Chapter 12

"Harry, please go to bed."

"I can't, I have to finish this."

"Do you really think you're going to take anything in at this hour of the night? You've been at it all day; put the books down and go and get some sleep."

"Drake stop nagging me."

Draco sighed and wondered if he could get away with stunning Harry. A quick flick of his wand and the boy would be out cold and he could levitate him into a bed for a few hours. Harry was becoming manic in his pursuit of knowledge, his training, anything that he felt could help him bring down Voldemort.

Snape wasn't doing anything to make that pursuit more measured, in fact, Draco rather suspected that he was encouraging Harry's dogged endeavours. The man seemed to have no feeling where Harry was concerned, he merely viewed him as a tool with which to win the war.

The fact that Harry was becoming more starry-eyed over the man by the day was of great concern to Draco. Snape could do no wrong in Harry's mind and, as far as Draco could see, the boy's judgement was clouded by his feelings.

"There's still some dinner keeping warm in the oven. Will you at least have something to eat?"

"You can tell you've been spending time with Molly, you're starting to sound just like her."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Draco said folding his arms.

Harry had already returned his attention to his books and Draco could tell he wasn't listening. Huffing, he left the library and resisted the urge to slam the door behind him. Worrying about Harry was useless, he knew that, but he couldn't help it.

There was something about Harry that brought out a protectiveness in Draco that he hadn't known existed. He had never worried about anyone but himself before, had focused on keeping his own head above water and beggar anyone else. Harry seemed so…hopelessly naïve in many ways. He had seen and done things that people twice his age couldn't even imagine and yet in certain matters he was worryingly childlike.

"No joy?" Bill asked, looking up from a handful of files as Draco entered the living room.

Draco shook his head as he joined Bill on the sofa and said, "It's like talking to a wall. He goes into some kind of trance."

"At least you tried."

"For all the good it did. Living with Harry is like having an exotic, rather highly-strung pet. You never quite know what its needs are and you always feel like you're doing every wrong."

Bill snorted and said, "I'm not sure Harry would appreciate the comparison."

"Harry can take a running jump," Draco groused, nudging Bill's arm and tucking himself beneath it.

"You don't mean that."

Draco sighed and rested his cheek against Bill's chest. "No, I suppose I don't. He's just so bloody frustrating."

"I don't suppose it would be worth pointing out that he's a grown man and not actually your responsibility?" Bill asked gently.

"I know, but it feels like he is…for some reason. If I don't look after him no one will."

"You're just a big softie really, aren't you?" Bill said, dropping a kiss to the top of Draco's head.

"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to maintain."

He felt himself relax as he nestled in deeper to Bill's body. It was a strange thing but physical closeness came easily to him where Bill was concerned. He had always been rather guarded when it came to intimacy and indeed he had never been shown affection by his parents. He felt comfortable with Bill in a way that he had never felt with anyone before and touches came easily where he would have expected himself to put up some kind of resistance.

"How long do I have you for?" Draco asked.

"I have to go back tomorrow, give my report to the bigwigs," Bill replied.

"Well that's rubbish," Draco said sulkily. "Can't you get an assignment in England so I can keep you with me all the time?"

"Well don't you sound like a possessive boyfriend?" Bill said with a smile.

Draco grinned into Bill's shirt and tried not to be too giddy at being called a boyfriend. Bill had let the term slip a few times since their first date and Draco had been only too happy to accept the title.

They had had a couple more dates since then and each one had been wonderful. Bill was a traditional Romantic, that was for sure, and even when they sat in the park eating fish and chips from a stall there had seemed a kind of sweet romance to it.

There had yet to be anything too sexual happen between them and yet there was an intimacy between them that Draco hadn't experienced with anyone before. It was something that went beyond sex, something that sex couldn't produce, and Draco found himself guarding it jealousy.

"Will you be able to pop back for a visit or two?" he asked.

"I'm sure I'll find the time. If my other boyfriends can spare me."

"Brute," Draco said, thumping Bill on the chest, while Bill's deep laugh rumbled above his head. He sighed and said, "Perhaps I should go and try with Harry one more time."

