Minerva McGonagall already looked disappointed in him the moment she opened the door to her office. She gave him a long look before gesturing toward the chair across from her desk.
"I know why you've come," she said as he crossed to sit. "I have my sources at the Prophet."
"I thought it best to tell you in person."
"To tell me what, precisely?"
Harry frowned. He wasn't exactly certain where to begin. He looked up at her after a long moment and her eyes widened.
"Do you mean to tell me it's true?" She sat behind her desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This certainly complicates the matter."
"I'm sorry."
"You will be far more sorry after the maelstrom that's about to hit this school." She shook her head and sighed. "I do understand that the circumstances are highly unusual and that you and Mr. Malfoy have a, shall we say, complex history, but I would never have thought you, Harry, would do anything to besmirch the reputation of Hogwarts."
Harry felt eleven years old again under the weight of her disappointment. "I know, Headmistress, and I'm so sorry. If you want me to resign, I will."
She glared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not requesting your resignation, Mr. Potter. Not today, at any rate. But I will insist that you end your relationship with Mr. Malfoy immediately. It may not be illegal, but it's still--"
"Inappropriate, I know. For what it's worth, I didn't expect this to happen."
"And I would have expected you to show more self-control where a student was concerned."
Harry clenched his jaw. "I've been a teacher here for almost six years. You know that this is an exceptional situation, that I don't look at the students that way."
"I know it, but the public does not. I'm sure I don't have to point out how this will look in light of--"
"You don't. I'm not asking you to accept it, but I am asking you to understand. I know I shouldn't have let it happen, but the fact is I don't look at him and see a student. I see Draco Malfoy, and the years between us melt away. And he's changed so much, you've no idea."
She leaned forward in her chair, studying his face. "Are you in love with him?"
"I don't know. Maybe." Harry stared at the floor, unable to look into her piercing blue eyes any longer. "But that's irrelevant. We've agreed to stop seeing each other until the term is over."
"Did the Prophet ask you to comment on the story?"
"I told them I had no comment to make. I'm not going to lie, but I'm not interested in inviting trouble any more than necessary."
"And Mr. Malfoy?"
"Agrees with me."
She removed her glasses and inspected them for a moment before putting them on again. He'd learned long ago it meant that she was thinking. "All right," she said at last. "The school will officially refuse to comment on the situation, provided that you and Mr. Malfoy do not give anyone a reason to be suspicious until he has taken his exams and is no longer your student. And I would suggest that you keep it quiet for a bit after that as well."
"Thank you, Minerva." He stood to leave.
"One more thing, in case the situation becomes too sticky for comfort. Since you're finishing your sixth year on the faculty, you've earned the right to take a year's sabbatical. Unpaid, of course, but it could give you a bit of space, should you need it."
Harry nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."
.:::::.
The first howler found him on Monday morning. After an extremely uncomfortable dinner in the Great Hall the evening before, he'd decided to take meals in his room for a while, and so he was having a breakfast of tea and toast when the owl pecked on his room's small window.
He winced at the sight of the crimson envelope tied to its leg, but took it and glared the owl away. The envelope grew warmer in his hands as he stared at it. He took a deep breath and opened it.
HARRY POTTER, YOU ARE A FOUL, SICK, DISGUSTING EXCUSE FOR A WIZARD!!! YOU SHOULD BE SACKED IMMEDIATELY AND SENT TO AZKABAN, YOU FILTHY PERVERTED SHIRT-LIFTING--
Harry flicked his wand and the howler burst into flames. It was going to be a long fucking day.
The howlers kept coming all morning, and he managed to incinerate each one before it made a scene. It was a spell he'd learned while working as an Auror; it had come in useful right after he'd come out several years back. Surprisingly, his students seemed far more interested in the fact that he could destroy howlers without having to listen to them than they did in the reported gossip about his love life.
He did, however, get his fair share of giggles and stares, along with a few dirty looks. Groups of students would whisper while looking over at him and then work diligently on their assignments when he drew close. All in all, it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. He'd had far worse days during fifth year.
He didn't see Malfoy at all on Monday. He'd avoided the Great Hall and the most used corridors, not wanting to give the students any further reason to whisper and point. But he wished he could see him for a moment, to know that he was all right. It was so incredibly unfair that they couldn't weather this together.
He was in his office marking papers after his last class when there was a knock on the door. A spark of excitement flitted through his belly at the thought it might be Malfoy, but when he opened the door he saw Flora Whitehall standing there, smiling at him.
