With the mad panic of Krum's return subsided, the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place had fallen into an uncomfortable silence. None of them had failed to notice the fact Viktor had made it back alone.

Hermione still sat curled up on herself. Her head now rested on the table next to Viktor and her breathing was even, but she was not asleep. She stared off into the corner of the room, lost in her own thoughts.

Harry and Draco sat at the other end of the table. Two half empty tea cups were on the table before them, both long cold. They kept exchanging glances at each other but did not speak. They were waiting.

Kreacher had busied himself cleaning the blood and vomit up from the kitchen and hallway. He had continued to mutter away like he always had as he worked, but Harry couldn't hear any insults coming out. The narrow windows in the kitchen had been thrown open and whilst the cold came in, the smell did not leave.

Harry was worried, less so for Krum now that the danger seemed to have passed, but for Draco. Snape had clearly felt strongly about Draco, after all he had been willing to walk to his possible death to try and keep him from harm's way. He was less sure of how Draco felt about their potions teacher. Harry couldn't really remember them ever discussing Snape, there had always been so much else going on. How would he cope with his godfather gone?

The thought seemed to hit home then. An intense wave of missing for Sirius seemed to sweep over Harry then. Here they sat, hiding away in the place his godfather had been so desperate to escape, seeking some slim refuge. It was the first time he'd returned since Sirius had gone.

Adrenaline had long left all of their systems. Harry yawned. It seemed so long since he'd slept, in their rush to leave the castle. Hogwarts, his only true home. He knew it was the exhaustion of the day's events catching up with him, but he felt melancholic. Getting Viktor back seemed to highlight all the people they had lost.

"Maybe we should move him to one of the beds upstairs, he'd be more comfortable than on the table here." Draco's voice seemed to stun Hermione out of her reprieve. She nodded slowly, and Harry yawned again. "And you too, you seem shattered."

"Will you levitate him up? I'll probably drop him." Harry said, standing slowly. He stretched out his stiffened muscles. Draco looked apprehensive. The tiny bit he had done earlier had felt draining, like trying to work a muscle you haven't move in weeks. Upon seeing Draco's worried face Harry quickly formulated a new plan.

"Kreacher." There was a pop as the elf materialised from wherever he'd been hiding for the last couple of hours. "Do you think you could get Viktor into one of the beds upstairs please? Gently." Harry added. The elf bowed deeply.

"Of course, Master." He touched Krum and let out a shudder again, just like when he'd helped with the diagnostics. He then glared at Hermione until she let go of Krum's hand. With a soft pop the two of them vanished.

Hermione quickly got out of her chair and left the kitchen. The boys followed her. At the top of the stairs they found Kreacher coming out of one of the double bedrooms.

"Anything else sir?" Kreacher still seemed to sneer when talking to them, but Harry was starting to think it was just how he talked.

"No, thanks." Kreacher bowed again and turned to leave.

"Kreacher, thank you. Not just for this but for earlier too, you didn't have to offer to help." Draco spoke up as the elf started to leave. He turned back, and after a moment's hesitation, bowed again. He then continued down the stairs as if nothing had happened.

"Since when were you part of SPEW?" Draco looked up to see Harry's bemused expression.

"What in merlin's name is spew?" He responded, utterly confused.

"Society for the protection of elfish welfare. Hermione's idea back in forth year, she was knitting them woolly hats and everything."

"I'm still not convinced she hasn't lost all her marbles you know. I'm not sure I'm about to knit him a woolly hat, but one does get a certain amount of gratitude at receiving food after nearly starving for four days." Harry raised an eyebrow. "We have a lot of storytelling to catch up on Potter."

Harry grinned.

"I bet I can out-storytell you any day Malfoy."

"Real mature."

"What, scared you'll lose?"

"Of course not!"

"That's settled then." Now it was Draco's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"What's settled?"

"We are going to have-" Harry broke off for a yawn then continued. "-a story telling competition. Which I shall win."

"Alright, Potter. But after you have slept." Still grinning slightly, Harry nodded.

"Night Draco."

"Night Harry." Harry turned and continued up the next flight of stairs. Draco watched him go. He wanted to follow him, but they'd only just got back together and he wasn't sure where their limits lay. Hell, he wasn't even sure what they were doing.

He checked on Hermione, who had curled herself on the bed next to Krum. She was watching him through half-lidded eyes. Draco carefully closed the door and resigned himself to another long night. He trudged up to his bedroom also on the second floor and crumped into the big bed.

