Disclaimer: Not Mine.

Notes: Originally written for aoifene's cancelled Seven Deadly Sins Angst collection. The prompt I chose was Envy. Thanks to aoifene, weasleywench and nocturnali for their unwavering support and encouragement. The title is a line from Dante's The Divine Comedy: Purgatory, Canto XIII. Translated by The Rev. H. F. Cary, M.A.

Enjoy! Thanks so much for the reviews, it really makes a difference knowing if you like it. :)

jamie

xxxx

'We could've let the guard have the night off, Draco. Seeing as I'm here with you, I could do both.'

'On the contrary, Potter: you are my escort for tonight and have escort duties. You cannot possibly be protecting me at the same time. No matter who you are and how much they exalt you for being their hero, even you are mortal.' Draco pasted a smile on his face for the reporters awaiting the arrival of the guests for Lovegood's book release, and saw from the corner of his eye that Potter did the same.

They stood in front of the cameras for a few moments, trying not to blink at the flashes, Draco close to Potter, looking as if they dated regularly. In actuality, Draco had been surprised how well they worked together; Potter obviously had experience attending these things and he seemed in a much lighter mood than earlier in the day.

'I don't think anyone will try anything here, Draco.'

'I bet you didn't think anyone would try something in front of Fortescue's with witnesses, either.'

'Whatever. Anyway, your safety is my priority.'

'Thank you, Potter.' Draco turned and gave Potter a brilliant smile that he just knew the photographers would like and held it while the cameras flashed. 'I hope the gi– I hope there wasn't too much trouble with Ms Weasley.'

Potter shrugged and returned Draco's smile. 'She'll be all right. I might have to sleep on the couch for a week, though, so you should be thankful I'm here.'

Draco laughed and pressed closer to Potter's side. 'No sex for a week? If you'd walked out on a date with me, you'd be sleeping in the servant's quarters for the foreseeable future.'

Potter grinned in return. 'And this is why I don't date you. Or men. Ginny's sweet.'

And easy, Draco thought, congratulating the ginger bits. He bet she knew that to keep Potter, she'd have to spread her legs as often as she could, or else Potter would soon grow bored of her inanity. But to demand no punishment would render her no threat and require no work on Potter's part, which would also lead to him becoming bored and wandering. No, Potter needed someone who challenged him. For now the ginger bits did, because her weapon was what was between her legs. Once Potter lost his celebrity, then Draco was sure that the legs would close for longer than a week.

Perhaps he should pursue Potter as Pansy had suggested. It would certainly make his own situation more secure, and Draco knew Potter protected those close to him with everything he had. And in an attack, they would go for Potter first.

It was certainly something to consider. Besides, regular sex had a lot going for it. Potter wasn't ugly and could always be discarded when the attacker was apprehended. He would have to think about it, but sex would be another way in which Potter could show his gratitude to Draco for saving his life.

'Be that as it may, Potter, you may take me inside now, and we can pay our respects to that wretched author.'

Of course,' Potter replied, holding out his arm. Draco smiled graciously and took it, letting Potter lead him into the reception.

….

'Potter not on duty today?' Pansy asked as she entered Draco's bedroom.

'Hello to you, too,' Draco responded dryly. 'No, he's working today. Pity.'

Pansy flopped onto his bed and watched as Draco pulled on a pair of black trousers. 'I think you're letting him off the hook too easily,' she said, sitting up and handing Draco his shirt.

'How do you mean?'

'It's been almost a week since you made him accompany you anywhere. What happened to the seduction plans?'

Draco gaped at her. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'You can't hide anything from me, Draco, darling. I know you too well.'

Scowling, Draco finished buttoning his shirt. 'Cow,' he mumbled. She ignored it.

'Has he proved to be too straight, then?'

'No one's too straight, Pansy,' he retorted, narrowing his eyes.

'But you've given up?'

Draco snorted. 'I wasn't aware that I'd started.'

'Draco,' she said, standing and reaching to thread a tie under his shirt collar. 'From the moment you eyed him from top to toe like he was a tasty morsel to be devoured, there was never any doubt.'

He remained still while she knotted his tie, looking at her smirk. The light of mischief in her eyes was an attempt to goad Draco.

'You're probably right; though I'm not sure I could stand to have him around constantly. And you do realise I'd have to have sex with a man I can't stand?'

Pansy cleared her throat. 'I'm sure you'll manage.' Her eyes darkened. 'I do.'

Draco immediately regretted mentioning it and curled his arms around her waist. 'If I could have, I would have married you; you know that.'

She gave him a half smile and a nodded. 'I know, and I love you for it; but it wasn't meant to be, was it?'

'Your parents could have waited a little, instead of marrying you off to the first slug with enough money.'

'You know I would have made them, but we had no idea if you'd be cleared or be spending time in Azkaban.'

Draco sighed. 'If it ever gets too much for you, you can always leave. I'll look after you. Always.' He pressed a kiss to her temple. 'I love you, Pansy; I don't want to see you unhappy.'

She wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and smiled. 'As long as I can live vicariously through you, I will be happy.'

'So, Potter?'

'Use him up and toss him aside,' she said. 'Have the good guys lose one for a change.'

