Chapter 29
"Well, this certainly is new."
Harry cracked an eye open moodily. All he could see was his white pillowcase, which looked nearly black in shadow. He tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the side. A blurry figure came into view. He slowly reached out toward the nightstand next to his bed and grabbed his glasses.
"What time is it?" he asked groggily.
"About noon," Ron replied as he sat down on the end of the bed, avoiding Ginny's small, curled body. "How late did you guys stay up last night?"
Harry grumbled as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. "I don't know. I was kinda drunk when we crashed. I think it might've been around three…."
Ron snorted as he stood up. "If you weren't gay, I would probably have to kick your ass right about now."
"Why, whatever do you mean?" the raven-haired teen asked innocently as he pushed his legs over the side of the bed slowly, trying not to disturb the two still sleeping girls.
"Getting drunk and sleeping with my sister and my…." He stopped and swallowed hard. "My best friend. Sleeping with my best friend."
"It's okay, Ron, she's asleep," Harry smiled quietly as he took off his shirt from the previous day and threw it in the hamper. "You can say it. She won't hear you."
He sighed heavily and sat on his own bed. "There's no point. Saying it won't change anything."
"What if it did?"
Ron stared at him, annoyed, without a word about it. Just as Harry finished dressing, he stood up and turned to face Harry's bed, where the bushy-haired girl lay, burrowed deep in a mountain of blankets. "Fine. I'll say it. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love her so much, and I've been in love with her since the first day I saw her. I'd give up my life if it meant she would be happy even for a moment. But that doesn't change anything, does it?" he asked almost hopefully, moving his eyes to his bed friend. "It doesn't change a damn thing."
"You never know, Ron. Maybe she loves you, too. Maybe she's just too scared to say it."
He snorted again as he headed for the door. "Yeah, right. I just want to forget about it, Harry. It's never going to happen."
Harry followed him out of the room into the hallway silently. He wanted so badly to tell him what Hermione had told him before, to just let him know that she felt exactly the same way, but he didn't want to interfere…. Besides, he felt he was the last person qualified to be helping relationships--there he was, a married, gay man, sleeping with two women while his husband stayed in a hotel room, probably still mad at him for kissing another girl. What authority did he have over the matter?
"So what all did you guys do last night?" Ron asked as the walked down the stairs toward the kitchen.
Harry shrugged. "Just… things. Nothing you would really get."
"Tried me," the redhead said with a grin.
"Men," Harry grinned back as he pushed open the kitchen door. Ron looked blank. "Told you you wouldn't understand it."
"Well, you got me there."
The boys were silent for a moment as they started making lunch. Harry collected the supplies to make sandwiches while Ron heated up some soup, both deep in thought. They were nearly done before either of them spoke again.
"It's still strange," Ron said quietly as he turned off the oven.
"What?" Harry asked.
"You being gay. I just never thought of you like that before…" the redhead sighed thoughtfully. "I mean, I always thought our kids were going to grow up together, and our wives would be best friends too…. You know I have no problem with the way you are, but… it's just not the same, you know?"
Harry nodded. "I understand. I didn't think it would be like this, either. But it's really not going to be that different. Our kids can still grow up together, if Draco and I decide to adopt. Our partners can still be best friends."
Ron didn't say anything. He nodded slightly and gave his friend a small smile as he pulled bowls from the cupboard. The door swung open, and two groggy girls marched drowsily into the kitchen. Ginny sat down at the table, but Hermione marched right over to Ron.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, taking the bowls from him and setting them on the counter.
"Uh… sure," he said awkwardly, setting the pot of soup down. They walked out of the kitchen and stopped right outside the door. There was silence for a moment.
Ginny looked over at Harry, and they both quietly crept to the door, listening intently.
Hermione sighed heavily. "I…. I wasn't asleep this morning when you came into the room. I heard what you said about me."
"I--what…. How…" Ron stuttered as he tried to get his bearings. He leaned against the wall. "How much did you hear?"
"All of it."
