Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Erotes	By : Bickymonster Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 70634 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 19
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any concepts or characters associated with it. I am not making any money from this this story

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
AN: Chapter 26; I am delighted with how well this chapter has come together, and I believe this is the longest chapter we have had for this story yet. Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio. Enjoy.
Warnings: Swearing, slash and Adult themes, sexual content. For full warnings see story description.
As always, thanks to my betas AchillesTheGeek and StrawberryGirl87, who both pushed me to make this chapter all it could be. You guys are awesome.
(Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

“Draco!” Blaise called out when the blond came into the Slytherin common room. The Italian hurriedly put away a letter from his mother that he and Pansy had been discussing and got to his feet, determined to get the blond’s attention, his expression clearly demanding an explanation of the day’s events.
'Damn it,' Draco thought in frustration. It had been a really long and stressful day, and at that moment he just wanted to sleep. So it was without a trace of a smile that he turned to face his friend. He was not exactly pleased to see that Blaise was not alone; Pansy was at Blaise’s side, the same expectant look on her face.
“Potter promised us an explanation once you returned,” Blaise told him bluntly.
Draco raised an eyebrow. “Well I suggest you take that up with him then,” he said with a smirk, turning and heading across the common room towards the portrait that protected his and Harry’s rooms.
“Draco...” Pansy whined, quickening her pace to be at his side, Blaise strolling along behind her.
“What, Pansy?” Draco snapped impatiently, stopping and turning to glare at the girl. He really was not in the mood to talk to her or have to explain himself; he was still feeling seriously out of sorts after arguing with Harry and the conversation he had had with Professor Snape.
“Whoa!” Pansy said, holding up her hands in surrender at the sight of the annoyance in Draco’s eyes. “We just want to know what is going on,” she told him. “You and Potter have us worried. Are the two of you okay?”
Draco let out a tired sigh. There was really nothing to be gained by alienating his friends, especially given that none of his current problems or worries were their doing. “We’re fine,” he told her quietly. “Or at least we will be,” he said, correcting himself with a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s just been a long day and I really want to go to bed.”
It was a lot more honest that he usually would have been, but he was exhausted and did feel a flicker of guilt for keeping Pansy and Blaise in the dark; the two of them had been so much more supportive than he would have believed possible, or would have ever asked for. It was as much as he could offer them at the moment though, because, despite his current anger with his boyfriend, he found himself desperately wanting to curl up with Harry. It was probably the need for a magical energy transfer; at least that was what he was telling himself.
“Okay, fine!” Pansy said sulkily, crossing her arms over her chest. “But tomorrow...”
“Tomorrow we will explain,” Draco agreed wearily, nodding his head once. If Harry had promised them an explanation then Harry would likely insist on that anyway. Draco was hopeful that he would feel more like talking after a good night’s sleep.
Turning from his friends, Draco gave the password and headed into his and Harry’s rooms; he was surprised to find them empty. ‘Perhaps Harry is with his friends,’ Draco supposed.
He pushed open the door to the Gryffindor common room hesitantly; he had never had cause to use it before and wasn’t certain what kind of reception to expect on the other side. He peered through the doorway and was glad to spot Granger and Weasley sitting at one of the tables, bickering about something; however, there was no sign of Harry.
“Granger!” Draco called out in a hushed shout, trying, in vain, not to draw the attention of the other Gryffindors in the room. Ron and Hermione both turned to look at him; unfortunately so did several others, but the blond just ignored their stares and mutterings.
“Malfoy?” Weasley said dumbly, a confused frown on his face as he and Granger got up from where they were sat and came over to Draco.
“No, I’m clearly Godric Gryffindor himself,” Draco said sarcastically, his voice droll and unamused.
“Funny,” Weasley bit back, his cheeks flushing slightly and making Draco wonder if all Gryffindors blushed that easily. “What are you doing here?” the red-head demanded rudely.
“Ron!” Granger chastised, giving Ron’s arm a slap with the back of her hand.
“Hi to you too,” the blond sneered, before turning to Granger. “Where’s Harry?” he asked her; he certainly had no intention of dealing with Weasley if the red-head couldn’t even manage basic manners.
“Harry went to speak with Dumbledore after dinner,” Granger told him, eyeing Malfoy with suspicion, trying to work out what was going on with him. “We haven’t seen him since then.”
Draco frowned. He had been under the impression that he and Harry were going to speak with the Headmaster together, given a lot of the grievances were Draco’s rather than Harry’s. Draco was sure that Harry meant well but it bothered him that it apparently hadn’t occurred to Harry that Draco might want to be involved in that discussion.
“Thanks, Granger,” Draco said, appreciating the information even if it hadn’t been what he had wanted to hear. He went to close the portrait but Hermione’s hand on the frame stopped him.
“Are you okay, Malfoy?” she asked, looking him with genuine concern. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her and tried to tug the portrait free from her hold but she was apparently determined to get an answer.
“I’m fine,” Draco said testily; he had hardly been in the mood to deal with his own friends, let alone Harry’s. “I was just looking for Harry,” he told her.
“We’ll let him know you were looking for him,” Granger promised, offering Draco a supportive, sympathetic smile. He knew she meant it kindly, but it just grated on his frayed nerves.
