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  <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:dysonrules</id>
  <title>Cheryl Dyson</title>
  <subtitle>Commander of the Universe</subtitle>
  <author>
    <name>Cheryl Dyson</name>
  </author>
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  <updated>2008-07-01T17:56:22Z</updated>
  <lj:journal username="dysonrules" type="personal"/>
  <link rel="service.feed" type="application/x.atom+xml" href="http://dysonrules.livejournal.com/data/atom" title="Cheryl Dyson"/>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:dysonrules:59499</id>
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    <title>Too Many Potters - Oneshot</title>
    <published>2008-07-01T17:56:22Z</published>
    <updated>2008-07-01T17:56:22Z</updated>
    <category term="too many potters"/>
    <content type="html">Happy Birthday, &lt;span class='ljuser' lj:user='chyldofeternity' style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='http://chyldofeternity.livejournal.com/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='http://chyldofeternity.livejournal.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;chyldofeternity&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp; !  Even though I'm still waiting for the cheerleader pics, I come bearing porny ficcage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title&lt;/b&gt;:  Too Many Potters&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Rating&lt;/b&gt;:  NC17&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Warnings&lt;/b&gt;:  The Weasley Twins&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Words&lt;/b&gt;:  7,720&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Summary&lt;/b&gt;:  The Twins throw a party to celebrate a new Polyjuice Potion they invented.  This is so AU it's not even in the realm of canon.  The twins are alive, Colin is alive, Angelina is a slut... oh wait, that might be canon.  This fic would not exist without byaghro and her superpowers of brainstorming and beta-age.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a target="_new" href="http://twasadark.googlepages.com/toomanypotters"&gt;Too Many Potters&lt;/a&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:dysonrules:59336</id>
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    <title>Meme and To Do List</title>
    <published>2008-06-30T21:52:44Z</published>
    <updated>2008-06-30T21:53:52Z</updated>
    <category term="meme"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;"&gt;Meme first, since I was tagged by &lt;span class='ljuser' lj:user='accioscar' style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='http://accioscar.livejournal.com/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='http://accioscar.livejournal.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;accioscar&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Rules of the Game:&lt;br /&gt; A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs &amp;amp; replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; B) Tag 8 people to do this quiz &lt;s&gt;&amp;amp; those who are tagged cannot refuse&lt;/s&gt;. These people must state who they were tagged by &amp;amp; cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="ljcut" text="Memeage"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;;"&gt;1. How has LJ changed your life?&lt;br /&gt; Wow, like a billionty. I have global friends, met people that I would die for, gained overweening confidence in my writing abilities, renewed my lifelong desire to make people happy through fiction, and found the courage to remove some dead weight from my life. Preferably through the use of cement boots and a very deep river... but I digress.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 2. What do you do before bedtime?&lt;br /&gt; Put on jammies?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 3. What will your dream wedding be like?&lt;br /&gt; *dies laughing* *polishes ANTI-MARRIAGE badge*&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 4. What is the city of your dreams and why?&lt;br /&gt; I don't really have one, oddly. I love &lt;st1:city w:st="on"&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st="on"&gt;New   York City&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt; just because there is so much to do there. Hmm, you know, I'd better visit a lot more cities to find my dream city. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?&lt;br /&gt; It depends on the day. I'm usually an introvert, but sometimes the sarcasm buildup gets to be too much and targets everyone within a twelve-block radius...&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?&lt;br /&gt; Hmmm, that's sort of a strange question. I'd say being loved by someone, because we all know that we can give love, but it's such a giddy feeling when you realize something thinks you worthy of being loved back... &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 7. Do you trust easily?&lt;br /&gt; Trust No One. YAY for X-Files!!!&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?&lt;br /&gt; Kill the person they were attached to. Okay, not really. *hides weapon* I'd probably work like hell to sabotage it, just because I'm Slytherin that way. I could go on with this...&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?&lt;br /&gt; LMAO. Yeah, when I allow them to. Which is rare these days. People can really only fuck you over if you LET them. It took me a long time to figure that out.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 10. What is your best quality?&lt;br /&gt; Only one? Um... humility? Okay, okay, sense of humor, I suppose.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 11. Is being tagged fun?&lt;br /&gt; Woo hoo for taggage!!!&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 12. How do you see yourself?&lt;br /&gt; In the mirror. What?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 13. Who are currently the most important people to you?&lt;br /&gt; My little clones, my uke, my bff, my f-list, and the many faceless people that allow me to pour sweet, precious coffee into my cup every morning. Thank you, little Columbian and Sumatran bean pickers.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?&lt;br /&gt; She is exquisite beyond all human capacity. She drinks a little too much Ginger Ale, though, and might want to cut back before she causes a global shortage.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 15. Would you rather be single &amp;amp; rich or married but poor?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;*snickers* &lt;br /&gt; &lt;/b&gt;I'd rather be DEAD than married. So yeah, gimme some rich.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 16. How many children do you want to have, if any?&lt;br /&gt; Um, I think I'll stick with the two I have now, thanks.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 17. What's better to give or to receive?&lt;br /&gt; RECEIVE!!!!! *grabby hands* I know you were thinking it.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 18. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?&lt;br /&gt; BOTH!!!! Yes to threesomes!!!&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 19: Would you have 100% safe sex with a stranger for $10,000,000?&lt;br /&gt; I'd have 100% safe sex with a stranger for $1.75. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; 20: What were your parents going to name you if you'd been born the opposite gender?&lt;br /&gt; Are you kidding? That woman barely came up with a name for me as it was. She was going to call me Dusty, though. Can you imagine? Dusty Dyson. And then they go and make a VACUUM. I would have had to slay myself.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On to the List:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid2"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="ljcut" text="To Do List"&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;WIPs&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;With Deadlines&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 1. - Prompt War with Lilith (ongoing except we both forgot about it...)&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;2. – Escorts Entangled – Chapter 8 due NOW&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;3. - Rentboy Draco – due &lt;span style="color: blue;"&gt;JUN&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Without Deadlines&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 4. - Chains - Chapter 7&lt;br /&gt; 5. - Wands… - (collab with byaghro) (back to her!) &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;6. - Boss fic (collab with byaghro) (back to her!) &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;7. - HD side of AS/S fest fic - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;JUN&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 8. - Pansy / Teddy fic – (with a side of HD and AS/S) &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;JUL&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 9. - Pirate!fic – &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;JUL (started)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Sent To Beta&lt;/b&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;10. - Too Many Potters (DONE!)&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Plotted - Ready to write&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 11. - HD Brother Fic for sakura_uesuga - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;SEP&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Notes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 12. - Voldemort Wins! (oneshot) - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;JULY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 13. - &lt;st1:city w:st="on"&gt;&lt;st1:place w:st="on"&gt;&lt;st1:place u1:st="on"&gt;&lt;st1:city u1:st="on"&gt;Seattle&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt;&lt;/st1:city&gt;!Draco - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;AUG&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 14. - Death!fic - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;OCT&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; (another novella)&lt;br /&gt; 15. – Love potion fic - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;SEP&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Planning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 16. – New Vampire fic - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;OCT&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 17. - Ransoms sequel for alaana_fair - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;AUG&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Back Burner&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Without Deadlines&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 18. - Misc prompts requested @ Christmas - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;DEC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 19. - HD/Snape fic (please kill me now) - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;DEC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 20. – Vague idea for dom!Harry (needs work) - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;DEC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 21. – Auction!fic (collab with byaghro) - &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;DEC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 22. – Vague Fic idea that might be scrapped in favor of another fic idea. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;DEC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;u2:p&gt;&lt;/u2:p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;23. - Phoenix Aflame (or that other thing, lol!) &lt;span style="color: blue;"&gt;Due&lt;/span&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;NOV 29 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;(lilith’s bday)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 24. - HD Hols – &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;DEC &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;(If I get selected…)&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;u2:p&gt;&lt;/u2:p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;25. – Blender sequels &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: blue;"&gt;AUG&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;26. - Harry the Hairdresser fic (new addition)&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;b&gt;Complete&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt; 1. - AS/S Fest fic DONE AND SUBMITTED!!!&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;2. - Crack!Fic for starsailor_13 – Chapter one DONE &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;3. - Rework of Lilith’s blackmail fic - DONE!&lt;br /&gt; 4. - Polyjuice Pastime sequel DONE!&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;5. – AS/S Fest Part II DONE AND SUBMITTED!!!&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;6. – Hissy Fit for enchanted_jae DONE&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style=""&gt;Why does that damned thing not seem to be getting any smaller?&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; I renewed my LJ subscription today. YAY for email notifications because I have no memory whatsoever.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; There have been TOO MANY fabulous fics on the AS/S Fest. Like this one: &lt;a href="http://www.striped-wrappers.com/afest/afest-gift-honorarymaraudr.html"&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: none;"&gt;Snatched &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;SO FREAKING GOOD!!! I love original jobs and this one delivers in spades. I also love Harry more than humanly possible in this fic. Harry lovers unite.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; COMICCON IS IN 24 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; And my novel will be published online starting tomorrow. Woohoooo!!! I'll probably start posting slash stories about the main characters sometime after that... LOL!&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:dysonrules:59044</id>
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    <title>Hissy Fit Chapter Eight (The End)</title>
    <published>2008-06-26T16:10:25Z</published>
    <updated>2008-07-01T05:25:59Z</updated>
    <category term="hissy fit"/>
    <content type="html">I couldn't really break this into two chapters without getting lynched.&amp;nbsp; LOL!&amp;nbsp; Enjoy!&amp;nbsp; Many thousands of thanks to &lt;span class='ljuser' lj:user='byaghro' style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='http://byaghro.livejournal.com/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='http://byaghro.livejournal.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;byaghro&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;for her beta work and for providing the damn plotline to this fic, which eluded me for weeks!&amp;nbsp; LOVEAGE to her!!!&amp;nbsp; And happy birthday again, &lt;span class='ljuser' lj:user='enchanted_jae' style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='http://enchanted-jae.livejournal.com/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='http://enchanted-jae.livejournal.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;enchanted_jae&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Title&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Hissy Fit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Rating&lt;/b&gt;: NC17 (finally!!!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Warnings&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Um... smex?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Summary&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Harry wakes up.&amp;nbsp; Woohoo!!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Beginning - &lt;a href="http://dysonrules.livejournal.com/56801.html"&gt;Hissy Fit - Chapter 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;b style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Chapter Eight&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry woke to unfamiliar surroundings and it took him a moment to recognize the interior of St. Mungo’s.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Right, he’d been bitten by Malfoy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Bush Vipers were most definitely poisonous.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He raised a hand to touch the headache that lingered and felt a weight on his chest.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He glanced down to find Malfoy coiled there, asleep.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry smiled and let his hand drop to caress the soft scales.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The snake lifted its head to stare at him though bright eyes.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;You’re awake.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Awake&lt;/i&gt;, Harry agreed and his eyes widened.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Thank Merlin, he could understand Parseltongue again.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The snake shifted and then a warm human body lay atop Harry in the viper’s place.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It was only a potion, Potter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They do wear off, you know.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry flushed, but it was more a result of Malfoy’s comfortable weight than embarrassment.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Not always.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Forgive me if I was not exactly confident of Colin’s skill.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m surprised he managed to brew the potion in the first place.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Would it really bother you that much to lose your ability to talk to snakes?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No,” Harry admitted.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“But it would bother me to be unable to talk to &lt;i&gt;you&lt;/i&gt;.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He allowed his hand to skate gently over Malfoy’s ribs, just as he would if Malfoy were still a snake.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He met the startled grey eyes steadily.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I actually figured it out before you left me your chart.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Astonishingly, I clued in when I realized how good it felt to wake up with you next to me.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His strokes grew bolder and he allowed his other hand to join the action.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Like now.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy was silent so long Harry began to worry that he had misread the signs and charts and stalking, but then the blond levered himself forward and pressed his lips to Harry’s.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He thought he might break into pieces from the tension, but Malfoy’s soft breath against his face made him feel almost liquid.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s hands caught his wrists and held him in place with a light grip.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry thought his heart might leap completely out of his chest from the force of his heartbeat.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s lips touched his neck feather-lightly and drew a tingling path from Harry’s collarbone up to his earlobe.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I thought you didn’t want me, Potter.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p style="text-indent: 0.5in;" class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Harry’s groan should have been answer enough, but as was typical it did not satisfy Malfoy, whose hot mouth sucked lightly at the soft patch of skin beneath Harry’s ear, drawing a shiver from him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Do you want me, Potter?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Merlin&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry thought it was more than obvious, but apparently Malfoy wanted his humiliation to be complete.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry drew in a shuddering breath.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Yes,” he managed as he exhaled.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Remarkably, Malfoy’s hands released his wrists only to wrap around him and pull him closer.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The Slytherin’s mouth fastened on his neck again, more insistent this time, as if trying to draw Harry’s essence through his skin.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Merlin, Potter, I’ve been waiting forever to hear you say that.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s paralysis lasted only a moment and then he wrapped his arms around Malfoy in a crushing embrace.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I thought you were having me on.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy chuckled and the sound tickled Harry’s neck and sent another shiver coursing through him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You always were thick.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry groaned, but smiled as he pressed his lips into the soft blond hair.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What happened to Colin?” he asked suddenly, remembering where they were.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Much as he would have liked to show Malfoy just how much he wanted him, they would likely be interrupted by a medi-witch.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy sighed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I brought you here and then went back for the git.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I took him to Kingsley, who woke him up and questioned him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They fetched the idiotic oaf from Hogwarts and he confessed to his ridiculous plan to bring magical creatures to the Muggles.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I swear—”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry put a finger on the soft lips, unwilling to hear slurs against Hagrid, even though Malfoy was right, it had been rather stupid of Hagrid, who had never been the brightest bulb when it came to his precious animals.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Anyone that thought of Blast-Ended Skrewts as &lt;i&gt;cute…&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Well, that was just Hagrid.