A/N: First story ever, I hope you like it.

Harry Potter moves Draco Malfoy into

Grimmauld Place with him after the Battle of Hogwarts.

Hermione gets some devastating news and moves in with them.

Draco is very in touch with his desires and is very happy to

introduce Harry and Hermione theirs.

Pairings: Draco/Harry

Later Pairings: Draco/Hermione/Harry

I do not own Harry Potter and am not JK Rowling.

Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy was standing in the kitchen at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, giving instructions to Kreacher on the precise preparation of the dinner he had ordered for himself and Potter for later that night. He heard the fire in the study flare loudly, announcing that someone was about to floo into the house. A quick check to his watch showed it was much earlier than the late evening that Potter had said it would be before he got home. Turning with a swirl of robe, he started for the study.

Stepping through the doorway from the hall, he stopped, shocked to see Hermione Granger stagger out of the fireplace. He must have made some sort of noise because a startled Granger grabbed her wand and aimed it at him. She stood up straight, and braced herself in the classic dueling position taught to all of the students of their year by Professor Lockhart. Her wand hand was trembling and there were tear stains on her face. Draco walked slowly two or three steps toward the trembling girl with his arms down at his sides and his palms pointed up, in the universal show of not being armed and not intending any harm. This wasn't the first time he'd been at the receiving end of her wand.

Just like old times

Draco felt very uncomfortable standing there in front of a clearly upset girl, wearing just trousers and an open robe. No wand, no shirt, barefoot. Neither of them said anything, just stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time, but was probably just a few seconds.

Draco licked his lips to start a hello when, suddenly, she dropped her wand, walked quickly across the room, and threw her arms around the tall blonde- all but collapsing in his arms- crying with despair. He still held his arms to his side not knowing just what was expected of him. Who was this, and what had they done with Granger?

Painfully aware that he was probably the last person she would want to see her in this condition, let alone allow to comfort her, he quickly looked around the room in a stupid gesture to make sure they were unseen and alone - lest someone see her vulnerable. Some things had changed for the two of them, hell, all of them had been changing lately, but he didn't think that they were ready for this. This was so out of the realm of what a Slytherin would be prepared for. It is unthinkable to lower your guard and let your enemy see you weak; he really had no idea what to do. Pansy would never have let go of her wand in this situation. Draco wasn't sure she even let it go in the shower.

"Granger," he said.

"Mmoph ah ah 'hic' Rooonnnnnnnnn!" she mumbled into his chest. Her voice and breath hitching as she tried to talk and breathe.

"Shhhhhhhh," he said, "It's okay."

He moved his hands up slowly, and attempted to comfort the girl, but was very awkward as he patted her back in a gesture he had seen others doing when consoling someone.

"Noooooo it'ssssss noooooot!" She wailed while circling her arms around Draco's bare chest and splaying her hands on his back, squeezing him tighter. He tried to shuffle them sideways to the sofa, but Granger seemed to just collapse. He stiffened quickly and grabbed her to him with his arms around her.

"Hell with it," he muttered. Draco then bent and put his arm under the back of her knees and swept her into his arms. He walked them to the sofa and sat down with the hysterically crying Granger on his lap. She curled up into his lap, and moved her right hand to the front of his chest, clenching it and a few of his hairs. Her shoulders were moving up and down as she sobbed, pulling the hair with each little movement. He moved his hand to hers, flattening her hand just a little to get her to release her grip, which seemed to make her wail even more.

Draco squirmed around under his burden to get the charmed galleon that Potter had given him about two weeks ago so that he would have a quick way to communicate should there be an emergency. He worked his wand out of his robe pocket and sent a message to Potter.

Hysterical Granger in my arms!

Potter had gone to St. Mungo's Hospital to be with the Weasley family today. Bill had taken a curse aimed at Fred, and was currently at the hospital fighting for his life. His werewolf bite had given him more strength than that of the average human and had kept him alive when a human would not have survived; but the bite was also negating everything the Healers tried to reverse the damage done by the curse. Everything had been touch and go since the Battle of Hogwarts. No one knew if he would pull through but hopes were lifted higher each day that he lived.

Laying the galleon and his wand at his thigh, he adjusted his legs under his burden to await a reply. Sinking a hand into her hair to shift her head to a more comfortable position rewarded him with a waft of honeysuckle. He took a deep breath of his favorite fragrance and smiled, moving his hand deeper into her hair and leaning down a bit to get a better whiff, finding that the more he petted the sobbing girl, the more scent was released.

While moving his hand around in her hair, he noted that it didn't feel like he had always thought it would. He had always thought it would feel stiff and wiry, but it was soft and silky, and her curls gripped his fingers as if they didn't want him to move his hand away.

He felt a tiny vibration from the coin lying on the sofa beside him.

Keep her there, I'll explain later!

Draco settled down into the soft sofa to wait for Potter to show up, slowly rubbing her head with his right hand, hitching her legs up closer to him with his left, leaving his hand to rest on her leg. He leaned his head back on the sofa, closing his eyes, enjoying the first actual human contact, and the closest thing he had had to an embrace, since The Battle of Hogwarts a month ago when his parents hugged him to them after finding him in the rubble of the school.

Draco felt a lightness he hadn't felt since his third hear at Hogwarts. He was no longer worried where he fit in this world. He felt he now had a reason to have hope for a future in the new world that this girl and her friends helped bring about. He let his head fall to the back of the sofa, closed his eyes and let his mind wander to how he had come to be staying with Potter, smiling to himself, breathing deeply of honeysuckle, and relaxed in the embrace of the warm young woman hiccupping and trembling in his arms.

Who knew Potter would stand up for before The Wizengamot and testify in his and his mother's defense? The Boy Who Wouldn't Die argued long and hard in his testimony to sway the witches who would decide their fate. Granger and Weasley stood by his side, everyone that was left of the Order of the Phoenix lined up behind them, in a united show that had confused and humbled the proud young man standing with resolve to hear his sentence. There was a very short deliberation by the judges before Lucius was sentenced to Azkaban for life. Narcissa collapsed into a hysterical heap beside her son. A frail looking woman walked slowly to her and kneeled down beside her, drawing his mother into her arms. She shared a strong resemblance to Bellatrix, but was softer somehow. Draco correctly assumed this to be his Aunt Andromeda.

