Archive of Our Own

Harry stared at the tent flap, hoping he'd simply imagined the confrontation with Ron. Perhaps it was just a product of his overworked mind; surely his best mate wouldn't have up and left like that. Surely he wouldn't have chosen to abandon their shared cause. Harry was at the core, but in Ron's own words, it was bigger than that. It always had been, even when Harry was determined to shoulder every burden on his own.

He's abandoned you before. During the Triwizard Tournament, when you could have used the support of your closest friend… he left you in favor of nursing his own envy and pride.

"He came back," Harry muttered, massaging his temples in an attempt to minimize the quiet shriek the Horcrux emitted while in contact with his skin. He was already regretting having donned the locket so soon after Ron threw it in anger.

Will he this time, Harry Potter? Will he return to you this time, or will he instead retreat into the creature comforts of his home? For, you see, he was correct – you don't have a family. You don’t understand.

"Shut up!" Harry yanked the chain over his head and hurled the Horcrux at the nearest chair.

"Harry?" Hermione stood uncertainly in the entrance to the tent, framed in moonlight that did little to hide the dried tears on her face.

"I can't…" Harry began hoarsely. "I can't wear it right now. It's getting to me."

"It's not the best of nights. It's more likely to affect you when you're under stress, isn't it?"

"Right, yeah. It's been an absolute thrill up until now, so naturally."

"Don't…" Hermione's voice hitched. "Please, not now."

"I'm sorry." Harry dropped to his knees and covered his face with his hands. "I've let you down, haven't I? It's not only Ron who had too much faith in me, it was both of you." Rain began to fall outside, beating a staccato on the tent that made him feel claustrophobic.

"Harry, we've never lost faith in you. Never." Hermione knelt before him. "I'll admit that he'd hoped – we'd hoped – that you knew something more, something you'd forgotten to mention, maybe. But you were honest with us about what Dumbledore told you and we knew what we were getting into."

"Doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"We'll… we'll manage. We'll finish what we've begun, and Ron… well, Ron will be fine." She bit her lip. "Right? I mean, there are the Snatchers and the –"

"He should have thought of that before he left on his own, perhaps." Harry got wearily to his feet again. "I'm going to sleep."

"He's… he's still our friend. He's just afraid and confused, and…"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but the look of utter despair on Hermione's face changed his mind. "Right, yeah. Good night."

Staring up at the bunk above his, Harry clutched the Snitch and listened to the sound of the steadily falling rain. It wasn't nearly loud enough to mask Hermione's muffled sobs or the absence of Ron's snores.

~~*~~

The morning dawned gray and glum, much like the mood within the tent. Harry stretched his aching limbs and sat up slowly. He’d dreamed fitfully, something about wings and a man he couldn’t quite see with silvery eyes that were somehow very familiar. It wasn’t the first time he’d had the dream and it was making him restless.

Hermione sat at her makeshift desk, books spread across its surface and a cup of undoubtedly weak tea at her elbow. They'd been reusing their limited supply of teabags for days in an attempt to make them last.

"Good morning." He thought his voice sounded overloud in the silence.

His only answer was the crackle of pages turning for several moments until her red-rimmed eyes finally rose to meet his. "Good morning."

"Finding anything of interest?" he tried.

"No." Her chin dropped back toward her chest and she fixed her gaze on the book before her once more.

Harry rubbed his stubbly cheek and tried not to remind himself that the terrible quiet would normally have been eliminated by Ron crashing around as he readied himself for the day, and eventually by his jokes over breakfast. Usually about their breakfast, lately, since their meals tended to exist on the pathetic side.

He cleared his throat. "What… what are our plans for this morning? Still moving on?"

"No," she said again, sharply. "We're staying here… just a bit longer. I need to finish what I'm doing." In case he comes back, the wild look in her eyes told him wordlessly.

"We'll go this afternoon, then?"

"Yes, I –" Hermione paused and tilted her head for a second before hurtling herself outside.

Harry followed her in alarm. "Hermione? Are you all right?"

She stood just outside, shoulders slumped. "I thought… I heard something. I just wanted to make sure…"

"I miss him too." He laid a tentative hand on her back.

"That's not… it's not what I meant." She turned back to face him.

"We can't start lying to each other now."

She made a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "Look at me. When have I ever been that girl? That girl who lets a stupid boy affect her so deeply?"

Harry merely raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, but you know what I mean. I'm not Lavender or Parvati. I'm driven by my brain, by knowledge, by…"

"Friendship? Love?" Harry shook his head. "You're more than just your brain, impressive as it is. And you can't forget that I know what he means to you. I don't think it makes you weak to be upset by what happened, and I'm sorry for my part in it."

"It wasn't your fault." Hermione wrapped her arms around herself. "But thank you. I've just got to… we've got to move on. We've got to end what we've begun with or without him. I do want to finish what I was reading, though, and then we can go."

"All right. I'll pack things up in the meantime."

"Thank you." She rested her head on his shoulder. "To think that I haven't given you proper credit while we've been gone – this must be sort of what you feel like, missing Ginny."

Harry managed a smile. "Right."

She returned to her book, and as he gathered their things Harry tried not to think about the fact that he wasn't missing Ginny much at all.

~~*~~

Harry closed his eyes. The tears that fell were hot, easing a path down his icy cheeks, and he curled his fingers around the frayed edges of his coat sleeves.

“Harry?” Hermione’s soft voice startled him slightly, even though he’d heard the snow crunching beneath her boots as she approached.

“It’s them. My mum and dad.” Harry wiped his nose on his arm.

Hermione knelt beside him and transfigured a twig into a wreath of roses to place against the headstone. She stood again and placed her mittened hand in his. “Merry Christmas, Harry.”

He could only nod in response as he stared at the names etched in stone before him. All things considered, it was a merry Christmas. Despite being cold, hungry, and in constant danger, he was not the outsider he knew he was at the Dursley home or the outsider he sometimes still felt like at the Burrow, much as he loved the Weasleys.

And it was the first Christmas he could remember spending with his parents.

~~*~~

Harry stared at the pieces of his broken wand and tried to push away the dread that was pulsing insistently at the edges of his mind.

It’s over. You’re as broken as your wand, pitiful boy.

“Shut up,” Harry whispered.

Broken, broken, broken.

He wanted to rip the damned locket from its place around his neck. He wanted to destroy it, to hurt it, and he felt as though it knew that about him. That it wanted him to feel that way and was pleased that he obeyed.

He leaped up and began to pace, twirling Hermione’s wand between his fingers. He’d never had much of a chance to handle someone else’s wand before, but it just felt wrong. The vine wood seemed somehow rougher than the holly his hand was used to.

“Lumos,” he whispered. The tip sparked and a faint light glowed, and Harry could feel the wand twitching as though it was puzzled, but eager to please and eager to work out why the hand that gripped it wasn’t quite right. Its personality was much like that of its owner, and the thought – as well as the notion that bits of wood contained human qualities – made Harry’s lips quirk into something resembling a smile.

Another light caught his eye and he jerked his head to the side. Frowning, he peered at the trees and tried to make out what he’d seen. His heart sped up, thumping almost audibly in his chest, as he tried to force away the images of Bathilda Bagshot’s body crumbling into dust and rot around Nagini’s coiled form. The day had left him more than a little bit shaken.

The light appeared again and Harry got to his feet slowly, watching as the glow began to take shape. His brow creased as it raised a hoof, as if in greeting, and bowed its head slightly.

Harry swallowed back the cry that had threatened to burst forth, all desire to alert Hermione forgotten. For a moment he thought it was his own Patronus standing there, among the trees, but another glance told him he was wrong. There were no antlers, for one, and the creature seemed smaller, more delicate. And she appeared to be there for Harry and Harry alone.

“Who sent you?” Harry whispered, stepping forward with caution so as not to frighten the shimmering doe.

The figure tilted her head and turned, clearly issuing an invitation to follow. Harry raised a trembling hand.

“Wait,” he whispered. “Wait… come back!”

He followed as she entered the darkness, her light softening the imposing shadows the trees created in the moonlight – moonlight that seemed dull and ordinary compared to her radiance. Surely she’d been sent with a message of some sort, though he didn’t know who could have sent her to him, but it had to be important. It needed to be. She’d stop, soon, and then he’d know.

She reached a clearing and did, in fact, stop. But instead of beckoning him closer she began to fade, allowing the moonlight to reclaim its purpose. Harry moved closer. “No!” he cried. “What have you come here for, then?”

He swallowed and looked around with some trepidation, realizing at last that he’d traveled some distance from the campsite, outside the protective wards. Alone. “Lumos,” he murmured. The wand responded a little better than the last attempt and he held it out as he inspected the clearing. He looked to his feet and noticed he was on the bank of a pond frozen over with murky ice.

The dim wandlight caught something then, something that glinted below the surface of the rippled ice just where the doe had been. It looked silvery and shaped vaguely like a cross, or perhaps…

His breath caught and he knelt at the pond’s edge. He squinted and brushed at the snow dusting the surface of the ice. “Accio Sword,” he tried, unsurprised when nothing happened. Swallowing audibly in the silence, he stood and stepped back. “Diffindo.”

He fought the urge to cover his ears when the ice cracked and broke loudly, creating an opening in the surface to reveal the dark water beneath. Staring into the opening, he clenched his hands into fists and swore beneath his breath.

It was clear what he needed to do, clear that he had to prove himself worthy to wield the sword again. He wished it was summer, or at least not what felt like one of the coldest bloody nights of the winter, but he supposed there was nothing to do but – quite literally – take the plunge.

Harry shimmied out of his denims and coat, disrobing layer by layer until he was clad in only underpants and the locket that he was not willing to leave lying unguarded, even for the length of a short swim. Finally, with no more than a deep breath for fear he would talk himself out of it, he slipped into the water.

It was a terrifying thought, but he wondered if his vital organs were freezing inside his body because the cold actually burned, attacking his flesh like knives and driving his balls up into his body so deeply he thought he might never see them again. He tried to focus on the task instead of his misery and brushed the bottom of the pond with his frozen toes until he felt the sword. He took another deep breath and dove.

Fingers sluggish, Harry managed to close them around the jeweled hilt of the sword and lifted. Relief flooded his insides at the ease of the retrieval and he moved to return to the surface when his windpipe closed and he let go of the sword to fumble at the chain wrapped around his neck. The Horcrux was pulling itself taut, cutting off his air supply and making his vision gray around the edges. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, and now he would die, like this, and leave the world to Voldemort without a real fight…

And then he was moving, propelled to the surface by an unknown force, and as soon as he hit the air he choked in a noisy breath and began to pant as he was dropped to his knees in the snow. Hermione… thank God for Hermione coming to his rescue again.

Except it couldn’t be Hermione, because the person coughing and panting just to his left sounded decidedly male, and the arms that had closed around him to pull him from the pond were significantly stronger than hers.

“Potter, are you fucking mental?”

“M-m-m,” Harry tried, teeth chattering too hard to help form a proper word. “M-mal-“

“Get dressed before you die of exposure, you utter fool!” Draco Malfoy stood before him, wand in one hand and the sword in the other. He aimed Drying and Warming Charms at Harry before crossing his arms.

Harry scrambled into his clothing. “Malfoy,” he managed. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Saving your pitiful life, it would appear. Gratitude must not be an emotion Gryffindors can manage.”

“Just drop the sword,” Harry growled, waiting until Malfoy did so. “Look, thank you. I don’t know how you found me, but thank you for that. It doesn’t explain how you did find me, though, or why you didn’t just let me drown for that matter.” Belatedly he picked up Hermione’s wand and trained it on Malfoy.

“I was brought here.” Malfoy raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “I was supposed to make sure you were safe and found this.” He kicked the sword lightly with the toe of his boot. “And I saw you struggling with the chain wrapped around your neck.”

“The locket!” Harry reached for it and found nothing. “Where is it?”

“I have it.” Draco pulled it from his pocket.

“Give it to me!” Harry snatched it from his hand. “This is a… this is important. Don’t touch it.”

“I know what it is,” Malfoy replied quietly. “And that’s why I can’t believe you’d be so utterly stupid as to keep it on you while attempting to retrieve one of the only things that can destroy it.”

“How…” Harry stepped back. “How do you know? How do you know all of that?”

“I hear things, and the person who brought me here told me some. He assured me that you would help me if I helped you.” Draco’s gaze was steady, his face impassive, but his eyes told a different story. Desperation and apprehension stood out in stark contrast to the confident stance Harry was used to.

“Who brought you?”

“I can’t tell you. It would jeopardize his safety, and I won’t do that.”

“Why should I help you? And why would you want me to?”

“Because I can’t go home. There are… things happening there. The Dark Lord… he wants… look, I am not safe. Nor are my parents. I am afraid that my leaving put them in danger, but my mother insisted I go. I hope you will help me because you are meant to be a good person, and despite our history…” Draco looked down. “I have nothing to offer you but any information I might have. I want you to end this so that I can try and save my parents, if he hasn’t killed them already.”

Harry studied him. “I don’t trust you.”

“Well, I trust you,” Draco snapped. “I don’t fucking like you, but I know you won’t attack me the moment my back is turned. If I remember correctly, I was facing you when you tried to eviscerate me.”

Harry winced. “I didn’t mean to do that, Malfoy. I didn’t know what that spell would do, and I was stupid to use it. If I had known…”

“I was attempting an Unforgivable on you. And I know you didn’t really mean it. I did see your face when I went down, you know. Look, you don’t have any reason to trust me and I can’t give you anything but my word, but I’m asking for a chance.”

“Then we’ll use a vow or bond of some sort. Hermione will know of one. Until I’m sure you can be trusted, I want your wand.”

Draco’s jaw tightened. “Potter…”

“Expelliarmus!”

He scowled as the wand flew from his hand into Harry’s. “Fine. You have it. Now what?”

“Now…” Harry picked up the sword. “I need to destroy the damned locket.”

“It’s not going to go quietly, Potter.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “It’s not my first time. I know what I’m doing.”

“I’ll bet you say that to all the blokes.”

Surprised, Harry chuckled. “Nah, just you. Maybe I have a thing for blonds.”

“Don’t pretend you have taste this late in the game. We all know you prefer gingers.”

They both fell silent, and Harry was somewhat taken aback to discover he’d been able to relax for a moment and enjoy the banter. “Well.” He peered at the locket. “I’m going to tell it to open, and then I’ll sort of stab it, or whatever.”

“Oh, thank Merlin.” Draco threw his arms up. “And here I was thinking you didn’t actually have a plan.”

“Well, that’s what I have to do!” Harry cried. “The procedure is simple enough – it’s the rest that gets complicated. The last time I destroyed a Horcrux I was bloody twelve and going on instinct. I know how to go about it now.”

“Can I have my wand back?”

“No.” Harry paused. “All right, yes. But just for this. And if I need help…”

“I pulled you out of freezing water, didn’t I? If I wanted you dead I’d have left you there. Or kept the sword and locket myself. Try and trust me just a little.”

“Fine.” Harry placed the locket on a large, flat rock and stared at it. Would it be like the diary, and Riddle would appear? Would he walk away intact, or would it attach itself to him and begin to kill him slowly as it had Dumbledore?

There was only one way to find out, and he wanted it done with a desperation he could feel to his very bones.

“Here goes,” he mumbled. “Open,” he hissed in Parseltongue, and for a moment it was silent except for the slight click as the locket sprung open. He dared to peer closer and just as he was about to raise the sword he was thrown backward. Gray smoke rose above the locket and then grew thicker and thicker, forming shapes…

“Draco Malfoy,” the fog hissed. “Pathetic little whelp, running to Harry Potter for help… you’re nothing. Your parents have often wished you were never born. No heir at all is better than the pitiful queer they raised. You aren’t even human.”

Harry turned his head in shock and saw Draco standing several feel away, rigid and tense, jaw twitching. “Malfoy?”

“You could have been great,” the voice continued as the fog continued to form. Voldemort’s distorted figure stood before them, flanked by Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. “I would have made you great, my little pet, if you’d only listened, if you’d only been stronger… but you’re just a weak little cocksucker, aren’t you? Nothing but a queer who only wants to save his own arse – so that you can find someone to fuck it. And I’ll find you, boy - you can’t hide from me.”

“I wanted to love you, but you’re nothing but a disappointment,” Narcissa’s eerie form spoke up. “Nothing, Draco, you’re nothing.”

“Pathetic, weak, queer,” Lucius chanted. “I wanted a pureblood son and I got you… inhuman freak.”

“Stop,” Draco choked. “Potter, please…”

Harry launched himself forward and brought the blade of the sword down upon the locket. It screeched and hissed as the figures disappeared, leaving nothing but charred metal on the blackened rock. He turned to face Malfoy slowly and scratched his neck in discomfort. “Um. It’s gone, I think.”

“Thank you,” Draco replied hoarsely.

“I didn’t know… I mean, I had no idea it would go for you that way. I don’t know why.”

“Because they’re right. I’m weak and pitiful and everything they said.” Draco scrubbed at his face with his sleeve, wiping away a mixture of snot and tears. “I’m sure I was the easier target.”

“I’m sorry.” Harry cleared his throat. “But you’re not… I mean, it took strength to leave, right?”

“Not especially. It was pretty much arranged for me. Nothing more than ickle Draco going out on a little jaunt.” Draco wrapped his arms around himself.

“You saved me, though. That wasn’t easy, was it?”

“Didn’t have much of a choice if I wanted your help. Look, I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone. It’s humiliating enough as it is.”

Harry itched to embrace Malfoy, to hold and soothe him, and he found the urge surprising and not a little unsettling. He clenched his hands to keep from reaching for the other boy. “Malfoy, you can’t believe your parents feel that way about you.”

“No? I can’t believe that my father is proud of what I am? That’s if we make it through any of this, of course – the Malfoy name will mean nothing by the end of the war and my marriage contract will be void anyway.”

“You… have a contract? Like an arranged marriage?”

“Just like all the proper little purebloods do.”

“But…” Harry chewed on his lower lip. “They can’t fault you for preferring men, can they?”

“They can do whatever they want. And it’s not just that, it’s…” He swallowed. “All of that, what just happened… it’s like the thing reached inside my mind and personified most of my biggest fears. Had it kept going, I’m sure the Dark Lord would have killed my pretend parents in front of me because that’s about all that was left, other than....” Draco held out his wand. “Never mind. Here. Can we just go? I would like to get some sleep, if that is at all possible.”

“I would, too.” Harry took the wand. “But I’ll warn you – Hermione will have questions.”

“I’m sure.” Draco closed his eyes momentarily. “And Weasley will surely make this as difficult as he can manage.”

“He isn’t with us, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know, and if you want this to be at all peaceful you won’t so much as mention him or his absence.”

“Right. Got it.”

They returned to the campsite in silence as the sun began to rise. Hermione was standing in front of the tent when they approached. “Harry!” she cried. “What – where were you? How…”

“I’m all right. It’s been an interesting night.” He returned her wand to her and gestured to Draco. “I ran into Malfoy.”

She didn’t hesitate before raising her wand. “What are you doing here?”

He stepped in front of Draco. “Put it down, Hermione. I have his wand and he’s not here to harm us. He needs our help.”

“Why do you need our help, and why should I believe you?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Going to be an Auror, Granger? Would you mind if I sat down for the interrogation?”

“Hermione.” Harry laid a hand on her arm. “Take a breath. We got the sword.”

She looked down and stumbled back a step as she finally noticed what Harry was carrying. “How?”

“It’s quite a long story, but Draco saved my life.” He glanced at Malfoy, who had raised an eyebrow at the sound of his given name. “And we’ve destroyed the Horcrux. He already knew,” he added when he saw Hermione’s panicked expression. “He came here to ask for my help, and I’ve agreed to give it to him.”

“I don’t trust him, Harry,” Hermione murmured. “He could be working for V-“

“Stop!” Draco cried. “You can’t say it!”

“Fear of a name-“

“Enough with that, Granger. It’s not fear of the name, it’s fear of him. He’s placed a taboo on his name – if it’s spoken, our location will be revealed.”

Hermione paled. “Oh.”

“He could be useful, Hermione,” Harry spoke up. “He knows about the Horcruxes, and without Ron…”

“He’s no replacement for Ron!” she hissed. “And it could be a trap!”

“I can hear you, Granger,” Draco spoke up in a bored voice. “I’ve no desire to take anyone’s place. I also have no desire to deliver you to the Dark Lord, or to see him again in my lifetime. I am attempting to stay alive and to help my parents do the same if it isn’t too late. I am willing to take an Unbreakable Vow.”

Hermione exhaled. “This is what you want?”

“He saved my life, Hermione. We can’t just leave him.”

“If you betray us, I hope your death is painful,” Hermione told Malfoy stiffly.

Draco crossed his arms. “Noted. I assume you know how to do this?”

“I’ve read about it.” She lifted her chin and took her wand from Harry. “I can do the incantations.”

“Fine.” Draco reached for Harry’s hand and lifted it, clasped tightly in his. “Go on, then.”

Hermione glanced at Harry, concern evident in the tightness of her mouth. “You’re certain?”

Not taking his eyes from Malfoy, Harry nodded. Hermione shook her head.

“All right,” she sighed. She raised her wand, resting the tip against the seam of their joined hands. “Draco Malfoy, do you swear you are not working for V… You-Know-Who, and that you have no intention to deliver Harry to the Death Eaters or their leader?”

Harry felt Draco’s hand, which had tensed at the near mention of Voldemort’s name, relax. “I do.”

“Do you swear to help Harry in his mission to defeat You-Know-Who?”

“I do.”

“Do you swear you have no intention of harming Harry in any way?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I do!”

“Do you swear you have no intention of harming myself or our friends in any way?”

“I do,” Draco said between clenched teeth, then frowned as a thin tongue of red flame extended from Hermione’s wand and wrapped around his and Harry’s hands.

“Wasn’t that supposed to happen after every vow?” Hermione muttered.

“The spell probably got bored and sent out a signal that you’ve overextended your welcome,” Draco snapped. “Now, unless you want me to promise to hold Potter’s dick for him every time he takes a piss, I think we’ve covered everything.”

Hermione flushed. “There’s no need to be crude. Fine, I suppose that’s it.”

“Wonderful. Is there a place we can sleep? I’m exhausted, and I imagine Potter is as well after everything we’ve been through.”

“I’ll keep watch. Harry?”

Harry nodded. “I really am tired. Thanks, Hermione. Wake us in a while and we can move on.”

~~*~~

Draco stared at the ceiling of the magical tent, tired but unable to sleep. It had all happened so quickly - one moment he was pacing in his room, terrified of the Dark Lord’s plans for him, and in the next his mother was pressing a kiss to his cheek, thrusting a shrunken bag into his hands, and watching him with tear-filled eyes as he disappeared.

He hoped, desperately hoped, she was safe. His father, too, though he wasn’t certain his father would even want to speak to him again. Now that he knew Draco was a freak, Lucius surely wouldn’t want anything to do with him.

“It’s going to be okay, Malfoy.”

Draco twitched at the sound of Potter’s voice. “I’m trying to sleep.”

“You aren’t asleep, though. I can hear you breathing.”

He snorted. “You are aware that people also breathe while sleeping, aren’t you? I realize you have a lot of experience with dead people, but that is the norm.”

“Fuck off, Malfoy.” Harry’s voice was quiet.

“Potter…” Draco sighed. “I’m edgy. I don’t mean to be…”

“A prick?”

“I suppose.”

“You can’t tell me you have no experience with death. Surely you remember Dumbledore – though you didn’t really stick around to see him lying there, did you? Cold on the ground.”

Tears prickled behind Draco’s eyelids. “I didn’t fucking kill him, Potter. I couldn’t. I…”

“I know.” Potter’s sheets rustled on the bunk below. “Look, I’m sorry. This will never work if we keep sniping at each other. For what it’s worth, I was there, and I know you didn’t kill him. I saw you lower your wand.”

“Oh.” Draco swallowed. Potter didn’t speak again, and Draco tapped his fingers on his belly, wishing he could find a way to make the anxiety dissipate. “How do you know?” he said finally.

