FiendFyre
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor the scenery which you could recognise. Some of this story has been taken directly from the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and from the Movie Part Two. I don't own any of it all recognition goes to J.K. Rowling and the directors/producers of the film.
Pairings: Harry/Draco
Warnings: None
Word Count: 2,808
"So, how come you three aren't with Voldemort?" Harry asked, inwardly cursing at having ran into Draco yet again, not wanting to fight with the blond boy again so soon, his guilt still running rampant from their duel in the Bathroom.
"We're gonna be rewarded," said Crabbe, his voice is surprisingly soft for such an enormous person; Harry had hardly ever spoken to him before, hardly ever heard him string together more than a few words before in fact. Crabbe was smiling like a small child promised a large bag of sweets. "We 'ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im."
Ah. That's why he hardly ever speaks…
Harry curses his mind for thinking up such mundane thoughts, especially at a time like this. When he is facing Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in the Room of Requirements, when they are literally threatening to drag him to their Master.
"Good plan, did you come up with that all by yourself?" Said Harry in mock admiration, sarcasm dripping from his words. He just could not believe that he was this close and was getting thwart or rather delayed by Crabbe of all people. He begins to edge slowly backwards, eyes flitting between the three Slytherin's in front of him, towards the place where the Horcrux sits lopsided upon the bust. If he could just get his hands on it before the, clearly inevitable, fight breaks out…
"So, how did you get in here?" He questions, trying to distract them.
"I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year." Malfoy says, his voice brittle, though Harry is sure he detects an undertone of terror. "I know how to get in."
Harry freezes in his steps, eyes homing in on the Blond Slytherin against his will, it is the first time Malfoy had really spoken or drawn attention to himself during their entire encounter which is unusual, seeing as it was usually Malfoy who held Harry's attention the most.
"We was hiding in the corridor outside," grunted Goyle. "We can do Diss-lusion Charms now! And then," his face splits into a gormless grin, not unlike his usual expression, "You turned up right in front of us and said you were looking for a Die-dum! What's a Die-dum?"
"Harry?" Ron's voice echoes suddenly from the other die of the wall to Harry's right, finally allowing the chosen one to pull his eyes away from the twitching form of his childhood rival. "Are you talking to someone?"
With a wipe-like movement, hold much more dexterity and speed than Harry thought the large boy capable of, Crabbe points his wand at the fifty-foot mountain of old furniture, of broken trunks, of old school books and robes and unidentifiable junk and shouts, "Descendo!"
The wall begins to totter, then crumbled into the aisle next door where Ron stands."
"Ron!" Harry bellows, as somewhere out of sight Hermione screams, and Harry hears innumerable objects crashing to the floor on the other side of the destabilised wall: he points his wand at the rampant, cries, "Finite!" and it steadies.
"No!" Malfoy's shout draws Harry's attention back to his front, surprise filling his emerald eyes at the paniced expression shaping Malfoy's features. The other boy is staying Crabbe's arm as the latter makes to repeat his spell. Malfoy hesitants a moment before spitting out, "If you wreck the room, you might bury this Diadem thing!"
"What's that matter?" Crabbe says, tugging himself free. "It's Potter the Dark Lord wants, who cares about the Die-dum?"
Harry watches the interaction with concealed curiosity, adamant that he had seen Malfoy flinch minutely at the mention of the Dark Lord wanting him, brushing it off as wistful thinking, Harry tries to shut off his stray thoughts.
"Potter came in here to get it," Draco elaborates with ill-disguised impatience and desperation at, what Harry assumes is the slow-wittedness of his colleagues, "So that must mean – "
"'Must mean?'" Crabbe turns to Malfoy with undisguised ferocity, not noticing that Malfoy's attention is somewhere else. "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your Dad are finished."
Harry is stunned with the revelation, curiosity burning wanting to know just what Lucius had done now to bring upon the wrath of Voldemort to his own family. He watches as Malfoy's pale pallor turns paler, the blood draining from his face, causing Harry's heart to clench sympathetically in his chest for the Malfoy Scion.
"Harry?" Ron shouts again, from the other side of the junk wall. "What's going on?"
"Harry?" Crabbe mimics.
What is he 10?
"What's going – no, Potter! Crucio!"
Harry lunges for the tiara; Crabbe's curse misses him but hits the stone bust, which flies into the air; the Diadem soars upwards and the drops out of sight in the mass of objects on which the bust had rested.
"STOP!" Malfoy shouts at Crabbe, not attempting to hide his worry and fear as he stares wide-eyed at Harry, voice echoing through the enormous room drawing everyone to a halt. Still, he draws a deep breath, trying to compose himself once more before trying to save face. "The Dark Lord wants him alive – "
"So? I'm not killing him, am I?" Yells Crabbe, throwing off Malfoy's restraining arm, "but if I can, I will, the Dark Lord wants him dead anyway, what's the diff -?"
A jet of scarlet light shoots past Harry by mere inches; Hermione had run around the corner behind him and sends a Stunning Spell straight at Crabbe's head. It only misses because Malfoy pulls him out of the way.
