
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/12074583.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      No_Archive_Warnings_Apply, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Draco_Malfoy/Harry_Potter, Sirius_Black/Remus_Lupin, Hermione_Granger/Ron
      Weasley
  Character:
      Draco_Malfoy, Harry_Potter, Sirius_Black, Remus_Lupin, Ron_Weasley,
      Hermione_Granger
  Additional Tags:
      Established_Relationship, Explicit_Sexual_Content, Fluff, Top_Draco
      Malfoy, Bottom_Harry_Potter, Sequel, Ron_Weasley_is_a_Good_Friend, and
      brother, Love, Occlumency_lessons
  Series:
      Part 4 of Simple_Acts
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-09-12 Words: 13367
****** Senses are Essential ******
by XxTheDarkLordxX
Summary
     “I want you to be nice to the Order.”
     Right for the jugular. Draco let out an aghast noise as he leaned
     away and regarded the Gryffindor with a clearly horrified expression.
     “That’s like asking a boggart not to frighten people. I can’t change
     my inner self.”
     Harry snorted as he pulled the grumpy blonde into his arms. “I would
     never ask you to change who you are. I know you are going to say
     something to embarrass me, no doubt because it is lewd.” He sighed
     when Draco’s lips twitched.
     “Just as I know you are going to insult at least five people in the
     span of two minutes. Your sarcasm is going to fly over many people’s
     heads and your sharp tongue will probably make more enemies than
     supporters.”
Notes
     Hello guys. So with this series, I am not behind in posting. I am
     kind of on time. But I have been behind in my other stuff. So, if you
     are a reader of those works, I apologize. I have had zero motivation
     lately. Something I am trying to get past. I will hopefully begin
     working on that soon.
     I don't believe there are any warnings for this one! So, enjoy!
See the end of the work for more notes
            “Oi!” Ron cried out indignantly when he was shoved forward out of
the fireplace, nearly spiraling him over the rug and cracking his head on the
banister. The only thing that had stopped this from happening was him placing
his foot out, causing it to slam against the ground harder than necessary, but
at least it wasn’t his head.
            “George! I’m going to kill you.” He ground out when his brothers
exited the floo. “That bloody hurt.”
            “You shouldn’t have taken so long.” Both twins retorted together as
they dusted themselves off.
            “What are you boys arguing about?” Molly asked as she too exited
the floo. “You better not be fighting. We don’t have time for this.”
            Ron sighed heavily, figures. It wasn’t even worth the argument. He
glared at his brothers as he waited for the rest of the family to come through.
“Do I get to participate in the meeting this time?”
            “No.” Several voices spoke up in refusal. Ron looked around and
noticed that his parents, Sirius and Remus had answered the question.
            “Sixteen should be old enough to join the Order.” That wasn’t a
pout. Definitely not.
            “Tough shite.” Fred mouthed at him behind his mother’s back.
            “Ow!” Fred and George cried when their mother smacked the back of
their heads.
            “I didn’t even say anything!” George honestly muttered in pure
confusion, shooting his twin a dark look.
            “You didn’t have to.” Molly sniffed. “I know you.”
            At least there was some kind of karma in the world. Ron schooled
his features in a blank expression but he just couldn’t stop the snort from
releasing when he saw his brothers rub the back of their heads. George getting
blamed too had honestly made his entire day.
            “At least we can see Harry for a little while.” Ginny changed the
subject when it looked like George might argue back. “Haven’t seen him since
the school year ended.”
            Sirius and Remus shared a look before clearing their throats.
“Harry is up in his room but he is busy at the moment. I am afraid you will
have to wait until he is done.” Remus explained with an apologetic look.
            “What’s he doing?” Hermione wondered with furrowed brows.
            “I think she means, who, not what.” George whispered quietly to his
twin causing Fred to snicker.
            Ron narrowed his eyes his at his brothers’ amused faces and at
Sirius’ partially disgusted look. It was all making sense. He sighed heavily as
he fought down the urge to cringe. So, Malfoy was here. Lovely.
            As more people began to trickle in, the hallway was becoming
cramped.
            “Why can’t we just go see Harry?” Ginny complained. “It’s not like
he would mind us interrupting.”
            Ron snorted despite himself. “Trust me Gin, he would mind.”
            “How do you know?” Hermione wondered with pinched brows. “Do you
know what he is doing?”
            “I have a pretty good idea.” He tried giving her a meaningful look
but wasn’t sure if she had understood what he was hinting at.
            Hermione seemed suspicious but let it go in favor of watching the
rest of the Order come in and out of the kitchen. “Fairly big meeting today.”
She bit her lip in thought.
            “Introducing the possibility of two new members.” Tonks told her
conspiratorially as she exited the kitchen to welcome the teenagers, waving
once at Sirius who was leaving the room.
            “Any word on who it is?” Mundungus grumbled as he inspected a
polished silver plate hanging on the wall.
            “No.” Tonks shook her head in disappointment, hair changing from
pink to brown rapidly. “Sirius and Remus know but they are rather tight lipped
at the moment.”
            “That’s unusual.” Moody’s gruff voice sounded before the clank of
his cane could be heard. “Sirius couldn’t keep his trap shut if his life
depended on it.”
            “I resent that.” Sirius yelled from inside the kitchen doorway,
where he had been guiding people in. “If the incentive is high enough, secrets
are safe with me.”
            “Please spare us from your incessant boasting.” Snape drawled as he
walked through the door.
            “Ah, Snivellus. I was hoping you wouldn’t be making it. It’s a
shame old Voldy hasn’t disposed of you yet.” The false cheery tone to his voice
had a few people shaking their heads.
            “The meeting is about to start.” Moody interrupted before Snape
could argue.
            “Good.” Two relieved voices panted as they came into the room as
well. “Got held up.” Charlie apologized as he smacked soot off of Bill’s
shoulder.
            Bill smiled warmly at his younger siblings, who had greeted them
before he looked to Sirius. “Are you sure you don’t want to give us any hints?
I find myself rather intrigued. I can’t remember there ever being a meeting for
any of us when we joined.”
            Sirius rolled his eyes as he firmly refused to give anything away.
He ushered everyone in with a lazy flick of his hand. Only when the last guest
was inside, did he turn back around and give the three teenagers one last
warning. “Leave Harry be.”
            “What do you think?” Ginny turned to Ron and Hermione when the door
was shut and magically sealed. “Should we go up anyways?”
            “You couldn’t pay me enough to go up there.” Ron shuddered heavily.
If Harry really was with Malfoy in his room, then there wasn’t a chance in hell
he was interrupting that.
            “What is it you know?” His sister demanded with a glare.
            “We should tell her.” Hermione whispered but not low enough for the
younger girl to have been left out.
            “No.” The hard denial startled both Hermione and Ginny.
            “Why?” Asked Hermione. “She’s his friend too, she deserves to know.
The whole family does.”
            “Harry will tell everyone in his own time. It isn’t our business to
tell.” He could tell that she could at the very least agree with that.
“Besides, I am sure he will ease everyone into it. My guess, is he has a plan.”
 
===============================================================================
 
 
            “H-how is this going to help me with Occlumency?” Harry choked out
as Draco pumped two fingers in and out of his arse while he laid back on the
floor.
            Draco smirked against tan skin before he sucked a mark on his
lover’s neck. “You can’t protect a chaotic mind. Clearing all thoughts and
emotions is essential.”
            This wasn’t news to Harry. He had heard all of this from Snape. But
the Potions Master had never gone this route. Thank fucking god.
            “This is a good method to get you relaxed.” Draco whispered as he
tongued a lobe before gently nibbling it. “If your brain is too active, then
attempting to clear your mind will be pointless. It is easier to control a
still puddle than a rapidly flowing creek.”
            “And sex is the answer?”
            “Well, I have to get something out of this, don’t I?” Draco
retorted easily as he thrusted his fingers in harder, loving the sweet moan
that was released.
            Harry loved that his boyfriend was a Slytherin. Fuck, this was the
best idea they have had in a while.
            “Fuck me.” It was just as much of a demand as he was pleading.
            “Mmm.” Draco moaned as he grabbed the lube and quickly slicked
himself up. “My pleasure.”
            Harry furrowed his brows when he felt hands lift his legs up higher
than normal. “What are you doing?”
            “I want to try something new.”
            He really should have been suspicious by the challenging tone but
Harry had always been a sucker for Draco’s challenges. “Alright.”
