"What are you lot doing here?"
Harry's glasses flashed as he turned his head. Behind them, his eyes narrowed.
Ron and Hermione came to a halt a few feet away, within speaking distance, though far enough to leave a deliberate gap. Ron's brow was furrowed in anger, while a mixture of emotions danced across Hermione's face - above all, she seemed distressed.
"Nice way to greet your best mates," Ron said gruffly.
Harry laughed, sarcastic, high-pitched. "Best mates? You mean the people that ignored me for weeks for no reason?"
"For no reason?" Hermione echoed softly. "Harry, we were worried about you."
"Dragon dung," Harry spat. "If you were actually worried about me, you'd talk to me."
"Can't exactly do that if you're hanging off Malfoy's arm all day, can we?" Ron asked, though there was less vitriol in his voice than Harry expected.
"Stop it!" Hermione reprimanded him, laying a firm hand on his arm as Harry balled his fists. "Harry…we saw what happened at dinner."
"Congratulations, you have functioning eyeballs," Harry muttered, letting his fingers relax.
"It made us realize," Hermione continued as if she hadn't heard him, "That we need to be there for you."
The apparent sincerity in her voice made Harry's eyes sting - but not because he felt at all guilty. Of course, they should have been there for him. He wanted Hermione and Ron by his side from the very beginning. He wouldn't have ever come out as bi if he suspected they wouldn't support him. Over the last few weeks, Harry had missed them more than he would ever admit, but he'd also learned that he didn't need them anymore. He'd grown into his own person, no longer part of a three.
"So, why weren't you?"
"Because we're idiots," Ron stated, and Hermione looked to the ground in shame. "And because we're afraid of losing you."
Harry blinked in surprise.
"You think we'd just let you go off with a Death - sorry - former Death Eater with no questions asked?" Ron asked, gesturing widely. "We thought he was trying to get close to you to…attack you, or something. Not because he genuinely liked you."
"And you were wrong."
"Well, yes." Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "Extremely wrong. We jumped to conclusions."
"Hell of a leap," Harry remarked, crossing his arms.
"I suppose," Ron said sheepishly. "But I - we figured, you two have stayed together this long. Surely there's something…real there."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Not to mention all the shit you'll go through now that Parkinson's outed you," She added grimly. "I think you'll need allies now more than ever."
"That good-for-nothing Slytherin," Ron growled, and it took Harry a second to realize he was talking about Pansy. "Your relationship is not her bloody business."
"Yeah, could you imagine caring about who dates who?" Harry said dryly.
Hermione and Ron exchanged a panicked look. Harry smirked at their reactions; Draco's mannerisms were rubbing off on him more than he realized.
"All right, we deserved that," Ron said, raising his hands in surrender when he realized Harry was at least half-joking. "Bottom line is…I'm really sorry, mate. We should have treated you better."
"I'm sorry, too," Hermione said quietly. "I hope you can forgive us, Harry. We want to help."
The flickering torchlight deepened the shadows in their concerned expressions. Harry sighed. They had hurt him, for sure. But he wanted to be rid of the pain they'd caused as soon as possible, and the only way to do that was through forgiveness. Which would be a lot easier to grant if they helped him out.
"Okay." At that moment, their faces brightened, and Harry felt that he'd made the right decision. "But promise me you'll give Draco the same apology when you see him."
They promised.
"So, what's the plan?" Ron asked, and Harry felt a sudden sense of déjà vu, remembering a similar question Ron had posed in the autumn chill as they stood beneath an oiled-canvas ceiling.
"First, we find Henrietta Carrow."
• • •
During the next few days, Harry somehow felt terribly alone and not at all lonely at the same time. To his pleasant surprise, Oliver Valdez, Erin Moore, and Owen Ibori all sought him to check to see if he was okay.
"I guessed you two were together," Erin had said, about Draco, with a half-grin. "You've got that in-love glow about you."
