Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Now to answer a few questions and make a few points:

1. Just to make this clear there is a major time passage throughout this chapter.

2.The OOC comes from the fact that this is AU and they grew up in different situations.

3.Bella, while evil and much older in HP, is not evil and younger in my fic.

4. You'll just have to excuse my shoddy knowledge of alcoholic drinks. :)

Now Onward:

Draco hadn't seen Harry in weeks. Not after the confrontation that had ended so oddly. School was starting back up again soon though. He would have to face Harry then. He would have to face love then.

He had heard about Harry even if he hadn't seen him. Hermione said he and Cedric were as happy as ever. But Draco still got messages on his answering machine that were just breathing.

Was Harry really happy without him? Was Harry willing to go on like this? Surely not after what Draco…or maybe it was because of what Draco had said.

He had told him to leave now hadn't he? The scene replayed over and over in his dreams. Each time he did something or said something different. Each time Harry stayed. Except Draco didn't have a time machine. He couldn't go back. He couldn't make things ok again.

He couldn't make Harry love him. Not the way Draco loved Harry. That would be cruel. So Draco just stared out his window and wished.

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"Cedric, baby, do you think we could go out for dinner tonight?" Harry asked, running his fingers through Cedric's hair.

"Why? I can cook. No need to get up or get dressed. Besides I like you naked better." Cedric grinned.

"Oh come on. I want to go out. I want someone I don't know to serve me steak and wine." Harry whined.

"Fine."

"Don't you want me to be happy Ced?"

"Of course I do Harry. I love you." Cedric said getting up.

"And maybe we could invite our friends. You know Pansy, Hermione, and Draco?" Harry suggested.

"But I want you all to myself!" Cedric said.

Harry pouted as he pulled on a grey shirt. Cedric licked his lips hungrily.

"Alright. Fine. Invite the friends. After all I can just keep you all to myself after!" Cedric said running into the bathroom to avoid the shoe Harry threw at him.

Harry smiled after his boyfriend and went to call everyone.

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The phone's ring was shrill to his ears. He picked it up grudgingly. He didn't want to talk to whoever it was on the other line.

"Hello?" Draco said tiredly into the receiver.

"Draco?"

"…..Harry?"

"I just wanted to invite you to dinner tonight. A bunch of us are going out. Pansy, Cedric, Hermione, and me. You know to celebrate these last days of freedom before classes rule our lives and everything." Harry's words were quick and they all ran together.

Draco was silent for a moment. Could he stomach dinner with the happy couple? What if he said something? Lost his temper? Hurt someone?

But he couldn't stop living just because Harry Potter didn't want him now could he? No, of course not.

"Sure Potter, I'll come. Where are you idiots meeting?"

"Zedra's Diner. The usual. Cedric and I were going for romantic, but for a group, the cheaper the better right?" Harry laughed.

"Right. I'll see you guys at eight then?"

"Yeah. And Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Never mind."

"Articulate as ever. Bye Potter." And he hung up. No, Harry Potter wasn't going to run his life. He was human still, and he deserved friends too.

So he picked out an outfit he knew looked incredible on him. No one said he couldn't look nice? He always looked nice anyway. It wouldn't be odd.

If Potter cared to look then let him.

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"Hello you bloody wankers! " Draco shouted pleasantly to the group.

"Draco! We thought you'd died!" Pansy shouted clapping him on the back. Hermione and Cedric laughed.

"Well you know life has its ups and its downs. I just happened to hit one of those downs." Draco shrugged off his coat and sat down.

The waitress came over, winked at him, and took his order for a coke and a turkey sandwich.

"I think she noticed you Draco." Cedric said giving Draco a wink of his own.

"I don't think she's my type Golden Boy." Draco said with a slow smile.

"A woman might just be what you need to get out of this rut though Draco." Pansy nodded.

"I don't think so." Draco replied, but when the waitress returned he gave her a smoldering smile and thanked her very nicely.

Cedric gave a low whistle. "You definitely got her mate."

"Indeed." Draco said twirling his straw and giving the wall an inspecting stare.

