Author Note: Original text from Goblet of Fire is sampled during the trauma flashback in this chapter, for stylistic effect. It's presented in italics, and is not original to me.

MEMORY VIAL 23: HUSTLING FOR HOUSE POINTS (YEAR 5)

After his third night with Professor Umbridge during the second week of school, Harry found it difficult to focus for more reasons than detention and his classes being much harder than in previous years. He was embarrassed and angry at himself for crying in front of Draco, who seemed to be glancing across the room at him quite often while whispering to his friends—probably informing them that Harry was a much bigger crybaby than they had believed about him previously.

Of course, Harry thought, why did I ever think that I could trust him?

But then, while Harry was walking with Ron and Hermione to their next class, Draco rushed towards Harry, with Crabbe and Goyle at his heels, and Pansy taking up the rear of the procession with Millicent and Daphne. Draco smiled nastily at Harry before tackling him deftly under an archway, where he said in an aggressively low whisper, "You alright, love?"

It took Harry a moment to recover from the shock of the encounter, but when he did, Draco was long gone with his sniggering cronies, and Ron and Hermione crowded around Harry while inquiring as to what Malfoy had just done.

"Don't think any of the teachers saw that," said a worried voice—a third voice that made Harry feel as if he had swallowed several ice cubes the moment he recognized it. It was Cho, and she was looking far too pretty with how flustered she was acting. Her lips were pursed, and Harry still had a mind to kiss them even after he had failed to make any progress with her last year.

Hermione moved out of the way as the Ravenclaw girl made her way forward. "Sorry, Harry," Cho went on. "If he took points from you, I'd go with you to Professor Snape and back you up to let him know you weren't doing anything."

Harry's ability to think seemed to have fled.

Cho simpered, then glanced down the corridor in the direction Draco had gone. "Well… if nothing happened, I'll see you around."

Before she could leave, Harry forced his voice to work, but all he could manage was a croaky, "See you—I guess…"

Hermione whacked Ron with a roll of parchment in the back of the head at the exact moment he opened his mouth to say something foolish. "Leave Harry alone," she hissed at him. "We're late for class!"

"There you are."

Harry had just closed the door to Umbridge's office for the fourth time that week. He had his scarf wrapped around his bleeding hand, and he knew that drawl from anywhere, even with it hidden among the shadows the way it was. Harry made a beeline toward where the voice was coming from, and right before he reached the bend located in the opposite direction of the main stairway, someone yanked him behind a statue into a shadowy recess.

Harry launched himself at Draco's mouth without checking if they were alone first.

There was a muffled laugh, followed by, "Excited, are you? Well, if you want to have some fun, follow me." Draco took Harry's hand in his own, then slinked out of the recess and guided them further away from the main stairs.

Harry followed eagerly. "Where are we going?"

Draco paused for a moment and listened furtively at the bend before leading Harry onward through the winding corridor. They went past suits of armor and granite statuary, up a series of solitary stairways, until they came to the door Harry had been expecting them to come across, the door to the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor.

"Magpie's Lagoon."

After saying the password, Draco held the door open, looking smug as if the act of chivalry somehow ranked him above Harry.

Harry went in, struggling to comprehend what exactly they were doing there, although he had a vague suspicion, one that was filling him with hope. The door boomed shut, and before Harry could turn fully around to face his captor, he was being wrestled against the marble wall, and his world lit up at the taste of Draco smothering his lips. Harry grunted when Draco forced Harry's wrists against the wall above his head. He winced at the pressure being applied to his injured hand, but he refused to let on that anything hurt since he did not care how roughly the other boy handled him.

A sly grin flashed across Harry's vision when Draco eventually came up for air. "You've been naughty, Potter."

"Have I?" He groaned softly at the feeling of Draco tightening the grip around his wrists.

"I heard you didn't do your lines with Umbridge properly, so I expect you to do them on me."

"Huh…?" Harry's head was swimming.

"With your tongue, Potter… do you understand me?"

This was a strange conversation to be having, but Harry eventually caught up to the fact that Draco was trying to come on to him. "Can't… can't someone just walk in?"