“You do that,” Draco told her bluntly, not really caring either way; Draco figured that Harry would come and talk to him when he was ready. He tugged on the portrait again and this time the Gryffindor apparently got the message because she released the door and allowed him to pull it closed.
If his mood had been bad before, it was nothing to now. ‘The article was supposed to be about us taking control of our lives, but does that really mean Harry talking control?’ Draco wondered. Deciding he wasn’t going to wait up, Draco headed to bed. Harry would turn up at some point and then Draco would take the magic energy he needed from his mate. If Draco was still in a bad mood after that, he could always kick Harry out and into their spare room.
-#-
“Evening,” Harry greeted, dropping himself into a chair at the table in the Gryffindor common room where Ron and Hermione were sat.
“Hi, Harry,” Hermione greeted, not looking up from the books that she and Ron were leaning over. “It doesn’t work like that, Ron, that would break Gamp’s second law,” she told him impatiently, tapping at the paragraph that the red-head had just written.
Ron groaned and dropped his head down on the desk. “Harry, make her stop,” he grumbled, causing Hermione to glare at him but Harry just chuckled fondly.
“Like I could,” Harry pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders and a grin on his face; he was enjoying the moment of normality between his best friends. “Besides, she is just trying to help you, Ron.”
“Thank you, Harry,” Hermione said smugly, flashing him a grateful smile. She went to go back at her books, but seemed to remember something and looked back up at him again “Oh, Harry, Malfoy was looking for you,” she told him.
“When?” Harry asked urgently, sitting upright, glancing towards the portrait covering the entrance to his and Draco's rooms. Given how he had left things with Draco, he was glad that his mate was looking for him, and he was eager to get to talk to him.
“Not long," Hermione told him, thinking about it for a moment. "About ten minutes ago,” Hermione estimated, glancing to Ron, who nodded in agreement.
“Is he okay?” Harry questioned, suddenly concerned that the meeting with Snape hadn’t gone so well. Or that his mate was still intent on blaming him for everything. Mostly, though, he wanted to be sure that his mate was okay, given he hadn't seen him since dinner.
Ron shrugged dismissively. “He wasn’t exactly talkative,” he said, not really sure what else to say. Malfoy hadn't seemed much different than usual to him: grumpy and rude.
“He seemed pretty stressed to me,” Hermione added, looking at Harry sympathetically, “but he said he was okay.” Harry got the impression that Hermione hadn't believed Draco, and he didn't either; there was no chance that his mate was completely alright given all that had happened the last few days.
“Pretty stressed?" Ron scoffed sceptically. "He seemed pissed,” he amended as he leaned back in his chair, apparently giving up on his essay for the moment.
Harry groaned, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. 'Great, so he is still in a bad mood,' he thought to himself. He wasn't surprised by that but he had hoped that a little time and a conversation with Snape might have helped Draco to cool off a little.
“He didn’t seem pissed, Ron,” Hermione argued, narrowing her eyes Ron in annoyance.
“Yeah, that’s why he practically slammed the door in our faces,” Ron argued back with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
“Guys!” Harry interrupted, not wanting to let them get going. The two of them fell silent and turned to look at him with expressions of surprise. “Enough already," he said, shaking his head at their bickering. "I'm just going to go talk to him."
“That's probably a good idea,” Hermione said, nodding approvingly, as she reached out to grasp his hand for a moment and gave him a fond smile.
Harry returned the smile and got to his feet. “I’ll probably talk to you guys tomorrow. I know I promised I would explain everything,” he added quickly, when it looked like Ron was about to object, “but I'm really tired and if Draco is in a bad mood too... Can we just leave it till tomorrow?” he pleaded.
“Of course we can,” Hermione said kindly. Ron didn’t look quite as accommodating but he didn’t say anything, and nodded his understanding a few seconds later.
“Thanks, guys,” Harry said, patting Ron on the back on the way past as he headed for his and Draco’s rooms.
-#-
Draco was lying on his side in bed when he heard the portrait open and footsteps cross the living area towards their bedroom; a column of light breached the room as the bedroom door was silently opened.
“Hey, you,” he heard Harry say from near the doorway. Draco said nothing though and continued to stare at the wall. Draco could hear his mate moving towards the bed; the sound of fabric let Draco know that Harry was undressing as he went. “Still in a bad mood?” Harry asked.
“What do you think?” the blond grumbled, stubbornly not turning to acknowledge his mate as much as his instincts were telling him to do so.
“I think," Harry said as he climbed into bed behind Draco, "that it has been a long, stressful and upsetting day.” He reached out, letting his fingers run lightly over the feathers of Draco’s wings, which were folded up tightly against the blond's back.
“Well you aren’t wrong,” Draco said with a sigh, sitting up enough to turn over and lie back down facing Harry.
The corner of Harry's mouth twitch into a hint of a smile, and he reached out to brush Draco's hair back from his face. "And you might have been wrong to blame me for everything?" Harry prompted hopefully.
Draco looked annoyed at that, but Harry could see the guilt there, in his mate's eyes, too. He was sure that his beautiful blond boyfriend was just as confused and upset about the day's events as he was. Part of him wanted to talk it out, but....
“Can I hold you?” Harry asked, as he tucked a few stubborn strands of blond hair back behind Draco’s ear again. He was realising that even if he didn't want to use the bond to affect how Draco was feeling, he could at least use it to understand what his mate was feeling. 'Like we did all those months ago in the Great Hall,' Harry remembered fondly.