He let his friends talk around him for a while as he devoured his sandwich. He gave Harry a few sneak glances and saw his tormented face.

He wasn't being nice. He knew that very well. Sometimes he just didn't care. His chest twinged slightly. He knew he did care this time, but he couldn't stop. He took the waitresses phone number when she came back to the table and slipped it into his hand. Not that he had any intention to call her, but maybe Harry would think he did.

And of course Potter thought he would call her.

"I wasn't aware females were still your type Draco." Harry bit out. The whole table froze and Draco looked over at Harry.

"Whatever gave you that idea Harry?" Draco smiled sweetly. Nice try Harry. Nice. Try.

"You told me so yourself. A few weeks ago after professing your undying love remember?" Harry smirked. Now that was cruel.

"Undying love? Potter are you sick?" Draco stood. "That's what doctors are for you know. Cedric, you need to take better care of your boy." And he left in a flurry of jacket and wind as he opened the diner door.

He stood outside for a moment staring up at the sky before walking quickly down the street. He could hear the footsteps behind him but he didn't stop.

He got to his apartment building and kept on walking. He knew where he was going. He didn't care if it was freezing outside. He didn't care if the sky was threatening to let all hell break loose.

His breath came out in white puffs and he huddled down father into his jacket. Maybe he should have gone inside. It was terribly cold even for London.

"Draco! Would you stop walking you crazy git?" Harry called from behind him. He considered stopping. He considered taking pity on his poor lungs that were protesting to the cold air.

He considered letting Harry catch up to him, and the prospect just didn't sound great to him. So he just kept walking. His feet taking him to his favorite bench in the park.

He sat down heavily on the wood. He shivered slightly at the cold wood, but settled into the cocooning warmth of his coat.

"Why didn't you stop for me?" Harry said. He sat down next to Draco on the bench.

"I didn't feel like it. It's cold." Draco said with a shrug that he immediately regretted. Cold air sent another wave of shivers down his spine.

"Of course it's cold. The weather channel said it was going to snow tonight." Harry said."

"I don't watch the weather channel."

"Cedric does."

"Don't talk to me about him."

"Draco, I know you never really liked him, but I do."

"I don't care. For once I just don't care."

"Come on Dray…….tell me what's wrong." Harry said putting his hand on Draco's shoulder.

"You know bloody well what's wrong. You're wrong. I'm wrong. This whole existence is wrong. All of it." Draco shrugged Harry's hand off his shoulder and stood up.

"Draco, why? Can't you just be happy? Life is so beautiful." Harry said.

"How can I be happy when the one person I love is with someone else?" Draco whispered this, but Harry heard.

"Get over it. Move on. I love you really I do. I just love you in a different way, and if you linger on these feelings you'll never be happy Draco. I just want to be your friend. Like it was before. Don't you remember?"

"No. I don't. Leave me alone Harry. You make my heart hurt." Draco said as he walked away. Then he stopped and turned around.

He walked back quickly and grabbed Harry's hand. He jerked him roughly to his chest. "This is what you'll be missing." And he kissed Harry fiercely. He glared into green eyes triumphantly.

Harry pulled away. "Draco…"

"No Harry. You can tell the whole world that you had Draco Malfoy pining over you if you'd like, but I won't stick around if I don't have a chance. You don't understand how it feels. I'll always love you, but I won't wait forever Harry. I can't."

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Life was a blur for the next few months. He had classes and work to keep his focus away from his broken heart. He had indeed called that waitress. They had had dinner together, and were now great friends. Her name was Bellatrix Lestrange. She was very pretty, and very understanding. Plus she had a wonderful way of glaring at him when he mentioned Harry. It was like she was trying to help him get over the green eyed devil.

He was currently working on his art portfolio. He was sketching several scenes of the London skyline. It was basic and pure black and white, but he liked the bleak look. He took a sip of coffee that sat beside him, and the phone rang. Why did the phone always ring when he was drinking his coffee? He sighed and got up.

"Hello?"

"Hey luv. Party tonight. I'll be picking my date up at seven. Look cute yeah?" Bellatrix giggled.

"Sure Bella. See you then."