Luna and Ginny offered him some comfort, as well. Harry discovered that Ginny had punched Pansy square in the face after dinner, earning her a two weeks' worth of detentions from McGonagall. Tabitha Nott and Cassandra Cheung had reportedly tried to hold their friend back, though Luna remarked that they didn't seem to be trying very hard. Harry found this news strangely heartening; perhaps he and Draco had more supporters than he'd initially thought.
But he didn't allow himself to be complacent. As Ollie had put it, "Even if some people aren't outright homophobic, they'll let their friends be."
Thus, Harry avoided the bulk of the student body as much as possible, spending the weekend in the Owlery with Athena or on the Black Lake's far side with Ron and Hermione. Monday's classes were tense, to say the least, and Harry didn't get through the day without a few insults and not-so-sneaky kicks aimed at him from beneath the desks.
The hardest part was being without Draco.
Harry could handle not having him around for a few days. It was the not knowing that he was okay, having no idea what the Room of Requirement was doing to him, unsure if Draco would even emerge. The worries woke Harry every following night, leaving him drenched in sweat and his ears searching the silence for a sign of Draco's return. Between dodging his classmate's blows and studying in the most secluded parts of the castle, Harry wandered the seventh-floor corridor, pacing, repeating every variation of please bring Draco back in his mind.
Then there was the matter of Henrietta. It was Hermione who found her, a blanket over her head in the Slytherin girls' dormitory. As it turned out, Henrietta had been over Draco for months, and was merely afraid of what Pansy would do to her if she sided with him and Harry. Once she found out Hermione knew how to cast a good Frog-Eyes Hex and Ginny Weasley was friends with Harry, Henrietta seemed comfortable enough to retract her friendship from Pansy. The dark-haired Slytherin, nose only just fixed by Madam Pomfrey after Ginny's righteous blitz, responded with a nasally, "Whatever."
Early Tuesday morning, Harry sat under the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy with Luna, who sent pink and purple clouds of smoke into the air with her wand.
"What color do you feel like today?" She asked conversationally.
"Blue," Harry replied immediately. His own wand, limply gripped, lay next to him on the stone floor.
"Any particular shade?" Luna twirled her wand, muttered something under her breath, and the clouds congealed into a translucent butterfly.
Harry watched the butterfly glide down a ray of morning sunlight. He thought of the blue in Draco's eyes, an icy ring that he could only see when he was close. "Er, no. Just…blue." Out of politeness, he added, "What about you?"
"I think…Brown." Luna mused. "The warm, cozy kind. Door."
Harry glanced at her in confusion. "Like the brown of a door?"
"No." Luna shook her head, made the butterfly dissipate, and pointed down the corridor. "A door," She repeated, eyes alight with intrigue.
Harry scrambled to his feet, Luna jogging to keep up with him as he skidded to the door that had appeared in the wall. Without wasting another second, Harry turned the knob and threw it open.
Utter blackness met him at the threshold. A shiver ran through Harry as he realized that beyond it, the sunlight didn't pierce the shadow, as if the entire Room of Requirement was filled with unmovable ink. "Draco?" He called cautiously, reluctant to step inside.
A pale figure suddenly melted out of the dark and staggered forward. Harry caught Draco Malfoy in his outstretched arms, wavering slightly from the weight of him. His body felt warm, warmer than Harry had ever felt it, his head drooping from exhaustion. "Draco…" Harry whispered his name gently, handling him as if he might break.
With great effort, Draco steadied himself and met his eyes. His blond hair was disheveled, gaze muddled, shirt crinkly, and musty with lack of washing. Still, he managed a slight smile, lips chapped. "Hey, Potter," He greeted casually as if he hadn't been missing for days. His voice sounded terribly hoarse.
Harry frowned as his hands rested on Draco's torso; he could feel his ribs plainly through the stretched-thin flesh. "Oh, Merlin. You haven't eaten since Saturday, have you?"
