Author's Note: The censored version of this chapter will appear on fanfiction. The more adult version will appear on adult-fanfiction.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this story, I really appreciate it. Especially the feedback, which is essential for writing. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 5: Birthday Boy #1

Harry felt both guilty and annoyed. When he had woken up, he had known that it was the fifth of June but hadn't thought anything of it. To him, it was just Friday. A good day, but nothing special. Until he got an owl from Hermione, of all people.

He had been standing in the room he had converted into a sort of office, where he was keeping track of the developments in the Ministry's efforts to capture all of the Death Eaters who fought for Voldemort. He didn't let Draco see that he was keeping up with what he prayed would not turn into a Salem witch hunt. Draco never mentioned Death Eaters or the after-effects of the war, so Harry chose not to either.

He was deep in contemplation of an alleged Death Eater capture in Durham when an owl began pecking at the window. He opened it and let the owl in, noting with a bit of surprise that it belonged to Hermione. He gently untied the string holding a small box and saw not one, but two envelopes. One addressed to him, another addressed to Draco. Setting the box aside, he opened the letter addressed to him and began to read.

Dear Harry,

I don't know if Draco would welcome a birthday gift from any of us, but it is important to try and cooperate with each other after all the trials we have all faced. You have said that Draco is a better person, and although I am reserving judgment, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Please give him the gift and the card, it is from Ron and me. And make sure you do something nice. Everybody deserves to have a good time on their birthday.

Sincerely,

Hermione

Harry was flabbergasted. He had had no idea that today was Draco's birthday. He wasn't even sure how Hermione knew. Harry felt bad that he hadn't known, despite having no real way of knowing. He was also annoyed at Draco for not mentioning it at breakfast that morning. He pondered over why Draco wouldn't have at least mentioned it, and the only solution he came up with was that Draco didn't want to make a fuss or seem sentimental. Still, Harry agreed with Hermione. Everyone deserved a good birthday. A plan already forming in his mind, he spelled the door shut and performed a silencing charm before stepping over to his fireplace. He had no time to waste if this was to work.

…

"Where are we going?"

Harry rolled his eyes. Although the new truce they had formed was a bit easier, there was no one fool enough on earth to say it was easy. Although Harry and Draco had learned enough about each other to realize that they weren't the same antagonistic schoolboys, there were plenty of moments where either of them resembled their former antagonistic schoolboy selves. Now, Draco was doing a spot-on impersonation of an irritable and slightly whiny child. He'd been asking Harry that question since they had left the house twenty minutes ago. Harry had made them walk instead of apparate, claiming that there was no safe place near their destination. He led Draco down the various streets of London, feeling the calming sensation of being one of the crowd. He kept close to Draco as he led him towards their destination, hoping that the plan would go off without a hitch. As they turned the final corner, he spotted Pansy Parkinson waiting just outside the door. Thankfully, the crowd was bustling enough that Draco wouldn't be able to see her unless he already knew she was there, like Harry did. She gave Harry a sign to wait for five minutes before ducking into the restaurant. Harry growled under his breath in impatience and frustration, trying to think of a way to distract an already very impatient and frustrated Draco.

"Potter, for Merlin's sake, where are we going?"

Harry thought it was very Slytherin of him to see an opportunity and take it in this way, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that anymore. He discarded that train of thought as he rounded on Draco, making the other man take a step back before he caught himself.

"Draco. Could you maybe wait five minutes before crying at me?"

Draco seemed shocked, and Harry wasn't surprised that he was. Although they had been more friendly than before, they were still walking on eggshells around each other after Harry and Draco agreed on a real truce. Although they chatted and slowly got to know each other, it was very stilted and polite, not at all smooth or natural. To go back into the comfortable but tetchy bantering was a risk neither of them had wanted to take up to this point. Draco seemed unsure of what to do, and Harry worried that Draco was still thinking he would tattle to the Ministry if Draco stepped out of line. In truth, Harry didn't think he would be telling the Ministry anything even if Draco did go rogue.

"I...um..." Draco finally said. Harry pressed on.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Draco's face became both disgusted and confused. "What in the world?"

Harry dropped the act of pretending to be irritated, which only confused Draco more. He didn't understand why, it's not like Harry had ever been a great actor. Except when playing dead, but his mind shied away from that. "It's another Muggle phrase. It means you are speechless from surprise when you should be talking."

"Oh." Draco said, blinking owlishly. "Well, then."

Suddenly, Draco squinted at something behind Harry. "Is that Pansy?"

Harry turned around, and Parkinson gave him a discreet signal that all was well. Harry smiled gratefully before turning back to Draco.

