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The Optimal Balance	By : TheMightyFlynn Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 17124 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and characters belong to JK Rowling and associates. This was written for fun. I make no money from it.

Chapter List
- 1-The Optimal Balance
- 2-Ch. 2
- 3-Ch. 3
- 4-Ch. 4
- 5-Ch. 5
- 6-Ch. 6
- 7-Ch. 7
- 8-Ch. 8
- 9-Ch. 9
- 10-Ch. 10
- 11-Ch. 11
- 12-Ch. 12
- 13-Ch. 13
- 14-Ch. 14
- 15-Ch. 15
- 16-Ch. 16
- 17-Ch. 17
- 18-Ch. 18
- 19-Ch. 19
- 20-Ch. 20
- 21-Ch. 21
- 22-Ch. 22
- 23-Ch. 23
- 24-Ch. 24
- 25-Ch. 25
- 26-Ch. 26
- 27-Ch. 27
- 28-Ch. 28
- 29-Ch. 29
- 30-Ch. 30
- 31-Ch. 31
- 32-Ch. 32
- 33-Ch. 33
- 34-Ch. 34
- 35-Ch. 35
- 36-Ch. 36
- 37-Ch. 37
- 38-Ch. 38
- 39-Ch. 39
- 40-Ch. 40: Epilogue
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“It has, of course, been wonderful to see you again, Caroline. Give my very best to Banjo.”

Harry almost snorted a laugh at the extremely polite tone to Draco's voice. If he hadn’t been able to seen him, then he would have assumed that Draco was speaking to a Ministry member, not Astoria’s drunken Mother. After bidding a farewell to Terrance – Astoria’s Father – Harry stepped up behind Draco and placed a hand lightly on the small of his back.

“Mrs. Greengrass. It’s been a pleasure.”

“Oh, Mr. Potter,” she tittered. “What a charming young man you are. Are you, by any chance, available? My daughter has been silly enough to let Draco here get away from her.”

Harry grinned as he bowed over Caroline’s hand to place a soft kiss on the back of her glove. “I’m unsure whether Draco would be too happy with me dating his ex-wife. I am sure, however, that she will find someone amazing who treats her exactly how she deserves.”

Draco's arm circled possessively around Harry’s waist the second Caroline and Terrance stepped through the floo. Automatically following the pressure of the fingers digging into his hip, Harry turned so he was pressed up against Draco's chest. He wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders and leant in just close enough so that their lips brushed together lightly when he spoke.

“She seems like a very nice lady.”

“Mmm.” Draco pulled back a little so he could drop his gaze to Harry’s lips. “Harry…”

“I love you.”

He grinned when Draco's eyes snapped back up to meet his own. It had taken him a long time, but the signs of Draco needing a little bit of reassurance were now much clearer to him: a touch when he would usually hold himself back, a particular strange tone to his voice, and even unusual silence when they were around others were all signs that Harry had picked up on over the past ten months. He knew it was strange of him to find this touch of insecurity in Draco endearing, but he often found his chest flooded with warmth whenever he realised what it was that Draco was hinting at. Leaning forward again, he touched their lips together softly.

Draco let out a small hum that vibrated through Harry’s lips and had him smiling as Draco deepened the kiss. The warm press of Draco's tongue against his lips had Harry opening immediately. Draco tasted of the expensive Firewhisky he seemed to favour when around his Father and it – combined with the heady mixture of Draco's natural scent and his faded aftershave – had warmth spreading rapidly through Harry’s limbs. Sliding one hand upwards, he traced his fingers through the hair at the base of Draco's neck, enjoying the feeling of the soft strands slipping between them. Harry was just adjusting his stance so he could get a little closer when an embarrassed cough from the doorway dragged him back to reality. He broke the kiss with a small gasp.

“Sorry, but I figured I’d have to interrupt the two of you if I was going to get any information tonight.”

Harry both felt and heard the deep breath Draco took in and held for a few seconds before releasing it. Opening his eyes showed him that Draco was obviously fighting against a blush and, in the full knowledge that he was most likely going to pay for this later on, he brushed his fingers lightly over Draco's cheekbone. Draco's eyes immediately opened to fix Harry with a slightly glassy look.

