Draco dove into his research with renewed fervor, now that he knew what sort of spell he was looking for. Still, he almost couldn't believe it the day he finally found it.

"Partum Victus Forma," he said softly, his finger tracing the faded words in the ancient book. "The Curse of the Living Doll." He found himself shaking, with relief, and a little fear that the curse wouldn't have a counter curse.

And of course, it couldn't be as simple as a Finite Incantatum, could it? The Curse of the Living Doll was originally used centuries ago on reluctant brides in arranged marriages. Greedy fathers who wanted their daughters to make a suitable match would cast the spell when the young women proved difficult to convince and might have harbored thoughts of running away to escape an unwanted wedding.

The proposed husband would then have to brew a complicated potion, which took nearly three months to complete, and rub it over their bride's body on the wedding night…right before they effectively raped her, since you had to have sex to activate the potion.

Draco groaned and dropped his head into his hands. This was unimaginable! He was basically going to have to sexually assault Potter in order to break the curse! While he didn't think he would mind having sex with Potter – Draco was in love with the prat, after all – he didn't think Potter would be too happy with the situation once he awoke. That is, if it even worked in the first place! It was too cliché for words, reminding Draco of those horrible muggle romance novels that Ellie liked to read, which he had never once looked at, of course.

Reading further, Draco realized he didn't have much time to make up his mind whether to attempt this or not. Some of those ancient fathers must have kept their poor daughters under this spell for long periods of time, because the book warned that if the curse wasn't broken within five years, it was permanent and nothing could be done. The fifth anniversary of Potter killing the Dark Lord was only five months away, which meant he had one, and only one, shot at getting this right.

With a grim smile, Draco started writing down the list of ingredients he would need for the potion.

The next three months, while nerve wracking from one perspective, were also comforting in a way. Draco hadn't felt such a sense of purpose in…well, ever, actually. He'd been too busy spouting out his father's rhetoric when he was in school to ever do anything meaningful, and the few years after that had been spent moping or drunk. It was pathetic how empty his life had been.

But that was before. He was going to save the Boy Who Lived and that was more important than anything he'd ever done in his entire worthless life. Hopefully, Harry would be able to forgive him his methods.

Draco tried not to think about the day he would break the curse, because it simply made him too nervous. Instead, he focused his entire being on brewing the most perfect potion he'd ever made. He imagined sometimes that he could sense the spirit of Severus Snape watching proudly over his shoulder. Although, Snape would probably have called him ten kinds of idiot for going to so much trouble to save Harry Potter's life.

He chuckled at the memory of his godfather's sneer as he dropped in the seven rose petals that were the final ingredient and stirred exactly seventeen times counter-clockwise. Draco sat back and held his breath, studying the potion closely while he checked his watch. Exactly twenty-seven minutes later, it bubbled slightly and then turned from a pale red color to a milky white. He let out a little laugh as he breathed a sigh of relief. He'd done it! Or at least he hoped he had. The potion had turned the right color anyway and that was always a good sign.

Carefully, he poured the potion out into three vials and tucked them into the pocket of his robes, patting them tenderly as though they were galleons. Indeed, he wouldn't have taken a million galleons for what he had created. No, he was going to have a far greater reward if this worked.

No ifs. It will work! he told himself sternly. Best to think positive, even if that was more of a Gryffindor trait.

Draco was literally sweating by the time the Friday night he'd chosen for the curse-breaking rolled around. Petunia trusted him so implicitly by this time that she was leaving for the weekend to visit Dudley and his family, leaving Draco to care for Harry and the house on his own. He'd casually asked the Weasleys if they planned to visit that weekend and learned that, thankfully, they were going on a mini-vacation with their children and wouldn't return until the following Tuesday.

Draco waved good-bye to Petunia as she pulled out of the driveway on her way to see her son and granddaughter, trying to resist the urge to run after her and tell her to come back, so he wouldn't have to do this. It wasn't that he didn't want to save Harry; it was that he was petrified it wasn't going to work and he was quite sure that he would have a nervous breakdown if it didn't. Not to mention the fact that if it didn't work, and Petunia or the Weasleys ever found out what he'd done, they would never let him see Harry again.

Petunia's car disappeared around the corner and Draco let his arm fall back to his side. Releasing one long breath, he mentally shook himself, pulling on the Slytherin cloak of confidence he'd worn so often while in school.

This was going to work, he would make sure of it.

He started to eat dinner and then decided against it, as he feared it would just all come back up once he began the ritual. Draco wondered if he should feed Harry, and then he boldly decided that he'd let Harry take him out to dinner in gratitude after the curse was broken.

See? There was that confident Slytherin! Hufflepuff indeed, he thought to himself with a disdainful sniff.

Draco waited until eight o'clock, just to be sure that Petunia wasn't going to change her mind and return unexpectedly. He even made up an excuse to call her, claiming he couldn't find the red jumper that had been Harry's favorite. She told him where it was and he asked how the granddaughter was doing. Then, of course, it took him twenty minutes to get off the phone as she rhapsodized about the wonders of her son's child. Personally, Draco thought Jilly was much more adorable, but he would never tell Petunia that. He'd probably never tell the Weasel that either, when it came down to it.

