The Road Home

Chap. 11 - EASY TARGET

For Draco it was an immense relief to return to Hogwarts. After the incident with the curse, Voldemort and his near-death experience, the atmosphere around The Manor, which was already oppressive, had became even more unbearable. His father was acting weird and his mother never behaved with such tenderness around him. It wasn't that he didn't like it, it was just that he wasn't used to it.

'Now, I'm finally back,' he thought. 'Back to Harry.'

He couldn't wait to see Harry, to hold him and kiss his delightful mouth until he was out of breath. They had a lot to talk about, but that could wait until after a proper snog session.

He quickly arranged his clothes and books inside his trunk and ignored Goyle and Crabbe's questions about what had happened to him after Voldemort's meeting. If the two large boys noticed something wrong in his eagerness to get out, they didn't show. They kept talking to him as if he was listening, even when he wasn't, about Quidditch and the finals.

His primordial goal was seeing Harry. He needed to talk to Harry or at least have a glance at him to soothe his heart. Then he could go back to the mundane Slytherin's subjects.

Crabbe finally switched his attention to an altercation that was happening outside the room and Goyle followed him after spotting Pansy in the crowd.

Draco was about to leave when Zabini stepped in front of him, cutting his only way out of the dorm. No one saw Zabini shoving Draco back inside the room and shutting the door. Nobody was around at the time because of the chaos in the Slytherin Common Room.

Draco stared at him, perplexed.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked, arms crossed in a defensive position.

Zabini licked his lips. "Well, you seem so eager to be somewhere else that I got curious."

"The curiosity killed the cat; didn't you know the old saying?"

Zabini laughed and moved closer to him, sliding a finger slightly from his face to his chest. Draco caught his hand before it could go any lower and stepped back, confused.

"Is this a game of cat and mouse, Malfoy?" he asked maliciously. "Because if it is, you are the mouse then. How interesting."

"Sometimes the mouse can be ten times smarter than the cat." Draco pointed out.

He drew back as the other kept getting closer to him.

"Oh, not this time." said Blaise, a creepy hunter look on his face.

"What the fuck do you want, Zabini?"

"Isn't it obvious by now?"

"Only in your demented mind." replied Draco.

"I want you." he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Draco chocked. Zabini grabbed his arms and before Draco could react properly, he kissed him on the lips. In an instant, Draco pushed him away, cleaning his mouth with the back of his hand. He felt as much aghast as disgusted.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" yelled Draco.

"Because, you bloody stupid prick, I desire you. I've been watching you, Malfoy. Carefully watching you. I know what you like, what you love, what you hate. I know all about you. I know your every fucking flaw. I could destroy you at a glance."

Draco held his breath. "You're fucking bluffing."

"Am I? Do you want to take the risk just to be sure of how much I know about you?"

Blaise pushed Draco towards the bed and landed on top of him. He kissed Draco forcefully.

Immediately, Draco woke up from the confusion he had been drowned into and turned his head away. Draco struggled for freedom and Zabini bit his lips. He contorted himself under Blaise's body and felt the other boy's excitement. He instantly felt sick. With all his might, he pulled Zabini away from him and stood up, moving as far away as possible from the other boy.

Through the mirror, he noticed his torn shirt and he gasped. That was his favorite shirt. His lips were swollen and injured thanks to Zabini's forceful kiss and a thread of blood was running down his chin. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to panic.

"You're mental, Zabini." he whispered, cleaning his wounded lips with a handkerchief that had a small 'M' embroidered.

Blaise burst out laughing like a maniac.

"You look like a Victorian girl, Draco! All that is missing is the classic slap on my face and that awful cliché: please, don't you ever touch me again. So bloody funny! Are you going to scream for help, too?"

Draco was feeling nauseated. "I don't need any help to handle you, you fucking son of a bitch! You should be the one screaming because I'll make your life so miserable! When my father finds out about this you-"

"Oh, you won't say anything to anyone, Malfoy. Not if you value your life. And not if you value Potter's life as well."

Draco instantly froze.

"Oh, yes. I know all about you and little Boy Wonder. You were so cute at the infirmary."

"..." Draco was too startled to speak.

Blaise knew about that? How? How could he possibly find out about him and Harry? And most important of all, since when? Long enough to plot against them? To send a werewolf in Harry's direction? To summon zombies on them? Zabini?

"What's wrong Draco? The cat caught your tongue? Even better, did I catch your tongue?"

