Epitome of a Soldier - What it is to be Necessary

Hi everyone :)

Thank you for the reviews, my pretties, they always make me so happy :) And, to make you happy in return (hopefully) I give you replies :)

PantiesAreOverrated
*sings* Like a virgin, ooo! Touched for the very first tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime! XD
Glad you're enjoying the relationship between our two favourite boys :D

kati-chan
I feel bad for the way Remus gets treated as well, and I feel kinda bad for Sirius to. They all just need to get more used to each other I think, then things will start to come together. The Ron and Hermione relationship was actually the most funny part to write (can't use the word entertaining because I found writing the whole thing so) and I think that humour of it comes over well :D

Snivelly
*snickers with you* I never thought of him like that XD
Sirius (and maybe a little bit Remus) do need to lay off the poor Harry. They'll learn eventually.
Ahh, alligator! *shrieks and jumps on top of it* Just the pet I've always wanted :D

YoukaiHakkai
Yeah, I'm the same; I don't mind characters being OOC just as long as there's a clear reason for it. For example, randomly girlifying Harry in the canon universe pisses me off to no end, but girlifying him within the context of a different universe where he's led a somewhat different life is fine by me XD

polka dot
Sirius (because, let's face it, it's mostly him with the problem) still can't get over Draco being a Malfoy unfortunately even though it's clear that Draco's so completely smitten with Harry ^_^

MewMew2
^_^

dana_aeryn
Harry's dream was just a dream, that isn't going to lead to anything. No, he has other things on his plate instead :D

thrnbrooke
Yep, both adults need a good telling off and believe me, they'll get it :D

Kuromei
The dream was just a dream; it wasn't a premonition so that's nothing to worry about. And I think it would be terribly sad if Harry never spoke to either Sirius or Remus again, so perhaps that's why you don't want it to happen XD *hugs Kuromei-chan*

Dragon
*hands you a little flag with a H on* For your cheering :D

whitewaterlily
Draco isn't the one you need to be worrying about as this chapter will prove.

Werewolf Mistress
Yeah, Remus and Sirius are being a bit blind at the moment, but they'll learn; they always do XD

Sukka
I'm glad to have lured you in and kept you interested :) I always try to think of things I haven't seen before (which is kinda hard now that I don't read fics anymore; I just write) so it's always satisfying to hear that I've done something original ^_^

Ten more chapters after this, folks; only ten.
Nothing more to say for now so on with the show :)

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10th December 1997: Afternoon

Christmas. A celebration held practically all over the world on the twenty-fifth of December. For Christians, it was a mark of their Saviour's birth. For everyone else, it was a reason to do nothing all day, eat a lot and to give and recieve gifts to and from those they held most dear.

It was that last part that had Harry slightly worried.

The only Christmas he'd ever had was when he had been a mere five months old and he naturally couldn't remember it. So, when it came to the issue of buying gifts, he was woefully ignorant. Obviously he would have to buy Draco something, not only because it was expected but because he wanted to, but what to buy? What was a good gift for Christmas? And how was he to know what Draco wanted when he wasn't allowed to ask? Because Christmas gifts were supposed to be a surprise, right? If he asked Draco, then the blond would know what it was he was getting and would thus illiminate the element of surprise. But what if Harry got him the wrong thing? What if he got something useless to Draco or, even worse, something that offended the Malfoy? What if Draco spent a lot of money on his gift while Harry spent too little?

"Harry?" Hermione's voice broke through the dark haired youth's thoughts.

Without word, Harry turned his head very slightly in order to look at the Gryffindor beside him. Once again he was spending a free period with Hermione and while she had been reading, Harry had been writing an essay for Divination, or at least he was supposed to be.

"Is everything all right? You haven't written a word in the last fifteen minutes or so." The girl revealed, her gaze clearly concerned. "Are you struggling? Or is there something else on your mind?"

"I was thinking of the approaching celebrations."

"You mean Christmas? What about it?"

"I am unsure as to what to gift Draco with."

"Have you asked him what he wants?"

Harry frowned lightly in confusion at that. "I was under the impression that Christmas gifts are supposed to be a surprise."