“If you must,” Draco permitted grumpily, shuffling into Harry’s open arms and resting his head on Harry's shoulder. The light buzz of the magical energy transfer helped him to relax; or maybe that was Harry sending calmness through their bond; either way, it was only a few moment before he was starting to feel better.
Once Draco seemed calmer, Harry focused on how hurt he had felt when Draco had blamed him, trying to share those feelings with the blond lying in his arms. He knew it had worked when a startled rush of breath brushed over his chest. Slowly Draco started to let him in, started to share his own fears and worries and guilt. Harry didn't like that the blond's reaction to those emotions had been to push him away, blame him for everything, but he could understand it.
"You are worse than me with this guilt trip lark," Harry said teasingly, as they both eased off on the bond. "Not that I would have been able to tell without you sharing like this," he admitted quietly. He found it really frustrating how closed off Draco could be sometimes.
"Well not all of us display exactly what we are feeling to the whole world," Draco replied snappishly. He really didn't understand Harry's need for everything to be expressed so openly, but he had been trying to respect it. Draco hadn't been hiding himself from his mate, not deliberately, but he was just feeling so raw and exposed right now already, and could barely stand it.
"Draco..." Harry said warningly.
"I am not some Gryffindor," Draco snarled back, sitting up a little and going to push Harry away. Harry, however, had had enough of his submissive mate shoving him away and so held onto him.
"Merlin's balls, Draco!" Harry exclaimed, keeping his firm grip as gentle as possible, not wanting to hurt his mate. "I am not asking you to be; and will you stop using Gryffindor as an insult!" Harry told him as he rolled Draco onto his back and leaned over him. "I am just asking you to be honest with me! We are supposed to be a family."
Draco sighed and lolled his head to the side to avoid looking at Harry, who he could feel breathing heavily above him. He wanted to fight back, to refuse out of pure stubbornness. He just wasn't used to being open with anyone, but Harry was right, about them being a family and Draco did trust his mate. Draco supposed that honesty about what he was feeling wasn't too much for Harry to ask.
"I can try," Draco agreed after a few moments."But can we keep the references to dead old men's genitals out of our bed please," he teased and he was struggling to hold back a smile when he turned to look back up at Harry.
“So not too mad at me really then?” Harry asked, with a cheeky grin on his face, leaning down to press a kiss to Draco's cheek.
"I am still a little bit furious with you, but..." Draco steeled himself; he was really going to give this being open with Harry thing a go, trying to work out how to explain it to his mate. "But I am a little bit furious with myself too," he added quietly.
"That's okay, we can be a little bit furious at the whole situation together," Harry said with a wink before laying back down and pulling Draco into his arms again. It was a great relief to just be able to hold his mate close again. "So how did the visit with Snape go?" he asked after a few moments of silence.
“He sent me away,” Draco said softly. He had spend the last half an hour lying in bed trying to get his head around the conversation he had had with Snape, but he didn't feel any wiser.
“Wait, what?" Harry exclaimed in surprise, pulling back to meet Draco’s eyes. He had always thought that Draco and Snape had some kind of respectful relationship, where they both cared for each other, so Snape sending Draco away seemed strange. "Why?” he asked, his face twisted into a puzzled expression.
“I am not sure exactly,” the blond admitted reluctantly, as he cuddled up against Harry again. “Apparently Snape hasn’t been telling the Dark Lord anything about us, presumably on Dumbledore's instruction. But then of course that madman reacted badly, hearing about it all in the newspaper,” Draco explained grumpily.
“Wow," Harry said, sounding quite shocked by that, mulling it over. "I assumed that Voldemort at least knew we were together; it isn’t like that has been a secret,” he mused, frowning in confusion. “Given that it was going to come out eventually... I don’t understand... why would they...?”
“Exactly!” Draco said emphatically, glad that his mate had come to the same conclusion. “That's what I said to Professor Snape and well... he reacted badly.”
“Hmm,” Harry hummed in thought as Draco relaxed against him. "Reacted badly to you? Or reacted badly to what you were saying?" he asked curiously.
"A little of both, probably," Draco told him and Harry felt Draco's shoulders shrug. “So... were you going to tell me you went to see Dumbledore?” he asked in a not particularly subtle attempt to change the subject.
“Of course I was!” Harry insisted firmly without any hesitation. “Why wouldn’t I tell you? Why would you think I would I hide that?” he asked after a few moments of confused contemplation. "What's this about, Draco?"
“Perhaps that you went and talked to him without even discussing it with me. Did it not occur to you that I might want to be there?” Draco asked, tilting his head to be able to look up at Harry. “Can you not see that I might not have been happy to discover that you decided to go without me?”
“Oh...” Harry said, understanding settling in. He had been so set on airing his own irritation with the Headmaster, in needing something to actively be doing, that he had inadvertently disregarded Draco's needs.
“Yes, exactly, ‘Oh’,” Draco said dryly, obviously unimpressed, though he seemed more exasperated than truly annoyed. “So I trust that you at least outlined our grievances?”
