Healing of the Broken Hearted
Chapter 1/13: Perfection
Strmbringr
In this world full of problems he was put upon to solve, a world full of unhappiness, he had found his own. The empty pace in his chest, the missing portion of his soul, was there now. Everything he could ever want was within his grasp or within his reach. A small smile eased onto his face at the thought, emerald eyes opening to look at the peaceful face of a god across from him. His Adonis, his lover, magnificent in the throws of sleep. Soft sunlight played upon the man through the window and the gauzy fabric covering their canopy bed, playing across the man's aristocratic features and flaxen hair. Draco Malfoy was the Adonis of Harry Potter's world, the true perfection among all the darkness that had covered it before.
In the end he had defeated the Dark Lord in his seventh year of schooling at Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His life up until that moment had merely been a trail of despair. After all, he had been orphaned at the young age of one and sent to live with abusive relatives with a hatred for anything abnormal such as magic. Then to be thrown into a place where he hoped to be accepted only to find himself hated or loved depending upon what was in the newspapers. Revered for what he could not remember doing, both hated and loved because of his parents…very few knew his true self. Even his friends had not truly known Harry. Not in the beginning.
The real changing point had been when his godfather died because of his immaturity. Even now Harry blamed himself because he knew it was his fault. His fault fell in causing the events leading up to Sirius's death. He had not wielded the wand or created the veil, but he had let his foolish hatred for Snape stop him from learning what he needed to learn. While it was true that if Dumbledore had told him what was going on or if Snape had tried a different tactic things might have been different, in the end it led down to his inability to comply with what he had been assigned. Of course, he did not let anyone know that he still held this guilt heavy on his heart. He was mostly at peace with it, but his opinion would never change. After that he had grown up. It was cruel for a child to have to grow up so quickly, but he had needed to. The wizarding world had dropped their lives and hopes upon his shoulders.
He had not failed them.
It was true that he had grown up on the outside, but on the inside he had felt dead. After the death of two Hufflepuffs that Christmas he had lost what little control he had. Cutting had started then and was not discovered for a few weeks and would not have been had Snape not found him in Moaning Myrtles bathroom. No one had been suspicious. It was actually frightening to think that no one had even noticed the change in him. Though Harry had always thought that Snape had indeed noticed and only refused to admit caring about the son of his former school enemy. After that it had been Severus. Only the Slytherin head of house could truly break through and in the end he did. Dumbledore, Severus, Remus, and his friends had helped him through it once he really realized what he was really doing.
The friendship with Draco began the summer of sixth year because Draco had refused the Dark Mark for reasons that had always been his own. Draco later admitted that he thought the Dark Lord was a hypocrite and he refused to be ruled by anyone. The two were trained during that summer and became close. That year Hermione and Draco formed a friendship with the help of Harry since they were Head Girl and Boy respectively. Severus and Harry kept their friendship private as he was still spying and used their time to talk and work on improving Harry's potion making skills. As it turned out he was quite good when things were explained to him. Right before Christmas Harry came out of the closet and a month after that he and Draco were together. Hermione and Ron also admitted their feelings for each other that year.
At the end of the school year Harry James Potter destroyed Lord Voldemort, formerly Tom Marvalo Riddle, and lived up the prophecy.
Gryffindor won the Quiddich Cup and Ravenclaw won the House Cup. A golden plaque was put in the Great Hall with his name at the head, followed by Dumbledore, Severus, the members of the staff, the D.A, and the rest of the students that had been involved in the war. Those killed in the war had a rose beside their name. Harry, Severus, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix received various medals of Honor. The first three received the Order of Merlin. A plaque was also put up listing the members of the Order of the Phoenix, a rose beside those dead in the war such as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Remus Lupin, Percy Weasley, and others.
After the war had ended Harry and his friends had decided to go to Merlin's University for the Continued Learning of Magic. Those friends would of course be Draco, Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Blaise. Ginny and Luna joined them when they graduated a year later. Ron, Dean, and Seamus began in the Auror program, though Ron did not continue in that area. He was now working towards taking the deceased Ludo Bagman's place in the ministry Sports Department. Seamus and Dean were nearing completion of their Auror programs. Hermione had taken on the avocation of magical creatures such as werewolves and goblins and getting them reinstated as magical beings. She was also training to be an ambassador for the British Ministry of Magic. She hoped to visit America eventually, but was currently working towards France.
