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Harry roared with laughter and he nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Okay. Alright, I think we managed to push our luck enough for one day, but tomorrow is a new day and I'll expect more kisses."

"I wouldn't dare deny you." Rabastan swore, watching lustily as Harry covered his tight black shirt and trousers with the stunning dark green dress robes that perfectly matched the eyes that he adored.

"Do I have blood on me still?" Harry asked worriedly as he went to his mirror to check his face.

"No." Rabastan answered, standing up and walking over to Harry to wrap his arms around him. "You're just insanely beautiful and I can't tear my eyes away from you."

Harry was mortified to realise that his cheeks had pinked at hearing that and Rabastan smirked at him as he saw the added colour.

"I adore you." Rabastan insisted as he hugged Harry tightly. "Now come, before I make use of that bed and ravish you completely."

"I wouldn't complain." Harry said with a grin.

"Everyone else would, though." Rabastan told him as he led them out into Harry's sitting room and then out into the corridor. "I'd never hear the end of how I'd taken advantage of you after you'd only just been attacked. Your mother in particular would skin me alive."

Harry laughed at that and he reached out to lace his fingers with Rabastan's, holding tightly and just relishing being close to this man whom he loved.

They walked right by the bathroom door and Rabastan pulled him along, right past it without stopping and led him straight back into the ballroom.

"May I have this dance?" Rabastan asked him and Harry laughed.

"I'm a terrible dancer, just so you know. It'll be entirely likely that you'll come to regret the decision of asking me to dance. It's not too late to back out, I will understand completely, I'm a hazard."

"What are a few bruised toes?" Rabastan said with a wide grin. "I want to dance with you."

Harry sighed. "Fine, but don't complain to me later, after I've crushed all of your toes numerous times."

Rabastan gave him a short bow and held out his hand formally and Harry chuckled, placing his hand in Rabastan's and letting him lead him into a free space on the dance floor. The classical background music was just loud enough for couples to dance to if they so wished, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the numerous conversations taking place all around the ballroom. Lucius and Narcissa had argued on and off for three whole days about the perfect, acceptable level that the music should be played at for the evening. Harry had decided then and there that he was never going to be hosting a party of his own. Ever.

Rabastan led the dance, naturally, and Harry followed his lead as best as he could. It turned out to be less of a chore and much more enjoyable than Harry had initially imagined as Rabastan kept him laughing throughout their dances and he chuckled madly every time Harry accidentally trod on one of his feet and he even caught him without fail every time he stumbled with a misstep or tripped over one of Rabastan's feet.

"I told you I was terrible." He groaned.

"I don't mind." Rabastan said with a smile. "I find you rather endearing actually."

"Can we please go and get a drink."

Still laughing, Rabastan agreed and they finished their last dance and then left their little space on the dance floor to make their way to the drinks table. Harry happily grabbed two glasses and filled them with iced water from a jug and he handed one of the glasses to Rabastan before taking a deep drink from his own.

"Why have you changed robes?"

Harry almost spluttered in shock as Draco hissed from right behind him, almost in his ear.

"Not here!" Harry hissed back before saying loudly, for the sake of the several witches and wizards who were close by and listening in. "I had an accident with some water earlier."

"You're lying." Draco insisted in a whisper.

"Shut up! Later, Draco. Later!" Harry ground out quietly through clenched teeth.

"Why do you hide things from me?" Draco demanded.

"I'm not hiding things from you, but it's not for just anyone to overhear either!"

"Enough." Rabastan chastised them both. "After the ball has ended, then will be the time to converse about such matters, until then you will be silent and mention nothing of Harry's wardrobe change."

"Is it bad?" Draco asked under his breath.

"Very." Harry answered. "Now if anyone asks, I spilt water over myself and I changed robes because I can afford to discard dress robes so casually."

"You will tell me what happened tonight, after the party."

Harry nodded. "I will. Just keep quiet until then. It's serious."

"Hush now." Rabastan coached them both. "You never know who has cast an enhancement charm on their own ears and are listening in to conversations that the participants believe are private."

Harry nodded and he touched Draco's elbow and squeezed before he let go and turned back to Rabastan. A good look around the ballroom showed that Rodolphus, Xerxes, Lucius, and the frightening man, Fenrir Greyback, were still missing.

"Harry, dear, where is your father?"

Harry smiled at Narcissa and he embraced her, placing a kiss on her cheek to disguise his whispers.

"There was a bit of trouble earlier, they're in the front bathroom."

"Would this trouble have anything to do with these splendid robes that you weren't wearing an hour ago?"

Harry nodded grimly. "It would."

"Are you hurt?"

Harry smiled as his gut clenched pleasantly at the blatant concern shown to him. He was addicted to it already, he would never have enough of it. "I was, but Rabastan healed me up, though I may have bruises around my neck tomorrow."

"Someone tried to throttle you." She gasped, her clear blue eyes widening as her small hands rose to his shoulders just to either side of his neck and her long, slim fingers reached up to touch his jaw and chin so she could tilt it to get a better look at his throat without touching it or causing him undue pain.

"It's not too bad." Harry exclaimed.

"Nonetheless, I will have Pimsey go to Severus to get a bruise salve from him. You will apply it tonight to try and head off the bruising."

"Yes, Mother." He took joy in saying. He couldn't even be put out that she was fussing over something as small as a bruise because he adored this sort of motherly attention far too much.

She kissed his forehead and Harry couldn't keep the grin from his face.

"I'm going to go and see what's taking them so long." Rabastan said, bowing to Narcissa and giving him a short peck to the lips.

Harry watched him go with a smile and he sighed.

"Can I get you a drink, Mother?" He asked Narcissa politely.

"A small white wine, please, darling."

Harry grinned and went to find a white wine and some juice for himself. Now that Rabastan had excused himself, he could sneak a glass of juice.

"Hello again."

Harry chuckled and he turned to face Marcus Flint, who looked exceedingly good in a dark, almost black, set of blue dress robes.

"Hi, Marcus. How are you?" He asked.

"I've been trying to find someone to be my betrothed." He sighed. "It's been difficult and has become more of a chore."

Harry looked at Marcus consideringly. "Perhaps you shouldn't have killed a guy and terrified your previous fiancée witless." He suggested and he got a dark grin back. "Perhaps she shouldn't have spread her legs for one of my business associates in my own home while I was at work earning gold for her to spend." Marcus answered. "Anyway, I have no lack of proposals. I would assume that some are afraid of coming near me, the rest see that I have my own manor and a very, very large salary and it's I who don't like them."

"You're hopeless." Harry sighed with a laugh.

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