Chapter 18
~*~ 8 years ago ~*~
"Don't you think that's rather pointless?"
"No, hence why I'm doing it."
"Isn't it rather like painting a turd?"
"Painting a turd?" Harry said incredulously, looking over his shoulder at Draco who was sitting watching him from the armchair, looking like the picture of casual elegance. "You really have been spending too much time with Ron."
"Shocking, isn't it?" Draco replied. "My standards have slipped spectacularly.
"Watch it, ferret-face or I'll throw this plate of mince pies at you," Ron said, coming into the room, bearing said plate, half a mince pie already wedged in his mouth.
"Waste food?" Draco said with a scoff. "I'll believe it when I see it."
Ron took a seat on the arm of Draco's chair and placed a very messy kiss to Draco's cheek, the man protesting loudly as Ron grinned at him. "The room's looking great, Harry. Very festive."
"Thank you," Harry said with a smug smile in Draco's direction. "I thought we should do something for Christmas, even in a mausoleum like this."
He'd been struck with the idea, that morning, to decorate the place, as Christmas was only a couple of days away. The Order had been given the period off and the Weasleys, along with a few others were due to descend on Christmas Eve. Harry hadn't wanted to welcome them to a dour and grim headquarters and so, not being able to find any decorations, he had transfigured a bunch of junk into a reasonable facsimile.
He had decorated the hallway and was now teetering on a ladder in the living room, trying to hang up a garland while Draco criticised his attempts. Harry was finding the whole thing rather amusing, indeed, he found most of Draco's antics amusing these days and, as odd a notion as it was, he enjoyed the man's company.
"Is that straight?" he asked, trying to lean back to see his handiwork.
"About as straight as I am," Draco drawled and Ron laughed.
"A little to the left, mate," Ron said. "What on earth did you transfigure the tree from?"
"That old cabinet on the 3rd floor," Harry replied, moving the garland as Ron had instructed and wondering why on earth he had entrusted his safety to the rickety old ladder beneath him that threatened to collapse in a heap at any moment.
"I thought that was a complete no-go," Ron said. "Wasn't it cursed to high heaven?"
"Yeah, it was," Harry said, casting his eye around the room and wondering if he could put another garland up somewhere else. "I extracted the dark magic though. It's harmless now…well…now it's a Christmas tree but it will be harmless when I transfigure it back."
"Is there any dark magic left in this house?" Ron asked, and Harry looked over his shoulder at him.
"I guess not," he said, considering the question. "I hadn't really thought about it."
He climbed down gingerly off the ladder and Ron said softly, "That's quite an achievement, don't you think?"
Harry shrugged and said, "I don't know. It just…needed to be done. I suppose I've become…quite good at it."
Ron smiled and said, "Modesty will be the death of you, mate."
Harry was spared answering by Severus appearing in the doorway and saying, "Harry, might I have your assistance in the cellar?"
"Sure," Harry said, trying not to smile too widely, wondering when the butterflies at seeing your lover wore off. "You two start decorating the tree, I've left some decorations in the box by the window," he instructed Ron and Draco. "And don't make it too garish."
"Malfoys don't do garish," Draco called after him as he left the room with Severus.
They walked through the hallway and into the kitchen then down the stone steps that led to the cellar. Harry glanced around to see that nothing was presently brewing and said, "What did you need my help with?"
"Nothing," Severus said with a quirk of his lip as he moved in front of Harry and snaked a hand over Harry's waist. "I simply wished to steal you for myself for a few moments."
Harry's heart leapt at the unguarded assertion and he smiled as he looped his arms around Severus' neck and pulled himself in close to the man's body. "I like the subterfuge," he said, his senses humming as he felt Severus' hands move over his back in a gentle caress.
It had been two days since Severus had returned to him in the dead of night and Harry was drinking in every single moment he could get with the man. Every touch was a gift, every moment he spent sleeping beside him was a moment to be treasured, and he never wanted it to end, even though he knew it inevitably would.
One of Severus' hands moved up, brushing the nape of his neck tenderly before long fingers slid into his hair. He tilted his head as Severus' lips met his own and he didn't even bother trying to suppress the moan that escaped him. His eyes fluttered closed and he basked in the contentment that rolled through him, that always encompassed him in these moments.
There was something about kissing Severus that made the world stand still. It made Harry feel that there was more between them than just sex, that there was a tenderness and a closeness between them that transcended anything purely physical. They could have just slept together, after all; they didn't have to spend time snatching moments like this, moments that were, by comparison, very innocent.