"It's that Mudblood! Avada Kadavra!"
Harry sees Hermione dive aside and his fury that Crabbe had actually aimed to kill wipes everything else from his mind. He shoots a Stunning Spell at Crabbe, who lurches out of the way, knocking Malfoy's wand out of his hand, it rolls out of sight beneath a mountain of broken furniture and boxes leaving his defenceless.
"Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" Malfoy virtually screams in the scuffle, not bothering to hide his desperation now, making Harry think twice about aiming his spells at the wandless teenager, the mere thought of injuring the other making him feel sick to his stomach. Crabbe and Goyle who are both aiming at Harry still; their split seconds hesitation is all Harry needs.
"Expelliarmus!"
Goyle's wand flies out of his hand and disappears into the bulwark of objects beside him; Goyle leaps foolishly on the spot, trying to retrieve it; Malfoy jumps out of range of Hermione's second Stunning Spell and Ron, appearing suddenly at the end of the aisle, shoots a full Body-Bind Curse at Crabbe, which narrowly misses.
Crabbe wheels around and screams, "Avada Kadavra!" again. Ron leaps out of sight to avoid the jet of green light. The wandless Malfoy cowers behind a three-legged wardrobe as Hermione charges towards them, hitting Goyle with a Stunning Spell as she comes.
"It's somewhere here!" Harry yells at her, pointing at the pile of junk into which the old tiara had fallen. "Look for it while I go and help R-"
"HARRY!" She screams.
A roaring, billowing noise behind him gives him a moment's warning. He turns and sees both Ron and Crabbe running as hard as they can up the aisle towards them.
"Like it hot, Scum?" Crabbe roars as he runs.
But he seems to have no control over what he had done. Flames of abnormal size are pursuing them, licking up the sides of the junk bulwarks, which are crumbling to soot at their touch.
"Aguamenti!" Harry bawled, but the jet of water that soars from the tip of his wand evaporates in the air.
"RUN!"
Malfoy grabs the Stunned Goyle and drags him along, his head turning every few seconds to watch out for the Golden Trio; Crabbe outstrips all of them, now looking terrified; Harry, Ron and Hermione pelt it along in his wake, and the fire pursues them. It is not normal fire; Crabbe had used a curse of which Harry had no knowledge: as they turn a corner the flame chases them as though they are alive, sentient, intent upon killing them all.
Now, the fire is mutating, forming a gigantic pack of fiery beasts; flaming serpents, Chimaeras and dragons rise and fall and rise again, and the detritus of centuries on which they are feeding is thrown up in the air into their fanged mouths, tossed high on clawed feet, before being consumed by the inferno.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle have vanished from view; Harry, Ron and Hermione stop dead, the fiery monsters are circling them, drawing closer and closer, claws and horns and tails lashing, and the heat is solid as a wall around them.
"What can we do?" Hermione screams over the deafening roars of the fire. "What can we do?"
"Here!"
Harry seizes three heavy-looking broomsticks from the nearest pile of junk and throws one each to Ron and Hermione. Harry swings his leg over the third broom and, with hard kicks to the ground, they soar up into the air, missing by feet the horned beak of a flaming raptor that snaps its jaws at them. The smoke and heat are becoming overwhelming: below them the cursed fire is consuming the contraband of generations of hunted students, the guilty outcomes of a thousand banned experiments, the secrets of the countless souls who had sought refuge in the room. Harry keeps his eyes out, sweeping the room but could not see a trac of Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle anywhere; he swoops as low as he dares over the marauding monsters of flame to try to find them, but there was nothing but fire. His heart halts painfully.
What a terrible way to die … he had never wanted this …
But then, he hears something, a familiar voice calling out at a slightly higher decibel than normal. Turning his head in the general direction, he spies a flash of blond hair. The beating in his chest picks up with relief when he spots Draco and Goyle standing precariously on top of a large tower of junk the fire on the verge of licking their ankles.
Turning his gaze to Ron he shouts, "We have to save him!" Before he directs his broom towards the trapped Slytherins, determination filling him as he lies low willing the broom to fly faster, the tower crumbling inwards causing the boys to lose their footing. Hanging onto the side of a desk as the fire creeps closer.
"Is he serious?" He hears Ron shout to Hermione.
Harry reaches a hand out towards his rival, missing him by a few metres, heart dropping when Malfoy almost loses his grip, just managing to hold tight. Gazing behind he spies Ron and Hermione following in his wake, their faces confused but just as determined as his own.
If we die for them, Harry, I'm gonna kill you!"
Spiralling back on himself, Harry once again comes across Malfoy, this time managing to grip hold of the boy's outstretched arm, swinging him effortlessly onto the broom behind himself. "Hold on, Malfoy!" He calls to the trembling teen, feeling thin arms wrapping around his waist tightly as he flies towards the exit.
