Harry sat huddled on the bench of the park, watching amusedly as Draco attempted to get the swing set to a standard that he would lower his aristocratic arse to. His father's training was deeply ingrained, and it was likely that he didn't even recognize it as his father's training anymore. It was just the way he acted. And yet, beneath the assumed snobbery was a very fun, decent person with a strong sense of right and wrong.
Frowning absently, he came to sit beside Harry, wrapping an arm over Harry's shoulders, unprepared for Harry's flinch away. "Harry, what's going on? All of a sudden, you don't want me to touch you. Have I done something to upset you?" The hurt bewilderment in Draco's voice made Harry feel guilty.
"No . . .." Harry sighed, and leaned his head cautiously against Draco's shoulder. Draco's arm came up around his shoulders again, but it was obvious that Draco wanted answers. Harry pressed his face into Draco's shoulder, and slowly opened his mind to the blond. Image after image flashed through their minds, of his aunt and uncle, shouting, calling Harry a no good whore when he made them angry, and discussions overheard while he was in his cupboard or working in the flowerbeds under the living room windows, after it had been brought up on the T.V. in one way or another, about how people of the same gender having sexual relations was disgusting, and they should all be killed. Closing his mind slowly, Harry pressed his face into Draco's neck, not wanting to see the blonde's reaction. Draco's arms tightened around his shoulders, and he was trembling slightly, but he didn't speak for long moments.
"And that's the reason why you've been flinching away from me whenever anyone can see us? Because you don't want anyone to think we're together because of those awful people?" Draco's voice was surprisingly gentle, and Harry nodded into his neck, not quite daring to raise his head. Draco pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, and Harry finally glanced up to meet his sad gray eyes. "Do you want to be with me, Harry?" Draco asked in the same soft tone. Harry froze, looking panicked. "We'd take things as slow as you want them. I just want to know if you want to be closer than regular friends." Harry looked scared, and Draco sighed. "You don't have to answer now." Harry shook his head.
"No, I do want to . . . I just . . . I'm scared of relationships, plus . . .." Draco squeezed him tightly, eyes falling closed in relief. He hadn't expected Harry to admit to wanting to, after what Harry had shown him, and had feared he had lost his chance with the other boy.
"I know you are, but I'll help you. I'll always be there when you need me, and I won't let anyone hurt you." Harry relaxed against him finally. He pressed his face into Draco's neck again. "Harry, do you love me? As a friend, I mean," he added hastily.
"Yes, but- I- I don't want anyone to know yet," he whispered. Draco stroked his hair soothingly.
"Then we won't tell anyone. Don't worry about anything, Harry. It's ok." After a couple of moments, Harry stood and pulled Draco back over to the swing set, pushing him down on a swing. Draco looked indignant at being pushed to the dirty swing, and Harry laughed.
"Co, you're wearing jeans. They're made to take a little dirt." Draco pouted, but was working to hold back a smile as Harry sat beside him, swinging to the top of the bar. Draco slowly copied his movements, having not been on a swing since he was 7. Soon the two boys were giggling and attempting to swing higher that the other, and in general returning to the childhood that had been cut short for both of them.
Remus walked over, followed by a confused Ron and Hermione. Harry dropped off of the swing as they approached, cautioning Draco with his eyes, telling him to be civil to them. Draco grimaced slightly, but nodded, and Harry smiled at him.
Randomly, Harry ran off to climb up the biggest slide, calling Draco to come play with him. Draco sighed, but the hope and joy shining in Harry's eyes was far to rare for him to deny Harry anything while he was looking like that.
"C'mon, Co, come slide!" Releasing the chains, he flew through the air, tumbling when he hit the ground. Jumping up, he free-climbed up the outside of the slide, making Harry giggle. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, with his longer hair loose around his face, and his eyes soft and relaxed instead of glaring, Draco looked different enough that Harry didn't blame Ron and Hermione for not recognizing him. It probably also helped that Draco stayed by the slide when Harry went to talk to them, and that they had clearly seen him flying off the swing and rolling on the ground, something his father's expectations did not allow.
"Co! C'm's 'ere!" Draco sauntered up to them, and Ron frowned at his familiarity, but couldn't place him. "Ron, Mi, I'sa Co." Draco grinned at Harry's reversion to his younger speech patterns.
