A/n: I just wanted to add a disclaimer and reminder that Harry is around 23-24 and Draco is around 32-33, and they will definitely be romantically involved in this story. I know from personal experience that as you get older, the age difference matters very little because the level of maturity is quite similar, but I would recommend reading forward at your own discretion. There will also be some fairly vivid but equally tasteful descriptions of sexual tension and kissing throughout this story (but not sex don't worry lol). If it's not your cup of tea, please feel free to stop reading, and please don't feel the need to leave any hate in the reviews. :)

Happy reading xx

Chapter 14: The Kiss

Draco feels the disguise melting off and sees his actual face appear in the reflection of Harry's glasses. Harry inhales sharply, his breath catching in his throat, and staggers backwards. "H—How—What…?"

Draco grabs onto him and pulls him close. "Harry, please," he whispers, his voice trembling, a lump forming in his throat. "No matter how much I want to tell you the truth, you have to understand that I cannot. At least, not yet. Not until I know it's safe to."

Harry doesn't seem to be listening, though, because he grabs Draco's face and crushes his lips against Draco's; feverish, urgent, desperate. Draco allows him to for a moment, refusing to participate lest he get carried away when he knows he should not. Then he pushes Harry away and shakes his head.

"They can't see me like this," Draco says, and Harry nods, briefly returning to his senses.

He quickly uses a reversal charm, and Draco exhales the breath he didn't realise he was holding as he sees his disguise return in the reflection of Harry's glasses. Draco reaches up to caress Harry's face in his hands and a jolt runs through him as though he's struck by electricity. He rubs the pads of his thumbs against Harry's cheeks, nearly breaking down from how emotional he is feeling from being able to touch Harry like this again. For ten years, it had been his dearest wish that he never thought would ever come true. And now, now, finally...

He half sobs, half laughs, shaking his head as Harry continues to look back at him with the same stupefied expression on his face. Voices can be heard from outside, and Draco quickly lets go of Harry and steps away, moving to the other corner of the room to perch on the edge of the dining table and fixes his gaze on the floor.

He can feel Harry staring at him, but when the door opens and his friends return, Harry tears his eyes away from Draco and composes himself. Draco himself quickly swallows down his emotions and returns his face to an impassive mask. Later, he promises himself. Later, I'll have time to revel in this moment.

Only Hermione and Ron return, and, with a cursory glance at Draco, Ron begins speaking. "The security guard on shift for this ward is nowhere to be seen," he informs them, although he's speaking mostly to Harry. "We asked about him at the front desk, and she informed us that he logged in at the start of his shift, but she was unable to get a hold of him now. She also told us that, for some unknown reason, the protective enchantments around the rooms on this floor were deactivated using his keycard—this happened shortly before we dropped by."

He glances at Draco. "So it makes sense why Healer Greene was able to Apparate in here—the wards were never re-activated." Harry and Draco exchange looks as Ron continues, "Neville's speaking with the warden and matron right now and trying to get hold of today's security footage to see what's going on."

Hermione immediately pipes up to say, "You can't stay here, Harry." When Harry begins to argue, she holds up a hand. "If you don't want to go back to your flat then at least come stay with Ron and I so we know you're safe."

"It's that or protective custody, mate. Your choice," Ron adds.

Harry glances towards Draco then steps closer to his best friends. Draco takes the hint and moves around the table so his back is facing them, giving them some privacy, but he makes sure he's still in earshot so he can hear their conversation.

"Alright, but I want to keep meeting Healer Greene for my sessions," Harry said, his voice hushed.

There is silence, and Draco pictures Ron and Hermione exchanging looks. Then, Ron says, his voice soft, "Harry, I'm going to have to submit an incident report about everything that's happened."

"Yeah, I understand—"

"No, let me finish." A pause. Draco hears the scratching sound of shoes on carpet as someone shifts their weight. "The Ministry isn't going to authorise your return to work even if you are approved by Healer Greene as fit for duty once they hear about what's happened."

"I'm not doing this to go back to work," Harry says, his frustration evident in his voice. "Look, I know you don't trust him, but I haven't been able to open up to anybody about what happened as I've been able to with Healer Greene. I really feel like he can help me. Isn't that why you brought him to me in the first place?"

More silence as Ron and Hermione seem to deliberate over what Harry's saying. Harry continues, "I'll go back to my flat. Or I'll stay at your place—I'll even go into protective custody, if that's what it takes, but I want to continue my sessions."

"Harry—"

"Please, Hermione."

