Blood Ties.

Draco rushed into the infirmary, ignoring Madame Pomfrey's squawk of indignation as the door slammed behind him, his mind and eyes trapped on the sight of the pale face resting on the pillow in the bed further down the row. He had to force himself not to burst into tears as he fell to his knees beside Harry's bed and took his hand, covering it with both of his own and feeling his heart clench at how cold it felt. He bent forward to stare at the ghostly face with its shock of black hair, grinding his teeth to keep from sobbing out his fear.

"Draco, he will be alright."

Severus' hand settled on his shoulder, tightening when the teacher felt the tremors that ran just beneath the skin.

"What happened?"

Draco's voice came out cold and hard, only the wizard behind him could hear the quiver of terror that underlay the mask of anger.

"Miss Granger, Mr. and Miss Weasley thought that Mr. Potter had been placed under a dark curse called Dark Desire. A first year Slytherin saw Mr. Weasley cast Stupefy and haul Mr. Potter up to the Astronomy Tower and came to inform me. I got there just as they were performing the counter-curse."

Draco couldn't take his eyes off the haggard face of his beloved, wanting to climb up and hold him, kiss him until he woke. A lance of rage pierced his heart and he tore his gaze from Harry to glare up at Severus, feeling his muscles flex with the desire to find the idiotic trio and enact vengeance for what they had done.

"What was the counter-curse?"

Snape stared down at him, the hand on his shoulder squeezing almost painfully hard as he spoke slowly.

"The only way to counter-act Dark Desire is to remove the afflicted's Leydig gland. The procedure must be performed with terribly antiquated instruments and techniques. I was lucky to arrive just as they were cutting him open."

Draco's face grew haunted and he turned back to Harry, reaching unchecked to draw the blanket aside, staring at the healing, yet still distressing, pink scar that ran from Harry's left hip to a spot a few inches below his navel. The very idea that a bunch of stupid, inexperienced children had thought to do complicated surgery on someone they once considered their friend infuriated him.

"Draco. I realize you are upset and want to run out and start hurting them, but I advise against it. They will be properly punished, and..."

He paused as Draco's lips parted, his face twisted with fury, but silenced any questions with a frown.

"No, they will not be expelled. However, they are not to come within ten feet of Harry, nor are they to cast any more spells on him. If they do so, they know that they will not only be expelled, but put on trial for attempted murder."

Draco exhaled with a curse, thinking the three should be immediately tossed into prison for what they'd done, but knew that Harry wouldn't want that. They'd been unbelievably stupid, and placed Harry's life in significant danger, but they'd done it with the best intentions. It was only the fact that Harry wouldn't want him to that kept Draco from finding each and every one of them and forcing them to endure the pain that Harry had.

"Fine. I'll leave them alone, but you'd better tell them if they come near me, my control will probably snap, and they're unlikely to enjoy feeling how very angry I am."

Snape nodded gravely and turned, shooing Madame Pomfrey back to her rooms and exiting the infirmary to leave the two young men alone.

~~:~~

Harry woke slowly, wincing in expected pain, and then relaxing as a cool, familiar hand stroked his brow, his eyes opening to look up into the mercury gaze.

"Are you in pain?"

Draco's worried tone brought a smile to his lips and he shook his head, shifting a bit and wincing as his freshly healed wound protested.

"Don't move, Harry. You're still not fully healed. Apparently getting filleted with a Muggle scalpel takes longer to heal than magical damage."

The barely repressed rage in Draco's voice made him reach out and stroke the blond's velvety cheek, and he sighed, relaxing back on his bed.

"I was sort of hoping it had been a nightmare."

Draco leaned closer and rested his head on Harry's chest, finally allowing his tears to spill forth as he hugged the brunette gently.

"They were trying to remove your Leydig gland, whatever the hell that's supposed to be. When Severus stopped them, they had leeches and a massive sewing needle with black thread. Apparently the curse they thought you were under requires ancient medical practices to work."

Harry's eyes widened and he laughed, but the sound was cut short at the shot of pain that stabbed into his side.

"I don't see how you could find anything about this situation amusing."

Harry smirked and stroked his fingers through soft, silvery-blond locks, eyes glittering in amusement.

"The curse they researched must have been out of practice for a very long time. The Leydig gland may not even exist, at least modern science hasn't confirmed its presence, as far as I know. Probably the reason the counter-curse calls for leeches and such is because it hasn't been updated since such practices were common."

Draco blinked and groaned, pressing his face into Harry's neck and muttering a few choice curses before growling.

"You have terrible taste in friends, Potter."

Harry grinned and turned his head to seek out and lick Draco's lips, murmuring softly.

"I wouldn't say that. You're my friend and I think you taste just fine."

Draco's answering whimper seemed to ease the last of his ache and he tugged him gently up into the bed at his side, hand stroking over his side to rest at his hip. He deepened the kiss gradually, gorging himself on the taste and feel of Draco's mouth, until he couldn't breathe. He drew back to kiss the remaining tears from the blond's face, panting and groaning softly with a sudden and urgent need.

"Harry...Harry, stop. You're not healed..."

Draco's half-hearted protest was cut off when Harry claimed his mouth with a fiery passion, suckling at his lips and nipping them until they parted and he could thrust his tongue between to curl around Draco's. The air around them crackled, but the incredible passion was slow, almost lazy, this time, giving them the time and capacity to enjoy one another.

