A/N: Welcome to year 6, do yourself, and me, a favor and prepare yourself for some feels. This chapter itself isn't so bad, but fair warning. They're coming.
Harry grunted as he stretched out on his bed at the Lupercal. He had just awoken after a particularly pleasant dream and after he put his arms back down, he lay there thinking. Sirius had let him sleep in, usually he got Harry up to make breakfast. Sirius tried, but something always went wrong, and the results were only sometimes even edible. He sniffed the air, yes, there was the scent of burnt food in the air. He chuckled but didn't get up. He had a right to laze around today, after all, it was his birthday.
He checked his bracelet for a response from Draco, there was nothing. He figured Draco must have been busy with something for his responses to Harry's messages were fewer and fewer as the summer wore on. He had to admit he was a tad bit hurt he hadn't bothered to wish Harry , but maybe he had sent something, or was going to. It wasn't like Draco to ignore him or forget about him. His old insecurities returned to him for a moment. That Draco would leave him, that he wasn't good enough, that Draco really didn't love him.
Just as he was thinking that he would never hear from him again, his wrist heated, indicating that Draco had just sent a message.
Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your Sweet 16, I wish I could be there with you to help you celebrate. I got you two things, one of which is mostly a gag. If you don't like it, just tell me so I can apologize. You'll see what I mean. I love you.
Harry sighed as he read the longest message Draco had sent him that summer. It did help calm him down, he needed to hear the 'I love you' in particular. His curiosity was piqued over his gift, or gifts. What could Draco have gotten him that he wouldn't like?
Thanks, Babe. I'm intrigued at what you got me. Any hints?
It took a minute for Draco to reply, but he was glad he did.
Absolutely not. You'll just have to wait and see. Probably best if you opened it alone, don't let Sirius see it unless you want to die of embarrassment. Not the best way to go, I've heard.
Harry smiled. He loved Draco's snark, and he was intrigued what Draco could have gotten him that he might not like that would embarrass him if Sirius saw.
To be fair, dying is rarely a good experience.
That is true. What are you going to do today?
I'm sure Sirius has something planned. He's been hinting at something since the beginning of the summer. I think I'm almost scared.
I'm sure you'll be fine. I really do want you to enjoy today, my love. Please, for me?
Wow, Draco Malfoy saying please. This is a special day indeed. Alright, my liege, I will endeavor to enjoy my birthday for you.
Prat. Maybe I should take my gifts back if you're going to be an arse, simple commoner.
My apologies, my liege. Of course, if I'm not going to like one anyway…
I really debated whether to give it to you, I don't want you to think I'm trying to pressure you. Should I just tell you what it is?
Harry considered. No, I'm sure I'll like whatever it is, just because it came from you. I'll even pretend to like it if I don't.
No, I don't want that. I want you to be honest with me, even if it might hurt my feelings. As if I could be hurt by something like that. Tell me the truth when you see it, and we can talk about it then.
Alright, if you're sure. Thank you for getting me anything.
You deserve the world, Harry.
I love you.
I love you too. Go get some breakfast and your presents.
How did you know I haven't gotten out of bed yet?
You love being lazy. It was an educated guess. Message me about your day before you go to bed.
Alright, Baby. There was no response.
He sat up, stretched again, and made his way to the kitchen. Sirius had made a mess of the kitchen, food objects were everywhere, flour on the floor and counters, egg shells littered everywhere, milk spilled on the kitchen table. Sirius himself was at the table, head in his hands, head shaking from side to side slowly. He was staring at a big plate that had burnt pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Across from him was a small pile of presents.
"You could have just waited for me to get up." Harry commented as he got a fork. He knew Sirius would want to clean up, and he could do it quicker with magic. He tried the pancakes and gagged immediately. Sirius had added too much salt again, probably getting it confused with the sugar.
Sirius sighed at Harry quickly trying to mask his disgust. "You don't have to pretend Harry I already tried them. I just didn't want you to have to cook on your birthday."
"I don't mind. It takes practice, I wasn't great when I first started either." Harry said as he set about making some more pancakes. He turned the stove on and started heating oil in the frying pan. "Can you clean this up, please?"
Sirius waved his wand from his seated position and the mess cleaned itself up. What do you know, Aunt Petunia was wrong, messes do clean themselves. Harry snickered at the random thought before carefully measuring out flour. "When did you start cooking, Harry?"
Harry paused before adding the eggs. "I don't remember how young I was. I think since I could stand at the oven." Sirius growled lowly, it was extremely doglike.
"Well, let's not think about that, it's your birthday! How's it feel to be 16?"
"Sort of like it felt yesterday." Harry joked. "This is definitely the best birthday I've ever had though!" Instead of smiling, Sirius grimaced. Harry looked down at the bowl he was mixing milk into, no matter how many jokes he made about the Dursleys, Sirius did not find them funny. He supposed that was fair,
"I'm sure there's a lot of competition." Sirius said dryly. Harry spooned some mixture into the pan then set up pans for eggs and .
"My eleventh wasn't that bad. Hagrid came and told me I was a wizard then took me to Diagon Alley. That's when I met Draco," he added, and he was embarrassed that his voice had turned slightly dreamy. Sirius snorted.
"I bet you enjoyed that. How did you meet, anyway?" Harry grabbed the handle of the frying pan and shook it back and forth to make sure it was slick enough before flipping it. The pancake landed smack in the middle of the pan and Harry smiled. That was his favorite part of cooking pancakes, flipping them without a spatula; it had taken him several times and subsequent punishments to get the hang of it.
"We bumped into each other outside of Gringotts, then again at Madam Malkin's. He told me about the wizarding world and made me get extra outfits because he didn't like what I was wearing." Harry grinned at the stove, remembering their encounter four years previously. They had been through a lot since then.
"Sounds romantic." Sirius commented dryly.
"Maybe not, but he was my first friend. It was worth something to me." Harry said a little defensively.
