Draco and Harry: Escorts

Chapter Eight

Harry walked into the encampment to find Hermione pacing next to the fire. She looked at him with a stricken expression.

"What is it?" he asked instantly. "Where's Ron?"

Harry assumed the two of them had had another row and Ron had stormed off.

"I know about you and Malfoy," Hermione said bluntly.

Harry froze and for a moment he couldn't think of a single thing to say. This definitely was not how he had pictured letting his friends in on his big secret. Luckily, Hermione continued, thanks to her habit of babbling when she was nervous.

"I should have noticed it sooner, though I can't believe you didn't just tell me."

"I promised I wouldn't," Harry said lamely, feeling like they were back in school and Harry had forgotten to take notes in Transfiguration.

"So, you're a... a couple then?"

"I suppose, yes. We're always together now."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes," he said simply.

She shook her head as if bemused. "I never would have suspected Malfoy of being gay."

Harry stared at her in genuine surprise and then laughed. "I wouldn't exactly call him that. I know he likes girls, too. Hell, Malfoy is more like... I don't know. Omni-sexual. I think he could make love to a troll or a mermaid and it would be perfectly fine with the universe. It would probably be damned sexy, actually."

"And you?"

Harry shook his head and grinned. "I really haven't spent a lot of time analyzing it. I'm certainly not attracted to other guys and I never have been. Hell, I made love to Ginny plenty of times--God, do not tell Ron I said that. I just... can't seem to resist Draco. There's something about him..."

"Yeah." She sighed explosively. "I know."

"You felt it, too?" Harry felt a quick spike of jealousy and suppressed it.

"I wish I hadn't. He's just so... bloody charming when he puts his mind to it."

"And gorgeous," Harry added.

"Beyond gorgeous." She dragged a hand through her hair and groaned. "Damn, how could you not fall for him? Ron is angry at me with good reason. I've practically been fawning over Malfoy."

"Not fawning. But I think Draco was being extra charismatic with you just to annoy Ron." At least, Harry hoped to hell that was the reason.

"Does he love you?" she asked worriedly.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. He's not exactly the type to discuss his feelings."

"Harry, I... I told Ron. I suppose I shouldn't have, but I was just so shocked--"

"Where is Ron?" Harry asked sharply.

"He went pretty crazy--he yelled something about killing Malfoy and then he took off. It looked like he was heading for London. I couldn't stop him."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Heading for London. Thank God. Ron would cool off, eventually, and there was no danger between here and there. Harry raked a hand through his hair.

Draco returned, striding out of the trees with his usual casual grace. He grinned at Harry and then stopped short. His grey eyes narrowed and he looked from Harry to Hermione and back.

"Hermione knows," Harry admitted.

"Knows what?"

"She knows about us."

Draco raised a blonde brow at Hermione, who nodded.

"Well, it's about time you figured it out. I was beginning to think your vaunted intelligence was a Gryffindor fable," Malfoy said as he walked forward and slung an arm over Harry's shoulders possessively. Harry flushed, but that did not stop his heart from beating erratically.

"Time for bed," Draco suggested pleasantly. "'Night, Granger."

He ushered Harry into the tent without a backward glance and practically dragged Harry into their room.

"That was rude," Harry protested.

"I said good night in a perfectly pleasant manner. What was rude about it?" Draco asked and kicked the door shut behind them.

Harry could not answer because Draco's tongue choked off all sound the instant Malfoy clamped his mouth over Harry's. Potter grabbed Draco's hands before they could tear his shirt open.

"Why don't you try unbuttoning it this time?" he asked when the steaming kiss ended.

"Novel idea," Draco murmured and kissed his way down Harry's neck to the first button. His fingers undid one button and his mouth followed the hands to the next one. Malfoy managed four buttons in that fashion before wrenching at the material and sending the remainder flying. "Taking too long," he muttered.

He picked Harry up and carried him to the bed where he dumped him before yanking his own clothes off. Harry watched in amusement.

"You're awfully aggressive tonight," he commented.

"Just turned on from snogging you in the clover," Draco replied.

"Mmmm, that was nice."

