Up The Road

Chapter 2

Harry\'s dreams were becoming more vivid. Each night, he went to sleep, determined not to think about Draco, or the way he\'d noticed different small things about him. Like how Draco would brush at an errant lock when he was thinking, or how he\'d examine his nails when he was bored, or how he\'d watch Harry cross the Great Hall between sessions. Harry knew that the blonde wizard was watching him because Hermione had told him so.

They\'d been sitting in the Great Hall, with Ron chomping down enthusiastically on food. Harry sat between him and Hermione, trying to force conversations. Things were still strained, and Hermione was tutting more than usual. In fact, Harry wasn\'t sure he\'d ever heard her tut before, but he could see how it was fitting for this occasion. Ron had always been a bit oblivious to such things.

\"So, Harry,\" said Hermione. \"Have you been spending extra time with Malfoy or something?\"

Harry looked up from his plate. \"Huh?\"

Hermione sent a glare in Ron\'s direction before continuing. \"He keeps looking over here.\"

Harry turned in his chair. \"Does he?\" Looking across the tables, he could see a flash of grey eyes hiding from him...or maybe he\'d imagined it?

\"Yes,\" said Hermione in exasperation. \"He\'s been doing it for I don\'t know how long now.\"

\"Really?\" asked Harry, feeling repetitive but not caring. He\'d been hoping that he\'d catch Draco looking over at him, maybe brushing one finger against his forehead, the way he did when he was thinking, or when Crabbe or Goyle or some other Slytherin angered him. Draco spent a lot of time angry, and at first Harry had hated it since it meant more taunts and jeers from the Slytherin prince, but there was something about that fire within the blonde that made Harry\'s blood pump a little faster. He felt the blush rise in his cheeks once more. He\'d been blushing so frequently lately that a lot of his fellow Gryffidors would ask him if he wanted to go to the nurse and get something for the fever. He said no, but they kept asking, letting him know each time he was blushing. He tried to control it, but the idea of having control around Draco was an idea that became more laughable by the day.

\"I have to go,\" said Harry, standing abruptly.

\"What? Why?\" called out Hermione at a retreating back. She sighed, looking into her pudding, then scooted closer to Ron, feeling some of Harry\'s blush when she felt her knee brush against his.

\"Er...\" said Ron through a mouthful of lunch.

+++

Harry\'s heart was hammering in his chest. Draco was getting more careless. Well, not that Harry had ever caught him, but now Draco\'s eyes were holding urgency instead of whatever it was they\'d been holding before. It was indefinable, the things Harry saw in Draco\'s eyes before the blonde invariably looked away.

He leaned one sweaty palm against the wall, catching his breath. Thoughts were racing across his mind, making a mad dash towards somewhere he couldn\'t see. There were too many things going on. There were exams, and then the inevitable clash with Voldemort at the end of the year. He\'d been training, with Dumbledore and with others, and he\'d been forced back into Occlumency lessons with Snape. He still wasn\'t very good at them, but he could understand the importance now. He didn\'t want another death on his conscious, the way Sirius\'s death haunted him.

\"Potter,\" came a voice behind him.

Harry groaned. Was it Slytherin Day?

\"Turn around, if you please,\" said Snape, his voice thin and impatient.

Harry turned, trying not to glare. It seemed like every little move of his was something intolerable to the Potions master, and Harry had had enough of it. But Dumbledore had warned him to pay attention to Snape, and Harry had both the suspicion and the hope that perhaps Dumbledore didn\'t trust Snape as much as he\'d said he did.

\"Good,\" said Snape, his lips curling in the way that annoyed Harry most. \"We\'re having two lessons tonight. Be there at six tonight, sharp. You know where.\" And with that, the Slytherin master turned and stalked away, his robes slipping noisily through the air.

Harry wanted to ask what that meant, but figured he\'d worry about it later. It was difficult enough, sneaking out of the common room each night, and he\'d hated knowing that the Slytherins had been told through Draco\'s unrelenting gossip skills that Harry was still taking Remedial Potions. As it was, Harry was impressed with himself and surprised that he was still able to take Potions. He\'d been so certain he\'d failed the exam in his fifth year, but he hadn\'t, which meant he had to endure more of Snape, but also meant that it was easier for him to learn things that he needed to know for battle.