"Fuck you."

"No, fuck you. Or at least I intend to."

"You're sick, Zabini. I rather die than be with you. If you touch me again, I'll kill you!"

"Promises, promises. You're much more attractive when you're angry, you know? So much passion and hate! I would love to f-"

"Never!" he interposed. He didn't wanting to hear the end of the sentence. "You won't lay a finger on me!"

"I guess I'll have to turn to Harry then." he shot him a malevolent look and Draco's body shivered.

"If you touch him I-"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kill me and bla-bla-bla. It's getting annoying already. I thought you had better taste, Malfoy. Potter? He is so ordinary. Kind of sweet in that clumsy goofy way, but you deserve so much better."

"Someone like you, I bet." Draco said, not concealing his disgust.

"Someone like me." Blaise got out of the bed and they stared, face to face. "You'll be mine, whether you like it or not. And I'll enjoy every second of it." Zabini threatened.

"Forget it. I won't be your whore."

"Yes, you will. Otherwise your lover will be, and I don't think you'll like that."

"Harry can defend himself."

"Harry? Are you in first name basis? Why, I'm shocked! I thought you were just playing with him but I guess you must really like him. Interesting. I'm sure Harry can stand up to me but he can't stand up to your father, Malfoy. Can you imagine what he will do to you if he finds out about you and Potter? Can you imagine what he will do to Potter?"

"You're not going to blackmail me. It's so pathetic! What's the matter, Zabini, couldn't get a guy on your own?" Draco sneered, even though he was wrecked inside.

The corner of Zabini's mouth twitched. "You're not in the position to make stupid jokes."

"Right, because you are the joke! Take a hike, Zabini, I'm not interested and I'll never be!"

"What if I was Voldemort's Favored? Would you want me then?"

"If you are Voldemort's Favored, then I feel sorry for him."

Blaise slapped him.

"You son of a bitch!" Draco said before jumping on him and punching his face.

Zabini pushed him against the wall and Draco tried to kick him. If Goyle didn't enter in that exact moment and pulled them apart, they would have ended up seriously hurt.

"What's going on?" Goyle asked, holding Zabini back.

"Nothing. Zabini was just being himself for a change. A total bastard!"

Blaise smiled evilly. "I'll give you some time to think about my proposition, Malfoy. But I suggest that you don't take too long to decide. I'm not patient."

They stared each other, one with desire burning his entrails and the other with a murderous look. Zabini left the room a few seconds later. Draco swallowed hard.

"What was that all about?" asked Goyle.

"Nothing. Just forget it." Draco sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Do you want me to take care of him?" the large boy asked, clutching his fists.

"As most tempting as it is, this time I'll have to take care of this myself," he said.

With heavy steps, Draco changed his torn shirt to a silver-white one that had the Slytherin's blazon on it and went to the bathroom to clean himself up. Then he finally got out of the room to go straight to his favorite spot at the lake to do some serious thinking.

------------------------

"You see, Celeste, I don't think it's working out between us," said Harry very delicately.

Celeste looked at him as if he was some kind of spooky creature that you could read about in Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them. Perhaps she heard him wrong. He couldn't possibly be dumping her, Celeste Strut, the most attractive girl at Hogwarts. And not just that but she was carrying an amulet with her. An amulet so powerful that she could make Harry crawl at her feet. Then how could he be immune to her charms all of a sudden?

"What?" she asked, still not believing him. "You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not." Harry bit his lower lip as he always did when he was nervous. "I thought I... well, I... You see, the thing is..."

'I'm in love with Draco.' he thought bitterly. 'Oh, yes, Harry, tell her that and she will have a heart attack.'

"I don't feel that way for you. I mean, I like you but I'm not in love with you. I'm sorry."

Celeste paled and he worried. She started breathing faster and faster, as if she was going to be sick. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out of it.

"Are you all right?" he asked, holding her hand gently.

She shook her head. "Of course I'm not all right! How could you?"

She made a funny face and burst into tears.

"Oh, please, don't cry!" Harry said, embarrassed.

"How could you? Why didn't it work? What did I do wrong?"

"It's not you. It's me."

'How bloody original, Harry!' he berated himself.

"How bloody original, Harry!" she said as if reading his mind. "You men are all the same!"

