
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11818191.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      No_Archive_Warnings_Apply, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Draco_Malfoy/Harry_Potter
  Character:
      Harry_Potter, Draco_Malfoy, Sirius_Black, Remus_Lupin, Lucius_Malfoy,
      Voldemort, Albus_Dumbledore
  Additional Tags:
      Porn_With_Plot, Emphasis_on_PLOT, Top_Harry, Bottom_Draco, Dirty_Talk,
      Anal_Sex, Draco_Has_No_Filter, Fluff, Angst, Cute_House_Elf, Sequel,
      Draco_Makes_a_Decission, Voldemort_is_not_pleased
  Series:
      Part 2 of Simple_Acts
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-08-16 Words: 15972
****** A Boyfriend is a Privilege ******
by XxTheDarkLordxX
Summary
     “Just because I like Harry’s cock up my arse does not mean that you
     get to judge me.” Harry groaned pitifully at Draco's words as he
     heard gasps coming from the Dursley's nosy neighbors.
     “You don’t see me judging you for having a long necked—belongs in a
     muggle zoo—looking wife. Where you place your prick is none of my
     business.”
     Sometimes, Harry really hated his boyfriend.
Notes
     !Warning! I wouldn't say you HAVE to read the first one but I would
     recommend it. There are key things that just won't make sense
     otherwise.
     Alright, I don't think there was a single comment in the last story
     that didn't ask for a sequel. So, I listened, here it is. I would
     like to say that this one has a lot of plot. I know I said that in
     the tags for the last one but to continue the story line from the
     last one I HAD to write A LOT of plot. Like a lot. I am just not the
     kind of author that can summarize major events in a small recap. I
     just have to write it out. Hence the now series instead of just the
     one sequel. I could have answered all of your questions in just one
     story with recaps and time skips but I just can't do it. I am a
     sucker for details.
     Note, there is a point in this one where a letter Dumbledore sent
     Harry is used. It is the exact same letter as used in the original
     book, I wanted to keep it authentic-ish.
     !Warning!- I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. All
     rights to the characters are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. The only
     thing is mine is the way I spin the story. It is for entertainment
     only and not part of the official story line.
     Hopefully you all enjoy this one as much as the last one.
See the end of the work for more notes
            The blistering heat of the sun was not nearly as bad as it could’ve
been from Draco’s hiding spot. The window was closed, so he wasn’t directly
under the sunlight but he was feeling some aspects of the heat. Which was the
only thing his mind could concentrate on at the moment. He wanted to be able to
lose himself into the frivolous things his mind could create, rather than to
actually consider the reality of his life.       
            He was sitting on the floor with his head on his knees and his arms
wrapped around them. Not very becoming of a pureblood heir but he just didn’t
care. How could he when the fucking Dark Lord was in his house? Not for the
first time, he wondered why his father had ever gotten involved with the man.
It had to be some form of intimidation, because the man’s looks alone would
frighten someone into action. Or make them bless every higher power at work
that they didn’t look like that. It was probably the latter.
            A month. An entire month of listening to his father brag about the
honor and what kind of prestige it was that they were to house the Dark Lord.
As if it was something grand and not the biggest mistake they could ever make.
His father was unbearable, not that he wasn’t to begin with, but now? Now, it
was just plain awful. He couldn’t even be in the same room and not want to hex
him on sight. Which would be a death wish.
            Draco had known that once he came home, things would fall into
perspective. He would realize that his relationship with Harry was just
whimsical and not realistic in the long run. That the duties to his family
would end up being prioritized and then his heart would be shattered in the
process. Only…
            That didn’t happen. Oh, things fell into perspective alright. Just
not the way he had assumed it would. The reality of where his life would go was
made clear the moment he came home. If he didn’t actively do something, he
would end up just like his father. A deatheater on the wrong side, charted off
into some loveless marriage, bitter and lonely for the rest of his pathetic
existence. Draco didn’t want that. Didn’t want to be anything like his father.
            Instead of his relationship being whimsical, he realized that he
needed Harry. The Gryffindor was the only thing in his life that held
sustenance. The only thing that felt even remotely real. It was possible that
there was an unhealthy codependency going on, but Draco couldn’t bring himself
to care. Not when he could see where his life would go without Harry. Seeing
his parents’ loveless marriage after knowing what a positive relationship was
like, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it. Wouldn’t be able to follow his
father’s teachings. He couldn’t become that. Couldn’t become that type of
person.
         Lucius Malfoy was a bastard. A father who didn’t care about him
further than what an heir can bring the Malfoy name. When he was a child, he
had admired his father. Thought that the man could do anything. It wasn’t until
he saw the way other parents’ showed affection and love that he realized that
he didn’t have that. It was something that he didn’t realize he wanted until it
was put before him.
            Despite his mother’s soft appearance, she was anything but. He
would rather admit to his father that he was possibly in love with Harry Potter
before trying to gain comfort from her. The house elves had raised him, and
wasn’t that just sad? Not that his father had let him grow attached to any of
them. Every few months the elves would be changed out, replaced with new
obedient ones. The only elf that had remained for years at a time had been
Dobby. His father liked to keep that one as an example to the other elves. An
example of what would happen if they got to close to Draco.
            The sounds of a terrifying scream reverberated off the walls,
causing Draco to close his eyes for a moment. Nothing was simple when it came
to the Dark Lord. They weren’t just housing him, they were housing everything
the man stood for. Which meant the man’s victims came as well. He wasn’t sure
who was being tortured but he also didn’t care. Might be rude but he had his
own shite to worry about, he didn’t have the time nor the heart to care about
someone else. Not right now.
            Hiding. That could be described as what he was doing. Draco would
like to classify it as strategic placement. His father had said that he would
be getting the dark mark soon. No asking. No vague suggesting. No little hints.
Just flat out said it, as if he was announcing the weather. It was a given, not
a choice. That was what irked him the most. This was ultimately the biggest
turning point in his life and he hadn’t even been asked. His father had assumed
that he would want to do it. Assumed that Draco would look at this as a gift
rather than the torture that it really was. His father had joined a madman, not
him. His father had given his life away, not him. His father had lost his
goddamn mind, not him.
            Was there a polite way to say, ‘fuck you, you pretentious
arsehole’? Draco wasn’t too sure. Being polite was hard at times. He knew that
was exactly what he wanted to tell his father. Wanted to shout it at the top of
his lungs. Wanted to make his thoughts known.
            Being honest at a time like this would be a bad idea. That was a
death wish if he had ever heard one. He could just imagine the look on his
father’s face if he had said half of what he wished he could. Just once he
would like to see that damn Malfoy indifference fall. To see horror or even
surprise flicker across his father’s face would be worth the risk.
            A soft *Pop* sounded and Draco tensed. He couldn’t do this.
Couldn’t walk down there and meet his fate. Couldn’t take the final plunge that
would end his internal existence. Doing what his father wanted would kill him
on the inside. The true piece of what defined him and separated the false
persona that was on the outside. It would destroy who he was.
            “Master Draco.”
            Draco clenched his eyes tightly as he willed his heart to stop its
erratic beating. Should he be able to hear the pumping of his blood? Was this
something to worry about? Was his breathing supposed to be labored?
            A soft touch to his shoulder had him jerking in surprise. He
blinked his eyes open and realized that there must be tears in them, because
things were blurry.
            “I can’t do it.” He admitted to the house elf looking at him in
sadness. “Don’t make me go.” The weak admittance was something he would be
embarrassed about later. But right now, it was the only thing his mind and
mouth could supply.
            “Master Draco.” The house elf sighed sadly. “The guest of honor has
demanded your presence. Suzy was told to bring Master Draco right away.” The
ears of the normally happy house elf were drooped dramatically.
            Now or never. The sentence didn’t bring comfort but it did steel
his resolve. As Draco took a heavy breath and heaved himself off the ground, a
tapping drew their attention to the window behind him.
            Draco ignored the elf’s worry about taking too long and quickly
opened the window enough to let in the snowy owl that he knew was Harry’s.
            “What are you doing here?” Draco asked as he ran his fingers along
the top of the bird’s head. He hadn’t ever met Hedwig personally, only seeing
the owl at a distance during meals in the Great Hall. The owl had brought him a
letter in the beginning of summer but the bird had only stayed long enough to
deliver it before taking off again.
            The bird nudged his hand before nipping his finger softly.
            “Are you my rescue?” Draco teased. “Or a sign that I am doing the
right thing?”
            No answering gestures, just a piercing stare right into his own
eyes.
            “Will you take me to him?” Draco whispered. “If I leave, can you
direct me to Harry?” He had no idea where Harry was but he needed him. He
didn’t dare go to Dumbledore without Harry’s backing. The old man wasn’t
someone he trusted. Oh, the Headmaster was several steps above the Dark Lord
but that didn’t mean he trusted him. That didn’t mean he was going to blindly
go there. He wasn’t about to trade one biased ruler for another.
            A reproachful but possibly indignant hoot was his reply. Draco had
to admit that Harry had chosen well in his pet. Hedwig had a personality to her
that he rather liked.
            “If Master Draco will be leaving, then he will be needing this.”
            Draco spun around and smiled softly at Suzy. She was holding his
packed bags, the ones he hadn’t unpacked from school, he had known that this
might be the end result.
            “Thank you.” Draco whispered as he watched her shrink them until he
could fit them in his robes.
            “Suzy will come to Master Draco should he ever require an elf.”
            Oh. That was the sound of his heart breaking softly. He hadn’t
dared get close to a house elf since Dobby. Hadn’t wanted them to end the same
way. But it would seem that Suzy liked him anyways. He didn’t think his closed
throat would formulate a reply, so he nodded his head twice, hoping she would
understand what he couldn’t say.
            Several horrible scenarios flashed through his mind as he thought
about how he was going to get out. He couldn’t just run away, he had to let it
be known exactly what he was doing. Deserting his responsibilities didn’t quite
have the finality to actually voicing them.
