Chapter 3
"I still can't believe it. Malfoy! Even though he's not a git anymore, he's still Malfoy, Harry!" Ron cried out in the Gryffindor common room. News of the spin the bottle at the previous week's party had spread like wild fire, and Harry had struggled to beat the gossip in order to tell his friends personally, rather than have them find out through rumours. It had been 6 days and Ron still couldn't get his head around the fact that one, his best friend was gay (although Harry had protested and said he was bi, Ron had overruled him with the fact that he was currently dating a man meaning he was in a gay relationship therefore was gay. Harry had insisted that that wasn't how it worked, but Ron couldn't listen to him through his ranting over the fact that Harry was now 'dating Draco Malfoy, Harry! Malfoy!'), and two, said gay best friend was going out with his ex-arch nemesis who had suddenly turned nice. Well, as nice as a cat with its fur stroked the wrong way was ever going to get.
"Well I think it's wonderful that you two are finally able to get along." Hermione said as she knitted a hat for S.P.E.W which she was still trying to keep up. Harry and Ron always gave each other worried glances whenever she got the knitting needles out, concerned that Hermione was forgetting that Dobby was the only one who ever wore what she made and that he was dead now. They didn't want her setting herself up for a fall, but Harry wasn't willing to upset her by bringing it up, and Ron had tried talking to her privately about it and always returned sighing and shaking his head at Harry's hopeful looks. Hermione would nearly always come back in with red eyes and she would calmly put the knitting away for a little while as she read a book, Ron slinging an arm around her shoulder and rubbing it soothingly with his thumb. Sometimes with all the cheer in his life right now, it was easy to forget about the war. Being so far away from London and Grimmauld Place where the loss of those who had died was the most acute, it was scary how one could slip into the daily routine of school and not think twice about it. Of course, Hogwarts was also one of the hardest places to forget about the war, and they were reminded every time they walked past house elves rebuilding walls, every time they ate a meal and saw Professor McGonagall in the Head's position and Professor Frader's sunnier disposition replacing Snape's. They were muddling through, though, Harry knew it would take time. He still woke frequently in the middle of the night, panting from nightmares, but he equally dreamed of Draco and a future scene in a garden somewhere unknown where he, Ron and Hermione are having a picnic and a great black dog is bouncing around as the Hogwarts Express drives through the field without tracks, making sense in ways that only dreams do.
"'Get along'? Hermione, they're shagging!" Ron cried, not dropping his tirade. Hermione sighed and put down her knitting needles.
"Ron. Draco has changed, has he not?"
"Yeah, but –"
"And he's actually a decent fellow who just has a different sense of humour than you're used to?"
"Well, yeah, the guy's funny but that doesn't mean –"
"And he obviously cares for Harry."
"I guess, but still –"
"Then what is there to complain about?" Hermione looked at her boyfriend accusingly, arms crossed and tapping her foot as she waited. Ron threw his hands up in defeat.
"Fine! Fine! I'll allow you to shag Malfoy, just don't tell me details, alright?" Ron cried out huffily. Harry smirked,
"Thank you for your permission, Ron. I'll just go off and tell Draco the good news." He stood up and walked over to the portrait hole hearing Ron mutter to Hermione, just before he left,
"The ferret's rubbed off on him, he has."
Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map from his robe pocket and scanned the grounds quickly for his boyfriend. Draco tended to spend more time outside, where it was open and in the public eye with less chance of him being attacked, than in the castle where there were thousands of corridors and hidden rooms and passages where anyone could easily stash an unconscious body. Harry found it upsetting that Draco still couldn't walk around without the fear of being beaten up, but they were working on it one step at a time; most of Gryffindor house counted him as one of their own, and would stop to say hello if they passed him (especially as Draco was now dating their Quidditch hero) and he, Ron and Hermione had become his constant companions. It was only when they had to be in their separate common rooms and with their Houses that they were apart; even at meal times Draco had to sit at his house table after Professor Frader approached him and told him that, though it was good to see he was mixing, it was against school rules to 'invade other house's areas'.
Harry spotted a tiny scrawl that read 'Draco Malfoy' next to the lake. He smiled and started a jog in the direction of the lake.
"Hey handsome." Harry said as he sat down next to Draco and gave him a peck on the lips. The couple had decided not to try to hide their relationship from the school. The whole of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and most of Hufflepuff knew and accepted it now (though the main reason why people didn't speak up if they had a problem was because they were dealing with the Harry Potter). It was only the Slytherins who refused to believe their old prince was a poof, convinced that Harry had tricked Draco into the relationship, or that Draco was doing it so he could enact some sort of revenge upon Harry. Harry tried not to think on it too much as he knew that it still got to Draco. Despite all his assurances otherwise, Harry knew that Draco still cared about his reputation and that it hurt to see people that he had previously counted as something close to friends, being so cruel and unaccepting now, though it wasn't entirely unexpected. The good side of being out to the school was that they didn't really have anyone to whom the news could get leaked to. Both of Draco's parents were in prison, both of Harry's dead, and Ron had already assured Harry that none of the Weasleys would care about him being 'gay'. Harry had worried that they might be averse to who he was dating, but Ginny had told him to shut up and stop being stupid, which Harry had promptly done. As for the papers, Harry didn't give two shits about them. They had more important things to be reporting on than his love life, and if they thought it was worthy of the paper then the paper was trash in the first place.