Ginny was now a chaser for Puddlemore United, as she had quit University after a year. To Ron's disappointment she refused to join the Chudley Cannons, claiming that she didn't look good in orange. Luna was training to be an Unspeakable, wanting to work in the Department of Mysteries now. Harry had also heard recently that Neville Longbottom was now the Professor of Herbology at Hogworts, though after Ginny had broken up with him, Harry had kept up too much. Blaise was about to begin working as an apprentice to Bill Weasley. He, it seemed, had a talent for Curse-breaking. Draco was working with spell-inventors in the ministry. He was quite talented and enjoyed inventing new things. Harry himself was actually quite lost. Having to make a decision when he had never had true choices in his life was very hard. But he was going off to work with Charlie Weasley soon. He planed to be a Defense Against the Dark arts professor in a few years, but until then he wanted to work with Magical Creatures. They fascinated him. Of course, he also had to finish the Potions Mastery that Severus had insisted he get, but all he had left for that was apprentice work.
The best thing about his life, however, was that Draco had been hinting about an imminent bonding between the two of them. Nothing in the world would make him happier. A turn of his head revealed Draco to be blinking grey eyes blearily up at Harry. A smile rose to Harry's lips.
"Morning, love."
"G'morning…" Draco's greeting was muffled by a yawn before he rose and stretched. "I'm taking a shower, care to join me?" Without waiting for an answer, the blonde Adonis walked into the bathroom. Harry followed the lighter man's naked body with his eyes before getting up and joining him in the bathroom. Needless to say, it took a bit longer than it possibly should have to get ready that morning.
They spoke over coffee and toast; Harry's toast drenched in grape jelly and his coffee over sweetened, while Draco's toast was simply buttered and his coffee barely sweetened at all. Almost polar opposites. Harry broke the companionable silence. "So what is on the agenda today, love?"
Draco thought for a moment, sipping at his coffee, before responding. "You promised Severus that you would take his classes today because of the Potions Conference that he is attending today. We have lunch with everyone today, requested by Seamus and Dean. You need to be back at the school for a class at two. We have dinner at six and then you have a Defense lecture at seven thirty. I think that that is all for today, but you know that Severus with bog you down with work he doesn't want to do."
"Geez… that is far too much to do today, we'll barely see each other! I shouldn't have offered to help Sev; I forgot he always takes advantage of my free time. Damn essays. I swear he gives them out just so I will grade them!" Draco grinned at him. "Serves you right. You would think that at 23 you would have finally realized that Severus is completely sadistic. Then again…you were in Gryffindor even if you do have Slytherin tendencies." Harry scowled. "I thought we gave that up when we left Hogwarts."
Draco smirked. "Speaking of which, Severus is leaving at eight-thirty, you better get going." Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'm going, I'm going." Draco grabbed the slightly smaller boy and pulled him into a passionate kiss before letting go. "You're going to be late." Harry left in a mild daze with Draco smirking after him.
By the time he reached Hogwarts, he was in a great mood. He entered the Great Hall with a grin. The Gryffindors were extremely enthusiastic, the Slytherins smiled politely, and the other Houses smiled in enthusiasm. Since he had filled in for Potions and DADA a few times over the years, they knew he was a fair teacher, but definitely not easy. Harry greeted everyone before reaching the Head Table and chatting with the teachers before following Severus out, laughing as he saw the man put down blacker than black coffee.
No one really understood how they had become friends, or why they had stayed that way over the years, but their friendship had only grown stronger, not pushed them apart. Harry was playful and friendly towards Severus in public and Severus was cold by comparison. In private he was almost as playful, but he rarely showed it to anyone but Harry. As they walked towards the Dungeons, the menacing man gave Harry the small smile that he only ever gave the younger man. The affectionate, soft, private smile that was more beautiful than most would imagine on Severus' face. Harry cherished the show of true humanity.
"You are lucky, there are only first years today. Both classes are doubled and both are working on the calming potion. You can, of course, take and give points and detention to any House you like. None of them want to get on your bad side, but the first years haven't seen you too often. I think you should make sure that they learn to behave when you are around. You will need to give them the specifics on an essay for the ingredients and uses of a calming potion. To be handed in next week." Severus smirked waiting for it.
"Since it is the end of the year, I know the work is piled on and since I don't have much to do, would you like me to grade any of your work?" Harry then almost bit his tongue off and looked as if he wanted to bang his head into a wall. He always fell into it. Severus smirked.
"Well since you offered so sweetly, yes. Third year essays on color changing potions, fifth year on the uses of the Polyjuice potion and sixth year on the Dreamless Sleep Potion. Too bad you haven't ever completed you potions mastery or you could have come to the conference with me." Harry grumbled underneath his breath as Severus chuckled in low tones.
"I think you saved all of these just for me!" Severus smirked again. "I didn't want to run out of red ink before the end of year exams." Harry laughed. "Damn Slytherins, always taking advantage of people's good nature." Severus grinned. "Spoken like a true Gryffindor, you little Slytherin."
"Well what can I say? Anyway, I'm going to finish my mastery next year, you know that. You're the master I am apprenticing myself to. After that two years I Romania with Charlie, a year around the world, and back here to teach at Hogwarts. My test scores are phenomenal thanks to your help, so I doubt they'll mind if I waited a few months to become an apprentice. Its easier to start at the beginning of the year."
