After the Fire
By: Roslyn Drycof
Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, and obviously I don't own any of these characters
Warning: pregnancy, male pregnancy, HPDM, minor HPGW
Two days later, Harry felt ready to move out of the Gryffindor Tower completely. He had always loved his boisterous housemates, but it wasn't until now that he noticed just how affectionate they really were. Slaps on the back and one armed, quick hugs from the guys when playing exploding snap, wizarding chess, or a pick up game of Quidditch. Quick hugs and light touches on the arm when talking to any of the girls. Each innocuous touch drove his tension higher and higher until he just plain bolted out the portrait hole when Hermione leaned over his shoulder to correct a spelling mistake on his Charms essay.
Guilt crashed through him as he hurried down the steps from the tower, but he felt like he was mentally coming apart at the seams. He couldn't even imagine what he would be feeling if Malfoy hadn't placed the memory modification charm on him! He grimaced, knowing it would be bad…and noticeable.
Once down in the main corridor, he pulled his invisibility cloak out of his right pocket and slipped it over his head. He had taken to carrying it to avoid Ginny as much as humanly possible. Slowing his pace, he made his way to the dungeons. By the time he arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, his heart had stopped pounding and the shaking in his hands had calmed.
He followed what looked like a first or second year into the common room and made his way around the groups of students. He was surprised to see the level of camaraderie surrounding them. While not to the level of the Gryffindors, they were acting a lot more social than he would have guessed they could. Polite, somewhat reserved, but still full of genuine smiles and friendly chatter.
As he made his way down the corridor to the boy's dormitories, the thought occurred to him that were he a Slytherin, he wouldn't have felt the need to escape his dorm mates. While the Slytherins were friendly to one another, there weren't any hugs or friendly touches. They had an innate sense of respect for another's personal space.
Not that I would ever give up my friends, but it would be nice to not want to escape them right now, he thought.
The last door at the end of the hall stated quite simply, 8th years. Harry opened it, and was surprised to see that there was a short hallway with two doors on either side, and one at the end of the hallway. The doors on the sides had a student's name engraved on it, while the one at the end had nothing. Harry assumed it must be the bathroom. He didn't remember hearing that the Slytherins had a different style dormitory than any other House, so he concluded that the school must have decided to separate the 8th years as a way to keep them from plotting anything.
Harry walked up to the door that had Draco Malfoy emblazoned on it and knocked. A few moments later, a pale Malfoy opened the door a crack and peered out. Seeing no one, he started to close the door and then abruptly paused. "Potter?" he questioned, his voice almost a whisper.
Harry drew the hood of his cloak back so that his face appeared, and Draco immediately opened the door and ushered him inside. When the door was shut, Harry slipped the cloak off fully and stuffed it into his robe pocket. He looked around at the room. It was extremely small, with only enough space for a standard sized bed, a nightstand, wardrobe, and Malfoy's trunk. Well, and a little room for a person to make their way around the furniture. "It's almost like they made it a prison cell," he said, turning to face the other boy.
Malfoy shrugged. "It reminds me how close I came to really going to prison, but didn't."
Harry ran a hand through his perpetually shaggy hair. "But they could send you to Azkaban if you were expelled, couldn't they?"
The Slytherin didn't answer for a moment, instead going to sit down on his immaculately neat bed. Finally, he said, "Yes. If I am expelled, I will be sent to Azkaban for a year, and if that were to happen, my magical probation would last my lifetime instead of until I marry a suitable, Ministry approved candidate or complete an apprenticeship in a Ministry approved field."
Harry had been unaware of all of the terms of Draco's sentence. He had left the courtroom after his testimony that summer, and had only heard through the Prophet the main points of his sentencing. "Hold on a minute. They actually will keep you on magical probation until you marry someone the Ministry approves or finish an apprenticeship? An apprenticeship lasts a minimum of four years! And the candidates they would approve for marriage are probably inexcusable!"
A sardonic smile curved Malfoy's lips. "Oh? I'm sure you're on their list. You were on the list of possible guardians to Hogsmeade."
Harry stared at him. "They gave you a list?"