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry hoped Kingsley had not been too hard on him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Don’t worry, Potter, your pet oaf won’t serve time in Azkaban.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m sure Kingsley will let him off with a fine and some sort of community service, since he apparently was not acting with malicious intent.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Creevey, on the other hand, should have known better.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He claims he did not know the harm magical creatures could do, citing his Muggleborn blood as a defence.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Of course, he had no problem keeping the money from the sale of the creatures and using it to fund a photo gallery he planned to establish in Diagon Alley.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I don’t think Kingsley plans to be as lenient with him.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry frowned.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He might have to attend the trial and speak on Colin’s behalf.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The Creevey’s always had a tendency to act without thinking.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry was certain Colin had meant no harm.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s eyes narrowed.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You’re planning to do something altruistic, aren’t you, Potter?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry thought he might be able to distract Malfoy and put the idea to the test.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He slipped his hands beneath Malfoy’s shirt and trailed his fingers over the muscles of his back.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What I’m planning at the moment has nothing to do with altruism,” Harry said in a seductive tone.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Oh?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;And what might that be?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Before Harry could reply, the door opened and Malfoy disappeared.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry yanked the blankets up to cover the snake as it slithered beneath his hospital-issued pyjamas.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Auror Potter, you’re awake!”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The medi-witch hurried forward and laughed at Harry’s apparent modesty.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Don’t worry, I’ve seen it all before.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;No doubt I was working here when you were a mere babe.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry did not bother to correct her as the viper slithered down his torso.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;She pulled his blankets back just as Malfoy disappeared into his pyjama bottoms.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry gasped.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;She giggled again.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You certainly are modest, but I have to check you out.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Any lingering effects?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No,” Harry said quickly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I feel fine.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Except for his headache, he felt surprisingly well considering the venom that had pumped through his system.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was thankful his partner had moved quickly, even though the incident had been his fault to begin with.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The medi-witch pulled out her wand and Harry made a strangled cry when Malfoy slithered over his cock and into a tight coil.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What is it?” she asked in concern.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Are you in pain?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m fine!” Harry said and tugged at the blankets, trying to cover his abdomen as the medi-witch tried to drag them down.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I think I should be the judge of that, Auror Potter,” she said sternly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Now, let me run some quick tests…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;She thankfully allowed Harry to keep his lower regions covered.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy was being especially evil with his inability to remain still.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It took all Harry’s concentration to keep from squirming as the woman cast several diagnostic spells.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Something seems to be growing, Potter&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;, Malfoy hissed and the medi-witch looked at him in surprise.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Did you hear something?” she asked.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry shook his head, unable to speak though the effort of trying to keep something from growing even larger at the knowledge that Malfoy was currently wrapped around his quickly stiffening cock.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’m ready to go home now,” Harry managed and shifted his hips in an effort to dislodge the coiled reptile.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Honestly, he had only gotten used to the idea of Malfoy touching him at all and now this!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The movement backfired as the smooth scales slid over his skin.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Yes, something was definitely growing now and all the iron control in the world wouldn’t stop it, especially when another muffled hiss reached Harry’s ears.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;In five seconds, I’m turning back into myself&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Right now?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;But I’m not finished,” the medi-witch said and paused to frown at him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Four&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Yes, now!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I told you I feel fine!”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Three&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“But surely you want us to verify the poison caused no lasting damage.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;You only just woke up, Auror Potter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I must insist you stay—”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Two&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry snatched his wand from the bedside table and Disapparated.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He tumbled a couple of inches through the air and landed on his own bed with Malfoy atop him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s pyjama bottoms strangled them both—they were definitely not made for two sets of legs.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;And Malfoy was fully dressed.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“That’s not funny!” Harry cried.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Now get off of me.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy chuckled, but instead of moving he cast a spell with his wand and then the pyjamas were no longer constricting them because they had vanished.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry made a squeaking noise when he realized he was completely naked beneath the predatory blond, who smiled wickedly.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Better?” he asked.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Almost,” Harry replied.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’m a little, um… nervous.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry thought that might be the understatement of the century.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was fairly petrified.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy had been correct with his charts and graphs—Harry had dated nearly everyone he knew, but he had never taken any of them home.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“This is the first time I’ve…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;While Harry babbled, Malfoy’s fingers drew slow circles beneath his collarbone and his lips nibbled at Harry’s jaw, working their way toward his ear.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s pulse raced.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Several hot kisses were pressed into Harry’s neck, sending shivers of delight through Harry’s body.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He had never appreciated the sensitivity of his throat before.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Even when Malfoy spoke, his lips remained on Harry’s skin and tickled deliciously.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I won’t do anything you don’t want, Potter.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry groaned.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What do you want?” Malfoy asked huskily.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry raised his hands and slipped them into Malfoy’s soft hair to pull him closer.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He arched his back slightly to bring their bodies into even closer contact.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The clothing between them seemed rough and cloying.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You,” Harry said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I want you.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s arms nearly crushed him and Harry laughed shakily as the silver eyes rose and fixed on his.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I never thought I’d hear you say that.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Not really,” Malfoy admitted.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry gaped at him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You mean you didn’t believe your own chart?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy ducked his head slightly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I may have skewed the data slightly in my favour.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Skewed the data.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;That’s very Slytherin of you, Malfoy, and rather unethical for an employee of Gringott’s,” Harry said dryly.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I would never tamper with financial information!” Malfoy said hotly.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry laughed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What about my expense reports?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy scowled.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“We are not discussing your inability to properly fill out paperwork.