A/N: Hello all. Alto here and I have yet another chapter story. Don't get too excited. School is about to start back up and I probably will not be able to update nearly as fast i have been in the last month with my other stories. A few updates: I found a beta! You no longer have to endure my horrible grammar and (for that matter) lack of care level. She, however, is a student just as I am. That being said, chapters will be posted that are not betad yet, such as this one. I repeat, this chapteris not betad!We will do our best to get them completed and to you in a timely fashion. While I am on this note, thank you . Clarinet Girl Lyss for saving all of these poor innocent bistandards. On to the good stuff. This is my first attempt at slash. Yes, slash: MALE/MALE. Don't like don't read. Consider yourself warned. Enjoy!

Chapter One

'When did I become such a coward?' He thought to himself. 'It's just Harry! We have been friends for years now, so why can't I just accept that.' Draco was pacing around the living room of his lavish apartment. He was twenty-two years old and working at a top notch ministry job. After the incident in sixth year he went into hiding with Snape. Two years later, after Voldemort's fall, Snape said it was safe to reveal themselves. Snape led him to the headquarters for Order of the Phoenix. It is safe to say it wasn't a warm welcome, but eventually they were able to convince everyone that Snape had been working under Dumbledore's orders and he was no longer associated with death eaters of any kind. Eventually, he becomes friends with Harry and Ron. They decided to put their old differences behind them and start anew after such a deadly war. Harry just had a rather nasty break-up with Hermione and Draco was trying his best to keep his intentions comforting and friendly, but it was becoming more difficult. His door bell rang.

"Coming!" he screamed as he dashed through the dining room and into the foyer. Slowly he opened the door, so he could catch his breath.

"Hey" said Harry, as he walked in the door.

"Oh, hey Harry." Draco blushed a bit.

"Can we talk for a bit? I need to get a few things off my mind."

"Sure, whatever you need." Draco guided him towards the living room. They sat in a few moments of comfortable silence.

"I need to get her back." Harry said quietly. He was looking at his hands as though ashamed of this revelation.

"Well, mate, I don't know what we can do, but I will help as much as I can. You wouldn't happen to have a plan would you?" this was a stupid question because Harry always had a plan. Even if he didn't, his improvisations never gave him away.

"Of course." he said confidently. 'Improving it is.' Draco thought.

"In order for me to help I think I need some information. Like, why you broke up in the first place." Harry shifted in his seat.

"Ok, she thinks I cheated on her." he looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"That is what you have been so secretive about? Ron and I thought it was something much more serious." There was a moment or two of silence. "I guess I only have two more questions left. Did you cheat on her and, if you did, who with?"

"No, I didn't cheat. She thinks I slept with Ginny again." Draco looked completely surprised and confused.

"Again? When did you sleep with her before? You never tell us anything, do you?" he smiles as Harry becomes a little more comfortable with the conversation.

"It's only happened once before, but we were drunk and I told her the next day. She was mad, but she forgave me. That was almost two years ago."

"That was educational. So what's the plan and what can I do?"

"I need someone she trusts to talk to her. She doesn't even listen to Ginny. She thinks she is just afraid of how Seamus will react. She knows you well enough to know that you would never lie just protect someone." Draco was looking skeptical. There were a few things amiss with said plan. 'I don't know that he isn't lying. I don't want to think that about him, but I have to think about Hermione. Not to mention doing this closes every opportunity of telling him how I feel with out Hermione down my throat.'

"How do I know you aren't lying Harry? Don't get all offended, but I'm just trying to think of the best interests of Hermione. I don't want to lie to her with out my knowledge. She would never trust me again. I like the current reputation I have." Draco looked apologetically at his friend. "Just promise me this won't hurt her." Harry looked furious.

"You think I would hurt her! I love her, why would I hurt her?"

"I didn't say you would do it on purpose, but love can make you blind. I just wanted to make sure you are on the same page I am and that you aren't just trying to protect yourself and get her back at the same time." Harry seemed to calm a little.

