Authors Note: Here you have the 2nd part of Laurel's birthday gift! I hope you enjoy, and thanks again to my army of emergency beta's Shannon, Cris and Andrea!!

The night Draco left the club early had been the beginning of his nightly stalking duties.

He'd sat awake staring at the ceiling, wishing he could talk to Harry, but not knowing how to approach the reclusive brunette. For the first time since he'd been there, Harry had treated Draco like a human being as opposed to some invisible houseguest. In fact, Harry had seemed friendly, even flirtatious toward him.

Draco could hear the telltale click that signaled that Harry had retired to his room and after taking a deep breath and mustering an ounce of courage, he went across the hall and knocked lightly.

No answer came and he didn't want to alert the entire house so he tried the knob and found it unlocked. "Harry?" he whispered as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was greeted with a light snore and a glorious sight.

There, sprawled in ivory satin sheets lay a very nude Harry.

With a light gasp, Draco blushed and nearly left the room but the sight captivated him in a way that made his legs glue to the spot. Harry was lying on his stomach, his face toward the wall and the sheets tangled haphazardly around his body leaving his back, one leg and part of his bum exposed to Draco's stalking eyes.

The former Gryffindor's sun kissed skin was shadowed and seemed even darker than usual in contrast to the pale sheets encircling him. Ebony curls spread across the pillow and Draco longed to run his fingers through them, but held back, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty.

Draco didn't know how long he stood there just staring –it could have been hours or mere seconds- but he eventually tore his eyes away and made to leave, only to reject the idea when his body seemed to seize up as he approached the door. Instead he sat in a nearby chair where he could easily watch the Gryffindor slumber. He hugged his knees to his chest and just sat peacefully, smiling as Harry snored quietly and holding his breath when the man would shift and resettle. At one point Draco swore he saw the glistening emerald flecks of Harry's eyes, but he showed no sign of knowing that the blonde was there and soon enough the room filled with the sleeping man's heavy breathing once more.

It was peaceful there in Harry's room, surrounded by darkness, and the steady rhythm of his own heartbeat matched with Potter's in the secluded room. He felt less like an intruder the longer he stayed, but when the blood red sun began peeking through the curtains, Draco knew he had to retire to his own quarters because Harry would no doubt see his presence there as a violation of some sort.

Carefully he made his way to the door, pausing only when his foot connected with a floorboard and caused a silence-shattering squeak. When it was clear that the noise hadn't disturbed Harry, Draco left the room and soon enough fell into his own bed with images of Harry floating through his dreams.

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Nights progressed that way for some time. Draco would wait in his room until he heard Harry enter his own, then he would sneak in and take his place in the chair adjacent to the elusive man's bed. Watching him sleep seemed to be the only time Draco was able to spend with Harry. Though he would much prefer to have a proper date, he felt a little closer to him this way, and it made the loneliness of the house seem a tad more bearable.

It was usually uneventful, as Harry often slept soundly, but every once in awhile the Auror would stir, and Draco would freeze, not knowing what he would say if Harry awoke and caught him there. It wasn't until the end of the third week of Draco's new hobby that something magnificent happened.

Harry had a nightmare.

This wasn't magnificent in a cruel way, and though Draco would never wish such a clearly violent event on Harry, but once it happened, it quickly occurred to Draco that it was a blessing of sorts.

It had to be approaching early morning hours when it started. Draco had begun to nod in his chair, feeling warm and comforted by Harry's presence, when the other man shouted.

It startled Draco so severely that he gave a muffled shout of his own and looked over to see Harry sitting upright in bed with his arm extended as if he were holding a wand. "No!" the man shouted a second time and flicked his wrist viciously. Draco sat tensed in his chair hoping that Harry wouldn't wake himself up with the nightmare, but after a moment his screaming grew louder and more frantic and Draco couldn't bear to let Harry continue in his dark visions.

Risking everything he'd built in the house, Draco went to Harry's side and gently ran fingers through his hair and soothingly whispered that everything was fine. It took a moment but Harry finally calmed, melting against Draco and sighing in contentment. When Draco attempted to pull away Harry clung more swiftly to him. Draco didn't know what to do. If he wasn't able to extricate himself from Harry's grasp then he would surely fall asleep in the warm embrace and have a lot of explaining to do come morning. On the other hand, the Gryffindor's arms were far too hard to resist.

