The next chapter for you guys :)
The next day began official study leave for the senior students, and some of them chose to go home for the next week or however long it was until their first exam, but most of them chose to remain on campus, for extra help from study sessions with their class mates and teachers. Harry was glad that he didn't have anywhere he needed to be, so he flicked off his alarm and buried his head under his pillow and drifted back off to sleep. He woke up when Hermione came by to get Ron so that they could go have breakfast together in the dining hall, but then he fell back asleep, his body trying to make up for the sleep he had lost last night.
He didn't get up until eleven o'clock, going into the bathroom across the hall, taking his time in the shower to scrub his face and was his hair.
After Harry had dressed, he gathered up some of his books and a few pens and then left the Gryffindor dormitory. He strode quickly toward the Slytherin dorms before he lost his nerve, pushing open the front door and coming face-to-face with Blaise.
"Potter," Blaise's eyebrows pulled together in a question, and he looked over his shoulder before looking back at Harry. "You...Looking for someone in particular?"
"Draco," Harry stated, glad when his voice didn't waver. Blaise stared at him for another few beats before nodding, and then jerking his head toward the stairs.
"He's up in our room," he replied. "Same one as last year," he added unnecessarily, because they had one of the best rooms in the dorm last year, it was unlikely they would give that up or put in for a transfer. Harry nodded and walked up the stairs, at a fast pace, just like he had when crossing the court to come to the dorms, and he passed by a Theodore Nott who gave him a curious look, but Harry ignored it as he reached the second floor and walked to the far end. He got to the last door on the left, beside a floor to ceiling window, and he faltered outside.
The door was cracked open, not totally closed, and so Harry wasn't sure if he should push it open and just announce himself, or if he should knock on the door first. After standing outside for nearly ten whole minutes, he jumped out of his skin when a voice spoke up behind him.
"D! You've got a visitor!" Harry's head whipped around to see Pansy standing there, an eyebrow arched at him. He turned back quickly to look forward when he heard the door widen and then Draco was standing there.
Without a shirt on.
Harry tried to keep his eyes fixed on his face, but his cheeks pinked anyway.
"Thanks, Pansy," Draco gave her a nod, but his attention was fixed completely on Harry. There was movement behind him, and he was guessing that Pansy had left them, and he swallowed hard. "Hi," Draco began, looking nervous, and then glanced down and seemed to realize that he was shirtless. He folded his arms over his chest, as though covering up, which was completely unlike him. Draco had always been more than happy to flaunt his toned, pale body, and he still was—generally. Running around with no shirt on in gym class and sunbathing with his school shirt unbuttoned all the way and hanging open in their lunch break, until a teacher caught him and snapped at him to cover up.
"Hey," Harry managed to get out. "I...I was hoping that you could help me with Chemistry." Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "And..." the second part was a bit harder, but Harry forced the words out, because they needed to be said. "And I wanted to say thank you f-for telling me what you did." Draco's eyes seemed to get even wider, his silvery-grey eyes glittering. "So...Thank you," Harry's heard the click in his throat as he swallowed hard and looked down. Draco's feet were bare, which was endearing, peeking out from under the hem of the plaid pyjama pants he was wearing.
"You don't have to thank me," Draco's words were quiet. "I didn't do anything."
"You told me," Harry replied. "It doesn't—I mean, it doesn't get rid of the shit feeling I've had for the past year, but it makes it easier, at least, and it helps to explain things," he shrugged. "That you didn't leave me for someone else, that it wasn't your choice to just break things off—or, I guess it was," he quickly added. "But you chose the option that was best for me, which...It means a lot, that you were trying to protect me and my uncle." Draco was quiet for a long length of time, and Harry finally lifted his head from looking at the ground and met Draco's smile.
The blonde looked as though he was on the verge of smiling, but he was keeping it at bay, holding it back.
"Okay," he jerked his head in a nod, eyes flicking around Harry's face, trying to gauge how comfortable things were right now. "Makes sense you need to come to me—Granger is shit when it comes to tutoring," he added with a quirk of his lips, and Harry let himself smile back, more out of relief that the awkwardness of his apology was out of the way, and he was glad that Draco had accepted it so easily. "Right—so did you want to come in? I can just shove Blaise's stuff off the desk..." he was already backing up into his room, but Harry felt himself clam up as he looked around. The only times he had ever been in this room was when they were hooking up, and he really didn't feel comfortable going inside.
"I was thinking that we could go to the library?" Harry suggested, grinding his back teeth together as he hoped that Draco didn't take that too hard. Draco blinked up at him and the small smile on his face dropped, but he tried to cover it up quickly, nodding and looking away, walking over to his drawers and pulling them open.
"Yeah, yeah, of course," he replied as he pulled out a shirt and then tugged it on. Given they were technically on study break, even though they were in school, they didn't have to wear their usual uniform, and so Draco was just in a plain grey shirt, but it still clung to his biceps and showed off his lean torso. "Alright," when Draco looked back up, his expression was carefully trained into something that didn't give anything away. "Let's go," he said with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
They met up every second day that week, and just like last year when Draco was helping him study, things just made a whole lot more sense. Draco was smart, but he wasn't quite as technically minded as Hermione, who explained things in a way that were almost as complicated as McGonnagall, but he also wasn't as nice to him as Neville could be, acting as though it was okay when Harry didn't get something on the third time around—he needed that push that Draco gave him when he expected more.
Harry had two different Accounting exams first, and they came halfway through the week after he and Draco started studying together. A lot of his exams had been internal ones—Ron only had one subject where he had end of year exams whereas Hermione had exams for each of her subjects, including the two extra AP courses that she was taking—so other than Accounting and Chemistry, he only had Calculus and History, and it was only one for both of them.
And then he would be done for the year.
"We're gonna have to find jobs pretty quickly," Ron made a face, wrinkling his nose as he looked at the laptop screen. He and Harry had just brought three of their plane tickets.
The first one was to Paris, where they had both been before, once together with the Weasley's, and then Harry had gone two other times, both with Sirius. They were only going to stay in the city for two days, looking around, and then they were going to make their way through the Loire Valley—probably rent out a car so that they could go at their own pace—and then to Provence. Then they were moving onto Spain to spend about two weeks, maybe with a quick stop over in Portugal, and then there was their next flight, from Madrid to Italy. They had no solid plans in Italy, other than a two week stint on a winery and a few nights with one of Sirius' distant cousins, Bellatrix Lestrange, who Harry had met a couple of times. They hadn't applied for many jobs, from what they read online, a lot of them you could just ring the day before and show up for, and they were more than willing to let you come in for a few hours for some cash. The stint at the winery was mainly going to be cleaning, from what they had seen, but that didn't bother them, it was only for a few hours a morning and then they were free to explore. The time with Bellatrix would be a good pit stop, give them somewhere to collect themselves, even though from what Harry remembered of her, she had been pretty eccentric the time that he had met her. From Florence, they were going to take a train to Zurich. They were going to spend another few weeks in Switzerland, and then Germany. Hermione was insistent that they go to Berlin—she went on and on about the art and the culture and the museums—but Ron had rolled his eyes at her. It wasn't that they weren't set to go anywhere like that, it was just they weren't quite as enthusiastic about those things as she was. So the plan was still to stop in Berlin, but then move on to Dresden quite quickly after that, explore the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps.