“How do I know what?” Potter sounded sleepy.

“You said… you said it will be okay. How do you know?” He held his breath.

“I have to believe that. Otherwise… what’s the point of any of this?”

Draco exhaled.

~~*~~

It was interesting, living with Malfoy.

He was sort of the same as always – disagreeable, prissy, and downright difficult at times. At the same time, he never called Hermione names, didn’t bring up Ron, and didn’t insult Harry all that frequently, or at least with little of the venom he’d once expelled.

And it made everything so much more uncomfortable for Harry.

Although he’d never found himself terribly interested in other boys – he could admit Oliver Wood looked admirable in his Quidditch leathers, but that wasn’t unusual, was it? – he couldn’t stop thinking thoughts about Malfoy. And, oh, fuck, the dreams.

They were similar to the haunting dreams he’d had before, but they featured Malfoy’s face where the faceless man had been, and while they had always had a vague sensuality about them, they now featured a great deal of pale flesh, lithe muscles, and very hard cocks.

He hadn’t had so many wet dreams since his early years at Hogwarts, and he wasn’t sure how long he could handle waking up panting, pants sticky with come produced during incredibly sexual dreams featuring the man sleeping in the bunk just above his own.

Still, he had no choice. He’d sworn his protection, and whether it was his sense of honor talking or something much more basic, he intended to give it.

~~*~~

“Malfoy, I was thinking.” Harry bent to tie the laces on his boots.

“That must be painf-“ Draco cleared his throat. “Never mind.”

Harry shook his head. “Amazing restraint. Thank you. Anyway, I’m guessing they’ll be looking for you.”

“Yeah. He… he doesn’t take kindly to anyone defecting.”

“We’ve been lucky so far, but just in case we run into someone we should use a Glamour on your hair. It’s like a Malfoy beacon, and more likely to give us away even from a distance.”

“I suppose.” Draco frowned. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, brown?”

Draco made a face. “Brown, really?”

“Could go red.”

“Ugh, no. Fine, brown it is. Should we have Granger do it? I don’t really want to go bald.”

“Your wand works well for me. I can do it.”

“I suppose.”

“So, anyway, sit still.” Harry pulled out Draco’s wand and cast the charm before Draco could protest, turning his hair a muddy brown. He turned away quickly, not particularly wanting to decipher exactly why he’d felt a little sad at the loss of Malfoy’s pale locks or why he’d wanted to run his fingers through them to see if they were as soft as he imagined.

“Does it look awful?” Draco asked.

“No. You look fit. Fine! You look fine. Let’s go find Hermione – she’s sure to be ready to rest by now.”

“Do you have a mirror?”

Recalling the shard tucked away in his sock, Harry shook his head. “No. But it looks fine. You look like an average bloke.”

“Wonderful. Just what I’ve always wanted.”

“Honestly, you are the vainest –“

“Harry, are you ready?” Hermione stepped into the tent and yawned. “I need to get some sleep before we move on.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you. Malfoy…” Hermione’s brow furrowed. “What did you do to your hair?”

“I did it,” Harry told her. “It’s best if he’s not so obviously a Malfoy, don’t you think?”

“I suppose they’ll be looking for him,” Hermione agreed.

“I’m sure I look hideous, but seeing as Potter had his first bright idea, I figured I should indulge him.”

“Prat,” Harry replied. “Night, Hermione.”

“Potter!” Draco followed Harry outside. “Wait for me.”

“I’m not exactly going anywhere, Malfoy. We’ve got to stay within the wards and keep watch.”

“Well, you have my wand, so I’ll be staying near you. Unless you’d like to return it to me?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

Harry snorted. “Not a chance.”

“Berk.”

“Prat.”

“You already said that. Unoriginal git.”

“I’m very original.”

“Right, when’s the last time you had a thought Granger didn’t tell you to have?”

“I have plenty,” Harry muttered.

“I don’t mean the ones you have while you’re wanking, unless you too fantasize about Weasley’s freckled nuts.”

“I definitely do not.”

“Good.” Draco stretched out on the ground, frozen grass crunching beneath his back. “Potter… how close are you to finding what you need?”

“Not close enough.”

“I was afraid of that.”

~~*~~

“Potter?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think I’ll go to Azkaban?”

Harry frowned and rolled over. “Why would you?”

“You know why. You know what I did.”

“Malfoy…” Harry paused. Over the days and nights since they had been thrown together, Draco consistently chose to stick close to Harry, bunking down when he did and avoiding Hermione as much as possible. Harry could see the relief written in Hermione’s expression every time Draco trailed after Harry, and to be honest, he was relieved as well. He had no desire to leave the pair of them alone together, particularly when Draco was unarmed and Hermione was very creative.

In the darkened tent Draco often struck up conversations with Harry, discussing often the most inane of topics, but somehow Harry had begun looking forward to their chats. The sound of Draco’s voice drifting down from the bunk above calmed him in a way he could never have imagined possible, making him feel safe and peaceful. It was bloody strange.

“Potter, you know they’ll have it in for me just because of my father. I don’t doubt he’ll go. And Mum… do you think…”

“I don’t know, Malfoy. I really don’t. I agree that your father will probably be arrested, and your Mum… I don’t know how involved she’s been. But I’ll speak on your behalf if it comes to that.”

“You will?”

Harry’s chest tightened at the disbelieving tremor in Draco’s voice. “You saved my life, Malfoy.”

“Yes, but I… it’s my fault that so many people were hurt when I…” He swallowed audibly.

Harry craned his neck and saw Draco’s hand dangling over the edge of his bunk. He reached up and touched the slender fingers with his own. “I’ll make certain you’re taken care of. I promise.”

“Why?” Draco whispered, twining their fingers together.

“I don’t know.” Harry closed his eyes. “But I mean it.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

Harry took his hand back and immediately wished it was still holding Draco’s. “You’re welcome, Draco.”

~~*~~

Several mornings later, Harry was just waking from another rather uncomfortable dream when Hermione burst into the tent.

“We have to go see Luna’s father. Remember the symbol on his necklace, at the wedding? I keep seeing it – in my copy of Beedle the Bard, on a gravestone in the cemetery, and I’ve just come across it again in that book about Dumbledore. Maybe Mr. Lovegood knows something about it. I don’t know what it means, but it keeps cropping up and it has to mean something.”

“All right. I was just getting up.” He sat up and stretched.

“Quiet,” Draco grumbled. “Sleeping.”

“Time to get up, Malfoy,” Harry yawned.

“I don’t want to,” Draco whined.

“Malfoy, some of us actually care about what we’re doing here,” Hermione snapped. “So get up!”

“No need to get your polyester knickers in a bunch, Granger.” Draco climbed down and took a seat beside Harry.

Harry elbowed him. “Get off my bed.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

“That’s right, I didn’t – you weren’t in my bed last night.”

Draco waved a hand. “Last night, this morning… it’s all semantics.”

“Do the two of you mind?” Hermione exclaimed. “I’d really like to move!”

Rolling his eyes, Draco stood and pulled a small parcel from his pocket. “Calm down. Can you enlarge this for me again, Potter? I’d like to change before we go anywhere.”

“Fine.” Harry did so and turned back to Hermione. “Are you sure this is even a good idea?”

“I’m not sure of anything right now, Harry. I just don’t know where to go from here, and I want to accomplish something.”

Draco pulled a stack of clothing from his bag. “Care to step outside so I can change, or would you prefer to watch?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I’m hardly interested in your scrawny form.”

“I’m aware you prefer oversized ginger primates, Granger. But Potter here might enjoy the show.”

Harry flushed. “I’ve seen blokes change before, Malfoy. I assure you I’ve never found it intriguing in the least.”

“Then you’ve never seen me.” Draco winked and pulled his jumper over his head.

Except for every night, in my dreams. “Perhaps you enjoy ogling other boys, Malfoy, but I don’t,” Harry snapped, uncomfortable with how very much he did want to see more of Draco’s pale skin.

Malfoy’s jaw tightened. “Thanks for that.”

Harry sighed and glanced at Hermione, who raised an eyebrow before leaving the tent. “Malfoy…”

“I’m sorry if I disgust you, Potter.” Draco stepped out of his trousers.

“You don’t. That was uncalled for.”

“You aren’t the first person to hate me for what I am, you know.”

“I don’t hate you because you’re gay, Malfoy. I hate you because you’re a prat.”

Draco sauntered closer to Harry. “That so? You don’t feel… anything when you look at me standing here practically naked? Can you imagine touching me? Does it make you sick to know that I wouldn’t stop you?”

Harry swallowed. His trousers were becoming uncomfortably tight, and he wanted to back away, but his feet felt as though they’d sprouted roots and pinned him in place. “I don’t… I don’t feel that way about men. I don’t mind that you do, but…”

“I’m not talking about men. I’m talking about me. Are you hard right now, Potter?”

God, yes. “No.”

“Liar,” Draco whispered. “You can’t pretend we haven’t spent years dancing around each other. I never knew why you could get to me so easily, every fucking time. I never understood why you could get under my skin with just a look, or why I goaded you just to see if I could make you put your hands on me. I understand now.”

“Wh – what?” Harry stammered. “What are you talking about?”

Draco’s eyes shuttered and he stepped back. “Nothing, Potter. It’s nothing. I would appreciate it if you could refrain from ridiculing my sexuality in the future. I’m so tired of being looked down upon for things I can’t control.”

“I didn’t mean it.” Harry ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“Fine.” Draco crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Just a few moments of privacy? Surely you can give me that, even if you hate me. I thought we’d started to overcome our past, that we’d become… apparently I was incorrect.”

“I don’t hate you, Malfoy,” Harry mumbled. “I was just… I’m sorry.” He turned away and walked out of the tent, but as he went he was sure he heard Draco reply.

“You will.”

~~*~~

Draco dressed slowly, not eager in the least to rejoin Potter and Granger. It was pure hell to be so close to Harry for the first time in so long, since… everything had changed. He wanted to go home, but he didn’t want to live in terror anymore. Terror his father would despise him, knowing the truth about him, terror the Dark Lord would put his plans into action… and despite his fear he’d still been too weak to do anything but snivel in his bedroom until his mother pushed him out the door.

He’d known for some time he was a coward, but it was more paralyzing with each passing day.

Life was funny sometimes. He’d always felt – irrationally, it had seemed – that his destiny was tied to Harry Potter’s. He was desperate to be his friend, and when he’d blown that opportunity in such a spectacular fashion he was desperate to make Potter notice him no matter what. Even negative attention was better than no attention.

And now, now that the course of his life was irrevocably changed, he finally understood why he hadn’t been able to exist without Harry Potter, friend or rival, since the moment he laid eyes on him in the robe shop. He understood why his mother had been so desperate to send him to Potter, and why Snape had agreed to share what he knew.

But how was he ever going to tell Potter?

With a sigh, Draco buttoned his shirt and trudged outside.

~~*~~

“Are you certain it’s safe, Hermione?”

She shrugged. “I’m not certain anyplace is safe at this point, but we don’t have any other leads and this has to mean something. Perhaps it’s the break we’ve been hoping for.”

“And what if it isn’t?”

Planting her hands on her hips, Hermione glowered at Harry. “And have you got a better idea, then? We’ve got Horcruxes to find and no idea where they are!”

“We know that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw –“

“Yes, but what? And where?”

“The snake. Aren’t we certain his snake is one?”

“Fairly, but we can’t exactly get to it without approaching him and it would be better to do that at the end, wouldn’t it?”

Harry sighed. “Yes. I just don’t know how some… some triangle is going to be the answer.”

“Triangle?” Draco appeared beside them.

Hermione glanced at Harry, who shrugged. “We keep seeing this symbol everywhere. Sort of a triangle with a circle in the middle. We’re trying to figure out what it might mean.”

Draco frowned and bent to retrieve a branch from the ground. “Something like this?” he asked, scratching the symbol into the dirt with the tip of the stick.

“That’s it!” Hermione narrowed her eyes. “What do you know about it?”

“It’s the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.” He glanced from Hermione to Harry. “From the Tale of the Three Brothers?”

“Oh!” Hermione’s face lit up. “From The Tales of Beedle the Bard! Someone inked the symbol in my book, and that’s where I first saw it. But what does it mean?”

“The Hallows. The cloak – the triangle, the wand – this line, and the resurrection stone – the circle.” Draco gestured to his drawing as he spoke. “When one possesses all three, they are said to be the master of death. But it’s simply a legend.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Harry spoke up.

“There’s a story in the book Dumbledore left me about three brothers who try to fool death. And… well, we must go see Mr. Lovegood. He has to know more about this.”

Draco frowned. “Why is it important? Like I said, it’s a legend. If there really was an all-powerful wand, don’t you think the Dark Lord would be looking for it? Or if there really was a cloak of invisibility – “

“What?” Harry interrupted.

“A cloak of invisibility. If these things really did exist, don’t you think he’d be looking for them?”

“Who’s to say he’s not?” Harry countered. “Maybe they do exist. At least one of them does.”

“What do you mean?”

“Harry…” Hermione began.

“He took a vow. The cloak – it’s real, and it’s mine. It belonged to my father, and was passed down through my family from what I’ve been told by my godfather.”

Eyes wide as saucers, Draco shook his head. “The – you actually have the cloak?”

“Yes I do, and no, I am not showing it to you right now.”

Draco scowled. “Well, that doesn’t mean the others exist.”

“But if one does, then why couldn’t they all, theoretically?” Hermione asked. “And if they do, and You-Know-Who knows about them, wouldn’t he want them? He wants to be immortal, after all…”

“Is someone ever going to tell me the bloody story?” Harry cried.

“Yes, but come on – we need to go see what Mr. Lovegood knows. I’ll read it to you when we get there.”

~~*~~

“Well, that was fucking brilliant!” Draco snapped angrily. “We got no more information than we had going in, and now he’s set the bloody Death Eaters on us!”

“They took Luna,” Harry replied. “I believe you know how it feels to do anything necessary to protect your family.”

He scowled. “Still.”

“It doesn’t matter. We already know enough – and unless we can figure out where the stone and the wand are, we’re in no position to stop You-Know-Who from finding them.” Hermione kicked at a rock. “I don’t know where to go next, Harry.”

“Perhaps we should go to Hogwarts. It’s where he felt safest, and if we really are looking for artefacts belonging to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff…”

Draco shook his head. “We can’t go there. The Carrows have the place in turmoil, Potter.”

“We can’t avoid it forever, Malfoy. Voldemort wouldn’t leave –“

“Potter!” Draco shouted.

“What? I –“ Harry trailed off as several pops sounded, and within a moment they were surrounded.

“Run!” Hermione screamed.

Recognizing the look of terror on Draco’s face, Harry grabbed his hand and propelled him forward. He didn’t dare to look back, but he could feel the Snatchers on their heels. And all at once, he stumbled and fell, Draco on top of him, and Hermione aimed a hex directly at his face that felt as though a thousand bees had attacked him. He aimed the same spell at Draco just as the Snatchers tore him away from Harry.

And then his head split open.

“…is the wand?”

“I always knew you would come.”

“Where is it?”

“It’s with him. Dumbledore…”

“Who are you?” a voice was shouting into his ear, and he blinked sluggishly to clear the vision from his mind.

“D-dudley. Vernon Dudley,” he managed.

“And who’s your friend?” Scabior leaned close, his breath foul as he breathed on Harry. “He’s not talking, but I thought I caught a glimpse…”

“He’s Ernie. MacMillan.” Harry glanced at Draco, who was shaking violently in the grip of Fenrir Greyback, and tried to free himself from the grip that held him. “Let him go!”

“No, I don’t think I will. See, I’ve never heard of you, Vernon – if that’s your name – but I did catch a look at that bloke right there and he’s got some right familiar features, he has. And I asked myself, why would these kids be trying to disguise themselves? Yeah, I saw you hex him, and I suspect I know why. I do believe he’s the pretty little Malfoy the Dark Lord’s so eager to find. Is that right?”

“No, he’s – he’s Ernie. Ernie MacMillan!” Harry tried again.

“See if you can make his wings come out, Greyback. I heard they will, if you fuck ‘im good!”

“My pleasure,” the werewolf growled, dragging his tongue along Draco’s neck. “Only problem is, our Lord would have my hide if I didn’t save this little morsel for him.”

Rage clouded Harry’s vision, quick and puzzling. “Leave him alone!” he shouted, then doubled over when Scabior delivered a fist to his gut. The man holding him jerked him upright.

“We’ll be taking the lot to the Manor. It’s got to be Malfoy, I’m sure of it. Only thing I don’t know is who the other ugly bastard is – but I suspect we’ll have ourselves another prize. And this one…” Scabior grinned at Hermione. “I do believe I’ll take a crack at her pretty pussy as a reward for my findings.”

“If you touch her, I’ll fucking kill you!” Harry yelled.

“I’d like to see you try, seeing as how I’ve got your wand and a scrawny little git like yourself doesn’t stand a chance against the likes of us. But don’t you worry, I’ll let you watch me fuck your girlfriend before I kill you, if you turn out to be nobody.”

“Don’t threaten him,” Malfoy croaked, causing everyone to look his way in surprise.

“Well, well, the little fairy speaks at last. Ready to go face Mumsy and Daddy? They’re very upset with you for running away.” Scabior motioned to his men. “Let’s get them out of here.”

~~*~~

Harry wrapped his arms around his knees and tried to block out the memory of Hermione’s screams. They had stopped, and from what he could hear of the voices above she was still alive. He had no idea what to do.

“Harry?” Draco’s hoarse voice surprised him, weak as it was, and he jumped. “Sorry.”

“’S okay,” Harry mumbled. His face was still contorted and his head was pounding. “All my fault. I said his name, even though you warned us…”

“It’s all right.”

“It’s not. Your mum may have covered for you, said she didn’t think you were you, but when the spell wears off they’ll know. We’ll both be killed. I’m so stupid – I should have used a Glamour on your face, too. Probably on mine as well. And Hermione…” He swallowed.

“I’m scared,” Draco whispered. “He’s going to hurt me. Make me do things.”

“Why is he so interested in you? And what did they mean about saving you for him – and wings?”

Draco’s swollen face reddened further. “There are some things I didn’t… that I didn’t tell you yet, but basically, he wants me to be his… to…”

“Oh, Malfoy.” Harry unfolded himself and tried to embrace Draco’s trembling form, somewhat awkwardly. He was not prepared for the other boy to burrow into his arms and cling to him for dear life. He was definitely not prepared for it to feel so right.

“I didn’t ask for this,” Draco wept. “I didn’t ask to be what I am, and to involve anyone else in my fucked up destiny. I’m sorry, Harry.”

“Why should you be sorry?” Harry ran a hand down Draco’s back. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I know I’ve given you a hard time, but I do know that when it came down to it, you didn’t want to be a part of any of this.”

“No, I didn’t, but I…”

“Don’t blame yourself.” Tightening his arms around Draco, Harry shuddered at the onslaught of emotions that washed over him. Why did he feel the need to protect Draco so desperately?

“Harry,” Draco whispered, his mouth brushing against Harry’s neck.

It sounded so good, his given name falling from Draco’s lips… why had they ever fought? Harry’s mind was hazy as he tried to piece together a reason why he hadn’t spent his whole life holding Draco. “I’m right here.”

“Up with you!” The door to their small cell clanged open and Peter Pettigrew appeared, startling them both. “To the main cell with the other prisoners until they come to get you.”

Harry helped Draco to his feet and they followed Pettigrew through the door, where they were unceremoniously shoved through another opening. The lock snicked closed and Harry reached out for Draco in the dark. “Malfoy?”

“Potter?”

“Harry?!”

A light appeared and Ron stood before them, clutching the Deluminator. “Ron!” Harry exclaimed.

“What are you doing here? Who is this? Was that Hermione we heard screaming?” he asked anxiously.

“Yes, it was.” Harry glanced toward the ceiling. “They found the sword, and Bellatrix thought she stole it.”

“The sword of Gryffindor?”

“Yes. We have it, and we destroyed the locket. And – wait, you said we? Who else is here?”

“Ollivander, Griphook – goblin from the bank - and Luna. They took Griphook up to question him right before they brought you in here, and the others are asleep. Now, who is this? I thought I heard you say something about Malfoy.”

“This is Malfoy. He’s with me.”

“What?” Ron exclaimed. “Why?”

“He escaped. He came to me for help and took an Unbreakable Vow to do no harm to us. And he saved my life.”

“He looks as ugly as the inside of an arse.”

Draco huffed. “I’m standing right here, Weasley.”

“Sorry.” Ron turned to face Draco. “You look as ugly as the inside of an arse.”

“Stop, Ron. Look, we have to get up there to Hermione, and we have to get Draco out of here. You-Know-Who wants to do… things to him.”

“What sort of things?”

“You know… things.”

“I – oh. Gross.” Ron made a face. “All right, but how are we going to get out of here? We’ve been trying and it’s been no use.”

“I don’t know.” Harry shifted and felt one coarse edge of his mirror shard rub against his ankle. He pulled it out and looked into it, startled when an eye that was not the reflection of his own – and was somehow startlingly familiar – peered back at him. “We need help. If you can help…”

“Are you talking to broken glass?” Draco asked.

“Yes.”

“That you’ve been keeping in your sock?”

“Yes.”

Draco shook his head. “Right.”

Harry stumbled backward when a pop sounded before him. “Dobby?” he exclaimed.

“Dobby is here to rescue his friend Harry Potter!” the elf exclaimed. “And young Master Malfoy… you is not looking right.”

“Dobby, there are two others, just over there. Take them to Shell Cottage, please. Trust me,” Ron added to Harry. “We need to get to Hermione.”

“Dobby will fix things.”

Harry allowed Draco to clutch his arm as he watched Dobby rouse the sleeping prisoners and disappear with them. Moments later, he reappeared and offered Harry a wand.

“What’s this?”

“Harry Potter is needing a wand?” Dobby asked. “Dobby has taken this one from the rat man.”

“Thanks, Dobby. Here, Malfoy.” Harry handed Draco his wand.

Dobby opened the cell door and motioned for them to follow. They did so, stepping over Pettigrew’s prone form in the corridor, and crept up the stairs.

“I say we carve a few more choice sentiments into the Mudblood here, don’t you?” A cackling voice floated around the corner, and before he could move Ron was charging past him.

Chaos ensued as Ron grabbed Hermione and Bellatrix fired off a battery of spells. Harry used Pettigrew’s wand to disarm her, but she quickly drew a small, silver blade and grabbed Draco’s arm.

“I’ll kill him,” she threatened, holding the blade to his bared throat.

“Bella, no,” Narcissa begged.

“Let him go!” Harry demanded. He watched as Hermione and Ron moved quietly behind them, slipping the sword back into her bag and motioning to him to join them.

“Look at you,” Bellatrix crooned. “Your handsome face is all back to normal now, little Potter. Oh, what fun the Dark Lord will have now – his two favorite little boys here to play!”

“Come on, Harry!” Ron hissed. “Leave him!”

“Move an inch and I’ll slit his throat. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Let him go and I’ll stay.” Harry pocketed the wands. “But if you hurt him, I’ll kill you.”

“Protective, are we? Do you want a piece of the pretty little birdie too?” Bellatrix cooed. “I hate to bear the bad news, Potter, but he belongs to our Lord – and so do you. You’re both staying here.”

“If he wants Draco so badly, you can’t kill him, can you?” Harry glanced upward briefly, hearing a creak, and spotted Dobby unscrewing the fixtures holding the massive chandelier aloft.

Bellatrix scowled. “That doesn’t matter. You won’t make it out of here alive. Lucius, summon him!”

Harry watched the elder Malfoy roll up his sleeve with a flourish and did not miss the man’s gaze dart toward the ceiling. He stepped backward and raised a hand over his Mark as if to cast the spell, only to instead push Narcissa out of the way and shield her as the chandelier came crashing to the ground.

Harry moved as it began to fall, surging forward and pulling Draco away from a surprised Bellatrix and into his arms a moment before the brass monstrosity crushed her beneath its weight. “Are you all right?” he asked, touching a pale cheek where Bellatrix had nicked Draco with her blade.