            “Suzy.” Draco began hesitantly. “Do you think that you can get me
out of here at the right time?”
            He watched the house elf struggle with something.
            “Master Malfoy assigned Suzy to Master Draco’s care. Should Master
Draco require Suzy for an extended period of time, there would be no orders
broken.”
            Draco smirked widely at his positively Slytherin elf. “So, you
would be under my command until I determine I no longer need you?”
            She nodded her head so rapidly that her ears flapped forward.
            This was the best thing he had heard in a long time. “Alright. This
is horribly Gryffindor of me but I don’t have a plan.” He saw the way her eyes
widened and he sighed sadly. “I know, I am disappointed in myself enough, I
don’t need the reprimand.” He grinned to show that he was teasing her.
            “The best I can give you, is to be ready at all times. You’ll know
when to get me out of there.” It was horrible. Reckless. Dangerous. It was a
suicide mission. Something right out of Harry’s own guide of misfortunate
personality traits. If he didn’t know that he was a Slytherin he would think
that he had been sorted as a Gryffindor. This was Harry’s influence. Damn him.
            Draco looked to Hedwig. “I need you to wait for us outside of the
house.” He watched the owl hoot before it flew to the house elf. Suzy laid a
hand on top of the bird’s head briefly before nodding. He watched Hedwig fly
out of the window in confusion. What just happened?
            “Suzy knows where to take Master Draco.”
            There was a pause as Draco looked down at his elf in bewilderment.
“You know what?” He began with a shake of his head. “I won’t even ask. I don’t
need this confusion right now.” He was just going to chalk it up to house elf
magic and let that be answer enough.
            They made it to the door before Draco paused and looked down at
Suzy in determination.
            “If I die, tell everyone that I disliked them and that I hope their
life is pure shite.” He wasn’t entirely sure if he was serious or not. Draco
smirked when he saw a barely-there eye roll. Who knew his house elf was so
spunky?
            The long walk down the hallway was almost comparable to walking to
his death. He tried not to think of what awaited him once he walked down the
stairs. Was he walking to his death? Surely, saying no to the Dark Lord really
was a death sentence.
            Draco had taken one step on the stairs before he realized that Suzy
would be blamed for the hold up. “I need you to enter through the back entrance
to the foyer.” He told her. “If you go down there, he might kill you on
instinct.” It wouldn’t be the first house elf the Dark Lord has killed since
taking up residence at the Manor.
            There was something unreadable in Suzy’s large eyes. He couldn’t
tell if it was gratitude or something else. No words were said but the poof of
her disapparation was answer enough.
            The voices coming from the room below were enough to make Draco a
little nervous. He had to push them down and bury it all under a false bravado
of Malfoy manners and an aloof attitude.
            “This does not bode well for my confidence in your son.” The Dark
Lord’s voice caused shivers of disgust in Draco.
            “My apologies, my Lord. He will take his punishment as any
deatheater would.”     
            That had Draco’s brows rising. His father was offering him up in
punishment? Fucking prick. The parental love was definitely strong. Father of
the year.
            “He is your son, you will take credit for his wrong doings as
well.” Well, at least there was some kind of karma in the world. He almost
wished he could be here to see his father take the brunt of explosive anger he
knew the Dark Lord would release at his departure.
             Draco sighed internally as he pushed open the door and made his
way to the far side, where he knew Suzy could enter without being seen.
            The sight of the Dark Lord’s face hadn’t changed any since the last
time he had seen it. It was still as ugly and hideous as before. When children
have nightmares, surely this is what they witnessed. The blood red eyes were
still as uncomfortable as they sounded. The snake like features did nothing but
make Draco want to ask if the man had taken the wrong route when reviving his
body. Because surely something went wrong somewhere.
            “Young Draco.” There was a displeasure, disappointment and even
anger that manifested in two simple words. Ones that had Draco steeling himself
for whatever was going to come.
           That was the only warning he got before he was subjected to the
cruciatus curse. Hearing about the pain and being associated to it were
completely different things. No one mentions the way muscles seize up or the
way screams escape the throat so painfully that it feels as if it was scalding
on its way out. The agony of the curse is downplayed. Every single part of
Draco’s body was protesting the torture and crying out for a reprieve. If he
was a lesser person, he would beg for it to stop. But he wasn’t going to give
the man the pleasure of breaking him. It was one thing for the screams to
escape, that was the bodies way of coping with the torment. It was an entirely
different thing for his mind to give up too.
            Realistically, Draco knew he was only under the spell for seconds,
possibly a minute. However, his body didn’t feel as if it was only seconds. His
entire being was aching with a ferocity that worried him. The first few moments
without the curse was almost as bad as being under it. His body couldn’t decide
what was a threat and what wasn’t. His abused muscles were still straining, in
a weak attempt at fortifying the body for the next attack.
            The not so comforting hard surface underneath his cheek let him
know that he had fallen to the floor during the spell. He could feel a dull
throbbing, a warning that he would most likely bruise.
            “Tardiness is not becoming of my deatheaters. This will be the last
time I am so lenient.”
            Lenient. Draco wanted to scoff and tell him that his people skills
needed work but he wasn’t actively attempting suicide by stupidity. So, he said
nothing as he forced his limbs to cooperate enough to get up. Fuck. He was
going to hurt for a while.
            He adopted a submissive pose towards the Dark Lord, shoulders
slightly slumped, head bowed in a meek position. Draco knew that this is what
the man expected of him and he was quite grateful for that. This was more
preferable than looking directly at him. If he had to stare at the godawful
face for much longer, he might do something drastic. Like tell the man to place
several glamour charms on his head. Or his whole body. Wouldn’t hurt to be
prepared.
            “Tonight, you will be given an opportunity that not many get.” The
odd purr to his voice creeped him out.
           Draco closed his eyes briefly as he tried not to clench his fists.
Opportunity. What a joke.
            “I expect great things from the Malfoy name.”
             This sounded like a bad lecture from his father. He lost count of
how many times he had heard this throughout his life.
            “Your father is one of my more loyal followers.”
           That was pathetic if that was true. His father was a coward to his
core.
            “You are young enough to be strategic, which will grant me the eyes
and ears inside of Hogwarts that I need. I have a task for you, your family
name in my ranks relies upon your success.”
           That right there was the karma he had been hoping for.
            Draco felt a small touch to the back of his knees and knew it was
Suzy. He sighed internally at the knowledge that he was alright. He would be
okay, he would get out of this.
            “Dumbledore has proven to be a roadblock in my plans. The man has a
strong sway with the public eye, to get them to see it my way, I need him gone.
This is where you come in.”
            Uh oh. This didn’t sound good at all. Draco had a bad feeling
bubbling at the surface.
            “The public is still unaware of my return. They don’t want to
believe that I could once again be at the top. They cling to denial and use
their crippling belief in society to keep them warm at night. If Dumbledore was
to be removed from the equation, without proof of my return, they will lose
faith in the light side of things.”
            The logic was flawed and not all the way thought out. Draco could
see pieces of truth in there but he had a feeling that the Dark Lord was losing
touch in reality. Or perhaps he was losing himself in his bid to rule the
world?
            “Dumbledore’s death is the catalyst to my plans. You will be the
one to kill him.”
            Draco snapped his head up in partial surprise and horror. What?
What kind of utter shite was this? The Dark Lord himself had never been
successful at killing the man. Hadn’t ever even come close. What did he expect
from a sixteen-year-old? Someone not even a quarter of Dumbledore’s age.
Someone significantly weaker in magical strength and abilities. The man
couldn’t possibly think he would succeed.
            There it was. As Draco stared into the Dark Lord’s eyes, he
realized that he wasn’t supposed to succeed. For whatever reason, he had been
chosen for the suicide mission. Because making a target of Dumbledore would
either result in him being killed while trying, being caught and carted off to
Azkaban or being killed by the Dark Lord for failing. In the end, the
underlying reason didn’t matter. His life was forfeit the moment he walked in
here. The question was, how did he want to die? At the hands of the Dark Lord
for failing? Or at the hands of the Dark Lord for trying?
            “Fuck you.”
            The statement stunned everyone, even Draco. That hadn’t meant to
come out. Oh, he had been thinking it, but he hadn’t meant to say it.
           The last thing he saw was a widening of red eyes, a wand raised to
kill and his father’s nearly visible gasp. The feeling of the disapparation was
so welcoming that he could have wept. He was so dead.
 
===============================================================================
 
            “Master Draco takes too many risks.” Suzy whispered when they
landed. He felt her try to lift him off the ground, where he had fallen to his
knees.
            Draco stood up in a dazed confusion. He couldn’t believe he had
said that. His inner Slytherin was crying at the whole bloody disaster. Where
had his self-preservation gone? When the hell did he become Harry? That was
something his lover would have done. He didn’t even want to think about what
this all meant for him.
            “Master Draco you have to be careful, there are wizards nearby.”
            The statement had Draco looking around harshly. The sickening sight
of the perfectly aligned houses had his mouth curling in distaste. They all
seemed to be conformed to its neighbor. Was there no originality? No personal
taste? Did everyone in this neighborhood have no thought of their own? The same
exact aesthetics was glaring right at him from every house.
            “Where are we?” He couldn’t even hide his distaste or his derision.
            “This is where Master Draco wanted to go. This is where the bird
was to take you.”
            Draco looked to the house that Suzy gestured to in horror.
            “Harry lives here?” Salazar, just looking at the house had him
feeling sorry for the Gryffindor.
            Something the elf said earlier drew his attention. “You said
wizards are nearby, where are they?”
            Draco watched Suzy tilt her head to the side. “One is cloaked and
two are in concealment charms.” There was a contemplative pause. “Suzy can be a
distraction.”
            “Alright.” Draco agreed with a nod of his head. “No magic though.”
He whispered as the elf got into position. He remembered that Harry had been in
trouble last year with the Ministry about performing magic outside of school.
Draco didn’t want to get him in trouble.