He smiled as he hung the phone up. Bella was always springing parties up on him like that, but he loved her for it. If he had time to think about her invites he would have turned every single one down.

He glanced at the clock. Six thirty. She was cutting it close this time, but he could make it. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair. He didn't need to change. Everyone loved the ragged artist look nowadays. He took out his eyeliner and lined his eyes lightly. It made him look distinguished he thought.

The doorbell rang. Had it really been that long already? He smiled. Of course it had. He spent too much time in front of the mirror. He winked at himself in the glass before he went to answer the door.

"Bella!" He greeted her with a hug. She ran her eyes over him approvingly.

"You look dashing as usual. Now tonight we are going to the Pirate Cave. It's a new club everyone insists is going to be lame, but everyone is going to be there anyway just to see." She briefed him as they took the elevator down.

"Some party." Draco commented.

"Yeah, it was invitation only. Very high class. I hear they booked a great band too."

"And everyone thought it was going to be lame?"

"Just the ones who didn't get an invite." Bella laughed.

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The club had gotten a good band. Everyone was dancing. Everyone was smiling. Draco was enjoying himself. The music rocked his bones, and the alcohol he'd ingest made his head pound just as fiercely. He smiled. Bella really did know how to party.

She dragged him off the dance floor then and back to the bar.

"This is brilliant." She said into his ear.

"No kidding." Draco replied.

She signaled the barkeep. Two shots of vodka, the perfect buzz.

Draco gave her a long look as he tilted his head back to ingest the clear liquid. He wanted to remember something in the morning, and if he stared at Bella long enough right now, he would. She laughed at him and pulled him back onto the floor. Her body rocked against his, and he threw his hands up into the air.

Maybe he could live with Harry Potter. Maybe his broken heart had finally healed. Maybe he was whole again.

Or maybe the alcohol was messing with his brain. Either way Draco wasn't going to let anything ruin this moment of happiness. This moment of utter joy.

So someone else would just have to ruin it for him. Bella froze. Her eyes trained on someone behind them.

She was glaring in that fantastic way she only did when Harry was mentioned. And he knew Harry was here.

"Harry?" Draco asked just to make sure.

"I am so sorry Draco. I didn't know he'd be here."

"It's ok Bella. Let's just dance alright?" She nodded and they did.

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Harry watched Draco molest the dark hair girl. They way they were dancing was profane. He took Cedric's hand and led him to the bar.

"This is great isn't it Harry?" Cedric yelled.

Harry nodded and ordered himself a screwdriver. He didn't want anything fancy. And then he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Cedric I'll be right back." Harry stalked over to where Draco was dancing, if you could call that dancing.

He grabbed Draco and kissed him. "Mine." He growled. Draco pulled away with a smirk.

Draco pointed over to the bar where a flabbergasted Cedric sat. "No Potter. That over there is yours. I don't belong to you."

"To hell with Cedric, Draco. I lied. I lied because I was scared of loving you, but I do. I do Draco. Too much to be put into words. Don't deny me your heart now." Harry pleaded into Draco's ear.

Draco gave him a long look. "I love you too." He whispered. Harry nodded. He hadn't heard Draco, but he knew.

"What are you going to tell Cedric?" The dark hair woman Draco had been dancing with intervened.

"Bella's right Harry, what are you going to tell him?" Draco looked at him.

"I….I guess I'll tell him that it's over." Harry shrugged.

An odd look crossed Bella's face. "Let me take care of him. You two lovebirds can go celebrate somewhere. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She said as she made her way over to Cedric who was tossing down brandy like it was his last day on earth.

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"Why then Harry?" Draco asked as they walked to Draco's apartment.

"Jealously." Harry shrugged.

"I should care. I should care that you waited and expected me to take you after all you did. But I don't. I am happy to just settle for you." Draco said.

"Good because I am not going to go away."

"Promise?"

"I love you can't that be enough?"

Draco grinned. "Yeah, that's enough for me."

Draco took Harry's hand and stared at the sky.

Stars twinkled back at him reassuringly. He had Harry now. He really was whole.

Happy ending! Now if you want me to write an alternate, unhappy ending please say so. Oh and REVIEW!