They pulled apart and Harry rested his head against Severus' shoulder while Severus' fingers carded gently through his hair. It was oddly blissful to stand in the gloomy cellar of a miserable old house and feel the warmth from his lover's body, to feel the steady beat of the man's heart as he rested his hand over Severus' chest. He wondered if there might be a time, a time in the future when the war was over and they were finally at peace, where they might get to do this like two normal people, like a couple.
"Harry?" came Ron's voice down the stairs. "Stop shagging Sev and come and sort these decorations out. Some of the tinsel's trying to transfigure itself back."
"Some days I'd like to move to the moon," Harry said with a sigh. "I think I might go there when Voldemort's finally dead."
Severus gave a soft laugh and pressed a kiss to his head before they both reluctantly left the cellar. They spent the rest of the afternoon making the house look festive and Harry made sure he had a well-stocked larder in order to make all the food he planned to serve everyone. Molly, god-send that she was, was bringing a ton of festive delights with her too so he was sure none of them would go hungry.
Even though they were having Christmas in the shadow of war, and even though Harry's mind was still preoccupied with how and when Voldemort would be defeated, he was looking forward to a couple of days enjoying the company of people he loved. He was looking forward to a few snatched moments of normality, of enjoying daft traditions and losing himself in the feeling of family and belonging that being around the Weasleys always engendered.
"I…don't have a present for you," Harry said softly to Severus as they lay together later that night. "I haven't been able to leave the house and…you know…"
"I haven't been able to get you a gift either," Severus replied as his hand trailed lightly up and down Harry's side.
"I didn't think I'd have you with me for Christmas. I reckon that's better than a present."
He was dangerously close to showing his hand, and he knew it, but he couldn't help it in these moments. It had been on the tip of his tongue so many times, to just say the words, to tell Severus how he felt, but he was just too scared of the rejection he feared would follow any declaration. Maybe he could just get very, very drunk and let the alcohol do the job for him.
"Being with you will also make my Christmas far better than any others," Severus said, reaching up to cup Harry's cheek. He let his thumb move delicately over Harry's cheekbone and something in Harry's chest swelled at the tenderness of the gesture.
"We both have a bunch of lousy Christmases to make up for. I just hope…by next year…things will be brighter."
He didn't dare say what he wanted, he didn't dare say, 'I hope by this time next year I'll finally be free of that bastard and that you and I will still be together, madly in love and sickeningly happy', but he damn well thought it.
He thought it while they made slow, gentle love, while Severus moved deeply inside him and kissed him softly, almost reverently. He thought it while their bodies melded together, while Severus' hands touched every inch of his skin and while the man kissed him so sweetly it took his breath away. He thought it while he lay against Severus' chest afterward and listened while the man slipped into sleep and, although he tried to pretend otherwise, he was hoping with all his heart that next Christmas would see all his wishes granted.
"Why are you up so early?" he asked Draco, finding the man in the kitchen the following morning, sitting at the table and holding a half-drunk mug of tea.
"Couldn't sleep, left Ron snoring his head off."
Harry smiled, taking a seat opposite, and said, "I thought I'd let Severus sleep for a while longer too. He's been so tired since he came back from the last assignment and…God knows when he'll be sent out on the next one. The selfish part of me wishes I could keep him here forever."
"That isn't selfish, Harry," Draco said gently. "Anyway, what are you doing up so early?" he asked, eyeing the books Harry had placed on the table. "Don't tell me you're going to have your nose buried in those things on Christmas Eve of all days."
"Just a couple of hours before everyone arrives. I need to find an answer, Draco. I need to find a way to defeat that bastard once and for all, a way to put an end to this so we can all get on with our bloody lives."
Draco raised an eyebrow and said, "Those books had better be gone by the time everyone gets here or else I'll hex you so mistletoe grows out of your ears."
Harry stuck his tongue out at that man, entirely able to believe that Draco could and would carry out his threat. He opened up a couple of the books he'd brought down to the kitchen with him and flicked to the chapters he'd marked on magic extraction. A small kernel of an idea had been forming in his mind for days but he wasn't sure if it was in any way possible or if he was simply clutching at straws.
He read for a while and became aware that Draco was fidgeting terribly. He began by tapping his fingers against the table, then he started tapping his foot, then he finally got up and began looking through the kitchen cabinets although Harry had no idea what he was looking for. He frowned at the man over the top of the large tome he was rifling through and said, "What's the matter with you this morning?"
"Nothing's the matter with me," Draco said with an indignant tilt of his chin.
"Why are you flitting all over the kitchen?"
"I'm just…making sure we have everything in that we need."
"Nope," Harry said, shaking his head. "Rubbish answer, try again."
