"We can fall asleep anywhere," Draco said sleepily the next morning, snuggling into Harry.

"You have that effect on me," Harry rasped.

"I make you tired?," Draco teased, poking Harry's cheek.

"You make me safe and comfortable enough to be able to relax and fall asleep when you're by my side. Or curled up into my side."

"Oh."

It was far too early for feelings, so Draco closed his eyes again, protesting when Harry got up a few minutes later.

"Breakfast," came the whispered promise, a kiss pressed to Draco's head.

"I'm not hungry right now."

"But you will be, and you're insufferable when you haven't eaten you know."

"I'm never insufferable. I'm a delight. A national treasure. Perhaps an undiscovered wonder of the world."

"Believe me when I say you're my eighth wonder of the world."

Draco covered his face in the blanket in embarrassment, listening to Harry's chuckle as he walked away. Stretching out, Draco decided he should take a shower so that he didn't smell like the fireplace. Fire wasn't quite so scary with Harry by his side. He felt invincible when Harry was around.

Emerging from the shower, he chose his softest sweater and a pair of joggers. He was fixing his hair when Harry walked into his room, wrapping his arms around Draco. He buried his face into Draco's neck, inhaling.

"Excuse you. I'm all clean, and you are not."

"Inviting me into your shower? Should've done that before you came out of it."

"Potter!," Draco hissed. "My Mother does live here you know, and she hears everything!"

"Can I shower after I eat?"

"Might as well. I'll have to show you how it works."

"Is it not a normal shower?"

"Oh Harry my darling, you have lots to learn."

After breakfast, Harry learned that Draco wasn't kidding. It took him twice as long to shower while he was trying to figure out how not to blast himself in the face with all of the nozzles. His skin felt absolutely amazing once he toweled off, and Draco must have agreed since he couldn't stop touching Harry.

"Did you choose your robes then?," Narcissa inquired as they got ready to leave.

"What do you think of these?," Draco asked, pointing to the two they had decided on.

"Perfect. I'll have the accessories prepared myself. I'll see you both next weekend."

"There's still snow on the ground!," Draco said excitedly, gathering some between his fingers.

"You're so incredibly special."

"I didn't even do anything to prompt such a response."

"You're here," Harry replied with a shrug, as if that explained it all.

They continued to walk the grounds, following the path so that they could apparate near Hogsmeade.

"If I did something stupid for a good reason, would you still support me?," Harry asked suddenly.

"I'm still here aren't I?"

"I hope so."

Draco opened his mouth to ask again, but something about Harry's expression made him stop.

"Look, I don't know what you did and I can't promise that I won't be mad. I can promise that I know you did it with good intentions. You think with your heart, not your head, and I think that says a lot about you Harry. If it's something that will impact me, all I ask is that you talk to me about it. I like to think I'm very receptive towards you. For the most part, sometimes you're a prat."

"But I'm your prat, and that's what matters isn't it?," Harry asked with a grin, intertwining their hands.

"You're insufferable most days, did you know that?"

"I know I can always count on you to make sure I don't have an inflated ego."

"There's only room for one of us to be so self-absorbed, and that's me. With good reason of course."

"Very good reason," Harry agreed, squeezing Draco's hand. "Ron and Neville are going to meet us at the apparition point. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"If I'm too... physical... and you're uncomfortable let me know. I don't know how you feel about me having my arm around you."

"I don't know why you'd even want to be seen in public with me. You know this will be in the Prophet and that they'll end up running articles that we're dating or I'm poisoning you right?"

"I should only be so lucky as to be able to pull you. You're way out of my league."

Before Draco could protest, Harry brought them to the apparition point.

"They're walking this way now, perfect timing."

Draco took a deep breath, steeled his emotions, and pushed his shoulders back. He relaxed a little as Harry slung his arm around him.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Ron's arm ended up around Harry, and Draco thought that was the best way to make things seem less suspicious. Neville followed suit to Ron, and soon the four of them were making their way through Hogsmeade.

"Are we looking for anything in particular?," Neville asked.

"Christmas shopping," Ron replied. "I need to pick up some things for you lot so I don't know if you want to separate and meet back up or go off in pairs?"

"Pairs. I don't want to be alone with so many people."

Neville's shudder after his statement resonated with them all.

"No one's alone then," Ron agreed. "I need to shop for Mione though and could use all the help I can get."

Harry should've known with the four of them going out together, that it wouldn't remain peaceful for long. His glare was enough to keep everyone back, and he kept Draco tucked safely into his side.

