Draco was wandering the corridor, avoiding his common room. He didn't want to go back and face the criticism of the other eighth years. He didn't want to be forced to remember the things he'd had to do, and how he had switched sides when it counted.
He turned and was about to head down to the Great Hall when Peeves shoved him into a broom cupboard. He heard the door locked, and hit his head against it. Now, he was locked in with a headache. He turned to settle in and noticed that he was not alone.
"Fancy seeing you here, Potter," he snapped, sitting on an overturned bucket. "Did the poltergeist push you in too?"
"Yes. Peeves has gotten even worse after the war," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "But I've actually been looking for you." He pulled the Hawthorn wand out of his bag and handed it to Draco.
"You're giving me my wand back?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, you're not evil. You don't need to be punished for something that man did. Besides, it isn't my wand," Harry said.
"Tell that to the ministry. I narrowly avoided Azkaban by coming back here. I'm on lifelong probation, with my mother," Draco said bitterly.
"That isn't right. I'll speak to Kingsley. You shouldn't be punished for following your family and protecting the ones you love," Harry said. Then he did something that shocked Draco to the core. He leaned forward and hugged him.
Draco was frozen in the hug for a few seconds before hesitantly hugging back. He was certain it was impulsive, but it still alarmed him. Why was Harry hugging him? When had he become Harry?
Harry didn't know why he was doing it either. He just impulsively had leaned forward and hugged the blonde boy. He'd never thought much about being friends with the boy, but now he found himself fiercely protective of him.
"What is this for?" Draco asked hesitantly. Harry shrugged, still hugging him.
"I don't know. I just felt like you needed a hug, and... here we are," he replied cautiously. Draco smiled, but Harry couldn't see it.
"So... are you going to let go?" Draco asked, his smile turning into a smirk. Harry shrugged again.
"Do you want me to?" he asked, pulling back slightly. Draco unconsciously tightened his hold, making Harry smile brightly.
"No," Draco said. They were still hugging (very much closer together) when Ron and Hermione found them later.
Ron and Hermione stood staring. They had never, in a million years, thought they'd find Harry and Draco embracing. They'd known because of the map that they were in the room together, but they were expecting to find Malfoy dead or nearly so.
"What on earth are you doing?" Hermione asked, her voice shrill from shock.
"What does it look like, Granger?" Draco asked. Harry finally let go, pulling back only slightly. They were still touching a bit, shoulders and knees.
"But... why?" Ron asked, confused.
"Because Draco has completely changed. Ron, we talked about this before. You knew I wanted to try to be friends with him this year," Harry said, exasperated.
"Yeah, but... I didn't know that included... hugging..." Ron said. Draco smirked.
"Want to know what else you didn't think it would include?" he asked, leaning closer to Harry. Harry's eyes met his, questioning.
"What?" Ron snapped. Draco leaned forward and crashed his lips to Harry's shocking absolutely everyone watching, including Professor McGonagall, who had just rounded the corner.
McGonagall stood staring and gaping for a good minute at least. Harry hadn't shoved Draco away like she'd expected, but had pulled him closer. Ron looked as though someone had hit him over the head with a beater's bat (a frequent look for him) and Hermione just looked... well, she looked thrilled. And that was made even more clear by the squeal she let out.
"I knew it! I knew it all along! You've been too obsessed over each other for it not to be love!" she squealed, clapping her hands repeatedly.
Draco and Harry pulled apart, both shooting Hermione annoyed looks. Draco looked like he wanted to hex her to death while Harry looked more like he wanted to spell her mouth permanently closed. Harry spoke first.
"D'you mind, Mione? I've got a headache from being stuck in a cupboard. Again," he said sharply. She immediately snapped her mouth closed and stopped moving.
"But... but... but..." Ron said, his mouth opening and closing. That's when McGonagall finally decided to act.
"If you want to continue your previous... actions... kindly do so elsewhere. PDA is not accepted at Hogwarts. You have perfectly good common rooms to use for... such activities. Ten points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin," she said.
While Harry looked completely embarrassed to be seen like that by the headmistress (and his head-of-house), Draco just winked at her, took Harry's hand, and pulled him towards the Gryffindor common room.
