Disclaimer: Refer to first chapter
Summary: Harry Potter died in his final battle against Voldemort, but did he really die?
Pairings: DM/HP, SS/HG, LM/OC, LP/JP, RW/PP for now.
This fic contains OotP spoilers.
AN: This fic is almost entirely a flashback on how Harry and Draco got together.
Warning: This fic contains slash, which means male x male relationships so, if you are offended, the back button is on the top of your screen.
Thanks to my reviewers, you rock!
5. Warm bodies on cold beds
After Christa got out of the room, Harry started to look around it. He found a huge closet with clothes for all occasions and, surprisingly, they were his size.
'Wow, I wonder if they are planning on keeping me here for too long'
The door beside it was an even huger bathroom with shower and bathtub, all in white, a creamy color and golden.
'Man! My living room fits inside here, and that's saying something!'
The entire place was breathing richness.
'How do they get the money to keep all of this?'
Coming back to the room he fell on the bed and started thinking about what had happened that night, he wasn't sleepy after all. In a few hours, hell, it wasn't even hours it were minutes, all his beliefs had turned upside down. Voldemort was one of the 'supposedly' good guys, his parents were alive, a girl he didn't remember and was a schoolmate was a member of a group more secret than the Order, well maybe not more secret, as he had never heard about the Order of Phoenix before his 5th year but it seemed to him at that moment that those guys from that Brotherhood of Light never stopped their activities while the Order had, Draco's father was also 'supposedly' on the side of light...
Draco. He wondered how he was now.
'Is he thinking about me now? Is he sleeping? If he is, is he dreaming about me? About what we had planned for our life?'
'Drake... if I could just touch you now, feel your hair, taste you lips... why the hell does that Brotherhood want me here? Why do they want to keep me apart from you my dragon... my beloved dragon... my... beloved... dragon...dragon...'
'...what if you decide to show at the doorsteps of your beloved dragon saying that you are Harry Potter...' The phrase that that Nil girl had said earlier suddenly kept echoing in Harry's mind and he sat bolt upright in the bed.
"Bloody hell!!! She was spying us!" Harry exclaimed then he fell back on the bed.
'But, Christa said she was a Slytherin in my year, what if...'
~~Flashback~~
"Harry, can't you really stay? I mean, you may be the best Auror there but surely they can give you the day off, can't they?, Besides an old friend of mine will come here an I really would like you to meet her." Draco said hugging Harry.
"No, I can't Drake. I really wish I could but Anthony said that it was really important, he said that they have a clue about where Voldemort's headquarter may be and I must go to see if it fits with my visions." Answered Harry hugging Draco back and putting his head on Draco's shoulder. "Besides, I'll be here for dinner, maybe if you invite your friend to dinner I'll be able to meet her."
"Really? May I invite her for dinner?" Draco asked as if Christmas had come earlier.
Harry just nodded while looking deep into Draco's eyes.
"Thanks, love, you'll love her, she is wonderful."
"Best friend?" Harry asked amused never leaving Draco's eyes.
"You can say that. Remember what I told you about who helped me make my fist move on you? It's her." Draco answered getting lost in Harry's eyes.
"If she helped you with your feelings then I already like her. And, if she is one of your best friends than she is already part of the family." Harry always would say that to refer to the family they had built: their friends. Then, Harry's voice dropped to a whisper: " I love you, Drake; my beloved dragon." Then he kissed Draco passionately.
~~End Flashback~~
'Hm... maybe it was her.'
Harry looked around the room one more time and his eyes came to rest in one of the tapestries that hung on the wall. It was Godric Gryffindor, this he was sure, and another man in his middle forties with a child, a boy, dressed in Egyptian clothes sitting on the man's lap. They were sat in rocks in a wood. The tapestry had an air of a family. Like two brothers, or friends, and the son of one of them. No sound was coming out of it but the two men were talking about something while the kid kept looking at each of them in turns, then, the kid would jump from the man's lap and go to Godric, tell him something, hug him, run around the tapestry... the boy was the one who was moving the most while the two men kept talking or calling the child.
'It's very beautiful. I wonder what is the meaning of that... Drake, if you could be with me now... watching this... what would WE be talking about? About having a child of our own? About these two men? About the first time you told me how you felt?'
~~Flashback~~
Harry, in his sixth year, was, early that morning, in the Great Hall eating breakfast when suddenly a black eagle owl landed gracefully in front of him. It showed him its talon and he untied the letter it had attached to it and the owl flew back to the owlery, possibly. The letter was addressed to him in a cursive yet determined handwriting. He opened the letter and was surprised with what he read:
'Dear Harry
I believe you are not shocked to receive this as I believe you receive this kind of letter every day, if not every hour, but the words contained in this letter are the truest words I could write to someone. You are everything to me, Harry. I never thought that such a feeling could ever exist in real world. For me, the love I feel for you since I first saw you was something that only existed in muggle fairy tales but now that I know what I feel for you I know that there can be a love greater than life itself, as I love you more than life itself. Of course, at the first time I saw you I didn't know what that feeling of butterflies in my stomach meant, that feeling that I needed to hear your voice, to be close to you, no matter what it meant, but now that I've come in terms with my feelings for you I can say without a hint of doubt: I love you Harry. Not the hero everyone worships, not the savior of the wizard world, not the Boy-Who-Lived, but the person Harry. Don't try to find out who I am through the handwriting as I asked a dear friend of mine to write this letter for me; she is the only one who knows about my feelings for you.
Always yours,
Someone who truly loves you.'
"Hey Harry, mate, what is that?" asked Ron when he saw the letter.
"Hm.. nothing, Ron, nothing. Hey guys, I forgot my books. I'll find you in class, okay?" Harry said getting up and exiting the Great Hall.
