Lay Me Softly Down

LAY ME SOFTLY DOWN:

Chapter 5

* He looked all around, and all he could see stretching for miles and miles on end was the dark, cold ocean water that swelled around him. Dark clouds had gathered ominously, blotting out the stars and the moon. He heard a thundering roar off to his left, and snapped his head around to see the source of the frightening sound. *

* You're mine now…*

* The ocean waves loomed up in front of him, dark and foreboding, a tidal wave of sheer unabated, unadulterated fury. The ocean was going to swallow him whole. He tried to move, and found that he couldn't. His wrists were bound by glossy black cords that seemed to have stemmed up from the ocean below, rendering him immobile. *

* And you're my obsession…I love you to the bone…*

* He was completely naked, vulnerable and exposed to the cold, uncaring waters that were even now making a mockery of that vulnerability, leaving him looking vulnerable and defenceless in all the wrong ways. *

* We are the youth, the politicians are so sure…*

* Then the waves hit him, making an icy coldness rush through his body. He gasped as the cold permeated his skin, saturated it, letting its icy fingers creep below the flesh, chilling him to his very core. *

* Can't have it your way, can't have it my way, what makes you think I won't do it anyway?… *

* "Please stop…" He whispers, and in response the water laughs at him. "What was that? Please stop? What's the matter? Don't have a taste for pain? Think that you're going to be taken care of hmmm? Well I'm sorry to say it doesn't work that way, and YOU'RE MINE NOW!" *

* The voice roared, and then the water slammed into him a second time, leaving him feeling numb all over. Accompanying the numbness, images of someone familiar, and yet he'd seen him before somewhere, hadn't he? Those glasses, and that arrogant, sneering face seemed very familiar somehow… *

* Of my need's desire, what I need from you… *

* But before he could think of who, the waves battered him for the third time. He shivered violently, and tasted blood on his lips. He felt himself slipping, slipping… then he was jerked violently back by a warm feeling that seemed to surround his entire body, although from where, he could not say. *

* Looking down, he saw the black vine-like whips that had previously been restraining him fall to the murky black waters below, and disappear in their depths. Then the water began to warm, and the cold, clammy feeling began to leave him. Then, from somewhere far off he heard an enraged scream of fury. *

* And then it left, to be replaced by the wonderfully warm feeling that surrounded him. It felt so good, if only he could stay like this… "Wake up, Draco? Draco?…" *

"DRACO!" Draco's eyes snapped open, and he let out a terrified scream that reverberated several times in the emptiness of the forest until it finally faded away to become inaudible.

"Shhh, it's okay Draco, it's okay." Draco closed his eyes, feeling the cold sweat that covered his body despite the warmth that surrounded him. * Must have had a nightmare. Oh, thank God it was just a dream. * He thought, feeling waves of relief rush through his body, making him feel like an elastic that had been stretched too thin.

He must have woken Ron up. He rolled over, and opened his eyes, an apology ready on his lips. "I'm sorry-" but he stopped short upon seeing who was actually beside him, and it wasn't Ron.

"Jesus Christ!" He yelled, a bit louder than he had intended to. Apparently he had woken Harry with his screams, for the raven-haired youth was propping himself up with his elbow, and was adjusting his glasses with one hand without ever taking his gaze away from Draco. A gaze that felt like it was searing into the back of his head, rummaging through everything that there was to rummage through.

"Are you okay Draco?" He asked, and Draco could see nothing but concern on his face. He would have expected him to be smug or mock him or something, but no, he couldn't do that now, could he? That would be very un-Harry like, and most definitely not something that The Boy Who Lived would deign to do.

"I'm fine Potter, you needn't worry yourself over me." He spat, hoping that Harry would drop it. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted, Harry's famous charity towards all those less perfect then himself. Why did he have to be so God damn self-righteous?

"No, I don't think I will. From the looks of you, I'd say that you need someone to worry about you right now." He said, in a very matter of fact voice. All of a sudden, Draco realized that he felt very cold. He raised one hand, and touched the skin on his arm, knowing what he would find there.