When he hung up the phone, Draco knew it was time. He'd stalled long enough and the sooner he got started, the sooner Harry would be awake again.

He led Harry up the stairs to his bedroom. It was the same one that Harry had used after the Dursleys let him out of the cupboard, but Draco knew it was much nicer now than it had been then. He and Petunia had had many long talks about the wrongs each of them had done to Harry and how very sorry they were for them now.

Well, Draco was about to make up for every nasty name he'd ever called Potter, every fight he'd ever instigated, and every potion he'd ever destroyed just to see Potter get detention. With shaking fingers, Draco unbuttoned Harry's shirt and pulled it off him. They rarely put shoes on him while he was inside, so at least Draco didn't have to fumble with shoelaces, but he thought his hands would never be still as he popped the snap on Harry's jeans. They slid far too easily down Potter's legs for Draco's peace of mind.

Finally, Harry was standing silently before him in nothing but his pants and Draco thought maybe those could wait just a few minutes more until he was ready for the ritual to begin. For someone who'd been basically comatose for more than four years, Harry was still in excellent shape.

Draco wondered if the Living Doll curse put some sort of stasis on its victim, so that they stayed exactly as they were when it was cast. Now that he thought about it, that made sense, as those fathers wouldn't have wanted their daughters wasting away before they could get them married off, now would they? Draco was glad, as not only did Harry's very attractive body make the thought of what he was going to have to do easier, hopefully it would mean that Harry's recovery would be swift and easy as well.

Gently, he directed Harry to lay down on the narrow bed. Draco would have preferred a bigger bed for this, but he just couldn't picture himself having sex with Potter in Petunia's bed. And Dudley's room had been converted to her sewing room, no bed available there. Still trembling with nerves, Draco quickly stripped his own clothes off, after having carefully placed the potion vials on the nightstand.

"Oh, this is so wrong. So very, very wrong," he muttered as he gingerly crawled onto the bed and straddled Harry's legs. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the first vial and popped the lid off. He poured a generous amount into his palm and then began to rub it into Harry's chest.

There was no reaction from Harry, but Draco felt his own cock growing hard as he ran his hands over and over the smooth planes of Potter's chest and the length of his arms. When he had used up the first vial, Draco retrieved the second one and used it on Harry's legs. Draco's breathing quickened and he felt a little lightheaded as he stroked down the length of Harry's legs. Potter never had grown very tall, but he was very nicely proportioned for his size, and Draco had a particular weakness for a good-looking pair of legs.

He carefully rolled Potter over onto his stomach, tugging Harry's pants off when he did, and used half of the third vial to coat his back and his buttocks with the potion. The other half needed to be saved for the final part of this act, which Draco was really trying not to think about right now. Because, fuck, Potter had the sweetest looking ass he'd ever seen! Normally, Draco preferred to bottom, but he had topped on occasion, and the sight of Potter's ass definitely brought out the top in him. Which was a good thing, since this ritual required that Harry be penetrated by Draco.

Oh, trying not to think on that just yet! Draco groaned inwardly as he flipped Potter back over. Maybe it would be easier to perform the act from behind, but Draco needed to watch Potter's eyes, to make sure that the ritual worked. He swallowed a huge lump in his throat as he gazed at Potter's cock for the first time. It wasn't much to look at now, as Potter was nowhere near aroused, but Draco hoped that would change.

All right, this was it. Time to finish this and wake Potter up, while thumbing his nose at the Dark Lord and his stupid curses. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Potter's slack ones, trying to push aside the fact that he felt as though he were about to have sex with a dead person. Forcefully, he imagined what it would be like when Harry awakened. He could see Harry smiling at him, his eyes sparkling with life, and envisioned the two of them wrapped around each other, Harry so deep inside him that they were like one body.

"Oh, fuck, I can't wait for that moment, Harry. It's going to be perfect," Draco whispered as he kissed and nuzzled Harry's neck.

He sat back up on his heels between Harry's legs and pushed Potter's knees up until he could see his goal. A shiver fluttered through his belly as Draco reached for the last of the potion in the third vial. He coated the fingers of one hand with the potion, intending to prepare Harry thoroughly for what was about to happen. He didn't know too much about the life of the wizarding world's saviour before all this had happened and whether he'd ever had gay sex, but Draco was determined that this be as painless as possible for Harry.

Draco's erection had wilted a bit as he went about methodically stretching and lubing Harry to get him ready. Closing his eyes, Draco brought back that fantasy of Harry fucking him hard and deep as he used the last of the potion to cover his own cock, and it slowly hardened once again.

Draco looked down at Harry's still body, and silently apologized to him if this didn't work. He prayed that it did, because Draco didn't think he'd ever be able to face Harry or look Petunia, Ron and Hermione in the eye ever again if it didn't.