He rushed to the Gryffindor tower to write a reply to the mysterious person who had written the letter. Arriving there, he closed the curtains around his bed, laid on his stomach and started writing:
'Dear someone:
I must say that your words truly moved me but you are mistaken to think that I receive this kind of letter every day. In fact, no one ever showed this kind of affection to me and although it was a friend of yours who wrote the letter for you it still was radiating the love you say you feel for me. I would like to know who you are. Are you from which house? From which year? Are you a boy or a girl? (Not that I mind)
Sincerely
Harry'
Harry re-read his letter and, after deciding it was good, put it in an envelope, addressed it to 'Someone' and pocketed it rushing to the owlery to send the letter. When he arrived there the same black owl that had delivered the letter to him that morning came flying towards him. He tied the letter to the owl's talon and the owl was soon flying out of the window to deliver the letter.
'Well, now, I'll know who sent the letter because of the owl' Harry thought running to his first class of that day: Potions, with the Slytherins.
~~End Flashback~~
Harry chuckled from the memory; he never found out who had sent the letter through the owl. It was too damn clever to deliver the letter itself so, the owl, somehow, exchanged the letter with another owl and he only saw the back owl again when it came to deliver the reply to his letter.
~~Flashback~~
The next morning that Harry had sent the letter to the mysterious 'someone', the same black owl came flying with the other owls to deliver the mail in the Great hall
'Great, now I'll find out who sent me the letter' Harry thought happily while watching the owl.
Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for somebody), the owl came flying right towards him and landed gracefully in front of him.
'Great, a smart owl.' He thought angrily while detaching the letter from the owl's talon, giving it a treat. Soon the owl flew and Harry excused himself from his friends and rushed to the Gryffindor boy's dormitory. He entered the empty dormitory, closed the curtains around his bed, laid flat on his stomach and only then, he opened the letter and although it was in the same handwriting as the previous one, it was still radiating love:
'Dear Harry
To say that I'm surprised by your words in your letter would be an understatement, as I still don't understand how someone like you could not receive love letters from anyone, but I'm extremely happy that you replied my letter, you have no idea the happiness that burst inside my chest when I received it. Answering your questions, I'm a 6th year, like you, and a male, but I won't say in which house I am as it would be too easy to figure out who I am for the way I watch you, I will just say that I'm not a Gryffindor. I also want to know you, Harry, but I must do that in the shadows, without you knowing who I am, for you would jump into the wrong conclusions about me. If it's okay with you, we could continue corresponding; I just ask you not to ask me who I am for I'll reveal myself when I'm ready to face you.
Sincerely yours
Someone who truly loves you.'
And then, the months passed with Harry corresponding to the mysterious 'someone'. As the months flew by he found himself more and more attracted to the unknown person, he could say that he had a serious crush on this someone if not loved him. The year passed uneventful, so uneventful that Harry was already getting suspicious. After all, it was the same thing with Voldemort the summer before his fifth year, the year that Sirius had...passed away. It still hurt to think about that but the uneventfulness of the year, without Voldemort and his followers to remind him, helped him not to think about it, the stranger, even trough the letter, comforted him with many words of love and affection. Harry told him all about the Dursleys, Cedric, Sirius... about everything. The stranger even helped him in many subjects through his letters; his grades had improved a lot, Snape didn't do any remarks about him, Ron, surprisingly started dating Pansy Parkinson, though the old house rivalry was still there, Draco Malfoy didn't say a single nasty thing about him or his friends for the entire year so far... yeah, everything was just too calm for him. And was thinking about that year that Harry was found by the owl he knew so well, in a Saturday of one of the Hogsmeade weekends, sitting by the lake in the end of May.
"Hello there, I don't have a treat now, but I'll give you two next time I see you again, ok" Harry said to the owl while detaching the so expected letter from its talon. The owl hooted approvingly and flew away.
As no one was around, Harry opened the letter hastily and felt the same love he always felt emanate from the letter but he also felt fear:
'Dear Harry
We have been corresponding for almost a year now and I feel that I can't hide myself anymore. I feel I will die if I don't meet you and tell you personally what I feel for you, so before the courage leaves me, I ask you to find me in the Mermaid's Song, in Hogsmeade, this afternoon, at 2 o'clock. Black Lotus (the owl) will guide you to there. I'll be using a green sweater and black pants and a book, 'When happiness knocks on the door', will be placed beside me for you to see. I have blond hair, please, find me.
Always yours
D.'
That was it, the stranger wanted to see him! Harry almost exploded from happiness. He hurried to the Gryffindor Boy's dormitory, got dressed in some new clothes he had bought in Diagon Alley and hurried to Hogsmeade.
When he reached Hogsmeade, the black owl, Black Lotus, was already waiting for him. It led him though Hogsmeade, going in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. It stopped in front of a nice looking pub on the last street of Hogsmeade, the one facing the Shack.
"Thanks Black Lotus, and sorry about the treat, I don't have any now." Harry said to the owl. Again the owl hooted approvingly and flew away.
Harry then entered the Mermaid's Song and started looking for the stranger while looking around the place. It was cozy, decorated in a way that reminded anyone of a ship, a galley or a galleon, and at the same time the deep of the sea. It had a few people in there, an old man, the barman, a cloaked figure and some other people; it was perfect for anyone who wanted neither all the fuss of the Three Broomsticks nor the suspiciousness of the Hog's Head, but also it was perfect for anyone who didn't want to be seen. And then, he spotted it, a blond head looking out of the window facing, surprisingly, Hogwarts.
Very nervously, he approached the stranger and looked at the table. The book was there, 'When happiness knocks on the door', so he moved to the stranger's clothes, black pants and green sweater, then he moved to the face and was totally shocked at who was there, staring back at him: Draco Malfoy.
"Looking for something, Potter?" Draco asked in a calm voice.
Harry searched that phrase for any hint of sarcasm but found none, so he asked:
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
"I guess that this is a public place, isn't it?" Draco replied averting his gaze.
