Lowly Beginnings
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter et al. belongs to JK Rowling
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AN: This is short, but it was significant, and I didn't have much time. I spent so long deliberating over how this should go, so please, tell me what you thought. I really didn't know how else to do it. I really hope you enjoy it. This is also likely to be the last update for a month. Thanks for reading…
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Chapter 10: Pasts, Presents… Futures?
'I love this film…' Harry whispered, 'But it's so sad.'
Harry and Draco sat snuggled together on the sofa. Draco had allowed Harry to choose the film to watch that night, and had been apprehensive about what he would pick- after all, Draco thought to himself, Harry considers cartoons good TV. To Draco's surprise, Harry had picked out a rather serious film: The Green Mile. It was one of Draco's personal favourites, along with the Shawshank Redemption; Both prison films Draco thought blithely. I'll be dating a criminal next.
He looked over to Harry who was snuggled under his own blanket next to Draco. Suddenly, upon the screen, Mr Jingles was squished by Percy the prison guard. Harry immediately let out a cry and tried to snuggle further down into the blankets. Draco smiled softly- for all Harry's hard looking exterior, he had what might be considered by some a 'fluffy marshmallow centre'. Draco reached out and touched Harry's shoulder; Harry removed his head from beneath his blanket, and peeked over the top of it at Draco. Draco smiled at his, and lifted the corner of his own blanket up, inviting Harry under. Harry nodded shyly, embarrassed at the emotion he was showing at the film, and climbed under the blanket, and sat between Draco's legs, his back against Draco's chest. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's chest and pulled the blanket over them both so they were sharing it, Harry's blanket lying forgotten to the side. They stayed like that until the end of the film. As Coffey, the innocent man on death row, was given the electric chair, Draco felt Harry's shoulder shudder lightly.
Unable to see Harry's face he whispered gently,
'Are you crying, Harry?'
'No.' came the muffled response.
Draco turned Harry around to face him and he could see tears pooled in Harry's eyes, and then one spilled over,
'Yes you are. Aw, come on you.' Draco pulled Harry into his embrace. 'You're just a sucker for a happy ending aren't you?'
'I can't help it. I always cry at the end of this film. It's just sad… he didn't even do it.' Harry said, drying his eyes with a little shame.
'Baby, it's ok. He ended up happy didn't he- he wanted to die. It wasn't his fault… sometimes people just get mixed up in things to big for them. Sometimes things aren't fair.' he comforted Harry.
But for some reason, this seemed to make Harry even more upset. He burst into tears and for some reason, Draco felt that it wasn't because of the film anymore.
'Hey. Hey. Shhh. What's wrong?' he asked frantically. Harry's head was buried in the crook of his neck, and he could feel the wetness of Harry's tears.
'I can't tell you. You'll be angry, just like Uncle Ve-. Just like everyone else. I don't want you to leave me.' Harry all but sobbed, choking on his words. 'Please- please- don't leave me. It wasn't my fault, I was just a kid. Just a kid!'
'Hey, just tell me what's wrong. I promise you I won't judge. I promise. Just tell me.' Draco soothed, desperate to know what was hurting his little raven angel so much. Something in his past. But what?
Harry abruptly sat up, looking deep into Draco'e eyes. All childish and immature charm that Harry usually possessed was gone, and all he could see was pain and a sense of knowledge and wisdom beneath Harry's deep green jewels,
'Do you think I'm good Draco?' whispered Harry, his eyes red but no longer streaming.
'Of course I do Harry. Why would you doubt that?' Draco said, wanting to reassure Harry. He wiped away a stray tear that lingered on Harry's cheek with the pad of his thumb.
'I wasn't always good Draco. I used to be a bad boy.' Harry stared intently into Draco's eyes, and then dropped his gaze, 'But I didn't mean to- I was young, and I didn't know any better. I didn't know it was wrong- nobody ever told me. I just didn't want him angry with me.' Harry pleaded, working himself up into near panic.
'What did you do that was wrong Harry? And who is 'him'?' asked Draco softly, still confused.
'I stole.' Harry said quietly, so Draco barely heard, having to strain to hear.
'What? I may have misheard…'
'You heard right. I stole things Draco. I used to pick-pocket people.' Harry repeated. He paused, waiting for Draco to say something. He didn't so Harry continued. 'You know my whole family died when I was young. You assumed I'd always been in the orphanage. I haven't-only since I have 12. Before that I was with my Aunt and Uncle. They were unable to have their own kid, and when they were forced to take me in… they… they resented me. Hated me.
I remember when I was really young, they'd just ignore me, or not feed me, or lock me in the cupboard when I was bad, or noisy. I tried so hard to get them to care, but they never did.' Harry's voice cracked, but he continued. 'I tried so hard. Then one day Uncle Vernon took me to the centre of Surrey and told me to take a man's wallet from his pocket. So I did. I didn't realise it was wrong. Un-un-uncle said I was being g-g-good. That I should keep going. Then I started going every day, and he'd praise me when I brought back money- we were in the slums, it was cockroach infested, Uncle Vernon was working in an assembly line at Grunnings and Aunt Petunia was unemployed. It was hard to make ends meet. Then it started that when- when- when I couldn't get any picking, he'd…' Harry trailed off, unable to finish.
