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 17 - Changes

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was two days, two long, tedious days before Draco had a chance to talk to Harry. It seemed that the fates had conspired against him, placing obstacle after obstacle in his way. There had been more schoolwork assigned than usual and then his Quidditch practices had run late since their first game was this coming Saturday.

He finally found the opportunity after dinner one evening. He had remained in his room to work on an essay that was due for his Potions class, and with that done, went on the search to find one Harry James Potter. He poked his head into the adjoining room to find it empty, so he set out for the lounge only to find that empty also. Thinking that Harry might have gone down to the Great Hall to work, he headed there.

What was he going to say? He had been thinking about this non-stop and still hadn’t figured it out. Should he just come right out and tell Harry everything, from beginning to end, and hope for the best? Probably, he thought as he descended the last set of stairs and made for the large oak doors that led into the Great Hall. Once there, he surveyed the room. Lots of students, but no Harry.

Frustrated, Draco ran his hand through his blonde mane and let it settle on the back of his neck, rubbing the skin there. Where else could he be? He knew that Harry wasn’t the best student of the bunch and that back at Hogwarts it was Hermione who controlled their little group when it came to studying. He briefly wondered if some of that had actually sunk in to that thick head of his, and took off for the Library. After making a trip through the stacks and again finding no trace of his friend, he was beginning to get very upset. It seemed that once again, fate was conspiring against him.

He then took off on a mad dash around the school where he checked the Quidditch pitch and locker rooms, the boathouse and the gymnasium. Nothing. It was as if Harry had fallen off the face of the earth. If this had happened a few years ago, Draco would have assumed that the Dark Lord had finally captured the irritating Gryffindor, but there was no longer a Dark Lord lurking in the shadows. Maybe he was hiding somewhere with his invisibility cloak. Draco’s eyes widened. That had to be it, he thought to himself as he headed back to the dorm. Next stop, Harry’s wardrobe.

Draco dropped dejectedly onto Harry’s bed holding the piece of silk in his hands. So he wasn’t off hiding somewhere. Well, he could have been but it was without the help of his invisibility cloak. He looked over at the clock that showed 8:45. Fifteen more minutes and Harry would have to be back on their floor, so he would wait. Yes, that’s exactly what he would do, Draco thought. He would sit there until nine, and then he was sure to find him.

He rose from the bed and walked over to Harry’s desk, looking over his things. Broken quills and opened inkpots were there, as well as various parchments that he had been working on for his classes. Merlin, the boy was messy, but then he already knew that. Then his eyes landed on the snow globe. Reaching out, he carefully picked it up and watched as the snow swirled around the castle. ‘So you do not forget where you came from’ was what Dumbledore had said the day they left Hogwarts. Draco’s lips curled into a half-smile as he shook his head. Crazy old man and his cryptic messages. Draco lowered himself into the chair and shook the globe forcefully, creating a vortex of white inside. Once the snow had settled again, he set the ornament back in its place and looked around the room, his eyes settling on the bed. On Harry’s bed.

Draco bit his lip as memories of what happened, as well as what could have happened, assaulted his senses. His heart rate increased a bit, not much, but enough that he noticed. Why, out of everyone here, did it have to be Harry? He didn’t know why, nor did he care. All he wanted right now was for him to show up so they could talk.

Patience was never one of Draco’s strong points, and he abandoned his wait in Harry’s room to start searching again. After a quick trip down the hallway to the stairs and back again, he went to the lounge. Allen and Chad were there, sitting comfortably together on what they had claimed to be ‘their’ sofa.

\"What’s up guys?\" Draco asked as he moved to the far corner of the lounge to sit in one of the overstuffed chairs near his roommates, throwing one long leg over the armrest, his foot swaying gently back and forth.

\"Wouldn’t you like to know,\" Chad commented.

\"I could help you with that, you know,\" Draco teased.