"Are you waiting for someone?" Harry asked interested. He was waiting a nasty remark but it wasn't what came.
"Yes. You?" Draco answered still not looking at him.
"I'm looking for someone." Harry answered warily.
"Have you already found this someone?" Draco asked taking a yellow envelop out of his pocket and placing it on top of the book. It was the first letter Harry had written to the mysterious 'someone'.
"I may have." Harry answered looking surprised. "Malfoy, why?"
"Have a seat, and I'll tell you everything". Draco whispered looking at the table."
Harry sat opposite to him and waited for him to talk.
"Do you want something to drink?" Draco asked still looking at the table.
"Yes, a butterbeer"
Draco ordered the drinks and only began to talk after the drinks were on the table and the waitress was far enough to not hear them
"Potter, Harry... I... everything that I've written to you is true, if that is what you are thinking. I... I never lied to you, well, not through the letters and I'm not lying now. I... I truly feel everything I told you I felt, I... I... I really...love you, Harry." Draco finished, looking at Harry.
Harry was looking at Mal... Draco while he was talking, trying to find out if that was one of the Slytherins sick jokes, but Draco surely couldn't be faking all of this. He looked so lost, so defenseless, so perfect.
"Please, say something." Draco pleaded.
"What do you want me to say, Malfoy? I... I never expected you to say something like that, to anyone. You have been my... worst enemy since I came to Hogwarts. It seemed that you had made your duty to make my life in Hogwarts a living hell and now... you tell me that you love me. What can I say about that?" Harry said looking somehow exasperated and confused at the same time.
Draco nodded and looking at Harry, said:
"I understand. I guess that I'll leave now. Don't worry, I'll never bother you again."
Harry saw that Draco's eyes were shining... with tears. He felt his chest constrict and at that moment, he knew that everything that Draco said was, indeed, true.
"Look, this book is... it is for you, ok? It's a gift" A single tear made its way down Draco's cheek and he wiped it away with a trembling hand. He was getting up when Harry said:
"Wait. I... I still don't understand. If you love me, why you acted the way you did since I came to Hogwarts? Please, tell me."
Draco sat down and took a shuddering breath, then, when he felt calmer, he started to tell Harry the reasons behind his acts.
"I guess that mainly it was because I needed to hear your voice somehow, but also was because I was jealous of your friends; they were truly happy, they had their families beside them and specially, they had you with them. When I first saw you at Madam Malkin's, I was stunned to say the least, you were so beautiful, so... innocent, so I started babbling about everything I knew, just to make you talk to me, of course, the way I grew up helped me to talk only bullshit, you know, always told that muggle borns were nothing, and just the rich pure bloods who despised everything related to muggles were worth something. And then, on the train, when I tried to impress you, you preferred the Weasley; that made me really angry with you, so, I decided to ignore you, but, soon after that I felt that I needed to talk to you, but I was too arrogant to do that, so, unconsciously, I started to... make your life a living hell. From there, things just proceeded. I only realized that I felt something more, something completely different from the hate I tough I had for you in our fifth year, when that overgrown toad threatened to curse you with one of the Unforgivables. I remember it clearly, the panic I felt just imagining you under so much pain. Thankfully, Granger had the smart idea to tell Umbridge that little lie about a weapon to Dumbledore. I was so relieved that her attention wasn't in torturing you anymore that I wasn't able to hide my relief in time. Of course everyone mistook that for eagerness to see the weapon. After you three left the room, the Slytherins made their way to the Slytherin common room, I went to the boy's dormitory and started thinking about what had happened there with the Umbridge-toad. It couldn't have been because I would see someone go through the Cruciatus, I've already seen that; it was because I felt something more for you, something that wasn't hate. While I was thinking about that, Nillie, the friend I told you that helped me with my feelings, came to the room and we started talking about what had happened and then, I realized that I never hated you, but I loved you; you never felt ashamed of telling people what you felt, you never let people let you down, you were a fighter, you didn't have any prejudices against people, and so many other qualities that if I were to tell them all, I would never stop. But I was in denial, not that I loved you, but that we are both men and, my father expected me to marry a nice pure blood girl and produce heirs to the Malfoy name. Over the summer, I thought about that and saw that it was my life and if I didn't decide to fight for my happiness, no one would give me that in a silver plate, so, when I came back to school I was decided that, if I couldn't make you love me, then, at least I would tell you what I feel and make you see the real me, so, at Nillie's idea, I sent you that letter, telling you everything I felt. As I told you through the first letter, I thought that you received love letters every day and when you replied my letter, I felt like exploding from happiness and then, as you told me about the life you had with those.. those people, and the sorrows in your heart, I felt each day more in love with you. Today I managed to gather the courage to reveal myself to you so I asked you to come here to this pub. I like it, it doesn't have the fuss of the Three Broomsticks nor the creepy air of the Hog's Head and Madam Puddifoot's is too full of snogging couples." Draco finished telling Harry the reasons why he acted the way he acted, still looking at the table. He took a sip of his butterbeer and waited for Harry to say something.
Harry was beyond shocked; he never expected Malfoy to be so... human, but the boy in front of him wasn't the same Malfoy he thought he knew, this was the mysterious 'Someone who truly loves you', the very same person with who he had shared his deepest secrets, secrets he hadn't told even Ron or Hermione, the very same person who comforted him when he needed someone to just listen to him, or, in their case, just to read. The same person who would reply his letters no matter at what time, when he would wake up from a nightmare and write to the mysterious 'someone' or when he was feeling alone, a letter would always reach him and brighten his day. He then looked at the book and finally understood what that simple phrase truly meant: it was up to him to invite happiness to come and live in his heart, and his happiness was knocking on his door on the form of the sixteen-year-old- blond-boy sat in front of him, he had to invite that happiness to come and live in his heart. Then, suddenly, Harry made his decision.