His shirt was gone. * This is just great. * He thought, while he looked around, desperately trying to locate the silky white shirt that he had been wearing when he had gone to sleep earlier that very night. He could feel Harry looking up and down his upper body, taking in the roadmap of scarred flesh that resided there.

"God damn it Potter! Can you please stop staring at me?!" Draco yelled, furious at the position that he had been put in. Next thing you know, Harry would drill him mercilessly until he answered all of his questions, or broke down in tears. Right now, the latter seemed the more likely of the two.

To his pleasant surprise, Harry didn't push the issue, at least not yet. In his peripheral vision, Draco saw Harry blush, and cast his gaze downward after quietly whispering what might have been a "Sorry."

Draco continued to feel around on the ground for his shirt, but he had no luck. Desperately, he continued to search, purposely avoiding looking in Harry's direction. After a couple minutes, things started to feel awkward, so he stalled the inevitable the only way he could.

"I think I should be worried about you, and not the other way around. The Death Eaters seem to be trying to force you into a lot of things that you would rather not do…"

" I could say the same for you." Harry said, leaving no doubt as to the meaning of his words.

Draco growled with anger. Damn it! Why did Potter have to play head doctor to all the poor unfortunates that he happened to run across? Why couldn't he just mind his own damn business like normal people would?

Harry got the point, but he didn't relent. "Draco, tell me what happened. I've got a pretty good feeling already, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"You know what? Shove off Harry. I'm not in the mood to tell you what happened. I don't need your help, your sympathy, or your Draco this, Draco that junk. Whatever's going on is no concern of yours, and I can handle it perfectly well myself."

Draco said, and then crossed his arms, feeling scummier then ever. He felt tears start to well up in his eyes, and turned away so that Harry wouldn't see. As he did, he noticed that Ron was still sleeping. Thank God for that, the last thing he needed right now was to have to deal with the both of them.

Harry didn't respond for a few minutes, and Draco could almost hear him picking out what he was going to say next. After what seemed like a small eternity, the silence broke. "Then why did you just call me Harry?" He had him; there was no denying it.

Draco felt something in his side begin to stiffen, and he turned to relieve the pressure. This caused something that was loose in his ribcage to brush against another rib. He tried to muffle his scream of pain, but was only half successful, the resulting sound sounding something like a mad laugh.

He had no more then bit down on his chapped lower lip when he felt something positively radiating heat gently cover his aching side, dulling the pain almost instantly. He sat stunned for a moment, marvelling at Harry's touch. It was freezing out, how did he get this warm? An odd suspicion began to form in his mind, but it was quickly blotted out by the sound of soft, crunching footfalls coming from mere meters away.

* You will join us or die…* Whispered a voice in Draco's head, the same voice from his dreams. Without thinking, he instinctively pressed closer to Harry, almost totally oblivious to the furnace-like heat that Harry seemed to be radiating from every pore.

Harry, for his part, didn't respond. He just sat where he was, holding Draco around the waist and peering into the woods to discern the source of what had frightened him so badly

After a few moments, Draco's fear began to subside, and he started to notice the immense heat that Harry was giving off. Not thinking, he said the first thing that came into his mind. "My God Harry. You are really hot, do you know that?" He asked, resulting in Harry blushing, and lowering his gaze while smiling demurely.

"Why thank you Draco. That's a pretty high compliment coming from you."

"Not like that you sick wanker! I meant it literally. How in Merlin's beard did you get so warm?" He asked, feeling the heat increase with every passing second. It was like being in a sauna, except there was no steam. Harry shrugged, and looked back up at Draco. "Being in such close proximity to hot Slytherin boys tends to do that to me." He said simply.

Draco rolled his eyes. * And I thought I was the one with the raging case of hormones in this group. * Seeing Draco's reaction, Harry took it as a sign that it was okay to get closer, and so he did, sidling up beside Draco until their bodies were pressed firmly together, making them look like a pair of twin teenage nymphs for all the world to see, that is, if the world had been there to see it.

Then, it clicked, and Draco knew exactly what had been bothering him. "Harry, are you a…" But he got no farther. Off to the left, a sharp SNAP! sounded. Both Harry and Draco spun towards the direction of the noise. "Who, who's there?" Draco asked, his voice hoarse in his throat.

