A/N - FREAK OUT AND PANIC! If keeping up with this story isn't hard enough FanFiction has given my MacPro some kind of bug! I can't 'Select Document" When I'm adding a new chapter or updating and old one. All that happens is my entire internet refreshes. Thank the stars this doesn't happen on my parent's computer and so I'm adding this chapter from that.

I've asked for help on forums and e-mailed the help desk. If this issue doesn't get fixed I'm going to take a break from Fan Fiction and I'll just concentrate on editing the stories. Since my next chapter is already written and definitely M-rated I don't want to have to do that.

Warning - Slash teasing

Disclaimer - The themes and most characters belong to my queen, JK Rowling, author of the true Harry Potter books.

The Three Broomsticks was a silent arena and Harry and Draco were the main event.

"You've had another potion." Draco told him accusingly.

"You know I haven't." Harry replied.

"You need to go to Mungo's."

"No, you need to listen to me."

"But when I said…when I wanted us to be together…you said you wouldn't!"

"You wanted to pretend we were together so the papers would forget your past."

"Very Slytherin of you Draco." Pansy commented, picking up his drink and sipping it, her own having smashed on the floor along with several others.

"Wait just one blooming moment!" Hermione had scrambled away from Ron in time for the furious mass of red and orange to reach the center of chaos.

"What have you bloody well done to him Malfoy?"

"Ron, stay out of this." Harry warned through gritted teeth. "He hasn't done anything…not on purpose anyway."

"Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are." Draco said weakly.

"You like blokes?" Ron's voice came out squeaky; he looked as if he'd been kicked. "Why didn't I know?"

Hermione had thankfully followed him over. She gently took his hand.

"It's not as if Harry made this as a conscious decision Ron. I'm sure if he knew about this he would have told us."

"Why him? Why Malfoy?" Ron asked, his face becoming hard and serious.

"It's like Hermione said, Ron. I didn't choose this. It was always meant to be Malfoy."

"It's meant to be nothing, Potter. If you haven't noticed I haven't gone about expressing any reciprocal feelings."

"You have."

Pansy now dropped Draco's glass. Rosmerta swore loudly in the distance. Nightingale and Grossly clung to each other's arms, staring unashamed at the drama unfurling.

For the first time Harry regretted their public setting. He could have caught Malfoy alone.

Why had he chosen to do it this way?

You can take Harry out of Gryffindor but you can't take Gryffindor out of Harry. He thought to himself.

"You acted in love with me when you sniffed that potion." Harry declared triumphantly.

"You said you wouldn't mention that!" Malfoy hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"But it was the same potion wasn't it? You feel the same."

Panic flitted across Malfoy's face.

"We can't know that."

"But you do."

"KISS HIM!" George shouted, banging his flask on the bench. Angela promptly stopped him.

"I can't deal with this." Malfoy began to walk away.

"Admit it."

Harry didn't shout. It was a challenge. Many times before he had challenged Malfoy and the blond had challenged him back many times in return. One thing stayed true, they were never big enough to walk away from each other.

"What's there to admit? I don't love you, it's just not prudent to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear."

"Your father put those words in your mouth?" Harry asked, ignoring everyone's gasps.

Malfoy's eyes widened.

"I don't care what your father thinks Malfoy." Harry retorted. "What do you think? Are you trying to be prudent? Or did you kiss me back when I took that potion?"

"Shut up! I can't think."

"Tell the truth!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

Malfoy pursed his lips. "We're colleagues. McGonagall would fire us."

Grossly and Nightingale moved away from one another.

Harry laughed.

"That's it?"

"My parents will never allow it. They'll hate you; disinherit me, everyone who follows you around like house elves will turn on you, so you will eventually regret it. It's as good as over before we begin!"

"You've really thought about it then?"

"And you really haven't!"

Luna spoke up.

"I won't stop following you Harry, if that's what you're worried about. I mean I don't follow you very much now but I can try to do it more often if you like?" Harry smiled at her. He turned back to Draco, arms folded.

"The people who will turn on me don't matter."

"You say that now but you don't know." Malfoy growled.

"I do know, I know what it's like to be hated by the public. It's rubbish but I'm willing to risk it."

"Then you're ignorant and a fool!" Draco spat and Pansy nodded.

"Should I leave?" Astoria asked.

"Yes!" Harry and Draco told her.

"Why would you want to?" Rhys asked.