“I think so.” Draco leaned into Harry’s touch. “Are you?”

“Yeah…” He released Draco in a hurry when he realized his friends and Draco’s parents were all watching them.

Draco reached for his mother. “Oh, Mum…”

“My baby.” She embraced him. “You must go! He’ll be back before long.”

“I know, I… I love you. And thank you. I didn’t get to tell you before.”

“I know you do, and I you.” Narcissa studied him and made a face. “That hair does not suit you at all.”

“Potter.” Lucius grabbed Harry’s arm. “Protect him. Protect Draco. Please.”

Harry pulled out of the cold grasp. “I will.”

“Dobby must be taking Harry Potter and his friends to safety before the snake man returns!” The little elf held out his hands, and Harry took one, reaching for Draco at the same time.

“Ron, Hermione!” he called. His friends hurried over with Hermione’s bag and a collection of wands.

“Mum, Father… can’t you come with us?” Draco begged. “He’ll punish you!”

“We must stay here, Draco. We’ll see you as soon as we can, but we have to do what we can to fix things. There is a lot of damage to undo.” Lucius bowed his head.

“But…”

“Go, darling,” Narcissa urged. “You have what you need now. We won’t be apart for long.”

Harry squeezed his hand, and all went dark.

~~*~~

Shell Cottage was a peaceful place. Harry sat on the sand near the sea beside Ron and Hermione, tossing stones into the water, and sighed. “Hermione, are you certain you’re all right?”

“I’m fine, Harry, I promise.” She reclined against Ron, who kept a protective arm firmly around her shoulders.

“And your arm?”

“Bill healed it completely. No scars, no pain.”

“Still, you must have been terrified,” Harry persisted.

“Yes, I was. And now it’s over, and I don’t care to discuss it, all right?”

Harry dropped his gaze to the sand. “I’m sorry. I just… it was all my fault. I feel responsible.”

“Harry.” Hermione reached for his hand. “You didn’t mean to. And look – if we hadn’t gone there, Ron would still be imprisoned. So would Luna, Mr. Ollivander, and Griphook. And we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see that evil bitch crushed to death. So you see, the good far outweighs the bad.”

Harry chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course she is.” Ron beamed at Hermione, who tried to hide a smile as she rolled her eyes at Harry. “And I didn’t get to say it yet, but, well… I’m sorry I left you two the way I did. I was actually trying to find you again. I spent… I don’t even know how many days wandering around, trying to work out where you might go and hiding from the Snatchers, and then somehow the Deluminator led me back to you. I could hear Hermione’s voice in my head, clear as day, saying my name. So I pictured her face and tried to Apparate to wherever you were but I found myself just outside Luna’s house, with Death Eaters and Snatchers everywhere. They grabbed me and took me to Malfoy Manor, just a bit before you all arrived.”

“You must have Apparated there just as we were leaving.” She laid her head on Ron’s shoulder. “You’re forgiven, I suppose, as long as you don’t behave like such a prat again anytime soon.”

“I won’t, I promise. Harry, what’s the story with Malfoy? You said he saved your life. How –“

“Harry?”

Harry turned to see Draco hovering nervously behind them. “Draco. Everything all right?”

“Yes. They were, er, assigning rooms. And Fleur wants to know if you’re hungry.”

“I could eat.” Harry motioned to the patch of sand beside him. “In a bit, though. Join us.”

“Oh. Um.” Draco sat, and Harry reached for his hand, then pulled it away quickly when he realized what he’d done. Why the hell am I trying to hold his hand?

“Are you all right, Malfoy?” Hermione asked, tone polite.

“Yes. Are you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry she hurt you,” Draco said quietly.

Hermione’s eyebrows shot upward. “It was hardly your fault.”

“No, but she’s my aunt, and it happened in my house.”

“That doesn’t mean you held the knife. But I appreciate the sentiment, truly. Perhaps you’re not so bad,” she teased.

Draco snorted. “Perhaps.”

They sat in silence, peace settling over them as the sun began to dip toward the water’s surface. Harry finally gave in to the itch that had plagued him since the moment Draco sat beside him and allowed his hand to fall on top of Draco’s. “You’re tired,” he murmured.

Draco looked at him in surprise. “Yes,” he acknowledged.

“Let’s go in and get something to eat, and go to sleep. I’m looking forward to sleeping in a real bed.”

“Even if you’re sharing it with me?”

“What?” Ron spoke up. “Harry and I will share.”

Draco shrugged. “Fleur assigned Harry and me to a room. You’re with Ollivander, and Granger is with Lovegood.”

“I’m sure she’ll let us switch.”

“It’s not a big deal, Ron,” Harry said. “I don’t care who I room with so long as I finally get a full night’s sleep.”

“Fine,” Ron huffed, standing and helping Hermione to her feet.

Bill came outside to meet them as they approached and clapped Harry on the back. Fleur set out trays of sandwiches and fruit, and even the goblin made his way into the kitchen for dinner. Afterward, they were shown to their rooms and Ron expressed his distress once again that Draco and Harry were to share a room, and that said room held only one bed. Fleur told him it was necessary in a voice that caused him to respond with simply a dreamy smile, and she closed the door behind herself when she left.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed. “I could sleep for a week.”

“Me too. Though I’d like to have a bath first.”

“Same here. Er… I don’t want to seem bothered by it, but isn’t it curious that they gave us the room with only one bed?”

“Someone had to take it. The only other single bed went to the goblin. Is it a problem?”

“No.” And, he realized, it wasn’t. Or maybe it was. The thought of Draco’s warm body curled up beside his own… he needed to clear his head. “Do you mind if I use the bath first? I’ll try not to take too long.”

Draco shrugged. “Go ahead.”

The bath felt like a miracle, as did the clean pajamas that were laid out for him. Despite the early hour, he slipped into bed eagerly, his weary bones creaking in gratitude. Draco returned soon after and slid in beside him.

“Harry?” he ventured.

“Hmm?”

“You know what Fleur is, don’t you?”

“A Veela, is that what you mean?”

“Yes, exactly. Do you… do you think less of her, for being a creature?”

Harry turned on his side. “No, I do not, and I think it’s a really horrid opinion to have of someone who took you in and –“

“No, no! I’m not saying I do. I don’t, not at all. It’s just that some people think Veela and other creatures are less than human.”

“I thought Veela were sort of revered.”

“To some, yes. They are sort of the royalty of magical creatures, if you will, but there are still wizards who don’t care for them. And some who care too much.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. It was sort of funny to find out that she and Bill were, you know, mates. I don’t really know how it all works, but I hardly knew Veela existed before we met her in fourth year and now she’s part of the family.”

“Veela ideally mate for life. There’s a myth that a Veela will die if his or her mate dies or rejects them, but that’s not exactly true. As long as a Veela’s mate is alive, the Veela remains devoted to him – even if the mate rejects the Veela. If his mate dies, the Veela may be depressed, certainly, but the loss alone will not kill him. He can move on and even enjoy other partners, and while it may never be exactly the same, he can build a life with someone else. Especially if any children were involved. A Veela’s primary instinct is to carry and provide for a family. All Veela, even… even the males.”

Harry propped himself up on one elbow. “Male Veela can carry children?”

“Yes. It’s not always done, but as male Veela frequently prefer other males, it was necessary for the species. Male Veela are not as common, either, and some wizards have imprisoned them for novelty’s sake. Veela are notoriously sexual creatures, but very devoted to their mates as long as their mates are alive. There have been many men who have kidnapped Veela, male and female both, simply to sleep with them and impregnate them against their will.”

“That’s horrible!” Harry was aghast.

“It is, yes. And it’s why…” Draco took a deep breath. “It’s why the Dark Lord wants me back so badly.”

“Because you…”

“Because I am a Veela.”

Harry stared at him. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Wow. And he wants to sleep with you?”

“He wants me to carry his child.”

“That’s horrible, Draco.”

Draco looked away without responding.

“So… you’re a Veela. Is that why I feel…” Harry trailed off and reddened.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Draco laid a hand on Harry’s arm, and the simple touch ignited his nerve endings. “Tell me.”

“I feel… different around you. Different than I did before, but not. That doesn’t make sense.” Harry chewed on his lower lip.

“I only came into my inheritance when I turned seventeen, so it’s all a bit different now, but it’s always been a part of me. I just didn’t know it.”

“And your parents? Do they know?”

“Mum does. She helped me research all of this when it happened, since neither of us knew it was a family trait, apparently from the Black side. The Dark Lord discovered us when Mum was trying to help me learn to control my wings, and that’s what prompted her to get me out. Father didn’t know then, but I’m certain he knows by now. He surely isn’t pleased. Remember the little scene that the locket conjured especially for me?”

Harry frowned. “Right, yeah. I guess I thought that meant you were afraid of telling him you’re, you know, gay.”

“I was, but this is worse. Father is one of those people who likely believes Veela are below him. I don’t know how he’ll react when it’s all said and done.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad.”

Draco snorted. “And here I thought you’d met my father.”

“I have, on several unpleasant occasions. And despite that he still begged me to protect you today. Whatever his prejudices are, you’re his son. I don’t think he’s as upset as you imagine.”

“We’ll see. If we all survive.” A tear slipped from Draco’s eye and he hastily brushed it away. “Sorry. They’re just… he’s going to kill them when he finds out they let us get away. I know it.”

“Maybe not. Bellatrix is dead. I don’t know where Snatchers got to, but there were no other witnesses there in the end. They may have the chance to change their story, or go into hiding.”

“It doesn’t matter, Harry. If he thinks they mean to act against him… that never ends well.”

“It will for me. For us.” Harry reached out for Draco, brushing his cheek with tentative fingers. “I will protect you. I promised, and I meant it.”

Draco inhaled sharply, eyelids fluttering shut. “Thank you.”

“Are you… are you doing something to me? I feel so… when I’m with you, I want to touch you. I’m aroused, but I’ve never felt like that about a man before. And I’ve been having these dreams…” He couldn’t stop. His fingers traced Draco’s features and then moved to stroke his shoulder, his arm, his side, then settled on his hip, tightening when Draco moved closer.

“I’m sorry,” Draco whispered. “I don’t mean to, but I can’t help it. You’re under my thrall.”

“Why isn’t anyone else affected? Hermione doesn’t seem to feel anything different, from what I can see. Is it because you’re gay? But no one else seemed to be affected tonight either. Oh…” He tilted his head back and allowed Draco’s lips to rest against his throat.

“Not exactly.” Draco traced Harry’s fluttering pulse with his tongue. “My mum wanted me to come to you, because I knew… I knew it was you almost right away. All those years we spent fighting, I think a part of me just wanted some sort of contact with you. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. And it’s why the Unbreakable Vow didn’t take until I promised something that wasn’t directly about you. Because I could never betray you, could never even want to. Not now that I know.”

“What? Draco, fuck…” Harry moaned, allowing Draco to unbutton his pajama top and stroke his chest.

“And Fleur could see it as well. It’s why she gave us this room, this single bed. My body is calling for you and I can’t stop it, Harry, I can’t help it.” Draco aligned his hips with Harry’s, bringing their erections together with only thin layers of cloth between them.

“Draco,” Harry panted. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s you.” Draco cupped Harry’s cheek and claimed his lips in a searing kiss. “My mate.”

Harry’s mind raced. “I’m your… I’m…” He tried to pull away, but the pressure in his groin was maddening and he could only grip Draco’s hip and grind against him in desperation that would have been humiliating if he could think about anything but his impending orgasm.

“Come, Harry,” Draco urged. “Come for me.”

It was all he needed. Harry’s hips shot forward as he came in his pants, and he buried his face in the curve of Draco’s neck to muffle his cries. “Draco.”

“My love,” Draco whispered.

“What do we do now?” Harry rasped. “I mean… what does this all mean?”

“We spend our lives together, if that’s amenable to you.”

Harry let out a shocked laugh. “That’s a bit soon, don’t you think?”

“It’s my reality. Either we’re together, or I’m alone. You have a choice, but I don’t.”

“But…” Harry furrowed his brow. “How can you live like that?”

Draco rolled onto his back and sighed. “I don’t have too many options, do I? Who knows if I’ll even survive this war? And if I do… I can’t really expect you to give up your future for me. I know I’m not what you wanted or planned for. Merlin knows I wasn’t pleased when I realized it was you. Hated you for it… except I couldn’t really hate you, not anymore.”

“Maybe not, but don’t I have to –“

“Have to? No, you don’t. It’s rare, but sometimes Veela are rejected by their mates. A young Veela has an allure that can affect anyone nearby, sort of like the Beauxbatons students in fourth year. And probably why I got so many dates in school, though I thought I was just irresistible,” Draco smirked. “But a Veela who has matured will use his allure to attract only his chosen mate. It’s involuntary, and it isn’t foolproof. If there is truly no emotion there to play on, the allure will not be enough to create a relationship out of nothing. But if there is… we like to hurry things along, and the allure helps.”

Harry sat up. “Then there must be something to this, considering what just happened.”

“There’s also something to your relationship with Weasley’s sister, isn’t there? I want to be with you, Harry. I need you. But I need it to be forever, and I’m afraid you can’t give me that.” Draco looked away.

“Because I might die at any moment?”

“Hardly. Any of us could at this point. You’re young, Harry. This is new to you. I’ve had months to get used to the idea of being rejected by you, but now…” Draco swallowed. “I thought I was resigned to the idea, but this makes it so much harder.”

“I’m not with Ginny anymore. I don’t know that I want to be with her, anyway. And I started thinking that way before you showed up. Maybe a part of me knew that I already belonged to someone.” He reached for Draco, and Draco took his hand, naked hope plain in his eyes.

“You’d want to be with me?”

“Can’t we just, you know, date or something? See where this goes? It feels right…”

Draco chuckled. “I just helped you come. Of course it feels right. And you just wait until you get to come inside me – I promise you won’t be thinking of anyone else.”

“I…” Harry took a breath. “Wow.”

“Your friends won’t like it.”

“It isn’t their choice.”

“What if you get tired of me, Harry? When the rush of the war is over, and it’s just you and me living together someplace, raising a family?”

“That sounds brilliant. Draco.” Harry tugged on Draco’s pajama pants until he lifted his hips to allow Harry to pull them off completely. “I want to live a normal life. Have a family someday. Whatever this is, this thing that’s been building in me these past days, I want it. I want to keep feeling this way as long as possible. And I want to suck your cock.”

“You… Harry!” Draco gasped, hands scrabbling for purchase when his penis was engulfed by Harry’s warm, wet mouth.

Harry sucked, pulling back when he felt himself begin to gag, and wrapped a hand around the base of Draco’s prick. It wasn’t bad, he mused. He’d never really thought about having a cock in his mouth, but it actually felt quite nice once he had a manageable bit in service. He’d thought about having his own in Ginny’s mouth, of course, and that had seemed like a nice thought. Gave him something to wank over, at any rate. But now, imagining it in Draco’s mouth instead, tasting Draco’s private flesh, made his spent dick harden all over again. He moaned around his mouthful and Draco tugged on his hair, mewling desperately. Harry wasn’t sure why until his mouth was suddenly filled with Draco’s salty release.

“I think I may be dead,” Draco mumbled.

Harry sat up, doing his best to swallow, and grinned. “Was I good?”

“You’ll do.”

“Hey!”

Draco reached for Harry’s arm and grabbed him, pulling him down to lie beside him. “You’re my mate. Everything you do to me feels incredible.”

“I want to do more.” Harry stifled a yawn. “But perhaps in the morning.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged.”

~~*~~

Despite his exhaustion, Harry woke early and padded quietly out of the room in hopes of allowing Draco to sleep.

Draco.

It was amazing. In a matter of days, Harry’s world had shifted. He no longer wanted to defeat Voldemort – he had to. He had to protect Draco and make sure they could have some sort of future together, whatever that future might hold. At the moment, Harry was most interested in finding out how it felt to put his cock inside another person, but he couldn’t deny the strength of the affection he’d developed for Draco.

He’d never felt that way for Ginny. Not even close. What he thought he had felt had begun to dim long before Draco arrived, and his attraction to her seemed so insignificant in light of what he’d experienced with Draco the night before. It was frightening, feeling as though he had lost control over his impulses and emotions, but it was also exciting and very arousing.

Harry entered the kitchen quietly, as it seemed the rest of the house was still asleep, and made his way toward the teapot.

“Good morning, Harry.”

He nearly dropped the cup he’d picked up. “Hermione! You gave me a fright.”

“I see that. The water should still be warm – make yourself a cup and come sit with me.”

Harry took his cup and joined Hermione on the window seat. “Have a good sleep?”

“Mmm. Hard not to, with a real bed and all. Although Luna talks in her sleep, and sounds considerably more normal than she does while awake.”

Harry chuckled and sipped his tea.

“So.” Hermione turned to face him. “You and Malfoy.”

Harry coughed. “Excuse me?”

“Please, Harry. I’m not blind. I don’t know what’s happening, but I have been watching the two of you since he joined us – you’re always close to him, and if you’re not sniping at him you’re trying to touch him. Don’t think I didn’t see you trying to hold his hand yesterday.”

“Oh.” Harry studied his mug to avoid her keen gaze. “I, er… well, I guess he and I are going to try having a thing. A relationship.”

“Oh, Harry.” Hermione sighed. “Are you even gay?”

“I don’t know. I guess so?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“I don’t know! What does it matter? I had his dick in my mouth and I bloody liked it, so surely that counts for something!” Harry set his cup aside and covered his face with his hands. “I seriously can’t believe I said that out loud.”

“Me either.” Hermione let out a shocked laugh. “Well. I’m glad you, er, well. But, Harry, what about Ginny?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “We broke up.”

“With the intention of getting back together, I thought.”

“Yeah, but…” He sighed. “I love her, truly, but I don’t think I love her like maybe I should. After we left, I thought about her a lot… and then a lot less… and I wondered if she was lonely, or if she was maybe seeing someone else. We never agreed to remain single, you know. And I realized that the thought of her with someone else didn’t really bother me as much as I would have expected.”

“I see. That happens,” Hermione offered. “People grow apart, or realize they weren’t the best fit to begin with.”

“Yeah. I’m sort of hoping she did find someone else, crazy as it sounds. Probably just my conscience talking, but I don’t want to hurt her. Or be killed by Ron.”

She laughed. “That is definitely a concern. Maybe you shouldn’t tell him about Draco just yet.”

“I wasn’t planning on telling anyone.” He picked at his sleeve. “There’s something else, though, that might explain what’s happening a bit more, and this can’t go beyond the two of us.”

“Oh?”

“He’s… he’s a Veela.”

“What?” Hermione exclaimed. “The pureblood paragon himself has creature blood? This is too good to be true.”

“Well, it is, and it’s not something to make fun of. I know how he was, but he’s different now. He’s changed because of all of this,” Harry told her defensively.

“Oh, my God. Oh, Harry…” Hermione covered her mouth. “You’re his mate. You are, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, wow. That explains so much, then. No wonder you were so immediately drawn to him. And no wonder his mother sent him to find you!” She grabbed his hand. “Do you understand what this means, being a Veela’s mate? I only know about what I read, but it’s a big deal, Harry. He can’t have a relationship with anyone else as long as you live.”

“I know. He told me.”

“And you know he’s using his allure to make sure you fall for him? Are you all right with that?”

“I can definitely feel it when I’m near him, but I don’t really mind. It just makes me want to be close to him. And it only works if there are real feelings involved – it can’t force a relationship out of nothing,” he recited.

“Yes, that’s true,” she mused. “But Veela mate for life, Harry. You’re ready to make that kind of commitment at seventeen?”

“It’s quite frightening to look at it like that,” Harry agreed. “But I can’t turn him away when I do have feelings for him. I can’t reject him just because we’re young, and leave him hurt and alone without exploring what we could be together. If it doesn’t work out… well, he at least deserves a shot. And so do I.”

“That’s… mature,” Hermione admitted. “And a little exciting, truthfully. But Malfoy?”

Harry lifted a shoulder in response. “Blame fate, not me. Did you know he can have children? That’s why You-Know-Who wants him.”

Hermione’s face twisted in horror. “Oh, that’s awful! Not the ability, the other part. I hope we can keep him safe.”

“Wanting to protect him too, now?” Harry teased with a grin. “Shall we make some badges?”

“Shut it. I’m just imagining how I would feel if he wanted me for that purpose. Nobody should have to fear that.”

“No. He’s awake.”

“How do you know?”

Harry frowned. “I’m not certain. It’s a sort of awareness… I started feeling it yesterday, like I can feel sort of a shadow of how he’s feeling. I should go.”

“All right. Later on we should sort out the wands we took yesterday. Find one that works well for you.”

“Yes, I’m managing with Pettigrew’s, but we… oh! Bloody hell, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you! There was so much going on, and –“

“Tell me what?”

“When the Snatchers grabbed us, I had a vision. The Elder Wand is real, and he knows where it is. He’s going to get it – from Dumbledore.”

“From… no.” Hermione closed her eyes for a moment. “All right. We have to move forward, and quickly. I’ve got some more reading to do, and then we need to decide on our next course of action.”

“Hogwarts, Hermione. It has to be.”

“All right.”

Harry stood and patted her shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort, and headed back to Draco.

~~*~~

Draco woke slowly, feeling better than he had in months. His mate wanted him; there was nothing better in the world.

He sat up just as Harry slipped back into the room and smiled. “There you are.”

“Here I am.” Harry undressed and crawled under the covers. “You’re not getting up, are you?”

Draco chuckled. “And how long have you been up?”

“Not too long. I was talking with Hermione. I told her about us.”

“Oh? And what did you tell her?”

“That we’re seeing each other. And… that you’re a Veela. Is that all right?” he asked anxiously.

“That’s all right. Was she upset?”

“No, more surprised than anything. About the Veela part, anyway… apparently I haven’t been too subtle about my interest in you.”

“Granger is nothing if not observant.”

Harry laughed. “Too right. I think I’ll wait before telling Ron, though.”

“Probably best.”

“Yeah. So… seeing as how we’re going to be leaving here soon, we should probably take advantage of the time we have.” He pushed Draco onto his back and reached for his erection. “Is this for me?”

“You and morning in general. Where are we going?”

“Hogwarts.”

“Oh.” Fuck. He knew they needed to go, needed to find the rest of the Horcruxes, but it was one of the last places he felt safe.

“You know you don’t have to go, Draco. You’re safe here. Maybe you should stay.”

“If you go, I go.” He dragged Harry down for a kiss. “But before we go, you’re definitely going to fuck me.”

“I… I can do that.”

Draco grinned at Harry’s dazed expression. “How about now?”

“Now?”

Draco lifted his knees toward his chest. “Now.”

Harry nodded, his pupils so dilated that very little green was visible, and moved his hand lower to cup Draco’s balls. “Don’t we need some sort of…”

“Lubrication Charm, Harry. It’s practically in the Hogwarts student manual – don’t tell me you’re the only boy who’s been through puberty and doesn’t know the spell.”

“Right, I forgot.”

“Harry.” Draco reached for his wand on the bedside table, where Harry had left it, and held it out. “Don’t look so terrified. It’s going to be fine. You might even enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will, I just… haven’t.”

“Me either. But we were made to do this together, quite literally, so I know we can manage it. Conjure some lube.”

Harry nodded and did so, then set the wand aside.

“Mind if I cast a couple of spells? I know we agreed, but…”

“You can keep your wand. I trust you.”

Warmth flooded Draco’s chest at Harry’s sweet smile as much as his words. “Thank you. I’m just going to make sure the door is locked… and cast a Silencing Charm. No need for the whole house to hear you screaming my name.”

Harry snorted. “Good plan.”

“You will be, don’t doubt it. Want to touch me?”

“I was. Oh! You mean, there?”

“Wherever you want to put your cock.”

“Right.” Harry dipped his fingers in the conjured lubricant and sought out Draco’s opening, inhaling sharply when he found it. “I’ve never touched anyone here before.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I should hope not. It’s not really a spot you’d accidentally run into.”