"So it is." Harry said, as if he met parolees on the street every day. "Shall we go talk to her?"

Harry's heart broke a little as he saw the look of utter longing on Draco's face. "She's on leave. We can't be seen together."

Harry put his hand on Draco's arm. Draco jumped, but didn't shove him away as Harry expected. He looked at Harry, probing his eyes for...well, Harry wasn't sure what for. Signs of trickery, he supposed.

"Do you trust me?" Harry asked. And although he had originally been intending to ask only about this specific instance, Harry felt the enormity of the question hanging between them. He realized that he wanted Draco to trust him completely, not just as a temporary host. He also realized just then how much trust Draco had already placed in him. The thoughts caused a mix of sensations within him: hope, sadness, gratuity, and another feeling Harry didn't care to examine. He watched Draco work the question over, and realized that Draco had also decided that the question was intended for more than a simple meeting between old friends. He watched the expressions flit across Draco's face as he thought it over, hardly able to see an emotion before it was replaced by another. Finally, Draco looked deep into Harry's eyes. Harry waited, holding his breath.

"I trust you." Draco said, adding a solemn nod to affirm his words.

Harry felt himself breathe again, and was surprised to feel as if a weight were removed from his chest. He couldn't help but smile, and he saw another flash of surprise before Draco gave a small smile in return. Someone cleared their throat right behind Harry, and he saw Draco school his expression before he turned around.

"If you two are quite finished," Pansy said pointedly, "I would like to borrow my friend."

Harry stepped back. "He's all yours. I'll be inside."

Pansy nodded to him. They were also at an uneasy truce, but Harry had seen how guilty she truly felt when she had apologized for trying to hand him over to Voldemort. He had forgiven her, and he hoped that one day they might...well, he supposed friendship might be too much to ask. Still, he hoped they could at least be acquaintances.

Harry walked inside The Chasing Dress, a very nice restaurant that he had found out about just today when he and the others had debated on where to hold Draco's surprise party. He entered a small hallway whose floor was made of marble. He had been told that The Chasing Dress had a strict dress code, and had been surprised Draco hadn't figured everything out the moment he had insisted they wear suits.

"Reservation for Potter, party of eight."

The man looked down his nose at Harry, but Harry had enough experience with that sort of attitude to not even flinch. The man sighed as if doing his job was the most burdensome thing anyone could ask of him before consulting his chart.

"Very well." The man said. "Your...party is waiting in the sitting room just to the left. We do not need any disturbances in the main dining room. At all."

Harry smiled brightly just to spite the man. "Thanks." He turned and headed towards the group of Slytherins assembled in the small sitting area. They acknowledged Harry's presence but kept chatting amongst themselves, which suited Harry just fine. He was only here for one person anyway. They didn't have to wait long before he saw Draco shuffling towards them, his eyes covered by Pansy's hands as she walked behind him. She had him stop and counted to three, at which point all people in their party other than Draco yelled, "Surprise!"

Harry wished he had had a camera. The look of utter disbelief replaced by pleasure was something Harry didn't think he could ever forget. After all the drama and grief of the war, it was nice to do something like this again. He hung back as Draco reunited with his friends. He would have gone home and let them have their night together without him, but the Ministry only allowed it under the guise that Harry was on the lookout for any suspicious behavior as a parole officer. When Pansy insisted that they go ahead to their table, Harry was surprised when Draco told the group to go on without them. Pansy gave Draco an inquisitive look, but lead the rest of the group to the dining room. Draco walked up to him, looking painfully awkward.

"You're missing your birthday party." Harry spoke up. Draco looked at him, smoothing his hair into place in a nervous habit.

"Yeah." Draco said, then cleared his throat. "I wanted to...thank you. You didn't have to do all this."

Harry shrugged. "It was Hermione's idea. And she was right, no one deserves to have a miserable birthday."

Draco looked surprised that Hermione would be that generous, but chose not to comment. "Well, I suppose this puts me in your debt twice now."

Harry shook his head. "I refuse to have you owe me for your own bloody birthday. If you really feel like you need to make it up to me, then do it by having a good time. Then we'll call it even."

Draco gazed at Harry, considering. "A Slytherin would have taken the opportunity to hold something over me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "A Gryffindor would know better than to try to owe someone over a basic right."

"Well, a Slytherin would have come up with the idea on their own."

"A Gryffindor-"

"Hey!"

Harry and Draco leapt apart, only then realizing that their faces had been inches away from each other. Harry and Draco both tried and failed to hide a blush as Pansy stalked over to them. She pointed a finger at Draco.

