With A Dragon's Heart

All right. Before everyone freaks out, a warning: In this chapter lies a Het pairing. And if you haven’t guessed who, then I ain’t telling...*grins*

Annie


CHAPTER THIRTY: The Settlement


Draco was the first one to wake. He turned over on his back and stared absently at the ceiling. Smiling. He was listening to the soft shallow breathing coming from the boy next to him and for the first time in his life, things were going right for Draco. No more summers of hell; no more fears of the Malfoy Manor; no more shy and guilty glances from his mother.

His mother. Narcissa Malfoy. He quietly chuckled remembering what Severus told him about how is mother backhanded his father. Twice even. And then there was a jab to Lucius’ jaw. By a fist. Her fist! His smile turned into a grin. Narcissa Malfoy, the proud wife of Lucius Malfoy and the well-mannered pureblood aristocrat – hit his father. Draco closed his eyes and pictured her face. Pictured her hitting his father. His smile soon faded when he thought of her looks she gave him when he was around. She knew. She knew what was happening to him. She had to of. Didn’t she?

Draco\'s cheek tickled a bit as a single tear made it’s way down his face. He reached up to wipe it off, unaware that someone was stirring next to him.

“Draco?”

The blond turned his face away.

“Draco?” Harry whispered again, this time rising to his elbow. “You all right?”

Draco nodded. Harry tenderly guided the other boy’s face over to look at him.

“I’m fine, Harry,” he said quietly, not meeting the emerald green eyes.

The young wizard leaned down and gently kissed him. He pulled back slightly, just enough to gaze into Draco\'s eyes.

“Tell me,” asked Harry softly.

Again, Draco turned his head away. “I was just thinking about my mother.”

The Gryffindor sighed, partly in relief. He thought it was about Draco’s father again. Or worse. Last night.

“Draco,” Harry began.

The blond quickly shook his head as if he was clearing his mind. He faced the concerned look of the other young wizard and smiled.

“Its all right, Harry. Its something I have to work out on my own.” Harry frowned and opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. “Harry. Please. I know you want to help, but you can’t. Not with this. Okay?”

The young wizard nodded, glancing away.

“Hey,” Draco whispered and he rose up to meet Harry’s cheek. “You’ve helped me more than you know.”

Harry looked over at him through the corner of his eye. Draco was smirking at him and Harry rolled his eyes. The blond’s hand caressed the other boy’s chest and then it lowered to lightly grazed Harry’s morning erection. He pushed Harry back onto the bed and bent down to kiss him.

“You’re impossible, you know that.”

Draco smirked again. “Yeah. I do,” he said grinning.

Harry pulled Draco down for another kiss as the blond teased his fully hardened cock. Harry moaned into Draco\'s mouth while the hand squeezed briefly before rubbing up and down the length. Harry’s breathing hitched and spread his legs unconsciously. Draco released his grip and reached down between his legs and collected his balls in his hands. Harry broke the kiss, pressing his head back, deep into the pillow. The blond slid down, still off to the side of the tan body, flicking his tongue along his skin. Draco crawled between Harry’s legs and closed his lips over the head.

Massaging his balls, Draco slowly took Harry deeper into his mouth. Harry hissed and ran his fingers through the blond’s hair. Draco smiled around his cock and pulled back up, lingering his mouth along the tip. Harry groaned at the loss then held he breath as the warm mouth descended back down.

“Gods, Draco, you’re killing me,” he gasped.

One hand was still cradling his sac and the other now had a firm grasp at the base. Harry dug his heels into the mattress and squirmed underneath the blond’s unrelenting pleasure-torture. Draco pursed his lips tight and began to establish a small, controlled rhythm until gradually increasing the speed. Harry halfway sat up and grabbed Draco\'s hair.

“No no no no…”

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. Harry smiled and tugged the boy’s hair to hint that he wanted Draco to move back up to his lips. The blond shook his head smiling and crawled back up and lightly grazed his body on top of Harry’s. Draco braced himself on his elbows, arms straddling the young wizard’s head. He bent down and licked Harry’s lower lip.

“Draco,” Harry breathed. “Please…” he started, but didn’t finish.

“Yes, Harry?” Draco teased.

The Gryffindor wrapped his legs over the Slytherin’s arse, pulling his body flush against him. Draco swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Harry hugged him and then slid his hands up and down his spine. The blond buried his face in his neck and nipped at Harry’s flesh causing him to grind his erection against the other boy. They started rocking in time with each other until Harry pulled Draco\'s hand up to his mouth to suck on them.

“Harry, I…” But he was silenced with a thrust of Harry’s hips.