Sirius held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, Kiddo, I didn't mean anything by it. When did you get together?"
Harry started plating the food, "It was thanks to you actually. The day after you broke into Gryffindor the first time in my third year, Draco realized how much I meant to him and kissed me. So, thanks for that!" He put Sirius's plate in front of him and sat down opposite him. Sirius raised his goblet in a silent toast to Harry.
"This is fantastic. I don't know how you do it. I also don't know how you are ignoring your presents; don't you want to open them?"
"After breakfast," Harry said a little weary of opening up Draco's mystery gift by accident. Sirius asked him about his time at Hogwarts over breakfast, he had been a little obsessed about learning everything he could about Harry. He answered all his questions with as much detail as possible, understanding the need to know what he had missed.
With the dishes done, he had no excuse and pulled the first present closest to him. It was from Sirius and was a collection of dress shirts in varying colors. He also received various other clothes, trainers, jumpers, and accessories, as well as a leather wallet and jacket. Sirius slid the last present closer to him and Harry eyed it wearily. It was a small package, it would probably fit a wrist watch in it. Sirius raised his eyebrow as Harry slowly lifted the top to reveal two pieces of paper.
He tilted his head in confusion. Disney was written at the top, along with small printed words and a castle in the background. They were tickets to Disneyland Paris!
He laughed in disbelief, he had always wanted to go to Disney, the Dursleys had taken Dudley when he was little, leaving him behind with Mrs. Figg. He couldn't believe he was finally going; how did Draco know?
"They're from me, we're leaving tomorrow and staying at a resort for a week! Surprise!" Sirius said when Harry asked and he leaned in for another hug. He was so excited! "I would have taken you today, but I figured you might want to spend your actual birthday with your friends and family." When Harry tilted his head again, Sirius continued. "We're having a party for you in the afternoon. Ron and Hermione should be here soon. Oh, these came for you earlier, I thought you might want to open them in private." He pulled out two additional presents and pushed them towards Harry. They were from Draco, wrapped elegantly as always.
Harry blushed, thanked Sirius again, and brought the presents to his room. He locked the door, not that he thought Sirius would enter without his permission, he just wanted the feeling of security, and set the presents on his bed.
He picked up the larger one first, looking at it from all angles, admiring the pretty silver paper. He took a moment to be grateful that he even had any presents, that he had people that cared enough about him to want to give him something. He opened the sealed note on top of it first and chuckled in surprise. 'For you to go screw yourself' was written in Draco's elegant scrawl.
He placed it down in confusion before opening the package and freezing. He was too stunned to even blush. Inside was a package that advertised a giant purple dildo.
He spent several minutes simply staring at it before heat started to flood his face. He picked the package up gingerly and read the back. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about this.
He now knew why Draco had warned him he might not like it. He definitely didn't not like it, but he wasn't sure he liked it either. He picked up the note that had more of Draco's words written on it.
Happy Birthday!
I debated giving you this gift for a long time. It doesn't have to mean anything. I don't want you to think that this is an indication I want anything from you. I just saw it and thought it would be funny. If this does make you uncomfortable, I hope you'll tell me, and I can take it back until, if, you ever want it back. Just remember that I did this out of love, because I love you more than anything. Have a wonderful day, Sweetheart.
Your Draco
Harry stared at the note, a little overwhelmed. Now he knew Draco's reasoning, he was touched. He wasn't sure he wanted to use it quite yet, it still felt a little dirty, but he definitely appreciated Draco's gift. He was filled with warm admiration for him and held the dragon pendant against his chest.
After a moment of feeling the happiness he had, he moved on to Draco's other gift. He opened it just as reverently as his other gift. It was a cloak, dark black with silver fastenings, and were those diamonds? They had to be . The material was soft and smooth, silky. Harry wrapped it around himself, admiring the way it flowed down his body in the mirror. Said mirror whistled at him as he came closer, and Harry blushed.
Sirius's voice came through the door, muffled by distance and wood. He opened the door and called out, "What?"
"Ron and Hermione are here!" Sirius repeated from the living room downstairs. Harry hastily hid his presents and ran out to meet them.
They all shouted their joy when they saw each other, wrapped up in a group hug. They began speaking over each other, talking quickly, as only the best of friends can do. Sirius edged around them, heading for the kitchen to give them some privacy.
They sat on the comfy couches in the living room and caught each other up on their summers. A few hours later, people started arriving for the party. The Weasley parents and Ginny were first, arriving by apparition, and Harry showed them to the back garden where Sirius had set up the decorations for the party. Harry loved this back yard. Sirius had chosen a secluded little house, with two bedrooms, three baths, it was smaller than any house Harry had ever been in, but Sirius said that after Grimmauld Place, he preferred the compact model. Harry could respect that.
As small as the house was, there was acres of land at their disposal. Harry had spent many days exploring the property on his broom and he still hadn't seen everything. The expanse was wild, trees growing randomly, wild flowers popping up every few meters, nothing was manicured at all. It was as opposite of the Dursley's house as it was possible to be. Harry wasn't entirely sure why Sirius had dubbed it 'The Lupercal,' but he kept forgetting to ask what it meant.
Bill and Fleur came by together and announced to Harry they were engaged. They both thanked him for introducing them, and Fleur gave him a hug and kiss to the cheek. He caught Ginny glaring, but wasn't sure what her problem was. When he asked, she gave him a spiel about how much she hated Fleur. Harry figured that was a bit unfair, Fleur wasn't at all bad.
Various members of the Order arrived, and Sirius muttered that he couldn't invite all of Harry's friends due to security reasons with the wards, so there were people there Harry didn't know. He was introduced to all of them by the end of the party. Remus gave him some books on defense, Harry couldn't wait to read them.
He saw Tonks sitting by herself, hair a mousy brown, nursing her drink and staring off into the distance and went to join her. "Wotcher, Harry." She said without any of her usual energy. They talked for a little while, Harry gently probing what was wrong, but all he got out of her was a vague statement of not always getting what you want. She left soon after that.
