Echoes
By
TonysSilverFox
DISCLAIMERS: All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling, I am not profiting from this story.
WARNINGS: SLASH story, nothing graphic, mentions of MPREG, you have been warned.
A/N: This is my first foray into Harry Potter, although I have been reading Harry/Draco stories for awhile and this melancholy little story popped into my mind.
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Harry walked through the silent house slowly. Every so often he would run his hand over a photograph of himself and a smiling Draco, or one of the many that contained the two of them with their adorable daughter, Isabelle. Walking through the familiar rooms, Harry heard echoes of laughter and voices and all the wonderful moments that had played out here. Coming to a stop, he realized he was trembling slightly and he knew he was exhausted, but he also knew he would sleep no more this night.
Casting a tempus charm, Harry discovered it was half past three in the morning. He did not know when he had gotten up and only just now realized he had been wandering the house in a fog. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he ran a shaky hand through his hair and looked around, surprised to find himself by the front door, having no memory of how he had gotten here. Spying a beloved stuffed toy of Isabelle's, lying forlornly on a chair in the front hall, Harry picked up the floppy eared bunny that his Belle had named Doyle.
Harry held the toy in both of his hands as memories assaulted him and silent tears ran down his face. Clutching the soft rabbit to his chest, Harry walked into the library and slumped down on the chair that Draco most often occupied and let the tears come.
The images were sharp in his mind.
The screams from the other innocent people who were caught in the crossfire when three hate-filled former Death Eaters, intent on vengeance had set their sights on Harry and his precious family. His heart sped up as he relived the worst day of his life. The smoke, the screams, the blood.
His rage when he had discovered they had turned their attack on Draco and Isabelle when they were unable to best him. His anguish at finding them under the rubble, Draco's body shielding Isabelle's, both of them bloodied and still. Draco had protected their little girl as fiercely as a mother lioness, which he kinda was. He had carried their baby and heaven help anyone who tried to harm her.
Harry had never felt as much fear in his life as he had that day, and after dying at Voldemort's hand, that was saying a lot. He remembered gathering their limp forms into his arms and apparating to St. Mungo's. The healers had to pry his arms from around them so they could take him in to be checked out. He had a few gashes that were bleeding freely and some broken bones that they had to mend. He hadn't felt a thing. The adrenalin surge from his rage had overtaken everything. When that had subsided, a numbness had set in.
He has spotty memories of his time at the hospital, but more unwanted memories crowd into his head every day. He vaguely recalled the Aurors telling him that all three Death Eaters who had attacked them had died. Two by Harry's hand and the last by George Weasley, who had been walking back to his shop in Diagon Alley when the attack had occurred. Harry didn't care about them, he only cared about his husband and daughter and their blood, staining his hands and clothes and the cold cobblestones on the street.
Calming himself somewhat, Harry clutched the stuffed rabbit to him and stared sightlessly straight ahead. So caught up in his dark memories, he did not notice the presence next to him until he felt gentle fingers carding through his hair and a sympathetic voice ask him, "What are you doing up, love?"
Shaking himself out of his misery, Harry turned his tear-streaked face to the side and his gaze focused on the warm, grey eyes of his husband.
"Draco." He whispered. A fresh round of tears accompanied Harry leaning forward and burying his face into Draco's neck, arms going around the other man and pulling him closely against his body. Belle's bunny was still held tightly in Harry's hand as Draco held him just as close and said softly, "Oh, Harry."
They stayed like that for some time, Harry sobbing out his pain and Draco holding him tight, murmuring words of comfort and allowing his husband to work through the strong emotions that day had wrought.
When Harry had quieted, Draco leaned back and cupped his husband's chin, asking softly, "Come back to bed with me?"
Getting an exhausted nod, Draco helped the other man up and they made their way back upstairs. Stopping at a door, two down from their own, Draco opened it and gently guided his husband over to the crib and the small figure sleeping peacefully there. Draco was relieved when he saw Harry finally relax completely, as the dark haired man reached out to brush the fine, blonde hair from his daughter's forehead and lean down to brush a kiss there. After tucking Doyle in next to their little girl, both men smiled as the child pulled the stuffed toy closer to her and sighed happily in her sleep.
Retreating to their own room, Draco pulled Harry back into bed and arranged them with Harry snuggled tightly in his arms, his head resting on Draco's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Draco ran his fingers soothingly through Harry's silky hair as he asked, "Why didn't you wake me, love? I had hoped we were through with these." He sighed.
"I don't think I even saw you." Harry replied quietly. "It was really bad, Draco. It was the one where you didn't get the shield charm up in time and I didn't get there fast enough and I lost you both." Draco tightened his hold on Harry, again silently thanking whatever deity had let him react so quickly that day, ensuring that they would survive.
"I may have been sleep walking a little." Harry told him sheepishly. "I really wasn't aware until I found Doyle on the chair by the front door and I remembered you tossing it there when we came in tonight, and I kind of lost it."
Harry burrowed his face into Draco's chest, greedily soaking in his scent and allowing it to further calm him before continuing. "I really thought you were gone and when I saw Doyle and realized it had just been another nightmare…" A sob escaped from Harry and Draco rocked him in his arms, soothing him with soft words and gentle caresses.
A short time later, Draco recognized the slow deep breaths and realized his husband had slipped back into sleep. Grabbing his wand from the nightstand, Draco cast a dreamless sleep charm on Harry and settled back with Harry cuddled against him.
Draco thought back over that day, two months ago, when their happy family could have been torn apart. Just a split second slower and he and Isabelle would not be here now, and he didn't even want to imagine what Harry would have been like if that had happened. Breathing in a deep, shuddering breath, Draco cast the dreamless charm on himself and allowed himself to drift off, still clinging to Harry and smiling at the memory of their daughter holding her bunny. They had come close, but they were all still here and it would take a force much greater to ever tear them apart. Resting his cheek on top of Harry's head, Draco slipped into a deep, peaceful slumber.
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A/N: That's it, short and bittersweet. I know some of you are ticked because you may have thought I killed off Draco and Belle, but rest assured I would never do that. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! ;-)