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A/N: Aww, I can't believe we're already here: Chapter 9. I'm sorry to say it, but after this, I don't have any more chapters written. But I promise to have more soon. (Which I'm sure many will want, after reading this chapter). Sorry guys. Thanks for all your reviews so far!! I really appreciate them. Hope you like this chapter! :)

hieisdragoness18: haha Yes, they both are rather dense. If only they would just be honest with each other. More is now. Hope you like! :)

Jess: I'm glad I gave you some more extra slash reading for the weekend. Hope you will enjoy this next chapter as much as the others. :) Hmm... so you don't like the healer, huh? Interesting. Guess we'll have to see if your instincts are right about him. haha Yes, you could definitely see that Draco wanted Harry to tell him to stay. Too cute. Hugs back to you! (P.S. I like jealous Draco, too).

wickedwiccanofthemiddwest: haha Hmm, well I will say this: there will definitely be some drama when Draco returns; although, probably not the kind of drama you're expecting. Sorry, all I can say. You'll just have to read this chapter to understand. :)

Yaoirules42: Yes, I will have more on Draco and Andrew. I'm just not sure when it will be. But it's in the back of my head, so don't you fret. :)

thrnbrooke: Your wait is over. Here's chapter 9. haha Oh man, I don't even want to think what Draco might have done if he saw that kiss. Curious about the hotel? Well... now you can keep reading to find out! :)

*****
“Yes!” I heard Zabini suddenly exclaim. “Told you.”

I stopped flipping through the channels on the telly and turned toward Zabini, laughing when I saw him holding up the light blue-green plush baby dragon. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, he had begun rummaging through the drawers near Malfoy’s bed, seeking out the toy that had been discussed earlier in the evening. “It’s cute,” I commented.

Zabini stared at the dragon and smirked, before placing it back in its hiding place. He then moved toward my bed and sat down, as I began flipping through the channels again.

“Merlin, you’re just like Draco,” he huffed, quickly grabbing the remote out of my hand. “Just pick a channel already.”

I smiled over at him, before glancing at the clock on the table. I frowned, realizing Malfoy had left the restaurant almost an hour ago. I sighed, as I returned my attention to the TV program Zabini had come across.

I started fidgeting with my fingers, not able to concentrate on the show, as thoughts of Malfoy continued to plague my mind. Something was just not sitting well with me, but I couldn’t place it. Why was I worrying so much?

“Zabini, may I ask you something?” I finally said, needing to keep my mind off of Malfoy for the moment.

“No,” Zabini answered, keeping his eyes fixed on the box.

I frowned, before seeing him smirk in my direction a few seconds later. I rolled my eyes, as I hit him with one of my pillows. “You and Malfoy, I swear,” I sighed, while shaking my head.

“You know you love us, Potter,” he teased, as he threw the pillow back at me.

I rolled my eyes again, as I placed the pillow behind me. I took a deep breath, noticing Zabini still staring at me, waiting for me to ask him my question. “Would you ever talk to a mind healer?” I finally asked.

“Would and have,” he nodded.

“Really? So it helped?”

“For the most part,” he replied. “It was kind of nice having someone to talk to.”

I licked my lips, as I thought about his answer. “Garvin thinks I should speak to someone,” I stated.

He furrowed his eyebrows, as he stared at me inquisitively. “Well, you have spoken to one before though, right?”

I shook my head, “No.”

“Wait, you’ve never spoken to a mind healer after the war ended?”

“No, why would I?”

He shrugged, as he turned back to the television. “I just figured you of all people would need to talk to one, after everything you’ve gone through over the years.”

I sighed, as I began fidgeting with my fingers again. He was right. I did have a lot of stress and emotions during that time. But Luna was there to help me through a lot of it. Of course, look how well that turned out. And maybe if I had talked to a shrink, I wouldn’t have felt so insecure in our relationship.

I felt some tears form in my eyes, as the memory of Luna flooded back. Merlin, I missed her so much. She was my everything. Not even Ginny held my heart the way she did.

Zabini turned toward me, noticing my tear-filled eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked. I could feel his body tense a little from my sudden show of emotions and already knew it was different than when Malfoy was sitting beside me.

I nodded, as I wiped the tears that were now rolling down my cheeks. I just couldn’t stop them from falling. Merlin, I wished Malfoy was here. I knew he would understand. “I’m okay,” I finally said, ridding the last of my tears. “It was just a lot of things that hit me at once, and I couldn’t control it,” I explained.

He looked at me warily, before accepting my explanation. “Perhaps you should talk to a mind healer,” he suggested.

“I think you’re right,” I agreed, giving him a small smile. Well, I had to at least let him believe I was doing a little better. I mean I really didn’t want to have to explain myself further, if I could avoid it.

