Sorry for the wait… Final chapter, but stay tuned for a special author's note at the end.

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Heroes

After James' ultimatum Ginny said that he could stay with her for the remainder of the summer and this arrangement seemed to work for a time. James was unwilling to take back what he said to Harry and Draco, even after conversations with Ginny and most of the rest of his family. Not only that, but he was completely against further discussion of it at all. He claimed the only person he would talk to was his father and only if it was with news that Draco had moved out.

Life had continued awkwardly at the Potter-Malfoy home after James left. Scorpius had been filled in on everything that he had missed that evening by Lily and Al. While all three children were rightfully horrified by what had happened, they avoided mentioning it at all to their fathers. In the days immediately following James' departure Lily tried to remain positive for her father, but it quickly became obvious that was not the best way to go. Every time she brought it up Harry stopped whatever he was doing and left the room.

Draco, though he knew that he was not truly to blame, could not escape the sense of guilt that he felt over it all. His months of therapy had done wonders, but old habits die hard. He still had trouble believing that not everything James had said to him was true. Harry's family meant everything to him and though Draco had a hint of the pain this was causing him, he couldn't really know the full extent of what Harry was feeling. Shouldn't that be enough for Draco to realize that James' words were empty? It wasn't. A part of him still doubted and he didn't think he could really live with himself if Harry lost his son because of their relationship.

It was a quiet evening in August when Harry received a call on his mobile phone. He didn't often get calls at all. Most of his wizard friends floo'd and the muggle friends rarely had reason to contact him. The entire family was cleaning up after dinner, all in the kitchen still. Scorpius and Al had been discussing their Seekers only quidditch match that Al won that afternoon as they cleared dishes from the table. Harry threw in his advice about playing for their house teams while Draco helped Lily with her new hobby, folding origami. She'd been making little cranes all week, mostly to distract herself and everyone else from the continued tension. Realizing that the phone call must be something urgent, Draco stopped his folding and set the partially finished bird on the table to listen to Harry's conversation.

"Chief Inspector Harris? What's going on?" … "No, it's not a bother." … "What?"

The children all turned toward the change in Harry's tone. It was no longer polite and inquiring, but hard and angry.

"You're sure?" … "Of course." … "No, I understand. I'm glad you did. I'll be right down to get him." … "Thanks."

Harry pressed the end call button and set the phone down.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Al asked.

Harry looked up at Draco when he spoke. "That was my contact in the London police department. James has been arrested."

"By muggles?"

Harry nodded and left the room. A moment later, Draco found him tying his shoes near the door.

"I'm coming with you."

"No. I'll deal with this."

"Judging by the look on your face, I really think someone should go along. For James' safety, if nothing else."

"I'll be fine. I'll collect him and leave him with Ginny."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest. There were many things in the world that he was uncertain of. Harry Potter's temper was not one of them. When it got to the veins bulging out on his neck stage, the slightest trigger would set him off. And knowing James and his inherited inability to control his tongue, it wouldn't take long.

"You're angry and irrational."

"Stay with the kids." Their eyes met briefly, but without any further good-bye, Harry disapparated.

It took Draco all of five seconds to decide what to do. He left instructions with the children to not destroy the house while he was gone and then apparated to Ginny's house. She deserved to have some warning as to what was going on and Draco hoped that Harry's temper would hold out until they at least made it there.

Harry materialized in the alley behind the police station where James was being held. He had gotten a lot of attention in the Ministry when he made a point of making connections in muggle law enforcement, but it had come in handy in quite a few cases. His contacts were all squibs who had chosen to live primarily in the muggle world or muggles who had wizards in the family. These people, the squibs especially, could recognize when magic may be playing a role in muggle affairs and knew the proper people to alert. It saved time in getting criminals prosecuted and cut down on having to obliviate muggles after everything else was settled.

Chief Inspector Harris' sister was a witch currently working in St. Mungo's. While they were not particularly close, Harris at least had a basic knowledge of magic and the Ministry, making him a good source over the years. Apparently James and his friend, Jacob, hadn't volunteered any information when they were arrested aside from their names, but that had been enough. Harris heard the name Potter and noticed some of the odd details his police officers were mentioning about the arrest and asked directly if he was Harry's son.

