~ There is no
future, there is no past
Thank
God this moment's not the last ~
Harry blinked his eyes open
early the next morning and felt a heavy weight on his chest. He glanced down
and saw a mass of tangled blond hair sprawled across his pyjama clad stomach.
He smiled softly at the sight of Draco sleeping peacefully, before his brain
suddenly became fully awake.
"I'm still alive," he
thought hazily.
Draco stirred in his sleep and
Harry was about to raise a hand to stroke the blond tendrils when he stopped
short.
"Why did Draco have to
come back?" he suddenly thought angrily. "He should have just let me
die."
He suddenly felt a strong
desire to disappear, to leave Hogwarts and forget any of this ever happened.
He tried to move his weak limbs,
and managed to draw his knees up slightly. He gasped with pain from the effort
this small action required. He concentrated all his energy on drawing his
elbows beneath him to support his upper body, as he carefully tipped his chest
to one side and let Draco's head slip off to rest gently on the mattress. Draco
stirred again, mumbling incoherently, but remained fast asleep.
Harry took a deep breath and
shuffled over to the edge of the bed. He pushed himself into a sitting position
and lowered his bare feet to the ground. He tried to stand but, unaware that
Draco's hand was still clutching the back of his pyjamas, he lost his balance
and fell to the floor with a thud. He emitted a low groan as sparks of pain
flashed throughout his sore body.
There was a squeaking of
bedsprings as Draco sat bolt upright and glanced down at the empty space beside
him, thinking that someone had taken Harry's body away already, he threw back
the sheets and leapt out of bed.
His feet hit the floor, and
with his first step, he tripped over something and fell forwards onto the
ground. A muffled groan came from beneath his leg and he turned to see Harry
lying under him; very much alive and wincing in pain.
"Harry?" Draco cried,
hardly daring to believe what he was seeing. His pulse raced as he scrambled
off of him and leaned over, looking into Harry's face intently.
Harry opened his eyes, and Draco
felt faint as those blessedly familiar emerald eyes gazed up at him.
"You're alive," he
breathed.
"Apparently," Harry
groaned again in discomfort.
"Are you okay?"
"I was until you fell on
me."
Draco grinned and swept Harry
into his arms as he stood up.
"What are you doing?"
Harry cried in alarm, the room tilting dizzily before his eyes.
Draco sat on the edge of the
bed, cradling Harry to his chest.
"Please let me go,"
Harry begged, trying to wriggle out of Draco's strong arms.
Draco looked into Harry's
frightened eyes and released him. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern,
as Harry stumbled to the bed across from him and sat down.
"I want you to leave me
alone. I...I don't want to see you anymore."
"What? Why?"
Harry looked away from the hurt
in Draco's eyes and didn't answer.
"I'm not going anywhere
unless you give me a good reason, Harry."
Harry continued to stare out
the window, the quidditch hoops standing tall in the distance.
"Well?" Draco asked
impatiently.
Harry snapped his head around,
eyes full of anger and hurt. "Admit it, the only reason you came back was
because you felt guilty. You came back because you wanted a clear conscious and
no one to blame you for causing the capture and death of the famous Harry
Potter."
"That's not true!"
Draco exclaimed in shock.
"Yes it is!" Harry
shouted. "The sad and pitiful Harry Potter that everyone felt sorry for,
because Draco Malfoy left him. Poor, stupid me, fooled into believing that
maybe, just maybe, one thing in my life could go right. That maybe I could find
happiness and love with someone willing to share their life with me and who
could understand me in return. I see now that I'll have to be content with a
life full of the hollow admiration of others who don't really want to know me
beyond the scar and tragic life story."
Harry's voice broke as tears
filled his eyes. "Why is it that everyone can admire me, but no one can love
me?"
"Harry, listen to
me," Draco pleaded, kneeling on the floor at Harry's feet and taking his
hand. "I came back before I knew that you had been captured. I didn't find
out until after I had arrived at your flat and Remus told me everything. I wanted to come back..."
"Why?" Harry asked
coldly, angrily wiping tears from his cheeks with his free hand.
"Because I love you."
Harry's lips parted in
surprise. "You do?"
"I've always loved you,
Harry, I just didn't know how to say it."
"Then why did you leave
me?" Harry asked, the hurt still visible in his glassy eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Harry, but
I was scared. Your life was constantly in danger and I didn't want to lose
you."
"How could you hurt me
like that if you loved me?"
"It was a stupid thing to
do, I know, I admit it. What you have to understand is that you're the first
person I've ever loved, and I was so scared of losing that. I know I hurt you
and I'm sorry...God, you don't know how sorry, but I do love you and I want us
to be together again. Can...can you forgive me?"
Harry looked away from Draco,
feeling torn. He had never seen Draco like this before; so emotional and open
about his feelings. Draco looked sorry and had gone through a lot...but then so
had he. He wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive him so easily for all the
suffering he had caused, he didn't think his pride would let him...
"I don't know," Harry
whispered. "I don't think I can..."
