The Road Home

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HERO

'Draco!'

Harry's scar throbbed and he yelled with pain as he woke up covered in sweat from the most disturbing dream he'd ever had. He turned to the side to look for Draco and his heart skipped a beat. Draco wasn't there. He quickly got out of bed and put his clothes on. Something wasn't right, he could feel it.

"Draco!" he called again without getting any answer.

In a hurry, he set the door wide open and scanned the dark area with observing eyes, paying attention to every movement and sound. It was weird, but he had the feeling that the forest was murmuring something excitedly through the night - a warning for him to keep out.

He carefully took a step forward, wand raised in his right hand, ready for anything.

'Where are you, Draco?' he asked himself for the third time, his heart pumping fast.

A shadow called his attention. There was something out there, hiding behind the old, gnarled trees. He heard his name being called softly and repeatedly. He didn't know why his feet led him in the direction of the unknown creature, and he was relieved to see that the scary shadow was Firenze, a centaur who lived inside the Forbidden Forest and who had saved him from Voldemort when Harry had been in his first year.

"Firenze!?"

"Harry Potter. It's good to meet you again," said Firenze coming out of his hidden place.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to warn you, Harry Potter. No place is safe anymore. The time has come."

The centaurs had the habit of never saying things straight away but Harry comprehended what he was trying to say. Voldemort would reveal himself to the world and start his reign of terror with full power. He would no longer hide. Harry's eyes flickered with worry. And Draco was nowhere to be found.

"You're talking about Voldemort, aren't you?" Harry whispered, not expecting an answer.

"The darkness is invading the world again, I'm afraid, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is involved. I have faith in you, young Potter. The stars had been wrong before; and I'll pray for the higher spirits of the forest for them to be wrong again." Firenze turned around to leave but Harry stopped him.

"Wait! Have you seen a blond boy around here?" he asked anxiously.

Firenze looked at Harry with a mysterious expression and pointed his finger at the direction of the lake.

"Is he there?" Harry asked.

"I saw young Malfoy there. I do not know if he is the same boy you seek."

"Thanks," said Harry running towards the lake.

Harry didn't think about staying to chat a little more with Firenze, not only because he was worried with Draco but also because he knew it would be a useless task. The centaur had already given Harry his message and whatever would come next would be enigmatic conversations about planets and stars, and the conjunction of Jupiter with Saturn or whatever planet was in vogue at the moment. Harry didn't have time for that.

"Good luck, young Potter," whispered the centaur, "You'll need all the luck you can get."

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

Ron was thrilled with the success of his mission. Celeste was sleeping peacefully in one of the Astronomy towers' old classrooms and her amulet was right inside his pocket. He was surprised at how simple it had been to fool her. Then again, Celeste wasn't famous for her intelligence but for another attribute that he, as a gentleman, wouldn't even allow himself to think about it.

He wanted to celebrate so badly that he went straight to his bedroom to wake up Harry and, as usual, he found his bed empty. He sighed, frustrated, wondering whether he should wake up Hermione or not, and he jumped from fear when he found her right behind him.

"What the hell!" he muttered, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep." She shrugged her shoulders. "Did you get the amulet?"

"Yeah." He smiled and showed her the bracelet, which shone as brightly as her eyes.

"Oh, my God, Ron! You did it!" She hugged him tightly. "For a minute I was afraid that she would enchant you or something." Ron made an offended face that quickly vanished as he heard what came next. "Of course, Erin told me that true love could conquer the evil power of the amulet and here's the proof!"

"Does this mean that you love me?" he asked, grinning.

"I thought it was pretty obvious by now." She rolled her eyes and he laughed. They heard a shushing noise coming out of Dean's bed and they decided to go to the Common Room.

They sat on the couch, hands entangled, and he caressed her soft hair.

"So, true love could beat the amulet. I guess You-Know-Who didn't expect that!" he said.

"No, I guess not." She smiled.

"Let's tell Harry! Where is he?"

"Oh... right. Harry." She made a face.

"Well, where is he? He hasn't returned from his rendezvous yet."

"We can talk to Harry tomorrow!" she suggested. "Because I don't think he'll come back. I thought he would, but since you said he was not in the bedroom yet..."