There is so much desperation in his voice that Draco closes his eyes and swallows thickly. He knows that Harry is only doing it to see him, not his alias, and he wants to interrupt to refuse Harry's proposition, but his body won't move. His tongue is stone in his mouth. The logical part of him warns him of the risk, but the emotional part of him wants it so bad.

"Do you really trust him that much?" Ron finally asks, and silence follows. Draco pictures Harry nodding in answer.

"I know why you're worried, but he can't hurt me, Ron; we're bound by the blood pact—remember?" Draco pictures Harry holding up his hand to show the mark on his palm. Harry continues, "In fact, if you still can't trust him, here," there's some rustling, and Draco glances over his shoulder to see Harry holding out the vial containing their combined blood, "take this."

Ron flat out refuses, moving away, his face contorting in disgust. "Is that… blood?"

Harry turns to Hermione and places the vial in her hand. "He can only hurt me after destroying this vial. Without it, the magic won't allow him to inflict injury on me without harming himself." He looks between the two, his expression desperate and pained. "Whatever else you want me to do, I'll do, just—please."

Ron and Hermione look conflicted. Hermione whispers something to Ron, too soft for Draco to hear, and Harry glances towards Draco in the meantime. Draco turns away, his heart thudding against his chest, feeling like he was caught red handed doing something he wasn't meant to be doing. As he wallows in the agony of his own indecision, the couple behind him seems to have made up their mind.

"Alright," Ron says with a sigh. "But only if he agrees to let us question him."

"Okay," Harry agrees, a little too quick.

"With Veritaserum," Ron adds, and Draco spins around.

"Absolutely not," Harry refuses before Draco can say anything.

"Harry, this isn't for you to decide," Hermione says, her voice quiet but firm. She glances at Draco then back at Harry. "Your safety is our primary concern."

"We all have our secrets," Harry hisses, gesturing with his hands emphatically. "There are things about the accident that I'm keeping from you both, and I'm sure you're aware of that."

Hermione sighs, and Ron lets his head hang, his arms on his hips. When neither seems like they're going to concede, Harry says, "If you don't trust him, at least trust me when I say that nothing he's keeping secret is going to be dangerous to me in any way."

You don't know that, Draco wants to say but holds his tongue.

"Mate, you spent an hour with this man—two hours, tops," Ron says, his voice strained, his frustration evident. "What did he say or do that you're vouching so strongly for a complete stranger?"

"I just—I feel like I can trust him, okay?"

"But why?"

"I just do!" Harry throws his arms in the air in exasperation, and Draco decides this argument can go on forever if he doesn't put an end to it. He begins to move towards them, when Hermione speaks.

"Alright, we'll agree to your demands, but only on one condition."

"What's that?" Harry asks warily, and Draco knows what she's going to say even before she speaks.

"Tell us who was with you during the accident."

Harry glances at Draco, his expression one of extreme helplessness, and he shakes his head slowly as he looks back at Hermione. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because it falls within the terms of the blood oath," Draco says, finally coming up to them. He positions himself so he's standing between them but with his back angled towards Harry, refusing to meet the other man's gaze. "Harry could endanger his life and mine if he tells you."

Hermione grips the vial of blood in her hand and raises it over her head. "Then I'll just break this, shall I?"

"No!" The three men exclaim at once, then all eyes turn to Ron, whose reaction is the most surprising.

"You, of all people, know how a blood pact works, Hermione," Ron says, carefully reaching up to extricate the vial from her fingers. "It can only be rescinded by the ones that took the oath. Any external tampering puts the lives of those involved in jeopardy."

Hermione sighs, her shoulders slumping, and rubs her eyes tiredly. "I know, I know," she mutters.

Ron hands the vial back to Harry, who looks surprised. "I refuse to take responsibility for something that could end up killing you because I accidentally sat on it."

A moment of silence follows. Harry scoffs, then laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. Smiles spread across the faces of the others, and they all chuckle briefly.

"Ahh," Ron groans, raking a hand through his haid. He turns to Draco and holds out his hand, a sheepish smile on his face. "I can't say I trust you completely, but Harry's word and this blood pact between you both will have to suffice—for the time being, at least. I apologise for my attitude towards you, and for the, uh, collar grabbing. Truce?"

Draco smirks, taking Ron's hand and shaking it once. "The attitude I can forgive, but my collar may be permanently damaged," he teases, and Ron grins.

