Aurora Borealis

AN: This is a sequel to my story "Veela Challenge", written for the lovely ardchoile.

I always considered "Veela Challenge" to be a complete story and wasn't planning a sequel, ever. But then she asked me for one, and I simply couldn't refuse, could I... So here's to ardchoile. Who says you can't have it all? ;-)

I suppose it could be read on its own, but it will probably make more sense to you if you've read "Veela Challence".

xxx

Harry felt as if he were in a daze. A Draco induced daze, that left him feeling lovely and languid, like he wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up in his mate's arms and wings for the rest of the day. Week possibly. Oh hell, for the next foreseeable future basically.

'Stop that,' Harry grumbled.

'What?' came the innocent reply.

Harry snorted. Innocent, yeah right.

'Draco…' he warned, twisting his head to glare over his shoulder at the sneaky blonde.

Said blonde looked back at him with a carefully blank expression. Not that Draco had any hope of actually fooling Harry. Their bond told Harry exactly how Draco was feeling, even if he wouldn't have known already by the slightly shifty look in the soft grey eyes.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Draco insisted with a straight face. But the corner of his mouth started to twitch dangerously as Harry almost involuntarily pressed his back even tighter against Draco's front.

'You know exactly what I'm talking about you git. You're using your allure on me to stop me going to work and keep me here with you instead,' Harry said accusingly. Though he feared the accusation didn't really sound all that convincing since he couldn't stop himself from stroking the soft, sensitive feathers on the inside of Draco's wings.

The blonde gasped his breath and made a sound that Harry privately called a purr. Not that he would ever tell Draco that of course. Not if he didn't want the "I'm a Veela, not a cat" lecture. Instead Harry just tried to evoke the delicious sound as often as possible and relished it when he succeeded.

Harry turned himself around to face his beautiful, purring Veela and tried for an accusing glare to underline his words. Draco just shrugged his shoulders and looked utterly unrepentant.

'Hey, you know how it works. I can only persuade you to do something if it's something you subconsciously want to do anyway. So obviously this is where you want to be. Right here. With me,' Draco said, looking extremely smug.

Harry sighed.

'Well yes, obviously that's what I want… But I can't, can I. I'm supposed to meet a client in an hour,' Harry said.

Draco yawned.

'Boring,' he complained. 'Besides, isn't it that old biddy Mrs Dawlish you're meeting? She won't mind if you're a bit late. Just give her one of those brilliant smiles and she'll be like putty in your hands'.

Draco's look suddenly became sharper.

'On second thoughts, scratch that. No brilliant smiles for anyone but me thank you very much,' Draco said huffily.

Harry happily obliged with a genuine smile and a quick peck on the tip of Draco's nose.

'You're cute,' he said fondly. 'Better make sure I'm on time then!'

Harry quickly untangled himself from the delicious warmth of sheets, blankets and one scandalised looking Veela.

'Veelas are not cute Potter! Gorgeous, yes. Stunning, certainly. Seductive, absolutely. But never I repeat, never cute!' Draco called after him as Harry made his escape to the bathroom.

Harry didn't dare laugh until the bathroom door was safely shut behind him. Gorgeous, stunning and seductive, oh yes, yes and yes… But also so very, very cute…

xxx

About an hour later, Draco finally managed to drag himself out of bed. Harry had left fifteen minutes earlier and honestly, what was the fun in staying in bed if Harry wasn't in it?

Being apart from his mate was hard. Normally Draco was ok, but with the insane hours Harry had been keeping the last couple of weeks… Draco hardly got to see him at all. Harry barely even made it to dinner at the Manor on Christmas Eve. Of course Narcissa hadn't lectured him or anything. Harry had her wrapped around his little finger without even trying. Like mother like son, Draco thought, smiling wryly.

Christmas day was spent at the Weasley house, oh horror of horrors. Draco had got used to hanging out with Ron and Hermione, but having them all together like that, gathered around Molly Weasley's kitchen table? Draco shuddered at the memory. Serious ginger overload…

Pansy and Blaise had come over for Boxing Day so that was quite nice. Hermione and Weasley were there also, but that was fine. He could handle them in small doses. They actually had all got on rather well lately.

That was yesterday, and with Christmas over and done with, Draco had made plans for today. He was going to spend the whole day with Harry, preferably in bed. But oh no, Harry had to go and spoil things by going to work. Again…

Draco sulked all through his morning ritual of coffee, more coffee, shower, another cup of coffee and some toast while skimming the headlines of the Daily Prophet. It's just that he didn't understand Harry at all sometimes. He'd thought they were happy, incredibly happy, so why was Harry throwing himself into his work like that? Sure, Draco occasionally had a touch of the workaholic himself, especially if he was about to finish a piece and was working to a deadline. But if it came to choosing between Harry or finishing a piece of furniture? Harry would win every time. No contest.

But, seeing as Harry wasn't here… He might as well go into his workshop and try and finish the cabinet he'd been working on. The woodwork was all but done, save for a finishing touch on the filigree inlay, and then he could activate the spell work he'd interlaced with the wood. That was always the tricky part. He used magic right from the start, but he couldn't be sure any of the spells would work properly until he activated them. And he couldn't do that until he'd finished the piece.