"Hey gorgeous." Draco smiled into the kiss and then sighed, leaning against Harry's frame and looking out at the lake wistfully.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, drawing patterns on the palm of Draco's hand that he held in his lap.
"It's Blaise." Draco sighed again, "He's 'reinstated' me as the leader of the group because he thinks I'm going out with you to use you and get revenge for locking our families up." Harry smirked, amused. He'd heard this theory through the rumour mill a few days ago, but had wanted to wait for Draco to feel comfortable enough to talk to him about it.
"Hmm. What are you going to do to me then, Mr. Big Bad Slytherin?" Harry asked, pulling Draco's hand up to his mouth to give it a peck. Draco smiled, but it fell quickly from his face. Harry frowned and let their hands fall onto his thigh.
"Hey, so Slytherin has its prince back then?" He asked.
"In a matter of name, yes." Draco sighed. "I don't have to worry about people attacking me anymore, but I just wish that they could see this relationship for what it is, rather than what they think." He leant his head against Harry's shoulder, "I mean, I've been obsessed with you for years now! I thought it was just because no one ever rejected the hand of friendship of a Malfoy," he puffed up his chest and then seemed to deflate, "but I figured by fourth year, it was probably something more…I hated you for that. Maybe that's why I've been so angry for the past few years."
Harry sat in silence and listened as he let Draco offload. He and Draco had never talked about their feelings for each other before, bar Harry's question after spin the bottle, and although they were very much infatuated with each other, their relationship hadn't really been considered something serious that would last past graduation, they'd only been going out a week, after all and it was still September. "And then I saw you, supposedly dead, in the giant's arms and I felt myself break inside. When you defeated Voldemort and my parents were taken from me, I was so confused from my rapid succession of changing and conflicting emotions that I think I just drew a shell around myself. I withdrew and only interacted with others in ways that I knew would hurt them."
"You thought compassion was a flaw." Harry stated, hugging the blonde to him. God, but the Malfoy upbringing had really screwed him up. Draco nodded against his shoulder.
"Yes. And then you and the other Gryffindorks came along and showed me how warm compassion could be." He smiled at Harry, looking a little awkward as he did so and Harry decided a change of subject was required.
"Speaking of compassion, Ron's shown his, at last. He said he's finally approved of us." Harry said, chuckling to himself. Draco sniggered,
"How generous of him."
"That's what I said."
"I seem to be rubbing off on you."
"That's what he said." Harry smirked, "And I certainly wouldn't complain to having you rub yourself off on me." He whispered hoarsely into Draco's ear. Draco smacked Harry round the back of his head playfully and stood up, stretching.
"Let's go on a walk somewhere." He said, holding his hand out for Harry to take. "It's a beautiful summer evening and it's the weekend tomorrow. Let's enjoy it." Harry grabbed his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He slipped his arm around Draco's waist and kissed his temple.
"I never deemed you to be such a romantic."
"You never deemed me to be your boyfriend. Things change. Sim –"
"Let me guess." Harry interrupted. "Simple as?" Draco smiled, and pressed a chaste kiss to Harry's lips.
"Simple as."
~.oOo.~
"What're you doing for the Christmas holidays, Draco?" Harry asked as he, Ron, Hermione and Draco (whom they had snuck in under Harry's cloak) sat in front of the fire the week before the holidays began. Harry and Draco had been going out for 3 months now and the Slytherins current theory was that Draco was going to kidnap Harry during the holidays and torture him in unthinkable ways until Harry agreed to use his power to release all of their parents and return to them their fortunes and heirlooms that were repossessed. Fat chance.
"Probably staying here. I could go home, but it's not like I'd have anything to do there. At least I can explore the castle here." Draco answered, shrugging within Harry's embrace.
"Right then. I'm staying too." Hermione looked up from her textbook she had been revising from.
"But Harry, Molly invited you over for Christmas."
"Yeah, Mum'll have a fit if you don't come." Ron added.
"One holiday away from her won't kill her." Harry said adamantly, "I want to spend my Christmas with my boyfriend." He tightened his grip on Draco protectively.
"Don't worry about me, Harry. I don't want to cause you any unrest with the Weasley's." Draco protested, "Though they cause enough unrest by themselves." He added in a voice low enough so only Harry could hear. Harry smiled but still said,
"No. We are going to spend Christmas together."
