Harry knew what Blaise was doing when he led Draco away, and Harry appreciated it. He needed a moment, and he was silently cursing himself for reacting to Draco that way. This was the Draco he remembered. The Draco he spent the best week of his life with. The Draco that had kissed him as though he were the most precious thing in the world. Harry realized that Draco would be taking a bath, so he went to his trunk to find something for Draco to wear. He found clothing that he knew would bring out Draco's eyes and stepped back out of Ron's home. He asked the nearest guard where Blaise was and he was pointed in the direction of the bath house. Harry knocked on the door, smiling up at Blaise when he opened the door.

"I brought some clothes for Prince Draco to wear. I'm sure he doesn't want to wear those rags anymore," Harry murmured.

Blaise grinned. "Thank you, King Consort Harry. He'll wear these for the journey home tomorrow. The three of us will be staying in the village next to the castle when we get back until someone comes to tell us that Theo is in his room for the night, so be prepared for that."

"Of course. I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning," Harry said.

"Good night, Your Majesty," Blaise said.

Harry waved good night before heading back to Ron's. It took a long time before he fell asleep, so nervous was he about the next day.

HPDM

Harry woke up to his mother's sympathetic, smiling face. "Morning, Mum," Harry murmured sleepily.

"Good morning, darling. I heard you had quite the greeting with your betrothed," she said softly.

Harry winced. "I didn't mean to. It's just-"

"You don't have to explain, darling. I already know. It's only to be expected. You need time for your body and mind to separate the real Prince Draco from the imposter. I'm sure he'll understand once he knows what happened," she said, running her fingers through Harry's hair.

Harry sighed. "Don't you remember the contract? Purity was an expectation for the marriage. He has every right to denounce and exile me from his kingdom."

Lily clucked her tongue. "I doubt he will, and it's just as much your kingdom now, too. The people love you. They won't stand for you to be exiled."

"It doesn't mean that he won't do it," Harry muttered, stretching and climbing off his pallet.

"Then, he's not the man I thought he was. If he does, you are more than welcome to come back home. I do so miss seeing you every day," Lily said wistfully.

Harry smiled reluctantly. "I've missed you, too. I'm going to get dressed."

"All right. The guards have made breakfast for everyone. Come outside when you're done. I'll have a plate ready for you."

Harry quickly dressed in the finery that he felt odd wearing now that he knew his marriage wasn't real. He wasn't really King Consort. Blaise and everyone else who knew the truth still showed him the respect of the title, but it wasn't really his. He stepped outside, quickly spotting his mother sitting at a rough, wooden table and laughing at the tales that the guards were telling her. She motioned for him to come over and he took a seat next to her. True to her word, she had a plate filled with delicious morsels for him. He ate slowly, his stomach knotting at the knowledge that tonight was the night. Draco was taking back his kingdom. His eyes widened when he saw Draco step out of the house that he had stayed in. He was fully dressed in the clothing that Harry had given Blaise, and Harry's breath caught at how gorgeous he looked. Looking at Draco and really paying attention, Harry could see the subtle differences between Draco and Theo. Draco was much more comfortable in his skin, grinning at the men around him as they were all excited that their nightmare was coming to an end. Harry looked away, blushing, when Draco caught him staring. He couldn't bring himself to look up when Draco took a seat across from him.

"Good morning, King Consort Harry," Draco murmured.

Harry flushed deeper. "I'm not exactly King Consort, am I?" he murmured back. "I'm not really married."

Draco eyed Harry who was still avoiding his gaze. "Perhaps not. It doesn't mean that you haven't earned the title, though. Blaise told me everything you've done for the kingdom. I think you did a great job. Especially taking your limited power under Theo into consideration. I couldn't have asked for a better leader for the people."

Harry finally raised his eyes to look at Draco. He could tell by the look in Draco's eyes that he knew. Harry swallowed, feeling nauseated. "I think I need some fresh air. I'm going to take a walk."

"Your Majesty, all due respect, but I'm not sure it's wise to wander off. Not when we're so close," Blaise said, taking a seat next to Draco.

Harry sat back down, his eyes darting around as he felt panic slowly creeping up on him. Draco recognized the signs and interjected.

"While it's not wise to wander off, I think he should be allowed to have some time. This is a significant change in his life. If you don't want him alone, I would be more than happy to keep him company. If he'll let me," Draco murmured, looking at Harry.

Blaise took the opportunity to give them some time together. "That's a great idea. King Consort Harry, please stay with Prince Draco. We need everything to go off without a hitch."

Harry saw no way out and nodded slowly. He stiffly got up and walked toward a trail into the woods, aware that Draco was right behind him.

Harry took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I don't need nor do I want your pity, Prince Draco."

Draco startled. "What do you mean?"

Harry glanced at him briefly before looking away. "I know that you know. I can see it in your eyes. Don't pity me."

Draco nodded. "You're right. I do know. However, you're wrong that I pity you. Rather, I think you're strong. You survived what he put you through for three years. I can't apologize enough for putting you in that position."

"You didn't put me in that position," Harry said. "I agreed to marry you."

"If I had paid more attention to the men closest to me, I might have seen the signs that Theo was plotting something. This whole thing could have been avoided. It's my fault that you've had to live like that. I only wish I could make it go away."

"You shouldn't blame yourself. We're supposed to be able to trust those closest to us. If we were suspicious of everyone we come into contact with, I would never have found such a good friend in Blaise."

Draco hesitated. "Do you have feelings for him?"

"Romantic feelings? No. I've only ever felt that once, and it certainly wasn't for Blaise. He's just a friend. A really close friend, but a friend nonetheless."

"You cared for someone? Do you still care for him?" Draco asked, stomach knotting at the thought.

"I don't know," Harry murmured. "I don't really know him anymore. I still care for the person I knew him to be. Only time will tell, I suppose." Harry looked at Draco when Draco didn't respond to find that he looked upset. "Is something wrong?"

Draco looked over at him. "Why did you agree to marry me when you cared for someone?" he asked softly.

Realization hit Harry. "I think you misunderstand me," Harry said, clearing his throat. "It was you that I cared for."

Draco looked at him in surprise. "You did?" he asked hopefully.

"When my father first approached me about marrying you, I was reluctant. Being a second son meant that I was supposed to have more freedom in choosing who I would spend my life with. I had always hoped for a love match. My parents didn't marry for love, but that doesn't mean that they don't love each other. Their love grew during their marriage. I wasn't expecting a fairy tale, love at first sight kind of love, but I wanted to marry someone that I knew I could fall in love with. It's why I insisted that I meet you first. I needed to know that I could fall in love with you. That week that we spent together when we were sixteen showed me that I could and was falling in love with you. Those letters we exchanged afterward only cemented that belief." Harry fell silent for several moments. "I didn't know what to think when the letters stopped coming. At first, I believed that you were just upset and overwhelmed over your father's death. However, I didn't hear anything from you at all after that. I thought that maybe you would write about your coronation or for my birthday but nothing came. I wondered if you were regretting your decision to agree to marry me. Then, I got the summons.

"I arrived at your castle, eager to see you. I was hoping that maybe seeing each other again would reignite the feelings from that week. However, I was faced with a cold man who merely sent me to a room while preparations were made for the wedding. I was basically a prisoner in my room. There were guards outside my door that said I had to stay in my room for my own safety. I was escorted to meals every day, but nowhere else. I never heard a word from the man I was supposed to be marrying. He basically ignored me when we ate together. When we were wed, the look in his eyes…they were so cold and cruel. It was like he didn't care at all. At first, I hoped it was just being in public…that it would change once we were alone…but it wasn't. When we were alone, he was even colder, even more cruel. I don't remember most of my wedding night. I just remember pain and blood. I remember waking up in Severus's room, sore. Severus and Blaise were cleaning me off. Blaise told me that he was assigned as my personal guard. He told me that he took his duty seriously. That he couldn't cross the king but that he wouldn't just ignore my suffering, either. I wasn't touched for two weeks after to allow me time to heal. The rest of my marriage was spent in that same vicious cycle. Being hurt so badly that I had to visit Severus and taking weeks to heal before it started again."