As if the question were the biggest inconvenience he had faced all day, Draco let go of Harry's wrists, pointed his wand at the door, then muttered, "Colloportus!"

There was a squashy snicking sound, which Harry guessed to be the door magically locking itself. He was mollified. That would at least give them an extra layer of protection on top of the password that was already needed to gain entry. They had been so reckless the previous night, and even a few minutes ago when Harry had pounced on Draco in the second-floor corridor. The last thing Harry wanted was for Draco to get in trouble with his parents again, and he couldn't bear it if he was the cause of any more interference from Thorne.

"Now. Where were we…" Draco tucked his wand inside his robes.

"I was just saying," Harry said in his defense, "we wouldn't want someone interrupting us."

"Considering I'm giving you a chance to earn back the five points Granger lost your House a few days ago, you better pray no one tries to get in here."

Harry felt something clawing in his stomach, an animal that was raring to get out. "Who would come in here at this hour?" he asked faintly, playing for time.

"Two horny boys," Draco said softly, before taking Harry's jaw in a firm grip.

"Two perverts, even?" He was being mildly adversarial.

"Two lovers," Draco corrected, and then leaned in for a much slower kiss.

Harry tilted his chin back when he felt Draco's lips stray from his mouth down to his throat. He swallowed around a moan as hot breath wafted down his neck. It tickled, and being kissed like this was easily becoming a new favorite for him. But his mind drifted unpleasantly toward Cedric, and his eyes glazed over when they landed on the familiar portrait of the mermaid on the wall opposite him. Memories of the golden egg, of his name being ejected from the Goblet of Fire, and of Cedric dying—Lucius laughing—came back to Harry in a whirl of dark and noise.

"You smell so good… and you feel so good… I can't wait. Twenty-four hours is way too long…"

Harry gasped sharply at the wonderful feeling of Draco pressing his whole body against Harry's. There it is, he thought ecstatically, and he wriggled against the needy erection he had become so fond of.

"I want you on your knees, Potter…"

"Tell you what," Cedric said, "use the Prefects' bathroom. Fourth door to the left of that statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. Password's Pine-fresh. Gotta go… want to say goodnight—"

To Cho, Harry thought furiously, while holding onto Draco's shoulders. He tried to get a grip back on reality, but it was slipping away from him with each second that passed. Harry shut his eyes, but that did nothing to block out the inner vision of Cedric's corpse towering beside them, bearing witness to their impulses.

"I'll teach you how to give head, now get on your knees…"

Harry's cheeks were wet. Slowly, he slumped to the ground on his knees and did nothing to fight the hands that were guiding him inside Draco's robes.

"That's right, love… pull it out. Use your mouth and I might give you those points."

Harry willed himself to stay present in the moment. His mouth made contact with the bulge in Draco's trousers, and Draco moaned against the warmth flooding through his groin.

Cedric was standing feet from the Triwizard Cup, which was gleaming behind him. "Take it, then," Harry panted to Cedric. "Go on, take it. You're there."

Harry's breath began to come in shallow gasps. He unzipped Draco's trousers and reminded himself that he was supposed to be having a good time.

"C'mon…" Draco groaned in anticipation. "What's taking you so long?"

But Cedric didn't move. He merely stood there, looking at Harry. Then he turned to stare at the Cup. Harry saw the longing expression on his face in its golden light—

A longing that reminded Harry of Draco's lust.

"Put it in your mouth, Potter. Quit making me wait."

Cedric looked around at Harry again… He took a deep breath. "You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."

"Hurry up!" Draco said impatiently. "God, Potter. What're you doing?"

Harry slouched the rest of the way onto the floor. Suddenly, his heart was burning worse than his scar had ever done. Then he put his hands up to guard his face when Draco made as if to swat him but did not.

"Potter?" Draco was panting heavily now, and there was an infuriated edge to his voice. "What—?"

"Cedric," was all Harry was willing to say. He could not say more than that, not without something going horribly wrong in his mind.

Figuring the mention of Cedric precluded any forays into mutual sex-play, Draco kicked the wall to vent his rage before sliding down against it next to Harry. It took him several minutes to get past the fact that he wasn't going to be getting what he wanted, although he still could not help saying selfishly, "Couldn't put it aside for five minutes, could you? Five minutes is all I wanted, and you couldn't do that…"

Feeling numb, Harry slumped against Draco's shoulder.

"Bloody stupid…" Draco scowled. "The whole Triwizard Tournament was bloody stupid."

"It wasn't supposed to end the way it did."

"It wasn't supposed to have you in it!"

"I didn't want to be there."

"Ha! Right. And I have no interest in learning the Dark Arts."

Harry lifted his head. "Someone else put my name in the Goblet of F—"

"I know, alright? But it doesn't mean you didn't enjoy hogging the attention."

Heat crackled in Harry's chest. "God… I wish I was invisible… I wish even you couldn't see me. I wish no one knew my name… and sometimes I wish that I was dead."

"Oh, boo-hoo, Potter. It's so difficult being you."

"Fuck off, Malfoy." Harry scooted away from Draco and then scowled at the floor.

"Then quit going bloody dark on me like this. I need you alive, alright? Not everything is about you—fuck!"

"It's not all about you either, you bent priss!"

Draco bared his teeth. "Don't call me that."

"I'm in pain, Malfoy, and all you can think about is getting your dick sucked! But it doesn't matter how I'm feeling, right?"

"You were into it."

"For a minute I was into it. But you didn't pay any real attention to me when what you wanted was in sight! Then again, why should I be surprised? You've always been selfish…"

Draco leveled his hands out in front of him, and said, "Alright. Let's both calm down."

Harry made a childish face that was meant to mock him, and barely refrained from sticking out his tongue.

"If we're not gonna mess around," Draco went on, "then would you explain what the hell happened to you just now?"

"As if you care…"

"I do care. But it takes me a minute, Potter, to get over the fact that you led me on."

"Led you—?" Harry's hand went automatically for his wand, but he stopped himself. "Cut the crap, Malfoy! You led me here, assuming everything! I was just going along with it till I remembered Cedric, because he told me to use this bathroom to figure the golden egg out—months before he was murdered in front of me, mind—and then I got tortured while your cunt of a father laughed about it. So forgive me if I ever made you feel tricked, Malfoy! It must be really fucking hard for you."

Harry's tantrum subsided in waves. His whole body shook with rage, and he felt like he ought to scream, to get the rest of the convulsions out, but he managed to hold back.

The mermaid in the portrait made it clear she was annoyed at Harry's outburst, and with an unspoken harrumph! she dived into the black waters of her portrait and did not emerge again for the rest of the night.

Draco's head drooped. He said in a slow, reluctant voice, as if it was the hardest thing for him to say, "Okay… I'm sorry."

Another pause.

"If you wanna talk about it—"

Harry's eyes were bright with fury. "I don't," he snapped.

"Alright. But if you want to," Draco looked at him invitingly, "I'll listen. Otherwise, we can just sit here and do nothing."

For some reason, that reasonable response pissed Harry off more than Draco's entitlement from earlier. "Why don't you leave then—huh?" He felt so angry that he wished Draco would fight back like he normally did. He couldn't stand his boyfriend being this calm—it made Harry feel like he was going crazy for being this reactive. "I'm not giving you what you want, Malfoy, so you may as well leave!"

Draco scooted a couple inches toward him and said, "No. I want to be with you, even if it means you're raging at me the whole time. You're my boyfriend, remember? That means I'll be here, especially when you're in pain."

Harry covered his face with his hands, then flung them down into his lap. "I hate it," he said through gritted teeth. "I hate being me… Everyone thinks I'm a liar, Umbridge is changing everything, and no one tells me anything. I keep having to relive what happened in that graveyard—and Hagrid and Sirius…" Harry clenched his fists, as well as his throat to keep from going further with that statement. "Things aren't supposed to be like this…"

But Draco's interest had been piqued when he heard those last two names. "Well, what about them?" he asked. "Hagrid and Sirius Black. Did you hear something today?"

"No," Harry said bitterly, scratching at his upper arms with a pain-filled grimace on his face.

Draco propped his elbows onto his knees and stared across the way at the empty mermaid's portrait.

"But if you hear something," Harry said adamantly, "I'd appreciate if you told me."

"I already said last night, I can't tell you what I hear."

"'Cause you're a coward."

"It's because I love my family, you idiot." Draco glared at him. "You're not the only one with parents. Mine just happen to be alive because they're not stupid."

Harry scowled. "Don't talk to me about love."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think? You don't love her…" Harry groused while seething on the inside.

Draco shrugged. "For the record, I didn't bring Pansy up this time. You did."

"Whatever. You bring her up just by being with her."

"Oh my god, Potter. You've got to be the most irrational person I know."

A while later, when Harry's temper had cooled enough that he didn't think he would burn anything that touched him, he looked ruefully at Draco, then scooted closer until their arms were touching. Draco glanced sideways at him, then smiled tentatively when Harry took hold of his hand.

"Sorry."

"Don't mention it, Potter. You're hot in more ways than just one, and I kinda like it."

"Can I tell you about what happened in the graveyard?"

Draco snorted. "Absolutely not. You're not allowed to tell me anything anymore, ever. End of story."

Harry's ears went warm when Draco nudged him companionably with an elbow.

"Go ahead," Draco said. "I wasn't being serious. I'll listen."

Harry wondered if he was going to end up regretting being with Draco at some point. Sometimes the way Draco joked with him was quite mean, but the tender moments they shared seemed to be worth it.

About twenty minutes later, when Harry was done telling his story, Draco looked down at their joined hands and rubbed his thumb soothingly against Harry's palm. Draco did not like hearing the parts about his father, but he decided to just pretend like it had never even happened. After all, it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it, except comfort Harry for his trouble.

"When Pettigrew used the Killing Curse on Cedric," Harry said in summation, "I thought it was a dream. Just a horrible nightmare, and I would wake up and not actually be anywhere close to the center of the maze. I wanted my mum. I wanted my dad. I wanted someone to come rescue me. And when I saw his eyes, Malfoy, you can't understand what it was like. Watching your father kneel and treat him like some messiah… All I could think was, 'So, that's him, huh? This is it. He's finally going to kill me, but maybe I'll get to see my parents when it's all done.'"

Tears burned down Harry's cheeks. Draco's fingernails grazed behind Harry's ear and through his scalp.

"It was scary. You can't know. It's not something I can just talk about."

"You picked the wrong side," Draco said pensively. "It wouldn't have been so scary if you'd been smart. If you'd been with me, I would've never let anything happen to you—I…" Draco swallowed. "We could've been unstoppable."

"We can still be," Harry croaked feebly.

"Then change sides. If you do, we can be together even more than we are now."

But Harry would never swap sides in favor of the Dark wizard who had killed his parents. "That'd be wrong."

"And us not being united over this isn't wrong?" With a sigh of frustration, Draco bumped the back of his head against the wall.

"I really hate your father," Harry murmured after a short moment of silence.

"And I hate yours," Draco said honestly.

"I hate your mum."

"I hate yours too."

"But at the end of it all, for some reason, I love you…"

Draco felt as if his heart had stopped beating. The sound of those words echoed in his mind like a spell that was being cast over and over again. I love you too, he would have said, if he was brave, if it didn't mean his world would collapse in on itself. But he wasn't brave—not like Harry. Draco was a coward, like Harry had said, a snake who'd rather stay hidden among the grass.

When enough time had passed that the memory of Cedric's death was not so loud in Harry's mind, Harry cleared his throat, then fumbled clumsily into Draco's trousers, which were still undone from half an hour ago. He pulled Draco's flaccid member out, then smiled at what it looked like when it wasn't expecting his attention. Harry gave it an affectionate squeeze.

When Draco realized what was happening, he said, "You don't have to do that."

"But I want to." Harry petted the soft and silky skin of Draco's cock between his thumb and forefinger.

Draco stared at Harry's lips and then his eyes. "You're really handsome, you know that? Irresistible, actually…"

"Thanks. But I think you're the only one stupid enough to think so."

Harry smiled at how Draco's cock wiggled limply in his fingers. It was warming to him quickly, engorging bit by bit, and so he shook it playfully and watched the foreskin slowly retract the harder it got. "It's cute when it's soft," he said. "But I prefer it when it's hard. It's a lot more fun, and I get to torture it."

Draco stared at Harry's mouth with a dazed expression, imagining what it was going to be like. "You like it hard, do you…?"

"Your balls even feel nice." Harry cupped the warm set of flesh that was still hidden in Draco's trousers. He began to rub them, and Draco closed his eyes with a low, guttural sound.

"Squeeze 'em, Potter…"

And Harry did, very gently, smiling at the way Draco tensed up with a hiss of pleasure.

"You'll give me points if I suck on it, right?"

Draco nodded, feeling dizzy and faint with lust.

"God… just feeling it go hard is making me horny…"

"You have a naughty mouth." Draco smirked, then opened his eyes. "You should put something in it if you can't control that tongue."

Nerves getting the better of him, Harry stalled for time a bit longer by asking, "Has Pansy ever done this?"

"Yeah. A couple times…"

Harry's spirits deflated upon hearing that. "And have you done it to her…? Licked her, I mean?"

"Mm… almost… I made myself sick on purpose when she wanted me to go down on her, so no…" His forehead wrinkled, and the spell of relaxation he was under dispelled somewhat. "Vaginas look weird, Potter. Sort of like oranges when you cut them at a certain angle, do you know that? Ever since I saw hers, it's been putting me off my fruit."

"How can that be?" Harry stifled a laugh. "You are a fruit."

"What did you—?"

"It's a joke!" Harry kissed Draco on the lips, snickering the whole while, and Draco scowled at him hatefully. "I meant to say: that's terrible. You lost a whole food group thanks to her, and you never allowed much to begin with."

"Yeah, well…" Draco sank back against the wall, but didn't say more except give Harry a warning look.

"You're so sensitive." Harry's eyes glittered maliciously. "Even this dick of yours… it's really sensitive, especially when I do this…" He very carefully retracted the foreskin and caressed the frenulum, which made Draco breathe more heavily before he dissolved into a puddle of moans. "You see…? Can you imagine me doing that with my tongue?"

"Fuck, Potter…"

"Hm. I wonder if I'll choke on it."

"Kinda hope you do…" Draco grinned. "Cheeky brat."

"I bet Ron would be really good at this with the way he eats those breakfast sausages."

"Just give it a shot, Potter. It's really not that big and scary, is it?"

Harry suddenly felt like he should run, even though he did not want to. Fear pounded in his chest at the thought of doing this—and he guessed that he should've tried it while Draco's cock had been small enough to not intimidate him.

Draco massaged Harry's nape reassuringly. "Don't be scared. Pansy said she liked it. But even if you don't, I swear I'll only make you do it once."

"That's a relief," Harry said somewhat sarcastically, although he prepared himself by leaning over Draco's lap. If Pansy can do this, he told himself, then so can I. I'm not about to let a bitch like her outdo me…

Now that Draco's cock was fully erect and flushed with a bit of red around the tip, Harry felt more than willing to put it in his mouth. The thin layer of foreskin made him feel strangely hungry, and he watched the foreskin slide up and then retract with the guidance of his fingers. Harry squeezed the foreskin up one more time and salivated at the droplet of precum that appeared. Oh, yummy, he thought, feeling terrified. Here goes nothing…

Instead of taking anything in his mouth just yet, Harry first leaned all the way down and lapped the droplet with his tongue. Hearing a moan, he licked the tip again and kissed it, feeling at a loss of what to do next. He tucked the foreskin back and then squeezed it up again with his fingers, hoping to be met with another bead of fluid.

Draco rocked his body upward with a groan. "C'mon, Potter… That felt nice…"

Harry took his time licking around the glans. He felt nervous about letting anything go past his teeth, but he was enjoying the taste of skin and the heat of Draco's cock against his lips. Taking a minute to build up his courage, Harry kissed Draco's stomach, then dipped his tongue into the notch of his bellybutton on an impulse. Draco nearly threw him off, however—apparently his bellybutton was more sensitive than the frenulum—so Harry returned to his cock and sucked a couple of inches in without warning.

Harry's insides writhed at the moaning that this caused. He shuddered when his favorite words—Draco calling him a "good boy"—were thrown at him like a dirty word, and he sucked greedily for a few seconds, before allowing himself to come up for air. "Call me that more." Harry panted around the head of Draco's cock. "I like it. It makes my dick feel good…" Then he swallowed Draco halfway into his mouth, surprised at how much he was enjoying the ticklish feeling of it gliding against the roof of his mouth.

Draco's hips jerked on reflex when he sank back into the most heavenly warmth he had ever felt. He groaned loudly when Harry's tongue flicked the sensitive spot he had been teasing earlier, and he smiled stupidly when the suction of Harry's mouth gripped onto him like a hot, wet vacuum.

After sucking at a constant rhythm for a while, Harry popped Draco's cock out of his mouth for a minute of recovery. He shivered slightly, body tingling from the sounds of approval that were coming from his boyfriend.

"Sorry if it's not as good as her." It was his first time, after all.

"Fuck… Are you serious, Potter? You could literally bite my dick right now, and it'd be loads better than anything she ever did."

Harry was flattered. "Well… I don't wanna bite you, but… thanks for the compliment." He lowered his head again with renewed confidence. His kisses drifted down Draco's stomach, before trailing over his pubic hair and up the length of his cock.

"God…" Draco's voice cracked on a whimper. "I could bust from the way you do that…"

Not wanting him to come yet, Harry diverted his attention to the pale scars on the side of Draco's torso and kissed them relentlessly. Now that the night was going well, he was determined to drown the self-harming boy in so much pleasure that he would never be able to give any of this up.

Draco thrust eagerly into Harry's mouth the second he felt lips around the head of his cock again. "Suck on it—please… I want more… I wanna fuck your mouth…"

Harry couldn't take him all the way in, however, and he recoiled whenever Draco got too close to tapping on his gagging reflex. Harry repositioned himself, hoping to fit all of Draco's cock in at a different angle. And even though he wasn't the least bit experienced, giving his boyfriend a blowjob was more thrilling somehow than when they jerked off together.

"How 'bout your throat?" Draco said hoarsely. "Can I use that?" Then, grabbing Harry's head at an opportune moment, Draco shoved him down and made a plunge for the bend in the back of his mouth. Draco did not get far, however, before Harry choked and spluttered, then fought him off with a pained yelp.

"Malfoy—DON'T—!"

Draco grinned, not looking the least bit apologetic. "Sorry… couldn't resist. You just make me wanna go deep when I come."

Harry glared angrily at him. "I will bite hard if you try that again—and don't you dare try coming without me, you selfish prick!" After meting out that warning, Harry leaned down and took Draco's cock against the pocket of his cheek.

Draco lost his train of thought. He had been about to say something in return, but he groaned instead, and melted in the velvety warmth of Harry's mouth.

Harry reached into his own robes and struggled to get himself free with his bandaged hand. He wanted to come at the same time as Draco while jerking himself off, if they could manage it. This did not go as planned, however.

Draco's moans had reached a fever-pitch. He lost himself to the sloppy heat enveloping his cock, and his eyes rolled back as Harry's mouth and tongue managed to hit on a good rhythm. "That's it…" He convulsed, and the orgasm tore through his insides like a wildfire. His nails dug into Harry's nape, and he rammed the inside of Harry's mouth with short, greedy strokes. Meanwhile, Harry felt something thick like hot syrup spurting against the inside of his cheek, coating his tongue, and dribbling out onto his chin.

"Keep sucking…" Draco writhed helplessly, feeling almost afraid at how good it felt. "Oh my god—suck it all out…"

Harry was not about to retaliate against his boyfriend mid-orgasm. Harry did as he was told, but he avoided swallowing the cum that flooded his mouth, since he wasn't sure if he would like it. He wasn't enthusiastic about the taste, and figured he could try swallowing it another time. As for now, he spat gobs of cum over Draco's cock even while he licked and sucked on it—feeling like a feral animal as he did this—and when Draco's orgasm had subsided, Harry let the spent cock drop from his mouth and lifted his head curiously to take stock of the gory aftermath.

When Harry saw the sticky mess in Draco's lap, something in his brain detonated. A climax jolted through him unexpectedly, and he straddled Draco's lap as the contractions started from deep inside his balls. Having managed to unzip himself, Harry stroked on his own cock mercilessly, and he felt like he was shattering to a million pieces as he squirted cum all over his boyfriend…

When the worst of the tremors had passed, Harry slumped heavily against Draco. He couldn't think. All he could do was feel the gradual ebb and flow of his nerve endings still firing off, but the urgency had passed, and his limbs felt like water as the adrenaline drained out of him.

Draco ran his hands up under Harry's shirt and grazed the bare skin with his fingernails. "Holy shit…"

Harry smiled. Every last drop of his angst lay in a drizzled mess on the other boy's stomach, and his mind was blissfully at peace, filled with nothing but the floaty feeling of having just experienced his boyfriend in a new way.

"Bloody hell, Potter." Draco's voice was ragged, as if he was struggling for air. "Can I keep you forever…?"

Harry had to work hard to think clearly and understand those words. He was drunk on the intoxicating smell of Draco's sweat and cum, and everything felt sweet between his legs, which was distracting. But eventually he realized… he was wanted. He was really wanted, and he had performed on Draco with enough skill that he felt like he was worth something.

"Fuck a Mudblood…" Draco laughed. "I don't care if it makes me a pervert, I'm keeping you. Mark my words," and then he groaned happily when he felt Harry kissing at his neck.

"I'd like you to keep me." Harry smiled at Draco through tired eyes. "I want everything you want."

"We can't let anyone know, though," Draco went on, still lost in the hypothetical reverie. "We'll get married to some girls and have our own families just the way everyone expects us to. That way no one'll ever think…" He swallowed, still trying to catch his breath. "But then we'll send each other owls… meet in secret… fuck a whole lot, or something… and people will think we hate each other because we act like it. It'll be perfect."

Harry sat up and watched Draco tuck himself back inside his trousers. "That was really fun," he said. Then he climbed off Draco and reclined on the floor with his head resting in Draco's lap.

"You were able to come alright?"

"Yeah." Harry's eyes were still glassy with euphoria. "It was amazing."

"Wasn't it?" Draco's grin was so wide that his teeth gleamed in the light of the chandelier. "You're the best, you know. I had to try really hard not to come instantly."

"Hearing you moan the way you did was all the encouragement I needed." Although a huge part of Harry was already beginning to worry this whole encounter had been nothing but beginner's luck.

"So, about that deal we made," Draco reached for Harry's good hand and laced their fingers. "Five points to Gryffindor for the most impressive use of Magic Mouth I've ever seen. And another five for making me forget myself."

Harry said nothing and merely smiled up at him while studying the pointed angles of his face. If only life could be like this, tranquil forever, he would never complain about anything ever again.

"And how about another ten points because I like you, Potter? More than I'd like to admit."

"Geez… If Slytherin hopes to beat Gryffindor this year, you better stop messing around with me, or I'll take advantage of you every night for the rest of the school year. I wouldn't mind sucking your dick three hundred times if it gets us a win."

Draco kissed the knuckles of Harry's bandaged hand, looking thoughtful. "You know. The Potter I know wouldn't earn points like this."

Harry snorted. "You tosspot." He untangled their fingers and then relaced them with his good hand. "You know this isn't about the points."

"Then what is it about?"

"It's about us, and the fact I love you."

Draco's expression went serious. "You should quit saying that."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to hear it."

Harry groused. "Well, too bad, because I want to say it. I—love—you…"

"You know what? I've changed my mind. You're a good boy, Potter, but only when your mouth is full of cock."

Offended, Harry opened his mouth to argue back, but someone was fiddling with the doorknob, trying to get in.

Both boys sprang up from the floor and checked to see that they were dressed and didn't have anything on themselves that would give their activities away.

"You're only trying to push me away, Malfoy," Harry said while straightening his glasses, "but it isn't going to work."

"Oh right," said a voice outside the door. "I remember now. Magpie's Lagoon!"

Harry froze in complete shock at the muffled sound of Ron's voice. It was way past midnight, so what on earth was his best friend doing at the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor, when there was one closer to Gryffindor Tower?

