The Only Thing to Give

Chapter 2

"Potter," Draco calmly stated. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, Harry wide-eyed and Draco with his mask of indifference. Draco looked so different from the last time Harry saw him. His hair wasn't slicked back anymore; soft white-blond wisps fell delicately around his ears and his bangs fell gently into his eyes looking soft to thouch. There was something else different as well; his eyes... yes his eyes were a softer gray than Harry had remembered them to be. Beautiful specks of gray and blue entwined with silver. Finally someone spoke, disturbing Harry's quiet admiration of the boy that stood in front of him. Harry blinked furiously and shook his head missing what the speaker had said.

"What?" Harry said looking around to see who was talking to him.

Dumbledore began to speak. "I said that perhaps Mr. Malfoy can take you into another room and fi you in as to what is going on." Dumbledore turned to Draco. "I'm sure Severus can take it from here Draco." The potions professor nodded in agreement and got up to take Draco's place in front of the blue print. Dumbledore smiled, --his eyes twinkling and winked at Harry before he left, a step behind Draco.

Harry followed Draco into what was presumably a broom cupboard. Before Harry could say anything he found himself being pulled into a sweet kiss by a pair of arms encircling his thin waist. Harry melted into Draco's warm lips. He brought one hand up and tangled it in the blond's silky hair, unconsciously deepening the kiss. Harry sighed and Draco took this as an opportunity to slide his tongue into Harry's mouth. Harry complied by caressing Draco's tongue with his own, causing Draco to let out a low moan in response. Harry smiled against Draco's lips and slid his tongue in a little deeper. Draco moaned again, deep in the back of his throat. When they finally broke away to breathe Harry found himself being pulled into a loving hug. He smells so good, Harry thought. Hesmelt of musty pine mixed with chocolate-mint. Harry missed that smell almost as much as he missed kissing Draco. "I missed you so much," Harry whispered into Draco's neck.

"I missed you too," The blond said in a soft purring whisper. Draco finally broke the hug to look at the raven-haired boy in his arms. Draco decided that something was different about his lover. After a once over he realized that Harry looked healthier and more muscular than he normally did after returning from the Dursleys. He was still skinny for a normal seventeen-year old, but then again who ever said Harry Potter was a 'normal' seventeen-year old? Harry had also gotten taller and his hair, if possible, tamed itself somehow, as it was not sticking up in all directions the way it always had. He also noticed that Harry's eyes were a deeper emerald green than he had ever noticed them to be and more beautiful than the stone itself. Draco touched Harry's cheek softly with his left hand and then pulled him back into another long hug.

Harry sighed as he was pulled in for another hug; Draco looked so drained for a seventeen-year old. Harry hated to see him so...shattered. He pulled away and circled his arms around Draco's neck letting their foreheads touch. "I'm so happy to see you," Harry whispered not waiting for a response before continuing, "When Remus told me they finally agreed to let you join the order, I didn't think I'd be seeing you for weeks." Harry closed his eyes and kissed Draco's nose.

After a few minutes his eyes snapped open like he had just seen something horrific behind his eyelids. "If they let you into the order... th-that means..." Harry's voice started to crack. Harry tried to regain his composure before he spoke again. "That means you received the mark." He pulled awayfrom Draco and looked into the beautiful silvery-gray orbs in front of his own.

Draco said nothing. He rolled up his sleeve, never letting his eyes stray from Harry's. Harry finally broke the stare to look down at the blond's arm, and sure enough there it was, standing out brilliantly on Draco's pale, ivory skin. Harry hesitantly lifted his hand and brushed his fingers gently across the agitated skin of the pale arm in front of him, as he did Draco flinched.

"Does it hurt?" Harry's voice was so hushed that he didn't think that Dro even heard the question, but he did.

"No, not really...it just... no, not really," Draco said with a weak smile, he knew the raven-haired man wasn't stupid but he could at least try to convince Harry that it didn't hurt like hell whenever something brushed against it, or maybe he was just trying to convince himself. Taking his mind off the pain shooting through his arm Draco stared at the man in his arms for a long time, admiring how cute Harry was when he was deep in thought.

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately and... and... I think we should tell them," Harry finally said all in one breath. He concentrated on stroking a patch of unmarked skin on the pale arm still in his hands, not daring to look into the warm grey orbs in front of his own emerald ones.

"Tell them what?" Draco asked with a confused look on his face.

"About us..." Harry casually said; finally looking into the confused grey puddles staringnto his own jade oceans of emotion, and circling his arms around Draco's lean waist. "About what happened during Christmas holiday last year, about...about what we are." As soon as he said that Draco untangled Harry's arms from around his waist and took a step back.

"Harry, I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, I really don't think-" But Draco's panic ridden frenzy was cut off by a hesitantly, reassuring Harry.

"I think it's going to be fine. Remus and Sirius know. Merlin Draco, they were there and they couldn't be happier for us," Harry said with an apprehensive smile.

"Oh yeah? Well you haven't been the one on the receiving end of Sirius's death glares for the last two months!" Draco had a nasty snip in his voice. Harry understood why Draco was so upset though; Sirius can be very threatening at times.

"But Remus is happy for us, and so is Dumbledore, and Snape... I think." Draco knew that Harry was right; Remus had been a lot nicer to him since Christmas. Even though he had acquired a new respect for the old man, Dumbledore was still a crazy fool in Draco's eyes; he really couldn't care less what the headmaster thought of them. As for Severus Snape, well, Snape is Snape. He just gave Draco his sympathies and wished m a happy life, but Draco knew that Snape was secretly happy for him as well.

"Draco, I really need to tell them, we don't have to tell Moody or Tonks or anyone else... I just..." their was a long pause, as if Harry was being careful in choosing his words "The Weasleys and Hermione are the closest thing I've ever had to a real family," Harry took a long, shaky breath, "it's important to me to tell them." Harry's voice started to crack and Draco could see that Harry was fighting a loosing battle to stop the threatening tears from rolling down his cheeks. Draco gave a sigh of defeat. He kissed Harry on the forehead and then proceeded to kiss Harry's protruding tears away.