Hermione takes the lead, her broom flying slightly faster without the excess weight of a second person, parting the thick wall of fire blocking the doors with a non-verbal spell. They fly through the double doors, thrown from their brooms by the force of the fire. Harry drops the Diadem onto the floor, it clattering to the floor as Harry falls with Draco on top of him, their limbs tangling with the sudden impact.
"Malfoy? Are you alright?" Harry questions, his arms wrapping around Malfoy's waist when he feels the tremors racking the older teenager's frame.
"Thanks, Potter." The murmur is quiet, the voice being muffled by the material of his shoulder but he still manages to hear it, his heart rate increases as he tightens his arms around Malfoy, trying to calm the other down from his near death experience.
"It's alright, Malfoy. I couldn't just leave you there. Especially when I could have done something to save you." Harry whispers back.
"You can't save me, Potter. You heard what Crabbe said. My father and I are finished." Draco says lifting his face from Harry's chest, pulling away from the comforting embrace to sit up on the cold, stone floor. Hair falling forward to cover his face from Harry's gaze.
"No, maybe not but I can try." Harry replies, not willing to let Draco go back to that controlling monster, not sure whether he is referring to Lucius Malfoy or Voldemort but both being as bad as the other in his mind, when it comes to Draco anyway. "I know it wasn't your intention nor your own will that wanted to harm me, first it was the expectations of your father; then it was Voldemort threatening your Mother's life and finally it was the threat of your own life."
"Harry." Hermione calls suddenly, her voice drawing Malfoy and Harry from their conversation, Harry looks towards the brunette to see her throwing the basilisk fang towards him. He catches it, stabbing the Diadem, a black smoke releases from within pushing him back as Ron kicks the now destroyed Horcrux into the fire. Doors closing forcefully behind it protecting them from the raging inferno within.
Harry turns back to Malfoy, his eyes serious as he sees the pale face of the other, expression pinched in horror as his blue-grey eyes fixate on the spot where the Horcrux lay moments before.
"Malfoy?" Harry shakes his head, "Draco, please. I want to help you. I want you to stay safe, from Voldemort, from your father, from those you called friends, and from the Death Eaters. I know it will be difficult for you, but I won't let any of them harm you."
Draco looks at Harry, "Why?" His voice breaks, quivering as tears build up in the corners of his eyes. "Why would you want to help me?"
Harry looks towards Ron and Hermione, the two standing calmly patiently waiting for him to finish his conversation, quietly discussing something between themselves. Looking back at Draco he sighs tiredly dragging a hand through his hair. Gaze sad as he looks at the other.
"Because you deserve it, because I know you can be saved. I want to be friends with you, have wanted to for a while though I thought you always hated me, but I don't know. I just –"
"Just?" Malfoy questions. Eyebrow arching.
Harry sighs again, quickly making sure Ron and Hermione are too engrossed in their own acts to pay much attention to himself and Draco. Leaning forward he stare straight into Draco's eyes, allowing his true, honest emotions to shine through. Nervously he closes the distance between their bodies blood running furiously through his veins when he sees the recognition shining within Draco's gaze and the faint flush which dusts his pale cheeks.
He closes the distance between them, lips pressing together gently at first. When Draco doesn't pull away but instead pressed himself firmer into the other's embrace. Harry's arms wrap around Draco's waist, one hand curling around the back of his neck to pull Draco closer. Draco in turn wraps his arms slowly, precariously around Harry's neck.
After a few moments, they pull part, breathe slight laborious, cheeks flushing with all the blood rushing through them as they stare at each other. Neither believing what had just happened between them. Until Draco, taking the initiative leans forward and plants another quick chaste kiss to Harry's lips.
"Thanks, Po- Harry."
Harry smiles, pulling back further.
"I would do it all again in a heartbeat Draco." He answers, his smile softening into a loving gaze when Draco smile tentatively back at him. They pull apart completely, Harry stands up, reaching a hand down to help Draco up off the floor; grasping his hand tightly before pulling him into a tight embrace. Ignoring the chocked gasp from the direction of Ron and Hermione, relaxing when arms wrap around him in return.
"Stay safe, Draco."
Harry pulls back, planting one last kiss to Draco's lips, Draco leans forward to whisper a parting message into Harry's ear before he turns around, running down the long corridor and disappearing around the corner. Harry stands with a pale blush dusting his cheeks, his mind replaying Draco's last words before he turns to face his friends.
"Come on, we have a war to win."
They trio take of in the opposite direction to Draco, each one determined to see the other side of this war, each for vastly different reasons.
Stay alive and come back to me, Harry.
A/N
Did a collaboration between the Creative Writing Society and the LGBTQ+ Society tonight at university, we had to take one of our favourite stories with a Heteronormative plot, not explicitly, and rewrite a passage with Queer tendencies. We spend the night basically writing Queer fanfiction and this was the result of mine. It has not been edited and only took me around 2 hours to write. I have plans to write another short oneshot along the same lines, it might be posted later tonight or in the near future.
I hope you enjoyed this oneshot!