Allen laughed and placed his hand on Chad’s jean-clad leg above the knee. \"No, I think I’ll be the one to take care of it since I’m the one who caused the problem to begin with,\" he said with a wink.

\"Can I watch?\" the blonde asked, graygray eyes filled with mischief.

Allen shook his raven locks. \"Don’t even think about it, Malfoy,\" he warned his roommate, even though there was a grin playing on his lips. \"Why in the hell are you bothering us anyway? I thought you had an essay to write.\"

\"Oh that. I finished that up a little while ago,\" he informed them.

\"Then why are you just now getting here?\" Chad asked as he tried to ignore the sensations that Allen’s fingers were creating via the teasing strokes to his inner thigh.

Draco leaned his head back to rest against the chair. \"I’ve been out looking for Harry.\"

Chad grinned. \"Where all have you looked?\"

Draco went through the list of places and ended by telling them that he had even waited in Harry and Chad’s room for a bit, hoping that he’d show up, and now he was in the lounge.

Allen looked at Chad and smiled. \"Should we tell him?\"

Draco’s brow furrowed in confusion.

\"Tell me what?\" he asked.

Chad laughed. \"I don’t know. Do you think he needs to be told?\"

\"Tell me what?\" Draco asked a bit louder this time.

\"I’m not sure Chad,\" Allen said as if Draco had not just interrupted them. \"What do you think? Should we?\"

This time Draco lost it. \"Tell me what you wankers? What do you know that I don’t?\" he fairly yelled.

The boys on the couch were laughing hard now. They loved to get under Draco’s skin, and this was one sure way to go about it, but probably not the best time to be playing games. They both knew that the two idiots needed to talk but teasing Draco was just too fun to pass up.

Draco’s eyes softened a bit. \"Come on guys. If you know where he’s at, please tell me. And before you have a coronary, yes, I said please.\"

Chad and Allen looked at each other and nodded. \"Well, since he said please, I guess we can tell you where he is,\" Allen offered.

Time seemed to have stopped as Draco waited for them to continue. When they hadn’t said anything for a moment, he almost flew out of the chair.

\"Well?\" he said forcefully.

Chad motioned backward with his head. \"He’s on the porch, Draco. He has been since just after dinner, said that he wanted some peace and quiet for a while, so we left him alone.\"

Silver orbs flew to the window behind the couch and then back to his roommates. Harry had been here the entire time! How could he have missed checking the porch?

\"You’re lucky I’m in such a forgiving mood today,\" he said as he rose from his chair and moved to the French doors that led outside to the porch. \"If Malfoy were here, you’d both be slugs right now.\"

\"Umm, thanks?\" Chad asked with a smile.

Draco nodded. \"No problem,\" he said before taking a deep breath and turning the knob.

* * * * *

Harry had been watching the exchange between his roommates from his concealed spot in the corner and wondered what had Draco close to exploding. The guys were probably giving him a hard time about something. He smiled at that. Yes, everyone loved to tease Draco to see what kind of reaction they would get and he was learning to not take it personally, to take it in stride, to accept it for what it was … something that friends did to each other. He was sure that if they had been at Hogwarts and someone had teased him about certain things, they would be been turned into something hideous.

Draco closed the door behind himself a bit hard, as far as Harry was concerned, and wondered again what it was that they had been discussing earlier. He watched as his friend wound his way through the various pieces of furniture that graced the porch, round tables and chairs were strewn about as if the previous user had just picked up and left, not bothering to clean up after themselves. He stopped a few feet from where Harry was perched on a wicker couch, its cushions adorned with a red, blue and green plaid pattern. Draco’s eyes were narrowed into slits and Harry braced himself for what he was sure would be some kind of argument. He didn’t have long to wait.

\"Do you know that I’ve looked all over this bloody school for you?\" Draco said as he started to pace in front of the couch. \"I finally have time to sit down and talk and then I find that you’re nowhere to be found. I went to the Quidditch pitch, the lake, the gym,\" hed asd as he walked back and forth, his hands gesticulating wildly as he spoke.