            “Wow.” Harry whooshed out when not only his legs were lifted but so
was his entire lower body. He was practically resting his weight on his
shoulders as his legs were pushed passed their normal lengths, leaving his arse
completely in the open. The blood was already going to his head. “This is going
to get uncomfortable very quickly.”
            “Then I guess it’s my job to distract you.” Draco whispered as he
slowly slid his cock inside Harry’s arse.
            The stance didn’t allow Harry to throw his head back, so he turned
it instead as he let out a low groan. “Oh.” He whimpered as this new position
had Draco’s prick resting right against his prostate.
            All the discomfort on his boyfriend’s face was quickly replaced
with pleasure, which had Draco smirking on the inside. He waited until
impatient green eyes narrowed on him before he slowly pulled back and firmly
snapped his hips forward.
            They both moaned as one, eyes still staring intently at each other.
            “Fuck.” Harry swore as his eyes closed and he clenched his fists,
wishing he had something to grip. Sex with Draco was always intense, he loved
it.
            Silver eyes tracked every swallow, sigh and moan. Draco bit his lip
as he looked down at watched his cock slide in and out. Watched the way he was
gripped tightly, loving the feel of Harry wrapped around him.
            “Harder.” Harry begged as he tried to thrust down but it was hard
in this position. It put strain on his shoulders, which didn’t feel that great.
            That was something Draco could easily do. He groaned softly as he
not only began moving harder and rougher but also increased the pace as well.
            “Yes!” Harry cried out, not needing anything more than this. “So
good, Draco.” He loved how full he felt with the thick cock inside him.
            Draco almost wished that he could change positions so that he could
easily kiss Harry but this was just fine. Especially with the way Harry was
clenching around him.
            There was a strain on Harry’s muscles but he ignored this as each
pounding thrust of Draco’s had his prostate being hit deliciously.
            With the pleasure mounting, Harry couldn’t help but reach up and
grip his aching dick tightly.
            Draco licked his lips at the sight, his hips snapping harder in
response.
            A keening cry escaped Harry’s lips as he quickened his pace. He
looked to Draco curiously. “You like it when I touch myself.”
            It wasn’t a question but Draco nodded anyways, eyes entranced on
the fast-moving wrist that was still jerking a leaking shaft.
            “I like when you are the one touching me.” Harry admitted
breathlessly, moaning at the thought of strong hands finishing him off. “But
this is good too.”
            “Come Harry.” Draco demanded. “I want you to make yourself come.”
            Harry definitely loved the way the demand was breathy but still had
meaning behind it. A part of him wanted to deny the demand just on principle
but he was so close to finishing that he decided to just go with it.
            With each fast stroke, Draco matched this with his hips moving
impossibly faster. He wanted to follow the pace of his lover’s hand.
            “Draco—I—” Harry clenched his eyes tightly as he felt his muscles
lock. Moans were turning into screams as he felt one more hard thrust push him
over the edge, coming hard.
            Draco watched the splotches reach near Harry’s face as they landed
on the tan chest. It was erotic and enough to have him increasing the pace even
further as he too chased his own climax.
            “Draco.” Harry whispered, eyes still closed and blissfully sated as
he felt Draco still thrusting inside of him.
            The whisper was his undoing. Draco stilled as he felt his orgasm
pour out of him. He weakly shifted his hips, letting Harry’s clenching arse
milk him completely.
            As his legs were slowly placed on the floor, Harry began to notice
a tense throb in his shoulders. That was unpleasant but he was too relaxed from
his climax to care about that. Maybe later it would bother him.
            Draco propped himself on his side, so that he could peer down at
Harry as he ran his fingers through the messy locks. The flushed cheeks, glazed
eyes and blissful smile was a sight that he loved to see on the other boy.
            “I’m definitely relaxed now.” Harry whispered as he closed his eyes
and leaned into the hand playing with his hair. He blindly lifted his arms to
pull Draco’s face down, wanting that mouth on his own.
            The kiss was more smiles than anything but Draco sighed happily
into Harry’s mouth before enthusiastically kissing back.
            “You ready to learn?” The question was whispered against lips as
Harry chose to continue snogging the Slytherin instead of replying. Occlumency
wasn’t something he wanted to be doing anyways.
            Draco chuckled before pulling away. “Come on, love.” The way the
brunette looked down, cheeks went pink and a small smile lifted at the corners
had him realizing that he had never said that before. It was obvious that
endearments were something that Harry liked. Saying sappy things was not
something that he himself liked to do but if got this kind of reaction, then he
would have to get used it.
            “If you can even remotely protect your mind, then I will offer you
something in return.”
            That got Harry’s attention, he sat up and peered into silver eyes
that were soft but serious at the same time.
            “Like what?” There was definitely something suspicious to Harry’s
tone, which had Draco smirking in response. It was always smart to question
anything that a Slytherin offers.
            “What do you want, Harry?” Each word was said slowly as a hand
trailed up his naked body.
            Distraction. Harry may not be the smartest person in the world but
he knew every part of his boyfriend and could read him perfectly. Draco was
attempting to distract him. If they hadn’t just had sex, then it mighthave
worked.
            “I want you to be nice to the Order.”
            Right for the jugular. Draco let out an aghast noise as he leaned
away and regarded the Gryffindor with a clearly horrified expression.
            “That’s like asking a bogart not to frighten people. I can’t change
my inner self.”
            Harry snorted as he pulled the grumpy blonde into his arms. “I
would never ask you to change who you are. I knowyou are going to say something
to embarrass me, no doubt because it is lewd.” He sighed when Draco’s lips
twitched.
            “Just as I know you are going to insult at least five people in the
span of two minutes. Your sarcasm is going to fly over many people’s heads and
your sharp tongue will probably make more enemies than supporters. But all of
that will be reflected on me too.” Harry pointed out.
            “I could care less what some of them think. But it would go a long
way if you at least pretended to look as if you were trying to nice, especially
since the Order are the ones who will decide if they want to induct us.”
            Draco hummed in thought. “So, you just want me to pretend? Because
that is something I can do.”
            “Draco.” The resigned sigh had Draco feeling chastised. He didn’t
want to play nice, didn’t want to be somebody he wasn’t. But the truth of the
situation was that he needed their support. If the Order decided to not allow
him in, then it could ruin a lot of things for him and put Harry in a tough
position. That was something he didn’t want to do. He never wanted to burden
his lover with anything.
            “Alright.” Draco conceded as he locked eyes with Harry. “I will try
to be nice but I will do so in a way that won’t compromise my beliefs. If they
can’t accept me as I am then I don’t want to be included.”
            Harry smiled softly as he kissed a pale cheek. “That’s all I ask.”
            “But the second meeting is not included in this.” Draco warned. “My
wickedly charming self is coming full force after this one.”
            “Good.” Harry meant it too. He loved everything about Draco and
would hate to see the blonde pretend to be someone that he just wasn’t.
            “This is all speculation, you know. At least until you actually put
some effort into Occlumency.”
            There was a challenge there. One that Harry was going to let bait
him. He may not want to learn any of this but he knew that he had to do it
anyways. He lifted his hands in a defeated manner, as if to say, ‘go ahead’.
            “Sit up.” There was a demand in the tone but Harry found it in
intriguing. He wanted to see how well his boyfriend could teach him. It had to
be better than Snape’s methods. It just had to be.
            When they were sitting on the floor, directly across from each
other, Draco cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes in thought.
            “Close your eyes.” Still completely demanding but Harry did as was
asked, wondering where this was going.
            “What can you see? Not with your eyes but with your other senses.”
Draco whispered as he observed his lover intently.
            It was an interesting question. Asking him to see without his eyes
was almost an oxymoron but Harry was intrigued enough to not comment.
            Harry furrowed his brows when he could feel power. Not in an
overpowering way but more of just a presence. Was it possible to feel power
like this? Was that him? Was he feeling himself? A long pause as he tried to
delve deeper. He leaned forward, towards where he knew Draco was.
            “I feel you. As in touch.”
            Draco arched a brow, they weren’t even touching. “I imagine I
probably feel weird to your senses.” Especially considering how different they
were.
            “No.” Harry argued with a shake of his head, keeping his eyes
closed. “I feel your power. I feel your presence. I feel you beyond a simple
touch.”
            That had Draco letting out a low whistle as he blinked rapidly at
the brunette still just sitting there.
            “What does my presence feel like?” He wondered curiously.
            The question had Harry leaning impossibly closer as he tried to
keep his bottom half still on the ground. “Compatibility.”
            “What?” Draco was baffled. That was not even remotely what he had
thought was going to be said.