"Can I speak with you, Professor?"
"Of course. Come in." If he couldn't see Malfoy, then talking with one of his friends was certainly a good substitute.
She turned towards the open door and raised her wand. "Muffliato. I hope you don't mind? I wanted to speak with you in private, but I reckoned you'd rather not close the door just now." She sat in the chair next to his desk and smiled.
"Of course. Thank you. What did you want to talk about?"
"I just wanted you to know that it wasn't me who talked to the Prophet. I would never do that to Draco, or to you, Professor."
Harry sat behind his desk, surprised. "Well, I certainly didn't think that of you."
"I know how much he cares about you. He's fine, by the way. We're so busy revising now that he's barely been out of the library."
Harry swallowed. "How do you know that he cares about me?"
She bit her lip and looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well… he told me about the two of you, actually." At Harry's look of astonishment, she held up her hands, as if she thought he might hex her. "It wasn't his fault! I pried it out of him, with quite a bit of Midori, actually. He's spent the night at my house a few times, I'm sure he told you."
Harry nodded and tried to ignore the feeling of nausea that was rising in his gut.
"I invited him over because he seemed so lost. I thought it might help him to meet my dads, to see a real gay family, you know? And my dads just adored him, and he asked them so many questions about their lives, about getting married and adopting me. And I suppose I realized that he was thinking about a relationship with someone in particular, so I set out to uncover who it was." She paused and bit her lip before continuing. "I'd been a bit suspicious before, to be honest. I mean, lots of students have crushes on you, but he's the only one you really look at." She raised her eyebrows, and Harry felt his face warm.
Harry sighed. "Is it really that obvious?"
"It was to me, I suppose. But anyway, he swore me to secrecy and I haven't told a soul, I swear. And in case you're thinking it was Michael, it's not possible. He was shattered when Draco broke things off with him, but he'd never do something like that. Honestly, if you look up Hufflepuff in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of Michael Cox."
"I believe you," Harry said, smiling now. "It doesn't matter who talked to the paper; it's done. I don't know if he told you, but we're going to cool it for the rest of term." He paused. "How is he, really?"
"Cool and collected, on the outside. Completely stressed out by NEWTs otherwise, like everyone else. It's a bit mad, though. He's easily the most popular boy in school at the moment and he's taking it all in stride, like it doesn't affect him at all."
"Draco, popular?"
"Well, of course! First it turns out he's not just some cousin of Draco Malfoy, but really is him, who somehow survived the Battle of Hogwarts and travelled through time -- total science fiction stuff. And then he manages to land you and--" She paused and blushed. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean--"
He stifled a grin. "No, please, finish what you were going to say."
She took a deep breath. "Well, it's no secret that you're considered the most, shall we say, shaggable professor at the school." When he gaped at her, she said, "Oh, please, you must know that's true. And you're always so cool, so aloof, and though many have had their crushes, no one ever got so much as look that wasn't completely teacherly. But then Draco literally falls out of the sky and he manages to get in your… I mean, everyone imagines he's shagging you, and well. He's suddenly a hero."
"A hero?" It was all Harry could do to keep the incredulity out of his tone.
"Well, not the way you're a hero, but still. Haven't you noticed the Slytherins strutting about the grounds all day? You'd think they won the House Cup, they're so proud. I even heard they're going to have a fundraiser to commission of portrait of Draco for their common room."
It was appropriately ironic that Malfoy had sailed through each of these potential disasters and came out more well-liked than ever, while Harry's experience had been quite different.
"Wow," was all he could think of to say.
She grinned. "Well, I suppose that's all then. Do you want me to tell him anything for you?"
"Yes. Tell him I miss him."
She stood and flicked her wand to finite the muffliato. "We'll all be glad when these exams are behind us."
"We certainly will. Thanks, Flora."
She winked at him and hefted her rucksack and left, her long brown ponytail swinging over her shoulder.
He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. That was perhaps the strangest conversation he'd ever had with a student. Excluding the conversations he'd had with Malfoy, of course. He was glad Malfoy had a good friend he could lean on, though.
And he had one as well, come to think of it.
.:::::.
"I was wondering when you'd pop by," Neville said as he opened the door to his room. "Drink?"
"Please. Got anything stronger than ale?"
"Nope. I swore off Firewhisky, as you well know. Oh, don't bother blushing now, after all this time."