"I could always ask Mum if Malfoy could come too…" Ron trailed off anxiously, casting looks at Hermione. All four of them could see how well that would go down. Ron sighed. "Fine, fine, just don't blame me when you get a howler." Harry grinned and kissed the tip of Draco's nose.
"A Christmas just for us."
~.oOo.~
"Bye guys! Have a good Christmas! And a happy New Year! I'll send you your presents via owl on the day, okay?" Harry called out, waving goodbye to his friends as they left Hogwarts after their final dinner of the year. "Tell everyone I said hi, and apologise to Molly, won't you?" There were similar cries of goodbye as everyone but a few Hufflepuff third years, one sixth year Ravenclaw, a red faced first year Gryffindor, Harry and Draco left for the holidays. When the crowds were out of sight, Harry dropped his hand that he had been waving with and caught Draco's in it.
"It's technically the holiday's now…school rules don't apply. What d'you want to do?" Harry asked as the five other boarders filed past them, ignoring the public display of affection they were so used to.
"Chess?" Draco asked, smiling.
"Sure." Harry said as he smiled back, and walked with the blonde to Gryffindor tower.
~.oOo.~
Three games later and Harry had decided that chess was really not his thing.
"You honestly don't know how to play, do you?" Draco sneered.
"Shove off," Harry grumbled, continuing under his breath, "I only learnt how to play in first year, and when you play against Ron there's no chance of you ever being allowed to practise any techniques. You're just smashed straight away." He didn't even care how petulant he sounded. Draco wasn't playing fair, just like Ron never played fair. It wasn't fair.
"The Weasel is good at chess?" Draco asked, sounding genuinely interested.
"Yeah." He mumbled, staring at the pieces on the board in vain hope that some long-lost chess-master gene may be unlocked if he looked at it long enough. "His chess skills are one of the reasons that we managed to stop Quirrell back in first year." Harry said, grudgingly proud of his friend.
"You mentioned Quirrell before…what did you mean?" Draco asked and it struck Harry that he had never told Draco the whole story of everything that had happened to him at Hogwarts. He felt like he'd been with Draco for so long that the blonde had just been there the whole time.
"Well, if you're ready for a long story then I can tell you."
"Hold on." Draco got up, moved around the table where the chessboard was and sat on Harry's lap, cautiously avoiding Barney who was wrapped around Harry's shoulders. "Can't believe I have to share my boyfriend with a snake." Draco grumbled as he made himself comfortable. Harry grinned and kissed the pout that Draco was pulling. "I'm ready now." The prince declared and Harry leapt into his story.
He told Draco all about Quirrell, Tom Riddle and his diary and the fraudster that was Gilderoy Lockhart (Draco awkwardly admitted to having had a grossly inappropriate crush on the man which had made Harry laugh and mentally thank his stars that Lockhart was locked in St. Mungos and didn't remember who Draco was. He had grown up from that 12 year old to be quite a hunk). With slightly more difficulty, Harry choked out the story of the Marauders (during this he pulled out the map and showed it to Draco), the graveyard in fourth year and the Ministry in fifth. They took a break to ask the elves for some tea and biscuits as Draco tensed up at the memories of his father in that period of his life. It was that summer that Draco had been given his task to kill Dumbledore and Harry needed some time to recollect himself after talking about Sirius's death as just another fact in a long list of stories. Eventually he moved on to the cave he and Dumbledore went to in sixth year and all about horcruxes. The last one he had been anxious to talk about, and was relieved that Draco looked disgusted at the mention of the dark magic rather than intrigued, and then he wanted to kick himself for thinking Draco would be anything like Voldemort. Even his own father hadn't tried to make a horcrux and Harry felt dirty for comparing his boyfriend to the man who murdered his family. When it got to the previous year, he and Draco swapped stories. Draco told him what it had been like in school with the Carrows. He had heard it all before, of course, from Neville but he had never heard it from a Death Eater's perspective and he found himself sickly interested as he listened to the twisted darkness that Draco had taken part in. Harry in turn told him of his, Ron and Hermione's travels before and after they were captured and taken to Malfoy manor, including everything about his journey into the forest. They finished with a shaky kiss, both needing to reassure one another that this didn't change their feelings, didn't change them as a couple even though it had changed them as individuals so greatly.
Draco was silent for a good five minutes until he said, "So you had to die, because you were part V-Voldemort?" He asked. Harry nodded. "And that's why you can speak to snakes?" Harry nodded again.
"I, for one, am grateful that you can talk to snakes, Harry." Barney hissed flicking his tongue against Harry's cheek. Draco shot the snake a death glare.
"I wouldn't lick me too much while Draco's around, Barney." Harry warned, "It seems he has no qualms about getting jealous over familiars."
"But he's always around." Barney grumbled.
"Please, for me? I really care about him."