"How old is she?" Came Rosmerta's startled query.

"Your parents wont disinherit you." Harry said. He was almost sure of it. The Malfoys were slimy and seedy; they chased after power and held corrupt beliefs. But they loved their son. Harry had seen it first hand; he doubted there was anything Narcissa cared more about.

"I'm a Death Eater, why would you confess you love me? If you even do. It just puts you at my mercy."

"I think someone once said to you that it's my mercy, and not yours, that matters now..."

Draco's eyes widened with terror. He shook his head.

"He was right." Harry knew he had hit a nerve and had to tread carefully. This was his opportunity to find out how Malfoy felt and it wasn't going to be easy. "You've offended me more than nearly anyone else. But somehow I've forgiven you. He forgave you too, didn't he? He wanted to give you exactly what you wanted, the chance to escape Voldemort."

Draco quickly looked away, studying his feet. Harry had to continue. "You weren't a killer, still aren't. Sure you can break my heart but what good will it do you?"

Draco looked back up and his stare was lethal.

"How do you know what Dumbledore said to me?" He spat.

How to explain such a time? Harry considered lying and saying that Snape had told him but the deceased potions professor hadn't heard those words. Only three people had and the two surviving were facing each other.

"I was there, hidden and bound but I could hear and see everything."

Malfoy began to visibly tremble.

It was the noises he made, sharp breathing in the back of his throat, indicators that he was struggling to breathe. Harry knew the signs.

"You're okay, sit down."

Draco sat. "I'm…not…going into…sh-sh-shock." He managed to say.

"No, try not to." Harry said soothingly as he petted Malfoy's back.

Hermione rushed an unbroken glass of water over to them, and Rhys, remembering he was a Medi-Wizard came over too.

"Maybe get him someplace quiet?" Rhys suggested.

Malfoy gulped down the water, spilling only a little.

"I'm not in shock, it's just…"

"Flashbacks?" Harry suggested helpfully.

Draco nodded.

He looked deep into Harry's eyes. The paleness of grey caught Harry off guard.

"If you were there, like you said, if you had interfered…" Draco shook his head. "He would have killed me."

Harry's stomach felt like an empty pit. Sometimes all that history felt like a dream and he forgot how real and scary it all was. Each day was terror, not even his mind had been safe. There had been nowhere to hide and no one that wasn't in danger.

"I know."

Harry's petting turned into slow circles.

Draco closed his eyes and he breathed deeply.

"Of course you do."

"It's over."

"It is."

"You should probably go to Mungo's." Harry suggested, searching Malfoy's serene face with concern.

"Yes, that would be quite a story for the Prophet to feature on its front page."

"We should go anyway."

"No."

"Then let me take you to the hospital wing."

"Why are you worried?"

Harry broke into a wide smile. Hadn't he spent the last five minutes confessing all that?

Malfoy opened his eyes and on seeing Harry's expression, rolled them. Although he couldn't hide that the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Well if you're taking me back to the castle I'll put the charms on the broom. I'm not going through the same experience as last time."

"How do you know I came by broom?"

"Your glasses fogged up when you came in. You obviously forgot to charm them. Too worried about your hair I expect."

Harry ignored the blush that crept up his face.

"Fine, come on then." Harry pulled Draco up out of his seat. They stood very close together.

"Good evening ladies, Astoria, again it was a pleasure to meet you. Nightingale, Grossly, Hermione, Ron, I'll see you again soon, I promise. Luna and…Luna's friend."

"This is Rolf Scamander Harry, I love him too."

Rolf looked quite shocked at this statement and began making choking noises.

"I'm at your mercy." Luna told him.

"George, Angela."

"Have a good one Harry."

"Where did Neville go?"

"He left with Hannah before things got interesting."

"Oh, well, goodnight Charlie, I'm sorry we didn't get to chat."

"That's fine."

"Goodnight Hagrid, Maxime."

"Adeux 'Arry."

"Yeah, er night Harry."

Passing Rosmerta with a smile Harry pulled Malfoy out into the night.

"It's cold."

"Do you want my robe?" Harry offered.

"No, a heating charm will suffice."

Harry began to look for his Firebolt as Draco charmed his clothes.

"So, you, Harry Potter, are in love with me?"

"You're smiling in the dark aren't you?"

"No."

Harry swiftly cast lumos and pointed it toward the liar. Draco was too slow to hide the pleased smirk.

"Well now I'm not in the dark am I?"