"I'd leave it if I were you. He'll only wind up in a mood with you and then you'll be upset when he gets snarky."

"Fine, I just wish – "

Draco was interrupted by a flash of light, followed by the arrival of Tonks' wolf patronus. Her voice rang out loud and clear, saying, "Diagon Alley! Outnumbered! Calling all help possible!"

Bill and Draco sprang up from the sofa and Draco went to the hallway, shouting up the stairs, "Harry! Diagon Alley's under attack! We have to get there."

The library door slammed and Harry thundered down the stairs, his eyes wild and his wand clutched in his hand. "What's happened?" he asked.

"We don't know, Tonks' patronus just alerted us. Let's go."

The three of them apparated straight to Diagon, immediately assaulted by a wave of noise and movement. The street was in chaos. Shop windows had been blasted out of their frames, glass and wood scattered all over the place while stone fell precariously. Screams filled the air from those who had been injured or were trying to flee, and visibility was hampered by smoke and the blinding light from the barrage of spells being fired off.

Masked figures in robes were terrorising those unfortunate enough to be there, while members of the Order had formed offensive and defensive teams. Draco could vaguely make out Tonks and Snape a few feet away but it was too chaotic to try to get their attention.

"Drake, join the defensive team," Harry instructed, his voice firm and commanding. "Do what you can to help the wounded. Bill, Moody needs back-up. I'll go and help Snape."

They separated, Draco thankful to have been given an instruction. He joined Tonks and used her spells as cover to tend to those who had been injured. His skills had improved since the last time and he felt more confident and competent as he carried out his task.

Spells and curses whizzed over his head but he was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't have time to feel frightened. Occasionally he had to stop what he was doing to fire off a defensive spell of his own, but Tonks was an extremely capable fighter and provided cover for him and those he was helping.

Some had been seriously injured and all he could do was make them comfortable until a medi-team arrived. Other injuries were easier to treat and he used a mix of magical and muggle means, as he had been training himself to do.

He glanced up whenever he was able to check on Bill and Harry. Bill, unsurprisingly, was holding his own capably, but Harry was like a man possessed. He fought without pause, his eyes steely, his spells precise. It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring, and Draco hoped that this hideous war would be brought to a close sooner rather than later for the sake of Harry's sanity.

"I need you to hold that arm across your chest for me for just a moment," he said as gently as he could while assessing what he suspected was a nasty break. The woman was frightened and in pain, but she was co-operating as well as she was able and making his life just a little easier in doing so.

Suddenly she gasped, her eyes wide, as she spluttered, "Behind you!"

Draco struggled to his feet and whirled around in time to see a masked figure with his wand drawn. The figure threw a curse but Draco was quick to cast a protective shield. The curse rebounded straight off and hit a nearby wall, sending debris flying.

Draco tried to disarm his attacker but they were too quick for him and deflected the spell with ease. The figure laughed and a cold shiver shot through Draco's veins.

"Still as incompetent as ever," Lucius drawled as he removed his mask, his face twisted in a cruel snarl.

Draco's stomach flipped and his heart clenched within his chest. He tightened his grasp on his wand and tried to steady himself but he could feel himself faltering.

"Still aligning yourself with these pathetic morons?" Lucius sneered.

"Better than aligning yourself with a madman," Draco shot back, his voice trembling.

He hadn't seen his father since the man had nearly beaten him to death and he would have willingly gone the rest of his life without setting eyes on him again. Lucius' lip curled and Draco took a step back, instinctively afraid.

"You're a fool, Draco," Lucius said, his voice low and dangerous. "You won't win. You threw away the chance to be part of something glorious."

"Glorious?" Draco echoed in disbelief. "You call this glorious? Attacking innocent people, fighting in the name of fascism?"

"I'm so ashamed of you," Lucius hissed.

"Good!" Draco shouted, his hand aching where he was gripping his wand so tightly. "I wouldn't want you to be proud of me. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Well you've got your wish."

He raised his wand and Draco froze, unable to believe that his own father would actually attack him. "Draco!" came Bill's voice, and suddenly the man was by his side, his own wand directed at Lucius.

