The Fourth Floor

Author's Note: I got stuck on this chapter for a while. But thankfully, honestlyronald helped me out with part of it. *glomps* Thanks, as well, to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Sorry this one took so long. I promise I'll keep updating but it's going to be sporadic at best. Hope you enjoy! *throws candies to everyone*

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Chapter Two

Over the next two weeks, Harry and Draco continued to meet in 'their' room. They would agree on a day and time by owl, not wanting to risk anything by trying to talk in person. They had redecorated the room a bit, making it more welcoming and cozy. Sometimes they could only manage a few minutes. Other times, they spent hours lounging on the couch, just talking.

Potions quickly became Harry's favorite class, if only because he got to work with Draco. They had been careful to keep up the charade of hatred and Snape, predictably, paired them for every assignment. Harry had to fight a dazzling grin as he moved his supplies to the Slytherin's table for every lesson.

Draco would have been just as thrilled with this arrangement if it hadn't been for Harry's hitherto undiscovered mischievous side. The Boy-Who-Lived was the only person who managed to get beneath his defenses -- not that he would ever admit it. Besides, after one memorable Potions class, it was painfully obvious that Harry knew what he was doing.

A week ago, Snape had set the class the task of brewing a Hiccupping Solution. It seemed the Weasley twins had released their newest invention: a drink that caused the unfortunate victim to hiccup uncontrollably. Apparently the twins hadn't thought hiccups were funny enough and rigged it so that the consumer would break out into clips of Wizard Oldies every time. And, Harry had to admit, it was rather amusing to see Lavender Brown trying to gossip with Parvati and battle singing hiccups.

When Snape explained the situation, Hermione predictably raised her hand. "Don't you think Fred and George would've taken a Hiccupping Solution into consideration when they were making the drink?"

Snape merely growled and took twenty points from Gryffindor.

Harry moved to Draco's table while the blonde went and got the necessary ingredients. Rolling up the sleeves of his robe, Harry set to work chopping up the shrivel fig. He was close enough that every time his arm moved to make another slice, it would brush against Draco's.

Draco maintained his calm the first few times. But when Harry turned and reached across him to add the shrivel fig slices to their cauldron, he lightly ran his fingers along the inside of Draco's elbow, his actions hidden between their bodies. He inhaled sharply and just barely stopped a flush from suffusing his cheeks. Looking to his right, he saw Harry smirking at him with his smirk.

Dancing just out of reach, Harry grabbed the flask of strangle ivy sap. Because he was too busy watching Draco to pay attention, he poured the entire flask a little to the left of his measuring cup. Snape was in front of their bench before either of them could begin to rectify the mistake.

"I expected no better of you, Potter. Thirty points from Gryffindor. And because I don't have time to waste collecting more potion ingredients, you will spend the rest of the lesson finding enough sap to replace what you destroyed," he said silkily.

A small smile graced Draco's lips but Snape caught him before he could hide it. "However, I did expect better of you, Draco. You will accompany Potter on his search for the ingredient. And you will both be receiving a zero on the assignment."

Draco gaped in astonishment before grudgingly following Harry out of the dungeon. Neither of them spoke as they walked out the great front doors and toward the greenhouses. They hadn't gone more than a few steps when Harry grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled him into a small alcove just to the side of the doors.

He immediately began placing open-mouthed kisses along Draco's neck. He felt his boyfriend's breathing quicken and slowly made his way to capture the blonde's mouth. But Draco turned his head away so Harry's kiss landed on his cheek.

Confusion swirled in Harry's eyes. "Draco, what's wrong?" he asked, his lips ghosting over his cheek.

"What's wrong?! Thanks to you, I just received my first zero in Potions. Unlike you, I find the subject intriguing and am actually trying to do well in it. But no, you had to go and get us in trouble just so we could have a little time to snog!" he shouted as he tried to push Harry away.

Harry gave in and put a foot or two of space between them. "I'm sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I guess I didn't realize how much it meant to you. I kind of just assumed that you enjoyed seeing me get in trouble -- you always used to, in any case -- and would........laugh or something."

"I didn't --" Draco started before he clicked his mouth shut and took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. Let's just get the sap."