"Piss off," Draco said with a sniff.
"One more try, then I tie you to the chair and get the answer out of you with underhand tactics."
"I'd like to see you bloody well try," Draco scoffed. He looked at Harry for a moment then sighed and slunk back down into his chair, saying, "I'm nervous, alright?"
"Nervous? What about?"
"About Ron's family being here, you halfwit! He's going to…tell them about us, despite the fact that I've told him it's the worst idea since some fool introduced Dumbledore to felt hats. It'll ruin Christmas, I know it will."
"Don't be a pillock," Harry chided. "They'll be surprised, sure; we all were, but they'll be fine with it."
"Harry, don't be so naïve," Draco said, looking agitated. "I'm a Malfoy, I'm the son of one of the most prominent Death Eaters in Britain and a man who has made their life hell. Let's not forget it was my father who made sure Ginny got that bloody diary and she ended up possessed!"
"You're not your father," Harry said gently. "You may be the son of a Death Eater but you turned your back on him, on everything your family stands for, and risked your life to fight for the Order, to fight for the man you love. Believe me, I know the Weasleys, and where you come from won't matter to them."
Draco looked unconvinced so Harry closed the book in his lap and said, "Come on, help me set everything up and get the food prepared for people's arrival."
"I'm not a house elf."
"No, because a house elf would actually be bloody useful. You're just a pest."
Harry got up and dragged Draco up by the collar, the man protesting vehemently and Harry cheerfully ignoring him. Draco kept protesting for the next half an hour while Harry made him help with cleaning, setting the table, and prepping the food that was going to be cooked later. He tuned it out after a while and occasionally told the man to shut his face, which only made Draco complain all the more.
Ron and Severus joined them eventually and Ron's affectionate gestures towards Draco seemed to soothe the man's nerves a little. It made Harry smile to see how happy they were together, to see how completely in love his friend was and to appreciate Draco for his own sake now they were adults and so much of the past had been laid to rest.
Draco's nerves continued to be apparent for the rest of the morning and, when the Weasleys finally arrived, Harry thought the man's head might actually explode. Pleasant greetings were exchanged, Harry happy to have the house full when it wasn't an emergency or being used as a makeshift hospital, and eventually everyone settled around the kitchen table for the lunch Harry had prepared.
Hermione was there, sitting very close to George, Molly shooting them indulgent looks every so often while Charlie and Fred made awful jokes and terrible innuendos that resulted in Hermione threatening to hex them. Bill was spending Christmas with Fleur and her family, something Molly clearly wasn't too happy about, but he had promised to spend New Year with the Weasleys and would obviously have to do his penance then.
Harry wished that Remus and Tonks could have been there celebrating the holiday with them all but both were still in the hospital and it played on Harry's mind constantly. Tonks might recover in time, once all the dark magic had been leeched from her system, but no one could give a certain answer with regards to Remus' condition or whether he would ever come out of the coma he was in.
He tried not to think about it, impossible though it was, and threw himself into hosting his guests, thankful to have something to occupy his mind. Grimmauld seemed less grim and the gloom seemed to lift while the miserable building was full of Christmas cheer and the pleasant hum of voices engaged in several different conversations all at once.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me, me of all people!" Fred said as the conversation came back around to George and Hermione's relationship.
"Aren't you supposed to just know these things instinctively?" Charlie asked with a grin as Harry made sure everyone's wine was topped up and that the heating charms were keeping the mountains of food warm.
"I knew something was up," Fred insisted. "I just didn't think it would be Hermione of all people."
"Should I be taking offence to that?" Hermione asked him, her eyes narrowed.
Fred grinned and said, "Hermione, my darling, I think George is the luckiest bloke in existence and you should know that you've made a grave error and picked the wrong twin. What I meant was that I thought you were destined for another brother of mine," he said, looking in Ron's direction.
On cue, Ron's ears began to turn pink and Draco suddenly found his carrots extremely fascinating. Hermione, taking pity on them, said, "Ron's my best friend and that's what he'll always be."
"Actually," Ron said, clearing his throat while Draco continued to stare down at his plate, looking as though he might bolt for the door at any second, "I um…I've been seeing someone."
"You dark horse!" Charlie said. "Well come on, tell us – who is she, what's she like?"
Ron took a sip of his wine then ran his tongue along his dry lips and said, "Um…she is a he and um…he…is Draco."
The room rang with silence. Ron looked from one family member to another while Draco kept his eyes fixed firmly downward, his jaw clenched and a flush creeping up the side of his neck. There was a sudden clatter of cutlery hitting a plate and Harry suddenly registered that Molly was out of her seat and was hugging Draco like there was no tomorrow.