"Not as nice as this will be," Malfoy promised and removed Harry's glasses before divesting him of the remainder of his clothing as well. Draco climbed back over Harry and kissed him again--teasing butterfly-gentle kisses that slowly warmed Harry's blood to the point of simmering boil over. Harry groaned after a few minutes--damned Malfoy knew he could nearly make Harry climax with kisses alone, he was so bloody good at it.

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and quickly rolled him over so Malfoy was on the bottom. Harry laughed and pinned Draco's arms to the bed. Then he used his wand to make the pinning more secure.

"Tease. Let's see how you like it."

Draco tugged at his arms, but they were held fast to the bed.

"This is hardly fair, Potter."

Harry laughed. "You know you can Accio your wand and free yourself at any time. I just don't think you will want to... yet."

Harry kissed a leisurely path down Draco's body and made certain to lick and fondle his thighs, abdomen, and flanks--touching everything but the place Malfoy most wanted touched until the pale body was writhing in frustration.

"All right, damn you! I get your point! Teasing is evil, now if you don't mind--" A gasp ripped through Draco's chest as Harry enveloped him completely with a giddy sense of triumph. Malfoy's body arched convulsively and Harry stopped playing to concentrate on Draco's pleasure with Gryffindor single-mindedness.

Draco's animal sounds of pleasure made Harry feel almost faint with a rush of desire. He heard Malfoy murmur his name with each stroke and that was even better. Draco climaxed and actually cried out before he managed to stifle it, surprising Harry. Normal, Malfoy had better control than that.

Harry swallowed and gently released the Slytherin before he licked his way back up the flat stomach. He smiled with such triumph that Draco groaned.

"I don't think I can move," Malfoy commented as Harry released his hands with a flick of his wand before tossing it toward the edge of the bed. Harry laid his head on Draco's chest and sighed happily when Malfoy's arms surrounded him.

"That's okay, I'm feeling pretty satisfied at the moment."

"I'll bet you are," Draco said dryly and Harry chuckled in wicked delight.

ooOoo

Ron stormed into the shop in a fine rage, slamming past a female underling that was preparing to lock the doors for the evening.

"Where are my brothers?" he demanded. The girl blinked at him and stammered, obviously frightened, not merely because Ron towered over her, but because he probably looked half-demented.

"In the back, sir," she finally managed even though Ron was already halfway across the room by then. Fred and George were engaged in their favorite hobby--counting their proceeds. Both of his multicolored brothers looked up at him in surprise. He noted that they looked worse than ever now that their normal coloring was returning. It appeared that the colored patches were molting like an atrocious alien sunburn.

"We're closed," Fred said automatically. Ron was in no mood for his brothers' games.

"I want something that will kill Draco Malfoy," he said without preamble. George made a scoffing noise.

"You've been asking for that for years, mate. Get over it."

"I can't get over it!" Ron thundered angrily. The twins both looked at him in astonishment. "Not this time!"

"What's he done now?" George asked with a sigh.

"Honestly. We should start a product line just for Malfoy," Fred added.

Ron was prepared. It had taken him nearly an hour to return to Diagon Alley, taking care not to draw Muggle or Ministry attention. He had been bloody rocked to his roots to discover that Harry--for Merlin's sake, Harry Potter, his own fucking best friend--was in love with that swaggering megalomaniac prick! That news on top of the fact that Hermione had been goggling over the blonde bastard all week had simply been too much. She denied it, but Ron had known her since she was twelve years old--he knew all the signs. The nervous tucking of her hair behind her ear, the way she flicked the edge of her quill against her lips, and that breathy giggle... Ron had watched her use them all on Malfoy in the past few days.

Bloody hell, it wasn't like their marriage was in trouble! Maybe it had gotten a bit boring lately, with Hermione spending all her time in the damned lab creating potions for her mail-order business and Ron constantly practicing Quidditch. He hoped to hear back from the Chudley Cannons soon on his application and maybe he was getting a bit testy about his inability to play professionally...

Ron shook his head and sighed. Well, he hadn't thought their marriage was in trouble before Malfoy. And now Harry. How had the bastard done it? Harry was straight, for fuck's sake! He'd been engaged to Ron's sister! They had snogged like love-starved beasts so often during the Horcrux searches that Ron and Hermione had threatened to douse them with ice water more than once. Hell, Harry and Ginny had probably even had se--Ron's mind abruptly shied away from that implication, but the image of Harry with Malfoy took its place and that was a hundred times worse.