She ran away crying, leaving him stunned and alone. He wondered if he should go after her. He felt a little guilty but he couldn't keep the charade anymore. His heart belonged to someone else already. Someone that he was willing to touch, smell, drown himself into the pleasure of his company, into the flavor of his kiss. He needed so much to see Draco. He'd bought him a Christmas present, a silver ring in the shape of a serpent, with jade-green eyes that shone brightly in the darkness. The gift seemed to be made for Draco. He smiled.

Now that he saw the interior of Draco's soul, he would be extra careful around him. He was absolutely sure that Draco wouldn't like that kind of treatment, but Harry knew he'd been too mistreated all his life and now he wanted to make it up to him. Getting rid of Celeste had been the first step. He knew Draco didn't like the girl but the kiss exchanged between them still hadn't been elucidated, to Harry's distress. When he was inside Draco's mind, Harry tried to bring up the subject again, but Draco said that he was just insanely jealo[NULL]s and he wanted revenge. Somehow Harry didn't believe in him. Maybe it was because of the strange gloom inside Draco's eyes when he said it. Or the way he looked the other way as if he was hiding something.

"Hey, Harry!" he heard Seamus calling him. "We're going to play Quidditch. Do you want to come?"

"Yes, sure. I'll just pick up my Firebolt."

"All right. Don't take too long. Oh, and see if you can convince Ron to come, too. He is acting so weird. Did you see him? He barely talked to anyone on the train and he ignored Hermione completely."

"Yeah, I know. He didn't want to tell me what was wrong. But I'll talk to him again."

"Ok. See you."

Harry watched Seamus and others Gryffindor boys walking towards the front door talking animatedly. With a profound sigh he turned around and headed for the Gryffindor Common Room. As he entered through the portrait of the Fat Lady he spotted Hermione sitting on the couch with a book about Ancient Runes in her hands. She looked at him and he noticed that her eyes and nose were red, as if she had been crying. He quickly sat down at her side.

"What's wrong? Why were you crying?"

"Oh, I wasn't crying." she lied.

"Come on, Hermione. It's me, Harry. You know you can open your heart to me. Please, what happened?"

"Nothing. That's the problem, you see? Nothing happened. He's behaving like a child and I don't know what to do anymore." She lifted up a tissue and wiped her nose.

"You mean Ron?" Harry asked.

"Yes, the stupid and insensitive bastard is not talking to me. Didn't you notice?"

"Yes, I did. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen. Don't you have a clue about what is going on?"

"Kind of. But I'm not sure if I should tell you."

"Since when do we keep secrets from each other?"

"Since the beginning of fifth year. You have been keeping secrets from me also Harry. Like the bond you have with Malfoy."

"No! I don't have anything with him. I mean, I... he..." Harry stuttered, his face flushing.

"Oh, please, don't insult my intelligence. I know you like him and I know he likes you. He wouldn't ask me to take care of you if he hated you the way he wanted us to believe."

"Really? He asked you that?" Harry was bewildered.

"Yes. I was quite impressed. I thought it was so romantic..." Hermione started to cry.

Harry hugged her and she buried her head on his shoulder.

"I... I thought that if Malfoy could care about someone then why couldn't Ron? He's being such a cold bastard lately. Always hanging out with different girls. He is acting like I don't even exist. Especially after I told him about my suspicions towards Celeste."

"What!?" Harry backed away and stared intently at her.

"I'll tell you all but you have to promise not to freak out or to get mad because I'm really fragile right now and I wouldn't bear the fact that you were also not talking to me and I..."

"Calm down, Hermione! I promise I won't get mad at you." But he wasn't so sure about the way he would react.

When Hermione started talking, Harry's expression was priceless. He felt different levels of anger, hate and love. By the time Hermione was finished, he wanted to damage something. But most of all, he wanted to find Draco to thank the boy for watching out for him.

As for Ron, Hermione had told him all about Celeste but he didn't believe her. According to him, Hermione was just jealous of Harry's girlfriend. The stupid git was so blind!

Suddenly Harry understood the real meaning of the silver amulet Draco had gave him. He took it off from his neck and stared at it. He had put the stone into a necklace so the amulet could be near his heart. It was another lame way he found out to pretend he was near Draco. And all of that time Draco had given him a weapon to fight Celeste's amulet. His weapon.

"He gave you his contra-amulet." Hermione interrupted his thoughts, looking at the silver stone in his hands. "He must love you more than I thought." she burst into tears again.

"Please, don't cry." Harry always thought that the most effective and powerful weapon of a woman was her tears. He felt totally out of place when a girl cried in front of him.