"Oh sweetheart. I'm so pleased!" she said as she continued to hug him.
Draco's eyes sought out Harry's, looking thoroughly bewildered, and all Harry could do was grin widely at him. The poor man couldn't have looked more surprised if Voldemort had turned up in kinky lingerie and asked to be shown a good time.
"You…you don't mind?" Draco asked when Molly finally let go of him.
"Why would I mind? Oh Draco, dear, after all you've been through, I've been so worried about you and now you're part of the family!" She turned to Ron and said sternly, "Why on earth did you wait so long to tell us?"
Ron opened his mouth but closed it straight after and settled for giving her a sheepish shrug. Harry watched as he looked across at Draco and the two men shared a smile so sweet Harry couldn't help but smile himself.
"Merlin's balls, Draco, haven't you been through enough without saddling yourself with him?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, what kind of sadist are you?" George chimed in.
The rest of the meal was taken up with Fred, George, Ginny and Charlie casting aspersions on Ron's character and questioning Draco's sanity for being with him in the first place. A weight had almost visibly disappeared from Draco's shoulders and he came alive as he joined in the conversation enthusiastically now he finally knew he had the family's acceptance.
The afternoon continued pleasantly, Draco spending time with the Weasleys and getting to know them properly, especially Charlie, Molly and Arthur, whom he had only really had a passing acquaintance with in the past. It was nice to see him so at home with them, to see them so accepting of him and for the man to have somewhere he belonged after everything he'd been through in the last couple of years.
Harry couldn't help but wonder what people's reactions would be if he told them about himself and Severus. Would they be as accepting? Would he be able to sit with the man the way Ron and Draco were now sitting, snuggled together on the sofa, Draco nestled into to Ron's side and stealing kisses every now and then? He was aching to do that with Severus, to be with him on a day that was all about being close to the people you loved.
"I think Draco shaved a couple of years off his life worrying about how the Weasleys would react to him," Harry said later that night as he began undoing the buttons on his shirt while Severus sat on the edge of the bed. They had waited until the rest of the house had gone to bed before slipping into Harry's room, an unspoken agreement between them that they wouldn't spend any night apart when they didn't have to.
"I tried to assure him that they'd welcome him with no issue but he wouldn't believe me," Severus said, rolling his eyes.
"Same," Harry said with a laugh. "I'm happy for him, it was nice to see him finally relax, to see him start bonding with them all. They're going to be his in-laws after all, it's good they're all getting along."
"Isn't that a tad presumptuous?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nah," Harry said, sitting beside him on the bed, tilting his body to face him and tucking one leg beneath himself. "Those two are going to go the distance, you can just tell."
"Developing a touch of clairvoyancy are we?"
"I'll gladly put a bet on it," Harry said with a grin. He reached out and took Severus' hand, lacing their fingers together as he said, "It was nice today, wasn't it?"
"Mm," Severus said with a nod, letting his thumb rub gently over the skin of Harry's hand.
"It was so nice to have the house full of people and for it not to be some terrible disaster. I just…I just hope we can have more Christmases like this."
What he meant was, 'I hope we can have more Christmases together, that what we've got has a future, that you'll still want me if we come through all of this alive,' and perhaps the wine he'd been drinking most of the day had emboldened him slightly, as he was thinking of how exactly he could say that without sounding like a pillock.
He'd been thinking about it all day, especially seeing Ron and Draco together and how happy they were. He wanted that for himself, he wanted it with Severus and, to his mind, the best way to achieve that was to tell the man how he felt. He looked down at their entwined hands and swallowed a couple of times, his mouth suddenly dry.
"I um…I wanted to say something to you," he began, continuing to look down, feeling it was the safer option. He didn't want to make his declaration and see the immediate rejection in the man's face, so he kept his eyes downward. "It's been…this thing with you and me, I mean…it's been…well I don't know the word for it but…" He swallowed again, frowning down at his lap, and tried again. "I just…want to say to you, I need to say to you that...fuck…I don't know how to put this. Severus – "
He took a deep breath and finally looked up, steeling himself to get the bloody words out and tell the man once and for all when an ear-piercing alarm rang out through the house, making them both jump. Eyes wide and heart pounding, both of them getting to their feet, Harry said, "What the bloody hell is that?"
Severus' expression was grim, his brow furrowed, as he said, "It's the warning alarm. It means Voldemort's made his final move, that now is the time to attack. I'm afraid it means we're going into battle, Harry, that this is all finally coming to an end."
AN: I let them have a nice Christmas, ok? We're almost into the end-times, folks, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know.