"What's this?" Lucius asked, his face twisted in disgust. "Found yourself a protector, Draco?"

"Draco's more than capable of protecting himself," Bill said firmly.

"He wasn't the last time I taught him a lesson," Lucius said nastily, and Draco couldn't believe the man could speak of it with such pride.

"I'd get out while you still have the chance, your lot are being rounded up like cattle," Bill said, Draco marvelling at how calm and level the man was being.

Lucius glanced around, and so did Draco, seeing that the Order had indeed gained the upper hand and that the Death Eaters were either fleeing or being taken into custody. Lucius' confident smirk slipped a little and Draco felt a small spark of satisfaction.

"There'll be other days. The battle is coming and you'll regret choosing the wrong side."

"I'll never regret my choice, not when I'm fighting alongside the man I love," Draco fired back before he could truly consider his words.

Not only had he outed himself as gay to his father, but he had acknowledged his relationship with a member of the one family Lucius hated above all others. He had also declared his feelings very publicly when he hadn't even admitted them to Bill yet.

"You disgraceful – " Lucius began, but was halted by a blast of light to his right. They were all distracted long enough for Lucius to raise his wand at Draco again, and Draco knew nothing of it until Bill knocked him bodily out of the way and blasted Lucius backwards and into a pile of rubble.

"Draco? Draco are you ok?" Bill asked anxiously as he knelt in front of Draco, cupping Draco's chin gently.

Draco was too shocked to answer. He had seen the spell Lucius had been about to utter, seen the beginnings of the killing curse on his own father's lips and was too bewildered to answer Bill.

"Draco, answer me," Bill said firmly, giving him a shake.

"He tried…he tried…" Draco stammered, his mouth dry and his head spinning.

"I know," Bill said sadly. "Come on, up you get." He held out his hand and Draco took it, allowing himself to be hauled to his feet. They looked towards the corner where Lucius had been blasted to see that the man had disappeared. Draco didn't know whether to be relieved or not.

The Order had prevailed and those they had captured were soon whisked off. Many had evaded capture and a team was dispatched to try and trace them, although it was dubious how much success they would have.

The core members of the Order retreated to Grimmauld to assess and regroup. Draco sat silently at the kitchen table as a myriad of conversations took place over his head. He was still in shock, still processing what had happened and still trying to understand how his own father had been about to attempt to kill him.

He listened to Harry ranting about how McNair had given him the slip by a hair's breadth, listened to Tonks recount how she had got the slice across her chin, and listened to Moody growling about the situation getting worse. He let it all slide over him, part of him wanting to contribute to the discussion about what steps to take next, part of him wanting to run up the stairs and escape to the sanctuary of his room.

People were tending to each other's wounds, most of which were mercifully superficial, while the kettle was boiled for tea and Moody raided the cupboards for his stash of alcohol.

"Here," Bill said, handing him a glass of something foul-smelling.

"I don't want it," Draco said, shaking his head.

"I think you should have a little, take the edge of."

Draco complied, too tired to argue, and winced as the taste hit his tongue. He couldn't identify what he was drinking, but it was potent and it settled in his stomach like hot lava.

"This lot will be gone soon," Bill said softly and Draco nodded, his fingertips feeling strange against the glass he was holding. He felt disconnected to his own body, felt as though his mind was trying to clamber out of it and away to a place of safety.

Snape was being his usual dismissive self, standing in the corner and pretending that he was above it all. It irritated Draco more than usual and he wanted to tell the man to sling his hook if he was so uninterested in associating with them all.

The twins were joking around, trying to outdo one another with puns about fighting the Death Eaters. Ordinarily it would have amused Draco, but at that moment it just grated on him. There was too much noise, too much activity, and it was sending him slowly insane.

"Look," said Bill, standing up and waiting until everyone had stopped talking. "It's late and we're all tired. Why don't we meet up tomorrow and go over this then? I think we could all do with some sleep."