Hermione wiped her tears away.

"Why didn't you tell me all of this before?" he asked.

"Because you were enchanted by her amulet and you wouldn't believe it anyway. I tried to find another silver stone but Malfoy told me I wouldn't succeed because this kind of amulet is rare. And he gave you his, even knowing that he would be unprotected against that bitch. Oh, Harry, he must really love you otherwise he wouldn't have given you the stone."

"I guess." Harry blushed, his eyes irradiating love and affection for the blond boy.

He was also worried sick about Draco. He wasn't able to fight Celeste's amulet anymore.

"What are you going to do about Strut, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I just broke up with her." he said.

"Really? For real?" she opened her eyes widely. "That's so great, Harry! Thank God!"

She held him and a couple of first years that were passing by glanced at them curiously.

"And I actually was worried about her feelings." Harry said, his face hardening. "Doesn't she sleep in your dorm?"

"No, she sleeps in the sixth year's dorm because there's more space. I already tried to sneak inside her dorm and look for the 'Lead Amulet' but I couldn't find anything."

"I'll get the amulet even if I have to make up with her and pretend to be an obedient puppet. Where is Ron?"

"I don't know. We had an argument and he left. I'm surprised you didn't bump into him."

Harry looked distractedly at his watch and let out an exclamation. "Fuck! I forgot about the match! Seamus must want to kill me. I have to go, Hermione. I'm so sorry. About all of this mess. I should be paying more attention to what happens around me. Especially with Voldemort on the loose. And I'm not being a good friend to you or Ron. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Harry. I just want you to know that from now on you can tell me everything. I don't care about you and Draco. Just be careful because even though he is doing so much to protect you, his father is a very cruel Death Eater and a supporter of Voldemort's ideas."

"I know. Thanks. I promise I'll talk to Ron and put some sense inside his empty head."

Hermione smiled for the first time in weeks. Harry embraced her again, resting his forehead on hers.

"Be strong, Hermione. Don't fall apart. You're the bravest person I know."

"Thanks, Harry. You're really sweet."

------------------------

Erin was playing a song she liked very much called 'Standing outside the Fire', by Garth Brooks and Jenny Yates. It was almost like a personal hymn. It was a song she used to sing every time she had to go undercover at some Auror mission and now she played every time she had a mission as an agent of the Order of Phoenix, a secret organization created to bring Voldemort down and to sabotage every Death Eater plan.

She strummed the guitar putting all her feelings into the song. Her elegant fingers slid over the cords as if they were an extension of the instrument. Soon she began to sing.

"We call them cool

Those hearts that have no scars to show

The ones that never do let go

And risk the tables being turned

We call them fools

Who have to dance within the flame

Who chance the sorrow and the shame

That always comes with getting burned

But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire

'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire

We call them strong

Those who can face this world alone

Who seem to get by on their own

Those who will never take the fall

We call them weak

Who are unable to resist

The slightest chance love might exist

And for that forsake it all

They're so hell-bent on giving ,walking a wire

Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire

Standing outside the fire

Standing outside the fire

Life is not tried, it is merely survived

If you're standing outside the fire

There's this love that is burning

Deep in my soul

Constantly yearning to get out of control

Wanting to fly higher and higher

I can't abide

Standing outside the fire

Standing outside the fire

Standing outside the fire

Life is not tried, it is merely survived

If you're standing outside the fire "

"Bravo." a familiar voice said at the door.

She turned around smiling to look at Severus Snape.

"Well, thank you."

"Dumbledore told me he loves to hear you sing."

"Dumbledore is a gentleman. Sometimes we share our love for ice lemon tea and candies. I don't know how he always ends up making me sing something. Usually blues. He loves to hear my voice trying to copycat the great divas. It's always funny and we laugh a lot."

"Are you his granddaughter? Is this your big secret?" he asked.

She had the impression that he wanted to ask her that for a long time and just now had the guts to do it. Maybe because of their new friendly bond. Not exactly what she wanted but it was a start. She wished he could forget about Lily Potter.

"No, I'm not. It's a pity because I would love to be Dumbledore's granddaughter."

"What's your secret then?"

"My secret is that I find you the most attractive man I ever met."

He shot her a 'Snape-look' as she used to call it, a look full of rage that usually made all the students shiver and expect for the worst. A look that accused her of lying shamelessly. She loved that look. It was exciting and provocative.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Erin. You're young and I'm too old for you."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Not this crap again."