“I did,” Harry confirmed, pressing a kiss to Draco's temple. “Dumbledore seemed pretty intent on blaming us, though; he called us irresponsible. He certainly put on pretty good pretence of being upset about everything. He sent his apologies for upsetting your father, by the way, and promised to speak with both him and Snape tomorrow.”
“You don’t sound totally impressed,” Draco observed.
“That’s because I’m not!” Harry said snappishly. “Sorry,” he quickly added sheepishly, feeling bad for having taken his annoyance out of his mate. “I just really don’t trust him, Draco."
“Welcome to the club,” Draco told Harry quietly, reaching up to place a kiss on Harry's lips.
-#-
By breakfast time, both Harry and Draco had already been awake for several hours, thanks to their early night the evening before. The two of them were in their living room working on homework when there was a banging on the Slytherin door to their rooms.
Harry groaned. "What do you bet that is your friends looking for the explanation we didn’t give them yesterday?" he asked with a wry smile.
"Of course it is," Draco agreed dismissively as he got up to open the door. Now that he and Harry had worked things out, and that he knew that Professor Snape was going to make a full recovery, he was feeling a lot more willing to discuss recent events.
"Morning, Draco," Pansy said with so much happiness that it made both Harry and Draco feel a bit wary. She pressed a chaste kiss to Draco's cheek as she stepped around him into the room, Blaise just behind her.
"Pansy, Blaise," Draco greeted, as he shut the door.
"I am surprised that Weasley and Granger didn't beat us here," Blaise commented casually, looking around the room.
"I'll get them," Harry said, pushing back his chair and abandoning the essay he had been failing to write for the last half an hour. "I'll be right back," he told them, disappearing off into the Gryffindor common room.
"No Greg or Vince?" Draco asked, once the three of them were alone.
"I guess they thought breakfast was a priority," Pansy told him with a dismissive shrug as she flopped down in one of the chairs, hooking one knee over the other and smiling up at the blond.
"You know how they are with food," Blaise added, as Draco lead him over to the sofas, so that they could wait for the Gryffindors to join them. Blaise sat himself on the arm of the chair where Pansy was sitting, and Draco all but fell onto the sofa with a tired sigh. Thankfully the pregnant teen completely missed the look of concern that his two friends shared.
"Talking of food..." Draco said, summoning Dobby and requesting a selection of breakfast foods to be brought to their room. The house-elf happily acquiesced and, by the time the other door opened again, the three Slytherins had started eating.
"...us all together?" Ron was grumbling, as he was strongly encouraged into the room by Harry and Hermione, who were just behind him.
"I am not explaining all this twice just for your convenience, Ron," Harry said, with a roll of his eyes as Hermione dragged Ron across the room and pushed him into a free chair. Ron went to protest but Harry quickly silenced him by forcing a plate of bacon sandwiches from the coffee table, into his hands.
"So...," Pansy said, now that they were all there, "should we be worried about Professor Snape?" The man was their head of house after all, and they all knew how unlike him it was to be absent at all.
"He is going to be fine," Harry assured her, taking a seat next to Draco; but the wording wasn't lost on the Slytherins, nor the sharp mind of Hermione.
"Going to be?" she said with a questioning gaze as she sat down on the floor next to the table of food and helped herself to an apple.
"The Dark Lord didn't exactly react well to the article, and was displeased that he hadn't been told that Harry and I were together," Draco explained. "It seems that he took it out on our favourite potions master."
"How the fuck is he still alive?!" Ron exclaimed around a mouthful of sandwich.
"I guess Voldemort must think that Snape still might be useful for something," Harry suggested with a shrug, as the others looked at Ron with various expression of disgust at his poor manners.
"What?" Ron said obliviously, when he realised that he was being stared at.
"Nothing," Draco said, shaking his head and turning back to their other friends. "Whatever the reason, Madam Pomfrey has assured me that Professor Snape is going to make a full recovery. Plus we know for certain that the Dark Lord knows about us now."
"Well, we all knew that was going to happen after your article," Pansy pointed out. "So this was what had both of you with your pants in a twist yesterday? You seem okay today," she said, taking in how they were sitting so close together.
Harry gave Draco a questioning look, not really sure how much of their personal feelings about the day before his boyfriend would want to share; while he wanted his mate to be open and honest with him, he knew that didn't change how much of a private person Draco was. He himself was quite happily keep that part of their relationship to themselves; they had sorted things out now, after all, and honestly it wasn't anyone else's business as far as he was concerned.
"We are fine now, that is all you need to know," Draco said sharply, a look of challenge sent in Harry's direction. The blond actually seemed surprised when Harry gave him a nod and a happy grin in response. It seemed they were on the same page regarding this at least.
"Okay, that's great and all, but I don't get why you couldn't have told us all this yesterday?" Ron grumbled and Blaise nodded in agreement to the question.
"We have no obligation to tell you anything," Draco snapped, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Perhaps try being grateful that we trust the four of you enough to tell you as much as this!"
"Okay, okay!" Ron said, holding his eyes up in surrender. Hermione was looking guilty too, which made them suspect that she had also wished that they had spoken about everything sooner; though that wasn't much of a surprise given the girl never liked being deprived of information of any sort.
Pansy, however, was looking quite put out as she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at Draco "We were just worried about you," she told him a little petulantly.
"We know," Harry assured her with a slightly forced smile and he reached out to squeeze to Draco's hand. It was nice to know their friends cared so much, but they could be a bit overbearing at times.