By this point, they would have been gone for nearly two months, and it strange to think that back at home, Hermione would be getting ready to go to University. Harry had mentioned to Ron that even though the plan had always been for just the two of them to go, Hermione was welcome, and Ron had shrugged and said that there was no way that she was going to put off going to University. She had big plans, and even though they were together now, she was insistent on sticking with those plans and he was going to need to work around that.
It sounded a bit harsh, but to Harry and Ron, they knew it wasn't. It was just Hermione. She had expectations of herself, and she was planning on following through. But neither Harry or Ron thought that this was going to effect the relationship that they had with her, especially Ron and Hermione's. Because once Hermione set her mind to something, once she wanted something, she wasn't going to let go, and her friendship with Harry and her relationship with Ron was something she wanted, so she would never let it go.
Then they were going to Romania for another few weeks, which was where Charles Weasley was living and working. That would at least be their accommodation sorted for a while, give them some down time between moving from place to place and always being on the go.
The final plane ticket they had brought was taking them the furthest.
To John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Neither of them had been to New York—or the States in general.
They were going to be staying at an actual hotel for the first couple of nights there—Molly had absolutely insisted on that. She had all sorts of ideas in her head about 'The America's', as she primly called it, and she knew that they were going to be backpacking and travelling almost the whole time that they were away, but she was insistent that the for their first few nights on a whole new continent, they were going to stay in a hotel. Then they had plans to go to Savannah, Chicago and Charleston, and specific places in mind like Zion National Park, Glacier National Park, Yosemite and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. They had also promised Hermione they would go and visit the Smithsonian museums. And there was Hollywood and San Diego and Los Angeles...Pretty much, their plans after they stayed in New York were pretty fuzzy, they were just going to take them from there, which is why they had only brought three plane tickets.
Harry was personally keen to keep on travelling, through Canada, to Japan, to Thailand and Vietnam, but with the way Ron and Hermione were acting, he had a feeling that by this point—which was going to be a solid half year in—they were going to want to be reunited.
Their passports and visas were all ready—Hermione and Molly had mainly taken care of that—and then they were going to have to look at all their work permits and things as they went, but Harry and Ron could take care of all of that.
"We'll be fine," Harry nudged Ron with his elbow.
"Easy for you to say!" Ron wrinkled his nose and made a face. "Not all of us have cushy bank accounts left by our parents that we can rely on." It wasn't said with any malice, Ron's words never were, but Hermione still narrowed her eyes at him and kicked him under the table. Harry lifted an eyebrow as Ron's cheeks reddened as he realized what he said. "Oh," he cringed. "Sorry, mate." Harry just shrugged.
"It's fine," Harry replied. "Anyway, I should probably—"
"Are you ready?" Draco had suddenly appeared at his side and both Hermione and Ron frowned, looking between them in surprise. Harry cringed internally, but he managed to keep a neutral expression as he straightened up, gathering his things from the table and flipping down the screen of his laptop.
"Ready for what, exactly?" Hermione asked, recovering first and straightening up in her seat, tossing her curly hair over her shoulder, her eyebrows pulling together and managing to somehow look down her nose at Draco, even though she was sitting and he was standing. That was a look Draco and Pansy had both mastered, although Harry hadn't known his best friend had managed it either. He wondered if it was something that the lot of them practiced, or if it was something that came naturally.
"Studying," Harry responded shortly as he glanced sideways and saw Draco's surprised look that he shot them.
"You're studying with him?" Ron sounded horrified and Harry felt Draco shift beside him, falling back a few steps. Harry swallowed hard and had to force himself not to glare at Ron, even though his friend had every right to be confused. They all knew the fact that Harry had accepted Draco's apology, and they even understood where Draco had been coming from, and that he had the best intentions, although they didn't agree with that at all. Harry hadn't quite told them about the fact that he was...Interacting with Draco on a regular basis, though.
He wasn't sure why he hadn't, maybe he just felt a little pathetic at how quickly he had jumped at the chance to have any contact with the guy that he had been trying so long to get over, who had just abruptly cut off all contact with him in the first place.
"I am," Harry nodded as he slipped his laptop into it's bag and slung the strap over his shoulder.
"Alright," Hermione was once again that recovered first and it wasn't quite a smile that she gave them, but it seemed like that was what she was trying to do, nodding at the pair. "Well, I did wonder who was helping him out," she addressed Draco for the first time...Maybe ever, as far back as Harry could remember. "I saw some of your papers and your scribbles actually almost made sense for one," her cheeky smirk came easier as she glanced back at Harry, who rolled his eyes at her, but couldn't stop his grateful smile at the brunette.
"I'll just meet you over there," Draco's voice was quiet as he nodded over to an alcove. Harry glanced over at him and he saw Draco's expression not quite as uptight as it had been before, his lips relaxed into an almost tentative upturn and he counted that as a plus.
Not that he needed Draco and Hermione and Ron to be friends or anything, but it would just work nicer if they got along.
For now.
Although graduation was at the end of this week and exams were officially over in two weeks, and then they would never see each other again.
Draco, that was.
So why did it matter if he and Ron and Hermione got on or not?
Why did it even really matter if he and Harry even really got on, since they weren't even Facebook friends again, so there really wasn't anything more going on between them other than being study buddies?
That made Harry's heart squeeze uncomfortably.
"How long has this been happening?" Ron asked, curling his upper lip and not hiding the fact he was staring at Draco.
"Obviously just the past week, since Harry accepted his apology," Hermione replied, but instead of staring at Draco like her boyfriend was, she narrowed her eyes at their best friend. "But my question is why didn't you tell us?" Harry pursed his lips together and managed a one shouldered shrug. Hermione watched him with those knowing eyes of hers, but then after a few moments, she shook her head. "We'll discuss this later—you should probably go over there or this is just going to get weirder than it already is." Harry sent her grateful smile and then quickly left, walking over to where Draco was sitting, with some paper and a pen resting on the table.
"Sorry about that," he apologized quietly as he sat down.
"I thought you told each other everything," Draco picked up his pen and clicked his thumb down on the top, the nib extending. "They always knew about us, right? I figured that's why Granger always looked like I was something that was stuck on her shoe and the Weasel always looked as though I was the reason that his hair is constantly a mess."
"I've told you not to call him that," Harry muttered, because he had, although that was way back when. Draco sighed and seemed to decide that he wasn't going to get any answers because he started reaching out for one of the books that Harry had put down. "I hadn't told them you were helping me study," Harry continued. "There's just been a lot going on and I didn't really know how to broach it with them because they can be a little..." he looked over his shoulder, Draco turning as well, and they could both see Hermione and Ron at the table across the long aisle, and both of them were staring back.
