After eating nothing at dinner and making a transparent excuse to Ron and Hermione, Harry carefully took as long as he could to walk through the school towards the Guest Room. At first he had to fight the crowds of students returning from the Great hall, but soon the corridors emptied themselves, and all that was left were the eerily loud echoes of his feet on the stone floor. Feeling uncomfortably aware of how nervous he was, Harry first stuffed his shaking hands in his pockets, and then removed them when they began to get clammy and damp. He didn't know what Draco was going to say, and even less what he was going to say in return. If Draco wanted him back, what then? Of course Harry wanted to be with Draco, so badly it made his head hurt, but after what Draco had done to him - how bad he'd made him feel - would he be able to say yes? And what if it wasn't that? What if he'd done something wrong, or worse, what if this was all some big joke by the Slytherins? Shaking his head in a desperate attempt to clear his mind, Harry realised he was nearing the room, and took a couple of deep breaths, wiping his palms on his trousers and straightening his back a little.

"Ilunga," He said quietly, and after one last hesitation pushed the door open.

The room was exactly as it had been when he'd left it, over two months ago. Draco clearly hadn't been back either, judging by the radio on the table, and the few sheets of parchment spread over the writing desk. Nervously, he looked around to see Draco, who stood up from his place on the sofa. Neither boy said anything for a moment, just stared, flushing with the awkwardness.

"Um, hi, Harry," Draco began gracelessly. Harry blinked at the sound of Draco speaking his name, an unfamiliar noise after going so long unsaid.

"What do you want?" He asked in a carefully flat voice "Why did you need to speak to me?"

Draco swallowed. Then straightened his back in the same way Harry had done moments earlier, met Harry's gaze, and held it. "Harry Potter, I- I owe you an apology. Would you please do me the kindness of listening to what I have to say?"

Draco's tone was formal, though unsteady, and it dawned on Harry that Draco had truly been brought up in high society, whether or not he cared to admit it. Harry nodded a little. "Okay. Go on." He made no move to sit down but instead dropped his bag on the floor by his feet, and crossed his arms lightly, almost protectively, over his chest. Draco took a deep breath.

"To begin with, I owe you an explanation. It isn't an excuse, I just think you deserve to understand. You deserve to know." Again, he paused. "Ever since I can remember, I haven't been brought up as a son by my father, but instead, as an heir. I wasn't raised, I was trained. My father, as you probably know, isn't the warmest man. But most people don't quite realise the extent of his..." He gestured, grasping for the right word, "His character. When I fail to please him, which is almost constantly, there are severe consequences. Very severe." Draco seemingly subconsciously raised his arm and rubbed an area of his belly, and looked away from Harry. "He starves me over the holidays if I don't do well in school, or if I do something - even the tiniest thing - that isn't perfect while I'm at home. He hits me or my mum when he gets angry, and he- he just does some really terrible things, Harry. I'm not telling you this so that you pity me; I don't want your pity. I just want you to understand that when I say that I don't have a choice, it is very rarely a lie."

Harry could feel his heart beating a little faster, and rage at Lucius Malfoy began to swirl in his mind. Still, Draco continued to talk.

"So, now you know, and I hope you understand what's been going on. But that still isn't an excuse for hurting you." He ran a self- conscious hand through his hair.

"Harry, I really like you. I have done for a long time, even if I didn't realise, or didn't want to realise it. But I thought that if I was with you... well, I knew it would put us in real danger if someone found out. And I didn't - I don't - ever want to hurt you. I thought, realistically, that my father might do something terrible if he knew. And he probably would. But I-" He paused, and looked again at Harry. "Being without you isn't really living, it's just existing. And I can't bear it anymore. I'm so, so sorry for hurting you, Harry. And if you could possibly find it in your heart to forgive me-"

But Draco never finished his sentence, because Harry was kissing him, allowing all the emotions he'd forgotten he had to flow as his hand tangled Draco's hair, the feeling of Draco holding him again blocking out the world.

When their lips finally stopped moving, neither spoke. Draco rested his forehead against Harry's, eyes closed, and Harry felt a tear splash onto his skin. Gently, he lifted a hand to Draco's cheek and wiped away the shining tear streaks. Draco opened his eyes at this, and looked into Harry's. Harry smiled.

