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Black Me Out	By : JBankai89 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 12998 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, I gain nothing from this but a way to pass the time.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
A/N: The updates aren't coming as frequently because I'm working on 3 things at once, including my NaNoWriMo Fanfic project. So apologies, etc.
Chapter Seven – Piss and Vinegar

Harry had quite forgotten how quickly time could pass when you were happy, and as the weeks flew by and their N.E.W.T.s came upon them, Harry realized that he'd been with Draco for almost three months. It came to him as a something of a surprise, and he could not recall the last time he'd felt so content with his life. Save for the occasional cursed letter from Ron(which he always incinerated on the spot without even touching it), he felt as though things in his life were finally, finally started going right.

Hermione was nothing short of a terror in the lead-up to the exams. Every break and after lessons finished for the day she would drag Harry (and by extension Draco) to the library and insist they revise. It would often devolve into Draco and Hermione competing to see who knew more about one subject or another, and it left Harry feeling both rather uneducated, and like he was watching a tennis match in Academia. Privately, he felt as though Draco might be more well-learned than Hermione, given that he could actually apply the knowledge, whereas she seemed like she'd just swallowed the textbook, and could only parrot the facts back at them. Harry didn't dare voice this observation however, as he didn't fancy running the risk of Hermione snapping under her N.E.W.T stress and hexing him.

Almost every night, Draco would sneak up to Gryffindor tower to see him. Harry was still very self-conscious about his body, but with Draco's help, it was slowly improving. The most significant improvement occurred a week earlier, following a particularly hard study session with their resident Fuehrer, Hermione.

“Harry?” Draco asked tentatively, he stretched out on the bed next to him with an arm draped casually across Harry's abdomen. His voice broke the sleepy silence, and Harry turned to meet his gaze.

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering...” Draco faltered, his cheeks glowing a faint pink, “er, I was wondering if I could...” he trailed off, and slid his hand slowly up Harry's chest, stopping just below the faint outline on his T-shirt where the bandage was. Harry knew he'd always been a little slow on the uptake at times, but the implication in this instance was clear.

“You want to see my chest?” Harry asked, surprise and nervousness jumbling in his mind as the realization of what Draco was asking hit him. He nodded.

“I mean, you don't have to show me if you're not comfortable with it, but, I was just curious,” he said in a rush, and the uncertainty in his expression was surprising for Harry to see. Draco was usually so calm and confident, and Harry found himself mildly shocked by both the question and the doubt in his voice that had followed.

Harry paused. Under normal circumstances, his knee-jerk reaction would be a vehement 'hell no!'. But among other things, their very slow progression towards genuine intimacy (and Draco's apparently limitless patience with Harry's anxiety where his body was concerned) had made Harry want him. He wanted to get to a point where he didn't dissolve into a panic if Draco's hand slipped below the waist, or when Harry felt the press of Draco's erection through his trousers.

“Um, all right,” Harry said, despite his wanting to do this, he could not help his nervousness. This was a very big deal for him.

Harry sat up slowly, and with slightly trembling hands he grabbed hold of the bottom of the garment and peeled it slowly over his head, being careful to not dislodge the bandage in the process. He tossed the shirt to the floor, and with his bottom lip caught between his teeth he turned to his boyfriend.

Harry was uncertain what to expect, but once he managed to jump over the hurdle of physically removing the garment, he felt much calmer than he expected he'd be. Draco sat up, and Harry shivered as one of his fair, angular hands ghosted over his exposed clavicle.

Draco leaned in and planted a soft kiss upon the hollow of Harry's throat, and his hand moved out and towards his shoulder, then trailed down the side of his ribs with gentle, careful movements. Harry arched his neck and closed his eyes, while he vaguely wondered why he'd waited so long to do this. It was amazing; it was wonderful.

A soft kiss against his mouth brought him back to reality, and when they parted, Harry's eyes opened to see that while he'd been lost in his daze Draco had shed his top as well.

