The Best Man
Chapter One:
Surprise!
He walked out of the fireplace, flicking non-existent soot from his shoulder. Taking in the study, he noted with some nostalgia, that it hadn't changed in the least.
With long strides, he walked to the door and stepped out of the study, knowing where his parents would be at that hour of the day.
...
"Hey, you never guess who I saw back in town?" Ron shouted as way of greeting, the moment he apparated into the spacious living room.
"Who did you see?" Harry asked, calling out from his bedroom.
"Yours truly: Mister Draco Malfoy."
"Really?" Harry walked out, the top of his shirt still unbuttoned as his face lightened up in excitement.
"Merlin, you behave like he was your long lost lover." Ron teased, laughing as Harry blushed a deep red.
"I haven't seen him in so long." Harry snapped back defensively, walking back into his room.
"Yeah, I know, just as long as your fiancee - if I recall correctly - but I don't see you jumping to the chance of seeing Ginny." Ron retorted, amused; flopping down on the armchair.
"What is that suppose to mean?"The dark haired man walked out of his bedroom, fully dressed.
"What was the first thing that you said when the two left?" The redhead asked. "Don't lie!" He laughed as Harry opened his lips to respond.
He snapped his mouth shut before pausing for a moment in thought. "'I hope he doesn't get too homesick'." He replied in a small voice.
"Exactly, your thoughts and worries were on Mister Malfoy, you didn't even think to wonder about your fiancee." Ron laughed.
"You shouldn't find it all so funny, she's your sister." Harry retorted in bemused anger.
"I don't think you and Ginny make a good couple." The taller man admitted easily.
"You tell me this two weeks before I am to marry your sister?"
"To be honest, it was all quite a rush. We got rid of Voldemort, finished seventh year and then took a break. You stayed away for some time until Ginny announced that she was travelling after she finished her studies... everyone was so outraged, because surely she was supposed to stay by your side, inspite of the fact that you never dated... although Ginny never did give up trying to get into your pants. So you gave into mom's heartbroken looks and asked Ginny to marry you. That was two years ago... I'm suprised that mom
didn't put her foot down before now and asked Ginny to come back to fulfill the contract." Ron mused outloud for a moment. "In any case, Ginny hasn't come home in all those two years and only has time to ask you for some money to help her in her travels. I'm surprised you let her have the money at all, but then you do just give her just enough for her necessities... she can't be happy about that." He laughed.
"You have a very low opinion of your sister." Harry mused.
"She's changed, Harry. I love you like your brother, so neither take precedence, but she's changed man. Mom won't see it because she's so caught up in you making her dream come true... but Ginny, I dunno. You do realise she hasn't made any effort or said anything about coming back. We're all just presuming that she's going to come back because mom told her to. But as 'Mione says, 'Assume will make an ass out of you and me'. Ginny is a odd ball."
Harry laughed inspite of himself. "I want to see Draco... will he be visiting?" He asked eagerly, changing the subject easily enough.
"Like you have to ask... if he was only here for a second, he would still make time to see you... I'm telling you, he is as bad as you. He can't live without you." Ron smiled.
"Merlin, I hope so." Harry smiled hopefully, if a little ruefully.
Ron laughed. "Death and taxes, death and taxes." He quoted in amusement.
...
Draco smiled nervously as he walked the path up to the Burrow; knowing full well that on a Saturday afternoon, Mrs Weasley would have harrassed her children – by name or not – to visit for a langishly extended lunch. Shifting the shrank package from one hand to the other, he leaned over and pulled at the bell.
The moment that the bell shieked, the house seemed to come to life with noise. Voices were raised, doors were opened and banged closed, items were shifted loud enough to crash and Draco laughed.
"Draco!" The blond grinned as he looked up at the outburst. Harry stood with the door wide open, one hand on the door frame and the other still on the doorhandle.
The brunet started bouncing on the balls of his feet, excited and unsure of what to do with himself before lauching himself forward and burying himself in Draco's open arms. "Gods, Draco. It's really you." He inhaled deeply, burying his face on the firm chest.
"It's really me and it's really you." Draco laughed, burying his face in Harry's hair, breathing in deeply in turn. "I take it that you missed me."
"Terribly," Harry admitted unabashlely as he pulled away and grinned. "But tell me, how are you? How was Egypt? How was the excavation? Did you sight any Dragons? You didn't get ill, did you? Did you eat well? Did you sleep your full hours?"
"Woo woo, hold your Threshals, pet. One question at a time." The aristocrat laughed, his heart warming up inside as the brunet blushed. "Now, I'm absolutely great... now that I'm back home," Harry's blush deepened in appriciation. "Egypt was beautiful and crazy. The excavation was slow and rather pointless.
No, I didn't see any Dragons, I do believe they are in breeding season, so no one will be seeing them any time soon. I didn't get ill at all, I won't make the same mistake twice, so I didn't eat anything odd. In saying that, I did eat well and I slept my full hours." He smiled indugently. "Did I miss anything, love?" Harry shook his head quickly, blushing again, but glad nonetheless to get that sorted. "So, how about you return the favour?" The blond smiled.
"I'm fine, a little bored now that I quit Auror work. England will always be beautiful and cold and wonderfully windy with the on-going plays of peek-a-boo with the sun." He scrunched up his nose and Draco melted. "I still feel like going ahead with becoming a primary teacher... so I will be starting my training soon. The only Dragon I know right now is Mrs. Weasley, she is going insane with the wedding preparations..." He trailed off and grey eyes turned away. "I haven't been ill at all, apart from a slight cold I caught from Hermione a few weeks back. I have been eating properly and insomia is starting up again." Draco frowned at this and Harry turned to look into the house that was still in a flurry of activity even though nothing could be seen.