I then looked over at the clock, frowning again when I saw the time. Just how long was he going to be gone for?

“I’m surprised he’s not back yet,” Zabini suddenly said. He must have realized it was getting late, too.

“They must be having a really good time,” I said, feeling my chest tighten at the thought.

“Well it can’t be that good of a time,” he snickered. “It’s not like they’re shagging or anything.”

I stared over at him, shocked by his sudden announcement. “What are you talking about? Aren’t they,” I cleared my throat, feeling a little awkward, “you know?”

He smiled at me, while shaking his head. “Draco would never do that on a first date.”

“He wouldn’t?”

“I’ve known Draco practically my entire life,” he continued. “And one thing I know for certain is that he would never take it to the next step, until he truly knows the person and cares about them.”

“That still sounds so weird to me,” I said, remembering when Malfoy had also said that to me. “It’s just…the way he acts and talks, I would never think-” I continued, shaking my head in puzzlement.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Zabini interrupted. “He’s no prude, by any means,” he smirked, before closing his eyes and licking his lips. “I mean the way he can just wrap his tongue around your…” he quickly stopped, as he looked over at me, blushing from embarrassment. “Too much information?”

“Just a tad,” I unevenly voiced, feeling my cock now pulsating at the idea of Malfoy’s tongue. Merlin, why did he have to say that?

Zabini smiled, as his cheeks remained flush. “Sorry,” he said.

I nodded, before suddenly remembering what we were talking about just prior to this very uncomfortable conversation. “So then, they’re not shagging,” I stated, probably a bit too cheerfully than I should have, not able to hide the huge grin on my face.

Zabini chuckled, before turning his attention back to the TV. I knew he was laughing at me, but I didn’t care. I was just too excited to know that Malfoy wasn’t shagging Garvin. Who knew that bit of information would help me relax. I mean even my jealousy was fading away. Yes, I already said I was jealous. Must you keep reminding me?

I suddenly furrowed my eyebrows, when I heard a dull thud on the door. I turned toward Zabini, noticing his confusion, as well. I stood up from my bed and slowly made my way to the door, peeking through the hole on the door, seeing nobody there.

“Who is it?” Zabini questioned.

“Nobody,” I said, shaking my head, as I returned to my seat on the bed. Strange. I could have sworn I heard something. Even Zabini heard it.

We continued watching television, until we heard that same dull thud sound again, a minute later. I sighed, as I stood up and moved toward the door, deciding to just open it this time.

As soon as I jerked the door open, I saw a bloodied up body, which was resting on the door, fall into the room. “Holy shit,” I cursed, as I quickly dropped to my knees, realizing the body was Malfoy’s.

I heard Zabini quickly jump off the bed, as he scurried his way toward us. He dropped to his knees, as he started brushing Malfoy’s hair out of his face. He looked grieved-stricken, as he continued to find more cuts and bruises along his best friend’s body. And I have to say, I wasn’t feeling, or looking, all that well, myself.

“Let’s move him to the bed,” I finally said, sliding my hands underneath his upper body, while waiting for Zabini to lift his lower part.

We gently carried him to his bed, hearing him softly whimper, when we laid him down. I hurried toward the bathroom, grabbing a towel and wetting it with warm water. When I came back into the room, I noticed Zabini sitting beside Malfoy, his face mere inches away from his friend’s, while Malfoy whispered something to him.

I could see Zabini’s body stiffen instantly, as his hands formed into tight fists. A few seconds later, he quickly stood up and looked over at me, rage clearly present in his eyes. “He’s fucking dead!” he furiously shouted, as he hastened his steps to the door.

“Where are you going?” I frantically asked, still unsure what was going on.

“To see a frigging healer,” he spat, turning his head in my direction.

If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets from having them opened so wide. I started to wring the towel in my hands, feeling my own anger rise. I glanced over at Malfoy, seeing his body begin to shiver. I quickly moved toward his bed, tucking the sheets around him. My chest tightened, as my breaths became heavier. I looked over at Zabini, rage right on the surface now. “Did he?” I seethed.

He gripped the doorknob tighter, and I could see his knuckles turning white. I swallowed, as I looked into his anger-filled eyes, afraid of the answer. “Almost,” he shakily voiced, easing my fury just a little. “Draco was able to get away, before he actually did.”

“Fuck,” I swore, glancing down at Malfoy’s still trembling body.

“Take care of him, Potter.”

I looked back up at Zabini, feeling a calm suddenly take over me. “I will,” I affirmed.

He nodded, as he pulled open the door and started to leave.

“Zabini,” I called out, seeing him turn back toward me, raising his eyebrows in question. “Could you do me a favor?”

Zabini smirked, as he cracked his knuckles. “Right or left?” he asked.

