Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did own him…I wouldn't have had to write this….

A/N: This is slash. If you are offended by this in any way then stop reading right now and hit the little "Back" button. Thanks.

Champagne High

He sat there staring at the ground. He had been sitting there for a while. It had been hard to read the invitation, even harder to come here today. But he was here and the music was starting. He stood up with the rest of the guests, still looking at the ground. A girl came in, and he looked up finally. She looked the happiest a person could be, wearing her long white dress and her bright red hair up in an elegant bun. The bride. Draco shifted his gaze up the aisle to where the groom and best man were standing. The groom looked just as happy as the bride.

I wasn't looking for a lifetime with you
But I never thought it would hurt just to hear
"I do" and "I do"
And I do a number on myself

Draco looked away. It was too hard to watch. He heard the celebrant welcome everyone and then started talking to the couple. He heard him tell them it was time to say their vows. Draco looked up. Harry was taking Ginny's hand in his. Harry smiled at Ginny. Draco watched as the happy couple took their vows. "I do," said Harry. "I do," Ginny said crying.

And all that I thought to be
And you'll be the one
That just left me undone
By my own, hesitation

Draco swallowed hard. It hurt so much to hear those words. He closed his eyes remembering when he had been happy. When everything in the world had made sense.

It started in their fifth year. Both of them were having a hard time in school and in life in general. So much had happened since the third task. His father had urged him to become a Death Eater before it was too dangerous. Draco had not wanted it but his father had given him no choice. He had been given the Dark Mark that summer and it was getting increasingly hard to hide. So he had done the only thing he could think of. He had become spy for the Order of the Phoenix out of sheer desperation.

Harry was trying to cope with Cedric's death and the fact that Voldemort was in power again. He would go to the Astronomy Tower and cry at night, away from the rest of the world. Draco also found some sense of refuge there but they always seemed to miss each other. Until one night.

Draco was restless and had walked to the Astronomy Tower to try to sort out his thoughts, like he did most other nights. Harry was feeling particularly depressed and just needed to get away. They had found each other in that room. They had bickered for a little while. Then, without stopping to think about the repercussions, Harry had done something so unexpected, so desperate and yet so right. He had kissed Draco. When Draco finally kissed him back, after recovering from the shock of the other boy's lips against his, they ended up spending the rest of the night together.

Then they had begun meeting each other almost every night to talk. Or communicate in ways that needed no words at all. They comforted each other. They needed each other. Draco told Harry everything. About his father abusing him all his life and pushing him into doing things he didn't want to do. How he was forced to be a Death Eater even though he had never really wanted it. And how he had been taught to hate Harry because of what had happened to Voldemort. How he had only been jealous of Harry because he had friends and people who cared about him.

Harry told Draco everything about his family and his life at the Dursley's. And about all the things that had happened to him since he arrived at Hogwarts. Meeting Ron and Hermione and finally finding people who loved him. About all his misadventures with everything from Voldemort to Filch.

and for the million hours that we were
well I'll smile and remember it all
then I'll turn and go
while your story's completed mine is a long way from done.

Draco opened his eyes and saw Harry placing a ring on Ginny's finger. It was so painful and heart wrenching to watch. He closed his eyes again and tried to choke back the tears that wanted to pour over his eyelids and down his face.

Well I'm on a champagne high
Where will I be when I stop wondering why
On a champagne high
I'd toast to the future but that'd be a lie
On a champagne high, high

He remembered conversations he had had with Harry about all of each boy's problems. They helped each other to get better. Draco had almost gotten Harry out of his constant state of misery. Then one day Draco finally told Harry what he had wanted to say for a long time; he loved him. It had been so hard to reveal it but he needed to. Harry had just stared in shock. When he finally replied he had said, "I… think I love you too."

Draco thought about this bitterly. He should have known better than to think Harry Potter would ever love him. It was absurd to think that he had actually believed that.

They had been together for two and a half years when one day in their seventh year Harry had come up to Draco and asked if he could have a word. They had gone into a deserted corridor to talk. Draco could see an odd expression looming in Harry's eyes.

"Listen, Draco, this is really hard to say…" he trailed off.

"What is it Harry?" Draco asked gently, cupping Harry's cheek in his hand.

"Well…I…. I don't know how to say this…because I love you, I really do but…Ginny and I…. we're getting married after graduation." Harry had said, swallowing hard and fighting back tears, "Ginny's graduation."

Draco just stared in disbelief.

"But you said you loved me!"