"I guess you wouldn't be reacting this way if you didn't know it had happened before." He sat next to Draco and put his hand on his shoulder. "Look in my eyes. You can always tell when I am lying." Harry moved his face a little closer to Draco's and his breath caught in his throat. Draco was fighting every urge not to kiss him. "I love her, I would never hurt her like that again." as he spoke these words in such close proximity to his best friend, Draco's hearth shattered. 'I have to be his friend. I can't cry, I can't react to these urges, and I certainly can't tell him how I feel.' Draco thought as Harry brought his face away from his.

"Ok, Harry. I believe you and I will do my best, but I make no promises." Harry's face lit up and he hugged Draco.

"Thank you." He said as he shot off the couch. "Fire call me when after you talk to her. I should be home all night. Bye Draco." With that, he left. 'I feel like I have just been used.' Draco thought as he shut the door behind Harry. 'I have to do everything I can to help him, though. Maybe one day he will see my motives.' Draco dragged himself to his study and lost himself in paper work.

A few hours later at about seven Draco flooed to Hermione's flat in London. He was nervous, had no idea what to say and could not muster the conviction he would need to be effective. Hermione had the table set for three. He wasn't aware of anyone else joining them for dinner. This conversation would be a lot easier if they were alone. As he stepped out of the fire place, brushing off his robes, he spotted Hermione in the kitchen.

"Hello Hermione." he said to announce his arrival.

"Hey Draco. Take a seat on the couch. Dinner should be ready in fifteen minutes. Ron should be here soon, but you know he is always late." Draco took the offered seat on the couch. 'I wonder if Harry has told Ron. Well, he will know now.'

About five minutes later Ron fell through the fire place. He did not posses the grace that Draco did. "Hey Draco. I didn't know you were coming. Hey Hermione." He kissed her on the cheek. "I smell spaghetti. Are you making my favorite? How sweet."

"Ronald, you are impossible. I made spaghetti because is it is fast and easy. You both know I can't cook. I can make the most difficult potions, but I never excelled at cooking. It's weird really." She half yelled from the kitchen.

"You should have let me cook, 'Mione. You know how much I love to." Draco said.

"That would have been nice. I love Hermione to death, but she can't cook. I might even be a little weary of that spaghetti." said Ron in a whisper. Draco laughed and shoved Ron's shoulder a bit.

"That wasn't very nice." Draco whispered back.

"It's not my job to be nice; it is my job to be honest." Ron said right next to Draco's ear. The breath on his ear gave him a chill he could not explain.

All three sat through a relatively quiet and, surprisingly, good dinner. Right as Hermione was about to rise to get desert Draco finally spoke.

"Hermione, we need to talk. You may not like it, but you won't listen to any one else." Hermione looked furious.

"I see you have spoken to Harry." Her eyes were cold as she rose to walk to the kitchen.

"Yes, he came by earlier today. I understand that it is difficult to trust him again, but at least listen to Gin. Why would she lie to you? You have been best friends for years! It just doesn't seem right."

"We both know that Seamus would leave her if he found out. It's only because I am her friend that I haven't told him myself."

"The fact that you have no evidence might hold you back a bit as well." said Draco, starting to get agitated. "He would never hurt you on purpose and you know it. He is far too good a person. Why do you think he slept with her anyway?"

"Hold on! I am confused. Who did Harry sleep with?" Ron said, looking slightly bewildered.

"No one." said Draco, at the same time Hermione screamed "Ginny!"

"Harry slept with Gin again! I'll kill him."

"Not if I get to him first." said Hermione.

"Ron, we have no evidence that he slept with anyone. It is all speculation." Draco said calmly. "So, who is it that gave you this horrible idea?"

"I am not telling. It is someone I trust and I won't be responsible for turning family against each other."

