head, throwing the scar on her cheek into the light. "We have to track down the people who attacked us."

"But – "

"It has to be done. The war is picking up pace, none of us can afford to sit back and rest. We're heading towards the endgame."

A lump formed in Draco's throat and he knew that there was no arguing with what Tonks was saying. Even he could see that things all around them were changing, that there was a coming tide that none of them could fight against. In many ways they had all got off lightly the other night; no one was injured beyond repair and no lives had been lost. He knew their luck would not last indefinitely.

"Well, just make sure you're fighting fit before they send you out again," he settled on saying.

"Yes doctor," Tonks said with a grin, but it wasn't the usual one that Draco had become familiar with.

He gave an equally unconvincing smile and said, "Well, maybe you can stop by Grimmauld for a takeaway when you have a spare moment. It would be good to see you, and you, Remus."

"We'll bear that in mind, thank you."

"I should go and make sure Bill hasn't fallen over. He really is a sight to behold."

Glad of the escape from the growing tension, he ducked back out of the room and found that Bill had meandered a little further down the corridor. He looked a little steadier on his feet but it was clear that the crutches weren't going to become second nature for the man.

"I must ask your dad about that muggle camera thing. I'd like a permanent record of this to look back on for my own amusement," Draco said, folding his arms with a smile.

"You really are an evil git, aren't you?"

"I like to think so. Are you ready to go home? The floo connection is on this level."

"Bloody good job too. I don't think I could handle stairs."

"Oh but it would be so fun to watch."

Walking alongside each other they made their way to the reception area. They were given Bill's discharge forms along with a couple of pain-relief potions, then sent on their merry way home. Bill went through the floo first and Draco followed, brushing soot from his clothes as Bill tried to steady himself.

"There must be an easier way to do this," the man growled, bracing himself on a nearby cupboard.

"Come on, let's get you settled in the living room."

Bill hobbled down the corridor, cursing and muttering as he went. Draco stayed by his elbow just in case the man took a tumble and then helped him onto the sofa, propping his leg up on the ageing footstool.

"There we go. Keep it nice and elevated and we can go through your stretches later. Can I get you anything?"

"Yes," Bill said firmly, grabbing the front of Draco's shirt and pulling him down into a kiss. It took Draco by surprise and he let out a little 'oof' as their lips met. Kissing Bill was becoming familiar territory now though, and he relaxed into it easily.

He braced his hands on the arms of Bill's chair as he felt Bill's hand cradle the back of his neck. It was soft and gentle, almost teasing, and Draco's stomach fluttered at the connection he felt to the man. Bill moaned softly and Draco lamented the fact that the man wasn't fighting fit. He would have dearly loved to drag the redhead upstairs and have his wicked way with him.

"I don't remember saying I was on offer," Draco said as he pulled back, taking in the look of contentment on Bill's face.

"Aren't you?" Bill asked with a lazy smile.

"We'll see. You'll have to be on your best behaviour."

"I always am."

Raising a sceptical eyebrow, Draco pushed himself back from the chair and said, "I'm going to go and fix you some lunch. Stay there and behave."

"I could get used to you bossing me around."

"Good job too," Draco murmured, leaning forward and pressing a chaste peck to Bill's lips before he left the room.

He was fairly giddy and he wasn't entirely sure it was a good look on him. Bill seemed to bring out sides of his nature he had never known existed before and he was starting to like the person he became when they were together.

The smile remaining on his face, he heated up some soup that Molly had brought over the previous night. Molly's cooking really was second to none and she could make even the most simple of dishes taste wonderful.

The floo roared to life over his shoulder and he turned to see Harry tumbling through it. The boy looked shattered and Draco knew it wasn't soot causing the dark circles under his eyes.

"Oh hey, any of that left for me?" Harry asked, indicating the soup.

"Of course. Molly always makes enough to feed a small army. Where have you been?"

"Training," Harry said with a sigh, dusting himself down.

"Again? Merlin Harry you'll wear yourself out."