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The fine blush that tinted his cheeks hinted to Harry that the blond had most likely trumped up dozens of ridiculous inadequacies with Harry’s expense vouchers just as an excuse to see him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He felt a rush of warmth to know how hard Malfoy had worked to win him, despite Harry’s obliviousness.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His apprehension vanished.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No, we are not discussing that,” Harry said in what he hoped was a seductive tone.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“We’re discussing why you are still wearing your clothes.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Either the tone or the words—or both—were effective, because Malfoy gasped and then levered himself away from Harry.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He stood next to the bed and Harry forced himself to lie still while Malfoy’s eyes slid over his unclad form.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;A smile curved Malfoy’s lips and heat seemed to flare from his eyes, drying Harry’s throat and making it difficult for him to breathe.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Apparently he had not been found wanting.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The breathlessness increased when slender fingers reached up and began to undo the fine buttons of the dark robes.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry drank in the sight of pale flesh as more and more of it was revealed and he realized he had never seen Malfoy without clothing.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;When the robes pooled at Malfoy’s feet, Harry felt it a crime that the blond was even allowed clothing.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Such perfection should be on display for the world to see.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Even as the thought ghosted across his mind, Harry felt almost giddy knowing that right now that perfection was only for him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Merlin, you’re gorgeous,” he said humbly and was astonished and pleased when Malfoy looked down somewhat shyly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He had expected Malfoy to be aggressive and demanding, but this glimpse of shyness was unexpectedly enticing.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Of course I am, Potter,” Malfoy said in an obvious attempt to recover his aplomb.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Come here,” Harry said thickly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He much preferred the near-awe he currently felt to his prior nervousness, and had to acknowledge that only Malfoy could wring so many emotions from him in so short a time.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He smiled, already knowing what the blond would say about such a poetic sentiment.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy noticed the smile and returned it—turning his beauty into something nearing luminescence.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He dove onto the bed in a quick, unexpected move and Harry laughed as he wrapped the blond in a warm embrace.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy kissed him again and this time all awkwardness was gone.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s heat burned into him and Harry decided firmly that skin on skin was definitely the way to go.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They were both hard and panting together when Harry gasped, “I want…&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Oh, Merlin, I want…”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was not sure what he wanted, but it definitely involved &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;more&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;More of Malfoy’s stroking hands, more of his exquisite lips, and more delicious friction of cock on cock.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;More of anything Malfoy chose to give him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Tell me what you want, Harry,” the soft voice rumbled as fingertips trailed lazily over his hip in teasing designs.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry lay wantonly open with Malfoy between his legs, and he frotted shamelessly again him, desperate for rougher contact.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Do you want me to fuck you, or would you prefer to top this time around?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry thought his brain might short-circuit at the very idea of Malfoy’s hard length penetrating him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;So much so that he couldn’t speak for a moment.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy chuckled.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“All right, I’ve been dreaming for months about having you inside me, so let’s try it that way, shall we?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Over we go.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy slipped an arm under him and rolled them over in a smooth motion.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry found lying atop the blond to be just as delightful as the reverse and his cock twitched happily in anticipation of what was to come next.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy guided him easily through the steps of preparation—lubrication, spells of protection, spells that did Merlin-knew-what, but apparently made penetration easier… and then Harry was pressing into Malfoy’s tight heat and wondering if he could possibly make it all the way in without coming.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He bit his lip and focused, knowing Malfoy’s lust-induced docility would vanish in an instant and be replaced with biting scorn if Harry did anything so stupid.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He looked into the liquid silver eyes and revised that thought.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;At this point, Malfoy might forgive him almost anything, but that only made him more determined to draw the experience out and make it as mind-blowingly brilliant for the blond as it was for him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Still, the tightness surrounding him was almost unbearable.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He had to pause.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“If I move…” he said.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It’s all right,” Malfoy replied and several heartbeats passed while they kissed gently.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;When Harry finally sighed in relief, Malfoy grinned and thrust his hips forward in a sharp movement.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry cried out when he was buried deeper than he had thought possible.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Move now.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Bloody hell, Harry, fuck me.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry suddenly regretted ever wanting to shut Malfoy up, because his words were nearly as erotic as the feel of him—he forgot all that the moment he started to move, because it was beyond incredible.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Instinct took over, guided by the sounds of Malfoy’s cries whenever Harry hit a particular spot.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He repeated it until Malfoy fairly mewled beneath him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry gripped Malfoy’s slim hips for leverage and pounded until he thought Malfoy might split in half, but he seemed more than fine, based on the litany of sound that spilled from his gorgeous lips.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Most of it was nonsense, consisting of partial phrases like &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;yes, yes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;there, there, Merlin, there&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;, and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;oh, oh, oh&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;, but peppered with his name uttered in such a way that Harry thrilled at every erotic declaration of it.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry trembled on the brink, dying for release but determined to hang on until Malfoy was satisfied.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Thankfully, he felt a rush as the pressure around his cock grew even tighter and he felt nails drag across his back as Malfoy shuddered beneath him and cried out his name once more.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was unbelievably hot and Harry gratefully allowed his own climax to explode through him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Holy fuck!” he yelled as it wrung him nearly dry.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry realized he was crushing Malfoy, lying on him in a liquid heap.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He raised his head to look at his lover.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He realized belatedly that he could have sped along Malfoy’s release by stroking that lovely cock of his, but he supposed he hadn’t done too badly, if the blond’s expression of sated bliss was anything to go by.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Is it always like that?” Harry asked breathlessly.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No, Potter,” Malfoy said and his arms tightened around Harry’s back.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No, that was something special.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry tucked his face into Malfoy’s neck, unexpectedly pleased.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He grinned at Malfoy’s reversion to his last name.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Apparently the blond refused to use his first name except in the throes of passion.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry supposed he could live with that.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He pressed a kiss into Malfoy’s sweat-tinged throat.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Are you going to get all mushy and sentimental on me, now?” Malfoy asked dryly, but Harry noticed his grip did not slacken.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;”No,” Harry said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“But you aren’t going anywhere.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Oh, really?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Absolutely,” Harry informed him and nibbled at the salty flesh before sucking lightly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’m not finished with you, yet.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy made a barely audible moan before asking, “When do you think you’ll be finished with me?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Next Tuesday,” Harry decided.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy shoved him away indignantly and Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the outrage in the grey eyes.