“You and only you.”

The whispered words had the exact effect that Harry had expected them to: Draco lost his fight against the blush, which turned him a bright red from his chest to his hairline. He couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across his face as he stepped away.

“Bastard.”

“Damn right.”

Leaving Draco to sort through his reactions to his words on his own, he made his way swiftly over to the doorway where Astoria waited for them. She shook her head at him when he grinned at her.

“Do I even want to know what it was you said to make him turn that colour?”

Chuckling as he followed Astoria from the formal living room where they had bid goodbye to both sets of parents towards a small sitting room, Harry shook his head. “That would depend, I would assume. Are you sure even you are that interested in that kind of gossip? I mean, I know Draco tells you a lot, but…” He allowed the sentence to trail off when Astoria glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed in a way that told him she wouldn’t buy into the story he was trying to sell her. He sighed. “I told him I loved him. Am I really still that transparent?”

“No, actually. I honestly had no idea what it was that you had said, but I knew it couldn’t have been too dirty because that is something that definitely doesn’t make Draco blush.”

Astoria paused as they entered the room so she could cast the spell to light the candles around the room. Harry had only been into this room once or twice before, as it tended to be more Astoria’s domain rather than a ‘public’ room. He couldn’t help smiling as he took in the dark wood furnishings highlighted by the occasional splash of green: the room looked just as he would imagine a room decorated by Astoria would look. The lounge suite sitting before the fire looked incredibly soft and inviting and he took a few steps towards it before shooting Astoria a questioning glance.

“Go right ahead and make yourself at home,” she called to him from over by the door. “Draco might need some time by himself.”

Harry grinned as he settled himself down on the end of the lounge. “It really is easy to embarrass him, even if I’m not trying to.”

“He’s always been that way.”

Turning to watch as Astoria claimed the lounge chair closest to the fire and tucked her legs up beneath her, Harry found he couldn’t help indulging the sharp shot of curiosity that jolted through him. “He has?”

“As long as I’ve known him, yes.” A fond smile spread across her face as she stared down at the green hearthrug shot through with streaks of brown and black. “I mean, you’ve experienced the overprotective side of him firsthand, but it’s rare that anyone has the kind of power over his emotions that you’ve gained. I can do the same to some extent, but I’ve never seen him react so easily to someone as he does to you.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she looked up and shot him a grin. “It’s actually been quite amusing to watch the changes in him over the months.”

“Has it indeed?” Draco's boot heels clacked on the wooden floor as he made his way over to claim the seat right beside Harry on the lounge. “I am ever so pleased that my life has provided you with some obviously much-needed comedy relief.”

Harry’s shoulder muscles tensed at Draco's sarcasm and he reached automatically to place a placating hand on Draco's forearm. He hadn’t meant to cause trouble between the two of them by questioning Astoria about Draco and he wouldn’t allow it to go any further if he could help it.

“Draco–”

“It’s alright Harry; he’s being an arse.”

Sitting there before the fire, Harry flicked his gaze between the two of them. Astoria appeared quite relaxed, despite Draco's words, but Draco was sitting stiffly beside him, his eyes fixed on Astoria.

“Draco?” It took a little while, but eventually Harry was able to detect a slight upturning of Draco's lips. Taking a deep breath, he released Draco's forearm before huffing the breath out in an impatient sigh. “You rank bastard!”

Astoria’s light laugh combined with Draco's deeper chuckle as Harry threw himself back against the lounge cushions in frustration with both Draco and his own inability to read him straightaway. Draco immediately relaxed his stiff shoulders and glanced over with a smirk firmly in place.

“Damn right.”

The whispered words caused an unwilling smile to break on Harry’s face. He raised his hands in defeat.

“Alright, alright, I give. I’m sorry.” The look Draco gifted him with as he relaxed back against the lounge caused warmth to pool in Harry’s stomach, but he pushed the thoughts that came along with it to the side for the time being. Stretching his arm along the back of the lounge behind Draco's head, he sighed. “So.”

“So.” Astoria managed to make the word sound as though she was agreeing with something. She nodded slowly. “So… What’s wrong?”

