There's some violence in this chapter.
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Chapter 3
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Harry shrugged his coat off his tired shoulders as he entered the darkened lounge of his apartment, the blackness of the room contrasting sharply with the brilliant sunlight that usually flooded through the windows at this time in the afternoon. Had Harry been a little more alert, he would have realised that the curtains were shut.
It was two o' clock in the afternoon.
The Gryffindor thought nothing of it, and instead turned instinctively to flick on the light switch. He was immediately forced back against the wall by a strong hand around his throat.
Harry gasped in bewilderment and struggled against the tightening grip, his eyes widening in fear. He battled wildly, only to be thrown back against the cold, solid wall with a huge THUD that momentarily winded him. He fought to remove the icy fingers from their fierce hold, but the infuriated wizard before him didn't loosen his grasp. Harry struggled to draw a breath, but each futile attempt served only to dizzy him even further. His clumsy fingers clawed at the unrelenting wrist whilst he silently pleaded with the man before him to release him, his head spinning…. He struggled to make out the other figure in the darkness. His hypoxic state clouded his vision until all he could see were blotches of grey….
But there was no mistaking the voice when it came.
"HOW DARE YOU?"
Harry's eyes sprung open in shock. "Draco! What…?"
With a lunge, Draco jerked Harry forward, only to then shove him hard against the wall again. The dark-haired wizard cried out with the force of the blow. Draco was now livid beyond the point of reason.
He abruptly let go of Harry, and the exhausted man dropped to the ground, inhaling deep, rasping breaths. Draco towered over him, almost shaking with rage.
"Has he SEEN it?"
Unable to speak, Harry instead raised himself clumsily onto all fours, desperately inhaling deep breaths. The cool air stung his throat as his chest rose and fell painfully, his weakened elbows shuddering with every breath.
Draco hurled a crushed piece of paper at him, and shouted once more.
"Did you send him this?"
Harry blinked dazedly, his breathing now settling to short gasps. With a sinking heart, he realised that the paper was none other than the note that he had taken to Malfoy Manor the evening before. He groaned inwardly and raised a shaky hand to rub his eyes.
"Draco – I - "
Harry's chest heaved again unsteadily, and his throat closed with the words. He massaged his neck where the red imprints of Draco's fingers still remained.
"HAS HE SEEN IT?"
The infuriated wizard shook with anger, his fists clenched at his sides.
"No," Harry managed to protest. "But he was so ill – he was so frail - "
Draco's eyes widened in horror.
Harry bit his lip, immediately realising what he had just said. How stupid of him.
"You WENT there? Behind my back?"
Harry tried to answer but his throat constricted once more, and he could only splutter in response.
Draco, incensed, picked up a lamp and threw it forcefully against the far wall. Harry winced as the glass smashed, littering broken shards onto the floor beneath. The blond-haired man trembled with rage.
"You said you wouldn't!"
"I'm sorry…."
"You promised! You held me in your arms and you promised! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"I did what I thought was best - " Harry leant his aching back against the wall and pleaded with his husband. "Draco - "
"You had no RIGHT!"
"Please - "
"I thought you loved me!" Draco's angry words penetrated Harry to the core.
The sentence was a blade, slicing through Harry and coming to a rest mere inches away from his heart.
He froze. This was the first time that love had ever been mentioned.
Seven years of marriage, and neither of them had ever said it. Harry found that he was trembling. This was the first time that the word had entered Draco's vocabulary, and it had only done so to be used as a weapon with which to wound Harry. It was so cruel.
It hurt.
Harry's sad voice piped through the darkness. "It's because I love you that I did it -" It was obvious he was shaking. "I don't regret it, Draco…. One day you'll - "
"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!"
I'll never forgive you….
The words were still ringing in Harry's ears long after he heard Draco's car screech away from the driveway.
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Draco didn't stop until he was far away. He ceased the engine and stumbled out of the car, his limbs heavy. He was only able to cover a few yards before he fell to the ground, his body meeting the dusty earth with a crunch. He trembled violently and cried like he had never cried before.
He stared in disbelief at his shaking hands. They were red and raw. Goodness knows what Harry's neck would be like. He couldn't believe what had just come over him. Had he actually attacked his own husband? Had he? His head throbbed and he rolled over onto his stomach, trying to retch, but nothing would leave him or take away the shame he was feeling.
"Harry…."
He moaned desperately, turning his face towards the earth, wishing he could bury himself in the dusty ground. He wanted the pain to go away. He wanted every miserable second of the last few months to be erased. He couldn't bear it any longer. He certainly couldn't face going home. But most of all, he couldn't forgive his husband.