Harry chuckled and returned to unsticking the broom from the post.

"Are you smiling because I'm Harry Potter or because I love you?"

"Both."

Harry's heart jumped and he almost dropped his wand.

"Do you need help there?"

Harry got the broom free and so didn't need to answer. He climbed on it. Wordlessly Draco climbed on behind him. Harry felt his waist become encircled by Draco's arms, his breath caught. Draco's front pressed along his back. Was there more contact than usual? Harry couldn't tell, he couldn't think, he couldn't remember his own name.

"You're meant to kick off the ground." Draco whispered, his hot breath hitting the icy skin of Harry's neck in a way that made him gasp. Draco's arms tightened slightly.

Carefully Harry forced his shaking legs to kick away from the ground. He hoped he remembered how to fly.

Draco shifted behind him.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked when he wouldn't stop.

"Just placing the charms."

"Will they work?"

"Yeah, should be fine. After all neither of us are unconscious."

Draco had leant away from Harry to finish the charms. Now he pressed back against him with full force. His arms holding him tight as Harry gripped the broom.

"You're holding me rather tight aren't you?" Harry asked over his shoulder.

"I am doing no such thing!" Draco replied indignantly.

"I'm not going to lose control of the broom."

"I can move away if you like?"

"No!"

Draco laughed. He loosened his arms and then encircled them higher, around Harry's chest, where his left hand splayed against Harry's heart. Harry momentarily closed his eyes and shuddered. Remembering he was flying a broom he quickly opened them again.

"This is all very strange." He heard Malfoy murmur.

"Did you expect something else? Oh look I can see Hogwarts."

"Why is it you insist on acting so happy? I said I didn't love you."

Harry laughed and dropped the broom a bit.

"You see Malfoy that's the thing. If I had told you I loved you and you had no feelings for me you'd have been overjoyed. You'd have immediately jumped at the chance to take advantage of me."

"Well…"

"But you didn't. You got upset and immediately began saying you had no feelings for me. In my experience that's not how Slytherins work."

"Harry I-"

"So there's hope."

Harry dropped the broom a bit more.

"Or I simply see no way of taking advantage of your infatuation."

"Really? Not even for your own amusement?"

Draco clearly had no answer.

Harry dropped the broom a little more sharply. Draco clung tighter.

"Admit you have feelings for me."

"I have feelings for you." Draco said quickly.

Always the coward. Harry thought. Or perhaps in this case, very brave.

"Really?"

"No!"

"Then why'd you say it?" Harry dropped the broom so they came nearly to the ground.

"OK YES! YES, I LIKE YOU! I MAY EVEN LOVE YOU! YOU'RE HARRY BLOODY POTTER IT'S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO FEEL SOMETHING FOR YOU! YOU EVEN SAVED MY LIFE! NOT TO MENTION EVERYONE ELSES!"

There toes brushed the grass and Draco barrel-rolled off the handle.

Harry got off properly and helped the blond to his feet, brushing some grass off him.

"Don't tell me you've decided to humiliate me now."

"Aren't I the one who is humiliated, Harry?"

Harry laughed. He took Draco's hand and they walked toward the castle together.

"I am not visiting that infernal hospital wing."

"Well you should."

"I didn't go into shock."

"Well you might later. You've had the flash backs and they usually begin it."

"I think I know my mind."

Draco should have let Harry fly them to the front door it was freezing outside. They entered through the clock tower, passing the pendulum in the dark and walked up the grand staircase together.

"It's too bloody dark in this place." Draco mumbled.

"Well it is night."

"You're still taking me to the infirmary aren't you?"

Harry nodded in reply.

Through the tapestry corridor they moved into the first floor corridor and eventually came to one of the secret entrances to the teacher's lounge.

Harry pushed Draco ahead of him.

They cut through it and came out in front of the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Harry called out. Draco stopped him from repeating his cry by grabbed hold of his free hand.

They stood toe to toe, their faces a breath apart.

"I'll never forget that moment." Draco whispered, bushing some of Harry's fly-away hair off his freezing forehead. "When you came back for me and reached down your hand. I hated you so much. Everything I'd said to you and everything I tried to do, you should have left me to die. But you made my life just that much more miserable by making me indebted to you. Was that enough?" Harry blinked rapidly, he had no idea what was going on. "No, then you had to come to my trial and keep me out of prison, everywhere I look, there you are and now you tell me you're in love with me?"