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Before he could speak, Harry added, “Of course, that’s when I’ll be finished with the first bit.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s eyes narrowed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“The first bit?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry nodded.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I think that’s when I’ll be done figuring out how long it takes to kiss every inch of this body of yours.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I expect to run a few tests, of course.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Maybe you can make me another chart.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“And then?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“And then I’ll most likely want to see what it takes to make you do this—”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry stroked Malfoy’s partially hard cock and grinned wickedly when he gasped.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I figure that one will take quite a lot longer…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You are awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you, Potter?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry rolled over and pulled the blond on top of him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Well, someone made me this handy chart that points out my ideal mate.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I think I’ll take his advice.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy relaxed against him and Harry thought he might be able to stay in that position forever.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It’s about time,” the Animagus sniffed.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry pressed his fingers into his temples where another headache was brewing.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Clearly, those figures should have been recorded under Miscellaneous instead of Incidentals,” Malfoy said and &lt;i&gt;tap tap tapped&lt;/i&gt; a column on Harry’s expense report.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Draco, we’ve been dating for six months,” Harry said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Surely you can give me a break on these damned things once in awhile?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Draco’s wand disappeared as he rounded the desk and pressed his cool fingers into Harry’s temples.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Of course not, Harry.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Otherwise I would have no excuse to come here and do this.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He leaned down and greedily devoured Harry’s lips while a hand trailed down his chest before coming to rest on Harry’s abdomen.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Mmmm, stop that, Draco.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This murder case is driving me spare and I don’t need you distracting me, as pleasant as your distraction might be.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Draco’s lips teased the edge of Harry’s jaw.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“That’s because you’re bollocks at organization.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I took the liberty of compiling your notes and making some statistical observations.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You went through my case notes?”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry tried to sound outraged, but Draco’s hand had moved lower and now teased Harry’s crotch.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His immediate erection was assisted by the memory of the sterling blowjob Draco had given him on his last visit.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I was bored and your notes were a nightmare.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Frankly, your handwriting looks like hippogriff scratchings.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;You might try for a bit of legibility next time.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s reply was a low moan and his legs fell open to give the blond better access.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It’s about time that idiot Shacklebolt started giving you better assignments.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I think it was my last audit that convinced him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Although my review was perfectly justified, I might add.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Imagine spending eight Galleons on a single quill!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Did he have to order from the highest bidder?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I suspected nepotism, of course…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Draco rambled on, but Harry had stopped listening, lost in sensation.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Having Draco Malfoy for a lover had turned out to be quite an adventure.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Half the time Harry wanted to kill him and the other half of the time he wanted to shag him into the wall—and frequently did.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;As for his cases, Harry suspected Kingsley’s change of heart had more to do with Harry’s threat to quit the Auror department altogether than Draco’s ruthless audits.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry had been quite serious with his ultimatum and more challenging cases had been handed to him, finally making him feel like a productive Auror.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Harry!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Are you in there, Harry?” a voice yelled in accompaniment to a loud banging on the door.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Draco instantly morphed into reptile form and slithered into Harry’s shirt just as the door opened to disclose Colin Creevey’s smiling face.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry groaned and scooted his chair closer to the desk to hide his arousal.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Stupid Creevey&lt;/i&gt;, Draco hissed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;I still say he should have gone to Azkaban&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry had spoken for Colin at his trial, earning the lad a hefty fine and community service.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The proceeds from his potion had paid the fine in no time, but unfortunately his community service involved quite a lot of time at the Ministry.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was supposed to stay in the Department of the Regulation of Magical Creatures—it had been Kingsley’s intention to show Colin exactly how dangerous some of the animals could be—but he frequently found his way to Harry’s office through one excuse or another.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Hagrid had faced lesser charges, since he had not purchased any of the creatures himself.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He had been firmly chastised by Kingsley and then Hermione had taken over.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;She agreed to keep a close eye on him from then on, basically the equivalent of house-arrest, in Harry’s opinion.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Colin’s voice dragged him back to the present.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Harry!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I got the photos you wanted!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They turned out so good I think I’ll hang some in the window of my gallery, if that’s okay with you.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;And with Draco, of course.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was damned hard to get some of these, I’ll have you know.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Thanks for lending me your invisibility cloak.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It helped.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He handed Harry an envelope and Harry cleared his throat loudly to cover the sound of Draco hissing.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;You lent him your cloak?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;What for?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I think we might have to have a little chat later, Potter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I don’t like you hanging around with your little fanboy at all.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Now get rid of him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The last was delivered as Draco slithered out of Harry’s shirt near his waistband and then turned back into himself beneath Harry’s desk.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His cock twitched in anticipation.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was almost a Pavlovian response.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Draco Malfoy on his knees at Harry’s feet equalled instant rock-hard arousal.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Thanks, Colin.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’ll um… look at these later,” Harry said and swallowed as Draco skilfully pulled down the zip on his trousers and eased his cock into the open air.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Colin looked disappointed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“But they’re really good, Harry.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He tore open the envelope and shook a dozen assorted photos onto the desk.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s breath caught, a response that made Colin beam happily even though it had been caused by Draco wrapping his lips around the head of Harry’s cock and lapping his tongue over the slit.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s attention was arrested by the top photo, however.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was Draco, standing casually in Diagon Alley with an incredible smile curving his lips.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The sun gleamed off his platinum hair and shimmered in the silk of his expensive robes.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry remembered that day and knew the smile was for him alone.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The knowledge warmed him even more than the feel of the hot mouth taking in his hard length.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He reached down and touched the blond head tenderly.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The other photos were similar:&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Draco in moonlight; Draco in the Ministry Atrium sneering at a passerby; Draco at a Quidditch match, cheering; Draco in the shower—&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Colin!” Harry yelled and heard a bang as Draco’s head hit the underside of the desk.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I thought you’d really like that one!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He didn’t see me!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I used your cloak.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fuck.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The sight of Draco soaping himself in the shower nearly undid Harry, even with the waves of annoyance emanating from beneath the desk.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’ll pay you for these later, Colin,” Harry said quickly, eyes still glued to the photo.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Please go now.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“But Harry…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;A flick of Harry’s wand sent an invisible force to shove Colin out the door and then several Locking Charms and Silencing Spells followed.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What the fuck was that about?” Draco demanded as Harry slid his chair back, but the sight of Harry’s turgid cock distracted him, as hoped.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The blond fairly leaped on it and Harry arched into his gorgeous mouth.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His hands tangled in the fair hair and mussed it nicely, something Draco was bound to bitch about afterward.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’ll show you later,” he promised.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:dysonrules:58794</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://dysonrules.livejournal.com/58794.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://dysonrules.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=58794"/>