"Fine. But might I remind you that it was me who stuck their tongue in his ear just so you two could get close." Barney hissed unhappily, and slunk off to coil up and sleep by the fire which was his third favourite place after Harry's shoulders and Harry's bed. Draco eyed Barney carefully.
"What did you tell him?" He said nervously, reminding Harry of the scared first year he was in their detention in the Forbidden Forest. Harry smiled and turned Draco's head around so he could kiss him on the mouth.
"Told him you got jealous easily." He murmured against Draco's lips and pulled him in again, prising his mouth open and flicking his tongue into the blonde's mouth. Draco made that little noise again into Harry's mouth and turned around in his lap so he was straddling him.
"Are we getting presents for each other this year?" Draco asked between kisses.
"Nah, haven't had a chance to go out, and now that I have you all to myself, I'm not planning on leaving the castle for a very long time." Harry replied, moving his lips down Draco's neck, following bites with soothing laps of his tongue, as he ran his hands up underneath his shirt.
"Mmm, I like the sound of that." Draco hummed in satisfaction as Harry pushed his shirt up and licked one of Draco's nipples, watching it pebble as he blew cold air onto it. Harry tugged it gently with his teeth and Draco gasped. "Harry…can we…?" Smirking, Harry scooped the thinner boy into his arms and ran up the stairs to the eighth year boys' room. He dumped Draco unceremoniously onto his bed and then stood back and stripped off his shirt and jeans before crawling back over Draco and leaning down to kiss him again. He pushed Draco's T-shirt up with both hands and then trailed one down his abdomen and over his clothed erection that was straining against his trousers in a way that looked painful.
"You want some help getting out of these?" Harry asked up next to Draco's ear as he rubbed his palm up and down the blond's bulge.
"Yes, please, please." Draco groaned out through gritted teeth as he squirmed around underneath Harry, his hands trapped and bound by his shirt around his wrists. Harry undid the belt buckle and the button and then slid down Draco's body and unzipped his trousers with his teeth (and damn it if that seemed easier to do in his head), smirking as he saw the small wet patch of pre-cum on his boyfriend's underwear. Harry then tugged his own and Draco's boxers off and threw them away, not caring where they landed. Looking at Draco, naked apart from his trapped wrists, and how hot for it he was, Harry thought that his boyfriend had a kinky liking for having a bit of control taken off his hands and placed in someone else's whom he trusted. Lying down and aligning their cocks, Harry kissed Draco on the forehead, then moved around to his ear and all but growled his next words, channelling all the authority he had into them.
"This is not up for negotiation." Harry snarled as he thrust their cocks together. He nibbled Draco's lobe a little to take the sting out of the words, but Draco had made that noise again and Harry knew he had guessed right. "I am going to fuck you," he breathed, gently rubbing one of Draco's nipples with his thumb. "I'm gonna fuck you in the bed I've been sleeping in for eight years. You know how many dreams of you I've had in these sheets? How many times I've jerked off, thinking of you in here with me?" Draco made his little cut off noise again, but louder and clenched his fists in the sheets above his head. Harry pressed wet open mouthed kisses down his pale neck until he reached his collarbone and bit down just shy of hard enough to draw blood. He licked the bruise as he slid his wand out of the holster he had on his arm. With a whispered spell and the widening of Draco's eyes he knew that the blonde was stretched, cleaned and lubricated. Harry smiled and slid down his boyfriend's body again, spreading the cheeks of his arse and flicking his tongue out and laving Draco's hole enthusiastically, becoming unbelievably excited at the sounds the Slytherin was making.
"Harry," He panted, "Now." Even breathless, Draco managed to sound like a prince ordering his subjects around, and Harry had to hide his grin against Draco's inner thigh. God he was so lucky that this ridiculously posh boy was his.
"Tell me what you want, Draco." Harry wasn't going to make it easy for him as he moved back up his body, replacing his mouth with his fingers as he stretched Draco. There was no way he was risking the Slytherin's safety just so he could get his rocks off faster. Besides, there were other ways he knew to amuse himself in the meantime. "And be specific." He licked the shell of Draco's ear and then kissed his gaping and gasping mouth.