“Left,” I smirked, knowing he understood my request. “But try to be as inconspicuous as you can,” I cautioned. “Bryan Zorin must stay off the Ministry’s radar at all costs.”

A menacing smile suddenly appeared on his face. “Oh, don’t worry. That fucking bastard won’t be meeting him tonight.”

“Zabini, wait,” I warned, but it was too late. The ex-Death Eater was already gone.

I glanced back down at Malfoy, seeing his mouth begin to chatter, and knew he needed some steady comfort. Without another thought, I got into his bed and slipped underneath the covers, pulling his body into my lap, as I dabbed the wet towel against his head, to wipe away the blood. He flinched from the pressure, releasing a soft cry. “Shh,” I tried to soothe him, while I continued to dab the towel around his cuts.

Malfoy continued to cry and my heart went out to him. As much as I wanted to go with Zabini and help attack that so-called healer for doing this to him, I knew Malfoy needed me more. And there was no bloody way I would leave him now. I gritted my teeth to keep myself calm, as I continued to clean him up. I knew there was something I didn’t like about that guy. Fuck, why didn’t I trust my instincts?

After a few more minutes, Malfoy slowly turned, nuzzling his head against my chest. “I shouldn’t have flirted with him so much,” he suddenly whispered.

“Malfoy, this was not your fault,” I angrily stated. “You did nothing wrong.” No, he didn’t do anything wrong. This was my fault. I was the one who let him go with him in the first place. What the hell kind of a protector was I?

“I should’ve known better,” he whimpered. “I should’ve known.”

“How could you have known?” I frowned, gently gliding my hand through his blonde hair that still had some dry blood in it. Of course, I should have known. I mean it was my frigging job to know. “He’s a sick bastard, Malfoy. You did nothing wrong.”

We laid together in silence, as I finished wiping his cuts clean, hearing his cries suddenly quiet against my chest. I smiled, knowing he had finally fallen asleep. When I tried to move from underneath him, I realized quickly that he had somehow managed to wrap his arms around me when he had turned over earlier. I bit on my bottom lip, as I glanced around the room, aware that I was going to be stuck in this position for a while, if not the whole night.

I considered waking him, but knew he needed to rest as much as he could. There was no way I was going to let him remember so quickly what had happened to him tonight. No, he needed to sleep. He needed to know he was safe again.

I carefully slid us further down on the bed, making sure not to move Malfoy as much as I could. When we were finally in a comfortable state (which, come on, Malfoy was laying on top of me, so how comfortable could I really get?), I reached over on the night table and turned off the light.

I absentmindedly began moving my hand along Malfoy’s back, while listening to his soft breathing, feeling his chest move up and down against my own. I stared at the sleeping form and took a deep breath, glad to know that he was safe again. After a few more minutes, I finally closed my eyes, still gently moving my hand along his back. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again,” I quietly vowed.

*****
The next morning, I awoke to find Malfoy’s sleeping face in front of mine, as we slept on our sides next to each other. Thankfully, he had finally released his hold on me and was now hugging a pillow close to his chest. I licked my lips, as I stared at his peaceful face. Merlin, he really was an attractive man.

I quickly shook the thought out of my head, as I rolled over on my other side, not able to look at him. My cock had already twitched from the thought, and I certainly didn’t want to have to do that again, if I could avoid it. I mean wanking off to Malfoy once was already enough. And I know it would probably be best for me to go back to my own bed, but for some reason I just couldn’t get my body to listen.

“No,” I suddenly heard him softly cry. “No, don’t.”

I quickly rolled back over, seeing his body shake in terror, tears staining his pillow. Without any thought, I gently reached out to glide my hand through his hair, wanting to soothe his cries.

His body continued to shiver, as he gripped his pillow tighter. “Stop, you’re hurting me,” he choked back. “Please, just stop.”

“Shh,” I quietly said, brushing my hand softly through his hair. “Malfoy, it’s okay,” I tried to reassure him.

“No, get off,” he whimpered. “Fuck, you’re hurting me.”

I closed my eyes tightly, feeling the tears start to form, while listening to his painful cries. My hand started to shake, as I continued to run it through his hair. I took a deep breath, before worriedly looking over at him. “It’s okay, Malfoy,” I quietly said again. “You’re safe now.”

I saw his eyes flutter and knew he was starting to wake. My heart jumped, as I saw him slowly open them in the next minute. I watched as he tried to focus on me, blinking a few times to make sure I wasn’t imaginary.

“Hey,” I smiled into his gray eyes, not wanting to frighten him in any way.

“Hey,” he softly whispered, as he kept his eyes focused on me.

“Did you sleep okay?” I asked, still running my hand through his hair.

