Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, and I don't claim to, so don't sue me!
Pairing: D/H
Warning: Yaoi, character death (none of the boys)
Plot: An idea I got based off of the HBP – uses some parts of the book, but veers away from the canon to accommodate the pairing and my idea, so I've ignored most of it, just acknowledging the parts I wanted. ;; Basically, how Harry would have felt in the HBP if he was in a relationship with Draco, and how I think the ending should be resolved in the next book.
Reviews and feedback are appreciated as always!
He Always Wanted A Happy EndingIt started with a moment.
It wasn't a very interesting moment, nor was it glaringly obvious that something was wrong. It wasn't anything like turning away from him when they were together. Nor was it a verbal barb which actually hit home, unlike the others they used to cover their relationship. It was just a feeling. That something was off.
And maybe the fact that he picked up on it - more than their whispered promises and hidden caresses - showed how deeply they felt for one another.
Hurrying down the deserted corridors Harry clutched the broom over his shoulders, peering out of the windows as he passed, trying to do some last-minute calculations of how much the wind would affect his playing.
A noise up ahead drew his attention, and looking up he caught sight of his lover walking towards him – in the company of two rather sulky-looking girls.
Dismissing the presence of the females as unimportant, Harry continued on his way, gaze now firmly fixed on the head of blonde hair he was so familiar with. Patiently waiting for the other boy to catch sight of him and meet his eyes, he was surprised when it caused the other to pull up short.
A brief flicker of something darted through the familiar clear grey eyes, and at the indefinable emotion, a feeling of unease tugged at Harry's heart.
Short and humourless, the laughter was the same as he always used when they were in the presence of others – but the minor hesitation before he continued walking was not.
"Where're you going?" Harry demanded.
"Yeah, I'm really going to tell you, because it's your business, Potter," sneered Draco, firmly in his Malfoy part. "You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for the Chosen Captain – the Boy Who Scored – whatever they call you these days."
One of the girls giggled at that, and Harry turned his green gaze on her, not really seeing her as he tried to figure out what exactly was wrong with this encounter.
Draco and entourage quickly pushed past him, and Harry turned on the spot in order to watch as they disappeared round the corner he'd just come from.
It was almost like his partner was hiding something…
Everything after that just snowballed together in his mind – it was from that point that Draco started avoiding him. Subtly at first, saying he had an extra lesson, or that his housemates were beginning to get suspicious…and with everything that Harry was going through himself; extra lessons with Dumbledore, Quidditch practise, keeping on top of his work…it just didn't register then how odd it was.
The longest time that he was in the other boy's presence after that moment, was, ironically, when Harry was frozen and watching his lover as he tried to convince himself he could kill Dumbledore.
And now, years later, it had come to this. All the searching for the remaining horcruxes, and all the secret training he'd undergone – all to find the headquarters of Voldemort, and the boy he refused to give up on. No matter how many bad things he'd had to hear people saying about him since that day, and no matter how many times his oblivious friends voiced their own speculations.
Yet Voldemort was no longer here.
Finally feeling the destruction of his life anchors, he'd obviously decided to act the coward again and had retreated. It was undoubtedly a wise course of action, given Harry was ready for him now, but they could only hope Voldemort wouldn't risk breaking his soul up any smaller…the time for treasure hunts was over, this needed to be finished, and soon.
Still, even if the main bastard's absence had been a disappointment, the Death Eaters he'd left behind him had provided some distraction. A reasonably good testing ground for the skills he'd picked up.
Oh, and at least one mistake would be put to right today…actually – better make that two mistakes.
Draco had been discovered, being held as a hostage, and obviously tortured. Yet even as the relief swirled through his body, Harry knew it wasn't quite the time to go and comfort him, nor take him to task for not confiding his problems at the beginning. For now it was enough that everyone's doubts had been momentarily silenced.
Instead, now was the time for the second mistake to correct itself.
Over time evidence had come to light, partially clearing Snape of Dumbledore's death. Under the influence of an Unbreakable Vow, the man would have died if he hadn't completed the task set for Draco, should Draco prove incapable of doing it. And of course, it had then been easily discovered, thanks to Hagrid, that Dumbledore himself had ordered the man to carry out the task – serving both to affirm his 'loyalty' to Voldemort, and ensuring Draco's hands remained clear of blood.
The only problem with all this evidence, was that once the Order found out Snape wasn't evil, so too did Voldemort.
Now the man himself lay, bleeding, at Harry's feet.
In the midst of battle the Death Eaters had done their best to kill Severus Snape – driven, even at the moment of their personal defeat, by their anger and hatred – leaving the man stubbornly hanging on to life by a thread.
Studying the sallow features of the man he'd hated for so long, Harry let it go.
He would not be like the bad guy, he would not live off of his darker emotions.
The Order had accepted Snape's motives, learned without assistance from the man himself, and had unanimously decided that cleared him of any guilt or wrong-doing – glad, perhaps, that they hadn't been played for fools, as it had appeared they had been.
Like it was really that simple!
Even with a reasonable motive, even with Dumbledore's orders, the fact remained Snape had murdered Dumbledore, and had seemingly switched sides too numerous times to count. In Harry's eyes that made the man untrustworthy.
…Besides, it's not like Harry actually felt any allegiance to the Order, or any respect for their opinions – they all viewed him as a tool, and rarely treated him like he had meaningful views or a stake in the outcome of the war. In turn, he'd decided the Order was too black and white to be anything other than a stepping stone in his path to kill Voldemort and get on with his own life, hopefully with Draco.
Which was why he felt no guilt for not fetching the medi-witch Snape so obviously needed.
The man had kept the boy he loved reasonably safe. Had kept Draco from becoming a killer. Had provided invaluable data in the fight against Voldemort.
But he had also killed the Leader of the Order. Had, inadvertently or not, given information which led to the deaths of the people Harry loved, and Snape had hated. Not to mention the man's extremely murky allegiances.
And now, he had been discovered by Voldemort, rendering him useless as a spy.
In Harry's mind, Severus Snape was too big a risk to actively help him live, indeed it might even be kinder to the man to let him die. Voldemort would certainly want his revenge.
So, for now he would watch. If the man lived…fair enough – Harry would never trust him, but he wouldn't hinder him either. If the man died…
A slight smile lifted the corners of his lips up.
It had begun with a moment, and so it all ended with a moment. The flicker of regret in Draco's eyes as he deceived the boy he loved, mirrored by the flicker of emotion Harry spotted in the obsidian eyes that met and matched his gaze.
Sitting on his haunches, he watched and kept silent vigil, as it…slowly…died…out.