Draco resumed their trek to the greenhouses, mask of indifference firmly in place; Harry felt the loss of warmth in those grey eyes like a physical ache -- like he would never be warm again. And that scared him almost as much as how easy it had been for him to hurt Draco.

Jumping back to reality, he ran after the boy. But before he had his breathing under control enough to talk, Draco had walked into Greenhouse Three and was asking Professor Sprout where they could find some strangle ivy.

"Oh, I wish I could be more help. You see, I had to remove them because they were killing most of my other plants. The only place you'll find any now is in and around the Forbidden Forest," she replied.

"Great," said Draco sarcastically as he walked out.

They walked in silence passed Hagrid's cabin, stopping at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "You look over here and I'll look over there. We'll only go into the forest if we don't find any," he directed before walking off.

"Wait," Harry called out. Draco's step didn't falter. "Draco, please, could you wait a second?"

Draco turned. "I just want to get this done."

Harry didn't know what to do, what to say. The only significant other he had fought with had been Cho and he had had no wish to make that right. He had to wonder how badly he had messed up this time and what he would have to do to make it better.

Harry was stooped by a tree, trying to extract more sap from the few ivy plants he had found, when Draco spoke. "I don't think Snape's going to notice if we're short a couple drops. Let's head back."

Harry stood to face Draco. "Wait, can we talk for a moment? Please?"

"I'd rather we just forget about it. It doesn't matter," he said with a small shrug.

"But it does matter! Shit, we haven't been going out more than a week and we're already fighting. I want to talk about this," Harry said, feeling his anger starting to rise.

"Okay then, talk," he said indifferently, folding his arms across his chest.

The raven-haired boy racked his brain. He didn't know where to begin; he didn't know what to say to make everything okay again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know I've already said that but I need you to know that I mean it. I didn't mean to get you in trouble or to make you mad at me or to.....hurt you. I just thought..........I don't know what I thought. It was stupid."

"Yes, it was."

Harry looked up sharply, eyes full of regret. He tried to see passed Draco's defenses but he was as cold and distant as ever. He looked back down at their shoes, trying to fight off the constricted feeling in his throat.

"I'll understand if you don't want to..." he mumbled before the lump that had formed in place of his Adam's apple prevented him from saying any more.

"What?" No one moved. "Harry." Still nothing.

"Harry, look at me." When Harry continued to ignore him, Draco crooked his finger under the boy's chin and tenderly tilted it up so he was looking at him.

Harry reluctantly met Draco's gaze and felt his eyes sting. Affection was shining in those grey eyes like sunshine behind soft storm clouds. He wanted to blink to clear his eyes but he was afraid to see that warmth disappear once again.

"What are you afraid of?" Draco whispered gently.

"I don't want to drive you away," Harry said in a small voice.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy, Potter," he said with a laugh, running his thumb across his boyfriend's cheek. He leaned in and kissed him briefly. "That's not to say I've forgotten. It's just that we spent six years hating each other. We don't know each other that well; it's understandable that we'd make a mistake sooner or later. But nothing says we can't make it better."

He pulled Harry into a hug, murmuring soothing words of comfort. He felt distinctly awkward but knew it would calm the green-eyed boy. When Harry started pulling out of the embrace, he let him.

"I really am --"

"-- sorry, I know. Now would you stop saying it?" Draco said before giving Harry a chaste kiss. "Everything is okay. Now let's see if Snape has deemed this sufficient torture..."

Potions class was the only potential sticky point. In the other classes and the hallways, everything appeared normal. Harry and Draco continued to glare at each other and shoot scathing remarks back and forth. But if anyone looked closer, they would've noticed that the curses and hexes were gone; the hatred had been replaced with another kind of tension.

It didn't help that the scathing remarks were heavily laced with innuendos.

Hermione and Ginny noticed the change in Harry; their counterparts, Blaise and Pansy, easily picked up on the differences in Draco. Hermione had taken to covertly watching Harry whenever he had to interact with anyone outside of Gryffindor house. She didn't know what was going on but she was determined to figure it out sooner or later. And knowing her, it would be sooner rather than later.

