POIGNANT DESIRES

ONE-SHOT

By shinujigoku

- Dedicated to fourth-face-of-the-goddess for being a consistent reviewer and to the 1000 hits from people who've read Voodoo's Wish -

The sun had since vanished from the horizon and night had descended quickly on the quiet suburban street. The moon and stars had hid behind the dark clouds that night and a light sprinkle began to fall just as a crisp, cool wind started weaving between the houses and caressing the fallen autumn leaves. The street lamps dimly lit the street and gave a little reassurance against the oppressiveness of the night. No life was stirring and it was eerily quiet until a slight "pop" resounded and a figure shrouded in a dark cloak stood illuminated under a streetlight.

A slender hand reached within the volumes of his cloak and produced a silver lighter which he held perpendicular to the closest streetlight. With a flick, the light vanished and he was shrouded in darkness. The cloaked figure continued to do this twelve times until all of the lights had vanished and only shadows remained. Walking steading down the street, the figure walked past all the pleasant Scottish houses to the end where rusty iron gates were shut firmly against intruders. The figure silently rummaged within his cloak and withdrew a slender wand that he waved effortlessly at the heavy chains looped around the gate's lock. Then he entered.

He cautiously moved silently up the path and towards the derelict house, his wand before him in defence. As he reached the termite eaten steps he lowered his hood and gazed sadly at the remnants of the legendary Godric's Hollow, his infant home.

It had been six months since Dumbledore's death and Harry had been searching for the Horcruxes with his friends ever since. Finally they had obtained nearly all of the remaining Horcruxes in existence except the one that was stolen that fateful night and the one he had located in his old home. It had been a turbulent few months where the attacks made by the Death Eaters had multiplied and the aurors were working at their full capacity to hinder as many revels and massacres as possible. The war effort had costed many of his friends' lives and he swore to avenge their deaths. Harry had worked tirelessly perfecting his non-verbal spells and studiously studying all forms of magic in the hope to find a weapon against Voldemort. And it brought him here.

He swore to Dumbledore that he'll continue the search for the Horcruxes but it had proven difficult when Voldemort got news of the destruction of his most coveted possessions. Voldemort had strengthened his defences over the Horcruxes and it exhausted Harry and his friends in their effort to destroy them. So Harry decided that it was time to let his two best friends be with each other tonight before the imminent battle ahead of them.

Sighing sadly, Harry climbed the termite-ridden steps and eased open the heavy oak door carefully, making sure he made no sound. Harry levelled his wand out in front of him again and muttered 'Lumos' trying to distinguish landmarks within the house. Waving his wand slowly about the house Harry's heart pounded as he first witnessed what his house truly looked like. Although the house had suffered a terrible fire when Harry's parents died, it was still majestic. The hallway tiles, even though they were covered with dust, still held some colour and Harry smiled as he noticed they were red with gold outlining. He slowly waved his wand over the rest of the house until it landed on the top step of the stairwell. Harry's heart stopped when he noticed that amongst the dust a very defined footprint was embossed on the floor.

Someone was here.

Setting his mouth resolute, Harry held his wand steady and listening carefully, he warily climbed the stairs. When he finally reached the landing, Harry realised that there was a faint light emanating beneath the door's crack and a humming sound escaping. Dimming his light, Harry edged towards the door and placed his ear against the rough, burnt wood. From what he could hear it was not an ethereal sound but a deep baritone, similar to a human sound. His heart fluttering Harry held the door handle and barged in, his wand poised.

And there, lounging in the moth eaten sofa was Draco Malfoy.

Harry's breath hitched as he stared at his old adversary whose eyes were still closed and oblivious to Harry's entrance. He was humming a sad melody, a tear trickling down his cheek. Harry's wand hand faltered and he lowered his arm steadily, watching the dejected man.

'Malfoy?'

Draco's eyes slowly opened and Harry saw an expression he only ever saw once when he was accidentally eavesdropping on Draco's private conversation with Moaning Myrtle. Harry noticed that Draco had grown, developing lean muscles and a light tan. He had started to grow out his hair long at the end of the sixth year and now his platinum locks had reached his shoulders. To Harry, he looked marvellous.

'Have you come to finish me off Potter?' Draco murmured candidly.

'No, I'm not.'

'So you're here for the Horcrux then?' Draco said as he withdrew a gold chain with a locket on it.

Harry gasped in surprised and moved towards it, his hand outstretched. 'How did you get that? A person initialled 'R.A.B,' supposed to be in possession of it?'

Draco quickly hid the locket behind his back when Harry tried to make an attempted grab for it. 'You mean to say that you didn't figure out who he was?'

'Well, no. Do you know who he is? Is he on our side?'

'Our side? Shouldn't you be concerned that I might still be on the Dark Lord's side?'

'No. You did what you had to protect your mother. I understand. Anyway you said the word "might" and that's an inclination to me that you're not.'

Draco threw his head back and laughed. Harry astonished at the spontaneity of it smiled warmly until he too, was laughing heartily. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he always preferred Draco to either laugh or smirk, and sometimes he baited Draco just to see it happen. Well that was before the war.

When the final chuckles had subsided, they both stared at the small fire in the hearth. Harry, deciding that some of the tension had been released, sat next to Draco on the sofa. He turned to face him, realising that Draco was staring back at him.

'So why do you have the locket?' Harry asked.

'Because I took it.' Draco whispered, his eyes searching Harry's.

'But, R.A.B. took it that night.'

'Yes, he did, and you're looking right at him.'

Harry began to feel unsure and he gripped his wand tighter as he frowned in confusion.

'I don't understand.'

