So Far Away

So Far Away
By: Gwen
Rating: NC17 overall
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Warning: AU/Slash/Drama/Angst/Romance
Betas: Tracy & Dorothy
Feedback: Much appreciated
Disclaimer: The "boys" belong to JKR. I just borrow them on occasion. No money is being made from this little adventure.

Summary: Interesting things can happen when you're away from everyone and everything you know.




Chapter 14 - Harry And Draco Realize A Few Things

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"Draco, have you seen Chad?" Harry asked as he caught up with his suitemate in the lounge area one evening after dinner.

"Do I look like his keeper?" Draco said as his gray eyes rose from the textbook that he had been reading up to Harry.

"Draco," he said as a warning.

As Draco shook his head, his blonde locks brushed his brow. "No, I haven’t seen him. Happy now?" he asked as he returned his focus to his reading.

"Not really," Harry answered and then moved down the hallway to their room. Maybe he had forgotten that they had plans to study together for their Advanced Muggle Studies exam the next day.

Harry walked into their room to find no sign of Chad. His books were lying on his desk, but that was it. Where could he be? He opened the adjoining bathroom door to go into Draco and Allen’s room and stopped dead in his tracks. His lips curled into a smile as he found the reason for Chad’s absence.

From the obscured spot where Harry was standing, he d sed see the two bodies on Allen’s bed. Chad was lying on his back, Allen’s body partially covering the blonde, and Allen’s back was turned towards Harry. They were talking quietly and then Chad’s hand appeared over Allen’s shoulder, pulling him into a kiss.

Harry decided to give them their space, and slowly backed out of the bathroom. He briefly wondered how long they had been carrying on like this, although in actuality it didn’t matter to him. He was glad that they had finally taken the next step. He silently closed the door behind him and made his way back down the hall to the lounge to find Draco putting his things away.

"All done?" Harry asked as he sat next to him.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Draco teased as he finished clearing his things off of the coffee table. "Did you find Chad?"

Harry beamed. "Oh yes, ah, I found him."

"So are you going to study together?" Draco asked as he stood to leave.

"Um, no. I don’t think he’ll be joining me for a study session tonight," he offered. Draco nodded and then headed out of the lounge. "Hey Draco. I wouldn’t go down there just yet," Harry called after him.

Draco’s blonde head peeked back into the lounge. "Why not?"

Harry stood and walked to where Draco was standing in the doorway. "Well, let’s just say that the only studying that Chad, and Allen for that matter, will be doing this evening has nothing to do with school," he said as his eyebrows rose just a bit, a grin playing on his lips.

Draco’s silver gaze widened. "Seriously?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "They’re in your room right now, so if you don’t want to be hexed into next week, I’d suggest that you don’t bother them."

"This I have to see," Draco stated as he turned to walk down the hall, but Harry grabbed his arm firmly.

"Draco, come on. Give them some privacy. Would you want them spying on you if you and your current, well, whatever it is that you call them, were in there snogging?" Harry asked.

"Merlin no, but they’re not me," he said as he shook Harry off and made for his room.

"Draco!" Harry called as he rushed after him. "Look, if you have to do this, don’t go barging in there. Go into my room and peek through the bathroom," he said. "That’s how I saw them."

"Why Harry! I didn’t realize that you’re into voyeurism," Draco said with a grin.

"If you only knew," Harry mumbled under his breath. "Come on," he said as they walked to Harry’s door. They quietly slipped into the room and Draco set his book bag on the floor by Harry’s bed, and then crept into the adjoining bathroom. Allen was now lying flush against Chad, his hips gently rocking against his partner's. Draco bit his lip as he heard a hungry moan escape from Chad, who followed up the moan by cupping Allen's ass. Before he could do or say anything, he found himself being pulled back into Harry’s room.

"I say we go back to the lounge for a little while and give them some space," Harry suggested, hoping that Draco wouldn’t want to stay and interrupt.

Draco agreed and they went back to the lounge and took up residence on the couch that they had vacated a few minutes earlier. Harry was sitting at one end while Draco stretched himself out over the rest of the couch, laying his head next to Harry’s leg and letting his legs hang over the armrest.

"So now what do we do?" Draco asked as he looked at the patterns on the ceiling.

"It’s not long until curfew so I say that we stay here until then and then we’ll go back to my room," Harry suggested.

"Fine," Draco said with a yawn. "Wake me up if I fall asleep," he said as he closed his eyes.

Harry rolled his head to the left and looked down at Draco, noticing immediately the lock of blonde hair that had accidentally strayed onto his leg. He briefly wondered what it would feel like. Would it be coarse like his own, or would it be soft to the touch, like the hair of a child? Coming to his senses, he resisted the urge to touch it and said the first thihat hat he could think of.

"I should just leave your arse here for the Prefect to find you," he said with an evil grin.

"You wouldn’t do that. You love me too much," Draco teased, his thin lips turned upwards with amusement."

"I’d love to throttle you is what I’d love to do. We haven’t had a good fight in how many months?"

Draco laughed quietly. "It has been quite awhile. But if you were looking to fight right now, then it would be one-sided. I am too relaxed to participa

"And I prefer a willing partner, so that leaves you out," Harry concluded.

A little while later, Draco asked, "Have you been with anyone since we’ve been here?"

"No," Harry answered quietly as he looked down to find Draco’s eyes still closed, long lashes resting against his pale skin.