Harry stared, he couldn't not, and he reached out to touch Draco as tentatively as he'd touched Harry. He was thin and willowy, with the faintest muscle definition from his past career as Slytherin's seeker. He still carried some of his youthful baby fat, and there was very little chest hair, save for a trail of wiry blond hairs that disappeared into the top of his trousers.

What surprised Harry most however, was how similar Draco's chest was to his own. He felt a swell of emotion fill him, and Harry leant in close to kiss him; the skin-on-skin sensation as their chests brushed together was thrilling, and Harry no longer knew if his trembling was out of nerves or lust.

They lay back down, the momentary panic from Draco's simple request had exhausted him, and it was well past midnight before Draco kissed Harry one last time and snuck back out of the window.

~*~

As the exams came, a hush fell over the castle. When they were not taking the theoretical or practical exams, the fifth, seventh, and eighth years were locked away in their common rooms or the library, studying feverishly.

On Monday, they had their Potions exams, the practical in the morning, and the theoretical in the afternoon. Harry was thrilled by this, as he was able to get the one likely to give him the most trouble out of the way.

Tuesday they took their Charms exams, and on Wednesday Harry was able to study for Thursday and Friday's exams while Draco and Hermione sat their Arithmancy exams, and Hermione her Ancient Runes exam that afternoon.

It continued, so smoothly in fact that by their final exam (Astronomy the following Thursday night) Harry was amazed that there hadn't been even a hiccup in his routine of studying, exams, and rendezvous with Draco. It all felt so normal.

This was what it should have been like, Harry realized, as he lay with Draco under their beech tree the following afternoon, celebrating their freedom with more food from the kitchens and a bottle of sickly sweet ice wine, though Harry had no idea where it had from. This is how it's supposed to feel, being a teenager. He felt a momentary surge of anger at Voldemort for taking that from him, taking Teddy's parents from him, for it all. It was past, and Harry refused to dwell further on the madman that had tried so valiantly to destroy his life.

“What are you thinking about?”

Draco's voice drew him from his thoughts, and Harry leant up to kiss him, loving the mélange of chocolate and sweet wine that he could taste on his lips.

“Just how lucky I am.”

There was a bittersweetness Harry felt in packing up his trunk for the final time.

Harry had his robe slung over his arm, his books, quills, parchment, and clothes were dumped pell-mell into his trunk, and there was a tightness in his throat when he realized that there was no owl to coax down down from the owlery and into her cage. Harry tossed his robe over the rest of the items, and sat on it to force it to close. It was with a heavy heart that he dragged his trunk down the stairs and into the Gryffindor common room for the last time.

All the seventh and eighth years were tearful at the concept of leaving, and Harry even caught sight of Dean getting a little choked up as he talked with Parvati and Lavender, and offered Harry a muted smile, which he returned, despite all the drama surrounding what had happened with Seamus and Ron.

Slowly the group descended into the castle and to the carriages, and Draco was quick to join Harry and Hermione. What few friends Draco still had in Slytherin house were looking on with looks that seemed to border between disapproval and confusion, but not outright hatred.

Harry watched Hogwarts fade into the distance, and only turned back around when the castle was no longer visible. Harry felt a lump form in his throat, and smiled weakly when Draco pulled him close and pressed a kiss to his temple.

“It's weird to think we won't be going back next September,” Hermione said, her eyes shifting to where Harry had been staring not a minute earlier.

“Yeah,” Harry said, “but we've still got our N.E.W.T results coming in July or August,” he furrowed his brow as he tried to recall when their O.W.L results had come in, but when he came up with nothing he shook his head a little. “We should just enjoy the summer, before whatever comes next...er, comes.”

“It should be soon,” Hermione said, chewing on the side of her lip, her expression shifting to a nervous look that Harry recognized at once.

“Why soon?” Harry asked, and cocked a brow when she didn't immediately answer.

