Immortalitas Aestas

The door to the study room slammed shut and Draco took a moment to look closely at Harry.

Harry had allowed Draco to hold him for a moment outside before the anger at Ron had set back in. He'd then basically stormed across the grounds, one hand clamped in a vice-like grip on Draco's forearm, practically dragging the bruised boy behind him. They'd passed several groups of people who'd viewed the odd pair, one very livid Harry Potter and one very bruised Draco Malfoy, in a mixture of curiosity and unease. Most people scattered when Harry was that angry, and if the anger was seemingly aimed at Draco, they left twice as fast.

Harry had ignored them all, muttering about stupid redheads jumping to conclusions and saying things they didn't mean, and had ended the tirade with something that sounded like "cluck it all to bell", but, in retrospect, Draco supposed that wasn't right.

Now that he was alone with Harry, Draco was able to see just how upset he really was. He was still nearly vibrating in anger, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. His face, however, was the picture of despair. There was a sadness in those green eyes that nearly took Draco's breath away.

Harry was holding himself tense and Draco wondered what it was that would finally cause this façade to crumble. Not wanting to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, he approached him cautiously.

"Harry," he said, then stopped, unsure of what to say. He stepped closer and placed a hand on the boy's face, tilting it up so he could see into Harry's eyes.

Those eyes widened and Harry raised his hands, gently touching the bruises left by Ron's fists. "Do they hurt?" he asked softly, brushing a finger carefully across Draco's eyelid.

Draco winced slightly in response.

"I'm so sorry," Harry said again. "I can fix them. I know some Mediwizard spells."

Draco nodded and closed his eyes. He felt the tip of the wand at his temple and felt a brief moment of uncertainty, drilled into him from all of his Dark Arts training. He could hear his father's voice ringing in his head. Never let anyone get close enough to you to perform a curse. He was completely at Harry's mercy and one spell could end his life, but he pushed the feeling away, silencing his father's words in his head, and made himself relax. He remembered Harry's words to Ron: "I like him. I like him a lot."

Harry murmured a spell and Draco felt the pain around his eye vanish and the cut on his lip tingle and, he presumed, disappear. Harry pulled his wand away and Draco opened his eyes, raising a hand to make sure everything was back to normal, watching as the wand was deposited in the pocket of Harry's shorts.

"Thank you," Draco said, and then arched an eyebrow. "Where did you learn to do that spell? That's some pretty powerful magic, isn't it?"

Harry shrugged, his hair falling messily over his forehead, a slight smile on his face. "More or less. And Sirius taught me." He sighed, eyes closing, and his shoulders slumped. "He taught Hermione and Ron, too, last summer when we all stayed at the Burrow."

Always the Gryffindor trio, Draco thought, but didn't say anything. Harry seemed to be on the verge of tears again and he wasn't sure what to do. Draco knew that Harry had horrible mood swings, especially of late as Voldemort's attacks increased in frequency. When he was in a particularly bad mood he tended to snap at people, as he'd done with Hermione earlier.

As Draco watched, the anger seemed to return, and Harry picked up the nearest object to him, this time a Charms textbook, and hurled it across the study room into the wall. It made a loud "thump" as it made contact with the stone wall, and Draco jumped slightly at the outburst. The action didn't seem to satisfy Harry, though, who looked around for something else to throw, settling instead on kicking one of the chairs, fists clenching once again at his sides.

"Fucking Ron," Harry muttered, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath. Draco continued to watch silently, not even moving from the spot he'd been standing for fear of causing another outburst.

Suddenly Harry's knees gave out and he slumped to the floor, knees coming up to his chest, glasses flung across the room and face buried in his hands. The anger had again turned to sadness, the tears he'd been trying to keep in burst forth and sobs wracked his body.

Draco dropped to his knees, hands fluttering nervously above the hysterically crying figure, unsure if this mood would last any longer than the previous ones. He wanted to give comfort but didn't know exactly how to do it. People crying made him nervous, as Draco himself never cried, or at least not where anyone could see him. The last person who had cried in front of him had been Pansy, when she'd left her parents behind to join Dumbledore, and he remembered how awkward he'd felt as he'd patted her on the back.

Uncertainly, Draco leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Harry, who immediately slumped into him, head resting beneath his chin. It was an awkward position, as Harry still had his knees drawn up to his chest, but Draco didn't move, wanting to let the boy get everything out. He could feel the hot tears sliding down his neck, making the collar of his shirt damp, but didn't move to wipe them away.