\"Draco,\" Harry said, hoping that he could stop the boy before he was too far gone.

Draco continued as if he hadn’t heard. \"I even checked the library, for Merlin’s sake, hoping that maybe some of Granger’s training finally paid off,\" he said.

\"Draco,\" Harry called a bit louder this time.

\"But of course that didn’t happen, so then I thought about it,\" he said as he continued his measured steps, his blonde hair snapping away from his head as he turned to retrace his path. \"Maybe you had your invisibility cloak and were off hiding somewhere, so I went to your room and checked your wardrobe. When I found it there, I knew that you were out and about somewhere, but where? I stayed in your room for a bit, thinking that you might return, and when that didn’t happen, I went to the lounge. And you know what I found there?\" he said as he stopped his motions and looked at Harry.

Harry shrugged.

The pacing resumed. \"I’ll tell you what I found. I found a pairidioidiots who thought that keeping me in the dark about where you were was amusing. I cannot believe them! They knew where you were the whole time I was searching this campus, and yet they didn’t tell me. I should have hexed their sorry arses into oblivion and be done with the whole thing. But I didn’t. Gracious of me, don’t you think?\"

\"DRACO!\" Harry yelled.

\"WHAT?\" Draco threw back at him, causing Harry to laugh.

His green eyes searched Draco’s gray. \"I’m right here,\" he said as he held his arms away from his body. \"I’ve been here since right after dinner.\"

\"Yeah, well, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb in there could have told me this sooner, like while I was studying.\" Draco said as he stood looming over Harry, hands on his hips.

Harry shook his head and laughed. \"So now that you’re here, what do you want?\" he asked.

\"Oh, that.\" He said as he moved his hands from his hips to slide them into the front pockets of his jeans. His shoulders lifted in a shrug. \"Yeah, well, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a few days and things just keep happening and when I finally found time tonight …\"

\"Draco,\" Harry quietly said.

\"Yeah?\"

\"Would you please stop youcesscessant babbling and sit down? I know we need to talk,\" he said as motioned to the chair in front of him.

Draco took his seat and leaned forward, his arms resting on his thighs, feeling extremely nervous now that the time had finally arrived for them to talk. He looked all around the porch, his gaze falling on every conceivable object instead of the person sitting in front of him.

Harry settled himself into the corner of the couch, sliding his right leg up onto the cushion, resting it there. \"So you’ve been all over the school looking for me?\" he asked.

Gray eyes snapped to Harry’s. \"Were you not listening just a few minutes ago? I swear, Harry, sometimes I wonder if you have anything in that head of yours.\"

\"Honestly Draco, I think I have too much in it to mull over right now,\" he said, his eyes rising slowly to meet Draco\'s. \"Wouldn’t you agree?\" he asked, earning a slight nod of acceptance from his friend.

\"Good thing that. I thought I was the only one stressing over it,\" Draco admitted.

Harry shook his head. \"You’re not, believe me,\" he replied with a shy, crooked grin.

\"So what do we do about it?\" Draco asked.

\"What do you propose we do about it?\" Harry countered.

Draco threw his hands into the air as he settled back in the chair. \"Is this what we’re going to do all night? Repeat each other’s questions?\"

Harry took a deep breath. \"I guess we could, but it wouldn’t accomplish anything. So why don’t you start,\" he suggested.

\"Me? Why do I have to be the one to start?\" Draco asked.

\"Scared Malfoy?\" Harry taunted.

\"You wish, Potter,\" Draco returned with a smile.

\"So start then.\"

Draco nodded and leaned forward, resting his slender forearms above his knees. He took a few moments to pull his thoughts together and then took a deep breath. \"Ok, here it is … something happened that night in your room. I felt something … different, Harry. Something changed between us and I\'ve been feeling it ever since.\"

Harry listened intently, watching as the blonde fumbled for words to express his emotions. When Harry said nothing, Draco stood and walked to the railing that ran around the perimeter of the porch, his elegant fingers curling around the wooden surface, his eyes scanning the darkness as he continued.