He had hardly heard when the inquisitor cleared all charges against him, and sentenced Narcissa to house arrest. There were some more words spoken by the Malfoy Arguer, Andromeda, Potter and the Wizengamot, but all he could hear was faint buzzing and ringing to go along with the numbness in his heart, hands and feet.

Draco registered that several wizards escorted a frail Lucius Malfoy out of the court room. Narcissa was helped to her feet by Andromeda and a vaguely familiar looking ginger-haired man, and after a slight trembling hug to her son, was also escorted from the room.

Still staring stoically in front of the witches and wizards, he did not move until Potter had taken his arm and said that Draco was to follow him. He led them out of the courtroom, and through the ministry. Walking through the corridors of the ministry of magic to get to the floo's, Draco raised his head in a proud fashion and fixed his usual sneer on his face. The plebian masses would not get a look at a defeated Malfoy as long as he lived- at least not this Malfoy.

"Good for you Malfoy," Scarhead said, steering them to one of the fireplaces along the wall. Draco almost stumbled he was so shocked.

Potter had floo'ed them to Grimmauld Place, installed Draco in a bedroom, and told him dinner was at 6. That was it. No judgment. No snarky comment. No long lecture on good vs. evil. No gloating. Nothing. Just dinner is at 6. With that, Potter turned, and walked back down the hallway that they had just come down.

At dinner that night Draco had been filled in on the day's proceedings. His mother was sentenced to house arrest for three years, and Andromeda had begged the Wizengamot to allow her to serve her time with her and her grandson Teddy Lupin. Andromeda wanted to mend the rift between the sisters, and this was the perfect opportunity. The judges had agreed but were concerned about where Draco would go; no one felt going back to the Manor, alone would be good for anyone. Left to his own devices, the Malfoy heir could get into all kinds of mischief. Then Potter had spoken up, saying that since they were both legal adults, Draco could stay with him in his home. The Order backed him up, and that had been that.

Did they really think that there would be no mischief around the Bloody Savior of the World? The little prat and his cohorts got into more mischief than all the students at Hogwarts combined in the last seven years! They actually thought that Draco would be safe with this lot? The Terrible Trio was probably planning all sorts of revenge on him, he had thought.

No one even asked Draco what he wanted to do. Never mind that he had almost been catatonic and wouldn't have been able to form a response anyway. So he and Potter had settled in the house together in an unspoken truce. Neither of them, it seemed, wanted to bring up or talk about anything that had happened in the last seven years. The only bickering was between Potter and a shrew of a portrait that was curtained at the end of the hallway. Draco got the impression that Scar-head enjoyed these salvos with too much glee judging by the big smile on his face and self-important strut as he left a sputtering portrait behind him, Add to the fact, Harry was the one who had initiated the argument in the first place; Draco surmised that the boy wonder just couldn't handle too much peace and quiet in his life.

In the last month everyone who was left of the Order had come and gone from the home on Grimmauld Place. Everyone had seen him here, knew he was alone and in his mind in disgrace, but no one said a thing about it. Nothing. Acted as if he had always been there and belonged. He wasn't ostracized. He was included in conversations. If something came up that he would know the answer to, they asked his opinion.

He kept waiting for the axe to fall and for someone to notice the tall blonde elephant in the room and bring up all of the horrid things he had done and said in the past seven years, and condemn him, but it never happened.

The only person who even mentioned the past was Luna Lovegood. She had come to the house about three weeks ago, still bruised and scabby from the final battle. Draco had given her a polite hello, and then moved to make an awkward escape from the kitchen where all the visitors that day were gathered.

"Draco, I wanted to talk to you about Malfoy Manor," she called. He stopped and turned around to accept his fate. He stood with his hands clenched at his side. Draco had been waiting for this; he'd been going over and over an apology in his head. He had seven years' worth of apologies running around his head. Pride is so very hard to swallow, and Malfoys' were born with an overabundance of it. But he knew he would swallow it and apologize. He really was sorry for almost everything he ever said and did to them. Everyone except- the Weasel- he just didn't like the red headed toad. A year ago, in this same situation, his wand would have been palmed and aimed, before he even turned around. But things had changed since then.

"Draco", she said again, and he met her eyes. "I noticed that The Manor had quite an infestation of Nargles the last time I was there, and if you wanted, I could come with you sometime to help you relocate them to a lovely tree where they would be less likely to cause mischief."

All conversation in the room stopped and every eye in the house seemed to be staring at him, waiting for his reply. This is it, he thought, this is where they attack. The cat is out of the green and silver bag. Someone finally noticed the ex-Death Eater in the room.

"Luna is very fond of Nargles, Draco, and it makes her happy when she knows they are in a happy place," Neville Longbottom added to Luna's comment. They both looked at him with a twinkle of merriment in their eyes.

"I...er…Thank you, Luna. I think that would be a lovely idea," Draco said, completely flummoxed. That said, the room got noisy with chatter again and Luna and Longbottom nodded their heads as if to say to all gathered that that was that. Draco straightened his back, raised his white head and walked with tentative pride from the room.

He hadn't been afraid of condemnation since. Draco didn't know what Potter had told all these people to make them accept him like they had and he knew that he didn't deserve their forgiveness. It was strange to have this feeling of acceptance laced with his guilt. It was very hard to keep up his proud undefeated façade around these forgiving happy people. They were Gryffindors to the nth degree.

The first time Granger tried to hug him hello, he tripped over his feet backing away, landing in a heap under one of the curtained portraits. The shrieking and yelling from behind the curtain drew everyone from the rest of the house to see what was going on and he found himself very embarrassed to be in such a position. The girl laughed at him, bringing back memories of Hogwarts. Puffing out his chest to snap out some scything remark, he went into a mild shock as the she giggled more, grabbed his arms, and proceeded to swat his backside dusting him off and making a big to do over his fall.

Most of his Slytherin house mates had taken years to warm up to the aloof blonde, and he didn't know just what to make of these Gryffindorks. Did they not know he was the Malfoy Heir? He was to be treated with reverence. Not manhandled and dusted off like a dropped coat. One did not simply haul up on a Malfoy and pat his behind with a giggle. But that was the thing- they did know, they just didn't give a damn. It seemed that with the end of The Dark Lord, all hostility had ended. People just didn't care enough over silly things that no longer mattered to tire themselves with a fight about it. No one wanted to fight anymore. Himself included.