After awhile the sobs quieted and only the occasional jerking breath was drawn in. Keeping his face buried, Harry shifted, dropping his knees to the ground and wrapping his arms around the Draco's back. He turned his head, taking in a deep breath, and released it on a shuddering sigh.

Draco slid a hand up into the dark hair, damp with sweat, and twisted his fingers into the strands to tilt Harry's head back. The green eyes lifted to his, still wet with tears. Draco used his free hand to wipe away the tracks left by the tears, brushing a kiss over both of the flushed cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Harry said again, voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm carrying on like a complete ninny."

Draco shook his head, grabbing Harry's chin to keep him from looking away. "Don't be ridiculous. You needed that. I've heard that throwing things can really help your temper to subside. Perhaps I ought to give it a try the next time I'm angry about something." Draco purposely didn't mention the fact that Harry had just burst into tears in front of him, positive that he was embarrassed enough without him bringing the topic up.

Harry blushed and leaned forward, placing a kiss on the mouth inches in front of him. Draco opened his mouth slightly in response, wanting Harry to take the lead. Harry's tongue met his hesitantly at first, then more boldly, sliding together almost perfectly with his own. Draco was struck again at the way they fit together, every important part meeting.

They pulled apart and Harry gasped for breath. Draco smiled, thrilled at the reaction he'd caused. Harry's eyes opened and Draco was amazed at what he saw. The pupils were fully dilated, and there was only a thin ring of green around them. The look was full of desire and Draco nearly gasped as he realized that desire was for him.

Harry raised his hands to Draco's face, tracing them across his features. The tips of his fingers brushed lightly across Draco's lips, the tip of one finger slipping between them. Draco nipped at it with his teeth and received a shy smile in return. The finger slid free and continued up his face, leaving a slightly damp trail in its wake. The hands slid over the bridge of his nose, across both cheeks, over two closed eyes, over his forehead, and into his hair, sliding through the blond strands like silk. Draco drew in a deep breath; no one had ever touched him like that, and he was amazed at the feelings Harry's touch could invoke in him.

Harry brought his hands back down to frame Draco's face, and murmured something that Draco didn't catch. He opened his eyes, head tilting in question.

"What?"

Harry blushed. "I said you're beautiful." The blush deepened at Draco's incredulous smile. "You are," he said, voice barely above a whisper. He leaned forward and captured Draco's mouth with his own again to save himself from further conversation.

Draco was aware of the heat pooling in his lower body and decided that it was time to get out of this private room before he jumped on Harry and ravished him senseless. Although the idea appealed to Draco, he wasn't so sure it was a suitable time to give in to his hormones, given that less than five minutes before, Harry had experienced a near emotional breakdown.

He pulled away from the kiss, smiling slightly at Harry's pout. That look on his face was almost enough to put Draco in hysterics, but he swallowed them back. He stood effortlessly and pulled Harry to his feet, picking up his glasses and replacing them on his face. "Come on, let's go for a walk by the lake. I want to tell you what Dumbledore said."

The pout disappeared and was replaced by a more pensive look. "Okay," was the reply. Draco opened the door to what was rapidly becoming their room and held it open for Harry, who stepped through, chewing on his lower lip. It was amazing, Draco mused, that such a simple action could be so erotic, but he pushed that thought away, as the hallway wasn't really an appropriate place to be thinking such things.

They walked outside and Draco looked around, in search of Hermione or Weasley and wondering where they'd gone after Harry and he'd disappeared. Harry turned to face him, hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Where do you want to walk?"

Draco glanced around, trying to determine where the least amount of people were. Seeing that most were in the shade along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he said, "Let's walk by the lake."

Harry nodded and smiled, dropping the hand that was shielding his eyes and wrapping the thumb and forefinger around Draco's wrist. He began to walk faster, once again basically dragging Draco behind him, until he reached the shoreline.

"Do you want to walk around it?"

Draco looked around. There weren't any people along the water that he could tell, and this would allow him to touch the other boy without anyone seeing. Of course, it might be easier to tell Harry what Dumbledore had said if he were sitting, but, judging by Harry's gestures, he wanted to be moving. So, Draco obliged him, saying, "Yes."

Harry did a cursory look around, too, and, after deciding that it was safe, reached for Draco's hand, sliding his fingers in between Draco's own, palm against palm.

"So," he began, glancing briefly at Draco. "What did he want?"