"Harry, may I touch your hands?" Draco asked shyly, eyes never leaving the table.
"Yes." Harry answered confused putting his hands on the table. He didn't understand why Malfoy would make such a weird and seemly meaningless request.
Draco, shyly, touched one of them. He began touching Harry's hand firstly with his index finger, then, slowly, he moved to the back of Harry's hand, Draco's palm now touching Harry's fingers, then Draco took Harry's hand and brought it to his lips. Harry felt that Draco's hand was soft, delicate but also that it was cold and sweaty, surely he was VERY nervous. Draco closed his eyes and kissed each of Harry's fingers then he caressed his own cheek with Harry's hand leaving a kiss on his palm, then, he opened his eyes and put Harry's hand back on the table.
"You know, Malfoy, muggles say that there is a way to know without a doubt if someone truly loves you." Harry said looking at Draco.
"What do you want me to do?" Draco asked looking at Harry, a small sign of hope in his voice and eyes.
"May I kiss you?"
"Yes." Draco answered with a shy smile on his lips, his eyes shining with what looked like hope and happiness.
Harry got up from his seat and, after Draco had moved to give him more space on the bench of the table, he sat down and put his arm around Draco bringing him closer and kissed him. The kiss was sweet, slow, gentle and Draco's lips were soft and warm, something Harry never expected Draco's lips to be. Butterflies woke up in his stomach and made their way to his chest, his heartbeat increased and he could hear his own heartbeat on his ears. This felt like Nirvana. Slowly he teased Draco's lower lip with his tongue and Draco readily gave Harry entrance then Harry proceeded to tease Draco's tongue with his own; slowly they broke the kiss but instead of pulling away from each other they kept looking into ache other's eyes.
"Wow! That was...wow!" Harry said looking at Draco, smiling, their noses touching.
"Yeah! That was amazing!" Draco answered smiling, with his eyes shining from happiness.
"You know what? You should smile more often. If the girls already say that you are gorgeous with that smirk of yours, they would go crazy and drop dead if they saw how breath-taking is your true smile."
This only made Draco's smile get wider.
"Well, then, I'll have to disappoint them, as this smile already have an owner."
"And who might be that owner?" Harry asked now amused.
"I think you know him. He has unruly black hair, stunning green eyes that look like two perfect emeralds, a light golden skin, round rimmed glasses and is in Gryffindor. His name is Harry Potter."
"Hum, unruly black hair, green eyes, round rimmed glasses, belongs to Gryffindor, named Harry Potter... I guess I'll have to talk with this guy, how dare he try to steal my dragon's smile from me?" Harry said chuckling.
Draco pulled away slightly, surprised.
"Your dragon?"
"Draco, do you want to be my boyfriend?" Harry asked seriously, looking Draco in his eyes, cupping his face with one of his hands.
Draco launched himself into Harry's arms and hugged him, while saying yes and kissing Harry's face and mouth altogether.
"Draco, this book, what is it about?" Harry asked picking the book.
"It is a muggle romance, about two people that have the chance to invite happiness to come to live with them." Draco answered looking at Harry.
"Do they invite it?"
"That, you will have to find out. It's not boring, so, don't worry about falling asleep while reading the first page."
"Well, let's go then, my beloved dragon?" Harry asked Draco.
"Yes." Draco answered smiling.
They got up, paid for the drinks and headed back to Hogwarts.
Harry told Ron and Hermione about his relationship with Draco and found a very strong support on them, specially after Hermione telling him that Snape and her were kind of together, well, as together as a professor and a student may be. During the summer, they kept corresponding and, every morning he would wake up early, not to do his chores, but to wait for Black Lotus and only then, he would do his chores. Draco told him that his father had changed a lot and, didn't prohibit his relationship with Harry, he said that if that was what Draco really wanted, then, he wouldn't stand on his way, but it would be better that the Dark Lord didn't get a wind of that, so Harry and Draco decided to keep their relationship secret for the moment, Draco believed it was because of the days he had to spend in Azkaban after his capture in the Ministry of Magic. Their seventh year was the most eventful of all with Voldemort in full activity, which caused the death of Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. In the end of their seventh year, Draco proposed to Harry that they get married and Harry of course, accepted. Strangely, Lucius Malfoy accepted the marriage and even was present at the event, that took place at Hogwarts. He left Draco with a great sum of money after warning him that, to live well with Harry, he would have to be blasted off of the family, they agreed and, after the school year was finished, they moved to a small apartment in muggle London. Anthony Imhotep Bluenile, the new Minister of Magic invited Harry and Draco to work as Aurors for the ministry, opportunity that they took gladly and, three years later, they were moving to a large apartment in Diagon Alley, near the Ministry building. They lived happily with their friends coming to visit them and the work they had. One year after moving to the new apartment, Draco quit his job as Auror and went to work in St. Mungo's hospital as a healer and, the year after that, the final battle took place right there, on Diagon Alley. He faced Voldemort right in front of the building he and Draco were living and Draco was there, taking care of the wounded. All he wanted was to protected Draco so, he launched himself into the battle, that nightmare had to end and it didn't matter if he was going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, he had to end Voldemort's reign of terror. It was with this thought in mind that he cried the two words he thought he would never say:
"Avada Kedavra."
But it seemed that both have cried at the same time, so he just saw the green light hit its target before darkness claimed him.
~~End Flashback~~
'How did he escaped from the killing curse? I'm sure I cast it right.'
Finally, feeling sleepy after so much thinking, he let sleep claim him. Draco was finally safe from evil, now that he was 'dead', there wasn't anyone who could harm his beloved dragon, or at least he hoped. That memories had lifted his spirit and warmed his heart, to know that he made sure that Draco could live in peace without the fear of someone coming after him because he was related to 'Harry Potter'. But that wasn't a great comfort because, even after all these good thoughts, he was still a warm body in a cold bed, without his dragon to warm it for him.