“No, I mean, I touched Ginny’s breast once, under the shirt and all. It felt pretty good, I guess, although I’m not sure what all the excitement is about. I didn’t touch her –“

“Potter! I’m losing my erection here, listening to you wax poetic about your ex-girlfriend’s tits and bits.”

“Sorry! I was just trying to say that this feels so much better than anything else I’ve done, not that I’ve done much, and… sorry.”

Draco’s expression softened. “You’re forgiven, so long as you get around to putting a finger or three inside soon.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Okay. Okay, tell me if this hurts or anything.”

Draco threw an arm over his face. The sight of Harry biting his lip in aroused concentration combined with the feel of his fingers breaching his muscles was too much, and he couldn’t look for fear of coming all over himself. He concentrated on Harry’s hands… those gorgeous, calloused, thick fingers twisting inside him, widening him in preparation, stroking his prostate… fuck.

His cock erupted, come landing on his belly and dribbling down the sides, and when he finally uncovered his eyes he had to laugh at the stunned expression on Harry’s face. “You look confused.”

“You came.”

“That’s the goal,” Draco told him helpfully.

“Right, but I didn’t even do anything yet.”

“You fumbled around in there and found my prostate. Also, I’m seventeen, randy, and about to have sex with my mate. Any other questions?”

“Do you still want to?”

“Yes!” Draco exclaimed.

Harry’s face was the picture of relief. “Oh, good. Is it okay if I… do it now?”

“Could this get any more romantic?” Draco wondered. “I may swoon.”

“I’m pants at this, aren’t I?”

Draco opened his arms and Harry lowered himself on top of Draco, the cooling come squelching between their bellies, and their lips met in a hungry kiss. “You can’t possibly do this wrong,” Draco whispered, lifting his pelvis to wrap his legs around Harry’s waist.

“I’m confident I can,” Harry replied, but his face broke into a grin and he dipped his head to pull Draco’s earlobe into his mouth.

“Mmm.” Draco clung to his mate, time standing still just for the two of them while the rest of the world moved on. Nothing mattered but that moment, his lover, their bodies, their union.

Harry moved hesitantly with shallow thrusts against Draco until the head of his penis caught Draco’s loosened rim. He pushed forward and then stopped, breathing heavily into Draco’s neck. “You’re still so tight,” he rasped.

“I’m all right.” Draco tightened his arms around Harry, adjusting to the burn, and nudged his mate forward with his heels pressing into the small of Harry’s back. “Give me more?”

“Yes,” Harry breathed. “Anything.”

“Oh, fuck!” Draco moaned as Harry slid fully inside before pulling out and pushing back in. It hurt, just a bit, but he felt so full and knowing his mate, his Harry, was inside him, taking pleasure from his body, was the most erotic sensation he could imagine.

He looked up at Harry in wonder. The face he knew so well was contorted, likely with the effort to refrain from ejaculating too soon, and droplets of perspiration had formed on his forehead. His glasses had slipped to the end of his nose and his eyes were closed, sooty eyelashes brushing flushed cheeks, and he was biting his lip again in the way that drove Draco mad with want. And this man, this beautiful, brave, infuriating man, was all his.

“Draco.” Harry’s voice was strangled. “Feel… so good… can’t last.”

“Don’t hold back.” Draco arched his back to meet a particularly enjoyable thrust. The pain had subsided, leaving only a white hot need to be used and filled. “Fuck me as hard as you can, as hard as you need to.”

“Fuck, Draco!” A sound akin to a sob tore from Harry’s throat and he quickened his pace, pounding into Draco hard enough to make their flesh slap together loudly and to cause Draco’s head to strike the headboard with each thrust. Harry curled a protective hand around the top of Draco’s head, his knuckles taking the brunt of the abuse instead, and cried out as his balls began to empty.

Draco felt his insides heat with Harry’s release and watched Harry’s expression as it changed from pained to almost awed to completely free and sated, and he held onto Harry tighter. He knew that Harry would get up and leave soon, and that their little cocoon would not sustain them when it came time to end the war in one way or another. He didn’t want to let go.

“Can I make you come again?” Harry murmured in his ear.

“Just… just stay where you are, right there.” Draco closed his eyes and held on for dear life.

~~*~~

“Hermione said you wanted to speak to us.” Harry closed the door and joined his friends in Griphook’s room.

The goblin regarded them silently for a moment before speaking. “Yes. You have something I desire. Something that is owed to me.”

“And that is?”

“The sword.”

“Why do you want it?”

Griphook’s beady eyes narrowed. “Because it is rightfully mine. It is goblin-made.”

“But it was gifted to Godric Gryffindor, was it not?” Harry asked.

“That hardly matters. Anything that was made by my kind is to be returned to my kind. Gryffindor is dead, and the sword belongs to us, not to you.”

Harry inclined his head. “All right. I understand what you’re after – but do you know why we need it?”

“I know enough. I know that its weight and might are different now, as it absorbs what power it desires from what it smites. And I know that the one you wish to defeat does not wish you to have it, even more than you wish to keep it. As a rule, Mr. Potter, goblins do not concern themselves with disagreements between wizards.” Griphook paused and slanted a look at Ron when he snorted.

“Sorry, but I think ‘disagreement’ is a bit of an understatement here, don’t you?” Ron said. “It’s not as though Harry and You-Know-Who are arguing over who gets to take a girl they both fancy to the ball.”

Hermione nudged Harry and he scowled at her.

“As I was saying,” Griphook continued, “we aren’t interested in your wars. We have our own ways and we go about them without your help. But the man you fear and his followers have made enemies of the goblins, and as such, I am more inclined to assist you. I understand that the sword is necessary to your cause, and I further understand that I have something in my possession that may be of interest to you. Goblins hear things, you see, and when it appeared I may be able to make a bit of a trade, I took something from a vault.” He lifted his chin. “Never in Gringotts history has a goblin stolen from a vault, mind you, but never in Gringotts history has a vault been contaminated with something so purely evil.”

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. “Mr. Griphook, what is it you have to show us?” she asked.

“Mr. Potter,” the goblin said, ignoring Hermione completely. “I was hoping to find you, as I’d heard Albus Dumbledore left the sword to you in his will.” His lip curled. “As if it was his to bequeath. And as it happened, you stumbled into the very cell I was so unceremoniously tossed into when I left the bank that day. I hid it well, lied about the authenticity of the sword to protect it, and now I will present it to you. I don’t know precisely what this is, but I suspect you do.” He withdrew a small object wrapped in leather from the depths of his seemingly bottomless pockets and held it out to Harry.

Ears ringing, Harry reached out for it. His scar began to ache and he knew, he knew this was a Horcrux. He took it with a shaking hand and unwrapped it, careful to only touch the leather. Hufflepuff’s cup rested within.

“Harry,” Hermione whispered. “Cover it.”

He swallowed and wrapped it up again, then turned to the goblin. “And you’re giving me this in return for the sword?”

“Precisely.”

“The problem is that we need the sword,” Harry began. “And we –“

“Mr. Potter,” Griphook interrupted. “I am well aware of your needs. I am also aware that you are an honorable man, and that we are – for now, and only for now – working toward a common purpose. Therefore, I am willing to allow you to keep the sword on faith for the time being, with an understanding that I will have it back at the end, even if it means taking the hand that holds it as payment if it is not promptly returned.”

“Understood.”

“Very good. You may take your leave.”

“Thank you.” Harry moved to follow Ron and Hermione out of the room when the goblin stopped him.

“Mr. Potter.” Griphook steepled his stubby fingers beneath his chin. “Do not underestimate him, or what you may need to do in the end. But above all, do not underestimate yourself.”

~~*~~

Draco huddled in the corner of the Hog’s Head while Harry and his counterparts spoke with the man who turned out to be Dumbledore’s brother. He had been chased, shoved, and was now cowering just yards away from a man whose brother he had, for all intents and purposes, helped murder.

Harry had come back to him in the afternoon positively beaming because the goblin had provided them with one of the remaining Horcruxes. They had agreed to set out for Hogwarts at sunset, in hopes of making it to some secret passage Harry knew of without being discovered. While they waited out night’s approach Harry and Draco locked themselves away and made love, talked of their histories and shared shy hopes for the future, and made love again.

Finally, with the horrid thing wrapped up tightly and buried in Granger’s endless bag, the four of them Apparated to Hogsmeade and found Luna waiting for them, having apparently decided to come along. Their appearance triggered an alarm that brought Death Eaters in droves, and only the intervention of this Aberforth had saved them.

“Draco, come on!” Harry urged.

He looked up sharply to find his classmates staring at him, including Neville Longbottom, who had appeared out of a portrait hole. “Sorry, coming.”

Harry squeezed his hand briefly as they trailed behind everyone else on the way to the school. “It will be all right,” he whispered. “Just stay close to me, all right?”

“I will.” He took a deep breath when they reached the far end of the tunnel, and the door swung open to reveal a large group of students below.

“Harry!” The Irish Gryffindor shouted as they climbed down to greet everyone. “Where’ve you been, mate? Been worried about you, all of you. Who’s this fellow?”

“It’s Draco.” Harry stepped in front of him as the crowd turned angry. “Now, listen, he’s on our side and he’s been invaluable to our cause. Anyone who attempts to harm him in any way will find themselves on the business end of my wand, is that clear?”

“He’s a prat, Harry,” The Irish boy – what the hell was his name? – grumbled.

“Harry’s right, he’s been very helpful,” Hermione spoke up. “And if anyone gives him any trouble, you can add my wrath to Harry’s.”

Draco looked at her in surprise, but she didn’t meet his gaze.

“We’re here for a specific purpose,” Harry announced. “We don’t have time for petty nonsense. The sooner we can accomplish what we need to, the sooner we can end all of this once and for all.”

“Anything we can do to help?” A tall boy, McLaggen, Draco believed, stepped forward.

“I’m looking for something. Some sort of Ravenclaw artefact. Anyone know of any?”

The crowd hummed, most students murmuring to each other, and in a sea of shrugs no one offered any solutions. Draco turned and noticed Luna with her hand in the air behind them, patiently waiting for someone to notice her. “Lovegood? Have you got something?”

“The lost diadem of Ravenclaw,” she replied in her usual dreamy tone. “It’s the obvious solution.”

“Where is it, Luna?” Harry asked.

“It’s nowhere, Harry,” Cho Chang called. “It’s lost. That’s the point. No one has ever seen it.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped. “Right. Well, we’ll have to keep looking. Maybe in the Ravenclaw common room? Are there any displays there?”

“Harry, wait…” Luna began.

“Later, Luna. Come on, let’s go look.” Harry motioned to Draco, Ron, and Hermione, and they followed him into the crowd. “Ron, Hermione, perhaps you should talk with some of the other Ravenclaws while Draco and I check their common room. Whatever it is, I’ll be able to feel it, and if it’s not there you might be able to find something out about where else we should look.”

“All right,” Hermione agreed. “But meet us back here soon, and be careful.”

“We’ll use charms if we need to,” Harry assured her. “And I have my map and cloak. We’ll be back soon.”

“I’ll walk with you for a bit,” Neville offered.

“Thanks, Nev. Come on, Draco.”

“Harry, have you heard from Ginny?” Neville asked as they made their way out of the room.

“No.” The corners of Harry’s mouth turned down, and Draco’s stomach turned at the guilt he saw written in Harry’s expression. Was he regretting their relationship already, at the mere mention of the Weasley girl?

“She should maybe tell you herself…” Neville paused. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Harry, but she’s…”

“Is she seeing someone?” Harry asked. Draco frowned at the hopeful tone in his voice, now thoroughly confused.

“Yeah. She’s gotten back together with Dean. It might just be temporary, but…”

“Oh, I hope not!” Harry grinned.

Neville’s brow creased. “Huh?”

“Harry!” A whirl of red hair and freckles flew toward them and attached itself to Harry. Growling filled the air, and it wasn’t until they all looked at him that realized it was coming from him.

Harry slipped out of Ginny’s grasp and stepped away from her, watching Draco with careful eyes. “It’s all right, Draco, see?”

“What’s wrong with him? And why is he here?” Ginny demanded.

“He’s helping us. It’s fine. How are you, Gin? I’ve missed you.”

Draco clenched his fists as she reached out to brush a lock of hair from Harry’s eyes. “I’ve missed you, too. I, um… I wanted to speak to you. Maybe alone?”

“No need. I’ve heard you and Dean reunited.”

“We did, but Harry, I swear, it’s just because I’ve missed you, and…”

“Don’t worry about it, Gin. We’ve always been better as friends, don’t you think?”

She looked torn. “I guess, but I always thought that when you got back…”

“When I get back, you’ll still be with Dean, won’t you?”

“I… maybe.” She looked down. “I love him, Harry. And I love you, too, but…”

“Like I said, friends. That won’t change.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“You didn’t, Gin. I’m just fine. I’ve got someone now, too, so we can both be happy, all right?”

“Who?” She frowned. “You’ve been alone with… oh, Merlin, you’re with Hermione? That’ll gut Ron! Is that why he left you? I spoke to Bill, and he said Ron was there, and –“

“I’m not with Hermione. And Ron’s fine. I’ll talk to you about it another time, Gin. Right now we need to get moving. Take care of yourself, all right?”

“Thanks, Harry.” She looked a bit lost, and Draco fought the very childish urge to stick out his tongue at her as they left.

~~*~~

“Harry!”

Harry tried not to show his impatience as Luna followed him up the staircase. “Luna, I have to –“

“Will you listen to me?” she cried. “I think you need to look for Ravenclaw’s diadem. I know it’s said to be lost, but I’ve seen photographs and I don’t think there are any other artefacts with that significance.”

“But if it’s lost –“

“Wait a minute,” Draco interrupted. “What does this thing look like? A sort of crown or tiara?”

“Yes. I’ve been trying to tell you. The statue of Rowena in our common room is wearing it, as a matter of fact.”

Harry glanced at Draco and shrugged. “All right, Luna. I suppose you know Ravenclaw history far better than we do, after all. Let’s hurry before we’re seen.”

She smiled and led them up the rest of the stairs, then let them into the Ravenclaw common room. “Here she is. Hello, Rowena – you’re looking lovely as always.”

“I’ve seen it,” Draco said, staring up at the marble tiara with wide eyes. “In the Room of Hidden Things, when I was working on the cabinet. I saw it there. We have to go there, Harry.”

“All right, but – what was that?” Harry pulled out his map, but before he could open it he heard pounding on the common room door.

“The Carrows,” Draco hissed. “Harry…”

“I’m sure they won’t know the riddle,” Luna commented.

“What riddle?”

“The eagle on the door gives a riddle that we must answer, instead of using a password, to allow entry.”

Harry frowned. “We didn’t get a riddle.”

“It doesn’t ask me for them anymore,” Luna replied. “It gets annoyed with my answers.”

“We need to hide!” Draco whispered. “They will get in, and we’ll be dead.”

“Against the wall.” Harry motioned to Draco and Luna and pulled on of the borrowed wands from his pocket to cast Disillusionment Charms on them both. He barely had time to throw his Cloak over his head before the door crashed open and Alecto Carrow appeared.

“Potter,” she sang. “Are you hiding in here? The Dark Lord is expecting you to make an appearance in this very tower, and I would so love to deliver you to him.”

“Is he here?” Amycus Carrow lumbered into the common room. “He’s going to kill us if’n we don’t find Potter.”

“I know.” Alecto pointed to the staircase. “The dormitories. You check the boys’, I’ll check the girls’, and we’ll find him. The Dark Lord will be pleased with us.”

“Unlike the Malfoys.” A grin spread across the Carrow brother’s piggy face. “Ol’ Lucius isn’t as high an’ mighty as he used to be, not now.”

“Let’s go,” Amycus said impatiently. “Sooner we find him, the better off we’ll be.”

Harry waited until they disappeared up the stairs before pulling off his Cloak and motioning to the invisible Luna and Draco. “Come on!” he whispered.

They hurried out of the room and down the staircase, and when they rounded the corner Harry ran into, quite literally, Professor McGonagall. “Professor!”

“Potter!” She looked around wildly and then pulled him into a classroom. “What are you doing here? I thought it was a false alarm. I’d hoped….”

“Professor, we’ve got to find something, and we know where it is, but –“

“We? Are Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger with you as well?”

“They are, but they’re with some of the other students. Draco? Luna?” He reached out and felt a familiar hand take his.

Luna’s voice drifted over from the corner. “I’m here.”

“Draco Malfoy?” McGonagall asked.

“Yes. He’s been helping us. We need to get up to the Room of Requirement.”

“It’s not safe for you to be here, Potter! We’re all to be on alert and report any sighting of you to Snape.” Her lip curled. “I overheard the Carrows talking - he knows you’ve been sighted nearby, and the school will be under attack if we don’t do something.”

“It will happen anyway, Professor.” Harry suddenly felt very tired. “Look, the end is near. I’m following Dumbledore’s orders and doing what needs to be done to finish this war, but I have to get to that room. It’s vital.”

“Dumbledore?” She closed her eyes momentarily, then straightened her shoulders. “Go, then. We’ll do what needs to be done to prepare for the fight. Hogwarts will protect her students as best she can. Stay hidden, Potter, and move quickly. I fear our time is running out.”

Harry nodded, a lump in his throat as affection for this formidable woman rushed over him. “Thank you, Professor.”

She nodded once, a quick, jerky motion, and waited for Harry to duck beneath the Cloak before opening the door. “Severus!”

Harry held his breath, watching as Snape appeared in the doorway.

“A bit late for a stroll, isn’t it, Minerva?”

“I was just –“

“And in a classroom not your own? I thought I heard voices.”

“I was talking to myself.”

“Of course.” Snape’s tone indicated disbelief. “What has you out so late?”

“There was a commotion a bit ago. Sounded like the Carrows. I wanted to be certain all was well, and I thought I heard something in this corridor.”

“Harry Potter was spotted this night. Were you aware?”

“I was not.”

“Hmm. Well, anyone attempting to hide Potter will be disciplined harshly. That includes both students and faculty. You wouldn’t be attempting to hide Potter, would you, Minerva? I realize he’s your Golden Boy, but it would be detrimental to your career to do something so foolish. Your career, and your health.”

“You won’t threaten her.” Before he could stop himself, Harry was tossing the Cloak aside and pointing his wand at Snape. Rage filled him – rage at his disrespectful tone, rage at his unsubtle threats to McGonagall, and rage at this man’s ability to walk free while Dumbledore lay rotting in a tomb.

“Potter!” Snape drew his own wand, but no sooner had he raised it than McGonagall began firing hex after hex at Snape, who moved more quickly than Harry had ever seen him move in deflecting the curses with hastily-erected shields. He sent a suit of armor flying toward McGonagall and Harry just managed to fling it in the other direction with a wave of his wand, but the commotion was enough to allow Snape time to disappear through the window with a crash.

“Coward!” McGonagall shouted. She spun around to face Harry. “I’ll take care of the Carrows. Go to the Great Hall. We have to assemble and prepare the students. Now! It has begun.”

~~*~~

Draco followed Harry numbly. He’d been paralyzed, unable to think or speak, while Harry and Snape faced off so briefly. He didn’t believe Snape would actually harm Harry or McGonagall, not that Harry could understand that yet, but it was terrifying.

“Harry!” Ron and Hermione ran down the corridor and Hermione threw her arms around Harry. “I thought… oh, the Carrows are out looking for you – they know you’re here. And I –“

“Hermione,” Harry cut her off. “We don’t have much time. Snape knows we’re here too, and he’s gone – probably off to tell Voldemort we’re here.”

“Oh, good, we’re allowed to use his name again,” Luna commented. “I was getting very tired of You-Know-Who.”

“Allowed or not, it’s too late to hide from him. He knows we’re here, and he’s coming to kill me,” Harry said bluntly. “We’re on the way to the Great Hall.”

“Did you find anything?” Hermione asked.

“The diadem is here, in the Room of Requirement.”

“Then we have to go and find it!”

“And we will, but he’s coming, Hermione. The castle is full of children. They have to be prepared.”

“I should go and help the others, then, don’t you think?” Luna asked. “They’ll be wondering, and maybe I can help get the younger ones out to Aberforth.”

“Yes, that’s perfect. Go, and be careful!” Harry urged.

“Harry!” Remus Lupin hurried down the corridor, followed by the Weasley twins, Angelina Johnson, and Oliver Wood.

“Remus! What are you doing here?”

“We sent for the rest of Dumbledore’s Army, and they told the Order,” Fred told him. “You should know better than to try and go it alone by now, mate.”

“I’m happy to see you all,” Harry said sincerely. “We’re headed to the Great Hall now to organize. It’s all starting.”

Lupin nodded and clapped Harry on the back. “Then we’re with you.”

McGonagall was shouting instructions when they arrived, weaving through lines of students making their way into the Hall. Whispers travelled across the room, anxious questions and mentions of Snape and Carrows and You-Know-Who.

“Silence!” McGonagall shouted. “I know you’re all frightened, but we must act now. Headmaster Snape is gone, the Carrows are… out of commission, and the war is upon us. The castle is preparing to fight, and our younger children are evacuating the premises as we speak. But you all must –“

“Ssstudents of Hogwarts.”

Harry dropped to his knees, head in his hands, and tried to determine where the sibilant voice was coming from. He thought perhaps it was in his head, though it held a different resonance from his usual intrusions, but when he dared to open his eyes he saw clusters of students cowering and covering their ears and he knew it was something more.

“You prepare to fight me, but you cannot win. I do not wish to harm magical children, as your blood is precious to me. You must understand that the solution is simple – there are two people who I seek, two people whose sacrifice will save the rest of you. Give me Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy before midnight, and the school and the rest of its students will be spared. Give them to me, and this will all end at last. I await your decision.”

The final syllables echoed off the stone and left the room cloaked in silence. Harry looked around wildly until he saw Draco huddled in the corner, shaking violently. He rushed to his side and knelt beside him, pulling his trembling hands away from his face. “Draco, stop. It’s going to be all right.”

“H-he… h-he… r-rape me… k-kill me…” Unseeing gray eyes bore through Harry. “I… I…”

“Look at me!” Harry commanded. “You’re having a panic attack, Draco. I will not allow him to take you, or to hurt you. Do you hear me? Breathe.”

Draco nodded rapidly. “Hear you.”

“You’re mine, remember?” Harry whispered. “I haven’t been able to take you on a proper date yet. How can we give this thing a try if we don’t make it through tonight?”

“I want…” Draco wiped his nose. “I want to go to a good restaurant, with quality wine. None of the swill they serve at the Leaky.”

Harry chuckled. “There he is. Let’s get this over with, all right?”

“All right.”

“There he is! It’s Harry Potter, he’s there!”

Before he could so much as turn his head, Draco was on his feet, wand brandished and eyes flashing as he pushed Harry behind him. “You cow,” he hissed. “You’ll shut your mouth now, or I’ll see to it you’ll need to eat through your neck.”

Pansy Parkinson gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. “Draco! Wh-where have you been? Why are you with him?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re a traitor. He’s a traitor! It’s Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, both of them!”

“That will be quite enough from you, Miss Parkinson. You may follow Mr. Filch and the rest of your housemates out.” McGonagall snagged her by the sleeve and marched her away.

“You’ll burn, Draco Malfoy!” she shrieked, stumbling when McGonagall delivered a hard jerk to Pansy’s arm.

“Draco.” Harry pulled him into his arms. “Thank you.”

“Mine,” Draco whispered, nuzzling Harry’s neck.

“We have to go find the diadem. Right away. We aren’t going to have much time.”

“Right.” Draco took a shuddering breath. “We’re going to be okay.”

“Yes,” Harry agreed emphatically. Hand in hand, no longer concerned about who might see, they made their way to the seventh floor.

~~*~~

“We’ve got to find it, destroy it and the cup, and then we’ll be ready to face him. He’ll have the snake with him. He’ll need to keep her close. I can feel him, Hermione, nothing specific, but a constant hum. He knows why we’re here and he’s weaker than he was. We have to finish this.” Harry ran a hand through his hair.

