Harry's POV
I was facing Malfoy in the Room of Requirements. He was pointing his wand at me. "Well, well. What brought you here, Potter?" "I could ask you the same." "You have something that's mine. And I want it back." "What's wrong with the wand you currently have?" "It's not the same. It doesn't quite... understand me, you know what I mean?" I decided to just ask him. Nobody was around anyway. "Why didn't you tell her? Bellatrix. You knew it was me. Why did you save me?" "Because I..." Malfoy looked away for a second. I used that second. "Expelliarmus!" His wand flew away and I ran towards him and put my wand against his throat.
"Well Malfoy? Why didn't you tell her? I'm still curious."
"Because I love you." Malfoy suddenly said. I looked surprised at him, but I didn't put down my wand. "Don't lie Malfoy." "I'm not lying." Suddenly I realized he was blushing. Malfoy. Blushing. I started to feel like he was speaking the truth. "How do I know?" "I saved you from Bellatrix. I sent Crabbe and Goyle totally the wrong way, just so I could speak to you alone. Where are your friends, Potter? I warned them Crabbe and Goyle were coming their way, and told them to hide. I've probably saved them from a Cruciatus curse, if not worse. You could at least trust me by now." "You... love me? As in..."
"Yes, Potter. Love as in I wish you could ever be my boyfriend. I've liked you for three years now. I noticed when you got back from the graveyard with Cedric. I realized I couldn't stand seeing you in pain and crying." I noticed I had lowered my wand without even knowing I did that. I put it back in my pocket. "Why did you always act as if you hated me then?" I asked. He laughed a cold laugh. "My father found out. Well, sort of. He started thinking I liked you. And he tortured me to get the truth out of me. Or well, at least, he told Bellatrix. You know how she is. The only way for me to stop this was to hate you. So I did. Did you know, the longer you are not allowed to talk to the person you love, the more you start loving him?"
I noticed his hand was shaking. I also noticed the little scars on his hand and wrists. I couldn't see more because of his sleeves, But I'm sure they were spelling out 'TRAITOR'. "Yes, I know that. Oh god, Draco..." He suddenly looked up smiling at me. "You called me Draco." He said. I smiled at him. "Guess I did." I said. My smile faded, so did his. "You are... in love, with me?" I asked unsure. "How many times do I have to tell you? Yes, Potter. I am in love with you."
I blushed, thinking of my own feelings towards him. I wasn't even quite sure how I felt about him. I hated him, for all those years. But I started to feel like that wasn't true. The thing is, I couldn't say how I really felt about him. The feeling I held for anger all those years, that feeling in my chest that showed up each time he entered the same room, each time I saw that blonde hair reflect in the sunlight, was it real? Was it anger? Or was it, maybe, love?
"Malfoy, I-" "Are we suddenly back to Malfoy? I kind of liked you calling me by my name." He said, cool as ever. I sighed. "I'm not even going to try." "What do you mean?" "Never mind." I noticed I was blushing. It was quiet for a while. Then Malfoy- Draco cleared his throat and said "I want to help. I don't want to be after you, to kill you." He held out his hand. "I want to fight side by side with you, Potter. I don't care if you don't return my feelings, I don't care if you don't know how to feel about me, I just want to help you." I hesitated, and then grabbed his hand.
"I need to get this diadem to Ron and Hermione." I said when we started walking back. "Why?" he asked. "It needs to be destroyed." "We can just do that here, right?" "No, it's a dangerous object. I can't tell you why right now, but we need to destroy it with a basilisk fang. And they said they could get one." "Alright Potter. This way." We opened the door and I saw Ron and Hermione with a fang and Hufflepuff's cup broken between them. "Harry! Have you found it?" Hermione asked. "Yeah. Who is going to..." I asked. "You do it." Said Ron. "If you think you can." "Yeah, I think I can do this." I said as I took the fang. I lay the diadem down on the ground. "In three..." I whispered. "One... Two... Three!" I yelled and I swung down the fang. As soon as it made contact with the diadem I got sucked away in the visions Voldemort's soul fired at me. I saw Malfoy, Ron, Hermione, Ginny... all getting into seriously fucked up situations. I knew it wasn't real, but I couldn't help but scream. It was over quickly.
"Harry! Are you okay?" I heard Malfoy ask "Yeah... I'm fine. God... apparently this one had some defence left." I said when I got up. "let's go."
