Epitome of a Soldier - What it is to be Necessary

Hi everyone :)

Thank you all so much for the reviews. I know I say it all the time but that just means I really mean it :D Of course, I have replies:

chel
I would update more often if I had the time. As it is, once every five days is about all I can manage. Just be glad I'm not updating weekly or even fortnightly (as I am with my other current stories).

polka dot
The pokey? O.o

Kuromei
Yes, t'was a close call for our Harry. Had he not Apparated when he did...*shudders* Glad ya like everything though ^_^ *hugs Kuromei-chan*

Elly
Yay, new reader ^_^ Very pleased that my Harry gives you tingles in your loins (there's a sentence I never thought I'd type O.o). As the stories go on (this one and What it is to be Necessary) Draco does grow up some and becomes a bit more macho. I need him to have a visible soft side though because it brings it out in Harry (and Harry wouldn't show that sort of thing without being prompted into it).
Ooo, review apple! *chomps*

thrnbrooke
Awesome to hear you liked the chapter so much (and don't worry, this whole thing won't end in...*tries to count*...Umm...A whole lotta chapters, yeah XD).

DTDY
I'm glad to hear that :)

Tesgura
It's always nice when people approve of the direction my stories take ^_^

SP777
This being an AU, I decided to fiddle with canon a little bit more (because, y'know, having Harry the way he is isn't enough fiddling for me XD) and have Sectumsempra being a more widely known dark spell rather than one only known by Sev. There's a fine line between good fiddling and too much fiddling; perhaps I crossed it for you? >.<

Kati-chan
Hmm, never really been huge on lostpuppy!Draco myself. Perhaps because I like him being a strong top XD

whitewaterlily
Draco would never be the bottom in any of my stories! I just can't imagine Harry being anything but an adorable little sub. So no worries about that ^_^

I have nothing more to say for now so I'll allow you to get on with this chapter which is slightly longer than last :D

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The sound if an opening door was enough to pull Harry out of his sleep in an instant. His eyes flew open and he lifted his head, ignoring the stiffness which seemed to have seized up every muscle in his body. Upon focusing on the sight of the door opposite him, he was rather surprised to see Lucius Malfoy, dressed in nothing but pyjamas and still appearing to be incredibly worn, standing there in the doorway, looking at him.

After comforting the youngest Malfoy the previous night, Harry had gone down to the study in order to catch up on his search for the Horcruxes. There, he had obviously fallen asleep as he had just been woken by the eldest Malfoy, still sitting in the same chair as the night before. He hadn't meant to fall asleep if only because he knew it would lead to his current situation of horribly stiff limbs and no small amount of pain resulting from any slight movement he made. There was nothing he could do about it though so there was very little point in thinking if only he had done things differently.

"You are awake." Harry said in his usual monotone before he looked down to his book which had closed on his lap during his sleep. "Your son will be relieved."

"He is, I just sent him to bed, he needed some decent rest." Lucius said to him.

Harry said nothing to that, instead opening his book and seemingly returning to it.

"I know Draco has already said it, but I wanted to thank you in person." The Malfoy patriarch said gently. "I don't know why you came and rescued me but you have my deepest thanks that you did."

"Thank you, words of gratitude..." Harry murmured at his book before lifting his gaze to the blonde man in front of him. "Why do you feel the need to say them?"

Lucius stared at Harry in a manner which suggested deep thought for several moments before he shook his head a little and his expression turned to one of disbelief. "I had thought Severus was exaggerating when he told me about you but...You honestly don't understand life, do you?"

If ever there had been a question put to Harry that had made him feel something, that had been the one. That one sentence, spoken with such disbelief and pity, made Harry feel strangely uncomfortable and he struggled for a few moments to try and get to grips with the experience. He knew that the elder Malfoy had meant nothing by it, no doubt truly wanting to know whether that was the case or not, so there was no ill feeling towards the man. Still, the question had made a good point; the dark haired teenager really didn't have much of an understanding of life. He didn't know why he felt the things he did, he didn't know why others acted the way they did, he still didn't know why he had gone and rescued Lucius of the spur of the moment as he had. It was all one massive mystery which Harry had saw no way of solving.

Was it something to be concerned about though? He had only been awake and truly alive for about two weeks at that point and common sense said that that was not enough time to fully become accustomed to life when you were kept in one house most of the time with only two other people to communicate with and learn from. But perhaps his whole life was a cause for concern. Perhaps his inexperience and confusion at even the most simple of human emotions and interactions made him something strange despite the fact none of it was his fault and he was improving...Wasn't he?