A couple of hours later, Draco stepped back from the beautifully delicate beech wood cabinet with a satisfied smile. Yes, this would do nicely. It looked lovely and all the magical features were working perfectly. He opened the small doors and peered in at the enlarged wizardspace inside. Perfect. Even if he did say so himself.

The cabinet was ordered by a friend of his Mother's as a present for her elderly father. It was charmed to lift up and down, slide forward and back, to make access that much easier. The elderly man suffered from severe arthritis, seriously limiting his mobility. Hopefully this cabinet would not only look pretty, but also make his life a little easier.

Draco startled as he heard the old pendulum clock chime six times. Merlin, was is six already? Harry had promised to be home early today, so he was probably already waiting for them back at their little cottage. He quickly closed up his workshop, whirled into the Riviera room to say a quick goodbye to his Mother and then rushed into the floo to meet Harry.

xxx

Harry looked up at the sound of the floo flaring up, signalling Draco's arrival. He hurried over to the living area of their small cottage to welcome his mate home.

'Draco,' he said, pulling the blonde in for a fierce hug and a thorough kiss.

Reluctantly releasing Draco's lips, Harry leant back a bit and smiled ruefully. None of the books he'd read about Veelas during his research had warned him about the effect the bond would have on him. Yes, they'd talked all about how difficult it was for a Veela to be away from its mate for long periods of time. But not a word about how difficult Harry himself would find it. He'd barely been able to concentrate during that last meeting. A feeling of restlessness had captured him and not released him until just now, when he could finally hold Draco in his arms once again.

'I've missed you,' he admitted softly.

Draco scowled.

'Yes well… I don't know why you're complaining. You're the one that's been keeping these insane hours lately, keeping us apart unnecessarily,' Draco huffed.

Harry smiled apologetically.

'I know and I'm sorry… But I really did have a good reason for that. You see, I've been working my arse off to finish up all of my open cases so that I could take some time off,' Harry explained. 'And guess what? I closed the last one this afternoon! You were totally right about that nephew being the culprit by the way'.

'Told you so!' Draco crowed. Then his eyes widened and his mouth sagged. 'Wait, did you say you'd take some time off?'

Harry beamed.

'Yes. I've been planning this since well before Christmas. I'm taking you away for a couple of weeks, just you and me. Your bags are packed and I've reserved a spot for us on the international floo early tomorrow morning'.

xxx

Heading over to the international floo department the next morning, Draco felt giddy with excitement. Two weeks of blessed, uninterrupted alone time with his mate at some exotic location somewhere… It would be bliss, Draco just knew it. Now if only he could persuade Harry to tell him where they were going…

'Harry,' he said casually. 'Mind telling me where we're going?'

He smiled sweetly, adding a generous amount of allure to enforce his question.

Harry rolled his eyes.

'Nice try Draco. But it so happens I have no intention of telling you where we're going. It's meant to be a surprise,' Harry insisted.

Draco pouted. Harry was just being mean now. He knew perfectly well how Draco hated surprises. Or well, technically speaking that wasn't strictly true. Draco loved surprises, but the anticipation was almost killing him right now.

Would it be a secluded little spot on the beach of some tropical island? Or a trip to a glamorous city like New York or Paris perhaps, staying in a fancy hotel and taking in all the romantic sights? Either one sounded absolutely splendid to Draco right now. If only Harry had let him have a little peek in his trunk, so he could make an educated guess based on what had been packed for him… But oh no, Harry was having none of that. He'd already caught Draco out twice when he tried to sneak a peek and then proceeded to put on some additional locking spells. Done nonverbally of course. Spoilsport.

'Over here,' Harry said, grabbing Draco's arm and pulling him along to one of the private floo rooms.

Waiting in front of the large fireplace, Draco had to summon all his Malfoy restraint not to bounce up and down in excitement. This was it. Just a few moments more and then he'd know where they'd be spending their two week holiday.

The floo was big enough for two. When the time came for them to leave, Harry simply led him into the fireplace and called "Rovaniemi".

Er… What? was all Draco had time to think before the whirlwind took them and they were whooshing through what seemed like endless floo channels. He caught a few glimpses of light that had to be exits, but they all went by in a blur. He clung on to Harry, feeling a little unnerved by their speedy travel and the slightly bumpy ride.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they seemed to slow down a bit. Yes, they were definitely slowing down now, going ever slower until they came to a smooth halt. Dazed, and more than a little dizzy, Draco let himself be led out of the fireplace into a moderately sized hall. The hall was decorated beautifully, the red carpets, white marble and crystal chandeliers giving it a luxurious feel. Christmas decorations were still up, large trees filled with magical lights and delicate, obviously handmade glass baubles.

'Welcome to Rovaniemi, gateway to magical Finnish Lapland,' said the friendly looking witch standing in the middle of the hall.

xxx

Oh dear… Harry thought. Draco did not look amused. Not amused at all. Harry wouldn't say he looked angry exactly… More like… confused? He was worried though, as Draco hadn't said a word since their arrival in Finland.

Harry worried his bottom lip between his teeth as they stepped out into the cold outdoors. After a few formalities that came with being the internationally recognised Harry Potter, Harry had apparated them to the quiet wizarding part of Ivalo in the north of Lapland. They had to walk to the edge of the settlement to apparate to their private log cabin.

The moment they stepped outside, the blonde started shivering. It was cold, Harry couldn't deny that. Quickly, he cast a nonverbal warming spell that should leave the blonde feeling perfectly warm and toasty. The shivering stopped almost immediately, but Draco still didn't speak.