Harry's hands began to creep into the sleeping bag, where he started to feel around for his wand. * Please be there, please be there. * He thought desperately, hoping against hope that it was. SNAP! It sounded again, this time much closer than before. Harry turned to Draco, wondering what his reaction would be.

Draco had not let go, if anything, he had pressed himself harder into Harry's strong arms, and he was looking fixedly out into the woods, his expression something like that of a deer caught in the headlights.

Then Harry saw it. Or rather sensed it in his peripheral vision. Two shapes, dark and looming, hands on hips, faces shrouded by their hoods and the cover of darkness. They were Death Eaters, no question about it. Harry knew that he should do something, but he found himself transfixed by the sight of twin pairs of hands reaching up to remove dark hoods of the deepest midnight black.

"Harry…" Whispered the one on the right, throaty and hoarse, filled with menace and foreboding. Harry tensed, waiting for the flood of unearthly green light and the nothingness that he knew would follow. "Harry! What's the matter? You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

Harry squinted in the darkness, trying to see who it was. That voice had sounded awfully familiar. "Jeez Fred, where's your wand? I can't see a bloody thing with all this darkness!" "Oops, sorry 'bout that George." Closely followed by a whispered "Lumos!" The end of Fred's wand lit up, and illuminated the area for them to see.

Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud with relief. It was just Fred and George. "What's so funny Harry?" George asked, perplexed at Harry's sudden outburst. "Thank Merlin! It's just you! I was worried there for a minute!" Fred and George nodded in unison, understanding Harry's plight. If they had Death Eaters roaming the country in search of them, they'd be afraid to. Especially after the train had crashed in the woods, leaving them all stranded and pretty much free for the picking.

Fred's eyes wandered, and he caught sight of Draco, who was huddled close to Harry, while trying to look as small as possible, making himself invisible. Fred took in the sight of the two lithe, muscular boys pressed so close together, and could not help himself from licking his lips. Seamus hadn't been kidding around. He was sexy. Especially with no shirt on to speak of.

That's when he saw the scars covering Draco's otherwise perfect porcelain white, creamy skin. No wonder he looked so afraid. He couldn't blame him for not wanting to run into any Death Eaters tonight, especially since he just happened to be sharing a sleeping bag with Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.

He turned, feeling George's gaze boring into the side of his neck. He looked just in time to see his twin give him a small, almost imperceptible nod, the signal that they had planned before.

However, small as it was, Harry was still able to know exactly what it meant. Fred supposed that he had been around them too long not to know at least some of their tricks. "Herm' told you to keep an eye on us, didn't she?"

Fred found himself groping for the right words to say. "Um… I, that is to say we…" "Came here to enjoy the pleasure of your company and bring some much needed refreshments." George cut in. Fred sighed with relief. George had always been the better speaker. * Good save bro. *

Harry smiled knowingly, still unconvinced. "A visit at three in the morning?" He asked sceptically, eyeing both of the twins in a decidedly bemused manner. "We only came because we figured that our ickle Ronniekins was tiring you out, but it seems like he lost steam first."

Draco's cheeks flushed slightly, and he moved a respectful distance away from Harry, to his well-concealed disappointment. "You have a sick mind George." George laughed, amused at the prospect of annoying Draco.

Fred threw a hand up on his forehead, and mock swooned. "Oh Harry, you're so brave! I must snog you now you sexy Gryffindor you! Give me a kiss!" He said, doing a fair damsel in distress impression. Then he bent down with the sort of grace that only a well-trained Quidditch player can, and kissed Harry square on the forehead, and plucked his glasses off.

Harry blinked owlishly, a sight Draco found quite moving, but before he had any time to contemplate it further, Harry had jumped out of the bag, and was jumping into the air, attempting to grab his glasses back from Fred and George, who now seemed to be embroiled in a game of keep-away.

"Sexy Seeker, Sexy Seeker!" George crowed mockingly, holding the glasses just above the raven-haired youth's limited reach. Fred joined in, and started jumping up and down. "Oooh! Oooh! I've got a better one! Super Sexy Snogging Seeker! Super Sexy Snogging Seeker!"

