A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long! I know I promised to updated, but my computer crashed, and I was kinda bummed out. The hard drive had to get wiped, but I had most stuff saved on an external hard drive, I realized, so I found this finally.

Chapter 19

When they landed back in the room, Draco quickly pulled himself up, coughing and trying to steady his breath. "Oh, Draco," Harry muttered, pulling Draco close. Draco let Harry hold him for a moment before clearing his throat.

"So, there's that. Harry's not guilty for what's been done to him."

"I can see that," Thatcher said, her voice low. "But you are."

"What!" Both Draco and Harry immediately faced her, trying to sputter protests.

"You hid valuable information from the Ministry. We could have protected you, and you know that. Yet even after what happened with William, your supposed love, you kept it a secret." Draco sneered at her.

"My supposed love? And let's see you deal with an abusive father. Let's see how fantastically you handle it. That scared the shite out of me. If nothing, I was more afraid what he would do to me." Draco growled and stepped toward her, but Harry grabbed his arm.

"It's not – But you can't possibly think this is his fault. He was afraid."

"And we could have protected him."

"Harry, this isn't your fight," Kingsley added, sighing. "She is right. Draco should have told us. It was his responsibility to do so. But it seems that you are off the hook."

"I don't care if I'm off the hook. He's my mate!" Harry looked back and forth between the two. "And this is my trial, not his."

"A fair point. Mr. Malfoy, we will hold your trial at a later point. But for now simply explain what this has to do with Mr. Potter. I believe I understand the connection, but it would be best if you enlighten us." Draco's nostrils flared, and he visibly had to restrain from moving.

"Because I wanted to reverse what happened with William. I wanted to help a vampire because then maybe I could convince myself that I hadn't let William die, and that I hadn't abandoned him when I needed him most. And Harry of all people – it was convenient." Each word hit Harry, and he backed away. He had known it before today, but hearing it like that from Draco, so direct... Harry pulled himself back, swallowing and sliding down against the wall.

"And every time I'd tell you I cared, you just saw William, Harry muttered, eyes clenched. He heard the swoosh as Draco ran toward him, but jerked back his hand before Draco could lay his on top. "Don't."

"Harry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Well, that's funny. I understand why you did what you did, but it's just hard for me to be happy when –" His voice cracked and he shook his head. "Draco, you're my mate. And beyond that, I – It doesn't matter." Harry cut off, looking away. He felt his stomach drop. "How long was this just about William?"

"Do I have to answer?"

Harry scoffed. "I know the other night was for him. Speaking of which, when are you going to tell them?"

"Tell us what?" Thatcher asked, looking slightly confused.

"I didn't quite tell you everything yet," Draco said, straightening up. His voice quivered, and Harry could practically smell the fear radiating off of him. He felt an urge to comfort him, but then he thought back to what Draco had just told him, and remained huddled against the wall.

"And what exactly did you leave out?" Draco turned around for a moment, and Harry looked up to see him removing his contacts. "What are you doing?" When he turned around, his fangs were visible and his eyes red.

"Harry bit me. But it wasn't his fault. I provoked him. When I found out that my friends were..." Draco struggled to find to words. "I didn't know how to cope. I turned to him as if he was William, and he told me he wouldn't be able to restrain, but I forced myself onto him. You have to believe me." Thatcher tilted her head and looked at Draco as if she pitied him.

"I do. You've managed to get yourself into quite a mess." Harry zoned out, instead focusing on his thoughts. He cared about Draco more than he could put into words. The last thing he wanted was for Draco to get in trouble. He wouldn't be able to bare it if anything happened to him.

But would Draco even believe him if he said if he was madly in love? Would he even care? Harry felt as if someone had reached inside of him and twisted his organs about. He could barely breathe and his hands shook.

What Draco had said had hurt beyond reason. Draco didn't give a fuck about him still. The one thing that made him kiss him, made him fuck him was the fact that he had bitten him. Without it, Draco wouldn't need his touch. And without a debt to pay to William, all this would just be one big laugh to him.

Yet Draco was still the bravest person he knew. What he had seen happen to William had trumped anything he had seen during the war. To have lost someone you love like that would have been worse than any other death.

And knowing that, Harry was able to forgive him. A part of him gave up. He couldn't be angry. What he felt towards Draco was unlike anything else. It wasn't explainable and it certainly wasn't rational. But with all of his heart he loved him. He loved Draco from the way he made him feel – even the way he made him hurt.

Because Draco made him feel like no one else could.

Just when he was with him, he was never just holding his hand or talking to him. It was more than that. Every moment meant something, and every moment could have stretched out forever without Harry ever caring. He could grow old and die with him and not regret a moment, not a single fight or time he had felt worthless. Everything would have been worth it just to have Draco by his side.