Fred and George set off a firework display once it got dark that ended in a moving portrait of Harry's face. They had given him a variety of WWW supplies that Harry was hesitant to even touch.
The party lasted well into the night, especially
It was with exhaustion that Harry finally laid down on his bed, remembering that Sirius had warned him they would be getting up early for their trip the next morning.
I liked my presents. He told his bracelet. It was really sweet and thoughtful of you to get that for me, the cloak is incredible. I have to find a high-class event to wear it to. I can't wait to see you. There was no response. Harry sighed and tried to get to sleep.
His bracelet glowed and his eyes snapped open. I'm so glad. I was really worried you'd be upset. It would be fitting for how things are going.
What's going on? Harry asked, suddenly worried. He had gotten the feeling something was wrong, but Draco had denied it every time.
I'll tell you all about it when I can. It's a bit much to talk about over a bracelet, but don't worry, it's nothing I won't be able to handle.
Alright. Harry responded cautiously. If you're sure. Tell me if there's something I can help you with.
There was silence, then, I love you so much. Get some sleep, Sweetheart. I'll see you soon.
Ok. Good night Draco. Sweet dreams, and I love you, too. Happy anniversary, he added. He waited for a moment.
Happy Anniversary, I'm so glad I decided to talk to the sweet little boy with the bright green eyes and wild, dark hair. Sweet dreams.
Harry went to sleep with a smile on his face.
The next week was among the best week of his life. He and Sirius took a portkey to Paris then apparated to their resort. It definitely was a resort, not a hotel. They spent the next week eating expensive meals, riding every ride, and generally having a blast. Sirius was a lot of fun, which Harry knew beforehand, but he seemed to come alive when they were playing at the park.
It was with much reluctance that they finally took a portkey back home, but it was nice in a way to be in a familiar place again. Sirius had to go to work as an auror for most of the day, so Harry spent his either watching the telly, reading, or flying. His days passed like that until school letters came and it was time to go to Diagon Alley.
Sirius took Harry to a very classy restaurant to celebrate his scores on the O.W.L.'s, which were better than Harry had expected. He wore a suit and his new cloak Draco had given him. He thought he caught sight of Draco, but it turned out to be someone with a similarly blonde head. He guessed he was missing him a lot more than he thought.
Sirius had to work when Ron and Hermione were going to Diagon Alley, so Harry tagged along with the Weasleys. They split up to do their shopping, so Harry was just with Ron and Hermione when they entered Madam Malkin's. Harry felt a thrill travel up his spine, Draco was standing on a stool, directing a small army of seamstresses. Harry felt his affection for him increase as he watched Draco direct one girl who was practically in tears.
"Ugh, Malfoy," Ron sneered. "Let's come back."
"No, I'm sure he's almost done. I'm going to look around a bit." He collected a couple things to try on and headed towards a dressing room. Draco was just finishing up and caught his eye. He grabbed a pair of trousers and headed towards the dressing rooms as well.
"Just bring them to the register and hold them for me, it's not that hard." Harry heard him call. Harry looked to Ron and Hermione, who appeared to be arguing near the dress robes section. Just as Draco walked up to him, Harry pushed him into the small room and ducked in behind him.
Draco turned, and they attacked each other. Their teeth clanked together as their lips and tongues fought in battle. "Harry," Draco moaned as he pulled his fingers through Harry's dark locks. "I, mmhm, missed you, oh, so much. I can't believe, yes, we ran into each other, here." He spoke between kisses before Harry moved to his neck. He moaned lowly, conscious of the fact they weren't really alone.
Ron and Hermione weren't going to argue forever. He pushed Draco to the back wall, wanting to feel every inch of him. "Look, sweetheart. We look good."
Harry looked to his right and saw themselves in the mirror hanging on the false wall. They did indeed look very good pressed up against each other. He whispered into Draco's ear, "You like seeing how hot we are, don't you?" He bit the ear lightly and Draco let out a quiet but high-pitched whine.
His heart was hammering in his ears, Draco's arms were around him, his tongue down his throat. He pulled back, unable to resist a couple quick pecks. He settled his hands on Draco's hips, Draco's hands coming down to cup the back of his head. They were finally the same height and their foreheads rested against each other perfectly.
"How are you doing? Anything you want to talk about?" Harry whispered to Draco's lips.
Draco chuckled. "I'm snogging my gorgeous boyfriend, or trying to at least. How do you think I'm doing?" He leaned forward to kiss Harry and pulled him closer to his body. Harry moaned as he got lost in the kiss.
"Harry, are you in there?" They both froze as a knock came on the flimsy dressing room door. It was Hermione.
"Yeah!" Harry called out, trying to make his voice even.
"Malfoy left, we're getting fitted. Are you almost done?"
"Yeah, almost." Harry said. Draco winced. "Just a couple more things to try on." He added with a wink to Draco before he leaned forward to smack their lips together. They were very conscious to not make too much noise.
A couple minutes later, much sooner than either wanted, they parted, panting lightly. Harry moved his hands to cup Draco's face. "I can't wait until we're back at Hogwarts and we can do this whenever we want."
Draco hummed. "I can't either, of course, we don't get to do this whenever we want. We do have homework and studying, and your nosy friends."
"Details. How's your mum-mother?" Draco gasped and jumped, hand going to his arm. Harry stared. "What was that?"
"Mother is in good health. And I had a muscle spasm. Nothing to worry about, just haven't had enough potassium lately. We should probably get out there, want to go first?" There was nothing particularly wrong with what he said, nothing suspicious, he said it evenly, met Harry's eyes, but Harry had the distinct feeling he was being lied to.
"Sure," he said carefully. "I'll knock on the door if the coast is clear. Come out crouching. Wait, you're sure everything is ok, Baby?" He blocked Draco's exit when he tried to move.