As Draco lifted his bottom off the sofa to adjust his seat, Granger shuddered, lifted her head, and looked at him with the most defeated look he had ever seen from her. She then lowered her head into the notch at his neck, took a deep shuddering breath, blew her sweet warm breath across his Adam's apple and fell to sleep.

What could possibly have happened to have this brave girl turn to a puddle of goo in his arms? He had watched the "Golden Trio" fight that last battle at Hogwarts, and didn't think there was anything in the world that would make Granger curl up in his lap and surrender. At least the sobbing had ended. All that was left was the occasional catch in her breath as she inhaled. He let the steady rhythm of her breathing, the warmth of her embrace, and her wonderful scent, lull him into a blissful slumber.

The flaring of the fireplace startled Draco from a sound sleep. Quickly grabbing the wand at his thigh he cast a silencing spell at the sleeping girl still curled up in his lap. He didn't know why he used the one that was normally reserved for sleeping children- perhaps it was because he was still worried about people doubting him and questioning his actions. The light that announces to the world exactly what spell had been cast would leave no room for doubt- as long as that person had a working knowledge of nursery charms.

Seeing the bright pink light engulfing Hermione in the lap of Draco Malfoy, Ginny drew her wand and screeched as she came out of the fireplace in a rage. She aimed her wand at the filthy Slytherin holding Hermione.

"You despicable pig! What are you doing!" The youngest Weasley screamed. Ginny drew a deep breath, threw her wand arm forward and her left arm back and up in the air. "Cruc-"

Appearing in the fireplace directly behind Ginny was Harry. Seeing what his ex-girlfriend was about to do, he shoved with all his might on her back, knocking her to the floor and stopping the Unforgivable Curse she was about to cast. Harry fell on top of Ginny and wrestled with her for the wand.

"He's jinxed her! Get off me; I'm going to kill him. I knew we couldn't trust him! You told us to trust him. You told us that he had changed. He hasn't. He's still a Fucking Death Eater!"

"Stop it Ginny!" Harry yelled, still wrestling with the red headed witch. "It was pink! The light around her was pink! Think for a moment! Where else have you seen someone sleeping while covered in a pink light? It's the same charm that Andromeda and I use on Teddy! It's just a silencing charm so that we don't wake her up!"

Ginny froze when Harry's hand clamped down on her right wrist pinning it to the ground and his other hand covered her mouth. His body was sprawled on top of the frantic girl effectively stopping her struggle.

Ginny glared at Harry who was still on top of her. "Mmm hmfnm," she mouthed under his hand. He moved his hand from her mouth and gripped her other wrist with it to keep her from punching him. She grew up with six older brothers, two of which were the Dangerous Duo: Fred and George who thought it great fun to show her how to defend herself, and Harry knew she was capable of anything. He shoved his legs between hers so that she couldn't get a knee up to smash his balls.

"All right then?" He asked her. She nodded. "Give me the wand."

"Like HELL I will! He is not to be trusted. He is still a lying stinking Malfoy and I hate him!"

"Come on Gin. You see she is fine. She is sleeping in his lap. He hasn't hurt her. I told you she was fine. Now give me the wand," He cajoled.

Ginny nodded her head in agreement and released the grip on her wand. It rolled slightly away from her enough that Harry could snatch it before she changed her mind. He jumped quickly to his feet and walked a few steps closer to the blonde on the couch. Still not turning his back on his ex- girlfriend he placed himself between her and the two people on the couch.

"I promise she is fine. You have seen her. I promise to tell her that you were here to check on her. Your family needs you. Go home. You need to be with your mum and dad now. We'll come see you in the morning," He pled.

She nodded her head and stood to walk over to the fireplace, reached into the pot of floo powder beside the hearth. Looking at Harry she asked "May I have my wand back?"

"Do you promise to leave and not try anything? I mean it Gin. You have to go home now." She nodded her head turned to the fireplace and reached back toward Harry for her wand. He moved to her and gave her a hug, whispering something to her then placed the wand in her hand.

She threw the powder in the fireplace stepping into it after it roared and disappeared. Harry brushed his hands on his trousers a couple of times then moved his hand up to his hair in a nervous gesture as he turned around to face Draco.

"I'm sorry about that mate," He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "She has a bit of a temper," he chuckled.

Draco just sat glaring at Harry. Harry walked over to sit on the table directly across from the two people on the couch. Elbows to knees, he sagged with his head down and his hands clasped in front of him. "What a day," he said.

Draco clasped the girl a little tighter to him, to assure himself that she had not been disturbed then asked "Just what the bloody hell is going on?"

Harry ran his hand through his unruly mop of hair again and took a deep breath. "Everyone was exhausted from sitting at the hospital all day. Molly and Arthur were at wit's end not knowing whether to have everyone stay there or send us home. We were all snapping at each other and the tension was getting unbearable. Fleur said that she had had it with all the negativity in the room and told everyone that we had to leave at once," he explained. "We all filed quietly out of the room and just sort of milled around outside the door. After a while Fred and George went to the loo and Charlie went to get some coffee for everyone. Percy had moved further down the hall and had collapsed to the floor crying." Harry looked up into Draco's grey eyes, and with a weary sigh and a deep breath, continued.

"Fleur screamed and Ron took off quickly into the room…Hermione and me right behind him. When we came around the door, Ron was laying on his back on top of Bills legs, and Fleur had her mouth at his neck sucking from a gash."

"Oh Fuck!" Draco said. Immediately understanding what had happened.

"Oh Fuck is right. Bill died and Fleur immediately transferred her bond to Ron. She had no choice."

"Did anyone know she was pregnant?" Draco asked.

"You know about Veela? How do you know about Veela?" Harry asked suspiciously. "You know you are quite blonde…"

Draco blanched, "I'm not a Fucking Veela! What is it with people? A bloke happens to be absolutely gorgeous with a bit of light hair and you all go mental." He drew a deep breath, looked at Potter and rolled his eyes, "I read all about Veela and their mating habits in fourth year when I, briefly, was enamored with the idea of asking Fleur to the Yule Ball. After researching the subject I knew that it was not for me."