Draco nodded coldly and stood
up. Harry watched as he walked to the door without a word and turned the
handle.
"You're making a
mistake!" Harry's heart screamed at him. He tried to ignore it, and listen
to his brain instead as it congratulated him on standing his ground.
Draco opened the door.
"Goodbye, Harry."
He paused as if waiting for a
response, then left silently when none came.
Harry suddenly felt very alone
and empty, his heart clenching in regret.
"I should tell you, I should tell..." Lyrics to a song
tauntingly played in his ear. He suddenly thought of Draco singing to him as he
was lying in this very room. It was Draco's voice that had pulled him back to
life, Draco saying that he loved him, Draco...
"What have I done?"
Harry gasped. Fuck his stupid pride, he needed Draco in his life.
Harry shakily got to his feet
and stumbled towards the door, he wrenched it open and fell out into the hall.
He could just make out the blurry shape of Draco's retreating back down the
corridor.
"Draco!" he called
desperately.
Draco turned and saw Harry
lying on the ground, calling to him. He sprinted up the hallway and fell to his
knees, and into Harry's open arms. They clung to each other tightly, tears
coursing down their cheeks.
"I need you," Harry
choked, his face pressed into Draco's neck.
"I need you too,
love."
They sat holding each other
desperately, all the past doubt and pain washing away with their tears.
Draco finally pulled back and
wiped the salty drops from Harry's cheek with a smile. "Let's get you back
inside," he said shakily.
He helped Harry to his feet and
led him back to the hospital bed. They sat leaning against the pillows side by
side, their hands clasped between them.
"What happened to
Voldemort?" Harry finally asked.
"He's dead, thanks to
you."
Harry sighed and closed his
eyes. "I can't believe it's over," he whispered. "It doesn't seem
real. I had that one goal for so long...now I don't know what to do with my
life."
"All you have to worry
about now is what to make me for breakfast," Draco smiled. He realized it
was the wrong thing to say when he suddenly remembered the last time Harry had
tried to make him breakfast.
The same thought must have
occurred to Harry as well. "Let's not talk about that," he said.
"What's done is done and we can't change it."
"Agreed," Draco said,
giving Harry's hand a squeeze.
"Thank you for the
song."
Draco turned his head on the
pillow towards Harry.
"It was beautiful."
"Thank you," Draco
blushed. "I wrote it for you."
They smiled goofily at each
other until Draco suddenly noticed that Harry was still without his glasses. He
sat up and reached over to the bedside table to pick up the broken frames, then
extracted his wand and tapped them gently.
"Occulus Reparo."
He handed Harry the newly
repaired glasses and watched in satisfaction as he put them on.
"Better?" Draco
asked, stowing his wand back in his pocket.
"Much," Harry smiled
gratefully.
Draco snuggled back down beside
him and looked into his eyes. "Your scar is gone," he finally
mentioned quietly, moving Harry's dark fringe aside to look at the now unmarred
skin.
"Really?" Harry's
eyes widened. "I want to see."
Draco stood up and unhooked the
round, gold mirror from the wall and placed it into Harry's hands. Harry
touched his forehead in wonder, the skin now smooth beneath his fingers.
"I guess it was just a
part of the connection between you and Voldemort," Draco said, sitting
back down.
"I know it sounds weird,
but I kind of miss it," Harry admitted, lowering the mirror.
"That's not surprising,
you've had it all your life."
"This is so surreal,"
Harry said, shaking his head.
"I know, my love,"
Draco said, taking up Harry's hand again.
"I like it when you call
me that," Harry blushed.
"I like calling you that,"
Draco smiled, tucking a lock of Harry's raven hair behind his ear. "Jeez,
we sound like a couple of sappy, love-sick teenagers."
Harry laughed and leaned against
Draco's shoulder. Draco kissed the top of his head and wrapped his arms around
him. They sat together in comfortable silence for a long time.
"I should probably go tell
everyone you're alive," Draco eventually said with reluctance.
"Maybe I should I do it,"
Harry chuckled.
Draco glanced at the clock and
realized in shock that it was almost time for the feast to start. One corner of
his lip curled up as a mischievous glint suddenly lit his eyes.
Harry looked up at him and
raised one brow in a very Malfoy-ish expression.
"Shall we?" Draco
asked, standing and extending an arm to Harry.
Harry grinned and accepted his
hand.
Draco helped support him as
they slowly made their way towards the Great Hall.
* * * * * * * * *
Dumbledore sat in his seat at the
head table, surveying the students before him with a sombre expression. He
patiently waited as the new first years were sorted into their respective
houses. He glanced to his left and saw Snape watching him with a worried expression
in his dark eyes, but he looked away the moment they locked gazes, smoothing
his expression into its usual mask of cool indifference. He glanced to his
right and saw the pale faces of Ron, Hermione, and Sirius, who he had asked to
join the feast with him.
As the final first year sat
upon the stool to be sorted, the doors to the Great Hall banged open and Draco
Malfoy came strolling in and up to the head table. He stopped and leaned
against it casually as he silently observed the familiar sorting ritual with a
barely concealed smile on his face.
