Chapter Twenty
"Harry?"
Harry looked up from his book. Draco smiled at him. A small envelope was sticking out of the pocket in his jacket.
"Yes?" Harry asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"What're you reading?" Draco asked, sitting down next to him. He took the book from Harry's hands and looked at the cover. "Muggle literature?"
Harry nodded, snatching the book back. "Leave it, Dray, it doesn't matter. It's just a book."
"Yeah. That's why I say two words about it and you turn as red as Weasley's hair?"
Harry turned his head. He could feel his cheeks burning now. "What do you want anyway?"
"Can't I talk to my fiancé without getting my head bitten off?" Draco inquired.
"No, you can't," Harry teased, his cheeks slowly returning to their regular coloring. "What's this?" He took the letter out of Draco's pocket. Draco tried to grab it back, but Harry jumped off the couch and ran to the other side of the room. "Something you don't want me reading?"
"Not yet!" Draco exclaimed, chasing after Harry. He grabbed Harry's arm just as Harry was about to take off again. "Give me that."
"What might it be?" Harry asked playfully, handing the envelope back to his lover.
"You'll find out tonight," Draco smiled, putting the letter back in his pocket and zipping closed. Hermione wants us to come over to Grimmauld Place... for a quiet dinner."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "A quiet dinner? On my birthday? Not likely." Draco frowned at him. "Come on, Draco, I've already got you figured out. You planned the whole thing. You could've thought of a better excuse than 'for a quiet dinner!'"
"Fine, Harry, you win," he sighed, sticking out his tongue. "Just act surprised. Hermione really wanted it to be your first surprise party, so don't screw this up for her."
"Wow," Harry muttered as he grabbed his coat. "It's my birthday and I'm trying not to screw it up for someone else. . . ."
"Surprise!"
Harry jumped backwards. He looked back at Draco, trying his best to seem surprised.
"Happy Birthday!" Hermione yelled from across the room, waving her arms in the air. She pushed her way past the large crowd to reach her best friend. "Happy 18th!"
"Thanks!" Harry exclaimed, hugging the jumpy girl. "Wow. What a surprise!"
Hermione turned to Draco and narrowed her eyes. "You told him!" she laughed.
"What—no!" Draco replied quickly. "He guessed!"
"Mmhmm." Hermione nodded knowingly.
"Well, it was a nice idea anyway," Harry smiled jokingly. "I'm sure it would've been a lovely surprise is Draco could've thought of something better than 'a quiet dinner.'"
Hermione snorted slightly. "Oh well, it was worth a try."
The two talked for a few minutes before Hermione pushed Harry off to, reluctantly, socialize with other people. All of the members of the Order were there, including the dozens and dozens of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws from the previous year that had joined with the Order after graduating. Everyone was pushing to talk to Harry at one time.
It took about two hours before Harry had talked with everyone. Ron had even been there. They had talked for a few minutes before Parvati had rudely pulled Harry away and took him off to the corner. It took him another ten minutes to get her off of him.
After a while, they all headed to the kitchens to eat. Mrs. Weasley had, obviously, spent the entire day cooking. There was the exact same selection of food as there was at Hogwarts—and nearly as much of it.
Harry and Draco took their spots at the end of the table. Tonks sat down next Draco, and Hermione and Ginny were next to Harry.
Almost immediately, Ginny whispered across the table to Tonks, "Show Draco what you can do!"
"You never get tired of it, do you?" Tonks laughed. Ginny grinned.
"What's this?" Draco asked, curious.
"Just watch," Harry replied, grinning, as he took a sip of pumpkin juice.
Tonks set down her fork. She screwed up her eyes, in a slightly less pained expression than Harry remembered. A second later, her once small nose resembled that of a pig's.
Ginny laughed. Hermione smiled, shaking with suppressed giggles. Draco let out a snort, and Harry grinned at Tonks.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she explained as her normal nose reappeared.
"Oh, I've heard of those. They run in my family," Draco said conversationally. "My mum is. Guess the gene pool skipped me."