"I forgive you."

0o0o

"So. Where were you?" Asked Hermione over breakfast. "We waited up for you for ages. I didn't even know you'd left after dinner, you just disappeared,"

Harry shrugged, taking a large bite of his scrambled eggs. How was it that everything tasted so good today? "I was just out, thinking about things, you know," He gestured vaguely, "Usual stuff."

"Oh, sure, because it's so normal for you to disappear to 'think about stuff' for hours on end." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, leave him alone, Hermione," George said good-naturedly between bites of toast, giving Hermione a little nudge with his elbow "He's a man of mystery, Harry is. Can't be telling us all his secrets."

"Probably off saving the school from some unknown terror," added Fred, from Hermione's other side. He leant towards Harry in faux-secrecy and said in a mock-whisper, "I suppose if you told us, you'd have to kill us, right Harry?"

"Oh, give him a break, guys," laughed Ron. Then added, with a smirk, "He probably just wanted to have a break from his adoring fans."

"Shut up!" Laughed Harry. God, it felt good to laugh. He'd totally forgotten about Ron and Hermione and hadn't made it back to the common room until it was very late because he just hadn't been able to tear himself away from Draco. Just being able to talk to him again was wonderful, but being able to kiss him was something else, something more all together.

"First lesson's potions with Slytherin," Said Ron with a groan, bringing Harry's thoughts to an abrupt halt. "Bet Snape gives us another Burn Paste to make, just to torture us all a bit more."

"Well, if you'd just read the instructions a little more carefully, you'd have seen that you had to dice the stag beetles, not slice,"

"Oh, so it's my fault that Dean and Seamus' cauldron caught fire, is it?"

They bickered all the way to potions, for which Harry was grateful, as it gave him ample time alone with his thoughts, and his thoughts were mostly about Draco. He still couldn't really believe what had happened. One day, he'd been miserably lonely and depressed, the next...

The kiss had been so perfect. He could remember it in such sharp focus that it was as though he were still in the Guest Room. The feeling of Draco's chapped lips on his, his hair in Harry's hands, his taste on Harry's tongue and the smell of his skin were all solid in his mind, and it made him feel like he was melting.

0o0oDraco0o0o

"Morning," Smiled Harry as he slid into the seat beside Draco. His heart skipped a beat.

"Hey you," He grinned back, looking down to hide fact that he was kind of blushing. Why? Nothing embarrassing had happened. "How's it going?"

Draco had never enjoyed potions so much. As they remade the burn potion, they chatted freely (though quietly, so as not to arouse any suspicion on the part of Granger and Weasley), and it surprised Draco just how easily the conversation flowed. It was even easier than it had been before they'd fought. There was plenty to catch up on, with almost three months having elapsed since their last proper conversation. And even when they weren't talking, it wasn't awkward at all. It was companionable silence.

"Draco, I know I'm gorgeous, but you need to stop staring or we'll muck up the potion,"

With a start, Draco realised he'd become caught up in that little curl of hair that fell over Harry's forehead as he had intently diced the stag beetles. "Sorry. Didn't realise,"

"That's okay, no need to apologise," Laughed Harry. "You know, you really say sorry a lot,"

"How do you know? You haven't spoken to me for over two months,"

"You've always done it," Harry stated, as he finished the beetles and added them to the potion. Draco thought for a minute, slowly returning to the horn that he was crushing to powder.

"Maybe," He ventured, "It's something to do with my father. You know, the stuff I told you about yesterday," he stared fixedly at his mortar and pestle as he felt Harry's eyes on him, a flush rising to his cheeks.

"Well," Harry said, after studying him for a moment, "You don't ever need to apologise to me, okay?"

"Sor- Okay." He laughed a little, embarrassed, adding the finely crushed powder to the potion, which emitted a shrill, quiet whistle.

"Malfoy, Potter, it appears your potion is complete first. Five points to Slytherin, you may start packing up. Everyone else, I expect you to stay until you have finished your potion." Snape peered down his hooked nose at the whistling potion. "Satisfactory," He stated, before swooping away.