Draco\'s fingers rolled on top of Harry’s tongue, covering it completely with spittle. Harry pulled them out of his mouth and led Draco\'s hand just next to their compressed bodies. The blond barely raised his hips, just enough so he could wedge his hand and his wet fingers between them. Suddenly, Draco retracted them and rested his body back down on Harry’s.

“Draco?”

“Shh,” the blond whispered as he kissed Harry’s wrinkled forehead.

“Draco,” Harry repeated.

“Just hold me, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes widened but immediately tightened his hug with his wrapped arms and legs him.

“Things will change once we get back to Hogwarts,” the blond said softly.

Harry gasped and pushed Draco up by his shoulders. “What?”

The blond had his eyes closed and a tear fell on Harry’s face. “Won\'t it?”

“Draco Malfoy! If you think…”

Cloudy grey eyes peered down to dark emerald ones.

“What will everyone say, Harry? ‘Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, took pity on Draco Malfoy, son of the Death Eater, Lucius Mal-”

Harry pushed Draco off and onto his back. “I don’t care what anyone will say!”

Draco sighed and looked away.

“But you do, don’t you Draco?”

The Slytherin snapped his head and glared at him. “No I don’t!”

“Are you sure, Draco? I mean what will your ‘friends’ think? Consorting with Harry Potter.”

“And what about you?” Draco spat back. “The whole wizarding world will know you’re gay! And not just gay, but in a … a …”

“Relationship,” Harry smiled, offering the correct word.

Draco scowled. “Thank you. Relationship with Draco Malfoy!”

Harry continued to smile warmly at him.

“It’s not funny, Potter!”

The Gryffindor softly snorted and nodded slowly. “Yes it is, Malfoy. I don’t care what anyone will say or for that matter, what anyone will think.”

Draco opened his mouth to speak but Harry quickly covered it with his hand.

“Let me finish,” he teased. “Now, where was I? Oh yes. You don’t care and I don’t care. So what else matters?”

“And I don’t care,” a low voice added.

Harry jumped away from Draco, pulling the sheet up to his neck.

“Merlin\'s blood! Don’t you ever knock, Snape?” Harry cried and Draco bit back a laugh.

Severus smirked, ignoring Harry’s sudden lack of Snape\'s title.

“If you two are finished, then I suggest you get back to your appropriate room,” he said, looking at Harry. “They will be here shortly to discuss your release.”

Snape turned to leave but stopped to look over his shoulder.

“And I also suggest you both shower.”

Harry’s eyebrows disappeared underneath his fringe and turned to gape at Draco, who was still stifling a laugh.

As Harry’s mouth opened and closed not knowing what to say, Draco snickered, “Well you heard him. Time to go back to your room.”

The other wizard narrowed his eyes. “I’m so glad you think it’s funny,” Harry sneered.

The blond shook his head. “Really, Potter. You need to get a sense of humour.” But Before Harry could respond, Draco continued, “Now come on. The sooner we can get back, the sooner I can show you off as my new boyfriend.”

The blond crawled over Harry to get off the bed but was pulled backwards and thrusted onto his back.

“Hey, watch it!”

Harry leered down at him. “It will be me showing you off,” he corrected.

Draco\'s snort was silenced by a rough kiss and a warm body covering him. Not to be outdone, the blond grabbed a fistful of hair and deepened the kiss.

“Draco,” Harry gasped softly into his mouth, but Draco kissed him deeper still.

Harry pulled away from him slowly and the Slytherin grinned.

“Now that we’ve come to an agreement,” Draco snorted. “Will you get off me so you can go shower?”

“Look who’s talking,” Harry scoffed.

“Draco Malfoy. The one who will always have the last word,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“Arrogant prat.”

“I know,” Draco said smugly.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Severus Snape glanced up from the assignments he was grading. “Ah, Miss Granger. Please come in.”

Hermione nodded and closed his office door. She walked up to the Potion Master’s desk and waited quietly. She smiled as she watched him shake his head now and then as he graded them.

“Ignorant fools,” he hissed softly.

She bit her lower lip, trying hard not to giggle. Severus looked at her briefly then straightened his back as he arranged the papers into a neat pile. He cleared his throat.

“I just spoke to Mr. Weasley and now I would like to address the current events with you.”

Hermione’s mind drifted back to Ron. He was just leaving Severus’ office when she ran into him.

“Hermione! Snape just apologised! To me! Can you believe it?”

She blinked then focused her attention back to her Professor. He had his eyebrow raised at her and she softly smiled as an apology.

“As I was saying, you and Mr. Weasley helped Mr. Mal-…Draco,” he corrected himself, still pretending to straighten the papers. “...a great deal the other day. If it hadn’t been for the two of you and your influences with the Ministry, I don’t believe…”

“You’re welcome, Professor Snape.”

His dark onyx eyes shot up to warm brown ones. He quickly regained his composure and nervously cleared his throat as he turned his attention – yet again – to the assignments in front of him.