"Yes. You, Longbottom, Granger, and Weasley, or a professor. Since I have no intention of spending an afternoon with a professor willingly, and your friends would probably refuse, I decided to just remain here on Hogsmeade weekends."
Harry sat next to him on the bed. He would've chosen a chair, since he didn't want to crowd Malfoy in his own room, but since the bed was the only choice, he hoped the other boy wouldn't object. "I would have gone with you."
Malfoy shifted nervously. "Yes, well, I didn't know that."
Silence descended for a moment, then Malfoy lost his nervous air and sat taller. "What brings you here this late? Curfew is in half an hour, and you could have been caught sneaking into the dungeons."
Harry shifted back on the bed until his back was pressed to the headboard and curled his legs under him. It meant more space between the two of them, yet at the same time he knew it would be a signal that he felt comfortable alone in Malfoy's personal quarters. That was important, with what he wanted to say.
"I can't be around other people, Malfoy. I'm trying, but you know Gryffindors."
Malfoy brought his own legs up onto the bed Indian-style, slowly enough that Harry knew it was a deliberate move. "Yes, they're loud, obnoxious, and so touchy-feely it makes a person gag. Yet I don't see that reaction now, and you're alone with me on my bed sitting not two feet from me."
Harry stretched out his legs until his left calf was pressed against Draco's knee. "You're the only person I can be near. Surely you noticed the other night when Ron and Hermione showed up in the kitchens."
The other boy looked down to where their bodies touched. "You weren't your usual self, yes. It hasn't improved?"
"No. Should it have? It's been three days since the attack and I still want to jump out of my skin when anyone touches me. I start sweating and trembling, and it feels like I can't breathe. I don't know what to do because I know my friends are going to notice, but I can't make it stop!" Harry ended up shouting, looking away from the blond.
A hand settled on his knee, and Harry shifted his gaze to Malfoy's. The silver eyed Slytherin was looking at him solemnly, almost sadly. Harry narrowed his eyes. "I don't want your pity, Malfoy."
Malfoy's hand lightly squeezed. "It's not pity, Harry. I understand somewhat how you feel. Toward the end of the war, anytime I saw a Death Eater mask, I would get that same reaction. I know what I went through is nothing compared to what it must be like having what's supposed to be a beautiful moment with someone you care about be about betrayal and force, but I do know that it's a life changing experience."
Harry was stunned. That had been fairly poetic, and something he never would have imagined coming out of the formerly malicious and bullying teen. He knew, instantly, that Malfoy's previous personality had been just a mask because no one could say something so empathetic and say it so sincerely. And it was sincerity shining in the other's face, Harry was sure of it. He put his hand on top of Draco's, and nodded. "I don't want to be afraid to have my friends near me. Since first year, I've come to depend on the closeness and now that I can't bear it, it's tearing me apart inside."
Draco turned his hand so that his and Harry's fingers tangled together. "Slytherins have too much reserve to be all touchy-feely like you Gryffindorks, but I can see where you would miss it if you've come to rely on it that past seven years."
Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's jab at his House, but otherwise the other boy had hit it spot on. "I don't want to unload on you, but I can't talk about this to Hermione or Ron."
"I don't mind," Draco said, then abruptly paled. He lunged off the bed and toward his trunk, fumbling with the latch. "Draco?" Harry questioned.
The other boy shook his head sharply, lifting the lid of the trunk and searching for something. Within seconds he had a glass vial and took a huge swallow of a shimmering light green potion. The effect was almost instantaneous. Color returned to Draco's face and he took a deep, calming breath as he put the vial back in the trunk.
"Anti-nausea potion. Slughorn provided it for me. Thank Merlin it's also recommended for acid reflux, so I had a plausible excuse for needing it." Draco made his way back onto the bed, this time sitting next to Harry, his back also against the headboard.
Harry smiled. "Yes, thank Merlin."
A companionable silence descended on the room, until the small clock on the wall struck the hour. Curfew. Harry tensed, but made no move to leave. He didn't want to leave and he most certainly didn't want to go back to Gryffindor Tower, however he didn't want to ask to stay. It would seem peculiar. It would be over staying his welcome, especially since he hadn't been invited over in the first place.
After a few minutes, Draco bumped his shoulder against Harry's. "You can stay, if you'd like. There's room."
