The afternoon light slanted through the high windows, warming the gloomy
room. Draco Malfoy, sat silently behind his desk. Outwardly he was calm,
the image of a cultured Wizard Lord in repose. It was a credit to his self
control that none of the turmoil he was feeling affected his appearance.
He could hear Charles, his butler, talking in low tones as he showed the
unexpected guest to the study. Draco was not surprised that his usually
silent servant was conversing so warmly with a guest. Harry Potter seemed
to have that effect on people.
The huge wooden doors were flung open and Draco watched impassively as the Charles preformed his duties with more pomp then usual. A deeper bow, a louder announcement of the guests presence. He seemed to take particular delight in saying the name "Harry Potter". Draco mussed that it must be nice to live in a world, where people always tried their best for you. Then again most people even treated him differently now that Voldemort was dead. People tended to be grateful to the heroes who threw over hated evil overlords.
"Thank you Charles, that will be all." Charles bowed deeply as he exited the room, his head almost touching the ground and quietly closed the doors behind him. Draco could imagine him racing down to the kitchens, eager to tell the other staff that he had just meet "THE" Harry Potter.
Harry stood at the doors a slight smile playing across his lips as he took in the vast grandness of the "study", which was twice the size of the Gryffindor common room. He had always made fun of Draco's love of the trappings of wealth. Harry ran his hand through his unruly hair and moved towards his friend. Draco stood, keeping the desk between them. Harry smiled affectionately and extended his hand towards him.
"Draco" Taking his hand for a quick firm handshake. His grip was sure and his hand was surprisingly smooth and warm.
"Harry." Their hands dropped and for a moment they simply looked at each other. Noting the changes that time had wrought in the past two years. Harry's hair was as messy as always, but his sense of style seemed to have improved somewhat. He was wearing worn looking dark blue jeans and a dark green shirt. Teamed with his usual sensible black dragon hide boots and black well cut wizard robes, he looked every inch the sober modern wizard he was. Draco noticed that Harry had finally gotten rid of his frankly horrible thick rimmed glasses, in favour of a light silver frameless pair. Which meant that his expressive eyes were even more apparent.
"So Harry, to what do I owe the honour?" Draco had been careful, in his dealings with the wizarding world. Leaving functions before Harry arrived, making sure their paths would not cross as much as possible. It had been easier to deal with that way and he was unsettled at this sudden unexpected appearance. Harry ran his hands through his hair again and Draco suddenly realized that Harry was nervous. Maybe some of the old prejudices still remained? Draco shook of that dark little thought, Harry had been one of the most accepting of the Order when Draco had defected. His nervousness could not come from simply being in the hallowed Malfoy mansion.
"Always strait to the point Draco. I see some things, unlike you hair, haven't changed." Self-consciously Draco raised his hand to his silvery locks. Now so long that he kept it securely tied at the base of his neck.
Harry let out a sigh, visibly stopping himself from ruffling his hair once again. Taking a deep, calming breath, he reached into his robe and extracted a worn piece of parchment. Slowly, reverently Harry unfolded the worn aged paper. Holding it delicately between his hands he offered it to Draco, who took it curiously.
"Do you recognize it?"
Draco took one look at the familiar elegant script and felt his world fall away from him. When years ago, in a moment of darkness he had crafted the words on the page, he had been so careful. Using all the spells he knew to keep the authors identity a secret. But there was no mistaking it, it was his letter and now somehow his handwriting. Looking up, ready to lie, Draco was caught by Harry's earnest emerald eyes. Suddenly Draco knew it would be pointless lying, Harry somehow knew who this letter was from, with or without his confession.
"How did you find out?"
"Fred and George Weasley. You know that they developed a lot of the technology that helped us win the war, well one of there inventions was a decipher quill. It revealed your true handwriting and I tracked it down from there." Silence filled the luxurious study. Draco refused to look up from his hands, there was no way he was going to look up into the pity that would be in Harry's eyes.