Summary: Harry Potter died in his final battle against Voldemort, but did he really die?
Pairings: DM/HP, SS/HG, LM/OC, LP/JP, RW/PP for now.
This fic contains OotP spoilers.
AN: This fic is almost entirely a flashback on how Harry and Draco got together.
Warning: This fic contains slash, which means male x male relationships so, if you are offended, the back button is on the top of your screen.
Thanks to my reviewers, you rock!
5. Warm bodies on cold beds
After Christa got out of the room, Harry started to look around it. He found a huge closet with clothes for all occasions and, surprisingly, they were his size.
'Wow, I wonder if they are planning on keeping me here for too long'
The door beside it was an even huger bathroom with shower and bathtub, all in white, a creamy color and golden.
'Man! My living room fits inside here, and that's saying something!'
The entire place was breathing richness.
'How do they get the money to keep all of this?'
Coming back to the room he fell on the bed and started thinking about what had happened that night, he wasn't sleepy after all. In a few hours, hell, it wasn't even hours it were minutes, all his beliefs had turned upside down. Voldemort was one of the 'supposedly' good guys, his parents were alive, a girl he didn't remember and was a schoolmate was a member of a group more secret than the Order, well maybe not more secret, as he had never heard about the Order of Phoenix before his 5th year but it seemed to him at that moment that those guys from that Brotherhood of Light never stopped their activities while the Order had, Draco's father was also 'supposedly' on the side of light...
Draco. He wondered how he was now.
'Is he thinking about me now? Is he sleeping? If he is, is he dreaming about me? About what we had planned for our life?'
'Drake... if I could just touch you now, feel your hair, taste you lips... why the hell does that Brotherhood want me here? Why do they want to keep me apart from you my dragon... my beloved dragon... my... beloved... dragon...dragon...'
'...what if you decide to show at the doorsteps of your beloved dragon saying that you are Harry Potter...' The phrase that that Nil girl had said earlier suddenly kept echoing in Harry's mind and he sat bolt upright in the bed.
"Bloody hell!!! She was spying us!" Harry exclaimed then he fell back on the bed.
'But, Christa said she was a Slytherin in my year, what if...'
~~Flashback~~
"Harry, can't you really stay? I mean, you may be the best Auror there but surely they can give you the day off, can't they?, Besides an old friend of mine will come here an I really would like you to meet her." Draco said hugging Harry.
"No, I can't Drake. I really wish I could but Anthony said that it was really important, he said that they have a clue about where Voldemort's headquarter may be and I must go to see if it fits with my visions." Answered Harry hugging Draco back and putting his head on Draco's shoulder. "Besides, I'll be here for dinner, maybe if you invite your friend to dinner I'll be able to meet her."
"Really? May I invite her for dinner?" Draco asked as if Christmas had come earlier.
Harry just nodded while looking deep into Draco's eyes.
"Thanks, love, you'll love her, she is wonderful."
"Best friend?" Harry asked amused never leaving Draco's eyes.
"You can say that. Remember what I told you about who helped me make my fist move on you? It's her." Draco answered getting lost in Harry's eyes.
"If she helped you with your feelings then I already like her. And, if she is one of your best friends than she is already part of the family." Harry always would say that to refer to the family they had built: their friends. Then, Harry's voice dropped to a whisper: " I love you, Drake; my beloved dragon." Then he kissed Draco passionately.
~~End Flashback~~
'Hm... maybe it was her.'
Harry looked around the room one more time and his eyes came to rest in one of the tapestries that hung on the wall. It was Godric Gryffindor, this he was sure, and another man in his middle forties with a child, a boy, dressed in Egyptian clothes sitting on the man's lap. They were sat in rocks in a wood. The tapestry had an air of a family. Like two brothers, or friends, and the son of one of them. No sound was coming out of it but the two men were talking about something while the kid kept looking at each of them in turns, then, the kid would jump from the man's lap and go to Godric, tell him something, hug him, run around the tapestry... the boy was the one who was moving the most while the two men kept talking or calling the child.
'It's very beautiful. I wonder what is the meaning of that... Drake, if you could be with me now... watching this... what would WE be talking about? About having a child of our own? About these two men? About the first time you told me how you felt?'
~~Flashback~~
Harry, in his sixth year, was, early that morning, in the Great Hall eating breakfast when suddenly a black eagle owl landed gracefully in front of him. It showed him its talon and he untied the letter it had attached to it and the owl flew back to the owlery, possibly. The letter was addressed to him in a cursive yet determined handwriting. He opened the letter and was surprised with what he read:
'Dear Harry
I believe you are not shocked to receive this as I believe you receive this kind of letter every day, if not every hour, but the words contained in this letter are the truest words I could write to someone. You are everything to me, Harry. I never thought that such a feeling could ever exist in real world. For me, the love I feel for you since I first saw you was something that only existed in muggle fairy tales but now that I know what I feel for you I know that there can be a love greater than life itself, as I love you more than life itself. Of course, at the first time I saw you I didn't know what that feeling of butterflies in my stomach meant, that feeling that I needed to hear your voice, to be close to you, no matter what it meant, but now that I've come in terms with my feelings for you I can say without a hint of doubt: I love you Harry. Not the hero everyone worships, not the savior of the wizard world, not the Boy-Who-Lived, but the person Harry. Don't try to find out who I am through the handwriting as I asked a dear friend of mine to write this letter for me; she is the only one who knows about my feelings for you.
Always yours,
Someone who truly loves you.'
"Hey Harry, mate, what is that?" asked Ron when he saw the letter.
"Hm.. nothing, Ron, nothing. Hey guys, I forgot my books. I'll find you in class, okay?" Harry said getting up and exiting the Great Hall.