"It has to be done," Harry insisted. "Things are stepping up. The chance to take Voldemort down could come at any moment."

Draco winced at the name but couldn't deny that Harry had a point. Tonks had said much the same in the hospital, and all around them a pervading sense of anticipation permeated. It was true that they all had their parts to play and that everyone was working hard to prevent chaos from descending, but the ultimate burden would fall on Harry's shoulders alone.

"I'm going to have to go back in an hour or so," Harry said with a sigh as he accepted the bowl Draco handed him.

"That's ridiculous. Surely that's enough for one day?"

"Apparently not. How's Bill?"

"Settling in nicely," Draco replied, dishing out another two bowls of soup. "He should only be on crutches for a few days until the strength in his ankle comes back. Bloody good job too, he's a nightmare on them."

"I can hear you," Bill shouted in from the other room.

"I wasn't whispering," Draco shouted back, smiling slightly at their daft little flirting.

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "God, don't tell me the two of you are at it as well? Is everyone around me pairing off?"

Draco flushed. He and Bill hadn't spoken about telling anyone about them and, really, it was early days to be announcing anything. "We…um…" he began, feeling flustered. "Well we…"

"The answer's yes," Bill called through from the living room and Draco tried to temper his grin for Harry's sake. He didn't want to assume anything, but Bill was clearly alright with everything being out in the open and it pleased Draco more than he could say.

Harry's expression was sour and it took the edge off Draco's happiness somewhat. Harry had been feeling like enough of a third wheel where Ron and Hermione were concerned, and the last thing Draco wanted was to rub his nose in his own budding relationship.

"I think I'll get back to Hogwarts," Harry said, his voice flat.

"But you haven't touched your soup," Draco protested.

"Not hungry," Harry replied petulantly.

"Harry – "

"I'll see you later. Or not…you'll probably be busy."

"Harry – "

But it was too late; Harry disappeared back through the fireplace before Draco could stop him, leaving nothing but a faint puff of soot in his wake.

Draco sighed and took the bowls into the living room, handing one to Bill and saying, "You heard that?"

Bill nodded. "Don't take it too personally. You know what he's like at the moment."

"I just don't want him to feel pushed out," Draco replied, dipping his spoon in and out of the soup, his appetite diminished somewhat. "He's got so much to deal with at the moment, I want to make sure he knows that…that I'm here for him."

"Us being together doesn't change that," Bill said gently, and Draco's stomach flipped at the assertion that they were together.

A smile twitching his lips in spite of himself, he said, "So we…we're…together?"

"Well," said Bill, "I guess that's up to you. I know where I stand."

"But we…" Draco began, feeling awkward, "we're not even…we haven't slept together."

Bill's eyebrows rose and Draco felt under scrutiny. "That's how you define being with someone?" Bill asked, and Draco was at a loss how to answer. "Tell me something; how many of the people you've slept with have you had a relationship with?"

"I…well…" Draco blustered, caught off-guard by the question. "Um…none," he said, his voice catching a little.

"Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather forgo the horizontal shenanigans until we're…further down the line."

"You're saying…that you don't want to…" Draco ventured, more confused than when they had started the conversation.

"Of course I want to," Bill said with a very suggestive smile. "I am a fully-functioning male in his prime, after all, but these things can wait."

"They can?" Draco asked with a frown.

Bill placed his soup to one side then leant forward in his seat, his elbows resting on his knees. "Draco, I like you…a lot. I'd like the chance to…build something, something that has the possibility to go the distance."

Draco blinked in surprise, taken aback by Bill's declaration. "So you want to…date?"

"Is that such an alarming prospect?"

"I…" Draco began, unsure how to answer. He had never 'dated' in the past, nor had he embarked upon anything with a view to it becoming something long-term. "No…not alarming, just…"

"When I'm off these crutches, I'm going to take you to dinner. How does that sound for a start?"

Bewildered but rather happily so, Draco smiled and said, "I think I can handle that."

