A/N - This story was my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic. It is extraordinarily juvenile, overly dramatic and has no character development. I'm only leaving it here because it reminds me of how far I've come in my writing ability. Read at your own risk, you have been warned...
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~ The heart may freeze, or it can burn
the pain will ease if I can learn -
there is no future, there is no past
I live this moment as my last ~
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Ron Weasley stood at the kitchen counter of his London flat, tossing a large salad and keeping his ears tuned to the radio on the windowsill. The well known wizard broadcaster, Tony Parsons, was just finishing his update on the war against Voldemort.
"There have been no new attacks for the past week," he reports. "Which undoubtedly means You-Know-Who is formulating his next strike. Everyone should be on their guard and report anything unusual immediately. Until tomorrow, I'm Tony Parsons and have a safe evening."
The radio suddenly clicked off as Hermione turned the knob with a sigh. Ron glanced over and decided to abandon the salad and wrap his arms comfortingly around his wife.
"I don't like it, Ron," she mumbled into his chest. "So many attacks and deaths in the last three months and now...nothing."
"Try not to think about it, 'Mione," he said, holding her at arms length so that he could look into her face. "Let's just try and have a nice, normal dinner for once."
Hermione smiled apologetically up at him. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't get so depressed when all our family and friends are still alive and well."
With that she stepped back and looked into the next room with a tender smile. Ron followed her gaze through the sliding glass door to where Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were curled up together on the sofa, reading the latest letter from Sirius.
Ron smiled and shook his head in amazement.
"Still can't quite believe it can you?" Hermione chuckled.
Ron's smile widened as he went over to the fridge to get the salad dressing. "Well, who would've imagined this two years ago?" He paused, sorting through the bottles on the shelf. "But I would give my right arm to know exactly what happened inside Malfoy Manor when Harry was held there and this whole thing started."
"Yeah, you and me both," Hermione mumbled, watching the two lovers thoughtfully. The firelight was casting a warm glow on their pale skin; reflecting off of Harry's dark locks as his head rested contentedly on Draco's shoulder. Draco folded up the letter, wrapped his arms around Harry and gently placed a kiss on the top of his hair.
Hermione smiled at the sight. "You have to admit that you've never seen Harry as happy and content as he's been this past year," she concluded, walking over to the oven to check on the lasagne.
"I guess so," Ron admitted grudgingly. "But I don't completely trust Malfoy yet, and I don't see how Harry could forgive him so easily for all that crap he made us go through in school."
"It's amazing what sex can do."
"Hermione!" Ron cried.
"I'm sorry," Hermione laughed, looking at the expression of horror on Ron's face. "But Harry trusts him and he's your best friend, so you should at least make the effort to forgive and forget too."
Ron rolled his eyes and added the raspberry vinaigrette to the spinach salad.
"Aha! It's ready," Hermione announced, lifting the heavy pan from the oven.
"Finally, I'm starving." Ron inhaled the smell of melted cheese and Italian spices deeply.
"You know, we should have bought some garlic bread too," Hermione said, staring at the lasagne with a frown.
"Are we actually going to eat some time tonight or should I just continue wasting away in your living room?"
Ron turned to glare at the form of Draco Malfoy lounging against the now open doorframe.
"Yes, it's ready," Hermione quickly intercepted. "You and Harry can go sit down and we'll bring it in."
She shot her husband a warning look as Harry came up behind Draco, took his elbow and gently led him away to the dining table.
"Smells great, 'Mione!" he called over his shoulder.
Hermione smiled at him and then turned to Ron. "Please try to behave tonight, the point of this dinner was to give Harry a peaceful and relaxing evening remember?"
"Did I say anything?" Ron asked with wide-eyed innocence.
Hermione snorted and picked up the lasagne with one hand. "No, but you were about to. So try and play nice with the other kids, hmm?" she asked sweetly patting him on the cheek.
With a smile she swept out of the room carrying the lasagne firmly in front of her. Ron shook his head with a smile and grabbed the salad.
. . . .
