A/N: Happy Bank Holiday Monday! I like this chapter. Have a feeling you might too.

Chapter 18- An Open Letter to the Wizarding World

Later, they were still naked. Dry, now, with a half eaten plate of sandwiches on the bedside table and warming charms being recast over and over to keep the chill out. They laid on top of the sheets, gently skimming hands over each other's smooth skin, feet tangled together, not being out of the other's embrace even for a moment.

"Are we doing it for the right reason, do you think?" Draco asked. They had been talking about Bear, mentally going through Andromeda's list of questions.

Harry reached his hand up to curl around the back of Draco's neck and into the soft hair that had curled slightly as it dried.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Is it in Bear's best interests to be with us?"

"What do you think?"

Draco laughed and leaned in to quickly kiss Harry's nose. "You're stealing my trick. Answering questions with questions."

"So... what do you think?" Harry teased.

"I think. Hmm. I think that we could give him a great life. But there will be a hell of a lot of attention on all three of us if we do it."

"Negative attention?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, bollocks," Harry laughed. "They'll come after us with pitchforks."

Groaning, Draco tucked his head under Harry's chin. "Okay. Next thing. Your career."

It was Harry's turn to groan. Even as he wrapped his arms around Draco's body, he hated the other man for bringing this topic up. He had expected the 'next thing' to be their relationship.

"I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with my life, Draco," Harry said. "Can't I just be a rich recluse?"

Draco giggled. "Nope. You're far too pretty to be hidden away."

"How about your society wife?"

Rolling onto his back, Draco crossed his arms across his chest as he laughed. "I've got a mental picture of you in a sequined ball gown..."

"Is it turning you on?" Harry said with his tongue firmly lodged in his cheek. He rolled over, trapping Draco underneath him with his knees either side of Draco's thighs. "Are you one of those boys who likes the look of a man in a dress?"

Draco laughed harder. Harry acted offended.

"With this jawbone?" Draco asked through his giggles, rubbing his fingers over Harry's face. "No one could mistake you for a woman."

Harry leaned down and kissed the naked man beneath him slowly, thoroughly, until Draco definitely wasn't laughing any more.

"What about us, Draco?

"If we do this... she was right, you know. We can't just send him back if we break up."

They rolled back onto their sides, facing each other once again. There was an unspoken need between the two to be on equal footing for this part of the conversation.

Draco pillowed one hand under his cheek. "You don't even call me your boyfriend, Harry."

"Of course you're my boyfriend. You're a lot more than that."

"I'm not particularly looking forward to telling the world about us, but I think we should," Draco said. "We're not doing anything wrong. We shouldn't have to hide."

"I'm not hiding, Draco," Harry said softly. "I've just sort of basked in this for the past six months. My life was going nowhere until you came along."

"Yeah. Mine was the same. I was just rattling around in that big old house..."

"It feels like we've been together forever. And also like our relationship is still so new."

"Will you promise me something?" Draco asked.

"It depends," Harry said with a smirk.

"Really think about the career thing for me? Then we can go back to Andromeda and tell her exactly how we plan to deal with balancing our lives and jobs and childcare and being parents."

"Okay. I'll think about it. Can I ask you for something?"

"It depends," Draco echoed, leaning in to murmur the words against Harry's mouth.

Harry closed his eyes and sank into the kiss. "I really, really want you to make love to me."

Draco faltered but didn't stop kissing. He didn't say no... but he didn't say yes, either. "I will, Harry, of course I will. But I can't understand why you want this so much. Aren't you happy with the sex we're having at the moment?"

"Sex with you is incredible," Harry said, running the palms of his hands down Draco's back. "But we're equals in this relationship. That's important to me. So I want us to be equals in bed, too."

"It's going to hurt," Draco warned him. "I'll do my best not to hurt you, but it's probably still going to hurt."

"But it feels good eventually though? Otherwise why would anyone do it?"

