Alright, so I haven't touched this story in, oh, 3 years? I hope this meshes and doesn't sound completely different. Props to Maeggy for giving the whole thing a reread so she could tell me this chapter didn't sound like it completely didn't fit!
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Harry stretched as he awoke, luxuriating in the comfortable bed. Leave it to Draco to get a bed a cut above. Wait, Draco!? His eyes snapped open and, an instant later, registered the blonde watching him. He nearly fell off the bed, he jumped so far. "Shit, Draco! Don't do that!"
"Sorry!" Draco looked away sheepishly. "You just looked so peaceful and I couldn't quite believe it and I was trying to…mmm…" Harry stopped the other boy's ramblings with a kiss.
"I don't quite believe it either. Remember, you've had more time to adjust to this idea than I have." He took in Draco's face, enjoying the truly happy look on it, when something struck him. "Speaking of adjusting…what about everyone else?"
Draco's face fell and Harry instantly regretted mentioning it. "Well…I suppose I've thought more about this part than you. So, after Eric's stunt in the Great Hall, I'm out anyway. I'll probably have to deal with Father any moment now. So, in reality, I'm dealing with everybody else anyway. The question is, since I've already done it unwillingly, are you willing to do it voluntarily and we can be…well…together publicly, or do you want to wait?"
Now it was Harry's turn to make a despondent face. He couldn't believe how gracious Draco was being after all he had put him through. Though, Draco didn't know about his part in the Great Hall disaster. "Draco, I think there's a few things I need to tell you."
"You can tell me anything. There's probably a few things I should tell you, too."
"In that case, I have an idea." He kissed Draco again, trying not to think about what the blonde would think of him in a few minutes. "I'll go first, but you have to promise to listen to the whole thing rationally. Then it will be your turn."
Draco nodded.
Harry took a deep breath and started with the game. He told Draco about his dare, sneaking around, sitting in the bureau, the list, Eric, and the plans for the Great Hall.
Draco, ever in control of his emotions, drew into himself as Harry spoke, becoming less readable, but did not lash out. When Harry finished, all he said was "So you were expecting it…"
The boys lapsed into silence for a few minutes. Harry looking miserable and Draco thoughtful. Finally, Draco spoke. "I'm trying to see this from your perspective. You felt bound by the dare, I know that's the way you are. That's why you're my lion." Harry was surprised at the accuracy of his analysis, but, he supposed, being enemies for so long was almost like being best friends, he felt like he knew the way Draco thought almost as well. "But I don't see why things happened the way they did in the Great Hall. Why did Audrey show up? Why was Eric willing to come out?"
Harry looked up, glad that Draco didn't sound too angry. "Well, when I found out about you, I went to Hermione, I told her everything, she thinks we're…cute. Anyway, she wrote Audrey a note telling her you weren't only sleeping with her. She thought she was helping. As for Eric, well, I told him he could use my invisibility cloak for ten days, at his discretion."
Draco's eyes snapped to Harry's face. "You did? Shit, now it all fits! Fucking manipulative son-of-a-bitch!" Draco was pacing the room now, still nude, making it rather difficult for Harry to concentrate on what he was saying.
"Huh?"
Draco sighed and sat back down. "Eric is, well, he's not someone to be taken lightly. Let me worry about him. There are a few things I need to tell you. And I want to start with the end rather than the beginning. Last night, when we were in the Room of Requirement, someone was in our heads, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, he moved something."
Harry panicked. "He? What?"
Draco sighed. "I'm ahead of myself. I think it was Eric. And he moved some of your memories."
Now he was really freaking out. "Mine? Which? Where?"
"Harry!" Draco's tone was sharp. "Calm down! I'm telling you."
Harry took a deep breath. "Sorry, I guess I just hadn't thought about it when I realized someone was in my head. I did some Occlumency training with Snape because Dumbledore thinks Voldemort can get into my head. I'm supposed to report intrusions like that. Damn it! How do you know he moved stuff?"
Draco grabbed Harry's hand. "Because he moved them to me. I really don't think he did anything beyond that."
"To you? Which ones?"
"The argument you had with Pansy. Except, the memory ended abruptly, I'm honestly curious about that, and I don't think he meant to send the second memory," he paused. "It was the Great Hall, when he…kissed you…"
"Ah…" Harry didn't know what to say. Draco had felt what he felt when Eric kissed him, he couldn't deny it or take it back.
"Look, Harry," Draco looked at him seriously, "Eric is a manipulative son-of-a-bitch, be very careful with him."
Harry nodded.
"Okay, the rest of this is probably about what you expect. My dad's a Death Eater; I've been spying on you since first year, not that I was in any position to know anything useful. Now that I am, I will probably have to go to Dumbledore for protection from my father." He cringed. Harry squeezed his hand. Draco looked his way. "It's okay, home life isn't amazing when your dad is working for the Dark Lord. I mean, sure there was money and power, but I'm not exactly close to my dad. We graduate at the end of this year anyway."
Harry got up and started to dress. Draco looked at him, surprised, "What are you doing?"
"Before things get too nuts, let's go to Dumbledore's office. You need to talk to him about your dad and I need to mention that someone, I know you think it was Eric, but still, someone was in my head." Harry was buttoning his trousers as he spoke, much to Draco's apparent dismay. "Come on, get dressed before you drive me to distraction."
Draco dressed reluctantly, looking a little off the whole time. Finally, he put his hand on the doorknob of his room. "Do you want me to go first so you can make an excuse about being around here?"
"No, I would never make an excuse about this." He kissed the blonde and grabbed his hand, throwing the door open and heading right through the staring common room and into the hallways, right up to Dumbledore's door.