'Yes, I thought you wouldn't.' Sighing, Draco left the couch and walked over to the mantelpiece, staring despondently at the flames. 'My true name is Draco Regulus Althalus Black-Malfoy. No one knew the entirety of my name because it was a shame to my father. My family was based on pureblood ties between the two most influential dark families in Europe. My parents didn't love each other, but they did tolerate each other's existence. You see, my father loved Bellatrix Black, not Narcissa, and he felt slighted that he was given my mother. At the time my mother was in love with her cousin, Regulus Althalus Black, Sirius Black's little brother and it was thought as something disgusting within the Black family. So to split them apart, my mother was forced to marry my father. During my mother's pregnancy, Regulus was killed and mother mourned for him. When I was finally born my mother granted Lucius the right to name me after my grandfather on my father's side. However, she made sure I was called after her one true love, but my father grew incensed when he discovered the deception and he refused to bed her again. When I was growing up she referred to me as 'RAB' in private and I always associated myself with it. So therefore, R.A.B. did take the locket that night.'

Harry had been paying attention throughout the whole speech and watched the various emotions flicker over Draco's face. His heart twinged when he saw the tears trickling down Draco's cheek and instinctively he rose from the chair and embraced him.

They were both surprised.

Draco's startled gaze met Harry's equally startled gaze and they both remained in each other's arms as they searched for the other's true intentions. They could both feel something stirring deeply within their subconscious, but they ignored it and moved away from the other, slightly perturbed that they respectively enjoyed it.

'Is the Horcrux destroyed?'

'Yes.'

'How -?'

'I don't want to get into it.'

'O…Okay.'

They both fell into companionable silence, watching the rain becoming heavier and the wind lashing the still intact window. Although Harry was angry at Draco's role in Dumbledore's death initially, Harry realised, after he had calmed down a bit, that Draco had no other choice. He was forced to protect his mother against his father's idiocy in following a tyrannical Dark Lord. During the months when he, Ron and Hermione looked for the remaining Horcruxes, Harry came to miss Draco and his teasing. Now after the speech Draco had given to him and the note he left behind that night, he realised that Draco had always been there to lift his spirits. Every time they fought on the Quiddich pitch or on the school grounds, Harry had always been in low spirits, or otherwise worrying over some nuance. Draco had always been there to make him remember he was still human. He was always there…

The silence was broken when Draco turned around and walked towards Harry so he could be level to him. Harry's heart fluttered once again, and this time he let his subconscious make the realisation he had always suppressed and thought as hatred.

'Why did you go out with Weasley?'

Harry was startled and he began laughing, tears streaming down his face. Draco began scowling and that even made Harry laugh harder. Stepping closer, Harry reached out and let his hand rest over Draco's heart. Under his fingertips he could feel Draco's heartbeat quicken, much to the same pace as his. Harry's brilliant green eyes locked with Draco's grey and he smiled sadly.

'I went with her to reassure myself that I wasn't in love with someone else.'

'How come?'

'Because I was infatuated with this person throughout the whole of last year. At first I had a motive concerning why I was stalking this person, but I became infatuated. My friends thought that I had fallen for this person and I just scoffed at them for being ignorant. When really, in fact, I was the ignorant one. I'd fallen in love with this person but I was afraid. Afraid of rejection, these feelings, everything. So when I saw Ginny with Dean I became jealous, not because of him, but because of what they shared. I never could have had it with the person I wanted to be with. So when Ginny finally was single I dated her in the hope to squash my feelings and prove to myself that my feelings were false. I was wrong, and soon after I dumped Ginny using the excuse of the war instead of telling her the truth.'

'So who do you love?'

Harry's heart pounded and he swore that he could hear the thumping of his heart against his ribcage. Smiling nervously, Harry hooked his hand behind Draco's neck and pulled him closer until their bodies were touching.

'You.'

Draco smiled warmly and bent down to lightly brush his lips against Harry's gently. Harry realising that Draco was teasing him wrapped his fingers tightly in Draco's hair and yanked his head down so their lips would meld together in a passionate kiss. Harry no longer cared for the war, the Horcrux or about the future. All that mattered now was that he ultimately had the person he'd desired for some time, in his arms, and he knew now that he'd never let go.

After some time, they both rose for air, their hands caressing each other's bodies to make sure that the other was real, before they let their fingers intertwine as they smiled contently.

'I love you.' They both said simultaneously.

A bright light filled the room and shined throughout the house. If any of the residents saw the bright light, they would've immediately thought a couple of hooligans had lit a fire in the derelict house. When the light finally subsided, Harry and Draco slowly opened their eyes and gasped.

The once decrepit house had been restored to its original splendour. The rich furnishings of the master bedroom were resplendent in deep reds and golds. Draco looked questioningly at Harry and he grinned sheepishly.

'The last Horcrux was Godric's Hollow since it belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself. Voldemort, despite his megalomaniac behaviour believed Hogwarts to be his home, and even after he left and became a Dark Lord, he still wanted to be tied to Hogwarts. So all of his Horcruxes are connected to Hogwarts in some way.'

'Ah, ok.'

Harry eyed the large four-poster and smirking he turned to Draco, fingering the hem of Draco's shirt.'

'So it took you this long to figure out my feelings for you huh?' Draco murmured in Harry's ear as he manoeuvred him to the bed, removing Harry's heavy cloak.

Harry, beaming, rested amongst the pillows and held out his arms for Draco to embrace him. Even though Harry knew that they still had a war to face and possibly even more heartache and death to overcome, Harry wasn't alone. He'll be there with him. Together.

'Just shut up and kiss me!'

A/N: Despite this being a one-shot I'd still like to know what you thought of this fanfic. Flames are allowed so don't be afraid expressing your thoughts. Thanks for reading.