Convocare

"Ron and Hermione are going to be looking for you, Harry."

"I know," Harry whined, "but I don't want to leave just yet."

Draco giggled. "Harry, it's already 7:30. You know that Ron will wake you up at 7:45. If you aren't in your bed when he pulls the curtains back..."

"... he'll assume I've scored with one of those Hufflepuff hanger-ons," Harry finished with a groan. "Remind me again how, precisely, we've managed to keep this relationship a secret for nearly two years?"

"And how you've kept the secret that you're gay from everyone except me for the past three years?"

Harry sighed, as he half-heartedly pulled on his pajamas and boots. "I'll see you in Potions, then," he concluded. "Does Hermione know that you have a boyfriend?" As Head Boy and Girl, Draco and Hermione shared a separate suite of rooms. Draco found it difficult at times; remembering to be rude to the girl was something he was getting worse and worse at.

Draco nodded affirmatively. "She insults me, you know, for being gay. Apparently it's a Muggle thing, they think Christianity is against homosexuals."

"You've seen their Bible, their interpretation of God! It's crazy-making, honestly." Harry shook his head. "Then again, Hermione's not really religious, so it's probably just an excuse." He frowned. "Maybe I should tell them I'm gay sometime. Before we either get caught or decide to come out on our own."

Draco just shook his head. "Nope. If you're going to loose your friends, you only want to do it once. A double shock for them, sure, but only one awkward period. Now," his tone shifting abruptly, "we've got to get you back to Gryffindor, and quick." Harry kissed his boyfriend gently and wrapped the invisibility cloak around him as Draco wandered out into his and Hermione's common room, ostensibly to open their portrait hole and retrieve the Daily Prophet that was specially delivered straight to Draco's door, so he could peruse it before the rest of the student body. In truth, it was all an elaborate ruse so that Harry could leave each morning.

Not that he spent every night with Draco. Especially not at the beginning of the year. It was becoming less and less often that he stayed in Gryffindor Tower overnight, though. It wasn't that they had insatiable sexual appetites, although those side perks of being able to cavort nightly were nice. No, plain and simple, they had gotten to the point that they were lonely at night without the other. On the worst nights, neither could sleep. Waking up together, too, was pleasant. So now, with the N.E.W.T.s and end of term just weeks, instead of months, away, Harry hadn't spent a night in 'his' bed for nearly two weeks.

Harry slipped out into the corridor and, as the portrait closed behind Draco's retreating form, Harry took off at a run for Gryffindor Tower. He skidded in front of the Fat Lady with three minutes to spare, and trod on a few first years' toes in his desperate invisible dash up to the seventh year dorms. He slid into his bed from one side mere seconds before Ron opened the curtains on the others. "Oh, you're already awake," he said somewhat sleepily. "C'mon then, Hermione'll be downstairs in ten minutes."

Harry scrambled out of bed and got dressed. He had taken more of an interest in his own appearance than he once did, but he had changed his habits so slowly and subtly that he was almost sure that he and Draco were the only ones who had ever noticed. He had changed his shoes first, then when he had to get new shirts, they were more tailored, a better fabric, and overall looked almost elegant. He had followed with the rest of his uniform, and some of his other clothing, until he had very nearly changed everything. Even his glasses were different than before. Still, it had been awhile since he had changed anything, and he had found that charm that would tame his hair, and Draco loved surprises... Smiling to himself, Harry cast the charm that had taken him ages to find - most weren't strong enough to work on his hair - and grinned at the result in the mirror. He left the taps and joined Ron on the stairs to the common room, where Hermione habitually waited for them. Harry was still wondering when the two of them would realise how they felt about each other. They had been dancing around it since bloody fourth year and the Yule Ball! Harry shook his head bemusedly and followed the pair downstairs.

"Honestly," Hermione was saying, "I love being Head Girl, don't get me wrong, but sharing quarters with Malfoy is... is torture!"

"What happened now, Hermione?" Harry asked mildly. Hermione's outbursts usually only occurred once every two weeks or so, but it had barely been five days since her previous one this time.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, I haven't told you this before because, frankly, it's disgusting, but Malfoy's queer and he has some boyfriend in there most nights, and I hear him get up early to let him out, and it always wakes me up!"

Harry could barely keep a straight face. He always left the next morning, so whatever Hermione was hearing, it wasn't him. Hermione must be really paranoid, he concluded.

"Really? Malfoy's gay?" Ron sounded like Christmas had come eight months early. "Hermione, why didn't you tell us before? This is bloody brilliant!!" Ron was beaming. "Should've known, huh, Harry? Always looking so put-together and poncy."

Harry blinked. Poncy? Put together? He mentally checked his own appearance and confirmed it was far closer to Draco's than Ron's. "Sure, Ron," he said tiredly. "I told you at the beginning of the year that I didn't have time to waste on Malfoy, but do what you want to."

Ron rubbed his hands together gleefully and set off down the hall at a rapid pace, Hermione in tow. "Seamus! Dean! Wait up! Listen to what Hermione said - Malfoy's a faggot!"

Harry winced as the cruel words and the echoing responses cut deep into his core. It wasn't like he chose things to be this way! He just... was. Hastening his step, he caught up with his friends before they could notice he had lagged behind, just as they entered the hall for breakfast. His emerald green eyes immediately sought out molten silver ones, and Draco's widened in appreciation for Harry's slightly new look. Harry smiled briefly, then mouthed "Sorry. Watch out," and gestured towards Hermione and Ron before turning his attention back to the Gryffindor table. As Harry proceeded to pile his plate with waffles and fruit, he heard the rumors swirling up and down the table.

He heard Ginny Weasley, still hopelessly pining after him, greet her current boyfriend, poor sod, Colin Creevey. "Colin! You'll never believe it. Draco Malfoy, our Head Boy, is a poof!"

Colin's answering exclamation captured, perhaps, the essence of Gryffindor's reaction. "Bloody hell! What a way to torture that git. I don't have a problem with homosexuals, per se, I just don't want them around me."