            Harry smiled softly as he tried to formulate just what it was that
he was aiming to say. “There’s just this compatibility to you that meshes with
me, with my own presence. I feel you and want to take it in. I want to wrap my
own presence inside of you.”
            “That is surprisingly kinky.”
            Harry laughed loudly as he blindly reached forward to slap his
boyfriend on the leg. “Don’t ruin the moment.” He teased gently.
            “You don’t feel anything dark?” Draco wondered as he decided to be
serious for the moment. It was interesting that Harry wasn’t sensing his magic
as he himself would. Perhaps that was important. Perspective maybe?
            What does dark feel like? That was on the tip of Harry’s tongue but
he chose to ignore that. He could remember the presence of Quirrell and the way
Voldemort had clung to the man. Could remember the way Riddle’s diary had felt,
remembered that presence as well as the aura to the graveyard. There was a
darkness there and that was one gleaming opportunity to compare to but it was
also wrong. Draco felt nothing like that.
            Harry opened his mouth but then closed it again as he thought back
over everything. Darkness was a label. A generalization. He couldn’t look at
Voldemort’s presence and then compare it to Draco. That wasn’t fair nor was it
right. Dark or light was a relative term. It changed with each person. Who was
to say what a darkness really was? Perhaps this was just magic. Maybe he was
just feeling magic in general. Instead of having these labeling terms, maybe
everyone was just different.
            Perhaps it shouldn’t be gleamed as dark, light or grey. There were
people that didn’t fit any of those titles. Draco was dark but light as well.
Voldemort was only dark. Dumbledore… well he wasn’t too sure about the man. His
first guess would be to say only light but that didn’t really fit. Snape seemed
to be only dark but he was positive there was some kind of light in there. The
Weasleys were light. Sirius was probably only light but with dark teachings.
Remus would know the touches of dark magic but couldn’t really say if there was
a blend. It changed with each person. Perhaps magic was just a spectrum of many
things and everyone was just different and there was no right or wrong way to
be. No true definition to describe someone. Because there would always be
somebody that just didn’t fit that mold.
            The question was far harder than Harry really thought it would be.
No, he couldn’t feel anything dark because he wasn’t sure if that was the right
descriptor to begin with.
            “I feel you, Draco. I just feel you. It isn’t a darkness or a
light. It is just your presence. It’s what defines you and I won’t classify it
with a title.”
            Draco’s eyes widened at that as he hummed in thought. It was
obvious that he had missed something here but the conviction in Harry’s tone
let him know that arguing about this was pointless.
            “Alright.” Draco whispered as he fought the urge to run his fingers
along tanned skin.
            “But I love it.” Whispered Harry just as quietly as the blonde’s
tone had been. “I love your presence. Love the way it feels. I could spend
forever just like this.”
            Draco was rather glad that Harry’s eyes were closed. He felt his
cheeks heat up and he lowered his head. “You’re such a sap.”
            Can it count as a reprimand if it’s said so fondly? Harry didn’t
think so. He smiled widely as he reached out his hands and pulled any part of
his lover’s body to him and held on tightly.
            The action had Draco letting out a breathy laugh as he sighed
happily. “This is supposed to be a serious Occlumency lesson, you know. Not
whatever this is.”
            “I like this better.” The immediate response came in. Not bothering
to pretend to be interested in Occlumency.
            “So do I.” Draco admitted softly. “But that doesn’t mean we can
succumb to it. We need to get somewhere or we will be up here all day and even
all night.”
            “That doesn’t sound too bad, actually.” Harry pointed out before he
leapt away when Draco began tickling him mercilessly.
            “Be serious.” Chided Draco with lips quirking up.
            When Harry huffed and got back into position with his eyes still
closed, did Draco continue.
            “I want you to use your ears now. Tell me what you can hear.”
            There was a stillness to the room, something that Harry had never
paid attention to before. Did the eyes really distract him from his other
senses? Or was this just because he was really paying attention now?
            It was interesting to notice the different depths that can be
gleamed from just one thing. He could still feel Draco’s presence but this time
from a different perspective. This time he could hear it. Hear the different
shifting of noises that signified his lover’s magic. There was an almost melody
that whispered around the room. Only, it was soft, so soft that he almost
overlooked it.
            “You are beautiful.” Harry whispered as he wished he could touch
it. Wished that he could just surround himself in everything that was Draco.
            What was with the sappy shite? Draco cursed his pale skin as he
could feel the heat radiating off of his face,again. “You don’t have to seduce
me with flattery. I am already yours.”
            Harry grinned widely as he shook his head. “I am telling you what I
hear. I can hear you, Draco.” A pause as he sighed with a goofy smile. “And
it’s beautiful.”
            Damnit. A grin was overtaking Draco’s features as he tried fighting
it. But it was futile. Why was he with someone so sentimental?
            “I love you.” Draco whispered. That was why. Because he was just as
fucking sappy. Salazar, what has the world come to? He looked to the ceiling as
he mourned the loss of his reputation that he just knew was burning in flames.
Stupid Gryffindors and their charming personalities. It was all Harry's fault.
            Harry’s heart skipped several beats, sending his pulse into a state
or erratic thumping. “I love you too.” Merlin, Draco was everything.
            There was so much conviction in the statement that Draco knew Harry
meant it. Not that he had ever doubted his boyfriend’s love for him, but it was
sweet to hear. He sighed internally. Why was he caring about anything being
sweet?
            Harry cleared his throat, knowing that Draco would want to change
the subject soon. “Should I try smell next?”
            “Go ahead.” Draco whispered as he took in his lover’s features,
memorizing them, searing them into his mind forever.
            This one was hard. “I smell sex.”
            The blunt answer drew a surprised snort out of Draco. Possibly his
favorite smell, besides his boyfriend’s natural essence.
            Harry inhaled deeply as he tried to smell in ways that he wouldn’t
normally do. There was definitely an overpowering smell of sex, which had him
shifting a little in remembrance. But he pushed past this and settled on trying
to dig deeper.
            This was harder than he thought it would be. What in the world was
he supposed to be smelling here? Did Draco’s power have a smell? Or was he
focusing on his boyfriend too much? Should he be trying to smell other things
in the room too?
            Focusing on something else was rather hard. Draco was such a
beacon. Despite not being able to see him, he could feel it in all of his other
senses. If his mind was only going to gleam this one thing, then why fight it?
It was obvious that he had a one-track mind when it concerned the blonde.
            An earthy quality assaulted his nose and Harry just knew that this
was Draco’s smell underneath all of the products the boy used. But there was
more to it. He cocked his head to the side as he smelled something else. It was
barely there, almost like entering an old room that hadn’t been used in years.
A distant memory. That was what this was like. It was faint and just a tiny
whiff of something. Is that what Draco’s magic or presence smelled like? He
felt his brows wrinkle in confusion as he tried to make sense of all of this.
But it was just too hard.
            “I can smell your presence. I just don’t know how to describe it.”
            Draco nodded as he smiled. “Good. That means your sensory skills
are up to par.”
            Compliments weren’t something that Harry had ever really gotten
before. Sure, people praised him for being the one to survive as a baby but
that was really the extent. No one ever looked at his abilities and
complimented him on that. He felt a wave of pride sweep him up and it was
wonderful. It was nice having his boyfriend be supportive.
            “What about taste?” Questioned Harry. That was the last one after
sight was taken out of the picture.
            Draco tilted his head back and forth as he tried to decide how to
go about that one. “Using taste as a sense in means of magic is hard. It
entwines so effortlessly into touch that it is hard to make a distinction.”
            “Oh.” Harry breathed as he concentrated back on the feel of Draco
again. He could feel his lover and feel that same warm enchanting presence.
Concentration was almost his undoing. It was hard to disassociate anything
besides the feeling. Was there really taste in there? Was there really
something else mixed into the heady feeling of losing oneself in the touch of
someone else’s magic?
            What was the difference between touch and taste? That was the real
question. It wasn’t touch and taste in the normal setting either. This was
almost theoretically, since he wasn’t actually doing either of those things.
Harry huffed out as he tried to understand.
            To taste was to take in something into his own body. Instead of
concentrating on the presence of Draco, perhaps he should be trying to take
what was there into himself?
            Harry took a deep breath as he imagined he was taking essences of
the presence in the air into his own body. As if it was the oxygen he needed or
even the sustenance of nutrients.
            Fuck.