            She ears drooped slightly. “Master Draco likes to make things hard
for Suzy.”
            Draco chuckled as he nudged the elf with his hand. “Get out of
here.” He teased. “Let me know when it is safe to go in.”
            He waited somewhat impatiently for a signal. Draco was hoping he
didn’t have to stay here long, this place was giving him all sorts of bad
vibes. To distract himself from checking the time, he looked around the front
yard. The neat everything reminded him of his mother. She had to have
everything in a certain order or she would lose it mentally and verbally. He
had no problem with clean and orderly but sometimes a mess was freeing or even
just amenable to a change in mood.
            A muffled shout had him itching to pull out his wand. Draco didn’t
want to out himself unless it was absolutely required. He realized belatedly
that he hadn’t told Suzy not to kill. Hopefully the elf wasn’t going to do
something that would get him thrown into the Azkaban.
            Suzy’s head popped up behind a bush across the street.
            “Master Draco, you have a few minutes before they wake up.” She
whispered loudly. Merlin, he would have to give her lessons in noiseless
espionage. He could hear from across the street.
            “If they wake up.” The elf added as an afterthought, causing Draco
to wince. He had been afraid of that.
                Draco nodded his head as he quickly made his way to the door.
His robes were ripped slightly and he just knew his face was bruised. His hair
wasn’t neat nor was he confident that he even looked clean. First impressions
be damned, so it would seem.
            Subtlety was not with him as he rapped the door quickly and
impatiently. He needed them to answer now, before whatever wizards were outside
came to stop him. He couldn’t afford to be detained. Not now.
            When the door opened, all hopes of it being Harry died instantly at
the sight of the repulsive teenager with chicken in his mouth, crumbs on his
protruding gut, grease from every pore and a stench that any troll would be
proud of wafted outward.
            “Who are you?” At least that is what Draco assumed the boy said. It
was hard to hear the muffled question over the food in the boy’s mouth.
            “Is Harry here?”
            A pause in the chewing had Draco sighing in relief. Finally. It was
rude to behave in such a manner anyways.
            “There is no Harry here.”
            Draco would have believed that if it weren’t for the way the
teenager’s eyes had a look of fear in them.
            “I have no time to waste on you right now.” Draco began as he
pulled the sleeve of his robe over his hand and pushed the boy back into the
house. No way was he touching any part of this disturbing creature with his
palms.
            “I am a friend of his from school.” If it weren’t for the dire
situation, he would have taken pleasure in the way that the boy freaked out.
Would have loved the pure terror in those eyes. The way that the boy choked on
the chicken so harshly, Draco wondered if he was going to die. Not that he was
going to intervene. Let nature take its own course.
            “Dad!!” The boy yelled so loudly that Draco worried his hearing
might go out. The door was swung shut behind them harshly.
            The pounding of feet coming down the stairs had Draco looking up.
Oh, dear lord, there was two of them. It was obvious where the teenager got his
looks from.
            “Who are you?” The gruff voice filled with annoyance had Draco
rolling his eyes. A lack of manners was also passed down from father to son, so
it would seem.
            “He says he’s from his school?” The lack of Harry’s name had Draco
furrowing his brows. The anger on the older man’s face was concerning. Was
there something wrong with Hogwarts? Or did the muggles not like anybody from a
magical background?
            “Get out.” The command had Draco scoffing.
            “I need to see Harry. I have no time for this. It is important.”
            “Vernon, who was at the door?”
            Draco groaned. He didn’t need another addition to the already
horrible conversation.
            “It’s another one of them, Petunia.”
            The woman came into view from the kitchen. There was something
about her that irked Draco. It wasn’t even her appearance, which was notable,
since she had the longest neck he had seen in recent memory. This family was
weird. He wondered how Harry had come out normal if this was his examples in
life.
            “What do you want? The boy isn’t here.” There it was again. Boy?
Him? What was with the lack of a title? Did they not know Harry’s name?
            “That is a lie.” Draco ground out angrily. “I know he is here, just
as I know that your son is too large; your house is too clean, your yard is
hideous and that I am into guys.” All facts that were nonnegotiable.
            The look of disgust on all three of their faces let him know that
at least something he said might have been offensive. Who knew constructive
criticism wasn’t appreciated these days?
            As Draco waited patiently for one of them to say something, he
looked around the house curiously. There was a significant theme going on. They
had an unhealthy obsession with their son. Although, it could just be his own
bitterness at not being loved speaking. Not that he much cared. A noticeable
lack of anything showing Harry had him biting his lip. He had always known that
Harry didn’t like his relatives but he was beginning to think something else
was going on.
            “Where is he?” The angry man asked with a clenched fist.
            “Outback.” The whispered voice of the female came through.
            Draco waited until the other three had walked ahead of him before
he followed along. On his way to the kitchen, he noticed an odd cupboard under
the stairs. It wasn’t the cupboard itself that drew his attention, it was the
lock on the outside and the odd slit like holes. It was obvious that they were
placed after the house was built. There was a discoloring of the metal that
differed with the hinges and knob, not to mention the unprofessional way it was
placed. Muggles were weird. What would they be wanting to keep locked inside a
cupboard?
            “Boy!” Draco was annoyed with that. Would it kill the man to call
Harry by his actual name?
            He looked around the back yard in interest. It was just as horrible
to the eye as the front yard and lacked a lot in aesthetics. The only redeeming
quality to the place was that Harry was using some kind of muggle contraption
with his shirt off. Salazar, his lover could make anything look good. Harry was
a walking wet dream with the sweat rolling down toned shoulders and tanned
skin.
            “One freak was enough! I don’t know what you think you are playing
at by allowing more of your kind into my house.” Freak? Who did this muggle
think he was? “A bloody shirt lifter too!”
            Oh hell no.
            “Oi!” Draco cried out indignantly.
 
===============================================================================
 
 
              The hot sweltering heat that only the end of July can give, was
causing Harry to possibly hallucinate. He was supposed to be mowing the lawn
but the heat had him melting on a chair, hoping that should he die of heat
stroke, that the afterlife would be a giant swimming pool or have endless
supplies of ice water. This had to be some form of child abuse, it just had to
be. Triple digit heat combined with a humidity that sucked everything positive
out of the air, was not an atmosphere anyone should be forced to work under. He
had always known the Dursleys were evil but this was taking the cake.
            He watched a lone cloud shift to partially block the sun and Harry
had to marvel at the little miracle. It was the only cloud in the sky and yet
it was standing up to the evil sun and not taking any shite.
           There was a pause in thought process as Harry came to an epiphany.
He sat up a little wobbly when he realized that he was that cloud. He was the
little lone cloud trying to make a difference. Which must mean that Voldemort
was the sun. The evil sun attempting to make everyone miserable by using nature
as an excuse to unleash his villainous plans.
            Or… he really was hallucinating and this was all a figment of his
fried-out brain. Was it possible for the heat to fry a brain? Harry wasn’t too
sure. Hermione would know, he would have to ask her about that the next time he
saw her. Well, that was if he decided to talk to her. Since his relationship
with Draco began, she hadn’t been exactly understanding. He knew that it was a
stark change and even surprising but that wasn’t an excuse to question him at
every turn. He loved her, he did but she needed to let it go.
            Ron had been their biggest supporter; however reluctant he was at
being a supporter for anything Draco does. If Ron could begrudgingly see his
choices, then why couldn’t Hermione? Wasn’t she supposed to be the most level
headed one out of all of them? Perhaps it was because she hadn’t heard his
pining like Ron did. Hadn’t heard the mumbled sighs or seen the longing looks
like the redhead did. It was one thing to admit that he had wanted to lose his
virginity but it was a totally different thing to announce it. Harry wasn’t
sure if it was because she was a girl or not, but he hadn’t been comfortable
enough to talk to her until after he was actually with Draco.
            The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Ron
deserved some kind of compensation for listening to his angsty moping and
whispered brooding this past year. Hermione hadn’t been granted the same time
frame that Ron had, to get used to this. The redhead had been in on the whole
thing from the start. So he knew that Hermione would come around eventually, he
just wished that time was now.
           Discovering his inclination towards boys hadn’t been very dramatic
or worrisome. It was anticlimactic, really. He hadn’t really ever paid too much
attention to girls. Cho had been pretty and kind but that was it. There was
nothing under the surface that struck gold for him. He thought maybe there was
something wrong with him, but it wasn’t until they had kissed that he realized
it was just wrong. For a moment, he thought that it was because it was his
first kiss or even because of the situation itself. So, he humored her and went
on a date, which had been fucking awful. He would rather clean Uncle Vernon’s
socks with his own mouth than to subject himself to something like that again.
            With the disastrous date in mind, he considered that it was perhaps
Cho herself that was the problem. When he tried picking another girl, he
realized that no one had ever caught his attention. No one stood out, no one
even looked appealing to him. During his inner turmoil and panic, Draco had
walked by eating an apple while reading a book. The other boy hadn’t noticed
him at all, just kept walking until he was standing underneath a window, with
the sun shining through. The sun had made his blonde hair look almost ethereal
in its beauty. Everything he had tried to force himself to feel for Cho had
suddenly bubbled up inside of him.   
            Attraction. He was attracted to Draco Malfoy. He had stood there
for several minutes in an immobile standstill contemplating everything and
nothing all at once. Ron had found him there with what his friend described as
a, ‘pained constipation’ expression. The redhead had even offered to make him a
potion to clear his bowels.
            ‘I’m into guys.’ Harry had blurted out suddenly, stopping Ron’s
worries for a moment. The hall had been empty, Draco had disappeared by then.
            ‘Alright.’ Ron had replied in understanding. ‘Does that mean you
don’t need help shitting? Because I was just being nice, I don’t even know how
to make it.’
            That had been that. His friend had accepted him easily and they
didn’t bring up his sexuality again. Their conversations quickly turned towards
his budding feelings for the blonde boy.