"Of course. I'll see you this weekend then. I know you would never miss a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game."
"Not a chance! My lions will crush your reptiles any day!" Severus grinned. "Spoken from someone who cheers for Slytherin behind their hands. Not a chance the lions will win this game. Don't forget on Sunday we are going to Ms. Weasley's game. Puddlemore United vs. Chudley Cannons. I can't believe you have made me a Quiddich fan."
"Yes, I can't wait for that game! Watching Ron try to cheer for Ginny and his own team is great! Even better is that regardless we know who will win and Ron still holds out hope. I'll leave the finished papers in your office and I'll take the rest home and give them to you Saturday or Sunday."
"Certainly. Just have the 7th years done today, they rest can wait." Harry smiled and hugged Severus. "Have fun! Tell me how it goes." Severus merely gave him a look. "Goodbye, see you Saturday." He left in a flourish of robes as Harry turned and began to prepare for class. When he was done he began grading the seventh year papers. He was very fast grading essays, for whatever reason, so Severus always left him those to grade. He completed his ninth one when his first class walked in.
He took of two points for Gryffindor for one boy running two minutes late before standing up and addressing the class that was looking at him as if he was a puzzle they had to put together.
"Take your seats. As you probably know by now, I am Harry Potter. You will call me Professor Potter and I will not tolerate any questions about myself, only the subject I am teaching, with obvious exceptions. Today we will be learning about the calming drought. Prepare to take noted the first half and begin working on the potions the second half of class. There will be no fooling around. Now, who can tell me the uses of crushed lavender petals in this Potion?" By the end of the questioning he had given Slytherin 12 points and Gryffindor 8. With a wave of his hand the instructions and noted they needed appeared on the board. The students rushed to copy it all down.
Ten minutes later, he had waited for the students actually copying to finish, he wiped the board clean. He mentally grinned at the groans and protests, knowing he would have been among them when he was a student. "Get together with your partners. One partner will get the ingredients, the other shall set up for the potion. Begin now."
There was a frenzy of activity as people grabbed ingredients, put their cauldrons on to boil, and rushed to copy last minute notes from their friends. Less than ten minutes later they had all started on the potion as Harry patrolled the room. Unlike Severus, he answered the at first hesitant questions. Doing this proved less explosions. A Slytherin girl raised her hand and he walked over to her. "Yes Ms. Rynx?"
"Ummm…Sir? Can you show me how to dice the Zimmer Roots, please? I never really understood when Professor Snape explained it. And you said that dicing the roots wrong could ruin the potion."
"Correct Ms. Rynx. Here, let me show you the proper way." He took the knife and slowly showed her how to dice the roots, correcting her once when she took the knife back before moving on. He would have to remind Severus to spend more time on the basics. Many of his own problems had been with simple things like that. Ms. Rynx smiled brilliantly at him as he moved on. He glanced at the clock across the room, thanking Severus in his head for the permanent contacts he had helped Harry make, noting that an hour and a half had gone by. Almost everyone was done.
"Begin cleaning up. One partner should bring up their bottled potion. Label them and put them on my desk." As they did this, Mr. Green of Gryffindor set off a firework in a Slytherin's cauldron. Luckily the girl and her partner were not at the cauldron. One was putting back extra ingredients and the other was putting their potion on his desk. Harry's eyes widened as he yelled for everyone to get down. Still, the exploding potion burned many of the students. Harry was absolutely enraged.
"Injured students report to the Hospital Wing. The rest of you finish cleaning up your areas and bottling up your potions. Mr. Green, 100 points from Gryffindor and you are lucky that you won't be expelled! Detention for the rest of the school year with Filch and Professor Snape! If the year wasn't almost over, it would be longer! This is a dangerous class, with many things that can react violently if you don't take care. I know Professor Snape explained this to you all. I am recommending to the Headmaster that you are put on Parole next year. Neither Professor Snape nor I will tolerate this immature and dangerous behavior. Do something of this again and I will recommend you for expulsion!" Mr. Green was white and shaking by the end of Harry's tirade, with tears streaming down his face. The Gryffindors all looked frightened and upset, the Slytherins looks shocked and wary.
Well, Harry thought, they wouldn't try something like that again any time soon. He hoped that this would also save Severus some trouble. After the class filed out he worked on a good portion of the essays before leaving for his luncheon with friends. On the way out he noticed that the tale had spread and grinned. Now his other class would behave as well. Not that Harry was worried about a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw class. They generally behaved.