Harry continued to jump up and down in a vain attempt to retrieve his spectacles that he was admittedly fond of. "Come on! Bugger off and give them back George!" George looked at his twin, an evil grin spreading on his face. "I don't know. What do you think Fred? Should we make him do something? Or better yet, should we do something to him?" He asked, both boys now truly in their element.

Fred pretended to ponder the question for a moment while his grin grew wider and wider. "Yes George, I think we should. Oh, and by the way Harry, your boxers are slipping."

Harry let out an indignant yell of surprise, and quickly pulled up his crimson red boxers, which had begun to slip below his bellybutton. "Very funny, now give them back, or I shall be forced to do something that I'll regret."

"We'll give them back as soon as you give Draco a kiss." Harry looked at them, surprised at the twins' audacity. "You two have really dirty minds, you know that?" In response, the twins grinned at each other wickedly.

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest in a defiant gesture, while still blinking owlishly. "I will not. You can satisfy your little perversions with Seamus, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to volunteer."

At this George raised his eyebrows, and shot a funny look at Fred. "Don't tell me you've never…" Harry looked at George with a very puzzled expression, which wasn't very hard, considering his current state. "Never what?" "Kissed somebody of course! Dear Merlin! You would think that The Boy Who Lived might have gotten a little action by now!"

Harry looked quite flustered at this. "Not true! I've kissed before!" He shouted indignantly, to the twins' amused snickering response. Fred bit his lower lip in an attempt to abort the smile on his lips, but failed miserably. "Alright then, name one person you've snogged." "And our little Ronniekins doesn't count!" George added, before Harry could even open his mouth to reply.

Harry felt his face begin to turn a bright shade of crimson, but he was saved from answering by Draco's voice snapping like a whip through the chilly night air. "Accio Occulus!"

Harry's glasses flew from George's hand, and shot straight into Draco's waiting palm. Harry turned to Draco, and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the-" But stopped upon noticing one small, but crucial detail.

There was no wand in Draco's hand.

Harry looked around to see if the wand was lying anywhere near Draco, but he failed to locate it. How had he done that? Only highly trained Magids and Elementals could perform spells without a wand. Was there something that Draco hadn't told them?

Without waiting, Draco slid smoothly out of the bag, stood up, and sauntered gracefully over to where Harry was standing, and proffered the spectacles from his outstretched hand while Harry continued to stare dumbly at them as if Draco's hand had suddenly grown horns.

"Come on! Take them Potter! Or are you worried that I might give you a bad case of the cooties?" Harry snickered into the palm of his hand, then took the glasses from Draco, and wiped them on his boxers fastidiously. "Ewww, yucky Malfoy cooties."

Fred and George roared bellowing, oafish laughter while tears of mirth rolled down their faces. "Bam! And you are there! Good one Harry!" After the laughter had died down somewhat, Draco rubbed his arms vigorously, feeling the night chill begin to claim his sensitive skin.

"Sweet Merlin it's cold out here!" Harry nodded his head in assent. "I agree, let's get back in the sack before my feet fall off." At this, Fred and George made a very loud "Oooo…" in unison.

"Oh shut up about it already!" Harry fumed as he crawled back into the sleeping bag with Draco. Fred smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth twisting upwards. "I think that our Harry has something that he wants to share with us…" "Yes Harry, do tell!"

Harry rolled his eyes, exasperated at Fred and George's endless stream of lewd thoughts, innuendo and outright horniness. It was almost as bad as being alone with Seamus on a Saturday night, except that there was two of them, and only one of Seamus.

"Alright, alright, you win. I do have a secret." Fred and George Oooed again, this time louder than before, and plopped down on the ground, sitting cross-legged next to Harry and Draco, identical expressions of childlike joy written all over their faces.

For a moment, Harry wondered how anybody could possibly be this interested about a person's sexual orientation, be almost offensively curious about it in fact, and still manage to maintain an air of innocence about them. But then again, this was the Weasley twins, so maybe it wasn't that much of a stretch after all.

"Since you're so interested, it just so happens that I'm gay." The twins gaped at him for a moment before patting him soundly on the back. "Thank Merlin that someone around here's not ashamed of their sexuality." George said, in a rather proud tone of voice, although for what reason, Harry couldn't tell.