Ron frowned. "You're not serious! I mean, it's not safe for him to spend the night out."

"Yeah, I warned him about that. But he said that Erin put extra-protection spells all around Hagrid's hut and connected the fireplace to her bedroom in case something went wrong. Oh no!" she covered her mouth with her hands. "I shouldn't have said that!"

"He's in Hagrid's hut? Ron's mind started to work furiously. "But Hagrid isn't here and I heard he would take at least two days to come back. Wait a minute!" He raised an eyebrow. "He's there with the mysterious person, isn't he? The son of a bitch! How come he has this kind of special treatment, and from a Professor!?"

Hermione stayed quiet, waiting for the next comment with anxiety.

"Who is there with him?" Ron asked.

Yes, that was exactly the question she feared the most.

"I can't tell you," she said.

"Why not? You're my girlfriend now. We should be able to tell each other everything!"

"I'm your girlfriend?" She opened her eyes widely.

"Well, yeah." He looked the other way, embarrassed.

"You didn't even ask me!" she complained.

"Oh. I thought it was pretty obvious by now," he said, imitating her voice.

"You, you..." Her face reddened. "How dare you mock me, Ronald Weasley!?"

He laughed. She looked at him and stood up ready to leave the room with her chin high. He didn't let her go too far away, for he pulled her closer to his body and she fell down right on his lap. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her until she melted in his arms.

"Herm, we have to tell Harry right away about the amulet, because I think Celeste won't be very happy when she wakes up. In fact, I think she'll be really angry and she might inform all of the little minions of You-Know-Who about what happened," he muttered against her lips, "We have to warn Harry about the danger of the situation. I think the Favored will declare war against us."

"I know," she sighed.

"Let's go to the hut, then."

She nodded. "You're right. Harry's safety is more important than anything else. But I think you should know something about the person Harry is in love with, Ron."

"What about her?" he asked, curious.

"Promise not to freak out?"

"Oh, come on, Hermione! I'll only freak out if the girl is Ginny or, or..." he stopped for a moment and then he added, smiling, "...or if it's a boy instead of a girl. Not that I have anything against gay people, but Harry being gay will be quite a shock. I mean, a hero isn't supposed to be gay."

She didn't say anything, just looked at him with a face Ron knew pretty well. It was a face of distaste and disappointment with him. He understood quickly what that meant and he opened his eyes widely.

"Shit! He's gay, isn't it? That's why he's so secretive about it."

"Yeah. Do you get a problem with that?"

Ron sighed. "No. I can deal with that. Bill is also gay. And as long as Harry is not dating Draco Malfoy, the princess of darkness, we'll be just fine!" Ron's joke died on his lips as soon as his eyes fell upon Hermione's worried face. "FUCK! You got to be kidding me! MALFOY!?"

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

Draco had been staring at the lake for at least half an hour, when Harry came into his sight.

He sighed. He didn't want to see Harry so soon. Correction. What he didn't want was to face Harry so soon. Not after the nightmare he had had and in which he had betrayed his lover shamelessly for his father's approval.

God, it had been so horrible to see himself as the same spoiled brat from the old days, the same jealous git who wanted nothing more than to beat Harry Potter in everything.

Draco had woken up all sweaty and scared, not knowing what was real anymore, and he had ran away from the cabin and from Harry because he couldn't even look at his lover for the shame he was feeling. After such a wonderful night, how could he have done that do Harry?

'It was only a dream, Draco. Get a grip on yourself. You didn't do anything to Harry. Yet.'

"Draco! What are you doing here? I got so worried when I woke up and didn't see you by my side," said Harry before kneeling in front of Draco and holding him tightly. "You know it's not safe to be here alone at this hour! And I promised Erin we wouldn't leave the hut unless it was on fire."

Draco disentangled himself from Harry's arms, not wanting to be touched by the raven-haired boy because his touch was burning his skin and making him lose focus on the problem. He walked towards the border of the lake and stared at its depths thoughtfully.

"What's wrong, Drake?" Harry asked with a confused expression.

"I need to be alone for a while. Is that so much to ask?" Draco answered aggressively.

Harry felt aghast at the odd behavior of Draco, and his face hardened. He just had had the worst dream of his life and he didn't have the patience to put up with any sort of second thoughts Draco was having about their night together.

