Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable as J.K. Rowling's. I own the plot and a couple new characters.

Warning: This is a slash fic. If you are not old enough, or mature enough to read, PLEASE DON'T! I do not want to be flamed for having my own opinions.

' Mean thoughts

// Mean dreams

Italics are flashbacks

Draco sat at his desk drinking a whiskey. 'You know, these muggle drinks have much to love about them.' He had been drinking steadily for the past 20 minutes, and was starting to see double. 'No wonder Harry stayed away with them so long. Who would leave when you have that to drink,' he mused. Draco looked down at the worn photo album that his mother had given him for Graduation. 'I wonder if Harry still has his.' On the cover was a picture of two rings locked with each other. This album had been in a box under his bed for the past 5 years. It held too many memories to see every day. Finally getting his courage up, Draco opened the book.

The picture self of Harry smiled as he stared back and waved. On the next page was a picture of all of their friends together right before Graduation. A sad smile made its way onto Draco's face. Harry and Draco were holding hands in the center of the picture with Ron and Hermione on either side of them. Hedwig was flying down to land on Harry's shoulder, while Crookshanks sat at Hermione's feet. It was snowy outside and they were standing on the entrance steps to the castle. Snow flurries where flying all over the place, and not a small amount was getting caught in Hermione's hair.

Draco's eyes where watering with the memory of their happiness. 'Why did it all have to end?' He thought. 'We were so happy…'

Draco closed the book quickly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened up to a random page. His breath caught at the image that was on the page. Harry was in flannel pajama bottoms sitting on a rug in front of the fire in this very room. He was wrapped up in a blanket with the matching photo album in his lap. He was writing in it. Narcissa had planned the gifts well. At the back of each book there was a section of spelled pages that worked a lot like the muggle program called email. Draco flipped to the back of the album. There were pages and pages of notes from Harry. Draco opened to the latest ones. The ones Harry wrote before Draco left.

12/25/97

"I love you so much Draco. Forever love. That is what we have. A forever love."

Draco looked up from the book. Harry had written that soon after Draco proposed to him. Harry always said that. Forever love. Draco closed his eyes against the pain.

2/7/98

"You make my heart whole. I will love you always."

5/8/03

Draco dropped the book. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the book again and flipped to the page.

5/8/03

"I miss you and I am sorry. There is so much that I wish I could tell you. America is boring without you."

Draco's heart was racing. 5/8/03 was 2 months ago. Looking back at the book, Draco almost dropped the book again. Before his eyes words were appearing.

7/7/03

"I miss you. I -"

That was where it ended. ' I what!? What was he writing!? Why was he writing?' The entry was from a couple days ago. 'It takes awhile I guess.' A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. He missed the rest of words that were being written on the page.

"Forever, Draco, Forever. A forever love."

"Enter."

"Excuse me sir, but it is time for you to leave for the party." A small house elf said.

"Thank you. You can take the night off if you like, Margi"

"Thank you, sir. I think I will." As the elf turned away, Draco remembered something he needed to ask her. "Wait, Margi. Have you found my ring yet?" He had been missing it for a while. He could not lose it. It was his engagement ring to Harry.

"Not yet, sir. But I am still looking."

With a heavy sigh, Draco shut the book. He could not remember what happened to it. He had stayed at the Leaky Cauldron awhile back on business. It was a bad night. Maybe he dropped it when he was fiddling with it. He set the album on his bed, grabbed his wand and gift, and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

*** ~ ***

Harry sat in his room adding Draco's ring to the necklace he wore around his neck. 'How did it get here? How did I not see it before?' A loud crack downstairs signified people's arrival. Several cracks followed. 'Maybe I knocked it out from under the bed? But how did it get there!?' Harry looked up at the door when someone knocked.

"Come on Harry! Let's go! I am sure you look fine!" Hermione called. Muireann added her input as well with a squeal to rival her mother's when she was angry. "See! Even she thinks so, and she hasn't seen you yet!" Harry grinned.

"I'm coming 'Mione. I just want to check my hair!" Harry called while standing up to attach the necklace. He walked over to the mirror to see if he was presentable. His hair, as usual, was a mess. "Loosing battle Harry, it's a loosing battle," he told himself while walking out the door.

"See," Hermione stated, "You look great." She shifted Muireann onto her other hip.

"Thanks… Is Ron going to be here?" Harry asked. Taking a good look at her, Harry saw that she was getting tired of holding the baby. "Here, let me have her." A relieved look flashed across her face.

"You know, sometimes I think that girl ways 90 lbs instead of 15." She handed Muireann over to Harry who promptly adjusted himself to accommodate the sleeping girl. "Yes, Ron will be here. Hey, by the way, did you get anything for Tom?"

"Oh yeah! Hold on, let me get it." Harry walked back to the room and grabbed a small box.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"It is a book on the best cleaning charms. I thought it would be useful, as it is a pub."

"Thank you smart-ass, I never would have guessed that! Come on, let's go before we are late." They walked down the stairs with Harry shaking. Hermione saw him and sighed. "Relax Harry, you will be fine." With a glance at her daughter and then back at Harry's face, Hermione asked Harry if he wanted Muireann, or if he wanted her to take her back.

"If you don't mind, 'Mione, I would like to keep her for awhile. A comfort thing, you know?"

"Yeah, I do… Let's mingle!" With that Hermione started off, leaving Harry alone with the baby. He looked around for a moment.