-#-
Following breakfast in their rooms, Draco had hurried off to Snape's quarters, with Blaise and Pansy in tow, to go speak with his father. This was, of course, partly out Draco’s concern for Lucius, but mostly to find out if Madam Pomfrey had released Snape from the Medical Wing yet. This left Harry, Hermione and Ron to figure out what they were going to do with their Saturday.
"So what shall we do on this special occasion?" Ron asked, throwing his arm over Harry's shoulder as the three of them made their way down the Grand Staircase.
"What special occasion?" Harry questioned, shrugging his best friend off with a confused expression.
"The day you detached yourself from Malfoy's side long enough to decide to spend time with us again," Ron explained with a teasing grin. "You have been spending so much time with those Slytherins, I am surprised you haven't turned into one. I'm surprised I haven't," Ron added, his face contorting with disgust.
"His name is Draco," Harry corrected firmly, sharing an exasperated look with Hermione. "And besides, I thought you were getting on okay with them."
"Parkinson is okay, I guess," Ron grumbled reluctantly. "And I get that you and... Draco love each other and all that, and he has been pretty decent, I guess. But Zabini..."
"You and Blaise were getting on pretty well the last few weeks," Harry pointed out, wondering what had changed. This, however, just earned him another revolted look from the red-head.
"Ron seems to think that Blaise is seducing Ginny," Hermione explained in a bored tone, as though she and Ron had already been through it too many times, which Harry supposed was likely.
"You should have heard what they were saying, the way that Zabini was looking at her. And Ginny didn't even seem to mind," Ron protested. "Ginny's my little sister, Harry; it is the principle of the thing."
"She was only flirting a little because she knew it would wind you up," Hermione said with a sigh and Ron leaned around Harry to scowled at her. "And to prove she is over Harry," she added in a mutter under her breath, not that either of the other two missed it.
"Ginny understands that I'm with Draco," Harry said huffily. Things were good between him and Ginny now, and he really didn't understand why people felt the need to prod at the issue of her attraction to him.
"Understands, yes," Hermione agreed with a nod of her head, "and she accepts it, but..." Hermione hesitated and seemed to be trying to find the right words for a moment. "It's just that she can't help how she feels, Harry and that isn't going to change overnight."
"Well I would prefer it was Harry than Zabini," Ron said with a childish pout, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Of course you would," Hermione mumbled under her breath and Harry saw when she rolled her eyes.
"At least you aren't a Slytherin," Ron said to Harry.
"No, I am just bonded to one, having a child with one," Harry reminded him, clearly annoyed. "And I really wish you would stop using Slytherin like an insult. Not to mention, Ron, I am happy with Draco; me and Ginny is something that is never going to happen."
"And she is going to date people," Hermione said, leaning around Harry enough to meet Ron's eyes with a serious expression.
"Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it," Ron said petulantly, all but sulking, as they headed off down a corridor on the second floor.
"She will probably have sex with them too," Harry said teasingly, raising his hand to his mouth as he let out an exaggeratedly fake gasp of shock.
"Oh Merlin, Harry!" Ron exclaimed, looking a little nauseous. "I really didn't need that thought in my head." That, however, just caused Harry to burst out laughing; Hermione also looked rather amused.
"Well just remember that I will remind you of that the next time that you want to meddle in Ginny's love life," Harry told his best friend with a deviously smug grin.
Ron stared at him in disbelieving horror. "You really are turning into a Slytherin," he said a little faintly.
"Ah, Ron, I was already a little bit Slytherin," Harry told him happily. "You were just too Gryffindor to notice," he added with a laugh.
"I was going to suggest we go for a walk, but it is snowing again," Hermione said, ignoring the boys' banter, and gesturing towards the windows they were passing, "perhaps we should go to..."
"...to the library," Harry and Ron chorused, grinning at each other. Hermione made a kind of 'harrumph' noise that showed her disapproval at being mocked and she stuck her nose in the air as she headed off down the corridor at a fair pace without another word.
"Come on, we might as well at least get some homework done," Harry said, grabbing hold of Ron's arm and practically dragging him along the corridor after Hermione.
"Do you think she will still help me write that Herbology essay?" Ron asked hopefully, picking up his pace so that he didn't fall over his own feet.
"When we just mocked her? Not a chance," Harry told him with amusement. "Guess you will have to turn on the charm," he suggested with a wink. Ron groaned, and Harry was sure he heard his friend mumble something like 'so screwed' under his breath.
-#-
'Apparently Madam Pomfrey was right,' Severus thought miserably to himself as he dragged himself to his feet, with great effort, to go and answer the knock at his door. 'It is apparently going to take more than a day in the Medical Wing to feel like myself again.'
A pointed look from the potions master silently instructed Lucius move. Lucius hastily pushed himself to his feet, heading to his room and pulling the door closed; they had no idea who was on the other side and it would be best if most people remained ignorant to his presence in the school.
'Oh joy,' sarcastically flowed through Severus' mind as he opened the door to see three of his sixth year Slytherins, unsurprisingly lead by Malfoy Junior. "Mr Malfoy, Mr Zabini, Miss Parkinson. To what do I owe the pleasure?" the professor asked wearily.