Draco thought about what he was going to say for a minute then responded. "I have to go into Malfoy Manor and retrieve a book." He held up his free hand to halt the protest that was about to begin. "Let me get everything out. Then you can ask questions. Okay?"

Harry frowned at him, but grudgingly nodded his consent.

Draco explained about the charm on the family library where only a person of Malfoy blood could enter. He explained about the book that Lucius kept under a glass case, and how they needed that book to end the heat spell on Hogwarts. He explained how the Manor was warded just like Hogwarts and how it was going to be dangerous to get in but he could do it, because he was a good wizard and was going to be working with Sirius to learn the spells needed to get through the wards. He told about how he was going to create a hole in the wards large enough to get through in his Animagus form, which was a silver fox. This received a sound of surprise from Harry, although he didn't ask any questions, waiting like he was told to until Draco was done.

Draco then turned to face Harry, taking both of his hands in his. He explained that he was doing this for Harry and for all the other students at Hogwarts. He was going to do this because he was the only one who could do it, and it was his duty, just as defeating Voldemort was Harry's. He explained that he was doing this for his mother, who'd gone through so much pain at the hands of Lucius. And, last but not least, he was doing this for himself, to prove that he wasn't like his father, and to prove that he was capable of being reliable, and to get rid of the stigma that Slytherins were untrustworthy.

At the end of his speech he stopped, looking at Harry and waiting for the response he knew was coming. Harry, though, simply blinked his eyes, and replied, "Okay."

"Okay?"

He shrugged, lifting one of Draco's hands to brush a kiss across the back of it. "I've come to realize lately that I can't do everything on my own, that I'm going to have to trust others and put those I care about in harms way. I know you have to do this. Do I want you to do this? Of course not. But I don't really have a choice, since Dumbledore has already told you that you are doing it. All I can do is help you learn the spells you're going to need, and hope to the Gods that you return to Hogwarts safely. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to you." The
last line was said softly, and Harry drew Draco's hand up to his cheek, rubbing his face against it slightly. He looked very much like a little boy, but Draco knew that under that exterior was the heart of a warrior, of a Gryffindor, and a very powerful Wizard.

"I thought you'd be angry with me," Draco admitted after a moment, and received a slight smile in response.

"I've been told that the world doesn't revolve around me and I can't control everything that happens."

Draco grinned. "And who was it that told you that?"

"I believe it was this one boy, a couple years ago. He was a complete prat, arrogant beyond belief and used to try to get me into trouble all the time. He hung around with these two really big apes that I was always afraid would try to beat me up. I believe he was a Slytherin, and we know how those types are."

Draco laughed, pulling Harry to him and wrapping his arms around his back. "Yes, we know." He placed a kiss on the top of Harry's head. "What are you planning on doing tonight?"

Harry sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't want to go back to Gryffindor. I'm not ready to face Ron."

"I would imagine that Hermione is not too pleased with him at the moment."

"No, but I want him to come to me and apologize. I'm not going to apologize to him. I didn't do anything wrong."

Draco didn't say that he thought Harry was being stubborn, and then thought that maybe it was a Gryffindor trait. He remembered Fourth Year when Weasley had stopped hanging around with Harry for awhile after his name had been pulled from the Goblet of Fire and how it had taken until after the First Task to get them back together. He hoped this wouldn't be a repeat of that; he didn't imagine that Harry could handle being without his friend.

"Do you want to keep walking?" he finally asked, backing up slightly to see Harry's face.

Harry nodded, again taking hold of one of Draco's hands. "Let's go this way," he indicated a path to the right of the lake, and they set off down it. Neither said anything, both thinking about the tasks that lay ahead for them.

***

"So your Animagus form is a silver fox?"

Harry saw Draco glance over at him curiously.

"Yes," he answered, arching an eyebrow. "Why?"

Harry smiled, turning to face him. Instead of responding, he focused his energy on the transformation spell, feeling his body move into its familiar shape. As he transformed, he heard Draco say his name, surprise clearly evident in his voice.

Harry sat back on his hind legs, looking up at Draco, who seemed to have gotten over his shock and had knelt down in front of him.

"Wow, Harry," he said reverently, reaching out a hand to pet the red fur. "We look almost exactly alike, except for the color, and the lightning bolt on your forehead."

Harry tilted his head to the side, and flicked his tail once. Draco laughed before taking a quick glance around and transforming himself. His grey eyes stared at Harry from the sleek silver fur, as he brought himself nose-to-nose with his companion. Draco sat back, matching Harry's position exactly, before leaning forward and licking Harry just once on his face.