Harry gazed down at the page he had opened his book to with unseeing eyes for the single reason that he had no desire to look at the blond man ahead of him and see the look of pity that was no doubt being directed at him. He felt the need to reply to what had probably been a rhetorical question, to justify why he was as he was despite the fact there had been no malice in the question.

"Living is...Difficult." Harry said eventually in his usual monotone, hoping inside that Lucius could understand what he meant when he said it.

"Yes, for someone such as yourself, I imagine it is." Lucius replied sympathetically before slowly turning and leaving the room, gently shutting the door behind himself.

When the click of the door shutting came, Harry lifted his eyes to look at the spot where the Malfoy had been previously standing. "I do not need your pity." He murmured into the silence of the study before his eyes fell back down to his book and he continued with his reading.

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Harry remained in the study for the majority of the morning, pointedly avoiding the other inhabitants of the house. He had no desire to be pitied further by the eldest Malfoy and no doubt the other two occupants of the house were spending time with the blond man and so he was forced to avoid all of them. Not that he was particularly bothered and he thought that even if his absence was noticed, his presence would most likely not be missed. He was sore all over and his healing right hand was starting to get terribly itchy and irritating which was doing nothing for his mood. Plus, he felt the need to instantly catch up and get ahead of himself on the search for the Horcruxes in order to make up to the slight delay he had inflicted upon himself. After all, no one had made him or even asked him to give up an evening to rescue Lucius Malfoy instead of retrieving and destroying Riddle's diary.

When a sudden knock came at the study door, Harry found that he was genuingly rather surprised. His eyes left his book in favour of looking at the door. "Yes?" He said by way of giving permission for whoever it was knocking to enter.

The door opened soon after that softly spoken word and in walked Draco, dressed in what Harry recognised as flying clothes and holding a broom in his right hand. The blond looked his usual confident self which was rather reassuring for Harry, to have things back to normal with the young man. However, the blond's presence was unexpected what with the recent retrieval of his father and the broom he held in his right hand did beg the question as to what he wanted exactly.

"Is there something you need?" Harry inquired in his usual monotone, his eyes returning to his book.

"It's a nice day outside and I'm going outside flying. I realised that you've never flown before so I just wondered if you felt like coming." Draco answered him easily.

"It may have escaped your notice but I am currently in no condition to fly." Harry replied, glancing up from his book again momentarily and seeing the look of disappointed that instantly crossed the blond's face, gave a small sigh and looked back down to the book. "However, if it is companionship you seek, I see no reason why I cannot do my research outside today."

"Really?" Draco asked, sounding hopeful at that.

"I would not have said it if I had been speaking falsely." The dark haired teenager assured as he rose from his seat gracefully, despite his injuries. "Shall we go then?" Without waiting for an answer, he started to move towards the study's door.

Draco followed on behind him quickly, soon catching up and walking beside Harry. They didn't speak to each other, neither felt the need to. Instead, they moved in a companionable silence, both comfortable with the easy quiet. For a few minutes, the only sound came from their footsteps on the bare floorboards but then they reached the kitchen and found that Lucius and Severus were sitting at the table, both having a cup of tea.

The two men looked up upon the entrance of the two teenagers. "Going out flying." Lucius noted, making it seem more of an observation than a question.

"Mmhmm." Draco hummed in confirmation.

"You too Harry?" The blond man tried but the only reply he got from the dark haired young man was silence. He seemed a little put off by that but before he could comment and kick up a huge fuss, Severus stepped into the conversation:

"Do you think it wise to be flying Potter?"

"He won't be." Draco answered for Harry when it was obvious he wasn't going to do so himself. "He's just coming outside to keep me company."

"And can Mr Potter not speak for himself?" Lucius asked in a somewhat dangerous tone, clearly annoyed by the dark haired teenager's continued silence.

Draco opened his mouth to answer on Harry's behalf again but was silenced what Harry spoke for himself finally. "What is the significance of where your information comes from as long as it is reliable and accurate?" He murmured before opening the back door and stepping outside into the fields that stretched out all around the secluded house.

The three Slytherins watched the strange young man leave before Draco suddenly seemed to remember that he was supposed to be leaving as well, at which point he quickly moved after Harry again, leaving the house and closing the door behind himself.

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Harry had decided that he quite liked the sun. He hadn't spent much time out in it before and, technically, he wasn't in it at that moment as he was safely protected under the shade of a large tree, but it wasn't night time and that was certainly different. So far, every time Harry had left the house it had beeen dark outside or at least well on the way to becoming dark. Being outside during the day meant everything was a lot brighter and also a great deal warmer. Not that the nights were cold as it was the middle of summer but it was certainly a noticeable difference to during the day.