He rushed to the Gryffindor tower to write a reply to the mysterious person who had written the letter. Arriving there, he closed the curtains around his bed, laid on his stomach and started writing:
'Dear someone:
I must say that your words truly moved me but you are mistaken to think that I receive this kind of letter every day. In fact, no one ever showed this kind of affection to me and although it was a friend of yours who wrote the letter for you it still was radiating the love you say you feel for me. I would like to know who you are. Are you from which house? From which year? Are you a boy or a girl? (Not that I mind)
Sincerely
Harry'
Harry re-read his letter and, after deciding it was good, put it in an envelope, addressed it to 'Someone' and pocketed it rushing to the owlery to send the letter. When he arrived there the same black owl that had delivered the letter to him that morning came flying towards him. He tied the letter to the owl's talon and the owl was soon flying out of the window to deliver the letter.
'Well, now, I'll know who sent the letter because of the owl' Harry thought running to his first class of that day: Potions, with the Slytherins.
~~End Flashback~~
Harry chuckled from the memory; he never found out who had sent the letter through the owl. It was too damn clever to deliver the letter itself so, the owl, somehow, exchanged the letter with another owl and he only saw the back owl again when it came to deliver the reply to his letter.
~~Flashback~~
The next morning that Harry had sent the letter to the mysterious 'someone', the same black owl came flying with the other owls to deliver the mail in the Great hall
'Great, now I'll find out who sent me the letter' Harry thought happily while watching the owl.
Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for somebody), the owl came flying right towards him and landed gracefully in front of him.
'Great, a smart owl.' He thought angrily while detaching the letter from the owl's talon, giving it a treat. Soon the owl flew and Harry excused himself from his friends and rushed to the Gryffindor boy's dormitory. He entered the empty dormitory, closed the curtains around his bed, laid flat on his stomach and only then, he opened the letter and although it was in the same handwriting as the previous one, it was still radiating love:
'Dear Harry
To say that I'm surprised by your words in your letter would be an understatement, as I still don't understand how someone like you could not receive love letters from anyone, but I'm extremely happy that you replied my letter, you have no idea the happiness that burst inside my chest when I received it. Answering your questions, I'm a 6th year, like you, and a male, but I won't say in which house I am as it would be too easy to figure out who I am for the way I watch you, I will just say that I'm not a Gryffindor. I also want to know you, Harry, but I must do that in the shadows, without you knowing who I am, for you would jump into the wrong conclusions about me. If it's okay with you, we could continue corresponding; I just ask you not to ask me who I am for I'll reveal myself when I'm ready to face you.
Sincerely yours
Someone who truly loves you.'
And then, the months passed with Harry corresponding to the mysterious 'someone'. As the months flew by he found himself more and more attracted to the unknown person, he could say that he had a serious crush on this someone if not loved him. The year passed uneventful, so uneventful that Harry was already getting suspicious. After all, it was the same thing with Voldemort the summer before his fifth year, the year that Sirius had...passed away. It still hurt to think about that but the uneventfulness of the year, without Voldemort and his followers to remind him, helped him not to think about it, the stranger, even trough the letter, comforted him with many words of love and affection. Harry told him all about the Dursleys, Cedric, Sirius... about everything. The stranger even helped him in many subjects through his letters; his grades had improved a lot, Snape didn't do any remarks about him, Ron, surprisingly started dating Pansy Parkinson, though the old house rivalry was still there, Draco Malfoy didn't say a single nasty thing about him or his friends for the entire year so far... yeah, everything was just too calm for him. And was thinking about that year that Harry was found by the owl he knew so well, in a Saturday of one of the Hogsmeade weekends, sitting by the lake in the end of May.
"Hello there, I don't have a treat now, but I'll give you two next time I see you again, ok" Harry said to the owl while detaching the so expected letter from its talon. The owl hooted approvingly and flew away.
As no one was around, Harry opened the letter hastily and felt the same love he always felt emanate from the letter but he also felt fear:
'Dear Harry
We have been corresponding for almost a year now and I feel that I can't hide myself anymore. I feel I will die if I don't meet you and tell you personally what I feel for you, so before the courage leaves me, I ask you to find me in the Mermaid's Song, in Hogsmeade, this afternoon, at 2 o'clock. Black Lotus (the owl) will guide you to there. I'll be using a green sweater and black pants and a book, 'When happiness knocks on the door', will be placed beside me for you to see. I have blond hair, please, find me.
Always yours
D.'
That was it, the stranger wanted to see him! Harry almost exploded from happiness. He hurried to the Gryffindor Boy's dormitory, got dressed in some new clothes he had bought in Diagon Alley and hurried to Hogsmeade.
When he reached Hogsmeade, the black owl, Black Lotus, was already waiting for him. It led him though Hogsmeade, going in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. It stopped in front of a nice looking pub on the last street of Hogsmeade, the one facing the Shack.
"Thanks Black Lotus, and sorry about the treat, I don't have any now." Harry said to the owl. Again the owl hooted approvingly and flew away.
Harry then entered the Mermaid's Song and started looking for the stranger while looking around the place. It was cozy, decorated in a way that reminded anyone of a ship, a galley or a galleon, and at the same time the deep of the sea. It had a few people in there, an old man, the barman, a cloaked figure and some other people; it was perfect for anyone who wanted neither all the fuss of the Three Broomsticks nor the suspiciousness of the Hog's Head, but also it was perfect for anyone who didn't want to be seen. And then, he spotted it, a blond head looking out of the window facing, surprisingly, Hogwarts.
Very nervously, he approached the stranger and looked at the table. The book was there, 'When happiness knocks on the door', so he moved to the stranger's clothes, black pants and green sweater, then he moved to the face and was totally shocked at who was there, staring back at him: Draco Malfoy.
"Looking for something, Potter?" Draco asked in a calm voice.
Harry searched that phrase for any hint of sarcasm but found none, so he asked:
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
"I guess that this is a public place, isn't it?" Draco replied averting his gaze.