Draco looked at him, meeting his eyes, "Everything's fine." He said. Harry looked, but couldn't find the lie he expected to find. He could tell there was something wrong, but if Draco really didn't want to talk about whatever it was, he could respect that. Somewhat. "Except for that stupid name you insist on calling me." Draco continued. Harry rolled his eyes.
"You love it, we both know it. I love you."
"I love you too, despite your horrid naming abilities." Harry leaned forward to give Draco another long, lingering kiss.
The coast was clear, Harry knocked on the door and went out to find his friends. Draco bought quite a lot of clothing, and he was still around as they finished up. Draco had exchanged words with them in his arsey way. Harry was just a couple steps behind him and had a sudden strange urge.
"Get under the cloak," Harry said, pulling it out and ducking under himself.
"Harry, what are we doing?" Hermione asked as they moved forward together.
"Something's wrong." Harry said, knowing that his gut instinct had been right. Draco turned down the walkway for Knockturn Alley, and Ron and Hermione caught on to what was going on. They followed Draco until he got to Borgin and Burkes, where they heard him buy something, but not what.
Harry couldn't believe how disappointed he was. Draco hadn't really done anything wrong, even if this was a dark store, but he behaved rather scarily. Harry couldn't believe he had the dark mark, he wouldn't believe it. Draco wasn't a Death Eater. Harry just had a very strange feeling, a feeling deep within his gut, that Draco was in some kind of trouble.
The feeling didn't go away. Ron and Hermione didn't find anything unusual about Draco. No one did. Sirius listened to him, but all he said was that Harry needed to trust his partner. It made Harry feel guilty enough that he backed off.
The rest of summer passed pretty quickly, and before he knew it, he was boarding the Hogwarts Express.
"Have a good year, Pup. Let me know about Christmas." Sirius pulled him into a hug. Harry held on tightly before letting go. The summer had been the best he'd ever had, undoubtedly. He said goodbye to the Weasleys as well before boarding.
He sat in a compartment with Ginny, Neville and Luna as Ron and Hermione had taken off for the Prefect's Cabin. They had a great time catching up, and received several visitors, not Draco, however.
Mandy came in after Ron and Hermione made it back. She sat next to Luna to talk for a while, but she turned to Harry as if she had just remembered something. She was looking a lot better than she had the previous year, but she wasn't the bubbly, bright person she had been at the Yule Ball, arm-in-arm with Sal.
"I was wondering if you wanted to join a club, Harry." She said. "Sally and I talked about starting up a union our fourth year, but it fell through, what with her leaving and all. Luna and I were talking about it over the summer, and we got permission from Dumbledore. Said it was a marvelous idea."
"Why do you just want Harry to join?" Ron interrupted, and Harry was disheartened to see he was jealous.
"Because it's a club for students who are LGBTQ. We're not going to refuse membership if you're straight, but I figured that didn't apply to you, plus I don't really know you that well."
Ron turned red. Hermione's eyes widened. "Why do you want Harry to join then?" Ginny asked, a strange look on her face.
Mandy looked stricken, turning to look at Harry with wide eyes, scared. It took Harry a moment to realize what she was so scared of. She thought she had just outed him. He smiled at her then turned to the rest of the compartment.
"Because I'm bisexual." He said, proudly and with no hint of nervousness. He was tired of keeping secrets, not that that had truly been a secret he was hopeful wouldn't come out, like he was with his Draco secret. It just wasn't something he thought about.
Ron's jaw dropped, Hermione looked triumphant, Ginny gasped and turned an interesting shade of red, Neville blinked, and Mandy and Luna smiled at him. Not a bad collective reaction.
"I knew it!" Hermione burst out. Harry chuckled at her. Always the know-it-all, and he said that lovingly.
"Why didn't you tell us, mate?" Ron asked, he looked a little angry and hurt. Harry sighed.
"It never really came up. It's kind of a personal thing, I don't just go blurting it out whenever I meet people. I didn't exactly hide it either, just no one ever asked."
Hermione looked thoughtful. Ron and Ginny started to lose their blush, Harry wondered why Ginny was upset.
"Of course, I'll join." Harry said to Luna and Mandy. "Do you know when the first meeting is going to be?"
"Not yet, I'll let you know." Harry smiled and nodded.
"How long have you known, Harry?" Ginny asked, apparently still on his sexuality.
"A long time. I had a crush on boys and girls at my grade school, so it wasn't that hard to figure out once I realized there was a reason for it."
"Did you have a crush on me?" Ron asked, looking both horrified and curious at the prospect.
Harry recoiled. "No offense, mate, but gross." Everyone started laughing at the look on Ron's face.
"Why do you call her Sally if she wanted to go by Sal?" Harry asked Mandy, he had been curious about that since the Ball.
"Oh, I was the only one that was allowed to call her that." Mandy smiled sadly.
Luna reached over and took her hand, giving her a smile full of hope and sympathy. They interlocked their fingers. Harry grinned.
"Thanks for introducing us, by the way." Mandy indicated their joined hands.
"You're welcome," Harry said, meaning it.
"You're quite the matchmaker, Harry." Hermione commented.
Harry blushed and waved her off. "It's only been two couples, I don't think that counts."
Mandy took Luna off to her compartment, and their next visitor was Dean Thomas. "Ginny." He said, and there was a note of anger in the tone.
"What?" She asked, not getting up from her seat, nor offering him one.
"You said you were going to come see me? What happened to that?" More anger bled through his voice.
"Oi," Ron interrupted, "don't talk to my sister like that!" Harry could feel protective instincts rising in him as well, and he was surprised at them; he glared at Dean, too.
Dean appeared startled at the combined reactions, took a deep breath, and looked apologetically at Ginny. "I'm sorry, can I please speak with you in the corridor?" His tone was much friendlier, and Harry mentally nodded at it, satisfied. He was still surprised that he was feeling protective of Ginny, but then she was Ron's little sister, which made her family.