The letter had been written in a moment of pure desperation. They were going to die, or at least Draco was probably going to die. His father efforts to see his son and successor dead were increasing. By saving his mother from his father wraith, Draco had quickly topped the Death Eaters most wanted list. Then Draco's mother had died in battle, leaving all her earthly possessions to her son. Lucius rage had been palpable. Most of the families wealth had been his wife's and now Draco's.. Facing death, Draco had done the one thing he swore not to do. Tell Harry he loved him.
This declaration had ended up taking the form of a letter. Draco had never thought he would survive long enough for Harry to figure out who the letter came from. Draco had always been an excellent wordsmith, the letter was an exquisite declaration of love. Expressing every ender feeling that he had kept hidden from his friend. Every emotion that he thought was safely undiscovered and now had been revealed. He had lived in fear of this moment since the end of the war. Harry could never love him and he would certainly never want Draco to be in love with him. It was easer just to avoid his beautiful friends eyes, then lose his regard completely by having him realize the full depth of feeling he had for him.
"Was it a joke?" Draco shook his head, condemning himself for losing control as his hands began to shake.
"You really felt that way about me?" Draco nodded, his throat constricting with unshed tears. Speech was impossible. Stepping around the desk, Harry carefully moved closer.
"Do you still feel that way about me?" The one question in the whole world that Draco Malfoy did not want to answer was that. He had given up ever having a relationship with Harry a long time ago. Forced himself to grow up and let go of his foolish dreams. When he had first met Harry, he had not understood the feelings that the other boy created. Harry was everything he had been brought up to hate. But time slowly past and Draco learned that the world was not what he had been taught to believe it was. He learned what true evil was and what true bravery was through the adventures of Harry Potter. His mother had clarified his feelings for him, she had known even before he did that he was in love. She had told him that a love like that could not be hidden, at least from his mother. She had always encouraged him to tell Harry how he felt. In a moment of recklessness, he decided to tell the truth. If for no one else, then for his mother. Who had always seen the best in him.
"Yes, I still love you." His voice was horse, the tears that he had been struggling to contain fillanly ran free. One tear falling onto the letter that had at one time been his salvation, his only release and now his downfall. Harry unseen through the tears stepped even closer. Placing a gentle hand under his chin he forced Draco's head up to face him. Stubbornly Draco refused to meet his eyes.
"Draco" The gentleness in the tone surprising him, Draco looked into the beloved emerald of Harry's eyes.. What he saw there was shattering. There was no pity, no damnation, no revulsion. Curiosity glittered in the stunning eyes before him and tenderness. Harry smiled a small sad smile and let go of Dracos chin. He slowly pulled that letter out of Dracos unprotesting hands and carefully tucked it away in his robes breast pocket.
"The letter means a lot to me. It got me through a lot of dark times knowing that somewhere out there, someone loved me like this. I never allowed myself to question its origin until after the war. I needed it to much. Finding out now that it is real, is a relief and a bit of a shock." Harry patted the letter where it was now placed over his heart.
"I never expected it to be you."
"Hoped sometimes, but never expected it." Harry moved closer, very slowly, almost like he was afraid of scaring away the fragile looking man in front of him
"I think that we have waisted a lot of time." The smile on Harrys face was rueful, playful and filled with love. Something shifted in Draco and a sob escaped. Whispering soothing words Harry wrapped his strong arms around his love and held him while he cried. So many times he had pushed aside his feelings, forcing himself to ignore his emotions. To finally have them revealed and have even a fraction of that feeling returned was beyond his wildest dreams. And now at one of the happiest moments of his life, he could not stop crying.
Desperately he wrapped his arms around Harry, luxuriating in the warmth of his body. Needing the solid reassurance that this was real, that Harry really could feel something for him. Harry shifted to gently cup Draco's face in both hands, holding his face to the light so he could see his face without shadows. He wiped away Draco's tears with his thumbs, finding that ineffectual. He lent forward and began to kiss them away. Draco's eyes drifted half closed with the shear pleasure of the touch of his lovers lips. Steeping back only slightly, still holding Dracos face in his hands. Harry's eyes searched his, then dropped to Draco's waiting lips.