            If Harry had thought it was heady before, that was nothing compared
to what he was experiencing right now. The taste of Draco’s presence was nearly
indescribable. How could something like this even exist? It was every weakness
to his will and every reason to keep living. Merlin, it was as if life itself
was bottled up and he had swallowed it in one gulp.
            “Oh my.”
            The awe to Harry’s tone had Draco startling. Had his boyfriend
really managed to separate taste and touch? On the first try? That was
something he himself had only managed to do a few times and with so much effort
it weakened him.
            “Draco, I… I…” He trailed off not entirely sure what in the fuck he
was going to say. This was all so much. Harry knew without a doubt that this
was dangerous. Perhaps his other senses were great in delving deeper but not
taste. This was something that shouldn’t be done to most people. He shuddered
in disgust at the thought of tasting any part of Voldemort. No. This wasn’t
something that should be done without some kind of deeper understanding and
trust of the other person. There wasn’t a single person besides Draco that he
would want to taste. Not even his friends’ magic or presence was worth it. No.
He didn’t want to know them on a level like this.
            “Thank you.” Harry managed to get out. Saying the only thing his
mind could think of.
            “What?” Draco asked inelegantly.
            Harry smiled softly at the confusion that was palpable in his tone.
“Thank you for showing me this.” Tasting Draco’s magic was a gift in of itself
and he was going to treat it as such.
            The gratitude was almost Draco’s undoing. He took a deep breath and
reigned in all control, so that he didn’t just throw himself at his boyfriend.
That would be undignified. He was above that.
            “So, I know there is some kind of deeper meaning to this. I am just
waiting to understand why you had me reach out with my senses.” What did this
have to do with Occlumency? He opened his eyes to peer at his boyfriend
curiously.
            Draco smiled at the change of subject. Knowing that Harry just
understood him. He cleared his throat.
            “Your eyes can be tricked easily. Most people rely so heavily on
sight that they never protect their other senses. They believe that what they
see is real and unshakable.” He pulled out Remus’ wand, that had been loaned to
him for the lesson. It was unlikely that his own wand would produce the
Ministry finding out, since this was a magical home and they can’t really
detect a child from a parent in situations like that but he wanted to be safe.
            He waved the wand and a bouquet of flowers appeared.
            “Who’s trying to seduce who now?” Harry teased as he reached for
the flowers.
            Draco smiled as he moved them out of the Gryffindor’s reach. “No. I
want you to just look.” When he was sure he had the brunette’s attention, he
continued. “What are your eyes telling you I am holding?”
            The question had Harry arching a brow as he looked at the flowers.
They were rather beautiful. They reminded him of daisies, only instead of the
white petals, they were purple. A deep purple that accented the yellow center
in a beautiful way. He had never really paid attention much to flowers, outside
of the few that his Aunt used to plant in her garden.
            “I think these are Asters, right?”
            Draco was impressed. He didn’t know that Harry knew anything about
flowers.
            “It would be if they were really flowers.”
            That had Harry freezing as he looked back to the flowers in his
lover’s hand. If they weren’t flowers, then what were they?
            At Draco’s pointed look, he thought back to the lesson. Senses. He
closed his eyes, cutting off the chance of the flowers being able to lie to his
eye sight.
            “Can I touch them?”
            Draco extended his hand out and placed them on the palm that was
patiently waiting.
            The texture was wrong. Completely wrong for what a flower should
feel like. It was scratchy and hard. He furrowed his brows as he clenched
lightly. “Is this a stick?”
            “Yes.” Draco agreed readily. “But what would you have done if I had
charmed them to feel as if they were flowers?”
            Harry bit his lip as he questioned this. He leaned forward and
inhaled. There wasn’t the smell that one would associate with flowers at all.
There was no smell whatsoever.
            “They don’t smell like flowers.”
            Draco nodded his head in approval, not that Harry could see it.
“But what would you have done if I spelled them to smell as they should?”
            Harry grumbled as he was forced to dig deeper. If the flowers
looked, smelled and felt like flowers, he probably wouldn’t have done much
else. Which was a scary thought. Had there been other instances where his eyes
had tricked him into seeing something that was actually false? For the sake of
the demonstration, he tried to use his other senses as well.
            The magic surrounding the stick/flowers was the same as Draco’s
presence, which he supposed was a good way of indicating who had been the
caster. But that wouldn’t really help right now.
            “Can you give me an actual flower?”
            Draco hummed in thought as he did as he was asked. Placing a real
Aster in his lover’s other hand.
            Harry clenched his eyes tightly in concentration as he felt between
the two summoned things in his hands. There was a difference between the two.
It was hard to grasp just what was different but there was a subtle change.
            It took him a moment to realize that the stick had extra magic
surrounding it. Which made sense. It was summoned just as the real flower but
it was also glamoured to look like a flower. It would require more magic.
            Harry opened his eyes as he placed the stick on the floor.
“Alright. So, I need to be more aware of my surroundings and not trust my eyes.
But what does that have to do with Occlumency?”
            Draco huffed as he leaned away and placed most of his weight on his
elbows. “If I am going to try and get into your mind,I need to rely on a means
of tricking your mind. That is where the senses come into play. It isn’t just
power and the spell that grants someone the opportunity to break into the mind.
Manipulating the senses and using trickery goes a long way.”
            He could tell that Harry wasn’t completely understanding him. “Take
your dreams for example. They weren’t really dreams. He was sending you his own
thoughts and false constructed traps. To do that, he would have to get you
invested in what you were seeing and not what was actually there. The mind is
harder to trick than your eyes but if you were solely relying on what you were
looking at, then your mind would follow suit.” Draco paused as he crossed his
arms.
            “He showed you Sirius in the Ministry. But during the time you saw
this, did you feel out the intruding magic? Did you sense the feel of it? Or
even hear it? Not the words of the false vision, I mean the sound of the magic
itself? The sound of his magic would have been tangible. The scent of his
presence in your mind would have been glaring.”
            Harry wasn’t sure if he was being reprimanded or not. It felt as if
he was.
            Draco cupped Harry’s cheek. “I don’t mean to offend.” He promised.
“If it had been just the connection between you, it would have felt different.
You were focused on what you were seeing and your emotions of it being Sirius
blinded your other senses.”
            This had Harry trying to recall if there had been a difference
between his normal dreams and the false one. He had been overwhelmed with worry
for his godfather and hadn’t paid any attention to anything else.
            Harry nudged the hand holding his cheek gently before separating.
            “Even if someone is forcibly entering your mind and you know that
they are inside, sight is still lying to you.”
            “What do you mean?” Harry asked as he thought back to all of the
lessons with Snape and the times that he had failed at blocking the man.
            “When one uses Legilimency, they use the persons thoughts as a
distraction just as much as a means to an end. Typically, someone resorting to
this is aiming to find something specific. People don’t just use Legilimency on
a whim. It can be dangerous. So, there is an underlying cause to why they are
in your mind in the first place.”
            Harry nodded in understanding, following along the line of thought.
  
            “Thoughts are jumbled, chaotic and messy at the best of times. Most
people have no order or control in what they think. So, when someone breaks
into their mind, they have to wade through all of the chaotic things going on.
Which will result in random memories from all over the place being brought
forward.”
            This had Harry humming. Snape had pulled out all kinds of memories
from his mind. They had been rather random, not really a line of thought or in
a time line. Which he supposed showed that the intention hadn’t been to search
for anything but more of just entering his mind for the sake of the lesson.
            “A skilled Legilimens will use these random memories that don’t
have to do with what they are looking for as a distraction. Causing the victim
to look at the memories with them. Which will have the person caught up in
trying to hide the memories instead of really focusing on the issue at hand.”
            Again, that made sense to Harry. He had watched the memories with
Snape then too. He had been duped in a way that wasn’t obvious.
            “Forcing the person to leave your mind is important but it isn’t
always the easiest thing to accomplish. Instead of getting worked up on what
the person is seeing, it is always wise to turn the tables on them.” Draco
smirked at the way Harry sat up straighter.
            “They are already in your head, show them an onslaught of what’s in
there. Show them the things that you could care less about them witnessing.
Show them so much that they can’t take it. Overload them with years and years’
worth of memories in seconds. It’s an overload that will send them reeling in
no time.”
            Harry hummed in part amusement and thought. That seemed like a good
concept of kicking someone out after the fact. “But what about blocking them
before they can try?”
            Draco scooted closer as he looked into Harry’s eyes. “That is
rather difficult, actually. If you know that someone is about to perform
Legilimency on you then it becomes marginally easier. But when is life ever
that easy? Using Occlumency is a preventive measure to help protect the mind
but it isn’t something that should be done at all times. That is draining to
not only your magic but also your mind.” He didn’t want to teach Harry the same
way he was taught. That wasn’t an option. Neither his father nor Bellatrix were
adequate teachers.
