A/N; hello again, sorry this is a day late. Thank you to my reviewers, I'm glad you like this :). Well, this is the last chapter; enjoy!

XXxxXX

Someone's knocking at my door.

I roll over in bed, groaning as I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, hoping they'll go away. It's been three days since Potter's last visit, since I locked myself in the bathroom until I left, and I wasn't expecting to see him again.

Their still there, you know.

All of a sudden I realise how familiar this situation is.

I tumble out of bed, my muscles cracking in protest as I make my way out of my bedroom and towards the front door. I'm only in a pair of loose pyjama bottoms, but I'm too lazy to through anything else on.

"Potter, I wasn't expecting- oh, it's you." I open the door, only to find a middle aged woman with long brown hair in a business suit stood there. She's my landlor-lady. She hit me the first time I called her landlord, and I still have the bruise.

"Who were you expecting, the tooth fairy?" She smirks, her eyes travelling down my chest as I yawn, pretending not to notice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you? Long night?" She grins evilly, her mind spinning as she adds two and two to make ten.

"What? No, why, what time is it?"

"About four in the afternoon, actually."

"WHAT? Oh shit!" I run a hand through my hair – something which is not done very often – before sighing. So that's why she thought that.

"So, who's the lucky lady?"

"There is none, Carla, I just slept in – a lot. So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

She clicks her tongue, clearly not believing me, but flicks back her hair and answers anyway.

"I just stopped by to remind you about the rent you owe me; you remember, the rent that last month you were late with and this month you owe me by tomorrow latest?"

Oh shit. That's not good. I groan, wrapping my arms around my body – it's cold out here goddamn it! – as I try to think of something I can reply to that.

"Oh yeah," I finally settle on "thanks for that."

She glares at me sternly, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Oh, Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy, whatever shall I do with you? You know, if you weren't so bloody cute I would have kicked you out straight away last month. You do have my money, don't you?"

"Erm-…well -…"

"I'll lend you the money."

I must have jumped about a foot in the air as the voice reached my ears, causing Carla to peer around me to see who had spoken. Harry came up beside me, wrapping an arm around me shoulders as he grinned at me – I simply stared at him in shock, not knowing quite what to think.

"Oh, Draco!" I snap my head back around to face Carla who's now smiling at us adoringly. "When you said there's no woman, I never even imagined that there was a man instead! Why is it that all the cute ones are always gay or taken?"

She looks rather put out at the- wait, gay?

"Oh no, I'm not gay-…"

"Oh, come now Draco, you know I don't mind either way. Well, it's nice to know you're not totally alone up here, you look like such a sweet couple. Just remember to have that money to me tomorrow – cheerio now!"

And she's gone, leaving a strong smell of perfume behind her.

"What the hell…" I mumble, slowly shutting the door before pulling away from the still smiling Gryffindor and turning to face him.

"What the hell?" I repeat, louder this time, causing him to look a little worried. Well, good. So he should be.

"Thanks a lot! Now, not only does that damn woman think I'm gay – which I'm not – I now also have to find the money that you've just told her she'll have by tomorrow! What the fuck am I going to do now? And just when the hell did you get here anyway?"

I run out of steam, panting as he stares at me, one eyebrow raised. He pulls off his coat, slinging it over the back of the couch again before replying.

"I told you I'd pay, didn't I?" I don't even notice that he just avoided most of my questions.

"I – what?"

"I'll give you the money. It's no dent in my bank, and I know that Lucius had your account frozen, so I don't mind letting you have the money to pay for this place."

"Oh-um…" I know I can't really argue, because I do need the money. I haven't really been planning my money well, and have pretty much been living on the relatively small amount I managed to pull from the family vaults before taking off; I don't know how I planned to survive for too long. I'll have to seriously consider getting a job.

Oh, how wrong it is for a Malfoy to say that.

He takes my stunned silence for acceptance, and sits down.

"What do you want in return?" I sigh, knowing this can't be him simply 'helping out a friend' or something similar.

"What do you mean?" He asks, looking honestly bewildered.

"Well, you must want something in return. I don't believe that you would simply lend your long term enemy such an amount of money when you've barely managed a civil conversation with them."

"You're not my enemy, not when I have people like Voldermort trying to kill me."

Ah, Voldermort, will you ever just piss off out of my life?

