It was March when Snape called for yet another Occlumency lesson, and Harry frowned as he did so. The potential danger of it all stood in the back of his mind during all of his classes, but he had to learn it if he ever want Draco to be safe. That's what willed him through it, but then again, as he kept thinking, if Snape found out about Draco, neither of them would be safe. 

Through the busy corridor, Harry spotted Draco by his hair and tried to keep back a smile. That blonde git, he thought, but hey, at least it was an easy tracking device. He debated approaching him, but decided against it due to all the people in the perimeter. That, and Ron was with him, talking to Hermione about who knows what; Harry hadn't listened the entire conversation. 

But then, an idea itched his way to the back of his head. 

"Hey, Ron," Harry called, interrupting them without his eyes leaving Draco, whom was with Pansy and Blaise about twenty feet ahead, talking. 

"Hm?"

"How would you like to see Malfoy on the floor with his shoes tied together?"

Ron sputtered a bit of laughter. "I would very much like to see that, Harry," Ron glanced up to where Draco was. Times like this, Harry wished Ron knew, just because this would be so much funnier. 

"I would very much like to see that, too, dear old mate," Harry smiled warmly at him and took out his wand from under his robe. 

"Harry, don't cause trouble," Hermione scolded.  "He's a prefect. You don't want to go about messing with him. Again."

"Trust me, Hermione, I would love to mess with him," Harry smirked. "What's the worst he's going to do? Take away points. Darn. I think seeing him on the floor in the middle of the busiest corridor in the castle with everyone laughing at him would outweigh five stupid points. Should I make it so that he isn't able to untie his shoes himself?"

"Bloody hell, yes," Ron chanted. 

"You got it," Harry smirked at the back of Draco's head, and to himself he said, 'Sorry, love.' 

Hermione tried arguing, but as she did so, Harry cast a spell, tying Draco's shoes together without his knowledge, sending him to the ground unexpectedly. Pansy whipped around to him, mouth dropped. 

"What the hell," he heard Draco say, and then everyone in the entire hall stopped walking and started laughing instead, as if it was the funniest thing in the entire world. Ron next to him doubled over and chortled. 

"Okay, I guess that's funny," Hermione giggled, and Harry did indeed smile, let out a few chuckles, but that was it. He was too scared to laugh as much as he could. What if Snape saw this too? Maybe if he didn't laugh, Snape would see he had no interest in Draco other than being his enemy. 

"Guess? That was brilliant, Harry," Ron exclaimed, and he high-fived him, and just as he did so, Draco looked up to see it. 

"Potter," he growled, sticking his jaw out and scrunching his eyes in anger at him. That's when Harry smiled, but then jerked his head to the side and flicked his eyes towards the hall, where they both knew a sheltered alcove stood abandoned. Draco blinked, rolled over and hoisted himself up, not even caring if his shoes were still tied and he hopped after him. Everyone pointed and laughed at him as he did so. 

"You'd better run, mate," Ron suggested, "He looks furious."

"No, he looks like a bunny," Harry said, before taking off, leaving Ron to grasp him stomach, weak from laughter. As Draco sprung past him, he shoved Ron's shoulder. 

"Shut up, Weasley," he sneered, continuing after Harry. Ron fell to the floor because his knees couldn't handle it. 

Draco rounded the corner with his legs burning, and he hopped into the alcove where Harry waited for him in dark solitude. 

"That wasn't funny," he snapped, leaning against the wall with heavy breathing. 

"It was a little bit," Harry said with a ghost of a smile, pinching the air with wonder in his eyes. 

Draco rolled his eyes and squatted down, trying to untie his laces, but his fingers when though them as he did so. That or they slipped off. "What the hell, Harry!"

"Ron said I should charm it," Harry bared his teeth in a cheeky grin. 

"After you bloody asked him, didn't you," Draco raised an eyebrow, looking up at him.

"Maybe," Harry bit his lip. "Here, let me." He put his knees to the floor and started untying Draco's laces for him. 

"You're lucky I want to kiss you right now," Draco said through his teeth.

"Please don't," Harry begged all too quickly. 

"Why?"

"I have my Occlumency lesson with Snape today. I don't want to be thinking of your mouth when he's searching my head."