            “Clearing your mind in theory is what most people use but even an
empty mind is susceptible to someone else’s probing methods. Clearing your mind
won’t protect you completely. It gives off an illusion, as if your mind is
impenetrable but that isn’t really the case. If one is to only clear their
mind, then a really powerful Legilimens can overpower this and it will leave
you a victim still.”
            Draco huffed as he tried to figure out a way to help. “I suppose if
you were to draw up a shield, then clearing your mind might help but I
disagree. Everyone does things differently.”
            “Alright.” Harry agreed as he moved until he could lay his head on
Draco’s shoulder, still not caring that they were naked. “How do you protect
your mind?”
            Draco ran his fingers through black locks as he hummed. “Eye sight
is a weakness. I have been telling you this since the beginning of the lesson.
Your eyes lie to you. But it is a tactic that will be used against you. Eye
contact is essential if someone is performing Legilimency on you. At least
directly, with a normal person who doesn’t have a connection with you.” The
last bit was amended with a shake of his head.
            “I can tell you what I do but that might not work for you. Since I
am not the one with a connection to the Dark Lord. I rely on my senses. Knowing
that not everything meets the eye is essential. If my other senses pick up on
something, then I draw up an Occlumency shield and don’t make eye contact with
anyone.” He bit his lip as he thought about admitting this next part.
            “The thing with a mental shield is how strong it is. I like to
compare this to a patronus in a way. A powerful happy memory is required to
perform the patronus charm. When dealing with a mental shield, you need
something equally as powerful. You need something powerful to block out an
opposing intrusion. My father told me that he learned to picture a large wall
of unhappy things as his protection. Which is smart in a way. Powerful isn’t
singular. There is a lot of things that makes up power. His negative thoughts
could very well throw off someone trying to enter his mind.”
            Harry furrowed his brows. “But there are ways to get past walls,
right? Go over them, underneath them or even blast right through.”
            Draco huffed out a laugh. “Figuratively yes, you are right. Knowing
his defense in advance would grant someone the means to counteract this but
without knowing what he uses, then the wall would be off putting. My father
isn’t weak willed. He is not only proficient in Occlumency but he can perform
Legilimency decently as well. I doubt that many people would be able to get
past his defenses long enough to live.” Which he was unfortunately not
boasting. This was just facts. “I didn’t want to use negative thoughts as a
means of protection. I live with the negative daily, I don’t need it in my mind
too.”
            This Harry could understand. He wouldn’t want his mental shield to
be negative thoughts either. What a downer.
            “My father never actively taught me how to protect my mind in
advance. He was a strong believer in helping after the fact. Which is why I
told you that overloading someone while they are already inside your mind is
powerful. It’s an older method in teaching Occlumency.”
            That might be why Snape had seemed to do the same thing. Harry
wasn’t sure why the two older men thought that just invading the mind would
help in some fashion.
            “I taught myself how to put up a mental shield. I had read up on
several books and just practiced until it fit. Which is what one does with
spells too. You take a hard to learn spell and just keep at it until you can
actively do it without thought.”
            Harry arched a brow. He understood all of this but he was getting
the feeling that Draco was stalling. His boyfriend had yet to answer his
question.
            “My father began teaching me how to expel a foreign intruder in the
beginning of last year. But it wasn’t until towards the end of the year that I
figured out my mental shield. What would work for me.”
            There was an uncomfortable pause as Harry waited patiently for
Draco to continue. When nothing happened, he lifted his head and peered into
shifting eyes that wouldn’t look at him. A soft pink color stained the other
boy’s cheeks, which Harry thought was adorable.
            “I won’t judge you.” Harry whispered the same words Draco used on
him at the Dursleys.
            The sentence had Draco relaxing. There was truth to this. Harry
wouldn’t judge him. Not after everything they had been through.
            “My mental shield is you.” Draco admitted with a flash of heat
spreading over his skin. “You are what protects my mind.”
            Harry’s breath caught in his throat as he tried to get Draco to
meet his eyes. Knowing the blonde as he did, he knew that this admittance had
cost the Slytherin a lot. His heart had long ago swooned. He wanted to kiss his
boyfriend and talk about how sweet that was but knew it would have a negative
effect. This wasn’t the time or place for that. But he wouldn’t be forgetting
it either.
            “How?”
            Draco breathed out shakily. He was thankful the question hadn’t
been why. His lover wasn’t going to ask about the reason why, he was just going
to ask about the uses of it. This was something that Draco could get behind. It
made it easier to bear.
            “You are powerful, Harry.” Draco refused to look at him. “A shield
needs to be strong. It needs to be something that can withstand an attack. It
doesn’t even have to be my own strength that blends into the shield. I told you
earlier that it is similar to a patronus in means of the memory. I just think
of you and the feelings I get near you and that is enough. It is my own
personal shield.”
            Draco sighed before hesitantly meeting Harry’s eyes. He smiled
softly at the way green orbs were shining brightly. “You need to find something
strong enough to protect your own mind.”
            The urge to smother Draco in an array of kisses was strong but
Harry quashed that down. “So, I need to treat this as I would a patronus?
Instead of a happy memory, I need a powerful one?”
            “Yes.” Draco agreed. “Something that you know can withstand an
attack. Whether it is a wall of negative memories, a cage of strength, a web of
trickery or even traps. Anything that can protect you.”
            Harry bit his lip as he tried to figure out what would work for
him. Was he supposed to think of Draco too? Was this some kind of odd
relationship thing? He loved his boyfriend, really did but he just didn’t see
how thinking of the blonde would protect his mind.
            There was an odd look that flittered across his boyfriend’s face.
“Are you confused?” When a shake of head had messy hair moving rapidly, Draco
hummed as he narrowed his eyes. “Are you having a hard time deciding? It can be
a process. It might take several different attempts before you figure it out.
Took me ages to come to something that actually worked.”
            Draco had thought his words would be reassuring but Harry was still
looking a little off. Almost uncomfortable.
            “You know.” Draco began as he wrapped his arms around the warm body
next to him. “Everyone works differently. I already told you that what works
for me, might not work for you.” He chided with a gentle kiss to Harry’s
shoulder. “I won’t be offended if thinking of me doesn’t bring a shield
forward.”
            When the tension left Harry’s shoulders, Draco chuckled before
peering into sheepish eyes.
            “Sorry.” Harry bit his lip. “I just didn’t want to disappoint you.”
            “You could never disappoint me.” A pause. “Unless of course you
sided with Sirius on literally anything he does. That might just make us stop
seeing eye to eye.”
            Harry huffed a laugh as he pinched the hands holding him.
            A comfortable silence surrounded them as Harry tried to think of
what he could use. With the wide span of options to choose from, this made
things difficult.
            “What’s powerful for you?” Draco asked, hoping to help. “What is a
tool that you have used yourself in dangerous situations? It doesn’t have to be
anything big. Sometimes small acts speak volumes.”
            Harry thought back to when he taught the students in Dumbledore’s
Army. Draco’s words made him think of some of the spells that some students
felt weren’t useful.
            “Disarming.” Harry whispered a little unsure. “I’ve used it on
Voldemort before and it worked. It saved me in the graveyard. It sounds
elementary but it is nearly always on the tip of my tongue.”
            “Expeliarmus?” Draco pondered as he arched a lone brow. It was
intriguing and unique. While he admired that, he was definitely going to make
sure Harry knew better spells than that. Going up against the Dark Lord would
need something stronger than a basic first year spell.
            Draco smirked at the possibilities this could use in Occlumency.
“You know, that is actually brilliant.”
            “I don’t like the surprise in your voice.”
            That had Draco rolling his eyes. “And you wonder why I don’t
compliment you enough. My efforts are wasted when you don’t appreciate me.”
            Harry grinned at the exaggerated sniffle. “Tell me why it’s
brilliant.”
            The demand was almost enough for Draco to refuse but he chose to be
the bigger person and continue on. Which was the only time he was ever going to
do something like that again.
            “Because to disarm someone with the spell, halts all magic used
with that conduit. If you apply something similar to a skill that is already
meant to halt intruders, it would be that much more efficient.”
            Harry blinked a few times. “I never considered Occlumency to be a
more complicated version of the disarming spell. Only with the mind instead of
a spell. Puts things into perspective.”