'Look, I'm really sorry Draco,' Harry tried, starting to feel slightly desperate. 'This obviously wasn't anything like what you were expecting. But I promise you, you'll love It when we get there. Really'.

He gave Draco his most apologetic smile and reached out his hand. After a moment of hesitation, Draco silently took it. And that really summed it up, didn't it… Yes, the blonde could still be an annoying git sometimes. If things didn't go as Draco had expected them to, he had a tendency to quietly brood on things. In the end, Draco always gave things a fair chance though. He might sulk for a bit, but then he'd shrug his shoulders and try to make a go of it anyway. Harry loved that about him.

It really was beautiful here, Harry thought. The landscape was mostly flat, immensely wide and covered in a thick layer of crisp new snow. The snow was undisturbed where they were walking now. After a few more paces Harry halted and turned round to look at the trail of footsteps they left behind. He smiled and looked to see Draco smiling too. It was a small smile, slightly reluctant, but still, it was a smile. He squeezed Draco's hand for a moment before grabbing his elbow and apparating them to the isolated spot of their cabin. He had the coordinates memorised, but still he held his breath and closed his eyes as he made the leap.

When he opened his eyes again, he breathed a sigh of relief. Yes. The sturdy log cabin looked just as it had in the pictures. It was secluded, a small dot in the flat, snow covered landscape, only interrupted by a few sparsely placed pine trees. Harry looked over to see Draco's reaction to the cabin and its surroundings. He looked… dubious at best. Oh well. Harry would just have to convince him of its merits now wouldn't he…

xxx

So… This was what Harry had picked out for their first ever holiday together. It was… interesting? Draco wanted to be positive, he really did. Obviously Harry had put a lot of thought into this. He'd put a lot of thought into it and came up with… Finland. A very… basic looking log cabin in the middle of nowhere to be precise. Right… He could work with that… Right?

Summoning up all his courage he gave Harry a what he hoped to be bright smile.

'Alright. Let's check out this cabin shall we?' Draco suggested.

The brilliant smile he got in return settled it. Harry was so obviously happy and Draco's Veela genes really didn't need more than that. If his mate was happy, he was happy. He smiled back at Harry, a genuine smile this time, and followed him into the cabin.

With one foot over the threshold, Draco froze. What had seemed like an ordinary Muggle log cabin on the outside, turned out to be quite the opposite on the inside. Releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Draco stepped further into the cabin.

The place looked lovely. A roaring fire made the place pleasantly warm and the large windows, much larger than they appeared from the outside, gave a spectacular view of their surroundings. The walls and most of the furniture where made from what Draco's expert eye instantly recognised as untreated, premium quality pine. The whole place was softened by large amounts of overstuffed cushions, coming in every shade of white and in every imaginable fabric from a creamy white rough silk to a snow white velvet. The large sofa that dominated the living looked incredibly soft and inviting, almost begging Draco to drag his mate over and drown in its softness.

But first they explored the rest of the cabin, from the cosy little kitchen, filled with all kinds of supplies, to the luxurious bathroom with a large circular tub and an authentic Finnish sauna.

Draco had no trouble getting excited now, who cared about where they were, this cabin was absolute perfection! He almost skipped from room to room, shouting out to Harry in glee as he discovered another one of the wonderful features. When he spotted the massive four-poster bed dominating the bedroom, he actually squealed in delight. So what if it wasn't exactly dignified and certainly un-Malfoy-like? There was no one here but his Harry, and Harry didn't care about being dignified, so why should he? In fact, the more Draco enthused and showed his excitement, the warmer those magnificently green eyes became. It made Draco want to preen and bask in that warmth. In fact…

Draco made to pull Harry on the luscious looking bed, but Harry was being mean again by not cooperating.

'Don't tempt me…' Harry groaned. 'We'll have plenty of time for that, I promise. Merlin yes… I have other plans for now though. Come on'.

'You can't be serious!' Draco whined. 'It's cold and dark out, it must be very late over here. Let's stay inside tonight, we can go outside tomorrow…'

Harry shook his head and smiled.

'It's not that late actually. There's only a couple of hours of time difference between England and here, so it's only early afternoon. The reason it's so dark out is because we're near the Arctic Circle. During the winter it stays dark here most of the day really,' Harry explained.

'Does that mean we'll have really long nights to stay in bed and er… sleep?' Draco asked hopefully.

'Absolutely,' Harry replied, his voice heavy with promise.

xxx

'No!'

'Oh come on… Please? For me?' Harry pleaded, eying Draco hopefully.

'Fine!' Draco fumed. 'But you first'.

Harry laughed.

'Fair enough. Here I go!' he announced, pushing himself up and gliding away on his brand new Muggle ice skates.

Well, calling it gliding was pushing it a bit. Quite a bit actually. It was more of a short, wobbly ride, ending up with Harry planted firmly on his arse. Ouch. That hurt.

'This is not in any way encouraging me to join you!' Draco called out from the edge of the frozen lake. 'Aren't you supposed to be able to do this? You were raised as a Muggle, were you not?'

Harry grimaced.

'You think my idiot relatives ever took me out for anything remotely fun? Please. Besides, it would be way too much like exercise for Dudley to enjoy,' Harry said, trying to scramble to his feet.

