Disclaimer: I don't own or make any money from these guys, that honour goes to JK Rowling and the Publishers.

Warning: Slash, some minor sex-ness, and very, very bad language.

Authors note: This will definitely make more sense if you've read State Of Mind (Chapter two, Common Sense - concerning the lake in the Manor grounds).

Sharks

"Harry had learnt that with Draco, pleading and coaxing only worked so far; often it was better just to tell him and not give him the leverage to argue. He suspected that that was what Draco wanted sometimes as well, someone to take control of the situation for him even if he did complain about it."

State of Mind- Chapter 15, The tide.

"Harry, I don't care how warm the fucking water is, I'm not going in."

"You wanted to!"

"And now I've changed my mind."

Harry rolled his eyes as Draco crossed his arms petulantly across his chest and scowled at him, his feet still firmly planted on the wooden planks of the boardwalk.

"Come on," Harry said gently, stepping up to Draco and putting an arm over his shoulders, shaking him gently. "You were the one who said you wanted to do this."

Draco looked out over the still water of the lake, eyes narrowed. "I've changed my mind."

"No you've not, you're just scared," Harry said without thinking.

Draco ducked out from under Harry's arms and shoved him, looking outraged.

"I am not scared!" he said furiously. "I am just not happy about jumping into a lake when I don't know what's in it."

"What could be in it?" Harry asked patiently, rubbing his ribs where Draco had pushed him.

"Sharks," Draco replied promptly.

"Sharks." Harry repeated flatly, dropping his hands to his sides.

"Yes. Sharks."

Harry rolled his eyes again. "Draco, there are no sharks in the lake."

"Squid. Merpeople. Grindylows."

"No, no and no. This is a freshwater, thoroughly checked, warded, normal lake. There is nothing in there that can hurt you."

Draco looked at Harry, still struggling to think of anything else that he could use as an objection.

"I've been in there every morning since we got here, and I'm perfectly fine," Harry continued, reaching out towards Draco with a hand. Draco took it, but still eyed Harry with a mixture of apprehension and frustration.

"Why do you have to like swimming?" Draco muttered eventually, shaking his head.

"Come on. It's been six years, you can do this," Harry said, leaning over to quickly kiss Draco.

Before Draco could do more than briefly return the kiss, Harry had let go of his hand, walked to the end of the boardwalk and dived in with one neat movement.

The water was glorious. Warm, clean, and fresh. Harry was pleased that he had managed to get Draco to come for a holiday here; after four city breaks in a row he was yearning for somewhere quiet. Their secluded cottage by the side of the lake was perfect for them to be able to just spend some time as the two of them, with no chance of interruption.

Harry broke the surface and shook his hair out of his eyes, turning to see Draco still stood on the boardwalk with his arms folded again.

"Your turn," Harry shouted back.

"Fuck off!"

Harry grinned, swimming back over to the boardwalk with long sure strokes. He'd never admit it to Draco, but there had been more than one reason for his choice of location this time. On several occasions when he had gone swimming whilst they were on holiday, he had seen Draco looking at him with a yearning expression clearly emblazoned over his face. He knew Draco had spent a lot of time as a child swimming in the lake at his home and had loved it, but the incident six years ago had abruptly changed all that. Harry had been both saddened to know Draco had lost one of his small joys in life, and also more than determined to help him reclaim it.

It was the one thing Draco hadn't done in all the years that had passed: gone back into the water. He had made tentative contact with Blaise Zabini, made peace with the memory of Lucius, taken flowers to Narcissa's grave and even visited Hogwarts again, but he had never taken the one last step. Harry knew he wanted to, but also knew that he'd never admit that desire to anyone.

"See, perfectly unharmed," Harry panted, heaving himself back up onto the boardwalk, dripping water everywhere.

The expression had returned to Draco's face which told Harry that he was struggling with what he really wanted and being stubborn. It had taken Harry a long time to work that out about Draco, how he often got caught up in being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn and found it hard to change his mind purely on principle.

"Shut up, Potter."

"No, I want you to do this," Harry said gently, pulling Draco to him and turning him round so Draco's back was pressed against his front, looping his arms around his waist.

"Get off, you're wet," Draco complained half-heartedly, trying to push Harry's arms away from him.

"Well you'll be too if you come swimming with me," Harry coaxed. "Come on, I know you'll look good all wet…"

"Don't try that one," Draco snapped.

"Why not?" Harry murmured, kissing along Draco's shoulders and making Draco shiver despite himself.

"I'm going back," Draco declared, making to step away from Harry. "I'm getting sunburnt."