The means--whether spell, potion, or simple ruthless cunning--by which Malfoy had snagged both Harry and Hermione was unimportant. Ron meant to stop him. And possibly extract a pound of flesh for a bloody decade of torment.

"He tried to seduce Hermione," Ron explained to the twins.

George burst out laughing and Fred grinned broadly.

"And he's still alive?"

"Did she turn him back into a ferret?"

Ron glowered at his brothers.

"She was bloody willing." That stopped the smirking.

"How the hell did that happen, mate?"

"I don't know! Potion, spell, whatever, I just want him to pay."

"We can't let you kill him, Ron," George said.

"'Fraid not. It's bad for business. We draw the line at being sent to Azkaban."

"Not even for our ickle brother."

"Damn it," Ron snapped. "What's your moral stance on maiming? Permanent bodily injury? Castration?"

George winced.

"Ouch, now you're going too far."

"Even Malfoy don't deserve that fate."

"That's what you think," Ron muttered. He nearly blurted out the truth about Harry, but it was just too horrible and putting it into actual words would make it all too real.

George cocked his purple head dubiously.

"We have plenty of maiming goods, but Malfoy won't just sit there and let you toss one on him."

"By all accounts he's pretty damned skilled these days. He's been battling dark magic for years."

"Besides, I thought Harry was working with him."

"We won't discuss Harry," Ron said in a voice like stone.

"Meaning Potter doesn't know you plan to hex his business partner into a state of eternal torment," George said.

"Don't you think that will make it even harder?" Fred asked.

"I don't care how hard it is. I want him gone!"

Ron slammed a hand down on the desk, rattling coins and causing his brothers to share a glance of concerned annoyance.

"Well... we do have something that might work for you," George admitted.

"It's not permanent, but if you do it right it could get rid of him for quite awhile. Long enough to think of a more long-lasting solution, maybe."

"We nicked it from the Ministry when they shorted us on a payment."

"Highly illegal."

"If you get caught with it, little brother, we'll deny we even know you."

"We do that already," Fred commented.

"Yeah, but this time we'll mean it."

ooOoo

Harry woke in Draco's arms and realized it was definitely an experience he wanted to repeat at least a thousand more times in the future. He never would have guessed Malfoy to be a snuggler, but it had been a very pleasant surprise. The warm body was pressed along the length of Harry's back and their legs were intertwined. Draco's arm hugged Harry close and his fingertips rested against Potter's collarbone.

He discovered Draco was awake when the hands began to move slowly downward. Harry felt a languid warmth steal over him as Malfoy's palm slid over Harry's chest and abdomen. It paused for a moment and Draco's thumb drew small circles around Harry's navel--a sensitive area that snagged Harry's breath.

Rather than continue the descent, Malfoy's hand drew a delicious line to Harry's hipbone and his short fingernails dragged across his flank, causing Harry to jump at the ticklish caress.

God, one fucking stroke of his hand and I'm already getting hard, he thought in amazement. Malfoy chuckled in his ear.

"Bastard tease," Harry muttered. "Did you learn nothing last night?"

"You know I'll take care of you," Draco whispered and obligingly wrapped his hand around Harry's growing erection. Harry quivered as Malfoy stroked gently and first and then more boldly. His thumb teased over the head of the shaft and trailed the bead of wetness over the hood.

They both moaned then and Draco slipped downward while rolling Harry onto his back. He positioned himself between Harry's legs and his hair trailed over Potter's torso in a feather light sweep that felt delightful. All teasing abandoned, Draco took care of Harry, as promised, and then kissed him with the strange, salty taste of Potter on his tongue. The kiss was so intense Harry actually felt a response growing again--how the hell did the sexy Slytherin do that?--but finally Malfoy pulled away.

"Pleasant as it would be to spend the entire day in bed with you, I'm afraid Granger might attempt to cook breakfast."

Draco rolled off the bed and began to tug his clothing on.

"I think I know what went wrong with the spell," he commented absently.