Harry sighed heavily and continued eating his breakfast. He heard Hufflepuff pick up the rumor, and he suspected that it would go on straight to Ravenclaw before traversing the length of the Hufflepuff table. Sure enough, he heard Ravenclaw explode in whispers, and he looked up to see Lisa Turpin leaning across the aisle to whisper in Millicent Bulstrode's ear. Harry looked across the room and locked his gaze with Draco for a split second before Draco turned away. The rest of Gryffindor was staring at the Slytherin table as well, so Harry's interest didn't seem odd.

Millicent blanched, her eyes widened, and she turned to look at Draco appraisingly. Then she nodded slowly, and said something to Pansy Parkinson and a few of the other Slytherin girls. Blaise Zabini was sitting nearby and he turned to Draco and said, in a loud voice that everyone could hear, "I always knew you were a faggot, Malfoy, but what's Daddy going to say?"

Draco's eyes went wide as the meaning of Harry's warning came crashing down on him. He gathered himself together, stood, and unconsciously straightened his robes, earning sniggers from the majority of the hall's occupants, before merely striding out of the hall entirely. What was the point in denying it? He knew he even looked like a pretty-boy. He swept out of the room, mask still firmly in place. He didn't even want to think about what was going to happen later. For now, he just wanted to get to the relative safety of Professor Lupin's Defense classroom.

Draco heard people following him as he rounded the stairs, and their whispers sounded harsh and unforgiving. Panicking at last -Â his boyfriend was the Gryffindor, not him! -Â he broke into a run, ducked inside the Defense classroom, and slammed the door.

"Mr. Malfoy." The werewolf sounded confused, and the large black dog that Draco knew to actually be Harry's godfather - and Professor Lupin's mate - whined softly. "Is everything all right?"

Draco sighed, relieved to be in friendly territory, even though Lupin and Black certainly didn't think of him in those terms. Necessity dictated that not even Harry's godfather know of Draco's identity -Â in fact, they thought Harry was straight, in case of exactly this sort of situation.

"Trying... to... beat me up," he gasped out. "Granger told them... about me."

"About you?" Now Professor Lupin was confused.

Draco smirked sardonically and shook his head. "I'm a bloody faggot," he said simply. "And the whole school knows, now."

Professor Lupin blinked, as did the dog-that-was-Sirius. "Oh." He rummaged around on his desk for a quill and a spare piece of parchment, and began writing things out very quickly. "Did anyone a'toll know about this before today?"

"Only my boyfriend, and Granger, of course."

Professor Lupin pursed his lips, then nodded thoughtfully as he passed the parchment over. "You might want to share this with your boyfriend then. There's something of a support network out there, if you know where to look. Also, the bottom three are references to protection spells. I hope you won't need them, but it's generally best to be prepared."

Draco widened his eyes and attempted to look surprised. "You mean, sir, that..."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I'm a gay werewolf." He smiled self-depreciatingly. "I trust that you can keep a secret, however."

Draco nodded and sat down as the door opened and the seventh year Slytherins filed in, followed by the seventh year Gryffindors. Draco sat back and watched his boyfriend walk in slowly, approaching the front of the room to talk to Professor Lupin and talk to Snuffles. How Harry had changed. He was, unconsciously, Draco was sure, holding himself back a bit from the Animagus, and he absentmindedly picked off a stray hair or two that found its way onto his neatly pressed robe. I've turned him poncy too, Draco thought with a sad smile. It's been so gradual that most people have missed it, but, Merlin, look at him. He's absolutely bloody beautiful. Beautiful gay man. And he's mine. Draco smiled ferally, earning him a sharp glance from his professor, who deduced from the possessively predatory look on the Slytherin's face that his boyfriend was in the class with him.

Harry, for his part, was getting steadily more depressed as the day wore on. He had seen the brief flash of pain in his boyfriend's eyes as he had left breakfast, and the comments that were being whispered all around him about Draco were no less applicable to him. He had known that Hermione was actively homophobic, and he knew that most of his classmates were like Colin - they didn't have a problem with homosexuals, they just didn't want to be around them -Â but he had underestimated the sheer disgust that was displayed towards Draco. He knew that a good portion of it, at least in Ron's case, was simply because it was Draco; after all, Ron did know about Remus and Sirius, and seemed okay with that. Still, the painful words hurt him. They applied to him, to his Draco, and to his only real family equally. He glanced worriedly at Snuffles, who had his teeth bared slightly, and Professor Lupin, whose face had assumed a hard mask as his werewolf hearing picked up the whispered comments. Harry knew the two men well enough to guess that they were going to crack at any moment. He had reminded Ron to keep his mouth shut before entering the classroom, but had decided not to warn any of the others. The only ones not commenting were himself, Ron, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Lavender Brown.

"SILENCE!" Harry's eyes widened at the fierceness in Remus' tone, and he saw Snuffles look up at his mate slightly worriedly. "That is enough! Any student's personal life is their own private concern, and should not be a topic of discussion or derision for any of you! Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Brown, Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Goyle, you may all leave. The rest of you will begin a detention NOW and will continue this evening immediately after dinner.

Harry stood slowly and gathered his books, Ron doing the same beside him. Lavender looked shocked, and the three Slytherins left as they always did -Â like they owned the place. However, once outside the classroom, the six stared at each other. Lavender looked like she was about to cry. "Do... do people really feel that way about gays?" she asked uncertainly. "I mean, my brother, he never said anything..." she whimpered, and it looked like she was about to cry.

"How old is your brother, Lavender?" Harry asked quietly. When she told Harry that her brother was nearly thirty, he and Ron both nodded. "I think he was trying to protect you, Lav," Harry said gently. "He probably guessed you would be upset."

Sniffling, Lavender nodded and headed towards the girls' washroom. Draco turned to Harry and Ron, his public veneer of hostility firmly in face. "What's the matter with the two of you? Why weren't you laughing too?"

Ron regarded him coolly. "Malfoy, I may hate your guts, but I'm not stupid enough to insult my professor in his hearing."