"Malfoy? Look at me. Now!" Harry said in a tone of voice that expressed all his anger.

Draco took a while to obey but when he did, Harry saw the silver-blue eyes flickering with unshed tears. His heart softened instantly. He walked to where Draco was standing and stopped only a few inches away, reaching out his hand to touch Draco's face, but the blond took a step back. Harry sighed, frustrated.

"I see," Harry said.

'See what?' Draco thought, trying desperately to read Harry's countenance.

"I'll leave you alone, if that's what you wish," Harry muttered.

As Harry walked away, Draco flinched, "Harry...," he called softly, "Don't go."

"You said you wanted to be alone."

"What are you? A bloody Hufflepuff? You don't have to believe in everything I say. I'm a Slytherin, Harry. We're known as natural born liars. It's our most famous trade, you know?" he smirked sadly.

Harry walked towards him again with a serious expression. "Yeah, I know that. I also know that you haven't been yourself lately, Draco. Or should I say that you have been behaving like your old self? What's the matter? Are you regretting about us? About our... night together?"

"No. If there's something I'm not sorry for, it's what just happened between us."

"Then what's wrong?" Harry asked, frustrated.

Draco sighed and his eyes looked at the lake again. "I had a nightmare and I needed some fresh air to cool my head. That was all."

Harry's eyes opened widely. "You had a nightmare. About what?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It's obviously something, Draco, otherwise you would be looking at me and you're staring at everywhere but me! What did you dream about?" Harry asked, angry.

"Just stuff, Harry. Does it matter?" Draco replied, bothered.

"Yeah, it does, because I had a nightmare, too. I dreamt that your father threw a curse at you and for a moment I thought you were dead. And then I woke up and you weren't next to me in bed and I freaked out!" Harry babbled and his face was contorted with different emotions.

Draco looked at him completely astonished. "What else did you dream?"

"I..." Harry bit his lower lip. He didn't know if he should tell Draco. He didn't want to give him ideas about the memory charm. Then again, if what Harry saw was the future, then he had the chance to alter it so that frightening scene could never take place. He didn't want to deal with the old Draco anymore.

He sat down at the grass, followed by Draco, and told him all about the dream. At the end of the narrative Draco was more astounded than ever because he had had the same dream, with only a few differences. He told that to Harry, who didn't look so surprised. Erin had told him that the Daydream spell could have side effects such as connected dreams.

"I think we dreamt about the future," Harry said.

"Then I'm going to die and so are you, is that it?" Draco sneered and cursed under his breath, "Whatever I thought I was doing to help you, it didn't work out the way I expected. And you were damn stupid! Why did you have to go there? I had the situation under control and Voldemort was licking my boots!"

Harry frowned at the verbal attack. "Oh, really? What about you? You didn't have to jump in front of me to receive the curse in my place! You do that a lot actually!"

"I only did that once to save my father!" Draco defended himself.

"You did the same thing to me in another dream I had at the beginning of the term."

"You dreamt about me before?" Draco opened his mouth in amazement. "Was it the same dream?"

"No. I was Voldemort's prisoner, not yours, and he was about to kill me but you jumped in front of me and you saved me. Again. Stop doing that, you prick!"

It was the last drop for Draco. He was on the verge of having a nervous break down.

"You're such a show off, Mr. I'm the Best in Every Damn Thing! You want all the attention to yourself, don't you? Harry Frigging Potter can't handle a little competition for attention! We don't need another hero, right? You have to be the only hope for the entire wizarding community. Well, go to hell!" Draco shouted, walking away.

"Yeah, that's right!" Harry yelled, following him, "The fact that I'm mad at you for saving me has nothing to do with the fact that I love you! In fact, I want you dead because you're a stupid and annoying bastard who wants so much to be the bloody hero instead of me! Well, YOU go to hell!"

Draco stopped dead, trying to decide whether to punch Harry or cast a boil hex on him.