"I want you to shove your cock up inside me and fuck me." Draco said in the lowest of voices, and Harry couldn't tell if the blush on his face was from arousal or embarrassment. If it were the latter though, it didn't stop him from continuing, "I want you to fuck me and fuck me hard." And now Harry could sense that Draco's normal personality was slowly returning as he gained confidence in the situation, because that last word was drawled out and sounded sinful and he was thrusting down on Harry's fingers leisurely as if he had all the time in the world. 'The little minx!'Harry thought as he looked back up at Draco and saw him smirking before changing his expression and looking up at him from under his eyelashes, batting them playfully, biting his lip and upping his coy-virgin act as much as possible. Harry raised his eyebrows and abruptly pulled his fingers out, grinning in victory when that broke Draco's act and the blond frowned, quickly shifting to wrap his legs around Harry's waist, tugging him in closely and wiggling his hips to try to slip Harry inside him himself. Harry snorted and grinned and Draco sent him a glare which made him grin harder and Harry had to remind himself that he was trying to be in control here, because Draco was pouting and his hair was ruffled like nothing else and Harry had never wanted to melt and give in as much as he did just then. Instead, he took a steadying breath and gripped Draco's hips to guide him into the right position before gently easing himself in. As Draco let out something closer to a scream than his normal sound, Harry clenched his jaw and scrunched his eyes shut to stop from thrusting in and bottoming out in one go. Despite the stretching charm, he was so tight. And the heat! Harry could never have, even in his wildest and wettest dreams, imagined anything to be so hot and 'Jesus Christ, I'm inside Draco, a part of my body is literally inside him and-'
"Fuck, Draco!" Harry cried as he slid all the way in to his hilt, unable to hold back as the realisation that he was inside his boyfriend slammed home. He leaned over the blond with a hand on either side of him as he panted. "Are you okay?" He asked, breathlessly, already feeling his hips start to grind in tiny little circles and he knew he should stop until Draco confirmed, but sweet Merlin, he couldn't have even if someone was holding a wand to his head.
"Yeah," Draco replied, just as breathlessly and Harry felt relief shoot down his spine and into his hips which started to pick up pace until Draco was repeating 'yes' again and again until he broke on a keening, "Fuck." And Harry laughed and said,
"That's the idea." And Draco tried to glare, but instead he smiled and Harry couldn't have thought of a time when he looked more beautiful, apart from maybe when he fell asleep against Harry's shoulder in the common room once, or when he was sneering and lording over him when he had got a better mark in his Defence homework than Harry had, or maybe even that dinner that had started it all where he had forgotten his table manners for about half a minute and just shoved all the chocolate mousse he could get his hands on into his mouth and – fuck it – Draco was always beautiful to Harry and he was so damned lucky.
Harry started to tease him by thrusting in hard and quickly, building up to the blond's orgasm before slowing and taking it away again. Half of it was luck and the other half was him slowly learning what the clenching around him signaled, and Harry couldn't wait until this was over and they could do it again and he could learn all about Draco's body for the rest of forever, apart from this felt really fucking good and he'd rather it never ended, please. But then Draco cried, "Please, Harry, please let me cum!" and he wrenched his hands from his twisted shirt and scratched down Harry's back, hard, and who was Harry to deny Draco anything? So he groaned and started to thrust faster and faster, hitting Draco's prostate (almost) every time until he felt Draco clamp down on him and the walls around him ripple and convulse as Draco came hard, shooting his load up his chest and even managing to get the underside of his chin as he arched his head back. Harry moaned out at the sight and came as he felt himself be milked of every last drop he had, clutching Draco to him hard enough that he left finger-shaped bruises on his hips. He would have felt guilty for bruising him so much in such a short space of time, but he could feel heat on his back and he was pretty sure Draco's claw-like fingernails had drawn blood. He gently rocked out the rest of his orgasm before collapsing on top of and slipping out of his near-comatose lover who was lying there, his arms limp by his sides, eyes half closed and heavy lidded, focusing on his breathing and his chest rose and fell with huge gulps of air.
Harry watched Draco's cum glisten as it moved with his chest and he curiously leant up and licked some off, testing the flavour and trying not to pull a face at the bizarre taste. He kissed Draco, open mouthed and heavy and let him taste himself before pulling away and pecking his way up to Draco's forehead. "Draco…" he whispered,
"Hm?" Draco drawled back, managing to make even a hum sound dirty. Or maybe that was just after what they'd done. Harry wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to hear Draco drawl again without thinking of the way his voice had sounded, the way he had moved when he had said the word 'hard'. He breathed out shakily. This boy was ruinous.
"That was amazing." He exhaled, "You're amazing." He kissed him again. "I couldn't have asked for a better first time."
"I was your first?" Draco asked, voice hoarse from screaming and how had Harry not even noticed him shouting out when he came? Harry nodded. Draco beamed a smile so bright that Harry felt like he had to wear sunglasses in the dim lighting of the room, but that may have been down to the amazing sex as well. "You were mine too, well, you were my first with me bottoming." Harry grinned at that, inordinately pleased with himself. He could tell already that he was going to be walking the stride of pride for the next few days. And Draco would probably get all flustered but wouldn't admit to it and would instead just say that Harry was being a dumb Gryffindork, and Harry would say something stupid like 'Yeah but I'm a dumb Gryffindork that made you cum on your own face.' and Draco would get pissed off and then, then they'd get to have equally amazing make-up sex. Harry grinned and couldn't wait.
"You're gorgeous, you know that?"
"Mmm, I know." Draco agreed sleepily.
"And amazing, did I say you're amazing?"