"Harry," he said disapprovingly, despite the grin on his face. Harry looked at him questioningly. "If I can use proper manners when I was 4, you can when you're 16." Harry rolled his eyes, but reintroduced them.
"Ron, Mi, this is Co." Draco supposed he couldn't blame Harry for not wanting to use his full name, and he had used nicknames for the other two. "Co, Ron and Mi." Draco bowed slightly.
"A pleasure." He took Hermione's hand, and kissed the back of it, reveling in Harry's surprised look. Really, manners were one of the things his father had almost literally pounded into him. It was only the attitude his father had made it clear he expected that had got in his way last time. Now that his father was gone, he could- hopefully- start anew. Well, mostly. Draco smirked slightly, and a look of slowly dawning realization was coming over Ron's face, so acting quickly Draco reached out and touched Hermione's arm.
"Tag! You're it!" He ran off, laughing at the startlement on her face, Harry right behind him. Hermione tagged Ron, and sprinted off, leaving Ron, a pureblood without the muggle influence Draco's mother had made sure he got, standing there looking between them confusedly.
"Ron! You're it! You have to tag somebody!" Hermione yelled when she realized that Ron didn't know how to play tag.
"What? Why?" Ron yelled back.
"It's a game, Ron!" Harry yelled at him impatiently. "Whoever's it chases everyone else around trying to tag them. If you get tagged, you're it. And you got tagged. Now you have to chase us." Ron still looked bewildered, but obligingly set off after the others, conspicuously avoiding chasing Draco. Remus sat on the bench and watched them, glad to see Harry acting carefree and childish for once; there was too much weight on his shoulders for a boy his age. Not that he'd ever acted his age. Narcissa Malfoy sat down beside him.
"It's nice to see my son acting like the child he was not allowed to be," she commented, and Remus grinned.
"I was just thinking the same thing about Harry," he admitted. Narcissa turned troubled eyes to Harry's self-appointed guardian.
"Was Harry's upbringing as harsh as I think it was?" she asked him. He raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't think it's normal for a young man to be so desperate for fun." She gestured towards the teens chasing each other around the park. "I can understand why Draco is, and if Harry had it as rough as I think he did with his aunt, then it explains why Harry is as well." She smiled softly. "And he has the one thing Draco never really had once his father forbade his return to this park as a child. Loyal friends who want him happy." Remus looked surprised.
"Draco used to come to this park as a child?" he asked. "This muggle park?"
"Yes, I brought him to this park. I felt he needed experience with children his own age, and experience with muggles. Bringing him here killed two birds with one stone. I did not want him to hate muggles as his father did. Andy did the same for me when I was a child," she explained at his somewhat bewildered look. "He and Harry befriended each other very quickly, and I encouraged the attachment, as Harry is heir to his own Lordship, as you should know. "
"He's heir to two," Remus said quietly. "The Potters and the Blacks." He chuckled at Narcissa's surprise. "Sirius was head of Black, and he was Harry's Godfather." She nodded slowly; this explained why the title had not fallen to Draco as she thought it would when she had heard that her cousin was dead.
"And from the beginning, Harry would have done almost anything to make Draco happy, not that Draco would have demanded much of anything from Harry then. He was such as sweet boy. He still is when he's allowed to be." Remus nodded, having seen the trust between the boys, and knowing Harry would not trust anyone who acted like Draco did without a reason.
"But to answer your question, yes they were very bad to him. I never knew how bad until very recently. Harry didn't want to trouble me, or some such thing. That's why the Order keeps such a close eye on him, though I suspect he thinks it's because they don't trust him. I think he doesn't trust himself, so he can't see why anyone else would trust him. But I'll count myself lucky if there are no scars under his shirt where we can't see them."
"I fear I cannot say the same for Draco. I would have almost preferred his father using something that left scars than that he use that curse on my son." Remus shuddered at the thought that Lucius Malfoy would use the Cruciatus Curse on a child.
Draco and Harry were spinning in the open grassy area when Harry tripped, and tumbled. Draco threw himself down after him, and they collapsed in a heap at the bottom of the small hill, laughing loudly. When the laughter stilled, Harry raised his head, to find Draco perched above him, staring into his face, and smiled softly. Draco smiled back, and would have kissed him, but his eyes darted to where Ron and Hermione were approaching to make sure they were all right, since they hadn't gotten up yet. Sighing, Draco climbed to his feet and held out a hand to Harry, who took it. As he helped Harry to his feet, he spied Narcissa talking with Remus.