            Ron hadn’t understood just what it was that he saw in Draco. It was
almost humorous in the debates they would get into. It was as if his friend had
forgotten that Harry had been right there beside him all of those years. He had
been there during the verbal spars between Draco and them. Had been there for
the curses, the hexes and the detentions. He knew who Draco was just as well as
Ron did. Only, he had wanted to know more. There was so much to the Slytherin
that they didn’t know, so much that was never talked about. Draco was a mystery
to him and one that he had been dying to figure out.
            The months that had followed his realization that he not only found
Draco attractive but also wanted him sexually, were some of the most angsty
agonized crap that he had ever been through. The ‘should I? Or shouldn’t I?’,
had kept him distracted for too long. It finally got to the point where he
realized that he could die by the time Voldemort was ever taken care of. Did he
want to die without knowing what Draco’s cock would feel like? Hell no. So, he
had come to a firm resolve to just go for it. Of course, he hadn’t anticipated
Draco interrupting his plans and wrecking them completely. Not that he had
minded in the end.
            They hadn’t been able to be public with their relationship but it
was enough for him that it was still categorized as one. At first, they had
tried to make it about sexual gratification but they had been kidding
themselves. By their second time sleeping with each other, they were so far
gone that it was obvious, even to them. They just worked better when together.
When he was with Draco, he didn’t feel pressured to be anything that he wasn’t.
Not to mention that Draco didn’t give two shits about his fame or surname. Even
when they were rivals, the blonde had never been impressed with his name.
            It went both ways, Harry didn’t care about the Malfoy surname. So
Draco didn’t feel pressured to be the perfect heir that he was always supposed
to be. They were each other’s salvation when together.
            Of course, Draco was still an arse. Not to mention a bastard
sometimes. But that was a part of his charm, at least to Harry. There was
something almost artistic to the way Draco could cut someone down with words
and a dark glare. The sarcastic wit and quick retorts always kept him on his
toes and entertained him to no end. It might be his age responsible for his
romanticized thoughts, but he couldn’t think of a single person who would ever
be able to match him.
            Their home life was something that just wasn’t talked about. Harry
didn’t fancy explaining his relatives to Draco. That was a conversation he
hoped he would never have to have. How do you casually announce that you have
been neglected and slightly abused? Is it abuse if there aren’t physical
attacks? Emotional abuse, perhaps? Definitely starvation, that had to be abuse.
Talking about it felt like admitting a fault or something he had done wrong. He
didn’t want to be a victim anymore. He was a victim of Voldemort’s fixation and
that was bad enough. Bringing up anything else had always seemed like too much.
            It wasn’t as if Draco was forthcoming on details of his own family
life. Harry knew that there were dark things lurking behind corners for the
Slytherin but talking about it wasn’t something that he knew Draco wanted to
do. He had learned pretty quickly that his talks of his father were just that,
all talk. The blonde never talked about the man if he could help it. Lucius
Malfoy was a definite no go when it came to their relationship. Which honestly
worried Harry. He knew the deatheater was a true bastard but wouldn’t Draco had
been protected due to being family? Although, if the Dursleys were an example
of how not to treat family, then it was entirely possible that Lucius treated
Draco badly too.
            Maybe the underlying glue that held their relationship together was
the common understanding of crappy families. They both knew what it felt like
to not ever be loved or given proper attention.
            Harry sighed heavily as he looked around the backyard with a frown.
It hadn’t magically mowed itself. What a letdown. He really should get started
before Aunt Petunia came around to yell at him. She had already taken his
dinner privileges away for not cooking fast enough for Dudley this morning. So
it wasn’t as if there was a motivation to actually do anything, not if he was
going to be starved anyways.
            He got up slowly and begrudgingly made his way towards the object
of his current hatred. Once he began mowing, he realized that it was too hot to
be doing manual labor in his current state of dress. So he took off his shirt,
not that it provided much of a cooldown but it was at least something.
            Harry had only been mowing for a few minutes when he heard a
disturbance behind him. He didn’t bother turning around, it was probably his
Uncle yelling about something someone did on the news to upset him. The man was
easily annoyed while his anger quickly escalated. This was just another adult
sized tantrum that he didn’t want to witness.
            “Boy!” Harry sighed heavily, loving that it was drowned out by the
lawn mower. “One freak was enough! I don’t know what you think you are playing
at by allowing more of your kind into my house.” This caused Harry to turn the
mower off hastily. “A bloody shirt lifter too!”
            “Oi!” The sound of Draco’s indignant voice had him freezing before
he whirled around to make sure that this was real and not a hallucination.
            “Just because I like Harry’s cock up my arse does not mean that you
get to judge me.” Harry groaned pitifully as he heard gasps coming from his
nosy neighbors.
            “You don’t see me judging you for having a long necked—belongs in a
muggle zoo—looking wife. Where you place your prick is none of my business.”
            Sometimes, Harry really hated his boyfriend.
            The way his Aunt’s jaw dropped, his Uncle’s face reddened and
Dudley’s half eaten chicken fell to the floor, Harry knew this was going to be
bad.
            “Draco.” Harry picked up his shirt and put it back on as he stepped
forward, avoiding being within arm’s length of his Uncle. “What are you doing
here?” He whispered, hoping that the neighbors had moved on.
            “I need protection.”
            Three words. Should be simple, they were anything but. There was so
much hidden in the one sentence. Harry knew something had to have happened.
This meant choosing a side. This meant that Draco was no longer under the guide
of his father. This meant that his boyfriend was no longer a part of the dark
side of things. It was almost a revelation. He searched what little he could
see of Draco’s face, hoping to gleam more of what wasn’t being said.
            Draco sighed heavily as he turned towards Harry, showing the side
of his face that he had been hoping to hide.
            “Oh, love.” Harry whispered as he cupped the good side of Draco’s
face. There was a giant bruise marring the usually pale but beautiful face. It
wasn’t in the shape of a hand or an object, so he wasn’t sure what exactly what
it was from.
            Harry kept his hand where it was but looked to his Uncle, who was
staring at him in disgust. “I will be in my room.” He held up a hand when it
looked like the man was going to argue. “Give me an hour or two, I will figure
something out and be out of your hair.”
            There was a calculating gleam to his Uncle’s eyes. One that had
Harry sighing. He knew the debate that was probably worming around the severely
lacking brain. If Harry was wanting something, that meant it was Vernon’s job
to deny it but the thought of getting rid of him would be appealing.
            “That’s an entire month early.” Harry pointed out. “A month where
you don’t have to see me. A month of food you don’t have to feed me.” Not that
he was being fed particularly well anyways.
            “You won’t come back?”
            The question had Draco’s brows furrowing. There didn’t seem to be
any amount of love between them.
            “Not until next summer.” Harry winced at the upset look on his
Uncle’s face. He knew that the man didn’t want him to come back ever.
            “One hour and not a minute more.” Vernon spat out as he clenched a
fist. “We are going out to dinner, by the time we come back, you better be
gone.”
            Harry nodded quickly, this was better than he had thought. He had
anticipated being kicked out immediately.
            He waited with a baited breath as he watched his relatives walk
back into the house. Harry looked around the back yard and noticed that the
neighbors were still looking at him. He sighed before entwining his fingers
with Draco’s and pulling him inside the house.
            Draco was glad to have the privacy that he knew would be needed. He
followed Harry up the stairs and noticed that even the photos along the wall
were lacking the brunette anywhere. If he didn’t know that Harry lived here, it
would be hard to surmise that from the surroundings.
            The door to Harry’s room had Draco coming to a pause. “What is
that?” He asked when he caught sight of some kind of flap near the bottom of
the door.
            Harry looked away, trying to figure out what to say. He ignored the
question for now in favor of getting the blonde into his room.
            “Harry, why are there so many locks on the outside of your door?”
Draco was getting a bad feeling about this.
            When Harry didn’t say anything and sat on a horribly small bed,
Draco sighed before crouching on his knees, so that he could peer up into green
eyes.
            “I won’t judge you.” Draco whispered as he reached up to run a few
fingers against Harry’s cheek.
            Harry bit his lip in indecision. He didn’t want to have this
conversation. Didn’t want this at all.
            “How about I answer a question of yours, if you answer one of mine
first?” Draco offered, not moving from his spot. He ignored his aching muscles
and remained in the uncomfortable position.
            The offer was Slytherin and not all too surprising, but Harry
expected something like this. He nodded once as he gestured for Draco to begin.
            “Why do they lock you in here?” Draco wondered as Harry pulled on
his arms, having him sit on the bed.
            Harry took a deep breath. There really wasn’t an easy way to
explain it all. Short answers might be something he would have said to someone
else, but this was Draco. This was someone who meant a lot to him. Someone that
he didn’t want to lie to.
            “They don’t like me.” Harry admitted as he looked down. “I was
always a burden to them. Someone they reluctantly took in. The accidental magic
I would emit when I was younger was odd to them, something they detested. They
knew I was a wizard but never told me. They denied the existence of magic so
strongly that I was honestly worried anytime something slightly abnormal
happened.”
            Draco furrowed his brows as he listened to Harry talk. Muggles
disliking something they didn’t even understand wasn’t surprising. It was one
of the main reasons a lot of wizards disliked them.
            “You didn’t know you were a wizard?” Draco blurted out when that
registered in his mind.
            “That’s another question.” Harry pointed out but he nodded his head
anyways. “No, I didn’t know until Hagrid told me.”
            Hmm. Draco hummed in thought as he signaled for Harry to continue.
Why would Dumbledore place Harry in an environment where his magical strength
would be underdeveloped for the first part of his life? Even if Harry had known
that he was a wizard, it wouldn’t have done him any good. Not if he only had
muggles to rely on. They wouldn’t have been able to show or teach him anything.
Expecting someone who knew absolutely nothing about their world to just blend
in with wizard children was asking for trouble. Which was the main reason
purebloods disliked muggleborns. They knew nothing about their world but yet
demanded to be treated as if they did. One can’t enter a world and not learn
the heritage behind it. That was just plain rude.