"My grandmother was, but my mum never got the gist of it," Tonks replied as she picked her fork off her plate. She took a huge bite of mashed potatoes.
Harry smiled. It was great to see that Draco could get along with the rest of the Order – even those ex-Gryffindors and Ravenclaws who had joined with the Order that year were warming up to him.
The house was quiet as Harry and Draco stepped into the hallway. Jenni and her mother had already gotten to bed, it had seemed. Draco looked at his watch. It was nearing midnight.
Draco flipped on the light and took off his shoes. Harry was already in the kitchen. Draco followed him in. His lover had his head hidden inside the refrigerator.
"Happy Birthday."
Harry looked up, smiling. He grabbed a bottle of soda and turned to the counter. Draco came up behind him and put his arms around his waist. "Anything wrong, love?"
"No." Harry smiled again, softer this time. "Dray. . . . How many birthday parties have you had?"
"Well. . . once a year. That's normal, right?"
Harry turned around. "Do you know how many parties I've had? One. The only people that have ever given me a present were Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. And now we have this big party. . . . I didn't know what to do! Everybody wanted to talk to me. . . and I had no idea what to say to them. It was such a shock."
"You hate being the center of attention," Draco mumbled. "You didn't have fun? Not at all?"
"Well. . . . I did. I'm just. . . still in shock. I'm not used to being that loved." He kissed Draco on the cheek. "Thank you for the party. It was fun, I'm just gonna take awhile to adjust to the whole idea."
He popped the plastic cap off the soda bottle and took a drink. Draco took the bottle from his hands and put it back in the refrigerator. Then he grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him off towards the study.
"Draco?" Harry raised an eyebrow impishly.
Draco smiled nervously as he opened he door to the winding stairs. "Just come on."
They entered the bedroom. Draco closed the door behind them. Harry sat down on the bed and looked up at Draco, who was now digging in his coat pocket. He pulled out the envelope he had tried to hide from Harry earlier.
"It – it's not much. . ." he whispered, handing it to Harry.
Harry slowly opened the envelope. A thin paper fell out into his hand. He unfolded it to see fancy lettering neatly arranged on the nearly transparent paper.
I Promise
Sad, I watched you walk the halls,
Unsure of what to say.
Sad, I watched you fall apart,
Wishing it wouldn't stay this way.
Why you came to me,
I don't know,
But I can't help but wonder why.
You were falling apart,
And refused help from anyone.
I was the only one you letinto your heart.
I can't believe how lucky I am,
To have your love,
To feel your passion,
To share this burning desire with you.
I know how much you've changed,
And I feel the change, too.
Without you, I would be dead.
I would be nothing;
I would be following my father's footsteps,
To a place feared by all Light.
I would be drowning in my own lies,
My own betrayal, my own fears.
I can't see why you love me so,
After all I've done to you.
But I promise I will never break your heart,
Or toy with you the way people think I will.
I will never try to push you away,
I will never let you go,
I will never let your pain take over,
Like it had for so many years.
I will kiss away all your problems,
And melt away your fears.
I promise I'll never let you go;
Not in a million years.
Harry smiled. He had no idea what to say. "Draco. . . . This is the sweetest. . . the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."
"It's not that great, Harry," Draco Muttered, blushing, as he crawled onto the bed next to Harry.
"No – Draco, you have no idea. . . . This is so great, Dray. I love it." He kissed Draco softly, before deepening the kiss.
They fell asleep in each other's arms, with only one week until their wedding on their minds.
Sorry it took me so long! I was on a much-needed break from writing. I was only planning on a four-week break, but then school caught up with me. . . . And then a cold caught up with me. It's all a bit complicated to explain. . . . I'll try to update more often. . . but it's a real challenge this year. I've got writer's block on nearly all my stories. Trying to unblock it! Sorry!
Readers of Good Bye (which isn't many...) : Sandra Delete, the creator of Boy Meets Boy, asked us all to stop writing fanfictions for now. So I'll be deleting the story. . . for now. I'll have it back up around October or so. ;)
"Harry?"