The first sensation of their lips meeting melted every inhabitation Draco had. He clasped Harry to him as he gently, oh so carefully, plundered his willing mouth. Expressing without words, his feelings, pouring everything he had into a kiss, that quickly ignited from shared love, to sheared passion. Oblivious to their surroundings they devoured each other. As the tempo of the kiss changed Draco felt himself backed into the desk and he faulted, for a second their lips parted.
Harry's smile spread wider, a familiar sparkle entered his eyes. One Draco had never seen directed at him, mischief, warmth and love. Leaning in for another kiss, this time Harry kept it gentle, carefully, slowly letting the fire that was burning between them calm to embers. Holding Draco tightly in his arms, he rested his head on his shoulder. Slowly letting them both get their breath back.
"I have had more than a few fantasies about how this would happen and I would really rather not have the first time be somewhere where we could be interrupted at any moment. I can only imagine what Charles would think." The idea of old-fashioned Charles, interrupting his Lord making out with the savouir of the wizarding world. Was an amusing one, Draco could not help but smile.
"You should smile more often." Somehow during their interlude Harry had managed to remove Dracos hair tie, and his gorgeous silky hair was tousled. Harry ran his hand through Draco's long hair, trying to smooth the worst of the damage. He lent forward and kissed Draco's eyelids, his cheeks, the corners of his lips.
"I think I had better go, before I disgrace myself any further. Gryffindor's aren't really known for their self control." Leaning in for one last, brief kiss. Harry detangled himself. Straitening his shirt and robes he strode towards the door. When his hand reached the door knob he paused.
"I live completely alone you know and I have learned some very handy spells for making sure I can not be interrupted. Why don't you come over for dinner. About eight suit you?" Draco nodded and with a wink, Harry was out the door. Draco stood silently in the middle of his study. Shock momentarily stopping all ability to move. Harry Potter had just kissed the living daylights out of him. Touching his kiss bruised lips, smiling a smile he could not suppress. Draco Malfoy, suddenly realized that life was very much worth living.
The huge wooden doors were flung open and Draco watched impassively as the Charles preformed his duties with more pomp then usual. A deeper bow, a louder announcement of the guests presence. He seemed to take particular delight in saying the name "Harry Potter". Draco mussed that it must be nice to live in a world, where people always tried their best for you. Then again most people even treated him differently now that Voldemort was dead. People tended to be grateful to the heroes who threw over hated evil overlords.
"Thank you Charles, that will be all." Charles bowed deeply as he exited the room, his head almost touching the ground and quietly closed the doors behind him. Draco could imagine him racing down to the kitchens, eager to tell the other staff that he had just meet "THE" Harry Potter.
Harry stood at the doors a slight smile playing across his lips as he took in the vast grandness of the "study", which was twice the size of the Gryffindor common room. He had always made fun of Draco's love of the trappings of wealth. Harry ran his hand through his unruly hair and moved towards his friend. Draco stood, keeping the desk between them. Harry smiled affectionately and extended his hand towards him.
"Draco" Taking his hand for a quick firm handshake. His grip was sure and his hand was surprisingly smooth and warm.
"Harry." Their hands dropped and for a moment they simply looked at each other. Noting the changes that time had wrought in the past two years. Harry's hair was as messy as always, but his sense of style seemed to have improved somewhat. He was wearing worn looking dark blue jeans and a dark green shirt. Teamed with his usual sensible black dragon hide boots and black well cut wizard robes, he looked every inch the sober modern wizard he was. Draco noticed that Harry had finally gotten rid of his frankly horrible thick rimmed glasses, in favour of a light silver frameless pair. Which meant that his expressive eyes were even more apparent.