There was another silence. Ron stood up fully and paced back and forth for a moment. "Bloody hell," he sighed. He stopped and looked at the bushy-haired girl. "Well, you know now. There's not much I can do about it, Hermione." He paused. "I would be great if we could just forget about this. I really don't want this to change anything between us."
"I don't want to forget about this, Ron," Hermione said firmly. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
"Please don't drag this out, 'Mione," Ron begged. "There's nothing to talk about. I know you don't feel the same way, and I can accept that. Can't we just let it go?"
Hermione sighed. "Ron, listen. I need to tell you--"
"Hermione, I told you, I don't want to talk about this!" Ron growled irritably. He began to walk off toward the stairs, but Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Before he could react, she pressed her lips to his softly, only for a moment.
"Just… think about that for a while," she said hoarsely as she turned and ran toward the stairs.
Ron stood there, dumbstruck, for a good few minutes before snapping out of his coma. He took a deep breath and turned back toward the kitchen door, but stopped. Reconsidering, he ran for the stairs to find Hermione.
I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!
It was a good two hours before Harry and Ginny saw the two again. The sun was just past the center of the sky, but the curtains in the gloomy Order headquarters showed no sign of relenting, keeping the house dank and dark. Harry and Ginny had long since finished breakfast, put the leftovers in the refrigerator for the two missing teens, and moved to the living room for a game of Wizard's Chess. Harry still wasn't too great at the game, but he was set on getting better.
Finally the two emerged, one at a time. Hermione walked slowly down the stairs, her cheeks flushed pink, wearing a new set of clothes. She tugged at her messy hair until it smoothed out as she sat silently next to Ginny on the couch. Soon Ron jogged down the stairs, but slowed when he saw his sister and friend. He sat down next to Hermione, adjusting his shirt, before he realized it was inside-out. He blushed a deep red and muttered, "I'll be right bad.
Ginny raised an eyebrow at Hermione as Ron got up and headed toward the bathroom. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Ginny asked eagerly, "What the hell was that all about?"
Hermione blushed a deeper shade of pink at that question, and responded simply, "Ron and I are going to see a muggle movie tomorrow. Our first date."
The redheaded girl rolled her eyes and looked disgusted, and Harry just chuckled. "So you two finally figured it out? Took you bloody long enough."
"No thanks to you!" Hermione said, half-irritable, half enthusiastic. "You knew we both liked each other! You could've spoken up!"
He smiled knowingly. "You both made me promise not to tell. Besides, that wouldn't have been half as much fun to watch. It's always a joy to watch a romance bloom."
Ron reemerged from the bathroom, his shirt now properly positioned. He plopped down on the couch and looked at the newly abandoned chess game. "So, when are you going over to see Draco?"
Harry shrugged. "Well, I thought I would do it now, but I don't know if he's still there. It's nearly two. He might be over at the house by now."
"Do you want us to go with you to the Leaky Cauldron?" Hermione asked. "We'd be glad to go."
"Well, we figured just us would go," Ginny said. "Give you two some more time alone."
"You can come if you want," Harry added. "We just figured you two would want to have your privacy right now. It's up to you."
Ron grinned and put an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "That would be great, mate, thanks."
The bushy-haired girl patted Ron's knee and ignored his comment. "Are you positive? It would be no trouble for us to come, really. Are you sure you don't need the extra support?"
"I'll be fine," Harry smiled reassuringly as he and Ginny turned back to the chess game. Ginny captured his king, and the pieces reset themselves. "It's not like this is our first fight. Besides, Ginny will be there."
I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!
"Are you sure you're ready to make up with him yet?" Ginny asked as her and her raven-haired companion made their way up the street of Diagon Alley. They had flooed from Grimmauld Place to the public fire pits on the edge of the famous Alley, only a few buildings away from the Leaky Cauldron.
"Of course," Harry replied suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
Ginny shrugged. "Last night was so much fun. I love Draco to death, but we never have as much fun when he's around. I mean, it's just like when Ron's around. I love him, but we can't talk like that when he's there."