"No, you're not going to have this argument now. He did what he had to, and he only hid because he was afraid. Dumbledore offered him shelter once, but even then he was afraid to take it. I heard him say how he could never be safe."

"How did you...?" Draco looked at him with a confused expression.

"Please, can we just go back to the court and tell everyone that I'm not guilty. I'm too tired to argue right now, and this isn't even his trial."

"Again you make that point. Well, Mr. Potter, we will be back to this later on. Still, if you do have a point." She strolled out of the room. Kingsley paused and turned to the two of them after she was out of earshot. His expression was solemn, and he glanced back and forth between the two of them as if deciding what to say. In the end, he merely shook his head.

"I'm sorry." With that, he walked off. Harry took Draco's hand, and Draco looked at him uncertainly.

"I'm sorry too," Draco mumbled.

"I already forgave you."

HDHDHDHDHDHD

The verdict was quickly given and people reacted to it with either cheers or confusion. It seemed like most of the people were rooting for him, at least decided they were when he had won. The whole experience was merely exhausting, and he barely avoided Ron and Hermione's questioning afterwards. All he wanted to do was go back to his flat and sleep. He had no clue for how long he had been awake. All he knew was that it was night time yet again.

Before they had left, Ms. Thatcher had given them a warning. "I'm putting Mr. Malfoy under your care for now, Mr. Potter. If you leave the country, Mr. Malfoy, then both of you will be charged as criminals." They had both nodded, and left quickly.

There was a gentle breeze when they left. It was weird knowing that he was not being hunted again. Harry fell back down into a bench and stared out at the park in front of him. There were a few lamp posts lit up, and a couple underneath one of them was snogging.

They weren't wearing robes, and there wasn't a wand in sight. Harry had a sudden desire to be a Muggle, oblivious to everything going around. Magic was wonderful, but its burden was sometimes too much. Perhaps had his parents been Muggles everything would have been different. They might not have died, and he would have been part of a normal, quiet family.

Draco slid in next to him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Actually, I'm trying not to think about anything," Harry lied. If Draco noticed, he didn't say anything.

"I don't know what you want me to do. I wouldn't be angry if you wanted me to stay at my flat. Well, more than not being angry, I'd understand."

"I couldn't be angry with you even if I wanted to."

"What do you mean?" Harry's skin tingled when Draco took his hand.

"Look, I understand what you did with me. From what you showed me, I can see what you saw in William." Draco shifted slightly, his hand loosening. "But I can also see what William saw in you. The Draco you've shown me isn't like anyone I've ever known. You make me feel like no one else can. And when you shove me back, when you hurt me and break my heart, I –" Harry looked away feeling silly, and pulled his hand out of Draco's. "I don't know what I'm saying."

"Harry, I never meant for you to get hurt."

"A bit late for that, don't you think?" He felt like an idiot. He never should have brought this up.

"I'll be by your side as long as –" Draco cut off. This conversation was going swimmingly.

"As long as you're a vampire and we need each other? Really, let it drop. It's fine. I've dealt with the end of the world at the hands of a psychotic wizard. Love should be a walk in the park after that."

"No, I'm going to –"

"Let it go, please?" Placing his hand on top of Draco's, he stood up, pulling Draco with him. "Let's just go home, okay?" Draco nodded.

"But it hurt s when I know that I won't be able to make you happy if Granger ever reverses it."

"Don't worry. When Hermione finds the cure, it'll stop hurting. But no more talking about that. I'd be a fool not to take full advantage of hopelessly-attracted-to-me Draco. I mean, not that kind of 'taking advantage of.' Unless you wanted that, which you shouldn't feel obligated to say yes to." Harry awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Grinning and wrapping his arms around Harry, Draco rested his head on Harry's shoulders.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't, Potter," he teased. "I know you're used to getting what you want, Golden Boy, but you might need to pay for this body. Malfoys don't come cheap." He winked and ground against Harry.

"You tease!" Harry turned around, grinning. "Always a prick."

"I believe you meant to say, 'You have a nice prick.'"

"I don't know whether 'nice' is the right word."

"You're right. Impressive sounds better."

"Well..."

"Coming in your mouth."

"Now you're talking, Malfoy." Grabbing him by his jacket, Harry pulled him forward, pressing their lips together. Draco's hand slipped down, pressing against the fabric of Harry's trousers and cupping the still-forming erection. Harry moaned into the kiss and bit down on Draco's lip, drawing blood.

Their teeth clashed, and Draco's jaw loosened as Harry caressed his lips with his tongue. Before long, Harry's tongue moved on and began wrestling with Draco's as they battled for domination. Their tastes blended together, and both of them groaned, desperate for more contact.