Harry glanced over to Draco. All traces of amusement had left his face and his eyes were closed. The candlelight gave Harry a good view of the small bags that had formed beneath Draco's eyes, although whether they were due to the boy’s returning from Hogwarts or just Draco's normal levels of stress, he had no idea. He shook his head.

“The boys are planning something, but we don’t know what.”

Astoria nodded along slowly as Harry explained, in detail, exactly what he had heard the boys talking about earlier that day. Draco chimed in with any extra information he had gathered just by watching them, as well as every detail he had on the missing potions, although he still kept his eyes closed.

“What about Lily?”

Harry shook his head. “It sounds like Al is going to try to convince her that they need to go to Grimmauld, but she hasn’t said anything to me about it yet. Draco?”

“Nor to me.”

Silence surrounded them when Draco didn’t elaborate. Harry allowed his focus to drift aimlessly as he mentally ran through all the possibilities of exactly what the boys could be looking for. When it became obvious that there were simply too many options that involved much more danger than Harry would ever allow his children to be subjected to willingly, he switched to trying to work out just which portrait they could have been speaking to. There couldn’t logically be all that many at Hogwarts who knew the intricacies of Grimmauld Place, so at least that part may be easy for him to work out.

Dumbledore, Snape, Phineas Nigellus Black… Who else? He knew that there were bound to be photographs of those who had died during the War around the school, but he also knew that the only things infused with the person’s personality were actual portraits, so he could rule those out. Could one of Sirius’ ancestors have had a portrait commissioned and hung somewhere in Hogwarts? Could this be older than our detecting methods can reach? He jumped when Draco cleared his throat.

“So when are we going to confront them with this?”

Harry frowned. “Confront them?”

“Yes.” Draco sat up and turned on the lounge to pin Harry with a stern look. “I absolutely refuse to allow this to continue happening. What if they actually manage to hurt themselves?”

Unable to help it, Harry scrunched his nose up when reluctance flittered through him. “If we confront them, we may never find out what this thing is, or where.”

“If we don’t, then they may manage to release whatever it is they’re after. It might not be a curse; it could be something that has longer-reaching consequences than a curse.”

“What?” Harry scoffed. “You think Voldemort has another Horcrux hidden in the house somewhere? You don’t think I would have sensed that long before now?”

“Well what else could there be in a house as ancient as that one? There’s curses, there’s objects that could be cursed and–”

“It could be harmless.”

Draco almost stuttered to a stop at the sound of Astoria’s quiet suggestion. They both turned to look at her with what Harry had to assume were equal looks of shock.

“Excuse me?” There was no fire to Draco's tone, which Harry was thankful for. “‘Harmless’?”

“Yes, harmless.” Astoria nodded, her voice taking on a stronger tone. “None of our boys have ever been in the kind of trouble the two of you are fearing that they are trying to get into now. What if the portrait they have been speaking to just left something in the house that it wants found and brought to light?”

“You mean like a curse?”

“No, you stubborn…” Astoria huffed out a loud sigh and shot Draco a glare. “Listen to me; I know it’s difficult for you, but just listen. That house has been in your family for generations. It has been passed from eldest child to eldest child for so long that there must have been some kind of dispute over the succession at some point. Maybe there was a disgruntled younger brother, or a disinherited heir who left something in the attic, or buried something in the yard that they want back. Something that they believe could possibly mean something to the current owner, or to a family member. Hell, for all we know, there could be all kinds of treasure buried in the foundations that some paranoid Black family member didn’t want his greedy children getting their hands on. My point is that these old houses haven’t been properly searched with modern methods. Ever. There could be literally anything in that house and we would never know about it.”

“Not unless we discover what it is that the kids are after.” Harry’s eyes widened when Draco turned a glare on him. “What? She’s making sense!”

Draco shook his head. “Neither of you are making sense. Allowing the boys to just go along with what they’re planning is stupid and dangerous.”

“We’ll be keeping a close eye on them, Draco. I swear I wouldn’t ever allow any of them to actually hurt themselves with this.”