'Fun? I'm not seeing it personally. Looks rather painful and humiliating to me,' Draco complained.

Harry carefully placed one skate in front of the other, trying to keep his balance on the slippery surface. After a while, he sort of got the hang of it. He wouldn't say he was skating yet, but his gliding seemed a bit smoother now and he hadn't fallen down for at least five minutes.

'Alright. No more excuses now. It's not that hard, see? Come and join me!' Harry called out.

Draco gave a melodramatic sigh.

'If I fall and break my neck, I shall have to kill you,' he announced solemnly.

'Duly noted,' Harry replied, equally solemn.

The first few seconds of Draco's ice skating escapade were a bit precarious. But then, at the first sign of Draco possibly losing his balance, he spread his wings out in reflex. After that, skating was a piece of cake.

Harry felt exhilarated, watching Draco gliding over the ice. He looked like a professional ice dancer, his moves full of an easy grace, spinning, gliding, taking turns… With the aid of his magnificent wings for added balance he almost flew over the ice.

Harry could only watch in awe, secretly glad that it was just the two of them, no one but a couple of stray birds witness to this vision of perfection. The white of Draco's wings and the pale blonde of his hair were illuminated by the generous amount of magical fairy lights that hovered above the frozen lake. More than ever, Draco looked like a magical creature, his elegant beauty almost ethereal. I am such a lucky man, Harry thought, feeling immensely grateful that he , of all people, was the one that was destined to be Draco's mate. He marvelled at the thought that he had ever hesitated to bond with Draco, worried that to choose the blonde would mean he'd be with Draco and no one else for the rest of his life. Lucky, lucky me, Harry thought again. He knew he was probably grinning like a lovesick fool, but he didn't have it in himself to care.

'Come on Harry, get out here!' Draco shouted.

xxx

Draco flopped down onto the sofa with a dramatic groan.

'I am never moving again… Seriously. I'll have you know I'm in agony here! Muscles are aching that I didn't even know I had,' Draco complained.

'No come on, don't lie down now. That'll only make it worse!' Harry argued feebly, pulling on Draco's arm half-heartedly.

'I'm never going ice skating again,' Draco pouted, finally giving in and letting himself be pulled up by his mate.

Harry snorted.

'Please. You loved it. Might as well admit it. You'd still be out there now if I hadn't dragged you back here. I told you you'd be sore,' Harry said.

'Hmmm,' Draco conceded. 'And not in the way I had planned unfortunately…'

Laughing, Harry pulled the blonde toward the bathroom.

'Come on, we're using that sauna. Supposed to be good for aching muscles, isn't it?' Harry said.

A couple of minutes later, Draco sighed blissfully. Now this was more like it… The heat of the sauna and the proximity of his mate were doing wonders for the aches and pains that had been plaguing him since their little frozen adventure. Cautiously, he wriggled and stretched every part of his body. Yes, much, much better…

Finally being able to think of something besides his poor aching body, he focussed on Harry instead. Immediately, a warmth that rivalled the heat of the sauna spread from his gut to flood the rest of his body. Merlin how he loved that man… Even when he'd been busy trying to win Harry over, trying to seduce him if you like, he hadn't realised just how happy the other man would make him.

Draco looked at his mate now, taking his time to observe him. Just an inch away from Draco, Harry was lying face down on the narrow bench, head resting on his arms, eyes closed, breathing slow. It wasn't often Draco got a chance to look at his mate like this, so Draco leaned back against the wood panelled wall and looked his fill.

To him, Harry was the most beautiful creature in the world. He loved the slender but toned lines of Harry's body. Yes, he knew that Harry was always just a tad too much on the skinny side which made the angles of his elbows, his hips and the famous nobly knees stand out. Draco didn't care. He loved every single one of those sharp angles just as much as he loved the messy mop of dark hair, the soft skin that was so deliciously sensitive to Draco's touch and the inviting curve of Harry's arse.

And it didn't stop there. He also loved to hear Harry talk, loved it when he smiled, loved it when Harry fell asleep in his arms… Draco could go on for hours thinking about all the things he loved about his mate. Of course he wasn't blind to Harry's shortcomings, he really wasn't… Harry's workaholic ways, his refusal to let Draco spoil him rotten with material things, his tendency to try and ignore things that annoyed him instead of just speaking up about them… But they were only slight inconveniences, nothing to the things he loved about that wonderful, big-hearted, gorgeous man.

Draco had never imagined his life could be like that. Never. He gained an immense feeling of accomplishment from his work, had some great friends and a Mother he loved, which was more than he thought he'd ever have if truth be told.

And now he had a mate. Draco didn't know how to explain what a massive difference that made. It was like… Like he'd been short-sighted without knowing it and then could suddenly see again. No, that wasn't it… Draco worried his bottom lip and tried to come up with a better metaphor.

In the end, he decided it was just too big a thing to be described by a single event, no matter how life changing. It was like a lifetime worth of wonderful experiences combined. A piece of music so beautiful it made your heart ache. A breath taking view from the top of a mountain, the feel of delicate, luxurious fabrics such as cashmere or silk, the taste of sinfully rich dark chocolate cake... All of that. All of that and more, Draco thought.

'You're looking at me,' Harry mumbled, not opening his eyes.

Draco smiled.

'Yes. It's hard for me not to,' Draco admitted.