Harry smiled. "I thought you'd forgotten."
"How could I? You're an amazing kisser, even if you're not my type." He retrieved two bottles from the small cooler in his room and opened them. "I see you've survived the last few days." He handed Harry a bottle.
"Hogwarts isn't a bad place to be when the shit hits the fan, you know." Harry took a swig and smiled at Neville's quizzical look. "Muggle expression. Anyway, with no press allowed on school grounds, it's really only the students and the howlers. And the students tend not to want to annoy me right before exams."
"I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever involved in a terrible scandal. Schedule it right before final exams."
Harry sighed. "Is it really so terrible? I don't feel terrible about it."
"How do you feel?"
"Pissed off, actually. It's fucking unfair that Draco and I can't just be together. We're both adults, for fuck's sake. And yes, I'm his teacher, but he's about to take his NEWTs, which means I'm basically a glorified tutor to him at this point, with absolutely no power over him. And surely it's clear that he's not an ordinary seventh-year, that we're really the same age, and--" He paused to drain half the bottle. "Sorry. It's just frustrating."
"You know how it is, Harry. The homophobes are imagining you bending him over your desk, and they'll likely think this isn't the first time you've done this."
"Would they think any differently if they knew I'm a bottom?"
Neville rolled his eyes. "Too much information, mate. But you know how sex scandals go. This one is not only a gay sex scandal involving one of the most well-known wizards in England, but it's between a teacher and a student. A lot of people won't read the article closely enough to note that Malfoy is an adult. They'll just assume you're a pedophile."
"Which a lot of them think about all gay men anyway, I know."
"A few, Harry. Only a few."
"I think every one of those few sent me a howler today."
"And you survived. To you, Harry." Neville raised his bottle and Harry laughed.
They drank in silence for a few minutes. Harry had always appreciated that he could be quiet with Neville. They could just hang out, no words required, and it was fine. He needed more friends like that.
"Can I ask a personal question?" Neville said at last. Harry nodded, and Neville retrieved new bottles of ale before continuing. "Is it serious between you?"
"I think it could be. It's hard to know, with all the sneaking around."
"I have to say you've been happier these last few months than I've ever seen you. Ever since you and Malfoy started sneaking around, or whatever you're doing, you've seemed genuinely happy." He paused and took a long swig from the bottle. "You're a fantastic teacher, and I'd hate for the school to lose you. But if you have a chance to be happy with Malfoy, then I hope you'll take it."
"You think I should leave Hogwarts?"
"This is an amazing place to live and work, but it's not for everyone. It's especially not for people who are hiding from the world." He looked up from the bottle and locked Harry's gaze. "People have spent their lives hiding here, to no good end."
Harry drained the bottle and slumped in the chair. "I know. I suppose I have been hiding."
"You have the summer to figure it out, at least."
"Longer, actually. I can take a sabbatical."
Neville shrugged. "Then you've nothing to lose."
Nothing but my heart. It had been a long time since he'd risked that.
.:::::.
The next two weeks seemed interminable. Harry counted the days until Malfoy's final NEWT as if he were a child counting the days until Christmas. The Prophet ran a few more stories in the first week with comments from other supposed sources inside the school, but since Harry and Malfoy had all but ignored each other since the story broke, it lost momentum rather quickly. Harry scanned the paper daily and read every article, but it was all rumor and gossip. The paper hadn't dredged up a single shred of proof, to Harry's relief.
It was hell not being able to spend time with Malfoy, though it wasn't as if they would have had much time anyway. Malfoy looked exhausted every time Harry saw him. He spent most of his waking hours in the library, and even studied during meals in the Great Hall. Harry wished he could send him a note, or wave hello, or touch him in passing, but with several hundred pairs of eyes watching them closely every time they were in the same room, it just wasn't possible.
Malfoy dominated Harry's dreams, which simultaneously made it better and worse. The dreams were vivid and sexy, and Harry woke most mornings with a raging erection that required attention in the shower. He wanked like a teenager and felt like an emotional wreck.
And he started thinking about that beautiful island in Greece, with the white sandy beaches and clear blue water, and of making love on warm moonlit nights with the sound of waves crashing just outside the window. It sounded like heaven.
.:::::.
A knock on his office door startled him out of a daydream. "Yes?"
"Hi, Professor." Flora smiled brightly and crossed to hand him a small folded piece of parchment. "This is for you."