'He'd hit you?' Draco spoke up. His voice was detached and emotionless. It was the first thing Draco had said in a while, and Harry wasn't sure what to think. He merely nodded,
'I got caught by two policemen… Paul and Jake,' Harry reminisced. 'They helped me. They saved me. My Aunt and Uncle got 10 years. I got sent to Juvenile for two years until I was 12, then to the orphanage which relocated two years ago here. I'm sorry. I should have told you. I'm sorry…' Harry paused, waiting. 'Say something Draco. Please. Say something!' he screamed.
Draco stood up, looking in a dazed dream,
'I need to go- I need to go…' he muttered and left the room, leaving Harry behind. Harry sobbed as Draco left the room. Draco wanted nothing to do with him; he should have kept quiet but he thought he had finally found someone who cared for him as he was. He curled up into a foetal position on the couch, and let all the tears he thought had run dry fall again. His body jerked erratically as he sobbed and as he fell asleep, he was alone. All alone.
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Eyes. Grey eyes. They were looking over him in concern. Who has grey eyes? Harry wondered. Suddenly, the previous events came back to him and the dried tear stains on his cheeks brought him back to the present and he shot up on the sofa, nearly banging heads with Draco.
'I'm sorry.' Harry said hurriedly, trying to stand up to leave. 'I'll go get my stuff.'
'Why?' said Draco.
'Huh?' said Harry in bewilderment, as Draco sat down next to Harry, holding Harry in place,
'I'll never understand the extent to which they hurt you Harry, but I promise you now, I'm not going to leave you because of your- your- your bastard relatives.' Draco seemed to be finding it hard to find a word to describe Harry's family.
All Harry's previous actions made sense- Harry's occasional silences, his flinches, the fear he saw in Harry's eyes from time to time. The way Harry sometimes had a slip of the tongue. And god, the week before when Harry had gotten the tickets out of Blaise's pocket without either of them noticing. Why hadn't he seen the signs? He felt a rush of hate, of anger, of fury towards the Dursleys- may they rot in prison for what they had inflicted upon Harry; for a boy not to know the fundamental differences between right and wrong, to be beaten for doing the right thing, to be unloved. He didn't know how much Harry had suffered, how much had been inflicted upon Harry, but he knew this: he, Draco Malfoy, would never leave Harry. Ever.
'You don't hate me?' Harry's irresistible eyes looked at Draco.
'I could never hate you Harry. It wasn't your fault- you were cursed with your relatives- never be sorry for what they did… it was their entire fault. Never forget that.' Draco said, and he breathed a feather light kiss upon Harry's tender lips. Harry responded even as he shook with after-sobs. 'We all make mistakes Harry, but the difference is yours weren't by choice- that makes you better than a lot of us.'
'Have you made mistakes?' Harry asked.
Draco considered. Harry had been honest with him, despite his fears. Draco should be honest with him, even though Draco didn't like to see the faults in himself,
'Yes Harry, I've made mistakes too.' Harry still looked unconvinced. To try and convince Harry, he added, 'You want examples? Well, I've made some bad choices in boyfriend in the past. I'm not perfect Harry- I've had a lot of boyfriends, and I've done a lot of stuff with them. I'm not perfect like you are Harry; I'm not innocent and untouched. But I stopped going around a while ago- I dated a guy called Theodore Nott for a while, but he never really wanted a relationship, and in the end, it was just physical. I didn't want it, and I realised how hollow it all was, so he went and dated other guys behind my back. It didn't really bother me, because I didn't care about him, but at the same time, I did care- it made me realise what a shambles I was making of my life. I've had everything; loving parents, wealth, looksand yet I was still and idiot. Then I met you. And I'm not letting you go.'
'Promise?'
'Yes. I promise. I love you.'
'I love you too.'
And they fell asleep curled up in each other's arms, content in the knowledge that there were no secrets between them, and that whatever the future may hold, whatever difficulties they may encounter, at least they still had each other.
And that was how they were the next morning when the phone rang…
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A/N: Yay- reviews! Lol- thanks for sticking with this story guys- sorry, but I won't be updating for about a month (due to boarding school, and no internet) but please feel free to review anyway, or email or whatever. There's no feeling like coming online and finding a review! You make my day. Thanks for reading.
Teedee- Phew- I'm glad you liked the reaction. Yep- both Draco and Josh are jealous of each other. I know Josh doesn't look like Tom Riddle (Blonde hair, blue eyes, etc) but I wanted to put it in.
Mistress Vamp- Lol, this will be my last chapter out for a while (like a month!) Lol, yep, Harry is Draco's.
Lena- Wow- that's really sweet that you left me a review even though you normally don't. I'm glad you like the gradual build up in their relationship… I'm trying not to rush them. Um, you're pretty? (Pretty scary, but hey?)