.

.

Malfoy slept fitfully for the next few hours. Unlike the others, he had had a lot of time for sleep over the past few days. He was just contemplating getting up to read in his favourite chair on the landing when he heard a creak outside his door. He had to quickly remind his frantically beating heart that he was no longer alone in this dreary old place.

The door creaked open. The landing on the other side was dark.

"Draco?" A whisper floated in. Draco felt a flood of relief. It seemed he was getting a little paranoid. "You awake?"

"Yes, I'm awake. You can come in Harry." There was another creak as a silhouette slipped into the room and closed the door behind them. There was some shuffling, a thump and a cuss as Harry walked into the bed posts in the dark.

"Lumos. You alright?" Harry nodded, rubbing his nose. In the pale light of the wands glow he looked even more drawn out than he had when they'd said goodnight. "You don't look so good."

This time Harry shrugged. He stood there in a loose t-shirt and low slung trousers looking awkward and more than a little cold.

"Get in." Draco pulled back the covers, making space for Harry on the other side of the bed. A strange look crossed Harry's face, a mix of relief and shyness and something else. Draco decided it was too late at night to be analysing such things so focused on Harry climbing into bed with him instead. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nah, too much swirling round in my head. That was the room me and Ron shared back when this was the order of the Pheonix. So much has happened since then but I do kind of miss him." Draco didn't really know what to say to that. He knew the reason Harry and Ron had fallen out so dramatically was him, and whilst Hermione was slowly growing on him, the weasel was disliked just as much as ever. Fortunately Harry continued.

"We were best mates for years and then he throws it all away at the drop of a hat over something so stupid. It made me wonder how many other people from then would support what I was doing now? Dumbledore definitely wouldn't, and Professor McGonagall has always listened to him. Sirius is gone. Snape too."

Draco felt that last bit as a sharp pain in his chest. He had been refusing to believe that Snape had lost the battle. Without Krum to contradict him, he had somehow convinced himself that Snape had simply gone somewhere else, or managed to maintain his façade as spy.

"Do you really think he's dead?" Harry looked round at him quickly, like he'd only just realised what he'd said. "Honestly."

"Voldemort wouldn't have let him live, not after what he did. He should have made it back with Viktor. I mean, it's always possible he's survived somehow, he's a survivor after all. But I don't think it's likely." Harry said slowly. He was watching Draco, as if looking for any sign he was about to crack. Draco nodded numbly.

He had never really been close to Snape, per say, but he'd been a lot closer to him than anyone else. Unlike his father, Snape had paid attention to him regardless of if people were around. And unlike his mother, he had been willing to teach him and to be brutally honest about the world instead of protecting him from it.

But then he had protected him. He'd done more to protect him than his father ever had. Lucius had been prepared to hand him over to the Dark Lord but Snape had defied him. And it had cost him his life.

"I wish I had chance to thank him."

"Me too, he was a better man than we ever gave him credit for." They lapsed back into silence. Draco extinguished his wand and they both shuffled down under the covers, not quite touching. After a little while Draco spoke up, unsure if Harry was even awake any more.

"It's strange how much I've missed your company over the last few weeks. I felt like I was bored all the time."

"I think the word Hermione used to describe me was mopey. And I know what you mean; I'd gotten so used to getting up in the middle of the night to visit you."

"It's a habit not easily broken I see." Harry poked him in the ribs. He was a little startled to feel bare skin, Draco clearly hadn't bothered with a bed top.

"I don't hear you complaining."

"Nah, no complaints here." There was a soft laugh next to him and Draco smiled. Oh how he'd missed that sound. A few moments later Harry whispered into the darkness again, sounding half asleep.

"Oh, I stole Dumbledore's pensive. So you could show me those memories. Our first kiss." Harry was mumbling away but Draco was stunned.

"Wait, you stole a priceless pensive from one of the most powerful wizards ever?"

"Um hmm. When we left. I wanted to remember."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you did what you thought you had to." Draco wasn't really sure what to say to that so said nothing. Silence stretched on, long enough that Draco thought Harry really had fallen asleep.

"Draco, I'm cold." The sleepy mumble was barely audible. Draco hesitated for a moment before rolling onto his side and shuffling close to Harry. Harry nestled back into his body heat. Draco tentatively wrapped an arm round Harry's waist. The soft sound of snoring came just minutes later.