"I don't think you really want to be going to Slytherin anytime soon. I know I don't want to," he explained briefly. Ron and Hermione trailed behind them, still in shock. Ron absently had taken Hermione's hand and squeezed it every time she opened her mouth, earning multiple glares.
When they got to the common room, Draco finally looked uncomfortable. "I don't want to go in there either. But what happens now?" he asked.
"What do you want to have happen?" Harry asked, curious. There was no way he was going to let things go on the way they were before. He had Draco now, and he wasn't letting go. Hermione was right, he really did care for Draco deeply.
"I can't go back to the way things were, Harry. I want this too much," Draco said quietly. He knew the two others were still listening.
"Then we continue with this and see what happens. It'll be okay. And you can come up to the tower with us; no one will care," Harry said calmly. Draco gave him a look. "What? They won't. I saved the world, I can snog whoever I want."
Ron made a noise of protest, and Hermione stomped on his foot, causing an odd squeal from him. Draco looked over and glared.
"Will the reactions be like this?" he asked, pointing. Harry shrugged, and Draco sighed. "Fine. Lead the way."
The portrait swung open and Harry pushed Ron and Hermione through first. They tripped through the hole, getting the attention of the entire room. Harry pulled Draco around them, successfully avoiding most of the attention. He pulled him up the stairs quickly, tripping a few times, before quickly going into the dorm and charming the door locked.
"See, no reaction at all!" Harry laughed. He pulled Draco into another hug, sitting down on his bed.
"I still have to leave," Draco said sullenly, a bit disappointed that he didn't get a reaction. Harry laughed.
"I have a way of getting out without being seen. And I don't think you should go back to the dungeons anyways. I have a feeling you don't get a warm welcome," Harry said.
"Are you telling me to live here?" Draco asked, amused. Harry smiled again.
"If I did, would you?" he asked. Draco laughed, actually happy for the first time since the end.
"Depends on what I'd get out of it," he replied. At that moment, the door flew open and four boys tumbled in. Neville and Dean were on top, meaning Ron and Seamus had been pressing their ears against the door.
"You can't offer to let him live here! What about the rest of us?" Ron demanded angrily. Seamus nodded.
"It's okay. I don't really want to share a room with angry Gryffindors. I'd wake up with no hair," Draco said quietly, disappointed.
It was Neville that stepped forward and made sense when nobody else did. He had been thinking about doing something for quite a while, but hadn't worked up the courage. This was his chance.
"You all remember the story of my parents. What happened to them. That was his aunt, Bellatrix. And yet... you don't see me hating him. It wasn't his fault, and he couldn't change it or stop it. For as long as I can remember, Slytherins have been evil. But then there's Malfoy. He hasn't done anything that the others have. Every single one of us has been hexed by a Slytherin. But, with the exception of Harry, not one of us has suffered more than an insult from Malfoy. Why are we condemning one person based on the actions of his house? Look at Luna: she's a Ravenclaw, but she doesn't fit with the others. Her logic is just different. Or Justin: he's the most selfish Hufflepuff I've ever met! Malfoy isn't evil the way the others are. Why shouldn't he stay here?" Neville said, speaking up.
The whole time he'd been talking, he'd looked at the ground. But when he finished, he looked up and met Draco's eyes. What he saw surprised him: Draco was crying.
"I'm so sorry, Longbottom. You've gone through things I can only imagine, and you're still so kind to me, a Slytherin. You're a true Gryffindor," he said softly, holding his hand out. Not one insult was in that statement, and it was truly genuine. Neville took the offered hand and shook it.
Dean and Seamus looked embarrassed and were staring at the ground. Ron stepped forward. "I will never like you. But if you want to stay... I won't try to stop you, and I won't do anything to you."
Harry looked at Draco expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Isn't this going a bit too quickly?" Draco asked, already knowing his answer.
Harry was watching his face, waiting for some emotion to show itself. He had wiped his face clean and was clearly pondering. Harry had no idea that he'd already decided. All of them waited, some more patiently than others.
"First, I want to apologize for all the insults I've thrown your way, all of you. You never deserved it. I was raised to believe that all Gryffindors... all houses besides Slytherin, really, were... less than desirable. I stopped caring what my father thought of my a year ago, in all honesty. By doing this, I'm essentially giving up the Malfoy name and fortune. I hope you know what you're doing by letting me live here... and where will I sleep?" Draco said, taking his time and dragging it out.