Draco smiled and pulled Harry closer to his body. "Yeah, it feels good, baby. Once you get used to it."

"Then I want it," he said decisively. "And I want it to be you."

It was possibly a new spot that Draco found to kiss, then, the soft spot between tear duct and eyebrow.

"Okay."

xXx

An Open Letter to the Wizarding World, from Harry James Potter:

It's been almost a year, not that anyone needs reminding. For a long time people have granted me my privacy and have left me alone after repeated assurances that it's what I really want. In the past eight months I haven't just been locked away ignoring the rest of the world. I seem to have found myself a family.

I am all too aware that people are not likely to approve of my choice of partner. That was the first lesson I had to learn. But some people are worth fighting for.

We have decided, as a family, that we're not going to hide any more. That doesn't mean I'm prepared to give interviews or photo calls or whatever other stupid requests come through, and, unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to stop people from writing or saying whatever they like.

I just wanted you to know, before anyone decides they have the right to put words in my mouth, that I'm happy. For the first time in my life I've got what everyone else takes for granted. So please. Please, don't try and take this away from me.

Harry.

xXx

A little origami crane greeted Harry when he returned home from grocery shopping. It was slightly more agitated than other cranes that had delivered messages in the past and Harry unwittingly crumpled it when he caught it in his hand.

There are clothes set out on your bed.
Be ready to leave at 7.
~ Draco xx

The kisses were scrawled almost as an afterthought and Harry smiled at them, tucking the paper away in his pocket. He already knew he'd save it. There was time to unpack all the groceries before he went for a shower, taking longer than usual to scrub his skin clean.

The suit that had been set out for him was extraordinary. If there was one man in the world that was going to teach him that menswear style was just as fabulous as women's, it was going to be Draco Malfoy.

At first glance, Harry thought the suit was black, but on closer inspection it was actually dark, dark blue. The jacket buttoned low over his stomach and the stiff, starched white shirt didn't have a regular folding collar, instead it stood upright around his throat. And he had no idea how to tie the silver-grey tie.

"Draco!" he called into the hall. "I don't know how to do this!"

Draco appeared in Harry's (rarely used) bedroom with a crack. He was dressed in the black on black style that he'd adopted after the war, but somehow looked more casual, less uptight than when they'd encountered each other in those last, dark months. Maybe it was something that came from within. There was so much love in Draco's heart now that animosity had no way of coming through.

He looked amused, pushing blonde hair out of his eyes as he picked the tie up off the bed.

"Come here," he told Harry who stepped up close to him. Draco deftly folded the silky fabric around Harry's throat, tucking it up tight in an elegant knot. "There you go." He kissed Harry on his nose. "You look amazing."

"So do you."

"Don't I always?"

Harry laughed and smoothed hair back from Draco's face. "You do."

He had no idea what Draco was planning, where they were going but he knew he trusted Draco absolutely. It was also incredibly important that he kissed those soft lips now.

Draco chuckled softly as Harry leaned in with his hands gently grasping Draco's arms. He tilted his head just so, their heads fitting together at a now familiar angle. The kiss was gentle, neither man being able to fall too deeply into the passion of the moment due to the silly grins both were sporting.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked as they broke apart.

Draco studied him for a moment and Harry felt his hair rearrange itself on his head until it fell into a new position. "Now I am," he said, smirking.

"You haven't asked where we're going," Draco continued as Harry grasped his hand, readying himself for Disapparition.

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm going there with you."

xXx

Harry's first thought was to be surprised that Draco had arranged for them to go to a Muggle restaurant for the evening. But that quickly dissipated. Draco clearly didn't want any undue attention, but unfortunately he'd overlooked the fact that even in the Muggle world, two dashingly handsome men out to dinner together would attract attention anyway.

In a small, tucked away corner of the ornate door to the restaurant was a small rainbow flag.