"You, play nicely." Pansy said, making an impatient noise when Draco tried to argue. She turned her finger to point at Harry. "And you, stop fighting with the birthday boy."

Draco smirked as Harry stood there not quite knowing what to say. He glanced over and saw Draco gloating, and was about to make a retort when Pansy slapped a hand over his mouth.

"I'm warning you, Potter."

Harry gave her a small glare, but nodded in acquiescence. She grabbed Draco by the arm and began dragging him to their table, muttering about boys and their lack of intelligence. Harry grinned as he followed behind, sticking his tongue out at Draco when Pansy wasn't looking. Draco glared at him, but didn't have time to retaliate before they arrived at their table. The look in his eyes, however, promised retribution.

…

Harry had had a surprisingly pleasant time. He had mostly spent the time at dinner listening to the Slytherins conversing and learning more about Draco than he had ever imagined. It seemed that the Slytherin tradition of friendship was to embarrass each other mercilessly, and some of them were not afraid to use Harry to do it. He didn't think he would ever forget Theo leaning in and stage whispering details of a particularly drunken night of Truth or Dare. It was a full three minutes of mental imaginings before Draco paused in his conversation with Millicent long enough to overhear Theo, at which point he threatened to reveal something about a fish that Theo had done, which was enough to end the very interesting confession. He also would never forget Draco's face as he realized that the coveted bottle of Acromantula venom came from none other than Hermione Granger. Harry was curious how she had come by it, but was distracted as after Draco had opened his last present, Goyle had suggested they head to the back of the restaurant where the bar was. Harry followed the group as they made their way back, and was surprisingly included in the neverending birthday toasts. By the time he and Draco were on their way home, they were staggering drunk.

They fell through the front door, laughing at their clumsiness. They both looked at the stairs, then at each other before going into the dining room. Neither of them felt like stairs would good idea when they were this drunk. Harry sat down heavily in a chair, still laughing.

"You know," he slurred, "I still can't believe you kissed a bloke."

Draco stood next to Harry's chair, leaning back against the table. "Why is that?"

Harry shrugged. "Just never pictured you as a lightfoot, that's all."

Draco raised one eyebrow, which Harry wished he could do. "I've done more than kiss, with girls and with blokes. Besides, haven't you ever been the least bit curious?"

"Well, yeah." Harry said. "But I would never do anything about it."

"Why not?" Draco asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Cause I'm not gay." Harry said, as if it should be obvious. Which to him, it was.

Draco snorted. "You're not really that much of a prude, are you?"

Harry straightened his posture a bit, though he was too drunk to do a proper job of it. "I'm not a prude. I just don't fancy blokes, that's all. You're the weird one."

Draco leaned in closer. "It's not weird. And I can prove it."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah? How?"

"If you kiss me, and you like it, then you would need to admit it's not weird."

Harry scoffed. "I'm not kissing you. I don't even like you."

Draco's eyes went to half-mast. "Have you always been this bad of a liar?"

Harry scoffed again, but didn't answer. Draco continued,

"I dare you to kiss me and give your honest opinion about it."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Or what?"

Draco grinned wolfishly. "Or I'll tell everyone how a Slytherin was more daring and brave than a Gryffindor."

Harry glared at him. "Well, come over here then."

Draco's grin widened as he dipped his head towards Harry's. Their lips connected, and each of them gasped. It felt like static electricity between their mouths, only it was pleasurable instead of painful. Draco let his lips envelop Harry's several times. When he felt himself begin to stir, he leaned back, intending to end the kiss. But Harry whimpered and leaned forward, following his movement so that their lips never parted. Draco smiled in victory and satisfaction before losing himself in the feel and taste of Harry's lips again.

Neither of them knew how long the kiss lasted before they finally parted, needing air. Draco thought Harry looked equal parts adorable and hot as he stared at Draco, his face painted in desire so thick it seemed to steal the air. Draco took several breaths before he spoke.

"So? What's the verdict?" Draco said.

Harry looked down, embarrassed. "I...I liked it." He suddenly looked back up at Draco defiantly. "But I'm still not gay."

"Of course not." Draco said indulgently. "And now that we have that settled, I'm going to bed." He went to leave, but stopped with a hand on the doorway as he looked back at Harry, who was staring after him in a cute mix of confusion and longing. "Sweet dreams, Potter."

Harry looked at the doorway long after Draco had gone upstairs. He eventually turned around, leaning his head down on the table as the thoughts that should be going through his head got lost in the sea of alcohol and confusion bogging up his mind. He finally fell into a restless sleep, his mind and body still yearning for Draco.