I sigh tiredly, watching curiously as his eyes roam over my body. What is he- oh my god. I'm still topless. Ah, bugger it.

"Ah, I'm just going to get changed." He looks away, blushing, nodding quickly as I leave the room. Once in my bedroom, I quickly pulled on a pair of black jeans and a dark red t-shirt (cursing such a Gryffindor colour) before walking back into the living room.

I sit down on the couch, and Harry – when did he become Harry anyway? – passes me a glass of lemonade, which I thank him for but don't drink, preferring instead to watch him as he downs his. His black hair – messy as always – falls over his eyes even as he tilts his head back, and I notice just how long it's become, now falling almost to the base of his neck.

"Do you ever brush your hair?" I have to ask, and I he chuckles lightly to cover up his embarrassment as he shakes his head.

"I run a comb through it every now and then, but it doesn't do much good, unfortunately."

I don't reply, finally choosing to take a sip of my drink.

"What are you doing back here?" My voice is quiet, almost scared, but I stubbornly label it cautious. I'm a Malfoy, albeit a very bad one.

Harry studies me for a few moments in silence, and I have the urge to chew my lip worriedly, but manage to keep my face devoid of emotion – thank god. Finally, he sighs, setting down his cup before turning to face me, crossing his legs underneath him on the couch. I turn his way a little too, tucking one leg underneath me and propping the other one up on the couch behind it.

"Who says I need a reason to visit you?"

The answer shocks me, much more than the news of Snape being a spy did, and I find myself furrowing my brows in confusion. Finally, I scowl at him, taking up a defensive position in the conversation.

"And here I was thinking you were going to plead for my help again." I drawl, throwing my nose into the air as I look away. I'm being stupid. I don't care. Serves him right, the stupid, idiot, stubborn Gryffindor.

He doesn't rise to the bait.

"Perhaps. But I wouldn't beg you to, even if that was the only thing that would make you come back. Listen, Draco, I- would it be stupid for me to say that I've missed you?"

"E-excuse me?"

Think I was surprised a minute ago? Hell, I'm about to have a nervous breakdown right about now.

"I – I – ah, it's nothing. I'm sorry, I –…"

What, he's going to back out now? He stands up to leave, but I find myself grabbing his wrist. There is no way in hell that I'm going to let him leave before he explains what he meant.

I tug at his arm, causing him to fall on top of me. We both blush, and try to right ourselves, but in the end he's basically sitting in my lap, one leg either side of mine. He tries to move again, but I put my hands on his hips to hold him in place, ignoring our – ah, compromising – position. No, it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm decidedly comfortable here; I just want him to tell me what he meant before he can try to escape again.

"What do you mean? You said something similar the other day…Harry, why do you need me? What the hell have I got to do with anything?"

My voice is quiet, gently yet demanding, and he must realise I don't intend to let him go because he sighs before finally answering.

"I-…Back in school, you were like…I don't know how to describe it. You were the most normal thing in my life, the one thing I could count on to stay the same. No matter what was going on around me, no matter who shocked me by denying either side, no matter what, I could always count on you to hate me. I found myself looking forward to our fights; they told me I was still human, still alive, still capable of feeling, but most of all they told me that not everything was changing. No matter who let me down, I could always count on you.

'But then, when we left school, you ran away. I searched for you, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. The one constant thing in my life had suddenly changed, and I wanted to know how, why…I needed to find you. But when I did, I didn't know what to do. I could show up on your door-step, scare the shit out of you, and you would hate me and we would fight as usual…but something in me didn't want that. I didn't want to fight with you."

I'm confused to say the least, and I'm sure it shows on my face because he sighs again, closing his eyes briefly before opening them, determination flashing in them.

"What did you want then?" I find myself asking, breathing out heavily as I do so.

"This."

And, living up to his true fame of being the only person who has ever managed to render me speechless, Harry leans in and kisses me.

My eyes fly open wide, and he leans back just as suddenly as he leaned in, suddenly looking scared and lost as he tries to pull away.

And I, being an idiot, let him.

He's out of my door and out of my life before I can even blink. Shit.

XXxxXX

I cannot believe I'm doing this. I simply cannot believe I'm doing this. Of all the most stupid, idiotic things I have ever done, this has to out-do them all. I am an idiot. I cannot believe I am doing this!