"Mother!" He took off towards her, and Harry followed after a moment. She stood as he got close, and he ran into her arms, hugging her tightly. After a moment, she held an arm out to Harry, who folded into her embrace as though coming home after a journey that turned out to be far longer than expected.
"Oh my darlings, how have you been?" Ron's face turned an odd combination of purple and green at her words, as there was no ambiguity to her identity.
"We've been perfectly fine, mother," Draco answered for both of them. Narcissa frowned.
"I see you have not grown out of your habit of speaking for others," she chided gently. 'Speaking for Harry,' was implied, as she didn't think Harry's friends knew about their childhood companionship, and she didn't think this was the right time of place for them to find out. Though they would find out soon, she was sure of it. She would make sure of it. Draco blushed faintly and apologized. "How have you been, Harry?"
"Fine, Narcissa." Harry answered quietly, having been perfectly content having Draco answer for him. She smiled at him.
"That is good, child. Perhaps your friends would like to accompany you, and use the library? I'm sure you know Draco always gets good marks on his summer work. And maybe there are other things you'd like to look in to." Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, and Hermione nodded.
"I'd have to ask my parents," Hermione said cautiously, "but I'd like to come." Ron nodded reluctantly. He was not about to let his best friend and romantic interest to venture into Malfoy Manor on their own.
Eventually, the group included Mr. Weasley, Ron, Fred and George (who had sworn to be on their best behavior), Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who Narcissa had invited to 'get some adult company', Hermione, Remus, Tonks, and Harry and Draco, of course.
"Please don't touch anything in the entryway. I have hardly began clearing out my late husband's belongings, and he had a rather cruel sense of humor." Draco shuddered lightly, remembering when he and Harry had been foolish enough to play in the entry hall. They had been lucky to be able to get to his mother before most of the curses took effect. They had also been restricted to the playroom for a month afterward. He and Harry shared a grin.
"And this is the library." Apparently Narcissa had been giving the grand tour on the way while they had been reminiscing. Everyone filed inside, and Hermione gasped at the sheer number of books. Harry walked over and grabbed a book at random, flipping in open as he sat down. When everybody was involved in their search/research, however, he got up and wandered out of the library. He wasn't used to being around so many people, and it was making him nervous.
He made it to what had been the playroom, and was apparently now Draco's sitting room, without trouble, and absentmindedly called a house-elf for a drink, blinking in shock once he realized what he'd done.
"Master Harry Potter sir!" the elf squeaked excitedly once it saw him. "House-elfs is glad to sees you sir!" He grinned uncertainly at the elf.
"Thanks. Could I get a drink? And maybe a snack?" his stomach was protesting the lack of food, but he didn't really feel hungry, his excitement at finally returning to the one place his childhood self had associated with home overpowering all other signals.
"Of course, Master Harry sir! House-elfs bring you's anything you's requires!" The elf popped out, returning shortly with a large array of finger-foods, and his favorite tea from when he was a child. He grinned.
"Thank you."
"Of course, Master Harry! House-elfs is so happy yous is finally came back!" The elf popped out again before it could embarrass him any further, for which he was thankful.
Harry woke wrapped in Draco's arms. It felt safe and warm. He sighed softly, and snuggled into Draco's chest. He heard Draco chuckle.
"There's nobody here now," he whispered into Harry's ear. "Shall we experiment a little?" He pressed tiny kisses into the skin around Harry's ear.
"Experiment?" Harry questioned uncertainly. Draco chuckled.
"Just relax. You'll like it, I promise." He shifted Harry onto his back and straddled over him. Harry tensed. "Shh, relax. I'm not going to hurt you." Harry consciously tried to relax, and Draco smiled encouragingly at him.
"What type of experimenting were you planning on doing?" Harry asked after a bit. Draco grinned in anticipation.
"This kind." He pressed kisses onto Harry's face, on his eyelids, his cheeks, and the tip of his nose, before moving to claim his lips, pressing a long, slow kiss there. "Don't be afraid, Harry. Kiss me back," Draco whispered, then kissed him again. Harry's lips hesitantly moved against his own, and he gently caressed the side of Harry's face to show his approval, and Harry slowly grew more confident. A loud knocking on the door made Draco groan and curse people who had never heard of house-elves, and people who were awake far to early in the morning, and who apparently felt he should be up too.