He saw a head whip around and was greeted by Hermione\'s smile.

\"Where\'s Ron?\" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes and didn\'t answer. Instead, she looked at Harry, taking in the thin film of sweat on his face. \"Are you all right, Harry?\" she asked, concerned. She reached out one hand, brushing his hair back, taking in the scar.

Harry grumbled as he felt her skin against his. It was okay, having her play mother to him, but his body had been craving contact so much, and he found himself surprisingly disappointed at the chemicals his brain released at the contact. He hoped it\'d be different if Draco ever...

But Draco had. He had touched Harry, just briefly, when he\'d been passing by. And Harry\'s whole body had responded then. He couldn\'t imagine ever doing anything as mundane as shaking Draco\'s hand, since it would probably produce really embarrassing results.

\"I\'m fine,\" said Harry, smiling. \"Snape\'s been to see me.\"

\"What did he want?\" asked Hermione.

Harry shrugged. \"More lessons, I think.\"

\"Oh.\" Hermione let go, and Harry wondered at why he felt relieved when his skin was left alone once more. \"Well, do you need me to walk you there after Transfiguration?\"

Harry thought about it, wrinkling his forehead in concentration, bringing out the lines in his eyes and face that made him seem infinitely older than he actually was. \"Better not,\" he said finally. \"You know...Snape and all.\" He begged silently with her not to make a fun.

\"Sure,\" said Hermione, smiling and taking him by the arm. Harry didn\'t mind this time, since it wasn\'t as intimate. He could feel Draco\'s eyes on his neck as they passed through to their own classes, and a part of him twinged internally, wishing he could tell Draco that he was only walking with Hermione and nothing more.

But why would he even care? thought Harry.

+++

The dungeons were cold and partially frosty. Harry\'s teeth chattered as he went down, his stomach gurgling. He hadn\'t had much to eat for dinner because he couldn\'t focus. Not only had Draco been practically boring into his brain with his gaze, but Snape had been watching them. Hermione had to point it out to him, but he\'d felt something watching them all night. He\'d blushed, this time in anger, when he saw the thin smile and the curl of lips on the greasy-haired professor\'s face.

\"I don\'t want to go tonight,\" complained Harry at dinner, just before going down.

\"Then don\'t!\" said Ron cheerfully, taking another slice of pie, looking at the plate, and taking two more slices.

Hermione elbowed Ron, and Ron swore once before quieting again. \"You need to go, Harry,\" she said earnestly. \"You know that. It\'s important that you-\"

\"I know. I know, Hermione. I don\'t want to go, though,\" said Harry. He could see words forming on her lips that would make him late and tell him why he was being childish. Well, if he were going to be deemed childish, he might as well step outside the Great Hall and trek down to the dungeons.

And now he was here, and there was no Snape.

He could see a figure in swanky robes sitting in the corner. Mists hung in the air, the only light coming from frozen pixies in midflight. Harry tried to focus, then tried to clear off his glasses, thinking that a good rub would give him a more decent view, but he still couldn\'t see.

\"Approach,\" said the figure.

It had almost sounded like...but no...surely...

\"I said, approach Potter.\"

Harry walked, feeling empty. He could see better the closer he got, though his mind began to feel foggy. Draco was perched in Snape\'s usual chair, his legs crossed, cloak draped expertly over him, giving him a look of power and commandment.

\"Down,\" said Draco.

\"Sorry?\" asked Harry.

Draco stood up, then placed one hand on Harry\'s shoulder. He pushed downward, first gently, then harder when he realised that Harry wouldn\'t move.

\"What are you trying to do?\" asked Harry when the Slytherin gave an impatient huff.

The blonde looked at his fingernails, which wasn\'t a good sign, since it meant he was exasperated. Harry marveled at how he\'d become such an expert on Draco in a few short lustful weeks. Even now, he could feel his trousers tenting painfully as Draco\'s hand remained on his shoulder, still giving a few non-subtle pushes when he thought Harry wasn\'t really paying attention.