"No you're not, I know you're layered in sunblock charms," Harry retorted. "Look, you made it this far-"

"I make it this far every morning when I watch you swim," Draco argued. "Why is today any different?"

"Because today you're actually wearing swimming stuff which is kind of a hint that you want to do this."

"You toldme to wear my swimming stuff!" Draco said, enraged and whipping around in Harry's arms, jabbing Harry in the chest, the step back away from Harry that he made taking him unintentionally closer to the edge of the boardwalk and the water.

"No I didn't-" Harry argued back.

"You're a lying fuck,Harry-"

Harry's hands shot out and he pushed Draco off the edge of the boardwalk and into the water, the blond giving a strangled cry before hitting the surface of the lake with a splash and disappearing under the water.

Harry hastily dived off the wooden planks for the second time, surfacing quickly and finding himself next to a furious looking Draco who lunged at him through the water.

"You complete, cunt."

Harry caught Draco's wrists, coughing as water splashed up his nose and Draco tried his hardest to punch him.

"You fucking, absolute, idiot, I hate you," Draco spat, rising up out of the water to push his weight onto Harry, trying to push him under the water.

Harry dipped under the surface of the water for a moment and felt the pressure of Draco's weight leave him. Coughing again, Harry resurfaced, hastily moving away from Draco who reached out to grab him again, looking murderous.

"If you'd stop trying to kill me for moment, you'd notice that you're swimming," Harry panted, still treading water back away from Draco.

The scowl slipped from Draco's face as he turned jerkily in the water, looking up at the boardwalk in shock and then back to Harry.

"Shit- Harry!"

Harry swam quickly over to him and Draco grabbed hold of him, wrapping his slender arms around Harry's neck.

"You're okay," Harry soothed as they continued treading water together, Draco looking a little panicked. "You're doing just fine, see?"

"You didn't have to push me in though," Draco said in a small voice, pressing his cheek against Harry's, his still pale skin contrasting sharply with the tan Harry had acquired over the past few days.

"It worked, didn't it?" Harry grinned.

Draco didn't reply except to kiss Harry's face gently, his legs hitting against Harry's as they both moved to stay afloat and upright. For Harry, the sensation of having Draco pressed against him whilst in the water was incredible and more than a little distracting, but that wasn't on the agenda right now; his aim was to help Draco.

"I want to get out," Draco said after a few minutes and Harry nodded, pressing a kiss to Draco's cheek and letting go of him to swim back to the boardwalk. Harry clambered out first and leant down to grab Draco's hand to heave him out as well.

Draco fell onto his back on the boardwalk, panting slightly, his legs dangling off the edge, his feet not quite touching the water.

"I was right," Harry mused, looking down on Draco with his arms folded and a smile on his face.

"No you weren't, I didn't technically swim, I just floated-" Draco began instantly.

"No, no, I mean I was right about you looking really good when you're all wet," Harry said, stepping closer to Draco and dropping to his knees on the boardwalk. It wasn't exactly comfortable but he didn't mind, leaning over Draco and gently kissing him.

Draco kissed him back leisurely, his eyes fluttering shut. "I should be fucking furious with you. You pushed me into a lake," he murmured, letting Harry place gentle kisses along his collarbone.

"After six years I think I'm getting used to knowing when you need the push to get something done," Harry said, letting Draco lift his chin up to steal another kiss.

"A lake, Harry."

"I know," Harry said a little guilty. "I'm sorry."

"You owe me, big time," Draco said, before making a satisfied noise like a sigh as Harry deepened the kiss, his tongue meeting Draco's and making thrills run through them both, even after all this time.

They broke apart, both breathing heavily and looking each other in the eye.

"Thank you," Draco said honestly and Harry smiled down at him.

"You're welcome," Harry murmured, kissing along Draco's neck once more.

Draco wriggled under him. "If you think I am having sex outside where anyone could see, you're very much mistaken," he said a little breathlessly, his hands wandering down Harry's still wet back.

"There's no-one around for miles," Harry said, kneeling up and gesturing around them. There really wasn't- just them and the lake and the trees and the mountains in the distance.

Draco leant up on his elbows and eyed Harry for one long moment, before his lips curved into a smile. "Go on then, you can start making it up to me," he said, his eyes sparkling playfully.

"Yes boss," Harry replied with a grin, leaning back over Draco and planting kisses along his neck and making Draco squirm again, the blond apparently forgetting about the hard wooden boards beneath him in favour of threading his fingers into Harry's hair.

Harry smiled to himself as his kisses trailed lower, the smile breaking into a hidden grin as his fingers curled around the top of Draco's swim shorts. It was still way too easy to get Draco to forgive him these days...