He slowly nodded, while closing his eyes. “Blaise?” he faintly asked.

I gulped, seeing him look at me in question, when I didn’t answer right away. “He…had some unfinished business to take care of,” I finally answered.

Malfoy sighed, as he closed his eyes again. “You didn’t try to stop him?”

“Stop him? Hell, I wanted to go with him,” I said, seeing amusement flash in front of those gray eyes that were again staring at me.

“Yeah?” he weakly smiled.

I smiled and nodded, as I finally released my hand from his hair. We silently just stared at each other, allowing the minutes to pass by, knowing we truly didn't need to say anything in those moments.

“I told him no,” he finally whispered.

I frowned, as I watched the sadness fill his eyes once more. “I’m so sorry, Malfoy,” I softly apologized, wishing there was something more I could do.

“He just wouldn’t stop, Potter,” he shakily continued, a teardrop rolling down his cheek. “He wouldn’t stop.”

I quickly reached out again, brushing my hand through his hair, as I tried to ease his sorrow. I saw more tears fall, while he continued to stare at me. Again, there were no words uttered, as I kept stroking his hair, while we kept our gaze on each other. He looked so helpless. All I wanted to do was take him in my arms and keep him close, letting him know he was safe again.

I then swallowed, realizing my hand was slowing down, as my heart was speeding up. After a few more minutes, I noticed my hand had actually stopped halfway through his hair, as I stared into those gray eyes that were glistening with tears. Not able to control myself anymore, I slowly leaned in closer, while keeping my eyes open, watching for any type of drawback from the blonde. As I continued to move in closer, however, I noticed Malfoy was starting to do the same. I could feel the heat rising between us, as our lips were inching their way closer.

As soon as our lips made contact, I felt a rush of emotions burst from inside. I suddenly closed my eyes, wanting to remember this moment for as long as I could. He just tasted so good that I didn’t want to move away. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer, while firmly keeping his lips against mine, softly moaning from the touch.

My body was trembling now, as I pushed myself closer, not wanting to leave any gaps between us. I held the back of his head steadily, making sure our lips never separated. This all just felt so wrong, yet at the same time, felt so right.

I noticed his mouth slightly part against mine, and I couldn’t stop myself from gliding my tongue along his juicy lips. After tasting their sweetness, I suddenly found myself wanting more. I gently prodded my tongue between his lips, noticing him parting them a little further, allowing me entry.

Once inside, my tongue had made contact with his, feeling it tenderly massage against mine. I softly moaned, before I began exploring more of his mouth. I opened my eyes a few seconds later, wanting to see his face, while I tasted him. Merlin, he looked ravishing. I closed my eyes again, feeling my cock start to throb, as our tongues continued to play inside his mouth.

Suddenly, we heard a knock at the door, causing our kisses to slow down, before finally stopping altogether. We started to move away from each other, silently staring at one another. Another knock sounded, breaking us away from our gaze.

I licked my lips, before silently standing up and walking toward the door, peering through the hole. I sighed, as I slowly opened the door, seeing Zabini standing on the other side.

Zabini furrowed his eyebrows, as he stared at me. “What took so long? And why do you look so flushed?” he curiously wondered.

I nervously chewed on my lip, trying hard to think of an excuse. I glanced over at Malfoy, noticing he looked rather flush himself. “I was in the loo,” I lamely began. “My cheeks are probably red because I quickly ran out here, not wanting Malfoy to get out of bed to answer the door.”

Thankfully, Zabini seemed to accept my lie, as he nodded and stepped inside the room. He then turned toward Malfoy’s bed and smiled, when he saw his best mate sitting up. He quickly ran over, plopping himself down next to him, and pulling him into a hug, luckily not even remarking on his friend’s own blush. Perhaps he just figured Malfoy was red from crying or something. “You had me so scared,” he commented.

Malfoy wrapped his arms around his best friend, returning his hug, while peering over his shoulder to stare at me. I nervously swallowed, as I saw confusion behind those gray eyes. Oh Merlin, what have I done?

I quickly moved to the loo, slamming the door behind me. I leaned against the back of the door, before falling to the floor, burying my head in my hands. He was almost raped last night, making him so vulnerable. Fuck, he was probably scared I would leave him, if he didn’t kiss me back. Merlin, how could I have done that to him? I mean I kissed Malfoy. I frigging kissed Malfoy. Why would I do that? I’m not even gay. I mean, sure I think the man’s attractive. And, yeah, my cock does seem to react, every time he’s around. And well, okay, so I’ve also wanked off thinking about him. But that doesn’t make me gay or anything. Does it?

I shuddered at the thought, as I weakly stood up, walking toward the mirror. I stared at my image for a few more minutes, before widening my eyes in shock. Oh bloody hell. It did.

*****