\"In those few minutes, I felt as if I was seeing you for the first time. The real you, someone you don’t even show to your friends. The look in your eyes spoke volumes whether you knew it or not. And in that moment, I wanted you, wanted every part of you, but when I got back to my room and started thinking about it, I knew that it would never work. You’re you and I’m me, Gryffindor and Slytherin, Potter and Malfoy,\" he said as he turned to look where Harry was still sitting. \"But even after all that, I still wanted you.\"

Harry knew what it was costing Draco to admit this and moved to stand beside him, his tan slim hand just inches from Draco’s own.

\"I know what you’re saying Draco. I did the same thing, believe it or not. And trust me when I say that it was a shock for me to realize I wanted you, the one person who had been a pain in my arse over the last six years. But even thinking about our past didn’t change the fact that I wanted you. We’ve changed. We’re not the same people that we were at Hogwarts,\" Harry said as his eyes roamed over the face that had haunted his dreams since that night. He resisted the urge to reach out and trace those high cheekbones, to rub his thumb over those smooth lips.

\"No, we’re not,\" Draco said as he leaned his head back against the stone pillar, the moonlight caressing the column of his exposed neck.

\"So it’s not just physical attraction for you then, is it?\" Harry asked, trying to ascertain if they were thinking the same thing. He wanted to be sure.

\"No,\" Draco admitted quietly, his pale eyes holding Harry’s.

Harry’s emerald orbs widened at his friends admission and felt a jolt of adrenaline course through is body. Never in his wildest dreams would he have ever expected this.

\"Draco, what do you want?\" Harry quietly asked, his heart now beating rapidly in his chest. He was taking a huge chance with this. He was almost certain that Draco wanted the same thing as himself, but he had to hear the words.

Draco slid his hand forward just a bit and brushed his thumb across the soft skin on the back of Harry’s hand.

\"You, Harry. I want you,\" he whispered as he caressed the pliant flesh.

Harry felt the world melt away as Draco touched him. Such a simple thing, the brush of a thumb against his skin, but it was so much more. It was the confirmation that he was hoping for, that they shared the same feelings.

\"I want you too, Draco,\" Harry admitted as he linked their fingers together.

The left corner of Draco’s mouth lifted just a bit. \"Yeah, well, you might change your mind after what I have to tell you,\" he said as he took a deep breath. \"I, Draco Malfoy, admit that I made a mistake,\" he said with a grin. \"Yes, I know, quite hard to believe, but it’s true.\"

Harry shook his head, his unruly dark hair rustling from the movement. \"What? Did I hear that right?\" Harry teased.

\"Stop it, Harry,\" Draco said with a light laugh as he shoved Harry’s shoulder with his unoccupied hand. \"I’m trying to do this right.\"

Harry sighed. \"Okay, Draco, tell me what you’ve done now.\"

Draco nodded. \"I’m a fucking idiot for what I did the other night at the club.\"

\"I know what you did at the club, Draco,\" Harry said quietly.

Draco shook his head. \"No, you only think you know, but it’s only fair that I tell you everything. Well, not everything because I’m sure that you don’t want all of the little details,\" he said and then drew in a deep breath. \"IletCraigsuckmeoffandpretendeditwasyou,\" he said in a rush and then waited for Harry to tell him that he was wrong with his decision.

It took a few seconds for Harry to process the hurried words and his eyes grew wide. \"You did what?\"

\"It was a completely fucking selfish thing for me to do, I know. That night in your room scared me and I had to do something to convince myself that I didn’t want you. So Craig was there and it happened,\" Draco confessed. \"But the whole time I wanted it to be you. I still want it to be you,\" he quietly admitted, searching Harry’s eyes for the rejection he was sure to come.