"You're right," Harry said as he transformed back, Draco following suit. "We do look a lot alike." He pointed toward a fallen log, slightly covered in moss, and sat on it, patting the space next to him. Draco sat, tilting his head slightly to the side in question, as it was obvious that there was more to this statement.

"The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin," Harry said softly. He glanced at Draco, who sat back slightly, appearing to be mulling this over.

"You, a Slytherin?" he finally asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Harry laughed slightly. "It told me I would do well in Slytherin. But I told it I didn't want to be put there. So it put me in Gryffindor instead."

"Why didn't you want to be in Slytherin?" Draco asked, clearly not understanding.

"I was told that there wasn't a wizard who'd gone bad who wasn't in Slytherin, and that Voldemort himself was in that house. I didn't want to be in the same house as the person who'd murdered my parents," Harry answered, conveniently omitting the part where Draco's obnoxious behavior on their first meeting had also contributed to his decision.

Draco nodded slowly. "Well that makes sense I guess. I'd always wanted to be in Slytherin."

"Yes, you told me," Harry said dryly, "the first time we met."

Draco laughed. "That's right! I'd forgotten all about that." He shook his head. "I was such a brat."

"You were," Harry agreed solemnly. He took one of Draco's hands in his, rubbing his thumb gently across the back of the hand. "I'm glad you're not now."

Draco stared at him for a moment before leaning over and brushing a kiss across his lips. He started to pull away, but Harry stopped him with his free hand, deepening the kiss.

Harry broke the kiss after a moment, very aware of the effect it was having on the lower half of his body. He drew in a deep breath, trying to get himself back under control. No one had ever made him feel the way Draco did, and he was a little scared of the power he had over him.

Harry stood suddenly, wanting to put a little space between himself and the other boy. He was aware of Draco's gaze on him, and also realized that Draco probably knew why he'd reacted the way he had, as many people had told him how horrible he was at hiding his feelings.

"Harry," Draco said softly, "turn around and look at me."

Harry obliged, albeit slowly, a wary expression on his face.

Draco looked at him for a second before saying anything. When he spoke, it was done carefully, but in a tone of voice that didn't leave room for questions.

"You know how I feel about you, right?"

He started to shake his head, but stopped, shrugging his shoulders instead.

Draco stood up and took a step, bringing him closer.

"I'm not going to lie," he said softly. "I want you, and I have for quite some time."

Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting such an honest response.

Draco continued in that same tone of voice, slowly closing the distance between them. "But I'd never make you do anything you didn't want to. I want you to be comfortable with everything that goes on between us. And we can take it slow; I'm not in any rush. I'm just happy to spend time alone with you." By this time he was directly in front of Harry, who drew in a shuddering breath.

"I want you, too," Harry said, "but I've never...." He trailed off uncertainly.

"You've never been with a boy?"

Harry shook his head, color rushing into his cheeks. "I've never been with anyone." He looked away, absolutely mortified.

Draco blinked, clearly surprised. "No one?" he asked without thinking, and received an embarrassed, "No," in response.

Pale hands suddenly framed Harry's face, tilting it up so he was looking directly into a pair of grey eyes.

"Don't worry about it. We can figure everything out together."

Harry could only nod, slightly amused by this. "Okay," he said, blushing again.

Draco leaned forward, stopping inches from his mouth, and slid his hands around Harry, resting one on the small of his back and the other between his shoulder blades. He stepped closer, fitting Harry against him and finally took the waiting mouth with his.

This kiss was different than the previous ones, hinting at the depth of passion just under the surface. It was dark and slightly dangerous, and Harry found himself wanting more. He could feel his body responding and was surprised when he realized that Draco was also aroused. That thought was heady; he'd never thought he would ever have that effect on anyone.

He wrapped one hand in the blond strands of hair, the other settling on Draco's upper arm, tightening as the kiss deepened. He clung to it like it was the only thing keeping him standing, and in fact it may have been. His knees were threatening to give out and when Draco broke the kiss, Harry swore he saw stars.

"Wow," he murmured, awestruck, and received an arrogant, "Indeed," in response. Draco released Harry, brushing his hand across his cheek.

"We should go back to the castle. It's almost dinner time, and people will be wondering where we are."

Harry, still practically blown away by the kiss, could only nod. Draco laughed.