Harry looked up from his book. Draco smiled at him. A small envelope was sticking out of the pocket in his jacket.
"Yes?" Harry asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"What're you reading?" Draco asked, sitting down next to him. He took the book from Harry's hands and looked at the cover. "Muggle literature?"
Harry nodded, snatching the book back. "Leave it, Dray, it doesn't matter. It's just a book."
"Yeah. That's why I say two words about it and you turn as red as Weasley's hair?"
Harry turned his head. He could feel his cheeks burning now. "What do you want anyway?"
"Can't I talk to my fiancé without getting my head bitten off?" Draco inquired.
"No, you can't," Harry teased, his cheeks slowly returning to their regular coloring. "What's this?" He took the letter out of Draco's pocket. Draco tried to grab it back, but Harry jumped off the couch and ran to the other side of the room. "Something you don't want me reading?"
"Not yet!" Draco exclaimed, chasing after Harry. He grabbed Harry's arm just as Harry was about to take off again. "Give me that."
"What might it be?" Harry asked playfully, handing the envelope back to his lover.
"You'll find out tonight," Draco smiled, putting the letter back in his pocket and zipping closed. Hermione wants us to come over to Grimmauld Place... for a quiet dinner."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "A quiet dinner? On my birthday? Not likely." Draco frowned at him. "Come on, Draco, I've already got you figured out. You planned the whole thing. You could've thought of a better excuse than 'for a quiet dinner!'"
"Fine, Harry, you win," he sighed, sticking out his tongue. "Just act surprised. Hermione really wanted it to be your first surprise party, so don't screw this up for her."
"Wow," Harry muttered as he grabbed his coat. "It's my birthday and I'm trying not to screw it up for someone else. . . ."
"Surprise!"
Harry jumped backwards. He looked back at Draco, trying his best to seem surprised.
"Happy Birthday!" Hermione yelled from across the room, waving her arms in the air. She pushed her way past the large crowd to reach her best friend. "Happy 18th!"
"Thanks!" Harry exclaimed, hugging the jumpy girl. "Wow. What a surprise!"
Hermione turned to Draco and narrowed her eyes. "You told him!" she laughed.
"What—no!" Draco replied quickly. "He guessed!"
"Mmhmm." Hermione nodded knowingly.
"Well, it was a nice idea anyway," Harry smiled jokingly. "I'm sure it would've been a lovely surprise is Draco could've thought of something better than 'a quiet dinner.'"
Hermione snorted slightly. "Oh well, it was worth a try."
The two talked for a few minutes before Hermione pushed Harry off to, reluctantly, socialize with other people. All of the members of the Order were there, including the dozens and dozens of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws from the previous year that had joined with the Order after graduating. Everyone was pushing to talk to Harry at one time.
It took about two hours before Harry had talked with everyone. Ron had even been there. They had talked for a few minutes before Parvati had rudely pulled Harry away and took him off to the corner. It took him another ten minutes to get her off of him.
After a while, they all headed to the kitchens to eat. Mrs. Weasley had, obviously, spent the entire day cooking. There was the exact same selection of food as there was at Hogwarts—and nearly as much of it.
Harry and Draco took their spots at the end of the table. Tonks sat down next Draco, and Hermione and Ginny were next to Harry.
Almost immediately, Ginny whispered across the table to Tonks, "Show Draco what you can do!"
"You never get tired of it, do you?" Tonks laughed. Ginny grinned.
"What's this?" Draco asked, curious.
"Just watch," Harry replied, grinning, as he took a sip of pumpkin juice.
Tonks set down her fork. She screwed up her eyes, in a slightly less pained expression than Harry remembered. A second later, her once small nose resembled that of a pig's.
Ginny laughed. Hermione smiled, shaking with suppressed giggles. Draco let out a snort, and Harry grinned at Tonks.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she explained as her normal nose reappeared.
"Oh, I've heard of those. They run in my family," Draco said conversationally. "My mum is. Guess the gene pool skipped me."
