Undefined

Chapter 16

The Skilled Occlumens

Draco left his Occlumency lesson the following night still hearing nothing of Harry's whereabouts.

"We haven't heard anything," Hermione'd whispered earlier as Draco walked past her in Potions.

"Nothing at all," Ron'd sighed, sounding a bit worried.

Draco shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling rather proud of his performance that evening when he heard a noise near the corridor leading to the kitchens. He turned and saw Ron and Hermione hiding in the shadows.

"He's back," Hermione said lowly.

"Where?" Draco said immediately, his heart hammering loudly in his chest.

"Follow us," she said and he let them pass, following close behind as they led the way through deserted corridors, the castle groaning and sighing in its usual manner.

Hermione threw her arm out, stopping Ron and Draco before pulling them into Moaning Myrtle's lavatory on the second floor. There, at last, stood Harry, looking very tired and a little worse for wear, by the massive marble sinks.

"Have a nice holiday?" he said casually.

"It was all right," Draco said, the urge to smother Harry almost blinding him. "Where in the hell have you been?"

"Running an errand for the Order," Harry said as though he hadn't been gone for days.

"C'mon, Ron," Hermione said, pulling him to the door. "Let's leave them alone."

Draco turned to her, his face softening quite a bit as he said very lowly, "Thanks."

Hermione smiled and Ron nodded as they left, the door banging shut behind them.

Draco immediately pounced on Harry, grabbing his jacket by the neck and shaking him fiercely. "Are you fucking mad going off like that and not telling me? You could have been killed!" Harry looked at him, grinning. "What are you smirking at?"

"Were you worried?"

"No!" Draco said, pulling him closer.

"I think you were," Harry said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Now you know how it feels to care about someone other than yourself."

"That was just stupid!" Draco yelled. "Just up and disappearing! Not even telling your best mates..."

"I couldn't," Harry said simply. "I couldn't tell anyone."

"You could have told me!" Draco said irrationally, not comprehending what he was saying.

"Oh right, imagine how well that would've gone over if your father found that letter."

"You are so stupid!" Draco said, shaking him harder. "A complete moron!"

"I'm sorry!" Harry said, grabbing Draco's wrists. "Look, these things are going to happen from time to time; neither of us will be able to say anything to the other about what's going on."

"I won't keep anything from you, you daft moron! I'd find a way to let you know," Draco said, and before Harry could protest he pulled him into a hard kiss, holding him roughly, his hands locked behind Harry's back. Harry tried to push him away as he mumbled something in Draco's mouth, but Draco refused to let go, shoving him to ground while still cursing him under his breath, pleased to find Harry sufficiently aroused as his leg pressed against him. Harry's soft moans echoed throughout the abandoned room and without hesitating, Draco unfastened Harry's jeans and took him in his mouth, unable to ignore his own arousal as he unzipped his trousers and began to stroke himself while attempting to hold Harry still with his other hand.

"Don't squirm so much," Draco said. "I can't..."

In a single movement, Harry pushed Draco's head back into his lap, squirming uncontrollably until he climaxed.

"Good God," Draco said.

Harry abruptly pushed Draco back and returned the favor, causing him to grip the marble legs of the sink opposite his head as he squirmed on the ground, his feet slipping on the slick tile. Finally feeling the inevitability of his climax, he arched his back and came so violently he banged his head on the sink leg, crying out as much in pain as in pleasure.

"Since when were you the aggressive one?" Draco asked, staring at the underside of the sink.

"Since you insisted on leaving for two weeks."

Draco wanted very much to tell him how horrible those two weeks were, how all he thought about was this, and how relieved he was to see Harry alive and well in front of him. Instead, he sat up on his elbows and rubbed the back of his head.

"That's going to hurt tomorrow," Harry said, zipping up.

"No shit," Draco said, standing.

***

Draco's Occlumency lessons were reduced to once a week given his aptitude, while Harry still struggled with the subject.

"How's it so easy for you, then?" Harry whispered during their study hour, having been seated next to Draco by McGonagall.

"You just discipline yourself," Draco whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Hermione sat beside Harry, clearly listening in.

"Yeah, that's what Snape says," Harry hissed. "He thinks I'm too weak-minded for it."

"Well how--" Draco stopped talking immediately as McGonagall walked past and then, making sure she was gone, he continued, "do you go about it?"

"I do what he says. I try to empty my mind."

"It's more than that," Draco whispered back. "You have to be really determined and want it more than anything."