The decision was taken out of his hands a moment later, however, when Harry actually did wake up. He blinked rapidly in the dark and squinted at Draco with a frown. "Malfoy?" he asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

"You were having a nightmare," Draco explained hurriedly while trying to pull himself out of the bed. "I was just trying to calm you."

Harry looked down at his own state of undress and then over to Draco's fully clothed form, and a subtle smirk curled on his lips. "Did I wake you?" he asked.

"I was already awake," Draco answered, leaving off the bit about having been awake at his bedside.

"Okay," Harry replied with a smile and pulled Draco back down to the mattress with him.

"Er, do you want me to leave?" Draco stammered, unsure of Harry's sleep driven actions.

Harry opened his eyes again and studied Draco carefully. "Do you want to leave?"

Draco's heart began to beat a bit faster as the implications of the question began to set in. "No," he replied softly, and a faint smile curled Harry's lips once more and he closed his eyes again.

"Then stay," he offered simply, and Draco did. It was the first time in three weeks that Draco had fallen asleep before dawn, and he did so easily while being held in Harry's tight embrace.

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Draco didn't wake up until nearly nine and felt well rested as he stretched the stiffness from his body. When he opened his eyes however, the previous nights events flooded into his mind as he noticed the room he woke in was not his own. Harry was missing from the warm bed though, and Draco began to wonder if he had made the right decision by staying. Would Harry treat him differently now? It wasn't as if anything had happened, but perhaps Harry would think it odd that Draco wanted to sleep with him, maybe it had been a test or… well, Draco didn't know for certain; he only knew that Harry had been there with him and suddenly he wasn't. Maybe Harry's leaving was just as simple as the need to go to work, which brought on a new set of panic in the former Slytherin as he realized that he was nearly late for work himself.

He leapt out of bed and yanked open to door to find Hermione hovering in front of his bedroom across the hall tapping her foot in annoyance.

"Harry, have you seen Drac- oh!" she gasped as she turned to find her answer staring at her from the wrong side of the hall. "You scoundrel," she hissed with a wide grin. "Did you spend the night with Harry?"

Draco rolled his eyes and shoved passed his nosy friend and into his room to throw on a fresh outfit. Hermione gave him no privacy as she barged in after him with more questions. "So, I want details," she demanded.

"I have nothing juicy for you, Granger," which was what he reverted to calling her when he was upset or annoyed with her. "We just slept. I woke up, and he was gone."

"Ouch," she replied with a wince. "So, no shagging then?"

Draco simply narrowed his eyes at her in response.

"No, you're in much to sour of a mood to have gotten any last night," she mused out loud, deftly dodging a pillow that Draco hurled in her direction.

They made it to work with only a few more jabbing comments from Hermione, a smattering of mumbled curses under Draco's breath and only ten minutes late, but that served as enough for Healer Brown to penalize the poorly appreciated Slytherin with a Saturday shift, while Hermione looked on with apologetic eyes. It wasn't her fault they were running behind though, so what could Draco do?

The day seemed to drag as he thought of his night with Harry and how messed up it seemed the longer he lingered on it. Harry was probably still dreaming when he asked Draco to stay. He could easily imagine Harry freaking out a bit upon finding Draco wrapped around him as if he were Draco's favorite teddy. How appalling it must have been to discover that scene, and Draco was only thankful that he was still sound asleep when Harry woke up to find him there.

He resolved not to go into the brunette's room that night. He clearly pictured himself lying awake and ignoring any and all noises that came out of that room in favor of keeping what little dignity he had left. He assumed that if he did that, he could easily avoid the former Gryffindor until the humiliating event had faded from the man's memory.

Unfortunately, Harry seemed to have other plans.

Hermione and Ron had made dinner plans at a new restaurant they had both been wanting to sample, Fred and Luna we still away visiting relatives and would remain that way through the weekend and George was over at his girlfriend's flat, so Draco assumed he would be dining alone that Friday evening.

Never in Draco's entire stay at Number Twelve had Harry had dinner with everyone, so Draco held no expectations that it would be any different that night. In fact it might have been the first night that Draco was looking forward to Harry's absence, so of course that was the one night Harry chose to come home from work early enough to join him for dinner.

"Am I early?" Harry asked, rounding the corner into the dining room and looking at the empty chairs.

Draco lost the ability to breathe and to speak momentarily as he stared up at Harry's tousled mane and sparkling green eyes. "Plans," he muttered after a moment. "They all had plans."