With their 'date' postponed until Bill was off crutches, and the man happy to keep himself occupied in that time, Draco decided to devote a little attention to Harry. He was feeling slighted, Draco knew, and, what with the boy pushing himself so hard in his training, Draco was worried that he would snap if someone didn't attend to him.

Reasoning that Harry had to stop for lunch at some point, Draco made the journey to Hogwarts the next day and headed for the dungeons. He wasn't particularly keen to see Snape, nor to snatch the man's student away from him, but he was convinced that Harry was working too hard and that he could be the one to alleviate it.

As it turned out, Harry wasn't in the dungeons, but Snape was, sitting at his desk marking essays with a scowl on his face. Draco watched him from the doorway for a moment then straightened his shoulders and approached with a firm knock.

"Draco," Snape said, looking up briefly.

"Severus," Draco returned, taking pleasure in the disapproving look Snape shot him. "Where's Harry?"

"Clearly not here," Snape drawled.

"I can see that," Draco replied, adding 'you arrogant prick' in his mind. "Perhaps you can tell where he is."

Snape paused, pretending to pay extra attention to the parchment in front of him. Draco knew all too well that Snape never gave any such care to the essays that were submitted to him and that he was doing it simply to irritate. It was working.

"I expect you'll find dear Mr Potter in the library," he said eventually.

"At your behest, no doubt."

One black eyebrow arched disdainfully and Draco mentally entrenched himself. He would not back down from this man no matter how disagreeable he chose to be.

"He is spending his time in the pursuit of knowledge, at my behest, as you put it, in order to better his chances when he finally faces the Dark Lord. Do you disapprove?" the man asked silkily.

Draco had had years battling not only Snape's acerbity but his own father's, and the man's attitude didn't faze him as it did Harry. "Not at all," he replied smoothly. "I think Harry should be given every support possible and nurtured in his endeavours. I'm sure you do your upmost, Severus. Good day."

Oh but it felt good to be as dismissive of Snape as the man was of others. Snape's attitude had never bothered him that much in the past, but now that that attitude was directed towards Harry, all of Draco's protectiveness had been stirred up in defence of the boy.

He found him in the library, bent over an intimidating pile of books. There were a few other students in there, who all cast him looks as he went past. He supposed that rumours were still abounding as to what had happened to him but he wasn't there to entertain them.

"I'm assuming you haven't eaten," he said quietly as he sat down beside Harry.

"Not hungry," Harry murmured, not looking up from his reading.

Sitting closely next to him, Draco could see the dark circles under Harry's eyes and the deep-set frown between his brows. "Not important, you still have to eat."

"I'll grab something from the kitchens later," Harry said dismissively, scribbling down a few notes with a look of uninterrupted concentration.

Draco sighed and reached over, gently closing the book Harry was reading and extracting the quill from his hand.

"Draco," Harry protested, reaching for the quill.

Draco held it out of his reach and said, "Harry, you look like shit. You're exhausted, do you really think you're going to take anything in in this state? Come and get some lunch with me, give yourself a break for an hour."

"I can't afford an hour," Harry all but hissed, his expression bordering on manic. "Did you know that there was a raid last night? Three aurors were injured, one is still critically ill in hospital. With each day we're getting closer and closer to Voldemort showing his hand and I have to be ready. If he calls me out and…and I can't take him…that's it. We're done."

Draco didn't know what to say to that. It was true, after all, and to deny the burden that Harry was carrying would be insulting. "I know how tough this is on you, but if Voldemort attacked right now you'd be too exhausted to last more than a minute."

Harry's jaw clenched stubbornly, but Draco knew that his point had hit home. "Come on, one hour for lunch. Please."

Harry's shoulders slumped and Draco knew he'd won. He grabbed Harry gently by the arm and coaxed him out of his seat, ignoring the looks thrown his way from the students who watched them as they left.

It was a quiet walk down to Hogsmeade and Harry walked with his head held low for most of it. Draco knew that a spot of lunch in the pub wasn't going to solve anything, but Harry was drawing further into himself these days and Draco struggled to know what to do for the best.