Draco snickered, then turned his head to cough. "Astutely observed."
"We should take him to the hospital wing," Luna said, silver eyes wide with concern. "Come on, we've got plenty of time before the first bell. Is your bag in there, Draco?" She asked, indicating the shadow-soaked chamber.
"No," he and Harry said in unison. "It's under your bed," Harry told him.
"I hope you've resisted the urge to defile my textbooks, Potter."
"As surely as you'll keep using humor as a coping mechanism," Harry remarked, letting Draco lean on him as they edged down the corridor.
"Mm. Got any water?"
"You haven't drunk any water?" Harry yelped as they reached the top of the staircase. "You've got your wand, right?"
"Yeah." Draco cleared his throat. "Just…forgot."
"Here, I've got it." Luna retrieved a large glass bottle from her bag, filled with sprigs of lavender. She dumped the plants back into the bag, then tapped the mouth of the bottle. "Aguamenti."
Draco took it hurriedly and raised it to his lips. Harry watched in shock as he downed the entirety of the water in about three seconds. Draco stifled a belch and handed the container back to a composed Luna. "Thanks."
"Merlin's third leg," Harry tutted as they started slowly down the stairs. "Thought you'd remember to drink something, at least."
"You sound like my mother," Draco grumbled.
Harry squeezed his shoulder in an affectionate reprimand. "I don't care if I sound like I'm talking in Mermish. As long as you're taking care of yourself."
The several flights of stairs seemed to take forever; Harry tried to keep himself and Draco moving even as his shoulder ached with the effort of supporting him. It was motivation enough to be near him, hearing his shallow breath, feeling his feverish heat.
Luckily, most of Hogwarts still attended to breakfast, and their trek remained uninterrupted all the way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey, spotting a feeble student in the doorway, immediately rushed from her office to aid them.
"I've got him," She reassured Harry, guiding Draco to sit on the nearest cot. Still, Harry stuck to him like glue, remaining by his side as Madam Pomfrey dashed off, likely for healing potions.
Luna smiled indulgently as Harry took Draco's hand. "I'll leave you two be. Goodbye, Harry. Draco."
"Thanks for your help, Luna," Harry told her gratefully.
"Harry…" Draco began once she left, and Harry stared at him, startled.
"That's my first name," He said blankly.
"Yes, well, I'm talking to you." Draco took a deep breath. "I have something to confess."
"Oh?"
"Potter, don't you have class?" Madam Pomfrey materialized behind them, precariously holding three various-colored bottles. She glanced down at their entwined hands but made no comment.
"Yes, but…" Harry trailed off as the first bell began to clang. "Um..."
"He'll be taken care of," She said, giving him a meaningful look. "Don't you worry."
"Right." Reluctantly, Harry slipped his hand from Draco's and stood from the bed. "I'll see you later." He tried to read Draco's eyes as he did so, wondering what he wanted to say. The word "confess" didn't bode well.
"Go on." Draco inclined his head. "I'm fine."
Harry hesitated for a moment, but one look inside the surety of those silver eyes, and he chose to trust. "I'll see you later, okay?"
A nod, a shadow of a smile. "You'd better."
• • •
[Reader's Warning: The following scene contains anti-gay slurs.]
A flurry of gray feathers and incessant hooting showered upon Harry as he entered the castle. Spluttering, he spit one out of his mouth and looked wildly around as Athena landed on his shoulder. "Oh - hello." Athena head-butted Harry affectionately, her talons uncomfortably digging into his skin.
"Dropped this," Henrietta said, picking up a folded sheaf of parchment.
"Thanks." Harry hadn't quite gotten used to having her around, but he wasn't about to object to having another friend. He took the parchment and unfolded it: Left the hospital wing. In the dormitory now. Harry smiled at the familiar cursive script. P.S. I sent Athena because you don't visit her enough, dolt. "Yes, yes, I'm paying attention to you now," Harry said, petting the owl's head. Athena nipped his finger before taking off again, using his shoulder as a launching pad. "Er…Henrietta?"