The three of them stood together in a silence that Draco knew spoke volumes more than any words could. “Let’s go and find it, then,” Weasley finally said. “The door’s right there.”

Harry looked at the wall in wonder; sure enough, the familiar door had appeared. “I hadn’t even asked yet. All right. Draco knows where it is.”

“As long as nothing’s moved much,” Draco clarified. “I know where it was.”

They entered the eerie silence of the room, broken only by the distant sound of a phonograph needle scratching the vinyl surface of a record, and looked around. “Where?” Harry asked in a hushed voice.

“This way.” Draco led them through the aisles and shelves of items, taking the familiar path toward the cabinet. How long ago it seemed now. “There.”

The other three followed his gaze upward. “I see it,” Harry breathed. “Accio diadem.”

“One day you’ll realize you can’t just summon a Horcrux, mate,” Weasley commented.

“I hope not, as I don’t intend to spend time looking for any others. All right, I’ll climb.”

“Please be careful,” Draco told him anxiously, circling around to the other side of the shelves for a better view. He was so engrossed in watching Harry’s ascent that he didn’t hear anyone approaching until he felt the tip of a wand dig into the small of his back.

“Look who we have here.” Goyle’s familiar voice cooed just above his left ear.

Draco closed his eyes briefly. “Let’s not do anything foolish. You know you’ll be as good as dead if you harm me.”

Goyle snorted. “Doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy delivering you and collecting our reward.”

“Expelliarmus!” Ron shouted, shoving Draco out of the way just before Goyle’s wand went flying.

Draco stumbled and fell into the rickety shelf beside him, knocking Harry and a noisy shower of trinkets to the ground. “I’m sorry!” he cried as he scrambled to his feet. “Are you all right?”

“Where is it?” Harry cried. He sifted wildly through the fallen items and Draco joined him, watching as Weasley and Granger lured Goyle and Crabbe away. Spells could be heard as they ricocheted off metal and glass, and then everything was silent for a split second.

All at once, Harry raised a triumphant arm, diadem in his fist, and Ron appeared around the corner with Hermione on his heels. “Run!” he screamed. “Crabbe’s set the bloody place on fire! Harry, run!”

Draco took hold of Harry’s arm and yanked him up, all but dragging him along as he followed Hermione and Ron. The heat from the fire licked at their backs and Draco, against his better judgment, looked over his shoulder. The flames danced and morphed into creatures he’d only read about, and they were moving far too quickly. “It’s Fiendfyre!”

“Brooms!” Harry yelled, pointing at a pair leaning haphazardly against a bookcase. Weasley cottoned on immediately and grabbed them, tossing one back to Harry.

Draco jumped on, wrapping his arms around Harry’s abdomen and burying his face in the thick wool of Harry’s jumper. It was too hot, too bright, too much.

“Throw it back!” Hermione shouted. “The diadem, throw it back! Fiendfyre destroys!”

Harry tossed it over his shoulder and swerved to avoid Hufflepuff’s cup, which Hermione had pulled from her bag and sent sailing toward the flames. An inhuman screech filled the air, louder than the crackling flames and louder than the cries of Crabbe and Goyle, who were lost somewhere in the bowels of the room. The flames morphed again and Draco screamed as he looked back and saw Voldemort’s twisted face hurtling toward them at an alarming speed. The door opened then and they flew through, landing roughly and tumbling onto concrete.

The silence was so loud Draco’s ears began to ring, and he stared at the now closed door that contained the fire. Then Harry began to scream.

~~*~~

It felt as though his head had split open and he was bleeding to death through his scar. Voldemort was furious, weak and yet strong in his madness, and he knew Harry would have to seek him out.

He rolled to his side and retched, vaguely aware of hands stroking his back, until his belly ached with the effort. “He knows. He knows we’ve destroyed them, and he’s waiting for me.”

“Where?” Hermione asked.

“The Shrieking Shack. He’s waiting for Snape, too. He just spoke to your father, Draco, and told him to fetch Snape. Your father’s alive and he’s worried about you.”

“Thank Merlin,” Draco choked. “When the Carrows said that about my father, I…” He helped Harry sit up and wrapped him in his embrace, uncaring who was watching. Harry took comfort in the arms that tightened around him.

“The snake is there. He knows I’ll have to find her, so he’s keeping her close.” Harry pulled in a shaky breath. “We have to go.”

It was shocking to see the grounds, the school he so loved in disarray as the battle devoured its loveliness. Curses flew and bodies landed with lifeless eyes that Harry was afraid to meet, knowing some would be familiar. He led the way across the grounds, vaguely aware of his friends shouting spells around him. He was focused on his destination.

They dodged the flailing branches of the Whomping Willow and a spell from Ron provided the opening they needed to burrow into the passage between the roots, and in moments they were making their way through the dark tunnel on their knees.

“Why would You-Know-Who be hiding in a haunted old shack?” Draco whispered.

“It’s not really haunted,” Harry replied. “Shh… around the corner here.”

“Use the Cloak!” Hermione hissed from several feet back.

Harry fumbled to pull it over himself and crept forward, voices becoming audible as he moved closer to the sliver of light marking the opening to the Shack.

“…feel no difference in using this wand, Severus. Do you know why?”

“I do not know, my Lord.”

Harry could see in now, barely, past the rotting wooden crates that blocked the opening. Snape stood opposite Voldemort, unmoving and eyes aware.

“I think I might. And it concerns me greatly, Severus.”

“My Lord, you are an exceptional wizard. If you allow me to go and find Potter, bring him to you –“

“That is not necessary. Potter will come to me in the end. He won’t be able to stand it, the killing, the carnage. He will come – but that is where the problem lies. You see, I have failed to kill him with my wand. I failed to kill him with another’s wand. I sought this wand, the Elder Wand, to be unstoppable. Do you know from where I retrieved this wand, Severus?” Voldemort paced, twirling the wand between his fingers, the snake coiling in figure-eights around his feet as he moved.

Snape stood silent, his bulbous Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I took it from his cold, dead fingers, Severus. From the grave of Albus Dumbledore.”

Harry would not have believed it possible to see Snape’s already sallow complexion lose any color, but the pale face turned gray and the thin lips parted in evident shock.

“Do you understand what it means to be a wand’s master, Severus?” Voldemort continued. “Dumbledore was its master… until he died. The wand was then compelled to obey the man who killed its previous master. You, Severus – the wand belongs to you.”

“My Lord…”

Harry felt Draco squeeze in beside him, beneath the Cloak, and watched Snape back away from Voldemort slowly. His heart was pounding, much like Harry’s, and Harry clutched Draco’s hand as they watched what they could see of the scene unfold.

“I do regret this, Severus – you have been a faithful servant, after all – but needs must. As long as you are the master of this wand, I cannot be. And I must be if I am to defeat Potter once and for all.”

“My Lord, see reason – “

Voldemort hissed a command to Nagini, and as the snake struck Snape cried out, barely drowning out the strangled moan Draco released. Harry gripped his hand tighter and watched Snape slide to the floor.

“What’s happened? Is he…” Hermione’s voice was an anxious whisper.

Harry waited until Voldemort swept from the room with Nagini and then used his stolen wand to levitate the crates away from the opening, cursing when it took multiple tries to make the wand respond properly. He crawled into the room, Draco just behind him, and threw the Cloak aside. He didn’t know why he was compelled to do so but he knelt at Snape’s side and lifted a hand to try and help staunch the flow of blood pouring from the punctures in Snape’s neck.

“Potter… take them,” Snape managed as silvery tears began to form a sluggish path down his colorless cheeks. “Take them…”

Harry looked around wildly and grabbed the conjured flask Draco pushed into his hands. He collected the fluid, one hand gripping the flask and the other stained with Snape’s blood.

Snape coughed, sanguineous saliva streaming from the corners of his mouth. “Dra… co…”

“I’m here.” Draco smoothed Snape’s limp hair away from his face. “Severus, please, hold on, we can…” his voice caught with a sob. “You can’t leave me. You’re the only one who… who…”

“Love… you, like… son.” Snape coughed again. “Let him… care… for you.”

“Sev, I can’t lose you. Please hold on!”

“Potter.” The flow of tears was slowing as the flask’s contents approached the brim. Snape’s speech was becoming slow and garbled. “Take care ‘f him.” A thin hand gripped Harry’s sleeve. “Please.”

“I will, sir,” Harry whispered. “You have my word.” He looked away, unable to stand the desperate scrutiny from the obsidian eyes that were trying so hard to focus.

“Look… at… me…”

Harry raised his gaze to meet Snape’s, and he could only place a bloody hand on Draco’s heaving back as he watched the life leave the headmaster’s eyes.

~~*~~

“What do you suppose he wanted you to see?” Ron asked. They had made their way back to the school amidst the somber silence of the dead and injured being moved into the castle. Voldemort had sent another sibilant message just after Snape’s death, ordering the school’s defenders to tend to their dead. He demanded Harry’s presence in the forest within the hour.

Draco was terrified.

Severus was gone. One of the only people in the world who genuinely cared for him – and Draco could count that lot with just one hand and at least a finger to spare – and now Draco had to face the potential loss of another. Of the most important, thanks to fate.

He knew what they would face, knew what Harry would face, but it was becoming very real, particularly in light of their bonding. Having sex hadn’t proclaimed them married or anything so fanciful, and they hadn’t really exchanged declarations of love, but to the Veela within Draco it was enough to build his hopes upon.

“I don’t know,” Harry replied. “We need to get up to Dumble – to the headmaster’s office and use the Pensieve, though. It’s got to be important.”

They stopped in the doorway of the Great Hall and surveyed the teachers and students standing in groups, bodies seemingly everywhere. Draco noticed a cluster of Weasleys in the center, and before he could make out who they were tending to Ron broke into a run and fell to his knees before them.

“It’s Fred,” Hermione breathed. “Oh, Harry…”

He felt helpless as he watched them join the Weasleys. He knew he wasn’t welcome to join in their grief, not really, but he ached to be able to comfort Harry, and he curled his hands into fists so tightly his nails bit into the soft flesh of his palms when the Weasley girl collapsed against his mate. He hated watching Harry embrace her, even if there was nothing romantic to it, and he hated himself a little for being jealous at a time like that.

When Harry finally trudged back to him, Draco took his hand. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“No,” Harry said hoarsely. “Fred’s gone. Remus and Tonks are gone.”

“I’m sorry.” Draco shifted from foot to foot. He had no idea what to say, no clue how to help. “Can I… I mean, I don’t know what to do.”

“Nothing.” Harry’s voice was bitter. “There’s nothing anyone else can do. All of these people are dead, and for what? The bastard is still alive. Alive and waiting for me to come to him so that he can kill me.”

“Harry –“

“I have to go to the Pensieve. Ron… he’s going to stay here for a little bit, and Hermione is going to stay with him. Maybe you should stay, too, where it’s safe.” Harry pulled his hand away and headed into the corridor.

“No!” Draco hurried after him. “You can’t just leave me there.”

“Draco, please. I can’t be worrying about you, too.”

“I am a fully capable wizard, you know.” Draco grabbed Harry’s arm and forced him to stop. “I know I’m not the bravest person, but I’ll do what needs to be done. And I can’t just sit someplace and wait, not knowing…”

Harry’s expression softened. “Sorry. I forget that we’re… whatever it is we are.”

“Thanks a lot,” Draco replied dryly.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “It’s been a crazy couple of days. When all of this is over, if I… if I survive, we’ll spend some time together, all right? Just us, doing whatever a normal couple does.”

“Have a lot of sex,” Draco supplied.

Harry managed a weak smile. “Yeah, that. And that date we talked about. Draco, I have to go. This has to end before anyone else is killed. Come along if you want, but I have to see Snape’s…” he trailed off. “Oh, fuck, Draco. I’m so sorry. Snape… he was obviously important to you. I didn’t realize how much until he… until tonight.”

“He’s been a part of my family all my life, Harry,” Draco told him quietly. “A sort of unofficial godfather. I know you didn’t like him, but he was good to me. And he’s… he’s the one who brought me to you.”

“What?”

“He brought me, hid me, and sent his Patronus to find your exact location and lead you to the sword. He told me about the Horcruxes and said I was to stay close to you if I wished to survive. He knew you were my mate, and he knew you would help me, regardless. He wasn’t working for You-Know-Who, Harry. He was a spy.”

Harry shook his head slowly. “But… he killed Dumbledore.”

“Yes. Because I couldn’t, and he took an Unbreakable Vow to protect me. I think he might have done it to save my life, since they surely would have killed me for my failure.”

“I… wow. All right. I’ll have a look at the memories, since he clearly wanted to tell me something, and then…” He lifted a shoulder.

“Do you want me to come in with you?”

“No. Come with me to the office, but I think I need to view the memories alone. All right?”

“All right. Harry?”

“Yeah?”

“Whatever happens… I’m glad it was you. For me.”

Harry smiled, a real smile this time, and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Draco’s lips. “Crazy as it all is, so am I.”

~~*~~

Harry sank to the steps leading up to the desk that he could only think of as Dumbledore’s and dropped his head into his shaking hands.

“Show mercy and make my death quick…”

“Harry must not know until the moment it is necessary… how could he find the strength otherwise? While that fragment of soul remains attached to Harry, unnoticed by Voldemort, Voldemort cannot truly die.”

“The boy must die? I thought we were protecting him for Lily.”

“It was essential to protect him, to teach him.”

“You protected him only to have him die at the right moment?”

“Have you truly come to care for him, Severus?”

“For – Expecto Patronum!”

“Still, Severus? After all this time?”

“Always.”

Harry finally raised his head and looked over to the frame that held Dumbledore’s portrait, but it was empty. He wanted to scream, to rage over the betrayal, but he could only blame himself. He should have known, shouldn’t he? Why should Dumbledore be any different from anyone else? When was the last time someone cared for Harry, just because he was Harry? He supposed his friends counted, but they’d all heard of him ahead of time. They all knew who he was and what he’d lived through, even before he knew it himself.

Draco knew, too, though he didn’t seem to hold Harry’s ‘fame’ in much regard. But even that relationship was false, wasn’t it? He’d spent years despising the little bastard, only to be knocked on his arse when he discovered Fate had apparently changed its mind about the relationship they were supposed to have. They cared for each other, made love to each other, because they were compelled to.

Was anything real? Was Harry entitled to anything genuine?

Voldemort had changed his life; he took Harry’s parents from him, took his childhood and stuffed it in a cupboard, and made his very existence into a spectacle he never wanted and hadn’t earned. He hadn’t done anything more than not bloody die. Billions of people were doing that every day.

It was his mother. She loved him, she sacrificed herself, and she protected him even beyond her dying breath. It was Hermione who puzzled out what needed to be done, Ron who so willingly followed him into danger… and it was Snape who lived a miserable life, paying for every one of his mistakes by protecting a boy he couldn’t stand to so much as look at, and who loved Lily Potter every day of his life.

Who was Harry?

Nobody. He was literally nobody. He’d accomplished very little of anything without others behind him, and there were stacks of dead bodies in the Great Hall because some fucking maniac was pissed off that he was alive. Well bloody done.

Harry stood and began to pace. It was unfair, all of it, but there was nothing for it. He always knew it would come down to some version of this moment, even before the prophecy confirmed it, but he hadn’t imagined that he would have to offer himself up in the end. Offer himself up to be killed, and pray that in his absence the others could kill the snake and Voldemort himself, once and for all. Or maybe he had, and had just hoped for an alternate solution.

His friends would miss him, he knew. He didn’t doubt they loved him. But they would survive, probably together, and they would finally be able to live in peace. Once it was all over… they could live.

But Draco… oh, Draco. Harry stifled a sob at the thought of the boy who had just become everything to him. Fate or not, Harry couldn’t deny that it felt brilliant to have someone look at him the way Draco did now. He felt so complete when they were together, in a way he’d never felt with anyone else, and if he examined their history he had to admit that good or bad, Draco had always affected him, bringing out emotions no one else could evoke. Perhaps Fate knew what it was doing after all.

Despite everything, despite the self-pity and self-loathing, Harry did not want to die. He did not want to leave the people he loved. He did not want to face the reality of the matter at hand: he was going to, effectively, commit suicide so that the rest of the world could live.

For that, and that alone, he might deserve his place in the history books.

~~*~~

“Harry?” Draco jumped up when Harry finally descended the staircase into the corridor. “You were in there so long… what did you see?”

“I saw enough. You were right, Snape killed Dumbledore to protect you. Dumbledore knew you were planning to kill him, and he was already dying – he was cursed by the Horcrux he destroyed. He made Snape promise to do it himself, to spare your soul.” Harry felt weary to his bones, and seeing the tightness around Draco’s eyes made him want to take him away, hide them both far from reality, and let the world rage on without them.

“Oh.” Draco swallowed. “He… he wanted to save me.”

“I know.”

“You said, before… you said you were there that night. You saw everything?”

“I saw everything,” Harry replied. “Like I said, I know you lowered your wand. I watched Snape…” He paused and clenched his jaw. “I understand a lot more about him now. He was… he was incredibly brave.”

“Yes,” Draco whispered. “I wish…”

“Me too. About so many of them.” Harry looked down. “There’s something I have to do, Draco.”

“I know. And I’ll go with you, and –“

“No. This part… I have to do alone.”

“But –“

“Draco.” Harry embraced him then and closed his eyes when he felt Draco’s arms tighten around his body. How could he leave this when he’d just found it?

“Harry?”

He opened his eyes at the sound of Hermione’s hesitant voice and saw her standing several feet away with Ron. His eyes met hers and she read whatever was written there as easily as she always could, and she stifled a sob with her hand.

“What is it?” Draco asked, pulling away just in time for Hermione to hurtle herself at Harry. “What’s going on?”

“It’s you, isn’t it,” she choked. “You’re…”

“I think we always sort of knew, didn’t we? If we’re really honest.”

“Mate.” Ron approached them and clutched Harry’s shoulder. “What are you saying? I’ve already lost a brother tonight, and I c-can’t lose another.”

“What the hell is going on?” Draco demanded.

“Take care of the snake, okay? And then… and then it’s just him, and he’s not so special, is he? Couldn’t even off a baby,” he joked weakly.

“I’m going with you,” Hermione told him.

“No. This is for me, and me alone. We know what the outcome is for me. You guys have to finish this, or it’s for nothing, do you understand? You’re the only ones who understand about Nagini, and…”

“Harry!” Draco pulled him away from Hermione and Ron. “You’re not talking about going out into the forest alone?”

“Draco, I have to.”

“No, you bloody well do not! You’ve given enough, Harry. You can’t just deliver yourself to him. If we go too, if we help –“

“You can’t help, Draco.”

“We can! He won’t be alone! You’ll be walking into a trap, he’ll have –“

“I’m a Horcrux, Draco!” Harry grasped his hands. “This is it. He’s going to kill me, and it has to be that way because otherwise he’s not really dead, not as long as I live.”

“It’s the prophecy,” Ron murmured.

“Exactly.” Harry took a deep breath. “You have to finish him, and you have to move on, Draco. I know it won’t be the same, but… I don’t want you to spend your life alone, all right?”

“No,” Draco whispered. “We just got here, Harry! We just found each other, and… no!”

“There is no other way.” Harry wrapped his arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Draco. Maybe it’d have been best if we hadn’t… but I didn’t think…”

“Don’t say that,” Draco breathed. “It’s… even one moment with you was worth it, Harry. But I can’t…”

“You can. My friends will help you.”

“But –“

“I have to, Draco. And I have to go now. The hour is nearly up and I don’t want anyone else to die.” He released Draco with extreme reluctance and stepped away.

“Wait.” Draco pulled out his wand and handed it to Harry. “It responds to you better than it does to me now, ever since you disarmed me that day. Certainly better than the one you’ve been using.”

“That will help, thank you. Here, take this one, then.” He handed Draco the wand in his pocket. “Ron, Hermione…”

“We’ll look after him, Harry,” Hermione said softly.

“I’m not sure what’s happening, but… if it’s what you want.” Ron glanced at Draco. “I… mate…”

“I love you guys.” Harry pulled out his Cloak and threw it over his shoulders. “Please be careful, and… when you get it together and get married, name your cat after me or something, all right?”

Hermione buried her face against Ron’s chest and Ron lifted a hand in response. Draco stood to the side and Harry had to turn away; the look of utter devastation on his face made Harry’s chest tighten and he knew, no matter how fast or how crazy it all was… he knew.

“I love you, Draco,” he whispered, but Draco clearly heard him.

A sob tore from Draco’s throat and he reached out toward the spot where Harry stood, transparent. “I love you, Harry.”

Harry closed his eyes momentarily, then turned and walked away.

~~*~~

Neville Longbottom was a very different young man from the chubby, frightened first year Harry had once known. Harry stood just outside the school and watched as Neville helped to move the last of the bodies, calling out orders to the students and even adults assisting him with the task. Harry waited until he was alone before pulling off the Cloak.

“Hey, Nev.”

Neville jumped. “Blimey, Harry, you can’t do that to a bloke!”

“Sorry. Listen, I have to go take care of something, and I need your help.”

“Anything.”

“You know how You-Know-Who has that giant snake? The snake has to be killed before he can die, all right? So if you see it…”

“Kill it. Got it. But where will you be?”

“I just have to deal with some things.”

“Harry, you’re not going into the forest to meet him, are you?”

Harry forced a smile. “Of course not. I’ll be around, and Ron and Hermione know too, but it’s important so I figure the more who know…”

“Right, I understand.”

“Thanks, Nev.”

“Sure. See you soon. Be careful.”

“Yeah, you too.” Harry pulled the Cloak over his head again and headed to the edge of the grounds. The forest beckoned, sinister as always.

The silence seemed overwhelming, as though the birds and other creatures had realized the impending doom and taken cover. Perhaps they had. He walked on, half expecting Voldemort to pop out from behind a tree every time a twig snapped beneath his shoes.

He reached a clearing and stopped walking. He fumbled for the Snitch in his pocket and worried it with his fingers. He was close; he could feel it in his chest. It was a crushing weight that compressed his lungs and made it difficult to draw each breath.

If only life was simpler, like his early Hogwarts days. Even things like fighting Professor Quirrell and finding the Chamber of Secrets seemed preferable… probably because he already knew how those stories ended. And he knew how this one would end, too. He would never walk the Hogwarts halls again. He would never see his best friends or eat one of Mrs. Weasley’s mince pies or play another game of Quidditch.

He took off the Cloak and folded it before stuffing it into his back pocket, then pulled out the Snitch. Imagine, once upon a time he’d been eleven years old and terrified of losing a sporting event. He’d nearly swallowed the bloody thing, and…

Snitches have flesh memory.

Harry raised the golden orb to his lips and pressed it against them, the metal surface cool against his skin. When he pulled it away to look, tiny letters had formed between the raised patterns on the ball.

“I open at the close,” he muttered. “Well, I don’t think we could get much closer to the close. I’m about to die.”

There was a click as the Snitch popped open. He raised Draco’s wand to provide some light and peered at the small, cracked stone the Snitch had hidden.

He could just make out the Deathly Hallows symbol scratched onto the stone, but even without seeing it he knew what it was.

He closed his eyes and turned the stone in his hand three times.

~~*~~

“Er… Malfoy, are you all right?”

Draco looked up to see Weasley hovering over him, looking confused and very uncomfortable. “No,” he replied. “Are you?”

“Guess not.” Ron sat down beside him.

“I never thanked you for what you did in the Room of Hidden Things. So… thank you.”

Ron shrugged. “No problem. You would have done the same for me, right? Probably. Er… wouldn’t you?”

Draco snorted. “I like to think I’d have always helped someone in dire need, but let’s be honest, I was a prick for so many years that it’s difficult to know for certain. Now, though, just knowing you’re important to Harry is enough to ensure I would.”

Ron chuckled. “Well, then, I have that going for me at least.”

“Truthfully…” Draco cleared his throat. “I guess I would anyway. Now that I know you just a little better.”