Shaking his head in what appeared to be wonder, Draco turned back to face Astoria. “Tori? Do you agree with him?” He leant forward and pinched the bridge of his nose when Astoria shot him a helpless look. “I cannot believe this.”

“I’m sorry, Dray, but Harry knows what he’s doing when it comes to Dark curses.”

“Aurors catch Dark wizards, not curses,” Draco practically snarled. “They aren’t even teenagers yet.”

“I can track them the same way the Trace tracks underage magic. There’s wards and charms that are only known to the senior Aurors that are undetectable; all I would need to do is get special permission from Kingsley.”

Instead of responding straight away, Draco stood and straightened his robes. “As it is obvious that the two of you have decided what to do already, please feel free to continue discussing this without me. I would appreciate it, however, if you would give me sufficient warning if you decide to actually act on anything.”

With that, he turned and stormed out of the room, his robes flapping behind him. Harry let out a sigh and threw himself back against the lounge in frustration.

“You should probably give him a few minutes to calm down this time…”

“Not this time.”

Determination to have this out with Draco flooded through Harry’s veins, sending a jolt of adrenalin coursing through him. Standing, Harry didn’t even bother to chase after Draco. He twisted on the spot, aiming for the small entry room to their suite.

*~*

Draco threw the door to the suite back against the wall, exorcizing some of his anger on the wood. His hands clenched; one by his side, the other around the wand he held. He didn’t recall when he had removed his wand from the holster up his sleeve, but he found himself quite glad that he had. With a swipe of his hand, all the bottles on the sideboard went crashing to the floor. A second swipe and the velvet curtains fell from their hangings. He was about to wave his wand towards the furniture next but a strong grip on his wrist prevented him from moving.

“Your furniture shouldn’t have to endure what you really want to be doing to me.”

Shoving Harry’s hand away from him, Draco stepped towards the lounge, putting some space between them but not turning yet. “Fuck off, Potter.”

A small flick of his wrist sent the lounge splintering to the floor, its stuffing spilling out in all directions. When a soft sigh was Harry’s only reaction, Draco continued, gaining a small amount of satisfaction from each little piece of destruction he inflicted on the room. The two lounge chairs were his next victims, followed swiftly by the cooler that held the rest of the alcohol. He had just turned towards the fireplace, intending to repeat the destruction on the mantelpiece above when Harry’s hand closed around his wrist again.

“That’s enough.”

Despite the satisfaction he had gained from this childish display of temper, it appeared to not have had any effect whatsoever on the levels of rage coursing through his veins. His muscles tensed as his adrenalin spiked. Spinning around to face Harry, Draco twisted his hand, breaking the grip Harry had on him.

“‘Enough’? You’d prefer if I took this anger out on the person who caused it?” He stepped forward, backing Harry up towards the wall. “The person who wants me to allow my son to endanger himself just so he can discover something that is better off buried where it is? The person who was supposed to have my back on important decisions like this one, but is now siding with Astoria over me?”

Harry’s back hit the wall with a soft thump. Draco wasted no time in slamming his hand palm first onto the wall beside his head and leaning in close enough that he could see himself reflected in Harry’s glasses.

“You let me down.”

The jolt of vicious satisfaction that bloomed in Draco's chest when he saw hurt flash through Harry’s eyes caused him to smile. Pushing off from the wall, he began to turn but was prevented by Harry hooking a finger through a belt loop on his trousers.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Draco turned back with an automatic sneer, fully prepared to brush Harry’s words off as an attempt to manipulate him. What he saw, however, caused his chest to ache in a way that he had only ever associated with Harry. There were dark circles forming beneath Harry’s eyes, and the lines around his eyes looked deeper, giving him a slightly haggard appearance, but it was the look in his eyes that really did Draco in. Wide and as open as Draco had ever seen them, Harry’s eyes pleaded with him, although exactly what it was that Harry wanted from him, he had no idea.

“I’m sorry, Draco. I know you’re angry with me and you have every right to be, but we can’t just leave whatever this is in Grimmauld to fester. If it isn’t our children who find and open it, it could be their children.”