Then Fred glanced in Draco's direction, realizing that he had been silent for most of the conversation. He couldn't help but notice that Draco's face had a hollow, malnourished look to it, like plastic that had been stretched over a mould of someone's face. His eyes had the hollowed out look of one who has spent long hours brooding in the dark, surrounded by silence while others slept.

He reached out tentatively, and covered one of Draco's hands with his own. Instantly, he felt a peculiar rocking sensation, like a boat on the sea at night. This was closely accompanied by a powerful chill that seemed to jump from Draco's hand over into his body, causing him to jerk the hand back quickly.

"Sweet Merlin Draco! How on Earth did you get so bloody cold?!" Draco cast his gaze down, as if he was ashamed to meet Fred's eyes. As he did this, Fred saw a single, pearly tear drop from one of Draco's steel grey orbs, and splash silently on the ground below.

Fred swallowed, feeling his throat constrict with emotion. He had always known that Lucius Malfoy was a bastard, and, truth be told, had always strongly suspected that his son would turn out to be more or less like him. Now, it looked like he had been proven wrong.

What he saw before him now bore testament that Lucius was a child beater. He had abused his own son. His own son for Merlin's sake! And not just physically by the looks of it. God only knew what he was keeping inside, even though it was obviously tearing him apart.

He looked to his twin, who was reaching inside his robes, and pulling out the ButterBooze that they had brought along. Good call. "Hey, hey, enough tears. It's going to be okay." He said, as he patted Draco's bare shoulder, hoping that his words had more conviction than he felt.

* My hands are small I know, but they're not yours, they are my own…*

"Anybody up for a little drinkey?" George asked, sounding excessively cheerful, in what Fred knew, and Harry knew, was an attempt, however small, to bolster Draco's flagging spirits.

Quickly, almost violently, Draco wiped the tear's shimmering trail off his cheek, and forced a wan smile. "Yes, a drink would most definitely come in handy right now George." George nodded in understanding. "No problem bro, one ButterBooze coming up."

He tossed one in Draco's direction, who caught it with fluid grace. "You know, ButterBooze is good for only two things." Harry said, while turning his over in his hands.

Draco raised and eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, and what's that?" "Degreasing wheels and killing brain cells."

At this, everybody laughed, with the exception of Ron, who was still fast asleep. Draco felt Harry sling one arm around his back, and for perhaps the first time in a long time, he felt that things were finally going to be alright, maybe even better than alright.

And off in the woods, completely shrouded by the trees and the darkness, a lone figure turned on heel, and stalked off, cursing foully as he did so. * You and your little fop will both die for this Potter, rest assured of that. *

The lone figure's long, menacing strides brought him to where he wanted to be in no time. He arrived at his destination, a small clearing in the woods that was covered in ankle deep lush green grass that had certain, unspecified magical properties, which was why this site had been chosen for the meeting place.

The lone wanderer rubbed his arms in the darkness, partly from the cold, and partly from nervousness bordering on fear of the other party that would be arriving shortly. He let out a short, barking laugh, and proceeded to reach into his beautifully cut silk robes for a smoke.

He managed to stick the cigarette in his mouth, and with a trembling hand, popped open a very expensive platinum finished lighter, which he raised to his lips, and lit, catching the tip of the cigarette as intended.

After he put the lighter back from whence it came, he sucked deeply, relishing the numbing feeling as the smoke reached his brain. "I keep telling you, those things will kill you."

He jumped into the air with a startled scream, the cigarette falling out of his mouth, and onto the grass below, where it was quickly smothered. He spun on heel, ready to dismember the intruder on his privacy, then he realised who it was.

"You stupid fuck! Don't you ever do that again! When I say I'll meet you here on business, I mean it! I don't appreciate your fucking boogy man in the woods routine!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling his legs shake, and start to revert back from their jellylike state.

The figure stepped into view, and smiled beneath his concealing hood. He raised one hand in a placating gesture. "Easy, easy, I meant nothing by it. Although I must admit that you handle stress rather poorly."

The other figure nodded savagely, and plucked another smoke from somewhere within his robes, stuck it in his lips, and fumbled with the lighter, finding his efforts unsuccessful, as his hands were shaking too much.