I have all my belongings – or the important ones, anyway – in this simple, small rucksack that sits upon my back, and I've already spoken to Carla, promising to post the money to her with quite a bit extra, asking her not to sell the flat for another day or two in case my plan fails. After guessing – more or less correctly, for once – that I was off to talk to my 'boyfriend' about 'moving in with him', she sent me off with a smile and a wave, wishing me good luck and telling me we were a lovely couple. I laughed, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, and walked away.

The butterflies are gone. The hawks invaded not so long ago, however, and I'm absolutely terrified right now! What if he didn't mean it? What if he just did it to get me to come back?

Well, then it worked, didn't it?

I cannot believe I am doing this!

I traipse along the ministry corridors, dodging busy workers as they scurry past, ducking my head lower in a vain attempt to stop anybody recognising me. It's a long shot, but they all seem in too much of a hurry to care anyway, and I highly doubt anyone's going to take the time to stop and read the badge pinned to my robes that proudly states my name. If they do, of course, I may just have to stun them.

Quickly, before they stun me.

I quicken my pace, turning left and just hoping that I've come the right way. I hope, really hope that I've come to the right place, because I didn't know where else to go. Oh, please let her be here.

"Granger!"

Thank god she's here! I turn into the office that she shares with two other people, pleased to see that the bushy haired witch is alone, sitting at a table that's over-crowded with many books and pieces of parchment. She had previously been scribbling away at some official type document, but looked up, startled, when I called her name.

"Malfoy?" She cries, standing up quite suddenly and gaping at me, hand on her wand.

"What the hell?"

"You know, that has to be the first time I've ever heard you even come close to swearing," I can't help but say, smiling friendly as I pull off the rucksack and dump it on the floor.

"Long time no see."

I don't think that's what she was expecting me to say, because her mouth's still hanging open, her knuckles white as she grips her wand.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you," I say, holding up my hands defensively "it's just, Harry mentioned you work here, and the thing is, I -…"

"Harry?" She says, her mouth finally closing. "You've spoken to Harry?"

I cock my head to one side, furrowing my brows.

"You mean he never said anything?"

She thinks for a few moments before lowering her wand slowly, but she doesn't put it away.

"Actually," she says "I remember him saying that he was going to search for you. I guess he finally found you…and he has disappeared a few times and never told us where he was going – not often though, once yesterday, once two weeks or so ago…"

"And once after a death eater attack during which he lost his wand, right?"

Finally she appears to believe me, and she smiles grimly, sitting back down.

"Ah, so you were his mysterious helper."

"Not by choice, I assure you. He just appeared on my doorstep; what was I supposed to do, leaving him bleeding to death only to bring the entire wizarding world to my doorstep when he's found lying there dead the next day? I don't think so."

She smiles, properly, at me, gesturing to a seat in the corner of the room which a drag closer.

"So," she breathes in deeply "what can I do for you?"

"Well…um, you see…I need to get hold of Harry?"

The Gryffindor looks at me curiously, twirling her wand in her hand a little.

"Oh yes?" She asks.

"Yes." I reply simply, not wishing to tell her any more than that. She purses her lips together, obviously not wanting to give details of his whereabouts, and I sigh dejectedly.

"All right, all right, I'll bloody well tell you. Look, here's the deal; Harry said some really important stuff to me the other day, then ran out before I got a chance to reply. The thing is, I really need to talk to him now, and since he always comes to my place, I don't know how to get hold of him. I was hoping you would tell me."

Granger merely looks at me for a few moments, then her eyes travel down to the rucksack at my feet before she looks back at me. I can see her mind working away in her head, sifting through the information to come to a suitable conclusion. Please oh please don't let her figure it out…

Finally she sighs, giving a small nod before pulling out a blank piece of parchment and writing down what I can only assume is his address. She passes it to me and I thank her, barely glancing at it before picking up my rucksack and heading towards the door.

"Oh, and Draco?"

I pause, looking over my shoulder to see that she's already scribbling away again, and she doesn't look up.

"If you hurt him, I will have to kill you."

I smile at her, pulling the door closed behind me as I dart out into the corridor, feeling her eyes on my back until I round the corner out of sight.

She knows.

XXxxXX

Standing in front of his door, I realised just how easy it had been to get here. No traps, no hexes, no wards (that I could detect, anyway) no…anything. In fact, Harry was living in a muggle apartment; the first floor of a large Victorian house that had been converted to be used as flats. There was a small corridor outside his front door, naturally, which had stairs at the end leading up to the next flat, but this is where I found myself standing, on his door step with my hand poised to knock.