Harry gulped.

"I hate myself for admitting it, but you win, I've been obsessed with you for years, hating you thinking about you…constantly…this will never EVER work but I'm giving you a chance."

"I don't understand."

Draco's head leant forward, his lips brushed against Harry's. The grip of their hands tightened. Harry leant forward too. He needed to deepen the kiss something inside him demanded it. He tried to pull his hands free from Draco's so he could pull their bodies together.

"Mr. Potter!"

Draco pulled away and looked scandalized. He even stumbled a bit.

"What are you doing? Why are you even in here?" Pomfrey demanded.

"I-I-Draco-he."

"I had a bit of an episode in Hogsmeade this evening." Draco said forlornly. "Potter was just taking advantage of my vulnerability."

Harry received a scathing glare from Pomfrey.

She began bustling Malfoy inside. Harry couldn't respond, he had raised his fingers to his tingling lips.

Malfoy turned around to look at him over his shoulder.

'Humiliation' He mouthed, with an evil grin. Then he held up his pointer finger. 'One chance.'

Harry was dumbfounded. So had it all been an evil trick or was Malfoy giving him a chance? Was anything Malfoy said true? Or was he saying what Harry wanted to hear?

Nothing was clear and nothing made sense.

Harry decided to go to bed.

He awoke with a start. It was light out. Wednesday. He had no patience for Wednesdays. They were big fat wastes of time.

He'd told Malfoy he loved him.

Harry tumbled from his bed, taking his wand with him. He left it unmade as usual. He plunked down the blurry steps and stumbled to the fire.

Incendio. The mulch of kindling inside caught fire. Reaching for some Floo he sprayed it over the edge of the urn and onto the carpet, managing to get only a few granules into the fire. The flames turned green.

Biting back tears and a frothing wave of anxiety he dropped to his knees.

"Healer Everglade's office, St Mungo's." He ordered.

Dante looked up from his chair.

"Harry? Is that you?"

Harry coughed soot out of his mouth.

"I need to be resubmitted!"

"Resubmitted? To what?"

"Back into St. Mungo's! I have lost my mind!"

"Harry, Harry, calm down. Start from the beginning."

"Who cares about the beginning? I told Malfoy I loved him!"

"Well…that's…well…one might argue that I'm professionally obligated to put you back in hospital."

"Because I asked?"

"Because you're insane."

Harry forgot to talk for a while. His healer had just flat-out called him insane.

"This is all my fault." Everglade sighed.

"I hardly see how it is!"

The healer sighed. He stood up from his desk and walked over to where Harry's head coughed, spluttered and scowled.

He knelt.

"Harry, have you ever heard of the muggle phrase 'reverse psychology'?"

Harry thought.

"Hermione might have mentioned it."

"It means telling a person one thing so they do the opposite."

"What's that got to do with me?"

For a moment Everglade smiled, but he quickly wiped that expression away.

"Harry, no one is going to say you don't follow orders well. For a lot of your life people have told you what to do and you've done it."

Harry glared. That was putting things lightly.

"But from what you've told me." The healer continued. "In the past you've also been very good at going against orders."

"That's not got anything to do with what I'm telling you!" Harry roared.

"It does Harry, listen. I knew if I told you to associate with Malfoy for your own good that you'd do your best to follow my orders as you have done in the past. But I also knew that the only way you would consciously want to interact with him is if I told you, you couldn't."

Harry recalled the meeting where Dante had told him that Malfoy was no good. He was right, that had turned everything around.

"You!"

"Now wait Harry, I made you want to interact with him, not fall in love with him, you did that on your own."

Harry wasn't listening.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? YOU'RE MY HEALER! YOU'RE MEANT TO HELP ME! NOT RUIN MY LIFE!"

"That's being a bit melodramatic. Is your life really ruined? Did Mr. Malfoy react badly?"

"No! He reacted worse than badly!"

"Did he curse you?" Dante seemed to ask reluctantly.

Harry's heart raced. He could remember clearly for the first time since getting up what Malfoy had said.

"He gave me a chance." Harry told the Healer, softly.

"He did what?"

"He's giving me a chance." Harry said clearer.

Dante Everglade's jaw dropped.

"Well then, so…" A pause of silence stretched on. Everglade clearly had lost his ability to speak and Harry was unwilling to say the truth out loud.

Eventually Everglade said it.

"You and Draco Malfoy…are in a relationship?"