She put the guitar gently inside a big red case and got near him with a ravenous look on her face. He stepped forward. Severus wasn't a man to run away from a challenge.

"What do you want?" she asked, looking up to face him. He was much taller than her.

He smiled evilly. "Not the same things as you want."

"You don't know what I want, Snape. In fact, I don't think you even-"

Before she could finish, he held her in his arms, lifted her up and laid her on the table.

"Wow!" she said. "I always knew you were rough and it's not that I don't like it but-"

"Jones?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

He pulled her by the hair and kissed her, sticking down his tongue inside her mouth. She threw her legs around his waist and he lay down on top of her. He stripped off her cloak and tore her tight robe apart.

"The damn tight thing. Am I going to fast?" he asked short of breath.

"No, you're going too slow," she replied, pulling out his cloak with urgency.

"I'm not made of glass, you know? You can kiss me, squeeze me and fuck me the way you like it." she provoked.

He moaned and kissed her again. How could he resist to that?

"We shouldn't be doing this here." he tried to rationalize. "Anyone can enter and-"

Without letting him go, she got her wand and muttered a locking spell at the door.

"Good girl." he said completely dazzled.

"Well, not really. But that's ok."

They smiled at each other. She took off the rest of her clothes and her naked slender form was unveiled in front of him like a delicious birthday present. Slowly, he trailed a path with his tongue all over her body, placing wet kisses at her belly, biting her skin slightly every now and then.

When he finally slid inside her, they let out a loud moan of pleasure. Each thrust seemed to take their breath away and raised them to a higher level, closer to heaven. He allowed her to hold him and bit his shoulder, embracing her legs even more tightly around him, pulling his body closer and closer until they melted inside one another.

Snape wasn't the type of guy that liked to cuddle after sex but Erin's body was so soft and her scent was so good that he wanted to stay entangled with her forever.

"Am I smashing you?" he asked, an amusement in his voice that she rather liked.

"Yes, but it's a nice kind of smashing." she giggled. Immediately, he tried to withdraw but she didn't let him leave the heat of her body. "Just wait a little longer."

"I thought you had to go to one of the Order of Phoenix's bursts."

"Yeah, I do. But just in an hour. You're not coming today, are you?"

"No, I'm not. This time Dumbledore wants me to stay. I don't know why."

She tenderly caressed his hair. "We're going to prevent a group of Death Eaters from conquering Azkaban. There are too many of your enemies there. Maybe Dumbledore wants to keep you safe."

"I don't like to be left out." he said, his usual anger returning. "It's going to be so difficult and someone may not come back afterwards."

He stood up, putting his clothes back on. Erin sighed and looked at what used to be one of her best robes lying on the floor. She put her cloak on. A heavy silence descended upon them.

"Erin?" Snape was the first to speak.

"What?"

"Don't to anything stupid out there. Don't try to be a show off."

She should have felt outraged but she knew that that was his way of showing that he cared fo[NULL] her and he worried.

"I won't. But I can't promise you either. You know how I am." she smiled at him, joking.

"I'm serious, Erin." he came closer to her and ran a finger through her hair. "Try not to get killed."

"All right." she said, suddenly with a tremendous wish to cry. "I'll try. I have training, you know? I'm not stupid and I know how to take care of myself, plus-"

"Erin?" he interrupted her.

"What?"

"Shut up."

Then he kissed her again.

------------------------

Draco spent a calm and quiet moment alone at the lake concentrating at the white spumes of water that were waving at the border when his peaceful moment was broken by yells coming from the Quidditch pitch. He looked up at the sky, annoyed as hell, and he spotted Harry.

Harry Potter was a beautiful image flowing through the sky with his Firebolt. He had such nimbleness and agility that Draco gazed at him amazed. He always loved to see Harry playing, except when they were playing against each other. He could never concentrate at the game when Harry was flying around him. He spent more time looking at Harry and his damn emerald eyes than searching for the Gold Snitch. Draco was a superb flyer and he was a very good Quidditch player - as good as Harry as a matter of fact - but only when Harry wasn't around.

'God, you're so beautiful Harry.'

Draco found himself walking towards the field as if he was being pulled by an invisible force, staring at Harry dazzled. He quickly looked for a quiet and hidden place and sat on the ground, not wanting to miss Harry in the air.