    <title>Hissy Fit Chapter Seven</title>
    <published>2008-06-25T14:50:11Z</published>
    <updated>2008-07-01T05:25:19Z</updated>
    <category term="hissy fit"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;b&gt;Title&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Hissy Fit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Rating&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; NC17... maybe???&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Warnings&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; More charts and graphs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Summary&lt;/b&gt;:&amp;nbsp; Does Harry finally get a clue?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Beginning - &lt;a href="http://dysonrules.livejournal.com/56801.html"&gt;Hissy Fit - Chapter 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;b style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Chapter Seven&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Carter was not exactly a fountain of information.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The man refused to utter a bloody word without his lawyer, who had a distinct need to bury them in paperwork merely for the sake of proving his superiority.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It had taken the department half the day just to get a written statement from the man denying his culpability.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They were forbidden to use Veritaserum on him, since he had not actually been apprehended in the act of committing a crime.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He only &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;appeared&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt; to have been purchasing illegal creatures. &lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Harry’s Pensieve memory confirmed that Carter had not specified which creatures he had attempted to buy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Carter insisted he had been collecting perfectly legal Kneazles, despite the fact that there were no Kneazles in the container with the baby hippogriff, the nundu kitten, and the bound Fwoopers.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry had been frustrated enough to demand Kingsley use Legilimency on the obstinate bastard, but unless they Obliviated him afterwards, the lawyer would have slapped a lawsuit on them.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry did not even dare to threaten Carter for the same reason.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The best they could do was acquire a search warrant to check out the Knockturn Alley shop.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry took Dean along, although he debated calling Malfoy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In the end, he decided not to risk Malfoy making some comment and tipping Dean &lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;off that he had made a previous, unauthorized search.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Of course, that was merely an excuse.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In truth, Harry did not trust himself around the Animagus any more.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He and Dean seized what records they could and then returned to the Ministry to go over them.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Every time Harry’s office door swung open, he lifted his head hopefully.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;After his “secretary’s” fifth quizzical look, he put his head down with a sigh, realizing he was looking for Malfoy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He set his jaw and intentionally worked through dinner, although to little purpose.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;There was little pattern to Carter’s appointments and sales.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Only one name jumped out at Harry, and that only due to its similarity to his own:&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harvey Porter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He finally went to the cellblock and talked to Carter.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Who is Harvey Porter?” he asked.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Carter shrugged insolently.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Regular customer.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What did he purchase?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“This and that.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“If he was a regular customer, certainly you remember what he purchased.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Not offhand.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;That’s what I got notes for.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m sure you been all through those, already.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;You know better ‘n I do.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What does this &lt;st1:place w:st="on"&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st="on"&gt;Harvey&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; look like?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Carter rolled his eyes.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Shortish guy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Blond.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;What’s the difference?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Any distinguishing features?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I don’t think I’m at liberty to discuss my customers without talking to my lawyer first.” Carter said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His tone was smug and Harry’s intuition screamed at him that he was on the right track.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He spun on a heel and went back to his office to go over and notate every possible mention of Harvey Porter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was late by the time he finished and finally decided to call it quits for the night.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He left a report for Kingsley and Apparated home.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s flat was empty, as expected.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His kitchen was tidier than he had left it, as was the living room.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s eyes went straight to the chaise and he flushed at the memory of Malfoy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The blankets were gone, probably folded neatly in the hall cupboard.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry poured himself a drink and sat on the couch while his mind went back over every minute of their morning encounter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Had Malfoy really been cold last night, or had he just used the excuse to sleep with Harry?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Ice cubes clinked in his glass and the sound seemed overly loud in the empty room.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He suddenly wished he had at least talked to Malfoy before running away.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He wouldn’t blame the Slytherin if he chose never to speak to him again.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He left the drink half full and went to the bedroom to shed his clothing.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The bed was also made, looking untouched.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry climbed beneath the covers and reached for his wand to cancel the light.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He froze with his hand barely touching the wood.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;One wall of his bedroom had been completely covered with what looked like a massive chart.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He picked up his wand, anyway, but brightened the light.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He climbed off the bed and walked to the wall, amazed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;There were boxes and lines and colour-coded notations, divided into several sections.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Across the top were the names of every person Harry had dated in the past… three or four years?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;How could Malfoy have even known about them all?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry had completely forgotten the name of the girl he had met at the Quidditch match—and dated twice!—until he spotted it written in brown ink.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Beneath her name was written Dated Twice, No Snogging.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry backed up and sank down on the bed, stunned.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The sheer volume of data was mind-boggling.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;As Harry looked at it, he began to detect the pattern.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy had been right.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He really did seem to prefer blonds… and slender… and the slightly dominant-minded…&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Damn it.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;At the bottom of the chart wall were written words in green ink.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry could practically hear Malfoy’s sardonic tone.