"Never thought you felt that way, Draco," came a third, eerily familiar voice. Harry broke away only to see Dorian standing a few metres away, smirking. "I saw that trial. I didn't really see what you had to show, but there was a brief summary at the end. I believe it was: 'Helped Mr. Potter in hope of repaying a debt to a long-lost love.' Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that wouldn't happen to be William, would it?" Draco snarled.

"Get away from him."

"And all the guys you could fall for, this one really isn't that great. You're losing your touch," Dorian mused. Harry lunged forward at Dorian, but the older vampire caught his arm, twisting it the wrong way. There was a snap, and Harry felt the bones break.

He screamed out, and suddenly found himself in Dorian's grip. The elder vampires grabbed Harry's wand, pointing it at Draco and disarming him. Try as Harry might, he couldn't get out of Dorian's grip. Fear gripped him, and he looked up to see Draco panicked as well.

"I wouldn't try anything," Dorian warned Draco. "I should have guessed it back then. You were far too emotional about a stranger. But I just assumed you were weak. At least I got that part right." He paused as if searching for wards. "Funny thing is, I could do the same thing to Mr. Potter here, and you wouldn't be able to stop me. Again." Harry felt the grip around his neck tighten, and he whimpered. He didn't want to die – at least, not anymore. He wanted to be with Draco, by his side.

Dorian leaned forward, his grip loosening again. "What would you do if you had to watch another person suffer and die, unable to protect him? What if he cried out just like William, begging for help, and you couldn't even do that?" Draco lunged forward, and Dorian's grip further loosened.

Ignoring the pain as much as he could, Harry managed to break free, grabbing his wand. Draco tackled Dorian to the ground, and the two of them moved like lightning, pummelling each other, aiming to kill, but missing. Harry could barely focus on the blurs, and the snarls seemed to press into his head.

Lunging forward when they paused, he ripped Dorian off of Draco, throwing him back against a wall and aiming his wand at him. Harry shook; he had never been this angry before. Every part of him screamed murder. He wanted Dorian dead or suffering eternally, shredded and screaming. The sound that tore from his throat was animalistic, and even the way his gums pulled back, revealing his teeth was far from human.

"My, my, someone's protective of his mate. And you're strong, too... I seem to have underestimated you." Dorian chuckled to himself as if this were a joke.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on Draco." Harry's wand twitched. "Incendio!" Dorian was quick, though, and his wand was out in time, deflecting the spell.

"I'll be prepared for you next time, Potter." With that, he Apparated.

"Fuck. I should've killed him." Harry collapsed, cradling his broken bone. There was a bit of it poking through the flesh, and Draco hissed.

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing deadly, thankfully." But Harry's eyes still screwed shut, and it was clear it was all bravado; it hurt like hell.

"Vampires have this sort of... I'm not sure whether it works though." Draco tentatively reached out, grasping his arm. Harry screamed in pain, but then there was a flash of blue. When Draco removed his hand, there wasn't a mark on Harry's arm. "I guess it's not a myth."

"Blimey. Does it only work when the two of them are vampires?" Draco nodded, and Harry suddenly jumped. "We have to tell Ron and Hermione. Dorian might try to attack them!"

"Shite, you're right! Are you okay to Apparate."

"Yeah, I should be fine now, thanks to you." A small smile curled on Harry's lips, and Draco's eyes crinkled.

"You little sap." He shoved Draco over, flexing his newly healed arm.

"Bugger off. Hey, just a question, Draco."

"Yeah?"

"Does Dorian have a mate?"

"Yeah. Her name's Sybil. From what I remember of her, she wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad?"

"I mean, she just seemed devoted to Dorian...didn't even seem to notice he was off his rocker..."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

HDHDHDHDHDHD

"I know a ward. It should block him out. We'll have to fix your Floo, of course, so that no one can come in and out." Hermione paced back and forth, flipping through books. When Ron tried to place an arm on her shoulder to steady her, she simply pushed him off. "Here we go." She slammed the dusty book on the table. "Construere Murum."

"Merlin, Hermione," Ron mumbled, coughing. She ignored him, pulling out her wand. "Let's do it on apartment first."

HDHDHDHDHDHD

"I'm exhausted. I think I could sleep for ninety-eight hours straight," Harry moaned, nuzzling against Draco. They had spent the rest of the night putting up the spell around their houses. Harry at least felt certain that he wasn't going to have any sort of unexpected visitor, and neither would his friends.

"I'm sure I can change your mind."

"About what?"

"The bit about being tired..." Rolling on top of him, Draco's hand slipped down underneath Harry's boxers. "When I told you I'd be disappointed if you didn't take advantage of this, I meant it." Harry nodded, throwing back his head as Draco tugged at the head of his cock. Pulling Harry's boxers down, he got a better grip, and his fingers wrapped around the base of the cock.

"Fuck, Draco..." Harry moaned as Draco's leaned over, biting into his neck. "Don't stop."