"I know," Harry sighed. "But trust me, we'll have plenty more 'girl nights.' I promise. I had a lot of fun too. We'll just have to plan one next time."
Ginny nodded as she stopped at the brick wall at the end of the path. Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks in order. The bricks rearranged themselves, filing away from the center of the wall to create an arch leading to the back of a run-down building. They stepped through the arch to the small back porch. Harry pushed the door open and stepped into the back of the musty, dark bar.
The bar was fairly empty at that time of day, with only a few of the regular customers and residents of the rooms upstairs. The tables and bar were mostly unoccupied, and the freshly stocked bottles behind the bar were still full. A few people stopped reading the Prophet or playing Exploding Snaps to see who entered the pub, and most considered staring as Harry and Ginny made their way to the bar. Tom looked up and smiled a toothless grin when he saw Harry.
"'Ello, Mister Potter. What can I do for you?" he asked cheerfully.
Ginny sat down at a table near the entrance to Diagon Alley and gingerly picked up a discarded copy of the day's Prophet. She scanned over the articles until she found one she was interested in.
"Hi, Tom," Harry smiled. "Is Draco Malfoy still in his room?"
Tom looked blank. He blinked at the teenager in front of him, and finally shook his head. "No, he's not."
"So he already checked out, then?"
Tom shook his head again. "Mister Malfoy hasn't stepped foot in this pub for quite awhile. He didn't rent a room las' night."
Harry was stunned. He blinked at the old barkeep in front of him. "Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly.
"I do all th' booking myself, Mister Potter," Tom reassured. "I remember everyone I rent to. Mister Malfoy definitely isn't one o' those people I got stayin' up there. Maybe he's booked somewhere else."
"Oh…. Okay. Thanks."
Harry turned slowly to where Ginny was sitting, reading the newspaper amusedly. She looked up and raised an eyebrow at him when he stopped in front of her table. "What's up?" she asked as she folded the paper and rested it back on the table. "Did he already check out?"
"He never checked in," Harry sighed, shaking his head. He sat down next to her. "Wonder where he could've gone…?"
"He probably checked in somewhere else," Ginny said. "Or maybe he crashed at your old place. I'm sure there's no need to worry about him," she added at the look on Harry's face.
"You're probably right," Harry nodded. "I'm sure he's fine." He paused, thinking. Finally, he stood up. "Come on. We might as well go home, in case he shows up."
I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!
It was late in the afternoon. The sun was withering just what looked like inches above the treeline, and he clouds were illuminated by a dull, nearly invisible red-pink. The practically deserted, gloomy house was darker and quieter than usual--someone had finally found a Silencing Charm that would work on the shrieking paintings. It was far too eerie for Harry, who had found an old record player and put on a dusty record.
He had set to work on polishing his wand, something he had not done in quite some time. He was ready to do anything to get his mind off Draco. It was late in the day and there was still no sign of the distraught blonde. Harry wanted to think that Draco wouldn't run off and try to get even, he hoped that Draco was a bigger person than that, but he knew that Draco was still the same, spiteful Malfoy Harry had always known him to be. Who knows what he would do to get even?
The door opened and Hermione stuck her head in. "Harry? He hasn't shown up yet, has he?" Harry shook his head. "Well, dinner's ready downstairs. Do you want me to bring some up for you, or do you want to come downstairs?"
"I'm not hungry," Harry sighed, setting his freshly polished wand on his nightstand.
Hermione nodded and closed the door as Harry picked a book off the floor and started to read. He wasn't quite sure what the book was - he couldn't focus on the words at all, and kept going back over them to try and understand. Five minutes later, he had looked at the page so much he could tell you exactly what it looked like, but he still had no idea what it said.
Harry jumped as the door was pushed open for a second time. He sighed again, this time with relief, as he saw who it was. He tossed the book back onto the floor where he had found it and ran into Draco's arms.
"There you are!" Harry said happily, hugging him tightly. "I was worried about you!"