Harry's lips curled up in an answering smile. He opened his eyes. Draco gasped at the warmth he saw in those expressive green eyes. Warmth, heat, love…

Draco bent down as Harry heaved himself up a little, pressing his lips against Harry's in a languid kiss. Harry sighed into the kiss, giving Draco the opportunity to deepen the kiss, lazily curling his tongue around Harry's. Not breaking the kiss, his movements slow as dictated by the heat of the sauna, Harry carefully heaved himself up until he sat on his knees, facing Draco. Draco slipped a hand in the surprisingly soft hair in the back of Harry's neck and kissed his mate slowly, but thoroughly.

Draco revelled in the little sound of a hitched breath as he let his hand slip down Harry's back to run his blunt nails along the line of his spine. He cherished the small "Mmmmm" sound as he let his hand slip further, letting it rest almost casually just above the curve of Harry's arse.

Draco chuckled before releasing Harry's lips. Harry unfolded his legs to sit down on the bench properly, close enough for their shoulders and thighs to almost touch. They sat there together for a while, breathing slowly, enjoying the warmth of the sauna and the nearness of each other. Harry slipped his hand in Draco's quietly, twining their fingers together. Squeezing Harry's hand softly, Draco couldn't help smiling. Sap, Draco silently scolded himself, grinning even wider.

xxx

Something had startled Harry awake, but he didn't know what it was. He blinked his eyes and yawned, trying to wake up enough to figure out what had awoken him. When he felt the impossibly light caress, he instantly knew. Harry smiled and twisted his head a little to watch the white wing hover teasingly above his back.

Draco did that sometimes. They usually slept wrapped up in each other's arms, but not tonight. The heat from the sauna and the exhaustion from the outdoor activities had made sure that they collapsed on top of the huge bed together and almost instantly dropped off to sleep.

On the rare occasions that happened, Draco would always subconsciously search for his mate during the night. He'd restlessly reach out a hand in his sleep, his breath only easing as he made contact with whatever part of Harry was closest. Or, like now, his wings would unfold while he was asleep and hover above Harry protectively. The very tips of the wing brushed over Harry's skin now and again, as if checking that yes, Harry was indeed still there.

Carefully, trying not to wake Draco, Harry turned himself on his back and watched the wing hovering over him. It dipped down every now and again, feathers brushing over his skin lightly. Every time they did, Harry held his breath.

After a while, Harry noticed that the movements of the wing seemed to become more frequent. They also seemed more… purposeful. Not touching Harry randomly, but actually caressing his arm, tickling his chest, tracing the line from his hip to his thigh…

'You're awake,' Harry whispered.

He turned his head and looked into a pair of wide open, silvery grey eyes. Draco was lying on his front, one wing resting relatively peacefully while the other ghosted over Harry's skin. The sleek blonde hair fell over Draco's face, partially hiding it. It didn't hide the shining grey eyes though, nor the devilish smirk curling his lips.

'I am,' Draco admitted, lowering his wing to cover most of Harry's naked body.

Harry shivered. As much as he loved the sight of those glorious wings, that was nothing compared to how he felt about their touch against his skin. The feathers seemed to somehow thrum his nerve endings, sending delicious jolts of pleasure through his entire body. He was instantly hard. Hard, panting and aching for more…

Harry lay still for as long as he could, allowing Draco to almost drive him insane with his teasing caresses. But he didn't last long. In no time at all, he made a grab for Draco and pulled the blonde on top of him. Not disgruntled in the least, Draco just laughed and straddled Harry's hips.

Harry hissed approvingly as his erection made contact with Draco's, evoking another one of those not-purrs from his Veela mate. Harry pulled the blonde down impatiently, almost crashing their lips together in a ferocious kiss. Draco gave a low, possessive sounding growl as he threw himself into the kiss with full conviction.

Harry reached up to touch Draco. His hands roamed around the blonde's body restlessly, trying to touch, stroke, caress every single part of the achingly familiar pale skin. Draco mumbled approving words in between kisses, sighing happily as Harry's hand came to rest, buried in the soft white feathers of Draco's wings.

Harry whispered words like beautiful… mine… yours… love… so much… They didn't make a lot of sense, yet their meaning was perfectly clear to the both of them. Draco hummed approvingly and pressed a wet, heated kiss against the skin of Harry's neck and shoulder for every word.

Soon, the trail of kisses travelled further down, leaving Harry less and less coherent. His whole body broke out in goose bumps and he started to shiver uncontrollably as Draco's lips slowly made their way down Harry's chest. Draco took his time, lavishing attention on Harry's nipples before moving on.

'Draco… please…' Harry whimpered.

Draco's eyes locked with Harry's for a moment before the finally, finally, took Harry in his mouth. Harry gasped, throwing his head back in wordless surrender.

As always, Harry's needs were Draco's needs, just as Draco's needs were Harry's. The longer they were together, the stronger their bond became. Now, Harry sometimes didn't know where his own feelings ended and those of Draco began. He vaguely realised that that would have been something quite terrifying to the old Harry. But that was no longer him. This Harry had nothing to fear here. This Harry could just close his eyes and both conquer and surrender at the same time…

Draco's tongue did the most wicked things to Harry's senses. It curled lazily around the tip of Harry's cock, flicking it teasingly before twirling down. Draco took him in as far as he could, sucked, then started slowly bobbing his head up and down. He knew just what Harry liked, used his tongue, his mouth, his fingers to push Harry to the edge.

