分卷阅读30（2 / 2）

“I stand upon belief,” Draco said, “and maybe—” he looked down and grabbed Harry’s hand. “Hope?”

Draco was sure the Timepiece had taken him to an alternate reality, a dream, a place he had no business being. Just the same, he had no business kissing Harry Potter, but when Harry grabbed his shirt and met his lips in a fevered rush, he couldn’t pull away. He couldn’t consciously allow himself to ever let him go.

After the initial contact settled, the charge of anticipation caused Draco to get bold. His hands slid around Harry’s waist, and Draco pulled him flush against him. The communion of their bodies started a fire simmering inside him, and he made a soft sound into Harry’s mouth.

Harry moaned in response and changed the angle of their kiss, his tongue cautiously asking for entry. Draco opened his mouth and let Harry press further. Hands twisted in Draco’s hair, nudged him to sit back at the whim of the man in his arms. He went pliant as the hands grasped his neck tenderly, and Draco thought maybe he’d do anything if Harry Potter asked him to. The proximity felt like being near to fiendfyre, terrifying and yet he couldn’t think to save himself. He’d rather give in to it.

Before he knew it they were horizontal on the sofa. Harry leaned over him and laid him bare with unpredictable tenderness, eliciting gasps from Draco. Within him, the desire and appreciation for Harry ignited, and with pioneering hands, Draco worshiped every inch of skin he could find. They got lost in each other, and maybe after that, they found themselves at last with no concealments, no shroud of obscurities.

When Draco managed a glance at the threads between them, he gasped at the revelation that they were no longer there. Part of him was scared by the sight, but another part of him realized that nothing had ever felt more right.

Harry woke with a startled grunt. He rolled over to find he was alone in the bed. “Draco?”

After there was no answer, he lay back down, staring at the ceiling. Every part of his body tingled, from the love bites on his neck to the innermost parts of his requited heart. He’d never understood the passion spoken of when others divulged having jumped into something physical on the slightest of whims. He’d always valued a cultivated relationship, something where trust and acceptance were monuments. But he supposed he and Draco had been slowly getting to that point over the course of the last decade or so. Harry laughed. If anything, their foreplay had started when they’d hit puberty. Draco’s words from earlier rang in his ears.

“Scared Potter?”

He’d been so nervous. The throwback to their earlier, younger and foolish selves might’ve made it worse in any other situation, but he welcomed the opportunity to laugh. And that’s how they got lost in each other—smiling and laughing—until the tease of desire became too much and all they could do was breathe each other in and bathe in the overwhelming collapse of the moment.

Harry sighed and tried to push the memory of Draco’s face when he came out of his mind. He shook his head, peeved Draco wasn’t there when he’d woke up. He decided to get up and put his clothes back on. Glancing at the time, he panicked, realizing he’d almost slept through the penthouse incident. He pulled the black mesh shirt over his head and then reached down for the rainbow pants. That’s when he saw the Prophet page. “Merlin,” he cursed. He had to get it upstairs to the penthouse entrance. If he never finds it, the timeline could crumble.

Harry finished dressing and ran out to the lift. It was taking forever so he found the stairwell and rushed up to the top floor. He’d just reached the landing when a voice behind him said, “Misters Archie, sirs.”

He turned around to see Grimbie staring up at him. Harry blinked. How on earth did the House Elf know it was him? He put a hand up to his face just to make sure the charmed prosthetic had not somehow come back. His face felt normal.

“Sirs, the penthouse has on the do-not-disturb,” the elf said.

“Yes, I know,” Harry rushed. House Elf magic must have been impervious to the Identity Charms. He saved that thought for later and was about to reply that he’d handle the elf’s request. Then he realized he wouldn’t be the one to do it, the other Harry would. He also realized he had no way to get up there without the master spell key. “Grimbie, find me downstairs in a few minutes and tell me again.”

“Find the other you?” Grimbie asked.

Harry nodded in astonishment, “Yes. Find the other Archie, tell him about the penthouse. And can you do me a favor?”

“Anything for you, sirs,” he smiled.

“Bring me the other Archie’s spell key.” He smiled. “I’ll be waiting right here.”