"Wasn't planning on it." As he began drinking blood, Harry felt the euphoric rush it him. Everything suddenly seemed to dull down except for the colours. When Draco moved, even, it was as he left a trail; it was hard to focus. But the colours – the red of his eyes and the white-blond of his hair seemed to pop out.

The softened beat of a nonexistent heart seemed to hit his ears, and his head spun as venom crowded his mouth. Lunging upward, he grabbed Draco, biting down into his shoulder. It tasted sweet, tickling his taste buds. Something about it made his skin prickle, and he sucked desperately, trying to get as much of it as possible.

Draco pulled him back. "Fuck me."

"No."

"No!" Draco recoiled, looking affronted.

"No, I'm going to draw it out. I'm going to make you beg for it." Draco's eyes darkened considerably.

"You really should have been in Slytherin, Harry." A coy grin spread across Harry's face and he moved downward. His breath ghosted over Draco's fully ready cock, and he smirked.

"Flip over." With a groan of disappointment, Draco obliged. When he was fully faced down on the mattress, Harry carefully spread his legs and licked tenderly. Draco shivered underneath him. Carefully spreading it apart, his tongue probed at the tight ring of muscles.

"Rimming again? Never took it to be your style." Draco's fingers curled around the pillow and he panted a little, though he still sounded disgusted. A mumble was Harry's only response. As he licked around the puckered skin, Draco was already beginning to tense up, lifting up slightly from the bed, trying to get more contact. When Draco just seemed about ready to beg, Harry's tongue dived in, and Draco cried out. "Don't stop. Oh, God..." Wanton mewls escaped from his mouth, and Harry's hand crawled underneath Draco, and he grabbed his cock.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Draco allowed Harry better contact, and Harry quickly took advantage. His tongue fucked Draco mercilessly, and his hand kept steady rhythm. He could smell it when Draco's lip began bleeding after he bit it too hard. "So close..." Harry couldn't reply, but merely pulled away, and Draco cried out. "Tease!" Flipping over, he ground against Harry, finally pulling a noise from him.

Harry moaned Draco's name and reached over on the bedside dresser, picking up his wand and conjuring a tube of lube. Carefully, he slicked his cock and his fingers, reaching forward with two and gently pushing in. Draco winced, and Harry eased the knuckle in. Despite his quick attempt to conceal it, Harry could the pain. "Been a while, huh?" Harry asked quietly.

"No, I've been fucked by several guys after William. Just none have –" He cut off, looking unsure.

"None of them have been the same?" Draco nodded and Harry carefully nudged his fingers experimentally, aiming for Draco's prostate. Judging by the way Draco immediately gasped and thrust his hips forward, he would guess he was successful. Adding a third finger, he made sure to stroke the same spot repeatedly, drawing more moans from the other vampire. When Draco seemed to be prepared enough – he seemed to be trying to impale himself on his fingers – Harry pulled out and instead aligned himself with Draco. Slowly he pressed forward, pausing when Draco groaned.

"Just tell me if I'm hurting you." Draco nodded his head, and Harry could see he was still too proud to say anything. Sighing slightly at his stubbornness, Harry pushed in slightly more and paused, waiting for Draco to adjust.

He could barely breathe. Every inch of him screamed to move or at least bite down, but he resisted, though he felt faint. When Draco relaxed slightly, Harry angled himself so that he'd hit Draco's prostrate and thrust in the rest of the way. Draco cried out from under him, and Draco's fingers curled around Harry's shoulder, digging in little half-moon crescents.

"Fuck." Harry shook his head, setting a slow pace, memorizing the way Draco's face look. Draco's lips were parted and desperate, wanton sounds swelled with every thrust. His eyes fluttered every time Harry fully sheathed himself, and his head dropped backwards. Small beads of sweat began to form on his skin, and the little droplets glistened.

Harry could smell him; he smelled like come and blood, and he wasn't sure there was anything in the world that smelled better. Suddenly Draco's fingers curled around him, his eyes, and he tightened as he came with a shout, coating Harry's chest and relaxing. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he panted. It took several more thrusts, but with Draco reaching up, fingers trailing down his chest, squeezing the sensitive nubs, it didn't take long.

Sparks flew before Harry's eyes, and the world flashed with colour. Everything exploded in a crescendo, and then faded away. He felt complete, and he lay on top of Draco for a moment, trying to regain his composure. When he finally pulled out, wrapping his arms around Draco as he leaned in next to him, a brilliant smile overtook his face. Draco turned around, his face crafted the same exact way.

"Thank you. That was... It was amazing. I don't think anyone – Since William, you know? I mean..." He stuttered. But the meaning was clear. Harry's finger lay over Draco's lips for a moment, and he quieted Draco. Before Draco could start speaking again, he kissed him. They fell asleep, hand-in-hand.