Rivaling Affections

Chapter 17

The room that Draco created in the basement of Harry's cottage was small but perfectly suited to their needs. It was, for all intents and purposes, just a room; brick walls, wood beamed ceiling and a polished concrete floor, however, as with most people, it was what was on the inside that counted. Within those four walls resided some of the most powerful wards the world had ever seen, and all of them were attuned to Draco and Harry specifically.

As the men stood an arm's breadth apart, Draco could feel Harry's power trickle over him in the form of hot flames, but he wasn't worried. Not only did he know that Harry was perfectly capable of reeling his powers back himself, but he also knew that -if it came to it- he could utilize the wards and lock Harry's power down at any given moment.

That was the purpose of their training room. It was built as a place for Harry to feel comfortable letting loose and for Draco to remain safe in case anything got out of hand. After the second time Harry accidentally flung his lover roughly to the ground in a training exercise gone wrong, large, downy pillows had been added to the floor. They weren't so much to stop Draco's injuries –those were fairly minor and nothing a small skin rejuvenation spell couldn't handle- but more so that Harry could comfortably kiss said injuries all better.

They trained in the room every evening after leaving Hogwarts, Harry channeling his power into every spell the two could think of; Draco encouraging him with books he had picked up on magic control from the Manor or the school's vast library. There hadn't been a mishap in weeks, and Harry was growing more and more confident every day that he could keep his magic in check and refrain from hurting anyone or even causing the slightest bit of property damage.

"So does this mean we can finally take the wards off the bedroom?" Draco asked as he opened his palm to receive a glowing blue orb Harry had manifested. It flared and cracked like lightning contained in a glass ball. Once Draco's fingers touched it, the orb turned into liquid and flowed over his body like a blanket. The warm buzz of an electrical current coated his skin but didn't hurt him; it simply tickled.

Harry closed his palms and the liquid seeped away from Draco and back to the brunette's hands again. "You're very anxious to get rid of those wards aren't you?" Harry laughed. He had grown quite used to them over the years but he knew they still made Draco feel a bit ill.

"I just think that if this talk with Teddy goes well and I become a permanent resident that I should have a say," Draco pouted. Harry smiled and, with a flick of his wrist and a nonverbal spell, he had an armful of a very satisfied blonde.

"You have a say now," he whispered. "If you want them down, I'll take them down. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"We'll wait until Minerva tests you and see what she has to say," Draco reasoned wisely. It would only be another week after all, and they could seek her advice about the wards when they went to see her.

They had been keeping a low profile at school, and, somehow, exaggerations of their new relationship hadn't made it to the rumor mill yet. Some of the staff knew, but none of the students did -not even Teddy- they had agreed to keep it between them until summer. Neither of them wanted to put the boy's first year in turmoil, so they reluctantly kept a lid on it. It was hard -especially within the first few weeks when all Harry wanted to do was scoop Draco up and make off to his office with the blonde for more personal attention- but it became easier as they realized there were plenty of nooks and alcoves they could sneak away to for a quick snog without anyone being the wiser.

"That sounds like a good plan," Harry agreed, nodding his head slightly. "School lets out in five days, and I can go see her anytime after that." Minerva had practically –and much to Harry's surprise- squealed like a schoolgirl when presented with the opportunity to help Harry with his control, apparently quite happy her favorite Professor was finally asking for assistance with it. Her only condition was that Harry wait to be tested after the students left –purely a precautionary measure, of course.