“Well, I...I sort of have a lot to do this summer,” Hermione said, avoiding Harry's eye. “I'm going to Australia for a few weeks to try and find my parents and remove the Memory Charms if I can, and...and...” her voice dropped down to a whisper so soft Harry had to strain his ears to catch it, her face turning faintly pink. “I'm going to Bulgaria to visit Viktor.”

“Viktor? As in Viktor Krum?”

“How many Viktors do we know, Harry?” Hermione asked, her flush not even beginning to fade. “I'm still friends with him, and when I told him about Ron getting expelled—I told him nothing about you, don't worry—he, well, he invited me out there to visit him.”

Draco said nothing as he listened to them, but he did arch a suggestive brow at Hermione, causing her flush to deepen.

“As far as rebounds go, that's certainly a step up from Weasley,” Draco said with a smirk, and Hermione smiled weakly at him, though it looked rather strained to him. Harry had a feeling it had been meant as a compliment, but Harry was sure Ron's betrayal was hurting Hermione more than she was saying, and chose not to respond to Draco's remark.

“Well, you're invited to come over and watch Sirius try and poison us with his cooking experiments, or he'll make his famous Floo call to the takeaway place,” Harry said with a smile, which caused Hermione to giggle.

“Is Black—erm, Sirius really that bad a cook?” Draco asked curiously, and Harry snorted.

“It's lucky if he manages to keep from burning the building down,” Harry said, “I swear, the man could burn water if he really put his mind to it.”

“Remind me to stock up on antidotes before I come over,” Draco said, and both Harry and Hermione laughed.

“It wouldn't be a bad idea, actually.”

The strange but welcome camaraderie between the trio continued well onto the Hogwarts Express, Hermione sitting across from the couple, and the pair stealing a quiet moment together whenever Hermione slipped off to the bathroom or to track down the snacks trolley.

“It's weird,” Harry said thoughtfully as he gazed out the window at the darkening sky, Hermione off on another snack run. Draco's arms were wrapped around his upper arms as he watched the sunset with him.

“What's weird?” Draco asked, pulling back from the embrace enough for Harry to turn around and look at him.

“I mean,” Harry began, and paused as he tried to figure out how to best phrase it. “All this. Post-secondary plans, Hermione going to visit Krum, you and me...it's all so...so...normal.”

“It's weird because it's normal?” Draco asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Have you seen my life?” Harry asked with a laugh, and Draco chuckled softly.

“That's a fair point. Now that you have all this normalcy to look forward to, what do you want to do first?”

“Mostly? I want to kiss you,” Harry replied, and grinned when the statement was met with a soft chuckle. Draco cradled Harry's face in his hands, and their were a scant hairsbreadth apart when Hermione bustled back in.

“I had an idea—oh, was I interrupting? Don't let me stop you,” she said a smile, plopping down on the seat opposite with a stack of cauldron cakes in her hands. They broke apart with twin looks of longing, and accepted their share of the sweets she'd brought back with her.

“What was you idea Hermione?” Harry asked, then crammed one of the cakes in his mouth whole. Both his boyfriend and his best friend looked on with wrinkled noses, but Harry ignored the pointed looks in favour of focusing on his chewing so that he wouldn't choke.

“Well, I thought we could celebrate finishing Hogwarts, maybe go out to dinner in Diagon Alley or something.”

“Diagon Alley? How utterly common. If you wanted to celebrate, we could always go to Paris or a weekend in Rome or...what?” Draco paused, blinking in confusion at Harry and Hermione, who were both looking back at him as though he'd grown a second head.

“Your spoiled little rich boy upbringing is showing,” Harry replied with a chuckle, and reached forward to lace his fingers with Draco's. “Just because it's common doesn't mean it can't still be special.”

“I'll just have to take your word for it,” Draco said, chuckling as he leant in to brush his lips against Harry's temple.

The rest of the journey back to King's Cross was uneventful, unless one counted Harry and Draco being caught snogging in the loo by Zacharias Smith, who seemed quite keen to watch them at it. Red-faced, Harry was quick to drag Draco back to their compartment. He didn't find the incident quite as funny as Draco did.

