Always Attract
Harry stood watching him walk away. The tall stride that had just enough attitude and too much swagger for his own good. The platinum blonde hair blowing behind him in the wind. Then he crumpled.
*flashback*
They were a mess of tangled limbs on the bed, green and black sheets twisted around naked legs, arms and torsos. The smell of sweat mingled with the unmistakeable smell of sex. Harry loved it. It always reminded him of Draco. He turned to look at his lover. As if they had been thinking the same thing, silver eyes met green. "You remind me of sex" Harry said. Draco grinned. "I AM sex baby" Harry laughed. Draco kissed him. Deep, loving, longing. There was nothing else.
*End Flashback*
If it hurts this much,
Then it must be love,
And its a lottery,
I can't wait to draw your name.
Oh I'm trying to get to you,
But time isn't on my side,
If the truth's the worst I could do,
Then I guess that I have lied.
Harry didn't know how long he sat on the bench in Hogsmeade. His fingers and toes were numb, the moon was bright in the sky and the stars seemed to be falling over him. He got up, the numbness spreading from his toes right to his heart.
*flashback*
"Ron you don't understand he's not his father!" Harry cried. "He's a different person, he doesn't want this life!" Ron turned to look at him. "Just because he can suck like a vacuum doesn't mean he's not a Death Eater mate." Ron sneered. "Like father, like son" and with that last comment, Ron stormed out of the empty classroom, slamming the door behind him.
Harry turned to Hermione and Ginny "Can't you two see he's changed?" Tears were dripping from Ginny's face on to the floor "His father tortured me Harry, he possessed me - and now you're fucking his son? How can you ask us to forgive that?"
"She's right Harry, he's the Slytherin Prince, you're The Boy Who Lived, it's not right, he's made our lives miserable from day one." Hermione said quietly, not looking at Harry.
"I don't want to be the Boy Who Fucking Lived! I want to be the Boy Who Loved Draco Malfoy." Hermione and Ginny looked up sharply. "You love him?" Ginny asked quietly. "With every beat of my heart" Harry replied.
"I love you too" said a voice from the door. Harry looked up to see Draco standing there. In two strides Draco crossed the room and took Harry in his arms. Harry buried his face in Draco's robes so that he didn't have to watch his remaining ties to Gryffindor leave him.
Keeping me awake,
It's been like this now for days,
My heart is out at sea,
My head all over the place,
I'm losing sense of time,
And everything tastes the same,
I'll be home in a day,
I fear thats a month too late
Later that night Harry crossed the floor to go to bed in Gryffindor tower in complete silence. For every glare he recieved from a friend, felt like a dagger to his chest. He crawled into bed and sighed. Hedwig tapped at the window, he leaned over and opened it and untied the note attatched to her leg.
Harry,
Stay strong. You're a Gryffindor lion for a reason.
I love you.
D x
He could do this. He'd show them all....
*End flashback*
Harry walked up to Hogwarts with the wind whistling around him. The lights from the castle twinkled in the distance, like a cheerful grandfather's eyes. He slipped through the gates like a ghost, knowing what would come when he reached the tower. No questions, no smiles, nothing, silence. He would go to an empty bed that night, and he would pray for Voldemort to come and take him in his sleep.
That night I slept,
On your side of the bed so,
It was ready when you got home,
We're like noughts and crosses in that
Opposites always attract.
*Flashback*
"Can't even brew a simple Sleeping Draught Potter? Are all Gryffindors as stupid as you? Oh no wait, just blood traitors and mudbloods in your lot. Maybe you should have been in Hufflepuff!" Draco said, laughing.
"A Sleeping Draught won't help you win this war Malfoy. But then again, a Slytherin coward is better than a Death Eater I suppose. I notice you're still wearing short sleeves. What's wrong? Did your Dark Gaylord not fancy a coward for a lackey? When is he gonna face me himself? Oh wait, I mean, face me himself and WIN?" Harry retorted. Malfoy drew his wand and was over the table in a flash, Harry grinned and leaned against the wall he had been backed up against.