"Five points to Slytherin? What about me?! I did some work!" Harry stormed in a low voice as soon as Snape was out of earshot. Draco grinned.

"It's not my fault he hates you, is it? I can't help it if I'm his godson," He ladled a portion of the paste into a vile for inspection, corked it, and vanished the remaining potion from the cauldron.

"I did just as much as you!" Continued Harry, as he stuffed his books into his bag.

The bell went to signal the end of first period, and Draco tapped Harry's arm quickly. "Can you come to our place any time after school?"

"I wish I could," Harry straightened and looked sadly up at him, "But if I'm missing from Gryffindor two nights in a row Hermione'll get even more suspicious. The only way I could do it would be to sneak down at some ridiculous time like one in the morning."

"Why not? I want to see you,"

"I want to see you too," Whispered Harry with a smile that made Draco grin like an idiot, forsaking all secrecy. "Look," Harry continued, "I'll come down at half past midnight, they should be asleep by then. But I won't be able to stay long,"

"I don't care how long for, as long as you come."

Then Blaise appeared at his side with a light touch to the arm. "Draco, I think it's time we left Potter to go to his mates now? People are going to think you're friends with him." He shuddered theatrically, then winked at Draco. "Come on."

Harry shot him a slightly shocked look, which Draco returned with a smile to reassure him. "I'll see you tonight?" He whispered.

Harry nodded. "Take care,"

0o0oHarry0o0o

"You're lucky I made it down here," Harry pretended to be cross as he entered the Guest Room. "Peeves almost caught me."

"But he didn't, so it's fine," Draco said with a smile as he walked over to Harry kissed him, wrapping one arm around his back, and placing a hand on his neck.

"Now that's my kind of welcome," grinned Harry as they pulled apart, "That was almost worth being caught by Peeves."

"Almost?" Laughed Draco, "Give me another kiss and I'll make it worth your time,"

Harry bent to kiss Draco, and he felt him tighten his grip around his back, slowly manoeuvring his backwards until they leant against the wall, Draco pressing into him. The kiss deepened, and involuntarily, Harry moaned.

"Excuse me," Came a quietly amused voice, and they sprang apart. Draco turned, having heard the hissing, even if he didn't understand parseltongue.

"Oh gosh, sorry Manimi, I kind of forgot you were there,"

"I could tell,"

Harry was overcome with excitement. "Manimi! I haven't seen you in months! How are you?"

"Excellent, actually," She said primly, gliding away towards the sofa. "Especially now that Draco's so much happier. And what about you? I heard all about the second task, well done!"

"Thanks! I'm good, yeah. Better since talking to Draco again."

"Ah, young love," Manimi hissed teasingly, and Harry reddened.

"I- You're younger than us, Manimi!"

"And yet, much wiser." she said, and Harry could almost hear a laugh in her voice. "Well, if you don't mind - and I doubt you will - I'm going out to hunt now that I've seen you - albeit briefly. I've been waiting up for you for ages and now I'm ssstarving."

"Well, it's always good to see you, Manimi. Good hunting,"

"And you," She glided towards the door and looked expectantly at Draco, who, looking slightly perturbed, hurried to open it for her.

"I can never decide if I like it when you guys talk," He said after she had gone, and the door was closed once again.

"Why not?"

"Well, one one hand, I feel kind of excluded by it," Draco said, looking away from Harry, "I mean, I know there's no reason to, but I can't help it. I'll never be able to talk to her like you do." He didn't say it in a self-pitying way, but rather as though he was stating a fact. He cleared his throat and continued. "But on the other hand, it's really," He tapered off and laughed a little, embarrassed.

"Really what?" Prompted Harry.

"It - don't laugh - but it's really... sexy?"

Harry laughed "You think parseltongue is sexy?"

"For want of a better word," Draco admitted, with an embarrassed grin.

"Well," Harry switched to parseltongue, "You should have just said," Smiling, he walked over to Draco and switched back to English. "Now, remind me, where were we?"

Draco grinned. "I believe," he took Harry by the waist and swung him around so he was once more against the wall, "That we were around about here."