"I didn't ask for any of this, Malfoy," Harry went on, "I didn't ask for Voldemort to kill my parents when I was just a baby. I didn't ask to be the hero. I'm not a hero! How do you think I feel with all this weight on my back? I'm supposed to save everybody and yet I couldn't even save Cedric. He died right in front of me, and Harry Frigging Potter couldn't do a thing to prevent it. I'm a fraud, all right? Are you happy now!? I'm a fucking fraud because I don't have super-powers or anything like that! I'm just an ordinary wizard. If you want the role of the hero so much, just take it! I don't want it! And good luck to you." Harry took a big breath after his emotional speech, his eyes flickering with rage and sadness, "You lied to me. You said you didn't want to be me, but you do. You do..."

"No." Draco swallowed hard. "I don't want to be you. And I don't want to play the hero."

"Then what the hell do you want, Malfoy, because frankly, I don't have a fucking clue!" Harry shouted, "One day you treat me as if I'm the most important person in your life and the next day you treat me like shit! I'm tired of this bloody game! I'm so... tired," Harry's voice trembled cracking a little at the end.

"Do you really want to know what I want?" Draco walked closer to where Harry was standing and his face almost touched the face of the raven-haired boy. "Do you want to know the truth, Harry?"

"YES!"

"I WANT US TO LIVE, GODDAMMIT!" yelled Draco, "I just want us to live through this bloody mess and I want us to grow old together! I don't want to see you die, Harry. I won't bear to see you dead, do you hear me? So, I'll do whatever I can to prevent your death!"

An unbearable silence descended upon them. Draco was feeling tense and lost, Harry could feel it. And he understood, because he was feeling the same way. Draco, Harry realized, was terrified of the future as much as Harry. What they had shared that night - that magic moment they had created together - was making the whole situation worse. Now that they knew what it was like to be with each other in every sense of the word, they realized they had much more to lose them they had thought.

Harry pressed his forehead on Draco's and shut his eyes tightly.

"You're such a...a..." Harry couldn't go on because Draco's lips smashed his own.

The kiss was entirely different from all the other kisses they had shared so far. It wasn't as romantic and tender as the others, but rather brutal and desperate, as if it was their last kiss. Harry felt Draco's hand touching his body rudely and unbuttoning his shirt with hurried movements. Harry turned his head away and broke their kiss, but Draco's attentions turned to Harry's slender neck.

Harry was feeling his body giving up to his primitive needs, but he forced himself to not let that happen and he pushed Draco away from him.

Draco stared at him, confused and ashamed. He had been rude to Harry and he was starting to hate himself for doing that to his love. He was just like his father. Draco didn't deserve someone as sweet as Harry, because he would destroy him eventually. He was destined to do that. His father had told him more than once that Draco would be the one to kill Harry Potter. Maybe he had been right. He had the Malfoy blood running in his veins and it was a dark, tainted blood.

"Draco?" Harry called softly as he saw different emotions in Draco's face.

"My father is right. I'm evil, Harry. You should get as far away from me as possible."

"That's not true and you know it."

"All Malfoys before me were evil and self-centered, Harry."

"You're not evil, Draco. You are self-centered though," Harry joked and was rewarded with a weak smile from Draco. "Well, come to think of it, not exactly self-centered but definitely self-conceited. And I love that about you."

"You shouldn't."

"What?"

"Love me."

"Well, I do. I'm hopeless in that matter." Harry approached Draco carefully and held him. Draco cuddled against his body, defeated. "If you go away, I'll go after you. I don't care about your father or Voldemort. I only care about you. I don't want you to spy for my sake, Draco, but if you do, then I'll do exactly what I did in my dream. I won't let you marry Voldemort's girl, whoever she is. You say things as if you're destined to become a Death Eater. Well, I'm destined to die before I turn eighteen. We won't let any of those things happened. We'll fight against our destiny."

"It's hard, Harry."

"Yeah, but we have each other. As long as we stay together, we're invincible."

Harry felt Draco's body shaking. He thought Draco was crying, but as the blond raised his head to stare at him, he noticed that the vibration from his body was from the laughter caused by Harry's comment.

"You're so corny, Harry," Draco said, grinning. He laughed even harder when he noticed Harry's offended expression. "You are! But I like it."

"Ok, I am," Harry said with a serious expression, "And I'm proud of it, because you know what? I'm not ashamed to believe in the power of love! You, on the other hand..."

"All right. Sorry. I guess I'm an insensitive bastard. It was the way I was raised to be."