"We came to check on..." Draco trailed off with a nod into the room behind Professor Snape, hoping the man would get the message and let them in.
Professor Snape stepped to one side and permitted them entry, though with obvious reluctance given the expression on his face, and both Pansy and Blaise were looking at Draco like he had lost his mind when he headed inside without hesitation.
"Mr Zabini, Miss Parkinson, I do not appreciate being made to wait in my doorway on the best of days," Snape told them snappishly. Maintaining their calm expressions only by dint of a great amount of practice, they quickly followed their friend into the room and the potions master closed the door behind them.
"Thank you, Sir," Draco said politely. "Is my father...?"
"Draco," Snape interrupted with a warning tone and a glance at the two other teenagers.
"They are already aware that he is currently residing here," Draco told the potions master dismissively. As far as he was concerned, both Blaise and Pansy had done all they needed to to earn his full trust when they had stood by him through with everything that had happened with Harry.
Snape scowled at Draco's insistence, but Lucius was already stepping out of his room, given the harm was already done. There was no need for him to hide when Blaise and Pansy already knew he was there.
"It is perhaps unwise to trust even your closest of friends with such valuable information, Draco," Lucius chastised as he took a few strides towards his son. "You never know when someone might bid a price for it that they can't afford not to pay. No offence intended, of course," he added with a patronising bow to Pansy and Blaise.
"Of course," Pansy simpered, a sickly sweet smile on her face that didn't suit her at all. "It is good to see you again, Mr Malfoy."
Draco schooled his face blank. His father's disapproval was nothing new to him, but Lucius' words were making him doubt himself. He hated thinking that he had trusted more information to his friends that perhaps was truly wise; Blaise's family was relatively neutral but Pansy's...
'How long will it be until someone comes asking for her to spy on me and Harry?' Draco wondered. 'That's assuming that someone hasn't already,' he thought with a glance over at his friends. However, there nothing he could do about it for the moment, and so shook the thought off for the moment.
"We, or rather I, just wanted to be sure that there were no further complications," Draco said stiffly, turning back to his father and Snape. "Given you both seem to be perfectly good health, we shall disturb your day no further."
"Draco..." Snape snarled. He was still feeling fairly put out that the teenager had spoken quite so rudely and bluntly to him the day before, no matter how much of a point Draco might have had, but somehow the formality he was holding now irritated him even more.
"Good day to you, Sir," Draco said with a curt bow before turning and heading out the door, without even acknowledging his father. Pansy gave both Snape and Draco's father looks of sympathy before she and Blaise hurried after Draco, following him out into the corridor.
"Draco...!" Pansy called out after the blond, who was already half way down the corridor. However, Draco just continued to storm away from them at a quick pace. Pansy went to jog after him, try and catch up, but Blaise caught hold of her arm.
"Leave him be," Blaise instructed as Pansy turned to glare at him.
"Did you see the look he gave me?" Pansy asked with annoyance, shrugging off Blaise's hold and turning to look towards Draco, but the blond had already disappeared around the corner. "He doesn't trust me," she huffed, turning to glare at Blaise again.
"And why should he?" Blaise pointed out. "You need to show him that letter."
Pansy's fists clenched at her sides, as it was apparently taking great effort to keep hold of her anger. "Just like you have shown him the one you got?" she snarled vindictively. "You're such a hypocrite."
"We shouldn't talk about this here," Blaise snapped under his breath, as he glanced either way along the thankfully empty corridor. He put a hand on Pansy's back and started guiding her, with rather more force than was necessary, to go find somewhere more private to speak.
-#-
"How is it that you always managed to turn Draco into this cold emotionless child with just a few words?" Severus asked irritably, as he watched Lucius return to his seat.
The tall blond seemed completely unfazed by the conversation with his son and Severus was starting to wonder if Lucius had ever had a real conversation with the frankly precocious young man that Draco had now become.
"I assure you I would be far prouder if he could keep his emotions in check at all times, rather than just when I have to remind him," Lucius said, clearly no longer interested in the conversation as he was already opening his book.
Severus clenched his teeth and his fists, willing away the curses on his tongue and the desire to act in a violently immature manner towards his supposed lover.
They were still recovering from their relatively recent argument regarding their places in the war, though Lucius had been appeased somewhat by Severus agreeing to no longer respond to the Dark Lord's summons. And now this was yet another issue that was inevitably going to come between them.
Severus was hardly a man known for expressing his feelings but even he was starting to wonder what kind of relationship they would ever have if Lucius was to continue this retreat into his cold hard shell.
-#-
Harry was somewhat surprised about just how normal things felt in the following week. Despite Draco's assurances that Professor Snape had seemed in good health, Harry had been worried about the man. That was right up until their first potions lesson of the week, when the professor seemed to be extra snarky, as though to prove that he was fine.
"He wasn't that bad," Draco had insisted when Ron had been complaining about the potions master.
"He said that he had seen hippogriffs brew better and then vanished the contents of my cauldron," Ron had argued back.
Hermione had pointed out that it was supposed to have been dark green in colour and thick, not red, thin and fizzy, but that even so it still seemed rather unfair that that he hadn't at least been able to hand in his attempt. This treatment was nothing new to the Gryffindors. however, and so Harry was just taking it as a sign that the potions master was making a speedy recovery.