A small part of Harry wanted to smile at the look of fear and horror that passed over his son's face when he walked into the police station. James may hate him at the moment, but at least he still saw Harry as a formidable authority figure. Jacob's face showed similar panic, but Harry didn't speak to them. Instead he went to the counter to ask for the Chief Inspector. Moments later he was led away, out of sight of the scared boys. Twenty minutes later he returned and nodded toward the door. He apparated them to Jacob's house first. As the boy was headed inside Harry finally spoke.

"You are to tell your parents everything that happened tonight. I work with your father and I will know if you did not come clean."

Jacob's eyes widened and he glanced back at James before scurrying into the house. Wordlessly Harry apparated he and James to the boundaries of Ginny's anti-apparition wards.

"I'm disappointed in you."

James finally overcame his fear. "Yeah, well now you know how I feel about you."

"Don't you turn this back onto me. I'm the adult here and you're the child and today you showed worse judgment than a toddler."

James rolled his eyes and started stomping toward the house. "So ground me. Tell mum to give me hell for the rest of the summer. I don't care."

"Well you better start caring." James kept walking. "I should have left you there. Then we'd see how smug you are after sitting in a muggle jail overnight."

"It's not like they could have kept me on anything."

"You were drinking!"

"They couldn't find any trace of it when they tested me!"

"Because your magic was blocking it somehow. It doesn't mean that it's okay."

They had reached the door to Ginny's and James pulled it open with more force than was strictly necessary and stomped through it. He looked back with annoyance when it was clear that Harry was following him.

"You can go now. I can fill Mum in on everything without you here."

"I don't think so."

James shook his head, grumbling under his breath. Ginny exited the kitchen then, looking worried. To their surprise, Draco was right behind her.

"Great, him too."

"What are you doing here," asked Harry.

Before Draco could open his mouth, Ginny spoke up. "Someone had to tell me what was going on." She turned to James. "I thought you were going over to Jacob's house."

Harry snorted. "And I'd be willing to bet that Jacob's parents thought they were coming over here. Instead they decided to go into London and get drunk. When a pub owner tried to kick them out, there was a fight, the police were called and luckily for all of us Chief Inspector Harris just happened to be working late and noticed when they were brought in."

Ginny's mouth dropped open. "You were drinking?"

"We just wanted to taste it," he answered defensively.

"We talked about this. You agreed that the drinking and smoking were a mistake. And how did you get into London?"

"Good question," said Harry. "Either you had an accomplice, or yours and Jacob's brooms are stashed somewhere near the pub."

James scowled.

"You rode your brooms all the way into the city? You could have been seen! You could have been hurt!"

"You and Dad did it, didn't you? And you were flying all the way from Hogwarts."

Harry stepped forward. "And it was one of the stupider things we did at your age, but it was under completely different circumstances. It was during the war. We weren't going for a joy ride to get wasted and kicked out of a pub."

"Forgive me, oh great hero Potter. I forgot you only ever have the purest motives."

Harry could feel his face heating up and his resolve to remain calm was cracking. With the last shreds of control that he possessed he took a deep breath. "James, go to your room."

"Glad to."

Harry watched him leave. "I thought he was still grounded."

"He is. The only reason I let him go to Jacob's was because he agreed at the beginning of the summer to help Jacob's mother with her garden. She's busy this year with the new baby, so I figured if he was working… I thought it would be good for him to work and not be completely isolated." Ginny shrugged in defeat. "What are we going to do?"

"Next time I will leave him in jail."

"I meant what are we going to do so that there will not be a next time?"

"Lock him in his room?"

"I'm serious."

"Me too."

Draco stepped forward and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "He's just going to keep defying you until you do something about it."

"You're one to talk. The way he was talking about 'hero Potter' I could have sworn I was talking to you."

Draco smiled. "I never would have gotten caught out drinking. We Slytherins have more control than that."

Harry sighed. "I can't keep fighting with him like this."

"Then talk to him again," suggested Ginny.

"I did. I keep talking, but it doesn't change anything because I'm still his disappointing, fag father."

"Harry."

"No, Gin. I'm always going to be. I don't know how to be anything else anymore and James is always going to be ashamed to have a gay dad. And fighting me, talking back, that was one thing, but this… getting arrested!" Harry stopped and ran both hands through his hair. "No. I'm not doing this. If he's not going to listen then he can just sit in his room for a while. I can't talk him into accepting me anymore than I can the rest of the world, but there are three other kids at home that we need to get back to. Call me if he wants to talk."