Before long, Harry was thrashing on the bed. He tried to keep himself from bucking up into Draco's mouth, but it was no use. Draco didn't stop him, only placed a hand on Harry's stomach when it got too much for him.

Suddenly, Harry had had enough. Enough of lying back, enough of being the one almost trembling with desire. He gently pushed against Draco's shoulder, kept pushing until the blonde released him and looked up in confusion.

'Your turn,' Harry said simply, pushing himself upright.

Draco opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but Harry swooped in to silence him with a kiss before he had the chance to form the words.

Draco moaned and almost melted in Harry's arms. He let himself be pulled into Harry's lap, quickly settling his arms around Harry's waist. Harry pulled him close, wrapping his own arms firmly around the blonde. After a moment's hesitation, Draco swept his wings forward, circling them to form something like a protective cocoon around the two of them.

That startled Harry out of their kiss. He looked up and stared at the circular, white-feathered wall surrounding them.

'Wow,' he whispered. 'That's… amazing. What made you do that?'

Draco shrugged.

'Don't know…' he answered softly. 'Being here, with you, in this secluded little corner of the world… It makes me feel like it's just you and me. Just you and me. I like that… Sheltering us with my wings like this, I suppose it only enhances that feeling'.

Harry beamed at him.

'You're right. For right here, right now, it is just the two of us. And Draco, I'm loving every second of it,' he admitted breathlessly.

Draco kept his wings firmly in place as Harry claimed his lips once more. It was a tender kiss this time, tender and intense. Draco let himself sink into it, fully enjoying the soft slide of lips and tongue against his, while Harry's hands started a little expedition down Draco's body. Draco moaned at the touch of those strong, sensitive hands, stroking, caressing, kneading…

Draco loved the feel of those hands, on his back, his chest, his thighs… They made him shiver with pleasure, the touch of his mate like basking in the first rays of morning sun on a beautiful Spring day. He loved those hands on every part of his body, but when the hands moved to flutter over his wings, the sensations moved to a whole other level. Even that delicate, barely there touch was enough to wreak havoc on Draco's senses. Draco bit his lip to stifle a cry. But when Harry buried his fingers in the soft white fingers, there was no helping it.

Draco moaned, the moan turning into a whimper when Harry hit particularly sensitive spots like the long feathers round the edge of the wings, or the soft down near the base. Goose bumps broke out over Draco's skin and his heart felt like it was about to burst. He felt so alive like this, open and vulnerable, but not in a bad way. Not in a bad way at all…

Yes, the feel of his mate's hands on his wings drove him dangerously close to losing all control, but it had much the same effect on Harry. Draco looked at his mate now, the way his magnificently green eyes were heavy lidded, his mouth slightly sagged, a look of complete bliss on his face. Every quiver that rippled through Draco's wings, sent an answering shiver through Harry's body. The feeling of being connected was immense, even stronger than with simple skin to skin contact.

When Harry let his fingers rake through the mass of white feathers, Draco gasped his breath. Harry groaned loudly, closing his eyes for a moment to gather himself. He exhaled heavily, blinking profusely as if to bring the world back into focus. With one final, loving caress, Harry moved his hands reluctantly away from Draco's wings, only to bury them in the soft blonde locks of Draco's hair instead.

'Beautiful,' Harry whispered, gently slipping his hands down to come to rest on either side of Draco's face. He traced Draco's cheekbones with his thumbs, followed the line of his jaw, his chin, nose…

Draco's breath quickened as he felt the almost reverent caresses. He buried his own hands in the messy dark locks on Harry's head, gently massaging his scalp. Harry moaned blissfully at the gentle pressure. The sound made Draco's erection strain painfully against his stomach. In an effort to spur Harry into action, Draco settled himself in Harry's lap, aligning his arse with the hot hardness of Harry's cock.

Harry sucked in his breath at the sensation, his hands almost subconsciously slipping down to rest on Draco's arse.

'Yessss… Please… Want you to…' Draco panted.

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He quickly whispered a lubrication charm and slid a finger between the blonde's arse cheeks. Draco lifted his arse obligingly, hissing in a jumble of pleasure and pain as Harry pushed first one, then two fingers into him.

They'd performed this little ritual so many times now, Harry knew exactly how to angle his fingers to be able to nudge that mind blowing spot deep inside Draco. Harry probed it, again and again, leaving Draco near breathless. Draco threw his head back and moaned, exposing his neck for the gentle nips and bites Harry traced there. When Draco pushed himself back, looking for more, Harry pushed a third finger in and started thrusting into him.

Draco shook his head impatiently. He reached behind him and determinedly grabbed hold of Harry's throbbing cock. Harry looked up at him with burning eyes. Now? they asked silently. Yes, now… was Draco's equally silent answer.

Carefully, holding his breath, Harry pushed into Draco. Draco's eyes widened, his nostrils flared with a sharp intake of breath. But then he exhaled and Harry knew it was safe to push on. When he was fully sheathed in Draco, he paused, waiting for Draco to adjust to the familiar feeling of being filled, being connected. Draco's wings quivered with the rest of his body, right before he slowly began to move.

Straight away, Harry noticed a difference. Their lovemaking had always been passionate, right from that very first time. Their magic often came into play, making the experience both more pleasurable and more intense. So the magic he felt now, shouldn't be any different really… But it was.