Harry sighed, "That's all right. It was corny. But it's how I feel."

"I'm sorry, Harry. For everything. I ruined our night because I let my fears get in the way."

"I'm afraid, too, Draco. But not of Voldemort. I'm afraid of losing you."

"I'm not afraid of Voldemort either, Harry. Maybe just a little bit," he confessed, turning his eyes away. "I have something to tell you. I know I've been acting weird lately. There's a reason for that."

"What happened?"

"My father happened. He's been sending me letters filled with obscure meanings. I think he knows about us and I'm scared. He's even more dangerous when he's quiet about something. He said I was supposed to become a Death Eater last Christmas and since I blew everything I'll become a Death Eater as soon as I return to the Manor. He said he has a surprise for me."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I was afraid of your reaction." Draco closed his eyes and as he felt Harry's hand squeezing his own, he opened them again. "I've been having bad feelings, Harry. I dreamt that I killed you because I was under Imperius. You have to promise me that if any of those things happen, you'll fight me! If I turn to their side against my will, you'll still be Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world. Don't let them get you! Promise me, Harry. Don't let them use me to get you!"

Harry's eyes flickered, "I won't let them take you, Draco. I won't."

"Maybe we won't have a choice."

"We will. That's a promise," Harry said with such an intense tone of voice that sent chills down Draco's spine. "Let's forget about all of that for a moment, all right? Let's go back to the hut. It's freezing out here." He pulled Draco by the hand and led him to the hut.

As they were getting closer, Draco stopped walking and Harry looked at him, puzzled.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I... I just wanted to say that...that... I love you," Draco stuttered. He wasn't used to declaring his feeling out loud and he was feeling terribly embarrassed.

Harry smiled and pulled him closer. Their lips met tenderly for a brief moment. "I love you, too."

They only stared at each other for what seemed like eternity until Draco frowned and then smiled in amusement. "You're wearing my cloak," he pointed out.

"What?" Harry looked at the cloak and saw the Slytherin blazon on it. "Oh, my God!" Then he stared at the cloak Draco was wearing and laughed. "There's a perfect explanation for it. You're wearing mine, you git!"

"Fuck!" Draco stared at the blazon with disgust. "I haven't noticed... Gee! Do you think I'll be contaminated with all that annoying Gryffindor qualities?"

"I'd been inside you not so long ago, Draco. I think you're more than contaminated by all the annoying Gryffindor qualities by now," Harry provoked and Draco stuck out his tongue at him. "And it'll do you good to receive things such as bravery, loyalty and honesty." Draco pinched him and he went on, "As for myself, if some of the Slytherin flaws rub off on me, I'll be self-centered, spoiled, dishonest, cold, vain and the worst of all, I'll become Snape's pet! Argh!!! Take this off of me, now!" Harry joked, pretending to get rid of the cloak.

Draco laughed and held Harry's hand. "Leave it on. I think you are damn sexy as a Slytherin!"

"Really?"

"Yes," muttered Draco against Harry's lips, "You look good in green."

"And you look hot in red."

This time the kiss they shared expressed nothing but their devotion, desire and love for each other. Draco's skilful tongue met Harry's and excited a deep moan from him. There was no more desperation, only a quiet agreement to let the worries out of their lives for a while. Draco's eyes were cloudy with need and his hand slipped down to Harry's waistband. He was about to caress him more intimately when he heard a screech.

"AAAARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Harry opened his eyes widely and he stared at his best friend's shocked expression.

"Ron?"

"Weasley!? What the fuck are you doing here?" Draco asked, terribly upset because of the disturbance.

Ron was as white as Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of the Gryffindor House. He had his mouth hanging open and his eyes were staring at Harry in disbelief. Draco noticed that Harry was looking as shocked as Ron from being caught in the act. Shit.

"How... when... why...where...," Ron wanted to ask so many things that he didn't even know where to begin with. "How... how could you? With him!?"

"Yeah, Weasel. With me! It's real, it's intense and it's damn good. Deal with it!" Draco said, smirking.

"You! Stay out of this!" Ron shouted, pointing his finger at Draco.

Hermione appeared behind Ron looking terribly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Harry. He wanted to see with his own eyes that you were ok." And that you were with Malfoy. "Something has happened tonight. Something big."