"So Harry, to what do I owe the honour?" Draco had been careful, in his dealings with the wizarding world. Leaving functions before Harry arrived, making sure their paths would not cross as much as possible. It had been easier to deal with that way and he was unsettled at this sudden unexpected appearance. Harry ran his hands through his hair again and Draco suddenly realized that Harry was nervous. Maybe some of the old prejudices still remained? Draco shook of that dark little thought, Harry had been one of the most accepting of the Order when Draco had defected. His nervousness could not come from simply being in the hallowed Malfoy mansion.
"Always strait to the point Draco. I see some things, unlike you hair, haven't changed." Self-consciously Draco raised his hand to his silvery locks. Now so long that he kept it securely tied at the base of his neck.
Harry let out a sigh, visibly stopping himself from ruffling his hair once again. Taking a deep, calming breath, he reached into his robe and extracted a worn piece of parchment. Slowly, reverently Harry unfolded the worn aged paper. Holding it delicately between his hands he offered it to Draco, who took it curiously.
"Do you recognize it?"
Draco took one look at the familiar elegant script and felt his world fall away from him. When years ago, in a moment of darkness he had crafted the words on the page, he had been so careful. Using all the spells he knew to keep the authors identity a secret. But there was no mistaking it, it was his letter and now somehow his handwriting. Looking up, ready to lie, Draco was caught by Harry's earnest emerald eyes. Suddenly Draco knew it would be pointless lying, Harry somehow knew who this letter was from, with or without his confession.
"How did you find out?"
"Fred and George Weasley. You know that they developed a lot of the technology that helped us win the war, well one of there inventions was a decipher quill. It revealed your true handwriting and I tracked it down from there." Silence filled the luxurious study. Draco refused to look up from his hands, there was no way he was going to look up into the pity that would be in Harry's eyes.
The letter had been written in a moment of pure desperation. They were going to die, or at least Draco was probably going to die. His father efforts to see his son and successor dead were increasing. By saving his mother from his father wraith, Draco had quickly topped the Death Eaters most wanted list. Then Draco's mother had died in battle, leaving all her earthly possessions to her son. Lucius rage had been palpable. Most of the families wealth had been his wife's and now Draco's.. Facing death, Draco had done the one thing he swore not to do. Tell Harry he loved him.
This declaration had ended up taking the form of a letter. Draco had never thought he would survive long enough for Harry to figure out who the letter came from. Draco had always been an excellent wordsmith, the letter was an exquisite declaration of love. Expressing every ender feeling that he had kept hidden from his friend. Every emotion that he thought was safely undiscovered and now had been revealed. He had lived in fear of this moment since the end of the war. Harry could never love him and he would certainly never want Draco to be in love with him. It was easer just to avoid his beautiful friends eyes, then lose his regard completely by having him realize the full depth of feeling he had for him.
"Was it a joke?" Draco shook his head, condemning himself for losing control as his hands began to shake.
"You really felt that way about me?" Draco nodded, his throat constricting with unshed tears. Speech was impossible. Stepping around the desk, Harry carefully moved closer.
"Do you still feel that way about me?" The one question in the whole world that Draco Malfoy did not want to answer was that. He had given up ever having a relationship with Harry a long time ago. Forced himself to grow up and let go of his foolish dreams. When he had first met Harry, he had not understood the feelings that the other boy created. Harry was everything he had been brought up to hate. But time slowly past and Draco learned that the world was not what he had been taught to believe it was. He learned what true evil was and what true bravery was through the adventures of Harry Potter. His mother had clarified his feelings for him, she had known even before he did that he was in love. She had told him that a love like that could not be hidden, at least from his mother. She had always encouraged him to tell Harry how he felt. In a moment of recklessness, he decided to tell the truth. If for no one else, then for his mother. Who had always seen the best in him.
"Yes, I still love you." His voice was horse, the tears that he had been struggling to contain fillanly ran free. One tear falling onto the letter that had at one time been his salvation, his only release and now his downfall. Harry unseen through the tears stepped even closer. Placing a gentle hand under his chin he forced Draco's head up to face him. Stubbornly Draco refused to meet his eyes.