Draco knew that her motivation was in part for revenge at being cast as villains because they'd ended up on the wrong side of the war, but as he'd already examined his own motivations and decided it would be most beneficial for him to have Potter in his bed as well as at his side, he wasn't disposed to analyse hers.

….

Draco continued to be busy over the next week. He insisted that Potter act as his guard when he was out of the house. It had the double benefit of making Potter the bigger target when Draco was in public and vulnerable, and it accustomed people to see them together. And seeing as there were no new leads into who had attacked Potter, Draco felt justified in demanding his presence when in public.

'Is that good news or bad, Potter? Or is the Auror corps inefficient?'

'I'm not sure,' Potter admitted candidly. 'Oh, we're not inefficient, but none of the agitators or Death Eaters from the war are at large that we know of, which leaves us with someone I've had dealings with since becoming an Auror.'

'You don't think it's someone who's taken an intense dislike to your fashion sense or is pining and lusting after your ginger bits, then?'

'Will you stop calling her that?'

'No.' Draco smirked. Potter could insist all he liked that Draco call ginger bits by her name, but he couldn't force him to. Any opportunity to belittle the competition should be utilised. There'd not been any more rumblings about them fighting, but Draco could hope.

Potter rolled his eyes and ignored him, clearly thinking on Draco's suggestion. Draco could almost hear the wheels turning.

'We'd actually not thought it could be a jealous spurned suitor. Thanks, Draco.' Potter smiled. 'I'll forward that suggestion on to the team for them to follow up.'

'You can thank me for doing your job for you by catching this person and letting me have a minute with him. Just one minute.' Just long enough for a hex that would make them think twice before attacking Draco Malfoy ever again.

Potter grinned. 'You already saved my life by jumping in front of the spell; you don't need to defend me any more than that. Thanks for the thought, though.'

Draco bit back his response. It was just like Potter to think it was all about him. He would have liked to make a scathing comment to this effect, but Draco caught the completely open look of gratitude on Potter's face and withdrew. Oddly enough, it felt nice having Potter 's regard. Perhaps he was becoming accustomed to it. And perhaps he was going senile, too, he told himself.

'Then I insist that you attend the ball announcement with me this afternoon instead. '

Potter gave him another brilliant smile. 'I can do that.'

It made Draco almost purr to see how easy it was going to be to seduce the Golden Boy. 'Keep up that smile, Potter, and I'll have no choice but to insist that you attend the Ball as my escort for the night.'

There, just the right husky quality to his voice if the plainly embarrassed smile in response was any indication.

'I think Ginny will have me tied up that night,' Potter responded, and then rolled his eyes at Draco's raised eyebrow. 'Not that sort of tied up, you pervert.'

'That could be arranged, though. I think I'd let you tie me up if the ginger bits isn't accommodating. We could play Aurors and Death Eaters.'

'I wish you'd stop calling her that,' Potter insisted tiredly, like he was going through the motions. Which was hardly surprising, with Draco calling her that as often as possible.

….

The one drawback to insisting Potter accompany Draco when he was outside the manor was that it left little opportunity to flirt, as they were generally surrounded by the public and Potter's priority was his duty. What Draco really needed was to find a way of having Potter assigned to him permanently, requiring Potter to live in. This would give him the free time to tease and torment Potter before eventually luring him into his bed.

If it wasn't so dangerous, he'd have arranged for another attack of sorts just to promote the idea of having Potter glued to his side.

Fortune really smiled on Draco, though, at the moment. He was learning patience was a virtue and that fortune needed no nudging from him to get it to move along.

He and Pansy and Blaise dined once each week at Eric's, a fashionably expensive French restaurant nestled in a quiet corner of Diagon Alley. Potter, of course, was required to tag along, though Draco had been very gratified to find that he had learned when to keep his mouth shut.

Pansy had instigated the dinners when she discovered Draco had a free evening and should take the time to be seen with his friends, informing him it was her payment for services rendered. Draco had agreed as he'd barely had any time just for them since his act of bravery. His only stipulation had been that Pansy's husband not attend. Draco had no time for the elderly Markus Vertigan.

Pansy's marriage was yet another outcome of the war that had farseeing, long-lasting consequences he found distasteful.

Draco would still marry her now if the fifty-year-old Vertigan would let her go.

Eric's accommodated their needs well. The elegantly decorated restaurant had an open foyer where celebrities could pose for photos if required. Draco loved it.

'You're getting used to me hanging off your arm, aren't you, Potter?' Draco asked, pressing closer to Potter's side and smiling for the cameras.

'Not sure about that,' Potter replied, flashing the reporters the famous Potter smile. Draco had to admit that it didn't look half bad on the man these days. Along with a better brand of robes, a decent cologne and some hard work taming the mop of hair into a tousled just-shagged look rather than a someone-just-scared-me-out-of-my-wits mess, Potter looked altogether…not bad.

At least he made Draco feel like he was being escorted by someone he didn't have to shrink way from.

Besides, he did love to torment Potter.

'Oh, don't be shy about it,' Draco said, turning and giving Potter a coy look, catching Potter's raised eyebrow. Draco laughed inwardly and leaned closer to whisper in Potter's ear. 'We fit, Potter.'