"What?" Harry asked, curious.

"I came here to give you this," Ron said, tossing Celeste's amulet to Harry.

"You got it? How?" Harry asked. He was so surprise he didn't know what to say.

"Lots of my personal charms and a sleeping potion," Ron bragged.

"Charms? Where? Oh, do you mean the charms that McGonagall teaches us in her classes? Because you can't possibly be talking about your charms since you don't have any," Draco said, staring at his fingernails. Ron shot him a murderous look.

"Does this mean you believe in me and Hermione now?" Harry asked, ignoring Draco's provocation.

"Yes."

"And you trust me again?"

"Well, there are some things we need to discuss first. Like him," Ron pointed at Draco.

"He's my boyfriend," Harry stated, waiting for Ron's outburst with apprehension.

"This thing is your boyfriend? I mean, honestly Harry, there are so many nice guys at school. Why do you have to pick this annoying brat? Colin Creevey likes you! Or maybe Seamus or Justin..."

"I knew it!" Draco cursed under his breath, "I knew Creevey liked you!"

"Draco, not now."

"Draco? Ugh! I think I'm going to be sick."

"Ron, chill out!" Hermione ordered.

"But Mione, Malfoy is the son of Satan. His father is a Death Eater. And let's not forget that Lucius Malfoy is also my dad's enemy! We all hate the Malfoys. They are the bad seeds."

"Hey, I'm right here, Weasel! You're offending me!"

"So? You has offended me and my family every chance you got."

Draco and Ron stared at each other with loathing.

"Ron, you came here to ask for Harry's forgiveness, remember?" Hermione said gently.

"That was before... him." He glanced at Malfoy with disgust and crossed his arms.

"Oh, please." Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's not that bad once you get to know him."

Ron arched his eyebrow. "How would you know?"

"We talked on a few occasions. And he helped me today," she said carefully.

"He was the one that gave you that pheromone thing, wasn't he?"

"Pheromone?" Draco laughed, "That's funny!"

"Are you laughing at me, ferret? Because I'm this close to beating the shit out of you."

"You can try, Weasley. It doesn't mean you'll succeed."

"Stop, both of you!" Harry shouted. "Ron? What are you doing here?"

"I came here to give you the amulet, Harry, and to say that I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I was so blind. Celeste spent the entire day talking bad things about you and I just got carried away. But I missed our friendship."

"I miss it, too. I missed you a lot."

They smiled at each other. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Why don't kiss and make up, then?" Draco sneered. The jealousy was eating him alive.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Hermione said, pulling Draco away. "Can't you see they are making up? Just shut up and let them talk! It's been a while since the last time they talked as buddies. Harry and Ron are friends ever since the beginning of the first year, so you better get used to it."

"Harry should ask the Weasel to crawl at his feet. That's what I would do before forgiving a friend that hurt me."

"That explains why you don't have any friends," Hermione muttered.

"Hey, that was offensive!" Draco complained.

"Whatever."

"Mudblood," Draco muttered.

Hermione frowned. She thought about saying something but her attention was caught by Harry and Ron. They were hugging each other tightly and muttering things in each other's ears. She smiled, glad that everything was back in place. They were friends again.

As they pulled away, Ron came closer to Malfoy and stuck out his hand for him to catch it. Draco looked at him with distrust and Ron insisted in the friendly - and uncertain - gesture.

"I won't bite you, Malfoy. Not right now, anyway," Ron smirked. "I just want us to try getting along for Harry's sake. He said some nice things about you - which I doubted, of course - but I thought I could give you a chance to prove to me that you really changed."

"I don't need to prove anything to you."

"Draco...," Harry called him with a soft tone of voice. Draco sighed, defeated. He couldn't deny anything to Harry when he used that tone of voice that melted every little inch of his body.

He shook Ron's hand quickly. "I'm doing this for Harry."

"So am I, Malfoy."

"Oh, that's so great! You're friends!" Hermione said, grinning.

"What? No way!" Ron and Draco said at the same time.

"Whatever." Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "What matters right now is that Ron shook Draco's hand. This is huge!"

"I'm proud of you both," Harry said, holding Draco and placing a kiss in his cheek.