"You did. And you're easy to please." Draco smiled, his eyes falling shut. "I'm tired, too. And so comfortable." Harry grinned wider and managed to manoeuvre the duvet over the top of them both. He rolled them over to the side and kissed his sleepy Draco on his eyelids, nose and, finally, mouth.
"G'night, my prince." He murmured into the quiet of the room and if Draco got offended by his cheek, he didn't show it.
"Night, Harry." Draco mumbled, pressing in closer to bury his face in Harry's chest, "I love you." Harry froze for a split second as warmth settled into his heart, and he knew it was cheesy because who made love declarations straight after sex? Wasn't there even a saying about sex and love declarations and how they're not to be trusted? But Harry didn't care because it may be cheesy, but it was their cheese and he figured if he was going to like any kind of cheese it would be their own, so he honestly replied,
"I love you, too."
~.oOo.~
Harry did indeed do his stride of pride over the next few days, and Draco grouched through all of it, drawing horrible comparisons between Harry and the peacocks at Malfoy manor. When the inevitable 'Gryffindork' comment came up, Harry was so eager to deliver the retort he'd thought up back when he'd first envisioned this situation, that he blurted it out in the Gryffindor common room in front of the ruddy-faced first year. Harry maybe hadn't quite counted on just how angry Draco would be in his embarrassment and it ended up being their first fight, on Christmas Eve of all days. Draco had returned to Slytherin for the rest of the day and Harry had sat outside the wall that hid the common room talking at it, map open on his lap and showing the 'Draco Malfoy' dot stationary, just on the other side of the entrance. He sat there and apologised until he couldn't apologise anymore and lapsed into just saying whatever was in his head. Eventually the night crept in and he got so cold that his jaws were chattering and he apologised one last time before retiring to bed in Gryffindor because he couldn't hold his wand straight, let alone cast a warming charm. He had returned to his dormitory and noticed that the clock had ticked over to 2am and it was Christmas, and he realised that he hadn't even wished Draco a happy one. Sighing, he crawled into his warm but empty bed and tried to get to sleep whilst berating himself, using as many Draco and Snape-approved insults as possible. Barney tried hissing the story out of him, but Harry was too caught up in his own moping to try to explain it to the snake. Sleep proved unachievable until a warm body slipped in behind him and pressed their cold feet against his calves, and he jumped and grumbled but his heart wasn't in it because Draco had come back and was sliding his arm over his chest and mumbling "dumb Gryffindork" into his hair and suddenly sleep was the easiest thing in the world.
The next day, Draco wore a T-shirt for the first time and Harry worried that the blond thought Harry's extra tactility was due to him overly reassuring Draco that the Dark Mark didn't scare him, but frankly, Draco had really fit arms and all the wild hippogriffs in the world wouldn't have kept him away. They did indeed have make up sex, and it was indeed amazing, and it was also repeated four more times on as many beds, and even though Harry didn't think he'd be able to look any of his dorm-mates in the eye for a long time, he couldn't bring himself to care.
~.oOo.~
Boxing day dawned bright and early with Harry sitting up straight in bed (whose bed it was, he didn't take time to notice. It may have been Neville's, or possibly Dean's), dislodging the sleeping Draco he had had on his chest, with a shout of,
"Oh shit, we didn't owl any presents to anyone!" He jumped out of bed and threw on the nearest clothes he could find, pretty sure that half of them were Draco's.
"Don't lump me in with your lot, Potter," Draco sneered as he snagged the pillow Harry had been sleeping on and curled around it, "I sent my season's cards to Mother and Father yesterday."
"When the bloody hell did you find time?" Harry spun around, hopping on one foot as he tried to sock the other one and stared at his boyfriend incredulously. "No, doesn't matter, I have to get to the owlery." Shoes hurriedly shoved on and bag of presents in hand, Harry ran from the dorm leaving the door wide open behind him.
"I went after the feast whilst you went and prepared the Prefect's bathroom for us!" Draco called after him and heard a somewhat noise of confirmation from the common room before he lazily waved his wand and shut the door. Returning to his pillow-Harry, he slid down under the covers until he felt enveloped by warmth on all sides. It wasn't quite the same, but it would have to do.
~.oOo.~
"Does it get easier?" Draco and Harry were curled up by the fire in the common room a few days later, the first year suspiciously absent as he had been since he witnessed the screaming match they had had on Christmas Eve. Harry was reading a book on Quidditch that Ron had sent him for Christmas, and Draco was reading one on chess that he had bought for himself through a catalogue to be delivered on Christmas day by owl. Harry hadn't asked, but he thought it was meant as a replacement for the fact that he'd not be receiving anything from anyone else that year. Looking at their respective book titles, he wondered if this was the reason Draco was so much better at chess than him. He didn't really care either way, because fact in case, he was still better at Quidditch than Draco was, even if neither of them were allowed to play on the teams as eighth years.