He took it and unfolded it to see Malfoy's handwriting. He smiled before he could stop himself and looked up at her. "Thank you."
"Do you mind if I feed the hinkypunks? They looked a little peaked."
He blinked at her. "Erm, all right."
She left in a swirl of Ravenclaw robes and Harry sat back at his desk to read the note.
Harry,
Flora told me that she talked to you, and after she convinced me not to hex her for it, she offered to ferry notes between us. I trust her completely, for what it's worth. She also said you looked utterly miserable, which I must say cheered me up a bit, as I'm miserable as well.
My mind is so full of facts and charms and theories that I've had to start taking a sleeping draught at night. I have no idea why I'm taking all these NEWTs, but if I pass them I'll apparently be qualified for nearly any job I like. What I'd like right now is to spend a few weeks somewhere quiet with you and not think for a change.
I found a little house by the beach in Mykonos, in that wizarding village I was telling you about. I've booked it through September. I hope you'll join me.
Draco
The last part of the message showed signs of the ink having been spelled off and rewritten several times. Harry traced a finger over it and smiled.
He thought for a moment before digging out a blank piece of parchment and writing a return message.
Draco,
I am miserable, completely. These last weeks of term are always nearly unbearable anyway, but of course the current circumstances only make it that much worse.
I think about you and that beach quite often.
Love,
Harry
He folded it and looked out the door into the classroom. Flora was still standing by the cage of hinkypunks, examining her nails. She looked up as he approached.
"Would you mind?" he asked, holding the note out to her.
"Hoo, hoo," she said and winked at him. "My owl impression. Ta, Professor!"
.:::::.
"We wish the seventh year students the very best on their NEWT examinations," McGonagall said, smiling down at the rows of students. "You represent the very best of Hogwarts School and we are all proud of your accomplishments."
There was polite applause from the students, who were anxious to eat and get on with their weekend. Harry always wondered why the Headmistress waited until most of the seventh year students had left before wishing them luck. He scanned the Slytherin table yet again, but there was no sign of Malfoy. Perhaps he was sleeping in, or maybe he was skipping breakfast to study more.
He was on his way out of the Great Hall when he heard his name called out, and he turned to see Flora waving at him. She left the group of girls she'd been talking with and jogged to catch up with him.
"Hello, Professor. May I walk with you? I've a question." It was code for I have a note from Draco.
"Of course."
She led him out into the large courtyard and he winced at the bright sunlight. He hadn't been out much lately.
"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" She paused and looked around to be sure they were alone. "This is for you." She generally left him alone to read them, but this time she stood there with a slightly worried expression on her face.
He unfolded the note.
Harry,
I'm moving out this morning. I'm not yet sure where I'll stay, but you can always send an owl if you need to find me. I've exams every day, and two on Wednesday. Merlin, but I'll be relieved when this is done.
I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye in person.
Draco
"Oh," he said, keeping his eyes firmly on the parchment. "I didn't expect him to go."
"Me either," she said with a sigh. "I'm a bit annoyed with him, really. I think he'd just had enough of this place and moved out on a whim."
"I'm surprised you didn't go with him."
"My dads said no," she grumbled. "And it's pointless to go home because we're not connected to the floo network. I could have apparated, but… I'm better off here, especially since all of my friends have left. I'll have no one to distract me from revising. It's a bit of a challenge to prepare for magical exams at home when you're a Muggleborn."
"I can imagine." Harry read the note again, wondering where Malfoy might have gone. The NEWTs were held at the Ministry of Magic since they were open to anyone who paid the fee to take them, and many students moved back home during the exams to better facilitate traveling back and forth. Those who remained had to stick to a strict floo schedule in and out of the Headmistresses' office.
"Anyway, sorry he's being a twat. He's under a lot of stress. Hell, I'm stressed out and I'm only taking four NEWTs. I'm sure by this time next week he'll be his old snarky and delightful self again."
"Will you tell him I said good luck when you see him?"
"I will. Back to studying." She heaved a dramatic sigh and walked back inside.
Harry folded the note and tucked it into a pocket, trying not to feel a bit hurt that Malfoy had left without saying goodbye. But of course, he remembered taking his own NEWTs, and the hellish stress he'd put on himself. Hermione had come quite close to hexing him by the end of the week, in fact. He'd finally sequestered himself in Grimmauld Place.
It would all be over on Friday. He could hardly wait.
.:::::.