The newcomer made a disgusted sound, and snatched the lighter from his counterpart's hand, and lit his cigarette for him. "Thanks." The shorter one said simply as he sucked deeply on his smoke.

The newcomer nodded in a barely perceptible gesture, and then cocked his head, as if scanning the possible futures that lay ahead of him. "You're more than welcome. Now, on to business my dear Colin."

Colin laughed shakily, and removed the smoke from his mouth, tapping its ashes on the ground. It was almost funny how he'd come this far, looking back on the incident now, Colin realised that it had been a case of black serendipity more than anything else.

Who would have thought that he, Colin Creevy, meek, unassuming Potter devotee would be the one to sell him out, along with all those that he held dear. But when you came right down to it, there was no other way. It was time that the miraculous Boy Who Lived finally got what was coming to him, and, by Merlin, he would get it, every last drop of it.

* The love that you gave that we made wasn't enough for you to be open wide, and you know it…*

"You know, it really is going to be good to see him go down, you know it? I can't wait till he finds out that I'm the one who did it. Pretty boy Potter, oh my how his heart will break."

The taller figure looked down at him for a moment, as if contemplating, and then a large, throaty chuckle escaped his lips. "My, my, becoming quite the little Sadist now, aren't we Colin?"

Colin snorted through his nose. "You would like that, wouldn't you? If you must know, I don't derive any special pleasure in selling out the others, but it came in fine print you might say. Potter however, is a completely different matter. I am so going to enjoy watching him beg for his life."

The other figure's watchful gaze hadn't moved so much as a millimetre while Colin said this, and now he voiced the question that had been brewing deep in his mind, poking at him to be let out.

"Surely that's not the only reason you agreed to this?" Colin sneered disgustedly, then sucked deeply on the cigarette once more. "Hell no, but you have to admit, it is a nice fringe benefit. I'm in it for two reasons, those being the money, and the power."

The other figure nodded sagely, he had been expecting this. "So if you were given the opportunity, would you do it all over again?" Colin didn't even pause for breath. "In a heartbeat, but with one small change. I'd ask for double the pay. If I had known that it was going to be this time consuming and fucking draining, I would have asked for at least twice as much as I'm getting now."

* And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it, well can you feel it? *

The other figure nodded in mock sympathy. "I see, always looking out for number one. You have done a commendable job thus far Colin, and you'll be pleased to hear that your part in this matter is almost complete."

Colin smiled, feeling waves of relief flow through him. But something was wrong, this was not relief, cool and free, this was something else, something hot and complicated, burning in the pit of his stomach like a monster waiting to be released.

Out of the corner of his eye, Colin saw something silver and shiny being withdrawn from the other's robes, and suddenly understanding dawned on him. "Look, I can maybe understand getting a smaller share, the money's not that important."

The figure shook his head sadly. "My dear Colin, I think you're lying. It's written all over, and besides, were you not in this for the money and the power? If you had paid attention, the contract didn't exactly specify that you would actually get that. Unfortunately for you, there will be no next time. Goodbye Colin."

Again, the cigarette dropped from Colin's mouth, but this time, he wasn't going to light up again anytime in the foreseeable future, or any future for that matter. Whick! The steel rod lanced out, and caught Colin square on the nose.

He stumbled back, blood spraying and coating his face, and forever ruining the beautifully cut robes. Crack! The rod struck again, this time hitting Colin's cheek, separating flesh from bone.

Colin reeled back, the world fading in and out with dizzying speed. A third time the rod hit, knocking Colin of his feet, and onto the grass below. The figure raised his arm and struck again and again, his hood falling off his face in his blood lustful frenzy.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" He screamed as loud as he could while the rod continued to make contact with Colin's broken and bleeding body. Finally, Colin slumped to the ground, dead.

But even then the dark man did not stop his repeated assaults. He continued to batter Colin's body with the rod until it was barely recognizable. Then, finally satisfied with his handiwork, he let the rod drop to the ground, and proceeded to lick his fingers clean of droplets of Colin's blood.

