Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any other publically recognizable features of this story.

A/N: We are quickly approaching the Severitus part of this story. This means that there will be allusions to child abuse. I don't think it will get too graphic, but I just wanted you all to know.

Chapter 16

Harry was quite possibly the happiest he had been in a long time.

Sure, the ground wasn't the most comfortable place to be laying, even if it was adorned with a fluffy rug that the Room of Requirement had given him, but the fact that the room was warmed comfortably by the large fireplace, that Draco's pale slender fingers were moving at a heavenly pace through his hair, and that both his Gryffindor friends and Slytherin friends were coexisting in the same space without killing each other, was more than making up for it.

"You know, we can all tell that you aren't actually doing that reading," Draco informed him. Harry rolled his eyes upward to catch his silver gaze and held it, smiling unashamedly.

"It's one day until Christmas break, I'll just do all my homework then," Harry said, tossing the book that was going unread already off to the side. He curled closer to Draco, keeping his head still in his lap, and looked across the room at where Ron and Blaise were locked in a vicious battle over the chessboard. Ron was trying to keep his face straight, but Harry could tell that he was immeasurably pleased that he had found someone who would actually challenge him.

A cool draft made its way across his back and he noted with panic that his shirttail had rode up. He yanked it back down, ignoring the look Draco sent him.

If there was one thing bad about their relationship, it was how many secrets Harry was keeping from him. It wasn't as if he didn't trust him. No, in fact, it was the opposite. He trusted Draco too much. He trusted that Draco would want to change things, to move Harry to safety, and Harry couldn't just let that happen. He had put too many people in danger already, he didn't need to prolong the danger by living with someone. And yes, he knew that even if he wasn't around Voldemort would still attack, but if he wasn't there, Sirius never would have come. The cup would not have been transformed into a portkey and Cedric would not have died.

Harry was not too dull to notice that everywhere he went people died. The fact that all of these people would not have been targeted until they started helping Harry did not pass by him.

And the other secrets, the ones he wasn't keeping because he was worried that Draco would overreact, he was keeping to keep Draco safe. He knew that just Draco being in a relationship with him was increasing the danger for him exponentially, but he couldn't stop himself. He was too selfish to give up one of the few good things that had happened to him.

Draco's slender finger traced Harry's scar, sending shivers up and down Harry's back. Draco was perhaps the one person who could touch Harry's scar and for Harry not to feel creeped out or uncomfortable because of it. Draco's finger moved to trace Harry's eyebrow and Harry looked up at him again. Draco's beautiful silver eyes were staring at him with concern and Harry swallowed. When Draco gave him that look, the look that said that he actually cared, it was all he could do not to spill all of his secrets.

Instead Harry leaned up and kissed him, wondering how they could have been dating for only a week and yet the taste of Draco's lips to be so familiar. Draco shifted, hauling Harry easily up onto his lap and deepening the kiss, his hands going around to thread through the messy hair at the nape of Harry's neck.

Yes, Harry thought as their lips moved in tandem, there was no way that he would tell Draco of his secrets. Because even if Draco could somehow still want to be with him after he knew them all, Harry couldn't stand putting this beautiful boy holding him in that type of danger.

Draco swung his hand, secure in Harry's, between them, wandering slowly down the hall. He was stalling, and he knew it. But he had just gotten Harry and he didn't want to leave him.

Draco dragged the pad of his thumb along the cut Harry had on his chin from potions, from when Longbottom's cauldron had exploded. Draco knew that Longbottom was utterly brilliant in other things, like Herbology, because the boy had beat him in the class ever single year, and his father had beat him every year because of it, but he still thought the boy was completely incompetent in potions. Honestly, how did he explode something when there was nothing explosive in the potion?

"You're going to miss the train," Harry said and Draco was pleased to see that his voice reluctant. Draco pulled his hand away just as reluctantly and placed a kiss on the Boy Who Lived's perfectly kissable lips.

"Please, I'm Draco Malfoy, the train will wait for me," He scoffed. Harry rolled his green eyes and Draco laughed. He wanted to say that he would miss Harry, that he would be counting down the days until he could see him again, the truth, but instead he settled for kissing him again, because he had a reputation to uphold.

"Have fun with your mother," Harry said, wrapping his skinny and yet somehow muscular arms around Draco. Draco hugged him back, burying his face in Harry's shoulder and breathing in his unique scent, and then forced himself to let go, knowing that the train would not really wait for him. "Come back soon."

"I will," Draco said. He patted down one of the most misbehaving puffs of Harry's hair and then forced himself to take a step away. "And you better have all of your homework done, so we don't have to spend any of our time together without lessons doing that."

"Bye," Harry said morosely, his face incredibly put out in a way that made Draco want to rush right back to his side. Instead he let his feet carry him down the hallway and out the door without looking back, because catching sight of that face would ruin his self-control.

It was week. Only a week. He could do this.

Harry watched Draco walk away and then turned on his heel, heading back to the Slytherin common room to get started on his homework. There was nothing quite like the promise of time with Draco Malfoy to get him motivated.

He rubbed a hand over his scar, which had prickled non-stop today, and forced his somber thoughts away. Sure, he was alone, Draco, Hermione, and Ron all gone for the holidays, but it could have been worse. He could have been going back to the Dursley's for Christmas. He could have not had people that he was looking forward to coming back.

Harry nodded, deciding to be glad of what he did have instead of what he didn't, and continued on his way, making it a few steps before stumbling on his untied shoelace.

He pitched forward in a way that promised to be painful if hands had not reached out to steady him. He would have been grateful, really, if it weren't that the fact that the same hands did so only to punch him.