Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, this is merely a work of fanfiction.
A/N: This is a piece I found on my Drive from a while ago, so it is fairly different from my usual writing. AU. OOC. Fem! Harry Potter x Draco Malfoy.
Heather Potter was enjoying a lazy Sunday when she heard a knock on the door of Grimmauld Place.
Who could that be?
Ron and Hermione had taken off yesterday as soon as the public trials ended, taking a much needed vacation to relax and revel in their new relationship.
Most people were spending this time with their loved ones, enjoying the newly restored peace.
Deciding it must be important, Heather made her way to the front door. Kreacher always scolded her for opening it herself, but she just couldn't seem to break the habit.
She waved her wand to unlock the wards, and opened the door to find Draco Malfoy standing on her front step looking serious.
"Malfoy, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Draco had been in hiding for the better part of two years. When he surrendered on the Astronomy Tower during Sixth Year, Dumbledore had handed him a portkey that sent him to the dragon reserve to work with Charlie Weasley.
No one had ever thought to look for him there.
"I wanted to thank you, may I come in?"
"Of course," Heather replied, as she stepped back to allow him in. She ushered him into the sitting room and called Kreacher to fetch a tea tray.
Kreacher had been down right civil since Voldemort was defeated, and he was always ecstatic to serve a pure-blood like Malfoy.
Once they both had a cup of tea in hand, he began again, "Heather, I know you and I have some history, but I wanted to thank you. Your testimony is what saved mother and I from Azkaban."
"Yes well, I wouldn't be here without your mother. She saved my life when she lied to Riddle. You certainly didn't deserve Azkaban either. You took help when it was offered. Besides, if you and Charlie hadn't flown in on those dragons during the battle we would have lost a lot more people. You did your part.
Draco still seemed nervous, and Heather wondered if he still felt guilty for the role he played in Dumbledore's death.
She put down her teacup and moved to sit beside him on the couch.
"Malfoy….Draco...Dumbledore was dying anyway. I don't blame you. No one blames you. You were trying to protect your family. You were a child put in an impossible position by a mass murdering sociopath. No one would make the best choices under those circumstances.
Draco chuckled at that, she was right.
He rolled up his sleeve slowly to show her where the Dark Mark had been. It was faded now. You could barely see a faint white outline of what it once was. There were large flowers tattooed around it. A dragon flew around lower on his forearm, periodically shooting fire from it's snout.
"I couldn't stand looking at it everyday, I had to make it into something else. Charlie gave me the idea. He knew a couple guys on the reserve who could do magical tattoos."
Heather smiled down at his arm.
"It's beautiful, and now I have something to show you."
She stood up, took a few steps back, and began to unbutton the cardigan that she was wearing over her tank top.
Draco's eyes grew wide and Heather giggled, "Don't worry Draco, I'm not stripping for you!"
His face reddened as he averted his eyes to the ground.
She finished unbuttoning her cardigan and shrugged out of it, allowing him to see the artwork that had begun to cover her shoulders and arms the summer she had turned fifteen.
Draco gasped in shock, and then he was standing at her side, turning her arm in his hand, looking at the different angles.
"Bloody hell Potter, when did you get this done?! I didn't even know you liked tattoos!"
"Well Draco, there's probably a lot we don't know about each other. I've always liked tattoos. My godfather- your cousin, by the way- was absolutely covered in them. He allowed me to get my first tattoo the summer I turned fifteen. The rest, well, people are willing to make house-calls when you're the Girl-Who-Lived."
Draco continued to look over her right full sleeve and worked his way across to her left arm, where he spotted her newest piece, "Is this a Narcissus?"
"Well yeah, it's like I said...I wouldn't be here without your mum. Plus, she was always Sirius's favorite cousin. I mean how many people can say they lied to Tom Riddle's face and lived?!"
That was true. People said she was the only one to have ever successfully lied to Voldemort's face.
A small tattoo on the inside of her arm caught his attention.
It couldn't be, could it?!
"Is that?" He asked, trailing his finger lightly over the constellation that he was named for.
Heather took a step back out of his reach, flushing with embarrassment. She didn't think he would notice. It was so small compared to her others.
"Why?" he asked softly.
Heather flushed an even brighter red, and pulled her cardigan back on, hurrying herself with the buttons.
She didn't want to look at him, didn't want to risk seeing disapproval or disgust on his handsome features.
Their years at Hogwarts had been in large part defined by their constant competition and bickering. When he left, she felt his absence in a way that was startling.
She hadn't expected to survive the war, let alone have him standing in her living room inspecting her tattoos. The thought that she might have a chance with him in the future, hadn't occurred to her.
"You've always been…important."
The air hung thick with things unsaid.
Like how for years she had watched him from afar, wishing things could be different. Wishing there was no war, wishing he could be kinder, wishing that Ron could not pick a fight, wishing that she could be enough for him.
But she was a broken girl in the middle of a war, and they were on opposite sides. Until they weren't, but then he was gone and she was hunting horcruxes.
Heather risked a look up at him. He was looking down at her with awe in his eyes.
Draco was dumbfounded. Could Heather Potter actually care for him?
He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about her while in Romania. Her long red hair was the color of dragon fire, and every flame reminded him of her. He hadn't realized just how much she meant to him until he wasn't able to see her and tease her everyday.
His eyes tracked the snitch tattoo that flew around her shoulders, abandoning it's pursuit when it flew underneath the neckline of her tank top.
He snapped his eyes back to hers, a faint blush dusted his cheeks.
"Would you like to go to dinner with me?" He asked bluntly, gesturing towards the door.
Heather liked blunt. It was refreshing.
She smiled shyly, "Sure, just let me get my bag."
Heather's heart raced as she picked up her bag and followed Draco out the door.
This should be interesting.