"It's a symbol in the Muggle world, that the restaurant welcomes gay couples," Draco explained as the doorman held it open for them. Harry nodded and reached for Draco's hand. "Reservation in the name of Malfoy," Draco said to the hostess who nodded and lead them through the dining room.

Harry was surprised to see a mix of couples dining in the opulent room; people seemingly of all ages, races and sexualities. The hostess didn't bat an eyelid as Draco pulled out a chair for his companion and ordered a bottle of red wine and a jug of water for the table.

"I have to ask... is there some anniversary or something I've forgotten?" Harry asked.

Draco laughed. "No. I just wanted to take you out. And... since I read the Prophet yesterday..."

"Ah," Harry said knowingly. "That. Are you mad?"

"No, not at all," Draco said.

A waitress arrived with a bottle of wine and they went through the rigmarole of approving the label and the first sip before the rich scarlet liquid was poured into two large bowled glasses. She handed them both a menu then disappeared as smoothly and silently as she'd arrived.

"I meant to tell you," Harry said, picking up their conversation from where he'd left off, "but I was in sort of a temper when I wrote it and then I sent it and then you came home with that big bowl of strawberries..."

He didn't need to say any more. With the 'female' in their relationship being notably absent, little gifts of chocolates or flowers weren't really appreciated. Good strawberries from Kent, however, were. As were nice bottles of cider from farms in Somerset and anything from Honeydukes. That particular bowl of strawberries had been shared, then strawberry flavoured blowjobs traded in Draco's favourite armchair.

"Sweetheart," Draco interrupted Harry's rant. "It's fine. I promise. I was the one who said I didn't want us to hide any more. Which is why we're out celebrating."

Harry nodded, chagrined, and turned to the menu. "Have you been here before? It all looks good."

"It's one of my favourite restaurants," Draco admitted. "I'd offer to order for us both if I didn't think you'd slap me silly."

"No, go for it," Harry said, folding his menu. "I trust you."

They talked through the starter, played footsie through the main course and by the time they'd agreed to share something disgustingly chocolaty for dessert they were both feeling the effects of the delicious Cabernet and were being more than slightly suggestive in their sweet talking.

Draco insisted on taking care of the bill, even though Harry protested, and lead him out of the restaurant into the cool night air. Without any hint of self- consciousness, Harry slipped his hand into Draco's.

"Can we walk for a bit before we go home?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Where do you want to go?"

Harry shrugged. "Let's just see where the night takes us."

After casting a few surreptitious warming charms they headed back through the darkened London streets in the vague direction of Grimmauld Place. Although cold, the night was clear enough for them to see the stars.

"Look," Draco said, turning Harry around so he could wrap his arms around Harry's chest. "Draco."

Harry smiled and tilted his head back to kiss Draco's jaw. "I bet you've been able to pick that one out since before you could walk."

"Pretty much," Draco agreed. "My mother used to tell me stories about the dragon in the sky."

Turning in the warm embrace, Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and studied the other man at close distance.

"Why did you bring me out tonight?" he asked.

"Damn," Draco said with a smile. "You caught me. I wanted to soften you up."

"What for?"

Draco kissed his nose, his cheek, chin, then lips, incredibly softly. "Can I take you home with me?"

Harry tightened his grip, preparing to Apparate and nodded.

To his credit, Draco's skills of Apparition were such that Harry barely felt it. They landed in Draco's room and while Harry was still righting himself, Draco wandlessly lit several candles.

"Tonight?" Harry asked, having now cottoned on to the idea.

"Yes. If you want to."

"Come here."

With deft, sure fingers Harry began to gently remove Draco's tie, setting it over the back of the chair before starting on the buttons of the shirt. At the same time Draco started at the bottom of Harry's shirt, pulling it out of his trousers and helping him out of his jacket.

There didn't seem to be any sense of urgency in their actions; they took their time to carefully remove the expensive suits and discard them, lavish attention on the exposed skin before moving on.

Harry went to toe off his shoes and stopped himself at Draco's exaggerated wince.