Harry picked at his food uninterestedly and all efforts to engage him in conversation were unsuccessful. He kept glancing up at the clock above the fireplace, looking, Draco knew, to see when he should be getting back to the castle, getting back to his relentless training.

"That's it," Draco said when they were back outside, the bill paid. He was a tad resentful that he had paid for a meal that Harry had barely touched, but he couldn't really begrudge him.

"What's it?"

"I'm kidnapping you."

"You're what?" Harry asked, his eyebrows rising.

"I'm kidnapping you," Draco repeated, grabbing hold of Harry's arm before the boy could resist.

He didn't have a plan fully formulated, but he knew that he had to act before Harry could properly realise what was happening and fight him. All Draco knew was that he had to get Harry away from Hogwarts, away from all the pressure he was under and so he apparated them both to the first place he could think of.

On reflection, the Dorset coastline in January probably wasn't the wisest choice he might have made, but nowhere in England was an attractive place at that time of year. Harry blinked in surprise as the wind whipped around them on the clifftop and Draco cast a quick warming charm on them both to fend off the biting wind.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Harry asked.

"Ringstead Bay," Draco replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

"Because I'm not letting you go back to Hogwarts. Not yet."

"For Merlin's sake, you're ridiculous."

"Harry you're one step away from a nervous breakdown. Taking an afternoon off to spend some time for yourself isn't going to affect the war."

"So dragging me here is supposed to help?"

"Well fine! We'll do whatever you want, we can go anywhere you like, just say the word!"

"I want to go back to Hogwarts," Harry said stubbornly, turning away and walking across the clifftop, although where he thought he was going Draco didn't know.

Draco followed and grabbed Harry's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Harry, if I have to take you home and tie you to the bed then, so help me, I will."

"I didn't know you were into that, what would Bill say?"

There was half a second's pause before Harry's lip quirked and then they were both in fits of laughter. It was good to see Harry laugh, and Draco was gladdened by the sight.

"For the record," Harry said, still smiling, "if you are into that kind of thing I really don't want to know about it."

"You have my word, we'll never discuss it."

Harry shook his head and cast a drying charm on the wet ground before chucking himself down. He sat cross-legged and rested his hand on his fist, looking out to sea. Draco sat down beside him and drew his knees up, wrapping his arms around them.

"Sometimes I daydream about running away," Harry said quietly.

Draco decided not to interject, to let Harry get it out in his own time. Harry needed someone to listen, not someone to offer advice that he no doubt wouldn't take anyway.

"I think about what it would be like to just…hop on a plane and get the hell away from here. To go somewhere where no one knows me and I could just…live a normal life. I've come so close so many times but I always bail at the last minute."

"No one would blame you," Draco said gently.

"Of course they would," Harry argued, "and rightly so. What kind of prick would just walk out on the people who need him most? How selfish would that make me?"

"Harry you're the most selfless person I know. This…self-abuse has to stop. You're under more pressure than anyone could imagine and if it were anyone else they would have told everyone to go fuck themselves long before now."

"There are plenty of people who would handle this better than me," Harry said with a dismissive shake of his head.

"Bullshit," Draco said emphatically. "Harry, what's it going to take to get you to see how incredible you are?"

Harry scoffed and said, "A small miracle, I should think."

Draco sighed and said, "You know what? We could sit out here all day, going around in these stupid circles, but I know we'll be having the same conversation in a week's time. Let's just…use this time to forget about everything that's going on at the moment. There must be something you want to do, something that would take your mind off things. Come on, just name it and we'll do it."

Harry looked pensive for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. He shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile before saying, "Honestly? I'd just…love a couple of hours of doing…nothing."

Which was why, a couple of hours later, they were snuggled under a blanket in the living room of Grimmauld, a video of Titanic playing. Hermione had shown them how to make a muggle television and video player work with magic a little while ago and they had been reaping the benefits ever since.

"Are you actually crying already? The ship hasn't even begun to sink yet!" Harry said, swigging his third bottle of beer.

"It's the alcohol, it makes me weepy," Draco said defensively.

