Note: I know I know! It's been ages since I updated last. I'm a terrible terrible person. But I can honestly say it's been a really busy week for me! I had a final exam yesterday and a research paper due. But here ya go! It's currently 5:40 in the morning, and I should be sleeping, but I'm a nice person and decided to get this up now so it would be ready to read ASAP.

Draco and Harry left the dungeons in silence. Students were roaming about the castle, taking advantage of the free time before dinner, but no one seemed to be paying the two boys any attention. Draco had taken the lead, but Harry stayed close behind and in step as he was led out of the castle in the direction of the lake. It was still bright outside, though the sun was toying with the idea of retiring for the evening and kept dipping lower and lower in the sky.

As the two moved farther away from the castle their steps slowed until finally they stopped next to a tree near the edge of the vast lake. The two sat down with their backs to the castle and stared out across the lake. They stayed like this in silence for some time, though it was not an uncomfortable silence. On the contrary, they both felt themselves grow calmer and more relaxed.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked after a while, still staring out at the lake.

"Draco did not answer immediately, but weighed his words. "No," he finally answered. "But don't worry about me."

"I think it's a little late for that," Harry smiled, almost sadly.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Draco laughed.

"You have a beautiful laugh," Harry turned to smile at the other boy and was met with a smile in response. "May I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why are you going through with this?" Harry tilted his head to the side, honestly curious.

"It's like I said before: I can't go back. Not now, anyway. Not after I have seen there may be some hope for someone like me." Draco absentmindedly played with a blade of grass between his pale, slender fingers.

"What do you mean?" Harry pressed.

"Well, being with you for starters. Believe it or not, I've had my eye on you for a while," Draco smirked in friendly jest. "I have always admired your ass."

Harry's face grew hot at the thought of the Slytherin checking him out in the corridors between classes. Not that he hadn't been guilty of something similar on occasion…

"That and the chance to escape my future as a Death Eater," Draco finished.

"What? But I thought…"

"I'm not pretending to be a saint, Harry," Draco said, now tearing apart the blade of grass he had been playing with. "I was taught a certain mindset growing up, one that I find difficult to let go of, but that does not mean I play to give into their fairy-tale ideals."

"They're rather dark for a fairy-tale," Harry pointed out.

"That depends on your perspective," Draco countered.

Harry shrugged. "So does that mean you'll stop calling my friends 'mudblood' and 'blood traitor'?"

"Not a chance."

Harry frowned then added, "For me?"

"Very well," Draco gave another one of his laughs which elicited a pleased hum from the Gryffindor next to him. "Harry, can I kiss you?"

Harry was a bit taken aback by the question and it must have shown on his face because Draco began to shift uncomfortably where he sat. It was not that Draco had asked for a kiss that surprised him, but rather that he had asked at all. Harry still was not used to this softer and less pushy side of his past enemy.

"You don't need to ask," Harry answered softly and leaned over to meet the other boy's lips.

The kiss was in every sense different from their hurried, lust-driven kiss in the library. This time the kiss was gentle, thought it was anything by lacking in feeling. When Harry's lips met Draco's they almost seemed to freeze in place. It was as if they each wanted to imprint the feeling of each other's lips permanently into their minds. After what felt to them like a few seconds and a few years all at the same time they slowly began to come to life. Harry moved his mouth slightly one side and began, ever so gently, to suck on Draco's upper lip. In response Draco carefully let his tongue slide from his mouth to first slide across the edge of Harry's teeth and then venture further to find Harry's tongue. Here the kiss became rougher, though still controlled. The two struggled for domination with their tongues and moved their lips in rhythm against one another.

Harry lost control first. As the kiss wore on he felt a growing heat below his waist that every fiber of his being urged him to give in to. Without warning, Harry stole back his tongue and pushed Draco down so that he lay on the ground face-up. He then crawled on top of the Slytherin and straddled him so that he sat strategically near the other boy's waist.

"H-Harry?" Draco stuttered, obviously nervous and almost scared.

"I want to fuck you," Harry replied to-the-point.

"I…I don't know if that's such a good idea. Not here…" Draco turned his head from side to side looking for anyone who might be around.

"Then we can go somewhere more private."

"No! I mean…aren't we rushing things?" Draco blushed.