Professor McGonagall removed
the Sorting Hat and the stool as a small girl with bouncing red pig-tails ran
off to join the Hufflepuff table.
Dumbledore glanced at Draco
curiously before getting to his feet.
"Welcome back to another
year of learning and magic making," he smiled, at the sea of attentive
faces. "I have something important to say before the usual announcements
and opening remarks. Lord Voldemort -"
The students jumped
simultaneously.
"- has been defeated once
and for all."
The student's eyes widened in
shock, not knowing whether to cheer or cry in relief; they opted for a stunned
silence as Dumbledore continued.
"The war is over and the
Ministry has managed to capture all of the Death Eaters responsible and
imprison them with the Azkaban Guards, who have now been reinstated. I know you
will not soon forget the pain and suffering that can occur when one wizard
promotes segregation and the importance of blood type. We must always stand
united and never forget the sacrifices of your friends and family. Many have
died needlessly in this war and we must honour them as they so deserve.
Here Dumbledore paused and
looked around him.
"We have one person to
thank for the downfall of Lord Voldemort, and that person is Harry Potter. We
expected so much from that extraordinary young man and he never let us
down."
Hermione buried her face in her
hands and sobbed quietly. Ron put an arm around her as Sirius just stared
blankly at the table. Draco uncrossed his long legs elegantly and continued to
watch Dumbledore in silent amusement.
"Harry Potter has been in
the hospital wing fighting for his life, and I'm sorry to say that last night
he lost that battle."
The students gasped and a few
burst into tears.
Draco decided that that was
enough and walked over to Dumbledore. "May I say something?" he
interrupted.
Dumbledore nodded in surprise
as Draco turned to address the hall.
"You are all here because
you possess the ability to do magic and the ability to do great things with
that magic. There is nothing stronger than the bond between wizards, and that
bond allows us to accomplish many feats of bravery and strength that you might
not otherwise have known you possessed. Harry taught us that you must never
give up hope, no matter what the situation. Inside your hearts lies the most
powerful magic of all and with that magic anything
is possible."
Draco withdrew his wand and
pointed it at the closed entrance doors to the Great Hall. The students turned
to watch as a jet of red sparks shot towards the doors, causing them to fly
open and reveal Harry standing tall on the threshold.
Everyone at the head table
leapt to their feet with a gasp of astonishment and disbelief.
Draco smiled,
leapt off of the platform, and ran down the aisle towards Harry. They embraced
joyfully as the entire school erupted into cheers and applause.
Hermione, Ron, and Sirius clambered
down from the head table and raced towards Harry. Draco released him as Sirius
grabbed him from behind and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Harry laughed
as Ron and Hermione threw themselves on top of him and Sirius. Draco stood back
and smiled fondly at the four of them.
"C'mere, Draco."
Hermione grabbed Draco's arm
and pulled him into the group hug. Ron slung an arm around his shoulders and
smiled at him. Harry just grinned happily as the school continued to cheer.
Dumbledore reached the joyful
group and addressed Draco with an accusing stare. "Mr Malfoy, why did you not interrupt me
earlier?"
"You know I have a flair
for the dramatic," Draco smirked. "Plus, I wanted Harry to hear what
you had to say about him. It's not everyday you get to hear your own
eulogy."
"Thank, God,"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
Dumbledore shook his head, but
his eyes twinkled with hidden pleasure that everything had turned out alright.
Draco turned to Harry, and the
two smiled at each other fondly as everyone else continued to cheer and talk
around them.
'I love you,' Draco mouthed
silently.
'I love you, too,' Harry
repeated right back.
The celebrations lasted all
night and well into the morning, classes were immediately cancelled for the
next day as the students fell into their beds around five am.
Harry was pronounced in perfect
health by Madam Pomfrey, to the relief of all, and was told that he could go
home. All traces of the Avada Kedavra virus were gone from his body.
* * * * * * * * *
Harry and Draco stood on the steps of
Hogwarts in the early morning sunshine, making their goodbyes.
"Thanks for
everything" Harry said, hugging Dumbledore affectionately.
Beside him Draco was shaking
Snape's hand in farewell.
Harry stepped back and turned
to Snape. "Thank you Professor Snape, without your help no one would've
been able to find me."
"Yes, well..." Snape
looked distinctly uncomfortable. "You're just lucky that you mean so much
to one of my best pupils."
Harry smiled as Draco wrapped
his arms around him from behind. A horse-less carriage suddenly pulled up to the
bottom of the stairs.
"Come on, Harry."
Draco helped Harry, who was
still a little weak, down the steps as he waved frantically at the gathered
group of friends. Ron and Hermione waved back, grinning like idiots, as Sirius
and the two Professors looked on proudly.
Draco helped Harry into the
carriage before hopping in beside him. They sat back in the plush cushions,
Harry's head resting on Draco's shoulder and finger intertwined, as the
carriage carried them away from the school and out the front gates. Harry
smiled and snuggled closer to Draco as he sleepily wondered what the future
would hold for them.