Suddenly, he was being kissed. Very well, actually. He pushed Malfoy away from him. "I hate you Malfoy." He said, shaking. "I hate you too Potter." Malfoy replied, pushing him against the wall and kissing him again. Harry melted into the kiss, his hands catching in the long platinum hair. Draco moved his hands from the wall to Harry's face, allowing him to lean his full body length against Harry. He pulled away, silver meeting emerald. "This can never happen again" he said, his voice low, threatening. "Agreed" Harry replied, grabbing Draco's shoulders and pushing him against the wall. Their eyes met again as Harry dropped to his knees.
You've taken me to the top,
And let me fall back south
You've had me at the top of the pile,
And then had me kissing the ground
We've heard and seen it all,
No one's talked us out,
The problems that have come
Haven't yet torn us down.
*End flashback*
The next morning, Harry woke to find his dormitory empty. He crawled out of bed, massaging the migraine that was reaching his temples and slowly got dressed. He walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast with every intention of sitting with his back to the Slytherin table. He couldn't bear to watch their prince pretend that everything was fine. He couldn't bear to be surrounded by people who hated him.
*flashback*
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table with a grin at his friends. He reached for the toast to the right of Ginny and got some bacon ready in case Hedwig came with a reply from Lupin for him. Making sure no-one else was looking, he sneaked a look at the Slytherin table. Draco looked up from his cornflakes and winked at Harry. Pansy looked at Draco strangely, his smile immediately turned to a sneer. Harry glared back and took a mouthful of toast to hide his laughter.
With a flurry of wings, the Great Hall was filled with owls delivering the morning post. Letters were dropped into bowls and plates, and those who subscribed to the Daily Prophet paid their owls and began to unravel them, Hermione included. "I heard there was a special on newt eyes in Hogsmeade..."she began, gasping when the paper was unravelled. "What is it?" Ron asked, "Those eyes full price after all?" He joked. He looked over Hermione's shoulder as she dropped the paper like it was on fire. Harry's head began to swim. "CHOSEN ONE CHOOSES DEATH EATER'S SON" The headline screamed. Below the huge black letters there was a picture that covered the full it, a tall, blonde haired boy, pinned a smaller, dark haired boy against a stone wall, hands entwining, faces flushed with pleasure as they kissed and licked each other's necks and collar bones below undone shirts. Harry looked at Draco who's face was composed, but pure white. As the whispers began to rise like buzzing bees, Harry's instinct told him to escape. He ran out the Great Hall, with only the mild awareness that Hermione, Ron and Ginny followed.
Am I keeping you awake,
If i am then just say,
You can make your own decisions,
You can make your own mistakes,
I'll live and let die
All the promises you made,
But if you lie another time,
It'll be a lie thats too late.
*End flashback*
Harry's first class, Transfiguration, went by in a blur of colour and noise. He didn't even notice that he'd manage to transfigure his chair into a penguin instead of a pig. He was blank when Professor McGonagall addressed him, and barely even noticed when he was given an extra twelve inches of parchment for homework.
Putting his books in his bag, he tried to sift through the cotton wool that had replaced his brain to remember his next class. He followed his classmates out into the grounds and it was only then he realised where he was going, Care of Magical Creatures. With the Slytherins. With Draco.
*flashback*
They walked through Hogsmeade nervously. Draco held a letter in one hand and Harry's hand tightly in his other. They were on their way to meet his father, who had requested their presence. Draco was, to put it bluntly, terrified. He had recieved a letter from his mother warning him of what his new relationship meant and advising him she would try her best to protect them both. If Harry Potter was who Draco loved, then Narcissa Malfoy would support her son unconditionally. If it didn't get her killed.
They entered the tavern one after the other, Draco first to see if he could see his father. He was sat in corner, dressed in black velvet robes, with his hair tied back in a black ribbon. Harry could see where Draco got his charisma. He was glad the evilness hadn't passed down however. They approached the table.