            “They don’t feed me very much.” Harry wouldn’t look at Draco,
didn’t want to see the pity.
            “They what?” The anger startled Harry. He snapped his gaze towards
the Slytherin and sighed at the fury in those silver eyes.
            “You asked what that was.” He pointed to the cat-flap on his door.
“They used to lock me in here and only feed me once a day through that.”
            Draco’s heart skipped several beats as horror filled his veins. He
wanted to ask why Harry hadn’t ever told anyone but he knew his lover enough to
know that Harry probably didn’t want to speak up. Didn’t want to make it about
him. Discovering Harry’s aversion to standing out or special treatment had had
been one of the most surprising things he unearthed when they began dating.
            He looked to the small muggle thing in distaste as he recalled the
locks on the outside. Draco froze as he recalled the cupboard under the stairs.
            “Harry.”
            One word, his name and yet Harry already knew that he wasn’t going
to like whatever it was that Draco was going to say.
            “Has this always been your room?”
            The thing about his boyfriend was that he didn’t ask things for no
reason. Nor did he speak just to fill the empty space. Harry knew that Draco
must already know the answer to his own question. He could tell by the
inflections in his tone.
            “You saw the cupboard, then.”
            It wasn’t a question, just a stated fact but Draco nodded anyways.
“Why?” He whispered. There was so much that he wanted to add to that. Why would
they keep a child underneath the stairs? Why would they treat someone like
that? House elves had larger living quarters than a bloody cupboard. Why were
muggles like this? Or was it just them?
            Harry sighed heavily. How do you answer something you don’t fully
understand?
           “I know their dislike on the surface.” Harry began. “But I don’t
know their true reason. I don’t know what they rationalize to ensure that they
can still sleep at night. I don’t know what went through their minds when they
decided to treat me that way.” He ran his fingers through his hair in
frustration.
            “You asked me why but I don’t have an answer. I don’t know what it
is about me that drove them to their decisions. I just don’t know.”
            “No.” The firm retort had Harry looking at Draco, wondering what he
would say.
            “None of this is okay.” Draco whispered as he cupped Harry’s cheek.
“I don’t want to be invasive and ask everything they have ever done to you but
know this, whatever they have said to you, it is wrong. No one should treat
another human being like this. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that
they treated you so horribly. No one deserves this.” He fought the urge to
curse the horrible muggles, fought the urge to show them exactly what he wanted
to do to them.
             “I heard him call us freaks because we have magic but that isn’t
true. You aren’t a freak any more than I am. Earlier you said abnormal. What is
a true definition to normal? We are who we are. They may not like you, but I
love you. Don’t fill yourself with their shortcomings. Don’t let their
completely wrong and biased opinion get to you. Because they don’t matter.”
            Harry’s eyes widened drastically, causing Draco to realize what he
said.
            “I mean...” He trailed off when he realized he had no way to cover
that without being obvious or backtracking. He wasn’t going to ruin the
statement by denying it. That would belittle both of their feelings.
            Harry pushed Draco till he was laying on his bed. “You love me.” It
was a fact not a question. His insides felt like mush as a mixture of surprise
and joy entered him. He knew that Draco was definitely fond of him, but he
never thought he would actually hear the words. Love was a weakness just as
much as it was a strength, even as a Gryffindor this was obvious. So hearing
his Slytherin lover say the words had an impact to them.
            “I do.” Draco admitted as his eyes traveled all over Harry’s face,
wanting to remember the happy smile that erased the sad expression that had
been there just seconds ago.
            There was a small side of Harry’s insecurities that wanted to ask
Draco if he was sure but he pushed that away. He could see the truth to Draco’s
declaration.
            “I wish I hadn’t said it in this setting.” Draco mumbled. “It
should have been said intentionally and not in a way of cheering you up.”
            “Shut up.” Harry whispered as he lowered himself on top of the
Slytherin. He watched Draco’s forehead crease in annoyance at the demand, which
had him grinning. He lowered his head till his lips were inches away from
Draco’s.
            “I love you too.”
            Draco made a startled noise that was quickly drowned out by firm
and needy lips. He melted into the kiss easily. Loving the familiar taste of
Harry. Salazar, he missed this. Missed being able to kiss Harry. Missed the
feel of the other boy.
            Kissing Draco was always one of Harry’s favorite things to do, but
he couldn’t allow this to continue until they were on even footing.
            “Why are you here?” Harry whispered against Draco’s lips as he
placed several small kisses to the other boy’s lips.
            “I told the Dark Lord to go fuck himself.”
            The deafening and almost crippling silence that followed his
statement had Draco peering into Harry’s eyes to make sure that he hadn’t
broken his boyfriend. That would be bad for sex.
            “You did what?”
            Harry had to have heard wrong. He just hadto.
            “Well, I said, ‘Fuck you’ right to his face, so basically the same
thing.” He shrugged the best he could with Harry still on top of him.
            If it wasn’t for the fact that Draco’s sense of humor was just
awful, he would think the blonde was trying to make a joke.
            With the realization that Draco was completely serious, Harry just
blinked down at him in an odd surprised awe.
            Sometimes, Harry really loved his boyfriend.
            “Start at the beginning.” Harry commanded as he settled himself
more comfortably next to Draco, resting his chin on the Slytherin’s chest.
            “My father told me that I would be getting the dark mark. Assumed
that I was of the same mind regarding the prestige being a deatheater would
bring.”
            Harry bit his lip at that. He didn’t know what that was like.
Having a father but hating everything the person stood for.
            “I couldn’t do it.” Draco whispered. He may have felt weak for
admitting this in front of Suzy but not to Harry. “I couldn’t become the evil
that people see on the surface. Having them believe it is one thing but to
actually succumb to it, would be entirely different.”
            Harry lifted one of Draco’s hands and kissed the knuckles briefly.
Offering his silent support and understanding. He knew that the other boy
needed to think through his thoughts.
            “It was harder than I care to admit. Making a decision, that is.
Fear is rough and nearly all consuming. The fear of saying no was hard to move
past. Cowardice was so much easier. I could see it, Harry. I could see the way
my life could have turned out. I could have easily agreed and gone down that
path. I doubt I would have made a good deatheater but I would have done what my
father expected of me. Nothing would ever make him love me, but his pride at
raising the perfect heir could have been a close second.”
            The last bit hurt Harry’s heart. It angered him that Lucius
couldn’t see who Draco was as a person and not an heir. His lover had so much
to offer, more than what his surname could provide.
            “Cowardice may have seemed easier but the reality of it was that I
would be settling. I would have settled for a life that was too easy. Something
that didn’t have any real meaning underneath the surface.” Draco paused as he
tried to articulate his thoughts better.
            “Saying no was like the muggles who climb steep mountains for
whatever idiotic reason they choose. Some paths are unsafe and could lead to
death, while other paths won’t ever reach the top. Saying no to the Dark Lord
would have been crossing the dangerous terrain and choosing to tread through
the treacherous paths, hoping to reach the end. Becoming a deatheater would be
the safe routes that will never lead to the top. It is the only one that is
sure to end in life.”
            Harry hadn’t ever stopped to think of things like that. Saying no
wasn’t a guarantee on anything. It was the unknown. Especially taking in
consideration of Draco’s upbringing. If Draco had become a deatheater, it
really would have been the safer route. The courage it took to say no was
almost staggering. It was trading everything that had ever been taught to him
and hoping that the other side would take him.
            “Doing the right thing is hard.” Draco mused with a frown. “It
shouldn’t be like that. Why are the wrong paths in life so easy? Why are there
trials or tribulations to doing what is right? As if it is a prerequisite to
attain peace.” He shook his head. “I don’t like it. I don’t like the effort it
takes to be so Gryffindor. Life made so much more sense when everything was
just dark. When there was no light bringing inner struggles forward.”
            His own words had him stopping as he stared into Harry’s eyes. Life
had gotten complicated since they had started their relationship. Being with
Harry had opened his eyes to a lot. Perhaps the way he had been living wasn’t
what he had thought it was. Maybe life was supposed to not make sense. Finding
his own path in life, one not forced upon him would be difficult, or at the
very least different. It wouldn’t be easy. Maybe an easy life was still just
settling.
            “I don’t have the lack of heart to be a deatheater.” Draco was
actually proud of that. “His victims can be heard at all hours of the day. Just
listening to them, knowing that it could be me one day torturing them, was
enough to make me sick to my stomach.”
            The haunted look in Draco’s eyes had Harry wishing that he could
have saved his boyfriend from experiencing that. But he knew that there were
things that one has to go through on their own. His intervention wouldn’t have
had the impact of living through it.
            “To be a true deatheater, I would’ve had to lose myself in the
process. He doesn’t want people with opinions and personalities. He wants blind
obedience and the power each person brings to his movement. The deatheaters are
all the same. No thoughts of their own, just conforming to someone else’s
opinion.” Draco tilted his head to the side. “Similar to this neighborhood.”
            The comparison held some truth. Harry had always wondered why the
Dursleys had been so interested in following the pattern of someone else’s
thoughts. It wassimilar with the deatheaters in a way. Sure, the deatheaters
believed in the underlying message of their movement. But it wasn’t an open
group. It was a dictatorship where free thought was prohibited and speaking up
was actively punished.
            “While saying yes would have granted me the safer route, it would
have lost me you.” Draco admitted quietly. “I couldn’t be under his service but
come to you at night. Two separate worlds that wouldn’t collide in a way that
could work.” He sighed heavily.
            “You aren’t the only reason I said no. But you are the main reason.
Not to mention the side benefit.” He tried to tease but it fell flat underneath
the heavy conversation.
            “I just didn’t want to be the person who could so easily turn into
my father. I want to be better than that. I want to be my own person. I want my
life to mean more than my mistakes.”