His expression grows sombre as he says, "You came to me when you thought Harry's life was in danger. And knowing about the blood pact, I realise now what a difficult and risky decision that must've been." Ron nods, and his eyes reveal that his feelings are genuine. "That says a lot about the kind of person you are, but I hope you can also understand that Harry's safety is and will always be our primary concern."

"You may not believe me when I say this, but his safety is equally important to me as well," Draco says with a small smile, deciding he may just like this younger version of Ron after all.

Draco then glances at Hermione, who is watching him with a strange intensity in her eyes, as though she's trying to figure out what his secret is, and he clears his throat, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of her gaze. Harry steps closer to him and places a hand on Draco's lower back, and the warmth from his palm sends tingles up and down Draco's spine. He inhales sharply and tenses, then relaxes immediately in order to not raise suspicion with the other two—especially Hermione, who is now looking between him and Harry with a frown.

"Alright, well," Ron says, making a vague gesture with his hand, "I better go back outside and check on what's happening." After a moment's thought, he adds, "'Mione, walk with me?"

Hermione seems less than inclined to leave Harry with Draco, but Ron takes her by the hand and ushers her out. The moment the door closes, Draco goes rigid, then slowly turns to Harry.

Harry's face is unbearably close, and because Draco had turned into Harry instead of moving away first, Harry's arm is now wrapped around his waist. "You really do have his eyes," Harry murmurs, and Draco suddenly realises that's probably why Harry's been staring into his eyes so much.

"But you're not him, are you? At least not the one that..." he trails off, but Draco knows he's talking about his younger self from that world—the one who is dead.

"No," is all Draco can manage to say because he can feel Harry's breath on his mouth, and his gaze inadvertently flickers down to Harry's lips before he realises and tears his eyes away to look back into Harry's shining green orbs. Oh, how he's missed those gorgeous eyes, glittering like emeralds…

"I want to kiss you," Harry whispers, and Draco's skin breaks out in gooseflesh, his breath catching in his throat. "May I?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," he whispers back. "Your—Your friends may be back any minute."

"Just once," Harry murmurs, and his eyes are so earnest, the yearning in them so clear that Draco can't say no.

"Just once," he repeats weakly, but even before he can finish speaking, Harry's lips are on his.

He gasps, and Harry deepens the kiss instantly, his tongue slipping into Draco's mouth and making him shudder. Stop, his mind screams at him. Stop this now, you fool!

But he can't stop—he doesn't want to stop—not when Harry is tightening his arm around Draco's waist and pulling Draco flush against him, not when his other arm is snaking around and his fingers are entangling themselves in Draco's hair. Not when Draco's own hands are clinging onto Harry for dear life, savouring every moment like it's his last, just to make up for the ten years it took for this to happen.

They break apart for just a second to catch their breath, and then Harry is kissing Draco again, his hands now clasping Draco's face, cool against his flushed cheeks, rough against his soft skin. Draco loses focus as Harry runs his tongue along the roof of Draco's mouth, sending waves of pleasure through him, making him weak in the knees. Draco has to forcibly extricate himself from the kiss because it's too much—it's overwhelming—and Harry's arms slip down to his waist as he pulls Draco closer and nestles his head in the crook of Draco's neck.

They stand there, arms around each other, gasping for breath, pressed up so completely against the other that they can feel the other's body heat through their clothes. Draco suddenly realises he can feel Harry's heartbeat against his own, beating at the same rate, as though they are one. Draco buries his face in Harry's shoulder and inhales deeply, letting Harry's familiar scent envelop him and drench him in its comforting caress. He belatedly hears the door open, and it takes him much too long to react and pull away from Harry.

He sees Hermione standing just inside the threshold, the expression of shock on her face making him turn away, but Harry's arms are still holding him and they tighten now as Draco tries to pull away.

"I'll explain everything soon, Hermione, I promise," Harry says, his voice sounding far away to Draco as his ears are filled with the sound of his thundering heart.

Hermione doesn't respond, and a few seconds later, Draco registers the sound of the door closing. He looks at the other man, and Harry whispers, "Can I see your real face again one last time? Please?"

Draco starts to shake his head then stops. He nods in agreement because why the hell not? If he gets to see Harry, why shouldn't Harry get to see him? Harry points his wand at the door and mumbles a quick, "Colloportus."

Draco hears the lock click just as Harry flicks his wand and says, "Revelio." The same, strange feeling of something melting off his face returns, and the next moment, Harry's eyes widen and light up with so much unbridled joy that it takes Draco's breath away.

Why didn't I do this in the first place? Draco wonders briefly as Harry, once again, pulls him in for a kiss, and the world explodes in fireworks.