"Riiight," Harry said. "Well then as you know, after bonding their life force to one another, if one mate dies the other follows immediately unless the female is pregnant. She then has ten heartbeats to re-bond with a direct member of the man's family. Ron was the first one in. They are now mated for life."

"No wonder Granger was so upset when she came through the floo." The blonde said. "Speaking of the floo…why not shut it down for the night just in case the red headed cyclone decides to come back and finish the spell she tried to cast earlier."

"Good idea," Harry said. "I wouldn't have thought of that" he said, getting up to cast the closing spells on the floo network.

"Yes, well, that termagant wasn't aiming her wand at you"

.

"She really wouldn't have..."

"Yes she would!" he interrupted, "She almost said it and she meant it. You have to really mean it for it to work and she meant it all right. Do you know what it would have done to my reputation to have been killed whilst sitting in Potty's study half naked, my wand in my pocket and a sleeping Gryffindor in my lap? Unbelievable." He shook his head.

Draco watched as Harry stood up from the table and stretched his back and arms walking around the garishly furnished room for a couple of circuits seemingly lost in thought. The only sounds were muffled footsteps and breathing. He waved his hand in a circle above his head in a negligent fashion and lit all of the candles that were set out casting the room in a lighter soft glow. When had the light faded? And Merlin's beard! He just lit all of those candles wordlessly without a wand? Draco froze his features so that Harry wouldn't see his shock at what he had done. Harry walked to the other end of the sofa and settled his back to the arm sitting down and facing the man on the other end of the couch.

"You know Draco, you have been staying here almost a month, we eat almost all of our meals together and are, for the most part, together 24 hours a day. We have known each other almost eight years. Shouldn't we be on a first name basis?"

Grey eyes bored into Green for a while, eventually Draco said, "I suppose as you have installed me as your pseudo chatelaine we could attempt a first name relationship."

"Erm.. my what?"

"Chatelaine," Draco rolled his eyes and taking a deep breath went on to explain, "A chatelaine is the female servant of a bachelor lord, who oversees the running of the house. The chatelaine is charged with keeping the household staff in line, orders the meals that are to be prepared and insures the comfort of the Lord and his guests. The chatelaine is also in charge of the expenses of the household under the budget the lord has set."

"When did I do that? You are not here as a servant Draco. I never intended for you to be here as a servant. You certainly aren't female. You are my guest." Although, you would look hilarious in a French maid's uniform. Harry thought to himself. "You once offered me friendship and I turned you down. I've given it a lot of thought in the last couple of years and I swore to myself that if I were ever in a position to, that I would return your offer of friendship. It's why I asked the Wizengamot to let you stay here with me. I'm hoping that we can start over."

"Friendship?" Draco asked, "You want to be friends with me after all of the things I did to you? Said to you? The names I called you and her," gesturing to the girl in his lap, "and the Weasel?" Draco shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. "You are such a Gryffindor…..Harry." Draco tilted his head in acknowledgement as he said Harry. "No, you didn't say I was here as a servant per-se, but I just assumed the role. Kreacher came to me a few minutes after you installed me in my bedroom and welcomed me home to: 'The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," he smiled, "I thought the Malfoy house elves were formal, they have nothing on Kreacher. He then asked me what to prepare for dinner. I gave him instruction that first time and he has been coming to me ever since. The rest of the elves get their orders from Kreacher."

"The rest of the elves? I only have the one…Don't I?"

"You have only Kreacher here. I don't know what you have at the other Black houses. I expect you have the normal three at each of the other estates. I brought two of the Malfoy elves here, and sent two to my mother and Andromeda. There is no one at the manor, and they get lonely and self-destructive if left alone too long. I didn't think you would mind. I've ordered Black livery for Boni and Trix and it should be arriving soon, but I haven't been able to force them to accept a salary. I doubt I ever will. I have told them to keep to the basement area where the potions room and the laundry are located. They have strict instructions to never be seen by Hermione. Really it's a kindness to them to have something to do Pot….er…Harry."

"No, you are right, I just didn't think about the elves. They are welcome here and don't have to stay in the basement. Hermione will just have to understand that they are better off here than alone. She is smart. She should understand that." Harry looked at Draco and asked, "Livery?"

"Clothes, Harry. Livery is the term for the Black family uniform for household staff. I've freed my elves and they just about killed themselves over it. The only way they would stop banging their heads against the floor was to promise them that they could stay here with you. They did not agree with Dobby and his ways, but knew that he was happy where you were and they trust that you will let them take care of you like he did. I assumed that you had freed Kreacher as well as he was wearing a locket. So I ordered him a uniform too."

"Thank you for stepping in and taking care of things. I really had no idea that someone had to make these decisions. Kreacher and I have come to an understanding and since last year he has been cleaning and preparing better meals, but now that you mention it, the food has been wonderful lately and I have noticed things have been cleaner than ever. Smell better too. Did you buy new sheets?"

"You are welcome." Draco said with a nod to the affirmative.

"You are not here as a servant Draco. I appreciate that you stepped up and did what needed to be done, but now that I am aware that these things need to be seen to I'll start making the decisions. Unless you enjoy doing this, then you have my blessing to see to it."

"I think that unless we want anarchy to reign, I'll continue giving instruction to the elves and taking care of your mundane chores. If I don't, we'll probably have ham sandwiches and crisps three meals a day till we return to Hogwarts."

"What's wrong with that?' Harry smiled.

"Peasant." Draco sneered.

Harry smiled at Draco and waved in a royal way, slowly with the back of his hand as he has seen Queen Elizabeth do on the telly one time.

"You jest Harry, but you are damn near royalty now. You should get used to that wave."

"This will all blow over once they quit writing about it in the Prophet. I'll do something stupid soon and then Skeeter will put it all over the front page and then everyone can go back to hating me and calling me names."

"Do you really have no idea what has happened to you?" At Harry's blank stare, Draco leveled a serious look at him and began to explain.

