Survival Kit

"Potter, what have you done?" Draco Malfoy tried to brush the snow off his clothes.

"I didn't do anything!" Harry Potter said and looked at the huge spruce tree that had dampened their fall. The broom was nowhere to be seen. The same thing went for Malfoy's backpack.

They had been riding double on a broom over the forest, but it had started to buck and spin on the way to the supposed camping site.

The sun was setting and it was starting to get really cold.

"I cannot believe I signed up for this stupid week," Malfoy said. "If I had known I would be freezing my arse off in a snowdrift I certainly wouldn't have. And without magic as well. Why couldn't they let us use our wands? This is the absolute pits, I tell you. "

"I'd rather see that you don't," Harry muttered under his breath, tired of the Slytherin's snarky comments and constant complaining.

The week of introductions to all kinds of Auror techniques traditionally ended with an overnight camping outdoors. In winter. Harry and Draco had started bickering on their way there. The broom started to wobble and finally threw them off.

They had no idea where they were and it was getting darker by the minute.

Draco sighed, threw up his hands, collapsed in the snow and glared. Harry wanted to punch the obnoxious twit in the face. If he broke Malfoy's nose he might feel better about the whole situation. It was bad enough having to be paired with Malfoy for the ride. Being trapped with him in the middle of a snow-covered forest on a cold winter night wasn't how Harry had imagined the week to end.

"Malfoy, where's your backpack?" he asked instead. He had no intention of sitting in the snow, freezing to death, and realised they had to do something soon to avoid that.

"No idea," Malfoy scowled. "I lost it somewhere between the tree and the ground. If you can stop contemplating the lint in your navel for a while, you could help me look for it. That's the least you can do for upsetting the broom like that."

"I told you I didn't do anything to the broom!" Harry snapped. "It might as well have been something you did!"

Malfoy scowled again and walked away.

"Idiot," Harry muttered, but he followed Malfoy around, looking for the lost backpack. It was nowhere to be found.

"It's not here, I've looked all around. To come here was a stupid idea. I should have stayed at Hogwarts." Malfoy kicked at a small pile of snow, and fell over, howling, when his boot connected with rock.

"Yes, why didn't you?" Harry sighed.

Malfoy got back up on his feet and glared at Harry.

"I want to be an Auror, that's why. It's not as if I had any choice. It's not my fault that all applicants must participate in this stupid introduction week."

Harry didn't reply. In spite of his constant complaining, Malfoy had managed all the assignments surprisingly well during the week. But he apparently had no taste for the outdoors. Neither had Harry, come to think of it. But at least he didn't behave like a dork.

"Maybe we should start walking?" Harry said.

"To where? Do you have any idea where we are?" Malfoy hissed something about bloody Gryffindor morons, and limped back to the tree where they had ended up after the fall.

"No. I. Don't." Harry was really at the end of his tether now.

"I didn't think so. We'd better wait; they must come and look for us." Malfoy said with a little hint of uncertainty. They waited in silence. Harry's thoughts wandered around the week and what they had learned about surviving in the wilderness and he got an idea.

"You know, this might be a test," he told Malfoy.

"Why do you think that?" Malfoy frowned.

"Where's the broom? Why has no one come looking for us? We've been lectured about most things Aurors should be able to do all week, but I don't think that this exercise is for us. Think about how many times they pointed out that an Auror must be able to adapt to survive in all kinds of situations. Maybe this is a test to decide who can cope and who can't."

"What if we can't manage? Will they just let us die then?"

"Of course not. If it's a test, they are bound to check up on us. Possibly without us knowing. They might be doing it right now, for all I know. If it's not a test, they will start a search."

"We have been here for a quite a while and they haven't yet. They must be missing us by now; the instructor was flying just in front of us."

"See? And why did they put us two and two on the brooms? It's not like there wasn't enough brooms for all of us."

"You know, Potter, I think you might be right."

Harry almost laughed.

"Imagine that. You agree with me. There must be skating competitions in Hell today."

"Potter, I'm tired and cold, it was just a lapse. I will deny everything. So, what do we do now?"

Malfoy tried to look for some dry twigs while Harry dug out a small cave in one of the large snowdrifts. The digging kept him warm so Harry didn't complain. Malfoy did, though. All the time. The twigs were sticky and hard to break off, the snow was too deep, his feet were cold, his fingers stiff, he was hungry and thirsty and on, and on, and on.