"How soon is too soon to hide in George's shop?," Harry muttered.

"We can go in there to split up. We'll have to meet back there too before we get lunch."

"Let's make the next 'boys day' in France shall we? My treat," Draco said dryly as someone spit in their direction.

He held back a smirk as the man yelped, he guessed due to a well-placed stinging hex.

"Harry," Draco warned lowly, a small smile on his face betraying him at Harry's look of innocence.

"I don't recall moving my hands."

Once they were in the shops, it was easier to keep everyone away. None of the shopkeepers wanted to upset their savior, so anyone currently shopping was promptly removed from the store, and no press was allowed in. Harry felt absolutely awful about it, but most people left willingly.

Harry was just happy that less people meant he had less to worry about. Draco was safe, and that was all he cared about. Well, he also cared about finding presents for his friends, but Draco's safety outranked them all.

"Do you know what you're getting?," Draco asked Harry, watching him browse the aisles.

"I have general ideas. Hermione is always the easiest to shop for because she likes practical gifts so I'll be getting hers today. I already ordered Neville's gift, I have Ron's in the works. Then there's you."

"Tell me more."

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Are you telling me today wasn't my gift?"

"Consider it part of your gift if you'd like, but no. Oh and I need to pick a few things up for Felix. He's been the best boy this year."

Harry had so many ideas of things he could potentially get for Draco, he was at a loss. He thought Draco might like a phone, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. Nothing seemed to catch his eye while shopping, and he huffed quite a few times.

"Alright there Potter?"

"Perfectly fine. Remind me to push the order for our robes through later."

"I still need to get measured for my new ones," Ron groaned.

"Let's pop in now before lunch then," Neville suggested. "You're not the only one."

Draco soon realized both Weasley and Longbottom were useless, so they had his full attention while Harry idly looked around the shop.

"Are you looking for anything in particular today?," the owner asked politely.

"Just anything that jumps out at me," Harry responded.

"I work with the utmost discretion," he replied, stealing a glance between Harry and Draco. "I run a professional business, anything purchased will not be publicized."

"What do you have that's shiny?," Harry asked.

Harry was satisfied with his purchase, and was done before Draco even knew he had bought something.

"Can we get our robes bought here?," he questioned, watching Ron and Neville checkout.

"I suppose we can ask."

The owner was all too happy to do so, and Harry promised he would recommend the shop. They arranged a pickup time, and the group was off to the next store.

By this time, more people than ever before seemed to be present in Diagon Alley. Draco could feel Harry's discomfort, and squeezed his shoulder.

"We can head back."

"No. I'm sick of letting everyone else dictate my life. I want to spend a day out with my best mates."

For all of his talk, Harry felt all too relieved when they finally made it to the joke shop. He had reached his social limit and was dangerously close to surpassing it. He slumped on a chair in the empty store and put his head down.

"Alright there Harry?," George asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I forgot how much I disliked the general public is all."

"It's only going to get worse the more everyone reads," George responded quietly. "Does he know?"

"No. I didn't tell him, but I wish I did."

"That depends on how you want him to find out. Use your best judgment. I have a copy if you need it."

Harry dropped his head back down, immediately recognizing Draco's presence a few minutes later.

"Harry?," he asked gently, barely concealed concern filling his voice.

"I need to talk to you."

"That's never good."

Grabbing the Quibbler in one hand and Draco's hand in the other, Harry led him to the back room.

"The way that other people treat you is unfair. It makes me absolutely sick seeing the way that people react to you in public. They don't know you like I do, and while I find that to be a privilege, it's also a loss to everyone else. They will never know how kind, funny, witty, smart, and caring you are. I could go on about everything that I like and admire about you.

My point is, I was thinking. Why can't everyone know how wonderful you are? The more that I think about it, the more I regret not coming to you first. The Quibbler isn't as popular as the Prophet obviously, but once word gets around that I gave my first post-war interview... things are going to change. I hope that I didn't ruin anything. I wish I would've spoken up sooner. Here."

Harry handed the paper to Draco and started pacing, looking anywhere but at Draco. Draco read the article, skimming it the first time to gauge how bad the situation was. Then, he read it slowly, taking in every word.

The gist of the interview discussed how Harry and Draco had come together to work past their differences. It talked about how they had been put in similar situations, despite their standings on the war. There was an emphasis on survival and giving people who deserved it second chances.