After dessert, the four former classmates lounged in the living room; Harry and Ron in the midst of a very intense conversation about the new Firebolt Gold and Hermione and Draco drinking coffee in companionable silence.
"But Harry, this new broom was made for dives. Can you imagine the Wronski Feint on it? How can you not want one when your best move is diving?"
"I know, but that new curve it has in the handle restricts speed when you're flying straight or up. I'd rather have the speed of the original Firebolt than the diving magnifications of the Gold series."
"Name one time you caught the snitch without using a dive?"
"That's not the point, most of the time I have to fly to the other side of the stadium before even going into a dive. I still have to have the speed to go after any seeker who might be closer to the snitch then me," Harry argued, waving his hands in demonstration.
Hermione rolled her eyes and took a sip of coffee while the two young men argued on.
"They really must find something else to talk about other than Quidditch," she mused to herself, and was about to say so to Draco when she caught the look on his face.
He was leaning back in the couch with his left ankle across his right knee and his fingers absently stroking the rim of his coffee mug. His sole focus was on Harry. Hermione wondered what Draco was thinking about as he watched him, those mysterious grey eyes that only seemed to see Harry.
Hermione smiled and felt a rush of warmth towards the blond man who obviously cared very deeply about her best friend.
A loud knocking on the front door suddenly disturbed the contentment of the cozy room.
"Already?" Ron asked in dismay, glancing at the clock on the mantle.
"Sorry, Ron," Harry apologized as he reached for the cloak slung over the back of his chair and got to his feet.
"I'll tell them you're coming," Draco said, rising and placing his mug on the coffee table.
Hermione stood and looked at Harry. "Maybe they could come in for some dessert or coffee?" she asked, not wanting the night to be over so soon.
"Don't be ridiculous, 'Mione," Ron laughed. "Can you imagine those Ministry guards sitting here eating strawberry short-cake and drinking tea?"
"They're still people you know!" Hermione countered defensively, hands on hips.
"Uh oh, make way for POMGA," Ron whispered to Harry, as he helped him on with his cloak.
"POMGA?" Harry asked, as they headed towards the front entranceway.
"Prevention of Ministry Guard Abuse."
Hermione glared at them as they threw back their heads and laughed.
Draco stood at the front door with two very large wizards dressed in long, black robes with the Ministry of Magic emblem emblazoned on the front. He turned at the sound of Harry's laughter and smiled.
"Ready, Harry?" he asked as the two guards stepped outside to survey the empty street.
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, giving each one a hug and whispering in Hermione's ear that his guards probably did eat dessert but that they wouldn't do so on the job anyway. She smiled gratefully at him as he walked over to join Draco.
"Thanks for dinner," Draco said, taking Harry's hand and turning towards the street.
"Goodbye!" Harry called over his shoulder with a wave.
"Bye, Harry!" Ron called back.
"Goodbye, Draco," Hermione shouted pointedly, glancing at Ron.
They stood in the doorway until Harry and Draco were safely inside the Ministry car and watched as it pulled away into the night.
"As much as I hate those Ministry guards, I sure am a lot less worried about him when they're around," Ron said, closing the door behind them.
"Me too. I'm so glad Dumbledore ordered them to watch over Harry, even though I know he hates being 'baby-sat' as he calls it."
Ron put his arm around Hermione's shoulders as they walked back into the kitchen.
"Ugh, look at all this," Hermione moaned, on seeing the pile of dirty dishes and the brimming trash can.
"Why don't we get a house-elf?" Ron asked cheekily.
"No," Hermione answered with a playful shove. "We'll just leave it until tomorrow."
"Brilliant," Ron said, stifling a yawn.
With that, the two turned their backs on the mess and went upstairs to bed.
. . . .
Harry and Draco stood with clasped hands in the hallway outside Harry's flat as they waited for the guards to finish their security check. Draco moved closer, nuzzling the soft, raven hair under his nose and inhaling the familiar scent of shampoo, before raising his arm to gently press his lips to the back of Harry's hand. Harry leaned back into Draco's embrace and sighed contentedly until one of the guards suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"All clear, Mr. Potter. Remember to call us if you need to go anywhere tomorrow," he said in a deep, business-like voice. He then nodded a brisk farewell before striding down the hall with his partner.
Harry watched them leave with a resentful look on his face. Draco laughed and pulled him into the apartment.
"Now, now, Mr. Potter. Dumbledore's orders."
Harry smirked at him and struggled to unwrap himself from Draco's arms. "I think I've forgotten what it's like to be alone," he grumbled.
"You are alone, Harry," Draco whispered against his ear. "I've got you all to myself."
Harry stopped struggling as Draco's lips started kissing down the back of his neck, his scalp tingling from the warm air being blown across his sensitive skin.
Draco reached around to unclasp Harry's cloak, letting it fall from his shoulders to the ground. Harry closed his eyes as Draco's hands slipped inside his shirt and began running soft palms all over his bare chest. He suddenly wanted more contact with Draco, so he swivelled around and pushed the full length of his body up against him.
They stood staring eye-to-eye as their arms enveloped each other. Deep, dazzling emerald gazing into a storm of luminescent grey.
"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, Harry," Draco breathed.
Harry didn't know what to say, so he leaned forward and captured Draco's lips with his own, one hand coming up to grip the back of his neck. Draco closed his eyes and gently ran his tongue over Harry's bottom lip, the taste of strawberries still lingering on the soft surface.
Draco smiled. "You taste like strawberries," he mumbled against Harry's lips.
"You too."
Draco pulled his head back and looked into Harry's eyes again. "Were you trying to drive me crazy on purpose tonight?"
"What do you mean?"
"During dessert you had this little drop of whipped cream right at the corner of your mouth for about five minutes, I wanted to lick it off so badly that I was about to jump you right in front of the Weasels."
"Don't call them that," Harry admonished, then added with an evil smile. "Because I have ways of making you suffer..."
"Really?" Draco asked with a raised brow. "How?"
"Like this." Harry suddenly thrust his hips against Draco's, pinning him to the wall. Draco let out a gasp that quickly turned into a moan as Harry slowly rubbed himself up against him.
"I wouldn't really call this suffering, Harry," Draco smiled dazedly, his eyes half-closed.
"No, but this is." Harry suddenly stopped and walked off down the hall.
Draco stared in wide-eyed amazement before tearing after him with a growl. Harry turned around and yelped at the sight of Draco bearing down on him, and quickly braced himself against the wall as Draco almost slammed right into him.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that Potter."
Draco placed a hand on either side of Harry's head and kissed him full on the mouth. Harry snickered, then quickly gave into it, opening his lips to allow Draco's tongue to delve deeper. The kiss quickly turned more passionate as Draco lifted Harry up and wrapped his legs around his waist, never breaking the almost frantic contact between their lips. Harry leaned his head back to get some air while Draco licked the underside of his jaw.
"...bedroom..." Harry panted.
Draco carried him down the hall to his room and gently laid him across the bed. He sat astride Harry's hips, one knee on each side, and quickly removed his shirt while Harry watched with hungry eyes. Then he removed Harry's jumper and threw them both on the floor. Harry reached out his arms to touch Draco's chest before pulling him down on top of him, their lips burning against each other and their hands caressing naked skin. Harry squeezed his legs tighter around his lover, his entire body burning with desire.
"God, I want you so much," Harry moaned.
"Harry..." Draco whispered, trailing kisses down his firm chest and stomach. He lapped at his belly-button and reached out a hand to cup Harry's erection, Harry arching beneath him.
"Please, Draco..." he whimpered.
Draco placed one last kiss on Harry's lips before standing up. He ran his hands up Harry's thighs to the waistband of his jeans and slowly unzipped them, Harry wriggled beneath him in impatience. Draco grabbed the waistband of his underwear too and removed them with the pants in one swift movement. After discarding them, Draco turned to look at Harry; he was sprawled across the bed, his naked body bathed in moonlight and his beautiful, emerald eyes glowing intensely.