What Harry did took Draco completely by surprise. Slowly lifting his right hand, Harry brushed Draco’s cheek with the back of long fingers as they inched their way into Draco’s blonde locks, his thumb caressing his cheekbone. Draco leaned into the hand as hope rushed through his veins.

Draco’s gaze held Harry’s. \"I’m so sorry, Harry. I didn’t know what else to do. It’s been so long since I’ve felt like this and I’m scared. And now I’ve probably fucked everything up before we’ve even had a chance to start, but I do want you,\" he said as he slowly turned his head and placed a gentle kiss in Harry’s palm. \"I want this.\"

Harry lifted their joined hands from the balcony railing and held them against his chest as the hand resting at the back of Draco’s head brought the blonde towards him. Sliding his right hand down Draco’s back, Harry settled it around Draco’s waist and held him close. Draco’s body relaxed into Harry’s as he came to terms with what had just happened. He was being held by Harry, in Harry’s arms, and nothing had ever felt more right. The little circles that Harry was rubbing on Draco’s back were just a bonus.

\"I’m sorry, Harry, so bloody sorry,\" he confessed against the soft cotton of Harry’s sweatshirt. \"I can\'t believe what a daft wanker I am. I didn\'t know what to do. I\'m so sorry,\" he said again. \"I had this fantasy of us like that, and he had dark hair and green eyes, and when I looked at him, it was you I was seeing.\"

Harry’s hold tightened a fraction. \"Good thing he didn’t have red hair and blue eyes or you’d have been getting a blow job from Ron Weasley then,\" Harry said with a smile against blonde hair.

Draco’s slim body shook with laughter. \"You just had to go and ruin the moment, didn’t you?\" he said as he pulled back enough to look into Harry’s dark green eyes.

\"No, just pointing out the fact that it could have been worse,\" Harry said with a grin.

\"If that would have happened I would have ran screaming from the loo instead of doing something so Malfoy,\" he said with a shudder emphasizing the last word.

\"Draco, stop. What’s done is done. You’ve realized that you made a mistake and you’ve apologized, several times over in fact, which is a feat in itself,\" he said. \"But if you’re going to keep on with this, I may change my mind about the possibility of us being together.\"

Draco took a moment to absorb what Harry had just said and searched his face for any indication that Harry was joking about this. His eyes took in the faint scar and then moved on to the freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose, his smooth cheek, the slightly crooked nose, the lips that he so desperately wanted to taste, and then back to Harry’s emerald eyes. What he found was a look of complete acceptance of the situation. His eyes were bright and alive, and it thrilled Draco to no end, but he had to be sure.

\"Are you sure?\" Draco asked quietly, wanting Harry’s assurance in words.

\"Draco, shut up and kiss me already,\" Harry said with a grin.

He didn’t have to be told twice. Draco’s eyes drifted back to Harry’s succulent red lips as he leaned in and claimed the mouth of his former enemy in a gentle kiss. Willing lips parted to admit a questing tongue, and the embers that had been smoldering during the past few weeks slowly caught fire. All of their pent up longing was poured into this first kiss as hands moved to cradle a face, caress a cheekbone, encircle a waist and pull the body closer. The kiss was broken only by the need for air, and then their lips met again and again. Quiet moans, labored breathing and the sound of wet kisses interrupted the silence of the night.

* * * * *

Chad had been inconspicuously keeping an eye on things and clutched at his boyfriend’s arm. \"Holy shit,\" he said quietly.

\"Draco is going to hex you if he finds out that you’ve been spying on them,\" Allen said as he flipped a page of the magazine he was reading.

\"I don’t care,\" Chad breathed. \"It’ll be worth watching the two of them kiss,\" he said as his eyes took in the activities on the porch. \"Damn Allen, I wonder if we look that hot when we’re kissing,\" he said, his body eagerly responding to what he was witnessing.

Allen quickly looked over his shoulder and saw the two bodies silhouetted by the moonlight, not an inch of space between them. He had to admit that Chad might be right on this point. The sight of his roommates kissing was definitely arousing. Allen smiled as he shifted in his seat, his growing cock making itself known.