Without another word, or waiting for Draco, Harry stomped out of the house. Draco glanced at Ginny who was looking pointedly from him toward the door.

"Shouldn't you go after him?"

Draco shrugged. "He needs to cool down. He won't even notice I'm not there for another hour."

"This has been difficult on him."

"He's tried to remain positive with Lily and Albus, but this with James has nearly destroyed him. He feels that he should be able to fix it, save the day, you know. But what can he do? You can't go back in the closet once you're out."

She nodded. "And he shouldn't have to try. James should not have made him feel that there was a choice between him and the rest of Harry's life."

Draco looked down, ashamed. "James actually made it a choice between him and me. Do you still think Harry chose correctly?"

Ginny took a moment as she digested this detail. "I can't say I would have made the same choice. But I wasn't there and I'm not Harry, so I'm not about to judge him. And I can tell you for a fact that James is not devastated that Harry chose you, only upset that his plan did not work. It was a bluff and as far as he knows his father merely called it."

"That's interesting," Draco murmured. After all, James couldn't have possibly known how Harry would take it. He had no way of understanding the absolute horror Harry felt at the possibility of hiding everything again. Harry needed to feel free of those secrets, something it had taken Draco some time to understand for himself. And once that door was opened, the thought of going back was suffocating. James would never understand that because he had never felt trapped in that way.

"James has always been the difficult child," Ginny continued. "Even as a baby. He was so terrible I swore I wouldn't have any more children. Of course we know how that turned out."

"Maybe I could talk to him."

Ginny's eyebrows shot upward. "Do you have a death wish?"

"He can't be worse than Harry was at that age. I remember being on the receiving end of that temper. Besides, I'm the only person who hasn't talked with him yet. Everyone else has tried, but I'm the one he hates. If I can get through to him, even a little bit, it will go a long way to fixing things."

"By all means, have a go. But don't say I didn't warn you."

With one last smirk sent in her direction, Draco stood and made his way upstairs. He felt a bit silly for not having asked Ginny which room belonged to James, but it didn't take very much detective work to pick out the right one; it was the only room with the door shut. He knocked at the door and when there was no answer he tentatively opened it.

"James?"

"They must have got desperate if they sent you up here." He jumped up off the bed to face Draco. "Go away."

"I think we should talk. We haven't really talked, just the two of us, even though we were living in the same house. I think your father went out of his way to make sure there was a buffer between us all the time and we should have been getting to know each other. You don't know anything about me and I don't know much about you."

"I don't want you to."

"I think we could get along, if we tried. We have a lot of similarities. We both like Quidditch, we both are stubborn. I've had my share of problems with the law too."

The saying about "if looks could kill" came to Draco's mind when James glared at him. "I'm not like you just because I got arrested once."

"We've both done things we're not proud of."

"I haven't done anything as bad as you."

"Probably not. But we all make mistakes. Tell me at what point a person's bad actions reach the point of no return? What cannot be forgiven?"

"Having that Mark on your arm, for one."

Draco automatically ran a hand over the sleeve that covered the Dark Mark. "I agree, that's bad," he said quietly. He pulled the sleeve up, showing James what was left of Voldemort's Mark. It had faded dramatically over the years, beginning immediately after the monster's death. Draco didn't miss the way James leaned in closer to get a better look. The boy was curious, fascinated even, and that was his way in. "Tell me something. Would you get a tattoo on your arm if it saved your mother's life?"

James' eyes left the Mark and narrowed on Draco's face.

"That is how it happened to me. I'm not saying that I was an innocent person, even before, but the day I had this placed on me I was told that my mother and father would both die if I refused. I did it and many other things because of that threat. I did things that I will never forgive myself for, things that people have the right to hate me for. But if I had it to do over again… even knowing the guilt that I would live with, I really don't know what I could do differently. After all, how could I watch my own mother die?"

"A lot of other people died in the war and I know enough to know that anyone with that Mark had a part of it."

And something hit Draco quite suddenly as he took in the direction the conversation had taken. It was so simple and he should have seen it even before.

"That's really what this is all about, isn't it? It doesn't have anything to do with your father, or even the fact that he's in love with a man. It's that he's in love with me." Draco smiled. "Everyone thinks you're homophobic, when you're actually just appalled that I was a Death Eater."