"Oh," Draco said, and he stood as Harry finished tying his shoes. "You just need to stay calm and relax. To block him out, you need to take control and put up a wall. Legilimency is difficult, but learning Occlumency is harder. You just need to protect your head. Protect us."

"I don't know what else to think about. I think about you all the time."

"How about once he gets to the intimate parts, think about Chang, the bitch! That'll cover me up hopefully."

"Hopefully," Harry bit the inside of his cheek, and then frowned. 

"You have Umbridge next, don't you," Draco resisted the urge to put his hand to his cheek in fear of Harry rejecting him, so instead he reached out to his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. 

"How'd you know?"

"You look miserable," Draco made a face. "You look like you're going to hell."

"I am going to hell," Harry corrected and crossed his arms. He didn't look Draco in the eyes.

"Hey, maybe she'll forget you're there," Draco rubbed over his arms and biceps, massaging him. 

"I wish she would. I wish everyone would so that I could be alone with you and no one would care and Snape wouldn't bloody invade my head and Voldemort wouldn't even know who I was and everything would be so easy." 

"One day, Harry," Draco smiled at him, and Harry flattened his mouth back. 

"I agree with you, by the way."

"Hm? About what?"

"I really want to kiss you right now."

Draco smiled at him, but as he leaned closer, he heard footsteps and "Where's Harry?" so as a reaction, he gripped Harry's shoulder much tighter and pushed him up against the wall. Harry just frowned and rolled his eyes before putting on a face of ferocity. 

"Sorry," Draco whispered, and just as Ron and Hermione found them, he shouted, "That was bloody uncalled for, you stupid, annoying Gryffindork! I'm taking ten points: five because of your stupidity, and give because you're an arse!"

"And I'm taking five point from Slytherin for the use of profanity, Malfoy," Hermione snapped, "And hostility."

"Yeah, Malfoy, let go of him," Ron shouted, and they approached them, Draco only letting go when he had to, giving Harry a squeeze before pulling away. 

"Touching other students isn't allowed, or civilized," Hermione reprimanded. Draco looked directly at Harry, Harry's eyes wide and head shaking slightly. Do not say anything smart about touching me, do NOT say anything smart about touching me. 

Draco cocked his head to the side. "You might want to teach your friend here what respect is," he smirked, looking Harry up and down, really he wanting to say, 'Oh you have no idea how I've touched your little friend.'

"It was a prank, Malfoy," Ron snapped. "Leave it."

"He's the one who--"

"Malfoy," Hermione said, "Drop it."

Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to Harry. "Gryffindork."

"Git," Harry snapped, and Draco bumped his shoulder as he stormed away, leaving Harry to exhale and slouch with a frown. He missed him already. 

"Did he hurt you," Ron asked.

"He never hurts me, Ron. He doesn't have the guts to," Harry shrugged.

"Come on, mate, let's get to class. Don't want to be late, do we. Umbridge'll kill us." Ron started back on their path, Hermione and he following. 

"Harry," Hermione asked as Ron leaked out of earshot. 

"Hm?"

"Did you tie Malfoy's shoes back to normal? He walked away and they weren't tied."

"What? Oh-- he made me," Harry lied quickly. "Said he'd take more points if I didn't." He bit his lip and walked quicker to catch up with Ron, heading to the hell that awaited him. 

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows as she reached them. 

-----------------------------

"Control your emotions," Snape shouted at him. "Discipline your mind!" 

Harry's head strained and he panted as Snape shouted 'legilimens' for yet another time. And then his life played before him.

Harry being shoved by his cousin at the age of 6. FLASH. Harry being abused by the Dursleys at 9 years old. FLASH. Harry meeting Draco for the first time. FLASH. Harry looking in the mirror or erised, seeing his parents. FLASH. Harry looking at blood on the walls, Draco saying 'you'll be next mudbloods.' FLASH. Hermione punching Draco in the face. FLASH. Harry seeing Sirius for the first time. FLASH. His name being called out of the triwizard cup. FLASH. Harry punching Draco at the Yule ball. FLASH. Harry hugging Sirius before summer vacation ended. FLASH. Dementors.

But suddenly Harry pulled away from his thoughts as professor Snape stopped. Thankfully he did or else his memories may have taken him elsewhere, such as the Chamber of Secrets, or his secret meeting area. 

"Professor," Harry heard a voice from the entrance, "May Mr. Filch have a word with you?"