Before Draco could say anything in response, Harry pulled back just enough for his lips to find his husband's. He couldn't remember a single time Draco had kissed him so passionately. His eyes fell closed as Draco tightened his embrace on him and nipped at his lips. He gave a soft moan as Draco slipped his tongue into Harry's mouth, and their tongues twisted and writhed together for a brief moment. Suddenly, Harry felt something wet and warm against his cheek, and opened his eyes.
Draco pulled back, his eyes full of tears which had begun to slip slowly down onto his milky white cheeks. He bit down hard on his lip in a desperate attempt to hold back a sob.
"Oh, Dray," Harry whispered softly, wiping away a few fallen tears with his thumb. "It's okay. We're gonna be okay. We can work it out and put it behind us, okay? We'll be alright. We - "
"Shut up, Harry," Draco blurted, his voice shakey and defeated. Harry closed his mouth obediently, stunned.
Draco paced the room for a moment. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Finally, Harry asked concernedly, "What's going on, Draco?"
He stopped pacing. He was now across the room next to the bed, and his tears were streaming a little faster. He took another deep breath. "I - I need to tell you something," he said in nearly a whisper. "But please, Harry, you have to promise not to… not to… hate me."
"I could never hate you, Draco," Harry replied calmly, although he felt anything but; he was so scared. What could it be that Draco was going on about? It couldn't be that bad, could it? it?
He braced himself, ready to hear the worst. He could take it. He could deal with whatever it was. He wouldn't overreact. He stood steadfast, preparing himself to hear anything.
"I…. I slept with Jenni last night."
He wasn't prepared to hear it at all. His throat constricted and his breathing quickened. His brain raced, trying to find a something to say, something to do. What was he supposed to do? Was there a way out of this? A loophole? There was always a loophole. Why not this time?
'I never loved you,' he thought desperately. 'I was just using you. It doesn't matter to me who you shag.'
No, Draco knew none of this was true. It was killing Harry, and it had hardly even sunk in. What was he to say…? Finally, only two words came to mind.
"Get out," he his coldly, his breaths coming in shaking gasps now.
"Harry - "
"Get the hell out of here!" Harry screamed furiously. "Go! I never want to see you again, you bastard!"
"Harry, please!" Draco pleaded desperately, taking a step forward.
Harry pulled his wand from his pocket, aiming directly at Draco's head. He took a deep breath and said, firmly and flatly, "Leave."
"Listen to me, damn it!" Draco yelled. Harry's eyes narrowed. There was only one spell her could think of, one spell that Draco could possibly deserve….
"CRUSIO!"
The red light soared right past the blonde's head and hit the wall behind him in a shattering blow, shaking the walls and ceiling. Draco was stunned. He stared at Harry in utter horror.
"Leave," Harry repeated coldly, flicking his wand toward the door. It burst open, slamming into the wall. Draco turned and slowly started toward the door, but stopped in the frame and turned.
"Please, Harry," he whispered, defeated. We can work this out. We can get past this."
Harry flicked his wand again, and the door slammed shut angrily, hitting Draco squarely in the chest.
He stood for a long time, letting the shock of the whole thing wear off. Draco had slept with Jenni. Draco had cheated on him. Draco had betrayed his trust and everything that a marriage stood for. But he still lover him. Weren't you supposed to stop loving someone when they betray you…?
I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!I!
A/N: Wowza, I did it. I honestly do have a good excuse this time. MY CAT ATE MY STORY!
I mean it! My story fell behind my bed, which is my cat's favorite place to hang out. He went back there, and the mutant that he is loves eating paper, cardboard, and basically anything he's not supposed to. So naturally, he chewed up ALL of my story. But of course, that wasn't all. That was the FIRST time I rewrote it. I lost it the second time, my sister's friend threw it away on accident the third time, and I left it at my friend's house the fourth time. So finally, I decided to type it up on my laptop, which is what I should've done from the start, I know. Stupid me.
Anyway. I don't know when the next chapter is going to come out. I'm a little too happy lately to write this…. :P But I promise it will appear sometime. Maybe I can hurtle over my writer's block for another day or so, so I can add on….
TTFN, Deathdragon4