"They don't have to be." Hermione revealed. "In fact, a lot of the time, they aren't. Children often ask for specific gifts from their parents, as do friends. Surprises are nice but they're not mandatory." She paused then to give a reassuring smile. "So if you can't think of anything to get for Draco, you shouldn't feel bad about asking him and then getting him something he's already expecting."

Still, Harry continued to frown, dispite the reassurance. Surprises were nice, Hermione had said those exact words, and he oh so wanted to get his best friend something nice. He also wanted to do things right. It was his first Christmas which he would remember and, more importantly, it was his first Christmas with Draco, he wanted things to be as pleasant and as normal as possible. Although Draco had never complained, Harry was sure the blond missed the normalicy of his life before he got involved with the wizarding world's saviour. Harry was resigned to the fact he would probably never be a "normal" person and was reassured that the fact didn't seem to bother his best friend but it just made him all the more determined to make sure that other elements of his/their life were what could be deemed as normal.

"If you're really determined to get him something unexpected," Hermione continued to speak as if reading Harry's thoughts. "Then we could go into Hogsmeade together tomorrow and I could help you find something. Granted, I don't really know Draco but I could point you in the right sort of direction."

"That would be..." Harry paused then as he struggled to think of the right word to express what he felt. "Most appreciated." He settled on eventually.

"Then that's what we'll do." The Gryffindor said with a firm nod. "If Draco wants to come, by all means let him but just make it clear he'll have to make himself scarce when it actually comes to shopping. Though I imagine he'll appreciate the oppotunity to buy you something as well."

"You think he will buy me something then?"

Hermione turned an amused smile onto Harry. "Considering the way Draco feels about you, I imagine he'll be buying you several, very exspensive somethings."

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13th December 1997: Afternoon

Harry sat on his bed, his legs crossed, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers carded in front of his mouth. He was alone in the dorm room, Draco spending time the other Seventh Year Slytherins upon Harry's insistance, and he was glad for the silence, the uninterupted peace. He was allowed to be how he wanted and not have to worry about being questioned on why he was sitting there with his gaze fixed on the form of a very small box that rested on the bed no more than half a foot away from him. As he stared, he could think of only one thing; buying people gifts was an annoying and pointless exercise.

That morning, himself and Hermione and Draco had headed off to Hogsmeade but had split up upon reaching it, Draco going one way while Harry and Hermione went another way. That was when the torture had begun. There were so many different possibilities, so much variety and so much advice from the Gryffindor girl that his head had starting to swim. It was not an experience that Harry wanted to ever experience again. But at least he had it now, he had Draco's gift and that was what mattered. Though now he had to contend with the worry of whether or not his blond friend would like the gift.

Sitting up a little straighter, Harry sighed to himself very lightly. "Life is such a chore." He murmured through the silence. As the silence resummed, knowing green eyes turned onto the slightly ajar door as if expecting to see someone standing there. There was no one there though but the knowing look remained. "And I feel it will only get worse."

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15th December 1997: Morning

When the students of the Seventh Year DADA class entered their classroom, they were all rather surprised to see the room's change of layout. All the desks and chairs had been pushed to the sides, leaving a wide area clear in the middle and front of the room. Without the presence of Sirius to direct them, everyone was unsure of what to do and so people simply milled around the back of the classroom, around the doorway, whispering among themselves.

"What do you think we're going to be doing today?" Hermione asked quietly and although she didn't say a name, her question was obviously directed to Harry rather than Draco, who stood on Harry's right, or Ron, who stood on Hermione's left.

"Obviously not theory." Draco answered nonetheless as Harry remained completely silent, as though he hadn't even heard the question.

"About bloody time too." Ron grumbled. "I'm sick of doing nothing but sitting down and taking notes."

"Well then today's lesson should suit you right down to the ground, Ron." Sirius' voice suddenly came from behind them and everyone turned to see their teacher enter through the classroom door. "Everyone take a seat at the sides," he instructed them, making little shooing motions with his hands as the students cleared a path for him. "Just perch on the edge of a desk or something for the moment."

People began to slowly do as they were asked. Harry felt a hand take his and wasn't surprised when within seconds he found himself being pulled off to the right hand side of the classroom by Draco. He followed along obediently and easily sat himself on the edge of a desk upon reaching one, something Draco copied immediately after with the one right next to it.