Harry got so tired of the ranting that he offered Malfoy the last bar of chocolate from his backpack. Malfoy took it, without a word, but he readily agreed when Harry told him to gather some fresh spruce branches to sit on. Harry continued digging.

When he finished Malfoy had managed to build a small fire, to Harry's relief. He rubbed his cold hands together in front of the flames. They sat on the branches and shared a bottle of water that Harry had in his pack. It had become completely dark. If people were out looking for them, they would have found them by now.

"We should have made a signal, or something," Harry said.

"Why?"

"So they can find us. Weren't you listening at all to the survival lecture?"

"Well, we have no signal flag, unless you offer up your Gryffindor underwear, Potter. Maybe they'll see the fire?" Harry ignored the comment on his new red flannel long johns and undershirt, which he actually had bought for the trip.

"I wouldn't count on it. And besides, the fire will burn out before morning, and we cannot sleep out here. "

"Where do you suppose we sleep then? At the five-star hotel nearby?"

Harry sighed.

"Why do you think I've been digging? To make a swimming pool?"

"I supposed you had to do something to occupy yourself while I did all the work, gathering wood and making the fire."

"It's a bivouac."

"A what?"

"A shelter. We have to get in there." Harry pushed the spruce branches into the hole to cover the floor. Then he backed in, feet first, dragging the backpack. There wasn't much room, but he imagined it would be enough for both of them.

"I'm not sleeping in a hole in the ground!"

"Fine, freeze to death, then. See if I care. Let's hope there aren't any wild beasts around."

"Do you think there are?" Malfoy sounded a little alarmed. "What kind?"

"How should I know," Harry said. He quickly removed his clothes and crawled down into the sleeping bag. He bunched up the trousers and sweater inside the jacket to make a pillow out of them.

Malfoy had apparently no intention of possibly being eaten by wild beasts, so after a short while he crawled backwards into the small cave as Harry had done, and managed to kick Harry in the head.

"Hey, stop it, that hurt!" he said and pointed the flashlight at Malfoy's face. Harry rubbed his forehead and started to push some of the branches in front of the opening to keep it as warm as possible inside.

"Sorry," Malfoy said. His cheeks were red, his eyes huge and dark and he looked scared, Harry noted, not without satisfaction. Malfoy wriggled around, trying to get as far away from Harry as he could. He didn't get very far, the little cave was so narrow that body contact couldn't be avoided. And Harry felt a little ashamed that he enjoyed Malfoy's obvious discomfort so much.

"This is the absolute pits. You can stay in your cosy sleeping bag," he whinged, "I will probably freeze to death anyway."

"Oh, you can share," Harry said and smiled wickedly. Malfoy had complained the whole week that they had to sleep four in a room, not to mention all the scathing comments about the people he had to share it with. Harry had to stop Ron from trying to hex the brat more than once. To have to share a sleeping bag would serve him right, Harry thought. It wasn't like they had any choice.

"Uh..." Malfoy said, looking terrified.

"We will need the warmth, come on, it's nothing to be afraid of. I promise not to bite. At least not if you don't."

Malfoy let out a dry little laugh, more like a cough.

"Take off your clothes." Harry pulled the zipper down and moved backwards.

"I most certainly will not!"

"You'll be too cold if you don't. But if you want to lose a toe or two, it's not my problem."

Malfoy seemed to get the idea and he started to unbutton his jacket. Very slowly. He really fumbled when he came to the trousers.

"It's getting cold. So can you please hurry up," Harry said, "do you want me to help?"

"Excuse me, but my fingers are a little stiff."

"Be careful, you can get frostbite," Harry said.

Eventually Malfoy managed to get rid of his outer layer of clothes. He put them under his head like Harry had, carefully laid down and closed the sleeping bag zipper.

"Aii, you're cold," Harry said, when Malfoy's hand accidentally brushed his neck. Malfoy was stiff as a board, trying to hold himself as far away from Harry as possible. Harry could feel him tremble. He stiffened even more when Harry turned off the flashlight and told him to relax.

"Give me your hands," Harry said.

Malfoy turned towards Harry and wriggled his hands up between them. Harry rubbed the cold hands between his own and Malfoy relaxed a little.