"I am determined!" Harry hissed.

"Oh, listen to him, Harry, for goodness sake," Hermione hissed back.

"I'm not saying you're not determined, you idiot," Draco said. "I'm saying there's a certain way to go about it."

"What is,"--Harry stopped as McGonagall walked past--"it then?"

"It varies from person to person," Draco explained, pressing his leg hard against Harry's under the table as he leaned closer. "I make it my goal to forget absolutely everything around me. It's sort of like a trance that you communicate in."

"There's an idea," Hermione chimed in. "Why don't you train him, Draco?"

"I could," Draco said.

"It might help," Hermione said. "Then it won't be so unbearable for you to train with Snape, Harry."

"I'd rather never go near that slimy git again," Harry said, copying notes out of his text in sloppy scrawl.

"There's no getting around that," Draco said, making sure McGonagall was still pacing several feet away. "But I can help."

"All right," Harry said, scratching out the sentence he'd just written. "When?"

"Tonight," Draco said, hushing immediately as McGonagall approached.

They met in the Room of Requirement at nine o'clock, Draco having mentally prepared everything he would go over with Harry. After practicing for over an hour with no improvement on Harry's part, Draco pulled him aside. "What is it you're focusing on?"

"Nothing!" Harry said, clearly frustrated.

"You can't focus on nothing! That's impossible, instead focus on a single thought and let that become nothing. Make sense?"

Harry nodded uncertainly and raised his wand, readying himself.

"You doing it?" Draco asked. Harry nodded. "All right, ready?" Harry nodded.

"Better," Draco said, lowering his wand.

"You're easier on me than Snape," Harry said. "Somehow I always end up on the floor when he gets done with me."

"Snape doesn't know how to make his point known very well, especially if he doesn't like you."

"Aren't we going again?" Harry asked, disappointment looming on his face.

"I thought you'd want a break," Draco said, surprised.

"No," said Harry determinedly.

"Fine, all right," Draco said. "Ready?" Harry nodded, and Draco easily penetrated his mind this time, letting go when Harry seemed ready to fall over.

"Shit!" Harry said, throwing his wand across the room in frustration.

"Calm down," Draco snapped.

"Snape reckons I'm too emotional."

"Really? I wonder why on earth he thinks that," Draco said sarcastically as he handed Harry his wand.

"Shut up."

"Ready?" Draco said, not even asking if Harry needed a break. "Legilimens."

It happened too fast for Draco to ready himself; before he knew it, he felt Harry penetrating his mind and seeing things, in particular one certain something, he never intended Harry to know. Not then at least. Fuck, not then. Draco cast a Shield Charm knowing it was too late. "Fuck!" he said, kicking the sofa. When he turned, he saw Harry looking at him with an expression of mingled shock and curiosity.

"Well, you nailed it that time!" Draco said, his voice not sounding anything like his own.

Harry continued to look at him with that same expression, his body rigid as though under the Body-Bind Curse. Draco turned, stomping around the room, knowing full well what Harry had seen, angry with himself for not having the foresight to block all thoughts from his own mind before casting, and terrified beyond words of what Harry was thinking at that moment.

"Is what I saw true?" Harry finally asked.

"What?" Draco said, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know what you're--"

"Do you really--"

"NO!" Draco screamed. "It's not true!"

"But--"

"You aren't a Legilimens," Draco said, hating himself with every word. "That wasn't what you thought, it was a misplaced emotion, an anomaly...a stray..."

"You aren't making sense," Harry said.

"IT'S NOT TRUE!"

"Why're you..."

"I saw the way you looked at me, it disgusts you, doesn't it?" Draco said, all hate and anger at himself directed at Harry.

"No!" Harry said quickly. "I just had no idea you felt that way!"

"Sure," Draco said, still pacing, ready to perform the Body-Bind Curse on himself for his stupidity. "Glad to see you're so on top of it, Potter; glad to see you pay me enough mind to notice the little things."

"Oh, now what are you on about?" Harry asked, irritated.

"You never told me you'd be late arriving back from holiday!" Draco bellowed.

"I told you, I couldn't tell anyone," Harry began, but Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed loudly.

"I would have found a way to tell you!"

"You're just mad that I know--"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"Don't say what?" Harry yelled. "That I'm one of the only people who knows that Draco Malfoy is capable of loving someone other than himself?"

"Fuck off," Draco said, storming from the room, running the full length of the castle until he reached his dormitory.