Luckily for whoever was on the other side of the door, Draco was still wearing his black silk pajama pants, because he was far too irritated to care if anyone got an eyeful or three. He yanked the door open, glaring through the opening at a slightly alarmed looking Hermione.
"Malfoy, Harry's not in his room, and the house-elves have already made up his bed, so he's been gone for a while." 'More likely he hadn't touched the bed at all', Draco thought, but didn't interrupt. "I can't think where he could be, and I don't really want to wander around and get lost, and I'm worried about him. He's been alone all summer, and he wouldn't even write me or Ron . . .." Draco sighed.
"Since I am now irredeemably awake anyway, I shall find him for you. Now go away. I'll bring him to the library later. Alright?" She nodded, and he shut the door as she turned away. He turned to smirk at an uncomfortable Harry. "Well, that was awkward." He stalked back over to the bed, and pounced on Harry. "Now, where were we?" He lowered his lips to meet Harry's once more, but apparently Hermione knocking on the door had made him nervous, and he turned his face away. Draco looked at him questioningly.
"She's looking for me. I should go find out what she wants," Harry whispered. Draco shook his head.
"She'll just fuss at you some more. You should come swimming with me." He jumped up and held a hand out to Harry.
"Swimming?" Harry said excitedly. Draco nodded and Harry bolted for the door. Draco laughed and followed him.
Running into the poolroom, both boys unashamedly dropped their pants and dove into the water. This was the only place he had ever been swimming, except during the tri-wizard tournament, during which he had to wear his house colors, and the Malfoys had always bathed as the Romans did, so Harry didn't see anything wrong with swimming in the nude, and Draco considered that since it was his house, if anyone had a problem, they could fuck off. Of course, he would put it more politely if anyone did say anything, but still . . ..
Hermione approached, led by a house-elf, and Draco frowned.
"Does something require my attention, Ditzy?" He asked politely. Ditzy shook it's head.
"Mistress sends Ditzy to see the guest's comfort, and Miss say she not comfortable because she can't finds Master Harry. So Ditzy brings her to Master Harry, Master Draco sir." Draco sighed. He dismissed the elf with a nod.
"Very well. Will you join us, Granger?" he asked politely.
"You said you'd bring him to the library when you found him!"
"No, I said I'd bring him to the library later. Which I still plan to do." Harry chose that moment to heave himself out of the pool, running carefully to the diving board.
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked. "Where's your trunks?" He didn't even pause.
"What trunks?" and cannonballed off of the diving board. Hermione looked shocked, and Draco laughed.
"Remember, he was exposed to us a lot when he was younger. I always swim in the nude. So did father and does mother. I'm sorry if you're offended by nudity, but if that's the case you should probably stay away from the pool." At this point, Harry dunked him, and he came up sputtering, and vowing vengeance, he chased Harry across the pool. Hermione shook her head, and went back to the library to wait for them.
Harry and Draco did finally make it to the library- 10 minutes before dinner was to start. Hermione was standing in front of the fire with her arms crossed.
"Harry Potter! You knew I was waiting for you, wanting to talk to you, and you leave me waiting all day?!"
"Yes," Harry said unapologetically. "You fuss too much. I really don't like being fussed over." Hermione frowned. Draco could see the hidden uncertainty in his stance and tone, though apparently she couldn't.
"Hmp. If that's how you feel about it, maybe I should just leave you alone."
"About time," Draco muttered. She glared at him. Draco started to say something else, but glanced at Harry, and the words died on his lips. "Come here, baby," he murmured, sitting in an overstuffed armchair and pulling Harry into his lap, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and stroking his hair as Harry buried his face into his neck. Draco looked up at Hermione. "People arguing upsets him. He's so fragile." She looked shocked.
"Why do you call him baby?" she asked finally, and he grinned slightly.
"When we were little, we didn't use names much. Mother did, but between us, we used nicknames. I was Co, from my name, Draco, and he was my baby. Because he was younger than me, and so much smaller than I was, I thought he was a baby. When we were older, I was just used to calling him baby, and he didn't mind, so I never really learned his name as a child. I learned it quick when we got to school though, you can bet." He sighed. "I didn't recognize him at school. My father refused to allow me to return to the park- and him- after my seventh birthday. I didn't even get to say goodbye."
"I waited for you," Harry whispered. "Every year, about a week around the day you'd disappeared. I stayed at the park all day. I always believed you'd come back." Draco closed his eyes and rested his cheek against Harry's hair.