"Are you waiting for someone?" Harry asked interested. He was waiting a nasty remark but it wasn't what came.
"Yes. You?" Draco answered still not looking at him.
"I'm looking for someone." Harry answered warily.
"Have you already found this someone?" Draco asked taking a yellow envelop out of his pocket and placing it on top of the book. It was the first letter Harry had written to the mysterious 'someone'.
"I may have." Harry answered looking surprised. "Malfoy, why?"
"Have a seat, and I'll tell you everything". Draco whispered looking at the table."
Harry sat opposite to him and waited for him to talk.
"Do you want something to drink?" Draco asked still looking at the table.
"Yes, a butterbeer"
Draco ordered the drinks and only began to talk after the drinks were on the table and the waitress was far enough to not hear them
"Potter, Harry... I... everything that I've written to you is true, if that is what you are thinking. I... I never lied to you, well, not through the letters and I'm not lying now. I... I truly feel everything I told you I felt, I... I... I really...love you, Harry." Draco finished, looking at Harry.
Harry was looking at Mal... Draco while he was talking, trying to find out if that was one of the Slytherins sick jokes, but Draco surely couldn't be faking all of this. He looked so lost, so defenseless, so perfect.
"Please, say something." Draco pleaded.
"What do you want me to say, Malfoy? I... I never expected you to say something like that, to anyone. You have been my... worst enemy since I came to Hogwarts. It seemed that you had made your duty to make my life in Hogwarts a living hell and now... you tell me that you love me. What can I say about that?" Harry said looking somehow exasperated and confused at the same time.
Draco nodded and looking at Harry, said:
"I understand. I guess that I'll leave now. Don't worry, I'll never bother you again."
Harry saw that Draco's eyes were shining... with tears. He felt his chest constrict and at that moment, he knew that everything that Draco said was, indeed, true.
"Look, this book is... it is for you, ok? It's a gift" A single tear made its way down Draco's cheek and he wiped it away with a trembling hand. He was getting up when Harry said:
"Wait. I... I still don't understand. If you love me, why you acted the way you did since I came to Hogwarts? Please, tell me."
Draco sat down and took a shuddering breath, then, when he felt calmer, he started to tell Harry the reasons behind his acts.
"I guess that mainly it was because I needed to hear your voice somehow, but also was because I was jealous of your friends; they were truly happy, they had their families beside them and specially, they had you with them. When I first saw you at Madam Malkin's, I was stunned to say the least, you were so beautiful, so... innocent, so I started babbling about everything I knew, just to make you talk to me, of course, the way I grew up helped me to talk only bullshit, you know, always told that muggle borns were nothing, and just the rich pure bloods who despised everything related to muggles were worth something. And then, on the train, when I tried to impress you, you preferred the Weasley; that made me really angry with you, so, I decided to ignore you, but, soon after that I felt that I needed to talk to you, but I was too arrogant to do that, so, unconsciously, I started to... make your life a living hell. From there, things just proceeded. I only realized that I felt something more, something completely different from the hate I tough I had for you in our fifth year, when that overgrown toad threatened to curse you with one of the Unforgivables. I remember it clearly, the panic I felt just imagining you under so much pain. Thankfully, Granger had the smart idea to tell Umbridge that little lie about a weapon to Dumbledore. I was so relieved that her attention wasn't in torturing you anymore that I wasn't able to hide my relief in time. Of course everyone mistook that for eagerness to see the weapon. After you three left the room, the Slytherins made their way to the Slytherin common room, I went to the boy's dormitory and started thinking about what had happened there with the Umbridge-toad. It couldn't have been because I would see someone go through the Cruciatus, I've already seen that; it was because I felt something more for you, something that wasn't hate. While I was thinking about that, Nillie, the friend I told you that helped me with my feelings, came to the room and we started talking about what had happened and then, I realized that I never hated you, but I loved you; you never felt ashamed of telling people what you felt, you never let people let you down, you were a fighter, you didn't have any prejudices against people, and so many other qualities that if I were to tell them all, I would never stop. But I was in denial, not that I loved you, but that we are both men and, my father expected me to marry a nice pure blood girl and produce heirs to the Malfoy name. Over the summer, I thought about that and saw that it was my life and if I didn't decide to fight for my happiness, no one would give me that in a silver plate, so, when I came back to school I was decided that, if I couldn't make you love me, then, at least I would tell you what I feel and make you see the real me, so, at Nillie's idea, I sent you that letter, telling you everything I felt. As I told you through the first letter, I thought that you received love letters every day and when you replied my letter, I felt like exploding from happiness and then, as you told me about the life you had with those.. those people, and the sorrows in your heart, I felt each day more in love with you. Today I managed to gather the courage to reveal myself to you so I asked you to come here to this pub. I like it, it doesn't have the fuss of the Three Broomsticks nor the creepy air of the Hog's Head and Madam Puddifoot's is too full of snogging couples." Draco finished telling Harry the reasons why he acted the way he acted, still looking at the table. He took a sip of his butterbeer and waited for Harry to say something.
Harry was beyond shocked; he never expected Malfoy to be so... human, but the boy in front of him wasn't the same Malfoy he thought he knew, this was the mysterious 'Someone who truly loves you', the very same person with who he had shared his deepest secrets, secrets he hadn't told even Ron or Hermione, the very same person who comforted him when he needed someone to just listen to him, or, in their case, just to read. The same person who would reply his letters no matter at what time, when he would wake up from a nightmare and write to the mysterious 'someone' or when he was feeling alone, a letter would always reach him and brighten his day. He then looked at the book and finally understood what that simple phrase truly meant: it was up to him to invite happiness to come and live in his heart, and his happiness was knocking on his door on the form of the sixteen-year-old- blond-boy sat in front of him, he had to invite that happiness to come and live in his heart. Then, suddenly, Harry made his decision.