Draco's POV
"What do you mean, you must sacrifice yourself! That is utter nonsense Potter! We can fight him off!" I screamed when Harry told me his plan. "I know you are confused after watching all those who died, but you are NOT going to sacrifice yourself!" "I have to, Draco." He looked tired. "I'm a part of his plan. Well, at least, it looks like it. It's complicated. Draco, could you do me a favour? Bring me to him. They don't know you're on our side yet, if you bring me to him, you'll be safe." He was near the point of crying. "Everyone will be safe. I beg you." I let my head down. I breathed deep in and out. Griffyndors, never fall in love with them.
"I'll bring you." I said. I grabbed his arm violently as if I was really a Death Eater and pulled him with me. "Thank you." Harry whispered. Everything after that all seemed blurred, and I couldn't remember anything of it. It was just too painful. Then we reached the Dark Lord.
"Hello, Harry Potter. Draco, let go of him." He smiled. "We already thought we lost you. It's good to see you back with such a... surprise." Oh god, I was scared. I just walked to my family and muttered "Thank you, my Lord." I looked at Harry and the Dark Lord. "Well, well. The boy who lived... here to die." I couldn't look away. "Avada Kedavra." He said, and I saw Harry getting hit by the green light. But something was wrong. The Dark Lord had collapsed too. I didn't care. Bellatrix, however, was freaking out, which slightly distracted me from looking at the body that once was the boy I loved. Then I heard Bellatrix "My Lord, My Lord. Are you alright? Are you injured?" "I don't need help." I heard him speak. "Draco. Go look if he's dead."
I walked up to Harry. I tried to feel his heart but I just couldn't get myself to do it. "He's dead." I simply said. I heard cheers behind me. "Hagrid, why don't you carry him back?" Voldemort said sadistically. Voldemort. I practiced his name in my head.
We started walking back to the castle. I walked next to Hagrid. I couldn't help but let out a sob. Hagrid looked at me, and somehow I felt he trusted me. Nobody noticed me. I grabbed Harry's hand. I couldn't help it. I just felt so, so lonely now... Then, suddenly I felt his grip. I quickly looked at him. I saw one eye close a bit tighter, as if he was winking at me. He is alive! I thought, and I felt such an immense amount of happiness going through my heart. Nevertheless, I just kept on walking with the group.
We were there. "Harry Potter, The boy who lived, is dead!" Voldemort screamed. The whole school seemed shocked. I couldn't help but smile slightly. If they only knew... Meanwhile Voldemort was holding his speech about joining us etcetera. Then Neville stormed out of the crowd, to attack him I thought. No... he went for the snake. He held the sword of Griffyndor high but was blown away by one single flash of Voldemort's wand. In the chaos that followed, I felt someone taking me by my hand and pulling me with him. It was Harry, running ahead of the spells casted at... everybody. The war wasn't over yet.
He pulled me into an empty corridor and pushed me against the wall. "I just realized, Malfoy, I love you too." He simply said, and then he kissed me. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, was kissing me. And I kissed back. He tasted of smoke, dust, war, and something that was... just him. I ran my hand trough his hair and pulled him a bit closer. Then he let go. "Come." He simply said, and we ran again. "Not my daughter, you bitch!" we heard Mrs. Weasly scream. "That way!" Harry said, and we ran towards the noise. I saw Bellatrix, laughing manically until one of Mrs. Weasly's curses hit her right in the chest. I kept running but Harry suddenly pulled me back around the corner. "They think you're still a Death Eater. It's not safe to follow me right now." "I'm not going to leave you, Potter." I laughed coldly.
"I know that. Here." He said and he put a cloak around me. "Invisibility cloak. Just... don't step on people's toes and watch out for curses and you'll be fine." He grinned a little at the last part. "Good luck Draco." He said and then he ran into the crowd. I lost him for a second, then I noticed everyone fall silent, except for a few 'he's alive!'s. I grinned silently and moved closer to the centre of the room, where Harry was facing Voldemort for the second time today. I moved close to Harry without anybody noticing.
Harry's POV
"I don't want anyone else try to help." I said loudly, mostly because of Draco. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me." Voldemort hissed. "Potter doesn't mean that. That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?" Oh how I hated him... "Nobody." I simply said. I was nervous though, where was Draco? "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..." "One of us? You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"
"Accident, was it, when my mother tried to save me?" I asked. He was angry now. "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?" "Accidents!" screamed Voldemort. He was ready to strike, but he didn't. Seriously, where was Draco? "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and snivelled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"
All the faces of the people who died tonight suddenly doomed up in my brain. I lost track of what I wanted to say. Then, suddenly, I felt someone touch my hand. I saw nobody, but I felt the grip around my hand. "You won't be killing anyone else tonight." Thanks Draco. "you won't be able to kill any of them, ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people-"
"But you did not!" If he'd listen for once... "- I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"
"you dare-" "Yes, I dare." Awesome to be the one who isn't listening this time."I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"
"Is it love again?" Voldemort sneered.