.

.

When Harry woke the next morning it was to a new and rather pleasant experience. He could feel the warmth of another person radiating on to him, and feel the soft tickle of breath on his ear. There was a heavy arm draped over his waist, holding them close.

He very careful twisted himself around, so that he was now facing Draco. Some of his pale blonde hair had fallen across his brow as he slept. His eyes were shut and his brow frown free. With the alabaster skin, he looked like some exotic prince. Whilst Harry was loathe to wake him, Draco's slightly parted lips were sorely tempting.

Harry decided that he owed Draco a kiss he couldn't remember.

Leaning forward so that their noses touched, Harry gently pressed his lips to Draco's. He still tasted like apples, fresh and crisp. Weren't people supposed to have morning breath or something. Harry pulled back and admired Draco. Flawless and unruffled. Draco stirred slightly, he was beginning to wake up. Harry grinned to himself. He lent back forwards this time lining his eyes up with Draco's.

"Wakey wakey princess." Draco's eyes stared to flutter open then shot open with a start. Wide grey eyes met the smirking green ones, barely an inch away. Draco punched him in the stomach. Harry let out an oomph of air and laughed loudly.

"That was uncalled for! I was happily asleep!" Draco was trying to glare him down but it wasn't working. Harry's laughter was infectious and before he knew it he was laughing too. "Okay, okay, it was a little bit funny!" Harry carried on laughing, rolling around in the bed.

"You can stop laughing now." Harry nearly managed it but took one look at Draco and started laughing again. "Oh sod it. This is your fault." Before he could think twice Draco yanked Harry's top up and proceeded to tickle his torso.

Harry's laughter increased tenfold as he writhed under Draco. He was trying to tickle Draco back but not getting very far.

"Stop! Ha- stop! I yield!" Draco had paused in his ministrations for barely a moment before Harry had pushed him onto his back. Expecting a tickle war retaliation, Draco tensed, but instead Harry's lips collided with his.

They kissed with all the energy of the tickling match and all the longing they'd stored up over the past few weeks. Draco's hand slid up Harry's shirt again to feel his soft skin and pull him closer. One of Harry's hands was supporting him but the other was running up and down Draco's side.

Draco felt a tongue run over his lips and eagerly opened them in acceptance. His own tongue met Harry's in dance, fuelled by their passion. Draco grabbed hold of Harry's shirt and pulled it up over his head. They broke the kiss for the briefest of moments to pull the top free before they met again.

Draco slid his hands over Harry's back, enjoying the new expanse of skin. When Harry's lips left his to instead trail kisses down his neck and collar bone he let out a soft moan. The kisses didn't slow, and now there was the occasional nip in there too. Draco felt his finger's curve into Harry's back.

There was a noise behind them as the door swung open.

"Draco have you seen where- oh." Hermione had flushed beet red as she stood in the doorway. Her eyes drifted to the rug and she stared at it as though it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Draco was more than a little peeved. All previous feelings of dislike for the girl were threatening to make a return.

"Yes I have seen Harry. He is in my bed, where he was quite happily kissing me senseless until you walk in." He fixed her with a stony glare and even though she didn't look up she shuddered.

"Viktor's awake. I thought you'd want to hear what he has to say." She snapped at them before turning and stalking away. She left the door wide open. Draco very nearly said damned mudblood but managed to stop himself.

She had turned out to be reasonably pleasant most of the time. It was just when he had a boner he seemed to dislike her so. It also seemed Harry had noticed.

"Um, we ought to get up."

"One step ahead of you. Is knocking not a muggle thing?" Harry shrugged. He seemed far from pleased by Hermione's interruption too.

The morning elation they had found in each other's arms seemed to be fading. Cold reality was hitting home and hearing Krum's tale was likely to confirm their fears about Snape.

"Do we have to go?" Draco was aware he was whingeing but he didn't want to leave the warmth of the bed or Harry's skin.

"It's not fair to ask him to repeat it more than once." Sighing heavily, Draco sat up. "Um Draco?" He turned back to face Harry. "Do you think I could just sleep here tonight, to save coming in in the dark?"

Draco smiled broadly.

"Course you can. Princess." He smirked and jumped off the bed before Harry could retaliate. He pulled on a dressing gown as Harry reclaimed his top and they headed off to hear what Krum had to say.