He was so focused on Harry that he didn't see the Snitch floating near his head. When he finally saw it, he only had time to gasp 'What the fuck' before Harry came into view in high speed to crash clumsily on top of him. They moaned in pain.

Without his glasses - that had fallen somewhere on the ground - Harry palpated the person's body, looking for wounds and broken bones. As he ran his fingers gently over the person's body, he noticed two things. One, that the person was a boy. And two that the boy - who smelled really good by the way - didn't seem seriously hurt but rather excited.

"Damn you, Potter. It wasn't enough to land on me! You had to finger me as well."

"Draco!?" Harry asked, torn between shock and amusement.

"Yes, ten points for Gryffindor," he sneered.

Harry tried to stand up but Draco caught him by the arm and pulled him closer to his body.

"Stay a little longer." Draco said.

"Aren't you hurt?" Harry asked, worried.

"I think some parts of my body are hurt, probably purple by now, but you're worth it."

Harry giggled and gave him an Eskimo kiss followed by a deeper one on Draco's mouth.

"Hi." said Harry; shooting Draco the Look that only Harry Potter could do.

"Why do you have to be so damn sweet?" Draco asked against Harry's lips, pulling him by the hair so he could drag them into another ravenous kiss.

Draco was almost losing himself completely into Harry's arms when he felt a pang in his lower lip - a courtesy of Zabini's punishment kiss - and he backed away from Harry, who looked at him concerned. Harry quickly looked for his glasses but didn't find it. He sighed, profoundly frustrated. Without his glasses he wasn't able to see Draco's features properly. He could only see unfocused images in front of him.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, kneeling in front of Draco with his legs on each side of Draco's hips. He touched Draco slightly on the lips and felt a wound. "Oh, God! Did I do that?"

"No, Harry. It wasn't you." Draco licked his wounded lip.

"The hell it wasn't!"

"I'm telling you, it's not your bloody fault!" annoyed, Draco tried to stand up but Harry pushed him down and got closer to Draco's mouth so he could get a proper look at it.

He saw in a blur a tiny cut on the red lip, already entering a healing process. The injury would probably leave a little scar that would take a few days to disappear. Harry bit his lips nervously, his mind working furiously about the reason why Draco had a cut like that.

"Someone bit you!" he said, letting out loud the words that were forming on his mind. "If it wasn't me, then who was it? And don't you dare lie to me!"

"No one bit me!" Draco lied, looking the other way even though Harry wasn't able to look properly inside his eyes.

But Harry could see rather clearly that by moving his head to the side, Draco was trying to avoid him.

"I said, don't you fucking lie to me!" he griped Draco's shirt.

"I bumped into something!"

"Yeah, right! I know exactly where! Into someone else's lips!"

Harry tried to back off and this time Draco was the one that held him by the collar.

"Oh, no, you twit, you're going to stay right here! How the hell would you know about it?"

"It's a cut made by a very sharp tooth. I know it because Celeste bit me once and-"

"What!? That bitch bit you?"

"Well, I thought at the time that she was jealous of Cho because I spent some time with her talking about... Cedric... and then she bit me really hard on the lips but afterwards she-"

"I don't want to know the details!" Draco freed him but Harry kept sitting on top of him.

"Who was it, Malfoy?"

"It's none of your goddamn business."

"Go to hell then!"

Harry stood and started looking for his glasses and his Firebolt. Draco sighed. He muttered something that resemble 'Fuck' and then stood up.

"Harry, come back here." he called.

"No way."

"Maybe I don't want you to know."

"Why? Because you cheated on me!?"

"No. Because maybe the story behind this cut is not pleasant."

The tone of Draco's voice indicated that by saying the story wasn't pleasant; it didn't mean that Harry wouldn't like it because it was a cheat kiss but because it had been a nasty one, a kiss that Draco didn't enjoy.

Harry, who already had his Firebolt in his hands and was about to fly away even though he hadn't found his glasses yet, instantly dropped the broom and turned around to face Draco.

"What are you talking about? Are you saying that someone forced a kiss on you?"

Draco looked down and held his sleeves nervously.

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Give me a better answer, Draco." Harry came near him and lifted his chin. "It's really frustrating not being able to look at your eyes right now and see what they are telling me. What are they telling me? Who was it, Draco?"

"Let me handle this alone, all right? It's something that concerns only me."

"It also concerns me!"

"The hell it does! Since when?"