\"I wanted you to kneel,\" said Draco at last.

\"Why?\" asked Harry blankly.

Draco seemed lost for words.

\"Mr. Malfoy, kindly remove your hand from my student,\" said Snape. \"And take a seat, both of you.\"

Both of us?, thought Harry in bewilderment. For one moment, he thought that Draco might actually get detention. But then something passed between the two Slytherins and it dawned on Harry that Draco might have been told to come down to the dungeons the same time that he\'d been told. As if they were to meet on purpose.

Snape has finally gone mad, smirked Harry to himself, knowing it was only a wish. But the Potions master had probably thought that being in Draco\'s vicinity would be a threat or something to Harry. How wrong he was.

\"You\'ll be working together,\" said Snape, pacing the small area in front of the desk Harry and Draco had chosen. It was something they did without thinking, sitting at the same desk, in the front, Harry almost failing to notice that Draco\'s leg was excrutiatingly close to his own, and that he could almost touch it...

\"Draco will teach you the basis, Potter. He\'s good at that. A good teacher.\" Snape looked at his charge expectantly, and with an enthusiasm Harry hadn\'t ever seen before. He was almost goofy-looking.

Draco hadn\'t taken notice and was busy viewing his nails once more. Harry found his own attention wandering to those nails, to how they shone, and how Draco must have learned some wicked good spell to make them look like that all the time, and how...

\"Potter, stand,\" commanded Snape.

Harry stood, and Draco got up with him.

Snape looked at Draco before leaving the room. \"No kneeling, Mr. Malfoy,\" he said. \"No tricks. Just teach him.\"

Draco scowled, but something his lips told Harry that it was all an act. When the door closed, they stood awkwardly, until Draco had closed the distance.

His hand was on Harry\'s shoulder again, and Harry\'s body tensed once more. His erection had just started subsiding but now it was at attention, waiting for something to happen. Something good.

Draco looked at him carefully. He began kneading Harry\'s shoulder, lightly, almost as if he were giving a massage. Harry felt himself relax under calloused hands.

\"No good at kneeling, Potter?\" whispered Draco.

Harry shook his head. Draco was in front of him now, and it was too late before Harry realised that they\'d been moving slowly backwards, until Draco had him flush against the wall, their bodies just inches apart. Inches that Harry wanted to evaporate, to kill even. This was the closest he\'d ever been to the blonde, and he could smell everything, could see the eyes...

\"Kneel,\" commanded Draco.

\"No,\" said Harry. Feeling bold, he glared straight into the challenging eyes. \"You kneel.\"

Draco stared him down, then his lips curved into a smile. \"Fine.\"

It was one of the most welcoming and also one of the naughtiest things he\'d ever seen, that smile. Draco pinned him to the wall steadily, then moved lower, kneeling before Harry, who found it a whole lot more difficult to breathe. His eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as Draco\'s hand found his hard-on, rubbing it through the fabric of the pants, his eyes glinting as he unzipped Harry\'s trousers.

Harry muttered a quick \"oh shit\" as Draco\'s face came closer, mouth open, eyes closed. He tried to look down, but all he saw was blonde hair before his vision went blurry. It had to be a dream, but it wasn\'t. It was Draco, taking Harry\'s prick into his mouth and licking it, then almost trying to devour it, swallowing it nearly whole, taking it in.

Harry let out an undignified squeak as Draco continued, one hand sliding up to cup Harry\'s balls, squeezing softly. Everything Draco did was just right, from the way he licked to the way he sucked. It was when Harry felt the soft burn of teeth that he came, loudly, almost falling down but supporting himself in time. He looked down then, seeing the blonde hair and the perfect, soft mouth below, wrapped around him, taking him in, as if sucking on his favourite flavour of lollipop.

\"Well,\" said Harry, his face breaking into a now-familiar bout of blushing. \"That was...something.\"

Draco looked at him, smiling, and smirking. \"Next time, you\'ll be the one kneeling.\"

Harry\'s heart leapt into his throat, and he tried to swallow it back down to normal. When he found his voice, the only word to come out was \"okay.\"

Draco grinned, and the real lesson began.

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