The subtle shift between two former arch enemies, while not consciously noticed by many, was felt by all. The entire castle seemed more relaxed. Students would joke with their friends, momentarily forgetting about the war raging outside the walls. Teachers, except for Snape, would occasionally give their classes a night off. A Hogsmeade trip was planned for the following day and Harry was excited about it for the first time in a while. He went to sleep feeling genuinely happy.

***

Harry, Ron and Hermione spent a wonderful day in Hogsmeade. They bought candy from Honeydukes, visited the Shrieking Shack in honor of Sirius and stopped by the Post Office. Harry wished to place an order with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

After all their business was taken care of, they had butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. They were having seconds when Ron gave Harry a look. Harry, eager to meet up with Draco back at Hogwarts, took the cue flawlessly. His mate wanted some time alone with his girl.

"Well, I promised Ginny I would spend some time with her today," he said, standing. "I'll see you later in the common room."

Hermione tucked this bit of information away. She knew Ginny was spending the entire day with Dean at Madam Puddifoot's. Harry was definitely up to something.

After checking to make sure no one was watching him, he turned up the path that led back to school. Once he passed through the great front doors, he sprinted up to the fourth floor. He scooted into the room and closed the door. Draco must have got there mere moments before since he had just thrown his cloak over one of the chairs. Harry's cloak soon joined the pile.

"How was your day?" Draco asked, kissing Harry's forehead.

"Good, fun. But I'm glad I'm here now. Besides, I think Ron and Hermione are happy to be rid of me for a little while," he said, smiling wickedly.

"That's nice, Harry, but I don't really need that image burned into my brain forever. I don't want to talk about them right now. I don't want to talk at all," Draco whispered in his ear, making Harry's breathing hitch. Draco proceeded to kiss his way to Harry's mouth. Harry moaned and their tongues battled for dominance. But Harry knew from experience that he couldn't win; Draco would not let up until he surrendered.

Harry had asked him once why he did that. Draco gazed at him with a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he answered quite seriously, "I want you to know I can beat you at something."

For all the patience Draco lacked in most situations, he more than made up for it when he was with Harry.

Harry continued to battle and, in an effort to distract Draco, slowly peeled off Draco's robes. Beneath, he was wearing loose-fitting jeans and a long-sleeved, black shirt. Harry snaked his hands under Draco's shirt, drawing him closer, and smiled at the shiver that ran through the other boy.

Refusing to be outdone, Draco quickly de-robed Harry and guided him over to the couch. He pushed Harry down and followed, lying on top of him. It never ceased to amaze him how well they fit together as their bodies lined up.

He bit back a low moan as Harry wriggled under him, apparently intent on testing Draco's patience as much as he could. Draco, however, could hold out longer.

He released some of the weight he had been holding up, pushing Harry deeper into the couch cushions. Harry knew he had lost when he felt Draco on top of him. He pulled his mouth away and gasped, enjoying the friction his wriggling created.

Draco smirked triumphantly down at him. The effect was ruined, however, by his rapid, slightly ragged breathing and flushed cheeks. Harry ran his fingers through his blonde hair and gently pulled Draco back down; Harry's kisses were softer and sweeter than any other Draco had ever experienced. They were altogether intoxicating and he felt a bit of his resolve slipping away.

Harry had stayed true to his word. They had progressed, albeit slower than Draco was used to. And Draco struggled not push him further than he was willing to go. But damn it, they hadn't moved passed taking their robes off!

Deciding a break was in order, he pulled out of the kiss. He stared into emerald eyes hungrily.

"Wanna get some dinner?" he asked softly.

Disappointment flooded those beautiful eyes and Draco felt a pang of guilt.

"We can nick something from the kitchen and come right back up here. I told you I was yours 'til curfew and I meant it. I just don't want to go to sleep on an empty stomach," he said, smiling ruefully.

***

Hermione and Ron spent two hours that afternoon locked in the Room of Requirement. It had been Ron's idea and he always thought he was in control. The truth was that Hermione just let him think that. She had decided long ago that she would avoid a lot of arguments that way.