'What's happening…' Harry breathed.

Draco never stopped moving, the feeling of electrifying pleasure mingling with the ripples of magic that seemed to be all around them. Draco's eyes shone so brightly, it was almost difficult for Harry to look into them, but at the same time impossible to look away.

Draco wrapped his legs around Harry's waist, bent his head and pressed a kiss at the base of Harry's neck. Magic seemed to soar around them, pushing them together, isolating them from the rest of the world.

'I'm not sure,' Draco whispered against Harry's skin, kissing it over and over again. 'It's the wings I think, the way I'm holding them. I… sort of felt compelled to do that…'

Harry obligingly held his head to the side to expose more of his neck, silently asking for more of those delicious kisses. When Draco's teeth grazed his collarbone, he almost yelped, feeling it like a small bolt of electricity. He gasped when Draco did it again.

No more words were spoken. They were all movement, heat, tension built up to impossible heights. Draco moaned as Harry pushed up to thrust deeper inside him. Harry panted with the exertion, thrusting up, deeper, harder, faster…

Draco threw back his head and started to move with Harry, meeting him thrust for thrust. With one hand, he steadied himself on Harry's shoulder, while the other slid down to take his cock in a firm grip. Harry shivered at the sight of that pale hand, slowly working up and down the length of Draco's cock. The air around them was almost suffocating, heavy with the hum of magic, making Harry feel as if his lungs were about to burst. But every time he thought he'd have to stop, thought he couldn't go on, it turned out that, yes he could. He could and he needed to, wanted to, had to…

'Harry…' Draco cried out.

Draco snapped his head back up to look at Harry, body convulsing in orgasmic shudders as he came. Harry could do no more than let out a hoarse cry as his own orgasm took him, coming deep inside Draco, his hips still thrusting up reflexively.

Their magic crackled around them, the sparks actually prickling their skin. It felt like a whirlwind, turning round and round them in the circle that was formed by Draco's wings. The force of it would have been scary, if they hadn't known instantly that this was a force that could never hurt them, powerful though it was. Draco's wings quivered and slowly retracted themselves as the magic simmered down, still present, still powerful, but more peaceful now…

Harry let himself sink backwards, dragging Draco with him. Together, they enjoyed the new feeling of an even deeper connection, experiencing it quietly as their breath calmed along with their hearts.

xxx

The next twenty four hours or so were spent primarily in bed. Harry rumbled around in the kitchen a bit, making sure they wouldn't starve to death. And Draco did insist on trying out that marvellous tub together, which was very interesting indeed… But mostly they stayed in bed, talking, kissing, touching…

The rest of their holiday was spent in much the same way, although they did venture out on occasion. Draco surprised Harry with tickets to an exclusive New Year's Eve party in Helsinki. Well, he was a Malfoy, was he not? Even the wizarding society in Finland recognised that. And bringing the illustrious Harry Potter as his date didn't hurt either.

The party was fantastic, worth it if only for the chance to dress up. Draco revelled in the attention they drew, but most of all he revelled in the feel of the arm wrapped tightly around his waist. They had a great time, enjoying the magical fireworks, chatting to all the guests, dancing, drinking large amounts of firewhiskey and Muggle champagne… But when midnight had come and gone, they quietly sneaked out, unwilling to be with anyone but each other.

They apparated back to their cabin, standing outside to again admire the picture it made, all lit up amidst the vast whiteness of the snow. Or that was what Harry was doing anyway, until he was suddenly hit by a large snowball.

'Hey!' Harry complained, turning around to glare at Draco accusingly.

Draco smirked. Anticipating Harry's move, he was already waiting for him. The snowball hit Harry right in the face this time. Harry spluttered and blinked profusely, before recovering enough to stage a counter attack.

'Right, that does it!' he exclaimed.

'Hey, no fair!' Draco squeaked as he was being bombarded by snowballs directed his way by a simple flick of Harry's wand.

Harry grinned, not letting up his assault for a moment. Draco decided to make a run for it, using his own wand to send an occasional snowball flying over his shoulder. He had no idea if he was hitting Harry at all. He didn't dare look behind him to check, knowing his mate was hot on his heels. Draco's blood was racing through his veins, his breath coming in shallow gulps. His heart was pounding, loud and fast. Draco felt… alive, exhilarated, on fire…

Breathlessly, he let himself be caught, right outside the cabin's door. He didn't complain when he was pinned against said door, didn't say a word when Harry kissed him nearly senseless. He did say a couple of words though, when a handful of snow was suddenly dumped down his expensive robes. The feeling of cold snow, dripping down his back had him cursing and swearing. Harry laughed so hard he almost cried. Draco kicked at his ankle viciously in retaliation.

'Oh come on, you deserved it,' Harry complained, rubbing his ankle with a grimace of pain.

Well, maybe… Draco thought. But he wasn't about to admit that out loud, now was he… Deciding that Harry had probably been punished enough, he let himself be dragged into the cabin and back into that heavenly bed. They camped out there for the rest of the day, with Harry mumbling something about starting the year as you mean to go on. That sounded quite alright to Draco.

xxx

'Draco… Draco, wake up'.

Draco squeezed his eyed firmly shut. No. No way was he waking up. He was good thanks, lying wrapped around a warm, naked Harry. He was staying put.

'Draco, come on. Wake up. Please?' Harry insisted.