"My grandmother was, but my mum never got the gist of it," Tonks replied as she picked her fork off her plate. She took a huge bite of mashed potatoes.
Harry smiled. It was great to see that Draco could get along with the rest of the Order – even those ex-Gryffindors and Ravenclaws who had joined with the Order that year were warming up to him.
The house was quiet as Harry and Draco stepped into the hallway. Jenni and her mother had already gotten to bed, it had seemed. Draco looked at his watch. It was nearing midnight.
Draco flipped on the light and took off his shoes. Harry was already in the kitchen. Draco followed him in. His lover had his head hidden inside the refrigerator.
"Happy Birthday."
Harry looked up, smiling. He grabbed a bottle of soda and turned to the counter. Draco came up behind him and put his arms around his waist. "Anything wrong, love?"
"No." Harry smiled again, softer this time. "Dray. . . . How many birthday parties have you had?"
"Well. . . once a year. That's normal, right?"
Harry turned around. "Do you know how many parties I've had? One. The only people that have ever given me a present were Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. And now we have this big party. . . . I didn't know what to do! Everybody wanted to talk to me. . . and I had no idea what to say to them. It was such a shock."
"You hate being the center of attention," Draco mumbled. "You didn't have fun? Not at all?"
"Well. . . . I did. I'm just. . . still in shock. I'm not used to being that loved." He kissed Draco on the cheek. "Thank you for the party. It was fun, I'm just gonna take awhile to adjust to the whole idea."
He popped the plastic cap off the soda bottle and took a drink. Draco took the bottle from his hands and put it back in the refrigerator. Then he grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him off towards the study.
"Draco?" Harry raised an eyebrow impishly.
Draco smiled nervously as he opened he door to the winding stairs. "Just come on."
They entered the bedroom. Draco closed the door behind them. Harry sat down on the bed and looked up at Draco, who was now digging in his coat pocket. He pulled out the envelope he had tried to hide from Harry earlier.
"It – it's not much. . ." he whispered, handing it to Harry.
Harry slowly opened the envelope. A thin paper fell out into his hand. He unfolded it to see fancy lettering neatly arranged on the nearly transparent paper.
I Promise
Sad, I watched you walk the halls,
Unsure of what to say.
Sad, I watched you fall apart,
Wishing it wouldn't stay this way.
Why you came to me,
I don't know,
But I can't help but wonder why.
You were falling apart,
And refused help from anyone.
I was the only one you letinto your heart.
I can't believe how lucky I am,
To have your love,
To feel your passion,
To share this burning desire with you.
I know how much you've changed,
And I feel the change, too.
Without you, I would be dead.
I would be nothing;
I would be following my father's footsteps,
To a place feared by all Light.
I would be drowning in my own lies,
My own betrayal, my own fears.
I can't see why you love me so,
After all I've done to you.
But I promise I will never break your heart,
Or toy with you the way people think I will.
I will never try to push you away,
I will never let you go,
I will never let your pain take over,
Like it had for so many years.
I will kiss away all your problems,
And melt away your fears.
I promise I'll never let you go;
Not in a million years.
Harry smiled. He had no idea what to say. "Draco. . . . This is the sweetest. . . the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."
"It's not that great, Harry," Draco Muttered, blushing, as he crawled onto the bed next to Harry.
"No – Draco, you have no idea. . . . This is so great, Dray. I love it." He kissed Draco softly, before deepening the kiss.
They fell asleep in each other's arms, with only one week until their wedding on their minds.
Sorry it took me so long! I was on a much-needed break from writing. I was only planning on a four-week break, but then school caught up with me. . . . And then a cold caught up with me. It's all a bit complicated to explain. . . . I'll try to update more often. . . but it's a real challenge this year. I've got writer's block on nearly all my stories. Trying to unblock it! Sorry!
Readers of Good Bye (which isn't many...) : Sandra Delete, the creator of Boy Meets Boy, asked us all to stop writing fanfictions for now. So I'll be deleting the story. . . for now. I'll have it back up around October or so. ;)