Once everyone was settled down and there was no more fidgeting going on, Sirius, from his position at the front of the classroom, once again began to address the students: "Now, as you're all aware, for the past few weeks we've been concentrating on duelling theories. Theories, however, can only get you so far which is why, today, we'll be doing some practical work."

An excited murmur ran through the class then and the only ones who seemed unphased by the entire thing were Draco and Harry. "I suppose today's lesson will be slightly less boring than usual." The Malfoy murmured to his companion quietly.

"But slightly more tedious." Harry murmured in reply as Sirius began to speak again.

"True," Draco agreed quietly. "After all, we hardly need practice when it comes to duelling, especially not you. Does seem like a bit of a waste of time."

"If we partner together we can at least fake it.'

Draco smirked at that. "Fifteenth of December 1997; Harry suggests dishonesty in order to get out of school work for the first time."

Harry would've made a reply to that if not for the fact it was then he noticed that the majority of the class were looking in his and Draco's direction. His words died in his throat and he turned his attention to his godfather. "Yes?"

"Please try not to zone out in my class, makes me feel like I'm awfully dull." Sirius said lightly, having obviously missed the fact that his godson and Draco had been conversing quietly. "I just told the class that you're going to help me with a short demonstration before everyone gets started."

"I would prefer not to." Was Harry's immediate reply to that.

"Too bad, up you come." Sirius said cheerfully, making an encouraging gesture.

"A demonstration is unnecessary and no doubt simply an oppotunity for you to display your own skills and attempt to impress the..."

"Don't argue with me, Harry," the man warned easily though there was a definite warning in his voice. "I'm your professor and I'm telling you to do something so you're going to do it."

For what seemed like the longest time, Harry didn't move or react. Just when everyone was thinking that they were about to see a showdown between their saviour and his godfather, the tension was lessened when the dark haired youth stood with a quiet, "yes sir."

The silence resumed as Harry made his way to the front of the class, coming to stand on the opposite side of the room to where the DADA professor stood. Now apparently in a better mood, Sirius smiled and clapped his hands together. "All right, now the object of the exercise you'll all be trying will be nothing more than to make your opponant lose his or her wand, either by making them drop it or by stealing it. There'll be no time limit. Now, on the count of three, Harry and I will demonstrate what you should be aiming for." Sirius grinned as he took up a dueling stance. "Miss Granger, if you could perhaps be kind enough to count us in."

Hermione seemed a little put out to be called on but did as asked nonetheless. "One, two, three."

Sirius wasted no time. The words were barely out of Hermione's mouth before he had pointed his wand and cast his charm: "Expelliarmus."

The magic shot from the tip of the wand and raced towards Harry who was making no sign or effort to defend himself. Everyone watched with baited breath as Harry continued to just stand there until the very last second. Then, just as the spell was about to hit him, he raised his wand and made an odd sort of gesture as though he was about the chuck the length of wood away from himself. He kept hold of it though and much to the surprise of everyone, Sirius' spell seemed to react to the movement and the light suddenly changed direction, shooting off harmlessly to a corner on the right.

Harry raised his wand again once the magic had faded but pointed it towards his opponant. "Accio Sirius Black's wand." He said in his usual tone, thrusting his wand in a neat, graceful movement.

With a swift jerk, Sirius' wand freed itself of his grip and sailed over to the Slytherin. It was caught with Harry's free hand before he then turned and moved away from the front of the classroom. He placed the seized wand down on the professor's desk before moving back over to the side of the classroom where he took his own seat next to Draco again. The room was completely quiet and an odd sort of tension hung in the air once again, the source of it coming from their teacher which in turn made everyone feel rather uneasy with the situation.

"Why," Sirius began slowly, obviously struggling to maintain his patient attitude. "Must you make things such a struggle, Harry? Why couldn't you have just done what I asked?"

"I did." Harry replied tonelessly.

"No, you didn't. You used a blocking technique which we haven't even covered yet and so turned what should have been a duel into nothing more than an embarrassment!"

"You did not specify that there would be restrictions on the spells which could be used. The objective you set was to retrieve the opponant's wand; that is what I have done. Do not shift the blame onto another when you are the one at fault."