"How convenient for us then," he said with a wink.

"Convenient," Draco agreed with a little enthusiasm. He could already picture the awkward silences that would hang between them, but Harry's presence made up for that didn't it?

"I'm sorry about last night," Draco blurted the moment Harry sat down with his meal. He just wanted to get it over with so that neither of them had to avoid the massive elephant in the room.

Harry looked at him quizzically and shook his head. "Why are you sorry? I'm the one whose nightmares were loud enough to bring you into my room. Though it's odd, because I could have sworn I had a silence charm in place."

"Odd," Draco agreed noncommittally before taking a massive gulp of his Butterbeer.

"Thank you for staying with me," he added with a smile that seemed genuine. "The nightmares can get bad and you're being there helped."

"Really?" Draco asked, feeling optimistic that Harry didn't think he was a massive wanker after all.

"Care to make it a regular thing?" he asked teasingly.

"What? You mean sleeping with y-you?" Draco stammered, taken aback by the direct question.

Harry frowned slightly and shrugged. "Not if the idea is offensive, of course."

"It's not –I just…" Draco stumbled, knowing he sounded like a blathering idiot, but unable to form a proper sentence around Harry. "Do you like me?" he blurted finally, causing Harry to laugh.

"I invited you to live in my home, didn't I?" Harry replied once his laughter had died away. "Look, I was mostly kidding. You don't have to get uptight about it, Draco. Let's just move on, alright?"

Draco nodded as he silently berated himself for letting the opportunity to get closer to Harry slip right through his fingers. He shoved a bite of food into his mouth to make sure it was occupied enough not to say anything else asinine.

They ate in relative silence until Harry began staring across the table at him. "'Mione tells me they treat you badly at St. Mungo's."

Slightly taken off guard by the statement, Draco merely shrugged lightly. "No worse than anyone else really. Death Eater's children are rather persona non grata these days; me more than anyone else, I'm sure given, who my father was."

"Would you like me to say something about it?" Harry asked. "I mean, I donate lots of money and know the council fairly well," he added at Draco's perplexed look.

"Why?" Draco asked, his voice a faint whisper.

"Lots of people donate money to the hospital," Harry began, but Draco cut him off with a sharp shake of his head.

"No, I mean, why would you offer to do that for me? I mean, I understood when Hermione offered, but why would you?" Draco asked.

"You're my friend," Harry responded easily, albeit defensively.

"No, Hermione is my friend. You… you're something else altogether," Draco replied.

"What am I then?" Harry asked him, raising a pitch-black eyebrow so that it disappeared into the fringe of his ebony locks.

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Draco admitted.

"Well let me know when you do," Harry said with a smile.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you'd been sorted into Slytherin?" Draco asked out of the blue. He himself had wondered that very question quite often over the last decade.

"I used to," Harry conceded. "Did you ever wonder what would have happened if you were sorted into Gryffindor?"

Draco laughed harshly and shook his head. "I know exactly what would have happened. My father would have been livid and transferred me to Durmstrang."

"Really? Things were that clear cut?" Harry asked, as if the opposite were true for him.

"I love my father, but yes, he was very closed minded when it came to House division. So much so that even I bought into it for years," Draco mused. "But we all died just as easily in that war, and Hufflepuff blood is just as red as my pure blood."

A sad smile broke across Harry's face, and he nodded. "It's a shame it took you so long to realize that. We might have been friends sooner."

"You would have just gotten me killed on one of your insane adventures," Draco teased, and they shared a laugh.

"Hermione and Ron emerged virtually unscathed," Harry countered.

"And dating," Draco replied with a grimace. "Only near death experiences could have paired those two together so irrevocably."

"True," Harry admitted. "Do you think-" Harry began, but then shook his head.

"What?" Draco asked, wondering what Harry was suddenly hiding from him, but then it wasn't very sudden after all since Harry never really told him anything.

Harry shook his head and then tilted it to the side as if trying to decide the best approach to what he had to say. "I sometimes wonder if there is anyone out there for me," he said at last. "Hermione and Ron are sort of perfect for each other, even though it wasn't always that way. Then everyone else around me paired up during or just after the war."

"Emotional events do that," Draco reasoned. "People rally together and form bonds they may not have otherwise."

