HA/N: Hai! This is my first decent finished one-shot. Actually I felt like writing a lot the past time, and this is what popped into my head after watching three Harry Potter films a row and reading two Harry Potter books in one week..
Hope you enjoy it :3
Slash warning! (boyxboy)
Summer rain
He put down his quill and glanced at his watch. Only half past one in the afternoon on an exceptionally boring day at the office. The last days there weren't many accidents or crimes reported, thus Harry found himself actually secretly seeking for a bit of action and adventure. But he had to admit a peaceful world couldn't hurt, especially not after the Second Wizarding War last year. Trying to defeat Voldemort his whole childhood (and succeeding) had been enough of an adventure for the next thirty years. Then in the aftermath he got back together with Ginny again and it all went very smooth, up to one month ago.
xox
He watched the Saturday sun slowly rise against the pale blue sky and quietly sipped his morning tea. Hearing footsteps walking downstairs Harry stood up to make his fiancée some tea too, but when Ginny entered the sitting room he felt something wasn't right. She didn't greet him cheerfully as any other morning, but looked wearily as if she hadn't had enough sleep.
"I think I need to tell you something," Ginny said quietly, closing the door to the hallway.
"Oh, sure. Bring it on."
He sat down again and grabbed his mug tightly, awaiting the verdict. She took seat on her chair opposite him. Apparently she found it quite difficult to convert her thoughts to words, because she remained silent for half a minute.
"Do you know," she began carefully, tracing a scratch on the table with her nail, "do you know the Johnsons a few blocks away?"
"The muggle family? The mother passed away some weeks ago if I remember well."
"Yes, that family. Er well..." Ginny threw him an uncertain look which made Harry in turn feel very anxious.
"Alright. Listen to me, and please, try to be understanding." She took a deep breath and talked on, her voice becoming more guilty with every word.
"That time I dropped by to comfort the kids, their dad Eric invited me to stay for tea because I had casted a nice calming spell. He became interested in magic, and naturally I answered his eager questions. With the time it occurred to me that he wasn't only interested in magic... but also developed some feelings for me. And... I felt something growing inside of me too..."
She buried her face in her hands and Harry just stared at her, frowning a little. By the time he took a sip of his tea again it had gone cold. Just the way he felt. He understood it all, but how could she have been hiding something like that? From him?
"And you... are suggesting that we split up and you go and start dating Eric?"
"No! I mean, actually, yes... But you ought to know that I never wanted to hurt you in any way, but –"
"I understand. Feelings come up unwillingly. Just choose for him, if that's what you want."
Harry barely heard the words he just said, but they did seem to be understood by Ginny. He stood up once more, silently crying inside and took his cup to the kitchen. The first one of the day, but the last one he had drained there.
xox
Harry overcame his broken heart easier than expected, but it still hurt when he thought of their time together. After all, even the smallest cut leaves a scar. Yawning he stretched out, turned around on his chair and looked outside the window, rubbing his eyes. A beautiful day with a few clouds and a large dose of sunshine came along visiting London. The trees looked a quite more healthy shade of green in the summer sun, but the streets were crowded as usually.
To his surprise he noticed a small dot in the blue flying straight towards his office. He hastily shoved open the window and let the owl fly in. It wasn't Pigwidgeon or any other owl he knew that landed on the frame, but a graceful snow owl. She painfully reminded him of Hedwig, but this owl was younger and smaller. He hadn't been writing to anyone the past days so he didn't expect any mail. This however, was a letter from someone he hadn't spoken to in at least a whole year. It was written in a slight oblique handwriting which he had never seen before.
Dear Harry,
I know we haven't spoken to each other since our last year at Hogwarts, but I was wondering if you could meet me at King's Cross's entrance at twelve on the fourteenth next month. This might sound a bit weird coming from me, but I didn't like the way we left it all when our ways separated. No, I am not going to jinx you. I'd rather fancy a talk with you.
I'll be sending Carol to you again next week, so you can think over your reply.