"Good evening Draco" Lucius greeted him, formally. "Good evening Father." Draco said, starting to tremble. He sat down opposite Lucius. Harry remained standing. "Mr Potter, do sit down" He added. Harry sat down, glaring at Lucius, not sure what to think. His hand twitched in his pocket where his wand was kept.
"Oh Mr Potter I wouldn't even think about it. You'd be dead before you opened your mouth" Lucius said, smiling. "You reckon people in here would let you leave if you did?" Harry snarled. Lucius chuckled and gestured at the surrounding tables. "Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that." He said. At that point, Harry noticed Dolohov and Avery sitting at one table, and Rudolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange under hoods at another. He knew it wouldn't be wise to try and attack five Death Eaters alone, especially not when Draco could be caught in crossfire, he decided it would be wiser to sit tight.
"Anyway as I was saying.."Lucius continued. "Draco, I am well aware that you are 16 years old, and that you want to...experiment...shall we say? There's no harm in that, this is not after all, an issue in the wizarding world, provided you eventually agree to the marriage your mother, your Lord and I decide is suitable for you."
Harry's head snapped round "What?" He demanded, looking at Draco. "You don't get to decide who you marry?" Draco looked at the table. "No, it's common in pureblood families to marry for breeding purposes." He muttered, picking at a thread on his robes, refusing to meet Harry's eyes. "And you were planning to tell me this, when?" He hissed. "Lucius laughed. "Dear oh dear, we do have quite a lover's tiff here don't we?" He smiled at Draco. "That's the reason I am here Draco, we have found you a suitable marriage for when you are of age." Draco's head whipped up to look his father in the eye. "No..." Lucius laughed again, "Well you didn't think this...inhumanity was going to last did you? Did you really think that I would stand back and allow you to go against traditions almost as old as life itself?" He stood up. "I will be in touch shortly to let you know when you are to meet your fiancee. She is luckily willing to let this little experiment pass. Such is the want to marry a Malfoy I suppose. You are lucky our name still stands for something in this world." And with a crack, he was gone.
Draco ran from the tavern before he could see the look in Harry's face, he knew that if he did, he would cave in, and that it would kill him. He didn't see Harry leave the tavern after him and watch him walk away.
That night i slept,
On your side of the bed so,
It was ready when you got home,
We're like noughts and crosses in that
Opposites always attract.
*end flashback*
The sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors gathered in the Hippogriff paddock for their advanced lesson. Harry secretly hoped that Draco had learned his lesson from their third year, when he had had a run-in with Buckbeak the Hippogriff. He sneaked a glance over at him, standing with Crabbe and Goyle, nervously feeding dead rats to a Hippogriff. His demeanour was calm and dismissive as always but Harry knew he hadn't slept either. There were dark circles under his grey eyes which no longer shone silver, his face seemed drawn and tired. Harry longed to go over and wrap his arms around the thin waist and kiss away those worry lines on his forehead. But he couldn't. Not now, not ever again. The thought caused him more pain than he could remember feeling before.
He looked over at Ron and Hermione who were patting Buckbeak's long neck and whispering with their heads bent together, Harry thought he would wish he was with them but he didn't. He would withstand being with Crabbe and Goyle if it meant he could be with Draco. He stood back and watched his lover and his best friends, his family, completely ignore him. He vaulted over the low wall and walked away.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Draco following him.
"Harry I..."
"You what? Come to show me a picture of your new fiancee?" Harry sneered.
"No..I just wanted to say..I'm sorry, that it had to end like this" Draco looked down at the snowy ground, twisting his hands together.
"You're...sorry? Harry said in a low voice, not daring to look at Draco for fear he would see the tears of anger rising. "So what was I? Just a quick fuck? Just something to pass the time? Just an...experiment?" He choked on Lucius Malfoy's word choice.
"What do you want from me?!" Draco shouted.
"Nothing! All I ever wanted was to love you! And now you're leaving at the first sign of trouble?"
"Trouble? This isn't trouble, this is my life, I thought you knew that!"