Draco did a fine mock-gasp, impressing Harry with his acting skills. "Professor Lupin? Really?" he said in a cool but astonished voice, one eyebrow raised. "I wouldn't have guessed." He sniffed haughtily and moved down the hall, leaving Harry shaking his head in amusement.

"C'mon, Ron, we'd best get out of here before Hermione appears. She's going to be spitting nails - and she might start putting the pieces together."

Ron winced, and Harry followed him to the Transfiguration classroom, unconsciously straightening his tie just a smidge.

Draco was crying when Harry slipped into his bedroom that night. Harry was shocked. He knew, intellectually, that Draco lost control and broke down, on occasion, but the only other time he had seen it was once at the beginning of seventh year when he had thought Harry was breaking up with him.

"Draco?" Harry said softly. "Shh, I'm here, love. It'll be okay, it'll all be over soon."

"It's just so hard, Harry," Draco wept. "Why couldn't Granger have kept her mouth shut, just another month? Now I'm definitely going to have to go into hiding as soon as graduation is over, and I won't get to see you very often, if at all, and..."

"Shh, Draco, shh. We'll work something out. Now. We can't go to Dumbledore, for obvious reasons. He'd have you join up with the Death Eaters as a spy or something, and I've only just broken free enough to pursue my own ends after Hogwarts. Going to him would most likely end me up square in his plans again as well." Harry paused, thinking. "Draco," he said finally, "what's the one place that no one, not your father, not Voldemort, not Dumbledore would ever think to look for you?"

Draco shook his head, puzzled. "Harry, what are you getting at?"

Harry smiled. "The Muggle world, Draco, the Muggle world. You could enroll at University -Â we'll fake your credentials. I think you'd find Muggle science, especially chemistry, interesting. Might be useful in potions, I don't know."

Draco stared at his boyfriend, horrified. "Harry, you can't seriously be suggesting that I live like a Muggle?"

"Yes, I am," Harry replied firmly. "Look, it's perfect. We can get a flat together. I need anonymity too, you know. No one will have to know where I am, even, much less that I'm sharing with you. Look, what you need to do is pull yourself together and get to Gringott's first thing in the morning, withdraw some money. Draco, I don't want you killed or even beaten up. Please, Draco, please."

Draco had ceased sobbing, but was still clinging desperately to his boyfriend. Now, he straightened slightly and exhaled. "Okay. I'll think about. You make a pretty good case, but... it's such a drastic step."

Harry nodded. "I know. But it would keep you safe, you know that."

Draco nodded, then his eyes widened. "I must look like shit!" he wailed. "And I've creased your robes!"

Harry smiled slightly. "Surprising that no one has spotted either of us before now, hmm?" He picked up his wand and quickly pressed his own robes, as well as Draco's, which were far more rumpled. "Now, go wash your face, love," he said as he dropped a kiss on Draco's forehead.

As soon as Draco shuffled out, Harry quickly pulled the sheets back and took off his own clothes, folding them neatly. He had told Ron that he was spending the night with his godfathers to talk about the day's events; Hermione still wasn't speaking to either of them. Consequently, Harry had just worn a fresh uniform to meet Draco, and the pair wouldn't have to worry about Ron's 7:45 wake up call. Harry had just slid out of his boxers and was lying on top of the covers when Draco walked back in. He smiled when he heard Draco's intake of breath.

"Come here," he commanded quietly, his eyes smoldering. As Draco approached, he whispered a quick succession of spells, locking the door, casting a silencing charm, and extinguishing the candles, so that the only light was coming in through the window, cast by the slender crescent moon. Harry reached up and pulled Draco to him, hands gently starting to remove Draco's robe as he did so. "Tonight, we're going to forget today, okay, love?" Draco nodded. "You're perfect, you know that," Harry crooned. "My perfect, beautiful, scheming Slytherin."

"And you're my beautiful, obscenely lucky Gryffindor that has a hint of devious Slytherin in him, I'd say."

Harry grinned as he pulled Draco's jumper over his head, then captured his earlobe between his teeth as he slowly undid the silk necktie. "The Sorting Hat offered to put me in Slytherin, love, so I'd say you aren't far off."

Draco pulled back slightly and grinned. "Now that is not what I was expecting to hear, but... wow. Really? Why haven't you ever told me?"

"Yes, really," Harry giggled. He was slightly giddy and intoxicated with his plans for Draco that night. "I've never even told Ron and Hermione. We can talk about it later, if you really want to. Right now..." And Harry stopped talking as he finished undressing Draco and proceeded to shag him thoroughly.

"'Morning," Draco murmured sleepily as Harry sat up.

"Good morning, love," Harry replied quietly. "I'm going to go take a shower, you go back to sleep."

"M'kay," he replied, already burrowing back down underneath the covers.

Harry shook his head and smiled, finishing his shower and dressing quickly. He whispered a spell under his breath, and Dobby appeared with a tray full of breakfast goodies. Harry whispered his thanks and sat the tray on Draco's bedside table. "Wake up, love, breakfast," he whispered into Draco's ear.

Draco stretched and smiled. "Ooh, Harry, this is... wonderful! Come sit down."

Harry shook his head. "I can't miss breakfast if you do too. Don't worry, though, Hermione's already gone, so she won't guess it was me."

Draco bit his lip and nodded his head in understanding. "Okay," he said quietly. "I'll see you in Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry nodded. "You're beautiful, you know."

"So are you, Draco. So are you."

Harry quietly joined his two best friends at the Gryffindor table, relieved to see that Hermione appeared to have regained her equilibrium. "Good morning," he greeted them with a small smile. "Any interesting news today?" He raised his eyebrows. He wanted desperately to be angry with Hermione for what she had done, admittedly with Ron's assistance, the previous day, but absolutely could not, not safely.

Hermione grinned ruefully. "No, not today. By the way, what was up with Remus yesterday?"

Harry studiously appeared fascinated with his bagel, and Ron cleared his throat nervously. "Well, Harry, what do you think?" Ron offered quietly.