            It really did. Harry had an almost epiphany as he allowed Draco’s
embrace to lull him into a sense of safety. He was good at disarming. He was
good at blocking other spells in that manner. Now all he had to do was combine
disarming into a powerful shield of sorts.
            “Alright.” Harry spoke up before Draco could respond. “How do we go
about trying this out?”
            “You are going to try breaking into my mind.”
            Everything came to a screeching halt as Harry assumed he had to
have heard wrong. “What?”
            Draco smirked at the reaction. “How can I expect you to gain the
full knowledge of how to perform a shield without showing you what it feels
like? I can’t expect you to just get it with no examples. I can’t just say,
‘prepare for my attack’ and hope you have a full grasp of the concept. That
would be like Umbridge. Giving you the theory without ever offering the chance
at performing it. You need more than just my words. You need to know what
proper Occlumency feels like. Especially with all of your senses.”
            On paper that sounded good. It even made sense. But Harry
remembered all the times that Snape had entered his mind and the pain that
always left him uneasy afterwards. He didn’t want to make Draco feel like that.
            “I trust you.”
            The words were powerful. Especially considering the blonde didn’t
trust anyone. Warmth spread inside of Harry as he nodded in agreement. He could
do this.
            The wand was passed to Harry and he gripped it tighter than
necessary as he pushed aside his nerves.
            Draco let go of Harry and settled back across from him. He noticed
the tense muscles and wondered just what was happening inside that gorgeous
head.
            “I am ready whenever you are.” Draco told him softly, hoping Harry
would just do it.
            Harry steeled his resolve and looked into the eyes he loved so
much. “Legilimens.”
            Instead of completely fighting the attack, Draco let Harry in.
Well, slightly. He wasn’t going to roll over and succumb. But he was going to
show him what his defenses felt like.
            Use your senses, Harry.
           It was whispered inside Harry’s mind as he came to a halt. It was
interesting seeing the differences between the onetime his spell had backfired
and entered Snape’s mind. That time had been a rush of a few memories but this
was different. This was a blank space, a void of nothing. He couldn’t see
anything.
            It took him a moment to realize that that was the entire point. He
wasn’t supposed to be relying on his sight. He closed his mental eyes and
gasped at the sheer presence of Draco. It was overwhelming. It was a wall of
power. It was a nearly impenetrable and it was strong. Was this what happens
when Draco thinks of him? Was he really the strength that his lover needed to
perform this?
            An odd noise had Harry peeking one eye open to see a memory
floating around. It was one of them, the first time Draco had ever seen him.
They were both inside of the robe shop. While the blonde had been rambling and
posturing about in his own memory, this side of it was completely different. He
could feel what Draco had and that turned out to be slight awe. He could sense
that Draco’s thoughts on that memory were clouded in embarrassment but there
was also this eleven-year-old sense of wonder as the blonde looked to him, as
if Harry was this beautiful boy instead of the awkward clueless child he had
really been.
            It made Harry’s heart beat faster as he also felt a fleeting sense
of shame at not realizing that Draco had been excited to talk to him, and that
was before knowing who he was.
            Damnit. Harry was getting caught up in the memory. Which was a
distraction! He wasn’t supposed to be using his sight! Draco was tricking him.
            He closed his eyes again and ignored the noises and sounds that
Draco was attempting to use to dupe him.
            Harry focused on the wall of power that was there, it was
interesting to see that it was different now that the memories were seeping
through. It was obvious that Draco was allowing him to see them instead of his
Legilimency breaking through. Which meant that there was a lesson in here
somewhere.
            He thought back to the flower demonstration and recalled the way
Draco’s magic had felt. There was a difference between that and this. At first,
he just wanted to chalk it up to being completely different kinds of magic and
let it go. But something was telling him that Draco had performed the
demonstration for a reason. More than just the original explanation. Figuring
it out though, was a different story.
            The magic now was inward. It was still the same powerful presence
but it was internal. Was that the point? Was Draco just sucking his magic
inside of him and pulling his resources into the shield? Was that what was
happening? Instead of Snape’s teachings of ‘clearing his mind’ was he really
supposed to be clearing his mind and drawing up his magic? A combination of
magic and will? Power and might?
            A whisper of something was heard and Harry braced himself for
whatever was to come. A hard shove of power and he was cast outside and his
awareness was back inside of the bedroom.
            Draco smirked at the dazed confusion on Harry’s face and waited
patiently for the brunette to collect his thoughts.
            “I want you to do it to me now.”
            Draco eyed Harry closely. He knew better than to ask if the
Gryffindor was sure. He nodded once and waited for Harry to pass him the wand
and give him the sign to go ahead.
            Harry pulled his own magic inside of himself and cleared his mind
of all thoughts except for the feeling he got when using the disarming spell.
He imagined the spell was seeping into his veins and performing a wall with the
spell built into it. He nodded his head once before locking eyes with Draco.
            “Legilimens.”
            Draco felt a strong resistance. It was a brilliant first try but it
wasn’t enough to keep him out, and that was with him holding back. He wasn’t
even really trying.
            Flashes of memories broke through whatever it was that Harry had
tried in keeping Draco out. He saw a small little child of no more than five
sitting on a flimsy cot in a dark cupboard. Before Draco could really ache at
the despair in the child’s emotions, he was moving into other memories with a
quickness that surprised him. Normally, memories aren’t cycled through this
quickly.
            More flashes, some of them moving so rapidly that Draco wasn’t even
sure what it was that he really saw. His senses were telling him that they were
real but Harry was in control of what was being seen. Which was a good thing.
His lover had taken his advice and was trying to use memories to overwhelm him.
It wasn’t quite working, because there was no overload, just a simple control
of memories. Which was to be expected from a first attempt.
            ‘I can touch him now.’The disturbing face of the Dark Lord appeared
so suddenly that Draco would have leapt backwards if this wasn’t in the mind.
Salazar, he had never encountered someone so ugly in his entire life. He could
barely make out graves in the distance and realized that this was from the
night of the man’s return.
            ‘Harry’ Draco recognized his own voice as the memory shifted. It
was from one of their rare moments inside the school, when they had managed to
find time to be together.
            It took a moment for him to realize what this was from. He groaned
in embarrassment. Draco had thought that Harry was asleep during this memory.
            He watched his past self peer down into a peacefully blank face,
they were both naked with a blanket covering their waists.
            ‘How is it that you have come to mean so much to me?’The question
was whispered with delicate touches to Harry’s cheeks.        
            ‘It’s almost cruel how quickly you have ensnared me.’There was a
pause as a frustrated sigh was released. ‘But I don’t want to escape. I am a
fly in your web of desires. My only hope is that you keep me tangled instead of
allowing nature to run its course.’
           There was a sense of love inside of Harry’s emotions as the memory
faded and he was gently pushed outward.
            “You utter arse.” Draco grumbled before he covered his face in his
hands. “I never would’ve even known you heard me, if you hadn’t shown me that.
You couldn’t have left me in ignorance?”
            Harry grinned widely as he tackled Draco to the floor. “I know.” He
whispered as he refused to allow the embarrassed boy to look elsewhere. “I was
showing you that you were wrong.”
            Draco furrowed his brows and arched a brow, silently asking for
more.
            “If I am a spider in your analogy then you are the skillful fly
that has used my own weapon against me.” Harry ran his fingers against the pink
cheek. “I am just as tangled as you.”
            “Bloody sap.” Draco grumbled, completely ignoring that he had been
the one to start this by saying all of that to Harry in the first place. “Why
did it have to be that memory that you showed me?”
            Harry smirked as he shrugged one shoulder. “I felt like teasing
you.” His smirk grew at the glare he received.
            “Plus, I wasn’t even sure if I was successfully changing the
memories. This one was rather memorable for me. So, I wanted to see if it would
work.”
            Draco harrumphed as he folded his arms across his chest, not
bothering to respond at all.
            “Does this hold up against our deal?” Wondered Harry. “I was able
to push you out and I did form a shield, it just wasn’t as good as I thought it
would be.”
            “You did good.” Draco reluctantly told him. “Better than I thought
you would, which was already pretty high.”
            Harry smirked as he pulled Draco into his arms. “You are
impressed.”
            “And you aren’t as humble as you would like people to believe.”
            That had Harry throwing his head back and laughing loudly. “I have
never claimed to be humble. Sure, I don’t like my fame but everything else is
off the table.” It was a slight exaggeration. He liked to consider himself
decently humble but Draco brought out other sides to him.