Above, Draco was darting around on his broom, obviously enjoying himself, while Harry got on with what he was doing on the ground. The dark haired young man had wondered at several points why the blond had even wanted him out there as they had barely said two words to each other since leaving the house but he wasn't going to complain about it. He was slightly better at talking with people than he had been when he had first woken up but he still couldn't make small talk and probably wouldn't be able to actually start a relaxed, casual conversation if the opportunity arose.

However, in reality, they had only been outside for about half an hour at that point and moments after Harry had stopped thinking, Draco came swooping down and landed gracefully a few feet away from where the Boy-Who-Lived was sitting. The blond walked over to the tree and sat down beside the dark haired young man heavily, close enough so that their thighs slightly touched, before leaning back against the tree trunk lazily.

For a few moments after that, the previous calm returned and neither of them spoke. Eventually thought, it was Draco who started to speak first: "What are you reading?"

"A potions textbook." Harry replied in his usual monotone.

"But aren't you supposed to researching the location of the next Horcrux?"

"I am." Harry answered. A short pause followed before Harry realised that the blond was going to want an explanation to go with that. "I do not use the books for what they are. I use them as a means of concentrating and focusing on what I need to know. I am able to rearrange the letters on the page to discover what Horcrux is due to be retrieved and where it will be found."

"Really?" Draco gasped, sounding amazed and awed. "I've never heard of anyone being able to do that. How did you find out you were able to?"

Harry hesitated, having never really thought about it before. It had been like some sort of instinct really. The moment he had woken up, he had just known that using books in such a way was how he was supposed to find the Horcruxes. No one had ever told him, he couldn't recall Dumbledore ever saying anything of the sort to him anyway. It was just something he had known to do and had been able to do easily.

So, instead of explaining all that to the blond, Harry settled on simply saying: "I have always known."

That seemed to be enough for the aristocrat, no doubt because he was now used to the vague and cryptic answers the dark haired youth often gave, and he allowed that subject to drop. A comfortable silence took them over again after and although there was no reason that Harry shouldn't have been able to return to his research, he found himself unable to concentrate. He couldn't put his finger on what it was that was wrong exactly, other than the curious fluttering feeling in his stomach and the desire to shift restlessly. He didn't act upon that desire but he couldn't deny that he suddenly felt much different and he wasn't sure why. The only thing that had changed was that Draco had landed and sat down next to him and surely that couldn't cause him any harm.

"Harry, can I ask you something?" Draco said to him suddenly in a somewhat sly manner.

"Yes."

"Do you know what a kiss is?"

"A touch or a caress with the lips, usually exchanged between two people who hold an affection for each other." Harry answered, his eyes not moving from his book.

"You've never had one, have you?" The blond continued to enquire.

"My mother and father no doubt kissed me when I was a baby."

"But you've never been kissed on the lips have you?"

Harry's eyes finally flickered onto the young man sitting beside him. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Would you like a kiss?" Draco murmured softly, leaning in closer.

"What makes you think that is even a possibility?" The dark haired boy questioned as he looked up from his book fully, obviously now fairly interested in where their conversation was going.

The blond shrugged. "I just thought you might be curious. Are you?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer but never got the chance to actually speak as within a second, Draco had closed the gap between them and had pressed his lips to the dark haired teenager's. Bright green eyes widened in shock and he felt powerless to do anything as the blond continued to kiss him quite easily. When a hand came up to stroke his cheek and something warm and slippery entered his mouth, all of Harry's sense and thought left him. His eyes drifted shut of their own accord and slowly, very tentatively, he began to respond to the kiss, acting purely on instincts he never knew he had.

The kiss ended slowly, Draco pulling away little by little and, in the end, not even properly breaking their contact, their lips still lightly brushing together. Harry's eyes flew open instantly once the kiss had stopped and a bright blush had lit his face, giving his cheeks the most colour since he had woken up from his long sleep. Draco was a lot more calm and controlled about it all and opened his eyes gradually, smirking lightly when he saw the slightly shocked and speechless expression which was on the face of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"There," the blond said in barely a whisper. "That wasn't so bad for your first kiss, was it?"

Harry struggled with his voice for several moments before he swallowed and then managed to reply. "I have had worse experiences."

"Perhaps it's something you wouldn't mind doing again then, hmm?" Draco suggested.

"I-I suppose that would...Not be so terrible." The dark haired teenager managed to stammer, leaning back slightly to try and put some distance in between himself and the other young man.

Draco smirked at that and finally backed away. "I'll look forward to it." He grinned before reaching to the side and grabbing his broomstick. Then, with no more words, the blond stood, straddled his broom and then took off, going back to enjoying himself in the air.