"I think that Miss Granger would not like to know," Harry said firmly. "I'll see you in Care of Magical Creatures, I need to check on something before class." He stood, taking his bagel with him in one hand and schoolbag in the other.

Harry sighed as he made his way out the door and towards Hagrid's hut. The friendly half-giant was standing in his doorway, apparently feeding Fang. "'Allo, 'Arry," he said. "How're ya doin'?"

Harry sighed and shrugged slightly. "I imagine you heard about yesterday's furor?" Hagrid nodded, slightly confused. "Well, the instigator was none other than Hermione, who has particularly vitriolic opinions on homosexuals - and now she wants me to explain to her why Remus was upset."

Hagrid winced. "Aye, that's not an easy place to be, 'Arry. So you left breakfast early."

Harry nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. Well, and I realised it'd been awhile since I had come down just to visit." Harry spent the rest of the remaining fifteen minutes before class simply talking with Hagrid and relaxing. It was a welcome change from the recent events.

"So what're ya doin' after June, 'Arry?"

He smiled. "I've signed with the Catapults, plus I'm going to take courses part-time at Stonehenge."

"What course? Stonehenge isn't easy to get into, 'Arry, that's impressive."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. Magical Law, actually. So it'll probably take me six years or so, rather than the usual three or four, since I'll have practice and matches as well."

Hagrid nodded, then stood suddenly. "Here comes the rest of the class. Maybe Malfoy won't act up, then, for at least a day, eh?"

Harry just nodded, afraid that, if he spoke, his voice would betray him. He followed Hagrid out into the sunlight, and the early morning rays reflected off his hair as he stood silently, contemplating the remaining three weeks he had before the N.E.W.T.s were upon them.

"A'right, we've covered dragons, lethifolds, manicores, nundus, quintapeds, chimaeras, and werewolves, leaving only the acromantula and the basilisk to cover before ya take yer N.E.W.T.s next month. This week, we're going to discuss the acromantula, and pay a visit to a colony at the beginning of next week. The remaining time will be spent discussing the basilisk, which we will not examine in person."

Harry sighed in mock-disappointment, and he caught the hint of a smirk on Ron and Hermione's faces, as well as a very faint one on Draco's face. He frowned, though, when he saw that Draco was standing well-apart from everyone else, the result being that he stood in the middle of a semi-circle surrounding Hagrid, with no one near him, giving the appearance of a king surveying his subjects. When he caught Harry's gaze, he winked and lifted a key in one hand, and Harry nodded very slightly, understanding that Draco was going to head to Diagon Alley and withdraw some Galleons as soon as the class was over. He let himself relax a little. Now, they had only to find a Muggle university where Draco could enroll and a place for both of them to live.

That night, Harry found himself cornered in Hermione and Draco's common room by a rabidly study-minded Hermione. She had dragged Harry and Ron in, and commanded Draco to either leave or join in. To her and Ron's surprize, Draco had joined in their study plans. He only offered the explanation that no one else even offered to study with him now. Harry frowned, anger at his two best friends welling up again, but said nothing.

"Now. Our N.E.W.T. schedule is like this. Potions is Monday morning, followed by Herbology that afternoon. None of us have Herbology, so that means Monday afternoon is free for studying. Then, we have Tuesday morning off as well, in preparation for our Transfiguration exam that afternoon. Wednesday looks to be the easiest day by far -Â Arithmancy for Malfoy and I in the morning, and History of Magic in afternoon."

"History of Magic is easy?" Ron groaned. "What are you thinking, Hermione?"

"She's right," Draco asserted quietly. "No incantations, wand movements, physical labor, or mixing involved. Just memorization, instead of memorization on top of everything else."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. He and Draco had actually taken to studying History of Magic together, nearly a year and a half ago, using the textbook from Durmstrang and a series of recorded lectures that were given by a guest lecturer from Beauxbatons ten years previously. Consequently, the actual class was often skipped, used for doing homework for other classes, or a useful place to catch up on sleep missed the previous evening. The pair knew the coursework better than almost anyone else at Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Malfoy," Hermione said, looking irritated. "Now. Charms is Thursday morning and Care of Magical Creatures is that afternoon, and Astronomy is that evening. That' s just me, though. Friday morning, I have to go flying, but you three are all exempted, due to Quidditch. Finally, Friday afternoon is the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. I've drawn up a tentative schedule. The night before each exam will, of course, be devoted to the subject or subjects covered that day. Of course, some subjects may need more or less attention individually - like your Potions marks, Harry." Harry just nodded. In actuality, his Potions marks were quite excellent, and had been since he and Draco had begun seeing each other.

"So, here's a schedule for the next three weeks." Hermione busied herself passing out pieces of parchment to each of them. "Now, Harry, Ron, this is group studying. I do anticipate each of us studying in preparation for these sessions."

Harry and Ron nodded dutifully, each hiding a smile. Hermione didn't realise that the two boys really did study, especially as both of them had future plans riding on their N.E.W.T. scores. Hermione missed alot of what happened in the Tower, since she didn't live there any longer.

Soon after, the impromptu meeting drew to a close, and she cornered Harry once more. "Why did Remus get so upset yesterday?" she asked very pointedly, her teeth almost grinding together.

Harry stared at her, and heard Draco's murmur of "Getting friendly with the teachers, Granger?" while he sat in silence, pondering how to put things.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ron cried out. "Look, Hermione, think about it, you're a smart girl. Who is the one person that is always with Professor Lupin?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "You mean..." She turned to Harry. "Is this true?" she demanded.

"Yes," Harry admitted quietly. "They've been together since they were in their sixth year."

Hermione sucked in a breath and rocked back slightly. "Oh."