Bright and early on Friday morning, Harry sat straight up in bed. He'd dreamt about Greece again, about the blue water and the warm sand, and upon waking realized he had already decided he would go. He wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but suddenly the idea of not going was almost incomprehensible. Term ended in another week and he had so much packing to do, so many things to put in order first. His office was a mess, so many things to sort through and--
He needed to tell Malfoy. It was an hour before the first exam of the day, and the students remaining at Hogwarts would be flooing to the Ministry soon. Though it was probably better to wait until he knew Malfoy was finished, he didn't want to. He needed to tell him now.
He dressed quickly and made his way to the Headmistress's office. He took the stairs two at a time and was panting when he burst into the room. Flora was in the queue, flipping though a stack of note cards, and he apologized to McGonagall as he pulled her out of line and to the far side of the room.
"Can you tell him something for me?" he whispered and she nodded. "Tell him I'll go."
Her eyes widened and she grinned, obviously fully understanding the meaning of the message. She threw her arms around him and hugged him quickly, then jumped back into the queue, ignoring the curious stares of the others in the room. She gave him a little wave just before she stepped into the fire, and then she was gone.
After that, it was a matter of getting through the day: breakfast in the Great Hall, his first lesson with squirrelly first years who weren't taking the idea of final exams very seriously, then the third years, and then lunch. By mid-afternoon the lessons were finished, and all he had left to do was supervise a group of second years in detention.
"I'd rather be outside on this lovely afternoon as well," he said as they filed glumly into the classroom. "Unfortunately, I have to sit here while you lot write me three feet explaining why training fire slugs to attack on command is a highly inappropriate use of your magical abilities."
The students produced parchments, quills, and ink, and began to write. The room was quiet but for the scratching of quills, and Harry found himself daydreaming over the latest copy of the Daily Prophet. He wondered if Malfoy had smiled when Flora told him. He wondered if she'd told him before the exam, or if she'd waited until after.
He heard the classroom door open and footsteps cross the floor, but he didn't look up to see who was standing there until one of the second years giggled.
"Hi," Draco Malfoy said, grinning at him.
Harry gaped at him, certain for a moment he was dreaming. Malfoy was dressed impeccably in black and green, with an ornate cloak and boots that looked to be made of dragon hide. He looked so completely different than Harry had ever seen him that it was shocking. No school robes, no casual teenager clothes -- he looked like a proper wizard, like a younger, sexier, and far less evil version of his father.
"Hi," Harry said at last. Was he drooling? He should probably wipe his chin to be certain.
"Might I have a word?" Malfoy's eyes blazed and Harry felt a tingle in his groin. "In private?"
Harry looked over at the students, who were hanging on every word with wide eyes. They were terribly perceptive for their age. He waved a hand at them. "You can all leave. Your detention is dismissed, on the condition that you leave the fire slugs to their natural predators in the future."
The students gathered up their belongings and dashed away, either to escape before Harry changed his mind or to rush off and spread this interesting tidbit of gossip around the school. Harry couldn't be arsed to care which. As soon as the door closed behind the last student, he turned and nearly jogged up the stairs to his office.
Malfoy followed and closed the door behind him, then flicked his wand casually at the door. Harry felt the buzz of a silencing spell settle around them. He leaned back against his desk and smiled.
"All finished, then?"
"Yes." Malfoy removed his cloak and draped it carefully over a chair, and stalked toward him. "A few hours ago, in fact. I got your message."
"Good."
"And I do believe I owe you a raincheck." He smirked and unfastened the buttons at the collar of his shirt.
Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out. His cock was rock-hard inside his trousers, and he could only stare as Malfoy closed the final few feet between them and pushed Harry's robe off of his shoulders.
"You asked me to fuck you so hard you wouldn't be able to walk the next day. Is that correct… Professor?"
Harry nodded, and then Malfoy leaned in so close they were only inches apart.
"I've always wanted to fuck you on this desk," Malfoy whispered just before crushing his lips against Harry's.
Harry felt like he was floating for a moment -- the kiss actually made him light-headed. One of Malfoy's hands tangled in the hair at the back of his head and the other was pressing his thighs apart so he could stand between them.
Harry moaned and reached down to unfasten Malfoy's trousers. It wasn't a simple zip, though, and after a minute he fished for his wand on the desk and cast a quick spell, sending the buttons flying.