Perhaps the oddest thing about the whole week was how much time Dean had started spending with them. Not that they minded at all, it was just that they were rather confused by it given how he usually preferred to spend his time with Seamus. The only thing the teen said by way of explanation was that he had already seen more than he needed to and was happily choosing to leave the Irishman to his private business.
A devious grin formed on Pansy's face when she saw how flustered the Gryffindor upon being questioned him about it. "So who exactly did you see Finnigan getting busy with?" Pansy asked curiously, leaning towards him over the table where they were all sat together in the library, eager to hear the answer.
Dean looked a little alarmed at the question, though whether it was the question or who was asking was not at all clear. "I... erm... I have to... you know," he mumbled uncertainly. " I... erm... forgot my book." Pushing his chair back, he all but jumped to his feet before hurrying off out of the library.
Harry laughed quietly as he watched his dorm mate rush off. "Well I wasn't particularly curious before, but now..." he said, glancing at his mate, who was sat next to him.
"Who do you suppose it is?" Draco asked in an excitedly conspiratorial whisper.
"Not a clue," Harry admitted, shaking his head. He hadn't seen Seamus spending a lot of time with anyone in particular, and certainly not acting romantically towards anyone.
"With Dean's reaction it's probably someone really disturbing," Blaise said, leaning back in his chair and watching the others. "What if it is someone like McGonagall or Filch?" he suggested with an amused smirk.
"Oh that it is so wrong!" Ron exclaimed, looking quite unwell. He wasn't the only one; both Harry and Draco looked rather nauseated by the idea; though Pansy seemed to be more than a little sceptical.
"If you really want to know, then you should just ask Neville," Hermione suggested, looking up from her Arithmancy book. She had been trying to ignore their silly gossiping but it was hard to study which all the talking around her. "If Dean knows something, isn't it likely Neville will too?"
"Unless it is Neville," Harry suggested conspiratorially, a grin on his face. He actually thought that Seamus and Neville might make quite a cute couple, assuming that they both swung that way.
"Longbottom? Yeah, right," Pansy scoffed with a rather forced laugh, apparently not thinking Harry's suggestion was any more plausible than Blaise's. "I bet you that it is one of those girly girls in your year. Brown or, what's her name... Patil?"
"That would not surprise me," Hermione admitted, closing her book and gathering up her belongings into a manageable pile. "But while you guys are gossiping, I am going to find a quiet table and actually get some studying done. Let me know when you are done acting like children," she said as picked up her things and headed over to the other side of the library.
"She's just jealous," Pansy told them, glancing over to where Hermione was now setting herself up at another table. "Maybe Weasley here should go help... ease her tension," she suggested.
Ron flushed red and Harry looked stuck between amused and horrified. Draco and Zabini, however, were struggling to hold in their laughter, particularly given Ron's reaction and it wasn't long before Madam Pince was herding them out of the library with a scowl.
-#-
After dinner that evening, Harry and Draco headed straight back to their rooms, braving going through the Gryffindor common room together to get there. No one seemed at all fazed by Draco's presence there, however, when they stepped through into their living room, they both froze in their steps.
"Good evening, boys," Narcissa greeted with a beautiful smile, the woman sitting comfortably on their sofa waiting for them.
"Mother..." Draco said, staring at her with wide-eyes, clearly completely stunned to see her.
"Oh and here was me thinking that you might be pleased to see me," Narcissa commented with a raised eyebrow as she got to her feet. It had been a difficult few weeks for her, and she was delighted to see her son, the sight of him easing the stress she had been holding in her body.
"What?" Draco asked, blinking with confusion before coming back to himself. "Oh, yes, of course I am pleased to see you!" he insisted, moving forward and embracing her.
Narcissa held him close, more determined than ever to protect Draco from all that had been happening with her. He didn't' need to know about the men she knew to be Death Eaters, who had contacted Adrien; while they had been able to mostly avoid them so far, it worried her that the Death Eaters might have worked out that she was with Adrien.
"How have you been, Mother?" Draco asked, as he pulled back and looked at her speculatively.
"I am well, Draco" Narcissa told him, her hands on his cheeks to look at him properly. Concerned as she was that she and Adrien might have to run at some point soon, she was determined to enjoy some time with her son before then. "And you, my son, how are you?"
"I'm well," he assured her. "We are well," he corrected once he had gotten his mother to release her grip, glancing over his shoulder at Harry as he placed his hand on his own belly, which was still almost completely flat at three months into his pregnancy.
"It's good to see you again, Mrs Malfoy," Harry greeted with a smile and a small nod, as her eyes switched to him, though he remained close to the portrait they had just come through. As much as Draco was his family now, he still felt like he was intruding.
"Now, now, Harry," Narcissa chastised, the slightly teasing tone so much like one Draco would use, "I honestly thought we were past such formal nonsense. And how are you?" she asked, as she and Draco took seats next to each other on the sofa.
"Oh, I'm good, thanks," Harry told her with a smile, fidgeting with his sleeve somewhat awkwardly, not quite sure what to do with himself. "Erm... would you...? Erm... shall I go do some homework with Ron and Hermione?" he suggested, with a gesture towards the door behind him. "Let you two talk."
Narcissa smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Harry. That would be much appreciated."