Ginny nodded, and they left together, not coming back.
Eventually it was time to go to Slughorn's cabin for his strange Slug Club meeting. Harry had met the strange Professor when Dumbledore had asked for Harry's help with an errand that turned out to be convincing the Professor to return to Hogwarts.
Harry was still reeling from the meeting when he saw Blaise Zabini, who Harry had recognized as one of Draco's friends, enter a compartment that had Draco in it. He made a snap decision that he later regretted and followed Zabini under his invisibility cloak. Draco's eyes had focused on where Harry's trainer may have briefly shown when he jumped to the luggage rack, then narrowed suspiciously.
As the occupants of the train calmed down, Draco leaned back against Pansy, settling his head in her lap at her insistent pull, triumphant expression on her face. Harry was shocked and enraged by the show and caught sight of a butterbeer on the window ledge. With a quick spell, the butterbeer exploded, aimed right at Pansy.
She shrieked, and pushed Draco off her as she stood, jumping up and down. Draco landed on a heap on the floor, surprised and angry. "What the hell is going on?" Zabini shouted as he wiped some liquid off his cheek.
"I don't know, but I'm going to go get this stickiness off me," Pansy said, haughtily.
"Why don't you just use a cleaning charm?" Zabini asked.
"You know as well as I do, they're not good enough for anything... sticky." She leered at him. Zabini smirked as Pansy swayed her way out of the cabin.
Draco recovered his seat, his eyes traveling up to the luggage rack. Harry winced, they were both in trouble with the other now.
The conversation he listened in on was certainly interesting. Draco said he may not come back next year, and Harry wondered what he was talking about. Was that a plan to avoid his Father's influence? If so, why was he talking about it in front of his Slytherin friends? And why was he implying that he was a Death Eater? That was the second time he had heard Draco imply that. He felt cold fear grip his heart. He still couldn't believe it was true, maybe it was a power play Draco was working, or something he had to play along with. Whatever was going on, he had made a mistake coming in here. He should just trust Draco and not try to spy on him, what he was doing was despicable.
The train rolled along, and soon it was time to change into their uniforms and depart the train.
"I'll be along in a minute, I just have to check something," Draco said to the others. He pulled the curtains down and opened his trunk and Harry sighed, getting ready to tell Draco he was there. Just as he was opening his mouth, leaning over the ledge, Draco shot up, shooting a spell in Harry's general direction.
Harry felt his body snap into a board as he fell over, landing heavily on the ground. Draco grabbed the invisibility cloak off him, and hissed, "Harry! What the hell are you doing here? Were you spying on me?"
Harry stared blankly up at him, unable to move. His nose had broken from the fall. Draco said the counter spell and Harry groaned, pulling a hand up to his nose. "Why did you do that if you knew it was me?"
"I didn't know it was you. I figured it was Weasel, I didn't think my bloody boyfriend would sneak into my cabin to spy on me!" At Draco's words, Harry felt shame flow through him.
"I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, I just wanted to see you. It was a huge risk and I shouldn't have done it." He looked down at the floor. He really was an idiot.
Draco sighed and slid to the floor next to him. "We usually go to the loos to see each other."
"Draco, why did you tell them that you are a Death Eater? There's no reason to, is there?"
Draco gave him a hardened look. "Everyone knows about my Father now, I have a part to play or people will begin questioning me, asking things I shouldn't answer. Besides, fear and intimidation go a long way with Slytherins. There's nothing to worry about." There was nothing to give him away, but Harry couldn't help but feel as if he was being lied to again.
"What about Parkinson? She was looking pretty cozy." He couldn't keep the note of jealousy out of his voice.
"Pansy? You're jealous of her? You do remember I'm gay right?" Harry didn't smile with Draco.
"She can caress your hair whenever she wants, apparently." His voice hardened further, and Draco frowned.
"I like having my hair stroked. She's about as close to a friend as I have. I know she wants more but she's not going to get it from me, and I've made that clear to her. You are my one and only, sweetheart. I would never betray you like that." Harry sniffed, wishing he wasn't tearing up. It was just the pain from his broken nose. Draco lifted one finger and placed it under his chin, pulling him towards him to meet his eyes. "I love you, you creepy sneak. How's your nose? Is it broken?"
Harry snorted then leaned forward to kiss him. "I love you too, you abusive weirdo." Draco smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "It's fine, I'll go to Pomphrey and get it fixed after the feast."
"We need to leave. I think the train's going to start moving any minute." They both jumped up.
"Just in case, you go first, I'll follow in a minute." Draco nodded and gave him a quick kiss.
"See you after the Feast? Think you can get away?" Harry nodded, and Draco disappeared out the door. Harry waited a minute and exited as well. The train was empty, but Harry realized he had to double check and make sure someone had gotten his trunk. They had, but the train started moving as he left the compartment.
"Harry!" A voice called out from further down the train. It was Tonks, standing near the exit, waving him over. They both jumped and rolled as the train left. Tonks was sporting the short brown hair that she had at Harry's party and was rather depressed. Harry tried to get her to talk, but she wasn't very forthcoming. She did heal his nose, however.
The second Harry walked into the room, he was accosted. Draco pushed him hard up against the door and devoured his mouth. He had apparently been forgiven for spying earlier. Harry attacked Draco's lips just as ferociously. Draco dug his leg in between Harry's, and moaned loudly.
"Want you so bad," he groaned out. He kissed a line down Harry's neck.
Harry used the opportunity to sigh happily, he had missed this. "I missed you, baby. I want you, too."
They made their way to the couch. They had randomized the room just in case the elves came to clean, but some quick spell work had everything in its right place. Draco held Harry's hand as he led him over to the pillow, cushion, and blanket pit. He pushed Harry down, who sat up, leaning back on his elbows as Draco sensuously climbed over him. He was incredibly hot, he could feel heat, and the primal look in Draco's eyes almost scared him. He liked it.
