The Pursuit of Happiness

::The Pursuit of Happiness- Overly Friendly::

“You have really got to be joking. Of all the stupid things I’ve ever been accused of, me being the heir of Slytherin aside, this has got to be the most moronic.” Harry turned a curious glare on his best friend and sighed. “Why would you even think that, Ron?”

“Well…” Ron looked around the hallways, guiltily, and sighed. “Somebody told me they saw you and Snape taking a walk and being… friendly.” Ron shivered. “I mean I know you like men better than women, but…”

Harry rolled his eyes. “We were hardly being friendly.”

“That’s good to know.” Ron nodded to himself. Harry was already a conspicuous sort without ‘dating’ the most hated teacher at Hogwarts. “I mean, he’s Slytherin, for Godric’s sake.”

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and tossed a withering glance at the red head. “Whose business would it be, but my own, if I were interested in Snape, or any other Slytherin for that matter? Other than the fact that Severus Snape is my teacher, there is no reason why I shouldn’t be entitled the right to be interested in him, Slytherin or not.”

Ron’s face turned an usually pale sort of yellow and he shook his head. “Do you like the greasy git or not?”

Harry sighed, loudly. “I feel the same disdain toward him, that he feels toward me. I just don’t see why you would be so prejudice against another house like that.”

“Not all other houses, Harry.” Ron stopped and leaned against the cold stone wall. “Just Slytherin.”

“Not all Slytherins are bad, Ron, just as not all bad wizards are from Slytherin.” Harry paused for a moment and looked thoughtful. “If you remember correctly, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. Do you think I would have been evil after sliding one of those ugly green ties around my neck?”

Ron smirked and shook his head. “No, not evil… just miserable. You couldn’t be with a group of Slytherins for so long without being catapulted into deep depression or being sent to Azkaban for killing Draco Malfoy.”

Harry looked down at his shoes and sighed. “Draco’s getting progressively worse, physically, but he seems to be trying to… act like a real person.”
n grn grunted at Harry’s use of Malfoy’s first name and shrugged. “Perhaps it is a change of heart, or maybe it’s just that he thinks he’s going to actually die and he’s scared. From wyou you have told me, nobody in his house seems interested enough in his illness to come an visit.” Ron looked sort of sympathetic, as he shook his head and sighed. “I heard that his parents haven’t even paid him a visit. I couldn’t imagine.”

Harry nodded slowly. Dumbledor had visited him in the infirmary many times, sitting in for his absent family members and his parents long since gone. “Snape went to visit him but… I’m sure that’s not the same to someone whose parents are still living… and of course I had you and Hermione come see me every day.”

Ron closed his eyes tightly and dropped his head back against the wall. “I think I’m starting to understand why you are going to see Malfoy so much. He’s probably afraid of dying alone. I’m sure that’s why he allows it.”

Harry nodded his agreement; it made sense. “Speaking of which…” Harry looked down the dark corridor and listened closely. “You head on to Hermione. I bet she’s waiting for you to walk her to Potions.”

Ron quirked a brow at his friend. “Where are you going?”

Harry sighed. “I’m skipping Potions to go see a dying man.”

Ron nodded. “Sounds like a decent enough trade off to me.”

"I thought it would seem like trading one evil for another, considering who the dying man is." Harry smirked at the exasperated look he pulled from his friend.

Ron sighed. "I'm trying to be considerate, Harry. Just let it be and go see your boyfriend."

Harry felt heat rise in his face, but he played it off with a deep chuckle. "Yeah, well you better go find Hermione before Pansy Parkinson decides to move in on your territory."

Ron grinned and pushed Harry's shoulder, playfully. "If Pansy is the worst competition I have to worry about, I'd say I'm doing all right. See you, Harry."

Harry and Ron parted ways, giving Harry just enough silence to think about what had made him flush. Had it been because Ron had, rather loudly, stated that Harry should go see a boyfriend or was it because he had implied that Draco Malfoy was the boyfriend that he needed to see? Harry shook his head and tried to will the heat out of his face. 'Okay,' Harry considered, 'Draco is a good looking boy... err... man.' Thinking about Draco being a man, instead a boy, did not help matters at all. Thinking about Draco boy boy was safe, while thinking about him as a man... Harry shivered. If Draco was a man, that meant he was no longer the annoying little prat that used to hex Harry in to oblivion, which left Harry with no reason to hate him. If Harry had no reason to hate Draco, then he had no reason to not be attracted to the idea of some sort of relationship with him.