“Thanks.” Ron stared at his hands. “Maybe… maybe he won’t, you know…”

“If he’s a Horcrux, he has to,” Draco said, voice monotone. “I don’t think there’s any way out of this one.”

“But he’s Harry. Luckiest bloke on the planet when it comes to this stuff.”

“I don’t think he’ll be so lucky this time.”

Granger appeared on his other side. “He has to be, Malfoy. If he went through all of this and won’t live to see the world he changed… life cannot be that unfair.” Her eyes shone. “He thinks he has to die to save us all, but surely…”

“No one wants him to survive more than I do. He’s the other half of me, Granger. But I don’t see a way out this time.” Draco looked toward the forest, but the sky was dark and he could only make out the menacing shadows of the trees. The trees that surrounded his mate, who had walked to his death.

“He’s been gone a long time. Surely…” Draco moved to stand. “I have to walk. I have to…” He stopped, pain ripping through his body.

It felt as though a hole had been torn in his very soul.

Draco staggered, pressing a hand to his abdomen. An ache from within spread like wildfire, consuming him until he could no longer support his own weight. Gravel bit into his knees when his legs buckled, his singed trousers providing little protection, and he lifted a trembling hand to his mouth in an attempt to stave off the greasy rise of his stomach’s meager contents.

Though time seemed to pass in slow motion, it took only moments for Draco to realize what the pain meant, and he closed his eyes against the prickle of tears.

His mate, his Harry, was dead.

~~*~~

When he woke again he was in the infirmary. There were beds everywhere and people milling around them, but his was fairly secluded.

It took only moments to remember why he’d collapsed, and he pressed a hand to his chest as the ache swelled and filled him again. He could make out a strange moan that he only identified as his own when it attracted the attention of Madam Pomfrey.

“Mr. Malfoy, you’re awake! I’m afraid I don’t have much information for you yet. I did several scans and found nothing amiss, but Miss Granger informed me that you are part Veela.”

“Yes.” Harry… oh, God, Harry…

“…can be troubling, but I’m sure he’ll be in to see you as soon as he’s able.”

“Who?” Draco shook his head to try and clear it.

“Harry. Miss Granger indicated that Mr. Potter is your mate, is that not correct?”

“Yes, but…”

“I’m sure it was traumatic being separated from him, but he’ll be along. He had some injuries himself and of course the press won’t-“

“He’s dead!” Draco cried.

“Dear, no… he’s alive and well, and word is he was asking for you.”

“You’re lying,” Draco whimpered, tears forming behind his tired eyes. “He’s gone. I can feel it, and it hurts. I can’t breathe without him.”

“I’ll fetch him straight away. All right?”

“Liar.” Draco curled into a ball. No, the loss of his mate wouldn’t kill him, but he certainly wished for death.

~~*~~

Harry was exhausted.

After everything that had happened, he knew it was foolish to assume that the press would give him some time to process everything that had happened. He’d barely caught a glimpse of Ron and Hermione, and there was no sign of Draco.

Draco.

He waited to feel the familiar tug when he thought of his Veela, one that indicated how Draco was feeling and maybe even where he was at, but he felt nothing. He hoped Draco was all right… but what if he wasn’t?

Moving toward the doorway, Harry saw the elder Malfoys huddled in a corner. Draco was not with them, but a pair of Aurors was moving toward them. “Kingsley!” he called, spotting the tall man near the door.

“Harry.” Kingsley greeted him with a tired smile. “You must be ready to fall over by now. We’re working to get the press out of here. I think it would help if we could promise them a time for a public statement – what do you think?”

“Sure, fine. Set something up and I’ll be there. I need your help, though. The Malfoys – I think they’re being arrested.”

“They assisted You-Know-Who and –“

“They were all but imprisoned by Voldemort,” Harry said loudly. “And Mrs. Malfoy saved my life. Mr. Malfoy… he’s not the best person, I know, but he didn’t harm us when we were brought to his home. And he could have called Voldemort to alert him but he didn’t – he let us escape safely. Please, Kingsley, don’t let them be taken. I’ll speak for them if need be.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” Harry shook his hand and very nearly knocked Madam Pomfrey over when they collided in the doorway.

“Mr. Potter. I need you to come with me.”

“I need to find –“

“Mr. Malfoy is in the infirmary,” Madam Pomfrey interrupted. “And he’s convinced you’re dead. He’s in a great deal of distress.”

“Take me to him.”

~~*~~

Draco stared at the wall.

The mediwitch had drawn the curtain around his little corner of the room, but he could hear voices and laughter just outside. The others – the people like him – were likely down in the Great Hall, mourning the deaths of their loved ones. The people in the infirmary were alive and well. Draco was alive, but certainly not well.

He startled when the curtain was thrown back, and gasped – Harry stood before him, filthy and bruised, but alive. Alive.

“Harry?” he croaked.

“Draco.” Harry fidgeted. “You’re all right.”

“Me?” He laughed in disbelief. “How are you here? Are you… are you really you? Is it polyjuice?”

“It’s really me.” Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“But… how? I can’t feel you, Harry. I feel… it still hurts, a bit. And I felt you die!”

“I can’t really feel you either, like I was able to over the past couple of days.”

“But you’re alive. I… I don’t understand.”

“I did die, you know. It’s complicated, but I came back. Without the piece of Voldemort. It’s over, Draco. He’s dead.”

“Really?” Draco sat up. “And… my parents?”

“Alive. Possibly some legal trouble, but we’re going to fight that.”

“I see. The bond… our bond…” Draco swallowed. “I think it was broken when you died.”

“Oh.” Harry frowned. “But… am I still your mate?”

“I don’t know.” Suddenly very weary, Draco lay back down and closed his eyes. “I don’t know what happens now.”

“Do you still… er…”

Draco heard the unspoken question. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “It feels different. You’re here, and yet I’m mourning the loss of you. You feel less like Harry, and more like Potter, if that makes sense.”

“Completely… Malfoy.” Harry threw him a weak smile. “I don’t feel your allure anymore.”

“I don’t think I can do it anymore,” Draco said quietly.

“Does that mean… are we breaking up?”

“I don’t know. I just… I’m very tired. I’m sure you are, too. Maybe you can come back in a few days or something. If you want to.”

“Of course. Get some rest, Dra – Mal –“ Harry exhaled. “Just… take care.”

“You too. Thanks for… everything.”

Harry nodded and disappeared around the curtain, sliding it closed as he went.

Draco stared at the wall.

~~*~~

“Thanks for everything, he said. As if I just helped him with a class assignment or something.” Harry slouched into his corner of the sofa in the Gryffindor common room.

“So there’s nothing?” Hermione asked. “It’s like you’re back to the way you used to be?”

“Not completely, no. I mean, we have our memories. I know what we, er, did together. I remember how I felt then. I just don’t feel it anymore. And clearly he doesn’t either.”

“Nothing at all?”

“I don’t know!” Harry pounded a fist into the throw pillow he was holding in frustration. “Not nothing, but it’s not the same. And I don’t dream about him anymore, like I used to.”

“Are you going to try?”

“He dismissed me, Hermione. He’s grieving for what we had.”

She patted his knee. “I know, but maybe after he’s had time…”

“Look, mate, I know you two were… well, Hermione filled me in, so we’ll leave it at that. And I’m glad he’s all right, for what it’s worth. He’s turned into sort of a decent bloke. But if he doesn’t want you anymore, move on, okay? There are plenty of girls… and blokes, if that’s your thing now… who would jump at the chance to date you.” Ron shrugged awkwardly. “I mean, you should be able to get in someone’s trousers easily enough.”

“Blimey, Ron, it’s not about that!” Harry exclaimed. “I went from one extreme to the other. I don’t know if he wants to see me again. I don’t know if I even care.”

“You must care, at least a little, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Hermione pointed out.

“Yeah,” Harry muttered. He pictured Draco, naked and smiling the morning they’d made love, but every time he tried to pull from the happiness he’d felt that day, Draco’s blank face in the infirmary slipped back into his head and he wasn’t sure his memories were even real.

~~*~~

“You’re leaving?”

“You’re welcome to join us.” Narcissa took Draco’s hand. “France is lovely this time of year, and you’ve always adored the villa.”

“I don’t want to go to France, Mum.”

Lucius sighed. “Draco, you said yourself that your bond with Potter is broken. I can’t claim to understand all of this Veela nonsense –“

“Lucius!”

He glanced sideways at his wife. “Apologies. I don’t fully understand what you’re experiencing, Draco, but if there is no mate keeping you here…”

“I don’t know where any of that stands right now, but I do not wish to leave the country.”

“Then you’ll need to find somewhere to stay, because the Manor is Ministry property now,” Lucius said flatly.

“I’m sure it won’t be a problem. They can’t touch my trust, after all.”

“No, they can’t. Draco…” Lucius pursed his lips. “We appreciate everything that Potter did for you, and for us. We owe him a great deal. I will not object to a relationship with him, should it come to that in the end, and you are always welcome wherever we are. You will forge your own path, but we will always…”

“I know, Father.” Draco touched his hand. “Thank you. And thank you, too, for not… for…”

“Draco.” Lucius turned his hand to squeeze Draco’s. “You are, first and foremost, my son. Nothing could ever change the way I feel for you, although I can understand why you might think…” He cleared his throat. “I am trying not to be the man I once was. Second chances, particularly those as undeserved as mine, should not be taken lightly. But even when I treated you harshly, I would never have denied you.”

Draco simply nodded, unable to speak. Harry was right. His heart broke a little more at the memory.

“Are you going to be released soon?” Narcissa asked.

“Yes. Likely tomorrow. I’ve only stayed on because of the illness I was experiencing, but it’s likely due to… everything, and it’s better now.”

“Please write.” Narcissa dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “I’ll miss you, Draco.”

He chuckled. “You’re used to me being away for months at a time, Mum.”

“Yes, but now…”

“I know. And I will write. I’ll let you know where I’ll be staying. They’ve assured me I won’t be kicked out of here until I’m ready, so no worries.”

He watched his parents leave and then rolled to his side to vomit as quietly as possible. No, the ‘illness’ wasn’t subsiding, but it wasn’t expected to for some time and he knew his mother would insist on staying if she knew the truth. He did not want to be smothered, not when so much was at stake. The only person he needed to speak to had not come back to see him in three weeks, not since the first time they’d seen each other after the final battle.

Losing Harry as his mate had been frightening, but telling Harry he was going to be a father… that was on a different level entirely.

~~*~~

“Hey.” Harry stuck his head into the little cubicle and smiled. “All right to come in?”

“Of course. I did ask you to come, after all.”

“Right.” Harry sat down beside the bed and scratched the back of his neck. “So… how are you?”

“I’m fine. You?”

“Fine. Good. I’ve been helping with some of the repairs.”

“That’s good. I saw an article indicating that you and the Weasley girl have reunited. Congratulations.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Completely false, like everything they print. Dean’s proposed to her, actually, and her mum’s going mental because she thinks Ginny is too young, even though she was the same age when she got married… I’m trying to stay away from it, but the paper caught me giving her a hug just after she showed me the ring. Utter nonsense.” He noted the relief that washed over Draco’s face before the impassive expression returned, and wondered what it meant.

“I see. It’s been… awhile.”

“You said you needed time.”

“I said a few days. It’s been four weeks now. That’s a month, in case you have forgotten how to read a calendar all together.”

“Shove off, Malfoy.”

They eyed each other, tension thick, until Draco huffed and looked away. “Malfoy, is it?”

“Sort of where we left it last time, yeah. When you sent me away.”

“Dammit, Harry, you have to understand… this is hard for me, all right? My mind knows who you are, but to my soul… you’re a stranger.”

“Perhaps you should remind your soul that it bloody well knew who I was when I was fucking you raw,” Harry snapped, then winced. He didn’t need a bond to feel the hurt radiating off of Draco. “I’m sorry. That was crass and uncalled for.”

“Yes, well.” Draco cleared his throat. “Seeing as you brought it up, I need to tell you something. Remember when we were discussing Veela that night at Shell Cottage?”

“Of course.”

“Remember how I told you Veela males can carry children?”

“Yes…”

“Remember how you, as you so elegantly put it, fucked me raw… without a Contraceptive Charm?”

Harry exhaled. “So you’re up the duff?”

“Brilliant deduction, Potter. If the next question is ‘is it mine,’ I’ll kill you.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.” Harry massaged his temples. “We’re just so young.”

“Thank you. I needed the reminder, as I’m not certain of my age. It’s happening no matter how young we are. And didn’t you literally just tell me how the She-Weasel isn’t too young to be engaged?”

“All right, all right… so, what do we do? You want to get married?”

“How could I possibly resist such a romantic proposal?” Draco said sarcastically.

“I’m trying here, Draco! Look, this all happened so fast – and without the bond holding us together, it’s just us again. I know you better now, but it’s not the same! And now we’re supposed to bring a child into this mess?”

“I’m not going to terminate this pregnancy, Harry,” Draco told him quietly. “Even if I go this alone –“

“I’m not asking you to! I would never – fuck!” Harry stood and began to pace in the small space. “Look, where are you staying when you leave here?”

“I don’t know. My parents are moving to France since the Manor was taken from them.”

“I’m sorry, Draco. I tried –“

Draco waved a hand. “I don’t honestly care. Nor do they. The fact that you kept us all out of Azkaban, even my father, is far more important, and that house… there are too many bad memories there now. The point is, my parents are leaving. They asked me to come.”

“And… are you?”

“No. Not at this time.”

“Good.” Harry stopped moving and sat on the edge of the bed. “Look, Draco… we had something really good, and it was taken from us, but what if we can get some of it back?”

“How?”

“You come and live with me,” Harry said simply. “I’ve decided to sell Grimmauld Place. I thought about keeping it, for Sirius and all, but he reminded me that he hated that house.”

“He reminded you?”

Harry smiled. “Just before I died. I’ll tell you about it sometime. Anyway, we can buy our own house, wherever you like, and live there together. I want to raise my child, Draco. Not just part-time.”

“I respect that. But you really want to live with me?”

“We can maintain separate rooms. I don’t know where this can go, you and me. I don’t know if you even like me without being forced to, but if you need a place to live anyway and we’re going to have a child…”

“If we’re going to live together, I want to explore our relationship. Our child should be raised by parents who love each other. And we did once, albeit briefly.”

“Maybe we can again.” Harry met Draco’s eyes, and Draco nodded.

“Maybe.”

~~*~~

Draco shut himself in his bedroom and cast a Silencing Charm before he screamed. Potter was driving him fucking insane.

Things had been going too well, it appeared. The house on Grimmauld Place had sold quickly, and they found a house they both loved on only the third day looking. Moving in had been easy enough, and Harry deferred to Draco on the decorating, for the most part, so everything seemed to be falling into place.

That was until Messy Harry, the roommate from hell, arrived.

The man left filthy dishes everywhere. There were crumbs on the counter, rings on the furniture, trainers in the middle of every doorway… his mess was never ending.

His friends were constantly there, which wasn’t too bad, he could admit – except that Weasley ate all the bloody time, and he was constantly consuming the food that Draco purchased for himself. They showed up unannounced, making it very uncomfortable for Draco on the occasions when he was making his way from the bathroom to his room in just a towel or trying to have a wank in peace.

Harry’s manners were abysmal. Talking with a mouthful of food, elbows on the table, eating at a speed that indicated he thought his food might run off on him… it was hideous. Though not as hideous as the clothing he wore.

On top of it all – and probably making everything worse, if Draco was honest – his hormones were raging and his libido was out of control, but Harry hadn’t so much as held his hand since they moved in. Draco was under the impression that the separate rooms were there to allow them to move slowly, but it appeared things were at a full stop.

The door burst open then, and Harry stood wild-eyed in the doorway. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, you bloody caveman! What are you about?”

“I’ve been calling for you and you didn’t answer. I thought you might be hurt.”

“I’m fine. Had a Silencing Charm up, sorry.”

“Why?”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Why? I don’t know, maybe I wanted to have one off at the wrist without you hearing me.”

Harry reddened. “Er… okay.”

“Or maybe,” Draco continued, “I wanted to use my biggest dildo. The one that makes me scream every time.”

“I get it. Sorry to intrude, I’ll just…” Harry repaired the door and backed out, closing it as he went.

Draco threw himself onto the bed. He thought he might laugh if he didn’t want so badly to cry.

~~*~~

Harry set his bowl in the sink – God forbid Draco catch him leaving it on the countertop – and shuffled into his bedroom.

Life with Draco was so bloody complicated.

He bitched at Harry all the damn time about stupid things, called him names, was rude to his friends… everything Harry could imagine living with Malfoy would entail. He took too long in the bathroom and used all the hot water. He decorated the house with prissy things that Harry knew wouldn’t be in one piece for more than a minute once their child arrived and became mobile.

And damn it all if Harry didn’t want his prissy, bitchy arse anyway.

For all Draco’s talk of wanting to give a relationship a go, they were scarcely more than roommates. Roommates who could barely tolerate one another. Draco didn’t make a single move in his direction, rarely touched him in even a casual way. It was driving Harry crazy, because despite everything, the attraction was still there. Not as all-consuming as it had been before, but the memories were intact and remained a constant reminder that things could be really, really good between them.

He’d complained to Hermione, who berated him for his lack of communication with Draco and told him to grow a pair. Exact quote. So he decided to give it a try, except that Draco didn’t answer Harry when he called for him and knocked on his door. Visions of Draco lying in his room, sick and alone or worse, filled his head. He burst into the room, ready to offer any aid he could, and found Draco in perfect condition. And apparently about to have a wank or something. There was no way he could begin a conversation after that, so he left.

They barely spoke for the next week, and Harry was hoping Draco would be civil during their upcoming dinner with Ron and Hermione. He knew Draco didn’t like having them around, but he’d grunted in what Harry hoped was approval when he’d asked his cranky roommate for permission.

“Draco, Ron and Hermione will be here any minute!” he called, pulling the chicken from the oven.

“Good for them,” Draco grumbled, trudging into the room as though he was headed for his execution.

Harry sighed. “Are you going to be like this all night?”

“I don’t know, are you going to continue doing everything the Muggle way for the rest of your life? You’ve got my wand, after all – have you forgotten you’re a wizard?”

“I like to cook.” Harry tried not to grind his teeth. “And we talked about your wand. I offered to get another, but you said –“

“I know.” Draco waved a hand. “I like my new wand just fine. It responds better than my old one now that you’ve tainted it anyway.”

“Tainted it?” Harry looked down. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I think of it as a sort of bond between us, that it responds to your magic and mine.”

“That’s a nice thought. Sorry.”

Harry nodded and turned away from Draco, busying himself at the stove to avoid looking at the man who caused such a torrent of emotions within him. “If you decide you want it back…”

“I don’t. And since you decided to break the most powerful wand in the world, since you’re Harry Potter and all, you may as well have the next best thing.”

Harry snorted. “Your wand is the next best thing to the Elder Wand?”

“Got the job done, didn’t it?”

“I guess it did.”

“And wasn’t I the master of the Elder Wand?”

“Yeah, until I disarmed you.”

“Regardless, I was. That makes my wand the second most powerful.”

“Your logic is absurd. I never should have told you about all that.”

“Are you ever going to tell me about the rest?”

“Yeah, I will. It’s just…”

“Too fresh. I understand.”

Harry dared to glance at Draco and met his gaze. “Draco… I wish…”

“Harry!” Ron’s voice rang through the doorway.

“In the kitchen, Ron.” Harry shot Draco an apologetic look as his friends entered the room, brushing Floo powder from their clothing.

“Harry!” Hermione rushed over to embrace him. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“It’s been two weeks, Hermione,” Harry laughed. “Hardly any time at all.”

“Seems like a long time when I got so used to seeing you all day and night.”

“Then you should probably be relieved for the break,” Draco drawled. “Twenty-four hours of Potter at a time is hardly anything to write home about.”

“Oh, good, Malfoy’s still being a prick.” Ron reached for a butterbeer. “I was afraid something might have changed.”

“I doubt anything’s changed. We’ll see soon enough, though, since dinner’s about to be served and it’s unlikely you’ve learned to eat with anything but your hands.”

“Draco!” Harry closed his eyes momentarily. “The two of you had learned to get along. Where did that go?”

“Probably wherever your imaginary love affair went when Malfoy went mental,” Ron replied.

“Ron!” Hermione exclaimed.

“I think I’ll pass on dinner,” Draco said quietly, turning on his heel.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, listening for the distant snick of Draco’s door closing. “That was completely uncalled for,” he told Ron between gritted teeth. “My life may be a big fucking joke to you, but it’s very real to me.”

“I’m sorry, mate.” Ron hung his head. “He was being a prat, and I just reacted. Didn’t even think about it.”

“Do you ever think?” Hermione snapped.

“You taking a jab at our relationship hurts me as much as it does him. Can you even imagine what he’s been through?”

“No. I shouldn’t have. But he doesn’t want us here, does he? Didn’t you tell us to stop coming by because he hates it?”

“I asked you to stop coming by unannounced because it makes him uncomfortable. He’s made an effort to be polite to you, entirely for my sake, and this is his home, too.”

“I know, but –“

“Ron, he’s pregnant. He’s sick a lot of the time. He’s lost his home, his parents are in another country, and he’s grieving the loss of our bond while trying to live with someone who’s pretty much his polar opposite. You have to cut him some slack.” Harry frowned. “I have to cut him some slack.”

Hermione smiled. “I’m glad you’ve figured that out. Why don’t we do this another night, Harry? Let you two sort things out?”

“I’ll apologize,” Ron offered.

“Thank you, but Hermione’s right. I need to talk to him. I don’t think I’ve been quite as supportive as I should be.”

“I think you’re doing all right.” Hermione patted his arm. “But keep trying. I’ll owl you, okay?”

“All right, thanks.” Harry saw his friends to the Floo and closed the connection, then dished up a plate for Draco. He knocked on Draco’s bedroom door and pushed it open slightly when there was no answer. “Draco? Is it all right if I come in?”

“Leave me be, Potter. Go play with your friends.”

“They’re gone. Are you… are you all right?”

“I’m fine. No need for them to leave on my account. It’s your house, isn’t it? Do what you like in it.”

Harry opened the door all the way and saw Draco curled up in a ball, facing away from him. “It’s our house, and no one is allowed to speak to you that way. Not in front of me, anyway.”

“He’s your best friend. He’s far more important in your life than I am.”

“He is not.” Harry moved a vial of Draco’s prenatal potion and reading glasses he had no idea Draco needed aside and placed the plate on Draco’s bedside table, then perched on the edge of the bed. “Last I checked, Ron isn’t having a baby with me.”

“I’m just the incubator. You wanted nothing to do with me once the bond was broken, not until you found out I was pregnant.”

“I came to see you right away, Draco. You were the one who told me you needed time.”

“Because I knew there was no way you’d want me anymore!” Draco cried. “And I was horribly confused because my heart was broken! I still feel that way sometimes, and then I seek you out and you ignore me. You’ve always got your nose buried in a book or your friends are hanging around, and I don’t feel like I can ask you for anything because I don’t even know what I need. There are no documented cases of anything like this happening.”

“Draco.” Harry felt stricken. “I don’t know how to help you, but you can always talk to me. I can… I…”

“You don’t touch me at all. I know you’re not interested anymore.”

“I am interested! You don’t touch me, either.”

“I thought I could do this, Harry, but it’s too hard. Just… just leave me alone.”

“Draco.” Alarmed, Harry touched his shoulder. “I know you’re dealing with a lot and I’m probably the worst person to understand any of it, but please… don’t go anywhere.”

“Where would I go?” Draco laughed, but it sounded hollow. “France? My father’s more accepting than I expected, but I don’t think he wants a baby in the house. And I did promise you access to the child.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Harry said softly.

“Please leave me now.” Draco sniffled. “I want to be alone.”

“I…” Harry sighed. “All right. I brought in some dinner – you need to eat. I made that chicken you like… I thought…” He stood. “Never mind. Just… don’t be afraid to ask for anything at all, okay?”

Draco didn’t answer, and eventually Harry slipped out of the room.