"No Draco, what I thought, is that you loved me." Harry said. Snow began to fall, covering them both in white flakes, Harry noticed how Draco was so pale, he almost cast a shadow on the snow covering his robed shoulders. Draco longed to reach out and brush the snowflakes from Harry's long eyelashes, but didn't dare. He didn't know if he could walk away if he did. He didn't have to, it was Harry who gave him one long last look, and turned away, crossing the white path to the castle. Draco watched him go, just as Harry had watched Draco leave the night before. In that moment, he knew what he had to do.
And you always have your way,
For now it's to soon for you to say,
Will we be always, always?
Later that evening, at dinner in the Great Hall, Draco's large eagle owl swooped down and dropped a red envelope on his plate. Draco pushed it to the side and continued to eat his shepherd's pie. "Aren't you going to open it Draco?" Pansy asked. Draco ignored her. He knew the Howler would crack open of it's own accord anyway. It opened up into a pair of lips in front of him, his father's low, menacing voice echoing eerily through the hall that had went quiet on the presence of the Howler.
"Very well Draco, it is done."
A buzz of excited, curious chatter rose around the house tables. Harry stared at Draco. Why wasn't he doing anything? He didn't look fazed at all, just quietly eating his dinner like nothing had happened. When he was done, he pushed his plate away and rose from his seat. He didn't care that people were staring, that they were talking. It was over, and he was finished. He just hoped that Harry knew.
Hermione turned to Harry, although she wasn't speaking to Harry, she had sat beside him that day, knowing that something was wrong, and had heard the exchange from the edge of the paddock in Care of Magical Creatures, but Harry had been too wrapped up in Draco to notice her presence. She turned to him, her brown eyes shone with sympathy. Harry said nothing, and just rested his head on her shoulder, too weary for explanations, apologies. Hermione understood and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
A few hours later, Harry left the fire in the Gryffindor common room to go to bed. He went through his usual nightly routine, brushing his teeth and putting on his pyjamas, but when it came to get into bed, he found that he couldn't. He stood at the side, staring blankly at the mattress where he and Draco had made love silently in the dead of night, where they had whispered declarations of forever. In one swift movement, he ripped the sheets from the bed and went to the chest where the house-elves kept the clean ones. Tucking a fresh sheet around the corners, breathing in the smell of washing detergent, he sighed. The memories were still there, but at least the smell had gone. He got into bed and closed his eyes. And he dreamt.
He was outside, and it was snowing hard. Through the snow he saw two figures standing. One blonde, one unnaturally tall. The tall one raised a wand and there was a flash of green. The blonde one fell to the snow with no sound at all. No screams, no thuds. Harry ran as fast as he could through the blizzard to the two figures, by the time he got there, the tall one had vanished with a crack. He reached the body lying in the snow. It was Draco. His silver eyes were open, unblinking, unseeing. Harry fell to his knees beside him and wept, for everything he never got to say, for everything he wished he had said before, it was too late.
He woke with a start, someone was shaking him. It was Draco.
"You were dreaming" He whispered. Harry shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing. Draco closed the curtains around the four poster and muttered a silencing spell on the drapes.
"You haven't heard have you?" He asked, looking Harry in the eye for the first time in two days. Harry shook his head, still positive he was dreaming. "I called it all off Harry, the engagement. I told my father I was Harry Potter's boyfriend and he better get used to it!"
Harry grabbed Draco and held him tightly. Draco winced. Harry pulled back. "I've been disinherited Harry, I can no longer use the Malfoy name. Where I come from, that includes two broken ribs." Harry's eyes had begun to adjust in the dark, and he noticed the bruise on Draco's left cheek, and the scratch on his forehead, he would bet all the gold in his Gringotts vault that his body looked much worse. "Draco I swear, when this war is at it's peak, your father will feel your pain ten times over." Draco leaned his head on Harry's shoulder. "To be honest, I just want it over with. I'm with you, I love you, I'm on your side." He yawned and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, Harry looked down to the sound of gentle snores. Wrapping his arms around Draco, he closed his eyes, he knew there would be hell to pay, but he would deal with it tomorrow.
You had your way...