Title: A Torturous Reminder
Chapter 12: My Façade, My Illusion
Rating: M
Warnings: H/D SLASH, HBP SPOILERS
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Harry Potter! Characters (except those created by us) belong to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling, WB, and the publishing companies. Don't sue us! We are just bored teenagers having a go at poor Harry and Draco!
Draco awoke at the sound of chirping birds. "Damn birds... shut up," he groaned, trying to squash the sound with his pillow by pressing it against his ears.
'Harry would probably find them endearing, the sob,' he thought as a smile slowly made its way across his lips as he gazed at Harry.
Harry slept peacefully, a smile still lingering on those lips that Draco now loved. Harry's hand was draped over Draco, tugging him close. With a sigh, Draco shifted closer into Harry's arm and drifted back to a peaceful slumber.
The next time Draco awoke was to the sound of a shower running. He sat up in bed, looking wearily at the clock. He threw the covers off, and he gave a yelp when he realized just how freaking cold the room was. He was buttoning up his shirt when he heard the bathroom door open. He turned towards Harry, giving him a wide smile, and he strode to where Harry was, wondering why he was stuffing clothes into a bag.
"Harry," he murmured into his ear, wrapping his hands around Harry's waist.
Harry turned his head toward Draco and as Draco drew his lips close to Harry's, he heard a barely audible voice whisper, "Don't."
Draco opened his eyes and upon seeing the look on Harry's face, withdrew from Harry, as if he'd been burned from the touch.
"What?" he said, not wanting to believe the look of contempt Harry had.
"Draco…I…"
"Well, spit it out already, what is it?" asked Draco, afraid to hear the answer.
"Draco, last night... you and me... we were both drunk. I…I'm sure we didn't mean for anything to happen between us…We're different, you know?"
Draco suddenly felt like he'd been slapped in the face. "No, I don't know, why don't you enlighten me?" he answered, his eyes blazing.
"We shouldn't," Harry said, motioning to them both, "continue anything, even if we did start something last night. We are in the middle of a mission…and it just doesn't seem like the right time."
"Is that what had you worried? The timing?" asked Draco, his face mingled with a trace of hope.
Harry ran a hand through his wet hair. "God, Draco, please don't make this harder than it has to be. Bottom line, we can't be together," he finished, looking at the floor, biting his lip.
"You're a fucking liar, Potter," Draco replied, his face contorted with rage. "Last night… you told me that you meant everything, and now you say you didn't. What kind of fucked up attitude is that!" he yelled, his voice getting louder. "Then why did you do it? Be man enough and give me a reason for what happened last night!"
"I wasn't feeling well... with Oliver and…"
Draco gave a hollow laugh. "You mean to tell me I was a rebound? So you fucked me in order to 'forget'. What the hell do I look like to you?"
"No! Draco, of course not!" exclaimed Harry, trying to make Draco understand, "Trust me, this is better for the both of us."
"Trust you? Trust you so you can throw everything back to my face ten minutes later!"
"I know what happened last night meant nothing to you."
Draco couldn't believe what Harry was saying. It made no sense, but worst of all, he had been lied to and for that, he would be unable to forgive Harry.
"You think this meant nothing to me!" yelled Draco, unable to control his rage any longer. "I fucking told you that you don't know anything about me. Don't tell me this meant nothing to me." Draco gave a big sigh and closed his eyes. "Don't tell me that," he whispered.
He walked towards the door, his legs feeling like lead. Last night was perfect, he had felt happy. He knew it had been too good to be true. 'Such things don't last for someone like me,' he thought, and as he opened the door, a voice called out to him.
"Draco…please…I"
With his eyes on the door and his heart broken in two, his voice broke as he said, "Don't call me Draco again," and without a backward glance, he walked out of the room, his mind blank and his heart breaking into smaller and smaller pieces with every step he took away from Harry.
Harry looked wordlessly at the door. Draco didn't understand, he couldn't. He groaned and flopped on the bed, he truly hoped he had done the right thing. Although,Draco probably wouldn't want anything to do with him ever again. Never at all.
Harry sighed and sat up on the bed. Of course, it couldn't have worked. Even though he had meant most of it, he hadn't expected it to have gone as far as it had last night. Plus, it probably hadn't meant anything for Draco. But then, why would Draco gave gotten so mad? Harry pushed the idea of Draco harnessing any feelings for him away. After all, years of rivalry couldn't simply go away that quickly. 'Then again, they did for me,' he thought, but pushed that out of his thoughts too. Plus, it wouldn't do well to have a love affair while on a mission. It would only distract them.
Harry, unsure of his own decision and cursing his impulsiveness, got up and began packing. He called a cab and asked the hotel to get a ticket ready for him at the airport. Draco probably didn't want to see him at the moment, and he wasn't too sure he could face Draco yet. Glancing unhappily around the room, he picked up his suitcase and headed out, leaving only a note for Draco.
Draco had stepped out angrily, raging and impatient. 'Liquor' he thought, but pushed the thought away. Not every sorrow could be downed in drunkenness.
The scene that had occurred kept replaying in his mind. How could Potter do that! How could he have fucking done that! Draco had given in to impulses as well. He had tried to push Harry off, but as Harry started to mutter soothing words, Draco's walls had crumbled, and he had given in, both to Harry and his desires.
"But why would he do that?" he yelled out loud, scaring everyone that was around him and creating glances he ignored. It still didn't make sense. Harry never, or so he thought at least, would have considered doing something like that. Then why, and why to him?
"I know what happened last night meant nothing to you." Those had been Harry's words. Draco scoffed, then laughed out loud, creating, once more, curious glances and people shuffling away from him.
'How wrong you are, Harry,' thought Draco, 'but if that's the way you'd prefer it, find then.'
Draco composed himself, and pushed everything that happened out of his head. His heart was lost now - it was numb, so he wouldn't have to be hurt from it again. He made his way back to the hotel with resolute steps. He wasn't going to forgive Harry, oh no. He was still angry at Harry. He was just going to do what Slytherins do best and ignore any feelings that could come up. He was going to make another mask once more.
He strode into the room, and found that Harry was gone. 'Of course he would be gone, did you expect him to be here waiting for you?' he thought, as he lay on the bed next to the window. He had the day off, he would just pass the rest of the day here and wait until tomorrow morning to drive back to New York. 'No point of going back, Harr-Potter, will be there,' he thought, trying to get some sleep as the beautiful morning turned dark, and slowly, Draco drifted off to the sound of rain against the window pane.
A couple hours later, Harry once again found himself in New York City. He stopped the cab in front of his apartment and got off, hoping that Alex would not be anywhere near. Finally, he opened the door to his apartment and closed it with a bang. The room was dark, signaling the coming storm. Harry walked to the window and stared at the dark clouds that loomed in the sky. 'Great, it reflects my mood,' he thought dryly, as he continued to stare outside, and withdrew once he heard the rain start to come down. His apartment was a mess and, wanting something to keep him busy before he went to see Mr. Bradford, he started cleaning.
Two hours later, and with a somewhat cleaner apartment, Harry decided it was time to go to the office. It was still raining outside, although it had subsided a bit. He called a cab and, remembering when he had called one only to find that Draco had a car, he smiled. 'Get a hold of yourself, Harry' he thought, and shaking his head, he climbed inside.
"Well, hello, Mr. Potter," said Mr. Bradford, somewhat shocked to see Harry a day early. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Umm...well, I just came to check in to see what the next step for the mission is."
"Ahh, yes, but where is Mr. Malfoy?" he asked questioningly, his eyes drawn in confusement.
"Draco decided to stay in Boston, he will be back tomorrow," whispered Harry, not looking directly into Mr. Bradford's eyes.
"Oh really?" asked Mr. Bradford, not believing Harry the slightest, but decided not to push it.
"Yes, so what's new? What did the death eaters confess to?"
"The death eaters we have in custody have given us almost a precise location of Mr. Lucius Malfoy."
Harry's eyes went wide with shock. "Seriously? So where is he? Does he know about us?"
"Whoah, Mr. Potter, calm down. Let me take your questions one at a time."
"Oh, right, I'm sorry," muttered Harry, sitting down on the chair in front of Mr. Bradford's desk.
"Yes, the death eaters did tell us. According to them, Mr. Malfoy is in Los Angeles, hiding with some relatives of one of the death eaters that is still on the loose, who is probably with him. We do not know the address of the house, but I'm sure we can sort him out. We can use magic tracers, or anything similar. I highly doubt Mr. Malfoy is not practicing magic; he will not live as a muggle as long as he is a wizard. Unfortunately, he is aware that he is being searched for, and Lestrange probably already told him about your encounter. Mr. Malfoy does not miss a thing, he is very precise and complex, which makes it harder for us to deal with him."
Harry took a deep breath. "Well, it doesn't matter right? Draco and I can deal with him," said Harry, sounding confident.
"That reminds me," said Mr. Bradford, getting up from his chair and placing his arms on his desk, facing Harry. "Another thing that the death eaters have told us, is that Mr. Draco Malfoy is in more danger than he realizes. I would wager than even more than you."
Harry bit his lip. "Lucius' grudge?"
"Yes, I assume so. Which is why I cannot stress enough for you and Mr. Malfoy to always be together, Mr. Potter. Do I make myself clear? You both can drive each other crazy, fight, do anything that I have seen you both do here, but you cannot let him wander by himself."
'You don't know half of what we've done,' thought Harry, almost laughing at the irony of it all. Yet, Mr. Bradford's words had made him snap back to reality. Draco was in danger, and he had to keep Draco safe, and with him, no matter how much Draco might bitch about it.