Harry frowned. If anyone could be blamed for rushing things, it was certainly not Harry. In the past few days Draco had asked him to forget everything he had come to dislike about Draco and to trust him enough to not only be a friend, but to give Draco his heart completely. And Harry had agreed. So why was he not allowed to ask this one thing from Draco?

Feeling hurt, Harry made to move off of the other boy, but was stopped by Draco's hands on his hips.

"It's just…" Draco began as he awkwardly looked from Harry to a point just the left of his head and back again, "I've never done that before. I'm just nervous is all."

"What, never?" Harry's eyes grew large as Draco shook his head. "Not even with a girl?"

"What kind of guy do you take me for, Potter?" Draco snapped and pulled his hands away from Harry.

"I'm sorry," Harry was quick to apologize. "You said that a lot of girls have come to you and I just assumed. You are gorgeous after all."

Draco smirked to keep from smiling at the compliment. "I bet you have had all sorts of encounters being Harry Potter."

"Not a one."

It was Draco's turn to grow wide-eyed. "So you mean to tell me that the most famous wizard of our time has never put his dick anywhere other than his own pants?"

"That's right! You should fell flattered," Harry winked and shifted so that he sat closer to the growing lump in Draco's pants.

"I am," Draco laughed and bucked up against Harry playfully. "But it is dinner time and Severus will get suspicious if we never show up."

"Very well," Harry sighed and crawled off Draco. Once he had made it to his feet he extended his hand to help the other boy up. "But next time I'm not going to give up so easily."

Draco laughed again. "I don't expect you will."

"Well?" Harry directed at Ron when he sat down to eat.

"Hmm?" Ron's mouth was stuffed full with chicken.

"Earlier today after class. Something I said made you decide I was worth talking to again."

"Oh…" Ron had swallowed his food and was readying to take another mouthful. "Look, Harry…I'm sorry."

Harry noticed that Ron looked at Hermione as he apologized. Hermione nodded in approval.

"I'm just miffed you've chosen that ferret. Do you recall at all how much of a twat he's been since we met him? Particularly to Hermione and I!"

Harry was unsure how to respond because it was this very issue that he was still the most uncomfortable with.

"Something happened," Harry tried. "I don't want to say what happened just yet, but trust me? He's really not all that bad and he's willing to change."

"Something big must have happened if you're willing to snog the ferret and then meet with Snape to discuss it," Ron replied, explaining the thought-process for his earlier change of heart.

"So are we good?"

Both Ron and Hermione nodded, though half-heartedly.

"And you're not going to be all awkward around me now that you know I'm gay?"

"Nah," Ron assured him. "One of my brothers is gay so I got over that a while back."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Bill, though keep that quiet, yeah? Mum and Dad don't know yet. Turns out his flat-mate in London is more than just a flat-mate. Mum and Dad just think he's helping to pay the rent, but Fred and George figured out the truth when they went to visit last summer."

A flood of relief washed over Harry at Ron's confession. Though he had been furious at Ron for being such a homophobe, or so he thought, he had also been terrified at losing his best friend. He was not sure if you could have ever justified losing Ron for his former Slytherin arch-enemy, but for now he no longer had to worry about that. However, while he no longer had to worry that Ron would hate him for being gay, he did have to worry about how his friends and his new boyfriend would behave toward one another. It was one thing when they had all happily hated the other side, but now Harry was stuck in the middle and he was not sure how much he would be able to take.

Despite all this reason to worry, Harry's mind had managed to venture back to his pre-dinner kiss. For the rest of dinner he was lost in his thoughts, a smile planted firmly on his lips, and happily oblivious to whatever Ron and Hermione were talking about around him.

"Ron," Hermione leaned forward in her seat, "I don't like this Malfoy thing one bit, but I think we may have to give into this one."

Ron grunted.

"Look at him! That smile…it's too late. He's already fallen in love."

Note: Oo, I mean, aren't I? Not letting Harry get his way with Draco...hehehe. But stick around, you may get your wish fulfilled sometime soon. I had a good reason for making them wait, though, so don't be too mad at me.
Next update will be up much sooner than this one was. I'm finally done with summer school so I have much more free time on my hands. But, you know, reviews always help to speed up the process! Thanks for sticking with the story! Y'all are awesome. ~TJ