"Well, you weren't drinking when we watched Little Women and you cried your eyes out at that."

"I defy anyone to watch Beth dying without shedding a tear!"

"Big baby," Harry snorted, taking a look at the assortment of food between them on the sofa. "Mm I love M&Ms."

"You love everything sweet," Draco said, wiping his eyes as he watched Rose and Jack kiss as they stood on the prow of the ship. He knew what was coming; he'd seen the film five times since Harry had brought it home, but it made him cry each time he watched it.

"I do, you're right. Chocolate was invented by heavenly beings," he replied, taking a fistful of M&Ms and stuffing them in his mouth.

"So uncouth."

"Oh shove off, you snot-nosed toff."

"Pleb."

"Tosser."

"Wanker."

"Pillock."

"Well, aren't you two cute?"

They both turned to see Bill watching them from the doorway, his arms folded as he grinned at them both. "Your terms of endearment are adorable."

"I have a few saved for you," Draco said, feeling rather light-headed from the couple of beers he'd had.

"I'll bet you do," Bill said with a smirk. "Oh Merlin, not Titanic again. Aren't you sick of it by now?"

"He likes Rose, he has a thing for red-heads," Harry said with a sly wink, and Draco was happy to see that Harry seemed less sour about his budding relationship with Bill.

"He's a man of taste," Bill replied. "I'm going to get something to eat, I'll leave you two to your sobfest."

Draco watched him shuffle off down the corridor, the crutches gone but his balance still a little unsteady. It was ridiculous but every time he saw the man, despite living with him for several months, he still got butterflies. He felt like a lovesick fool, and the fact that Bill was treating their whole relationship as a courtship made him feel more special than he had ever felt.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, go and give him a proper hello," Harry said, rolling his eyes and shoving more chocolate in his mouth.

"But – " Draco began, feeling guilty. This afternoon was meant to be about Harry after all.

"I'll pause the film, Jack and Rose and their tragic love story will be here waiting for you."

"That's not - "

"Go, I can't stand looking at you," Harry said good-naturedly, and Draco grinned before scrabbling out from under the blanket and scurrying off the kitchen.

"What are you doing here? You'll miss the love story of the century," Bill said, rummaging through the cupboards.

Draco practically had to bite his tongue to stop himself from arguing that theirs was the love story of the century. He'd clearly had too many beers if he was thinking along those lines and Bill didn't need to learn that he was a complete sap this early on in their relationship.

"I wanted to come and say hello," Draco said, his stomach doing a small summersault.

"Well, hello," Bill said with a smirk.

"Can't you do any better than that?" he asked teasingly, feeling emboldened by the alcohol.

"Throwing down a challenge, Mr Malfoy?"

Draco approached him with a smile, then reached out and grabbed the front of Bill's shirt. He pulled the man closer and breathed in the scent of the man's subtle aftershave before leaning upwards and meeting the man's lips with his own.

The kiss was soft but confident; Draco knew what he wanted but he didn't want to be pushy. He was happy to be assertive when the occasion called for it and Bill seemed to like it when he took the lead. He wrapped his arms around the man's neck and pulled their bodies close together, feeling the heat pulse between them.

He wanted more but he was also curious to see how Bill's insistence upon no sex would play out. It added another layer of anticipation, a tingle of eroticism to something that, on the surface, seemed so chaste.

"What a nice way to say hello," Bill murmured, as he pulled away to press a trail of light kisses to Draco's jaw. "I'll be expecting more of the same for every greeting."

"Done," Draco said, smiling as Bill's hand ran gently up and down his back. "I should…I should get back to Harry but…that date we were talking about? Can that be soon?"

"How does tomorrow night work for you?"

"I'll check my diary," Draco said, hoping he sounded as smooth as he was aiming for. Tomorrow couldn't come quickly enough.

AN: I know, I'm still not great with the updates, but I'll try and get better, I promise.

It seems that the hideous trolls are back again and I've had hateful 'reviews' left on my work yet again. I've deleted them, of course, but I can't deny that's it's deeply irritating.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought.