a/n: Just a short shot of Harry and Draco. WARNING! There are some spoilers in this to future stories. As always none of the characters in this story belong to me, and the song is John Ondrasik as usual.
Harry Potter was having a bad day. When he'd picked up the morning newspaper and looked at the front page, he'd known it was going to be like that. 'Potter Uses Violence Against Adoring Fans', it read. Ever since the war had ended, Harry had been inundated daily with people wanting his autograph, people wanting to talk to him, people wanting to touch him. He'd tried to be gracious about it, spending hours signing his name when he came out of a restaurant or a store, shaking hands, politely making small talk with perfect strangers. But yesterday, it had become too much. As he tried to make his way through a throng of people when he'd come out of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes after visiting the twins, someone had reached up and plucked his glasses from his face. Harry couldn't see without his glasses and what ensued was a tug of war with a teenaged witch in which Harry had retrieved his glasses and she had been left sitting on her bottom on the sidewalk. Harry checked the name of the author of the story. Rita Skeeter. He should have guessed.
After retreating back into his flat, Harry flung the newspaper into the trash and headed for the shower. Midway through, with soap in his hair, the hot water had stopped. Finishing up his shower with water cold enough to freeze, Harry sighed. Although he'd been hired on by the ministry to be an auror, the pay wasn't much. He'd only had enough to afford this little flat where the water didn't work half the time and the other half the radiator didn't. When he called the handy man to complain, the man had gone into a poor me diatribe. He left Harry feeling as though he'd asked the man to fly without a broom instead of fix the hot water heater.
Next, Harry had called on Hagrid, who was supposed to have fixed a faulty broomstick for him. When Hagrid had opened the door, Harry had known something had gone wrong.
"Oy, Harry, I'm awfully sorry. I didn't know it wouldn't take my weight. They just don't make broomsticks like they used to." Hagrid said, holding up the two pieces of the broom.
"It's alright Hagrid, I know it was an accident." Said Harry, looking rueful. "I just don't know how I'll pick up Cho now. I'm due at her house in an hour."
"You can borrow my car!" Hagrid said, looking pleased.
"Your car?" Harry asked.
"Yes, the one you and Ron crashed into the Whomping Willow. I've tamed it. Just kept leaving oil and gasoline out for it and it finally let me ride in it. I'm sure if I ask it, it will take you and Cho where ever you want to go." Hagrid whistled loudly, and sure enough, the car came trolling out of the forbidden forest.
Harry had to admit, Hagrid had done a good job of getting the dents and rust spots out of the car. It looked almost brand new.
"I don't know Hagrid." Said Harry doubtfully.
"It'll be fine Harry, go on."
"Ok, we'll give it a try." Said Harry.
As he'd picked up his girlfriend Cho, he'd readied himself to do something he'd been planning for quite a while. He'd carried a small but tasteful diamond ring around in his pocket for weeks now, waiting for the right time. He hoped to get an opportunity to ask Cho to marry him while they had a moment alone, in the car.
"Cho" he began, looking into her beautiful dark eyes. "I've been wanting to ask you-"
"Oh Harry, could you help me with this?" she interrupted him, presenting him with a necklace and turning her back to him.
"Of course." He said, putting the necklace round her neck, and closing the clasp. "Cho, do you think-"
"Oh look Harry, I can see the burrow already. I love this flying car. Its much more comfortable than a broom, and much cleaner than flooing somewhere." Cho said, looking from the window of the car.
Harry sighed. The burrow was already in sight and he'd lost his opportunity again. He slipped the small box he'd been holding back into his pocket.
Harry found himself sitting on the swing in the garden, watching the people around him. He just wasn't in the mood for a party. A paper was suddenly tossed onto the seat beside him and the arrogant voice of Draco Malfoy said, "Taken to tossing the fans on their arses, Potter?"
"It isn't what it sounds like Malfoy." Harry said indignantly. "Oh what's the use? Take it as you will. Everyone else is anyway."
Draco rounded the swing and flopped into the seat beside Harry. "What's going on Potter? You sound like you've lost your best friend. You haven't of course. The red haired git is right over there, stuffing his face with Molly's chocolate cake." He nodded towards Ron, standing by the table full of sweets.
"I'm just tired of people judging me. Why can't I just be me? Its as if just having an off day makes me into an ogre suddenly. Always on stage, having to smile when what I really want to do is scream. You don't know how lucky you are Malfoy, to not be famous. For two cents I wish I hadn't killed Voldemort, so maybe people would leave me alone." Complained Harry.
"Potter," said Draco, "Haven't you figured it out yet? It doesn't matter what Rita Skeeter writes about you, it doesn't matter what all those people think about you. The only people that matter are the people that care about you, and the ones you care about. You can't please everyone Potter, no matter how hard you try, or how good you are. Someone's always out to make you seem the bastard. Look at me. I'm one big prat. Oh, don't look so surprised. Do you think I don't know how I come across? I say what I think, and do you know why? It's because I am who I am. And as big an ass as I am, I still have Ginny, and I have the Weasleys, and hell, Potter, I think I can even call you a friend. God, did I just say that? "Draco slapped his forehead.
"Anyway Potter, the point I'm trying to make is to get over yourself. You didn't name yourself hero, all those other people did. You have no liability to live up to the label if you don't want to. Stop worrying over how people with think of what you do, and just do what you feel." He laid a hand on Harry's shoulder." Trust me, the people who love you won't hold it against you for being human."