"Does what get easier?" He asked, looking up from an image of the Chaser Gallagher doing a mean looking dive for the quaffle back in the World Cup of '87. The only pictures Draco's book had were images of chess manoeuvres. He frowned, wondering if that said something about them as well.
"Spending Yuletide without a family." Removing his attention from their books entirely, Harry looked at Draco. The blond was carefully avoiding meeting his eyes, but he was facing him at least and he hadn't ducked his head, which was an improvement on the beginning of the year. The question sunk in at last and Harry's heart melted. 'Oh, Draco…' Maintaining a blank expression, he replied,
"Oh." Eloquent. "Um, I don't really remember to be honest. I've not been without a family since I was 11." Harry hadn't really known what his answer was going to be until he said it, and he was shocked that that was what had come out his mouth. It was true though. Ever since the Weasley's had entered his life, he had always had a surrogate family. An itching feeling of guilt crept up on him. Maybe he and Draco shouldn't have had sex in Ron's bed…or Harry should at least have remembered to send their gifts off on time. One or the other.
"Oh." Draco suddenly seemed very small and very lonely, and Harry used the arm he had wrapped around his shoulders to pull him closer until Draco's head softly bopped against his chest.
"Hey, but we're each other's family now." He pressed a kiss against Draco's temple and wondered how he ever could have thought Ginny's shampoo was nice when he had Draco's for comparison. He smelt of Harry's shower gel though. And Harry's shaving foam. And he was pretty sure that the socks he was wearing were Harry's as well. He hoped he never grew used to the thrill that ran through his heart when his possessive side was appeased by such little things. He could easily get drunk off the feeling. "You'll always have me." He squeezed the blond tightly and heard a tiny 'I love you' come forth. Harry murmured his requisite response of 'I love you, too' and carded his fingers through Draco's hair. Draco could be as chess-smart and I'm-an-adult-I-don't-read-picture-books as he wanted to, so long as he never denied Harry the privilege of stroking his hair.
~.oOo.~
A small feast was held on New Year's Eve, headed by Professor McGonagall inviting them out to the lake after dinner for a fireworks display. Draco had frowned and sent a questioning raised eyebrow at Harry from across the table, and he could tell when he reached the same conclusion Harry had. As far as Harry could gather, New Year's wasn't as big of a tradition in the Wizarding world as it was for Muggles, but then he figured that this year definitely warranted a form of celebration, or perhaps remembrance. It felt like eons ago that the war had ended; so much had changed in the last four months, so many people had relaxed back into life and were enjoying the freedom of not always having to look over their shoulders, but then it was true that they were in a microclimate all of their own at Hogwarts. They were in a bubble of safety from the harsh reality of a world living through a post-war period and Harry reached out to interlace his legs with Draco's. Everything had been going so right for them, he didn't want to think about the inevitable day when their bubble popped, and they were thrust back into the real world where reporters would stalk Harry's every move just because they could, and Draco would have doors of opportunity slammed shut in his face at every turn because of a decision that was made for him when he was 16.
After dinner they made a stop at the kitchens and snagged a bottle of wine before making the trip down to the lake with the few students and staff that had remained. The first year Gryffindor blushed beetroot when he saw the pair of them, and hurried on ahead to make harried conversation with Hagrid as the half-giant's strides ate up the yards between them and the lake.
Draco swung the wine bottle in one hand and snagged Harry's hand in the other and they huddled in close with the rest of those present, needing the proximity as they welcomed in 1999. The teachers turned a blind eye to the two of them swigging from the bottle and Draco spent half the show watching the fireworks explode above them, the other half watching the colours explode over Harry's awed expression, falling in love all over again with the glorified Muggle boy.
~.oOo.~
"Mmm, Harry stop, I'll see you after dinner, I really have to go!" Draco detached himself from his boyfriend's lips and pushed lightly against his chest. "My Arithmancy lesson is about to start!" Harry leant in again. "Harry!" Draco sighed exasperated.
"Please, Draco, just one more kiss?" He asked, pulling his best puppy-dog eyed look yet. Draco melted and rolled his eyes.
"One more. One. I mean it, Potter." He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Harry's. Almost instantly Harry prised his mouth open and shoved his tongue into his mouth. Just as Draco began to feel his head buzz comfortably from lack of oxygen he opened his eyes wide and shoved Harry away from him.
"No!" Draco said breathily, "Harry James Potter I will not let you entrap me into being late for Arithmancy. Now I will see you later." He tugged himself out of Harry's grasp, turned and quickly walked away (Malfoy's didn't run).
"I love you!" Harry called out to him across the courtyard. Draco looked over his shoulder, smiled and mouthed 'I love you, too', before turning again and entering the castle.
"Sickening. The pair of you." Ron grouched from where he was sitting on a bench. "Ever since we came back after Christmas it's been 'I love you this' and 'I love you that'. Every time you say goodbye to each other it's 'I love you'! You're going to see him in a few hours! It's not like anything's going to happen in Arithmancy." He paused, "Well, he might die of boredom, but that's a risk he must be willing to take if he's crazy enough to take the damned subject."