Harry just nodded. "I still have to finish my essay for potions tomorrow, so I'll see you lot tomorrow." Harry stood and left the room, catching Draco's eye as Hermione and Ron wandered towards her room, filled with books, and mouthing "thirty minutes," which was acknowledged with a sharp nod. Leaving, Harry hurried back to Gryffindor Tower, where he changed clothes, grabbed his schoolbag, and closed the curtains around his bed, securing them with a pair of charms that would lead Ron to believe he was studying in silence, and then, after midnight, would make it appear like he had gone to bed. Harry smirked. Damn useful charms Draco uncovered, he thought. With a last look around his area, he swept the invisibility cloak over everything and returned back to the quarters shared by the two Head students. Within moments, Draco came ambling up. "I went to the kitchen," he said by way of greeting. "Dobby gave me the first pickings off some strawberries that just came in, plus some powdered sugar and some chocolate."

Harry grinned and kissed Draco lightly on the cheek before following him through the portrait hole and into 'their' room. "You did okay today?"

"Mm-hmm. Remus gave me some stuff yesterday, I need to let you see it, and that helped. Got to Gringott's and got enough money for at least two years, I think, and converted it into pounds, opened a Muggle account. That the right thing?"

Harry smiled and nodded vigorously. "I think so. Now we just have to find you a set of fake documents and a flat for both of us. Neither of us has a place for even the day after term ends, do we?"

Draco shook his head and frowned. "This weekend, the Hogsmeade weekend. Can you get away? We can Apparate to a Muggle town and do some investigating." Harry nodded. Draco's father had paid handsomely so that Draco could be licensed to Apparate the summer before his seventh year, and Dumbledore had pulled similar strings with Harry, meaning the pair of them were the only students who could legally Apparate.

"I think so," Harry said cautiously. "I can get Sirius and Remus to act as my cover; they'll understand I need to go flat-hunting, and I can tell Ron and Hermione that I'll be with the pair of them. Otherwise, Ron and Hermione would want to come with me, and that would be a disaster, even if you weren't in the picture at all! Can you imagine? Hermione prattling on about the latest technology and how it works, and the financial wisdom of everything, while Ron makes a fool of himself talking about elicitrity, bubberies, and plugs!"

Draco chuckled, and Harry laughed along with him. "Definitely has the potential for disaster in the making. Now, do you really need to finish that potions essay?" Harry nodded miserably. "Good. I need help with this bit in transfiguration."

The two studied companionably, eating strawberries almost absently, each assisting the other in weaker areas, which reinforced their own stronger areas. It was just midnight when the books were closed and Harry and Draco drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

It was early the next morning when Draco roused Harry from his sleep. "Wake up, love. I hear Hermione banging around, and I'm afraid she might try to barge in here."

Harry instantly came awake, gathering his pajamas and retreating into the washroom. He hurriedly packed his schoolbag and paused for only a quick peck on the cheek before he swirled the invisibility cloak around him - and not a moment too soon.

"Draco!" Hermione pushed the door open, earning her a withering look from the Head Boy. "I had to put out at least five fires last night, because you had the door locked and a silencing charm up! I don't know why you think that you can just have your disgusting little affair with whomever this other faggot is and ignore your duties, but, frankly, I'm fed up, and I'm going to Dumbledore!"

Harry winced, following close behind Draco as he went to the portrait hole to 'retrieve the morning paper.' "Granger, if you go to Dumbledore, even he will see your complaint for what it truly is - blatant homophobia. So, please, spare me and my ears, and shut your yawping trap."

Harry bit his lip to contain the giggle that threatened to well up at Draco's statement, and then he was too far away to hear Hermione's response, if there had even been one.

Three days later, Hermione was still spitting nails at Draco, and her bad mood had carried over into their study group sessions as well as her everyday dealings with Harry and Ron. This had led Harry and Ron to walk on tiptoes around the girl, and the combined stress of worrying about Draco's treatment at Hogwarts, his and Draco's future, jumping around Hermione, the upcoming N.E.W.T.s, and the almost 'normal' stress of hiding his sexual orientation and his relationship was very nearly completely overwhelming. It was a relief when Saturday came and Harry made his escape from Gryffindor Tower even before breakfast, meeting Draco just outside the grounds of Hogwarts.

"Ready?" Draco said quietly, dressed appropriately for the excursion in Muggle slacks and a casual striped button-down. Harry was attired similarly, only wearing a long-sleeved polo with his slacks.

"Yes. I think we should start in Winchester; it's near Stonehenge and Wales, as well as having a Muggle college nearby. We could also try Cardiff, although that's more close to my Quidditch practices and matches than anything. Not that it matters, since we can Apparate, but we need to stay in non-obvious cities that are still large enough to hide one Draco Malfoy."

"Neither Winchester nor Cardiff has a large wizarding population, so I think starting with those two is a good choice. Winchester first?"

Harry nodded, and the pair left immediately, landing in an alley in a residential quarter of Bath. Harry dusted himself off and straightened his hair; Draco was doing similar things to himself. Then they set off down the street. "We'll have to get a car, perhaps," Harry suggested with a smile, which earned him an interested look from his companion.

"A car? Harry, do you even know how to drive? Because I don't."

"Oh, sure. Dudley has his own car, but he got too fat to fit behind the wheel last summer, so I had to serve as his personal chauffeur. Drive him somewhere, wait the whole time, then pick him up. I pretended to hate it, but it was great! I'd turn the radio up and do summer work, or read, or write to you or Ron or Hermione or Sirius, or whatever. Plus I got to learn to drive. Best damn summer I've ever had with the Dursleys."

"Oh," Draco said with some surprise. "So. How do we go about doing this?"

"Sirius did a little preliminary research for me," Harry responded. "If we go over two blocks and north about five, we'll come an agency that helps people find flats. Sirius has us down for an appointment to be shown some prospects in," Harry checked his watch, "twenty minutes. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Draco answered with a wry smile, still uncomfortable in Muggle clothes in a Muggle world.

Exactly twenty minutes later, Harry pushed open the door to the agency and approached the receptionist. "Hello, ma'am." He smiled pleasantly. "I have an appointment with a -" Here Harry dug into his pocket and procured a card. "A Mrs. Blankenship, for this time. It should be listed under Mr. Potter, Harry Potter."