Harry took a deep breath, knowing that keeping Draco next to him would be a hard task, but nonetheless, he had to do what was right, and most importantly, what was best for Draco.
"Do we have a deal, Mr.Potter?"
"Yes, of course," said Harry, rising from the chair and shaking Mr. Bradford's hand.
"Oh, and Harry, since you do not like to apparate, you will be leaving for Los Angeles this evening, if it is alright with you, so you can be there by tomorrow morning."
"That's no problem, but who do I contact with when I'm over there?"
Mr. Bradford started rummaging around his desk until he found a thick manila folder and handed it to Harry, along with a cell phone. "The envelope here has some information, and a sheet with the address of where you are going to be staying at. This phone will serve as our communication tool, and I have put Draco's number in the address book. Once Mr. Malfoy gets to L.A., I will have him contact you so you can pick him up from the apparition center."
Harry nodded and took the things without a word.
"I hope to hear some good news from both of you, Harry."
"Yes, sir, hopefully," said Harry, shaking his hand once again with Mr. Bradford and exiting the office.
Draco woke up the next day to the sound of rain hitting the window pane once again. He groaned as he got up and grabbed some clothes before heading into the shower, not bothering to look at Harry's bed in case he crumbled down like he had done last night. He sighed as he entered the shower and let the water caress his body as he tried to place his thoughts in order. He stepped out and, after changing and packing his clothing, checked out of the hotel and began his way back to New York.
A few hours later, Draco pulled up to the restaurant Harry and he had stopped by on the way over. He was hungry, and seeing as there was no other restuarant for a few hours, he had decided to stop, although he knew memories were still contained inside the building. He sat in a corner booth and waited for Mabel to come but she never did. Instead, a younger brunette came up to him and asked for his order.
Draco gave his order, not knowing whether he should be relieved or at a loss that Mabel was nowhere to be seeing, but he pushed it out of his mind and continued on his way back to New York.
He unpacked his things once he got to his room and, after taking a quick shower and changing once more, he walked towards headquarters. He walked briskly up the steps and passed by a curious Alex, who merely shuffled out of his way as Draco cast him a dark glance. He entered Mr. Bradford's room and shut the door with a rather loud bang.
Mr Bradford raised his eyes and then looked back down to his paperwork, casually casting Draco aside. Draco cleared his throat and Mr. Bradford looked up at him once more, placing the last paper with his signature onto a stack.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," Mr. Bradford said rather relieved. "We weren't sure when you'd be coming, and were actually expecting you before noon, but seeing as you're here, I guess I should just get on with it.
"Mr. Potter has already been informed of the current situation and he'll inform you on all the details later, I'm sure. He's already in Los Angeles, which is where the death eaters confessed Lucius was, along with a few other deatheaters. Mr. Potter left by airplane yesterday and will be waiting for you at the apparating destination once you leave. Here you are," Mr. Bradford said, reaching into his desk and producing a packet similar to the one he had given Harry, "this contains a cell phone, which is directly connected to Harry's. His is the first phone number on your phone's memory, ours is second. If any trouble arises, I expect a call from you."
Draco began to stand up when Mr. Bradford stopped him.
"Hold on, there's one more thing I have to tell you. You are not to go anywhere alone. Mr. Potter is to always be with you, Draco. We cannot put your safety in any danger."
Draco looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked, wondering what that meant.
"Lucius Malfoy is not out to get Mr. Potter yet. His target is someone else - you, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco looked at him, astounded for a few seconds, before composing himself. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," Draco said, his voice in a monotone as he made his way out.
"Don't get yourself separated from Mr. Potter. Stay with him at all costs," Mr. Bradford said after him.
'Easier said than done,' Draco thought. 'There is no way I am relying on Potter.' He made his way out of the building when he was suddenly stopped by Alex.
"Get out of my way, Bloom," Draco said seethingly at Alex and moved aside to avoid him, but Alex moved with him, not allowing him passage through. Draco glared at Alex, enough to have made anyone cower, but Alex merely looked at him, a small smile playing on his face.
"So, Harry rejected you," Alex said almost gleefully after looking at Draco's face.
"I said get out of my way, BLOOM!" Draco bellowed, bringing out his wand, ready to curse Alex.
Alex only chuckled slightly and disappeared out of sight, leaving a disgruntled Draco to continue on his way to his apartment.
Draco had his bags ready, and glancing one more time around his room to make sure everything was in order, apparated to the place Mr. Bradford had instructed, though he wasn't about to call Harry.
A/N: AHHHH, ummm should we be hiding? Maybe…sorry, it had to happen, you all know just how damn stubborn both of them are! California won for the next place they would visit, so there ya go! Please please review! We will try to respond to every one of them with ff's new feature. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the U.S.! As for me, who knows if I might wake up early to watch the parade, I'm lazy.