"Yes?" Although she'd been trying to act casual, Harry could tell she was hanging around to see what the letter said.
"D'you want to come see Draco?"
"Um…no, that's all right." A faint blush crept across Henrietta's face. "I think it might be a bit awkward. Because of what Pansy said, I mean."
"Right."
"But I'll catch up with him later." She waved goodbye, hesitated in the hallway, and headed off towards the library.
Apprehension swelled like helium in Harry's chest as he made for the dungeon. A few students shouted his name as he went, likely followed by some uninspired, homophobic insult, but he moved too quickly to hear it.
I have something to confess.
After the whole "I-think-I-killed-someone" debacle, Harry was sure Draco had run out of secrets. But perhaps his Death Eater past was shrouded in more layers of shadow than he anticipated. Harry wondered how long this would go on for, the self-doubt, the guilt, the whispering of secrets in the dark.
But it didn't matter, not really, because Draco was still Draco no matter what he did in the past, and Harry had already fallen this deep. He might as well stay by his side, continue to help him grow, teach him how to forgive himself. For however long they were together, whether that be months, or years, or…
The thought stopped Harry cold in the middle of the Slytherin common room. A few younger students pushed past him, muttering, "Out of the way, fag."
"Piss off," said Harry automatically, but the gears of his brain were turning over an altogether different idea. Years? He mouthed to himself as he headed for the dormitory. Well…he wasn't planning to break up with Draco after Hogwarts. Hopefully, they'd stay together as Aurors - working as exes would be painfully awkward, to say the least.
Harry would have continued to pick along this trail of thought had someone not opened the door and yanked him inside the dormitory before he could even knock.
"Colloportus," Draco said breathlessly, and the door slammed behind him. "Harry, I need to tell you something."
"Um, hi," Harry said, a bit taken aback. Madam Pomfrey had done good work in only a day; Draco's cheeks were flushed with health, and his silver eyes practically sparkled in the dim green light of the dormitory. "Feeling better, then?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Draco said hurriedly. His chest rose and fell heavily beneath a black turtleneck as if he'd just played in the Quidditch World Cup. "I love you," He declared. "I love you, Harry Potter, and I'm sorry it took me so long to admit it." Suddenly overwhelmed with the words, he broke eye contact, strode away, and stiffly perched upon his bed.
Harry's heart seemed too big for his body. He was at a loss for words, so instead of replying, he walked over and sat next to him.
"I know this may not seem like a big deal," Draco said quietly, looking at the ceiling. "But it is for me. I've never…" He spread his hands. "I've never felt this much for anyone else. I don't know what to do with all of this…this emotion. It scares me, but it's kind of exciting, too. Do you know what I mean?" He turned to Harry, eyes wide with the question.
"Yes. Yeah, I - I do." Harry reached over and held his hands. "Thank you for telling me."
Draco sighed with relief. He leaned in and kissed him. It felt so different from the first time, not frantic nor desperate, not with the panic of those who think what they're doing is wrong. Harry felt unbelievably lucky to be alive at this moment, with Draco Malfoy, the boy he'd never expected to love this much.
"I've been thinking," Harry began as they broke apart, "About what will happen after graduation."
A flash of worry in Draco's eyes. "Are you…?" He didn't finish.
"No! Merlin, no," Harry shook his head fervently. "I was just thinking…since we'll be going to school in the same place, maybe we should find a flat in Cambridge this summer. Unless you want to live in your family's manor."
"I don't." Draco's mouth twitched. "Potter, are you asking me to live with you?"
"Well, I - um." His face felt warm. "Yes."
Draco laughed, and it sounded like honey. "Sixteen-year-old me would be horrified at the idea."
"Is that a yes?"
He grinned. "A definite yes." His eyes, for the first time in years, were bright with the future.