The middle-aged woman smiled back at Harry. "Of course, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Blankenship is expecting you. Will, ah," and she gestured to Draco.

"Oh, yes, excuse me, ma'am. This is my partner, Draco Malfoy."

Her smile slipped slightly, and Draco was frankly stupefied. Harry had just not only outed himself, but claimed Draco as his. Much as Draco knew Harry wished to be able to do so at school, the fact that he could not was still painful at times, and what Harry had just done filled Draco with immense sensations of feeling loved, not to mention the reaction his body was having.

"Of course," she replied, a trifle too brightly. "Right this way."

Harry and Draco followed her behind a small partition towards a large grandmotherly woman sitting behind a large desk with, what Harry assured Draco, was a very ancient desktop computer perched on top of it. "Hello, Mr. Potter," she greeted him warmly. "So pleased to be of service. Oh, hello, dear," she addressed Draco then, "I'm Mrs. Blankenship."

Draco quickly took her hand. "Draco Malfoy, ma'am. A pleasure."

She beamed. "Now, the gentleman that set up the appointment said you were looking for a flat that was average in price, one bedroom, one bathroom, but with a kitchen and perhaps a study. Is that still correct?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry if Mr. Padfoot wasn't clear; my godfather is a good man, but he's unaware of my relationship with Draco, and it didn't seem to be the time to inform him."

This woman didn't seem to care; she chuckled her agreement. "Quite. Well, then, we'll look at those with larger bedrooms, hmm, boys? I have eight prospective flats that are available immediately; shall we?"

Harry and Draco followed Mrs. Blankenship out to her car, and climbed into the back seat, explaining to her that they had taken a cab to the location, and praying she would ask no further questions. Each of the first five flats seemed much like the others, but it was the sixth one that really impressed them both.

The living room was impressive, with a large roaring fireplace, and the previous occupants had left behind massive black leather furniture, supposedly because it was too heavy to move. The bathroom had a large round bathtub, and the bedroom itself had more than enough room for a king-sized bed, two trunks, and a couple of chests. Draco was particularly excited by the walk-in closet, while Harry exclaimed with delight over the new kitchen appliances, knowing he would have to do a majority of the cooking. Harry turned to Mrs. Blankenship with a smile. "We'll take it. Can we sign the paperwork today?"

Slightly surprised, she nodded. An hour later, Harry and Draco left the agency office, keys, lease, and directions to a furniture store in hand, as well as restaurant suggestions.

"Well, we don't need a couch or chair," Harry began. "Let's go find a nice set of furniture for the bedroom, then we can eat before we look for desks or a kitchen table."

Draco nodded, relaxing into the arm that Harry had placed around him. "Harry," he said quietly, "what you did earlier - introducing me, I mean -Â it... I... well. I love you very much."

Harry stopped and put his lips on Draco's. "I love you, you git. And I'm sorry if it surprised you, but I actually had a chance to show you off and claim you, and I wasn't going to pass that up. Do you know I heard Colin Creevey saying that one of his friends wanted to ask you out, now that he knew you were gay? Colin was appalled that one of his friends was gay, of course, but I was rather appalled that someone thought they could have you!"

Draco chuckled lightly. "You know I'm only yours, Harry."

The two wizards quickly found furniture for the bedroom and enjoyed a leisurely lunch before ordering the rest of their furniture. Their last act before leaving their new flat was to make a pair of Portkeys to their new home, so that each could begin discreetly moving some of their belongings into place. Luckily the manufacture of Portkeys had been added to the seventh year Charms curriculum in the years following the Tri-Wizard debacle, allowing all those who left Hogwarts to detect, deactivate, and create Portkeys easily.

Once term ended, Harry would ride the Hogwarts Express at the end of term, and journey to the apartment via Muggle transportation, while Draco would use the same Portkey a final time to journey to the apartment directly from the train, preferably not long after it had left Hogsmeade station, but after he had been seen by several on the train. Hence, Draco would simply disappear, leaving no clues as to his whereabouts. Absolutely no one knew about their plan, and absolutely no one was going to even know what city Harry's flat was in, to reduce the risk. After the Portkeys were finished, the pair went to the College for an hour to submit Draco's faked but very impressive looking credentials, identifying him as an international transfer. A short while later, Draco was signed up for the autumn term as a French student, since he was fluent, and the pair finally Apparated back to Hogwarts. Harry and Draco immediately separated when they appeared just outside the gates, barely missing being seen by some chattering third years. They would see each other again in just a few short hours, and would not have to worry about a wake up call from Ron the next morning, but the parting seemed especially bittersweet to the pair after spending the day planning for a togetherness that eluded them at Hogwarts.

The remaining two weeks before the N.E.W.T.s flew by for all of the seventh years, and Harry and Draco were no exception. Most of their nights together were spent feverishly revising for the upcoming exams, and Harry even spent several nights in his own House, up late into the night to memorize potions ingredients, botanical names, Ministry actions, and every single charm, hex, curse, countercurse, and spell that had ever crossed his lips - and even a few that hadn't. Draco was working equally hard, although only Harry knew that Draco was within mere fractions of topping Hermione for the top spot in the class for the first time. Still more than a little angry with his friend for outing Draco in such a painful way, as no one would associate with the Head Boy, and his father had sent many a Howler in the intervening times, long since banned from setting foot on Hogwarts campus. His letters were full of promises of what would happen at the end of term, however.

Harry had extremely subtly distracted Hermione from her studies so that Draco would have an advantage there. He didn't tell Draco, and it was a measure of his Slytherin side that his boyfriend didn't notice. Ron inadvertently helped on many occasions, and Harry knew that all he was truly doing was making the playing field a little more even. After all, he frequently distracted (an admittedly willing) Draco, and he was simply distracting Hermione for approximately equal amounts of time, although the distraction was different in content.