"As long as you don't attack us in our sleep, we don't care," Seamus said helpfully.
"And you'll sleep with me, of course," Harry said, kissing him and not caring that he was being watched.
"Um... no. We'll get another bed in here. Nobody wants to hear anything from you guys sharing a bed. I'll go down and ask a house elf," Ron said quickly, making sure to walk between Harry and Draco to leave the room, effectively separating them.
Draco sat down on Harry's bed again, thinking about all the times he'd thought about wanting to curse the boy he now was sure that he loved. He would take that fact to the grave though. For Harry's protection, he couldn't stay with him for long. Too many bad things followed Draco around. The Slytherins would find a way to get at him, and the rest of the school would be horrified at the idea of the Golden Boy dating a Malfoy. He'd done too much damage to be good for Harry, no matter how much he loved him.
The others had all gone to dinner, and Draco had stayed, claiming exhaustion. At least for this night, Draco would be sleeping with Harry. The house elves had to make a bed for him, and they couldn't until tomorrow.
Harry came running through the door suddenly, flinging himself into Draco and knocking him backwards. He was followed closely by Ron and Hermione. Hermione was shouting hexes and flinging her wand around.
"Where is he?! I'll kill him!" she shrieked. She saw Draco and sent three hexes at him straight away. "I don't know what you did, but you have nearly every boy in our year crying downstairs! I'll kill you for it, I really will!" she shrieked.
"Crying?" Draco asked, amused. "I didn't realize this was so emotional for them. We should have done this sooner, Harry." Harry laughed and stepped in front of Draco more securely, because Hermione was really aiming now.
"What have you done?!" she demanded, trying to get around Harry.
"Granger, I owe you an apology as well. I truly don't remember all the horrible things I've said and done to you, and for that, I am sorry," Draco said, moving around Harry and pulling a shocked Hermione into a loose hug.
Drarry Part 10:
Hermione was just standing there, in absolute shock. She didn't move for a long time, and Draco didn't let go, waiting for a reaction. She finally hugged him back. She was crying now too, and it made Draco feel... something.
"This is what you did," Hermione whispered. She pulled away. "I'm not going to kill you now," she added.
"I knew you wouldn't," Draco laughed. He let go of her, sitting back down on the bed.
"Wait then, what is this? Are you guys dating, or just snogging occasionally, or what?" Ron asked, uncomfortable. Harry sat down on the bed next to Draco, grabbing his hand unconsciously.
"We haven't talked without you guys standing there yet. We haven't been alone since the broom cupboard," Harry reminded them. Ron muttered something that couldn't be heard, and Harry frowned at him. "What?"
"I said, 'and for good reason'," Ron snapped. "I still don't trust him. I get that he apologized, and I get that he's somehow changed, but I don't trust him. I think he'll hurt you, Harry."
"You don't know that. You don't know what will happen, Ron," Hermione said. "We'll give you time. The others will stay away. You have at least twenty minutes," she said, dragging him out the door.
Being alone with Draco was new for Harry. Sure, they'd been alone together before, but this was different. Now they both knew their true feelings, and it was stressful. They no longer knew how to act around each other. Draco was thinking about whether or not he should be the one to speak, and Harry was trying to phrase things in his mind. They sat in silence for at least five minutes before someone spoke up. And it wasn't one of them.
"What do you think they're doing in there? It's been silent for way too long! I'm going in!" someone whispered.
"Ronald Weasley, you are not going anywhere! You are going to stay out here and leave them alone!" someone hissed back.
"But Mione, we want to see what they're doing!" someone else whined. There was a sharp slapping noise, and a grunt of pain, and then silence again.
"Why do Gryffindors, or any house really, feel the need to butt in where they aren't wanted?" Draco whispered softly. He shook his head, smiling. "This is going to be bad for my health."
"They mean well," Harry whispered back. "They really only want the best for us."
"And what is best for us? If we stay together, you're in danger. Nobody in this school, outside of your friends, will let us be together. You're the savior, the Golden Boy. I'm a Malfoy, a traitor, a deatheater. I'm not good enough to be with you. So I'll back out before you have to suffer," Draco said, standing up.