Harry didn't even nod. He couldn't.

Dante got back on his feet.

"Harry. In all seriousness, this will be big news. The two of you…I doubt you'll handle the pressure, of press. How do you feel about this?"

Harry, again, couldn't respond.

"Do you think you might want to keep this quiet?"

"It's too late." Harry's reply came out strained. "When I told him I…how I felt, we were in a crowded pub, everyone heard and our friends were there, Luna Lovegood, the editor of the Quibbler, she heard everything."

Everglade made a whimpering sound.

"So it's out. Harry, in the wake of the war the press will cling to this news like there's no tomorrow, the public want a feel-good story, especially after the MA attacks."

"So Malfoy and I are going to get hassled." Harry realized aloud.

"Will you be ready?"

"No. I barely think this will work at all. I don't even know if he feels anything for me. He could just be being…"

"Slytherin?"

"No, Malfoy. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well no body ever does. At least now you're going after what you want. There's no point saying it won't work this early."

"But it won't."

"It will be very, very difficult. You will have to work on a relationship like this a lot, Mr. Malfoy might not put any effort in on his part, and if he's being 'Malfoy', like you said all the effort you put in might be for nothing."

"I shouldn't even try." Harry remarked.

"No, I didn't say that. You should definitely try, try as hard as you can until it no longer makes you happy."

"I'm not happy now." Harry pointed out.

"Are you trying now?" Everglade asked.

No, Harry supposed he wasn't.

"I'm off." He told the healer and pulled his head out of the fireplace.

Harry went through the motions of the day thinking about Malfoy. When he should go to him. What he should say. How he should say it. He wasn't even sure if they even were in a relationship. Malfoy had said one chance, but that had been right after he'd tricked him into being scolded by Madam Pomfrey.

With a kiss. Harry thought, Malfoy had kissed him; he didn't need to do that.

Remembering it he stumbled down the stairs and dropped the mountain of Quidditch schedules he carried.

Luckily no one was around to see.

The classes would be ending. Malfoy would have third years and Harry felt annoyed that he knew the other wizard's timetable so well. When they left he'd be grading papers over dinnertime, that's why he never showed up in the Great Hall in the evenings. Harry would have to go and see him then because after 8pm Malfoy began working with Maligna, he had passed his NEWTS and was beginning higher training.

Again Harry was shocked and annoyed that he knew this, he must have overheard it all.

With a very crumpled pile of Quidditch papers in his hands Harry tripped toward the dungeons.

He managed to pause at the bottom of the staircase and with a quick reducio deposited the schedules inside his robes.

Despite being on level floor he stumbled again and barely managed to right himself.

With a beating heart he ran. Realizing he was running right before the potion's classroom he halted, straightened his robes and walked casually to the door of the potions professor's office.

The door was open.

"Come in Potter, Slughorn's meeting with McGonagall."

He hadn't looked up. How had he done that?

Harry realised he hadn't done such a good job fixing his robes. He tried rapidly to straighten them.

There was a click. Malfoy had slammed his quill down on the desk in front of him.

"Are you coming in or not?"

Harry looked up wearily.

"I am in."

"You look fine. Take shut the door and take a seat."
Harry shut the door but instead of taking a seat he came around the back of Malfoy's chair.

"Grading papers?" He asked.

"No I've decided to forego wizardry and take up drawing…with a quill…on student's assignments."

Harry pulled a seat around and sat on it, knee-to-knee with Draco.

The blond snickered.

"Can I help?" Harry asked.

"Not likely."

"What are these? Second year?" Harry pulled one of the pieces of parchment toward himself.

"First year."

"Simple."

Harry leant over them and his robed arm touched Draco's.

"I don't think so."

Harry looked over the sheet, it was a detailed table written in Draco's hand, of a student's performance.

"Boil cure? Isn't it a little early in the year for that?"

"My students are up to it." Draco said over the scratching of his quill.

Harry scanned the page.

"They added all the crushed fangs. I'm guessing extreme potency? So how bad was the cauldron damage?"

"I threw it away."

"At least they did everything else right, remembering only four measures of crushed fangs is hard. An E or A?"

Malfoy shook his head.

"Not P? Giving them a Poor is a bit harsh."

Draco snatched the paper and scribbled sharply on it. When Harry got it back the red shone.

"D? You gave them a dreadful? For one mistake?"

"For damaging school property."