The others all seemed to agree and eventually there was no one left in the kitchen but Bill, Draco and Harry. Harry was still wound up, still ranting about how the fight should have gone, but Draco didn't have the energy to listen to him.

"Harry mate, give it a rest for tonight, eh?" Bill said, clapping him on the back.

"But you don't understand. I was ready for him, I could – "

"I know," Bill said firmly but not unkindly. "But this is isn't the last one we'll fight and if you're going to get like this after every one then you'll book yourself an early grave."

"I'm going up," Draco said, getting to his feet, pleased that his legs weren't as shaky as he'd feared they might be.

He didn't wait for a response from the others and made his way up the stairs in a kind of haze. He sat down on his bed and tried to clear his head, tried to force himself to think more clearly but he was so rattled that it was almost impossible.

There was a soft knock at the door and Draco looked up as Bill let himself in. "I can go if you want, let you be," he said.

"I really don't want you to," Draco said and Bill closed the door behind him as he crossed the room to sit next to Draco on the bed. Draco leant closer and Bill wrapped an arm around him and Draco felt his world right itself just a little.

"I don't know what to say," Bill admitted gently. "What happened tonight…I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling."

"He was going to kill me, Bill," Draco said, stunned that he was able to actually say the words. "If you hadn't stopped him…he would have killed me. I never thought he'd be capable of that…that he'd hate me that much."

Bill tightened his hold and rested his chin on Draco's head. Draco was flooded with a sense of security and protection, and it helped to soothe the pain of his father's heinous actions. He had never had somebody he could rely on, never had somebody who was there for him

"I'm so sorry," Bill whispered, and Draco could hear the horror in the man's voice. No doubt he was thinking of his own father, thinking of how the gentle and paternal Arthur would never be capable of something so heinous. He was a man who loved his children beyond his own life, whereas Lucius had never given thought to anyone besides himself.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Draco asked, suddenly terrified to be alone.

"Of course. I can make up a bed on the floor."

"No," Draco said with a shake of his head. "With me."

Bill pulled back a little and gave Draco a gentle smile. "If that's what you want."

"I want to forget this night ever happened."

Bill extracted himself from Draco and they removed their outer clothes before slipping under the covers together. A single candle burned on the bedside table, casting a warm but faintly eerie glow around the room.

Bill's fingers wound gently through his hair and Draco tried to let the feeling ground him. "He could come after me," he said, his voice quiet and broken.

"He won't," Bill said certainly. "I promise you he'll never get the chance to hurt you again."

"I don't…I don't even feel like his son anymore. I don't know where I belong."

"You belong here, with me," Bill said, and the certainty in his voice was a comfort.

Draco levered himself up to rest on his elbow, looking down at Bill. "I…I said something to my father…to Lucius out there today. I'm a little embarrassed about it, but – "

"Why are you embarrassed? Wasn't it true?" Bill asked, and, although his voice was perfectly level, Draco could tell that Bill was nervous about the answer.

"I don't know," Draco answered honestly. "I haven't really managed to get it straight in my own mind but…but I think there's a good chance that I am. I…feel things for you that I've never felt for anyone. This thing between us…it's important to me, you're important to me."

Bill reached up and gently brushed Draco's cheeks with his fingers. "I feel the same way."

They met with a kiss that was soft and gentle and Draco felt the world melt away as he was rolled onto his back. He was perfectly ready to lose himself in Bill and to let the last twenty-four hours become nothing more than a bad memory.

He felt Bill's hands on his body, touching, exploring, and he felt safe giving himself over to the man. His shirt was slipped gently from his shoulders and he felt his bare skin connecting with Bill's. He arched upwards, wanting as much contact as possible, needing to feel Bill's skin against his own.

It hadn't been planned, Draco hadn't been expecting it to happen, but it felt right. He needed this, needed to feel this closeness with Bill, to affirm how they both felt.

Bill's hands were soft and gentle as they explored his skin and Draco reciprocated in kind. He mapped the skin beneath his palms, revelled in the weight of Bill's body pressing down against his own.