"Oh, I don't mind," Harry assured her, as he moved towards Draco. "I will see you in a bit, love," he whispered, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on the corner of his mate's mouth. "It was good to see you, Narcissa," he said as he straightened back up.
"You too, Harry," she said with a soft smile, as he gathered up a couple of books and his bag, and headed out of the door again. "He is good to you?" she asked Draco, already fairly sure of the answer.
"He is," Draco told her happily, a genuine smile on his face. "It really feels like..." he paused to find the words to express his thoughts clearly, "... like he is on my side. Even when we don't exactly agree," he added under his breath as though admitting a terrible secret.
Narcissa chuckled lightly at that, finding her son's affection for Harry quite endearing. "That is called love," she told him. The pride she felt for son, for how grown up he now seemed, warming her heart. "I am glad you have each other."
"The bond helps," Draco told her, but at this Narcissa just appeared to be confused. "We can show the other what we are feeling," he explained, "share our emotions, even affect what each other is feeling to some extent."
"And this is how you are resolving your conflicts?" Narcissa asked, suddenly concerned. She knew full well that working through issues was an important part of any relationship, otherwise they were just going to arise time and again, building up until they boiled over.
Draco hesitated, thinking it over, thinking over the troubles they had had with their relationship so far. It was true that the bond had be mostly how they had come to understand each other's points of view. "Well... mostly," he admitted, already knowing that his mother was going to disapprove for some reason.
"Draco, my precious boy, I don't want you to rely too much on this bond of yours," she told him sternly. "Sometimes things needed to be dealt with head on, no matter how hard it seems, and I think I probably know better than most just how difficult it can be." It wasn't as though Lucius Malfoy was an easy man to question or challenge. She found herself thinking of how grateful she was for Adrien's seemingly endless patience and calm.
Draco frowned at her. "We do deal with things, in our own way," he told her firmly. Just because their way was different from most other couples didn't mean it was bad as far as he was concerned; if anything the bond let them come to a deeper understanding that any amount of talking would.
"And you say you can affect each other's emotions," Narcissa went on stubbornly. "How do you know that Harry isn't forcing your feelings on the matter?" she asked with concern.
"He isn't!" Draco insisted. "He wouldn't; he is far too Gryffindor to do that anyway," he told her; not wanting to admit that, for a split second when she said it, he worried she might be right. "Besides, I can tell when they are his feelings, not mine."
"Well... if you are sure," Narcissa said with scepticism.
"Mother," Draco said warningly. He appreciated her concern, he really did, but he didn't want her stirring up problems in his relationship with Harry. They had recovered from the fallout from the article so well and didn't want something else coming between them now. "You needn't worry so much, Harry is a ridiculously good man."
"I am your mother, I can't help but worry," Narcissa said, leaning over to press a kiss to Draco's temple. "When this little one is born I am sure you will understand," she told him, resting a hand over Draco's belly.
"I know," Draco said wearily, not truly upset about his mother's fussing but just needing her to not make something out of nothing. "How long can you stay?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.
"I should really head back," Narcissa told him sadly. "I just wanted to check up on you after I saw the article in the prophet, and Dumbledore let me floo in here," she explained. "There was a bit of a delay getting the paper in France, otherwise I would have been here a lot sooner."
Draco nodded his understanding, sad that they would get such a short time together. He understood that her staying out of the country, and out of sight, was for her safety but he was finding that in his slightly more hormonal and emotional state he was missing his mother more than he had done since his first year at Hogwarts.
"Do you really have to leave?" Draco asked hopefully, wanting just a little more time with her.
"Draco..." Narcissa said slowly, her tone apologetic.
"Can't you stay tonight?" he asked, turning to her with wide pleading eyes.
Narcissa sighed. 'Like I could ever resist that look,' she thought to herself; though it was not as though she tried very hard. She wanted to spend every minute with her son that she could in the face of an uncertain future. "Very well," she agreed, "but I need to floo Adrien and let him know; I wouldn't want him to worry."
"Thank you," Draco exclaimed, leaning forward to pull her into a tight hug, breathing in the familiar and comforting smell of her perfume.
"I love you, my beautiful amazing son. I am so proud of you," she whispered, not wanting to let go just yet.
"I love you too, mother," he whispered back.

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Thank you for reading.
Review Responses:
Delia Cerrano - Indeed, it is the difficult times not the easy ones that is when relationships are tested and as you can see in this chapter they are still learning how to deal with situations together.
ChaosLady - Harry doesn't like Draco's attitude, but he kind of understands it and at the moment he wants them to be okay more than he wants to deal with any of the underlying issues. Harry is feeling fairly betrayed by Dumbledore and as such is looking for someone else to rely on, at the moment that is Draco; which may or may not be a good thing.
Dawn - Thanks
Luminari_Lilium - Thank you, and glad you are enjoying it and that you approve of the Erotes.
Eros - Thank you, Can I ask what about the summary made you hesitate? I will be looking a little into more of the mythology of what causes Submissive Erotes to come into their inheritance, but it will never be a major part of the plot, there are already a few hints about it in places but I will cover it in more detail at some point. Harry won't act against his inheritance as such, but he will still have those hot headed moments when pushed to it; at the moment he is more just feeling like he is in this frustrating limbo waiting for more information and he knows he can't act until he knows more.
- 25
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- 27
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Erotes