The class watched, not even daring to breathe in case the broke the atmosphere, as Sirius was pushed ever closer to the edge by his godson. Harry, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of their professor. He simply sat in his seat calmly, his gaze fixed on the front of the room, away from his godfather.

Sirius closed his eyes, took in a few deep breaths and pinched the bridge of his nose. Everyone continued to watch as he calmed himself and practically leaned forward in anticipation when he opened his mouth and spoke: "You will stay behind after class Harry, and we will discuss your behaviour then."

Harry made no sign he had even heard but his godfather left it at that. With a sigh, the class continued and Harry was left to himself until the very end.

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15th December 1997: Midday

When Harry left the DADA classroom finally, he was immediately pounced on by not only Draco but Hermione as well. Both had been standing in the corridor outside, waiting for him in silence. When they saw him, they pushed away from the wall but didn't immediately start asking questions oddly. It was clear they wanted to but for some reason were holding back. Harry allowed the silence to linger; he was in no hurry to speak.

Eventually it was Hermione who quietly broke the silence. "How did it go?"

"You did not hear the shouts for yourself?" Harry asked in his usual monotone.

"A silencing charm perhaps." The girl suggested rather weakly.

"Perhaps."

"What did he say?" Draco questioned, coming to stand beside his best friend.

"I think his true intent was much more behind his words rather than the words themselves. He did not need to say it, but I am a disappointment to him, to Remus as well. I do not think they even particularly like me." Harry murmured, his voice holding no emotion which made it impossible to decifer exactly how he felt about the fact he was an apparent disappointment. "Perhaps it would be best if I were no longer a part of their lives."

"I'm inclined to agree." The blond replied easily.

"Malfoy!" Hermione admonished, sending him a stern look.

"Oh c'mon Granger, you can see for yourself how mismatched their personalities are and if cutting them out of Harry's life takes some worry off of his shoulders then I don't see why he doesn't." The Malfoy replied, explaining his reasoning.

"They're the only link he has to his parents."

"And that's a reason to suffer the guilt they make him needlessly feel?"

"They're the closest thing to family he has left!"

"I'm his family."

"It's not the same and you know..."

Harry tuned out the continued debate between Hermione and Draco then. Listening to them was simply confusing and was rapidly giving him a headache. He would make no immediate decisions on the matter and instead see how things played out. He was in no rush and there was no real need to rush.

As he continued to walk along silently with his two friends who still argued between themselves, he felt eyes on the back of his head. Harry turned his head to look and saw Crabbe and Goyle standing not too far off, underneath the arch of a doorway, both looking over to him and Draco and Hermione rather intently. They both nodded to Harry when they noticed he was returning their gaze but Harry ignored it and simply turned back to look ahead of himself. He had enough to think about without considering the two of them.

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16th December 1997: Evening

Harry couldn't deny that as he sat at his usual seat at the Slytherin table, waiting for dinner to be served, his mood felt darker than it usually did. It had been a trying day, with Sirius giving him the cold shoulder whenever the oppotunity arose and then Remus asking him to stay behind after the DADA class to inquire as to what had happened between him and his godfather. It had all been very trying and the Wizarding world's saviour had found his patience, which had previously seemed infinite, had started to wear rather thin. Draco seemed to have picked up on it though and was doing the considerate (and wise) thing of simply leaving Harry alone.

The food finally arrived then and everyone practically made a dive for everything all at the same time. Harry's below average mood was affecting his appetite and so he decided to simply settle on soup which he ladled out of a large serving dish into his own bowl. Beside him, Draco was spooning out some mashed potatoes while having a conversation with Crabbe about something. A tinkling sound drew the green eyes away from the conversing young men down to the ground where he saw that someone further down the table had dropped a fork and was in the process of leaning back to retrieve it from the floor. With his curiosity satisfied, Harry turned back to his bowl, noticing that Goyle, beside him, was already tucking into the absolute mountain of food he had put on his plate.

Harry picked up his spoon and dipped it into his soup before lifting it to his mouth, fighting back a sigh the entire time. He really didn't feel like eating but he had experienced the consequences of skipping meals and he wasn't in a rush to repeat the experience. So, reluctantly, the spoon passed his lips and the soup entered his mouth...

...And then he froze.