"Come on, Harry." He took one of Harry's hands, threading his fingers through the other boy's, pulling him in the direction of the school.

"When do you start working with Sirius?" Harry finally asked, voice still slightly breathless.

"Tonight. He's hoping to have me able to cast the first spell I'll need after this first session. It's the easiest one I'll have to cast, but it's still more difficult than anything I've ever tried before."

Harry was silent for a moment. When he'd told Draco earlier that he wasn't mad about Dumbledore's decision to send him into Malfoy Manor, he hadn't been entirely honest. The anger was not directed at Draco, of course, because Harry understood that Draco was the only one who could retrieve the book. His anger was directed solely at Dumbledore and his willingness to put Draco in danger. Although Harry realized that Draco had to do it, he was still unsure and very scared that something would go wrong.

"Do you want to do this? Honestly want to?" Harry asked, turning to face him.

Draco didn't say anything at first, and Harry could tell he was thinking it over.

"Yes," he said finally, then paused again, sighing. "It's kind of my way to help out not only the Adversarius, but the Order as well. I feel like I haven't really contributed that much since I joined, with the exception of the Invincibility Potion. And it's a good way to get back at my father."

"Your father," Harry repeated. "Do you, well...." He cleared his throat, not sure if he should ask the question. "Do you love him?" he finally asked, nervousness clear in his voice.

Draco opened his mouth to respond, but closed it before saying anything. He had a rather perplexed look on his face, almost like he'd never thought about the question before.

"Do I love him?" he repeated, then shrugged. "I never really thought about it before. I'd always looked up to him, admired him, and wanted to make him proud. When I was younger, I wanted to be like him, and I wanted people to tell me that I was like him. But, I'm not really sure I loved him."

Harry was surprised at that. Although he couldn't really remember his parents, he knew without a doubt that he loved them. He'd always thought that children loved their parents unconditionally. His confusion must have shown on his face because Draco smiled slightly and tried to explain.

"Harry you have to understand a few things about my life. I didn't have a normal happy childhood. My parents spent very little time with me. My mother was always in her own world, doing everything my father told her, being the perfect trophy wife. And he was too obsessed with his Dark Arts and trying to bring back the Dark Lord to even say much to me. He was very controlling, telling me what to do and when to do it. He only said anything to me if it was an insult, or if he wanted me to do something different. He never complimented me, it was always, 'You can do better' or 'You had better do a better job next time'. I don't think he ever loved me, I was just a possession, a trophy like my mother. 'Look, everyone, this is my son, see how perfect he is, how much he looks like me?'" The last part was said in a drawling tone so identical to Lucius' that it sent a chill down Harry's spine.

"So no, I didn't love him," Draco continued in his normal voice. "I respected him; but I didn't love him."

This was said with a finality that let Harry know that Draco would prefer to drop the subject, and Harry obliged. He pulled at Draco's hand to get him walking again, as they'd stopped when Harry had asked his question.

"Where are you and Sirius going to work?"

"In the Charms classroom. Are you going to be there?" There was a glimmer of hope in the question, which made Harry smile.

"Of course," he said. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

This earned a smile from Draco, and Harry smiled again in response. The two finished their walk in silence, dropping hands once they were in view of the front doors. They paused just outside the doors to the Great Hall.

"So, I'll see you after dinner, then?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded, opening the door. "I'll be there."

Draco nodded, heading directly for the Slytherin table. Harry watched him weave his way gracefully through the students still standing.

"Are you going to sit down, Harry, or stand there all day?" Hermione asked, appearing in the doorway, a smile on her face.

"Sit down, of course. Did you ... talk to Ron?"

She frowned slightly, shaking her head. "Ignore him, Harry. He'll come around."

They sat across from Ginny, who smiled in greeting, and Harry glanced down the table. Ron was sitting next to Neville and Dean, back turned in Harry's direction. Harry's shoulders slumped momentarily as he turned back to Hermione, who gave him a sad smile.

"He'll come around," she said again, in her characteristically confident voice.

He nodded once, focusing on filling his plate. Ron ignoring him hurt, but Harry tamped down on the feeling. There was much to do within the next week; Harry couldn't afford to think only of Ron's reaction to his discovery of Harry's feelings for Draco, not when Draco himself was going to be in a lot of danger very soon.

He suddenly felt someone looking at him and lifted his head, eyes immediately meeting a pair of grey ones from across the room. He smiled.

Even though Ron was angry at him now, Harry decided that being with Draco was entirely worth it.