As they pulled up to the platform, Harry grinned when he picked out Sirius amidst the crowd of parents, Andromeda holding little Teddy at his side.

As Harry approached his godfather with Draco in tow and Hermione trailing behind, Teddy's shock of violet hair changed at once to a messy, inky black when he caught sight of Harry.

Laughing, he let go of Draco and his trunk to accept the tot.

“Hey Teddy,” he said, laughing when he reached up and made a grab for his glasses. “It's been a while, yeah?”

“A'wy!” He responded, then swivelled his gaze to Draco. “Wako!” He said, and reached his little chubby arms for his cousin.

The immediate recognition struck Harry as a little odd, and when he did not immediately react to Teddy's second verbalization, he made his desire more obvious when he screwed up his little face like he was gearing up to have the world's biggest temper tantrum (or bowel movement, it was a little difficult to tell) and with a soft pop his hair changed to a sleek silvery blond.

“Wako!” He said again, and with a chuckle, Harry reluctantly handed his godson over. Draco smirked a little as he accepted his cousin from Harry, and bounced him a little in his arms as the toddler giggled delightedly. Harry watched them together, then something Draco had said a few months earlier came back to him, and the realization hit him like a brick to the face.

His shock must have shown on his face, because Draco exchanged an amused smile with Andromeda.

“You—he—I—I mean, what?” Harry sputtered, looking from his boyfriend to Andromeda and back again. Sirius laughed, but Draco had the good grace to not outwardly laugh at Harry's expense.

“Well he is my nephew,” Andromeda replied with a smile, “what sort of auntie would I be if I turned my back on him when he'd finally come to his senses?”

“Wako!” Teddy piped up again, tugging on Draco's Slytherin tie a little too exuberantly, and Harry stepped in quickly to keep his godson from strangling his boyfriend. Draco smiled his thanks at Harry as he massaged his neck.

“Well, it does explain a lot,” he said with a laugh, “when were you planning on telling me?” Harry directed his question to the group, and Andromeda smiled warmly.

“Actually we wanted to see how long it would take you to work it out,” she replied, “Teddy spoiled the game, however.”

“Wius!” Teddy squeaked, his hair turning black again, but the sleek locks made it clear whose attention he wanted at that moment. Chuckling, the older man accepted Teddy from Draco.

“Well it's probably a good thing Teddy spoiled it,” Harry said with a smile, “I had no idea. I mean—I should've known, but...” he trailed off with a helpless shrug.

“The fact that you have the observation skills of a stack of hay is part of your charm, trust me,” Draco said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Harry turned red while the others laughed at his expense. Teddy seemed ignorant to the conversation, delighting himself instead in tugging on a hank of Sirius's hair.

“Well, we best get going,” Sirius said, “Hermione, do you want to join us? Andromeda's cooking, I promise.”

“It's all right Sirius,” she said with a laugh, “I have some things to do at home, but I promise to stop by soon.”

Harry was a little disappointed that she couldn't come along, and there was something unsettling about the idea that she was returning to an empty house, but he swallowed his sympathy for her behind a neutral mask. He had a feeling that she wouldn't appreciate being pitied. Hugs were exchanged, and Hermione Disapparated, then Draco and Harry joined hands as Sirius produced a Portkey. They all reached for the tea cosy, and with the telltale pull behind the navel, they were off.

As they arrived outside the flat Harry shared with Sirius, he only managed to stay standing with Draco's help, and the others all landed on their feet. Teddy was fussing, clearly distressed by the trip, and his hair changed from black to a shock of pink and made Harry's heart constrict. Sirius quickly handed him to Andromeda, who rubbed his back and cooed at him, while his little fists rubbed at his teary eyes.

Draco tapped his trunk once, shrunk it to the size of a deck of muggle cards and pocketed it. Harry hefted his own trunk behind him while the pair followed the two adults inside, up four flights of stairs, and into the little flat.

By the time they got inside Teddy had calmed, his hair back to its usual violet while he peacefully sucked on his thumb.