About five seconds of nothing from Harry passed. He simply sat completely still, the spoon still in his mouth, his expression as neutral as always. Then, slowly, he brought the spoon out of his mouth and looked down at it in his hand before he carefully set it back down onto the table.

"Something wrong Harry?" Millicent asked upon noticing the young man's strange behaviour, drawing attention from the other Seventh Year Slytherins.

"If you will excuse me." Was all Harry said in answer to that as he stood and left without further word. Draco was up and following him within seconds.

The two Slytherins left the Great Hall apparently calm and untroubled and most students failed to give even a second glance to their retreating forms. It was doubtful Harry would've noticed even if it were different. As always, he appeared neutral, calm, on the outside but his heart was pounding in his chest and if ever he felt the need to hyperventilate, that was the moment. When he was several feet away from the doors of the Great Hall, he found he had to come to a stop as his ears began to ring and his vision clouded slightly.

"Harry?" Draco said carefully, slowly coming up behind the stoic youth's back. "Is something the matter?"

"Tell me Draco," Harry practically whispered, his tone soft and emotionless, seemingly even more so than normal. "Have you eaten yet?"

"What? Just now? No, I'd only just finished filling my plate when you got up and left so abruptly."

"Good." Harry breathed. "I would have hated to die knowing that you were going to follow me so quickly."

Draco said nothing to that and felt his blood freeze as his heart almost stop; die?

"I have apparently allowed my guard to drop in the wrong company. A careless mistake to make when the children of Death Eaters have access to all areas of the school, including the kitchens."

And suddenly Draco realised what was happening and his heart almost burst from his chest as a sudden spike of fear stabbed at him. His eyes widened and in an instant he had rushed forward, closing the gap between him and Harry and had the smaller form in his arms. With one hand he held the head of dark hair steady while the other hand came up to the youth's mouth so he could unceremoniously shove two fingers down his best friend's throat. "Harry, vomit! Everything you ate, throw it back up!"

Harry gagged around the fingers in his mouth and he sagged in Draco's arms as he was bent over so all that he had eaten that day could leave his stomach and splatter harmlessly to the floor. When the saviour's legs gave way beneath him, the blond followed him down, keeping his fingers in the others' mouth regardless of what his hand was being covered in. Only when there was nothing more than saliva hitting his hand did Draco finally remove it. As if on cue, Harry slumped forward weakly but the Malfoy was able to save him from falling on the floor now that he had his other arm free to catch him with.

"Dra..." Harry whispered weakly, his voice faultering after just that one syllable.

"Sshh," Draco immediately soothed him as he ran the fingers of his clean hand through the strands of dark hair a few times before clutching the slight, trembling frame close to his body. "Don't try and speak, just conserve your energy. It's going to be all right, you'll be fine."

"Draco," Hermione's voice came from behind then and the blond in question glanced over his shoulder to see the Gryffindor standing in the slight gap between the partly open doors of the Great Hall.

"Stop the Slytherins from eating any more food and tell Madam Pomfrey that Harry's been poisoned. I'm taking him up to the Infirmary." He explained briskly as he hefted the semi-conscious form of Harry up into his arms and then over his shoulder.

Hermione didn't linger to ask if everything was going to be all right or to check anything else, she simply disappeared back into the Great Hall with a speed born of intense urgency. It was with a similar pace that Draco turned and began to half walk, half jog through the school's corridors, intent on getting the young man he loved settled on an Infirmary bed to await the medical attention needed to save his life.

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16th December 1997: Late Night
Waking up was not a happy time for Harry when he started to come around after the drama of the previous dinner. He felt weak, disorientated, sickly and more than a little confused. It hurt to open his eyes and so he kept them shut. When he tried to speak, little more than a croak escaped him but it seemed to be enough to get attention as a second later, his right hand had been grabbed. It was then that he realised how cold he felt as the two hands gripping his own were so blissfully warming.

"Madam Pomfrey!" The voice of Draco yelled and it was then that Harry knew who it was with him.

Carefully, Harry opened his eyes once again though only very slightly. Through his partial vision, he saw his best friend looking down on him, an expression somewhere between relief and intense worry on his face. "Draco..." He breathed, the name coming out as less of a croak but still sounding awfully weak.