"I'm sorry I made you wait so long," he whispered back. Hermione rather felt like she had intruded on a private moment, but refused to back away. "I tried to come, but father always prevented me. That's why I couldn't go home again after my birthday. I ran away. I'm lucky he tried to get me to come back instead of just disinheriting me."
"Aunt told me that your mother had taken you away because she realized I was bad," Harry whispered even more quietly, and Draco squeezed him tightly.
"You're not bad. How could you even say that, Harry?!" Hermione demanded.
"It's called conditioning, Granger." Draco said coldly. "If you're told something often enough, eventually you'll start to believe it. And it's easier to condition small children, because they accept things so easily. From the time he came to live with them, his relatives told him that he was bad, that he was worthless, that he was a disgusting freak who should have died. That conditioning is what we're fighting now. And you never even realized it. When you fuss at him and tell him he's never good enough, you feed into that, and you wonder why he doesn't want to be around you when he knows you're going to fuss?" A faint, gong-like sound rang through the house, and Draco rose, carrying Harry with him. "Five minutes until dinner. I suggest you start making your way down there. Mother dislikes tardiness."
"And where are you going?"
"To get him cleaned up before dinner." He gestured to Harry's tearstained face. "It would only upset mother and your companions to see him like this." He gently guided Harry from the room.
By the time he had gotten Harry calmed down and cleaned up, they were almost 15 minutes late for dinner.
"Harry, Draco. If you had not both grown up here, I would have wondered if you had gotten lost."
"I'm sorry mother. We were dealing with issues." Narcissa's face softened.
"I hope they've been cleared up?"
"For now. I'm afraid that's the best I can promise, as there are others involved." Narcissa inclined her head, and gestured for the boys to take the empty seats next to her. Draco smoothly handed Harry into the one at the end of the table, the farthest from Ron and Hermione, sliding into the one next to him once he was seated. Mr. Granger made a comment about how it was rare to see a young man so attentive on his friends. Harry stiffened slightly, until he heard Narcissa laugh gaily.
"Draco has always been very attentive of Harry. When they were 4, Harry was his baby, and he was going to take care of him. His father's influence made him hide that care for a long time, but now his father's gone, he's allowed to be himself again." Harry was picking at his food, and Draco frowned. Then he realized that Harry had never particularly cared for that dish, though he had never complained as a child, fearing they would no longer want him if he made a fuss. Draco snapped his fingers, and nodded the elf towards Harry with a raised eyebrow. The elf bowed and took his plate, coming back moments later with a new plate, which Harry attacked hungrily. Narcissa smiled at him. "Forgive me, Harry dear. I had forgotten that you do not care for that. It's a traditional homecoming dish."
"Homecoming? Whose homecoming?" Ron asked from the foot of the table.
"Harry and Draco, of course. Draco has been staying with Harry since June, until I could make it safe here for him. His father's associates were not happy with his disappearance the day before his birthday." Ron's face slowly turned red as he realized that the reason Harry had not written him was because he had been busy with Draco. "If you're going to explode, do leave the table first. I'd hate to have to get blood out of my tablecloth."
"You'd have to replace the tablecloth, mother. Blood wouldn't come out very well. It would never be the same again." Narcissa looked sad.
"I suppose you would know, wouldn't you, darling?" There wasn't much more conversation during the meal, as everybody used the food as an excuse to sink into their own little worlds.
Harry got up early the next morning, knowing Ron would be looking for him, as he had gone to bed immediately after supper, and given orders that the house-elves were not to tell his location to anyone, or bring anyone to him. He could barely repress his shudders as he thought about what Ron would have to say. Ron had never been very forgiving. He had shunned Harry for months back in 4th year, simply because Harry had gotten into the Tri-Wizard tournament when he hadn't told Ron he had entered. The fact that he hadn't entered didn't matter. Ron was still angry and jealous. And now he would be angry and jealous again, because Harry had chosen to spend his time with someone besides him this summer, and he had been depressed before Draco showed up and didn't want to talk to anyone.
Sure enough, Ron stormed into the library an hour later, looking thunderous. If anyone had held hopes that the time to think would have calmed Ron down, they were now shattered.
"Good morning, Ron," Harry said as calmly as he could. "I'm kinda surprised Mi hasn't shown up yet. I thought she'd be eager to use a new library." Ron glared.