"Draco" The gentleness in the tone surprising him, Draco looked into the beloved emerald of Harry's eyes.. What he saw there was shattering. There was no pity, no damnation, no revulsion. Curiosity glittered in the stunning eyes before him and tenderness. Harry smiled a small sad smile and let go of Dracos chin. He slowly pulled that letter out of Dracos unprotesting hands and carefully tucked it away in his robes breast pocket.
"The letter means a lot to me. It got me through a lot of dark times knowing that somewhere out there, someone loved me like this. I never allowed myself to question its origin until after the war. I needed it to much. Finding out now that it is real, is a relief and a bit of a shock." Harry patted the letter where it was now placed over his heart.
"I never expected it to be you."
"Hoped sometimes, but never expected it." Harry moved closer, very slowly, almost like he was afraid of scaring away the fragile looking man in front of him
"I think that we have waisted a lot of time." The smile on Harrys face was rueful, playful and filled with love. Something shifted in Draco and a sob escaped. Whispering soothing words Harry wrapped his strong arms around his love and held him while he cried. So many times he had pushed aside his feelings, forcing himself to ignore his emotions. To finally have them revealed and have even a fraction of that feeling returned was beyond his wildest dreams. And now at one of the happiest moments of his life, he could not stop crying.
Desperately he wrapped his arms around Harry, luxuriating in the warmth of his body. Needing the solid reassurance that this was real, that Harry really could feel something for him. Harry shifted to gently cup Draco's face in both hands, holding his face to the light so he could see his face without shadows. He wiped away Draco's tears with his thumbs, finding that ineffectual. He lent forward and began to kiss them away. Draco's eyes drifted half closed with the shear pleasure of the touch of his lovers lips. Steeping back only slightly, still holding Dracos face in his hands. Harry's eyes searched his, then dropped to Draco's waiting lips.
The first sensation of their lips meeting melted every inhabitation Draco had. He clasped Harry to him as he gently, oh so carefully, plundered his willing mouth. Expressing without words, his feelings, pouring everything he had into a kiss, that quickly ignited from shared love, to sheared passion. Oblivious to their surroundings they devoured each other. As the tempo of the kiss changed Draco felt himself backed into the desk and he faulted, for a second their lips parted.
Harry's smile spread wider, a familiar sparkle entered his eyes. One Draco had never seen directed at him, mischief, warmth and love. Leaning in for another kiss, this time Harry kept it gentle, carefully, slowly letting the fire that was burning between them calm to embers. Holding Draco tightly in his arms, he rested his head on his shoulder. Slowly letting them both get their breath back.
"I have had more than a few fantasies about how this would happen and I would really rather not have the first time be somewhere where we could be interrupted at any moment. I can only imagine what Charles would think." The idea of old-fashioned Charles, interrupting his Lord making out with the savouir of the wizarding world. Was an amusing one, Draco could not help but smile.
"You should smile more often." Somehow during their interlude Harry had managed to remove Dracos hair tie, and his gorgeous silky hair was tousled. Harry ran his hand through Draco's long hair, trying to smooth the worst of the damage. He lent forward and kissed Draco's eyelids, his cheeks, the corners of his lips.
"I think I had better go, before I disgrace myself any further. Gryffindor's aren't really known for their self control." Leaning in for one last, brief kiss. Harry detangled himself. Straitening his shirt and robes he strode towards the door. When his hand reached the door knob he paused.
"I live completely alone you know and I have learned some very handy spells for making sure I can not be interrupted. Why don't you come over for dinner. About eight suit you?" Draco nodded and with a wink, Harry was out the door. Draco stood silently in the middle of his study. Shock momentarily stopping all ability to move. Harry Potter had just kissed the living daylights out of him. Touching his kiss bruised lips, smiling a smile he could not suppress. Draco Malfoy, suddenly realized that life was very much worth living.