"First, you are the savior of the Wizard world. Everyone had their hopes pinned on you, and you fulfilled. Second, I don't know if you know it or not, but your magic is second only to the Dark Lord and Professor Dumbledore in power. Scratch that. Your magic no longer has competition. You have the most magical power of any wizard we know of. You hide your power well; it has taken me till just this week to realize that you are hiding it on purpose. Third, one of the greatest titles and fortunes in England has fallen into your lap. Lord Black surpasses almost every title of the wizard realm. Fourth, your political clout is unsurpassed. I doubt there is any request no matter how outlandish that the Ministry wouldn't acquiesce to. You could either become the next Minister of Magic, or with your backing you and support, your candidate would win in a landslide. Fifth, your looks have every girl in Hogwarts swooning for you to give them a glance. If I have to hear one more time about your 'devastatingly handsome good looks and magnificent green eyes' I might puke. You are the five golden rings of legend."

"Thank Salazar for Parkinson. I know you don't like her, and she truly turned out to be a rank bitch, but as she was the only girl that I know who couldn't stand to look at you, I at least didn't have to hear about your good looks all day every day. She thought I was the best looking thing in manly robes. You are hell on an ego. I don't know how the Weasel could stand being seen next to you for seven years."

"Awwwww you think I'm pretty Draco?" Harry teased and batted his eyelashes.

"I didn't say that I thought you were good looking, Potter just that almost every girl at Hogwarts thought you were. You are a parent's wet dream. I don't envy you that a bit. Good luck to you. Cheers." He said with a mock raised goblet.

"How so?" Harry asked with a grimace.

"You are officially The Most Eligible Bachelor in the realm. Parents of every young witch and I dare say young wizard, are looking to make the best match possible for their children. I don't know too much about how the other parents arrange marriages, but pure blood families look at all of the things I just mentioned and weigh whether or not they have enough to be appealing to the possible match. It's not about whether or not the children will suit; it's about whether or not it is a good match."

"Wizards? When did they turn me gay?"

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, "It's not all about sex, Harry. Alliances are about power. A powerful alliance is more important in the scheme of things. I have known of two marriages of 'non intimate life partners'. Their parents made a contract when they were born and they knew as they grew up whom they would marry. They fulfilled their contract and had concubines for their baser needs. If concubines weren't needed, then a 'gay' couple could use a surrogate to continue the line." He finished.

"I think this is the one and only time I might be glad that I'm an orphan," Harry said with a slight smile. "I've had marriage proposals by owl, but I usually just burn them as they come in thinking they were sent by some kind of escapee from the mental ward," he chuckled. "I don't know if I have ever had a true marriage proposal."

"You have, I overheard my parent's talking more than once and they said that if it weren't for your

'Unfortunate' political leanings, and the fact that you and I didn't get on, we would be a great match. Your power was like a drug to them, they wanted it badly. I found an old contract in the library two years ago; it seems my parents sent your parents an offer when we were babies, and as James and Lily hadn't said 'no' before they died, I was instructed to befriend you when I met you. I would have tried anyway as it turns out, I was drawn to you as nearly everyone is, but you turned me down. Later when they heard about my little dalliance with Blaise in fifth year, and, as you hadn't paired off with any special girl, they actually approached me to try to offer my hand and other things to you. I think had you given me any encouragement at all, they would have switched sides to you long ago" Draco grimaced at Harrys indrawn breath and "Fucking Hell!"

"Your eloquence knows no bounds…Harry." Draco smirked and blew him a kiss.

"Call me Potty. New rule, if there is ever talk of marriage between you and me; you are to call me Potty." Harry said as he turned his head to the left to stare at the portrait of Sirius'great great great grandmother Ursula and blushed when she winked at him and rolled her shoulder in a come-hither way. "And we are never to talk about marriage between you and me again, "Bloody Hell."

Harry turned back to face Draco after giving his blush sufficient time to cool. "We kind of heard whisperings about you two, but didn't know what to believe. Every time we saw you, you had Pug Face on your arm," Harry said.

"We tried. Once. It was bad. She didn't turn me gay, but after our hookup, she started batting for the other team. I think I was her 'beard'. Last I knew she was seeing a girl from Durmstrang."

Harry swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "So you aren't gay?" he asked.

Draco looked down at Hermione smiled a bit then turned his smile to Harry whilst hitching her legs up a bit as they had slipped during their conversation. "A beautiful person is a beautiful person. If I find someone who sparks my interest, I follow that spark. Have I been with blokes? Yes. More blokes than girls? No. Do I prefer one to the other? No. You?"

Harry sat up straighter on the sofa and pushed his back more fully into the arm, crossed his legs at the ankles, and folded his arms on his chest. "Only girls. And I've only snogged." He said more than a little uncomfortably.

Draco nodded his head solemnly and stared at Harry. He stared for a full minute before his lips opened and he started to smile. He started chuckling and had to stop himself from having it turn into a full blown laugh so that he didn't wake the girl cradled in his arms. Harry on the other hand was turning livid. He was open and honest with the rat bastard, and Draco was laughing at him. He unfolded his arms and moved his right arm to the back of the sofa to push himself up when Draco put his hand on Harry's ankle and held him down. "Please, I'm not laughing at you, I swear. I'm laughing at Me."

Harry moved to sit back again and just looked at the prat.

"Really. I swear Harry. I'm not laughing at you. If any of my old friends heard me today, they would turn my Slytherin robes Red. I sound like the poster child for Gryffindor. I don't know what has happened to me, I've not talked to anyone about anything this much since I was a child. It feels wonderful. If this is why you and the other two go around smiling all the time, I completely understand. I just had to laugh, as it has been bubbling up inside of me since you sent the red headed devil home. You believed in me. You knew that I didn't hurt Hermione, and you trusted your best friend to me, you sent a Weasley home and kept me here. Merlin Harry! Do you know how long it has been since ANYONE has trusted me?"

Draco cleared his throat and said with a serious face. "This day will never be repeated you understand, and if you ever tell anyone how I've acted tonight, I will probably be crucified for killing you, but I would do it." He said soberly. Then a grin broke out on his face all over again, and ruined a perfectly horrible threat to the Golden One.

"You trust me Potter. You trust me with your friends. You trust me with your home. You trust me with your vaults. You trust me with your virginity. You tr…."

"Oi! I never said I trusted you with my vaults! When did I give you my vaults?" he cried out.

"Oh that," Draco waved his hand at Harry. "When you said I could continue as your chatelaine. I told you that the chatelaine over saw the household accounts and you told me I could continue in that service. Ergo you trust me with your vaults." Draco replied dismissing Harry's displeasure.