Harry grabbed Draco's arm and made him sit back down. He had tears in his eyes, and it made Draco think that Gryffindors cried too much. Harry wrappted his arms around Draco and pulled him in for a hug.
"Don't you dare walk out of this room, Draco. I need you now. You can't leave me based on what you think the reactions will be. I don't care about anyone's reaction but yours, Draco. I can't lose you; I just got you," Harry said softly, burying his face in Draco's neck. He let his tears out as he felt Draco hug him back.
"All you're going to get is suffering out of this. YOu're going to lose some friends. The rest of the Weasleys might turn their backs on you. Ginny will hate you. You won't hear the end of it. People you've known your whole life will shun you. And I'll be disowned, so I won't be able to help with finances. You won't want to be with me after a while," Draco said, trying to convince himself more than Harry. He couldn't take his life from him, everything he'd ever known.
"I've never cared about riches or even really respect. The people who shun me were never really my friends. And all I care about is being with you. I'm not going to leave you, and I want you to promise me you won't leave me," Harry said, pulling back to meet his eyes.
Draco hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should he go with instinct and walk away, or should he listen to his heart and stay? For once, he didn't know.
Draco couldn't make up his mind. Usually, when this happened to him, he'd run. But now, if he ran, Harry would think he didn't want to be with him. So he did the only thing he could think of to do; he locked himself in the bathroom. He needed to think without being watched, and that wasn't possible with Harry waiting for an answer like that.
As soon as he got in there, he knew it was a mistake. He could hear Harry knocking on the door, could hear the others coming in, could hear everything. He could hear Hermione comforting Harry as he cried. And maybe that's what made the decision for him. He waited until Harry made everyone leave again, and then pushed the door open.
Harry hurled himself into Draco's arms, and he wouldn't let go. Not that Draco wanted him to. He hugged him back, tilting his head back to kiss him. When they pulled apart (but were still hugging of course), Draco started to talk.
"Life is going to be horrible for at least a few months. And you'll hate me. People I don't even know will hate me. Neither of us is going to be happy," Draco started.
"You're not going to stay?" Harry whispered.
"Let me finish. I don't want to hurt you, but inevitably I will. Or you'll hurt me. Instinct makes me want to run, but my heart... my heart is telling me to stay. Up to this point, I've followed my instinct without mistake. I hesitate to follow anything else. But... for you, I find my heart makes more sense. So I promise you, I will never leave," Draco said.
Drarry Epilogue: 6 Months Later:
Draco and Harry walked into the Great Hall, hand in hand, like every other day for the last six months. Draco looked around nervously, knowing that Harry had something planned for that day. He just didn't know what. He looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. So few people were glaring anymore that it wasn't even a problem.
Hermione and Ron, as he now called them all the time, were waiting for them at the table, where they always are. This had become such a normal routine that Draco didn't even bat an eye. He sat down beside Hermione and gave her a smile. She smiled back, clearly happy.
"Guess what! Ron asked me to move in with him!" she exclaimed. Draco smiled at Harry over her head as she hugged him.
"You really love him, don't you? Well, I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy Hermione," Draco said, hugging her back. She smiled and pulled away.
"It'll be your turn soon," she said vaguely. Draco laughed.
"Not likely. Mr. Potter hasn't spoken of commitment since that first day. But it's okay, because I know why," Draco replied. Harry laughed.
"You know why, huh? Okay, why?" he said. Draco smiled.
"It's all the reasons I told you we shouldn't be together. But that's okay. I'm just happy to be with you now," Draco said, his tone wistful. He was smiling, but it was a sad smile.
"Well, you're wrong. He was waiting for the right time. You could say he's a romantic. Or an idiot. He's been called both by people at this table. And he has decided that now is the right time," Harry said, standing up. Then he got down on one knee. "Draco, we get out of here in one month. In one month, it'll be time to the rest of our lives. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He pulled out a jewelry box, and opened it, showing a ring, a silver band. "Draco, will you consider marrying me?"
"Ma-marry? Oh my god..." Draco muttered, his eyes wide. He stood there gaping, and then he threw his arms around Harry's neck and kissed him. No answer was necessary.