"Right, I get that… it's just, why didn't I bond with anyone?" Harry pondered out loud. "I was in the thick of it more than anyone."

"Maybe you were too distracted, I mean, you did have a dark wizard to kill after all," Draco noted.

"What if I wasn't supposed to live though, what if I was never fated to have a relationship because I was supposed to die in that war," Harry responded, his voice shaking slightly.

"Rubbish," Draco countered. "You just haven't met the right guy."

Harry nodded and then narrowed his eyes. "I suppose it was 'Mione who told you I was gay?"

Draco swallowed thickly. "She might have let it slip, but only when we were talking about me being gay," he fibbed slightly.

Harry hummed thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair. "Well, that certainly explains a lot."

A surge of embarrassment accosted Draco's nerves as he thought Harry was referring to the way Draco pursued him.

"That must be why she's been up my arse trying to get me to spend time here," he continued. "Has she been doing the same to you?"

"Sort of," Draco agreed, though he left out the bit that he wanted to spend more time with Harry.

"Sometimes she gets a thing in her head and then… well you know," Harry told him with a wave. "I'm sure you see how persistent she can get."

"Right, well, I'm sure she means well," Draco muttered. "But could you imagine? You and me?" he added with a laugh, trying to conceal his recent obsession with the idea.

Harry frowned a bit and shook his head. "No, I suppose not," he agreed softly. "Though it would be a killer headline for the Daily Prophet."

"And we are both rather photogenic," Draco added.

"And we live together, so we could skip right over the awkward firsts," Harry mused as he shifted slightly closer.

"We'd be the talk of every party, constant gossip," Draco whispered, also moving ever closer to where Harry sat.

"I bet you're a good kisser too," Harry purred, and Draco knew he was blushing but he didn't care.

"I could show you if you like," Draco offered seductively, and no more words left Harry's lips because they were irrevocably attached to the blonde's in the very next moment. It had been far too long since Draco had been with anyone, and far too many hours spent pining over the man he was attached to at the moment.

Sheer bliss sparked through Draco's entire body as his lips seemed to catch fire against Harry's. His tongue twisted and danced along with the Auror's, and the heady fragrance that was innately Harry seemed to coat his nostrils. Harry's lips were firm against his own, and when Draco ran a hand through the Gryffindor's mane, Harry moaned against him and pulled him tighter.

The shift caused Draco to fall from the edge of his seat and he grabbed the table for support, only to scream out as his palm connected with a sharp knife. Harry pulled back at once looking curiously at Draco's twisted face until he spotted the puddle of blood quickly accruing on the table.

"Draco, we need to get you to a healer now!" Harry demanded.

"It's just a flesh wound," Draco argued, wanting nothing more than to go back to kissing Harry. He'd heal it himself right that instant if it hadn't been his wand hand that took the damage.

"Let me see," Harry implored and practically pulled Draco's hand into his lap. "Merlin, Draco," he muttered under his breath between casting a spell or two that began to staunch the bleeding and knit Draco's skin back together. "One kiss from me and you get injured. Maybe you were right."

"About?" Draco asked confusedly while watching Harry work his magic and feeling the pain begin to dissipate.

Harry looked up at him seriously, a somber glint in his eyes. "I would have gotten you killed had we been friends in school."

"You would have saved me," Draco argued.

"You seem fairly certain about that," Harry noted with an emerging grin.

"It's what you do," Draco replied easily.

"Not for everyone," Harry told him bitterly. "So many people…"

"Hey, look at me," Draco told him, and he did, green eyes boring into his own. "You did everything you could. You're only one person, you can't save everyone, but look at how many you did save."

"Why have I never noticed how stunning your eyes are?" Harry asked softly. Draco's heart fluttered at the comment and his head felt light. Stars sparkled in his vision like a hundred fairy light, and he thought he might be falling in love with the man in front of him.

Draco smiled and shook his head lightly. "Because you've always been too busy hurling insults at me. Besides, mine are nothing compared to yours."

A spark of worry erupted behind those emerald orbs, and Harry sighed heavily. "Draco, I know we- that is to say I said some things… but the truth is I can't-" he started and Draco pulled away at once, feeling his insides begin to whither and curl.

"No, I get it. No need to continue. Clearly I overstepped, so I'll be off," he muttered and rushed away to his room, not turning back even when he heard Harry call his name.

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Draco spent the following weeks berating himself for being such an idiot. He didn't know if Harry had continued to join the others for meals because he had stopped leaving his room unless it was to go to work.