            Draco rolled his eyes as he settled comfortably in his boyfriend’s
arms. “Alright. You win. I will play nice.”
            Harry grinned widely. “I like it when you lose.”
            “Fucking prick.” That had Harry’s grin growing impossibly wider.
            “You won’t be grinning when I suddenly don’t feel like having sex.”
            Harry arched a disbelieving brow. “Think you can resist me?” He ran
a hand up teasingly along Draco’s skin.
            No. Not that Draco was going to admit that. He adopted a sneer. “Of
course I can. I am resilient to your whims.”
            Harry began sucking a mark into pale skin. “Is that so?”
            “Mhm.” Draco tilted his head to the side as his resolve began
cracking horribly.
            “Then I suppose we should get back to Occlumency training.”
            The removal of the warm mouth and sinful tongue almost had Draco
whining. He blinked rapidly at the change of pace and peered owlishly up at
Harry.
            “Excuse you?” Demanded Draco with narrowed eyes.
            “You’re the one who said you can resist my whims. I was just
thinking logically here. I mean, we do have to learn more about Occlumency.”
            Draco pushed Harry back until he was straddling the other boy.
“I’ll show you who will be resisting who.” He promised darkly. “I’ll have you
begging for release so strongly that you will wish we had studied instead.”
            Harry’s mouth parted as he took in the gorgeous body on top of him.
            “It will be by my mercy that decides your fate.” Draco disclosed
with feeling. “So choose your words wisely and I just may allow you to come.”
            That was the last words spoken for some time. Well, if one was to
ignore the litany of cries that resembled words that spilled out of Harry’s
mouth. This was much better than shields and invading each other’s minds. They
could always practice afterwards. It wasn’t as if they had anywhere to be.
 
===============================================================================
 
 
            “We should have just stayed home.” Ginny complained as she laid on
her back looking at the ceiling. “They have been in there for what feels like
forever.” She shot the kitchen door a dark glare.
            “It’s barely been an hour.” Hermione corrected, without looking up
from a book on Goblin wars.
            “Can’t you give me a hint?” Ginny countered for the umpteenth time,
causing Ron to sigh heavily. Harry owed him for putting up with this. It would
have been far easier to just say what exactly Malfoy was to Harry.
            “No.” Ron told her firmly before Hermione could speak up and give
in. He could tell by the furrowing of her eyebrows that his girlfriend was just
as annoyed as him. He shot her a pleading look, urging her to use her girl
powers and do something.
            Hermione rolled her eyes. “So, have you thought about whether you
are going to go out with Dean or not?”
            “What?”Ron asked, completely sidetracked. As he stared at his now
blushing sister, he missed the smirk on Hermione’s mouth as she triumphantly
flipped a page.
            “Hermione.” Ginny hissed as she sat up and clutched her knees to
her chest. “You weren’t supposed to say anything.”
            “Whoops.” Hermione didn’t even bother to pretend. “Must not have
heard you correctly.”
            Ron snorted before he looked back to his sister. “Dean asked you
out?” He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about this. Before Harry’s
relationship with Malfoy, he had hoped one day his friend would grow to care
for his sister the same way Ginny cared for him. Harry was one of the only guys
he could trust with his little sister. But that was completely shot to hell
now.
            “Yes.” Ginny smiled slightly, face still bright red. “But I was
kind of hoping that someone else might show interest.”
            Ron winced slightly as he looked to Ginny sympathetically. He could
spare her feelings and completely lie to her, saving himself from this
conversation but then they would be right back where they were, six months to a
year down the road.
            “Ginny.” Ron sat up straighter before he scooted close to her. “I
would love to be the one to tell you that Harry just needs more time and that
eventually he could see you as a potential girlfriend but I can’t do that.” He
saw the flash of pain in her eyes and it hurt him to be the one crushing his
sister’s spirit. For a moment, he wanted to blame Harry for this but he knew
that was irrational and didn’t make sense. It wasn’t the brunette’s fault that
he didn’t like Ginny that way.
            “He loves you as much as he loves me and Hermione.” He caught sight
of Hermione’s wince and realized that probably was more hurtful than what he
had said before. Being reminded that they would only be family was an insult in
a way.
            “But.” He barreled through before she could start crying. That
would be his breaking point. “That isn’t because of something you did.
Attraction isn’t something that he can force or something that you can change.”
That was from personal experience. Parvati had told him that Lavender had a
crush on him and he honestly couldn’t fathom being with the girl. Which had
ironically been the pushing point into realizing that he was only attracted to
Hermione and managed to muster up the courage to ask her out.
            “Don’t let this get to you. You are still the same fiery girl who
can kick anyone’s arse.” When her lips twitched, he knew that she would be
alright. “You are still the same lovable person I have always known.” He paused
to nudge her shoulder. “And you are still the same beautiful person that
attracted Dean’s attention.”
            The slight admiration in her eyes was something Ron hadn’t seen
since he had given her his teddy bear when he was five years old. It was less
of a kind act and more of the fact that Fred and George had changed it into a
spider and he couldn’t bear to look at it anymore without seeing eight legs,
soul sucking eyes and frightening pinchers. Not that he was ever going to tell
her that.
            “You think so?” He could tell that she hated asking something so
insecure.
            “I know so.” Ron promised her as hugged her to him gently. “I can’t
tell you how I feel about you dating Dean but that’s an issue for another day.”
He paused before continuing. “You might like Harry more than Dean but keep in
mind that Dean has done something that Harry hasn’t nor ever will.”
            Ginny furrowed her brows in confusion, silently asking him to
explain.
            “He showed you that he cares about you as a boyfriend would. He
asked you out. A lot of people don’t do that on a whim, which means that he has
been thinking about this for a while. Dean knows how protective I am of you.
For him to ask you out anyways, shows that he wants this. He wants to be with
you.” The blush had come back full force on her cheeks, which was a good thing
as far as this conversation was going.
            “Wouldn’t you rather be with someone who can show you that they
care? Love Harry like a brother but don’t put him on this throne, don’t make
him out to be someone that he just can’t be for you. Be with someone who
actually wants to be there.” He smiled a little sadly as he hugged her one last
time before scooting away.
            “When did you get to be so wise?” Ginny asked as she sniffed
slightly.
            Ron felt his ears heat up as he looked away towards Hermione. Her
wide smile and proud eyes flustered his heart and he looked down, to avoid
doing something embarrassing.
            “I got it from Harry actually.” Ron admitted with a shrug. “He
taught me some things lately about people and its had me thinking about a lot
of stuff.” The many months of struggling to see Malfoy in any positive light
had showed him that he didn’t observe people enough. Harry wasn’t stupid nor
was he remotely daft, so if his best friend was seeing something in the
Slytherin then it just had to be there. Even now, he wasn’t quite sure what it
was that made Malfoy so important but he knew that it was there, lurking behind
sarcasm and an ugly sneer. So, he would wait patiently for it to show and when
it did, he would apologize to Harry.
            Ginny tilted her head to the side. “Is he… with someone?”
            There wasn’t any pain to her voice and for that Ron was grateful.
He wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that. Lying would only get himself into
trouble down the road but he couldn’t just admit that to her, it wasn’t his
business to share.
            Before he could flounder for a response, the kitchen door flew open
drawing their attention.
            “Meeting is done.” Sirius called out. They could all tell by the
tense shoulders and lack of a smile that the meeting hadn’t gone very well.
            Usually by now, the majority of the Order would be exiting the room
and only a few would stay behind for dinner. It was odd that not a single
person had left.
            Ron shared a look with Hermione before they all hesitantly entered
the room. He arched his brows at his mother’s frown and his father’s uneasy
expression. Fred and George were honestly amused, which didn’t surprise him in
the slightest. Charlie and Bill just seemed to be confused. He wasn’t sure what
was going on but his family was obviously divided about the whole thing.
            He startled when Hermione nudged him and subtly nodded her head
towards Sirius and Remus.
            At first, Ron thought that she was trying to get him to see their
joined hands, which was surprising. That wasn’t something he had seen coming
but it took a minute to realize that it was the worry on their faces, that was
what she had been trying to get him to see. No one else in the room seemed to
be worried. His eyes snapped through the many faces of the Order, most of them
he didn’t know other than by sight. Some he could remember his father pointing
them out the few times he had gone to the Ministry.
            It wasn’t until his talks with Harry that he began to hone in on
his observation skills. He treated all of the people in the kitchen as if they
were pieces of a chess game. Which was his comfort zone, something he
understood. Strategically, there was a lot of variables here that he couldn’t
answer for. Things that would be unwise to guess or assume, it could get one of
his metaphorical pieces taken or even his king to become in check.