"What?" he asked, amused.

"They're hand made Italian calf leather dress shoes."

"And surprisingly comfortable."

Draco rolled his eyes and dropped to his knees. With painstaking care he undid the laces and let Harry balance with a hand on his shoulder as he removed each shoe in turn. Then, while he was down there, pulled his own off.

Finally only their underwear remained and Harry pulled Draco to his feet and attacked his mouth with hungry kisses. Their skin was warm, bare chest to bare chest as Draco slid his hands around to press his palms flat to Harry's back, then down to grope at his ass.

Harry laughed into the kiss as he ran his arms from Draco's shoulders to wrists, up and down in a tender caress. They were both hard, straining up against their underwear and towards each other, but somehow that wasn't so important. Their kisses were deep, searching, lips stretching wide to accept probing tongues and wet licks.

With a hand wrapped around the back of Harry's neck, Draco angled the kisses, taking charge in a way he hadn't done before. This was his night to be in charge.

"On the bed," Draco said in a low voice.

Harry bit his bottom lip coyly and kicked his underwear off, crawling on to the bed on his hands and knees and looking back at Draco over his shoulder with wide, vividly green eyes.

Draco laughed softly, warmly. "What on earth have I done to you."

"Terrible things," Harry said with mock seriousness. "Care to do more?"

"If they could see me now," Draco said, cocking his head to one side. "You're amazing, you know that?"

It was Harry's cue to laugh softly and drop his head back down. Draco climbed onto the bed behind him, looping an arm around his waist and pressing their bodies flush together.

"Yes," Harry murmured.

"No."

"No?"

"Not like this," Draco qualified. With hidden strength he flipped Harry over so he was lying on his back. Looking up into Draco's eyes.

"Like this?" Harry asked.

"Mhmm."

"Oh."

Draco leaned over for another kiss, softer this time. Then licked Harry's neck, his collarbone... gently bit a nipple, ran his tongue down the natural line that bisected Harry's torso. Sucked the head of a sticky, leaking cock, palmed the soft balls between fuzzy thighs.

"Ohhh..."

The lubricant was slicked where it was needed, pressed deep inside, a spine arched back against the first burst of pain that accompanied the first thrilling breach of penetration. Fingers wrapped around strong biceps, curling against pale skin and lean muscle, holding on tightly.

Pale blonde hair fell down from a sweaty forehead, gasps travelled from mouth to mouth on barely there kisses and one man learned the feel of another. A gentle hand encouraged knees to meet shoulders and elbows crooked in the crease to keep them there. The wicked, wet slap of skin on skin was almost drowned out by the soft cries and guttural grunts, two people making music. Making love.

Intensity flowed from each gentle touch, each wet, sloppy kiss, from the moments when they opened their eyes just to watch the changing expressions of lust worn by their lover.

"You taste like chocolate," Harry whispered.

Draco's eyes crinkled with laughter. "So do you, baby."

"Close," Harry gasped. His eyes screwed shut as his back arched and the muscles in his neck contracted, pushing his head back into the bed.

Harry thought he'd remember the last little gasp from Draco's throat before he came for the rest of his life. It was like a breath had gotten caught there, like his vocal chords had made an 'oh' sound that was never released from his lips, the crashing power of his orgasm meaning that one burst of sound would never be heard.

It was enough to push Harry over the edge too.

"I love you," someone said first.

"I love you," the other said at nearly the same time.

Minutes later, when they were cleaned up and tangled in each other's embrace, they said it again.

"I love you."

xXx

He woke to the subtle shifting of the mattress next to him and the absence of a warm body curled around his back. Waking slowly as the morning settled around him, dispelling the magic of the night before, Harry allowed himself the time to stretch, long and leisurely, feeling the aches in new places and a little spike of something in his belly.

Yawning, he swung his legs off the bed and groped around on the floor for his underwear, which he pulled on with last night's shirt buttoned loosely over his chest. Then he went in search of Draco. The smell of coffee brewing lead the way.