Harry turned his head so that he could look into Draco's face. The silver-eyed boy was gazing at him, with a neutral expression. It was the expression Harry was coming to learn meant that Draco was hiding his true feelings. It meant that Draco really wanted Harry to stay. It made Harry immediately break into a grin. "Thanks."
A light flush colored Draco's face. "Wouldn't want Weasley to get his lights knocked out when he goes to wake you, now would we?" he quipped, shrugging lightly.
Harry's smile grew. "Oh I think you would love to see that, but no, I wouldn't want it."
Draco bumped their shoulders together again, and Harry reached over to put his hand on Draco's jaw. He drew closer to the other boy and let his thumb caress Draco's cheek. A soft sigh escaped the taller boy's lips, and he moved his head even closer.
"We didn't get to properly kiss…before." Harry hated how his voice broke slightly as his mind flashed briefly to the attack before Draco had arrived to help.
Draco's eyes widened, and he whispered, "You're ok to? I wasn't sure, with how bad you say are around others."
Harry didn't like the mention of his reaction around everyone else. It made his heartbeat accelerate for a moment, until he took a deep breath and let it out. "You're not them. Even if you hadn't helped me, I think you'd still be the only person I could be near."
Surprise shone in Draco's eyes. He moved his hand to cover Harry's own on his face, his fingers lightly caressing. "Your crush on me that bad?"
Another smile curved Harry's lips at the teasing note in the other teen's voice. "You have no idea," he replied, his voice deeper than usual. And then he swooped in and covered Draco's soft lips with his own.
A groan issued from Draco's throat and the hand holding Harry's hand to Draco's face tightened, pressing it tighter. Harry slide his tongue between Draco's lips to explore the moist heat that was Draco's mouth. Another groan, and Harry was suddenly straddling the other boy's hips. Both of them shuddered at the contact.
Harry brought his other hand to caress Draco's chest, and abruptly Draco was pulling back, a grimace on his face. "What's wrong?" Harry questioned, worried he'd done something the other boy didn't want him to do.
Draco flushed and looked away from Harry. "It's…tender," he mumbled.
Confused, Harry moved to sit beside the other boy. "What do you mean?"
The flush deepened and Draco waved a hand in front of his chest. "Here. It's tender. Another side effect of my condition."
Harry bit his lip at the mention of Draco's condition. They had both been avoiding actively mentioning it, but of course that didn't mean that it wasn't there. Again, Harry's mind swung back to his earlier thoughts of Draco's possible expulsion and the other possible outcomes. He rubbed his face, tiredly. "This feels so unreal."
Draco's nostrils flared. "It feels incredibly real to me, Potter."
"But you won't talk about it, not really. And since you won't talk about it, it seems almost like a bad dream…like the attack itself."
A moment passed, then Draco let out a sigh and nodded. "I can understand that. Could we talk about it tomorrow night? I have an early class, and I assume you'll want to escape your House again after supper?"
Harry agreed and Draco got them each a pair of pajamas out of the wardrobe in the corner. The soft fabric felt wonderful against Harry's skin, and he immediately decided that he would either steal this pair of Draco's or buy his own. Smiling at the thought of Draco's expression were he to find out Harry was contemplating making off with his probably hideously expensive pajamas, Harry slid under the covers. Draco turned out the light and crawled into the bed next to him, pressing up against Harry's side. The feel of the other boy against him made Harry happier than he'd felt in a long time. He knew then that he would spend as many of his nights there as he possibly could.
A/N: Sorry it's taken so long. Life sort of gets in the way sometimes, and I haven't had time to update. I know this chapter was more of a filler chapter than anything driving the plot forward, but I needed to get more interaction between Harry and Draco so their actions later on will seem more plausible. Yes, they may seem somewhat OOC, but I promise that they're really not. How a couple may be together may be completely different from how they act around their friends and schoolmates. So don't worry, Draco hasn't completely lost his fire and his snarkiness, and Harry is still a stubborn Gryffindor who speaks before he thinks sometimes.
I'm hoping to have the next chapter up within the month, but please don't worry if it's not up until closer to Thanksgiving. Please review!