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Only one possible conclusion, Potter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Maybe you’ll figure it out&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry put out the light, took off his glasses, and went to bed.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His sleep was tormented with dreams.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Faces of the women he had dated swam in and out of focus.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy appeared often, once shifting into a snake as Harry watched and then speaking in perfect English instead of Parseltongue:&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Only one possible conclusion, Potter&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He saw Ginny’s eyes shining with tears, as they had been on the day he had broken up with her.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Maybe you’ll figure it out&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;, she said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Carter’s face sneered at him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Maybe you’ll figure it out, Potter&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Hagrid’s roaring laugh bellowed through his dream.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Only one possible conclusion, Harry&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy appeared again and his grey eyes were soft with concern as he held Harry’s wrist.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Maybe you’ll figure it out&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was a snake again, wrapping around Harry’s healed arm before baring his fangs and sinking them into Harry’s flesh.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Figure it out&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;, he hissed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Figure it out&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry sat bolt upright, clutching his blankets.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Only one possible conclusion&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harvey Porter!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Of course!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry grabbed his wand and cast a Patronus.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s head appeared in the fireplace fifteen minutes later.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“This had better be good, Potter,” he snapped.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Do you know what bloody time it is?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I sort of didn’t when I cast the spell,” he admitted.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It’s three o’ clock in the fucking morning, Potter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Unless you woke me to offer me the best blow job of my life, you had better prepare yourself for a brutal hexing.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry was silent for a few moments too long and Malfoy’s pale brow rose.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He looked positively demonic in the flames of the Floo call.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Is that why you woke me?” Malfoy asked in a purring tone.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“No!” Harry cried, shaking off his stasis.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I called you because I think I know who was purchasing the creatures from Carter!”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You woke me in the middle of the night for that?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Well… I was dreaming…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy sighed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’m coming through.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry stepped back, suddenly questioning the wisdom of his impulse.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His only excuse was that he had been half-asleep and dream-fuddled.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;A moment later, Malfoy stood in his living room, brushing Floo-powder from his dove-coloured silk dressing gown.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry wondered what he wore under it and then wondered if it were too late to finish his drink.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It’s Colin Creevey,” Harry blurted before he could say or do anything foolish.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy yawned and sat gracefully on the chaise.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He crossed his legs and Harry noted they were covered in black silk pyjamas.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What’s Colin Creevey?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“He’s been buying creatures from Carter.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy covered another yawn with one pale hand and Harry marvelled at how elegant such a simple gesture could look.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He tore his eyes away.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Why would Colin Creevey buy illegal creatures from the likes of Carter?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry floundered.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I don’t know.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt; &lt;/span&gt;The silver eyes fixed on him and Harry realized he had been a complete idiot to call the Animagus with such half-arsed information.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Um… it was the name he used.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harvey Porter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It took me a while, but I finally remembered where I had heard it before.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was shortly after we left school.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The twins had a party and Colin came.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;We were all half-arsed and started joking about who we would turn into if we had access to Polyjuice and any hair in the world.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Colin said he would turn into me and walk around calling himself Harvey Porter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The twins picked up on it and called him Harvey Porter for weeks.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Also at that party, Harry had admitted that he would Polyjuice into Draco Malfoy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;At the time, he had said it was because he wanted to feel like an over-entitled jerk, but now he wondered if his motivation had been different, even back then.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Certainly Malfoy was usually the first one that came to mind regardless of the circumstance.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“That’s fascinating, Potter.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;And what do you propose we do about it at this hour?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Do you intend to go roust the little monster from his bed?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I don’t think that would be very proper,” Harry said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Kingsley would kill him if he did that and it turned out to be a dead end.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;After divulging the tale to Malfoy, it sounded even more half-arsed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It still made no sense that Colin would be a participant in the insane scheme.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“All right, then.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m going home.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Call me when you have a more tangible plan.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;And make certain it is daylight before you do so this time.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy rose and headed for the fireplace.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry hurried over to block his path.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Wait,” he said, suddenly not wanting the blond to leave.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s grey eyes watched him sardonically, waiting.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry found himself tongue-tied.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The silence stretched into awkwardness and he swallowed hard, knowing Malfoy’s patience neared the snapping point.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Indeed, the Animagus moved slightly in the direction of escape.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry’s fingers curled into the dressing gown, sliding against the silk as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Malfoy’s.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The blond made no movement or sound at all.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry tasted him gently, urging a response.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was surprised the sound of his heart was not audible, as hard as it drummed in his chest.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;After long moments, Malfoy still did not move and Harry felt cold terror take the place of the intensely unfamiliar feeling.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;What if he had been wrong about the chart—about everything?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He allowed himself a last tiny suction of mouth on lips and then pulled away.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He did not get far before a hand clenched in his hair and twisted his head to the side.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s lips were back against his, but no longer passive.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They moved roughly over Harry’s for only a moment before his tongue demanded entrance.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry did not hesitate, opening up and allowing him access even as he pressed himself closer to the hard body before him.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He felt normalcy spiralling away from him as his world focused to the feel of Malfoy’s mouth on his and the tongues of fire licking their way through his blood.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was fully plundered and marvelled at Malfoy’s apparent intention to draw on every surface of his mouth with his tongue, because he was doing a damn fine job of it, discovering erogenous zones Harry had not dreamed existed.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was more than a kiss—it felt like baptism by fire.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Long before he was ready to stop, Malfoy shoved him away.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry stared at him, panting and shaken.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Figured it out, have you?” Malfoy asked coldly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“It only took four years and a bloody chart plastered on your wall.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Or is this just another ploy?