The flat wasn't much, but it was home. A small, open-concept space, from their place at the door they could see into the kitchen, dining room, and sitting room with ease. To their left was a short hallway containing four more rooms, and Harry grinned at Draco as he gave his hand a small tug.

“C'mon,” he said, “I'll give you the grand tour.”

“Leave the door open Harry,” Sirius said without turning around, and Harry scowled at his godfather's back while he dragged his smirking boyfriend and his trunk down the narrow hall.

The flat was sparsely decorated, the hall they walked down adorned with a thin carpet and maroon wallpaper, the dark colours making it seem smaller than it actually was. Harry's bedroom was the second-to-last door on the right, and after opening it to allow Draco to step through, Harry followed him in and left the door open by a few millimetres to appease (or more likely annoy) Sirius.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Harry said with a grin as he hefted his trunk to stand next to his wardrobe, vowing to deal with it later.

The room was modestly sized, though likely was tiny from Draco's perspective. Painted a muted blue, with a twin bed, desk, night table and wardrobe. There was a Gryffindor flag pinned to the wall next to a photograph of his friends, and even at a distance Harry could see that Ron had walked out of the frame. Harry was amazed at how little this fact unsettled him.

“This is good...for you. Quaint,” Draco drawled, clearly trying to aim for his old aloof Malfoy demeanour, but the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth ruined the effect. Harry stepped over to him and draped his arms over Draco's shoulders while he leant in for a kiss.

“Just quaint?” Harry asked softly, and Draco chuckled as he pulled him in closer.

“Would you rather I say delightfully small?”

“That's basically the same thing, isn't it? I—oh.” Harry's breath hitched and his words were cut short as Draco's mouth trailed its way across Harry's jaw and down the side of his neck. He tilted his head back to give the blond better access, and he could feel his hands at his hips jerk, as though he wanted to move his hands to a possibly more intimate area, but held back at the last moment. Harry was grateful; he wasn't keen on having an anxiety attack so soon after returning home from school. He had come a long way since they first began seeing each other a few months earlier, but they still had a ways to go before Harry was completely at ease both with his own body, and with Draco.

Draco coaxed Harry over to the edge of his bed, and they returned to safe snogging, both their hands well above the waist. Harry wanted to do more, a desire that had grown with every day that passed, but his own insecurities and lack of experience stopped him short. He hoped that Draco would be able to help him move past those feelings, as the both rather enjoyed those few exploratory evenings they'd shared, and he was looking forward to doing more.

The flip-flop of feelings towards the idea of intimacy with Draco was pushed to the back of his mind as their delightful snogging session was cut short by Sirius calling for them. With a faint groan, they stood, made sure that they looked at least somewhat presentable, and stepped out to join Sirius and Andromeda.

The dinner was blessedly edible thanks to Andromeda, and Sirius had taken to the task of trying to feed Teddy. Harry bit his tongue to keep from laughing, as he was sure half of Teddy's food had ended up on Sirius, instead of actually ingested.

“Not a word Harry,” Sirius said as he smirked at him, while he mopped some green sludge off his cheek that could at one time have been peas. “One day, when you and Draco elope and adopt a couple dozen little poop machines, this will be you. Mark my words.”

“Not bloody likely,” Harry said with a snort, it changing to a full laugh when he realized that Draco had said the exact same thing at the exact same moment.

Teddy was much more agreeable with the chocolate gateau Andromeda had brought along, though he seemed more interested in squishing it to a pulp, rather than actually eating it. Harry had to assume that some of it had been eaten, as there was rather a lot of chocolate on Teddy's face as well as his hands.

“Well,” Andromeda said as they all nursed after-dinner cups of coffee and tea, “Sirius, would you mind terribly if we used the loo to get this little monster cleaned up before we head home?” She shot a significant look at Draco, and he frowned slightly. Harry shared his sentiment; it was still fairly early, he didn't want Draco to leave just yet.