Spring turned to summer
But then winter turned to mean
The distance seemed right
At the time it was best - to leave
And to leave behind
What I once thought was fine And so real - to me
And while I'm still gone
On the quest for my song
I'm at your - celebration

Draco realized it was useless and just cried. There was no more holding back. No more trying to fight it. He let the tears pour over his face, streaking his beautiful skin. He hid his face in his hands, trying not to let people see he was crying. He rubbed his hands over his face a few times, then lifted his head back up and looked at Harry kissing Ginny.

Kissing her like he truly loved her. Like he could think of nothing else better in the world than what he had with Ginny. It was not a deep kiss, as it was a wedding. But Draco could tell it was a kiss that really meant something.

He knew what it felt like to be kissed like that. He remembered when Harry had kissed him. How he had kissed him. Like there was nothing that mattered except he and Draco. Like there was no tomorrow. Only today and their happiness at that moment.

And for the million hours that we were
well I'll smile and remember it all
then I'll turn and go
while your story's completed mine is a long way from done.

The assembly clapped and smiled and cried. The happy newlyweds proceeded down the aisle and out the door where they were to be taken to the reception. The wedding party then exited. Then the guests stood up and all walked outside to apparate to the reception. Draco followed everyone outside and in apparating to the after-party. When he arrived there he looked around to find a huge ballroom decorated with beautiful and magical things; flowers, pixie lights, candles; and there was a banquet table with a great deal of food too. A band was setup at the back that was already playing slow jazz music.

He smoothed his hair and tugged at his suit jacket to unwrinkle it. Then he went and sat down at an empty table toward the back corner.

Well I'm on a champagne high
Where will I be when I stop wondering why
On a champagne high
I'd toast to the future but that'd be a lie
On a champagne high, high

Soon the singer of the band was announcing that the couple was arriving. Everyone clapped as they entered the ballroom, huge smiles on both their faces. They walked out onto the floor where the groom took his bride's hand in his and the music started. Draco watched as they shared their first dance as husband and wife.

Draco got up and walked over to the bar.

"What can I get you, sir?" the young waiter asked.

"Anything with alcohol," he replied, looking over at the couple on the dance floor.

"I get the feeling this wedding is a little bitter for you," the waiter said in his thick Scottish accent as he poured the drink, following Draco's eyes to where Harry and Ginny were dancing.

"You could say that,"

"Losing someone you love to another isn't easy," the bartender pronounced as he handed Draco his drink.

"Thanks for the drink," Draco said raising his glass and giving him a sullen look as he walked back to his table.

Your wagons been hitched to a star
Well now he'll be your thing that's new
Yeah what little I have you can borrow
'Cause I'm old and I'm blue...

"I guess she'll be the one to comfort you now. She'll be the one to hold you in the middle of the night while you cry. She'll be the one you run to when things are going wrong. She'll be the one you kiss now," he thought cynically, taking another big sip of his drink.

The refills kept coming. And he was starting to feel a little dizzy. Still, he wasn't drunk yet. It would take much more than that to calm his nerves and forget everything.

"Well at least you look happy…" Draco thought, "And I hope you are. But you'll always be the one in my heart. Not that it matters now though. I'm jaded and used up. She's fresh and hopeful. I guess I had to realize you'd throw me out one day,"

And for the million hours that we were
well I'll smile and remember it all
then I'll turn and go
while your story's completed mine is a long way from done.

He looked up and saw Ginny talking with Hermione. And Harry laughing with Ron. He wondered if anyone noticed him. Then, Harry looked away from Ron just observing the room and caught Draco's eye. A thoughtful looked crossed his features and lingered there. Draco knew Harry hadn't expected him to come. Draco stared back before looking away and taking another sip of his drink.

He was slumped down in his chair. His head hung low. His eyes looked darker and more distant. A piece of hair fell in his face and he brushed it aside but it just fell in his face again. He didn't bother. He just let it hang there. He figured he didn't need to stick around. He wasn't doing anyone any good. And he was only doing himself harm. So he stood up, put his jacket on and tossed back the rest of his drink.

Well I'm on a champagne high (so high)
Where will I be when I stop wondering why
On a champagne high (so high)
Toast to the future but that'd be a lie
On a champagne high
Where will I be when I stop wondering why
On a champagne high... high...
So high so high you left me undone
so high, so high you left me undone....

As he started to walk out he paused and looked around at everyone one last time. He caught Harry's eye again and stared at him, feeling the tears well up behind his eyes. He closed his eyes for a moment, fighting them back. He opened his eyes again and looked at Harry one final time then turned away and kept walking. As he walked away the tears streamed down his face. He wiped them away remembering what his father had taught him. Crying was not acceptable.

But then he said to himself, "Fuck you, Lucius Malfoy," and cried.