"If it is one of the twins or Charlie, you should discredit the information right now. All three of them have been after you for years." said Ron timidly. Hermione looked shocked at this information, but shook her head.

"It was none of them, but thanks for the heads up." she smiled weakly.

"So you are going to give up on Harry over Weasley family gossip?" asked Draco, terribly confused.

"I thought maybe you had walked in on something suspicious or caught them in the act of something, but you are giving up on a relationship, of four years, on here say? I thought you were stronger than that 'Mione. I interrogated him. You know I can tell when he is lying better than even you can. I looked him in the eye and he said 'I love her; I would never hurt her like that again." Ron put his hand on Draco's shoulder, almost in condolence. "He was telling the truth. Since you won't listen to anyone, I have been forced to get involved." he was silent for a few moments, but tensed quickly and looked as though he was about to cry. "Mione, the man that you love, loves you back. He isn't going to hurt you, intentionally, again. Count your blessings and move on!" Hermione looked stunned at his sudden outburst.

"I will try." she said, concerned. "Is there anything you want to talk about, Draco? We will always be here to listen."

"You have helped us all so much, it would be the least we could do to listen." Draco hadn't noticed Ron's hand still on his shoulder until he spoke.

"I am fine. I just hate seeing my friends hurt." Hermione walked around the table and hugged him.

"I appreciate your effort and I will keep all of this in mind. You know, it isn't just the cheating. I left him for a lot of reasons. For example, after four years, why the hell hasn't he proposed? He loved me enough to stay with me that long why hasn't he taken the next step? He can't be afraid I will say no. The possible infidelity was just the last straw." They were again covered in a comfortable silence and Hermione returned to her seat. After about five minutes she rose and gathered the dishes. "Ok, I have work to do. I will fire call you guys and we should do this again." she started pushing them towards the fireplace.

"Alright Hermione, we get the point." Ron said, halfway to their destination. "I don't know about Draco, but I can walk just fine on my own." she stopped pushing them and scurried off to her study. "Do you want to go see Harry now? I think he would want both of us to be there."

"Yeh, but we should probably fire call first." Draco said politely. Five minutes later all three of the men were sitting in Harry's library.

"Draco, I need every detail." Harry spewed as soon as they hit the couch.

"Well, Ron was there too." He was trying to take some of Harry's attention off of him. It made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Whatever, talk." Harry said looking exasperated.

"Fine, you have a lot of work ahead of you. It was a Weasely that ratted you out and she didn't leave just because of the cheating."

"I DIDN'T CHEAT!" Harry yelled.

"Don't yell, damn it. Implied cheating, happy?" Ron screamed.

"What other reasons did she give?" Harry asked sadly a few minutes later.

"The only one she said straight out is that you haven't proposed. She thinks that, after four years, it is about time." Draco finally spoke.

"I didn't think she wanted to get married this young." he was still deathly quiet. It was scaring Draco intensely.

"Shouldn't that be something you two have discussed? If a relationship is that serious, I thought it was only natural." said Ron.

"It never really came up and I was too scared to bring it up. I'm not ready to get married. Just because we have been together for a specific amount of time does not obligate us to be ready for marriage. We could be completely different people in a few years. No, scratch that. We will be completely different people in a few years. I only want to get married once. It may or may not be Hermione, but that does not change how much I love her right now." he had his head in his hands and he was obviously frustrated.

"I don't think you should be having this conversation with us. You should be saying this to Hermione. She deserves to know much more than we do." Draco said sadly. "I will get her to talk to you. I think after tonight she is warming up to the idea, she just needs a push."

"Will you both help me? You are her best friends and if any one can give her that push, it is you two." said Harry.

"You already know I will do everything I can to help."

"I'm in. Whatever you need, mate, just ask." Ron said cheerfully.

They spoke a little while longer of plans and tactics to get Hermione on her way back to Harry. So operation Hermione was born.

A/N: I hope you liked it. : Little PURPLE button : aLtO