Finally, the pair of stress-filled weeks came to an end, and Harry spent his free time on the Saturday before N.E.W.T.s began muttering Ministry of Magic classifications and potions recipes under his breath as he moved some of his belongings to the apartment and went shopping for pots, pans, baking dishes, utensils, plates, and non-perishable groceries. Draco spent the same time getting the bathroom and closets exactly how he wanted them, and then the two went out for a romantic dinner, concluded with purchasing large amounts of new Muggle clothing. Harry ordered some new robes and Quidditch gear for himself via owl post, but he would, of course, have to wear Muggle clothing when at home, and he could get away without wearing robes for most of his classes at Stonehenge. Draco, on the other hand, bought no new robes, consoling himself with the thought that he could purchase all new robes once both Voldemort and his father were out of the picture. They returned to Hogwarts that evening feeling slightly more upbeat about the upcoming gauntlet they would run.

Harry sat down his quill with a deep breath and relaxed. Finally, he was done. He had just completed his Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T., the last one he would take. He blew slightly on the ink, then folded it according to instructions, and used the banishing charm to send it to the secure box. After taking five of the bloody things, Harry had gotten the procedure down to an art. He stretched up and looked around the room. Draco was done too, and the pair flickered smiles at each other for a brief moment before continuing to scan the room in opposite directions. Hermione was frowning at her parchment, while Ron was scribbling furiously. Harry checked the timer that Remus had set in motion over the front of the room. Just seven minutes remaining. Seven minutes, and he had less than a week at Hogwarts, and no more academic work.

The timer finished its count, any parchments still being written on were magically summoned to the secure box, and the Hogwarts class of 1998 stood and cheered as one; House divisions, rivalries, and rumors were all forgotten in those precious moments. Butterbeer and treats from the kitchen appeared moments later, and a party was in full swing when the door opened and Professor Dumbledore entered the room, smiling. "Congratulations to all of you! I will be announcing some of the awards tomorrow night at dinner, while the rest will, of course, wait until the end of term banquet. For now, though, I wanted to share those that will be in the top ten of your class, in alphabetical order. We will know the exact rankings by the end of term. Now." He cleared his throat. "Hannah Abbott. Terry Boot. Mandy Brocklehurst. Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hermione Granger. Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter. Lisa Turpin. Ron Weasley. Blaise Zabini." He smiled. "Congratulations to all of you!" he exclaimed brightly, then left.

Harry stood in stunned silence. He, Ron, Hermione, and Draco were all in the top ten? He had to fight the urge to run over to Draco and spin him around in his arms. Luckily, the room exploded in cheers then, congratulating each of the ten that was named - with the exception of Draco, who was still being ostracised. Harry caught Ron's eye and rose one eyebrow, his gaze flicking over to the platinum-haired Slytherin. Harry saw Ron catch his breath, then nod. Harry nearly sagged in relief. In public, it had to be this way, both of them. He and Ron walked over to Draco, whose eyes widened slightly before his public persona slid firmly back into place.

"Malfoy," Harry's voice was distant but free from malice. "Congratulations." And he smiled, a small, secret smile, and Draco had to fight with everything he had not to return it tenfold.

"Thanks," he replied coolly, inclining his head. "Congratulations to you as well." Then he turned towards Ron. "Congratulations, Weasley."

Ron turned pink, Harry and Draco were both amused to see. "Congratulations, Malfoy. I guess Hermione's study schedules paid off for all of us, huh?"

With that, the ice was broken as all three boys broke into laughter, and when Hermione looked at them and asked what was so funny, as one they replied "You!" causing the rest of the seventh years to begin laughing as well.

Five days later, it was time for the end of term banquet. Harry surveyed his reflection in the mirror. All of the seventh years were taking especial care with themselves for tonight, even if it was just their uniforms that they were wearing. Harry had asked Dobby to hand press his clothes for him, and he had retrieved one of his new shirts from the flat, using the platinum cuff links Draco had given him at Christmas for the first time. He smiled to himself as he straightened his tie and slid into his robe - it was warm enough that jumpers were not necessary or required. His silk-linen trousers were light and clung perfectly to him, and the shoes were new as well. He closed the immaculately clean and neatly pressed robe, fingering the Gryffindor crest as he slipped his wand into its pocket. He checked his reflection once more. He had shaved just before getting dressed, and... ah yes. The now-infamous (at least between Harry and Draco) hair managing charm. Harry cast it with a smile and left the room, headed to the common room to wait on his friends.

Hermione was just entering the common room through the portrait hole when Harry descended the stairs. "Wow, Harry. You look great! Turn around for me." Harry obliged as Hermione examined him carefully. "Great taste, by the way. I haven't seen the cufflinks before, are they new?"

"Christmas present," Harry muttered, and Hermione wisely dropped the subject. Soon the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors joined them, and they headed en masse to the End of Term Banquet, their last as students.

Harry and Ron's public acknowledgment of Draco had gone a long way towards making things easier for the slight blonde. The Slytherins couldn't lose face by shunning him, not if two Gryffindors had acknowledged him. Now, as Harry watched him with love-filled eyes, he saw Draco leading the Slytherins to the Feast, once again their undisputed leader. Hufflepuff trailed behind the Gryffindors, and Ravenclaw behind the Slytherins. Then they entered the hall and took their seats, digging into the delicious meal. It was during dessert that Dumbledore stood.

"Each of you will receive a parchment in a moment with the names of all one hundred thirty five seventh years, as well as their House affliations and their plans for after Hogwarts. Now, we will honor some of their outstanding members. First, all members of the their House Quidditch teams please stand." Harry, Ron, and Seamus all stood, along with Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and some from the other Houses. "Would Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy please step forward." As they did so, the Headmaster continued speaking. "Both Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy have served as Captain of their respective House teams since their fifth years. We have a small plaque for each of them." Harry returned to his seat, cradling it carefully.

"Now, the academic awards. For the highest marks in Herbology, Neville Longbottom!" Gryffindor exploded with pride, and Neville looked stunned.

"For the highest marks in Potions, Draco Malfoy!" The next award was for Arithmancy, and Hermione claimed that one. The rest of the awards went back and forth between the pair, with the exception of two.