"I knew," James said quietly, looking away from Draco. "I figured out he was gay last summer after the divorce. Then at Christmas, the way he was looking at you… I didn't need some article in the paper or him to tell me. I already knew it was you." James took a deep breath and turned back to face him. There was a defiant pride in his eyes as he began. "My dad is a hero. He did more by the time he left Hogwarts than most people do in their entire lives. He was the youngest Head Auror the Ministry ever promoted and if he ran for Minister he would win, even against Shacklebolt."

"Yes," Draco agreed. They were finally getting somewhere now that they could speak rationally to each other instead of yelling, which is what usually happened between James and Harry. "He's an amazing man."

"So then why would he be with you?"

That stung just a little, but Draco waited for James to continue.

"He hated you and your father and everything your side stood for. He and my mother barely even escaped the war with their lives. My uncle was killed by someone with that Mark and yet he goes to bed with you as if it's not even there. The Mark represents hate and death. So it's great that you feel guilty, but it doesn't change the fact that people died because of you."

Draco nodded. He couldn't deny that. Nothing would ever change that. So he decided to try a different angle. "Yes, they did. It was war, so people died. I didn't kill anyone myself, but I admit that people died as a result of my actions. I wonder, have you ever asked your father about the war? What it was like? The details? Have you ever asked what it feels like to make decisions that kill people?"

"He only killed Voldemort."

"True. And he likes to remind people that, if you want to be technical, it was Voldemort's own rebounded spell that killed him. But many more died as a result of his actions and he still lives with that guilt. Loss of life is unavoidable in war. In fact, many more would have died if Voldemort hadn't been stopped. But regardless of the nobility in your reasons or how you justify it, the fact remains that your actions resulted in death. It's been twenty-one years and he still wonders if he could have done something differently. If he could have taken Voldemort out without putting those at the school in danger. I don't expect you to fully understand what I'm saying, James; you weren't there. He saw and did things that you wouldn't believe. He lied, cheated stole, cast Dark curses. He almost killed me once and I still see the guilt in his eyes every time he looks at the scar, even though he's saved my life several times since then."

"What scar?" James asked, looking curious again.

"It's just here." Draco pointed to a spot above his heart. He unbuttoned the top two buttons and pulled the shirt over so James could see the white diagonal line.

"Didn't you get it healed? Why'd it scar like that?"

"It was healed almost immediately. But it cut too deep to not leave a mark."

James's eyes widened. "My dad did that?"

"We were fighting at school and he hated me enough to try out a spell that he didn't know the effects of. Ask Moaning Myrtle some time and I'm sure she'll tell you all about it. The point is people and situations are not always as you believe them to be and in war the line between right and wrong can become blurred. Even heroes do things they are ashamed of and a human will do what he must to survive. None of us who lived during those times are truly innocent. You hating me for something that happened so long ago doesn't do anyone any good. It doesn't bring back the dead, as much as I wish it could. And I'm not the same boy who took this Mark any more than your father is the same boy who let me nearly bleed to death on a bathroom floor. It's a lesson that took us both a long time to learn."

James nodded and they were silent for several moments. Then, "Why were you fighting?"

"I was scared and he was angry. Never a good combination."

"Why were you scared?"

"I was trying to keep my mother alive and to do that I was doing things I did not want to do. He was trying to stop me. He was always trying to stop me in school. I started the fight. He finished it. I remember looking up at him, blood all over the place, and seeing that look of pure horror at what he had done. Professor Snape came in and took me to the hospital wing in time, but for a few moments he and I both thought I was going to die."

"Were you afraid to die?"

It was hard to judge James' tone. It was not angry or smug, but not pity-filled either. Merely curious perhaps?

"No. Being around Voldemort, seeing what he did to people… I was already in Hell. How much worse could death be? I wanted to die. That was my way out of everything I didn't want to face."

"I'm not going to change my mind about you just because you have remorse now."

"That is your choice. You have many choices, James, and a family who will forgive your mistakes. I did not."

James rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you had such a terrible childhood. I know the Malfoys are rich and you got everything you ever wanted."

"So are the Potters and so did you," Draco countered. "I did. Up until the war. I was spoiled and selfish and I loved the power our money gave me over other people. And then my father went to prison, Voldemort took over my family home, my mother and I lived with the constant threat of our execution and I saw my first boyfriend murdered in front of me. I may have had choices technically, but deciding between survival or watching your family tortured and killed isn't much choice.

"I wonder just how different we are, James. You love your family. You would do anything to keep them safe. I imagine you wouldn't do much differently from me."

