Draco stared at him, his expression painfully unreadable. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"What?"

Harry flushed. "Hermione suggested it, she said that you scent marking me could be enough to keep other alphas from trying to... Advance... On me."

Draco winced as he realized what Harry's implication on the word 'advance' meant, thinking back to all the warnings he'd seen given to Omegas.

"Doesn't that have to be an... An intimate thing?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I asked Lauralee. She said it'd be fine, and the only side effects were... Well, we could feel a bit sick when far apart or away from each other for long periods of time and I could get sick from another Alpha's pheromones being near me. But we have a lot of the same classes and typically don't leave the castle a whole bunch, so... I don't think it would really be an issue."

"Is... That all?"

Harry tried to think, then blushed as he remembered the other side effect. "Erm, you could get really... Possessive. Over me."

Draco dragged his hands over his face, sitting back on an old desk with a heavy sigh. "Do you realize how absurd this sounds, Potter?"

Harry rolled his delicate bottom lip between his teeth, shifting from foot to foot. "I know. I just... I don't want to be..." Suddenly feeling angry, he loud out an irritated growl. "I don't want to be bloody assaulted, or kidnapped, or claimed by some random guy, or raped, I'm fucking scared. I don't want to be, but I can't help it. I realize this sounds fucking crazy but-"

"I'll do it."

"I really need the- wait, what?"

Harry looked up at Malfoy, who had his arms crossed, looking down at Harry with a look of indifference, though he could feel Malfoy's nerves in his pheromones.

"I said I'd do it."

"Oh." Harry frowned. He honestly hadn't expected Malfoy to agree, though he was hopeful.

"That is... What you wanted, yes?"

"Yes, yeah, uhm-" Harry rubbed the back of his neck tentatively. "The packet said..."

"A hickey is most potent."

"Right."

Malfoy shifted on his feet, suddenly smiling slightly- albeit awkwardly. "The things I do to protect you, Potter."

Harry frowned while Draco took a step forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... Not identifying you at the manor? Could have easily gotten me killed, y'know," Draco spoke easily, his voice remaining strong, even as he took another step towards Harry. "Not telling the Death Eaters you were under the floorboards that night on the astronomy tower? Giving you my wand? And now..." Draco laughed, though it was breathy and without comedic humor- more of a dry, 'how did I get here', unbelieving laugh. "Giving you a hickey."

"You knew-?" Harry bit down a gasp as Draco grabbed Harry's chin, using it to tilt his head to the side and expose his neck. He felt so much more exposed right then than he had while spread out naked on the bed during his heat and adamantly refused to look at Draco, instead peering over his shoulder.

"Of course I knew. It was you, Potter."

Draco didn't offer any sort of explanation, nor allow Harry time to question, before he was pulling at the hem of Harry's robe and shirt to expose his shoulder and throat, getting a startled noise from the Gryffindor.

"Sorry," Draco mumbled, "need access. Now gotta find it..."

He brought his hand up, smoothing his thumb over Harry's neck, slowly drawing it down towards his shoulder until Harry winced, a weird sensation washing over his body as his scent gland was stimulated.

"Is that it?" Draco questioned quietly, watching Harry nod silently.

"It's still... Sore. From my heat."

"Sorry. Will you be okay if I-?"

"Yeah. Just... Just do it."

Draco tilted Harry's head to the side a bit more, taking a deep breath before lowering his head. Harry's blood roared in his ears as soft lips connected to his skin, closing over a small area. He grabbed his robes to keep himself from latching onto Malfoy as the Slytherin sucked lightly, sending bolts through his spine, toes curling in his shoes.

It wasn't quite pleasure, it wasn't pain, certainly not love, it was... Overwhelming, on all fronts, and yet Harry could not place the sensation, no matter how hard he tried.

"Okay?" Draco murmured against his skin, only continuing when Harry nodded.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut so tight he was almost sure they'd never open again as Draco latched his lips back onto his scent gland and sucked. The suction it provided was stimulating in ways Harry couldn't dream of, his head dropped back and hitting the wall behind him with a soft 'thud'. Draco, seemingly out of instinct, grabbed Harry's hips to keep him still as he resumed licking and sucking and lightly dragging his teeth against the oversensitive gland.

Harry could have sworn his vision whited out for a minute, and when he was able to see again, he had one hand in Draco's silken tresses, tugging him closer, and the other firmly clasped onto the Slytherin's robes. Draco didn't seem to mind, resuming his ministrations until Harry was literally shaking.

When he pulled away, he didn't meet Harry's eyes for several moments, instead focused on the place he had been attacking with his lips moments ago.

"Steady on," Draco mumbled, noticing how weak Harry was and dragging a chair over, helping him sit. "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Harry stammered. "Did it take?"

Draco licked his lips, collecting saliva that had collected there. "Yeah it... It took. What did it feel like?"

Harry's brows furrowed. "I... I don't know. It was overwhelming. Everything felt like it was... buzzing. Almost."

"I kind of felt it too- not as much as you did, clearly."

Harry sent a glare but couldn't deny it. He was half-slumped over a chair, red faced and panting, sweat beading at his forehead and his limbs feeling like gelatin. "M-Must be my pheromones adjusting to welcome yours in," Harry figured, scrubbing at his face with a heavy sigh, which faded into a yawn. Malfoy frowned.

"It's four in the afternoon."

"That was exhausting," Harry defended, letting his head drop back against the wall, bringing his hand up to caress the gland Draco had marked.

"Should I get Granger? Or Weasley?"

Harry shook his head as he pushed himself to a standing position, yawning again. "Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer. And for... Scent marking me."

Draco flushed slightly. "You're welcome."

Harry didn't know what to say, and after hanging back for a few moments, left without another word. He could feel Draco's eyes on him the entire way out.