"For the highest marks in Divination, Ronald Weasley!" Harry nearly turned purple as he tried to hold in his laughter at the strained expression on Ron's face - and the murderous looks on Parvati and Lavender's.

"Now, our final academic award, before we proceed to name the top ten in rank order, is for the highest marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year, we had a most unusual situation - two students tied exactly for the top spot, so the award would be shared. Would Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy please step forward."

Harry felt his jaw drop. He had tied for the top spot in Defense? He couldn't believe it. His mind was whirring rapidly though, as he touted up the awards in his mind. Unless Hermione had significantly better marks than Draco in the classes she bested him in, and unless Draco had barely beat her out in the others, it seemed like Draco would be number one in the class. A careful look at his boyfriend while receiving their awards, however, showed no indication that he was aware of this fact. Harry searched Hermione's face as he sat back down, but she didn't appear to realise it either. Harry turned to Ron discreetly.

"Ron, unless I miss my guess, my tying with Malfoy in Defense means that he's got the number one spot."

Ron's eyes widened and then he nodded slowly. "Right. We'll keep our eye on Hermione, then."

At that moment, the Headmaster again read the ten names of those that would be in the top ten of their class. Once they had all assembled at the foot of the head table, Professor Dumbledore pulled out another piece of parchment and unfolded it. He cleared his throat before beginning to read.

"In tenth place overall in marks, Ms. Lisa Turpin." Applause, as Lisa accepted a small award and moved to the other side of the hall. "In ninth place, Ms. Mandy Brocklehurst." The same procedure was repeated, and Ron looked stunned that he hadn't been tenth. "In eighth place, Mr. Ronald Weasley." Harry smiled and clapped loudly for his friend. "In seventh place, Mr. Justin Finch-Fletchley." Harry wondered if his parents still wished he had gone to Eton now. "In sixth place, Miss Hannah Abbott." Now Harry was amazed that he was still there. He fully expected to be called next.

"In fifth place, Mr. Terry Boot." Harry gaped. "In fourth place, Mr. Blaise Zabini." Now Harry was in shock, plain and simple. He knew he hadn't beaten either of the others, but third? Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that. He was between the other two and murmured quietly "Guess you were a bad influence on me," intending the message for both of them, and he heard both quietly snort.

"In third place, Mr. Harry Potter." Harry crossed to the other side, where he signaled Ron with his eyes. This had the potential - well. This had the potential to be distinctly unpleasant.

"I know you are all waiting with baited breath to identify which of these two fine students is received top marks, and which is our second-highest scorer. Their marks were extremely close, and both of them have much to be proud of." Harry shifted nervously. He wasn't wrong, was he? Hermione was one of his best friends, but Draco... Draco was Draco. His lover, his friend, his equal in many ways. He had to win, he just had to.

"In fact, I think that each of them should congratulate the other now, before I inform them of the results." Hermione grudgingly stuck out a hand, but Harry heard Draco's soft murmur of congratulations and could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"The second-highest marks in this year's class belong to Ms. Hermione Granger, which means our top spot belongs to Mr. Draco Malfoy!"

Harry had to bite his lip from screaming in joy. Draco had done it! He watched Hermione carefully as the others made their way over to the pair, and he saw Ron talking rapidly to her under his breath, which caused Harry to sag just slightly in relief. Then he looked at his boyfriend's radiant face and couldn't help but smile broadly.

The Hogwarts Express left the next morning after breakfast, and Harry felt a peculiar sense of letdown as he watch the castle recede in the distance.

"So, Harry, where is this elusive flat of yours?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "I can't say. Dumbledore wants it to be available as a stop on the so-called Underground Railroad, which means I can't take a chance on having other witches and wizards show up. For witches and wizards hiding from Voldemort," he explained when he saw their confused faces. Handy lie, it was. "It's in a Muggle city somewhere in the southern half of England, and that's all I'll say."

"Well, let's agree to meet regularly then," Hermione suggested. "I know we'll all be busy come autumn, but surely we have plenty of time this summer." Hermione was composed, but Harry knew her well enough to guess that she was still smarting at being number two rather than number one in their class. She, too, had been accepted at Stonehenge, into the highly demanding mediwitch program, while Ron was going to be attending the Auror Academy which was at an 'undisclosed location' - even to those who studied there, according to Ron, as he would merely get a PortKey at the beginning of each year.

Harry shook his head again, regretfully. "We can meet, but I'll be busy. The Catapults want me to come to about half of the summer practices, mainly to observe, and I'm supposed to go to the International Seekers' Camp in a week and a half. Not to mention I'm taking my orientation and introduction class this summer as well."

Ron winced. "Harry, I reckon you're bloody crazy, doing all that."

"Thanks, I think," Harry replied with a grin. The trio made plans to meet for lunch a week later in Diagon Alley, and as Kings' Cross approached, Harry changed from his Hogwarts uniform into an outfit much like the one he had worn to go flat-hunting, although the polo shirt had been replaced by a light short-sleeved linen shirt. Ron and Hermione, on the other hand, had changed into non-uniform robes, since they were travelling by Floo directly to Diagon Alley. Ron was helping Hermione get settled in her temporary quarters at the Leaky Cauldron before returning to the Burrow for the summer. Harry waved a cheery goodbye to his friends as he wheeled his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage (she had hooted insistently until Harry allowed her to fly ahead) towards Platform 4, to catch the 3:25 to Bath. No one from Hogwarts noticed, and he settled back on the Muggle train to read a Muggle mystery novel. He had nearly solved it when the train pulled into the Bath station, and Harry thought to add a weightlessness charm to his belongings as he dashed after a cab, giving the driver his new address. Moments later, the cab came to a halt, and Harry paid the man, dragging his things out of the boot. He walked slowly up the stairs, opened the door, and locked it behind him. "Honey, I'm home," he called, grinning, and was rewarded with a giggle from a half-naked Draco who was sitting on the bed.

"I've been waiting," Draco whined. "I need someone to help me inaugurate this new bed."

"Oh? By all means," Harry replied with a smile. His summer had just begun.