A/N: Muchas gracias for the reviews. Still campy, lol. I don't have much of the next chapter written yet, so it may take slightly longer to get it up.


It was the next day when Harry and Draco's friends confronted them. What's really going on? Sean asked. You disappear with someone calling you by different names, and then you go out last night and stay out really late. I know you two fled Britain, by everything you've ever said and acted like, so what the hell is going on?

Harry grimaced, and exchanged a glance with his husband. I think it's time to lay our wands on the table, he said wryly, and Draco nodded.

queried John. Don't you mean cards?

Uh, not exactly, Draco said, and Harry went to their room, returning with three leatherbound books and two polished sticks of word. He carefully handed one of them to Draco, who smiled in delight. He pointed it mischeviously at his husband and sent a tickling curse at him. Caught by surprise, Harry growled playfully before retailating with Tarentellga. Then Draco smiled, a naughty thought occuring to him.

Harry gasped, then smiled, and coaxed the small snake that appeared onto his forearm. Their four friends were gaping in astonishment. We're wizards, Harry said simply.



Yes. It might be easiest to start at the end and go backwards, don't you think, Harry?

Or, at least start at the end before going back to the beginning. Harry withdrew a picture from the topmost album – for the leatherbound books were photo albums – and placed it carefully, almost reverentially, the others noted, on the table in front of their Muggle friends. This is a wizarding photograph, he explained carefully, which is why the figures move. There are ten of us in this picture; it was taken the day our last year of school began, in the fall of 1997. We were – we still are, in many ways – the residents of Lily Tower, and we became known as the Ten, specially trained since the end of our fifth year to fight forces of evil wizards, and, ultimately, to defeat their leader, Voldemort. Harry took a deep breath; the memories were still strong. We can get into why us, and why Voldemort, and what he did later. The important thing is this. He laid another picture down beside the first one. This is the residents of Lily Tower the following spring, at the end of that school year. We were only seven then. We lost Dean, Susan, and Terry, all to the Killing Curse, all to Voldemort himself. Draco – Drake to you – and I were the ones who actually killed Voldemort in the end. When we returned, we were all hailed as heroes – and expected to finish the fairy tale with fairytale weddings. The wizarding world has one openly gay couple in all of Britain, although there are those who carry out affairs behind their wives' backs. We had to attend balls and parties – much like the Middle Ages – and, eventually, choose trophy wives. I turned eighteen on July 31, 1998, and we left the wizarding world within two weeks of that date. We Disapparated to Heathrow, and flew to San Francisco, because a Muggle-born friend of ours had told me that there was a large gay population there. We rented a hotel, and then picked a college and faked all our paperwork with magic. And... well, you know the story from there.

The four Muggles were staring at their friends in astonishment. They were going to force you to get married? Jake finally said. To women?

Harry and Draco had to chuckle slightly at that. Yes, our thoughts exactly.

So... how did things get to that point? I mean, I'm still really confused, Rebecca said.

I can tell you my life story, I suppose, Harry said with a grin, and Draco can fill in the parts that are different for him. My parents were killed when I was a year old by Voldemort, and when he tried to kill me, the Killing Curse somehow rebounded, which left me with a distinctive lightning bolt-shaped scar on my forehead – which I keep concealed with an illusion charm. I was sent to live outside the wizarding world, in what we call the Muggle world, with my mum's Muggle sister & her husband and son. That was a miserable life – I slept in a cupboard and was generally beat up all the time. Then I got my letter to Hogwarts – after the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid, had to bring it to me, since the owls weren't getting to me! He held up a hand. Hogwarts is the name of our school, and owls are how wizards and witches deliver the post. Anyway, I had never heard of the wizarding world – my aunt and uncle told me that my parents died in a car crash, if you can believe that – so Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley – it's a hidden part of London – to get my school things. That was my eleventh birthday. He smiled, and shot a glance at Draco warning him to be quiet for a bit. When I was getting my school robes, I met another first year. He was a right prat, trying to impress me, and reminded me of my horribly spoiled cousin. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. After that day, I went back to the Dursleys' – that's my aunt and uncle – until September first rolled around. Then I made my way to King's Cross Station and tried to figure out how to get on to Platform 9 and 3/4 to catch the Hogwarts Express. He grinned at their expressions. That's when I met Ron Weasley and his family. Ron turned out to be one of my best friends – same House at school, same dorm, his family took me in, everything. While we're on the train, the same prat from the robe shop comes up to me, and now, all of the sudden, he wants to be my friend, just because I'm Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He makes some comment about not hanging around with the wrong sort, obviously talking about Ron, and I turned him down, refused to shake his hand, cool as you please. That was the start of our rivalry. We hated each other.