He didn't know what he had been thinking; of course the mighty Harry Potter wouldn't want to be with the leper that was Draco Malfoy. He had probably only wanted a quick shag with the only other gay man in the house, which Draco had also screwed up; though he wasn't sure if he was upset or relieved over that fact. Sure his ego would have been bruised if not broken completely if Harry had slept with him and then wanted nothing more to do with him, but on the other hand there were worse things than being used by someone like Harry.

The only time he saw the sexy brunette now was while he slept because Draco refused to give up his nightly vigil of the Gryffindor hero. Every night he would sit in his chair and not make a sound as he watched the man –who was quickly becoming his favorite person to look at- sleep soundly in his bed.

Weeks turned into months until finally Draco was pulled aside by his angry co-worker. "This has got to stop, Draco," Hermione demanded. "You've become more and more distant. The rest of us never see you anymore, and you've even got Harry asking after you."

"Really?" Draco replied, perking up at the mention of his crush. "What does Harry say?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms petulantly over her chest. "Oh sure, you don't care what the rest of us have to say, it's all about Harry, Harry, Harry! Why don't the two of you just shag and get it over with!"

"Because he doesn't like me!" Draco shouted back, unable to calm his nerves.

Hermione winced and shook her head. "He said that?"

"Yes," Draco whispered. "We kissed and then he told me that he couldn't be with me."

"You kissed? He never told me that. Hell, you never told me that!" she announced sounding both elated and bitter over the fact.

"Obviously it was nothing," Draco huffed.

"Nothing my arse," she hissed. "The two of you have been moping around for weeks now."

"Why is Harry being moody? He's the one who told me to sod off," Draco grumbled.

"I doubt those were his exact words, and anyhow, he is moody so maybe he changed his mind," Hermione suggested.

"How nice for him," Draco muttered.

"You should talk to him again," she said, nudging him in the ribs.

"No. Absolutely not. I'm not going to humiliate myself yet again," Draco growled.

"Fine, then you leave me no choice. I'll have to scheme you two together again," she announced with a haughty air that rivaled anything Draco could give off.

"Have at it. It won't work this time though, we're both onto you now," Draco scoffed.

"We'll see about that," she replied before storming off.

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Draco continued his nightly stalking but kept a close eye out for Hermione during the day. He knew she was a crafty one and would stop at nothing when she thought she was right about something. Trouble was this time she was wrong.

It was nearing midnight before Draco finally heard the telltale click of Harry's door and carefully he crept out into the corridor only to be met by angry chocolate eyes. "Have you been sneaking into his room every night?" Hermione demanded.

"Shh," Draco hissed, looking behind her toward Harry's door to make sure he wasn't listening in.

"Have you?" she repeated, this time softer in tone by no less urgent.

"Yes, alright. Yes. It calms me," Draco admitted. "I'll stop, just don't tell him," he pleaded.

"Don't stop," Hermione told him firmly. "It helps him sleep."

"What?" Draco gasped, eyes going wide in horror. "He knows?"

"No," she replied quickly. "He told me over breakfast that he's been sleeping better than ever these last few months, that he feels safe and watched over."

"If only he knew," Draco muttered, thinking his obsession would be much less impressed if he knew the truth.

"Draco, I think," she began, but got no further when the door behind them opened, and Harry stepped out looking startled by their presence.

"I couldn't sleep so I came up here to bother Draco," Hermione lied upon seeing Harry.

Harry completely ignored her though, his eyes focused on Draco alone. They hadn't seen one another in ages it seemed, or at least Harry hadn't seen Draco. "Since you're up, do you have a minute?"

"Er, I was just going to bed actually," Draco replied and faked a dramatic yawn while glaring at Hermione as she slinked away back downstairs –a triumphant grin on her face.

"Oh," Harry responded dejectedly. "Okay."

"Well, goodnight, Harry," Draco offered, and as quickly as he could, slipped into his room and shut the door tightly behind him. His heart was racing but he could still hear Harry pad down the hall and then back again before going back into his own room. Draco gave it half an hour before following and finding his secret paramour fast asleep.