His eyes darted over to Draco, and they went wide. 

"Yes, of course. I'll be back. Don't touch anything, Potter." Snape left the room, along with Draco who didn't dare make any acknowledgement that hinted they were anything above mortal enemies.

Harry looked around the vacant room, a glowing object catching his eye. The silver disk oh so familiar from last year illuminated a small corner of the room. Harry's curiosity, of course got the best of him. He plunged into the black liquid, looking at Snapes memories that were never supposed to be seen. Images of his dad and god father making fun of Snape haunted him. The torture reminded him of when he was a child with Dudley, or when he and Draco didn't date.

He wanted to know what happened, but suddenly he was jolted from the bowl from an arm pulling at him.

"Potter!" Snape cringed at the name. Totally off guard, all of Harry's memories flashed before him. Intimate memories, as if Snape wanted every part of Harry to feel insecure and self-concious. 

Harry eavesdropping on Pansy and Draco's conversation outside the entrance to the school. FLASH. Draco almost kissing him in the very beginning, scaring him off. FLASH. Flying together at midnight. They were laughing together, smiling. Happy. FLASH. Harry and Draco's first kiss in detention. FLASH. Draco sneaking into Harry's bed after the triwizard tournament. FLASH. Harry and Draco meeting in the broom cupboard at the beginning of the year. FLASH. Draco and Harry cuddling in the snow at 3 in the morning. FLASH. Them in the broom cupboard making dreamless sleep potion, laughing at each others jokes. FLASH. Kissing in an empty alcove. FLASH. "I love you." FLASH. Harry and Draco heatedly kissing in the Chamber of Secrets-

The potions classroom came back to Harry despite his yearn for it not to, because now he had to deal with an explosion at hand. He felt sick. His knees felt weak and throat burned and closed; and his mouth went dry and eyes watered and stomach twisted. 

Harry's eyes glued to Snape's black ones in nothing but undiluted fear. He waited for words, for screaming, for hitting. Instead, he got calm. He didn't want calm. He wanted death, because the calm before the storm meant a monsoon was coming. 

"Get out." Snape barely even spoke, physically because he couldn't. 

Just in the idea to save his own tail, Harry ran for it, but instead of going to his common room, he stopped in an empty alcove, pulled out his map, and searched for Draco. But what didn't make sense was that it said Draco was standing behind him. Harry had checked, no one was around when he left. Harry turned and-- oh. 

"What happened in there," Draco asked with furrowed eyebrows and wide eyes. "You're all sweaty and flushed."

"I-I," Harry stuttered, unable to form words. He knew Draco was going to be angry with him. He just screwed their entire relationship. Snape was going to tell Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Malfoy was going to murder Draco. "I..."

"Harry, are you alright?"

"It's past curfew, shouldn't you be asleep," Harry rushed, turning away from him. His hands started shaking. 

"I'm a prefect," Draco said slowly, walking around Harry so that he could face him. "I'm patrolling, well, should be on the 5th floor, but I wanted to make sure you were okay in there so I switched shifts."

"I.." Harry couldn't speak. "W-why would you do that?"

"Because I care about you," Draco answered suspiciously. "How did it go? Do you know Occlumency?"

Harry shook his head. "No. But Snape sure as hell knows Legilimency."

Draco furrowed his eyebrows and took his hand, guiding him to their usual broom closet for safe solitude. The hallway, due to their hidden nature, seemed to expose them. 

The first thing Harry thought to do was to fling his arms around him, however he refrained from it because if he did so, he knew he would never be able to let go. 

"What happened in there," Draco asked, looking into his wild eyes as he shut the door, locked it, and put a silencing charm on it. 

"H-he knows," Harry's voice cracked. "He knows I'm your boyfriend. He knows that I love you and that we're together and that you care about me."

"What," Draco yelled, "You let him in?"

"I couldn't help it! He caught me off guard," Harry shouted back at him. 

"Harry, you're at Occlumency lessons. There shouldn't be a moment when you're caught off guard! You should be on guard at all times no matter what."

"Thanks for telling me that now! Draco, I'm not trained in Occlumency. I don't know what I'm supposed to do and he snuck in when I didn't even know I was there."

Draco swallowed. "Like how the Dark Lord will."

Harry flinched. He shook his head and bit his lip, his eyes watering. "I'm sorry I screwed us. I didn't know that this would happen."