"Protective?" Draco offered and Harry couldn't help but snort as they both turned back around.
"Yeah," Harry agreed, making a face, and Draco let out a soft laugh. It wasn't the same as the laughter that they shared before, but it still made Harry's shoulders feel lighter.
"It's okay," Draco replied. "Blaise and Pansy can be like that." Harry nodded and then shifted around in his seat to make himself more comfortable, and his knee knocked against Draco's. He moved it away quickly, as though he had been burned, pressing his legs together and shooting Draco a nervous look. The blonde wasn't looking at him, he was opening up the Chemistry book and getting back to what they were meant to be focusing on.
Harry did as well.
Graduation went smoothly. Hermione got top of their year for pretty much everything, and Cedric was a close second. Draco and Neville also got a few trophies, and Luna was top of Art, even if most people didn't understand quite what she was trying to say with her paintings. Harry was surprised to get runner up top in Physical Education and then also a certificate, along with Cedric, for being the 'best team players'. It sounded like a fluffy certificate, but Harry was happy with it, plus as he and Cedric got up to accept the award, there were loud cheers and shouts from the others in the lacrosse team, and some of them even stood up and waved their arms, so that was kind of nice.
Sirius was there. He had traveled out and stayed with Molly and Arthur last night before coming in, and Harry found him after the graduation ceremony had finished, and gave him a tight hug.
"Aw, you looked so smart up there, Harry," Molly fussed over him and the suit jacket he was wearing, straightening out the collar and then fingers going to his hair, flipping through the strands and tidying it up. "And Hermione, love," her cheeks were rosy as her smile stretched them as she reached past Harry and for Hermione, pulling her for a tight hug. "Congratulations on all the awards."
"Thanks, Molly," Hermione said, a little shyly as she glanced over at Ron. Their parents knew that they were dating, and especially when it came to Molly and Arthur, they were very happy about the situation, but both Ron and Hermione were a bit shy around their parents as they navigated their new romantic relationship.
"Mum," Ron complained as Molly's attention turned to her youngest son, showering his face with kisses and gripping his shoulders tightly. Arthur smiled at both Hermione and Harry, affection shining in his eyes, before he and Sirius took a step to the side, talking idly about the weather and 'how fast the children grow up'. Hermione's father couldn't make it to the graduation, but her mother was there, and she came over after speaking with a few of the other parents that she knew, and hugged the trio, one at a time, before striking up conversation with Molly.
"You guys want to go out to the field?" Hermione asked, glancing around at the crowded hall, where pretty much their whole school was still gathered.
"Yeah," Harry agreed and they began winding their way out of the crowd of people. Hermione was leading the way, and Harry couldn't help but smile a few times as she turned heads with what she was wearing. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes, most of the girls in dresses, but people just weren't used to Hermione making pretty much any effort when it came to her looks. She didn't care about make up or doing her hair up every day, so today, with make up and dark red lipstick and her hair twisted in braids around her head with several soft strands falling against her cheeks and a black sleeveless, high necked dress that clung to her slim figure and ended a few inches down her thighs. She looked beautiful, and Harry had told her so that morning.
Ron had as well, although it took a lot of stuttering to get it out.
It was almost seven thirty in the evening, but it was still light outside, since they were in summer now and the days were longer, and Harry loosened his tie and tugged his button down shirt out of his pants so that the breeze could travel over his torso unhindered. They saw some of their class mates and some parents and teachers walking around, people dispersing from the main hall, but no one rushing to go anywhere. It was Friday, and some people had already finished their exams—like Ron, so some were leaving today, permanently, from the school.
It was such a weird feeling.
Some of these people he would never, ever see again.
"Can you believe we're almost done?" Hermione spoke up as they reached the field, walking slowly over to one of the picnic tables—a picnic table that they had sat at so many times over the years.
"Bloody well feels like we only just started this year," Ron commented, straddling the bench on one side of the picnic table, looking back at the school through his fringe, which was growing longer and falling in front of his face.
"It's gone fast," Harry added with a heavy breath. There were a couple leaning against the walls of the library a couple of metres from them, completely wrapped up in each other, exchanging kisses and Harry wondered if they were hopeful kisses or goodbye kisses. A lot of high school romances didn't last, and Harry had heard a few of his classmates whispering loudly in the library that they were worried that their relationship wouldn't make the long distance strain as they went to separate colleges. Harry swallowed hard as he looked at Hermione and Ron—Hermione looking elegant and put together and Ron's eyes barely visible from behind his shaggy fringe, and he wondered if they would be one of the couples that made it.
Then he pushed the thought down, because of course they would.
"I wish that you had said yes to coming on the trip with us, Mione," Harry blurted out and Hermione blinked at him in surprise before her face softened in a small smile. "At least for the first part."
"You guys have been talking about doing this trip since forever," Hermione pointed out. "I'm not going to be the girlfriend that intrudes on that." Harry opened his mouth to protest when she continued. "Besides, you know that I've already got a job lined up with one of mums friends back home, so that I can get some savings away before school starts again after the holidays. And I want to get a jump start on any reading that my course required for the first term."
"I can't believe you're going back to school again—by choice," Ron made a face. Harry rolled his eyes before fixing them back on Hermione.
"You know you're not just a girlfriend here, Mione," Harry nudged her side gently with his elbow. "It's the three of us against the world." Hermione blinked again, but this time, her eyes glowed, as though they had filled with tears, and she wrapped her arms around Harry, giving him a tight hug. Harry hugged her back, arms around her shoulders and her slim torso, holding her against him, and he met Ron's eyes when he looked up from her shoulder, and Ron gave him a gentle, understanding smile. After a while, Hermione let go and she let out a shaky breath.
"It's not like we're going to be separated forever," she began, trying to think things through logically, as she always did. "I mean, you might be going home tonight, Ron, but me and Harry are still here for another week. And then we're all going to be at Ron's place the night before you guys...Go," she faltered and wrinkled her nose before sighing. "We should probably head back, I don't want to leave mum in there by herself for too long."
"Alright," Ron got up and reached out for Hermione's hand, linking their fingers together. Hermione gripped her boyfriends hand tightly while reaching out for Harry, slipping her arm through his and he crooked his elbow to make it easier for her to hold. They started walking back toward the main hall, past the couple that was still making out and toward where most of the noise was coming from. They were crossing the courtyard when Hermione's body tensed between the two men. "You okay, Mione?" Ron asked, looking in the direction that her eyes were pointed, and out of habit, Harry did as well.
It was Draco—looking positively edible in the suit he was wearing, with a tailored long coat over top, even though it was warm. Harry had definitely stared at him a lot that evening, trying to be subtle, although probably being anything but, however it wasn't just Draco who was walking away from the hall and in their direction, although from the side rather than front on, obviously heading toward the parking lot behind the main office.