“Yes, well…” he said, fidgeting with them. He quickly shook his head, changing the subject. “I’d like to discuss what happened in my bath-…the other day when you were ill.”

“I’m seventeen.”

Severus looked up and stared at her. “I beg your pardon?”

Hermione lips went into an amused thin line. “I said,” she began, raising her eyebrows. “that I’m seventeen.”

“I hardly see the point. I am your Professor and you are still…”

“Do you like me?”

“If you would be so kind as to allow me to finish.” Then it dawned on Severus what she said. “What did you just say?” Although he was truly afraid to hear the answer.

“Do you like me?” she repeated firmly.

Severus sighed. “You are an excellent student, Miss Granger, and I know that out of all of my students,”

“Look,” Hermione snapped. “You know exactly what I’m referring to, so if you don’t have any feelings towards me whatsoever, then I wish you would just come out and say so!”

Severus raised his brows slightly at her exclamation but then narrowed his eyes.

Taking that as his answer, Hermione clenched her teeth. “Fine! Sorry to have troubled you. Professor.”

She rotated around and marched to the door.

“I’m twice your age, child.”

Hermione spun around. “I don’t care!”

Severus was standing tall with his arms crossed defensively around his chest. She looked at him inquisitively, but inwardly, she smiled. She stormed back over to him and stopped short, two feet away. Severus held his stance but flinched slightly when Hermione raised her hand, aiming towards his face. He quickly grabbed her wrist.

“No,” he whispered.

She glared at him and then pushed him away with her other hand. His knees hit the edge of his chair and he tumbled into it, releasing his grasp on her. Hermione bent over and Severus tried to push his chair back with his feet.

“You are the most stubborn man that I have ever met,” she hissed.

Snape\'s smirk returned. “Thank you. And may I say that you are the most stubborn woman that I have ever met, Miss Granger.”

Her young lips curled into a thoughtful smile. “Hermione.”

“I’m sorry?”

“My name is Hermione.”

“I know what your…”

“Then say it.”

Severus’ expression softened and for a moment he was silent, lost in her sparkling brown eyes.

“Hermione,” he whispered.

The young witch smiled. “Thank you.” A pause. “Severus.”


~*~*~*~*~*~


Albus Dumbledore was sitting uncomfortably in a chair opposite of Harry and Draco in a private room at St. Mungo’s. There was an odd moment of silence before Albus began.

“Draco, by now you are aware of your father’s status?”

The young wizard nodded. Lucius trial will be held in two months. Fortunately, Draco will not have to testify. He was even told that he didn’t have to attend. He declined. He wanted to attend. And Harry would be right by his side. He imagined the look on his father’s face and smiled wickedly.

“Good. Now Harry,” Dumbledore started, his voice wavering slightly. “I spoke with your family.”

Harry tensed and then jumped when Draco\'s warm hand squeezed his leg. He glanced over at him then turned his attention back to Albus. He raised an eyebrow and nodded once for him to continue. The older wizard looked away briefly and sighed before meeting Harry’s darkened expression.

“I’m afraid they have denied everything,” he said softly, hoping to ease the dreaded news.

“What!” Draco screamed.

Harry closed his eyes and lowered his head. He knew this would happen. Of course they’d deny it. That would make Dudley a monster. A freak. Harry took a deep breath at that thought. He was the freak, wasn’t he?

“Draco, because they are muggles, they are not required to take the Veritaserum potion.”

The furious Slytherin sprang to his feet. “Then let me talk to them!”

Albus wanted so badly to smile. Instead, he peered over his glasses and said, “I’m sure you think that would help, but truthfully it would only make matters worse for Harry.”

“Not if they’re dead,” Draco smirked.

Dumbledore opened his mouth but Harry was the next one to speak.

“Draco. Please,” he whispered, tugging on his arm. “Let it go.”

“What! Are you mad? How can you say that?”

Harry rose to his feet and looked at the blond sadly. “Because it’s the truth. We have to let it go. I have to let it go.”

“Harry!” Albus and Draco shouted together.

Harry jerked his arm away from Draco\'s hold and ran from the room. Draco wanted to run after him but he was too shocked to move. So was Dumbledore.

“I-I can\'t believe he just said that,” Draco whispered. He heard Albus sigh behind him and turned around.

Albus was looking thoughtful as he stood. “Well, the Ministry can’t do anything further, but,” he shot a glance at Draco. “it would be understandable if his friends did,” he finished with a twinkle in his eye. “Good day, Mr. Malfoy.”

It seemed as if Albus had changed his mind.

Draco remained frozen as he watched the Headmaster leave the room. It was a few seconds before he thawed out enough to grin.

“And we will,” he said out loud.


~*~*~*~*~*~


TBC