“I think I might still have one of those baby baths hanging around, if you want,” Sirius said, and stepped down into their spare room, which was more or less a dumping ground for items Harry had grown out of through the years, but Sirius hadn't the heart to part with. Andromeda scooped Teddy up and followed Sirius out, while Harry and Draco relocated to the sitting room.

“So what do you think about taking Hermione up on that celebratory dinner in Diagon Alley thing?” Harry asked, their fingers tangling together while Harry listened to the background noise of running water, Teddy's squeals of delight, and the occasional half-curse of Sirius, which was usually preceded or followed by a loud splash.

“The idea has merit,” Draco said, “and considering Granger is off to God knows where soon, I'm sure it would thrill you to have dinner with her and me. I'll come on one condition.”

“What's the condition?” Harry asked, surprised by Draco's suddenly serious tone.

“You meet my friends,” Draco said, his tone so close to defensive anger that Harry was momentarily caught off guard. Did Draco seriously think Harry would reject such a condition?

“Okay,” he said at once. When Draco's eyebrows raised in surprise, Harry couldn't help but laugh. “What, you thought I'd say no? You put up with Hermione, so it's only fair that I meet your friends, too.”

Draco's surprise shifted to relief, and a smile spread across his face. He cradled Harry's cheek with one hand, and leant in to kiss him gently, their kiss barely more than a brush of lips.

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

~*~

It was another week before they managed to organize the dinner with Hermione, and they decided to kill two birds with one stone, and Draco invited his friends to come along, which turned out to be Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Daphne Greengrass.

“Well, I suddenly feel outnumbered,” Harry muttered to Hermione, and she swatted his arm.

“Bit rich coming from you when you're dating a Slytherin,” she replied just as softly.

The unlikely group say around a circular table in a slightly higher-end restaurant just off Diagon Alley called Chez Merlin that Harry had never been to before.

It was quite posh, the kind of place you had to wear dress robes to in order to get in, and a medium-sized entrée probably cost as much as Harry's Nimbus 2000 had. All the tables were covered with white tablecloths, the lights dimmed for an intimate atmosphere, and the waiters and waitresses Apparated from table to table silently, clearly using some sort of adapted version of Apparition to keep from disturbing the diners' experience.

“I must say,” Blaise remarked over a glass of the complimentary wine that had been left on the table for them when they'd arrived, “it certainly makes for a peculiar sight, Draco Malfoy associating with—” his eyes fell on Hermione, and Harry levelled a glare with him, while Hermione visibly braced herself for the derogatory remark. Harry's just try it look seemed to be enough however, and he amended his phrasing at the last moment. “—associating with Gryffindors. Much less holding hands with you,” he nodded at Harry, and he snorted softly.

“People change,” Harry said simply, determined to at least try to be civil for Draco's sake.

“Clearly,” Blaise replied, just as a platter of oysters on the half-shell materialized in the centre of the table.

The others all helped themselves to one, while Harry and Hermione hesitated. He'd never had oysters before, and he couldn't say that they looked exactly enticing.

“Are the two Gryffindors amongst us afraid to try something new?” Pansy sneered, and Draco elbowed her sharply with frown. It amazed Harry how little time it took for a jibe to be shot in their direction. He did not rise to her remark, and instead exchanged a look with Hermione. She nodded, and a little nervously, they both helped themselves to one.

Feeling very much like he was under a spotlight, Harry mimicked how Draco had downed his, tilting the flesh from the shell and into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

Harry had not expected to like it, but the sweet flesh, the tang of lemon and the rush of sea water at the back of his throat he found was quite nice. Hermione did not seem to enjoy it nearly as much as he had, her face a little red as she sipped on her water, trying to maintain her dignity as much as she could. Pansy seemed satisfied, and ever so slowly the tense atmosphere calmed. Harry helped himself to a second oyster.

The appetizers faded away and were replaced with menus, and Harry balked at his to find that it was entirely in French.

“Need help?” Draco murmured, and Harry smiled gratefully. He saw Pansy's eyes flick to him when it became clear he didn't understand a word of it, but thankfully she kept her comments to herself.