"Don't try to change the subject, Harry Potter. You know I want to talk to you, and you know what I want to talk about." Harry gestured him to a chair, and put up a silencing spell around them as he took the one opposite it. Ron paced in front of him. "I can't believe you left me hanging all bloody summer so you could pal around with the bloody ferret!" Ron yelled. Harry sighed.
"I honestly didn't mean to leave you hanging. At the beginning of the summer, I just didn't want to talk to anyone. Draco showed up at the beginning of June. Not long after he showed up, he got really sick. I didn't have time to answer letters. Then I got sick almost before Draco got better. And as soon as I recovered, Lucius Malfoy died, and Draco and I were both witnesses, so the Ministry tied us both up with enough paperwork I'm surprised we didn't drown in it. And countless interviews. I was just to tired to write."
"And that's just supposed to make everything better?! That you were too busy and to tired to write your best friend? Because you were with the ferret! If he hadn't been there, you wouldn't have been distracted."
"No, Ron, if he hadn't been there, I would likely have killed myself by now. I was getting close. We got out in April, and he didn't show up until June. I was really depressed, and it's been something that's occurred to me every now and then since I was 10. The only time I left my room was to do the chores my relatives gave me, and go to the park and sit on a swing waiting for something to happen. I wouldn't have cared if Death Eaters had showed up and killed me. Nothing mattered anymore, until Draco showed up, and reminded me what I was living for."
Ron glowered at him. "So it took the bloody ferret to remind you what you stand for? Don't Mi and I mean anything to you, that you had to have your worst enemy to wake you up?"
"Draco was never my worst enemy, Ron. It was always Tom Riddle. As much as Draco did to us at school, he never tried to seriously hurt either of us."
"He just made us bloody miserable. I won't be around him, Harry. You'll have to choose which one of us you want, me or Malfoy. Because you can't have both of us." Tears sprang into Harry's eyes.
"Don't make me choose between you, Ron. You don't have to be friends with him, just stop fighting. I'll get him to stop fighting with you."
"No. Me or him, Harry. Me or him." Harry didn't answer, which was answer enough for the quick-tempered Ron. He spun on his heel. "Fine. See if I care. Goodbye, Harry Potter."
"Goodbye, Ron," Harry whispered, fighting against tears. Moving quickly, he managed to get to the playroom before he collapsed, sobbing.
The next few days were torture for Harry. Ron still wasn't speaking to him, and apparently Draco was angry with him as well, as he had hardly seen the blond since their conversation in the playroom right after his fight with Ron. The window seat in the library became his new favorite place, and he spent hours curled up there just staring out the window, with Hermione holding a silent vigil with him, a book in her lap, but not read. She spent hours trying to get him to talk sometimes. Sometimes it worked, but mostly Harry just wanted to be left alone in his misery.
When Hermione asked if Harry knew if he knew why Draco was angry, the floodgates burst and all the bewildered hurt he had been holding in for days flowed out. Draco stalked over to them, looking like an avenging angel, and pulled Harry into an angry kiss. Hermione stared at them in shock, and Harry pulled away, looking frightened. Draco sighed.
"I'm sorry, Harry, I shouldn't have done that. Granger, I think we'd both appreciate it if you didn't say anything about that to anyone, especially any Weasleys." Harry nodded slightly, face beet-red, eyes firmly fixed on the floor. "I just wanted him to know I wasn't really mad at him. I was mad at myself that I can't even keep people from hurting him in my own house. It seemed like a good idea at the time." He smirked suddenly. "Judging by the look on his face though, it wasn't such a good idea."
"Are you interested in Harry, Malfoy?"
"It doesn't matter if I'm interested in him unless he's interested in me, really. And I don't really think he appreciated me kissing him any," Draco said aloofly, deftly avoiding actually answering the question. It was a fairly good assumption, as Harry was now glaring at him. Not, as Hermione assumed, because Draco had kissed him, but because Draco had kissed him in front of Hermione. "But telling people about it would just embarrass him because of something I did."
"He didn't actually resist much," Hermione pointed out, curious what he would reply to that.
"I'd like to see you get kissed by someone who can kiss as well as I can and resist." Hermione snorted, but didn't say anything more.
"Mi? Are you going to say anything?" Harry asked tremulously. Hermione sighed, and shook her head.
"No, I won't say anything for now. But I'll be watching." Harry nodded his slightly reluctant acceptance of this qualification.