The doorknob rattled. "The password should've worked—what gives? Oh, hang on. I know what you would do, Hermione. I've been paying attention, I'll have you know."

But before Ron could complete his statement, Hermione's voice piped up. "Alohomora!"

There was a snick, and Draco pressed the clasps of his robes together and rearranged his whole demeanor faster than Harry had seen anyone do. The door swung open, and Harry dug his chin down guiltily the moment he met Hermione's honey-brown eyes from across the threshold.

Ron looked between Harry and Draco, looking more confused than ever before. "See, Hermione? They really are both in here. What the bloody hell is going on? You alright, Harry? Was he trying to duel with you? Did he drag you in here against your will?"

Hermione noticed the flustered expressions on both their faces, as well as the reddening hue that was spreading over Harry's cheeks. But thankfully, Draco had a ready excuse.

"Potter was in here when he shouldn't be," Draco said irritably. "Apparently, he spied on Goldstein when he used the password here once before, so I'm docking five points from Gryffindor since he's already got detention for the week. I was just telling him off right now for breaking the rules."

"That isn't fair!" Harry shouted, feeling suddenly cheated out of the points he had just earned.

Draco whirled around on him so that Hermione and Ron could not see the conspiring look Draco was giving him. "You can earn them back another time, Potter." And Harry would have argued even then, but the glare Draco was giving him was full of warning so that Harry snarled and diverted his attention to the wall. When Draco turned back around, he donned a scowl that was so convincing that it banished whatever look of guilt Hermione had been suspicious of one minute ago. "You know where to find me if you're looking to earn, Naughty Potty."

Harry bristled. "Don't call me that!"

Ron stepped over the threshold with his chest puffed out and shoulders thrown back. His prefect's badge gleamed threateningly in the candlelight, even though there was nothing he could do to retaliate against a fellow prefect. "And what if I don't want you taking points away from my friend?"

"Ron, don't," Hermione whispered.

To Ron, however, her voice might as well have been a buzzing fly. "I mean it. What if I gave five points back to him, for breathing?"

"Then Professor Snape will hear about it," Draco said in his usual condescending drawl. "And Dumbledore too—who obviously loves you so much Potty-Boy." His eyes gleamed wickedly at the boy he had just been snogging. "They'll both hear about you abusing your power, Weasley. You could lose your position as prefect, but don't let me stop you from doing something you'll regret."

"As if you weren't abusing your power for the past few weeks, you ugly, rotten, limp-wristed—"

"Ron!" Harry said, feeling suddenly aggravated at both his friends. "I am in the prefect's bathroom when I shouldn't be. For once, Malfoy's right, so just let it be. I'll make up the lost points another time."

"With the way your year has gone so far?" Ron chortled. "Good luck with that."

"If you want those points back, Potter," Draco shouted as he shoved past Hermione with his shoulder, "I'll let you know a time and place where you can hustle for all the points you can get."

"As if he'd come to you for anything, mate," Ron muttered darkly, before returning his attention to Harry. "Good thing I thought to get the Marauder's Map out of your trunk, yeah? Things probably could have ended up much worse."

"So that's how you knew?"

"It was my idea," Hermione said guiltily. "After you came back as late as you did last night, I wanted to know for sure if Umbridge was really keeping you that late, because if she was, I intended to go to Dumbledore myself and lodge a complaint. Only, I didn't expect Draco to be giving you trouble…"

Harry avoided her gaze when he sensed the unspoken question being directed at him. "Honestly, I was just trying to get a peaceful bath in after that toad made me sit with her for that long."

Ron chuffed. "Yeah, well, you'll never get any peace as long as Malfoy's around."

Harry repressed a smile.

Hermione asked, "Is that why you were gone till two in the morning last night? You were taking a bath?"

"S-sure… I fell asleep. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

Hermione was not convinced, but she visibly relaxed.

"Come on." Harry rallied them both out the door. "We better head back. I'm surprised you didn't bring my Cloak along, but thanks for getting me out of that mess," he lied. In truth, he felt resentful that his hottest date with Draco so far had been interrupted by his well-intentioned friends, but he supposed he would have done the same for either of them.