"You do realise your girlfriend is also 'crazy enough to take the damned subject'?" Harry said, coming to sit down next to his friend.
"Yeah well that's Hermione. The girl loves to learn." He grinned proudly.
"Uh-huh." Harry said, not paying any attention to Ron as he continued to rant about how amazing his girlfriend was.
It was now nearing the end of January. As Ron said, after the first time Harry and Draco had announced their love for each other, they had been adding it in at any possible moment. He hadn't noticed it so much when it was just them two and the phantom-first-year in Gryffindor tower all holiday, but since term recommenced Ron had made it his personal mission to point out every time they said it. Harry had never felt so light and happy in his life. Ron told him it was just the 'honeymoon period' and they'd soon start getting on each other's nerves, but Harry knew better. They had spent seven whole years of getting on each other's nerves, every single day, day in day out, they had spat and hissed and kicked and screamed and hexed and cursed and insulted each other. That was enough to make up for all the few and far between lover's spats that were bound to appear in any relationship. So long as Harry started checking the other occupants in a room before making comments, he couldn't imagine him and Draco ever moving on from the 'honeymoon period'. Personally, Harry thought that Ron was still moping over the forgotten Christmas present saga. He, thankfully, was still unaware of the sights his bed had seen and Harry and Draco had been very careful not to make it obvious that they'd shagged on every bed in the eighth year's boys dormitory. Even so, Harry was pretty sure Seamus knew something from the wicked glance he had sent his way the moment they all walked in after the holidays.
"Harry? Harry!" Harry looked up. "Were you even listening to a thing I said?" Ron asked, moodily. Honestly, most of the time he was grumpier than Draco.
"No, but I can summarise it all. Let me guess, Hermione is amazing?" Harry replied, smiling. Ron grinned bashfully, the tips of his ears going red.
"I do that a lot, huh?"
"Just a bit." Harry nudged his friend in the ribs, "But it just shows how much you love her." He paused, "It would be nice if you could see the same for me and Draco. You and Hermione talk to me about how much you love each other but never say it to each other, Draco and I talk to each other about how much we love each other, but we never say it to anyone else. It's just a different way of doing the same thing."
"Hermione talks to you about how much she loves me?" Ron asked, visibly cheerier. Harry groaned and rubbed a hand down his face.
"That's not the point, Ron." Ron was quiet for a while and then said.
"Yeah. Yeah alright then, I won't complain anymore." Ron went silent again and screwed his face up in thought. When he sat like that for a good minute Harry sighed again.
"What is it?"
"What's what?"
"You're obviously thinking about something, and, frankly, it looks painful. Knut for your thoughts?" Harry asked, settling down onto the bench comfortably for what was bound to be a long few minutes of silent indecision on Ron's behalf.
He was right.
No less and no more than three further minutes later, Ron finally opened his mouth to speak.
"I know I'm only 17 and Hermione's only 18, but I was thinking…I was thinking of, y'know, proposing. Once I turn 18 in March, so it gives her and Mum loads of time to plan so she can have her wedding in winter like she's always wanted." Ron's ears were pink and he looked up at Harry more bashfully than he ever had in the course of their friendship, and Harry grinned from ear to ear.
"Ron, that's brilliant! But why wait till March? You're both over 17, you're technically allowed to get married now under Wizarding law." 'And Muggle as well, but it requires parental consent and Hermione doesn't have that since she obliviated herself from her parents' memories.' Harry added in his head. They wouldn't need to be married in the Muggle world anyway. They would wear the rings and that would be enough. Ron blushed and mumbled something under his breath. "What?" Harry asked.
"I want to be the same age as her for when I propose." He gushed out, cheeks turning red along with his ears. Harry had always found it endearing how Ron's ears blushed more than his face did. "I don't care if she's 19 when it's the actual wedding, but I don't want to be younger than her when I ask her." Harry laughed at Ron's logic and patted him on the back sympathetically. He supposed it was probably traditional, or something. Maybe something purebloods do, or maybe just a general stereotype that the husband had to be older than the wife.
"Just let me know when you're going to do it, alright? And if you need any help setting stuff up, you know who to ask. Oh, and I expect to be your best man." Harry grinned.
"Who else would I ask?" Ron huffed, looking put out. Harry just smiled and they relapsed into a comfortable silence. Then a thought struck Harry.
"You should get Hermione to make Draco her Maid of Honour." Ron looked confused for a few seconds then pulled a disgusted face.
"I thought I told you not to give me details of your sex life!" He wailed as the mental images snowballed his brain.
"Just a suggestion." Harry shrugged, grinning impishly. 'Marriage, huh?' He thought to himself while Ron did a brilliant impression of a wet dog as he tried to visibly shake the pictures from his head.
~.oOo.~
Chapter End.