"If I recall correctly Malfoy, you told me that the duty is to spend what, Your Lord, also known as Me, allows you to use of the budget," he said smugly.

"Pot-tay-to, po-ta-to, it doesn't matter. You trust me Potter." Draco looked at Harry and stopped smiling. With a very serious nod of his head he said, "Thank you. I also accept your hand in friendship."

"You are welcome Draco. And I don't recall giving you my virginity either."

"You gave me the secret of your virginity. That's close enough." Draco smiled with a lascivious smirk and waggled his eyebrows, "for now."

Harry was gobsmacked. Green eyes bored into Grey until Harry noticed the grey eyes were turning almost black. Draco has filled out in the last year and no longer seemed as pointy as he did before. His hair was no longer slicked back in such a severe style, and his fringe fell softly to his eyebrows. Draco had become quite beautiful. Harry felt a familiar pulling in his chest that he really had only felt around one person before. Why was he staring at Draco's bloody lips? "Bloody Hell," he said.

"It's called desire Harry," Draco said to him very softly, almost as a whisper, moving his right hand slightly.

"Don't hold your breath Draco."

"We'll see," Draco said as he moved his hand again.

Harry had been distracted and hadn't really noticed what Draco was doing with his hand until just then. He was running his fingers through Hermione's hair. He was caressing Hermione whilst flirting with me he thought. Has he been doing that the whole time we have been talking? "Bloody fucking hell."

"It seems I am going to need to teach you how to curse as well as how to manage a household, the proper care of house elves, how to dress as befits your new station, how to flirt, how to kiss, how to turn down marriage proposals.." Draco continued raising fingers listing all the things he was going to teach him when Harry finally spoke up.

"I dress fine!"

"You. Do. Not. Dress fine. You dress as if you are wearing the hand me downs of a three headed slovenly beast."

"I am."

"You are what?"

"Wearing the hand me downs of a slovenly beast. My cousin Dudley to be exact, and if he isn't a slovenly beast, I'll eat my shirt. Err his shirt."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry and accusingly said, "You mean to tell me that you are running around in hand me downs, when you carry the key to one of the richest vaults in Europe? Are you mental?"

"No, I just never cared what I wore or what I looked like before. I always had too much to do to worry about what I wore or what people thought of me."

"As of ten minutes ago, you started caring," Draco insisted.

"I did? How do you figure?"

"You now have someone in your life who gives a damn that's how I figure."

"I do?"

"You do."

"Oh."

"You silver-tongued devil. Let's add a 'new vocabulary' to the list of things I need to teach you."

"And I already know how to kiss."

"I highly doubt it."

"I do not need a kissing lesson from you."

Draco said nothing in reply to that and the easy banter dried up. He just stared at the wall in front of him and ran his fingers through Hermione's hair.

Harry thought for a while then got up to go to the other end of the sofa and held his arms out to Draco. "Why not hand her over and I'll take her up to one of the extra bedrooms." Harry bent down to relieve Draco's burden.

A foreign feeling suddenly clenched Draco's heart. He didn't know what it was, or where it came from, but he somehow felt that letting Harry take Hermione from him would end his life. He had been sitting here with the young woman in his lap for a couple of hours and having a great conversation with Harry, but he now felt like punching Harry's lightning bolt scar. He tamped down his inner snarky bastard and schooled his features in his usual mask of indifference.

"I think not. I did not just spend Merlin knows how long getting her calm and asleep to have you and your clumsy hands ruining all of my efforts. She is just fine where she is, and when the time comes to move her to a room, I'll be the one moving her" he said determinedly.

"Draco, don't be silly, just give her to me.."

"She gave herself to me Harry. I can't let her go." Draco wasn't sure exactly what that meant or why he said it, but it made sense in his head.

"What? Are you mental? She did not give herself to you!" He bent down again to take Hermione from Draco's lap.

"Harry I can't give her to you, she surrendered to me. There is something inside of me that will not relinquish her to you."

"You can't be serious. Not even five minutes ago you were flirting with me and offering to teach me how to kiss, and now you cannot 'relinquish' her to me? Bullshit."

"Language, Harry." Draco raised his wand and pointed it at the man standing in front of him.

"I did not give you back that wand so you could hex me with it. I'm not even sure it will work, as it still answers to me. Why are you suddenly acting this way?"

Draco knew exactly why he was acting this way. When he was fourteen, his parents had taken him on a trip to Bulgaria to a very distant relatives wedding. The bride's family was sticklers for the dark arts and insisted on an ancient ceremony that all but went out with the feudal system, it ensured that there was absolutely no doubt that the bride and her family was bestowing their allegiance to the groom and his family. The Vita Tribo Ritus was a binding magical contract and, once the ceremony was completed, was like an unbreakable vow. The groom and his immediate family stood on one side of an altar completely unarmed. The bride and her family stood opposite with their wands drawn, everyone but the bride bowed to the grooms family and sheathed their weapons. The bride aimed her wand at the groom, threw it down and walked unarmed to her groom. Symbolically they were subjugating themselves and proclaiming their allegiance. By accepting her into his embrace he proclaimed that he and his family and all of their allies would then be Curator Familia. She and her family and allies were then his to protect and defend. The officiant wizard then made an incantation and a bond was formed.

Draco found the ceremony unbelievably beautiful and longed for such a bond. He and his father were growing farther and farther apart the more Lucius' obsession with the Dark Lord grew. He knew that if it came down choosing Draco or the Dark Lord, Lucius would not choose his son. He had no one but his mother, and she was just a pawn in his father's web. There was no one for him and no one to protect him. It drew into focus that he was alone in the world. Which made the ceremony he'd just witnessed all the more poignant. After the vitta tribo, the bride and all of her relatives were bonded to the groom and all of his relatives and they would all fight and die to protect one another. They became family.

