Orb of Destiny - Moment by Moment Book #6 (Harry Potter, Drarry)

The Chase Begins

After the impromptu smooch, Harry performed a quick clean up, and then, together, the couple lay down on the bed and held close. Draco had pulled his trouser back up from around his ankles, but he had left the flies spread open, framing his new mark proudly. However, Harry was having more difficulty accepting what he had done, and he found himself mesmerised by the stain.

For the umpteenth time since they had lain down, Harry ran his eyes over the red-brown collection of pigment, and for the first time, he put his hand out and ran his fingers over the skin. It felt like any other part of Draco's smooth skin, a little softer than his own, and there was nothing in the touch to suggest the blemish was even there. Yet he could see it, and his mind kept running back over the moment it had been created. He had placed a mark like he would have written his name inside a book, like an owner, and that didn't sit right with Harry at all. Moreover, scars meant bad things to Harry, pain or association. The lightning scar on his forehead was a bad omen, and a reminder of his parents' deaths. The knife scar had been from a desperate act, and he had not thought of it as a trophy, or even a marker, but now Draco had mentioned it, his associations were changing; in a way, the damage had marked the start of his relationship with Draco, a time when neither had been able to take any more, and they had called a truce. The lion's head, its mane billowing behind its profile, marked (Harry's pessimism couldn't resist the thought) the possible end of that relationship. He had tried to think fulfilment, but the odds favoured end. That idea made Harry sad; he didn't want this joy that had come into his life to end.

Whether Draco did have some mind reading ability hidden in all the magic he possessed, or whether he just had good intuition, Harry discovered that his musings had not gone unnoticed. Draco placed his hand over Harry's, intertwining his fingers and stroking the new shape, and he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Voldemort did the same thing," Harry worded his first concern and glanced up at the black scar over Draco's heart.

"This," Draco snarled at the mention of the darkness and smacked the outrage, "is nothing like this," and he rubbed the lion once more, calming. "I asked you for this Harry, you gave me a gift. I will always have a reminder of you, no matter what happens."

Harry looked across at his lover's face and saw the sincerity there. He squeezed his fingers together, locking Draco's between his own and he repeated, "No matter what happens."

The gaze the couple shared was maudlin, but said everything they couldn't. They had to be strong, to play their part in the huge operation, and it was time to return to the world. Harry held back the sigh that was ready in his throat, and instead leant down and kissed the mark he had made. Then, quickly, he shifted off the bed and collected the clothing he had discarded. Draco dallied a little longer on the mattress, watching him. It was only when Harry had dressed, done up his shirt and pulled on his shoes and was reaching for his wand from the bedside table that Draco moved. He did up his flies and swung his legs off the bed and then, when Harry glanced at him, fixed him with a look. It was a look that said Draco was planning, and it was a little too much reality too fast for Harry, so he glanced away again.

"We might get caught," Draco said eventually, and his bluntness made Harry turn back.

"Odds are we will," he agreed, a little relieved to be admitting his worries.

"I've been thinking about some contingencies," his lover offered hope.

Harry didn't ask what, he just waited for the answer.

"Pass me our wands," Draco requested, and held out his hand, into which Harry duly passed the requested items.

Harry watched as Draco gripped the wands loosely, his brow knitted in concentration. He did nothing more for a moment, but then Harry felt his stomach shift. Draco flicked his wrist first one way, then the other, very much like a magician Harry remembered seeing in the garden at one of Dudley's birthday parties when he had been serving drinks. The magic flicked from one side of Harry's stomach to the other in tandem with the hand movement, and then suddenly, the wands weren't in Draco's hand anymore.