"When did you have time to figure that out?" Harry asked.

"After you fell asleep, of course. Your snoring kept me awake."

"I do not snore!"

Draco laughed, but did not elaborate. Harry wondered if he really did snore, but shook off the thought.

"The spell?" he prodded, watching Malfoy button a white shirt. Harry thought it would serve him right if he tore the bloody thing off right now... but he knew that would lead to another round of lovemaking and Harry already felt rather guilty about leaving Hermione alone the night before.

"I don't think the spell was the problem. I just think we need more power." He glanced over his shoulder, fixing his argent eyes on Harry. "That's where you come in."

ooOoo

Hermione was in the kitchen when Draco walked in, but she thankfully wasn't cooking. She sat at the small table nursing a cup of tea and looking morose.

"No word from the Weasel?" Draco guessed.

Hermione sighed. "He sent me a Patronus message. He spent the night with Fred and George at the shop."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll stay there."

Her brown eyes flashed.

"You can be such an ass, you know that?"

Malfoy chuckled and Accioed several items in order to prepare their morning meal.

"So, we're back to normal, are we?"

"Sniping at each other, you mean?" she asked.

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing!" she snapped. "Although I suppose it's better than you pretending to be nice to me to the point where I--"

His eyes pierced her. "Where you what?"

She flushed. "I started to think I was in love with you," she blurted, Gryffindor to the end.

Draco burst out laughing. He simply couldn't help it. They always wore their damned hearts on their sleeves and everything was so bloody dramatic. Granger looked so serious, like it would be the complete end of the world if she should fall in love with him. Draco laughed so hard he had to sit down for a moment. The growing unamused glitter in Hermione's eyes merely served to add to his hilarity and he finally had to look away and wipe the tears from his eyes in order to stop.

"What is so bloody funny about that?" Hermione gritted, nearly giving him another attack of the giggles.

"Nothing. I'm just... damn, I'm good, aren't I?"

"At trickery? The best."

"I wasn't trying to trick you," he said, sobering a bit.

"Are you trying to trick Harry?"

That question knocked the amusement out of him. He met her gaze evenly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Harry loves you."

"I know that," Draco said simply, causing Hermione to blink at him for a moment.

"I don't want to see him hurt. If you are just toying with him--" she warned.

"I love him, too, Hermione."

The air seemed to deflate from her lungs and her jaw dropped.

"You--you do?"

"Of course I do. He's Harry Potter. Once I stopped hating him, where was all that excess of emotion supposed to go?"

Hermione's expression was priceless and Draco laughed again.

"Don't tell me your image of me as a cruel, selfish, heartless bastard is undergoing a transformation?"

She made a sound of disgust.

"I think I liked you better when you were evil. At least you were easier to understand."

Harry walked in and Draco threw Hermione a wicked glance before waltzing forward and planting a devastating kiss on Harry's lips. Harry stiffened in shock, but it did not take long before his hands slipped up to curl in Draco's hair and his body molded itself to Draco's.

"Maybe you two should go back to your room?" Hermione suggested dryly.

Malfoy broke the kiss and patted a dazed Harry on the rump.

"No time for that, Potter. We have a spell to fix."

Harry sputtered. "Me? You're the one who--"

"How?" Hermione interrupted, obviously snatching at the subject change in relief. "I thought we might try--"

"I'll explain after we eat."

ooOoo

They sat in the living room of the tent and Harry tried to assimilate Draco's plan.

"I don't know if I can replicate it, Draco."

"Of course you can. You've done it twice, now."

"Both times were sort of an emergency," Harry protested.

"You can pretend this is an emergency." Draco held up a hand and grinned. "Actually, I might be able to make it easier. I'm hoping to recreate your memory with me and Granger linked in. Maybe we can figure out how you did it."

"Link in? What do you mean?"

"It's similar to a memory charm, but we're not trying to modify your memory. We're merely trying to recreate it in detail and observe it."

Hermione nodded. "I've heard of this. It's something like Muggle hypnosis, Harry. We'll take you into a trance and regress you back to a particular memory. Instead of relying on questions, however, we will sort of be in your mind with you."