"Since you came into my life without a proper invitation and turned it upside down! Since I was able to enter in your goddamn mind even though Erin told me it was dangerous and I still didn't give a fuck! Since I broke up with Celeste today because I wanted to be with you."

Something flickered in Draco's eyes at hearing that.

"Since I told myself millions of times that it's impossible for us to be together and still my heart kept convincing me the other way around. Since I finally discovered that the aching inside my heart when you ignored me meant that I lov..."

"You... what?" Draco whispered softly. "Finish what you were going to say, Harry."

"I lo..."

"Hey, Harry! Where are you?" came a yell from up in the sky.

Seamus and Dean passed by them flying on their brooms, looking down and searching for Harry.

"Shit!" Harry exclaimed while Draco hid behind a large tree.

Finally, they spotted Harry on the ground and flew towards him. They landed near him and without dismounting asked Harry if he was alright.

"You were taking too long." said Seamus.

"We thought you might be hurt or unconscious." said Dean. "Creevey was almost having a heart attack. I think he's in love with you, Harry." he joked.

A muttered curse came from behind the tree.

"What was that? Did you hear something?"

"No." Harry lied.

"Ok. Let's go then." Seamus said, maneuvering his broom.

"You go ahead. I still have to find my glasses."

"Do want us to help you look for it?"

"No, thanks. I'll be up in a minute."

Dean and Seamus took off and Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." he said, turning around to face a raged Draco. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Colin Creevey, that's what's wrong!"

"Are you jealous of Colin?"

"Colin??? I didn't know you two were so intimate already."

"Oh, come on Draco. It's nothing like that. Colin is just a devoted fan."

"Somehow I don't believe that. The fixation he has on you isn't just a fan's devotion. Do you have any idea of how many pictures he has of you? Thousands!"

"How would you know?" Harry asked, amused.

"Well, I... I..." Draco was having a hard time trying to find the perfect lie. "Well, Potter, one doesn't need to be a genius to notice that every goddamn time you're somewhere, Creevey appears with his damn camera."

"I guess it's true." Harry smiled.

"Oh, don't give me that smile, Harry Potter."

Harry's smile spread even more wildly. "What's wrong with my smile?"

"It's too damn sweet. It's too damn beautiful." Draco stated as if Harry's smile was an unalterable law in his life, a fundamental law in his universe.

Harry got closer to Draco and gently kissed him, massaging Draco's tongue with his own.

"Aren't you going to tell me who did this to you?" muttered Harry, licking Draco's lip.

"It's not fair, Harry. I can't think when you kiss me like this." Draco moaned.

"Tell me who did it, Draco." Harry stroke his chest and kissed him softly again.

"No." Draco stepped back. "Let me handle this on my own."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, messing it even more. "Dammit, Draco."

"Don't start. And get the hell out. Your friends are expecting you. Here are your glasses."

Draco tossed the silver rounded glasses at his direction and he caught it in the air.

"Where did you find them?"

"Behind the tree. Just go, Potter! Pick up your broom and get the hell out."

Draco had gone back to be the bastard that he used to be and Harry hated him for it.

"I hate you." he decided to put in words what he was thinking.

"That's not news."

"All right, I'll go. But first let me ask you something." Draco rolled his eyes but Harry kept talking anyway. "What if it was the other way around? What if someone had tried to do the same thing with me? How would you react?"

"That's not bloody fair, Potter."

"Answer me. Then I'll go."

Draco started to walk back and forth. "I don't have to answer."

"What if someone had kissed me against my will and hurt me and beat the shit out of me and..." Harry kept provoking him until he got exactly what he intended - to make Draco explode in rage.

"All right! ENOUGH! If someone did at least one of these things to you I would certainly go after the bastard and kill him with my own hands! Are you satisfied now?"

"NO, I'm not satisfied. I'm frustrated. Because I know that you wouldn't stop bothering me until you got a name but I'm not allowed to do the same thing to you!"

"Harry..."

"Just... leave me alone." muttered Harry tiredly.

Harry put on his glasses and mounted on his Firebolt.

"Harry, wait!" Draco shouted when Harry started to take off. "If I told you who it was, then you have to promise me not to go after the person."

"I can't promise you this."

"You have to, Harry, otherwise I won't tell you."

Harry sighed and after a few seconds he nodded. "All right. Who was the bastard?"

Draco gulped, not sure if he should tell Harry. But then he looked straight into his beautiful emerald eyes - that were shining intensely like he never saw it before - and he gave up.

"It was Zabini".