Draco wanted a family and all it entailed. By performing the ritual, even if it was only symbolic in his own mind, Hermione had unknowingly given Draco a family. There was no officiant, and no magical bond, but she had given him what he needed even if it was a sub-conscience need he didn't really know he had until she was wrapped in his arms. In his mind right there and right then as long as he had Hermione, he had family. He had already let his guard down. While he had been holding her in his arms he had made a friend. He had her friend. She had brought him a friend. Harry was also her family. It was tentative at best, but there it was. Draco didn't know what to tell Harry, he knew he needed to explain somehow, but exposing his feelings was something completely alien to him. Exposing your feelings to an enemy was the same as throwing your wand down in a fight. They could then use those feelings to attack you. He had considered Potter an enemy for so long he wasn't sure how to think if he was now a friend. He had to tell him something so that he would let him continue to hold onto her but what could he say?

Well, in for a knut in for a galleon, his Grandmother Druella used to say. Deciding to just lay it all at Harry's feet he chose to tell the truth. He took a deep breath, hugged Hermione tighter for courage then proceeded to tell Harry exactly why he couldn't let go of the girl in his arms.

Harry was starting to get nervous standing in front of Draco waiting for him to speak. Draco's usual mask was gone, replaced with varying expressions he wasn't used to seeing on anyone from Slytherin. It was hard enough to stand still with a wand pointed at you, but to stand still in front of a man who had for the last seven years been a thorn in your side, and quite a volatile thorn at that, and not move to palm your wand was very disconcerting. He didn't even know that he had been holding his breath, until Draco began to speak and he let it out. Harry relaxed once Draco had begun to speak moving his hand away from his wand pocket and folding his arms in front of him.

Harry listened to Draco's explanation trying very hard to keep his face frozen so he didn't show the shock he was feeling. He had always thought that since Draco had a mother and a father and a home he wouldn't ever understand his own need to form friendships and family bonds wherever he could find them. He found himself empathizing with Draco, and a foreign urge to be outraged for him formed in his heart. He and Draco had more in common that he had thought. Was everyone just a lost soul looking companionship and a place to call home? He fought the urge to move over and hug the suddenly vulnerable looking blonde as Draco finished telling his story.

"All I know is that suddenly I feel that if I hand her over to you, my world will crumble. She gave herself to me, she is mine to protect, and I'm keeping her. She threw down her wand in a dueling stance, ran at me and surrendered into my arms. She is mine and I am keeping her. I'm keeping you too, by the way," he insisted with a smug nod.

"Then you might want to lower your wand." Draco stared at Harry for a while, he then lowered the wand. "I should have sold it to the Ministry. They offered me 50,000 galleons for the wand that killed Voldemort."

Working on a completely oddball hunch he had in his head he asked Draco, "So when did you stop hating us? You haven't tried to hex any of us all month, you haven't even tried to call her Mudbl…."

"Shut it", Draco said, "I stopped thinking of her that way during sixth year. She tried to help me with a very big problem once, she said you had sent her to me, and offered me her friendship. I was a dick and pushed her away with a foul statement about her pet Weasel. I've been trying to find a way to take it back ever since. I haven't really hated any of you for a long time. I won your friendship today, and now, I want hers." Putting his wand back in his pocket, Draco dropped his head to look at the sleeping witch and smiled.

Harry tried to think back to sixth year and when he might have sent Hermione to Draco. The only time he could think of was in the great hall just after Draco had stood up and yelled at Parkinson and Nott and told them to leave him the fuck alone, that he had something important to do and didn't have time for their petty problems then stormed out the door. He'd leaned over to his friends and said 'Malfoy sure has a broom up his arse about something; I wish someone would go help him with his problem and remove that broom so we might have a quiet meal for one.' He gave a secret knowing smile and looked down at the man smiling and holding tightly to his best friend.

"Look Draco. Let's just put her to bed for now and later when she is awake we can discuss this. Then you can tell her you are sorry for being the biggest arse in the world."

"Just let her sleep here for a while longer. It's too early for bed and besides, the elves are preparing a wonderful, not a ham sandwich, dinner. We can wake her up when it is ready and make her eat something then." Draco drawled, absently rubbing his hand on Hermione's thigh. "Besides, I like her just where she is," He smiled. "After she has had a nap and a hot meal, maybe she will be ready to hear my apology and I can offer her my hand.."

"You can't! He interrupted. Draco stopped caressing Hermione's leg and waited for Harry to continue. " I…it's just …" he stammered. Harry sat on the sofa beside Draco and Hermione. His Adams apple bobbed a couple of times as he swallowed and tried to find the right words to say. Seeing Harry's obvious struggle to speak, Draco had to stop himself from reaching over to pat his leg in encouragement. Harry continued, "I have been in love with Hermione for a long time. It sort of crept up on me. I thought that the feelings I had were what you would feel for your best mate, but I realized when we were camping out this winter, that I really and truly loved her. Do you know how many times she has saved my life? I don't really think I know how many times. She is the most wonderful, smart, beautiful, bossiest, cleverest, did I say beautiful? girl in the world."

"She thinks she is in love with Ron. I know it's not real love. It's just a habit for her. They are too different," Harry dragged his hands through his messy hair then let his head fall to the back of the sofa. "Ron has had Hermione's foot prints all over his back for years and seems happy to let her walk all over him. She would eventually have ended up hating herself for doing that to him. She would have hated him for letting her. I think her bossiness is sexy as hell, and I am happy to let her tread all over me to an extent. But I have never let her bully me into doing anything I didn't want to do, and I know she respects me for that. Ron and Fleur will do well together. She is sweet and will take care of him and coddle him and mother him and the world. Hermione doesn't want to mother the world; she wants to take over the world." Harry had no idea his eyes were shining with excitement as he waxed on about all of Hermione's good qualities.

Draco stared at Harry for quite a while mulling everything he just heard in his head.

"Really Potter? You spend an hour listening to me talk and say next to nothing, then talk for ten minutes without taking a breath. How is that possible?"

"I've had months to think about Hermione and me, and what I thought about her and Ron. You totally took me by surprise. You have walked around here for a month and have barely spoken to anyone, and when you finally do, you let loose the flood gates. It was kind of hard to get a word in edgewise."

Draco thought about that for a while then deciding that someone needed to lighten the mood looked over at Harry and said, "You don't suddenly have an urge to throw your wand down at my feet do you? I'm thinking that with the way that I feel right now, I'd be able to protect and defend the both of you in a manly fashion," he said as he waggled his eyebrows and rolled his shoulders.