Draco's POV
I just kept holding Harry's hand. I wasn't really listening to what was said. But then I heard my name.
"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."
In a combination of shock and surprise, I let Harry's hand go. I took a few steps backwards, knowing that if Voldemort saw me now, he'd kill me immediately. "But what does it matter?" Voldemort said softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand, we duel on skill alone... and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..." I was scared. What if Harry didn't survive this?... "But you're too late." I heard Harry say. I jumped in surprise, then quickly stepped back.
"You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him." I remembered, and looked at Harry's wand. My wand. "So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does... I am the true master of the Elder Wand." It was silent for a bit. Then I heard both scream. "Avada Kedavra!" "Expelliarmus!"
I saw two rays of light soaring at each other. Just for a second they hit and exploded in a beam of green and red. Then the light disappeared and hit Voldemort. He spread his arms and fell backwards, dead. Harry just stood there, unsure of what to do. Everyone was silent. Then I threw his invisibility cloak off and ran towards Harry. The hall suddenly became a chaos. I heard people calling my name and firing spells at me. "Draco!" Harry called.. I dodged a spell that was cast at me and fell into his arms.
Everyone had pointed their wands at us. "Lower your wands!" Harry called out. "He isn't going to do anything! He's my boyfriend!" I saw the Weaselette- Ginny, I'm sorry, walk backwards, shocked. I grinned. "Boyfriend, Potter?" "Shut up Malfoy." "I don't mind." I chuckled. "I know, that's the whole point. Now please let me handle this." He stepped forward, one arm around my shoulders. "Please, listen. It's true, that Draco Malfoy was the one who delivered me to Voldemort. But he only did this because I told him to. He has saved my life several times, and I'm in love with him."
the whole room fell silent. Harry continued. "When I was at Malfoy Manor, he didn't tell Bellatrix it was me. He saved me. He sent Crabbe and Goyle the wrong way, and warned my friends. He is not a Death Eater people. He's on our side. He's on my side, and he will forever be. Because we're together now. And I don't ask you guys to like it, no wait, I do actually, but I know a lot of you people won't. But I hope you can at least accept it. And if you could lower your wands now, that would be great."
It remained silent. Then, one person started clapping. Slowly, more persons followed. I leaned towards Harry.
"Do you think we're supposed to make out now?" I whispered with a smile. Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around me. "You tell me." He laughed. I smiled and kissed him. And then the whole room bursted in applause.
One year later...
"Unbelievable you still fail at brewing a simple-" "I'm trying Malfoy!" Harry said angrily as we worked together in our potions class on Doxycide, since a first-year who tried to be funny released a bunch in the castle.
"Potter, this probably is one of the most easy recipes there is..." "That's why I don't get what's going wrong!" "Eight-year student and you still don't know the difference between clockwise and counter-clockwise?" I asked with a grin. Harry turned red. "What?! But it says clockwise here..." "Yes, but funny thing, that's three lines ahead of where we are. And there..." I tapped on the recipe, "it says counter-clockwise. Please read, Potter, before you do anything."
Harry sighed, and started cleaning up. I grinned. "Here, let me help." I said, and started gathering ingredients. "Thanks, Draco." Smiled Harry. "Back to using first names again?" "You stopped acting like a git, so yes." "Look who's talking!" "Malfoy..." "Seriously?!"
I saw the corners of Harry's mouth curl up and then he started laughing. The other students in the room looked around annoyed but he didn't care. I felt a little smile coming up, so I just murmured "git." And continued cleaning.
"So... uhm... do you have any classes after this?" Harry asked nervously. "Yes, I do Potter, why?" "Oh, nothing..." He said disappointed. I grinned. "That's not an answer. Why, Potter?" "Could you stop repeating my name?" "Nah, I kind of like using it." I said, purely so I could enjoy the sight of him turning red. I grinned. "Maybe I'll stop using it if you tell me why you want to know, Potter."
"I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the river with me..." he asked shy. During the war a whole part of the Forbidden Forest was destroyed and recovered by magic, and out of thanks the creatures that lived there gave Hogwarts permission to let the students go there. For lessons or for recreation. It was quite popular during the weekends, but on a normal day nearly nobody went there.
"Do you think they will miss me at History of Magic?" I asked. I saw a smile break trough on Harry's face. "Because I don't think so." I continued and I smiled at him "Me neither." He smiled.
Around fifteen minutes later are on our way in the forest. "How do you feel?" Harry asks me. "I'm fine, or at least as fine as a guy with both his parents in Azkaban can be and who has a boyfriend who is a complete moron and probably the most famous person in the wizarding world." Harry looked shocked. I sighed. "I'm joking, Potter. Not about the moron part, but I certainly do not mind you being famous. And my parents, well, they'll be fine..."