Malfoy laughed and broke this kiss. "You could have asked, you know, rather than ruin a brand new pair of trousers."
"I'll buy you another pair," Harry said, pushing his own trousers down to his knees. "Come here." He pulled Malfoy back against him and managed to get a hand around both their pricks. He nearly melted on the first stroke, and Malfoy whimpered.
"I wanked right before I came," he whispered as Harry stroked, "but if you keep that up this won't last long."
"Have you got something?"
Malfoy fumbled in his pocket and produced a vial. "Picked it up last night. I've been thinking about this for weeks, you know."
Harry turned in his arms and leaned across the desk, pressing his arse back against Malfoy's cock. "Then let's not waste any more time." He felt Malfoy's fingers trembling as they pressed into him, slick and cool. "That's fine, enough, just fuck me now, please." The last word came out a bit whingy, but he didn't care. God, he wanted this. God.
He could hear the sound of Malfoy's breathing as the slick head of his prick pressed against Harry's arsehole and then pushed forward. Harry pushed back, bearing down and forcing himself to relax as Malfoy's cock breached his body. It had been a while since he'd been fucked like this, and his fingers in the shower were certainly no comparison. He groaned and pressed his cheek against what was probably his fourth years' essays on patronus charms. Malfoy paused with the head of his cock just inside, stretching Harry's hole open.
"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Malfoy's voice was taut, though he sounded genuinely concerned.
"Absolutely not." Harry pushed back on Malfoy's slicked cock and felt the glorious slide as it filled him.
"Why didn't we do this earlier? Oh, fuck, that's good." Malfoy pulled back, stopping just before the head popped out completely, and slowly pushed in again. Harry could almost imagine him watching his cock push in and out, marveling at the sight of himself fucking another person. For the first time, Harry reminded himself -- Malfoy hadn't done this before. Malfoy went still.
"Is something wrong?"
"Sorry, I… I'm not going to last long."
"Then fuck me, hard."
Malfoy didn't have to be asked twice. He clenched Harry's hips and pumped into him, varying the depth and the angle as if trying to figure out what felt best. Every now and then he brushed Harry's prostate and Harry saw stars. There would be time to explain that part later. Right now, it was about Malfoy.
"I really want to see you," Malfoy said, slowing down his movements again. "Can we do it face to face?"
Harry pulled away enough for Malfoy's prick to slide out and kicked off his trousers. He hopped up on the desk and leaned back across it, pulling his knees up and open. He grinned at Malfoy. "Like this?"
Malfoy's eyes blazed. "Yeah, like that." His eyes raked over Harry, lingering on his cock for a moment before he leaned down and took it in his mouth.
Harry gasped at the sensation. "Oh, I missed your mouth. Fuck, that's good." Malfoy was amazingly proficient at cocksucking now and he knew exactly what Harry liked. Moreover, he seemed to really enjoy it, and Harry loved watching him take such pleasure in it almost as much as he liked getting it. Almost. He was suddenly very close to coming and he had to push Malfoy away. "Not like that, no. I want to come with your cock inside me."
Malfoy paused to add more lube and then Harry felt his prick push inside again, stroking right against his prostate in this position.
"Oh my god," Harry said, closing his eyes. He was still on the edge of coming and it felt like he was hanging in midair, suspended. "Just like that, right there, keep moving…"
Malfoy pushed in three more times and Harry felt the tightening, the heat, the quick waves from his balls outward, and then it was unstoppable. He cried out, dimly aware that Malfoy was pounding into him now, and came without even touching his cock.
Malfoy came a minute later with short jagged thrusts, his fingernails digging into Harry's skin to the point of pain. They stared at each other, panting.
"That was amazing," Harry said, smiling at him. Malfoy's prick was softening inside him now, and a moment later it slipped out. Harry sat up, resolving to incendio the student work they'd just had sex all over, and pulled Malfoy into his arms. "Want to do it again?"
"Absolutely." Malfoy kissed him softly and Harry whimpered at the gentle sweep of his tongue, that same tongue that had worked his cock so expertly a few minutes before. He broke the kiss after a moment and pulled Harry tightly against him. "I have a party to go to tonight. Most of the seventh years will be there, celebrating the end of Hell Week. I'd invite you, but I'm fairly certain you wouldn't come."
"I have absolutely no desire to be the only teacher at a student party," Harry said with a laugh. "I've got to finish getting everything ready for final exams anyway."
"When are you finished here?"
"A week from Sunday."