When he pulled back there was a lovely flush on Potter's cheeks. 'Just doing my job,' Potter retorted gruffly, though he was still smiling for the cameras. Draco really hoped that the pretty blush was the picture used in the newspapers. It would give that ginger bits enough ammunition for a hell of a fight with the Golden Boy.

Draco grinned and moved them through the heavy curtains and into the restaurant proper, where they would be able to dine undisturbed.

*

'So, Blaise, tell me about your latest conquest,' Draco demanded after they'd finished the main course.

'Oh, no,' Blaise shot back, shaking his head as he dropped his knife and fork onto the plate in front of him. He glared at Draco. 'Last time I spoke to you about a partner, you broke us up.'

'Don't be so melodramatic. He was no good for you, and you know it.' Draco waved Blaise's objections aside. 'Besides, if he was put off by hearing stories about how I lured you into my bed, then he was never going to fit in with us anyway.'

'And what difference does that make? We never socialise with Markus, or with whoever your paramour happens to be,' Blaise said, narrowing his eyes.

'Both entirely different,' Pansy chimed in. 'Even I don't want to eat with Markus, and he'd probably die of apoplexy if you and Draco began talking about buggering each other senseless.'

Draco laughed as, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Potter choking on the last of his dinner.

Pansy continued. 'And it's been so long since Draco here had anyone worth shagging that I'm sure if he did, he'd hide him from us.'

'How do you know how long it's been?' Draco huffed while Blaise snickered in the background.

Pansy merely smiled. 'The callouses on your hand, darling.'

Blaise and Potter both roared in laughter, while Draco reddened.

'Bitch!' he growled playfully. 'Potter, you're supposed to be protecting me; do something!'

'Not from your friends, Draco.' Bastard was laughing at him, too.

'Recovered from choking on your dinner when you heard Blaise has had his cock up my arse sometime in the past, have you?' No one ever said he had to be nice to the prick.

'Merely surprised you're all so open about it,' Potter protested.

'Why not?' Blaise shrugged. 'It's only sex.'

'You've lived a sheltered life, haven't you, Potter,' Pansy teased.

'I had other things than sex to worry about,' Potter rejoined.

Luckily the waiter arrived at that point because Potter had successfully reminded them about the war and all the implications of it, thereby casting a grey cloud over the atmosphere. Which was just as well, Draco thought, or else he'd have had to take issue with Pansy over the calloused hands. He took great care to ensure that his hands were always delicately soft. No callous was allowed anywhere near his hands.

Besides, he didn't wank that much.

'Evening, Pierre,' Draco said, bestowing a generous smile on the waiter holding a delicious chocolate and cream dessert on a platter in front of him. 'What do you have there?'

'Chocolate torte with thick cream, Sir,' Pierre replied, lowering the tray so Draco could see it properly. 'Compliments of an admirer.'

'Thank you.' Draco smiled and gestured toward the table. 'Did he give a reason?'

'He mentioned that it was the least he could do for someone who put himself in danger for Harry Potter, Sir.'

Draco lifted his cutlery. 'It looks delicious,' he said, loading up his spoon. 'Where is this mysterious admirer? I'd like to thank him.'

Pierre turned and motioned towards a table in the back. Draco squinted but could not make out anyone. He was about to nod and smile at the shadows anyway, when Potter's hand on his arm stopped him.

'Don't.' The tone made Draco's blood run cold.

'What was his name, Pierre? Do you remember what he looked like?' Potter asked. The waiter looked blank for a moment and then confused.

'He was…he was just average. I-I can't remember.'

Draco dropped the spoon, startled, as Potter leapt up and charged towards the corner. A few seconds later he was back, shaking his head. 'Gone.'

'What's the matter, Potter?' Blaise asked.

'Pierre's been a waiter here for as long as I've known about this restaurant: if he can't remember who it was then he's either been Confunded, or the person was using a kind of Notice-Me-Not charm. Either way, there's something off about that dessert.'

Draco placed both hands in his lap, gripping them tightly in an effort to stop them shaking. Someone had deliberately tried to kill him! Because, of course, Potter was right: Pierre was an excellent waiter and would know all of the regular patrons as well as noticing a strange one.

'Get me out of here,' he said quietly to Potter, thanking Merlin that his voice held.

'Just a moment.' Potter picked up the platter and waved his wand over the dessert, encasing it in some form of protection. 'I'll get you home and then take this back to the office for further study.'

'I don't care what you do,' Draco hissed. 'Just get me the fuck home, now!'

He could, of course, Apparate on his own but he didn't want to let Potter out of his sight just now, not even for a moment. Not until he was safe at the Manor.

Potter looked at Pansy and Blaise and nodded. 'Follow us?' He then looked at Pierre. 'I suggest that you have a full guest list available immediately. Either myself or another Auror will collect it.'

'I-I'll tell the Manager, Sir, of course.' Pierre bowed, looking distraught.

Potter stood and took Draco into his arms, and Draco was too shaken, too grateful for the protection to care that he practically melted against Potter.

A moment later, they Disapparated home.