Harry fell silent. "I'm fine, I promise." I smiled at him. "More importantly, how do YOU feel? I heard you still suffer from some side-effects from... well, dying." Harry laughed, and that made me feel a lot better. "It's nothing serious, I just get really tired sometimes, then I need to sit down and I'll feel better."
We laughed and talked while walking our way towards the river. When we finally reached it Harry sat down on a stone and I kept standing and started throwing stones in the river. "You okay?" I asked Harry. "You look kind of pale." "I always do. And yeah, I'm fine. It's really hot today, that's it." "If you say so..."
I looked at him. "You sure you don't have one of those... tiredness attack things you told me about?" "are you going to constantly worry about me now I told you?" "Probably. Answer me, Potter." "I'm sure I'm fine. I told you, the weather is just really hot."
Well that was true, I guess it's around thirty degrees. "Why not go for a swim then?" I said suddenly. "You serious?" Harry laughed. "Actually, I am." I said and I took my shirt off. "You're joking..." Harry murmured. I just looked at him, with one eyebrow raised, and jumped in the river.
I gasped for breath when my head got above the surface of the river. "Cold!" "You idiot!" laughed Harry. "It's pretty nice actually, you joining?" I asked with a grin. "No chance, Malfoy." He laughed. I got out of the water and pulled him of the stone. "C'mon Harry!" "No!" "I'll stupify you and take your shirt of if you don't go yourself!" "Alright alright! Give me a minute..." He laughed and took his shirt of too.
We stood next to each other on a big rock. "In three." I said. "one... two... three!" I counted and jumped. I heard Harry gasp when he reached the surface. "Bloody... That's cold!" "You'll get used to it." I laughed and swum towards Harry. "If I catch a cold you know I'm going to blame it on you!" He said."It's thirty degrees, how are you planning to catch a cold exactly?"
"I'll think of something." Laughed Harry and he climbed out of the water. "That was quite nice actually." He lay down on the grass, and I joined him. "It's weird isn't it? A little more than a year ago we could drink each other's blood, and now we're boyfriends."
"All your fault." Laughed Harry. "Yeah, sure. You were happily kissing me in that corridor, remember? Before you were facing Voldemort." "You started it in the room of requirements." "You kissed me." I smirked. "You would've kissed me if I told you immediately I liked you too!" He tried to hit me but I rolled away. "Becoming a bit violent, Potter? Seems we didn't change that much." I grinned. I sat up.
"We should probably head back, they will serve dinner in a bit I think..."
"That would be really early. Besides, I don't want to go back yet." Harry said. I looked over to him. He lay on the grass with his hands under his head and his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful and calm, I haven't seen him like that for years. He opened one eye to look at me. "Enjoying the view, Malfoy?"He said.
I looked away immediately. "Seriously Potter?" "What? I'm just asking." "Yes Potter, I sure enjoy looking at your beautiful shirtless body, is that what you want to hear?" I sneered. "You're overusing my name again." "You're teasing me." "that's what a good boyfriend is supposed to do right?" laughed he.
"Now I see why your relationships never last..." I grinned. "That's mean! Cho was in love with Cedric and I broke up with Ginny because I had to defeat-" "Alright Potter, please don't fall back in your hero attitude." "Git." He laughed.
We just stayed silent for a while. I was sitting next to him and he lay his head on my lap. "Are you tired?" I asked. "Kind of..." I stroked his hair. "Want to go back to the castle?" "Do you?" He replied. "Not particularly, but if you want to..." "I'll just lay for a while, let's go back by dinnertime okay?"
He closed his eyes.
After a minute or so he fell asleep. I smiled and just kept playing with his hair. He looked so vulnerable and a lot younger when he was asleep, when he wasn't struggling with the memories from the past and the burden of thinking about the future, and his grades, classes...
" Please don't braid it." I heard him say. I chuckled. "Awake, Potter?" "Yeah, guess so..." "We should head back, dinner will be served in five minutes." I said and I got up, took his hand and pulled him up.
"Let's go." I said and we started walking back to the castle.
Harry's POV
I sat with Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "-complete and utterly idiotic, stupid Divination class..." Ron was complaining about the homework to Hermione, who was listening patiently. My gaze went off to the Slytherin table. I made eye contact with Draco. Stop staring at me, Potter. He mouthed, followed by a grin.