"Holy Merlin!" Harry swore, as he stood outside of the infirmary. Had he just used the words Draco and relationship in the same thought process? "Hell no." Harry muttered, as he pushed open the door and made his way inside.

"Potter." Draco was sitting up in his bed, looking quite perky, all things consid. "d. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be sitting along side your contemptuous brood of know-it-alls and beggars? You would be in Potions now, am I correct?"

Harry took a seat beside Draco's bed and scowled at the blonde. "You seem to be a bit of your old self, Malfoy."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, well I'm feeling a little better. The transition from scalding heat to bitter chills is actually quite temperate." Draco bit the insides of his cheeks, making his face seem more hollow than natural. "So, I sense that this isn't just a social call. What's on your mind, Potter?"

Harry ran his fingers through his messy locks and sighed. "Since you are feeling better, will you tell me exactly what is wrong with you and why it came about?"

Draco contemplated his options and seeing that he really had none, he decided to be agreeable. "Well, it came down to a choice, Potter. After my third year at Hogwarts I was taken aside by my father and asked what I was willing to do, to insure our station in the future. I agreed that I would marry a perfectly, perfect pure-blood witch and continue carrying the Malfoy name on through me to a son."

Draco sighed and sat back against the headboard of his bed. "I knew that my father had already had someone in mind and I was just wanted to see if she was pretty enough that I wouldn't be ill for the whole of my married life. A week or so later, my father brought a prestigious pure-blood Wizarding family, from France of all places, into our home on the pretense of 'visiting old friends'."

Draco laughed and rolled his eyes, once again. "I met Lila Cruceao and instantly felt like I could die. What a perfectly beautiful, quiet, sweet... female." Draco shook his head, silently, and bit his bottom lip. "She had absolutely no mind of her own, and she was absolutely scrumptious."

Harry was confused. Wouldn't that be the perfect arrangement and what did this have to do with Draco's curse? Something had to have gone completely wrong. "What was wrong with her?"

Draco shook his head. "To this day, I can't think of anything bad to say about the girl. She was and is the perfect dream of a Malfoy wife." Draco started playing with the coverlet that was draped across the bottom half of his body. "The problem was with me." Draco paused, looking for a way to continue with his story.

"Lila and I have been engaged since fourth year... betrothed if you will. I never asked the girl to marry me and she certainly didn't accept. Although, she assured me that she would quickly and quietly produce an heir with me, as soon as I wanted to 'do the deed'." Draco smiled ais pis point. "She really is beautiful."

Harry was tired and Draco was getting off point. "What happened?" Harry blurted, in exasperation.

Draco looked up, slightly shocked. "Oh..." The blonde looked past Harry and around the room, as if accessing that no one else was present. "A month ago, I had a talk with Lila and we cut off the arrangement. It was my fault, of course, but she was really sweet about it and wished me the best of luck. Then, I went to mother and... Well, she begged me to run away from home and start a life out in the wilderness." Draco smirked and shook his head. "Instead of heeding her direction, I went and explained to my father the extenuating circumstances." Draco stopped altogether and looked down where his feet were hiding under the blankets.

“And what happened?” Harry pushed.

“My father called Mr. Cruceao and offered him a chance at retribution ‘for his daughter’s sake’.” Draco’s face went stony and he sighed.

Harry shook his head. “Couldn’t they just find you a more compatible mate? Why was he so angry?”

“He was angry because, in my situation, I did not have the faculties to produce him a male heir and mother is too tired to give him another son.”

Harry sat there looking at Draco, his mouth hanging open and looking rather stupid. “You mean you don’t have any…”

Draco tried to put two and two together, but it added up to five each time. “What in Salazar’s name are you getting at, Potter?”