Draco straddled him, looking him in the eyes as their foreheads touched, before Draco placed a tiny but passionate kiss on his lips. Then they ran lower as Draco slowly unbuttoned Harry's shirt. Harry tilted his head back and moaned lowly, he didn't mind Draco taking control. When his shirt was undone, Draco pulled it off him and started sucking the skin above his heart.
Harry grunted and lightly pushed, hoping Draco would move lower, but Draco made a noise of protest and Harry stopped. A minute later, Draco disconnected with a sucking sound. "I wanted to give you something to remember tonight by," Harry looked down and saw a small hickey in the shape of a heart on his pec. It was pretty cute. "I want you to feel it tomorrow and remember what I did to you."
Harry swooned and practically ripped Draco's shirt off and disconnected his lips to attach them to Draco's chest. He started sucking the same pattern Draco had, leaving behind a small heart. Draco moaned at the sight of it and put his hand over Harry's. Harry put his hand over Draco's. They kissed again, this time sweeter and softer.
They continued kissing for a long time, feeling the joy of being close together. "I like that you're marked as mine." Draco whispered as he kissed the hickey.
"I am yours." Harry reminded him. Draco whined slightly and buried his head in Harry's neck. They enjoyed the quiet for a while before Harry asked, "How was your summer?" He received no response. He shuffled a little and saw that Draco's eyes were closed, mouth opened. Harry kissed his forehead and settled in to hold Draco for a couple hours. As curfew got closer and closer, he put off waking Draco, he looked so tired. Eventually, he did awaken him, and Draco yawned, looking adorable.
"Sorry," Draco said, and pointed to Harry's neck. "I think I got a little over zealous."
There was a rather large hickey above where his collar would be. "It's alright," he said lowly. "Do you mind getting it? You're better at glamour charms."
"You don't want to just heal it?" Draco asked, getting his wand out.
"No," Harry said, grinning. "Charm it so I can still see it." With a wave of his wand, the hickey was vanished from other eyes. "Thanks."
"You kinky bastard." Draco grinned. "I love it. I wanted to see it too." They smiled at each other before linking hands, and he escorted him to his common room before returning to his own empty common room.
The first week back was eventful. In Potions, which was taught by Professor Slughorn, who had been the professor Harry had helped convince to come back to Hogwarts a couple of days before his birthday, he received a book with helpful tips. He followed them, and he ended up winning a vial of Felix Felicis Liquid Luck potion. He wasn't sure what he would do with it, but he knew it would come in handy with the war coming. He had smiled when he smelled Draco's scent in the Amortentia potion. Not that he had told anyone that.
In Defense, which was now taught by Snape, he earned himself a detention for retaliating when Snape tried to jinx him, then telling him it wasn't necessary to call him, Harry, 'sir.' Harry became legend for that.
The LGBTQ club Mandy had started had its first meeting on a Saturday in an unused classroom in the Charms corridor. Harry was surprised at how many familiar faces he saw, and there were more people than he was expecting. The room had been fitted with comfortable couches and armchairs, there were even a couple beanbag chairs. They were positioned in a circle, at the middle was a table loaded with assortments of bottled beverages and finger foods. Harry took a seat next to Luna on a long sofa and asked how many more people were coming.
"I'm not sure," Luna said in her airy voice. "We put up flyers in all the common room and spread the word through friends. I must admit, when people heard that you were coming, I think it sparked more interest." Harry grumbled at that. "I mean that there were people I talked to that were afraid to come, but when they heard that you had come out, they came back and said they wanted to. I think they felt safer, knowing someone like you being out makes it ok for them to come out too."
Harry pondered that. He still wasn't very keen on the idea of people doing things just because he did them. People would do what they wanted, however, and it wasn't his place to dictate what they did.
He talked to Mandy and Luna for a while about their relationship, they had started dating very lightly the end of the previous year. "I really miss Sally," Mandy told Harry, "but she can't be with me, and our lives have taken different turns. I'm not happy about that, but Luna has been a godsend. I feel happy again because she is in my life. I think I deserve that."
"You do," Luna told her with a kiss to the cheek. Harry was a little surprised Mandy had said all that in front of Luna, it would have hurt his feelings to have someone say that while he was dating them, but Luna didn't have a jealous bone in her body.
"You make a good couple," he told them honestly. They both smiled.
"Yes, you do," said a voice very close to Harry. Ginny had joined them on his left on the sofa, and they were a bit squished together. Harry scooted closer to Luna to give her more room.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her, curious.
"Harry!" Mandy slapped his knee lightly, "this group is open to everyone."
"I didn't mean it like that, I was just curious, I'm sorry." He apologized to everyone.
"It's alright," Ginny said, smiling widely at Harry. "I don't mind answering. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I think I'm bisexual, too, and I wanted to join, I thought it might help me know for sure."
"Well, first off, congratulations on your discovery. Second of all, welcome," Mandy said, reaching her hand over to shake. "I had hoped this club would help students come to terms with their sexualities, and it's doing so already! We should be getting started in just a couple minutes, we're just waiting on a couple more people."
Harry looked around the room, taking stock of the people he knew and a couple of the ones he didn't. Terry Boot was a friend from Ravenclaw, he had no idea he would be here. He recognized a couple seventh and fifth years but wasn't sure of their names. There were four fourth years, one from each house. Two third years were holding hands, three second years, and a lone first year that was looking around with wonderment and fear, eyeing the other members with trepidation and trying as hard as possible to blend into his surroundings.
Mandy noticed him the same time Harry did and left her seat to go talk to him. Harry was a bit relieved, he wasn't that great at feelings and comforting the younger years. He calmed down as soon as Mandy started talking to him.
One more fourth year came in, then several Slytherins came in at once and Harry was shocked to see the boy in the middle of the group.
"What are you doing here?" They said in heated union. They had the room's attention as Harry stood to confront Draco.