Harry stood up and took a drink of water before sitting back down and continuing the story.

I was Sorted into Gryffindor House, along with Ron, and my other best friend, Hermione Granger. We ended up battling Voldemort in one way or another almost every year, it seems like. The first year, his almost-dead spirit was inhabiting one of our professors, and he was ultimately killed. The next year, Voldemort's old school diary took control of Ron's little sister to let out a nasty snake. Third year, my godfather escaped from wizard prison, and we thought he was coming after me, but it turned out he was innocent. Fourth year was the Tri-Wizard Tournament

Which Harry won, Draco interjected.

And the rising of Voldemort in corporeal form once more. All through this, I had normal school things to deal with – classes, House rivalries, Quidditch, which is wizard sport, on broomsticks. And, of course, my rivalry with my enemy, who was the son of a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's follwers, and a member of Slytherin House. Things started to change after Voldemort's rebirth. After our fifth year, there were ten of us hand-picked to live in Lily Tower, and undergo extensive training to fight Voldemort and his forces. There were five of us from Gryffindor, two from each of the other two Houses, and one lone Slytherin.

Jake cocked his head to the side. Let me guess. Your rival wasn't on Voldemort's side after all?

Harry laughed then, finally. Precisely. Although I suppose if he was, he would've had plenty of chances to get his revenge on me by now!

The other four stared, and then turned to look at Draco, who laughed. Guilty as charged, he joked. I was a bit of a prat when I was younger.

Don't forget the lovely buttons you made during fourth year. You know, that read Potter Stinks'?

Wait a second, you two used to hate each other? Sean asked, incredulous.

Our hatred was nearly as famous as Harry was, Draco said with a small grin.

Well, they say that there's a fine line between love and hate, John said finally with a sigh. So what happened then?

Well, Harry and I resolved most of our differences before the end of fifth year, and we ended up becoming lovers that summer, although no one knew about us. Hermione knew that Harry was gay, but that was it, even though Harry's godfathers are the sole openly gay couple in wizarding Britain.

We were thrown into very intensive training, both magical and muggle. Hand-to-hand fighting, curses, counter-curses, you name it, we trained in it, all summer, extra classes during the school year, everything. Then, the beginning of our seventh year, we started going out on missions for the war as well. That's when we lost Terry and Susan. It wasn't until near the end of the war that we lost Dean. After that, we went back to Hogwarts.

Draco started to whisper then. For constancy, for cunning, for courage that never ends,

Harry picked up the words then. For common sense and preparedness, We fight, we live, we love,

Together they chanted the last line. Liles surround us for ever.

The others were quiet. That was our motto, our battle cry, our prayer, explained Draco softly. We were ten, the residents of Lily Tower, and as close as we could be. I think that's been harder than anything, losing the three, and then leaving the rest of them.

We saw Seamus, back in Ireland. He left a few weeks after we did. He was actually seeing Dean, so the combination of losing him and then people trying to make him get married... he left too. It was nice to see him again, though. Plus he performed the wizarding wedding spell for us.

And last night?

The pregnant woman that stopped us was Hermione. We went to talk with her. Ron and the others don't know we're in England, much less London.

Whew. So you two really were in a war, all before you were eighteen. No wonder you wanted to come to college and party – and no wonder you were so outspoken about gay rights!

Yeah, well, sometimes we felt a bit hypocritical – counseling others on coming out, when we just left our lives behind rather than come out, you know? And then we found out from Seamus when we saw him that it never even came out after we left, like we had thought it would. McGonagall – one of the professors at Hogwarts – covered it all up, basically, so the only ones that knew were the rest of Lily Tower, her, and my godfathers.

Well, considering what you said about the rest of wizarding society, I can see why you want to leave rather than try to be understood, but surely now things could be different?

I don't know, Draco said heavily. It's tempting. I mean, that's our world, in so many, many ways. But this is our world too, now.

But you haven't seen anyone besides Seamus and Hermione in four years? Not even this Ron or your godfathers? That's a long time. Why... why don't you go back. Just for a visit, kind of. We've got another week here in London. At the end of the week, we'll all go back to San Francisco, and you can decide what to do at that point.

Draco looked at Harry, and they both shrugged. I don't know. Maybe we'll talk to Hermione again and see what she thinks.

Hey! That's why you two were so clueless about music and movies and everything! Sean exclaimed. You should give a lesson in culture to the other wizards!

Harry and Draco cracked up laughing then. I can see it now, Harry spluttered. Join Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter at the Leaky Cauldron as they tell all about American Muggle culture!

So that's your real names, then?