James studied him silently for a few moments as if deciding if Draco was telling the truth. Draco figured he must have passed inspection when the boy spoke again.

"All that you just said doesn't make you a good person. Or deserving of my dad."

"No, it doesn't. It doesn't make me a terrible person either. I don't blame you for having doubts, because I have the same doubts. You don't have to tell me that I don't deserve your father because I already know that. But for some reason, he loves me. He has more reason to hate me than anyone, but somehow he doesn't."

"Why? You hated him too back then. How can you suddenly be in love now? It doesn't make sense! You should be trying to kill each other, not shagging!"

"I think perhaps we were always more alike than we wanted to admit. Stubborn. Proud. Skilled wizards, each in our own way. But circumstances set us against each other from the beginning. When we grew up we realized that those circumstances are gone now."

James sighed in a tired sort of way. Maybe he still didn't like the situation, but the fight was gone. "He's not going to break up with you because of me, is he?"

"He is a very stubborn man."

"And you're not going anywhere."

"Not as long as he wants me there."

James sighed again. "I don't want or need a second father, especially you, so don't expect me to start treating you like one just because you live with my dad."

"Well don't expect me to treat you like a second son. I respect you for the person you are and as Harry's son. I only request a certain amount of respect in return. Do you think we can coexist peacefully?"

"I still don't like you."

Draco smirked. "I would never ask you to. I will ask that you apologize to your father though. You'll never understand what the last few weeks have been like for him and you both need to make peace with each other."

"You're not demanding an apology for yourself?"

Draco shook his head. "I'm not going to force you to say something we both know you don't believe. Someday, James, I hope to prove to you that I belong in this family, that I deserve your apology. If that happens and you feel that you need to say it, then I will accept it. And if that day never comes, then I will settle for merely co-existing peacefully in the same house."

James appeared to contemplate this for a moment. Draco had no interest in making James like him and he hoped the boy could see that truth. If James was ever to accept him it had to happen gradually as they got to know each other.

"Well, I won't steal your drugs anymore. Or the firewhiskey."

"You bet your arse you won't. You'll also be working at my office to pay back the money you took."

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's just what me and you need is more quality time together."

"We'll survive it."

James appraised Draco once more and grudgingly nodded. Yes, they would survive it.

"Spend the evening here with your mother and we'll expect you home tomorrow morning. Don't think you will be avoiding some form of punishment for this stunt, but that is entirely up to your father."

James only nodded again and Draco stood, looking around fully at James' room for the first time. "The Cannons? Really?" James rolled his eyes in response and Draco smiled before exiting the room. He couldn't help the smug smirk that took over his face as he made his way out of Ginny's house. This war would continue, but a huge battle had been won this night.

When Draco returned home that evening the other kids were already in bed. He found Harry sitting in his office with a glass of firewhiskey. He was still extremely tense after his encounter with James and didn't bother looking up when Draco came in.

"Where were you?"

"Thought I'd stay and chat since you didn't want to."

He shook his head. "I just don't know what to do about him. He's impossible."

He slouched back in the wide armchair, drink still in hand. Draco calmly removed his cloak and laid it over another chair.

"I think he'll be changing his mind about some things soon."

Harry looked up at him questioningly, but Draco's only response was to kneel down on the chair, knees on either side of Harry's legs and settled himself on Harry's lap. He leaned in to place a kiss on Harry's neck, then along his jaw line. Harry's eyes drifted shut.

"Not that this isn't great, but it isn't going to get my mind off things. Not tonight."

"Like I said, James will be coming around soon."

"How do you know?"

"I talked to him."

Draco leaned in closer for another kiss, but Harry blocked him with his hand. His eyes were wide open now.

"What did you say?"

"We just had a real conversation—man to man—and I think it helped."

"Really. James spoke to you."

This time Harry didn't stop him from kissing, still processing what Draco had said. Draco placed kisses along his chin and neck and his arms came around Harry's neck.

"Draco, will you stop that and talk to me?"

"I've been talking too much tonight."

"Seriously."

Draco sighed. He knew he had to tell Harry the whole story, but these were not his favorite conversations. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and he just wanted to take Harry to bed and forget the last several weeks. "You're son is quite reasonable when his temper doesn't get in the way. And he loves you very much."

"He said this?"

"No, not in so many words. But I can recognize a boy who is proud of his father, of his family."

"Proud?" Harry asked with wonder.