            Listening to Draco speak filled him with a pride he didn’t know he
could feel. Harry was almost overwhelmingly proud of his boyfriend. Not just
because he said no, but because of the reasonings behind it. If Draco had
denied becoming a deatheater on the sole purpose of their relationship, it
wouldn’t have meant as much. It wouldn’t have the resolve or the connection
that was needed.
            “In the end, my decision didn’t really matter. I wouldn’t have been
able to complete the task the Dark Lord demanded of me. I would have died no
matter how it turned out.”
            Harry jerked his head back in surprise. “What do you mean? What did
he want you to do?”
            “He wanted me to kill Dumbledore.”
            Again, Harry wanted to ask if this was a joke but he knew it
wasn’t. Voldemort’s thought process was eluding him. What would make the man
think that Draco would have been able to pull something like that off? Surely,
Voldemort would have realized how silly that was.
            His own question and the way Draco’s eyes were boring into his had
him realizing the reality of it all.
            “He wanted you to fail.” He whispered as he cocked his head to the
side. “Why? What’s the point?”
            “I don’t know.” Draco admitted with a shrug. “My first guess would
be something my father did but that is the thing, nothing has happened.”
            No. That didn’t fit. Voldemort doesn’t do things for no reason.
There had to be a cause. “But your father was the one who had your mother go to
Kreacher.” Harry pointed out. “Perhaps he is angry that whatever had been
planned never happened.”
            Draco hummed in thought. It wasn’t out of the realm of
possibilities but it just seemed trivial to come after him if his father’s plan
failed. It wasn’t as if he had been a part of the plan.
            “Do you think he knew you told me about Kreacher?” Harry wondered.
            “No.” Draco snorted. “I would have been killed on the spot if he
had even suspected I came to you.”
            There was truth in that, Harry conceded with a nod of his head.
            “Where did denying becoming a deatheater equal telling Voldemort to
essentially go fuck himself?”
            Draco fought the urge to blush. “Well, I had already made my choice
before I walked into the room. I didn’t have a plan of escape outside of my
house elf. Nor did I even know what I was doing.”
            Each word Draco spoke had Harry’s brows rising centimeter by
centimeter. His very Slytherin lover had just thrown caution to the wind and
just winged it? That didn’t sound like the Draco he knew. Self-preservation was
the basic requirement when considering Slytherin traits.
            “When he told me that I was to be the one to kill Dumbledore, I
just kind of snapped.” He admitted sheepishly. “Here I was risking my life in
choosing the right path, agonizing over every detail and he was just going to
allow me to die trying or die in punishment? Hell no.”
            “I am so proud of you.” Harry whispered with a giant grin. Despite
the whole thing being completely reckless, his boyfriend had made it out.
That’s what mattered in the end.
            “That doesn’t make me feel better.” Draco pointed out. Knowing that
his incredibly reckless boyfriend approved of his insane plan didn’t comfort
him in the slightest. It just proved that he had lost all rational thought
today.
            “Maybe you are half Gryffindor.”
            “Hold your tongue!” Draco shuddered at the horrible thought. “This
was a onetime fluke. Never to be repeated again. I am Slytherin to the core.”
            Harry bit his lip to hide the smile he felt quirking at the
corners. “Telling Voldemort, ‘fuck you’ is one hundred percent Gryffindor.
There is no coming back from that.”
            Draco had been worried about that. “I made myself a target.” He
whispered, ending the humor for a moment. “I don’t even know if your side will
take me. I can’t go home, I guarantee I have been disowned by now.” There was a
resounding flash of pain that filtered through him at the mere thought.
            “I gave it all away to do the right thing.” His mouth curled in
distaste. “Oh god. You are right. I am a bloody Gryffindor.” Draco shuddered so
violently that Harry had to bite his cheek to stop from laughing.
            “A Hufflepuff would be preferable to this.” Draco bemoaned his
pathetic life. “I can’t believe this. I literally just embodied everything I
have been taught against.”
            “You aren’t alone.” Harry reminded him. “I am with you through all
of this. Right by your side.”
            There it was. The reason that made it all worth it in the end.
            Words weren’t needed, Harry could see the understanding, gratitude
and warmth in those beautiful eyes. He leaned forward to place a kiss right
above a bruised cheek.
            “How did this happen?” He didn’t touch the bruise, but hovered over
it to get his question across.
            “I fell during a crucio.”
            The simple way it was said gave a few seconds reprieve before the
full weight of the words registered in Harry’s mind.
            “He used an unforgivable on you.” He repeated the obvious with
furrowed brows and worried eyes. “Are you alright?” He knew what it felt like
to be on the receiving end of one of Voldemort’s crucios.
            Draco shrugged. “My muscles ache but it isn’t as bad as it was
right afterwards.”
            Harry didn’t like the idea of Draco being in pain. He began kissing
any part of skin that he could, as if his touch had a healing power to it. The
huff of laughter Draco released was exactly what he wanted to hear.
            “What do we do?” Draco whispered as he tilted his head, allowing
Harry to kiss his neck.
            Harry smiled against his lover’s skin at the question. Because it
was ‘we’. Whatever happened from here on out would be a together, a united
front.
            “I don’t know.” Harry admitted. “We will have to talk to
Dumbledore.” He sighed heavily at how this would turn out. He knew that the
fight to allow Draco into the order would be a bad one. There was too much
distrust to the Malfoy name. It would be a battle. An unnecessary one. They
needed to focus on Voldemort, not squabbling amongst each other.
            “I was afraid of that.” Draco breathed heavily as he looked to the
ceiling. He did not like the way the Headmaster did things. Didn’t like the way
he told Harry absolutely nothing. Harry was at the forefront of the Dark Lord’s
plans and yet nothing was being done, nothing being planned. It was odd to him.
Things should have been done ages ago. What was the point in waiting? What was
the point of giving illusions of safety when they weren’t actually doing a
single thing?
            “He sent me a letter yesterday.” Harry recalled as he moved a
little to allow himself to stretch out and pick it up.
            Draco looked it over in interest.
 
Dear Harry,
If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number four, Privet Drive this
coming Friday at eleven P.M. to escort you to the Burrow, where you have been
invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays.
If you are agreeable, I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to
which I hope to attend on the way to the Burrow. I shall explain this more
fully when I see you.
Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday,
I am, yours most sincerely ,
Albus Dumbledore
 
 
            Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste. “It says that you were invited
to spend time at the Burrow but you weren’t ever asked. Just assumed you would
want to go.”
            “I know.” Harry sighed in agreement. “I sent a letter to Sirius
letting him know that I would be spending the remainder of the summer with him
instead. It is nice that Mrs. Weasley offered but I would have liked to have
been asked.”
            “Is that still the plan?”
            Harry hummed in thought. Sirius had been a little cooped up lately
but he knew that his arrival at Grimmauld Place would liven up the man a
little. Sirius could be awfully judgmental at times but Harry wouldn’t stay
there if Draco wasn’t accepted.
            “For now. I will have to talk to him when we get there.” It was
their best bet.
            Draco hadn’t ever had the pleasure of meeting his cousin. He had
heard a lot about the man from his mother but a whole lot was said in bad
taste. He was interested in the man who had taken in Harry’s best interests and
seemed to genuinely care for him.
            “How much time do we have before we have to leave?”
            Harry arched a brow. “Probably less than a half hour.” A pause.
“Although, I highly doubt that Dudley will be satisfied with only an hour for
dinner. My guess is they will be there much longer.” He looked down at Draco
curiously.
            “Why?”
            The heated look in darkened silver eyes had him shivering in a
mixture of delight and want. It had been far too long since they had been
together.
            “Because I want your cock inside me.” Draco purred as he ran a
finger along Harry’s shirt.
            “Draco.” Harry moaned as he stared down at the gorgeous Slytherin
in his bed.
            Draco was glad that Harry was in muggle attire, made it easier to
rip off the offending articles of clothing.
            “I think you tore the fabric.” Harry whispered in surprise as he
helped Draco pull his shirt over his head.
            “It was ugly anyways.”
            Harry would have snorted but he quickly moaned as Draco’s tongue
swirled around one of his nipples.
            The moans Harry releases, always sets Draco’s blood to pumping. He
could feel himself thickening in response. He lifted up his free hand to twist
and pull on the other nipple.
            “Why am I the only one partially naked?” Harry complained
breathlessly as he stood up to chuck his trousers and pants down.
            Draco didn’t respond, how could he when Harry’s hard cock sprang
forward. “Oh fuck.” He swore as he licked his lips.
            The pure hunger in those eyes had anticipation curling in Harry’s
gut. Before he could say anything, Draco slid off the bed and onto his knees.
            “I missed you.” Draco whispered before nuzzling the fevered flesh
against his cheek.
            Harry arched a brow in disbelief. “Did you—did you just say that to
my dick?” Nice sentiment, wrong anatomy to miss.
            Draco smirked wickedly. “Your cock never talks back to me.”
            The retort he had been about to utter, died on Harry’s tongue as he
watched Draco swallow him to the hilt.
            “Oh fuck.” Panted Harry as he threw his head back. He lifted one
hand to lay it on blonde hair, needing something to ground him.
            “Mmm.” Draco moaned around the hard length. He hadn’t been lying.
He really had missed this. Missed being so close to Harry. Missed his lover’s
cock just as much as he missed Harry’s tight arse.
            The way Harry’s head was thrown back in pleasure, really boosted
Draco’s ego. Not that it needed boosting. He loved that he was the one who got
to see the Gryffindor like this. Loved that he was the one making the brunette
moan.
            Harry wanted to tell Draco how good he looked on his knees but knew
that words were eluding him at the moment. The only thing he could utter was a
broken string of Draco’s name.
            There was a dull jab in Draco’s knees and his jaw was beginning to
ache but he ignored this. The pleasure of having Harry’s throbbing prick in his
mouth far outweighed the negatives. He could do this all day. Draco would have
never known how much he liked blowjobs until Harry came along. The heavy weight
on his tongue always had shivers running down his back and lust barreling
through him.