“Then why don’t we just ask them what they’re looking for? Why can we not go looking for it instead of them?” Watching as closely as he was, it was easy for Draco to catch the reluctance that caused Harry to glance away from him. “You’re willing to risk your own children’s lives with this?”

Harry let out a huff of breath before whipping his head back to Draco so fast he thought he could almost hear his muscles screaming in protest. “No, I’m not, but I’m also not willing to risk you, alright?”

“You’re not doing this without me.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re not listening to me. I can’t risk losing you. I made a promise to myself the night Ginny attacked you that I would never again allow you to be hurt by something I could have prevented if only I had taken action against it earlier.”

“You think I’m happy with the idea of just letting you go off on your own in search of something that you think could be this dangerous? And don’t tell me you have training: you haven’t been in the field for years.”

Clenching his fingers around his wand – this time on purpose – Draco took a deep breath. He knew he had to get control over his emotions again, but was finding that difficult with his heart racing as fast as it was. When Harry did nothing other than watch him, he sighed.

“So that’s it then? We’re back to exactly where we began at the start of the night?”

It took a few seconds for Harry to do anything other than stare, leaving Draco thinking that he wasn’t going to receive a response. When he did move, however, it was to tug on the belt loop he still had his finger hooked through. Glancing down to Harry’s finger, Draco stood still, resisting being pulled towards him.

“I’m sorry, Draco, I really am.” The words were almost whispered, causing the ache in Draco's chest to increase. “I didn’t mean to piss you off. We’ll keep the boys as far from Grimmauld as we can while we work out what we should do. I’ll also go speak to Kingsley. Tomorrow, if it’ll make you feel better.” When Draco didn’t react to the words, Harry let out a small breath. “Please, Dray?”

His eyes sliding closed, Draco allowed himself to be tugged to Harry’s chest. He felt one of Harry’s arms sliding down to wrap around his waist, but the other moved so he could rest his fingers beneath Draco's chin. Draco kept his eyes closed when Harry raised his head.

“Look at me.”

Letting out a slow breath, Draco reopened his eyes. Harry was close enough so that Draco could again see himself reflected in his glasses. His grip on his wand loosened a little when Harry’s arm tightened around his waist.

“I’m not going to let anyone be injured because of this, I swear. I know we should just ask them; it’s the most obvious thing we should do. But what if this isn’t coming from them? What if there’s someone else mixed up in this?”

“Why would you only just be bringing this up now? Why not tell Astoria as well?”

“And have her worried about everyone’s safety as well?” Harry shifted his position, dragging Draco closer to him in the process. “Look, the Manor is one of the securest privately owned buildings I have ever been inside; there is no way anyone could get in through these defences without one of us knowing. The boys are safe where they are right now. Can you please just give me a few days? Let me get in touch with various people and ask some of the Curse Breakers I know what they think. We will do all kinds of sweeps of the house to find out exactly what is in there and where. Just give me a little time to try to find out exactly what we’re dealing with before we involve the boys any further than they already are involved.”

There was no pleading tone to Harry’s voice to match the pleading that had returned to his eyes, which Draco was thankful for. He was unsure what the ache in his chest would force him into if Harry truly decided that he needed to beg him for something. He resisted as long as he could, but knew that it was inevitable that he would give in. With a growled damn it, Potter, he tossed his wand behind him and closed the gap between them. The kiss he pressed to Harry’s lips was forceful, tilting Harry’s head backwards against the wall. It didn’t last long, but Draco was panting when he broke away again.

“Why are you so determined to do everything on your own?”

“I can’t–”

“Lose me, yes I understood that part,” Draco interrupted. Raising his hands, he cupped Harry’s face in both hands, brushing his thumbs over his cheekbones. “You are the most frustrating person I have ever met, did you know?”

Harry offered up a small smile. “I love you, Draco.”

Shaking his head, Draco couldn’t help smiling back. He leant in and placed another, much softer kiss on Harry’s lips.

“I love you, too.”

“Show me.”

Before Draco could react to the words, Harry was dragging him off through the mess he had created towards the bedroom. He managed to bend and grab his wand on the way past, but beyond that, Draco figured that everything else could wait until the morning.
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The Optimal Balance