"I expected you to get top in Physics, Draco," the tall man with white-blonde hair was saying in an exasperated voice. "Or at least Biology—that's the easiest of the sciences!"
"Which is why so many other people were good at it as well," Draco replied, although there wasn't quite as much confidence behind the voice that there normally was. Harry couldn't help but slow down and watch as a beautiful but harried looking woman tried to speak, but was quickly quietened as the man spoke again.
"I'm not interested in your excuses, Draco," the voice was condescending and Harry hated the way Draco's shoulders hunched forward a little, not standing as tall as he usually would. They were about to intersect, their paths about to meet, and that was when Draco looked up and saw Harry and his two best friends. His eyes flicked to his father and then back to Harry, and Hermione's grip was so tight on his arm he was pretty sure he would be protesting if he wasn't so completely focused on Draco at the moment. Draco's father didn't look at all interested in the three teenagers and he kept walking right by them, but Draco slowed down and purposefully jutted his chin forward.
"Mum," Draco said, and Narcissa Malfoy glanced at him. "I want you to meet Harry, Harry Potter." Her eyes widened in surprise, but then her lips curved in a small smile as she looked at Harry, giving him a quick once over before reaching out her hand. Harry took it in surprise and shook it.
"It's nice to meet you, Harry," Narcissa said, and although her smile was small, it was genuine. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things, I hope," Harry said nervously, attempting a smile as well.
"Of course," Narcissa's smile relaxed a little more and Draco had stopped chewing nervously on his lower lip when Lucius Malfoy cut in.
"Yes, such as you cannot pass Chemistry without any assistance," he stated coolly and the smile on Harry's face dropped. Draco's eyes narrowed and Narcissa sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"We should be going," Narcissa stated, clearly trying to stop things from becoming too unpleasant. "Good luck with the rest of your exams, Harry," she gave him a nod before moving to stand beside her husband and usher him on. Lucius eyes were cold on Harry, and even though they were the same colour as Draco's, that was where the similarities swiftly ended. Harry forced his eyes away from Lucius and fixed on Draco, who had his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.
"Have you got any more exams left?" Harry asked quietly, very aware of everyone's eyes on them, Narcissa's attempts to lead Lucius away not working.
"Just one, so I'll be leaving next Thursday," Draco replied, his voice taut although he was forcing himself to just look at Harry and not away to his parents, or more specifically, his father. "What about you?"
"Last one is Friday, for both me and Mione," Harry answered, glancing to his side and he saw Hermione with a strangely big smile on her face. He raised an eyebrow before looking back at Draco.
"Well, I might see you around before then?" Maybe it was just meant to just be a comment, but it sounded more like a question, and Harry couldn't help but nod in response. "Alright, well..." Draco pursed his lips together for a moment, eyes moving to rest on Hermione and Ron. "Goodnight—and good luck with your exams next week." Draco was already moving to his parents, and the three of them walking away, before Harry could say anything in response. He dragged in a deep breath through his teeth and looked at his two friends, who were staring back at him, Hermione still with that weird smile on her face.
"What?" He asked.
"I know that I'm nowhere near Draco's biggest fan," Hermione began. "But he just introduced you to his mum—right in front of his dad—even after everything. That's a big deal."
"You just met his parents, Harry," Ron smirked. "Isn't that the third or fourth milestone in a relationship?" Harry rolled his eyes.
"I just mean that...Well, do you still like him, Harry?" Hermione asked gently. Harry swallowed hard, because even though he and Draco were studying together, that was where things had carefully always ended, and they were always in the library or the study hall, in public, and there hadn't been any teasing or suggestive looks like there used to be. Everything was strictly platonic, and yet...
"Maybe," Harry admitted quietly, looking over to where the Malfoy family had disappeared past the main office. He inhaled heavily through his nose, straightening his shoulders before looking back at his two friends. "Yes."
"Are you going to tell him?" Hermione asked, tipping her head to the side, curly hair falling forward around her face.
"What's the point?" Harry asked with a wrinkle of his nose. "School is over, and it's not like we have a life where we're still going to seeing each other. Our families have nothing to do with one another, we live completely separate lives—there's just no point."
"You might feel better if you tell him? At least you would know that there was nothing left unsaid?" Hermione prompted. Harry just shrugged. Ron looked uncomfortable, which was normal when it came to discussing anyones love life, because he was terrible at that sort of thing. Thankfully, they dropped the subject and went back to the main hall where their parents—and godfather—were waiting. They said goodbye to Ron, since he was heading back tonight, and it was close to eleven before their families finally left and Hermione and Harry walked back to the dorms together. He had his arm around her and Hermione was resting her head on his shoulder as they got to her room on the first floor. "I really wish you'd tell Draco," she said quietly as she yawned and rubbed her hand over her face.
"I told you, Mione," Harry answered. "There's no point." Hermione sighed as she straightened up and turned to his face him, her back to her door. "And why are you pushing it? I thought you were completely against anything happening between me and Draco." Hermione made a face, wrinkling her nose.
"I know..." she murmured before rubbing her face again, clearly tired. "But after him apologizing to you and explaining what happened...Like I've said, I don't agree with his method, but I understand what he did. And..." she made another face. "Last year, when you were doing whatever it was with him, you were really happy, and even when you said that you've moved on and you were hanging out with Cedric, you weren't as happy as you were when you were with him."
"Even if I did tell him, it doesn't mean anything would happen—I don't even know if he likes me," Harry protested.
"But you're never gonna know unless you tell him," Hermione pointed out. Harry really didn't have the energy for this right now—or maybe it was just that he didn't want to discuss it at all because he had made up his mind, but if Hermione kept on pushing at it, he might doubt his decision. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow—we'll go and get breakfast in town?" Harry nodded and leaned in to give her a kiss on her cheek before watching as she went inside. He looked at her closed door for a few more beats before walking upstairs.
The dorm room felt weird and empty without Ron's mess on his side of the room. Harry had packed a lot of his own stuff up as well and Sirius was taking it back tonight, so he just had a few bags of things that he was going to need to take home himself. Harry undressed, pushing back his blankets and top sheet and getting in in just his dark coloured briefs.
There was a lot that he had to think about when it came to Draco, but he honestly believed everything that he had told Hermione and Ron. It wasn't that he was scared to tell Draco how he felt; it was that there was no point. There was no point in him getting his hopes up and thinking that maybe that had a chance when their lives were going in completely separate directions without much probability of intersecting again, and so what was the point?
However.
He had looked incredible in his suit tonight, with the dark wool coat that was probably too warm for this weather but had still looked amazing on him. His hair was longer than it used to be, and usually he just let it fall over his forehead, not brushing and slicking it back like he used to do when they had first started at Hogwarts, but it had been brushed and parted today. Not gelled, thankfully, because that had never been a great look, but brushed and parted and it looked amazing.
Harry's hand moved to brush against the smattering of hairs on his lower stomach as his mind began twisting the short encounter with the blonde into something else. It was a mixture of a fantasy and a memory. He imagined them here in his room, with Draco in the outfit that he was wearing tonight.
