Graduation was always a big deal at Hogwarts. Well, the after-graduation parties were anyway. Everyone in the graduating class was already at these parties in the house common rooms, on their way to getting incredibly pissed. Well, almost everyone.
Draco Malfoy couldn't stay with his fellow Slytherins any longer tonight. He had to make an appearance at the Gryffindor party. Yes, the Snakes and Lions got along now. Why keep up false hatred when Harry Potter saved them all from the Dark Lord two months ago. Since that night, the students of Hogwarts put aside their differences and became, well, as close to friends as possible. Draco found he rather enjoyed spending time with the Lions, except for Harry Potter. He couldn't figure him out. And Draco couldn't stand it when he couldn't figure something out. He was strangely drawn to the Boy-Who-Lived. It was an obsession he couldn't quite understand, and he hated it. As he made his way to the portrait of the Fat Lady he was drawn out of his thoughts but hearing someone mumbling. He looked up and saw Potter entering the tower. The portrait didn't shut when Harry went in, and before Draco could cross the threshold, he though he heard something he couldn't possibly have heard, it made him stop. Leaning closer to the door he stood there quietly and listened.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here Potter? I though we said we didn't want to see you tonight." snarled the familiar voice of Ron Weasley. A chorus of shouted agreements followed.
"I know. I'm just getting my cloak, and then I'll be gone." Harry's voice sounded so sad and dejected it made Draco gasp. Harry must have come back down the starts, because this time it was Hermione who spoke up.
"Make sure you have everything you'll want tonight Scar-head, we don't want to see you in here again."
Harry stepped out into the hall almost running into Draco.
"Sorry Malfoy, I didn't see you there." Harry apologized, not looking up from the floor once he saw who it was, before walking off.
"Potter, Wait up!" Draco called after him. "What was that about in there?" He asked catching up to the other boy.
"They don't need me anymore. I've done what I was meant to do, so they don't have a reason to keep me around." Harry said in a small voice. "But that's okay. I know that they've all been put through a lot, maybe some time away from me will help."
"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't know. Draco didn't know what else to say. Harry looked into those molten silver pools and couldn't stop himself. He leaned in and pressed his lips softly against the blondes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Harry said quickly, looking around scared. Draco didn't know what to think. Harry seemed to take the fact that Draco wasn't saying anything as a bad thing, and took off running down the hall. Draco watched him go, debating whether or not to go after him when Ron stepped out and caught his attention.
"Draco, you came! Well come in, have a drink." Draco took one last look down the hall in the direction Harry went before he stepped into the Gryffindor common room where he was greeted by excited, drunk lions.
The rest of the night was a blur for Draco. He spent the whole night thinking about that kiss and what he really felt for Harry. The next morning he realized with a start that he really did like Harry. He decided to tell the green eyed lion after breakfast.
Sitting down for the morning meal, Draco couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. His bad feelings multiplied when a pale Ron and a visibly shaken Hermione were the only two Gryffindors to come to the great hall. Ron walked up to the head table quickly, and Hermione went straight to Draco.
"Follow me, don't ask questions, just come on. " She told him in a choked voice. He looked at her worriedly, but obeyed and was followed out of the hall by an upset looking Professor McGonagall, and a grim looking headmaster. He followed Ron and Hermione to the tower, through the empty common room, and to the overly crowded seventh year boy's dorm room. He noticed that the bed in the middle had its hangings pulled closed. His stomach dropped out when he noticed that the only seventh year boy missing was Harry. He was hoping he was juts in the bathroom, but knew he wasn't. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Ron handed him a piece of parchment addressed to him. Slowly he opened it and skimmed through it. His heart clenched when he realized what he held in his hand. He took a deep breath and read it again, slowly.
Dear Draco ,
I guess if you're reading this I succeeded. I wanted you to know that all that time we spent hating each other, I never hated you. In fact, I have had a crush on you since we were eleven standing in Madam Malkin's. I had hoped over the years that we could put everything behind up and become friends, looks like it never happened. I also wanted to apologize. Last night, I never should have kissed you. I'm sorry for doing so.
I want to ask a favor of you. You don't have to do it for me, if you don't want to, can you give this letter to Hermione. Anyway, can you please set Hedwig free for me? She deserves to be free, if she doesn't have anyone to take care of her, I don't want her to have to stay in the owlery. She was a good companion, and in the end really my only friend.
Can you ask Ron to find my invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map? Tell him that for him to be a good auror he needs to have stealth, that's where the cloak comes in. Ask him to take good care of it? Also in my trunk is my Gringott's key attached to a letter, give it to him. He and Hermione have been great friends up until the past few months, and that's how I will remember them. Please tell them that. And that I understand their actions as of late, and I'm not mad at them for it. We all needed a little time apart. Please let them know that even though we were not close in the end, I still love them.