            Snape was still the same blank faced, stoic bastard that he always
was, so no help there. Tonks’ hair was an odd taupe color with the tips pink.
Which wasn’t very telling but it also wasn’t her droopy brown of when she is
unsure of something or sad. Dumbledore was silent, his usual.
            What did interest him was that Mundungus wasn’t asleep, which was
something the weird man did a lot. The man seemed to be considering things.
Moody’s magical eye was fixed on the ceiling which gave Ron creepy vibes. He
hoped the man wasn’t spying on Harry. Because that was just wrong on so many
levels.
            There was a lot that he wanted to assume but it was hard to put
words to it. The only thing he was positive of was that, “It’s about Harry.” He
whispered in Hermione’s ear. Of that he was sure. It was the only thing that
made sense when taking in account of everyone’s reactions.
            Hermione hummed in thought. “It’s more than that.” She whispered
back, both of them ignoring the curious look Ginny was giving them.
            “It’s got to be about Malfoy too.” She held up her fingers in a
show of the number two. Ron blinked down at her fingers, trying to understand
the gesture.
            He had been about to ask her what she was talking about but her
pointed look had him thinking back over everything since the moment they had
gotten here. He remembered the way Sirius refused to talk about anything. The
fact that Tonks had said they were possibly introducing two members into the
Order and the sheer amount of people still in the room.
            “Oh.”He breathed out in understanding. This meeting wasn’t about
Harry being introduced into the Order. It was about Harry and Malfoy.
            Ron bit his lip as he looked to the ground, trying to get his
emotions to stop being chaotic. Being a part of the Order had been something he
had begged his parents to let him be included in since he found out about the
organization a year ago. For nearly six years, he has been Harry’s right-hand
side through everything. If Harry were to be inducted into the Order, he had
always assumed that would mean he would be there right beside him. But… now…
now things were different.
            He sighed heavily as he tried to ignore his feelings and look at
the strategic side of this. Having Malfoy, someone who had grown up in a dark
family and knew Dark Magic, would come in handy. Honestly, they only had Snape
for that and the man was a spy, someone who was also very busy. Also, the man
wasn’t very… welcoming. If they had an idea or a concern about a theory for
some Dark Magic, they wouldn’t want to go to him. Sirius had grown up in a dark
family too but the man didn’t use Dark Magic at all. Plus, Malfoy was a part of
Harry’s life. Having four sets of different opinions on things would be helpful
in the long run. The Slytherin would have an outlook on things that they
probably had never considered.
            Did the sting of the blonde getting a head start into the Order
above him bother Ron? Yes. There was no denying that. After all, the Slytherin
had been on the opposite side since the day he was born.
            But… it wasn’t as if Ron would have been given the chance to be in
the order while he was still in school. His mother had made her point on the
issue known since the beginning. Ron had always known he would have to wait
until his seventeenth birthday before he could ignore his mother’s worries and
join. So, this wasn’t a chance that was taken from him. It was an opportunity
that had been given to the Slytherin, something that Ron couldn’t begrudge him
for.
            Plus, if the blonde was being inducted into the order, then that
meant something bad had happened. Malfoy wasn’t the type of person to be a spy.
Not that he was doubting the boy’s abilities but the Slytherin just wasn’t
someone he could see be able to face Voldemort and lie to his face. The blonde
was a horrible liar, anyways.
            This was another instance where he couldn’t make assumptions
without more evidence or more moves placed on the chess board. Wasting his
energy trying to predict every move his opponent would make, would be a fatal
mistake, causing some things to slip through. Ron sighed heavily when he
realized that he was just going to have to be patient and wait it out.
 
===============================================================================
 
 
            Things were slightly awkward and definitely boring as everyone
waited for somethingto happen.
            “This is just rude.” Several people grumbled.
            “It isn’t as if they knew they were to be here.” Sirius explained
loudly, glaring heavily at anyone breathing a negative word. “You can’t fault
them for that.”
            “Then go get them.” Severus advised with a bored drawl, as if this
was wasting his time. “Some of us have actual things to do and don’t just laze
around all day.”
            Sirius growled and took a step forward but was held back by a
strong hand that was gripping his shoulder.
            “Don’t.” Remus whispered lowly. “It isn’t worth it. This is what he
wants. Don’t take your aggression out on him.”
            “Why not?” Sirius whispered back but kept his eyes locked onto
black ones. “It would make me feel better to wreck his hideous face. I could
even change into my animagus form and bite a leg off. That would ease
tensions.”
            Remus snorted despite himself as he sighed heavily, pulling Sirius
to him.
            The sound of footsteps coming closer had everyone sitting up
straighter.
            Draco furrowed his brows when he couldn’t spot Sirius or Remus.
“Shouldn’t they be grossing us out with their displays of affection?” The two
adults of the house were very open now that Harry knew of their relationship.
Something that Draco just didn’t want to see. Old people being affectionate
wasn’t something he cared to witness, especially if it was something that was
providing Sirius happiness.
            “It is kind of late. Maybe they are in their room.” Harry suggested
as he paused near the kitchen door to kiss a pale cheek, opening the door just
a crack.
            “I fucking hope so.” Draco grumbled in annoyance as he flung an arm
around the Gryffindor’s shoulders. He saw Harry wince and that worried him.
            “Are you alright, love?”
            The endearment had Harry’s heart fluttering as he wanted to grin
goofily but quashed that down. “It’s just the position you fucked me in.” Harry
pointed out. “That first one was not meant to be done on the hard floor. I know
I am going to have bruises and I am positive that I pulled a muscle.” He
gingerly shook his head as he pushed the door open, keeping his eyes on Draco.
            “I know that I want to do it again, definitely want to do it again
but not without better surroundings.” Harry continued, oblivious to the way
that Draco froze in horror.
            When Draco said nothing, Harry narrowed his eyes. “What’s with you?
Didn’t like the position? Because it was your idea to begin with. And judging
by how vocal you were, I think—”
            Draco slapped a hand to Harry’s mouth to stop any more
incriminating evidence to spew out but he also couldn’t stop from being amused.
“Do you remember when you said that I would be the lewd one? That I would have
to watch what I said?”
            Before Harry could so much as nod his head, he was being turned
towards what he had assumed was an empty kitchen. The sight of an entire Order
meeting was the single most mortifying thing he had ever gone through. This was
not how he wanted to introduce his boyfriend to the Order of the Phoenix.
            Fuck.Was it too late to run away?
End Notes
     So, what did you think?
     I don't know about you guys but secondhand embarrassment is my
     weakness. Not a good weakness either. Like, my face goes all read, I
     splutter and look away nervously. Sometimes I have to pause in
     reading until I can comfortably come back and begin reading again.
     Harry saying all of that in front of the entire Order had me going
     through secondhand embarrassment. And that was just as the author, I
     can't imagine reading it!
     A few things, I do realize that the smut isn't as long as my others
     but I just couldn't extend it. It was the last thing I wrote for this
     one but it was hard for me.
     The Occlumency. I debated about how to go about this. I could have
     done a number of things but my choice in using the senses for things
     is something that will have a big impact later on during this series.
     So that is why that was there. I don't think I will show you guys
     their other lessons, I can always gloss over that. But I did want to
     show you the first one. It is essential to the series. Yes, that was
     a play off the title. I did rather enjoy going into more details on
     my version of Occlumency. I do realize that some things might not
     make sense. So, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
     Draco was less snarky in this one but with their lesson in mind, I
     think that's alright. There was some sap to him but I rather liked
     it. I want to keep him in character but also show how much he does
     care for Harry.
     Ron. He was rather mature here and I know that might make him seem a
     little off but I think it just fits with the series. Especially with
     how supportive he is for Harry. Also, he was smart in a way that the
     books never really showed him. I just think that someone who excels
     at chess and has a deeper understanding of strategy would also be
     inclined to use those skills in the real world too. I'm not going to
     make him crazy smart or even levels of Hermione and Draco smart. But
     he is aware of things and has his own interesting way of seeing
     things. As does everyone.
     Guys, cliffhangers are my specialty. I am a total bitch and will use
     such tactics to my advantage. I take a sadistic pleasure in knowing
     that you will have to wait to find out more. *Laughs evilly* I do
     think that the next installment will be the conclusion of the summer
     and then straight into their sixth year.
     Let me know any thoughts! And I will see you in two-ish weeks!
     -XxTheDarkLordxX
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