Ron looked the other way, making a face, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Now that we're all cool...," Hermione started to say but she was interrupted by Draco's voice.

"I'm not," she heard him muttering.

"...we should discuss some serious matters," Hermione went on, "Like Strut, for example."

"You're right," Harry said, "What is her next step? She doesn't have the amulet anymore."

"Knowing her, she will be really pissed," Ron commented.

"I agree with Weasley. And I'll go even further to say that the Favored will be awakened," Draco pointed out.

"That's not very good," Hermione said, worried.

"That's a bloody disaster," Harry said, sighing deeply.

"But we should talk about this tomorrow. It's late and Harry and I have some... unfinished business to take care of," Draco said looking as innocent as an angel. "Besides, I bet you two want to snog a little before going to bed," he pointed at Ron and Hermione.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Ron yelled. "This is a serious matter! Celeste will be a real pain in the ass. If she complains about this to the Favored, we're screwed."

"I know, but there's no point of discussing this today. I'm tired."

"What do you think, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, Harry, what do you think?" Draco asked, staring deep inside Harry's eyes.

Harry stared at them confused and rather angry because it was quite obvious that Draco was jealous. "I think both of you should stop behaving like a child."

"I'm not behaving like a child!" Draco protested.

"Yes, you are," Harry said.

"No, I am not!"

"Yes, you are!"

While they kept fighting with each other, Hermione turned to talk to Ron.

"I think Malfoy is right, Ron. I'm tired, too."

"All right," Ron agreed against his will, "But we'll have to discuss this first thing in the morning."

"Sure."

They turned to face Harry and Draco, who were still fighting.

"Are they always like this?" Ron asked, arching his eyebrow.

"No, but they can be really annoying," Hermione said, amused.

"Hey, I heard that!" Harry nagged.

"Well, sometimes you two are so annoying!" Hermione repeated. "You fight over such silly things."

"Oh, look who's talking!" Draco exclaimed. "You and the Weasel fight on daily basis."

"Don't talk to her like that or I'll hex you!" Ron threatened.

"ALL RIGHT! EVERYONE STOP THIS MADNESS!" Harry yelled and that silenced them. "We're all going to talk tomorrow. Right now, this meeting is over. Ron, I'm glad that we are friends again."

"Oh, by the way, Harry, me and Mione are dating. You're the first one to know this. Well, you and him," Ron declared, smiling and holding Hermione in his arms.

"Really? Congratulations!" Harry greeted them. "I'm so happy for you!"

"It was about time, Weasley," Draco observed. "For a Mudblood, she's a good girl."

"Draco!" Harry called his attention.

"All right." Draco rolled his eyes and added, "I'm sorry. Let me rephrase. I'm glad that you finally opened your eyes. And you better treat her good, Weasley, or you'll be sorry for the rest of your life. I'll make sure of that."

"Oh, thanks Malfoy," Hermione expressed her gratitude by giving Draco a hug.

Since the hug was lasting a little longer than it should, Ron asked Harry if he was sure that the prick was really gay. Harry laughed and answered yes, and added that Draco couldn't possibly be straight after the night they shared together. Ron shivered and told him he still wasn't ready to hear the details about their relationship. But he guaranteed Harry that he supported him in every way.

"And if one day he hurts you, Harry, you tell me and I will make sure he feels sorry for the rest of his life."

"Thanks, Ron."

They smiled and hugged each other once again.

When they were gone, Harry turned to kiss Draco, who kissed him back eagerly.

"Let's go to bed," Draco pleaded against Harry's lips.

"What are we going to do about the amulet?"

"We can give it to Erin tomorrow."

"And what about Celeste?"

"We could kill her."

"I'm serious, Draco."

"So am I."

Harry shook his head. "What will I do with you and your sharp tongue?"

Draco's eyes glittered with mischief and desire. "I can think of a lot of things to do with it. This, for example," He licked Harry's neck. "Or this," His cold tongue traveled down and after raising Harry's shirt, he licked Harry's navel. Harry almost fell on the floor because his body jellied.

"Ok. Let's go to bed," Harry ordered urgently, pulling Draco inside the hut and ravishing him into a delightful kiss. The problems could wait outside the door for now.