"No one is fit to pass judgement upon anyone who was acquitted by the Wizengamot. They had their right to a fair trial and were found not guilty. We will never be able to move on if we find ourselves stuck in the past. While history should never be forgotten, we cannot live in the past, lest we lose our future."

Draco was impressed at how well Harry articulated his thoughts and feelings. He could tell a lot of effort went into the writing of the piece.

"Draco Malfoy saved my life during the war. The details are not necessary to be shared, but I wouldn't be here without him or his mother for that matter. These facts were glossed over during the coverage of their trials where I testified in favor of them both, so I'm bringing this back to the attention of the public.

If I don't hold a grudge after 7 years of shared experiences, why should you have the right to harbor hatred when you weren't directly impacted? No one is completely innocent in this scenario, myself included," the article concluded with a final quote from Harry.

"So you meant it then?," Draco asked quietly, carefully placing down the paper.

"Every word."

"Not that. When you said you, erm..."

"When I said I loved you? Of course I meant it. It hurts me to see you so afraid to go out. I should've said something earlier. I was so naive to think all of this could just go away without saying anything myself. Is it okay? Are you upset? I-"

"Hey," Draco interrupted quietly. "I appreciate you so much Harry. You didn't have to say anything at all. The fact that you did, this means a lot to me. It already meant a lot to me that you didn't want to hide the fact that we were friends. I'm not good at all of these emotional conversations so it's hard for me to tell if you actually know how I feel. I return your feelings."

"So you're not mad at me?," Harry asked cautiously, taking a step forward.

"No, I'm not mad. I wish you would have told me that you were doing something like this, but how can I be mad when you went out of your way to protect me and my mother? Come here."

Draco tightly wrapped his arms around Harry, and Harry felt like he was home.

"You're not snogging in my office are you?," George called.

"You could only be so lucky!," Harry yelled back, pulling away from Draco. 

"On the contrary, I think you could only be so lucky."

"Luck is on my side from time to time, we'll see what the future holds," Harry replied with a wink, walking back through the shop.

Draco thought he was the lucky one, watching Harry walk away and smile over his shoulder at him. Harry was happy to see an improved version of the old Draco resurface once they left the joke shop. His perfect posture returned, but he wasn't afraid to laugh, crack jokes, and smile.

They took a private room for lunch, with the four men casting as many combined privacy charms that they could think of.

"My offer for France still stands," Draco said with a sigh, leaning against Harry.

"I was thinking Australia," Ron chimed in.

"Why not both? I've always wanted to travel."

"Wherever people won't stare at me," Neville chimed in.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Longbottom, but puberty hit you like a bludger. You're going to be stared at for the rest of your life, so get used to it."

"I'm doomed if Malfoy of all people is implying I'm attractive," Neville lamented, dropping his head on the table.

"If it's any consolation, you're not my type."

"We all know what that is," Ron interjected with a snort.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Ron, and Harry was about to ask just what Draco's type was when Aberforth approached to take their orders. The rest of lunch was spent laughing and stealing food off of each other's plates.

"What's left for shopping?," Neville asked, finishing his drink. "I'm due for a shift in the greenhouses soon."

"Gifts for my siblings is all I need. You can head back if you want?"

"Honeydukes then? Harry can show me how he managed to steal my lollipop in third year."

"I don't know how many lollipops I can buy you as an apology," Harry huffed.

"You'll be buying me lollipops forever at this rate."

"Do I want to know?"

"He's talking about when I snuck out of Hogwarts third year. The cloak caught his lollipop and once he found out it was me he brings it up all the time."

"I wasn't aware of that secret passage. I know a couple but that one's new."

"I'll show you once we leave."

Draco insisted on paying for lunch, and the group made their way to the sweets shop, where they bid goodbye to Neville. This wasn't a shop that could be easily cleared out, so Harry stuck to Draco's side like a sticking charm. He wasn't expecting anyone to throw a hex at Draco, which he narrowly avoided because he accidentally dropped a chocolate frog. Harry saw red and promptly sent the person flying halfway across the store.

"Let's just pay and leave before you get banned from the store," Draco suggested gently.

"Read the Quibbler," Harry spat out, grabbing Draco's hand after they paid and leading him outside.

Harry didn't let him go when they entered the next shop, and he was silently fuming the whole time. Draco didn't dare say anything, simply working around the fact that he only had one usable hand. He could tell Harry needed this, so he let him have it, even at the dubious stares of the shopkeepers. This is one problem he would have to deal with later. Later indeed because he knew it would come back to haunt the both of them. He just didn't know how.