"It's all right Harry, you're going to be all right." The blond murmured in reply, pressing brief but firm kisses on the hand he held so tightly.

"My body feels strange." Harry noted quietly.

"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey will make you feel better."

It was at that reassurance that the sharp clicking of high-heels on the hard floor reached the two young men and they turned their gazes to see the stern medi-witch heading their way. Harry turned his gaze away soon after seeing the woman. He remembered the last time he had interacted with her and he wasn't looking forward to the examination he was sure was about to come.

"Awake and alert then Mr Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked briskly as she reached the bedside.

"Yes." Was Harry's softly spoken answer as he stared straight up at the ceiling above.

"Good. How do you feel?"

"Strange."

"Care to elborate?"

Harry made no answer to that. He couldn't be bothered to elaborate but he knew better than to actually say that.

Draco glanced from the irritated woman to his best friend before leaning in closer to the sickly young man. "She can't help you if you don't talk to her, Harry." He told him gently.

Harry gave an almost inaudiable sigh and continued to stare up at the ceiling but spoke nonetheless. "I feel weak and disorientated and I cannot remember much of what no doubt happened when I left the Great Hall. The light is hurting my eyes though not quite as much as when I first woke. I feel cold as well."

Madam Pomfrey nodded wisely as he explained himself. "Yes, those are the side-effects Mr Snape said would no doubt occur. You're quite lucky Mr Potter," the woman said briskly. "We were able to contact Severus Snape and get the spoon to him quickly; it was the spoon which had been coated in the poison, the food was fine. He was able to identify that the poison used was botched or at least incomplete. If it hadn't been for that and the fact Mr Malfoy was quick enough to make you vomit most of it up, you'd most probably be dead now. As it is, you'll just be very sickly for a while. You'll no doubt be back to full health by the time term starts again in the new year but I don't think you can expect to have much fun over Christmas."

"Just as well we got all our Christmas shopping done last Saturday." Draco sighed, still holding Harry's right hand in both of his own.

"There's very little else which can be done except to rest as much as possible." The medi-witch said as though the blond had never spoken. "So, that is what you'll do Mr Potter. I don't want to see you leave this bed for anything except to use the bathroom and then you will have someone help you. I'll come in and check on you every other hour or so. I suggest you sleep now, so Mr Malfoy," she turned her attention onto Draco. "I think it's time you returned to your dorm room."

"No." Harry spoke immediately, finally turning his gaze back onto the medi-witch. "I wish for Draco to stay."

Madam Pomfrey looked as though she was preparing for an argument when, quite suddenly, the will seemed to leave her. Her expression softened and she gave an exasperated sigh. "Very well," she practically huffed. "But if I come back in and find that you're keeping him awake then you will be out of here before you can blink." And with that threat made, the woman turned and swiftly made an exit.

It was only when they were completely alone again that the silence was broken, surprisingly, by Harry. "My apologies," he murmured as he closed his eyes tiredly. "It seems I will not be able to accompany you to the Yule Ball."

"Doesn't bother me in the least." Draco reassured, leaning down and resting his forehead against Harry's. "It just means we can spend the night alone instead of under the watchful gaze of the rest of the student population."

"That is not necessary, there is no reason why you should not still go and enjoy yourself."

The blond smiled lightly in amusement before placing a light kiss on the pale nose, causing Harry to open his eyes again. "I wouldn't have any fun without you, especially knowing you were here. I'll enjoy myself much more sitting with you, having a calm and relaxing evening together."

Harry didn't reply to that but instead tilted his head up slightly and pressed his lips to Draco's, initiating a kiss for the very first time. It was a brief kiss if only because the poisoned youth found he didn't have the strength to keep his head up but it was enough for the blond. Upon their separation, Draco positively beamed at the young man beneath him before leaning down and pressing a kiss of his own to the other's lips. That kiss, too, was brief as Harry was hardly in a condition to be snogged and once they parted again, the Malfoy sat on the edge of the bed before swinging his legs up and laying down beside the saviour.
"I love you so much." He murmured gently as he wrapped his arms comfortable around Harry.

As always, Harry made no reply to that but instead simply cuddled up to his blond. A kiss was pressed to his forehead as he allowed his eyes to close tiredly. Before long, he had drifted off to sleep.