He slid into his seat at the Crystal Cauldron a little while later, wondering why Seamus and Dean had asked them all here. He and Draco shared a rather heated kiss to the amusement of the others before Harry greeted Dean, Seamus, Blaise, and Luna. Ginny rushed in a moment later, seating herself between Harry and Luna. Ron and Hermione walked in a few minutes later and sat down between Luna and Dean. In a circle they were seated like so: Harry, Ginny, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Seamus, Dean, Blaise, and Draco. Harry took a moment to reflect on his friends, to see how much they had changed in years past.
Ginny had really grown up, turning into a beautiful woman with amazing blue eyes and auburn hair waving down her shoulders. She had the build of a Quiddich player and showed it off freely. Her face expressed her exuberance for life and her youth. Luna was a more silent beauty, with golden ringlets and blue-violet eyes in their usual dreamy expression. She seemed to make you think of the fantastic by just looking at her. Of course, the calculating intelligence beneath the dreamy expression was almost frightening. Blaise with his dark brown hair pulled back aristocratically, and hazel eyes gleaming in amusement. He was someone that Harry never thought he would be friends with, but they got on well. Dean had grown into a magnificently built body and chocolate eyes were filled with the calmness that Harry had often seen in Remus' eyes. Of course, Seamus reminded him of Sirius. With an obvious difference in features because he had golden brown eyes and light brown hair gelled into spikes. They were all beautiful…of course he wouldn't be able to see their imperfections anyway, their souls outshined whatever his eyes might otherwise see.
Ron was still tall and playful, but he was more serious now, probably Hermione's influence. They had been dating forever. He still had his brilliant red hair, though it was spiked, and ocean blue eyes that had always been filled with mirth. Hermione had let loose a bit over the years and it showed in her easy smile. Her light brown eyes still sparked in intelligence and laughter. Her hair was perhaps what Hermione herself now loved best. She had finally tamed it into waves and streaked the dark brown hair with highlights. Even Hermione was allowed to be a bit vain. His friends had grown up in so many ways, and he saw it every time he looked at them. His attention was drawn back to reality as everyone gave his or her orders to the waitress. Hermione and Dean prevented Ron and Seamus from getting anything too strong.
Hermione was the next to speak. "So, Dean…Seamus, what did you want to discuss with us?" Seamus grinned. "After lunch Hermione, I enjoy watching you squirm!" And Dean promptly hit him in the head. "Seamus!" Seamus merely grinned wider. "I like watching you squirm even more Dean." The table burst into laughter and Dean sighed. It was after everyone had finished their meals and was sipping the last dregs of their drinks up that the two decided to speak. They held hands and drew attention to them. A reassuring glance was shared between the two before the ever-calm Dean spoke with barely restrained happiness in his voice.
"Seamus and I have given each other promise rings. We plan on bonding once we graduate and our lives settle down, but we have decided that we are meant to be. We wanted all of you to be the first to know." The two kissed sweetly as the table broke out in applause.
Harry's grin widened. "Well all I can say is finally! It took you two long enough! And congratulations." Everyone laughed and added their congratulations too. Harry adored his friends; they were the family that he had never had growing up. All the girls got up and hugged the two and the guys clapped them on the back. Then of course Ron had to comment. "Well this sucks. Now I'm the only one that isn't checking out guys. I feel left out." Hermione rolled her eyes and everyone said their goodbyes. A promise ring was the equivalent of an engagement ring for same-sex couples. Instead of a marriage they were bonded. Actually, most wizarding couples were bonded regardless of the pairing. It was a much deeper bond than marriage, but it was a big step. Draco and Harry had been promised to each other a little over a year ago.
Harry had a life now. As he looked at himself chatting, laughing, and generally enjoying himself among those he considered his family, he realized that he was finally content. He was happy at last. He had everything he wanted and needed and his burdens were suddenly lifted. His life was an absolute picture of perfection.
End Chapter 1
Lisa13: Thank you for the suggestions, they were very helpful and I hope that it made the story easier to read when I fixed it.
IncubusSuccubus: As you can see I am definitely continuing the story. I hope you enjoy Chapter one as much as you seemed to like the premise.
Authoress Note: I am sorry it took me so long to update, but I have a few problems at home that make it difficult to update often. I prefer typing up my stories with a few notes in my notebook to writing it out in my notebook first. I am at my mom's house most of the week and I cannot save files onto her computer, so I am stuck sending myself emails when I write things. It makes it difficult and annoying, but I manage. At my dads house I have a timer and so I will rarely take the time to type something up unless I am in the mood. Luckily I tricked my dad into giving me more time over holiday break, so I used some of it to type up chapter one. Anyway, I will be posting the chapters…rather far apart. I apologize for this, but I hope that they will be worth the wait. I am having a lot of problems with chapter two right now because of the length. I will not have it as short as it is so I need to work on what to put in there. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope to work out some of my problems soon.
I adore reviews so please leave them if you have the time. Suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcome.
Thank you very much,
Strmbringr