Chad noticed and laughed. \"See, told you,\" he said as he leaned over and gently kissed Allen’s neck. \"How about we leave them on the porch and take advantage of an empty room or two,\" he suggested.

\"Or shower,\" Allen said as he stood and pulled his boyfriend up with him, heading down the hallway to their rooms a few seconds later.

* * * * *

Draco broke the kiss and pulled back slowly to rest their foreheads together. \"Merlin, Harry,\" he said quietly as he took a few deep breaths.

\"I had no idea,\" Harry commented. \"I knew it would be good, but that was …\" He couldn’t finish the sentence because there were no words to describe what he was feeling.

They took a few moments to let everything sink in. \"We’re really doing this, aren’t we?\" Harry asked as his fingers roamed over Draco’s features.

Draco nodded. \"It appears that way. We’re crazy, you know this, don’t you?\"

\"Probably,\" Harry offered. \"We can stop if you want,\" knowing full well that he was only teasing. He’d had a taste of Draco and had no intention of giving that up so soon.

\"I don’t think so!\" Draco said as he wrapped his arms around Harry and held him close.

The cool night breeze danced through the porch, swirling around the two of them, disturbing the quiet leaves that had gathered in the far corner. The rustling sound caught Harry’s attention and he turned his head to investigate. Silver beams of moonlight settled on his neck, and Draco was mesmerized. He studied the expanse of tanned skin that Harry was unknowingly offering and a million things ran through his mind, the first of which was that he should have been a vampire. He would love to sink his fangs in the tender flesh and make Harry his for all eternity. Knowing that this was not ssibssibility, he moved in slowly and inhaled Harry’s scent for the first time. Oranges and spice greeted his senses and he loved it.

\"Planning on sniffing me all night?\" Harry asked.

Draco inhaled again. \"I could. Merlin, you smell good enough to eat,\" Draco said as he slowly touched the tip of his tongue to Harry’s neck and licked a wet path up to just behind his ear, causing a shudder to rack Harry’s body. \"Yep, I could definitely eat you,\" he breathed against the wet skin before leaving a gentle kiss there.

Harry’s body shuddered again. \"I … I think you need to stop that, Draco,\" Harry said as he felt himself harden against Draco’s body.

Draco’s quiet laughter caressed Harry’s sensitive neck. \"Nice to know the same things work on you that work on me,\" he said as he nibbled on the skin he was teasing.

\"I seem to remember someone not being able to handle being whispered to,\" Harry said as he let Draco have his way for the time being. His turn would come later and he would make Draco pay for this.

Draco grinned against Harry’s neck. \"You mean like this?\" he whispered, his hot breath swirling around Harry’s ear.

\"Oh fuck, Draco,\" Harry breathed as his body involuntarily jerked, his hardness pressing against the body before him.

Draco gently tugged on Harry’s earlobe. \"I don’t have a problem with that,\" he said as he sucked the abused flesh between his lips.

\"I figured as much, but we need to stop or we’ll end up being expelled from school for being caught shagging in public,\" he said as his hands roamed over Draco’s back. \"And I really don’t want our first time to be out here on the porch regardless of how tempting it is right now.\"

Draco lingered on Harry’s neck a bit longer and then gave in. He new that Harry was right and if they continued, they would pass the point of no return. After placing one last kiss against the soft skin, he pulled away.

\"So what do we do now?\" Draco asked, unsure of their next step.

Harry took Draco’s hand in his and led them back to the couch where their conversation started, pulling his friend down beside him.

\"I’m not sure. I mean, I’ve been with guys before, but it was different. With them it was just physical,\" he said as he slid his fingers between Draco’s, admiring the contrasting colors of dark and light. \"I didn’t feel anything for them beyond friendship. This is something totally different.\"

Draco nodded. \"So are we going to date and all of that? Because if that’s what you want, I have no idea how to go about it.\"

\"You dated Pansy, Draco. This can’t be that much different,\" Harry said.

