Chapter 22
Harry smiled as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist from behind. Draco kissed his neck, and Harry groaned.
"I have to unpack, Draco," he said weakly. "You should be, too."
"I know I should," Draco grinned. "I just can't keep my hands off of you."
Harry chuckled as he turned around and pulled Draco's hands from his hips. "We've already figured that out." He turned Draco around by the shoulders and pushed him toward the bedroom door. "Go get your bag. After that, we'll see."
Draco looked back as he opened the door and pouted. Harry stuck his tongue out, then turned back to his luggage.
The newlyweds had just spent the past three weeks in France for their honeymoon. They had toured all of the historic and popular tourism sights, both in the muggle world and magic world. They had stayed at a small bed- and-breakfast in the muggle world close to the Eiffel Tower, somewhere where they could stay alone and unbothered. Draco had spent most of their time teaching Harry words and phrases in both French and Italian, only two of the several languages he spoke fluently.
Harry pulled a bundle of dirty clothes from his bag and tossed them in the hamper next to the door. He was just about to return to his luggage when someone knocked on the door. He opened it, and without a word, returned to unloading his belongings.
"Hi." Harry hardly even glanced up. "I know you're mad at me. You have every reason to be. And I'm not expecting you to forgive me."
Harry looked up at the redhead, let out a heavy sigh and pulled out a bundle of new clothes he bought in France. "What do you want, Ron?"
"I just wanted to apologize." Ron looked at his feet. "I don't know why I was so mad at you. I should've believed you when you said he's changed. It isn't like I thought you were lying... I just wasn't ready to accept it."
Harry continued to unpack his belongings. Ron pulled the bag away. "Please listen to me, Harry."
Harry looked up reluctantly. "I'm listening."
"I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I was confused. And now that I think about it, I don't know why. I didn't have anything to be confused about. No matter who you love, you're still my best friend. I just don't know why I jeopardized that."
After a long silence, Harry sighed. "Did you really think I could stay mad at you, Ron?"
Ron grinned as Harry pulled him into a hug. "I missed you mate."
ITwo hours later/I
The sun had begun to set low in the sky by the time Harry even considered climbing out of bed. He kissed Draco's forehead and rolled to the edge of the mattress. Draco whined and pulled Harry back to him.
"And where do you think you're going?" he whispered.
"To make you dinner," Harry grinned. "Have you finished unpacking yet?"
"I still have two more bags to go," Draco smiled as he closed his eyes again.
"We're gonna need a bigger house just to fit all the things you bought in France," Harry teased.
"That's not such a bed idea."
Harry paused. He could tell Draco was being serious. "We'll talk about it over dinner," Harry replied, climbing out of bed and pulling on his clothes. "Come on, go unpack."
Draco pouted as he, too, climbed out of bed. By the time he was fully dressed, Harry was already downstairs.
That was the first time either of them had mentioned getting a house of their own. Draco had been thinking about it since Harry proposed, but with Harry going through Auror training, and him unemployed, he wasn't sure how well their funds could support them for the next three years. So he never brought it up, until then.
He shrugged it off as he opened one of his bags and dumped the contents onto the unmade bed. He sighed, feeling far too lazy to put all his new trinkets away by hand. As he pulled out his wand, the bedroom door was thrown open violently. Draco turned his wand toward the doorway on instinct.
"Put that away, boy," Lucius hissed coldly as he stepped boldly into the room. Draco tucked the wand back in his pocket, eyebrows raised.
"What do you want, Lucius?" Draco spat with more hatred than he even thought possible.
"I want you to come home," Lucius said simply. "I want you to stop all this foolishness."
"Do you really think I'd choose your excuse of a life filled with boot-licking and blood-money over my perfect life you call foolishness?"
Lucius snarled as he slapped Draco across the face. Draco hardly flinched.
"You fool. You are ignoring your destiny!"
Draco struggled to remain calm. "I would rather follow my heart than my destiny," he answered flatly. "Besides, if my destiny is to kill the innocent, I would rather die myself."
"That can be arranged," Lucius growled as he grabbed Draco by his shirt collar. "Don't tempt me with such ideas, Draco. Don't think I won't do it."
"Draco?!" Harry screamed from the hallway. He ran into the room, his wand already raised. A trickle of blood ran down his face from a small cut right above his left eyebrow.
Lucius pulled out his own wand and before Harry could react, a loud crack filled the air. He was gone.
"Merlin," Harry murmured. He loosened his grip on his wand, but held his arm in place as if Lucius was still there.
"What did he do to you?" Draco asked, still shocked. "You're bleeding."
"I'm alright," Harry insisted, letting his arm slowly drop. "He just knocked me out."
Draco sighed heavily. His stomach growled, but he had lost his appetite the moment he saw Lucius. He felt as if he was going to be sick.
"I'll go get you some food." Harry darted out of the door before Draco could protest.
When Harry came back, Draco was sitting on the bed, trembling. His head was bowed.
"It just occurred to me how much damage he could've done," he whispered weakly, without looking up.
Harry sighed lightly as he set the soda crackers and water down on the desk and climbed onto the bed to comfort his love. "It's alright, Dray. He's gone. I won't let him get you."
A/N: What do you think? I really enjoyed writing this chapter, 'cause I knew you all would love me and hate me all at the same time... as usual, heh heh. Hope you enjoyed, and please read this chapter several times over, because I'm not going to be updating for a while. I got myself stuck in another rut. If any of you have any ideas for the story, feel free to tell me, it might help me escape my inevitable writer's block.