"What do you mean the insomnia has returned?"
"I think it may be pre-wedding gitters." Harry excused quickly.
Grey eyes searched the fidgety man before him. Harry worried his lip and his eyes skittered all over the place. "Are you afraid of comittment, or just committing to the Weaselette... or is it something else?"
Harry shrugged, smiling nervously, meeting Draco's eyes meekly without answering.
"Lets go in and greet the others, I have some things for Molly and then you and I will be going out. I need to talk to you about something." Draco took Harry's hand and squeezed it gently.
"Are you still out here?" Hermione asked, nearly walking into them as the two men turned to walk into the house. "Well come on, you can't expect to keep each other company forever." The brunette herded them in and closed the door behind her.
"Death and Taxes!" Ron cackled from somewhere up the stairs. Hermione rolled her eyes, Harry blushed and Draco cocked a brow in mild confusion.
"Draco Dear, how are you?" Molly Weasley bustled out of the kitchen, wiping her hands in her apron before taking the tall blond in a big hug that lasted several seconds.
"I'm extremely well, thank you Molly, and how about yourself?" Draco smiled beautifully.
"Oh you know, prepare this and that, don't kill the helpers." She laughed nervously. Draco smiled back kindly. "Do tell me how your co-worker is? Ginny hasn't had the decency to call in at all." She huffed in frustrated annoyance.
"Yes, well, I haven't spoken so much with her myself. I saw her just before I returned, but the meeting was short." Draco smiled tightly, glancing briefly at Harry who hovered at his side but otherwise ignored the conversation between the Weasley Matron and the Malfoy Heir.
"Ah, no matter, will you be staying for lunch?" She turned away, hiding her frown.
"Yes, that would be lovely. But I am stealing Harry away for a little while, please don't wait for us if we're late." He smiled, sugar-sweet, already entwining his fingers with Harry's and pulling the slightly smaller man with him.
"Well, do try and hurry, won't you." Molly smiled, walking back to the kitchen.
...
Draco pulled short at the border of the Weasley's property, outside the wards. He turned to the brunet as green eyes lifted to look at him. "Close your eyes." Harry frowned but complied. Draco stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the darker man. "Do you trust me?" He breathed against baby curls.
"With all my heart." Harry whispered veheremetly, clinging to the strong shoulders.
"Hold on." Grey eyes closed
They felt the tug of apparition and balanced each other as they landed. Neither moved to pull away or opened their eyes. They stood still for several minutes, savouring the moment together and letting the environment slowly filter into their conciousness.
"Can I open my eyes now?" Harry asked timidly, hating himself for breaking the moment.
Draco chuckled but nodded nonetheless as he pulled away and an amused verbal "yes" followed his actions.
Green eyes fluttered open very slowly, taking in the sudden brightness that a cloudless sky allowed. "Wow!" He whispered, careful not to disturve the tranqility and beauty. "We haven't been here in the summer before." He realised, noticing how different the place was in such contraversial settings.
"I wanted us to be somewhere special for when I asked you--" Draco cleared his throat, suddenly nervous.
"Ask me what?" Harry tilted his head in inquisition, making Draco smile.
"First I need to speak to you about something... very important... about your fiancee-" He looked away.
"What? Why? What happened?" Harry frowned.
"Come, lets sit down." Draco pulled away completely and stepped towards the water edge. Harry followed, completely confused and now worried to see the blond in such an agitated state.
"Draco, you're scaring me." Harry whispered, taking a sit on the ground as the aristocrat contiued to look over the lake.
"Oh, I don't mean to love. It's just hard." Draco turned around, kneeling in front of the brunet but not daring to move too close.
"Well, spit it out before it drives us both loony." Harry snapped defensively but backed down when Draco flinched ever so slightly.
"The Weaselette is not coming. She's not turning up for the wedding." Draco whispered.
"What do you mean?" Harry whispered back, just as quietly.
"She says she's not ready to commit."Draco mumbled.
"Oh," Harry looked down. "Molly is going to be very disappointed." He whispered.
Draco waited a few minutes, but the brunet remained quiet. His eyes settled on a far off point past the watery horizon. "Is that all you're going to say?"
"Oh, it's a pity, the invitations have gone out and everything... I suppose we could just have a reunion party instead." Harry shrugged.
"You don't seem very upset about it." Draco observed.
"I suppose the wedding is just going to be post-poned." Harry shrugged again.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you?" The blond ducked his head, biting his lip as he called on the famous Gryffindor courage that his company was so famous for... but he was still far too Slytherin.
Harry tilted his head to the side, waiting for the aristocrat to continue but the blond curtains continued to block his view of the gorgeous man. "Draco, what is it? Is this the bad news?" He enquired gently.
Draco choked, looking up before bursting into laughter. "It's not suppose to be, but you may see it that way, if you wish?" He chuckled, before letting a small wistful smile settle on his lips.
"Will you just tell me." Harry begged.
"Harry James Potter, Will you do me the honour of joining me on a sacred bond?" Draco whispered, watching as Harry frowned in confusion before his green eyes brightened in surprise, but not quite willing to believe he understood the request. The aristocrat continued. "Will you join your life, heart, soul and mind with my life, heart, soul and mind in wedlock?"
...
"Death and Taxes" Quote from Meet Joe Black.