"Morning," Harry said, slipping his arms around Draco's slim waist. The other man was staring out of the kitchen window into the dim courtyard beyond.

Draco stiffened under his touch. "Don't."

"Don't what? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just - don't."

Harry pulled back. Draco was obviously in one of his strops and worth leaving alone to sort out himself out in his own time. Harry kissed him on a bare shoulder.

"Okay. Love you."

"You can stop that, too," Draco bit out.

"Stop what?" Harry exclaimed.

"Guys like you don't love guys like me, Harry," Draco said, spinning around. "Guys like you fuck guys like me. Then you go back and find a nice girl to love and have three kids and be an amazing father and all round nice guy. And you can think back fondly on that guy you fucked back in the day when you had that little homosexual experiment."

"You're not an experiment to me, Draco," Harry said carefully. "And there is no guys like you, guys like me. We're just two people, Draco, that's it."

"You're so fucking naive! You are Harry Potter, Saviour of the Wizarding World, Order of Merlin, First Class, the Boy Who Lived... I'm Draco Malfoy. Death Eater who escaped Azkaban. We can't be together. We just can't."

"Because of what other people might think? Since when does that matter?" Harry demanded.

"It's all that has ever mattered!" Draco cried. "The world is a terrible place! The only thing that matters is what they see."

"I'd bet the contents of my entire vault at Gringotts that that's your father speaking, not you," Harry said in a low voice.

Draco said nothing and stalked from the room.

Harry huffed, ran his fingers through his hair aggressively, and followed him.

"Look, Draco," he said, grabbing the other man's shoulder and pulling him around. Then jabbed a finger in his chest for good measure. "I am not going to let you... cheapen what happened between us last night. How fucking dare you call it just a fuck. You made love to me, you miserable motherfucker, and I am not going to let you ruin things just because you're fucking scared."

"Interesting use of the word 'fuck'," Draco said sarcastically, pushing away the still- jabbing finger. "What you seem to have forgotten, Potter, is that I, unlike you, have been here before. I have been the one thinking that someone had made love to me. And you know what? They didn't. Cock in ass is not love. It's sex. Wake the fuck up."

"So everything between us, everything that we've gone through together was just for sex? Bullshit, Draco, I call bullshit."

"What we went through was due to court order or necessity if I wanted access to my cousin. What happened between us was never supposed to happen."

"You were never supposed to fall in love?" Harry said mockingly.

"Malfoy's don't fall in love," Draco said, shaking his head. "My... sincerest apologies if I lead you to believe otherwise. Excuse me."

"You know what, Malfoy?" Harry spat, "No, I will not excuse you. You can try to push me away, hell, you can even shove me away if you want. But there is no way, no fucking way, Draco, I am going back to what my life was like before you. I will not give you up. So fucking... man up or something. Deal with the fact that you love me, because I fucking love you too!"

He was screaming by the time his little rant was over and Draco slumped, visibly wounded by Harry's completely uncharacteristic screaming. Harry shook his arms out and huffed the breath out of his lungs. The last time he'd done that was - well. A long time ago.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "I don't usually yell at my friends. Any more."

"You don't understand," Draco said. Harry could hear the desperation and half a sob in his words. "You'll leave me, eventually, you'll leave me. And I don't know what will happen when you do."

"Why would I leave you?"

"Because this will never work."

"Why?" Harry cried, throwing his hands up. "It's worked so far, hasn't it?"

"But we're arguing!"

"Because you're being a prize wanker!" Harry screamed.

"Okay, okay," Draco sighed. "Okay."

"You're just going to have to trust me," Harry said, forcing calmness to emanate out of every syllable.

"Trust you."

"Yes. Trust me. That's what people do when they're in a relationship. They trust each other. I can't promise you this is going to work out. I can't promise you forever, Draco, and I'm not going to insult your intelligence by making promises I can't keep. But we can do this. We can do this if we both want it."