He squirmed in Draco's arms, obviously trying to free himself of Draco's embrace. Draco sighed. It seemed his mate wasn't about to give up. Reluctantly, he opened one eye and loosened his grip on the man in his arms.

'What?' he grumbled.

Harry sat up excitedly and started to pull on some clothes. Already Draco wasn't liking this.

'We're going outside. Come on, hurry!' Harry said, throwing Draco some clothes he was apparently meant to wear.

Draco looked at him with incredulity. Then he shrugged his shoulders, turned his back on Harry and curled himself into a ball to try and get back to sleep.

'You do what you have to do. I'm staying here,' Draco said. He closed his eyes and yawned.

'Nooooooo! Come on Draco, get up. I'm serious. You have to see this,' Harry insisted, dragging Draco out of bed by his arm.

Five minutes later, Harry led a very disgruntled looking Draco out into the cold.

'This is sooo stupid,' he complained. 'And cold. And dark. Stupidly cold and dark…'

'Stop complaining you silly git,' Harry scolded him, rolling his eyes.

After only a couple of steps, Harry looked around, sideways and up and nodded in satisfaction. Draco looked on in confusion. Why had they stopped here? They were just a couple of paces outside the house, on a clear spot, slightly raised from the otherwise flat ground.

Draco would have serious doubts about his mate's sanity, if every one of his sometimes crazy seeming ideas hadn't turned out ok at worst, brilliant at best. He bit back a smile as he remembered Harry's latest surprise, a visit to one of many of the working sawmills in Finland, this one a magical one of course. Draco had had the time of his life, bombarding everyone they met with questions about the different trees, the magical properties they had and which spells and charms worked best with what type of wood. He'd spent an indecent amount of Galleons, purchasing large quantities of pine, spruce and birch. Only the finest quality of course. He'd been worried that this would be boring for Harry, but Harry had just smiled indulgently and told him to take his time.

If Harry could do that for him, then surely he could do this for Harry, right? Right.

Or not, he thought, as he was suddenly pulled down to lie flat on his back in the cold and wet snow.

'What the fuck did you do that for?' he complained, trying for another one of those vicious kicks, aiming for Harry's shins this time.

But Harry was ready for him and dodged the attack with a quick shift to the right. He must have cast a silent spell at the same time, because the snow suddenly didn't feel cold or wet anymore. Just… soft. Quite comfortable really. But still, pulling Draco to the ground like that, without a warning, was just not on. He opened his mouth to tell Harry exactly what he thought about that, but was unexpectedly silenced by a sudden flash of green light.

He looked up to the sky and watched in awe as whirls of green light seemed to dance gracefully across the dark sky. New whirls appeared as others died out, most of them green, but there were some bright pink and almost white ones as well.

Draco didn't know how long he'd been watching. He just lay there in wonder, unblinking, his hand clasped firmly in Harry's.

'I know what this is…' Draco whispered, not taking his eyes of the incredible sight above him.

'Yes,' Harry said. 'Aurora Borealis. Or "Revontulet" as it is usually referred to by the local Muggles'.

Draco looked to the side to smile at Harry. He touched his free hand to Harry's lips in wonder.

'You remembered… I told you about this ages ago, and you remembered…' Draco said quietly.

Harry nodded, flushing slightly.

'Father used to tell me about this,' Draco said softly. 'I used to beg him when I was a child, to tell me the story over and over again, the story of Ignem Quince. I used to love that story. Very romantic. Ignem lost the woman he loved and then roamed the earth in his animagus form. It was a…'

'A fox, I know,' Harry interrupted him, squeezing Draco's hand softly. 'I remember'.

They looked up at the sky some more, marvelling at the spectacular sight of dancing ropes of light, always moving, always changing.

'Father told me the fox animagus searched for a glimpse of the spirit of his lost love. Whenever he spotted her, his tail would whip through the skies, creating this enchanting show of lights. He told me that Grandfather took him to see the lights once, but he couldn't remember where it was. He was just a small boy at the time,' Draco twisted his head to look at Harry before continuing: 'How did you know where to go?'

Harry snorted.

'Hermione of course, who else? She looked it up on her Muggle computer and found it straight away. Did you know the Muggles have a legend about this too? They know it's something to do with a fox's tail apparently. Although they don't understand the magic of it of course. Muggle scientists try and explain it as electrical particles, floating through the atmosphere randomly'.

Draco shook his head in bewilderment.

'I'll never truly understand Muggles,' he sighed.

Draco turned on his side and pulled on Harry's hand, rolling Harry over to face him.

'Thank you for this,' Draco said, his silver eyes sparkling with emotion. 'For all of it I mean'.

Harry gazed back at him intensely. Then his lips curled into a soft smile.

'You're welcome. And thank you as well,' he said.

Draco raised his eyebrow in question.

'What for?' he asked, looking puzzled.

Harry leant in and pressed a kiss on Draco's lips.

'For being you,' Harry said. 'And for being mine…'

All of a sudden, Draco found it difficult to breathe. He didn't know what to say, didn't have the words to express just how much that statement meant to him. But then Harry squeezed his hand and smiled at him. I know. Harry didn't say the words out loud, but Draco heard them all the same.

Wordlessly, Draco released one of his wings and gently covered his mate with it. It turned out, they didn't actually need words. Just each other.

xxx

Reviews much appreciated :-)