He could see the slight panic in Draco's eyes. How were they going to play this? They were both so shocked they hadn't put on their hatred masks yet.
Before either could decide, Mandy was standing between them, a hand held up towards either of them. "You're both here because you wanted to join an organization where you can be yourself without any fear or judgement. This is a safe zone, and I won't tolerate intolerance. If you two can't behave and at least ignore each other, I'll ask both of you to leave. Do I make myself clear?" The hard twist to her face was unexpected on her, and scarier in effect.
They looked to each other, and Harry could see the gears turning in Draco's head just as they were in his own. If they played this off, just right, they would have a chance to be in each other's presence, still keep their secret, and be nice to each other. Was karma paying them back a bit?
Harry could see the amusement dancing in Draco's eyes and he agreed. They could do this.
"Fine." Draco snapped, almost politely.
"Alright," Harry said, bitingly.
Mandy sighed but accepted it. "Everyone please take your seats, so I can begin the first meeting of our LGBTQ club. The first order of business is welcoming you and explaining what I want from this club. The second order of business is choosing a name, then we will go around introducing ourselves and talking. Now, firstly," Mandy cut herself off with a gasp that had been repeated a couple times.
Harry looked towards the door, which had just opened. Harry tilted his head. What was Dumbledore doing there?
Dumbledore smiled at each of them in turn, eyes twinkling, before he came further into the room. He pulled out his wand to conjure an armchair and sat lightly, taking them all in.
"My apologies for being late. Please, do, go on." He waved his wand and an elegant chair materialized. He sat upon it delicately.
"Professor Dumbledore! I'm sorry, what are you doing here? Did you change your mind about the room?" Mandy blushed profusely and stammered.
"Not at all. I thought your club was such an excellent idea that I wanted to witness it. In my time, I have seen members of the LGB and T increase in acceptability. When I was a child, it was discouraged to, as you might say, 'come out of the closet.' One who was gay did not have the same job prospects, invitation to social standing, and were generally treated poorly. I even had trouble gathering the courage to 'come out,' and I had plenty of prestige by that point." Several jaws dropped in the room, Dumbledore smiled at all of them, taking a look around before continuing. "I think that creating a place where you can be yourselves shows remarkable courage, strength, and pride. I would be honored if I could be a part of it." He laid his clasped hands on his lap, looking around at all of them as if expecting an answer.
"Well, welcome, Professor Dumbledore, sir." Mandy tried to get a hold of herself. "That is exactly what we are trying to do here, create a safe place where we can be ourselves, without fear of prejudice from outside forces. Hatred is a very strong power and force. It can lead to absolute devastation. But the way you fight hate is by an even stronger force: love. Love forgives, and trusts, and heals. Without it we would be nothing, and with it, we are united and strong." She received a wave of applause for that and she looked down and blushed.
Dumbledore wiped the corner of his eye, "Truer words have never been spoken, my dear." Mandy turned an even darker shade of red. Harry saw Blaise Zabini elbow Draco and roll his eyes, but Draco only nodded, not looking at him. Harry stared a little closer, Draco was looking to his knees but glancing up at Dumbledore every few seconds. He could tell from across the circle that his breathing had picked up, and he was rubbing his thighs as his he was nervous, and his palms got sweaty. What was going on with him?
"To get into more specific points, for now, I just thought it would be nice to have a place where you could talk about your week with people who understand a little about you. I don't mean to say that we are all defined by our sexualities, but it is good to know you have someone's understanding. There are homophobic people in these very corridors," she threw an apologetic look at Dumbledore, "that would wish us unhappiness, just for acting on who we are. I think that that is unacceptable. Eventually, we may try to organize protests, petitions, a movement. I think for now, being able to talk to people is a good start." There was some applause again, and Mandy moved on.
"The next order of business is a name change. I don't know about you guys but, 'that LGBTQ club' doesn't roll off the tongue. I'm open to suggestions. Anyone?"
They all thought for a couple moments. "What about something to do with rainbows?" One of the fourth years suggested.
"That's gay."
"That's the point."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It's a symbol in the muggle world for gay pride."
"I rather like that, Pride…something."
"Power to Pride?"
"That sounds like more of a movement than a club."
"I like it."
"Of course, you do."
They argued about it for several long minutes, Harry was a bit surprised that Dumbledore didn't interfere, merely watching them with a smile. "Do you have any suggestions, sir?" He asked him, quietly, but it apparently carried as it calmed everyone else to hear Dumbledore.
"I think all of your suggestion's have merit. I do quite like the idea of… Hope's Army. I thought the name up several years ago and never got the chance to use it."
"Hope's Army." Mandy repeated. "I like that."
Murmurs of agreement were heard around the room, Harry nodding in agreement.
"Well, I think that is one thing passed. To make it official, all in favor?" Every hand in the room rose, and Mandy smiled, it was very happy, and Harry caught a glimpse of her previous self. "Excellent. This club is hereby renamed Hope's Army." They all applauded, and Mandy took her seat. "Next, I thought we could go around the circle, introduce yourself, if you feel comfortable with it you can talk about your sexuality, if you've had trouble with it, maybe any prejudice, against you, or something general about yourself, why you're here. I'll start." She took a deep breath.
"Hi, my name is Mandy Brocklehurst. I'm a lesbian. I've known since I was seven-years-old and told my older cousin I thought his girlfriend was pretty. He called me a lesbian as a joke, but I didn't know what it meant, so he explained, and I thought, huh I guess that fits. I had a girlfriend, two years ago, Sally-Anne, I think most of you at least know of her. She didn't come back last year because her parents have a problem with her being gay, so they sent her to a camp that is supposed to help her change to be straight." She bit her lip and looked down. Luna rubbed her back. "We faced a lot of homophobia when we came out, McGonagall wouldn't let us go to the Yule Ball together. I know it wasn't her fault, but it felt like we were wrong when all we were doing was being ourselves. We got called names, people made fun of us, it made life a lot harder. But with Sally, everything was worth it, and easier because I had her. That's one reason I wanted to start this club, things are easier with friends."