I hope you are doing well,
Draco
Harry seriously wondered what he and Malfoy should be having a chat about, since they never had a real civil chat at Hogwarts. Despite that he was curious what Draco wanted to discuss with him, thus he wrote his answer accepting the offer and sent it along with the snowy owl next Tuesday. Summer finally succeeded to excite him this year.
xox
The fourteenth of July was covered in muggy, clouded weather. Harry sat down on a bench and waited for a white blond spot to appear in the multicultural crowd. Accidentally he had arrived a quarter too early, but watching people didn't bore him too much. And indeed, a little while later an oh-so familiar face came walking up to him. The pointed chin, the slender body, wearing a black sweater, the grey eyes, he knew them all a little too well. In the sun it seemed as if his hair glowed silver. Harry stood up, hands in his pockets.
"Hi."
"Hi."
Green greeted grey with nonverbal sincerity.
"Fancy a walk?" Malfoy said.
"Okay."
Harry could tell it was fairly weird to walk beside your school enemy and not to curse nor bully each other. As they moved along a group of Russian tourists and reached platform nine he glanced at Malfoy for a second. He seemed deep in thought, until the entrance barrier came into sight. Their looks crossed each other.
"Are you sure it's accessible in the summer holidays?"
"Yeah, I've been here once in August too."
Malfoy walked on with Harry two steps behind him. Moving from the noise right through the mysterious dark space and a moment later the both of them stood on an empty and silent platform Nine and Three Quarters. The red Hogwarts Express wasn't occupied since it didn't make any mechanical sounds and there were no other people around. Enjoying the quietness Harry sat down on a bench again whilst Malfoy wandered around looking at the train and probably reminiscing the same memories as he did.
On the train, halfway the journey they saw each other a second time. Malfoy, standing in the doorway looking arrogantly at Harry, who stared back with raised eyebrows. He didn't notice that same Malfoy now sitting next to him, only when he turned his head and suddenly looked rather alarmed in his eyes.
"You scared me to death!"
"Can't help you zoning out."
Unwillingly Harry smiled a bit when he saw Malfoy's comical uninterested expression. And then he started to laugh.
"What are you laughing at, Potter?"
"Nothing. Just the fact that we sit next to each other and don't curse each other's heads off. It's funny."
"Quite yeah," Malfoy said, his eyes smiling a bit too.
"So, we've forgiven each other for –"
"Seven years of fighting? Of course, I've changed. You saved my life last year. I'm very grateful."
"Oh, yeah. Well, it's nothing..." Harry muttered modestly, although he had a feeling it was actually a huge deal for Malfoy. He stared down in an awkward silence. The tunnel outside let a huge amount of light in and lit up the platform, making it seem magical as every first September.
"So, what have you been doing the past year?"
"Hmm. I took things easy, nothing special. You?" Malfoy asked.
"Busy compared to you. I applied for Auror at the Ministry of Magic and I instantly got the job... Nah, never mind," Harry said awkwardly, waving with his hand. But when he looked up he saw Malfoy's eyes filled with sincere concern.
"Why? What happened?"
Harry sighed. "Ginny broke up with me a month ago while being engaged. She fell in love with a muggle neighbour of ours and apparently their love was mutual. So, here I'm alone again," he told Malfoy with a bit of sad irony.
"Must've been a tough moment to deal with," Malfoy said understandingly after a short pause.
Harry played with the not-forgotten-yet ring around his finger. Probably he had continued wearing it just for the memory and honour, he didn't know why himself actually.
"Indeed, though getting over it was easier than I thought... Anything spectacular happened in your love-life?"
"No."
"Malfoy, don't be a dork," he said unbelievingly. "I know the war matured you because you don't sneer at me anymore and act more composed, but you're emitting a real wave of pessimism. I thought you were so close with Parkinson?"
Annoying penetrating looks in his side.
"Yes, I was."
"So... How come you sound this sad?"
Malfoy looked away, brushing away some dust on his pants.
"She died in the war."
Harry's face fell. He hadn't expected this. More something like "my parents are furious because you saved my life", but not this. Although he never quite understood why anyone would want to bond with Malfoy he remembered seeing them together a lot.
Hesitatingly he lifted his arm to comfort him and a moment later he found Malfoy crying against his shoulder. The clothing around Harry's neck began to feel wet from the quiet sobs, but he didn't mind. The hatred he had felt so long rapidly dissolved into nothing. This was him, the Boy Who Lived, comforting his archfiend on the empty platform where their youth had begun.