I would like to ask you to give Ginny the map. Tell her that I love her and for her to pass that map on to whomever she can see will use it the way it was intended. It was created by pranksters to get through the castle without getting caught, and I want it to continue to be in the hands of pranksters.
Also could you make sure my family knows what happened? Ron can point them out at King's Cross.
Now, you might wonder why I am asking you to do all of this for me when we were enemies. Well, that's just it. You didn't like me, so you'll be level-headed when going about it, you wont be ruled by your emotions. I know you do have emotions in there Draco, and no matter what has been drilled into you from birth by your father, its okay to show what lies behind the mask. Don't be ashamed to show who you really are. Emotions don't make a person weak; being able to show emotions shows strength. Be strong Draco, don't hide yourself.
Thank you,
Harry Potter
Draco looked up from the letter, and to the shock of almost everyone in the room, had tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Ron, find the invisibility cloak, and map. Also in his trunk is his Gringott's key attached to a letter. Get it, now."
Ron found everything and handed it to the blonde.
"First of all I want you all to know I'm disappointed in all of you. I heard the way you treated Harry last night. He did nothing but protect you and treat you as his family. He helped you when you needed help and even taught you things no one else was showing you, and as soon as he did what you all expected him to do you turn your backs on him. I though Gryffindors were supposed to be loyal, I guess I was wrong. Secondly, Ron and Hermione, you were his friends the longest, and he wants me to let you know that he understands the way you treated him lately, and that he loves you still, despite that." He paused to watch their reactions. Tears slipped from his eyes when he thought about the way he heard them treat him, yet he still loves them. "He wanted me to give you this." He handed Hermione the key. She opened the letter and read it.
"Everything, Ron, he's giving us everything in his vaults. He says that we are to renovate Grimmauld Place and that he wants us to raise a large family there. He says to use the money in his vaults, also to have the wedding we wanted but couldn't afford! Oh my goodness, how could we be so cruel to him! We were his family and we treated him no better than his relatives! Hermione broke down into tears.
"Ron, Harry wants you to know he thinks you will be a great Auror, but you need to be stealthy. He asked me to give you this." Draco handed him the invisibility cloak. Ron accepted it with shaky hands, and did his best to not cry. "It's okay to cry
Ron, he told me the same thing, don't hide your emotions." Ron broke down holding Hermione tightly.
"Ginny. He said that he loves you too, and wants you to have this." Draco handed her the map. "He writes that he wants you to pass it onto pranksters when you graduate. He says it was created by pranksters, and needs to stay in the hands of pranksters."
Once he was done he watched as the small, fragile looking body was taken out of the room, and then he turned to Ron.
"Ron, can you help me pack his things. If you don't mind I'd like to have them. Also, help me get Hedwig in her cage; she likes you she'll probably do as you ask. HE asked me to set her free since there's no one to take care of her; he doesn't want her to stay in the owlery. But, instead I'd like to take care of her for him. And I'll need you to point out his relatives for me at the train station."
Ron did as asked and soon they were riding the train together back to London.
Passing through the barrier the four met their families, and before they could say a thing, Lucius Malfoy began to speak.
"Who's owl is that Draco?" He asked.
"It's Potter's, father." Draco replied in a choked voice.
"Why do you have Harry's things, dear?" Molly Weasley asked.
"Yes, where is Harry anyway?" Arthur Weasley questioned the kids.
"Did you say Potter?" A large walrus of a man asked coming up to them with horse faced woman and a fat teen boy. Draco turned to them.
"You must be the Dursley's?" He was answered with nothing more than a grunt. "Yes well, I was asked in a letter from your nephew, to tell you what happened. Harry passed away last night. I'm sorry for your loss." He choked out.
"Well it's about bloody time. That no good, worthless…" Vernon Dursley trailed off as he walked off with his family in two. The nine people left stood there in shock.
"Dirty muggles, he deserved so much better than them." Draco said once he recovered. "Father, can I please keep Harry's things? I'd like to take care of Hedwig and, well…please?" He finished lamely.
Hearing the pain in his son's voice, Lucius couldn't say no. After a moment of though he turned to the others and invited them all back to the Manor. He though it only fitting to throw a party to celebrate Harry Potter's life. He didn't know the boy well, but he knew the teen wouldn't like everyone to be mourning over him.
The group of them worked hard to make the wizarding world a better place. To make it more unified, and even learn to accept muggles who know of them better. Making their world more how they though Harry would have wanted it.