"Let's go see Tom, little-one… Maybe he can get me some food." Harry murmured to the baby. He shifted her, and looked around the room for Tom. 'There he is,' he thought to himself.

"Tom!" Harry called. "Happy birthday! Here is your gift." Tom grinned.

"Can I open it now? Or do I have t' wait 'till later?" He asked.

"Wait 'till later… That is only fair! Do you think I can get something to eat? I am starving." Harry asked.

"Sure! Follow me." Harry trailed him to the bar. "What would ya like?"

"Anything will do. Like I said, I am starving." Tom nodded and headed back to the kitchen. A few minutes later he came back with a bunch of mashed potatoes, corn, a bowl of stew, and a roll. "Thanks Tom!" Harry said and left to go find a secluded seat in the back of the pub.

*** ~ ***

Draco wandered around the room taking in everybody.

'There is a reason why I don't go out in public.' He thought to himself. 'There is too much noise!' Draco fiddled with Tom's gift. It was a small book on cleaning charms. 'It might be helpful.' He thought. Draco headed off to give Tom his present.

*** ~ ***

As Harry finished up his meal, Muireann started to wake up. She started to cry softly.

"Oh, little-one! Don't cry!" Harry picked up his plate and went in search of Hermione. Muireann started to whimper even more. Harry walked and bounced her on his hip. He was starting to get a little nervous. 'I hate it when women cry.' Harry thought to himself.

"Well now, don't you make a good parent? Hey, I just thought I would warn yo-" Said a voice Harry was very glad to hear.

"Ron! Thank God!" Harry interrupted. "Take this little baby off of me. I don't want to be the one to make her cry!" Harry exclaimed, very relieved that Ron showed up. "I am going to go put the plate away and get away from people... I will show up before Tom opens his gifts. See ya later!" Harry turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Ron called with no avail. Harry still was walking away. "I just thought I would warn you. Draco is somewhere around here..." He said under his breath. 'Sometimes that boy really irks me.'

*** ~ ***

Draco was really sick of all the people. Everybody kept on coming up trying to get him to be sociable. He wasn't buying it. He took a look around the room and spotted a garden door near the back. 'Finally,' he thought. 'Escape!'

It was a pretty garden, lots of bushes and flowers to look at. Draco started to wander around smelling random roses. 'I love flowers.' He stopped when he realized that he didn't ask Tom about his ring. 'Oh well, I will ask him about it later,' he thought to himself.

*** ~ ***

Harry sat on a rock behind a pretty good-sized bush. He took off his necklace and his ring, leaving Draco's on it still. Harry sat there looking at it thinking of the time when Draco gave it to him.

Harry was sitting on the rug in front of the fire in their room. He looked up at Draco as he sat down. "Have I told you I love you yet tonight?" Harry asked, grinning at Draco and leaning in to kiss him.

"Not nearly enough times." Draco kneeled in front of him. "Harry, m'cara, how much do you love me?" Harry looked up at the seriousness leaking into the tone of his voice.

"More than the world. More than life."

"Do you love me enough stay with me forever?" Draco asked. "No matter what is going on? You will stay with me and let me help you with everything?" Harry was getting kind of nervous. He didn't like the "let me help you with everything" part.

"Absolutely. Forever and ever." Draco smiled and started to kiss him. Harry tipped his head to the side while Draco nibbled on the sensitive skin behind his ear. "What were all the questions for, love?" Draco stopped what he was doing. He pulled back and looked Harry in the eyes.

"Close your eyes 'm cara. I have a surprise for you." Harry grinned and obediently shut his eyes. Draco pulled out a velvet box with two rings inside.

"Open, love" Harry's eyes opened and fell upon the box.

"Dra-"

"Shhh! I am not done talking yet." Draco took Harry's hands into his own. "Harry, love, 'm cara, will you marry me?" Harry's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh absolutely! Forever love, that is us! Forever!" Harry rained kisses on Draco while putting his ring on. Draco put his on as well.

"I love you. I will love you always." Neither knew exactly who spoke, but both knew that it was true. They would love each other 'forever'.

The snap of wood breaking startled Harry out of his thoughts. He stood up and put his ring on. Fourth finger, left hand. 'Oh well, I don't think he would mind.' He walked around the bush and followed the path to a big tree. It was a huge Rowan tree and Harry itched to climb it. 'Yet another thing I can't do, because I am too old for it.' With a huge sigh, he walked back up the path with his eyes closed not knowing that someone else was doing that exact same thing.

*** ~ ***

Draco paused in his walking to close his eyes and absorb the night air. 'I love the night.' he thought, while walking up the path. 'It is so clean, so pure, so-' His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he, and what felt like a tree, collided.

"Oh! I am so sorr-" Draco cut off his words when he saw what he had run into. Not really a what, but a who. Harry. 'Oh no. I am not ready for this.'

'Oh shit.' Harry thought. He and Draco stood there silently. For a long while they stood there, staring into the other's eyes. Harry finally broke the silence.

"Hi."

*** ~ ***

Author's Notes: I am really sorry it took so long to update. I have been really busy with West Side Story. I got an offer to play solo cello in it, and I am really, really stressed about it. I am looking for a beta-reader if anyone is interested. I will try to update really soon! Also, m' cara means 'my love' in Greek.

~Fire and Night