"Oh my… So sorry about that Colin." He said in an almost absent minded way. Then he strode away at a leisurely pace, laughing maniacally and running one hand through his cinnamon coloured hair.

Back at camp, ButterBeers drunk, Fred and George had grabbed their sleeping bag, and curled up beside each other, and fell fast asleep. Harry and Draco however, were far from sleep's comforting hold, and were both tossing and turning, either unable or unwilling to let sleep claim them.

Finally, Harry couldn't bear the silence anymore. He rolled over, and looked up at the night sky, noticing that the stars were out tonight. * Oh wow, this is awesome. * "Wow… would you look at that?"

Draco rolled over with a grunt. "Would you look at what? There are those of us who are not overly fascinated with our bodies and their functions, and want to get some shuteye." "You would think that, wouldn't you? The stars you slimy git, just look at them."

He felt more than heard Draco shift his position yet again, and for a time; there was silence between them, punctuated only by the sound of the twin's shallow snores, which Harry found quite endearing.

"So, what do you think?" "They're stars Potter, nothing more, nothing less. Ron told me that you like them, but I can't for the life of me figure out why." Harry did not move, but an internal alarm went off like a siren.

"Draco, did you just call him Ron?" Draco made an exaggerated sighing noise. "Yes, I just called him Ron, is that so hard for you to accept?" "You did snog him, didn't you?" Draco rolled over again, so that Harry wouldn't be able to see his face.

"Yes, I'm sorry alright? Nothing much happened, and I know that he's your boyfriend, and I promise not to overstep my bounds again. He's your boyfriend, and I won't forget it ever again."

Harry was momentarily taken aback. Not by the fact that Draco had attempted to shag his boyfriend, or it might have been the other way around, who knew? But that he was showing such respect for Ron. He'd never done that before. What had Ron done for such a radical change to occur?

"Draco, what happened? You've never called him Ron before." At this, Draco seemed distinctly uncomfortable. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? Let's just leave it that he's become a very good friend as of late, and that you don't know how lucky you are to have someone like him."

Harry felt a blush creep into his cheeks. Truth be told, kissing Ron on the train had been a lot like kissing his brother. But what would Ron say if he told him this? How would he react? He knew that Ron's feelings probably went a lot deeper than just brother-like feelings, and that it would break his heart that Harry didn't reciprocate them.

On the other hand, being so close to Draco was definitely having a major effect on him. Merlin's wand! Stupid over-reactive teenage hormones! He was falling for Draco Malfoy! That wasn't right, was it?

Sensing Harry's inner turmoil, Draco took a shot in the dark. A risky one to be sure, but one that he was sure he couldn't afford not to take. "Harry, do you fancy me?" He felt Harry squirm uncomfortably beside him.

"I erm… that is to say if you… well maybe…" Draco reached out, and covered one of Harry's hands with his own, feeling its icy coldness. He looked up, and into Harry's piercing jade green eyes. "Oh" Harry said simply, and Draco could almost see the need and lust radiating from Harry's every pore.

Suddenly he felt very afraid. What if Harry wouldn't take no for an answer? What if Harry wanted to hurt him, like his father had done? Involuntarily, he felt his body shiver with fear.

He grasped for something to say, anything, if only to rid himself of the disgusting feeling of vulnerability that he was now experiencing. Seeming to sense his unease, Draco felt Harry's hand grip his own more firmly.

"You're cold." He said simply, and he felt Harry's grip begin to loosen, although it did nothing to dissolve the fear that he was now feeling, and the tension that Harry was radiating.

"It's not Ron, is it?" Harry shook his head sheepishly. "Nope. Don't get me wrong, I love him like a brother, but as soon as I kissed him on the train, I just knew, you know? Like things didn't click, like it wasn't right. Don't get me wrong, it's just that when you do that with a person, you're giving away a piece of you, and you can never get it back. It's not that Ron's not ready for it, we're just not right together."

A small pause, and then, "And I think he knows it too." Draco was speechless; Harry had just summed up love, or at least the sex part of it anyways. He had always been too afraid to give himself to anybody; the fear of being hurt, especially in such an intimate way, frightened him almost beyond the point of reasonable thought. He shuddered again.