TTFN, Deathdragon4
Harry smiled as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist from behind. Draco kissed his neck, and Harry groaned.
"I have to unpack, Draco," he said weakly. "You should be, too."
"I know I should," Draco grinned. "I just can't keep my hands off of you."
Harry chuckled as he turned around and pulled Draco's hands from his hips. "We've already figured that out." He turned Draco around by the shoulders and pushed him toward the bedroom door. "Go get your bag. After that, we'll see."
Draco looked back as he opened the door and pouted. Harry stuck his tongue out, then turned back to his luggage.
The newlyweds had just spent the past three weeks in France for their honeymoon. They had toured all of the historic and popular tourism sights, both in the muggle world and magic world. They had stayed at a small bed- and-breakfast in the muggle world close to the Eiffel Tower, somewhere where they could stay alone and unbothered. Draco had spent most of their time teaching Harry words and phrases in both French and Italian, only two of the several languages he spoke fluently.
Harry pulled a bundle of dirty clothes from his bag and tossed them in the hamper next to the door. He was just about to return to his luggage when someone knocked on the door. He opened it, and without a word, returned to unloading his belongings.
"Hi." Harry hardly even glanced up. "I know you're mad at me. You have every reason to be. And I'm not expecting you to forgive me."
Harry looked up at the redhead, let out a heavy sigh and pulled out a bundle of new clothes he bought in France. "What do you want, Ron?"
"I just wanted to apologize." Ron looked at his feet. "I don't know why I was so mad at you. I should've believed you when you said he's changed. It isn't like I thought you were lying... I just wasn't ready to accept it."
Harry continued to unpack his belongings. Ron pulled the bag away. "Please listen to me, Harry."
Harry looked up reluctantly. "I'm listening."
"I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I was confused. And now that I think about it, I don't know why. I didn't have anything to be confused about. No matter who you love, you're still my best friend. I just don't know why I jeopardized that."
After a long silence, Harry sighed. "Did you really think I could stay mad at you, Ron?"
Ron grinned as Harry pulled him into a hug. "I missed you mate."
ITwo hours later/I
The sun had begun to set low in the sky by the time Harry even considered climbing out of bed. He kissed Draco's forehead and rolled to the edge of the mattress. Draco whined and pulled Harry back to him.
"And where do you think you're going?" he whispered.
"To make you dinner," Harry grinned. "Have you finished unpacking yet?"
"I still have two more bags to go," Draco smiled as he closed his eyes again.
"We're gonna need a bigger house just to fit all the things you bought in France," Harry teased.
"That's not such a bed idea."
Harry paused. He could tell Draco was being serious. "We'll talk about it over dinner," Harry replied, climbing out of bed and pulling on his clothes. "Come on, go unpack."
Draco pouted as he, too, climbed out of bed. By the time he was fully dressed, Harry was already downstairs.
That was the first time either of them had mentioned getting a house of their own. Draco had been thinking about it since Harry proposed, but with Harry going through Auror training, and him unemployed, he wasn't sure how well their funds could support them for the next three years. So he never brought it up, until then.
He shrugged it off as he opened one of his bags and dumped the contents onto the unmade bed. He sighed, feeling far too lazy to put all his new trinkets away by hand. As he pulled out his wand, the bedroom door was thrown open violently. Draco turned his wand toward the doorway on instinct.
"Put that away, boy," Lucius hissed coldly as he stepped boldly into the room. Draco tucked the wand back in his pocket, eyebrows raised.
"What do you want, Lucius?" Draco spat with more hatred than he even thought possible.
"I want you to come home," Lucius said simply. "I want you to stop all this foolishness."
"Do you really think I'd choose your excuse of a life filled with boot-licking and blood-money over my perfect life you call foolishness?"
Lucius snarled as he slapped Draco across the face. Draco hardly flinched.
"You fool. You are ignoring your destiny!"
Draco struggled to remain calm. "I would rather follow my heart than my destiny," he answered flatly. "Besides, if my destiny is to kill the innocent, I would rather die myself."
"That can be arranged," Lucius growled as he grabbed Draco by his shirt collar. "Don't tempt me with such ideas, Draco. Don't think I won't do it."
"Draco?!" Harry screamed from the hallway. He ran into the room, his wand already raised. A trickle of blood ran down his face from a small cut right above his left eyebrow.
Lucius pulled out his own wand and before Harry could react, a loud crack filled the air. He was gone.
"Merlin," Harry murmured. He loosened his grip on his wand, but held his arm in place as if Lucius was still there.
"What did he do to you?" Draco asked, still shocked. "You're bleeding."
"I'm alright," Harry insisted, letting his arm slowly drop. "He just knocked me out."
Draco sighed heavily. His stomach growled, but he had lost his appetite the moment he saw Lucius. He felt as if he was going to be sick.
"I'll go get you some food." Harry darted out of the door before Draco could protest.
When Harry came back, Draco was sitting on the bed, trembling. His head was bowed.
"It just occurred to me how much damage he could've done," he whispered weakly, without looking up.
Harry sighed lightly as he set the soda crackers and water down on the desk and climbed onto the bed to comfort his love. "It's alright, Dray. He's gone. I won't let him get you."
A/N: What do you think? I really enjoyed writing this chapter, 'cause I knew you all would love me and hate me all at the same time... as usual, heh heh. Hope you enjoyed, and please read this chapter several times over, because I'm not going to be updating for a while. I got myself stuck in another rut. If any of you have any ideas for the story, feel free to tell me, it might help me escape my inevitable writer's block.
TTFN, Deathdragon4