Things melded together from Harry undressing him in the clothes that he was wearing tonight and back to the times that they had actually spent in his room, like the first time they were together. Everything was messy and slowly and a bit awkward. Harry had had a sex with two guys before, one of them he had been on top and the other time it had been versatile, which he had enjoyed a lot. They hadn't had a lot of discussions over who was on top and who was on bottom, and they hadn't even talked about how far they were going, and so it had been a little uncomfortable for everyone involved.
But after the awkwardness, it had gotten better.
A lot better, actually.
They hadn't had sex to begin with, not all the way anyway, but Harry could argue that it was actually better. They sat down on Harry's narrow dorm bed, taking turns to take off items of clothing and then move back in to kiss one another. The kisses had been hesitant, even though there had been a lot of kissing beforehand, and some very forward sexts that both of them knew weren't going to happen their first time actually alone together, but they had relaxed a lot more once they were completely undressed and laying next to each other.
And then there was their last time together, when they were a whole lot more comfortable with each other—apparently to the point where Draco was ready to make something between them official even though no-one knew about them. They were both a little drunk as well, actually, because a bunch of the seniors had caught a train to a nearby town that they didn't usually frequent, with fake ID's one weekend—and Ron was away, so Harry had the dorm to himself. There had been laughter and an ease that only came with time and familiarity, which had happened over the months that they had spent together. Harry had sunk inside Draco and it had been the most amazing feeling in the entire world—it had just got better and better every time it happened—and Draco's lips were loose and tasted like beer and the hot chips that they had ordered before catching the train back. Draco had scratched at his back and pulled his hair and there had been a hickey left on Harry's neck that had forced him to get Hermione's help to cover up for the next few days.
Harry hissed at the feeling of his hand tighten around his cock. Pretty much everything was packed away, and that included all of his provisions in desk that was in between the two single beds. The skin on the palm of his hand was a little rough, toughened from the years playing lacrosse and lifting weights in the school gym with Ron on a semi-regular basis, but the drag wasn't unpleasant. His eyes fluttered shut as the memories and the fantasies washed over him and he let out a low moan as he felt his arousal twisting around his thighs and stretching toward his core. He could feel the heat spreading, his toes curling as his hand twisted and his fingers pressed under the crown of his cock. His eyes squeezed shut as he felt his orgasm snapped inside of him and his warmth spilled over his fingers.
"Draco..." he breathed out, blinking his eyes open and staring up at his ceiling as he rode out his high.
The last few days past quickly, Hermione and Harry spending almost their whole time studying for their final exams coming up. Hermione was studying a lot harder than Harry, because that's just how she was, but Harry was preparing to get out of there as quickly as he could. He was packing up the last of his things so that he could leave as soon as his exam finished when his door was suddenly knocked all the way open. Harry looked up, expecting it to be Hermione or Neville standing there.
But it wasn't.
It was Draco.
"Hey?" Harry lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hey," Draco stated, but it came out heavy, as though he had been holding his breath and it just all came out together, in the form of one, tense word. "I just had my last exam and I'm about to get a car home." Harry felt as though there was a heavy stone in the pit of his stomach at that comment.
This was it.
Draco was leaving.
And tomorrow, Harry was leaving.
This was it.
"Oh...Right," was all Harry managed to get out, even though there was so much that he wanted to say. Draco looked as though he was hoping that there something more as well, but he still firmly squared his shoulders and his eyes dropped to Harry's mouth.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry—again. I don't know if I can say sorry enough to make up for totally freezing you out and making it seem like you had done something wrong," Draco stated. "And I also wanted to say...I wanted to say that there hasn't been anyone else since you. I know that we were never officially a thing, but I still...I haven't been interested in anyone since you." Harry blinked, his mouth feeling suddenly dry, his tongue heavy in his mouth. "You don't have to say anything back," Draco hurried on. "I don't expect you to say anything back, I just needed to tell you anyway." Harry's limbs all felt heavy, like they were weighing him down and his brain felt sluggish as he searched for something to say. "Well...That was it," the blonde swallowed awkwardly and took a step back, his expression tight, especially at the corners of his mouth. "I'll...Bye, Harry."
Harry's body suddenly flew into action, moving forward to close the gap between them and his hands gripping Draco's jacket, holding the lapels tightly as he brought his lips together with Draco's. Draco's mouth responded instantly, his hands resting on Harry's hips, fingers curling inwards and pressing through the thin tee-shirt that he was wearing. Draco's lips against Harry's felt incredible, it was the best feeling in the world, as though everything was finally coming back together. Their lips moved in sync, heads tipping to the side as Draco's mouth opened and Harry's tongue pushed inside to taste him. He tasted just like he used to, almost exactly the same, like lavender chewing gum and lemonade and Draco, and Harry's whole body shuddered as Draco's tongue twined together with his. The dark haired boy could barely keep his hips from grinding forward, seeking out the sweet friction that was only a few inches away, but he forced himself not to, not to get too swept up.
Draco's hands were moving, sliding from Harry's hips towards his back, pressing against his lower back, bringing him in closer until their hips lined up, which Harry had tried not to do, because as soon as their hips were together and their torso's were pressed against one another, he felt another shiver run through him, from his fingertips to his toes, and he couldn't stop the moan he let out, filling Draco's throat with the sound. Draco kissed back firmly and it was his turn to let out a little sound as Harry's fingers gripped his jacket harder, one hand moving to cup the back of Draco's neck and hold them together.
They only broke apart when they needed to breathe, and even then, it was only their lips that parted. Their foreheads were pressed together and their noses bumped gently when Draco shifted his head slowly from side to side, the tip of his nose tracing up the side of Harry's nose, the tender movement making Harry's heart skip a beat. His eyes closed and he took in a deep breath in, his chest expanding and then he exhaled slow, not wanting to open his eyes and break the moment. When he finally opened them, Draco was staring at him with calm, grey eyes, his eyelashes thick and looking a little damp, as though his eyes had been filled with tears. Harry had a hundred questions that he wanted to ask, but none of them felt right in this moment.
"Thank you, Harry," Draco breathed out, before pulling back far enough so that he could give Harry a soft kiss on his forehead and then he was turning and walking away. Harry was still processing everything that had happened, and by the time his eyes were no longer glazed over, Draco was long gone, and Harry was alone in his dorm room.
His last exam was over and done with by twelve o'clock and then he was back in his room finishing off the rest of his packing, which was pretty much just what he had slept in last night. The last exam hadn't been hard, nothing like the Chemistry test, which he had mixed feelings about.
But there was no point in worrying about any of them now, they were all over, and the results wouldn't be released for another month.
And by then, he would be nearly on his way to Italy with his best friend.
"I'll see you on Wednesday," Hermione said as she gave him a tight hug at the train station, her fingers practically turning into claws as she gripped him hard. "You make sure you pack everything on that list we made!" She insisted against his shoulder, although her voice sounded choked up from tears, even though she was trying to hide it.