"I want it," Draco whispered. "You make me want things I never thought I could have."

"Good. So do I," Harry said. "Come here you little shit."

Draco folded himself into Harry's arm, burying his face in Harry's neck and laying his lips on the nearest patch of scratchy, stubbled skin.

"I'm sorry."

"Well, there's a memory to save. I'm going to watch that over and over again. Draco Malfoy apologised."

"Don't get any ideas," Draco huffed. "I have no intention of making a habit of it."

xXx

"Harry," Niko pulled the Blackhawks Seeker to one side before Harry's fourth game on the team. It was actually their third week in this formation having played one mid-week friendly the week before, and naturally, they'd won every game.

"I've been asked by some members of the team to have a quiet word," Niko said once they were out of earshot from their teammates.

Harry's heart sank. "Oh?"

"Mate, we're a Saturday league team. We don't get to play very often. It's just that... since you came along, none of us have been part of a match that lasted more than half an hour."

"No... last week was thirty four minutes, wasn't it?"

Niko rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yeah. An average match for us goes on at least an hour. Look, I don't wanna rock the boat or anything, because truth is, we like winning. But if you could maybe give the other Seeker a bit of a runaround? Keep him on his toes for a little while? Let the rest of us get a proper game in and I'll give you a nod when Jen starts to get tired."

Harry laughed as he nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

Niko patted him on the back. "Good lad. Knew you'd understand. Although, I'll doubt you'll be with us much longer anyway."

"What?" Harry demanded, his heart sinking again.

"You really don't get it, do you," Niko shook his head. "We've had scouts for teams from all over the bloody country here for the past two games, and I'll wager it's the same out there again today. You're causing quite the stir in the world of Quidditch, Mr Potter. Your name is being whispered among many a club."

"Nah," Harry shook his head. "This is all just a bit of fun for me."

"You should think about it," Niko said. "The rest of us are shitting our pants because these guys are out there watching us."

"I just want my godson back. Playing Quidditch full time isn't going to help that cause."

"How's that going?" Niko asked as they headed back to the changing rooms.

Harry shrugged. "It's been nearly three weeks now and it's just about killing me and Draco. We want him home."

"He's with his grandmother, right?"

"Yeah.

"Alright, Harry?" Jenny Johnson greeted him enthusiastically. "Come on boys, let's get this show on the road!"

Their opponents this week were a fellow London team, a 'local derby' as Niko had put it in their pre- game talk and he was enthusiastic to mark this as a turning point in the fortunes of the oft- ridiculed Blackhawk team.

It was a snappy match with goals scored as quickly as they were saved, plenty of good natured insults traded back and forth. Every time Harry caught sight of the snitch he had to fight his instincts to dive for it, instead leading the other Seeker off in a merry dance of feints, swoops and dives from one end of the pitch to the other.

After nearly an hour of play, when players on both teams had worked up a decent sweat, Niko gave Harry the nod and he pulled his Firebolt into a breathtaking dive to scoop up the snitch and secure a fourth consecutive Blackhawks win.

He took a long, hot, very well deserved shower and dressed for the pub where most of his teammates had already headed.

"Hey, Harry," Frankie (one of the Beaters) called as he got ready to Disapparate. "There's a couple of people asking for you out there."

"Autograph hunters?" Harry asked with a wince.

Frankie laughed uproariously. "Nah, mate, I got rid of those for you. You wanna meet these guys, trust me."

He winked and Disapparated, leaving Harry to face the unknown on his own. Not for the first time, he thought to himself wryly.

The two people were about as far from Death Eaters as Harry could have imagined. One was a very young, very attractive man who he vaguely recognised from one of Draco's Quidditch magazines. The other was a middle aged witch who introduced herself as Head of the Quidditch New Talent Association.

"Mr Potter," she said, firmly grasping his hand and smiling widely. "It's so nice to finally meet you."