~~*~~

The first few months went by with minimal communication from Draco, leaving Harry resigned to the fact that he and Draco were clearly not compatible without the interference of Fate. The more withdrawn Draco became, the more frustration consumed Harry. He didn’t know how to repair any of the damage, or whether the situation was even salvageable.

“Potter!”

Harry looked up from the book he was paging through and set it aside. “Draco?”

“A little help, please?”

He hurried into Draco’s room and found him clutching his leg on the bed. “What happened?”

“Cramp,” Draco replied between clenched teeth. “Woke me up from my nap and it won’t quit. Can you get me a muscle relaxing potion?”

“You can’t take that. I can –“

“The hell I can’t! It’s killing me!”

“Draco, you can’t. It’s on the list of potions that are unsafe during pregnancy.”

“Fuck!” Draco hissed when he tried to move. “The Healer warned me about these, but I didn’t think they’d show up until later on.”

“Just lie still. Is it… is it okay if I touch you?”

“While I appreciate the sentiment, I’m not exactly in the mood.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Prat. Just lie back.” He placed his hands on Draco’s tense calf and began to knead gently.

“It hurts!” Draco whined.

“Shh. Relax.” Harry worked on the muscle, easing the baggy leg of Draco’s pajamas up to the knee and running his fingers over pale skin. As the muscle began to loosen and cease its spasms, he felt Draco still and began to doze off.

He continued his massage for a few more minutes before covering Draco with a blanket and slipping from the room as quietly as he could manage.

~~*~~

It was dark when Draco woke again, and he sat up with a yawn. He padded out of his room and into the kitchen, where he found Harry eating a bowl of cereal.

“Cereal for dinner?”

“’S good,” Harry mumbled around his mouthful.

Draco made a face. “Manners, Potter.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Sorry. You hungry?”

“A little.”

“You need to eat. There’s some leftover stew from last night, although you did ask me if I’d included my dirty socks in the recipe.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Draco couldn’t suppress a grin. “Actually, it doesn’t sound half bad tonight. My stomach sort of operates on a day to day basis, and yesterday was not a good one.”

“I’ll heat it up for you.” Harry placed his bowl in the sink and took out the dish. “Sleep well?”

“Yes, actually. Potter…” he paused. “Harry, thank you. For earlier.”

“No problem. Sit, rest.”

“I’m quite well rested already,” Draco replied, but sat anyway.

“Here you go. Are you feeling better?” Harry deposited a bowl of fragrant stew in front of Draco, along with a glass of the pumpkin juice he’d been craving lately.

Draco swallowed a bite. “Yes, I am. I thought we were out of juice.”

“I went to get more. You like it.” Harry shrugged.

Draco hummed in approval as he spooned up more stew. “Thanks.”

They sat together in silence while Draco ate, and when he was finished Harry took his bowl. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Just an explanation for your behavior.”

Harry exhaled and braced himself against the counter, bowing his head. “What have I done now? I’ve tried to keep everything as clean as I can. I only see Ron and Hermione elsewhere. Ron apologized, and you said you accepted. I’ve been trying to talk to you but you ignore me or insult me most of the time. I don’t know what else I can do.”

Draco’s mouth dropped open. “I… just meant your extreme helpfulness today.”

“Oh.”

“But… I guess I’ve been sort of hard on you, haven’t I?”

Harry lifted a shoulder. “You’re dealing with a lot. I told you I understood that.”

“How did you know about the potion? That I shouldn’t take it?”

“It was in the book.”

“What book?”

“Just this book about pregnancy. There aren’t a lot of books on male pregnancy, so I had to order it from Flourish and Blotts, but it’s really informative. There’s a whole list in there of things you should and shouldn’t take. I cleaned out the cabinet and replaced all the potions with safer alternatives.” Harry sat across from Draco. “There are some milder pain potions that you could take if something like earlier happens again. I just thought perhaps massage…”

Draco shook his head. “No, that definitely worked. You… you’ve been reading about pregnancy? Buying safe potions, buying me juice…”

Harry looked surprised. “Well, sure. I know you think I’m useless, but this does matter to me, Draco. You matter to me. And I’d help you with anything at all, if you’d let me.”

“I… don’t know what to say.” Draco looked at Harry, really looked, and noticed tiny lines around his eyes that he hadn’t noticed before. “Harry.”

“You’re carrying my child,” Harry said quietly. “A child we conceived during a crazy few days when we loved each other. Did you think I forgot that?”

“I don’t know.” He studied the grain of the tabletop to avoid Harry’s eyes. “I guess I thought…”

“Aren’t you the one who said we should try? That our child should be raised by parents who love each other?”

“I did. I just didn’t realize it would be so difficult.”

“What, to live with me? Because I’m such an inconsiderate slob? You’ve told me that a hundred times, and I’ve tried to change.”

Draco closed his eyes momentarily. “I know you have. And I appreciate the effort, though I shouldn’t have asked you to change. It’s just… being here, just the two of us, with no allure or bond… how can you look at me without remembering how much you hated me?”

“Oh, Draco.” Harry reached across the table and took his hand. “I can’t deny that you’ve been difficult. But I guess there’s got to be a bit of an adjustment period when people who are so different start to share the same space, right?”

“Yes, I imagine so.”

“I tried to tell you before that you matter to me. I don’t see you as an enemy anymore. I haven’t since sometime before you pulled me out of the water that night. When I look at you, most of the time… I see a man I really began to care for. And I wonder if he’ll ever let me care for him again.”

“Harry,” Draco whispered. “I’m sorry I’ve been an arse.”

“It’s all right. I’m sorry I haven’t been a more considerate roommate.”

“You’ve tried, and I think we’ve both been guilty of that. The adjustment period you mentioned.”

“I guess. I wouldn’t mind a hot shower now and again.” Harry grinned.

“I’ll consider it.” Draco bit his lower lip. “Do you think I’m going to be a bad parent?”

“What? No, why would you think so?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t know about the potion, for one thing, and you did. What if I’d taken it? If you hadn’t been there to warn me?”

“You couldn’t have. All the potions we have are safe for you, I told you.”

“But that’s because of you! Without you, I wouldn’t have known.”

“So read the book, Draco. That’s the only reason I know anything about all of this. You won’t let me go to the Healer with you, so I had to do something to feel prepared.”

Draco frowned. “I didn’t know you wanted to go.”

“I’ve asked about all of them, haven’t I?”

“Yes, but… I didn’t realize. I should have.”

“I guess I should have said so, specifically. I just thought you’d bring me along if you wanted me there.”

“Hard to do that when we barely talk to each other.” He looked at their hands, still joined on the table. “I did thank you for the massage, right?”

“Yes. If it happens again…”

“I’ll let you know.” He paused. “You know, I have a lot of back pain, too.”

Harry chuckled. “Subtle hint?”

“No, a rather direct one.”

“I’ll take it under advisement.”

~~*~~

The awkwardness gave way to a tentative friendship as the days progressed, and it was an interesting experience for Harry. Every time Draco smiled at him instead of scowling or came to sit with him instead of hiding in his room, Harry wasn’t quite sure what to do with the flutters that began to appear in his belly. It was reminiscent to the early days they spent together in the tent, discovering who Harry and Draco were beyond Potter and Malfoy.

“Harry, I have an appointment tomorrow.”

He blinked. “Hmm?”

“You said you wanted to come to my Healer appointments. Have you changed your mind?”

“No, no, sorry. I was lost in thought. I definitely want to go. What time is it?”

“Ten.” Draco sat down on the sofa. “My feet hurt. Do they look swollen to you?”

“Maybe a little. Prop them up here – elevating them is supposed to help,” Harry told him, patting his leg.

Draco raised an eyebrow and swung his legs up and into Harry’s lap. “What do – oh, God.”

Harry grinned and pressed his thumbs into the arch of Draco’s left foot. “You like that?”

“You make it sound so dirty… yes, right there, harder!”

“I think you’re making it sound dirty.” Harry looked down at Draco’s toes and then away, stifling the urge to lick them. “So, um, after the appointment, do you want to go out for lunch? Like an actual date?”

“You want to take me out? In public? People will talk.”

“We’re going out in public already, aren’t we? There will be people at St. Mungo’s.”

“I’ve been using the Floo to go directly to the Healer’s office. I use Glamours, but walking into that department would give me away. Male pregnancy isn’t terribly common and it’s not widely known that I’m a Veela. I’d like to keep it that way for now.”

“Oh. Well, we could always Floo back here and then go out to eat.”

“People will talk,” Draco said again.

“Who cares if they do? Anyone whose opinion matters to me already knows what’s happening. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world figures it out too, and I’m certainly not ashamed of it.”

“Really?”

Harry squeezed his foot. “Really.”

~~*~~

“I’m glad you brought your partner this time, Mr. Malfoy.” The Healer cast a battery of diagnostic spells over Draco’s bare abdomen, and Harry couldn’t stop staring – it was hard to see when Draco was fully clothed, but his belly was beginning to protrude.

“He’ll probably be coming to all of my visits from here out.” Draco gave Harry a small smile, and Harry grinned in return.

“That’s excellent. Support from the other parent is invaluable during pregnancy. Would you like to find out the sex of the baby today?”

“Yes!” Harry blurted, flushing when Draco shot him an exasperated look.

“I guess we’re finding out,” Draco replied.

“Only if you want to,” Harry amended.

“I do.”

“All right.” Healer McDaniel smiled and cast another spell, allowing a hologram-like projection of the fetus to appear over Draco’s belly. “He looks healthy,” she murmured.

“He?” Draco asked. “It’s a boy?”

“You’re having a son. Congratulations, gentlemen.”

Harry’s breath caught, due as much to the dazzling smile Draco turned his way as to the news, and he reached for the hand that was already reaching for his. “A boy.”

“A boy,” Draco repeated.

“Mr. Malfoy, your next appointment is already scheduled, so you may go whenever you’re ready. Everything looks just fine.” The Healer ended the spell and stood. “Do you have any questions for me?”

“I don’t think so. Harry?”

Harry shook his head, still feeling dazed.

“Then we’ll see you next time. Take whatever time you need – this is always an overwhelming visit for parents.” She winked at them and left the room quietly.

“Can you believe it?” Draco said softly. “A son.”

“Is that what you were hoping for?”

“I don’t know. I think I’d be all right either way, but… it’s exciting, isn’t it?”

“Very. I can’t wait to tell Ron and Hermione!”

“You should invite them for dinner.”

Harry looked at him in surprise. “I thought you didn’t like them coming over.”

“I’ve agreed to it before, haven’t I?”

“Yes, but…”

“Harry, you’re allowed to have company in your own home. Weasley and I made peace again, and I… like them well enough. I didn’t like how they constantly came over unannounced in the beginning, but I’d have felt that way about anyone doing it and I don’t mind them visiting sometimes. Within reason.”

“Thank you.” Harry grinned at him. “That really means a lot. And if you want to invite anyone…”

Draco snorted. “I don’t have any friends left, do I? And my parents don’t live here.”

“They’ll be back, won’t they? To meet their grandson?”

“Try and keep Mum away. And Father will certainly be here to pressure you to make an ‘honest man’ of me.”

Harry shuddered. “I can’t wait.”

Draco arched a brow. “Scared of little old Lucius Malfoy, Potter?”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“No, you definitely should.” Draco adjusted his clothing and stood. “Come on, I want the lunch you promised me.”

“How’s your stomach feeling today?”

“It’s been feeling fine. I think I’m over the worst of the queasiness.”

“Shall we tackle fish and chips, then?”

“You’re such a philistine.”

~~*~~

“Take the potion, Draco.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Draco curled up beside the toilet. “This is all your fault.”

“The potion,” Harry repeated, holding it out. “It will help.”

“I don’t want to put anything in my mouth, you bastard!”

Harry exhaled. “Some water, then?”

“Are you bloody deaf as well as stupid? I don’t want anything. Just get the fuck out of here!”

“Fine.” Harry set the phial on the sink, harder than strictly necessary, and stalked out of the room.

Draco appeared some time later and curled up on the sofa across from Harry’s armchair, sighing heavily. When Harry did not respond, he sighed again, louder and longer. Harry merely raised an eyebrow and continued reading his book.

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I’m feeling, you bloody insensitive sod?” Draco finally exclaimed.

“No.”

“So you’ve stopped caring, then? Doesn’t matter that I’ve started throwing up all over again? Thanks so much!”

“Draco, I’ve tried. I’m sorry you’re feeling poorly, but you won’t listen to my advice, you yell at me any time I try to help, and I’m rather tired of the verbal abuse. I thought we’d made it past all of that.”

“As long as you’re an idiot, I’ll have plenty to say,” Draco retorted.

Harry closed his eyes briefly. “You seem to want to fight with me. And while I do want to kick your bitchy arse, truly I do, you’re pregnant and it just wouldn’t be right. So maybe you could tell me what you’re hoping to gain by alienating the one person who’s willing to take care of you, and we could just skip to that.”

“Fuck you,” Draco muttered. “Twat.”

“Great. Productive chat.” Harry marked his book and stood. “I’m going out. See you when I get back, I suppose.”

“Where are you going? You can’t just leave me here. What if I need something?”

“If I was here and you needed something, you’d simply scream at me if I provided it for you. You’re capable of using the Floo if you have an emergency. I’m too irritated with you to stay here any longer.”

“You’re leaving me.”

“Yes, I am. Not permanently, unless I’m lucky enough to be struck by the Knight Bus while I’m out, but for at least the next hour or two I’m going to seek out someone else’s company.”

“Well, if you get someone else pregnant, you’re not moving them in here!” Draco yelled as Harry closed the door.

~~*~~

When Harry returned the house was dark, and he moved toward his room quietly. He paused outside Draco’s room, seeing a sliver of light beneath the door, and nearly kept moving. Guilt compelled him to push open the door in the end, to at least check on the man, and his mouth dropped open.

Draco was lying on the bed, curled around his belly, with his downy wings extended and draped over him. His shoulders shook slightly and his respirations were audibly broken and congested.

Harry approached him and laid a tentative hand on soft feathers. Draco jerked and looked over his shoulder, eyes puffy and red. “You’re back.”

“I did say I was coming back, yes. Are you all right?”

“I suppose. I didn’t mean for you to see me this way.” He sat up, wincing as he moved.

“Draco, what’s wrong?” Harry asked quietly. “You can talk to me.”

“I don’t know.” He bowed his head. “Sometimes I get so incredibly sad because you’re gone, but you aren’t gone. Physically, anyway.”

“I thought you were through with the mourning.”

“Sometimes it hits me again. It’s a horribly confusing thing, seeing you here and missing you all at once. I suppose I miss what we had, what we were building. I was so hopeful…” Draco swallowed. “I thought I would be happy, and then it all ended.”

“Would you be happier without me? If you tried to move on with someone else?”

“No,” Draco sighed. “Who would want me, anyway? Fat fucking bird that I am. Literally a bird. Look at me.”

“I think you’re beautiful.”

“I realize you’re blind as a bat, Potter, but that’s reaching.”

“Not to be clichéd, but you’re carrying my child. You look wonderful. Your wings are amazing, Draco. I was hoping I’d get to see them one day.”

“Sometimes they come out when I’m emotional. I can’t seem to control them like I used to.”

Harry reached out to stroke one again. “Does it hurt when I touch them?”

“No.”

“Does it feel good?”

“Not as good as a back massage would feel when they’re put away.”

Harry grinned. “Still angling for that?”

“Of course.” Draco toyed with a feather. “Did you… meet someone?”

“I wasn’t looking for anyone. Not in that sense. It would be cheating, wouldn’t it?”

Draco snorted. “How do you figure? We’re hardly anything. We’ve been out to eat a couple of times. We live in the same house, but different rooms. That’s pretty much it.”

“I thought we were doing pretty well, actually. Getting to know each other. Until you went mental again.”

“Sorry,” Draco muttered. “I’m a horrible patient. I was fairly sure Mum considered giving me up for adoption every time I was ill as a child.”

“I can see why.”

“For the record, you were right about the potion. It helped.”

“Of course I was right. It was in the book.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “You and that bloody book. Maybe you should become a Healer with all of your newfound knowledge. Deliver babies all day. Give you something to do.”

“Maybe. I do want to find something, eventually… I just had no desire to become an Auror, like they all seemed to think I should, and we don’t need the money. I hoped we could take this time to figure everything out.”

“I guess we’ve made some progress.”

“More than we’d have imagined at age eleven, wouldn’t you say?”

“At age eleven, I definitely had no idea I could even get pregnant, and precocious as I was I certainly wasn’t thinking about cocks and arses.”

“Oh, you know what I mean. When did you start thinking about it?”

“Are we really having this conversation? All right, I guess I was about thirteen… I saw out old Quidditch captain wanking in the shower after a game. He didn’t particularly care who saw - I think he actually got off on being watched. It was the first time I’d seen someone else doing it and it was all I thought about when I wanked, for quite a while. I was never terribly interested in girls, much to Pansy’s dismay. Then in fourth year there was this boy from Durmstrang…” Draco shrugged. “That settled any doubts I may have had.”

“Hmm.”

“And you? Ready to go back to women?”

“I’m still attracted to you, Draco. Regardless of the loss of the bond, I remember how I felt, and I still want to be with you.”

“Really?”

“You always look so surprised if I mention wanting a relationship with you, and I don’t know why. We moved in together with the intention of being a couple eventually, didn’t we?”

Draco frowned. “I know, but… I thought you would hate me when you found out you were my mate. You didn’t. And I guess I’m still expecting it now that I can’t use my allure anymore.”

“How many times will I have to tell you that I don’t hate you before you believe me?”

“I don’t know, I… oh!” Draco’s eyes widened and he lay a hand on his belly. “Oh – Harry!”

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Harry asked in alarm.

“He’s kicking – here.” Draco reached for Harry’s hand and placed it on his abdomen. “Do you feel it?”

“I…” Harry felt a smile spread from ear to ear. “There he is! Oh, Draco…”

They sat quietly, grinning at each other as their son performed for them. When he was still again Harry moved his hand to caress the rounded belly.

“That feels nice,” Draco murmured.

“You feel nice.” He trailed his hand up Draco’s chest to stroke his cheek and twine his fingers in the soft hair at the nape of Draco’s neck. “Come here.”

Harry leaned in to meet Draco’s lips, eyelids fluttering closed and breath hitching. The first time they’d kissed, lying together in their room at Shell Cottage, it had been electrifying and unlike any kiss he’d experienced. This one, their first since their bond ceased to exist, was different. It was calmer, clumsier, and somewhat awkward.

And Harry was just as hard as he’d been the first time.

“Harry,” Draco whispered against his lips. “Wait.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean –“

“No, no, just wait.” Draco rolled his shoulders as his wings retracted, and he moved over in the bed to allow Harry to lie down. He stretched out beside Harry and their mouths came together again, more urgent this time.

Harry ran a hand down Draco’s spine, his palm brushing against the split in the skin where one wing had been. “Does it hurt?”

“No. Touch, anywhere,” Draco panted. He moved his lips to Harry’s throat and sucked.

“Draco, yes,” Harry rasped.

Draco worked the buttons on Harry’s shirt free and placed open-mouthed kisses on his chest. He pulled one taut nipple into his mouth and trailed his fingers down to dip beneath Harry’s waistband.

Harry moaned when Draco’s fingertips brushed his cock. He fisted the sheets beneath himself and bucked his hips, wanting more contact. “Draco.”

Draco lifted his head. “I think you enjoy saying my name.”

“It’s beautiful, like you. I want to…”

“What do you want?”

“I don’t know. Oh, yes, that!” he cried as Draco dipped his tongue into Harry’s navel.

“Lift up.” Draco tugged Harry’s trousers and pants down over his hips and thighs, then swallowed Harry’s cock whole.

His blood had turned to lava, burning him from the inside out. That was the only coherent thought Harry could manage as Draco sucked him. He remembered the night he’d blown Draco, and how erotic it felt just to give this sort of pleasure. Receiving it… his imagination had been incredibly tame compared to the reality.

Fire curled in his belly and he tried not to buck into Draco’s mouth, but he couldn’t stop his head from thrashing side to side as he came unraveled and found his release. Belatedly he reached down to thread his fingers through Draco’s hair. “Sorry,” he rasped.

Draco raised his head and glared at Harry, wiping his mouth. “A little warning would have been nice.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry repeated. “Here, let me return the favor.”

“Forgiven.” Draco grinned and moved to lie beside Harry. “Don’t be afraid to lick my balls and play with my arse.”

Harry groaned. “You’re going to make me hard all over again, just talking about it. Are you comfortable?”

“As much as I ever am.” He pushed off his pajama pants and allowed his thighs to fall open, revealing a prominent erection.

Harry shimmied completely out of his clothing and knelt between Draco’s legs. He placed his palms on the underside of Draco’s thighs and began to rub, urging his legs upward. He moved his ministrations down until he was cupping Draco’s firm arse.

Draco moaned when Harry licked his scrotum with the flat of his tongue. Harry sucked and nibbled at the tender skin, slipping a saliva-coated fingertip between Draco’s buttocks and searching out his puckered opening.

“Suck me,” Draco panted. “Fuck, I need to come.”

Harry had no intention of making Draco wait, and he pushed his finger into Draco’s arse as he took Draco’s cock into his mouth. He mimicked the last blow job he’d given Draco, and was pleased to note that even without the allure the act of giving his lover pleasure was still incredibly erotic. The sounds Draco was making, the way he bucked his hips… it was almost too much.

It didn’t take long for Draco to crest, and Harry was more prepared to swallow every drop when he came this time. He sat up and gazed at Draco, who looked utterly debauched with his hair mussed as he lay naked and panting, one arm thrown over his eyes. “Are you all right?”

“Brilliant, actually. It’s been far too long since I experienced anything but my hand.” He uncovered his eyes and met Harry’s with a grin.

“As I recall, it was brilliant then, too.”

“It was indeed. Let’s not wait so long before we do it again this time.”

“Agreed.” Harry cleared his throat. “I’m going to get a glass of water. Can I get you anything?”

“No, thanks.”

Harry stood, feeling uncertain. “All right, well…”

“Hurry up, will you? I’m still expecting that backrub before we go to sleep.”

Relief flooded him. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted to share Draco’s bed until he thought he might not be welcome. “I’ll be right back.”

~~*~~

“Will you tell me about it now?”

Harry pressed a kiss to the back of Draco’s neck. They lay together, sated and sticky, after waking together and trading hand jobs. Harry was spooned against Draco’s back, one arm resting protectively around the swell of their child. “About what?”

“You know what.”

He sighed. “All right.”

“I don’t want to make you relive it, Harry, truly. I just… you need to talk about it, and I need to understand.”

“I know.” He kissed Draco’s shoulder. It seemed as though he might never get enough of touching and tasting his lover, now that he’d been able to start. “So… I left the school, as you know, and I went into the forest. That’s where I realized I had the Resurrection Stone.”

“What? You realized?”

“Well, it was hidden. Remember that Snitch?”

“The one you were always fondling? “

“Mmm. Dumbledore left it to me in his will. I didn’t know why, but in those last moments it became clear, and I used it. My mum and dad were there. So were Sirius and Remus, and Fred.”

“Wow. What did they say? Is that what you meant when you said Sirius reminded you that he hated Grimmauld Place?”

“Yes. They just told me they would be with me, and not to be afraid. And I apologized for their deaths, especially to Sirius… and he told me it was worth it because he doesn’t have to hide out in that horrible house any longer.”

“Harry, you know none of their deaths were your fault, don’t you?”

“I suppose. Sirius… he wouldn’t have died that day if I hadn’t acted so rashly. But I’ll never know now if he would have survived anyway. I wish…” Harry paused. “Well, it’s over now.”

“What happened next?” Draco placed his hand over Harry’s and squeezed, and Harry felt the empathy in his touch.

“I found Voldemort, and he killed me. I stood there and let him kill me. And I thought about you as I died.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I wished there was another way, and I hoped you would be all right. And when it hit me, I had my eyes closed, and I saw your face. Your smile, the way you looked at me after we made love.”