It was the first time in months he hadn't been governed by his thoughts and he was more than content to let his baser instincts take over for a change. He was divested of his trousers and underwear and he felt himself drawn into a warm, sure mouth. His hands gripped the bedsheets as his hips arched, delighted with Bill's ministrations.

A firm tongue lathed the head of his erection, teasing and swiping while a large hand cupped his taut balls. He hummed happily as he was overwhelmed with sensation, feeling giddy at both the delicious talent Bill possessed and at the trust he felt for the man.

Bill's mouth moved up and down, his clever tongue sending waves of pleasure through Draco's body. Draco hadn't felt pleasure like it before and he knew it was because of how he felt about the man currently bestowing such focused attention on his aching prick.

"What do you want, Drake?" Bill asked softly, breaking his actions.

"You," Draco replied hoarsely.

Bill smiled and said, "How? We don't have to go any further than you want."

Draco reached and pulled Bill upwards, the man's stomach pressing gently against his bobbing erection as he went. "I want it all," Draco whispered, before leaning up and meeting Bill in a heated kiss.

"Have you ever…before…"

"Once or twice," Draco answered, knowing what Bill was asking. "Nothing like this though," he added, "nothing like this."

He was pushed back against the pillows as Bill kissed him with a spine-tingling intensity and he felt a spell wash over him as he was cleansed and prepared. Lubricated fingers teased his entrance, circling and almost tickling. He was breached carefully by one finger then two, Bill stretching and opening him. A third was added and Draco bore down against the welcome intrusion, adoring the feeling of such an invasion.

He felt as though he was being worshipped. Bill was being so careful, so tender that Draco wanted to hold the moment in time for as long as he could. Draco's fingers moved up to Bill's hair as they continued to kiss, the passion between them palpable.

Bill carried on kissing him as he shifted over him, and Draco felt the head of the man's hardness nudge him gently. He tilted his hips up slightly and breathed out as Bill entered him. He'd been so carefully prepared that there was no pain, only a slight feeling of discomfort, which quickly subsided as Bill found a rhythm that had Draco curling his legs around the man's back and drawing him in deeper.

He lost himself in the moment completely, his mind focused on nothing but the pleasure Bill was giving him. Bill's thrusts were deep and slow, allowing Draco to feel each one, to let his body react to this new sensation.

Bill's hands continued to leave hot trails along his skin while his kisses left Draco breathless and begging for more. It had never been like this with anyone else, and all Draco's remembrances of

times with other people vanished into the dim corners of his memory.

Pleasure coursed through him as his body moved against Bill's, as he rocked with each thrust. Bill was strong and firm above him, enveloping him so completely that Draco was content to be lost there forever. The room was filled with their combined breathing, the smell of sex permeating between them.

Draco could feel his orgasm creeping up on him, a gorgeous end to the delicious sensations that had already been stirred in him. He tightened his legs around Bill's waist and Bill took the cue to speed up, hitting that spot in Draco with added intensity. His hand snaked down to Draco's straining erection and wrapped around it with sure and certain strokes. Draco came with a low sigh of fulfilment and after a couple of shudders it became apparent that Bill had reached his conclusion too.

Bill's head rested against Draco's shoulder as they both came back down to earth, Draco's body still experiencing little aftershocks of pleasure.

"You ok?" Bill asked, his voice sounding slightly distant as Draco's blood pulsed in his ears.

"Better than ok," Draco said with a tired chuckle. "Merlin that was great."

Bill eased gently out of him and cast a cleaning charm as he shifted to lie next to him. "You still want to me to stay now that you've had your wicked way with me?"

Draco smiled and nestled himself into Bill's side, feeling the warm contentment of his afterglow spread through him. It wasn't just the sex, he knew that. It was the connection he felt, the closeness they had shared and the safety that he felt in Bill's arms.

"I guess I should keep you around, if only to have round two in the morning."

"Insatiable brat."

AN: I have no excuses, I just haven't had the motivation to write, in all honesty. I'm trying to get my muses back, but they're tricky devils. If anyone would like to give me fic suggestions, then please do so. I need something to get my arse in gear. In the meantime, I will endeavour to be a little more regular with updating this fic. Love to you all!