"Good, because I've arranged a portkey to Greece for the two of us on that Monday morning."
Harry grinned and kissed him again. "I can't wait."
"In the meantime…" Malfoy paused to pull up his trousers and then fished in his pocket. He pressed something long and cool into Harry's hand and closed his fingers around it. "I'm in room 23 at the Leaky Cauldron. I expect a visit tomorrow night, say around nine?"
"I'll be there." Harry pocketed the key and dove in for one more kiss.
Malfoy sighed, and his eyes were still closed for a moment after Harry pulled away again. "You were right, you know."
"About what?"
"You said that if I came back to Hogwarts, I could do anything, that I could have any kind of life I could imagine."
"I said that?"
"More or less. The point is, it's happening. I feel like my life is starting, finally."
Harry smiled. "In an odd way, so do I."
.:::::.
[TWO MONTHS LATER…]
Harry yawned and aimed his wand up to adjust the tilt of the umbrella. The beach in Platis Gialos was oddly quiet today. Only the distant laughing of children interrupted the rhythmic lapping of waves on the pale sand. The turquoise water stretched out before him, startlingly clear and blue compared to the Black Lake at Hogwarts.
This place was completely different from Hogwarts in almost every way. Harry liked that very much.
He glanced at his watch: it was nearly 2:00 in the afternoon. Surely Draco would be awake by now. He'd stayed up until dawn writing, claiming to have found some inspiration in the sex they'd had just after midnight. Harry gathered his things and walked up the beach to the little house they'd rented.
He paused outside the door to wash the sand off his feet under the low faucet there, already thinking about lunch. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until standing up, oddly, and he was suddenly famished.
"Why don't you just use magic? It does a better job of it."
He looked up to see Draco watching him from inside the screened door.
"I like the way it feels, I suppose." He turned off the water and opened the door, noticing now that Draco was completely nude. "Enjoying having some privacy again?"
"God, yes. Not that all the visitors haven't been fun, but I'm so ready to have the place all to ourselves again."
Harry pulled him into an embrace and slid one hand down his back and over the swell of his arse. "I'm ready to have you all to myself again."
"Mmmm, are you?" Draco kissed him and Harry felt a stirring in his groin.
"Can we eat first? I'm starving."
"I was just about to fix myself a sandwich. I think we still have some of that amazing salami from the market."
The table was covered with papers and magazines, including a copy of Witch Weekly with a picture of Harry and Draco smiling up from the cover. The words Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy: Exclusive Photos From Their Romantic Seaside Retreat! sparkled across the bottom. Harry shook his head and tossed it on top of the stack as he cleared space for them to eat at the table.
"I can't wait to read the letters section of the next issue," Draco said as he set plates and wine glasses on the table. "It should be quite entertaining."
"I still can't believe they paid us so much gold for an exclusive. Are we really interesting enough to merit a thousand galleons?"
"Of course we are, especially since the Prophet did that front page story on how we'd run off to Greece together."
That had apparently caused a bit of an uproar back in England. Harry was glad he'd missed it, though he'd found all the newspaper clippings Neville had sent (with his own inked-in commentary) highly entertaining.
Malfoy sighed. "I could have got a lot more if you'd let me negotiate with them."
Harry smiled. "At least the photographer was nice."
"Ooh, we still have some of those olives," Draco said, rummaging in the fridge. He ferried several containers of food to the table while Harry opened a bottle of local wine, and they settled at the table with their impromptu picnic.
Harry marveled at how lovely even this simple meal was. Especially when he was sitting across from his gorgeous, naked, and uncharacteristically tanned boyfriend.
"I got a long-distance owl from Flora this morning. She just got home and wishes she were still here."
Harry snorted. "As do half the men on that beach, I'm sure." Draco rolled his eyes and Harry grinned. "I heard a few of them talking about erecting a statue of her, right down there at the edge of the cove."
"Actually, I was thinking we could put a commemorative plaque above the door of the guest bedroom," Draco said without missing a beat. "To honor her many conquests."
"Was it 7 or 8? I lost count."
"Nine, actually. In one week."
Harry burst out laughing and Draco grinned. After a handful of Draco's seventh year friends had come to stay a long weekend here and there, Harry had been looking forward to Flora's visit. On the first morning, he'd had to pick his jaw up from the floor when she emerged from the guest room in a tiny bikini -- he'd never imagined that under those Ravenclaw robes she had the body of an underwear model. She'd lost the top the moment she hit the beach, and he'd spent the next week learning far more about his former student than he'd ever expected to.