"Yes. And he's quite particular about who enters his family. He looks at me and sees what everyone else sees, which isn't good enough for his father. Regardless of my inadequacy, he has agreed that shutting out his family is not the answer. He will be back tomorrow." He watched as Harry's face went from confused to shocked to happy. But it was bittersweet for Draco because James had unintentionally stirred up all of his insecurities once again. Most of the time Draco accepted that he and Harry were happy and in love, but now and then he had to question his own good fortune. Draco smiled sadly and asked the one thing that he had never dared ask Harry. "Why the hell do you love me? Because I still don't get it."

"I…" Harry frowned, surprised by the question. "I love you because… Look, you once said that you wanted to be with me because I see you instead of the Mark and your past. Well it goes both ways, doesn't it? You see me for things other than being the Chosen One. The war… those were just things we did, not who we are." Draco still didn't seem convinced. "Why would you ask me this?"

"Because James asked and I didn't know what to tell him. Why would the hero love the villain?"

"Oh Draco, you've never been the villain to me. There were times when we were children that I thought so, but we were children and I had to have some excuse for being so obsessed with you. For seven years of my life there were two things I focused on: escaping Voldemort, and fighting you. And that second part was what kept me sane between the Voldemort parts. We were rivals, but there was never a villain in our battles."

Draco smiled. "You were obsessed with me?"

"As if you didn't know already. I think the obsession was mutual."

"Perhaps. So were we secretly attracted to each other do you think?"

"Maybe. Maybe some part of us knew, even then, that we would be in each other's lives. That's not something that can be explained to James or anyone else. We know the truth and that should be enough."

"Most of the time I don't think of you that way. As a hero, I mean."

"That's part of what attracts me. Why is it so hard to believe that I don't think of you in terms of the war when you know you don't think of me that way?"

"I don't know. James sees it too. Sometimes I look at us the way everyone else does and I wonder if I'm just imagining the whole thing. Like I'm going to wake some day in St. Mungo's with some crazy mental illness."

"James and the rest of them don't know the truth." Harry placed his hands on either side of Draco's face. The tips of his fingers played with strands of blond hair. "The truth is that I know the real you, the you that they don't take the time to understand. I know what you've done and what you're capable of, but I also know what is important to you, what you believe, what you look like when you sleep. I know where your true loyalties lie, Draco, and that means more than anything that happened so many years ago. You are so… frustrating and infuriating, but we fit together. And I've waited all my life to feel the way I feel when I'm with you. So maybe in a way, you're my hero."

Draco couldn't help himself and he kissed Harry hard on the lips. When he pulled back he smiled. "How do you always know what to say?"

"I don't. I just say what I feel. You're not the bad guy, Draco, and if James would take a chance to get to know you then he'd learn that."

"Maybe he will, maybe not. I talked him into coming back. Maybe I can talk him into liking me. But I think it will take time."

"Well we have plenty of time. And you can talk anyone into anything. I have faith in you." Harry smiled and pressed his forehead against Draco's. "How can you doubt I love you when you are willing to face the wrath of my teenage son just for me. That's a real hero."

Their problems weren't all solved just yet. Life, it seems, is more complicated. It would take a while to heal the wounds resulting from James' decisions. It would be messy and difficult and there would be more fights, but the healing had begun. Draco let out a tired, happy sigh. Life wasn't perfect, but for the first time Draco felt as if he fit perfectly into it. He had been working too hard to convince himself that he belonged there, with Harry and he finally felt like he could go to sleep without worry that he would wake up back in his flat in the city, having dreamt it all.

"Well I want you to be happy. That means your son and I have to start getting along and I'm going to do all I can to ensure that happens." Draco placed another kiss on Harry's lips and when he pulled back moments later he was grinning. "Of course there are other things I'd like to do to keep you happy too."

Harry smiled in return, his mind finally moving from the problems that the evening had begun with. "Well you're more than welcome to do anything you want to me."

"Oh," Draco groaned. "You have no idea what you just volunteered yourself for." He leaned in and whispered in Harry's ear, "I think I still have my handcuffs in the desk drawer."

THE END

…or is it the end? Perhaps if you go to my profile right now you will find a very brief (2 parts) sequel entitled "Other Fairytales" that might focus mostly on Harry and Draco's children during and after school with guess appearances by H/D. It's hard to say. :)

Thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story (especially during my long breaks between updates) and those who sent in all the fabulous reviews. I love you all!