“Harry,” Draco whispered.

Harry allowed himself a moment and buried his face in Draco’s hair. “Anyway,” he said finally, “it struck me and I felt myself hit the ground. I felt my body and soul separate – I don’t know how to describe it. Then I opened my eyes and everything was white. I saw Dumbledore, and he told me I could stay or go, and I realized that the curse had killed the part of Voldemort within me. So…I came back. I was in the forest again, lying on my back, and your mum was kneeling over me. He thought I was dead, but he told her to check. She whispered to me, and I could barely hear her, asking if you were alive. I said you were, and she told me you needed me. Then she stood and told him I was dead.”

“That’s how she saved you. I was too sick to appear before the Wizengamot, and she wouldn’t tell me much of anything.”

“Yes. Hagrid carried me back, and everyone was quite surprised when I turned out to be alive. And then I killed Voldemort.”

“You make it sound about as eventful as buying a loaf of bread.”

“Sorry. I imagine the books will dramatize everything as much as possible, but to me… I’d just like to forget.”

“Are you all right?”

“What?”

“You’ve been through things no one should ever have to experience or even witness, Harry. And yet you’re remarkably well-adjusted.”

Harry chuckled. “You think? I was happy to sleep here with you last night, but it didn’t occur to me until this morning that I wouldn’t be able to hide the nightmares from you if I stayed.”

“What nightmares?”

“The ones I use Silencing Charms to hide almost every night. A little less frequent now, but at least three or four times a week. But last night I slept like a rock.”

“Then I suppose you’d better start sleeping in here more often, shouldn’t you?”

“That would probably be a good idea.”

“There’s lube in the drawer behind you.”

Harry laughed in surprise. “What?”

“Something’s got you interested back there – probably the thought of sleeping with me on a regular basis, I don’t know – and I can feel your cock getting hard. I assume you’d like to put it somewhere, and seeing as it’s pressed so nicely against my arse, that seems to be the obvious solution. And on the positive side, you can’t get me pregnant this time.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that.” Harry reached for the drawer in Draco’s table and fumbled for the bottle of lubricant. “But you make a valid argument.”

Draco drew one leg up to allow Harry better access. “Of course I do.”

“You’re sure this is all right?”

“You’re the one with the bloody book.”

“It’s supposed to be safe, as long as we’re careful. I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“If you don’t fuck me, I’m going to hurt you.”

“All right, all right.” Harry rubbed Draco’s entrance with two slippery fingers. “Maybe sometime you could fuck me.”

“Happy to, once this pregnancy is over and I can see what my dick is doing again. Yes, like that.”

Harry began to work his fingers into Draco. “I can tell you that your dick still looks perfect.”

“It thanks you for the compliment, and invites you to check on it frequently.”

“I’ll definitely accept that invitation.” Harry removed his fingers and lined up his cock, pushing inside as slowly as he could manage.

Although a part of him wanted to thrust hard and fast, it felt so bloody good to move with Draco this way, fluid and unhurried. He ran his hand over the curve of Draco’s belly and then reached for his cock, stroking it in time to the motion of his hips.

Soon, too soon for Harry’s liking, he was coming and Draco followed, spurting into Harry’s hand with a groan. Harry performed a mild Scourgify and pulled the covers back onto the bed from where they had landed during their activities.

“Does it make us lazy if we go back to sleep now?” Draco murmured.

“No. We deserve it.”

“Well, I definitely do. You… I don’t know.”

“I’ll need some rest if you expect another massage today.”

“Then sleep, by all means.”

~~*~~

“How have you been feeling, Draco?” Hermione asked.

“Not bad. The latest wave of morning sickness… all day sickness, really… seems to have passed.” Draco took a sip of water. “Thank you for asking.”

“You look wonderful,” she offered.

“I appreciate that. I feel like a small continent, but Harry seems to like me this way.”

“I like you any way,” Harry told him, beaming.

Draco refrained from rolling his eyes at Harry’s obvious elation. It was cute, really, how excited he was to have his friends present and getting on with Draco so well. And he had to admit, although there was a time when he wouldn’t have voluntarily shared a meal with the Golden Trio, it wasn’t so bad. Weasley and Granger were on their best behavior and their interactions weren’t even forced anymore, and Harry… for Harry, Draco would befriend a rabid Erumpent.

He was fairly certain he was in love.

Harry was attentive, funny, sexy, and still completely infuriating. They argued almost as much as they made love – though the former often resulted in the latter – and they were very different people. But Harry took care of him and respected him, even if he didn’t love him quite like he would have if things hadn’t changed. For Draco, it was enough. It had to be. His broken heart didn’t ache so much when Harry was near, as though it had finally recognized the man who had been its reason for beating.

“Are you all right?” Harry asked, touching the back of his hand.

Draco forced a smile. “Yes. Sorry.”

“Have you seen the Prophet?” Ron asked, wincing when Hermione elbowed him.

“We don’t subscribe,” Harry said dryly. “But based on the looks Hermione’s giving you, I assume they’ve written some nonsense about me that she didn’t want you to mention.”

“It’s nothing, really…” Hermione began.

“It’s rubbish,” Ron put in.

Harry sighed. “Just tell me.”

“Well, the two of you must have been out shopping when they took the pictures, and you can’t tell Draco is pregnant… are you using Glamours?”

“Most of the time, yes.” Draco glanced at Harry. “What did they write?”

“Just the usual drivel about your… history, and how you must be corrupting Harry. They claim he dumped Ginny for someone else, who he must have gotten pregnant, because you were going into a baby store. And the break-up was all your idea, of course,” Hermione said.

Ron grinned. “Sort of true, mate.”

“Not entirely.” Harry shrugged. “She’s bloody well marrying someone else! But I don’t really care. It’s going to come out, and I’ve already said it doesn’t matter to me what they think.”

Hermione smiled. “That’s good. And they haven’t caught on to the fact that you’re actually having a baby together, or that you’re… whatever you are.”

“We’re together, that’s what we are,” Harry replied.

“Harry…” Draco looked down. “Maybe we shouldn’t go out together for a while. Let it die down.”

“I don’t care what they print!” Harry exclaimed. “If it bothers you, I understand. They’ll say whatever they think will sell papers, and it might make you sound bad. But for me… I’ve earned the right to do as I please with my life, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I do. I guess if you’re not concerned, I won’t be either.”

“For what it’s worth, mate, we’re just glad you’re happy,” Ron spoke up. “The whole family feels that way, but you might be getting a Howler from Mum any day now if you don’t show up for Sunday dinner once in a while. She’s beginning to think Draco doesn’t like us, and she misses you. Consider yourself warned.”

“Maybe we could go? Just once a month or something?” The naked hope was so evident on Harry’s face that Draco nearly kissed him. Probably would have, if his friends weren’t there.

Draco turned to Ron. “Tell your mum we’ll be there Sunday.”

~~*~~

“How about Samuel?” Harry asked.

Draco looked up from his magazine. “What?”

“For the baby. Samuel.”

“Why on Earth would we name our child Samuel?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a nice name.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Well, what are your ideas? He’s going to be here in a month, you know. We need to come up with something.”

Draco sighed and stretched his legs out in front of himself, wincing with the movement. “I’m well aware of the length of time we have, thank you very much.”

“Then shouldn’t we decide what we’ll be calling him when he arrives?”

“Fine.” Draco dropped the magazine and crossed his arms over his ample midsection. “Delphinus.”

Harry wrinkled his nose. “What kind of a name is that?”

“A good one. It is a Black family tradition to name our children after stars or constellations, as you should know.”

“Okay, well…” Harry scratched his head. Draco had been very testy over the last few weeks and he didn’t want to anger the man further, but he felt he had to advocate for their child. “But that one is terrible.”

“Is it? So my name is terrible too, is it? Traditions mean nothing?”

“Calm down! Merlin, Draco. I didn’t mean the tradition. It’s a lovely tradition. I just meant that particular name.” He exhaled and shrank away from Draco’s glare. “Is there a book or something? A list?”

“I’m sure you can find one, since you don’t know them already.” Draco shot him a disapproving look.

“Can I just ask if I’ve done something to upset you? You’ve been incredibly moody lately, and you won’t let me sleep with you anymore.”

“Oh, poor thing, can’t get your rocks off so something must be wrong, is that it?”

“No!” Harry exclaimed. “It’s like we’ve gone back to the beginning here, yet again! If I’ve done something, please tell me so that I can grovel appropriately and get back to us again. Stop shutting me out every time something is bothering you.”

Draco’s expression softened. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I feel terrible lately, and I don’t mean to take it out on you. Look, there’s a book in my room that should have a list you can look at. Surely there’s something we can agree on, even for a middle name.”

“I don’t mind going with a name like that,” Harry assured him.

“Thank you. It will mean a lot to my mother.”

Harry moved to sit beside Draco and leaned in to capture his lips in a gentle kiss. “I miss kissing you,” Harry whispered.

Draco hummed and rested his head on Harry’s shoulder. “Me, too. But I’m not feeling particularly randy most of the time these days, and even when I am… it’s too late in the pregnancy for you to fuck me, according to the book. And it’s uncomfortable.”

“A kiss doesn’t have to lead to sex, Draco. Sometimes I want to kiss you just to tell you I’m thinking of you.” He touched his lips to Draco’s. “Or that I care for you. Or that I think you’re gorgeous, even on the days you don’t.” He punctuated each statement with another kiss.

Draco sniffed. “Please, I always think I’m gorgeous. But thank you, Harry.”

“So can I come back to your room? I miss sleeping with you. It’s lonely in my bed.”

“No. I want to sleep alone.”

Harry frowned. “Really? I promise not to make any advances. I just like to hold you.”

“I said no!”

Stung, Harry stood. “Fine. Sorry I asked. I’ll just leave you alone.”

“Harry, I…” Draco released a frustrated breath. “Look, I have gas, all right?”

“What?”

“Uncontrollable, disgusting gas. All part of this oh-so-beautiful experience. I try to hide it during the day – muffling and air freshening spells are quite helpful – but at night… well, let’s just say I’ve done it so loudly I’ve woken myself up.”

“Wait.” Harry tried desperately not to laugh. “You’re saying you kicked me out of your room because you’re afraid I’ll hear you fart?”

“Oh, it’s bloody hilarious, isn’t it?” Draco scowled.

“I don’t care about any of that, Draco. I’ve been told I fart in my sleep as well. I think we all do it.

“Potter, seriously?” Draco looked horrified. “All this time you’ve been… been… and on me?”

“I don’t think I fart directly on you, Draco.”

“Will you stop saying it?”

“What, fart? Fart, fart, fart. It’s just a word. It’s just air.”

“Air out of your arse! I don’t want the scent of your colon all over me!”

“Draco, I stick my dick up your arse! You’ve had your fingers in mine! And a little gas is making you mental? For fuck’s sake, everyone in the whole world does it. You’re aware that we’re about to have a baby, who is going to perform every available bodily function pretty much all over us, right?”

“Be that as it may… all over us?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Dirty nappies, leaky nappies, vomit... he won’t exactly be able to control himself for some time.”

“But… that’s going to be your job, right?”

“Are you telling me if I’m not home you’ll let him sit in a dirty nappy?”

“There are spells for that.”

“Okay, so what if he’s sick and miserable and just wants his daddy to hold him while he’s throwing up?”

Draco scowled. “Oh, all right.”

“They tell me it’s not so disgusting when it’s your own child.” Harry patted Draco’s arm.

“You’re probably right.” Draco curled his lip. “But it’s still disgusting.”

“Get ready. It’s coming. I’m going to make dinner now – are you hungry?”

“A little. Maybe… I suppose you can sleep in my room. If you want.”

Harry smiled. “Absolutely.”

~~*~~

“Draco?”

“Hmm?” Draco opened one eye and burrowed into Harry’s embrace.

“I was looking at your book. I found a couple of names I like.”

“Oh? Tell me.”

“I sort of like Cygnus, or Leo.”

“Those are good.”

“I also like Phoenix. Reminds me of Fawkes.”

“Also good.”

“I was also thinking about Puppis.”

Draco made a face. “What? Really?”

“Yeah. It means ‘poop deck.’ And considering how he was conceived…”

“Potter, you’re a fucking degenerate.” He had to smile when Harry began to shake with laughter. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Harry managed. “Your face…”

“Ha bloody ha. All right, were the first ones serious suggestions?”

“Yes. I like Phoenix a lot. I think it represents us in a way, don’t you? I mean, he represents what we’ve been building together. Rebirth of the relationship we were supposed to have.”

“That’s beautiful,” Draco said softly. “Phoenix. And a middle name?”

“Etamin.”

Eyes wide, Draco touched Harry’s cheek. “Harry…”

“It’s the brightest star in the Draco constellation, right?”

“Just like him,” Draco whispered. “The brightest part of me. Of us.”

“Phoenix Etamin Potter-Malfoy. Or Malfoy-Potter?”

“Either. Harry, this means so much. You’re… thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Harry kissed him. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

~~*~~

“Any day now, kid,” Draco muttered. “Harry, can we stop for lunch? My back hurts. I don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea.”

“Because you want to go into labor,” Harry replied. “And you’re not happy about waiting another week, so you wanted to walk in hopes of moving thing along.”

“That was not a statement that required a response,” Draco told him between gritted teeth.

“We can stop. Do you want –“

“Mr. Potter!”

Draco scowled at the reporter that cut them off. “Bugger off.”

“Draco!” Harry hissed.

“Sorry. Kindly bugger off.”

The reporter ignored him. “Mr. Potter, can we get a statement on your relationship with Miss Weasley?”

“Sure, write it down. We have no relationship, and haven’t for a long time. She’s engaged and happy, and I am happy for her. No one is nursing a broken heart, or whatever nonsense you’re hoping to print. Will that be enough?”

“Our sources say that Mr. Malfoy convinced you to – what is that?”

Draco followed the man’s eyes downward and groaned. “Fuck.”

“Weren’t you using a charm?” Harry asked.

“Yes, but my magic has been so off… I’m sorry, Harry.”

“Draco, I don’t care! I was only concerned about you.”

“Mr. Potter!” the man broke in excitedly. “Is Mr. Malfoy pregnant? Is the baby yours? You’ve been seen in certain shops that indicate –“

“Stop!” Harry held up a hand and stepped closer to Draco. “The answer is yes.”

Draco looked around nervously at the crowd that was beginning to form thanks to the reporter’s elevated voice. Pain speared through his back. “Harry…”

The reporter edged in front of him. “How do you explain your decision to have a child with a Death Eater?”

“I don’t think I have anything to explain. Draco Malfoy is not a Death Eater and in fact was a key reason we won the war, as I’ve tried to explain to you people again and again. My only statement on this topic is that I am incredibly happy to be having a baby with the man I love. Now, let us by, unless you’d like the Minister to pay you a personal visit.” Harry wrapped a protective arm around Draco’s waist and guided him away from the buzzing crowd.

Stunned, Draco could only follow. His back pain had increased, and Harry’s words had been more than a little shocking.

He loves me.

“Draco? Are you all right?” Harry’s voice sounded as though it was coming through a tunnel, and Draco struggled to catch his breath when pain lanced across his abdomen. “Draco, your wings!”

“I think…” Draco gasped.

“What? Do you need to sit, or…”

“I think I’m in labor.”

~~*~~

Harry was terrified.

He wasn’t certain how they made it to the hospital, but before long Draco was installed in his room and the Healer was hustling him out, probably due to his near hysterical behavior. He Floo called Hermione and asked her to pick up Draco’s suitcase, sent off a brief owl to Lucius and Narcissa, and returned to pace in the waiting area.

He hadn’t expected to feel so afraid. Not of being a parent – all right, a bit of that – but mainly for Draco. What if there were complications? What if he lost Draco?

It had been brewing for some time. He cared for Draco, he knew that. They had come very far in the months they’d lived together, and he was very happy with the life they were building. Parenthood at such a young age hadn’t been in his plans, true, but he had warmed to the idea quickly and could no longer imagine starting a family with anyone else.

Nobody but Draco would do. Prickly, confusing, beautiful Draco.

He didn’t know how to define his feelings, from the need to hold Draco at night to the lengths he would go to just to see Draco smile. The butterflies that still fluttered when they kissed, the compulsion to take care of Draco, the way he felt when he caught Draco stroking his belly and talking to the baby…

But when that blasted reporter bellowed out their secret and dared to insult Draco directly to his face, he knew. The words were out of his mouth before he realized he was saying them, but nothing he’d ever said had been more right or true. Despite their past, because of the future they were building, and without any further push from Fate, Harry was completely and desperately in love with Draco Malfoy.

“Mr. Potter?” Healer McDaniel appeared in the doorway. “We’re ready to begin. Mr. Malfoy is asking for you.”

Harry followed her and made a beeline for Draco when he entered the room. “How are you?”

Draco smiled dreamily up at Harry. “Feels good.”

“Pain potions. Strong ones,” Healer McDaniel supplied. “We’re going to begin, Mr. Malfoy. You should feel some pressure, but no real pain. If anything becomes too uncomfortable, please let me know right away. Ready to meet your son?”

“Phoenix Poop Deck,” Draco told her, then laughed. “Harry, it is funny.”

Harry snorted. “Remind me to show you this moment in a Pensieve later on.”

Unable to watch as the Healer opened Draco’s abdomen with a spell, Harry focused on Draco’s face. “You’re doing great. He’s going to be in our arms before we know it.”

“You make me so happy.” Draco beamed at him.

Harry smiled. “You make me happy, too.”

“Because you love me,” Draco continued. “I thought you didn’t, not anymore. I thought it was just me, and you would never really love me back. But you take the pain away and I don’t want to give you up.”

“Draco…” Harry leaned in to rest his forehead against Draco’s. “I do love you. And it’s even better now, isn’t it? No allure, no Fate, just us.”

“Just us,” Draco murmured.

Just then a cry rang through the air, startling Harry. He straightened up and gasped when he saw his son, bright red and wailing. “Draco, he’s here!”

“Healthy lungs,” the Healer told them as she performed a battery of spells to heal the incision. A mediwitch finished swaddling the baby and presented him to Harry.

There was never a more beautiful sight.

A thatch of unruly blond hair sat atop the baby’s head, and his pointed little features announced him as a Malfoy faster than his name ever would. He opened one blue eye and studied Harry with a sniffle. “Phoenix,” Harry whispered, tears gathering in his eyes. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“’S he all right?” Draco asked, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“He’s perfect. Sleep, love – we’ll be waiting for you when you wake.”

~~*~~

“He’s so gorgeous, Harry,” Hermione breathed. “Look at all those tiny toes!”

“Ten of them,” Harry said proudly. “Ten fingers, too.”

“He’s pretty cute, mate.” Ron peered over Hermione’s shoulder.

“Are Draco’s parents coming to visit?” Hermione asked.

“Yes. I sent them an owl, just as we arranged, so they should be here in the morning. They’re planning to stay for a while, spend some time with Phoenix before they go back to France.”

“I can’t believe you’re a dad,” Ron told him, shaking his head. “I can barely take care of myself, let alone a baby.”

“Definitely true, he can’t,” Hermione agreed. “And Draco’s doing well?”

“He’s recovering. Sleeping off the potions. The Healer said he’ll be asleep for a couple of hours, but he shouldn’t be too sore when he wakes.”

“That’s good. He’ll be excited to meet this little guy. Hi, Phoenix,” Hermione cooed. “You’re going to be spoiled absolutely rotten, do you know?”

“Okay if I tell Mum and everyone?” Ron asked.

“Sure. But can you ask them to wait until tomorrow to visit? I want to have some time, just the three of us.”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Hermione gave him a knowing smile.

“I am.” Harry reached for his son and cradled him close. “With both of them.”

~~*~~

Draco woke slowly and tried to adjust his eyes to the dim light in the room. His mind felt a bit foggy, but he couldn’t quite remember…

“Harry!” he croaked, struggling to sit up. A slight ache in his lower abdomen made him reach to stroke his belly in the gesture that had become second nature, but instead of the hard swell he’d expected his hand met only a slightly soft pudge of skin. “Harry, help me!”

The baby… the baby was gone. What had happened? He remembered going out with Harry, and a crowd and then so much pain, and Harry saying…

“You’re awake!” Harry slipped into the room and placed a kiss on Draco’s forehead. “Don’t try and get up too soon,” he admonished. “You’ve just given birth.”

“Where is he?” Draco asked, anxious. “And what the hell did they give me? My brain feels like mush.”

“You had a lot of potions, but you did very well. Remind me to get you sloshed some time,” Harry said with a wink. “Phoenix is gorgeous and quite well. The mediwitch is doing his hourly check and then she’ll bring him right in.”

“He’s healthy?” Draco grabbed his hand. “He’s all right?”

“He’s absolutely perfect.” Harry kissed his fingers. “You did well, love.”

“Love,” Draco murmured. “I thought perhaps that was a dream.”

“Not a dream. I love you, Draco.”

His heart swelled. “I love you, too.”

“There’s a sleepy little man looking for his daddies.” The mediwitch pushed Phoenix’s little cot into the room. “Mr. Malfoy, good to see you awake. How are you feeling? Any pain?”

“Not really, I feel all right. Can I hold him?”

“Of course. He misses you. Look, he recognizes your voice.” The witch placed the swaddled baby in Draco’s arms, and his breath caught.

“Hello, darling,” he murmured. “You’re so handsome, just like your daddy.”

“I think he looks like you, actually,” Harry told him with a smile.

“I know, I meant me.” He touched the baby’s tiny, pointed nose. “Remember, all nappy explosions are reserved for your other father, all right? You owe me that much.” He grinned when Phoenix opened his eyes. “You already know I’d do anything for you, don’t you?”

“I’d do anything for either of you.” Harry leaned in to kiss one small, rosy cheek and then touched his lips to Draco’s.

“How did we manage this, Harry? We created perfection.”

“At a time when there was little hope left, no less. Now that I look at him, and hold him…” Harry swallowed. “This is why I was willing to die.”

“And that is why you’re the man you are. Thank Merlin at least one of us can teach the child some morals.”

“You’ve got more to teach him than you think.”

“Such as hair maintenance. I didn’t even know your hair could come in such a beautiful color.”

“You are such a prat.”

“Not in front of the baby.” Draco smiled up at Harry. “Maybe Fate isn’t so bad after all, hmm? I don’t know if we’d ever have gotten here without it, and we likely wouldn’t have all this to show for it.”

“That’s probably true. It was our beginning. And our end… and our beginning again.”

“Yes.” Draco stroked Phoenix’s cheek. “You did remember to owl my parents, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Thank you. For all of it, not just that.”

“You’re welcome. I was thinking, Draco… when your father arrives and starts in on ‘making you an honest man,’ as you say he will…”

“He will.”

“Perhaps I could tell him that I intend to, with his blessing.”

“What?”

“You’re it for me. You, Phoenix, and any other children we may have.”

“Don’t even joke about that last part. Are you suggesting…”

“Marry me, Draco.”

“Harry.” Draco looked at him with wide eyes. “You don’t have to do this.”

“No, you don’t have to, but I do. You have a choice, but I don’t. Isn’t that what you said to me once? I can’t possibly feel the way I do about you and not ask you to spend your life with me. Age doesn’t matter, what people think of it or of us doesn’t matter… the only thing that matters as that we have a family and I love you.”

“Bloody hell.”

Harry’s face fell. “What?”

“I can’t ever poke fun at you again for not being romantic. Yes, Harry, I’ll marry you. And I love you, too.”

Grinning, Harry ran his fingers through Draco’s hair. “You can’t do that to a man.”

“Why don’t you get in with us? Plenty of room.” With slow movements, Draco slid over and Harry climbed in beside him, careful not to jostle his sleeping son.

“Everyone will be here in the morning. Your parents, the Weasleys… it will be loud.”

“And interesting.” Draco smirked. “So we’d better enjoy tonight, while it’s just us.

“Just us,” Harry repeated. “Forever.”

Draco smiled. “Forever.”

~~*~~

What would I do without your smart mouth?
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you.

How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you

My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you.

~fin~