Harry, in a sort of embarrassed fashion, motioned toward his crotch. He blushed brightly, when a look of undendinnding passed across Draco’s face.

“Oh, I assure you, Potter, the equipment is there and it is quite all right.” Draco chuckled, weakly, and shook his he“You“You really are rather naïve, Potter. Have the rumors not reached your ears on what a glorious slut I am?”

Harry closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. It was true. There were quite a few who sang the praises of Draco and his sexual prowess. “You just said…”

Draco nodded and smiled. Harry was a bit naïve but it was kind of… endearing? Certainly not cute. Draco scowled and grunted. “My problem, Potter, is that I prefer a different sex than that of Lila’s.”

Harry looked up at Draco, a look of understanding dawning. “You were too kinky for her?”

Draco’s face fell and he decided, at once, that Harry naiveté was annoying, not endearing. “I like men more than women, Potter. I prefer a nice chiseled body to delicate curves. I like rough hands on my hips, instead of soft caresses down my shoulder blades. Am I getting through to you?”

Oh, was he. Harry face went crimson and he knew that he wout bet be able to stand up and walk away without embarrassing himself in front of Draco. Why had the other boy painted such a vivid picture? The image of Draco rolling around with another man would plague Harry, until he could convince Hermione to cast an obliviate without asking questions.

“Potter, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Draco looked slightly confused and, more than a little, frustrated. “You just don’t… catch on quick enough for my liking.”

Harry nodded and gulped. “So… your dad doesn’t agree with your lifestyle choice?”

Draco smirked and shook his head. “It’s more complicated than that. The wizarding world doesn’t place any sort of restrictions on who you want as a lover or take on as a mate. My father would have been perfectly happy with me marrying Lila and sleeping with as many men as my loins desired.”

Draco smiled, viciously. “Lila’s father would have been just as happy with that, I imagine. The problem was that I couldn’t hold Lila back in such a way. She is bound by her sense of loyalty and I could never convince her to mess around with whomever she wanted. She would have been faithful and I… certainly would not have been a loyal husband.”

“I could have married the girl, had a son, and cheated on her until my dying day… I would have become my father, but I could have done it. Instead, I wanted to preserve our friendship and just remain friends. I told my father all of this and he told Mr. Cruceao that I had defiled his daughter and decided not to marry her. I think he did it because he was too afraid to kill me himself.

“My mother would have murdered him, but now since it is my word against his and his magical signature is nowhere on me… Mother is obligated to stand beside my father.” Draco paused and shrugged. “If I’m still alive by the time we graduate, my mother can side with me. I will not be a child against his father, but an adult against another adult.”

Harry shook his head. “The rules involved in this situation are messed up.”

Draco nodded. “I agree. Wow, Potter, we agree on something.”

Harry smirked. “I suppose we should celebrate this momentous occasion.”

“How about you help me to the showers? I think showering would be the best thing that I’ve ever decided to do.”

“You could spell your way clean.” Harry muttered, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of Draco naked and so c to to him.

Draco shook his head. “My powers are certainly lacking at this point in time and I would really enjoy feeling the warm water, right about now.” Draco smirked, in a sort of sad way. “I’m starting to feel cold.”

Harry nodded and stood from his chair. He was no longer feeling the blood pulsing in his pants, but he knew that the moment he saw Draco in a shower, he would have to wear his robes wrapped a little closer. He helped Draco from the bed and let the sinuous boy lean against him. “You’re so light.”

Draco grunted and looked down his own body. “The coloration is definitely in the blood. If I do find someone to carry on the line, I should find someone darker than myself.”

“I was talking about your weight. You hardly weigh anything at all.” Harry helped Draco to the private shower hooked on to the infirmary. “Can you still not eat anything?”

Draco didn’t answer, until they reached the shower and closed the door. “I’ve tried, but… my body is rejecting sortsort of sustenance. It just wants to give up.” Draco pushed his loose pair of sweatpants down his hips and kicked them over to the side. He turned the shower on and then pushed his boxers down and away. He stepped under the spray, ignoring the way that Harry watched him.

“You aren’t very modest.” The statement had slipped out, without Harry’s consent. He threw a hand up over his mouth and gasped.