            When Draco began to fondle his balls, Harry had to pull away. It
was too much, too pleasurable.
            If whining wasn’t so beneath Draco, he might have given in to the
urge to do so.
            Harry looked around the room until he caught sight of his unpacked
bags. He quickly walked over and began rummaging through it. He looked over his
shoulder. “Get naked and wait on the bed.”
            The demand had Draco’s brows arching. “You are lucky you have a
nice cock, because I would have cursed it off for ordering me around by now.”
            Harry shook his head as he focused on finding the lube he had asked
Draco to brew him weeks ago.
            “Although.” Draco began as he took off his robes. “We may come back
to that at a later date.”
            The surprise and sheer flabbergasted look on Harry’s face had Draco
snickering as he settled his now naked form on the possibly unsanitary bed.
            “Huh?” Harry said inelegantly. “You want me to order you around?”
That was surprising. His lover was so not the type of person to take orders.
            “I wouldn’t mind trying it out at some point.” Draco mused as he
gestured for Harry to hurry up with whatever he was doing. “I might like to
order you around too.”
            Now that wasn’t surprising. Harry huffed a breath as he rolled his
eyes. “How would that be any different from the way you already behave?”
            “I would say I’d take offense to that but it really is the truth.”
Draco admitted with an uncaring shrug. He was bossy and they both knew it.
            “Ah!” Harry made the triumphant noise as he pulled out the jar.
            “About damn time.”
            Harry ignored this as he turned fully and looked at Draco. His
mouth watered at the sight of the beautiful pale skin.
            “Hurry.” Draco moaned out at the lust darkened green eyes. He
needed Harry inside him now. “I’ve been thinking about this for ages.”
            The admittance had images filling Harry’s mind. Each one just as
delicious as the previous. He quickly climbed on the bed and settled himself
between Draco’s legs.
            “What were you thinking about?” Asked Harry as he opened the jar
and slicked up his fingers.
            “I’ve been fingering myself at night, wishing it was you.”
            Harry moaned at the blunt answer and quickly suckled Draco’s tip
into his mouth.
            “Fuck.” Draco groaned out, quashing the urge to thrust into the
warm heat. “Open me up.” He refused to consider his tone as begging.
            Perhaps the ordering around was something Harry wouldn’t mind. He
easily followed Draco’s command, pressing a slick finger to the tight entrance.
His eyes closed briefly at how tight he was, causing his cock to twitch in a
mixture of jealously and anticipation.
            The combination of his prick in Harry’s mouth and a finger in his
arse had Draco’s eyes rolling in the back of his head as he let out a loud
groan.
            Harry hollowed his cheeks and sucked harder as he slid in another
finger. He loved how vocal Draco could get, loved how uninhibited the other boy
became.
            “More.”
            Maybe the demands weren’t very welcoming, Harry decided. He ignored
the command as he pulled his mouth off of Draco with an obscene pop.
            “Is this what you wanted?” Harry asked as he slid in another
finger. “You wanted my fingers inside you? Wanted me preparing you for my cock?
Wanted me to spread you open and have my way with you?”
            Hell of a time to discover a dirty mouth. Draco couldn’t articulate
a response as those wicked fingers hit his prostate.
            “Harry!” The moan of his name had Harry’s control snapping so
suddenly that it almost threw his equilibrium off.
            Patience was definitely something that his Gryffindor traits had no
time for. That had always been something he disliked. He would have loved to
tease Draco further, would have loved to see the boy writhe and silently beg
for more. But he couldn’t take it. Couldn’t take the ache of his own need
anymore. He needed to be inside the boy he loved.
            When Harry’s fingers left him, Draco snapped his gaze to his
boyfriend in protest. The sight of the Gryffindor’s hands spreading lube along
the highlight of his desires had him spreading his legs eagerly, lifting up his
knees in the process.
            “Mmm.” Harry moaned as his eyes grew heavy in his lust at the sight
of Draco waiting for him. A thought had him pausing as he shook his head.
            “I want you to ride me.”
            Oh. Draco moved quickly, hating how tiny Harry’s bed was. He waited
impatiently for the other boy to lie down.
            Harry furrowed his brows when Draco got into position, facing the
opposite way. They had never done it quite like this. He would miss seeing
Draco’s face, miss being able to lean forward and kiss him.
            Draco reached behind him and grabbed hold of the hard, slick cock
and slowly sunk down. He threw his head back as each pleasurable inch invaded
his body.
            The sight of Draco’s arse sinking down, was closer in this position
than Harry had seen before, it was something Harry was entranced by. He
couldn’t tear his gaze away if he had tried. He bit his lip hard in an attempt
to distract himself from the urge to thrust before Draco was ready.
            Yes. This had been what he wanted. This was what he had been
fantasizing about. Draco leaned forward until his hands were on Harry’s legs,
he lifted himself up till he could feel the head of Harry’s length almost leave
him before he slammed down.
            Twin moans of satisfaction reverberated around the room as Draco
began a steady pace.
            Draco almost wished he could look into Harry’s face. He loved the
way those green eyes would close in pleasure before stubbornly reopening in a
vain attempt at keeping them wide. But with each drag of Harry’s cock inside
him, he couldn’t stop to consider a change in position.
            Watching his cock disappear in and out of his lover’s entrance was
sending him dangerously close to finishing already. Harry tried to close his
eyes and focus on the sensation itself but the sight was too appealing, too
enchanting.
            The volume of Harry’s moans had Draco looking over his shoulder
curiously. Harry was typically vocal but not usually so enthusiastic. For a
moment, he had wondered if there was a chance of it being faked but the clear
hunger in those eyes cleared all worry from his mind.
            “What has you so aroused?” Draco wondered as he let out a moan at a
particularly hard thrust upward from the brunette.
            “This position.” Harry admitted as he bit his lip, eyes still on
Draco’s arse. He reached out his hands to settle them against the globes of
creamy skin.
            “You like watching my arse swallow up your cock, Harry?” The
question came out breathier than Draco would have liked but he was proud it had
remained steady. “You like the way I grip you on the way out? As if even my
arse can’t let you go.”
            That right there was exactly why Draco was in trouble to begin
with. The absent filter was a blessing and a curse. Right now, Harry was rather
glad that Draco had a wicked way with words.
            “Draco.” It was as much of a warning as it was a moan.
            “You really do—fuck— like this—right there! —position.” Draco
didn’t care that his words had been broken up. Not when it felt too good, not
when Harry’s prick was giving him so much pleasure.
            Harry didn’t bother responding. It was obvious that he liked it. He
chose to make his thrusting hips show his satisfaction.
            “Just like that.” Draco praised as he tried to take Harry deeper.
            “Draco—”
            The warning had Draco groaning, knowing how close Harry was.
“Finish Harry. Come inside me.”
            Another command that Harry was willing to follow. He was almost
there. Just a little more.
            “I want to feel you for days. Won’t even heal myself. I want your
come dripping out of me as I finish as well.” He paused to let out a moan when
his prostate was hit. “And then, when you think we are done, I’m going to turn
you over and fuck you.”
            “Fuck.” Harry swore as that dirty mouth tipped him over the edge.
He shoved in as deeply as he could as his back arched and he came with a shout
of Draco’s name.
            Draco had been about to reach between his legs but he was quickly
flipped on his back as Harry’s dick slipped out. He only had time to blink
owlishly for a moment before his cock was surrounded by Harry’s mouth. He
snaked both his hands down to hold down his lover’s head.
            “Finger me too.” Draco drew his knees to his chest, offering
himself up nicely. “I feel so empty.”
            Harry moaned as he thrusted three fingers into Draco’s arse. He
made sure to aim for the Slytherin’s prostate with each push forward.
            “Ngh!” Draco cried out as he shoved upward the best he could with
Harry’s free hand holding him in place.
            “Harry!” Draco cried out as he clenched his eyes tightly and
exploded down Harry’s throat. The intensity of his orgasm surprised him as his
mind blanked for a few moments. Salazar, sex with Harry was incredible.
            Harry lay panting as he laid his head on Draco’s stomach. He smiled
when a hand threaded through his hair. “I love you.” He whispered, still amazed
that this boy was his. All his.
            The hand petting his hair didn’t stop with his declaration. “I love
you as well.” Draco whispered just as quietly and just as firm in the
significance.
            Love. Such a simple but complex word. When one has never
experienced love, the word is nearly meaningless but unobtainable at the same
time. Draco had never stopped to consider loving another person. It wasn’t
something he denied himself, it was just something to think about at a later
date. His life had been decided for him before he had left the womb. Love
wasn’t something he had expected to have. Arranged marriages were a given. He
had been told before he could properly understand what the word ‘marriage’ even
was, that he wouldn’t get a choice in partner. It was another thing that would
be decided for him.
            But all that changed the moment he chose his own path. The moment
he decided to believe in Harry, was the moment his entire world lit up in
colors. Shades he hadn’t stopped to consider, hues he didn’t know were real,
and tints that had been blinding him to the wonders out there. For the first
time in his life, Draco didn’t haveto do a damn thing. He didn’t have someone
else calling the shots. He didn’t have anyone deciding things without him. He
didn’t have to please anyone if he didn’t want to. He was free. Utterly free.
            Danger was something that he had known would come to him for just
being the son of deatheater. He had known that he would most likely be forced
into the danger without his approval. Now that he didn’t have to do what was
expected of him, the humor of choosing danger anyways was almost poetic in the
karma of it all. It was a different danger, one more treacherous than the
previous fear but it was the free will aspect to it that made the difference.
He was choosing this danger. He was choosing to stick with Harry. Choosing this
life. Despite the lack of security and safety of his decision, he couldn’t be
more content or untroubled.
            A *Pop* had Harry snapping his head up in horror. He prayed it
wasn’t Dobby. He really needed to set up boundaries when it came to the elf.
            “Master Draco the—” Suzy let out a squeak as she turned around,
providing them privacy.
            “The wizards have woken up.”
            Harry looked to Draco and then to the house elf in bewilderment.