I lost my nerve, letting my arm fall back to my side. It's funny, his flat is not that far from mine; in fact, it's just in the next street over, which is why I don't understand why he came to my place all those weeks ago instead of going home.

Although, Harry never made sense to me. Maybe though…I let myself hold a small bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, Harry wanted to come to my flat, wanted to see me. With that thought in mind, I knock on the door.

It's opened not long after by a rather bewildered looking Harry, and it suddenly hits me just how weird this must seem. It was dark outside by the time I arrived, meaning it's probably quite late, and it was raining so I'm probably quite wet, but I never noticed because I was so caught up in my thoughts. I don't care right now, either, because Harry's talking, and my eyes are trained on his lips.

"Draco, I- how did you find me?"

"Did you mean it?" I make my eyes meet his, and I see the confusion in his eyes.

"What?"

"Did you mean it when you kissed me?"

I shiver a little, feeling a drop of water trail down my neck, and I pull my cloak tighter around me. Harry sighs, running a hand through his hair as he opens the door to let me in.

"I'd rather not to this on the doorstep, if you don't mind," he says, and I walk in. Well, his place is certainly nicer than mine, it has to be said. The front door opens onto a half corridor, with a bright, spacious living room on the right and a kitchen in the large alcove behind the wall of the corridor. I imagine there's a bathroom and bedroom to the left, but I can't be bothered to look as Harry leads me into the living room, taking my cloak and performing a quick drying and heating charm on me which I thank him for, dropping my rucksack to the floor. We both sit down on the couch, and as he doesn't say anything I feel the need to break the awkward silence that's befallen us.

"Did you mean it, Harry?"

He avoids looking at my eyes, running a hand through his hair again.

"You know I did. How did you find me?" He asks quickly, before I can ask another question.

Sighing in frustration, I answer the question quickly.

"I went to see Granger in the ministry. She's done all right for herself, considering she's only what, seventeen, eighteen?"

"Seventeen, for now." Harry corrects me, smiling a little at the compliment on behalf of his friend.

"What are you doing here?" His voice is so quiet I almost don't here it, but I do, and I can see the worry in his eyes. What does he think I'm going to do, curse him, hit him, yell at him? Bloody hell!

I don't know what to say, so instead I lean forward and kiss him, placing my hand behind his head to stop him moving away. His eyes widen in surprise at first, and he gasps, allowing me time to sneak my tongue into his mouth; another thing which he didn't expect. His lips move clumsily against mine, but I don't mind, because the noises he's making more than make up for it and the way his tongue runs along mine is just so-so-

- and his hands grip at my clothing as our kiss deepens, becoming more passionate, steamy and-and- and I never realised just how hard it is to think whilst kissing.

We pull away slowly, and it takes a moment or two for him to open his eyes.

"Wow," he breathes, and I giggle a little, before realising that - oh my bloody god I just giggled!

Harry, however, must have thought it cute or something, because he grinned widely, kissing me again, lovingly, pulling back before it could become too intense.

"I- I think I'm falling in love with you," he says, his voice quiet and husky, but still full of love and adoration.

"Good," I reply, kissing him briefly on the lips "because I love you too. Besides, I don't randomly appear out of hiding for just anyone you know."

He takes a moment to ponder the statement, before drawing back a little.

"You mean-…"

I bite my lip a little before replying, my voice firm and confident.

"Yeah. I'll back. I'll fight with you. On one condition."

I don't think anything could wipe the grin of his face right now.

"What's that then?"

I lean forward for another kiss, my lips lingering on his as I seek reassurance.

"Never, ever leave me," I finally say, and he smiles even wider – how is that possible? – before pulling me back in for another kiss.

I don't know when things changed between us, and I don't know how or why, but I don't regret any of it.

And I have to remember to find the death eater that sliced Harry's arm open; I must give him a heartfelt thank you, after all, for giving Harry an excuse to come visit.

As terrible clichéd and unnecessary as that excuse was. I would have loved my Gryffindor either way.

XXxxXX

A/N; ah, finally, it's over! Thank god! I've been writing this thing for moths, so now it's over I can finally concentrate solely on veela genes.

Reviews are appreciated!