"Why not?"

Harry shrugged. "If you haven’t noticed, Draco, we’ve all been a bit busy. Maybe one of these days, but I’m not going out and specifically looking for someone. If the situation should present itself, then I might," he concluded.

Draco opened his eyes to find Harry looking down at him. It was just a simple look, really, but Draco felt that there was more to it than that. Before he could say anything, the Prefect came through and announced that it was curfew. They slowly made their way back to Harry’s room and quietly closed the door behind them. Draco looked through the bathroom to find that Allen and Chad were still together. He quietly closed the door that separated the bathroom from his and Allen’s room to give them some privacy.

"I guess you’re sleeping in here then?" Harry asked as he started to undress, tossing articles of clothing into the corner.

Draco walked over and stretched out on Chad’s bed. "Looks that way, at least until Chad decides that he wants his bed back," he said as he fluffed the pillow and turned onto his side to watch Harry as he shuffled around the room in his boxers, settling in for the night. Draco hopped out of the bed and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, with Harry following. With that done, they went back into the room and settled on the beds.

"Shall we finish the conversation from earlier?" Draco asked, hoping that Harry would agree.

"What’s to finish? I said that if the situation should present itself that I would think about it," Harry said.

"Have your eye on anyone?" Draco asked.

Harry smiled. "Possibly."

"And?" Draco prodded.

"And what?" he asked, knowing full well what Draco wanted.

"Potter, I know you cannot possibly be that dense, so give me what I want."

Harry laughed quietly. "Do you always get what you want?"

"Of course. I am a Malfoy," he said with a condescending attitude.

"Well, since you put it THAT way … say please."

Draco sat up in bed. "What?"

"I said, say please. If you want me to tell you, you have to ask nicely. I’m not one of your servants, Draco. You cannot order me to do something."

Draco thought for a bit and knew that Harry could be as stubborn as himself, so he relented, although it killed him to do so.

He sighed. "Okay, please. Will you please tell me who you have your eye on? There. Satisfied?"

"Quite," Harry admitted.

"And?" Draco asked again, wanting to know whom he had been watching.

Harry was quiet for a moment and then laughed.

"What’s so funny?"

"Do you honestly think that I’d tell you who I’ve been watching just to have you swoop in on them? I’m not that stupid, Draco. I just wanted to see if you would say please," Harry said with a grin.

"Aarrgghh!" Draco yelled as he grabbed the pillow and slung it across the room where it landed on Harry’s bare chest. "What did I do to get stuck with an imbecile like you?" he asked no one in particular.

Harry took the extra pillow and propped himself up with it. "Thanks for the pillow."

"Oh no you don’t, Potter," Draco as as he slid off of the bed and moved over to Harry’s. He reached for his pillow, only to get his hand slapped away.

"Hey, you threw it at me. It’s mine now," Harry taunted.

"Potter, I am telling you now. Give me that pillow back or there will be hell to pay," Draco warned.

"Ohhh, I’m so scared, Malfoy," he taunted. "You want this pillow? You’ll have to take it from me."

Harry wasn’t expecting a lap full of Malfoy, but that’s what he ended up with. Draco had launched himself at Harry and was now straddling his hips, his torso leaning over Harry’s as he tried to get the pillow out from under Harry’s head. Every time Draco reached for the pillow, Harry would knock his hand away, laughing at his attempts. Draco was relentless in his efforts, but a few minutes into it, Harry had sat up, grabbed both of Draco’s hands and held them still. Their breathing had become labored from laughing so much, but there was something else … something lurking under the surface, waiting to be released.

Draco had never noticed Harry’s eyes this dark before, the emerald color exchanged for the darker green of a forest. He never noticed the freckles that graced the ridge of his nose and spilled onto his cheeks. He never noticed how his nose was just a tad bit crooked, probably from a fight with him no less, and he had never noticed how full his lips were. And dark. Draco sat mesmerized for a moment as he watched a pink tongue move between Harry’s lips and pull the bottom piece of flesh back to rest between two rows of white teeth, the action he associated with Harry being either deep in thought, or nervous about something. If he had to take a guess, it would be the latter. Or the first. Either would be appropriate for this situation.

As Draco studied Harry's face, Harry did the same to Draco. It was like he had never seen him before. Eyes that he had thought to be gray were actually light gray with tiny flecks of blue around the pupil. Beautiful actually. His skin was flawless, like he had been carved from marble; his high cheekbones and small upturned nose were full-blooded aristocratic traits that until now, Harry hated. But seeing them this close, he had to rethink his earlier decision. Draco’s lips were small but full, and a shade of dark pink that reminded Harry of a rose. Would they be as soft if he were to touch them?

As Harry raised a hand towards Draco’s lips, he heard the bathroom door open and Chad’s quiet gasp as he walked into the room. Harry quickly dropped his hand, only to have it land on Draco’s leg.

"Oh shit, sorry guys," he said in embarrassment. "I’ll just … "

As soon as Draco heard Chad’s voice, he scrambled from the bed. "No, that’s fine. I need to … well … now that you’re not in my room I can go. Uh, goodnight," he stuttered before walking into his bedroom and collapsing face down onto the bed.

"Did I miss something?" Allen quietly asked.

Draco groaned into his pillow. "No, but I think I did," he quietly admitted to himself.

TBC

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Chapter posted 11-5-04