Chapter 1: How it all began
Hogwarts won't be the same again. Everyone who was there that day knows what happened, what hides behind the newly constructed walls, the 7th year students didn't even complete their Hogwarts experience. They were all given a choice to come back if they wished for their last year or simply move on. To be honest there were many that were terrified seeing how the castle stood looking pristine as if a bloody war had not taken place there a year ago. But there were others who didn't even have to think of coming back, they would embrace the fact the Voldemort was gone, gone forever and Hogwarts stood tall and strong. Almost everyone from the year before came back with the exception of Blaise Zabini, the Patel sisters, Susan Bones, Cho Chang and Crab and Goyle. Hogwarts looked better than ever to the new coming students, but to those who experienced the most tragic events, Hogwarts was a door holding endless secrets.
Harry pulled away from the figure lying next to him after planting a gentle kiss on its lips. It did exactly what he wanted it to, it woke the figure up. Grey eyes winked adjusting to the sunlight coming from the window in the corner. Harry smiled and eyed the blonde with affection.
Draco rolled over so he was lying on top of Harry looking into big green eyes full of happiness. He smirked as he bent down and kissed Harry. Harry smiled during their kiss as his nerves spiked up and he felt a blush come onto his white cheeks. Draco pulled away and eyed him playfully.
"Good morning to you too" He said as he kissed Harry once again.
They were both living in Grimmauld place, Harry owned it after all, Sirius was no longer here and the Black family house was handed down to Harry. Draco would rather hex himself than return to the manor. He knew his father was in Azkaban but he couldn't dare to set foot in that place knowing that every bloody death eater meeting was hosted there, that people were killed, people who didn't deserve to die, at that time Draco didn't care but now it haunted him. His mother on the other hand went to live with her sister, she still kept contact with Draco but she rarely saw him.
Harry hated the blonde for everything during the war until he knew that Draco was a spy. After Voldemort's death Draco had walked towards him and handed him the vial that contained Snape's memories but at the same time he included some of his own. Harry went to the pensive and dropped the liquid, color sparked the water and he placed his head downwards. He saw everything that Snape had done for him, all of the times he was there, how Dumbledore's death was planned, how he sent the petronus that was exactly like his mother's.
Beside all of that Harry notice how Draco was there every step of the way, how he would talk to Dumbledore about Harry's safety encouraging him to stop the golden boy from doing something reckless. He saw how Draco told Dobby to make sure Harry knew what he was up against in coming back to Hogwarts in second year but it was Lucius who commanded Dobby to harm Harry. Harry saw how devastated the blonde was in first year when Harry had rejected his hand. He saw how Draco would watch him by the corner of his eyes and smile. He knew that Draco's attitude was only half of the Slytherin, the half everyone knew, but Harry now knew all of Draco. All of those words he would say to Harry were because of remorse, never once did he wish to potentially hurt Harry, he just never wanted to let Harry know how he really felt. Harry couldn't stop thinking of why Draco waited for so long and why it took such drastic events and a war to make him finally unfold. After Harry brought his head back up he too realized he was in the dark all along, deep down he knew the Slytherin was more than a Malfoy, he knew he hid feelings deep within too. Harry knew that he would've done the same for Draco, he knew that he was infatuated with him.
Harry ran as fast as he could trying to search for the blonde but he couldn't find him, he had left. Days after when Hogwarts was going under repairs he was back at Grimmauld place alone, not because he was alone but by choice, he told Hermione she could stay with Ron, even though the redhead had asked them both to stay at his mum's place. Harry dismissed the invite and said he needed a couple of days to get back together again, each day he was picking pieces up one by one. He sat in front of the bedroom window looking outside thinking of everyone he lost whether they were friends or like family, Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Lily, James, Dobby, Hedwig, Fred, Snape…., He stopped thinking and he wondered how someone could lose so much but still be standing. He took out his wand and summoned an owl. Merlin did he miss Hedwig. The owl blinked concerned eyes at Harry and waited while the boy wrote a letter and signed it in the front with elegant font. Harry watched the brown and black owl leave with the letter and he knew that now all he had to do was wait.
Draco sat alone eyeing the sky that seemed serene and calm. He couldn't stop thinking about the war, couldn't stop thinking of everything that happened, how his family had broken apart, how he was alone. He didn't have a place to stay, he had been setting up a tent and constantly casting silencing charms and hiding within plain sight, he didn't want to be found, actually nobody would look for him. Everyone who once stood by him stood only because of interest, only because he was a Malfoy, which now didn't seem so great. He regretted everything he ever did, all the ways he mistreated people that didn't deserve it, and he only did that because deep down all he was, was isolation. But the one thing he didn't have to think twice about was the fact that he did good even while he was considered bad. Harry Merlin Potter made him go to extremes, he always admired him and his stupid heroics, and Draco was anything but brave. Something made him want to protect the boy who lived even if he didn't need protection at all. The way Snape looked at him was one to remember, the Potions Master suspected it all along. There just wasn't anything to deny, Draco fell for a Gryffindor, a boy in that matter. Snapping out of his thoughts he couldn't believe he was thinking of Harry, he couldn't believe he referred to him as Harry now and not Potter. He still couldn't believe he let Harry see his memories and still ran away afterwards. He wanted to turn back but he would hate himself endlessly if Harry would have rejected him, of even worse, still hate him like all those years ago.
He placed his hands on his face and took steady breaths. He fought the urge to dig at his arm where a dreadful mark had once been at, it was far from gone but Draco had felt the pain every day since the war as if it was still there. A sound made him look up and he saw an owl drop an envelope onto his lap and flapped its wings as it stationed himself on a tree branch above Draco. Draco picked up the envelope and stared at the elegant font that spelled out Malfoy. He opened it without even checking for nay jinxes or hexes which was odd, deep down he thought the letter posed no harm. He gaped at the parchment and stared at it for longer then he should've.
- Dear Malfoy,
I never got the chance to thank you, even if you didn't want to be thanked. Even seeing your memories with my own eyes I still couldn't believe it. You were there the whole time, every second I thought about how malicious you were I was wrong… I was wrong and you never told me. I never thought that what I did, denying your hand in first year would have an effect on you. I never meant for us to become enemies but we did, what you did for me, the order, you risked yourself to be in the side you wanted to be, something I really didn't think you would ever do. It hurts me to think that your alone somewhere out there, just like me. I hope you got this letter, and if you didn't ill just sit here and think of everything over and over again. My feelings won't change, my feelings…. I wish you just knew, I wish you wouldn't have run away from me.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
Draco stared blankly at the letter again for a period of time before snapping back into reality. Feelings…..Potter… Feelings?.
He couldn't even think straight, when had he fallen for the Gryffindor? Merlin when had he liked boys? , But even with those two bold questions Draco knew that what he felt wasn't "Like", it was Love. He stood up and started walking leaving his temporary shelter behind, knowing exactly where Harry was.
The knock on Harry's door had him dropping his plate of Pancakes and tripping on the way to answer the knocks. When Harry opened the door the slam against his chest was more intense than the surprise. He smiled, smiled hugely and buried his face in the blonde's neck. They weren't alone anymore; they would never be alone again.
"What are you thinking about?" Harry asked taking Draco away from his memories.
"Nothing" He said while he smiled the million Galleon smile.
"We should pack the train leave sin less than 3 hours" Harry said.
"That's what we have wands for Harry bloody Potter, packing can wait". Draco said as he placed his arms underneath the boy and hovered him upward to give him an enticing kiss.
