The Wizarding Award Scheme Programme (or W.A.S.P. for short)

5. Ry and Dray in secret

A/N Warning: this chapter does contain a flashback to a scene regarding D.V.

Draco could tell Potter was in a wonderful mood. It was as if nothing could dampen his day, despite the fact they had a six-mile arduous walk ahead of them (Draco was studiously ignoring the fact that the students were going to be walking twice as far as him and Potter).

It had been glorious to wake up next to the man for the first time ever, to wake up with Ry wrapped around him and becoming slowly conscious of feeling his solid body pressed against his back. Draco had held onto the arm which was draped across him, gripping it as if he was afraid to let go. He knew that he wanted more of that, he wanted to wake up every day with Potter's arm wrapped around him but he knew, equally, that it was impossible. Potter would never break McGonagall's trust at school and they couldn't go away together for fear of being spotted and his father hearing about it. No, they could only make use of this chance that they had and go back to the use of Potter's invisibility cloak and their clandestine meetings after they returned to Hogwarts. Still, at least neither man had wanted to ignore the opportunities of waking up together, once he'd had Potter recheck the silencing charms.

After the 5th November, Potter had sporadically turned up, casually leaning against the doorframe to Draco's study with that infuriating glint in his green eyes which invariably meant a lot of silencing charms and Draco finding it difficult to walk the next day. The man was a voracious monster, not that Draco didn't give as good as he got. Their life in bed together mimicked their school-day competitions on the Quidditch pitch, it was a battle; a glorious, drawn-out, intense battle for domination which neither of them significantly won but still they came back for more, seeking each other out for the ride time and time again.

Thankfully, Potter understood that it was imperative that their relationship was kept under wraps. The night of the 5th November, Potter had traced a finger lightly over the new scars which adorned Draco's body. Draco told him about the afternoon that Lucius had come looking for his son in the Manor's east wing to discuss a business matter and found him in Astoria's bed with the stable-groom. He had cast the Cruciatus Curse on his own son and as Draco writhed in pain, still naked in the bed, Lucius had raised his cane, over and over again. Draco had then dropped the Glamour on his face to reveal a still angry scar which ran from above his eye and down his cheek from where the silver snakehead handle had split his face open.

'Why didn't you come to me straight away, Dray?' Potter had whispered, his breath ghosting over Draco's skin as he slowly kissed along the scar.

Draco could feel his powerful magic pouring into the old wound, slowly taking away his father's anger and bitterness that it reflected.

'I was scared, Ry. I felt awful and foolish...' he knew he should have just contained his urges but the flattery of the stable-groom had worked through Draco's weaknesses and been his undoing. '...And now I feel ugly.'

But Potter continued to pour his magic into the scar until it was no more than a faint white line which barely showed unless someone were to inspect at very close quarters.

'You don't need to hide who you are with me, Dray,' Potter had whispered. 'You're not ugly, you're beautiful and this will never stop me from wanting you. The scarring is just part of the journey, part of the story of who you are. In exactly the same way as this is,' and he pulled Draco's left forearm up to his lips and kissed the rose tattoo.

Draco felt his shoulders drop, as if the huge weight he'd been carrying around for the last twenty-eight years had suddenly been lifted. But wasn't that the real reason he went back to Potter after that first time at The Leaky Cauldron? Not just because of the sex but because the raven-haired man knew how to take the pain away, even if it was only temporarily.