The elf was smaller in height than Dobby but she seemed to be well cared for,
unlike how Dobby had been. The uniform was a dark blue with the Malfoy crest on
the back, it almost resembled a dress. There were light purple bows tied at the
base of her long ears. She was definitely the most adorable house elf he had
yet to see.
            “I see you didn’t kill them.” Draco drawled as he nudged Harry
until the boy sat up. He pressed a kiss to his nose before reaching for his
clothes.
            Kill? Harry’s eyes widened and he was positive he was gaping.
            “It was touch and go for a moment.” She admitted. “Suzy had to poke
one of them with a stick to see if he was dead.”
            Draco snorted loudly. Merlin, he loved this elf.
            “The wizard might have a concussion. Suzy wasn’t too light when
knocking them out.”
            This caused Harry to look to Draco in a silent to demand to explain
what was going on.
            “Did they notice anything out of the ordinary?” Asked Draco as he
ignored Harry’s looks. He threw his boyfriend his clothes, smirking at the
ripped shirt.
            Suzy shook her head so rapidly, one of the bows almost came loose.
“No, Master Draco.” There was a proud quality to her tone that had Harry
curious. It would seem that the house elf liked Draco.
            “Suzy made sure to be very careful. The only thing they will notice
is a change in time.”
            “Hmm.” Draco hummed in thought as he began piling everything he
could see into Harry’s bags. “That might be a problem. Depending on who is out
there, they could try and check on Harry, to make sure that he is alright.”
            “Draco.” Harry demanded crossly as he pulled on the remainder of
his clothes. “You do realize those were Order members, don’t you?”
            Draco and Suzy shared a look. “That makes sense.” He reasoned with
a smirk towards Harry’s nearly angry expression. “It wasn’t as if they have
ever really paid much attention to you before, so it was an extra precaution to
have Suzy be a distraction.”
            Harry sighed as he let it go. There were certain times when to
stick to his resolve when it came to Draco. Now, was not one of those times. It
would be pointless to gripe about it.
            “I just hope one of them wasn’t Remus.” Harry remarked as he threw
the last bit of his stuff into his suitcase. The sound of a tapping at his
window had him smiling widely.
            Harry opened the window and let Hedwig inside. “I was beginning to
wonder where you had gotten off to.” When she flew to his shoulder, he lifted a
hand to pet her. “We are leaving to Grimmauld Place.”
            “She was keeping Suzy company outside.” The elf piped up, turning
around now that they were both dressed and ready to go.
            “Really?” Harry murmured looking at Hedwig curiously.
            “She came to the Manor.” Draco explained as he wrapped his arms
around Harry. “I wouldn’t have known where you were without her.”
            “Huh.” Harry wasn’t sure why Hedwig had done that. He knew his owl
knew the Manor, she had delivered one letter to Draco earlier in the summer.
The only time they had been able to communicate.
            “Master Draco, wizards are approaching.”
            They shared a look before turning to the elf. “Do you know who it
is?” Harry asked her kindly.
            “No, Mister Potter, sir.”
            Harry blinked for a moment at the title. That would not do. He
would have to get Suzy to call him by his first name.
            “It is one of the ones that had been knocked out.”
            “It is the Order then.” Harry mumbled to Draco. “We can’t risk them
finding out about you till we speak to Sirius and Dumbledore.”
            Suzy held out her hands expectantly.
            “I can’t give out the address.” Harry realized. “It is spell
protected.”
            “Can Mister Harry Potter think of somewhere near it?” Suzy asked
with her large eyes wide in an earnest curiosity that Harry found endearing.  
            “Yes.” Harry admitted as he scratched the top of his head. “But I
don’t see how that would help.”
            The doorbell down stairs went off, causing Harry to not give a
shite how it would help. Both Harry and Draco lunged forward, grabbing a hold
of Suzy. With his last thought, Harry pictured the neighborhood but not the
actual house.
            When they landed, Draco looked around in distaste… again. What was
with people living in such horrid places? This was too muggle for his liking.
This is where the Noble House of Black resides?
            Harry pulled both Suzy and Draco forward until he was able to find
his way towards number twelve. He quickly knocked on the door as he looked
around the sidewalk.
            When no one answered, Harry began pounding the door hard. What was
Sirius doing in there? He entwined his free hand with Draco’s.
            “Come on.” Harry whispered. “Open the—” Perhaps there was truth in
demanding things.
            “Bloody door.” He finished sheepishly as he looked to a stunned
Remus. Well, at least Remus hadn’t been one of the people to nearly die by
Suzy’s hands.
            Draco peered at his old professor curiously. He hadn’t gotten to
know the man outside of the classroom. Not that he had ever talked to him
inside the classroom either. It would be interesting to see the man in action.
His father only ever complained about Lupin’s werewolf status. Which meant that
there was some actual talent to his abilities.
            “Sirius!” Remus yelled out as he blinked rapidly at the three
newcomers.
            “What is it?” The faraway voice was coming closer. “This better be
good. I was just about to throw away my mother’s underwear just to watch
Kreacher cry.”
            Draco couldn’t help it. He snorted loudly causing Harry to chuckle
too. They shared an amused look that led into full blown laughter.
            Harry turned to bury his face in Draco’s neck as the stress of the
day melted away with his quaking shoulders. He felt Draco’s arms wrap around
him and he knew what they must look like.
            When they were able to control themselves, they both looked over at
the door. Suzy was giving them reproachful looks but her mouth was curved in a
small smile. Remus was still blinking rapidly, while Sirius was now at the door
with his mouth dropped open in surprise.
            Sirius looked between the two boys that were in a close embrace to
the house elf with a resigned sigh.
            “I just know I am going to regret this conversation while sober.”
Sirius began as he stepped back and ushered them inside.
             Harry pulled Draco to a door near the kitchen that led to a study.
There was a large chair that could house two people but was made for one. They
sat down, invading each other’s space but quite content with that.
             Draco made sure to keep their hands entwined. He had gone too many
weeks without this kind of contact, he wasn’t about to go deny himself when
there was no reason to.
            “Kreacher!” Sirius bellowed when he realized just what kind of
relationship was happening between the two of them. “The Elvish wine is
required.”
            When no answer came or the sound of movement, Suzy steeped forward.
            “Suzy can get Master Draco’s relative whatever he requires.”
            Sirius looked down at the eager elf curiously. “No, that’s quite
alright. I will just have to quit being a lazy sod and get it myself.”
            “About time.” Remus mumbled under his breath.
            “I heard that.” Sirius retorted as he smacked Remus on the arm on
his way to the kitchen. “Just for that, you don’t get any.”
            There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room. Remus was
looking at the two of them in undisguised interest.
            “Suzy, where would you like to go?” Draco asked when he realized
that she couldn’t go back to the Manor. “Would you like to work at Hogwarts in
the meantime?” He couldn’t ask her to stay without gaining Black’s approval.
            Suzy tilted her head to the side as she considered the question,
the action caused one of her ears to bend in half. “Suzy would like to stay
with Master Draco.”
            Remus arched a brow at the warm way the elf was speaking.
            “Really?” Draco questioned with a considering look. “Why is that?”
            “Master Draco takes too many risks.” Her eyes were wide with
sincerity. “Suzy needs to be there to ensure that Master Draco is safe.”
            Draco flushed when he realized that Black was back and both him and
Lupin were staring at him questionably.
            “One time.” Draco argued. “I say something foolish one time and my
judgment is now questioned.”
            “One time, my arse.” Harry mumbled. He grinned when Draco turned a
glare on him.
            “Besides.” Harry continued before Draco could speak. “It isn’t
every day you tell Voldemort, ‘fuck you’, right to his face.” He pointed out as
he pressed their foreheads together. He heard someone choke but he ignored
them.
            “It just slipped.” Draco admitted with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to
say it. I say a lot of things I shouldn’t.”
            “Which is one of the many reasons I love you.” Another choke that
Harry ignored. Draco didn’t return the declaration but he did rub his nose
against Harry’s in a sweet gesture.
            “He is off his rocker.” Draco reminded Harry. “Wanted me to kill
Dumbledore. As if I even could. What a crock of shite.”
            “I think you need to start at the beginning.” Sirius demanded as he
placed his unopened bottle of wine on the table. All thoughts of getting drunk
evaporated at the realization he would need to remain sober.
            “I think that is an excellent idea.”
            At the sound of Dumbledore’s voice, Harry and Draco shared a look
of surprise and possibly horror.
            “Uh oh.” Suzy whispered when she caught sight of the person with
Dumbledore.
            Mundungus Fletcher was rubbing his head and moaning in pain.
            Before Draco could say anything, Suzy disapparated out of the room.
Which had Harry’s mouth twitching despite the situation.
            There was no twinkling of blue eyes but there also wasn’t anything
to lead Harry to think that the older man was upset. He watched Dumbledore tell
Mundungus to visit either Madam Pomfrey or St. Mungos before the Headmaster sat
down in a chair next to Sirius and Remus.
            “Now, the story, if you will.” Dumbledore told them with a stern
voice as he peered at them over folded hands.
End Notes
     Sooooo? What did you think?
     Few things. No worries, Hermione will come around guys. I am not
     splitting up the trio now possibly turned quartet.
     Draco may have seemed a tad less snarky in this one but I feel that
     was plausible once you take in account of the emotions and his inner
     turmoil about what to do and not wanting to be a deatheater. Not to
     worry, his snark will make a full comeback.
     Bonding over shitty situations and crappy families will always be a
     sucker for me when it comes to some Drarry stories. I just couldn't
     have Draco enter the home and NOT pick up on the way the Dursleys
     treat him.
     Suzy. Bless her. I fell in love with this character. Hopefully you
     did too.
     Guys, should wolfstar exist or nah? I don't even know if I want to
     develop any side relationships. Sounds like work to me. Hahaha.
     I think that is all. Let me know any thoughts or questions.
     -XxTheDarkLordxX
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