She got some smiles at that. She gestured to Luna to continue, and Harry jolted at realizing he would have to be next. He wasn't sure what to say.
"Hello, everyone, my name is Luna Lovegood." Luna said, a couple of the fifth years rolled their eyes and several Slytherins snickered lowly, Harry and Mandy both glared, but Luna went on as if she hadn't heard them. "I'm afraid I'm rather used to people making fun of me, though I don't think anyone knows I'm pansexual, so I haven't been teased about that. My shoes and belongings go missing sometimes, but that's the work of the nargles. It doesn't bother me. I think things only hurt you if you let them." With that, she kicked her legs rhythmically, apparently done.
Harry startled at having to talk next. "Er, hi. I'm Harry Potter." Pretty much everyone snickered, and Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, get it all out. Er, I had crushes on boys and girls in grade school, so I knew something was up, but no one else seemed to feel the way I did, until my Uncle told me that people who liked the same gender were wrong. I didn't believe him, but it made me keep quiet about it. Then I realized it really was ok and my Uncle was just a homophobic, intolerant prick. Er, sorry, Professor." Dumbledore shook his head, chuckling.
"It rather sounds like he was."
"Right," Harry said over laughter. "Anyway, bisexual and proud." Draco smiled at him slightly from across the circle, it was the first time he had. Harry smiled, taking a sip from a pumpkin juice to hide it. That hadn't been as hard as he thought.
Ginny had been watching Harry intently and looked startled when he turned to her expectantly. "Oh, yes, I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley. I suppose it was mostly the same with me. I had a very big crush on this boy for most of my childhood, I guess it overmarked everything else." She blushed for the first time in a long time, and Harry was reminded of who that boy was. He was so glad she was over him. "But there was a girl, too. A really special girl, and I think I overlooked her because I was so focused on other things. I didn't realize what that meant until very recently. So, I think that makes me bi." She was looking at her knees and had a strange, contemplative look in her eyes.
There was silence for a minute before the fourth year Hufflepuff went. Harry was particularly interested in hearing Dumbledore's story.
He repositioned before speaking. "I would first like to commend you all for your courage, again. It is no easy task, as I know better than anyone. I was born into a time when it was particularly discouraged to be open about homosexuality. I'm a rather private person when it comes to personal matters, so I hope you'll indulge me in my ambiguous biography. If anyone asked, I wouldn't have lied about being gay, but it was more than assumed, it was disbelieved in the opposed. No one wanted to be gay because it meant the end of a lineage. I think most who felt that way never said a word. Over the course of my life, it has become much less accepted before reaching a pinnacle and becoming more accepted again.
"I had a very brief relationship with one of the most incredible man I've ever met, and I fear he may have been my soulmate. No one has ever come close to meaning what he meant to me. However, love does not always work out. Forces opposed us and pulled us apart. It is a rather sad story I shall not bore you with, but if I can extract the lesson, it would be that love has many forms, but the love you have for yourself should come first. Not selfishly, simply realistically. You cannot sacrifice yourself or your ideals for anyone, lest you yourself be lost."
Whoa, Harry thought, and he figured it was repeated in the minds of others around him. Dumbledore had been very vague, hinting at things Harry could only fathom, but it touched on how long Dumbledore had actually lived. Harry was left with more curiosity than answers. He burned to ask Dumbledore about his life, but he had explicitly said he valued his privacy, so Harry squashed his curiosity, about that at least.
Draco now looked positively sick, he was leaning over his crossed arms and ever so slightly rocking himself. Harry wanted nothing more than to go over to him, comfort him, maybe take him to the hospital wing.
The next person, who looked terrified at the prospect of going after Dumbledore, was the first year. He started shaking slightly, but said clearly, "I'm Jamie Henderson. I think my situation is a little different. I'm a girl, trapped in a boy's body." Harry was surprised. He didn't know very much about trans people, had never knowingly met someone like that before, but he was curious to know more. "I like boys, but since I'm a girl, that would make me straight, so I don't know if that means I shouldn't be here."
"This club is for LGB and T, Jamie." Mandy said kindly. "You belong here just as much as anyone."
Jamie nodded, blushing a bit, but she was apparently done for now. The next couple students went ahead and talked briefly, but Harry was watching Draco too intensely to really pay attention. Finally, Blaise nudged Draco and he jumped up, looking around wildly. Harry sat back so no one would see him and gave him a comforting smile and encouraging nod.
Draco sighed, then started. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and I'm gay. I've known my entire life that I was different. My Father has tried to set me up with countless marriage contracts, but I was never interested in any of the young ladies he introduced me to. I fear what he will do when he finds out, if I don't marry and produce an heir it would be the end of his line. That, I don't need to say, would be blasphemous, so I must ask that no one say anything." He met Harry's eyes, who gave him a sympathetic look and rubbed his chest, briefly stopping with his hand over his heart. His hickey was still there, and it had worked as Draco intended.
Instead of looking reassured, Draco looked sicker. "Excuse me, I need a moment." There were soft, sympathetic murmurs saying they wouldn't tell anyone as Draco left the room. Harry wanted to jump up after him, but at the door, Draco turned back and shook his head. He took that to mean don't follow me.
"That brings up an excellent point. We should have done this earlier, but I thought it went without saying. I think we should all swear not to say anything that goes on in this room with nonmembers. We'll continue for now and do that when Draco gets back." Draco didn't come back, however.
Harry surreptitiously typed into his bracelet, Are you ok? Draco didn't respond for several minutes.
Yes, I'm fine. Won't be coming back though. I'll see you tomorrow?
The meeting concluded once they were done introducing themselves. Harry was surprised at how long it took. Even if he couldn't show any friendliness for Draco, he wished he was there with him.