Harry recoiled. He wasn't keen on the idea of anyone wandering about in his mind, not even the two people he trusted most.

"Don't worry, Harry, we'll only be looking at that specific memory," Hermione said.

"Your horrifying experience kissing Cho Chang will remain locked away to terrify you in private," Draco added.

"Can you be serious?" Harry said with a sigh. "What specific memory?"

"The time in the Occamy cave when you saved my life," Draco said quietly. "We need to know how you drew on enough power to nearly bring me back from the dead."

Harry flushed slightly. That was the day he had discovered he was already half in love with Draco Malfoy.

"All right." In truth, Harry was curious as to how he had managed such a massive burst of spell-less magic. Once he had used it to slay Voldemort and once to heal Draco. "How does this hypnosis spell work?"

Draco gestured to Hermione and she joined them on the sofa. They stacked some pillows around Harry to make him more comfortable. Hermione took Harry's left hand and Draco gripped his right.

"You first need to relax. Are you ready?" Malfoy asked softly. Harry stared into the warm grey eyes and nodded with a sigh, trusting Draco completely. "Close your eyes. Now... breathe deeply and hold it. Let it out and relax. Continue taking deep, slow breaths."

He felt Draco remove his glasses as he settled back into the cushions. Malfoy's hand squeezed his reassuringly.

A spot of cold touched his temple--Draco's wand. Malfoy's voice began to chant softly, lulling him into a blissful state of calm. Harry listened to the voice when it started to guide him back to a specific memory.

And then Harry was there, standing before the well and watching Draco drop down into the darkness. He felt a momentary lurch of unreality when the memory of his annoyance was overlapped by a sudden rush of pride followed by fear--his current feelings were clouding his memories.

"Stay with it," Draco whispered. Harry found himself repeating his conversation that day and leaping into the well to land beside Draco, hissing at the sensation of cold water. He spoke Parseltongue (again) and wondered absently if Hermione and Draco could pick up that talent. He chuckled when he watched Draco free the serpents with a very un-Slytherin amount of cringing.

Next they were in the cave with the Occamy and Harry nearly jolted himself out of the trance with a rush of terror--knowing what was coming for Draco, but Malfoy talked him down with the amused reminder that he was fine and currently sitting right next to him. Harry relaxed once more and got through Draco's deadly fight with the Occamy. He watched himself destroy the Horcrux and then the memory seemed to slow down. He strongly sensed the presence of both Draco and Hermione and noticed with detached surprise that he could still feel the couch and the hands clasping his, but he could also feel Draco's blood pulsing the Slytherin's life out beneath Harry's fingers.

And then he was reaching out instinctively for every particle of magic in range--which turned out to be quite a large range. Harry felt a sense of surprise from Draco's essence as the memory version of Harry poured the unrefined magic into Draco while intuitively guiding it along a healing path. Everything seemed to go white again and Harry tried to analyze the process, but he was distracted by his memory emotions.

He looked down into Draco's bloody face again and wiped his cheek tenderly before brushing the silver hair away from Malfoy's brow.

"Time to go," Draco said with a hint of amusement.

Harry came out of his trance feeling delightfully relaxed and warm. He opened his eyes and was surprised when he found it difficult to focus on Draco's beautiful eyes.

Malfoy chuckled and released Harry's hand before he tucked the glasses back onto his face.

"Did you learn anything, Granger?" Draco asked. Harry sat up and noticed that Hermione looked languid and content, also. She smiled dreamily.

"Hermione?" Harry prodded. Hermione's eyes snapped into focus and she sat up, but her bemused smile did not fade.

"You two..." she murmured, "Even then." She giggled. "It's just so sweet."

"For Merlin's sake, Granger, snap out of it!" Draco said. Hermione coughed and seemed to shake herself.

"I don't know, it was very odd. Do you think you can do it again, Harry?"

"I... think so."

"No time like the present," Draco said and stood up.

"Now?"

"Yes, Potter, now. Do you have a prior engagement?"

Harry sighed and stood up. "You're still a bloody pain, you know that?" he griped.

"Don't whine, Potter. Let's go, Granger."

"You know something, Harry?" Hermione asked. At his questioning look, she continued, "You can have him."