Then, unexpectedly, he felt Harry's hand cover his, and tighten over it. Then he felt Harry's hand under his chin, gently pushing his head up so that their eyes met. For a moment, everything was deathly still.

Then Harry spoke the words that Draco had never expected to hear from anybody. "Draco, I would never hurt you like that." He gaped, shocked at Harry's response. It had been almost as if Harry had read his mind, something that most definitely did not happen on a daily basis. He remembered the tremendous heat that Harry had given off earlier, a heat that now seemed to be returning.

He felt Harry's strong yet sleek arms encircle his waist, and then pull him closer. It was nothing like it had been with Ron, he felt Harry's passion and need flowing through him, making him feel light-headed.

Slowly, he lowered his head down until it rested on one of Harry's firm, yet soft and smooth breasts. He felt Harry's heart beating beneath his chest, a feeling that made him feel safe and protected. Harry hadn't been lying before, he knew that now.

Just as he was beginning to feel sleepy, he felt Harry's hand yet again push his chin up so that they were face to face once more. "Draco, are you willing to take a chance?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Draco found that the words excited and terrified him at the same time.

Harry seemed to sense this, and Draco felt Harry pull him in closer, and hold him tighter. In so doing, he accidentally brushed one of the numerous bruises on Draco's body, and Draco stiffened, and bit down on his lip, determined not to cry out.

Again, Harry seemed to know exactly what was wrong, and he adjusted his hold so that he was not hurting him. Draco marvelled at the gentleness of Harry's touch. Then, without warning, Draco felt Harry's lips rush to meet his.

At first, Draco did not respond, but then he slowly adjusted to the feeling of Harry's lips, and he responded in kind, feeling waves of ecstasy rush through his brain. He was unsure if they had been his, Harry's, or both.

Just as Draco was starting to loose his inhibitions, Harry pulled away. He let out a small sob of disappointment. Then he felt one of Harry's arms disengage from his waist, and start to creep lower and lower along his abdomen.

He felt a cold wave of fear rush through him. He shivered violently, and shied away from Harry's touch. Then, he felt Harry pull him close again. "Shh, shh, it's okay Draco, I won't hurt you, I promise."

Draco gulped, afraid of what he was about to say next. "Look, it's not that. Well it's part of it. I've never done anything like this before. I'm sorry Harry." Harry immediately noticed that Draco had called him by his first name, a sign of trust.

Harry pulled him closer yet again. "Don't worry about that. I don't have much experience in that department either." He felt Draco's tension begin to fade away. He looked at Draco, silently questioning him whether it was alright to proceed.

Draco nodded silently, and then entwined the fingers of his right hand with those of Harry's left, saying more than words could have ever hoped to. Slowly, almost tentatively, Harry's hand found its place, and it continued its descent.

Finally, it found what it had been seeking. Harry's hand gently covered Draco's most intimate of places, feeling its burning heat through the silky fabric of Draco's boxers. Draco sighed loudly, and arched up to meet Harry's hand.

"WE'VE FOUND THEM! OVER HERE!" Harry jerked his hand away, and he felt Draco's body stiffen again immediately. Harry looked up, and was greeted by the sight of what seemed to be hundreds of wizards threading in between the trees, all with wands lit, waving through the air.

Beside them, he heard the Weasley twins groan. "Five more minutes mum, just fiver more minutes…" As the search party closed in on them. Beside him, Draco had given up any pretence of being decent, and had just pulled closer to Harry, demonstrating the enormous amount of trust that he had for him already.

He squeezed Draco's hand tightly, reassuring him that he wasn't going anywhere. To their left, Ron snored on. Harry adjusted his glasses, and attempted to see who was leading the search, party.

Finally he found who he was looking for, and the sight made him go cold, although nowhere near as cold as Draco must have been. Standing before him, hands on hips, was none other than Lucius Malfoy, looking both boys up and down, surveying their near nakedness with an amused look.

Finally he turned to Draco, a disgusted look on his face. "Hello Draco." Draco stared up at Lucius, and did not blink, did not even flinch, although Harry knew that the fear he was experiencing right now must be extreme. "Hello Father."

Around them, wizards streamed farther into the darkened woods, wands in hand.