Releasing a slow breath, and trying to banish his apprehension along with it, Draco lowered himself between Harry's legs, bracing his weight on one hand beside Harry's chest and using the other to guide his cock towards Potter's ass. Sweet ass, Draco thought as he slowly pushed the head of his cock inside.

"Oh, god," Draco gasped as he inched in a little further. He looked up to Harry's face and saw a tiny frown line appear between Harry's eyes. That had to be a good sign, didn't it? It meant that he was responding, even if it didn't appear to be very pleasurable for him at the moment.

"I am so sorry, Harry," Draco said, as he closed his eyes and then pushed hard all the way into Harry's body, whimpering just a little as he felt his bollocks smack against Harry's ass.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Draco muttered because fuck! So tight, and oh, it felt so good. There was a tiny murmur of sound that Draco knew had not come from him and his eyes flew open to look at the man lying beneath him.

The potion he had smeared all over Harry's body was gleaming in the moonlight that filtered in the window, giving Potter an unearthly glow, and Draco saw that his hands were twitching. He watched Potter's eyes intently, wanting desperately to see them flare back into life.

Suddenly, Potter's back arched as he drew in a loud, shuddering gasp, nearly knocking Draco off him, but he gripped Harry's shoulders, holding on with all his might. Harry's eyes snapped to Draco's and he stared at him with a stunned look on his face for what seemed an eternity. Draco could feel his hard-on withering away as he was sure he was about to be vilified by the Boy Who Lived.

"Draco," Harry breathed his name right before he reached up to yank Draco's head down into a fierce, bruising kiss. Draco nearly sobbed in relief as he returned the kiss with all the passion he could muster.

Harry's lips found their way to Draco's ear and the blond shivered in delight as Harry whispered intently, "Fuck me, Draco. Fuck me hard!"

"Oh, god, yessss," Draco hissed and he proceeded to do just that.

What a difference it was having Harry as a willing participant to this act! Harry was a loud, aggressive lover, pinching Draco's ass, nipping and biting at his neck as he screamed at Draco to pound him harder, faster, deeper. Draco's orgasm was without doubt the most powerful sensation he'd ever experienced in his life, and he thought he might have blacked out for a few moments, because he struggled back to awareness with the realization that Harry was stroking his back and gently kissing his ear.

"You saved me, Draco. Thank you," Harry whispered to him.

"You saved me first, Harry. I'm just sorry it took me so long to figure it out," Draco replied, and turned his head so that he could properly kiss his lover.

"Doesn't matter how long it took. You're my hero, Draco," Harry said with a teasing grin.

"I'm the farthest thing from a hero, Harry. That's your job," Draco said.

"You are one to me. I can't believe that I'm finally here with you now. I've been wanting to touch you for so long, Draco. I could see you and hear you, but I couldn't touch you." As he spoke, Harry's hands were wandering over Draco's body, as though he was trying to make up for every moment of lost time all in just a few minutes.

"We have all the time in the world now, love, and you know something else?" Draco asked with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"What?" Harry said, his lips curving into an indulgent smile.

"Your aunt is not going to be back for the entire weekend, so we have the place all to ourselves. Whatever shall we do?" Draco teased.

"I think we can come up with something," Harry laughed and nudged his cock, already hardening again, against Draco's hip.

They spent the rest of that weekend just making love, eating, and sleeping. There was a little bit of conversation about the curse and the Dark Lord and Draco's struggle with drinking, but not much. All of that could wait until another time as they just celebrated being alive, young and beautiful, and in love. Harry laughed a lot and Draco just fell deeper with every chuckle as he realized he'd never before heard Harry laugh. It was a beautiful sound.

Draco was right beside him as Petunia came home and got the shock of her life. Harry graciously accepted her sobbing apologies for the first seventeen years of his life and thanked her for taking such good care of him the last few years.

He was also right there when Harry went to see Ron and Hermione and was smothered with even more sobbing hugs. Hermione even hugged Draco, which was a bit of a shock, but he found that he rather liked the pleasant warm feeling that being hugged by a friend brought to his chest. Draco and Ron mutually decided to just stick with shaking hands, though.

Hermione, naturally, wanted to know all the details about the curse, how Draco had figured it out, how it had been broken. They decided to keep the method of activating the potion to themselves, but Draco thought she suspected something as she kept looking at them with a sharp gleam in her eye. Draco could almost see the moment she decided to let it go, however, as her gaze softened while she watched Harry play with his goddaughter for the first time. She looked back towards Draco and he knew that tender gaze now included him, as well.

Draco was part of a family, a real family for the first time in his life.

Several months later, when Draco and Harry were married in a quiet, simple ceremony with all their friends and family present, Harry had insisted on no alcohol. Not even for the guests, as he didn't want Draco to have to face that temptation.

What Draco didn't say, but he was certain that most everyone already knew, was that he no longer needed alcohol to get him through.

He had Harry.

And that was more than enough.

FIN