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry drew himself up and wished his hands weren’t shaking.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What do you mean?” he asked.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I took the liberty of stopping by Gringott’s yesterday, only to discover that &lt;st1:place w:st="on"&gt;&lt;st1:city w:st="on"&gt;Grimsby&lt;/st1:city&gt;&lt;/st1:place&gt; was assigned to a Ministry audit in my absence.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It all became crystal clear at that point, Kingsley’s insistence on my ‘helping’ you with this bloody ridiculous assignment.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It’s all part of a plan to keep me out of Kingsley’s hair, isn’t it?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry flushed, unable to deny it.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Yes, but…”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s handsome features turned hard.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Such an obedient Auror.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Taking on every stupid case assigned to you and watching lesser Aurors steal your glory with high-profile assignments, merely because Kingsley is secretly terrified that one day you’ll wake up and decide to take over.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m curious to know how long you planned to string me on and how far you were willing to go to obey orders.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry gaped at him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“This has nothing to do with that!”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Whatever.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;To use your own words, Potter, go play your annoying games with someone else.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I’m not interested.”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;With that, the blond turned, snatched a handful of Floo powder, and was gone.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry stared into the flames and wondered what the hell had just happened.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He staggered to the chaise and sat down.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Fuck.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Every time he thought he had a handle on something in his bloody life, something else came along and threw a hex at it.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His lips felt raw and bruised.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His tongue slid over them and his breath caught at the taste of Malfoy that still lingered there.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Surely Malfoy didn’t believe Harry’s attraction was something he faked for the sake of his job?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;A flare of annoyance washed over Harry’s insecurity.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Damn the man!&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Was nothing ever simple with Malfoy?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He grinned ruefully, knowing the answer.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The blond was maddening at the best of times, but Harry had finally discovered that it might be worth the trouble, especially if that kiss were anything to go by.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He pushed himself off the chaise and went back to sit on his bed and look at the chart.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In addition to the things written there, Malfoy possessed qualities Harry appreciated but that Malfoy had overlooked.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Persistence, for one thing.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He had been in Harry’s hair almost daily for the past four years, apparently waiting for Harry to wake up and put the clues together.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He was also quite intelligent, something that he had come to appreciate in the past few days, along with a wicked sense of humour.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry had missed the never-ending commentary last night during his solitary research and had found his mind inserting dry phrases he thought Malfoy might utter.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Not interested&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry smiled softly as he looked at the chart, painstakingly created over Merlin knew how many hours.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy knew where he lived.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy had standing orders that only he could approve Harry’s expense reports.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He knew exactly what buttons to press to set Harry off every single time.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style=""&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;Not interested&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“We’ll see about that,” Harry muttered.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He lay back on his bed, crossed his arms behind his head and waited for daylight, making and discarding plans.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry stood outside the gates of Malfoy Manor, fuming.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy’s house-elves had informed him that the Lord of the Manor refused to see him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;His Floo-calls had gone unanswered.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He had even killed an hour by going to the Ministry and verifying Colin’s address.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He could probably have gone alone, but he really wanted Malfoy to come along, and not just because he admired the blond’s arse.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He supposed the silent treatment was to be expected.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;On reflection, he had decided that Malfoy had probably expected Harry to follow him the moment he stepped through the Floo.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The Animagus was likely accustomed to being pursued, but Harry had little experience as a pursuer.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Normally they fell all over themselves for the opportunity to be seen with &lt;i&gt;him—&lt;/i&gt;it was a novel change to have to track someone down and force his attentions on them.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Malfoy, of course, was not making the tracking down easy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry knew he was at the Manor, but all the normal forms of entry had been barred to him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He would have to use all the ingenuity at his disposal.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Finally making up his mind, Harry stepped forward and touched the wrought-iron bars of the gates.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They were heavily warded against intrusion with spells and curses both.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It took him awhile—perhaps twenty minutes of pure concentration—but he managed to dispel the last of the curses and unlock the gates.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The instant he stepped through, he was surrounded by angry house-elves.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You is not welcome here, Harry Potter!” one yelled in a squeaking voice.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You go away now!”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I’m here to see Draco, whether he likes it or not,” Harry said adamantly.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;One of the elves raised a hand and Harry cast his ace in the hole—a spell that temporarily nullified house-elf powers.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was a closely guarded Auror secret, but necessary in Harry’s line of work.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;House-elves could do horrific things if provoked, and they considered home invasion to be definite provocation.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;One of them squawked angrily and threw himself—or herself—at Harry.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;As teeth sank into his calf, he reflected that even nullifying spells could not stop them biting and scratching.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Stunning Spells could, however, and he was quickly surrounded by unconscious house-elves.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He sighed and continued up the drive to the mansion.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He did not have long.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;House-elf constitutions being what they were, the nullifying spell had a limited period of effectiveness.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry banged on the door in annoyance and was met with silence.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He thought about casting a spell that would shatter the doors into splinters, but thought it might not be the best way to win Malfoy’s heart.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Instead, he spent precious minutes finessing the door locks until they finally clicked open and admitted him.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He stepped into the foyer to find Malfoy waiting for him, leaning against the wall with a cup of tea.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Impressive,” he said.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“I don’t think many people could have managed that feat.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You could have just let me in!” Harry snapped.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“Where would be the fun in that?&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I wanted to see how persistent you intended to be.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Also, it was an interesting test of the Manor’s defences.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Pathetic, I’d say.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I see I shall have to make some serious modifications.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“You do realize I’ve wasted nearly half the day on your…”&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;He barely stopped himself before uttering the word “games.”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;“What do you want, Potter?”&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoBodyText"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-GB"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Merlin,&lt;/i&gt; Harry wanted to answer that question honestly, but the hard light in Malfoy’s eyes led him to believe it was not the time for confessions.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The blond had been rejected and he was not about to make reconciliation easy.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Harry was not sure exactly how angry Malfoy was about the deception involving the audit, also.&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Slytherins had a tenden