Draco had apparently known she was rather promiscuous beforehand and hadn't bothered to give Harry a warning. Luckily the walls between the two bedrooms upstairs were thick, but even so he and Draco were well aware of when she had company.
"I still can't believe you told her so much about our sex life," Harry said, wincing at the memory of one drunken conversation the three of them had a few nights ago.
"Didn't you wonder why I improved so quickly at giving head? She gave me quite a few useful tips, which I seem to recall you enjoyed."
"At the moment it's difficult to get past the idea of the two of you huddled in the library, discussing the best techniques to fellate your professor."
"We never talked about it in the library, honestly. Too many ears in there. Did I ever tell you that she thanked me for telling her how much you liked the finger-in-the-arse thing?"
Harry stared at him. "I wish you hadn't told me just now, actually."
"She tried it one night on--"
"No names, for fuck's sake!"
"--and he apparently followed her around like a puppy for a solid week. Oh come on, Harry, she knows you take it up the arse anyway. What does it matter?"
Harry buried his face in his hands.
"Anyway, I love her to death, but I'm glad she's gone. I really wanted to get back to my book, and that wasn't going to happen with Tropical Storm Flora whirling her tits about."
"I saw enough of her tits to last me a lifetime," Harry said. "Speaking of the book…" He reached into the bag he'd brought back from the beach and pulled out the shiny laptop Draco had utterly shocked him by buying right before they left England. If only he could find a Wi-Fi signal -- Hermione had been haranguing him about getting an account on something called Facebook.
"Yes, tell me what you think," Draco said, grinning.
"It's quite good, actually. Your writing is very engaging." He opened the laptop and waited for the document to appear on the screen, then scrolled to a particular point in the text. "But I have to say I'm not completely comfortable with the part where you claim we had a secret fling while we were students together at Hogwarts."
"Half the books about you state that I switched sides at the end, which we both know is not true."
"But I didn't write them, and that story came from your friend Greg, not me. It didn't seem worth it to contradict it, not when you were dead and all."
"My point is that it was what people wanted to hear. It may as well be the truth. Hell, I wish it was the truth. And I wish I'd followed through at least one of the times I wanted so desperately to kiss you in sixth year. Why not pretend I actually did?"
"Because you didn't!"
"If people think we were already a couple before I died, they'll forgive you for shagging me while I was a student. It'll seem like a star-crossed romance. People love that shit. And that way, when you go back to teaching--"
"I'm not going to," Harry said. Draco gaped at him and Harry grinned. "I haven't told McGonagall yet -- I thought it best to wait until I'm well into the sabbatical. Besides, for all I know you'll decide you want to teach as well, so there's no need to resign just yet."
Draco was still gaping and Harry laughed. He stood and pushed off his swim trunks -- which were about all he wore anymore -- and straddled Draco's lap. He wrapped his fingers around both their cocks and stroked until they were hard, and Draco groaned.
"Say something," Harry whispered as he massaged the heads of their pricks together.
"Accio lube." Draco held out his hand and a bottle a few feet away on the countertop flew into it.
"Mmm, I love it when you do wandless magic. But that's not what I meant."
Draco's hand reached under him and pressed one finger inside, and the magical lube warmed and relaxed his muscles instantly. Harry lifted his hips and let Draco line up his prick, and he sat down on it slowly. He closed his eyes at the sensation and they stayed like for several moments, not moving -- just connected.
"Want to stay here a few more months?" Draco asked at last, and Harry opened his eyes. "I could write and you could sit on my cock for hours at a time." He grinned.
"And when we're not having sex? Ooh, maybe we could move here permanently and open a bed and breakfast. We could buy this place and invite your friends back, but charge them this time."
"We don't even speak Greek."
"A tiny wrinkle." Harry leaned down to kiss him. "I have no idea what I want to do, but honestly, as long as I'm with you I don't care." He pushed up with his feet and slid down on Draco's cock, and Draco groaned. The angle was awkward -- it was better when he faced out -- but at the moment it wasn't about getting off. They could take their time now.
Harry moved slowly as Draco began to stroke his prick, and they stared at each other.
"I love you," Draco said at last.
Harry smiled.
.:::::.
FIN
Emma Grant's Fiction
Fiction, Fandom, and Naughty Stuff