Harry watched him go, feeling completely and utterly confused by what had just happened.

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Eventually, the sky had darkened with the setting sun and evening came calling for Harry and Draco to finally go back inside the cottage. The four residents of the house ate a small dinner together before retreating into the living room where, for several hours, they had all sat in relative silence as Harry read from his position on the sofa and Severus and Lucius played chess while Draco watched. It was actually getting very late when finally, it was Harry who broke the silence:

"How long will it be before I am fully healed?"

Although it wasn't said, the question was obviously directed to Severus and so he was the one who answered: "It's hard to say exactly but I shouldn't think you'll be up to doing anything too strenuous for the next week or so."

"That will not be possible; Riddle's diary must be retrieved as quickly as possible and too much time has been wasted already." Harry insisted monotonely.

"Then I'll go and get it." Severus said firmly. "I believe I have some Polyjuice potion in stock so I can work undetected. You merely need to tell me where to go and I will be able to handle the rest."

"How many of the Horcruxes are there left to destroy now?" Lucius inquired curiously.

"Once we have dealt with the diary there will only be one left." Severus answered his friend.

"That'll be Nigini then." The mature blond told them.

"His familiar?" Draco said with a light frown of confusion. "I didn't know living things could be made into Horcruxes."

Lucius nodded. "It is possible and I'm quite sure it's the case. I was very close to the Dark Lord for quite some time and although I was never told anything of the such out-right, there were several comments and happenings which could easily be pieced together in such a way."

"Well, it's the best lead we have so far." Severus admitted. "I would recommend you continue your research however, Potter." He said to Harry who had fallen out of the conversation.

"Of course." Harry agreed and despite the fact it was an agreement, it sounded more like it was nothing more than a confirmation that the Potions Master had spoken.

Severus seemed completely fine with that however and said nothing on the subject. Instead, he got to his feet while saying: "As I will have to leave quite early tomorrow morning in order to avoid detection, I shall retire to bed early. Good night to you all."

"Good night Severus." Lucius wished as the black eyed man began to head towards the stairs.

"Night Sev." Draco called after the man.

Harry, as expected, remained silent.

For an hour or so after that, the situation returned to that which it had been before, with Harry keeping to himself while Lucius and Draco amused themselves with chess. Then, eventually, Lucius retired, leaving only the two young men alone in the room. The blond teenager watched his father go intently and when he was completely sure the man was gone, he stood from where he was sitting and strutted confidently over to the dark haired teenager on the sofa.

Harry was well aware of the presence of Draco sitting on the sofa beside him but chose to ignore it. However, when the book he was reading was abruptly pulled from his hands, he felt he had to protest: "What do you think..." His sentence ended rather abruptly as he lost his voice upon the blond curling an arm around his shoulders. He tensed instantly at the contact, much to the Slytherin's disapproval.

"No, now don't do that." Draco scolded him lightly as he pulled the dark haired young man closer to his body. "Just relax."

"But..." Harry tried.

"But nothing." The blond interrupted. "Like I said, just calm down and relax, nothing bad is going to happen."

That wasn't the point as far as Harry was concerned but he was sure that Draco wouldn't understand that. The inexperienced teenager released a slightly shaky breath and tried to force himself to relax in the blond's loose embrace. It was a battle of wills and not in the least relaxing in itself but eventually, after a lot of mental arguing with himself, Harry managed to calm himself down enough to relax against the Slytherin's side. Cautiously, he allowed himself to lean in closer and as he did so, the arm around his shoulders gave him a small squeeze and a pressure came to rest on top of his head. It all startled him a little in the second after it happened but then Harry calmed himself down again and allowed the cuddling to continue.

As the minutes passed by, Harry had to finally admit, if only silently and to himself, that the position he was in with Draco was...Nice. It was warm, it was comfortable and it gave him a sense of acceptance and the knowledge that, just maybe, someone cared for him. Did Draco care for him? He had kissed him and he was the one to initiate the position they were currently in...But did that mean there was anything more there than a physical attraction or the desire to have the Boy-Who-Lived on his arm?

"What are you thinking?" Draco murmured to him gently, the movement of his jaw being felt by Harry on the top of his head.

Harry hesitated a moment, not saying anything as he thought over what would be best to say. The truth could possibly hurt feelings which was something he didn't really want to do. So, eventually, he settled on the much more simple thought that had occurred to him when the cuddle had begun: "You are...Warm."

The dark haired young man felt his companion smile against his hair before the lips stiffened in a kiss. "Is that a good thing?" Came the slightly amused reply.

"Yes." Harry murmured truthfully. Once again, his shoulder was squeezed and another kiss was pressed to the top of his head.

"Good."