Harry looked angelic as always with his hair sprawled against silken white sheets and Draco couldn't help but sigh in sorrow that he would never get to run his hands through those satiny locks ever again. His fingertips gently brushed his own lips as they often did when he thought of that kiss. Harry had spoiled him for other men, Draco realized soon afterward. He used to be comfortable enough to flirt and admire men who crossed his path, but he couldn't even look at anyone else without thinking about the fact that they would never measure up to Harry.

It was pitiful.

But as sad as he was, Draco couldn't seem to stop these nightly visitations.

"Draco," Harry whimpered from the bed and the blonde's heart froze, thinking he'd been caught for sure this time.

"Please, Draco," Harry repeated, this time a heated purr seemed to emanate from the man's throat, and a shiver ran down the former Slytherin's spine.

A smile curled Draco's lips upward as he realized that Harry was dreaming, and about him no less. He moved closer and noticed the sheets moving and shifting and pulled them carefully back to see Harry touching and groping himself beneath them. "Yes," he whispered into the night air and Draco flushed a deep crimson at the sight and sound of a sleeping Harry in the throws of an illicit dream.

He wanted to make it come true for the brunette so badly, but the only thing worse than being caught spying on someone would be being caught naked in bed with them –all without Harry's lucid permission. Still, the idea of pinning Harry to the mattress was hard to shake, but he did and slowly retreated from the room so as not to further incriminate himself and allow Harry his private moment.

He was wanking himself nearly the moment the door shut behind him, unable to stave off the lust that boiled within him from watching Harry's seductive wet dream. He was so enthralled that he never heard the click of the door, nor did he hear anyone enter the room. In fact it wasn't until his hand was removed and replaced on his cock with another that he looked up with wide eyes to find Harry standing in front of him.

His hair was wild and his lips softly parted as he dove for Draco's mouth. Yielding at once, Draco felt as if he were trapped in a dream. The feel of Harry's nimble fingers made him cry out until Harry bit into his bottom lip to quiet him. "Fuck, Harry," Draco groaned into the other man's mouth only to be rewarded with more fervent thrusts.

"Come for me, Draco," Harry purred against his ear, and the sound of Harry's voice alone sent him toppling over the edge, the result of his orgasm coating both of them.

"Mmmm, I've been thinking about that for weeks," Harry sighed, pulling Draco over to the bed. The blonde felt awkward and entirely confused by the exchange but refused to part from Harry's side. Soft fingers traced the expanses of pale exposed flesh and Draco whimpered against the touch, craving more from his spontaneous roommate. "I know your little secret, Draco."

His eyes shot wide and peered into Harry's hooded emerald ones. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You've been spying on me," Harry whispered and ran his tongue along Draco's bottom lip causing a shiver to envelope his body.

"I-er that is to say," Draco stammered but was quickly cut off by Harry's lips.

"I think it's sweet," Harry told him. "You've always been the perfect gentleman, even just then when I practically invited you into bed with me, you left the room."

"You –you were awake?" Draco hissed, utterly astounded.

Harry merely chuckled and nodded. "Of course. You don't really think you could lurk in the bedroom of an Auror without their knowledge do you?" he asked with a grin.

Draco fell back into the pillow and groaned his frustration. "All this time I thought you were oblivious."

"I fancy you, Draco. I know you don't feel the same, but I hoped that if you got to know me that you might change your mind," Harry admitted

"What?" Draco shouted. "Oh, I see. You're the oblivious one."

Harry's smile quickly turned into a frown from Draco's reprimand. "I didn't mean to presume-" he started but Draco maneuvered himself over Harry's exposed torso and pinned the man's arms to the headboard. "I'm fucking in love with you, you idiot," he teased.

"But you left before when I told you I didn't want to start something based on sex," Harry replied, his mouth gaping slightly at Draco's proclamation.

"You said no such thing," Draco announced.

"I tried," Harry countered. "You left and said you understood. I thought you did. I figured you weren't interested if you couldn't shag me."

"So what changed your mind?" Draco asked tentatively.

"I decided I didn't care. If I could only have you in my bed then that's what I'd settle for. Not that I wouldn't try for more, but I can't make you love me," Harry whispered.

"Because I already do," Draco replied and kissed Harry deeply before melting into him. His singular regret was the fact that Hermione would trounce around the house for the next month rubbing it in that she was right and he was wrong, but it was all worth it to have the man in his arms.

Harry pushed a lock of blonde hair behind his ear and kissed him softly on the cheek, and all was right in the world.

Authors Note: 50 points to the reviewers who caught the Monty Python quote!