Draco chuckled and ran his hands through his water-slick hair. “It’s not in my nature.” He smoothed his hands down his neck and abdomen and stopped before reaching his groin. Draco sighed, as he let the hot water cascade down his body. “I could stay here, forever.”

‘So could I.’ Harry thought, as he looked Draco over with interest. The boy looked half-starved, but he also looked graceful and lithe. He was like a beautiful snake… or a cat. Draco seemed to have forgotten that Harry was present. The blonde was practically purring his pleasure, as the water heated up just a little more.

Draco started washing his hair and sighed, lustily. His strong, elegant fingers ran circles around his scalp and he started to relax. “Salazar help me.” He grunted, with pleasure.

Harry gulped, silently, and stood back against the far wall. He knew it was wrong to watch, but he really couldn’t convince himself to stop. He was there to make sure the boy didn’t fall down or kill himself, but… how could he do that without keeping a close eye on him? ‘Godric, I’m a pervert.’ Harry thought, with a silent sigh.

Draco rinsed his hair, and started to wash his body. He moved down from his neck and shoulders, onto his pectorals and sto stomach. He paid special attentions to his nipples, tweaking them slightly, as he passed them up and searched down for his belly button. He cleaned it with almost too much thoroughness, dipping in and out of the small indent with his pointer, soaping it up with gusto
H
Harry’s face was ablaze and his cock was eagerly straining against the zipper of his pants. He was almost considering pulling it out when he was stopped by a very enticing sight.

Draco reached his soapy hand down and massaged his cock around the base. He soaped it up and down, gasping and sighing. He paid extra attention to the head, playing with the slit and forcing out a bit of pre-cum. He grunted, as he slipped his hand down the underside, running a finger down the ropy vein that resided there. Draco gripped his prick, softly, and started a jacking motion, sighing as he did so. “Oh, Salazar.” He gasped, as he picked up the pace. Draco leaned against the shower wall, one arm bracing him, as the other jacked him off at a frenzied pace.

Harry’s balls were tight and he hadn’t even touched himself. The dark haired Gryffindor hadn’t cummed his pants since third year, and now he was about to over the sight of… Draco fucking his fist. ‘Bloody hell.’ Harry swore mentally, and loosened his pants. He stuck his hand down his briefs and gripped his straining prick, groaning as he did so.

Draco’s eyes popped open at the noise and he turned his head toward Harry. The boy was leaned back against a wall, his hand down his pants, and headhead thrown back in lustful abandon. “Oh…” Draco gripped himself tighter and pumped his cock once mospraspraying his seed on the shower floor and down the drain, along with the dirty water and soapy suds. The blonde looked back at Harry, just in time to see him cease all movement and fall limp against the wall. Draco finished washing up and turned off the shower ste stepped out of the stall and pulled a towel off of the back of a nearby chair.

Harry looked up from his new place on the floor and saw that Draco had finished his shower and his back was turned, as he dried himself off. Harry pushed himself up and spelled himself clean, before zipping himself up and draping his robe back in place.

Draco turned around, now dressed in a pair of clean sweats, and looked at Harry as if nothing had happened. “Come on, Potter. Lets not dally. I need to get back to bed before Pomfrey comes looking for us.”

Harry bit his om lom lip and nodded. He allowed Draco to lean on him, once more, as he led him away from the shower and to his bed. He helped the boy slip back under the covers and offered to get him a few more.

Draco shivered and nodded. He was becoming quite cold. “You know, Potter… If you find some miraculous way to save my life, I may have to marry -you-.”

Harry paused his search for blankets, and looked back at Draco. “What are you playing at, Malfoy?”

Draco shrugged and grinned, as he settled down under the covers, a little further. “Not playing… It’s just that I’d like to see you cum again and you don’t seem like the sex before marriage type.”

TBC

Hmm… what’s all this then?

Please review. I’ve had a horrible week and I need some encouragement. If you don’t have encouraging words… you can review too, but please be nice about it.

(I edited a little bit... So sorry about inconveniencing you guys. Thank you 'the zedmeister' for showing me what my rose colored goggles had produced. *grin* You're a peach.)