"It's not them I'm worrying about Malfoy. "said Harry, picking up the paper and tossing it towards Draco. "Its rubbish like this that bothers me."
"Look around you. These are the people who love you. Do you really think they're going to care if you have a bad day, or loose your temper every once in a while? No, they aren't. And Potter, does anyone else really matter?" Draco stood up. "Don't be a git the rest of your life Potter. Put the boy-who-lived away, and just be the ignorant prat we all know you really are."
As Draco strode away, Harry considered what he had said. He looked around the garden. Gathered were all the Weasleys and their extended family for Molly and Arthur's anniversary. Bill stood with the beautiful Fleur Delacourt, talking to Charlie and Pansy Weasley. Off to one side of the garden, Fred and George stood with Padma Weasley, and Harry smiled as he watched Fred rub Padma's very pregnant belly. Not far away, Molly and Arthur stood with Parvati, also pregnant, and Narcissa Malfoy. Severus Snape stood a few steps away, with his nose wrinkled up in a look of distaste at having to attend the whole affair. Harry knew that this was all a big act though. On the other side of the garden, Percy and his wife Penelope sat on a blanket with Hermione and the baby. Ron stood over the group, chatting with Remus Lupin and beaming as the littlest Weasley stood and attempted to toddle off the blanket. Not long before that one would be really walking, Harry thought.
Harry moved his eyes to the other group in the garden. He watched as Draco slipped his arm around Ginny from behind, kissing the back of her neck as she talked with Cho. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, he'd come to consider the blond man his friend. Draco Malfoy was a pompous arrogant prat, but once you got past the sarcastic exterior, there was someone to be admired underneath. Draco was a lot more than what he presented to the world. And he didn't seem to care what anyone else thought of him. Harry sighed as he thought Lucky bastard.
Harry watched as Draco said something that must have been extremely funny. Ginny smacked him on the arm as Cho covered her mouth, giggling.
Cho. He took in her petite form, her chin length black hair, straight as a board. She turned her lovely black eyes toward him momentarily and smiled at him from across the garden. Harry smiled back. He'd been aware for months now that he loved her. He had been trying to work up the nerve to ask her to marry him forever. She'd stood by him through all the bad publicity lately, seeming to understand. Harry was sure she'd taken some bad publicity herself, being a seeker for a national team. She'd never complained though, through all that, through his wild mood swings, she'd even stood by him when he'd walked away from her during the war, and graciously took him back when he couldn't stand being without her anymore, without a single word of rebuke. He saw her laughing and the wave of love that washed over him made him catch his breath.
Harry's eyes swept the garden once more. Draco was right, he thought, this was his family. They would love him no matter what he was. He was worrying about disappointing them by not living up to the Hero label that had been thrust upon him, but he realized now that they didn't see him that way at all. To them, he was just Harry, and they loved him, no matter what. And Draco was right, wasn't he? Who mattered besides them?
He took the small brown box out of his pocket and looked at it once more.
"Harry, what's the matter? You look a little sad." Cho said, standing before him suddenly. She noticed the box. "What's that you have?"
"Cho, "Harry said, looking up and taking her hand. "Could you sit here with me a moment? There's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Sure Harry" Cho said, sitting down in the seat Draco had vacated earlier. "What is it?"
Can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me
I'm more than a bird...I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me
I Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd...but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed...but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me
Up, up and away...away from me
It's all right...You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy...or anything...
I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees
I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
It's not easy to be me.
"That's lovely." Said Ginny from the doorway. Draco looked up from the stool he was sitting on.
"What was that, luv? "he asked, setting aside the guitar he had been playing and going to her to wrap his arms around her waist.
"I said that was lovely. Is that a new song you're working on? Who's the man in the red sheet?"
"Oh, that. "Draco said, running his hand through his hair. "Did you like it? It's the strangest thing. I was in the twins shop the other day and they were laughing over a muggle comic book about a superhero that flies around in a red cape, saving muggles from destruction. I didn't think too much about it until yesterday. I was talking to Potter and for some reason, the man in the comic book, Superman, came back to me. Harry reminds me of him. A misbegotten hero."
Ginny drew back and stared at Draco. "You're saying you got inspiration...from Harry? Draco, are you well?" she put a hand to his forehead.
Draco slapped it away. "Watch it witch! Are you making fun of me? If so, you'll have to be punished!"
Ginny wiggled her eyebrows, a suspiciously Draco-like expression on her face. "Oh yeah? I dare you!" and took off down the hallway.
"You cheat!" Draco cried as he hurried after her. As he strode down the hallway, he hoped that Harry had finally asked Cho what he knew the ignorant git had been trying to screw up enough courage to ask for months now. He mentally reminded himself to give his mother a call in the morning and ask her to have a word with her friend the editor of the paper about that vile Skeeter woman. The Weasleys considered Harry family, and as Ginny was a Weasley, that made them Draco's family. Couldn't have anyone smearing the family name, Draco reasoned to himself, vaguely wondering if his wife were right about him going soft. Draco heard his wife giggle from behind the curtains around their canopy bed and saw a flash of red hair from behind the curtains around their canopy bed as they rustled. All thoughts of Harry Potter left his head as he went to join her.
A/n: Look for a couple more of these shorts in the comming weeks. Ginny and Draco are probably going to do cameos in most of them, but I intend them to focus on the other characters.