Harry gaped and picked up the next paper.

"Frost!" He exclaimed, seeing the name Lucy Frost.

"You know the Frosts?" Draco asked, looking at Harry for a second. He shifted and their legs brushed.

"Only Lucy, she's a Moonfrog."

A smile crossed Malfoy's face flittingly.

"Of course." He sighed and added "The Frosts are related to Maligna."

"Frosts, there's more than one of them?" Harry asked, looking over the parchment again.

"At Hogwarts there's about four, Maligna has two sisters and their children come here now."

"Are her sisters potions masters as well?"

"Yes. How did you guess?"

"Lucy's potion was perfect."

"I know." Malfoy placed the perfectly scarlet liquid on the desk. "Look at it! It could clear boils before they even happen."

"O then." Harry replied happily, preparing to print the 'outstanding' mark on the paper.

Malfoy beat him to it and scribbled 'E'.

"She spoke in class." He explained.

"You can't be serious."

"It's the highest grade I'm giving."

Harry looked disappointed at the parchment. He grabbed the next one.

Ferdy Plath.

"He stirred anti-clockwise instead of clockwise and forgot his quill, so I'm guessing….T?"

Harry said as a joke.

"Correct." Malfoy passed Harry the quill. "Mark it down."

"What? No! This isn't worth a T."

"If it was an exam and he had left his quill behind that's exactly what it would be worth. Now Harry, you insist on coming in here and interfering with my work, the least you could do is what I say!"

Harry marked the T.

That was the last one.

Harry grinned at Draco.

"You came here just to help?" Malfoy asked, almost painfully.

"What are boyfriends for?"

Malfoy cringed. Harry ignored him.

"Dinner?"

"In eight minutes Maligna will firecall me with new details about the potion you were given."

"Details?"

"Places I can go and find more information."

"So, you don't have anything at the moment?"

Draco sighed and put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

"No." He replied eventually.

Almost timidly Harry reached out and rubbed Malfoy's shoulder. It was stiff as stone.

"Draco! Draco!"

They looked up.

Maligna's tiny pale face sat in the flames.

"No time to chat. Ashcliffe mines, there are potions written on the stones inside. It used to be a vampire dwelling."

"Lovely." Draco sighed.

"It's the best I could do."

"I'll ask McGonagall for the time off."

"Well your WOMBAT score is an O so I don't think she'll be saying no to you any time soon."

Red ink splatted across the table, Draco's quill had broken.

"But I haven't sat them…"

"You're NEWTs came out above O and your extra work on these newly discovered love potions someone's cramming at Harry Potter filled in the rest. Congratulations you're the youngest potions master in over two centuries."

Maligna's face vanished from the fireplace.

Draco stared at his dripping red hand, the damaged quill, he was paler than usual.

Harry grinned manically. It was an unstoppable reaction. This was probably the first good thing to happen for Malfoy since the war.

Draco wouldn't look at him.

Harry grasped his shoulders and pulled Draco toward him. Their lips met hot and soft. Harry pushed his tongue inside, feeling Draco's push back, sending shocks right down to his groin.

There were no potions.

He was kissing Draco Malfoy, of all people.

Harry didn't pull back. He couldn't. He pushed forward harder and pulled Draco in closer, dragging his chair an inch across the stone. Draco's hands grabbed his waist for support as Harry leant over him, his legs either side of the chair.

Breathing wasn't coming easy.

They leant back for air, pulling it in, in lungful's.

"Congratulations." Harry gasped.

"This might just work." Came Draco's breathless reply before he leaned back in for more.

Harry stumbled from the offices not four minutes later, his robes pushed off his shoulders, his glasses askew and his hair completely on end. If he had come across a mirror and looked in it, the phased and sappy expression on his face would have shocked him.

That blasted clock! Why did Slughorn have to have the thing on his desk? It's stupid ringing and awful shrill voice shouting, "Get back to work!"

Harry had assumed Draco would ignore it and keep on kissing him. Especially when he had moaned out loud.

Harry didn't even think anything of it when he was pushed away.

Only when he was shoved outside the office accompanied by the under-the-breath mutterings of.

"Merlin, Harry bloody Potter. What have I become?"

Had he realized he was being kicked out.

He managed to make it back to the teacher's lounge without even seeing where he was going.

He waved at Neville with a smile.

"Err…. Harry?"

Harry entered his quarters and went up to his bedroom.

There was business he needed to finish.