The two of them started out with a small chuckle, it turned into a laugh which grew into belly jiggling roars. Both of them were turning red in the face trying to keep their laughter at bay, neither succeeding. Hermione stirred a bit and opened her eyes. She moved her eyes around, taking in her surroundings, and attempted to sit up. Harry waved his hand like he was shooing away a mosquito so the silencing charm would be removed and she could hear. She tensed her muscles to try to sit up but Draco tightened his hold a bit and said, "Relax. I've got you. You are safe."

Hearing that voice, feeling the vibration of it under her hand, and registering the close proximity of said voice to her ear froze Hermione like she had been hit by a freezing charm. Her eyes bulged wide and she stared unblinkingly at Harry who sat just at the end of her legs with her feet almost on top of his thighs. Hermione opened her eyes wider while still staring at Harry for emphasis and then rolled her eyes to the left and upward then looked back at him and quirked her brow as if to say, "Why am I in Malfoy's lap?"

"Dunno Mione, you two were like this about an hour ago when I got home. You'll have to ask him."

"Ask me what?" Draco inquired.

"Hermione wants to know why she is in your lap, and why you are still holding her."

"You two have your own silent language now do you? Is it a private language or can anyone use it?"

"It's not private; it just takes years to become familiar enough with each-other to be able to communicate with it."

"Is that so?" Not taking his eyes away from Harry's superior smug expression. He brought his hand up, and very softly placed his hand behind Hermione's ear and pushed his fingers into her wavy tresses applying slight pressure down as he moved them gently kneading her scalp. He pulled his fingers out of her hair, and then moved his hand to repeat the process. At Hermione's small involuntary moan of pleasure, he gave a self-satisfied smile to the man seated next to him. "It doesn't seem all that hard to learn the language to me Potter."

Harry lowered his eyes to look at Hermione and smiled faintly, "She'll need time. We have to give her time." Then he looked back up at the man holding his best friend.

Draco nodded his head in the affirmative then relaxed his hold on the girl he still had a grip on. Hermione moved quickly after he eased his hold and scrambled to sit on the other side of Harry. Bony knees and elbows jabbed him in places that should not be abused in such a way and he flinched. "Damn Hermione, take it easy, he wasn't going to suddenly hurt you because you were awake," Harry hissed. She looked very hurt at his words and her bottom lip trembled. Harry swore softly and opened his arms to her as she flung herself into them. He gently rocked them back and forth, patting her back and slightly humming in her ear. He then stopped rocking and gave her a big squeeze opening his arms enough for her to pull back. Still cradled in Harry's arms she said to the man seated next to them. "Draco, I want to thank you for before. I was… I was…"

"You were distraught. It's ok. Feel free to use me as your handkerchief and pillow any time. It was my pleasure." Harry tensed at the emphasis Draco had put on the word pleasure, but as Hermione hadn't seemed to notice the change of inflection, he decided to let it be…for now.

"Oh Harry, what are we going to do? I feel so bad for all of them. I just didn't know what to say when I saw what happened. I just had to get out of there. I ran to the nearest floo and this was the only place I could think of to come. I had forgotten about Draco being here at first and he about scared me to death when he walked through the doorway. I almost hexed him with a bat bogey. I was never as good as Ginny at it, but it was the only one I could think of at the time."

"Lucky for me, you couldn't think of an unforgiveable then," Draco chuckled.

"I would have stopped before I sent it anyway. Seeing you barefooted would be enough to halt anyone in their tracks."

"What's wrong with my feet? They are clean." He held one out straight in front of them to critically examine it.

"There's nothing wrong with them other than the fact that they are bare. I have never in all the years I have known you to be barefooted, let alone, bare-chested. It took away all of my bluster I was so shocked."

"Well then I shall not be offended that they shocked you," he said and nodded.

Still sitting half in Harrys lap, she reached over and patted Draco's arm affectionately. "Again, thank you Draco."

"It's really not a problem, Mine." Draco said as he stood up and stretched out his back. "I'm going to go check with Kreacher to see if I have enough time to take a shower before dinner. I'll see you two later. I've ordered crème brulee for dessert; it is one of Boni's best dishes." That said the tall blonde bowed slightly to them and elegantly made his exit.

When they were alone Hermione looked at Harry, "He called me Mine. Do you think he messed up calling me Mione?"

"No, Mione, I think he said just what he meant." He said looking into her deep brown eyes.

"Hmm," then, "Were they ok? How are Molly and Arthur taking it? How did Ron look? Is Ginny ok? I need to floo her…wait, they'll all be busy right now. I can wait until tomorrow to talk to her." She quieted for a while and neither of them said anything.

"Harry, he's left us again," she stated the obvious. "We can't even be mad about it this time can I?"

"No, we can't. He didn't choose this voluntarily."

"Do you think she would have chosen Ron if he hadn't been the first one in the room?"

"No. I think she probably would have chosen Charlie. She knew that you and Ron had just started dating and I don't think she would have done this to you if she had had a choice in the matter." She nodded.

"Do you think he'll be happy without us?"

"Without us? Where are we going? Just because he is now mated and has a child on the way, I don't think he will forget about us."

"You know what I mean."

"As I understand it, Veela can't help but make their mates happy. It is what they live for. Once they bond, everything they say or do is for their mate's pleasure. They will also tear apart anyone or anything that dares to make their mate unhappy. She will love him and be totally devoted to him as long as they live. Their magic is compelling, and their mate falls deeply in love with them as well. It is considered very lucky to be chosen as mate by a Veela."

"I know all of this, it was a rhetorical question. How do you know all of this Harry," she asked slightly puzzled

"Draco told me earlier, he knows a lot about Veela," Harry chuckled.

"Draco…? How does he know anything about Veela? Wait… Draco!" she exclaimed. "I should have known! He is very blonde and…"

"I. Am. Not. A. Fucking. Veela!" was heard from above stairs, followed by a loudly slamming door.

"He's not a Veela," she said to no one in particular.

"No, he's not a Fucking Veela," Harry told her. "He is however rude for eavesdropping in on other people's conversations." They smiled at each other and she moved to lounge cradled in Harry's lap to wait for Kreacher to announce that dinner was ready.

"By the way Harry, who is Boni."

Harry's head fell to the back of the sofa and he muttered to himself, "Godrick why me?" and then he proceeded to explain about the elves.