"I will, Mione," Harry promised her as he pulled back. "If I don't, I know that you and Molly are just going to call me and scream at me down the phone—Ron too." Hermione let out a wet sounding laugh and nodded, looking down at her feet. Harry took in a deep breath as he crooked his finger underneath Hermione's cheek and brought her face up to look at his. "We're still going to be in touch—you're the one who said it wasn't going to be forever."
"Well, it feels like it," Hermione grumbled, trying to look away from Harry but unable to hold back her giggle when his fingers tightened on her chin.
"I love you, Mione," Harry told her sincerely and she sniffed.
"I love you too, Harry," Hermione said, throwing her arms around him to give him another tight hug. When they pulled apart and Harry leaned down to pick up his things, he noticed Cedric and Cho a few feet away from them, having a similar, tearful goodbye, although there were a lot more kisses involved in their goodbye. He was glad that they had worked out, and he hoped that they would be able to make their relationship work, whatever it was that both of them had planned. Cedric caught his eye as he straightened up, and he gave Harry a wide smile and a wave, and Cho followed his gaze and smiled at Harry as well when she saw him looking. Harry waved back at both of them before leaning forward to give Hermione a kiss on the cheek and then getting on the train, pulling all of his things in after him.
The time between getting on the train, and then arriving at the Weasley household with Sirius on Wednesday evening felt as though no time at all had passed.
Hermione was there, and most of the Weasley siblings were as well, other than the eldest two, and the whole house was filled with life and laughter, like it always was when most of the family was home.
Harry had always loved the Weasley household.
He couldn't imagine actually living there full time, because he also loved the quiet and the peace that came from being in his home with just Sirius, but he always loved coming here.
Molly made enough food to feed an army, and everyone crowded around the table. There were enough seats for everyone, although there wasn't exactly enough space, and so Hermione and Ron ended up sharing a plate and Harry was squished up against Ginny, which was fine, because they got along well. Sirius was beside Arthur at the head of the table, Molly on her husbands other side, and they attempted to keep the conversation volume low, but they gave up after ten minutes or so.
"You nervous?" Ginny asked from beside Harry, nudging his side with her elbow.
"About what?" Harry asked after he swallowed a mouthful of salad.
"Your trip," Ginny stated and Harry thought that was where it ended but then she continued. "And about being away from Draco." Harry had just scooped up another forkful of salad and steak and put it in his mouth and then took in a sharp breath at Ginny's comment, the food going to the back of his throat. He started coughing and dropped his knife and fork as he hit his throat, and George raised an eyebrow next to him and then lifted a hand and slammed a fist against Harry's back.
Harry spat out his food on the table with a spluttering cough.
"Thanks," Harry managed to say and George just gave him a grin filled with mashed potato and then went back to his dinner. Harry coughed a few more times to clear out his throat and he met Ron's questioning look but just shook his head until attention had shifted back away from him around the table. He tried to be subtle in the way that he dropped his voice and spoke to Ginny quietly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm pretty sure it meant exactly what I said," Ginny mock-whispered back, although she obviously thought the whole thing was a joke, because she was grinning and didn't look as though she cared that other people heard. Harry blinked and looked down at his food, wondering if Ron had said something to Ginny, but that wouldn't sound right, Ron didn't really discuss his own personal things, muchless others.
"Who told you?" Harry asked, still keeping his voice hushed. Ginny made a face at him, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"Why are you acting as though this is something to keep a secret?" She asked. "This is family, we're not going to judge you, even if it is a Malfoy." Harry gave her a hard look and Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fine. Neville saw you guys making out in your room the other week." Harry sighed, but he guessed at the end of the day, it didn't matter. It wasn't as though he had to worry about running into his former classmates every day anymore, and it seemed like it wasn't something Draco wanted to keep a secret anymore.
"To answer your question," Harry shoved his knife through his steak probably a bit harder than he needed to. "I'm going to be fine—being away from Malfoy." Ginny just shrugged and went back to her dinner. Harry stared at her for a few more beats before looking back at his dinner, although he didn't feel like eating anything else.
He hated that it didn't matter.
Thinking to himself that it didn't matter, the fact that people knew about him and Draco, made it feel as though that chapter of his life was over.
At one point, he had wanted it to not matter but for a different reason. He had wanted it to be because Draco was ready to go public with his sexuality and he had wanted to go public with Harry. But that's not why it didn't matter now.
It didn't matter because they weren't in school anymore, they weren't bound to run into each other anymore, they weren't just a couple of teenagers anymore—they were adults.
"You alright, Harry?" Sirius asked after they had finished dinner and washing up, and the two of them were standing out on the rickety deck around the Weasley's house. "You seemed a bit off at dinner." Harry pursed his lips together, not sure what to say. "Is it just nerves about the flight tomorrow? Or..." he dragged out the word, raising an eyebrow and turning to face the younger man. "Has it got something to do with that Draco boy?" Harry made a clicking noise with his tongue.
"I guess," Harry sighed. Sirius nodded slowly and then lifted a hand, resting it on Harry's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"I don't really know what to say here," he said softly. "But maybe right now isn't the time to be thinking about him." Harry sighed again. "You're about to go away on the trip of a life time with one of your best friends. It's going to change your perspective and you're going to see things that you never thought you would and shouldn't be worried or holding yourself because of anything back here." He squeezed Harry's shoulder again. "I want you to have the best time and with everything back here, with Draco, once you come back and you're settled and you know what you want to do with your life, then that's when you can revisit him again." Harry knew that his uncle was right, but that didn't stop the twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. "You never know," Sirius shrugged. "Maybe you'll meet someone while you're away," his lips curved in a small smile. "Or maybe you and Draco will reconnect later on and it'll be the right time for both of you. Who knows?" He shrugged. "But right now, I just want you to thinking about what's right in front of you, just enjoy the moment."
"I know," Harry murmured. Sirius smiled at him, giving him a hug before heading back into the bustling household.
Sirius was right.
He had been looking forward to this trip with Ron for years, ever since they had first started talking about it when they were fourteen. Back then, they had only planned to fly to one or two places, travel over the summer. Over the years, it had grown into so much more, and they had worked through their summers and winter breaks and saved as much as they could to make sure they could have this amazing trip that they were always expanding on.
Molly cried at the airport when saying goodbye to Ron and Harry, and gave them too many hugs and kisses to count. That wasn't surprising at all, and Sirius was grinning and shaking his head as she blew her nose into a tissue for the umpteenth time.
Hermione cried as well, though, and that was surprising. She hugged them both individually, and then all three of them were a mess of arms and kisses on cheeks, and then it looked as though she wasn't going to detach from Ron's mouth even though his face was bright red from all the public displays in front of his family.
"You give me a call if you ever need anything, okay?" Sirius said as Harry and Ron were about to walk through to security, leaving their family and friends behind.
"I will," Harry nodded as he hugged his uncle tightly.