As Ron babbled away about what he was going to have for dinner that evening, she carefully went over Harry's actions of the previous few weeks. He was hardly ever in the common room now; he claimed he was spending his time in the library but Hermione highly doubted that. He received notes from a variety of school owls. During meals, he spent a fair amount of time staring toward the Ravenclaw table, although she couldn't fathom why.

Now he was using Ginny as a cover for his actions. What was it he was hiding from them? And more importantly, why?

Realizing they had reached the Gryffindor table while she had been absorbed in thought, she quickly scanned its length for her dark-haired friend. But he was nowhere to be found. Ginny was there, chatting animatedly with Dean and Seamus so surely he was done whatever it was he had been doing.

Ron didn't notice a thing. He wasn't even aware that Hermione was no longer listening to him until he tried to offer her the bowl of mashed potatoes.

"What's up with you?"

"Huh?" Hermione asked. She automatically began spooning food onto her plate as she reigned in her thoughts. "Do you know where Harry is?"

"He said he was hanging out with Ginny," Ron replied before shoving a heaping forkful of chicken into his mouth.

"Yeah, but Ginny's over there."

"Well...maybe he's out flying or something," he said, paying more attention to his food.

Hermione loved being a prefect. It made her privy to information and events she wouldn't necessarily hear about otherwise. It was her way of hands-on researching.

She was on the fourth floor when she saw Cho Chang leaving one of their classrooms -- five minutes before curfew. The Ravenclaw was looking up and down the hall, apparently intent on not getting caught. Hermione walked up to her and insisted on escorting her back to her dorm.

***

Draco's rook had just finished clobbering Harry's bishop.

"Checkmate."

"I told you I'm no good at this," Harry whined good-naturedly. "But I do have other talents..."

"I'm well aware of that," Draco said, leaning in for a kiss.

Harry trailed his fingers through Draco's hair and pulled the boy closer. Draco tried to regain control by worming his hands under Harry's shirt. He gave Harry's ribs a gentle squeeze before putting enough space between them for him to speak.

"It's past curfew." He kissed Harry. "We should get going." He kissed him again.

Harry sighed against Draco's lips. "I guess you're right."

Harry pulled Draco into a hug, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"I'll see you later."

"Harry?"

Harry inwardly cursed himself once more for forgetting his invisibility cloak. Hermione was walking toward him from the other end of the hall. "Hey, what's up?"

"It's after curfew. What are you still doing out?"

"I was in the library," he said, continuing up to the seventh floor.

"Harry, I checked the library and no one was there."

"Hermione, I had something to do. I'm not ready to tell you or Ron, but when I am ready, I'll let you know. Now can we just drop it?"

"But..."

"No buts. I am not going to tell you now," Harry said before climbing through the portrait hole. He waved to those still awake in the common room and went to his dorm.

***

Hermione watched Harry retire to his room. She knew something was up but just could not figure out what. She plopped down on the couch next to Ron, who had clearly returned from prefect rounds a lot earlier.

If only I knew where Harry had been coming from... she thought, too curious to give up.

Suddenly, she sat upright, startling Ron out of his stupor.

What if Harry had been meeting someone?

"Ron, did you catch anyone out after curfew tonight?" she asked hurriedly.

"Nope, no one. I did run into Mrs. Norris though; she was giving me some pretty odd looks," he rambled.

Hermione gasped.

Cho! Harry could've been meeting Cho! But things ended badly for them and I didn't think he wanted to fix that.

'But that's the only explanation there is,' a very logical voice in her head told her.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who still wore a puzzled expression from her gasp. She leaned in and kissed him briefly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just realized I forgot to read something for Ancient Runes," she said before she went up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

I'll have to get a lot of proof before I can confront Harry about this. There's no reason for him to hide something like that from us.

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Author's Note: I figured this would be the place to mention this. First off, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was hoping Draco and Harry would snog some more but they seemed to have a mind of their own! Second, this is set during Harry's sixth year but it ignores the events of HBP and DH. I might mix in stuff from HBP but not much. The most important thing is Dumbledore is alive and Draco didn't try to kill him. Thanks for taking the time to read this and, just so you know, I substitute W.W.W. candies for reviews! *wink wink*