Wiccan-one- Lol. the Draco in my head is too hot for me to describe. Shame! Oh well, one must suffer for one's beliefs. Or something. Sorry, but the next chapter won't be here for about, um, a month… cringe. But I have added to my plot sheet yet another chapter… I thought of a new idea.
MoonLightKiss- Lol, somebody had to fall flat on their ass and Draco's a bit too graceful- so, hard luck Harry. Lol, I wish I had someone to jump on when I got home, but I guess I'm too young so I don't care. I'm still getting over the guy who cried when I turned him down…
Lampshadesrgreat- Oh, I wanted to go see Greenday in January too, but I'm gonna go to Rock am Ring in June and Greenday are playing there so I figured I'd go to MCR instead- and see how that turned out? Glad you liked- enjoy work :p
Yana5- Ye shall see, ye shall see. Glad you think they're cute.
Ak-alterego- Yes, it was very cheesy- I needed some cheese in there (preferable cheddar). Yep, Josh Riddle (I know he doesn't look like Tom Riddle in canon, and I know his middle name is Marvolo not Josh, but a little artistic license was called for.)
Remmi- Glad you're enjoying! Thanks for reviewing :D.
Burnt Reflections- Wahey- my fave reviewer! Lol- this story will take ages to end now that I'm only gonna be able to update monthly. Lol- stuff grammar… I'm lousy with it. Glad you agree with the song argument! Lol- maybe I'll write another fic after this- but only when this is fully finished or I'll get waylaid. Thanks for the review and you're just bloody amazing! And now my bacon is burning to a crisp and the smoke detector has gone off (no joke- whoops?)
Kristina- Lol… I'm so glad you reviewed even though you couldn't read all the story! Lol, yeah, FanFiction does stuff like that… whenever authors complained about Fanfiction before I never really got what they meant, but now it sometimes randomly deletes things in my work, and it doesn't accept percentage signs, or stars, etc. Hope you still enjoy it when you finish reading it. : )
Orlin- Lol- glad you thought the Josh/Tom thing was interesting. Lol, I'll try get a bit more Blaise in just for you! Glad you liked the fluff!
Emmy- Glad you liked possessive Draco- I think he rocks (hence why I put him in /) I'll only be able to update once a month from now on though- back to the old grind, ahem, back to school on Sunday.
BeautifulLady- Glad you like the story. I'll keep updating if people keep reviewing (and they are- that still amazes me!)
Aveeno-Baby- Lol, 'I'm Loving It'- you sound like a McDonalds advert :P
Lady Slone of Snow Mt- Glad Harry's reaction was liked. You liked the hockey game? I liked it too- I don't know where on earth I got the idea though; I've never even once been to/seen/played ice hockey ever. I just thought it was cute. I can't think why you want Josh to go jump… I am shocked to my very core! Hehe, etc.
Dracomalfoy21- Lol- glad you think it's getting more interesting. I've been on half term so I've been getting chapters out fast- after this, back at boarding school, they'll be once a month.
Arwyern- Here's your update- the next one won't be for a month though (sorry!). Don't worry, Josh won't be a stalker, (like you said, that's been done- you might be referring to Madam Poofy or BratPrincess-187's stories-if so, I've read them and they're awesome… kinda where I got my idea from, but I'm trying to keep it different) he'll be more of a nuisance. What makes you think something bad will happen? Ho hum… shifty glance. Well, go ahead and hug Harry. Love you!
Moon Turnip- Whoops? I had actually noticed I made Harry a bit too perfect, but I was seeing if I could get away with it… oh well, at least he isn't good at Ice-skating. He should be suffering some trauma soon though…
Fudge baby- Glad you like
Ura-hd- Glad you thought it was sweet, and you like the pace of their relationship.
Spideria- Lol- you LURV it? You ROCK!
Wonderclam- Carnegie Hall- that's amazing. Well, if I write at my boarding school, I can get quite a few chapters up together when I come home for the weekend (which is once a month).
Dragon Malfoy- You can stop bowing now- thanks for reviewing.
TheSlytherinGoddess- Jealousy and tension is always good. Wahey. Ich bin very glad that you like them as boyfriends. Ice-skating is cool… I love going, but my skills involve going in straight lines and turning without falling. There isn't a rink near me either. YES- I know exactly what you mean in exams… you think you did well and you end up doing terribly. I get myself to do the reverse psychology thing and feel bad about myself, and then I get good results in- well, it worked for my GCSEs.
Shola- Really glad you like the characters in this one. Whatever makes you think Josh will stir up trouble? …Whistle causally… You have a great day too!
Mannal- Josh Riddle Tom Josh Marvolo Riddle, but he uses his middle name. And I guess he doesn't look much like him in canon either, but people wanted more canon characters in, so I kinda altered it. But I'm glad you liked.
Volupta- Aw- that' so sweet of you: I'm so glad you read and enjoyed it.
Charisma Black- Thank you : )
xhappyxpeoplex- Lol, this will be my last update for a month though, but in a month, hopefully I'll be putting up a few chapters together (can't get internet access at boarding school without them monitoring you). Thanks for the compliment… you're an amazing writer too. I just reviewed your story, and put it on my favourites list- hope you don't mind. Update soon please.
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