"Even if you just need to call and talk about that Draco boy," he added softly and Harry couldn't help his smile as he hugged his uncle tighter. There were times when he really missed his parents and he wished that they were there with him, but the thing was, he barely had any memories of his parents, given they had died when he was so young, and he really couldn't imagine Sirius not being his guardian, his godfather. He called Sirius his uncle, but in all honesty, he was so much closer than that, he was like his father, and Harry was so grateful to have that.
"Thanks," Harry said into his shoulder and Sirius nodded, giving his shoulders a squeeze before they pulled apart. Molly gave both boys one last hug before they left, Arthur giving them a wink and Hermione looked as though she was going to start crying all over again, but then Harry and Ron were backing away and waving at them, gripping their backpacks and duffel bags tightly.
Once on the plane, Harry's stomach twisted in excitement and he looked across at Ron, who had a similar expression on his face, and they both grinned at each other.
The first night in Paris was pretty much just spent eating. They found a backpackers that barely cost anything since they were sharing a room with five other people, secured their bags away in a locker and then set about looking through the city. It felt different from being there with their families because there was no real purpose for them, they weren't on any type of schedule, they could just explore and stop wherever they felt like it. They ended up down a whole lot of side streets with food stores lining either side, and Harry was pretty sure that he ate more bread and cheese in that one evening than he had in his entire life.
"Bloody hell," Ron sighed out as they found a place to sit for dinner. "I feel like if this is the way our trip is going to go, we're going to be spending a lot more money on clothes."
"We could just constantly wear sweatpants with elastic," Harry supplied and Ron let out a laugh. They skimmed their eyes over the menu, Ron deciding to stick with what he knew and get steak and a salad while Harry ordered duck. After eating, they kept on walking, taking photos on their phones, sending a couple on snapchat to their friends before carrying on. They found a bar and weren't asked for ID as they ordered beers at the counter.
The pair didn't get back to their backpackers until the early hours of the morning, both a bit drunk since they had switched up from beer to something a bit harder, and they tripped over their feet and some of the luggage that was left lying around from other people that they were sharing their room with. Harry woke up first the next morning, Ron was still fast asleep and snoring on the bunk bed above him, and so he brought their tickets online for the Paris Catacombs. A lot of the places they wanted to go and things that they wanted to see were free, but there were a couple of spots that were going to cost some money. Ron and Harry had both said that they would pay for their own things along the way, but Ron had been right when he said that Harry had a better financial situation than him, a cushy bank account left by his parents. So he didn't mind splashing out a bit, even though they had both worked had to save their own money independent of their parents.
Through their tour of the catacombs, they both got a couple an envious messages from Hermione, since she had gone through them when she was younger and couldn't properly appreciate them, but would definitely be able to now. She had just started her new job, one that her mother had gotten her, helping out at an accounting firm, sorting through books and answering phones.
It was definitely a different pace from what the boys were doing.
After the catacombs, they did more walking and took the tram to visit some further places. They saw a sculpture of a man stuck in a wall, or Le Passe-Muraille, and looked up the story by Marcel Aymé on their phones, and then kept on exploring. There were more beers, and then macaroons and eclairs and crepes, and then Coq Au Vin for dinner. They didn't stay out late that night since they were leaving early in the morning toward the Loire Valley on a bus that was leaving just after eight, although they did find another dainty little bar on the way home where they ordered some expensive wine on the menu.
Ron didn't finish his, and made Harry promise not to tell Hermione because he had to pretend he had at least some class, and Harry laughed and finished off his own and then Ron's as well.
Then he told Ron that he was pretty sure that Hermione wasn't with him because of his 'class'.
Molly called them that night, when they were on their way back to backpackers. She spoke almost the whole time, filling them on everything that was happening at home, which was all of the standard things. She also told them that she had been in contact with Charles, who was away from his home at the moment but would be back well in time to meet them once they arrived. She then passed the phone around, Arthur not having much to say since he was tired and had just gotten home from work, and then Fred and George jumped on and Harry could barely understand everything they were saying, given they kept talking over each other and Ron had the phone mostly turned toward his own ear. Then it was Ginny's turn, and she was a lot easier to hear, it seemed as though she had gone to a different room where it was quieter.
"Let me talk to Harry," Ginny requested her brother.
"Oh, I see how it is," Ron laughed as he and Harry stepped to the side of the footpath to let a group of people pass by them before they continued walking. Ron took his phone away from his ear and held it out to Harry.
"Hey, Ginny," Harry greeted her, making a face as he was jolted by a determined looking older woman with her arms filled with shopping bags.
"I saw Luna and Neville today," Ginny said by way of greeting, getting right to the point.
"Okay?" Harry frowned at Ron as he looked over at him questioningly.
"Luna said that Draco mentioned you," she continued and the light-hearted feel of the conversation stopped almost immediately. Sometimes Harry forgot that Luna and Draco were related, even though it was distantly. Luna was so sweet and a little absent-minded, while Draco was so grounded and could be a little manipulative if the situation called for it. Harry pressed his lips together as he waited for her to carry on. "He asked Luna if she had seen you since you left Hogwarts, or if she knew if you had already left for your trip."
"What did she say?" Harry asked.
"The truth. She hadn't seen you, but she had heard that you and Ron had flown out," Ginny replied. "Just thought that you would want to know that he had been asking about you." Harry didn't know what to reply, then he heard Molly's voice getting closer and closer. "Anyway, gotta go. Mum wants to talk to you guys again." Ron moved so that he was standing closer to Harry and Harry tipped the phone to the side so that they could both hear. Molly was telling them things she had already said a hundred times before—to be safe, to keep their belongings close, to make sure their money and their passports and their visas were in a secure place at all times, to call if they were ever in any trouble, to make sure they were washing behind their ears.
Harry laughed once they had finally hung up, mainly at Ron's face, which looked as though he'd just stepped in something rotten.
"She acts like we're still bloody ten!" He protested. Harry just clapped his hand down on his friends shoulder before going into their accommodation. They showered in the tiny, communal bathroom and got into the bunk beds, and it sounded as though Ron went to sleep immediately, based on his snoring.
Harry stayed up a lot longer, staring at the springs and the fraying mattress of the bunk bed above him, his mind on Draco, who had suddenly been thrust to the front of his thoughts again.
The next morning, they were showered and out of the backpackers before seven thirty, heading toward the bus station where they were taking a tour bus through the Loire Valley. There had originally been a plan to rent a car and go by themselves, and take a few days exploring, but the tour bus was cheaper and covered a lot of the places that they were planning on going anyway. It also was only a day trip, which was probably for the best, since they had lots of things they wanted to do in Spain. It saved on the driving, and it meant they could drink without worrying about who was going to be driving when they visited the vineyards. The vineyards were more something they were doing just because they were tourist spots, they were more interested in seeing the castle estates and the general scenery.
Hermione and Molly had acted as though they had mortally wounded them when they had said that, since they would have loved to go about the vineyards.