Draco nodded. You can see why I changed mine to Drake, and Harry's name is quite famous, he couldn't take the chance of someone happening on it in the Muggle phone book or something. He paused. Actually, Harry, it's not such a bad idea. We could use our Muggle names, and Hermione could organize it. The people that need to know who it is would realise it during the course of the evening, and the others would leave it alone. It'd be a soft introduction.



So they decided to do it, and in just two days' time, and Harry found himself, in a Muggle suit (You need to look like a lawyer, too, love, Draco had said), in a side room off the main area of the pub, Draco pacing nervously beside him. Hermione had made sure that Ron, Justin, and Mandy would be there, as well as Sirius and Remus, and several others that he and Draco felt should be there. The pub would undoubtedly have many other familiar faces as well, since the buzz around was that it was the event for young wizards and witches. Harry wasn't sure that it was such a good plan, but he was willing to go through with it anyway.

Draco walked out into the room, using a Muggle microphone (he and Harry had insisted on authencity). In a suit, with his hair grown out, and the silvery glasses, the man wasn't truly recognizable as the boy Draco Malfoy that many of the audience had attended Hogwarts with.

Hello, and welcome to a little crash course in Muggle culture. I'm Dr. D. A. Cobain, and I and my husband, Mr. H. J. Cadeus-Cobain, Esquire, will be your hosts. He paused. Yes, I am a man, and yes, I said my husband. First lesson in tonight's events – in Vermont, one of the states in the United States, same-sex couples can have legal, recognized civil unions performed. Also, the wizard wedding spell is non-gender specific. He crossed to a stool and sat down. We've selected a few songs, as well as clips from movies, for your pleasure tonight, but first we decided to sing for you. A few eyebrows were raised. Yes, we actually can sing. Without having to magically tune our voices. You may be wondering why we're here. Yes, we are wizards, but we chose to explore some other options in the Muggle world.

Harry walked into the shadows at that point. This is a song by an American group called the Goo Goo Dolls, and the song is called Iris.' We'd like to dedicate this song to four things, three people, and one flower. The audience could just barely see the sad smile that ghosted over his face.

The pair began to sing softly as music wafted through the air. And I'd give up forever to touch you, cause I know that you feel me somehow. You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be and I don't wanna go home right now. And all I can taste is this moment, and all I can breathe is your life. And sooner or later it's over, I just don't wanna miss you tonight.

Their voices grew stronger as they began the chorus, but more ragged with emotion as well. And I don't want the world to see me, Cause I don't think that they'd understand, When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.

Three people, Draco murmured, before starting the next verse. And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, Or the moments of truth in your lies. When everything feels like the movies, And you bleed just to know you're alive.

And I don't want the world to see me, Cause I don't think that they'd understand, When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am. I just want you to know who I am.

Harry could see, just barely, that Justin's head was cocked curiously, and he could see comprehension dawning on Ron's face. For constancy, for cunning, murmured Ron, barely loud enough to hear.

For courage that never ends, Draco said, smiling slightly.

For common sense and preparedness, offered Mandy, softly.

We fight, we live, we love, Harry breathed, and then all of them, the six that were there, spoke the final line together.

Lilies surround us forever.

The rest of the pub was silent; only a very few knew the significance of the words that had just been spoken. Two of them that did were Harry's godfathers, though, and Harry could see the strangled expression on Sirius' face.

It's alright, Snuffles, we'll talk later, he laughed. Right now we have a show to run.

The two then gave a two hour presentation on American Muggle culture, concluding with some remarks on how to survive without being looked at suspiciously. The audience was entranced, and Harry overheard many rave reviews as they exited. I guess we'll be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow, he said wearily.

Yes, but the lighting was so poor, the pictures won't be very good.

At least Colin Creevey couldn't make it!

The pair were in the small room where they had waited before the show, and they knew that, any minute, there would be several people busting through the doors, eager to see them.

Ron was the first one through the door. Harry!! Where the bloody hell have you been??

Harry laughed. America, or didn'tja figure that out from our lovely presentation tonight?

Ron scowled, then laughed, and embraced the other man. I just... I can't believe it's you!

The others came in then. Harry Potter! Sirius said loudly. I cannot believe you!

Which part? Draco offered. The leaving, or the coming back?

Neither! I can't believe you went and got married without inviting us!

Harry and Draco fell over laughing at that prounoucement. That's it? Harry demanded. We're gone for four years nearly and that's the only problem you have?

Well, that and you not telling me or Moony about you two! You shouldn't known that we've understood.

Harry smiled briefly, but it was slightly haunted in nature. Maybe so. But, despite the responsibilities we were saddled with, I was still barely eighteen when we left, even.

Sirius cocked his head, then nodded. I understand. He drew his godson into a tight embrace. Does this mean you're coming back home?