Draco shivered. \"I never DATED anyone, Harry. I took her to a few dances, but that was about it. We were never dating, although she liked to assume that we were. She attached herself to Malfoy because of the name, and assumed he returned her feelings regardless of how many times he told her otherwise.\"

\"Draco, do you realize that you’re talking about yourself in the third person, like Malfoy is someone else?\"

Draco raised their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to each one of Harry’s knuckles. \"He is, Harry. Malfoy is a completely different person than Draco, me.\"

\"I’m glad that Malfoy is gone,\" Harry admitted. \"I like Draco much better,\" he said as he leaned over and kissed Draco’s cheek softly and laid his head on Draco’s shoulder. \"So is that what you want to do, the dating thing?\"

\"If that’s what you want,\" Draco said. \"It can’t be much different than what we’re doing already. I mean, we’re going to the club each weekend, although before it was as friends, and we hang out and study together, so I wouldn’t think that things would be much different, other than the fact that I can kiss you now when I want and not worry about being nailed with an Unforgivable,\" he said as he kissed the top of Harry’s dark head.

\"You mean you’re not going to walk me to class?\" Harry asked with a grin.

\"Merlin, no. Why on earth would I want to do that?\" Draco asked, horror in his voice.

\"Because that’s what boyfriends do,\" Harry said with a shrug.

\"Is that what we are now, Harry? Are we boyfriends?\"

Harry’s heart skipped a beat in panic and he quickly sat up. \"Draco, look, we don’t have to call each other that. I mean, yeah things have changed, but if you don’t want to be called that then okay,\" he rushed.

Draco noticed Harry’s unease and settled him back against his side. \"I didn’t mean to upset you, Harry. I was just asking what we are now. Of course we’re still friends, but we’re not yet lovers, although I REALLY can’t wait for that part. So that leaves us in between. I guess you could say that we’re boyfriends, or partners, or significant others. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe we can ask the others.\"

\"Speaking of, I wonder if they’re waiting on us or of they’ve given up,\" Harry said as he settled himself against Draco.

Silver eyes scanned the windows on the porch. \"I don’t see them on the couch so they must have given up on us.\"

Harry checked his watch. \"It’s 9:45 so my guess is that they’re getting ready for bed.\"

\"If they’re not in it already,\" Draco said with a smirk.

\"They better get their business finished because it’s almost time for curfew,\" Harry said as he sat up and stretched.

Draco’s eyes caressed the tan strip of skin at Harry’s waist as he reached his hands above him and leaned to the side. Merlin, Harry had a nice body and it was all his now, Draco thought to himself. And I can’t wait until I get to explore every single inch of it. He pulled his thoughts away from that avenue and helped Harry gather up his books and parchments that he had been working on earlier and watched as Harry stashed them in his book bag.

\"Ready to go face our roommates?\" Harry asked as he stood, pulling Draco up with him.

\"If we must,\" Draco conceded and followed Harry inside.

A few minutes later they entered Harry and Chad’s room to find the other two lying on Chad’s bed, talking quietly. Harry dropped his bag on the floor beside his desk. He’d unpack it later.

\"Get everything worked out?\" Chad asked with a smug grin on his face.

\"You could say that,\" Harry answered as he slid his arms around Draco’s waist and pulled him back against him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

\"I really hope that you plan on giving me a proper goodnight kiss, Harry,\" Draco said as he leaned back in Harry’s embrace.

\"Don’t worry about that. I plan on snogging you every chance I get now,\" he said against Draco’s temple, wisps of blonde hair tickling his cheek.

\"I like the sound of that,\" Draco said with a grin. \"How about now?\" he asked as he turned in Harry’s arms and captured his boyfriend’s lips with his own, never giving Harry a chance to object.

Allen and Chad smiled and slipped from the room, allowing the other two to say goodnight in private.

TBC

Posted 11-10-04

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