The boys took a lot of photos, and snuck off in one of the tours around a castle to explore by themselves, and the look they got from the older woman who was acting as the tour guide was very similar to the one that Professor McGonngall used to give them when they were in school.
Provence was beautiful, and the boys actually spent most of their time just beach hopping. They knew that there were a lot of places that were tourist spots for them to go to, but it was just nice being at beaches that weren't all rocks and barely any sand. Ron's shoulders were so red they actually looked like they were glowing after the first day at the beach, and Harry had thought about buying some elastic bands for his hair, which was now getting longer, because it kept getting in his face when they were in the water. They were only in Provence for six days, and given they spent most of it in the water or sleeping on the beach under the sun, they wished that they had organised to stay for longer so that they could do more.
Although Ron had a good point, when he said that if they had just organised to stay longer, they would have just spent more time in the water and more time sleeping on the beach under the sun.
He wasn't wrong.
It was Portugal and then Madrid next, and it felt as though there wasn't enough time to spend exploring as they wanted to. They knew that there was going to be times when it felt like that, but there was just something especially about Portugal that pulled at both of them. There was a city, Porto, where the night life was incredible. They bounced from club to club, and the only reason that they didn't lose each other a hundred times over is because they had their Find My Friends app turned on on their phones. There was a lot of alcohol and a couple of joints involved—Harry was offered some pink and blue pills from a girl with streamers tangled in her hair, but he chose not to take them. They were out until five in the morning several nights in the a row, sleeping in until early afternoon and then fitting their sight seeing in before repeating the cycle all over again. Ron even danced for a few hours each of those nights, although he was still so stiff and nothing could give him rhythm. It made Harry laugh watching his friend standing there, next to a couple of girls who looked as though they were actually professional dancers, showing him up. There were a few groups of people who were also tourists that they joined up with, and it felt good to be conversing with people other than just Harry, or just Ron.
By the third night in a row of this, when they were Skyping with Sirius and Hermione, they both looked utterly dead.
Sirius found it hilarious.
Hermione looked concerned, almost as though she was their mother.
They took the next night off drinking and then they were off to Madrid for the next week. Harry had to get in contact with Bellatrix, Sirius' distant cousin, just to confirm that they were coming over and when their flight landed and when they planned to get to her place. He wasn't sure if he should send a text or call, so he settled on a text and then she ended up calling him back nearly twelve hours later, and it was a whirlwind of a conversation where she talked so quickly he could barely keep up but he was able to make out that she was going to pick them up from the airport, that they were welcome to stay for as long as they wanted, and that her nephew was visiting.
Ron laughed when Harry got off the phone, because he was able to hear the babbling from the eccentric woman from where he was sitting across the table from his friend.
They flew into Italy nearly two weeks later, and Harry pushed his sunglasses up his nose as they stepped out of the airport. Based on their conversation Harry had thought that Bellatrix was going to be in the airport, but Ron and Harry had walked around for a bit and couldn't find her. So in the end, they walked out into the heat, squinting at the heavy traffic.
"You think we should grab a cab?" Ron asked as they looked toward the cars in the pick up section, even though they had no idea what car they were looking for.
"Uh," Harry dug his phone out of his pocket and looked down at it, wondering if he should try calling her before they hailed a cab, and then he heard his name being yelled out.
Or, more correctly, screeched.
"Harry! Little Harry! Over here, baby!" Harry's eyebrows pulled together as he looked around, Ron looking a little terrified, looked around as well. "Harry! And ginger boy! Over here!"
"Is that...A hearse?" Ron sounded in awe as they spotted a sleek black car—hearse—stopping traffic completely since there was nowhere for it to actually pull into the pick up area.
"Yeah," Harry was hesitant as they stepped slowly up to the curb. "Yeah, it is." Ron grinned as she leaned across to the passenger side and pushed open the door, waving her arm at them.
"Get in! We're holding up traffic here!" Bellatrix called out to them before throwing a glare over her shoulder and pulling the fingers at the person who was tooting their horn behind her. The two boys exchanged looks and then quickly crossed the road to where the hearse was idling, Harry getting in the passenger seat while Ron got in the back. "Excellent—hold on!" And then she was accelerating a whole lot faster than she probably should in such a bustling area, Harry and Ron struggling to find their seat belts and get them on while juggling their oversized rucksacks. "I got completely caught up back at home!" Bellatrix said, waving a hand at them and flashing a large smile, her brightly painted purple lips stretching across her cheeks. "My nephew showed up a few days ago and then he wanted to get a job, and the boy has never worked a day in his life, but he was determined!" Her words were all running together, her black hair streaked in grey flying around her face as they pulled onto the main road and their speed increased. "So we found him a job with a friend of mine—and Siri said that you guys wanted jobs as well, right? We can always get you a job there as well—he's doing his place up, not too fussed about how quick it's done so he's just got a couple of people working there on and off, you'll fit right in! Now, dinner tonight..."
Harry couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to look back at Ron, who was grinning at Bellatrix's subject hopping and how quick she was talking, and Harry couldn't help but smile as well as he turned around and looked out his window at the scenery that they were speeding by.
The sun was beginning to set, casting beautiful oranges and reds across the sky, and Harry's smile settled from something amused to something softer as he watched the beautiful landscape. They moved away from the busier road and further into the country, and Harry kind of wished that his phone had a higher camera resolution to take some quick photos and send them back to Hermione, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't even be able to get close to the image justice. They turned onto a road that clearly wasn't up-kept very well, but that Bellatrix seemed to know like the back of her hand, twisting and turning the car to get around the bumps and potholes in the road.
Money seemed to run in the family, because once they drove up a long drive way that took them past rows and rows of grapevines that were climbing up their trellises, the driveway opened up to a large gravel area where another car was parked and the house was beautiful. It wasn't as big as some of the estates that they had past, but it was still quite large, probably just a little bigger than the Weasley house.
"This place is gorgeous," Harry said to Bellatrix and she smiled and did this strange wiggle thing with her shoulders before taking off her seat belt and getting out of her car. Ron and Harry got out after, Harry resting his rucksack on the ground so that he could properly stretch and look around. The sun was almost completely set now, so the sky was shifting in hues, dark blue and purple in the distance, fading to a lighter blue, and then reds and oranges. Harry took in a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes, only opening them when he heard Bellatrix calling out.
"Oh, darling! I was hoping you'd be back by the time we got here! This is Siri's boy!" She was walking toward the house, the high heeled boots she was wearing crunching on the gravel underneath her feet, and Harry was taking his time to turn around to look back toward the house, still looking at the fields around them, when Ron hit his arm.
"What?" Harry wrinkled his nose and looked down at where Ron had hit him, but Ron wasn't even looking at him, he was looking over his shoulder and toward the house, where Bellatrix was. She was walking toward someone with her arms extended, as though she was going to embrace them, and it wasn't until she threw her arms forward and the person hugged her back, that he saw who it was.
Draco.
Hope you enjoyed it.