Draco went through the menu with him, and Harry felt himself go red as Draco used it as an excuse to wrap an arm around his waist and hold him close while he went over it with him. Harry wasn't certain what was more distracting—the sound of Draco speaking perfect French, or the gentle weight of the arm around him.

Harry wound up selecting something called veau en surprise, which turned out to be veal, and Draco some sort of seafood concoction swimming in a cheesy, creamy sauce.

“So now that our resident Chosen One has completed his Hogwarts education, what are your plans?” Blaise asked asked with an air of nonchalance, and Harry was reminded suddenly of that first dinner with Sirius and Draco. Were all people from these sorts of families so keen on what they had planned post-Hogwarts? His distinct lack of such a clear-cut plan was a little unnerving, especially when Draco and Hermione seemed to have their post-secondary plans marked down to the last detail.

“Erm, well, if I get enough N.E.W.T.s I plan to join the Aurors,” he said, feeling strangely uncomfortable as he spoke. Draco seemed to sense his nervousness, and rested a hand on his knee. “'Til then, I thought I'd just enjoy myself, play Quidditch, go out with my friends, stuff like that.”

“And you, Granger?” Blaise prompted, “You've always been rather ambitious, have you not?”

Harry was rather surprised at Blaise's tone. If he wasn't mistaken, it was almost complimentary. To the question however, Harry just barely managed to keep himself from laughing—as if Blaise did not know that Hermione was top of the year.

“I'll be spending my summer travelling,” she said simply, then paused to take a sip of wine, “when I get back I'll be joining the Barristers in Magical Law.”

“Travelling where?” Pansy asked keenly, and Hermione shrugged a little with a vague smile.

“A few different places.”

Despite a few hiccups at the beginning of the evening, Harry was amazed at how well it went. In particular, he was shocked at how well Hermione seemed to be getting on with Blaise, and found himself highly amused at the starry-eyed look he'd developed as the evening wore on, especially since Harry had always assumed that Blaise was gay. It had not escaped Hermione's notice either, and she looked rather pleased with herself. Daphne was the quietest of the four Slytherins, but ever so slowly engaged Hermione in a discussion about the Ancient Runes exam from nearly two weeks earlier, and Hermione appeared thrilled to have someone to discuss the past examination with.

After a round of sweet dessert wines and chocolate-raspberry tarts, the group slowly began to disperse. Harry and Draco were somewhat wrapped up in each other (both figuratively and literally) and only after Hermione had tapped Harry's shoulder and told him she needed to get home did Harry notice that they were the last ones at the table.

Flushing with embarrassment and muttering to her a quick apology, she paid her bill and left. Harry and Draco were quick to follow suit, but Harry didn't want to part from Draco's company just yet. Draco seemed to share this sentiment, and with their hands linked and swinging slightly at their sides, they wandered along the Alley, alternating between looking in the windows of the open-late shops and gazing up at the clear night sky, and Harry had to wonder if it was enchanted like the ceiling of the Great Hall, as he could see every star and the sliver of the moon with such clarity that it was somewhat surprising, given that usually in such big cities it was impossible to see the night sky so clearly.

“Well, that went better than I could have expected,” Draco mused after a few minutes of silence, and Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud.

“And did you see Zabini checking out Hermione? He must be horrified that he fancies a muggleborn.”

“You know, contrary to what you've been told, not all Slytherins are bigoted arses,” Draco said, and Harry's walk slowed to a stop when he heard some genuine hurt in his voice. He turned to the blond, and leant in to kiss him.

“I'm learning that,” Harry murmured, “sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that.”

“It's forgotten,” Draco replied, and kissed him again, then tugged on Harry's hand to lead him down a more deserted side-street, but stopped short with a frown. Harry assumed that he thought he'd gone the wrong way, but when they turned, they found their way blocked by two bodies. Harry recognized them at once, and he felt his blood run cold.

“Hey Harry,” said Ron.
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