Draco paused, thinking. He was making this worse, so much worse on Harry. It really wasn't his fault. Snape shouldn't have gotten so personal to him. And how were they even supposed to know the Dark Lord would use Occlumency on him. Harry didn't even know what Occlumency was before he had those nightmares. 

With a frown, Draco turned to him and wrapped his arms around him, leaving Harry to break in his arms and melt into him. "I didn't mean to mess this up," Harry said into his shoulder. 

"This isn't you're fault. None of this is. How were you supposed to know what you were doing in the first place? I should have helped you more. He should have.  Legillimency is a horrible thing. Can see into peoples heads, into their intimate thoughts. It's not fair."

"But that's why I should learn Occlumency."

"Not like that though. In a safe environment," Draco pulled him tighter. 

"Could you teach me?"

"Hm?"

"Occlumency?"

"I don't know Legilimens well enough. Besides, I wouldn't want to see in your head. I care for you too much. You deserve the privacy of your own thoughts and memories."

Harry exhaled deeply. "Thank you for respecting me like that. I didn't know what it felt like to be... violated like this."

"You shouldn't feel like that," Draco furrowed his eyebrows in anger. "He shouldn't have done that. He should have stopped, he should have had self control. He's a professor. You shouldn't be violated."

"Should and do are two different words," Harry buried his head deeper into Draco's neck, enjoying his smell of vanilla, and warmth of skin. Draco felt his heart ping with sadness. He wanted to yell and scream because Merlin did it hurt to see Harry like this.  "I'm sorry," he said again. 

"Please don't say that. You didn't do this."

"I know but--"

"Worrying about it isn't going to help it, okay Harry?"

"Okay," Harry sniffed, and he kissed Draco's shoulder and Draco kissed his forehead. 

"I want you to go to sleep, alright. Pretend this didn't happen, that you were dreaming. It can all be an awful dream. We'll figure it out tomorrow, okay?"

"No, I want to stay here with you!"

"Shh, Harry," he kissed his forehead again. "I'll be here tomorrow. We can go to the forest and hug all we want."

"Okay," Harry said, releasing. 

"Good night, Harry," Draco pecked his lips. "Sleep well for me, okay?"

"I will."

"That's my boyfriend," Draco gave a small smile, and kissed him again. 

"Goodnight, Draco," Harry said without much joy or happiness. Not like they say to each other Friday nights. 

Draco undid the spells, and Harry left. 

---------------------------

Life would have been a lot easier on both boys if they didn't have double block potions first thing in the morning. They both arrived in the midst of their friends, hiding as much as possible but it was inevitable for the professor to see them. He, however, did not even acknowledge neither of them until the middle of the lesson. The class was about healing potions when Snape said something, quite out of context.

"If you were to add in unneeded ingredients or wrong ones, the medicine may turn fatal. Ignorance and incoherent actions may get your selves killed." He looked about both boys. The two went pale, and mirrored each other from opposite sides of the room.

"Harry what's wrong?" Hermione was sitting next to him, concerned. The Boy Who Lived was about to reply but Snape caught him in the action of opening his mouth.

"Potter, talking to fellow Gryffindor during my speech. Stay after class." Zambini snickered and the professor acted as though it was Draco.

"You too, Mr. Malfoy."

---------------------

The bell rang a while later, which only seemed very few minutes to the boys. They both sat at the front desk. Snape went to close the door and as the knob clicked, the man stared talking as he walked to his desk.

"I don't think you two realize how dangerous of a situation you have out yourselves into. Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

"Well sir-"

"You can literally get yourselves killed! Draco have you not thought about your father. Or the fact that he is the biggest supporter of Voldemort who so happens to live in your home has slipped your mind? You're supposed to be an up and coming death eater and your dating the boy who everyone is after. I thought you were so much smarter than that."

"But-"

"Shut it Potter! What are you going to tell the Dark Lord when he uses Ollumency on you, Draco, and asks you what's going on. Im sure he would love to hear you explain the story over a nice dinner, and he might only use 2 of the 3 unbreakable curses before desert. Or you Potter? I'm positive he already knows! He is going to use Draco against you, drive you mad. You won't know which Draco is the the real one or not, he will lure you in and both of you could be dead in less than 20 minutes. What were you thinking? Was this all just a game to you?"

"Well," Harry