I smiled back, and continued listening to Ron's complaints. "Seriously, that's going to take hours!" "You should've dropped it when you had the chance to. Isn't that right, Harry?" "Hm? Oh, maybe..." I was feeling a bit dizzy, and wasn't really in the mood for complaining about homework.
"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, not in the mood for homework and stuff. And especially divination." I grinned at them. Hermione grinned back a bit worriedly and Ron was distracted. "Where is professor... I don't even know, the new one." "Which new one?" I asked. "Defence against the Dark Arts." "Probably attempting to get all the Doxy's out of his office. First years should be prohibited..." I murmured.
"Harry. Draco is staring at you." Whispered Ron. I looked up and saw Draco trying to get my attention. I made eye contact. Are you alright? He mouthed. I simply nodded and mouthed Why?
He tapped his cheek and said you look pale.
I shrugged and continued eating. I told him there was nothing to worry about, so he seriously shouldn't. Well, as if he ever listened...
After dinner we got up, and I noticed, I was not okay. I had one of those tiredness attacks, and I had trouble breathing. "Harry?" I heard Hermione say in the distance, but I couldn't answer. I felt my legs collapse under the weight of my body.
"Whoah, easy. I got you." I heard someone say. I felt strong arms wrap around me and hoist me up. "I told you you were not okay." "Malfoy?..." I asked. "Shh, we're going to the infirmary. Granger, Weasel- Weasly, you go to your tower, I got him."
I managed to stay awake and walk step by step with him to the infirmary. "It would be so great if you could listen to me for once, Potter." I heard Draco say. We reached the infirmary and he put me on a bed. "Madame Pomfrey, Potter isn't feeling well and I think it might be better if he stays here for the night." I heard Draco say. He turned around. "Lay down, Potter." He said and continued talking to Madame Pomfrey. I lay down and closed my eyes, immediately I was taken away by the sleep and the nightmares that came with it...
When I woke up I saw Draco sitting on the chair next to my bed, reading a book. "Good..." he looked on his watch, "Morning, Potter." I shifted and tried to look on my watch, remembered I couldn't because my glasses were on the table at the other side of my bed. "What time is it?" I asked with a raw voice. Shite, I screamed again. "Three, AM." "Have you slept?" "Nah, no chance, you were screaming way to loud to sleep." He said. He looked at me coldly.
"You were begging. Don't kill them, don't kill them. I thought you were okay, Potter? That you only felt tired? I never heard anything about nightmares, flashbacks..." he put his hand on my head. "You have a fever too. What did you see, Potter? And why the hell wouldn't you tell me?"
I sighed. "You know what I saw. The war, everyone who died. And it's not like I wouldn't tell you, I couldn't." Draco looked confused. "Draco, I don't want you to worry about me. I did enough damage."
"That's not true." Malfoy whispered. "You didn't do any damage at all. Nothing of all this was your fault. It was all his fault. And if you don' t want me to worry about you, Harry, well, good luck. I'm your boyfriend." It was silent. "Since when do you have these nightmares?" He asked.
"Since the war ended, every night." I didn't dare to look at him. I then heard the rustling of clothes and the blankets. "Shift, Potter." I heard Draco say, a lot closer than before. I shifted and I felt how he lay down next to me.
He wrapped an arm around me and let my head rest on his chest. "I'll stay with you, for the time being. Maybe it helps." He whispered. I tried to say thank you but the sleep was coming back at rapid speed and I felt my eyes close on their own and I was carried away in a dreamless sleep.
Draco's POV
I waited till Potter fell asleep, which was really fast. But I wanted to know it this really would keep him from having nightmares. I waited for thirty minutes, and the only thing that happened was Harry slightly shifting. I smiled. "Goodnight, Potter." I whispered, and I softly kissed his head. Then I closed my eyes and waited for the same nightmares to come torture me.
They didn't come.
I somehow woke up after Potter woke up. "Morning Draco." I hear him whisper. "No nightmares?" I asked him. "No nightmares." He confirmed. "So apparently this works? I always thought this only worked in story's." I grinned. "You did?" Harry was surprised. "Yeah, why?" "It always seemed logic to me, if you are with the person you love you can't get nightmares."
"Well, I never really loved someone did I?" I answered, a bit awkwardly. "And the person I loved from my fourth year on was also the person who I thought hated me most, so that's not really comforting either." Harry slightly grinned.
"You're an idiot." He said. "Thanks for everything though. Including the worrying." "Do you finally realize, Potter?" I grinned. "Realize what?" "Realize the fact that I'll be worrying about you till the end of your days? You're stuck with me." Harry let out a sigh and grinned. "Yes, I do realize, but I will still try to deny it, so good luck, seen the fact you're just as stuck with me." I laughed and kissed him. "Good thing I don't mind."