Draco's breath caught in his throat at the sight.
Harry blushed under the intense gaze and sat up, crawled over to where Draco was standing and reached for the fly on his black trousers. Draco groaned softly as Harry applied slightly more pressure than was necessary and pulled down the constricting garment.
"Hmmm...no underwear?" Harry looked up at him with raised brows. "If I'd known that earlier, I definitely would've jumped you at Ron and Hermione's."
"I'll have to remember that in the future," Draco smirked, stepping out of his trousers and kicking them aside.
Harry scooted back until his elbows were resting on the pillow near the headboard. Draco crawled over and slowly lowered himself along Harry's body, their arms and legs entwining immediately. Draco looked into Harry's eyes again, never able to get enough. He reached up and gently removed Harry's glasses and placed them on the bedside table. Now he could clearly see into their very depths and he felt as if he was drowning.
"Make love to me, Draco," Harry asked huskily.
Draco raised himself up on one elbow and kissed him deeply, his hand reaching down to once again stroke Harry's erection. Harry moaned loudly and thrust himself against Draco's hand.
Draco moved his mouth to Harry's chest, licking and suckling each nipple in turn, increasing the pace of the other hand on Harry's hard shaft. Harry reached over, grabbed his wand from under the pillow and handed it to Draco. Draco looked into his eyes and muttered the lubricous charm, thickly coating Harry's entrance and himself.
Draco moved his head between Harry's legs, gently biting the soft skin of his inner thighs, before crawling up to his erection and slowly sucking the length of it into his mouth. Harry cried out in ecstasy and curled his fingers in Draco's soft, silvery hair. Draco swiped his tongue up the entire length before stopping to position himself at Harry's entrance. Harry nodded and opened his legs wider. He slowly slid himself inside as Harry closed his eyes and tried to relax.
"Are you okay?" Draco asked when he was fully encompassed in Harry's eager body.
"Don't stop..." Harry gasped opening his eyes again.
Draco leaned down to give Harry's full lips a quick kiss before slowly starting to thrust in and out. Harry tilted his head back and moaned, his hands above him bracing against the headboard. Draco clenched his hands in the sheets as he quickened the pace.
"Harder..." Harry moaned.
Draco complied with a deep groan, thrusting deeper and pushing Harry over and over again into the mattress. Draco could feel himself coming to the edge and moaned again in ecstasy.
"Draco..." Harry moaned over and over with each frantic thrust.
Draco called out Harry's name as the final sensations overtook his body, sending jolts of pleasure throughout him. Harry soon followed after hearing Draco call out his name so passionately. Draco collapsed onto Harry's chest closing his eyes and breathing rapidly. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's slightly damp back and held him close. He sighed contentedly, turning his head to look out the window at the full moon as his breathing slowly returned to normal.
Finally, Draco lifted his head and looked up at Harry's face; green eyes still gazing peacefully at the moon. "Do you know the reason why I first started coming to see you in the dungeon at Malfoy Manor, Harry?"
Harry shifted his eyes to Draco's face and shook his head.
"It was your eyes, they're so...mesmerizing. Especially in moonlight, and beautiful and...perfect," Draco murmured.
He laid his head back down and closed his eyes tiredly, snuggling into Harry's warm body.
Harry smiled, closing his eyes in exhaustion. "I love you," he whispered.
Draco snapped his eyes open with a start. That was the first time one of them had ever said those words. Instead of feeling elated, he suddenly felt trapped. It scared him that Harry had come to care for him so much, and it scared him even more that he had come to care for Harry just as much in return.
"What if something happened to him?" he suddenly thought. "What if Voldemort does finally catch him? I don't think I could go through that." Draco's heart constricted painfully at the thought.
"Don't be stupid," he scolded himself. "There's too much protection around him, too many people looking out for him. Plus, I'll never let him out of my sight. Voldemort will have to kill me first."
Draco, noticing that Harry had fallen asleep, closed his eyes and decided that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future to tell Harry that he loved him, too...