Hands danced, brushing and tracing limbs and muscles, curling into silken locks to tug tenderly, then skating to stroke elsewhere. Their skin heated and their bodies grew damp with sweat, their clothes seeming to melt away and end up scattered about the bed. Harry's mouth claimed his once more and captured his cry as the brunette's hand curled about his throbbing length, wicked fingers measuring it, caressing the hot, velvet flesh that encased the granite beneath.

"Harry...Stop."

Draco's voice was soft, breathless against Harry's ear, almost sobbing with pleasure as Harry's thumb arched to rub over his crown, slicking through the gathered drops. His only answer was a low chuckle that seemed to vibrate through him and shatter his reservations utterly.

"Draco...Move up and kneel by my face."

Draco's eyes shot open and he shook his head furiously, gulping back more cries as Harry's fingers tightened around him and then flowed down to cup and roll his balls.

"Do it, or I'll tear myself up trying to crawl down and blow you properly."

It wasn't a threat, so much as a warning of something Harry wouldn't be able to control, and the need that burned in those green eyes lit a deeper fire in Draco, robbing him of his breath. He could only nod and swallow, climbing up to kneel at the head of the bed, watching with a wince as Harry shifted slightly.

"Careful."

Harry merely shot him a look that implied his hunger far outweighed any pain the movement had caused him, then Draco had to force his fist into his mouth to muffle his cry as he felt Harry's warm breath wash over his length.

"I've bee wanting to do this since you came all over me that first night."

Draco's free hand fell and his fingers wove through ebony strands, clenching into a fist there as Harry's tongue began to play over his inner thighs. He teased his way with nibbles and licks until he could draw the blond's balls into his mouth and wash them lovingly with his tongue, sucking softly and letting them roll over his tongue. One hand rose to capture a pink nipple between his fingers, giving it a sharp tug and growling as he heard the gasp from his lover's lips.

His eyes rolled up to watch Draco, savoring the way his face so clearly showed his pleasure, the flush in his cheeks and the fist pressed to his lips, muffling the sounds that might have alerted Madame Pomfrey. Harry drank in that intoxicating view as he released Draco's balls and trailed the tip of his tongue up along the throbbing vein that pulsed beneath the soft skin covering his shaft. He could feel every shiver and delighted in the slight movements of the pale hips as Draco struggled to keep from thrusting. He allowed his tongue to curl and traverse the crease beneath the flared glans before licking languidly up to taste the milky fluid oozing from the tip.

Draco fell back heavily against the wall and had to bite his knuckles hard to avoid screaming at the feel of that hot, slick muscle moving over his sensitive flesh. He knew he wouldn't last long, but was more worried about jerking at the penultimate moment and causing Harry pain. He forced his hips to stay still, though his mind was swiftly becoming hazy with the ecstasy of Harry's mouth, and Harry's fingers. His back arched as the latter grasped his neglected nipple and twisted gently, sending jolts of electric bliss capering along his spine.

Harry's tongue flicked against the tiny slit in Draco's crown, feathering across it rapidly before he could resist no longer and wrapped his lips around that heated head. He groaned low in his chest, and felt Draco tremble, his tongue curling and lapping along the length of that beloved cock as he began to draw it deeper into his mouth. He made sure to taste every inch of skin, gradually increasing the intensity of his suckling until his face was pressed to Draco's groin. Soft, pale hair tickled his nose and that leaking crown pushed against the back of his throat, but he held the position, hearing Draco's helpless whimpers and muffled cries, until he felt his lungs would burst.

He withdrew finally, only to lower his fingers from Draco's chest to wrap tightly around the base of his cock, squeezing in time with his hungry suckling at his crown. He stared up, and was thrilled to find pleasure-drunk silver eyes staring down at him, and he growled low as his tongue rushed, fluttered and pressed at the throbbing flesh captured between his lips. Silently he urged Draco, wanted desperately to feel that length jerking and twitching in his mouth, to taste the flood of cum as his lover climaxed.

The hand in his hair tightened, and the one between Draco's lips jerked out so that the blond could warn him in a hurried, breathless gasp that he was about to cum. The hand returned to it's proper place just quick enough to cut off a harried cry of ecstasy, as Harry's suckling only got harder and his tongue moved with even more feverish intensity. Silver eyes first widened and then snapped shut, the pale, lean form bowing up as Draco's orgasm broke apart within him and shot through him to fill Harry's mouth. He growled loudly and swallowed, rolling his tongue within the hot, faintly alkaline taste of Draco's cum, milking him with his hand as he savored that delicious eruption.

Harry drew back only once he felt Draco softening in his grasp, and fell back against the bed, panting and trembling from the orgasm that had overcome him at the very moment he had tasted that first shot. His eyes rolled and peered down at the sticky, white substance spilled upon the bed and his own stomach, shocked at cumming merely from feeling Draco climax. The blond peered at the covers, then cast a cleansing spell before climbing down to nestle against his side, head resting on his chest over his heart.

"Are you in pain?"

Draco's softly spoken question brought a smile to his lips and he kissed the mussed blond strands of his hair, muttering.

"Hush, Draco."