Disclaimer: I don't own either Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy; they belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. I do however own this situation. It contains some slash if you don't like, don't read.

Chapter Two

A Night in the Garden

Harry pulled on a white silk nightshirt that buttoned up the front. Draco left his shirt on the chair near the open window and pulled on a light blue robe. Harry went to the door and opened it with a creak. Draco walked through the cherry doorframe and onto the landing. From the landing he could see the far wall of the foyer, on which many portraits were hanging. He and Harry walked along the landing to a second set of stairs that led down to the first floor and out to the gardens. He told Harry to go ahead and he would meet him at the fountain. As Harry left Draco walked closer to the wall of photographs, his ancestors looked down on him with disdain.

"What?" Draco asked indignantly.

"What are you doing with him?" his father's portrait asked. "You have brought shame on the last remaining descendants of Salazar Slytherin. You and the biggest enemy of the Dark Lord, together, it's repulsive." With that last comment his father left his portrait and moved to the one that was hanging above the fireplace on the first floor landing.

"I don't care!" Draco yelled to the empty foyer. "I love him and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it. You can't hurt me anymore. You can't take your anger out on me for stupid shit that happened to you. I hate you so much and I'm glad that the Dark Lord killed you when he did. I don't think I could have gone on with you breathing down my neck, to 'become a Death Eater, Draco,' or 'follow the Dark Lord's call, son,' or 'you have to realize you destiny Draco and take your place as heir to Slytherin.' I'm glad I didn't turn out to be a sorry excuse for a human being like you." Draco screamed at the top of his lungs to no one.

He burst into tears and ripped that picture off the wall and threw it across the foyer, where it hit the black marble floor and smashed into many tiny pieces. On the floor was a scratch that ran half the length of the dimly lit room. He slammed his fist against the wall where the portrait had been.

"He would have made a magnificent Death Eater," mused one of his uncles.

"Yes, he could have been stronger than even his father ever thought," agreed one of his mother's siblings.

"Shut the hell up. I won't ever become a Death Eater. I resisted him once and I'd do it again." Draco yelled at his ancestors who were now shocked at the boy's outburst.

He wanted nothing to do with this family anymore. He needed to get away, to take a vacation, take a vacation from life.

He rushed out of the foyer, and onto the patio that led up to the gardens. The patio was made of beautifully carved, deep cherry wood and black bricks that gleamed in the moonlight. Lucius' mother had given it to the couple on their wedding day. The carvings were of ancient runes and family stories that had been passed down from generation to generation. Draco walked through the archway that led to the gardens, and thought to himself,

"Here's one to add, the life of Draco Malfoy, descendent of Salazar Slytherin and boyfriend to the Dark Lord's arch rival. That would send her rolling in her grave."

A small smirk crept across his face. On the archway was carved Draco's great grandmother, who was a veela, seducing a man. Draco had only one-quarter veela blood running through his veins; strangely enough he never had to use his veela powers on Harry. And Harry didn't seem to care that Draco was part veela or that he had Slytherin blood running inside him. That's what Draco loving about Harry; he never held anything that Draco had done in school against him. Of course Ron Weasley still disliked him, mostly because of how Draco had treated his now fiancé Hermione Granger. They were getting married at the end of the summer and he had only been invited because Harry was Ron's best man. He bore no resentment towards Ron or his family. But, Ron still saw him as a Malfoy, Draco had been cleared of all of the charges against him, but some people never change. And that was fine with Draco, he knew that sometime Ron would warm up to him and he could wait. Draco had bought them a beautiful crystal wine glass and water goblet set for their wedding present, he knew Hermione would like it, but he wasn't so sure about Ron.

He began to make his way toward the fountain at the center of the garden when something caught his eye. There was a small gold chain glittering in the moonlight on the ground under an ivy-covered bench. He picked it up and realized there was a locket hanging on the chain. He opened it and it said,

"To my dearest Fleur, with love, your Bill"

It was the necklace his cousin Fleur had lost last year at the Christmas party. Fleur and Bill had been married three years earlier in a small French chapel outside her hometown. Draco was one of the groomsmen at the ceremony. The chapel was filled with pink and white roses and all of the pews were white, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He would have to take Harry to see it the next time they went to France; Harry didn't go to the service because he was on assignment with his Aurors.

"So that's where she and Bill were most of the night," Draco chuckled to himself. He pocketed the necklace and would put it in the safe and give it to her at Ron and Hermione's wedding. He continued on past the bench to a fork in the cobblestone path. The left path led to the stables and around to the fountain and the right one led directly to the fountain. He too the right one so he wouldn't keep Harry waiting any longer that he already had. As he rounded the last bend and came within sight of the fountain he saw Harry sitting on the edge looking at a black rose in his hands. As Draco walked over, Harry looked up into the blonde boys' gray eyes.

"I picked this for you. I wanted to give you one that would be as beautiful as you, but I couldn't find one, so this will have to do." Harry said with a smile. As he gazed into Draco eyes he realized the Draco was blushing. Draco stepped closer to Harry to take the rose; Harry pulled him into a tight hug. He kissed Draco's forehead, Draco was now sitting in his lap and strands of his hair fell in front of his eyes, Harry reached up and brushed it aside. His face was now very close to Draco's, he wanted to lean in and kiss him to try to make him feel better. Before he could do anything Draco had pulled Harry closer to him and his lips brushed against Harry's. One of Harry's hands was running through Draco's silky blonde hair, his other hand was steadying the two boys so they wouldn't fall into the fountain. One of Draco's hands was entangled in Harry's messy hair and the other was on Harry's other hand. Draco leaned in more and deepened the kiss and at that moment Harry couldn't hold them up anymore. They both fell into the cool fountain water with a small splash.

A small note from the Author:

Hey All, I hoped you enjoyed chapter two. It is my favourite chapter of the ones I have written. I just wanted to bring up the point that I changed the name of the Malfoy's house from the Malfoy Mansion to Malfoy Manor. I liked the sound of mine better, sorry if it threw any of you off.