"Harry, may I touch your hands?" Draco asked shyly, eyes never leaving the table.
"Yes." Harry answered confused putting his hands on the table. He didn't understand why Malfoy would make such a weird and seemly meaningless request.
Draco, shyly, touched one of them. He began touching Harry's hand firstly with his index finger, then, slowly, he moved to the back of Harry's hand, Draco's palm now touching Harry's fingers, then Draco took Harry's hand and brought it to his lips. Harry felt that Draco's hand was soft, delicate but also that it was cold and sweaty, surely he was VERY nervous. Draco closed his eyes and kissed each of Harry's fingers then he caressed his own cheek with Harry's hand leaving a kiss on his palm, then, he opened his eyes and put Harry's hand back on the table.
"You know, Malfoy, muggles say that there is a way to know without a doubt if someone truly loves you." Harry said looking at Draco.
"What do you want me to do?" Draco asked looking at Harry, a small sign of hope in his voice and eyes.
"May I kiss you?"
"Yes." Draco answered with a shy smile on his lips, his eyes shining with what looked like hope and happiness.
Harry got up from his seat and, after Draco had moved to give him more space on the bench of the table, he sat down and put his arm around Draco bringing him closer and kissed him. The kiss was sweet, slow, gentle and Draco's lips were soft and warm, something Harry never expected Draco's lips to be. Butterflies woke up in his stomach and made their way to his chest, his heartbeat increased and he could hear his own heartbeat on his ears. This felt like Nirvana. Slowly he teased Draco's lower lip with his tongue and Draco readily gave Harry entrance then Harry proceeded to tease Draco's tongue with his own; slowly they broke the kiss but instead of pulling away from each other they kept looking into ache other's eyes.
"Wow! That was...wow!" Harry said looking at Draco, smiling, their noses touching.
"Yeah! That was amazing!" Draco answered smiling, with his eyes shining from happiness.
"You know what? You should smile more often. If the girls already say that you are gorgeous with that smirk of yours, they would go crazy and drop dead if they saw how breath-taking is your true smile."
This only made Draco's smile get wider.
"Well, then, I'll have to disappoint them, as this smile already have an owner."
"And who might be that owner?" Harry asked now amused.
"I think you know him. He has unruly black hair, stunning green eyes that look like two perfect emeralds, a light golden skin, round rimmed glasses and is in Gryffindor. His name is Harry Potter."
"Hum, unruly black hair, green eyes, round rimmed glasses, belongs to Gryffindor, named Harry Potter... I guess I'll have to talk with this guy, how dare he try to steal my dragon's smile from me?" Harry said chuckling.
Draco pulled away slightly, surprised.
"Your dragon?"
"Draco, do you want to be my boyfriend?" Harry asked seriously, looking Draco in his eyes, cupping his face with one of his hands.
Draco launched himself into Harry's arms and hugged him, while saying yes and kissing Harry's face and mouth altogether.
"Draco, this book, what is it about?" Harry asked picking the book.
"It is a muggle romance, about two people that have the chance to invite happiness to come to live with them." Draco answered looking at Harry.
"Do they invite it?"
"That, you will have to find out. It's not boring, so, don't worry about falling asleep while reading the first page."
"Well, let's go then, my beloved dragon?" Harry asked Draco.
"Yes." Draco answered smiling.
They got up, paid for the drinks and headed back to Hogwarts.
Harry told Ron and Hermione about his relationship with Draco and found a very strong support on them, specially after Hermione telling him that Snape and her were kind of together, well, as together as a professor and a student may be. During the summer, they kept corresponding and, every morning he would wake up early, not to do his chores, but to wait for Black Lotus and only then, he would do his chores. Draco told him that his father had changed a lot and, didn't prohibit his relationship with Harry, he said that if that was what Draco really wanted, then, he wouldn't stand on his way, but it would be better that the Dark Lord didn't get a wind of that, so Harry and Draco decided to keep their relationship secret for the moment, Draco believed it was because of the days he had to spend in Azkaban after his capture in the Ministry of Magic. Their seventh year was the most eventful of all with Voldemort in full activity, which caused the death of Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. In the end of their seventh year, Draco proposed to Harry that they get married and Harry of course, accepted. Strangely, Lucius Malfoy accepted the marriage and even was present at the event, that took place at Hogwarts. He left Draco with a great sum of money after warning him that, to live well with Harry, he would have to be blasted off of the family, they agreed and, after the school year was finished, they moved to a small apartment in muggle London. Anthony Imhotep Bluenile, the new Minister of Magic invited Harry and Draco to work as Aurors for the ministry, opportunity that they took gladly and, three years later, they were moving to a large apartment in Diagon Alley, near the Ministry building. They lived happily with their friends coming to visit them and the work they had. One year after moving to the new apartment, Draco quit his job as Auror and went to work in St. Mungo's hospital as a healer and, the year after that, the final battle took place right there, on Diagon Alley. He faced Voldemort right in front of the building he and Draco were living and Draco was there, taking care of the wounded. All he wanted was to protected Draco so, he launched himself into the battle, that nightmare had to end and it didn't matter if he was going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, he had to end Voldemort's reign of terror. It was with this thought in mind that he cried the two words he thought he would never say:
"Avada Kedavra."
But it seemed that both have cried at the same time, so he just saw the green light hit its target before darkness claimed him.
~~End Flashback~~
'How did he escaped from the killing curse? I'm sure I cast it right.'
Finally, feeling sleepy after so much thinking, he let sleep claim him. Draco was finally safe from evil, now that he was 'dead', there wasn't anyone who could harm his beloved dragon, or at least he hoped. That memories had lifted his spirit and warmed his heart, to know that he made sure that Draco could live in peace without the fear of someone coming after him because he was related to 'Harry Potter'. But that wasn't a great comfort because, even after all these good thoughts, he was still a warm body in a cold bed, without his dragon to warm it for him.