"You're warm," Malfoy said. Harry managed to get an arm around him, and he scouted a little bit closer. They were laying face to face, so close that Harry could feel Malfoy breathing against his ear. At least he wasn't trembling so much anymore when Harry rubbed his back.

"Malfoy, do you have silk underwear?"

"Uh, yes. It was supposed to insulate against the cold. I'm not sure it does, though."

Strangely enough, it didn't feel so awkward cuddling with Malfoy as it should have done, Harry thought. Intimacies were allowed, that would have been impossible in any other situation. And not just allowed, but necessary.

When Harry woke up his left arm had fallen asleep, and he still had the other one wrapped around Malfoy. It was still dark, he was warm and tired and just about to fall back to sleep when Malfoy twitched and mumbled something. Harry could feel Malfoy's lips move against his neck. Malfoy had managed to get further down into the sleeping bag, by wrapping himself around Harry like a blanket. He was halfway on top, their legs were entwined and Malfoy held him in a tight embrace. Harry wondered if Malfoy was dreaming, and what he was dreaming about.

Malfoy mumbled something again and moved his leg.

Harry cursed silently and tried to move away. But there was nowhere to move and Malfoy's leg rubbed against a part of Harry's body that he prayed wouldn't react. In vain. The temperature in the sleeping bag suddenly seemed to rise. It became almost uncomfortably hot. Harry started to panic and tried to think the most unsexy thoughts he could imagine. But it didn't help. And even less when Malfoy started twitching and mumbling again.

"Harry, you're so hot." You have no idea, Harry thought and hoped Malfoy wouldn't notice anything untoward. He would never hear the end of it, otherwise.

Malfoy suddenly moved his head, placing little kisses along Harry's jawbone, until he reached his lips. He started rocking and to Harry's horror it felt like Malfoy was in the same predicament as he.

Oh shit, what will he do when he wakes up? Probably kill me. Bloody hell, Oh, Shit, Oh, Oh, OH! Harry thought when he felt a hand push down between them, in under the waistband of his pants, insistent, touching, grabbing, pushing and pulling. Harry gasped in surprise. Instantly the lips pressed harder against his, and a warm tongue followed through.

Before long, they were kissing eagerly and Harry forgot everything but lips, tongues and hands and the hard body moving against him. Somehow he managed to get his hand between them as well, to duplicate the enthusiastic movement of the one touching him.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Malfoy moaned in his ear and Harry suddenly realised exactly what he was doing and with whom. But it was too late. Both had passed the point of no return.

He could feel Malfoy's heartbeats through the clothing that separated them. He was heavier than he looked, Harry thought. Malfoy's hair was tickling his nose and the side of his head squashed Harry's face as they both tried to regain their breath. Harry gave Malfoy's earlobe a little bite, before he knew what he was doing.

"You said you wouldn't bite me." Malfoy's voice sounded hoarse and sleepy, without traces of his usual annoyance.

"You never said you would kiss me," Harry replied. Malfoy let out a little nervous laugh.

Right then they heard voices outside. Both looked up, stared wide-eyed at each other and blushed. Before long they had wriggled out of the sleeping bag and tried to find their clothes. Naturally the roof of the shelter didn't hold for a wrestling match and they found themselves sitting half-dressed in a drift of snow in front of their friends and instructors.

"That was quick," the head instructor said. "I must commend Mr Malfoy and Mr Potter, the only pair who passed the test without assistance," he told the group. "Well done! But maybe Mr Malfoy should remember to hold on to his bag a little better next time."

They didn't speak to each other on the way back to the training site. On the long bus ride to Hogwarts Ron happily chatted about the week's events. Harry tried to listen but his thoughts circled around what had happened in the bivouac.

"You have a bruise on your neck, Harry," Ron suddenly said.

"It's nothing," Harry told him and wrapped his scarf around his neck. He could feel his cheeks heating up, but Ron didn't seem to notice. A couple of seats away Malfoy smirked.

As they got off the bus Malfoy quickly passed by Harry and pressed something into his hand.

It was something very small and soft and he hastily hid it in his pocket.

Later, he carefully examined the flat little object. Malfoy must have used a shrinking spell on it when he was packing his things.

It was a tiny sleeping bag.