The longer they sat there, the more Harry came to realise that Malfoy had truly loved Pansy, and that having a loved one die hurt so much more than his measly break-up. But he also knew the heart-wrenching sorrow and powerless feeling he had felt when Sirius died in front of his eyes.
Harry dared to speak again his throat had gone a little hoarse.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
" I just wanted you to know."
xox
After a few minutes when Draco braced himself (Harry didn't see any reason to call him Malfoy anymore) they left the platform and strolled out of the station, keeping their own piece of quiet with them, even among the noise.
Outside the weather was still stifling and muggy and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Within a few minutes it would start to rain. They sat down on the cold pavement under a shed in a less crowded area near King's Cross.
"You," Draco slowly began, "you have seen so many people die."
"Stating the obvious you are," Harry said faintly smiling.
"But all of those and the horror you've been through on top of that... How do you cope with that?"
His grey eyes looked right into his green ones, and they saw each other's problems. Maybe Draco was never the arrogant git he thought to see. After all everyone should have at least one feeling to feel to make them human... The war had surely carved in both of their beings.
"I don't know. They just happened, some more touching than others. The sorrow that comes with death is always hard to overcome, but that doesn't mean the end of your own life. I guess I just realised that life is short, and you have to appreciate every living moment."
"Every moment, yes," Draco repeated absent-mindedly.
Harry didn't know whether his little speech came through, but his own trail of thoughts cleared up a bit. Since the break-up his mind had been comparable with a mushy swamp, until he received Draco's letter. It had lighten him up a bit, and even Harry had to admit he actually missed having the little jerk around. Not because he missed the jinxes or the good memories, but in the end they had seemed, despite being so different, also more alike than he thought.
Some inches away from Harry's foot a soon expected raindrop landed on the stone and within a few seconds the single drop had turned into massive rain. People started to run, hurrying to a dry place inside while a few expanded their umbrella's and calmly walked on.
"You remember the moment I offered you to be friends?"
"On the train? Clear and vividly, yes."
"Why do you think I did that?" he asked quietly.
"Because you wanted 'The Chosen One' in your pathetic clique?"
Slightly annoyed Draco sighed. "No... Because I was sincerely interested in you."
"Oh."
Harry looked at the blonde next to him. His eyes stared into nowhere and his back rested against the bricked wall.
"I know I was a complete ass back then... But I also know that we totally started off at the wrong foot. I'd like to start over," Draco said breathlessly.
A minute filled with rain passed. Life is too short to hold grudges. Appreciate every living moment. Treasure them, Harry repeated in his mind. Then he leaned over to Draco and whispered something in his ear.
Draco looked at him, surprised upon hearing that.
"Really?" he asked cautiously.
"For real."
Suddenly Draco got to his feet, as if he had seen something Harry had not.
"Come with me."
Out of the blue Draco firmly grabbed Harry's hand and the next moment he was dragged off into the pouring rain, not explaining where they were going. An old couple stared at them as they crossed the street, but Draco ignored them. Soaked after only seconds they marched on until they both stood on a nearby deserted bridge. Afar in the sky the sun had broken through a tiny slit in the dark cloud-field.
Harry leaned against the wet railing with Draco only inches away from him and they gazed at each other, knowing exactly each other's thoughts. Then Draco looked down at their hands, swinging them a little.
"Maybe you'll never be as good as her," he murmured.
"I know that."
And with their minds losing sense, their eyes slowly closing and noses touching, Draco's lips found the other's and captured them in their first kiss. Stale rain mingled with salt tears flowed down their cheeks, but they didn't mind. Every bit of clothing and body was already soaked. It felt like the ground underneath their feet disappear, and Harry had unconsciously let loose. He ran his hand through Draco's wet hair strands with a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his waist, deepening the kiss.
At last they broke apart, the full sun broken through the clouds and now blinding their eyes, making the rain look like a crystal downfall.
Lips hovering inches apart Harry let his hand trace the curves of Draco's arm.
"We can't –"
But Harry swiftly laid a finger on those lips and silenced him.
"I couldn't breathe without you next to me anymore. "
He moved his finger from mouth to eye and to wipe away the tears, but Draco was already embracing him.
"I won't leave you," Draco softly spoke in his ear. Words only meant for him.
"Promise?"
"Promise."