Draco felt sick to his stomach. "And the entire time, you were looking at my face," he said softly.

Harry nodded. "I couldn't understand how you could change so much. That week…you were so sweet and attentive. I felt as though a marriage with you would be nothing but warmth and happiness. Instead, I faced three years of coldness, despair, misery, and cruelty. Now that you're here, I can see the differences between you and him. You smile, you laugh, you're much more relaxed. It's hard to reconcile, though."

Draco nodded as he took a seat on a fallen tree trunk. "I can understand that. I would feel much the same way if I were in your position. I intend to show you that I'm not like that, though."

Harry gingerly sat next to Draco, leaving a foot between them. "You can't really want me," Harry said softly.

Draco laid his hand next to Harry's, making sure to leave some space between them. "I know you're worried about the marriage contract. The purity clause. I don't care about that. I never cared about how pure you were. As far as I'm concerned, you're still pure. You didn't ask for that. You were tricked, manipulated. Unless you don't want to marry me, I intend to follow through on my promise to marry you."

"You don't have to feel obligated to marry me just because of a stupid contract," Harry muttered.

"Will you look at me?" Draco waited until Harry looked reluctantly up at him. "If it was only obligation because of the contract, I would use the purity clause as an excuse not to marry you. I intend to marry you because I want to. That week we spent together…it's my favorite memory. It's what I thought about for years to keep myself sane and to stop myself from giving up. When we got here and I saw you for the first time, I wanted nothing more than to kiss you. If you hadn't reacted that way to me just trying to hold your hands, I would have. I can wait to marry you until you're ready. I won't force you into my bed. I want you there willingly. I want you to want to be there. When I do get to take you to bed, I want you to feel desire and passion instead of obligation and fear."

Harry shivered slightly. "You really want to marry me? Even knowing that I was in another man's bed?"

"You didn't know who he really was. You were tricked. Perhaps I might feel differently if I had found out that you had willingly and knowingly entered another man's bed. I don't know for certain. All I can say is that knowing your circumstances doesn't make me feel or think any less of you."

Harry slowly moved his shaky hand over to cover Draco's which made Draco smile softly. "How did I get so lucky?"

Draco shook his head as he gently turned his hand over, smiling widely when Harry linked their fingers together. "I'm the lucky one. Do you know what I thought when I first laid eyes on you?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

"I thought, 'how lucky am I that this gorgeous boy is even considering marrying me?' My father mentioned the possibility of uniting our kingdoms, and I only agreed because it was expected of me. I thought that you would be plain and either boring or annoying. I agreed because it was my duty. Then…that carriage door opened and your father got out. I looked inside and saw you. I was in awe of your beauty. The more time I spent with you, the more I realized that you were nothing like I imagined. I wanted to kiss you every night when I walked you to your room. I had to settle for kissing your hand because I didn't want to scare you. I made myself stay on my very best behavior. I couldn't resist that final night. I had to kiss you before you left. You have no idea how happy I was when you said you would sign the marriage contract. It was the happiest day of my life. I knew that we would have an amazing marriage. We still can. You just need to trust me."

Harry sighed heavily. "I'm trying. It's going to take time."

"I can wait," Draco said calmly. "I just need to know that you're trying. It will do neither of us any good if you're not. Particularly, you. I would hate to think that you were scared of me for the rest of your life."

"I know. I am trying, though. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be holding your hand right now."

Draco smiled a little bit. "That's all I ask. For your peace of mind, I'm going to tell you that I'm going to do what Blaise told me to do. I'm not going to try to initiate any contact between us. I'm going to wait for you to do it. Keep in mind that there is nothing you can do that I won't like or want. I'm just not going to try to touch or kiss you for your comfort."

"Duly noted," Harry said, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

"Now, I hope you're feeling better about this," Draco said.

"I am," Harry murmured. "I just hope you know that this isn't going to be easy for either of us."

"I know. Blaise and I had a long conversation about what I should expect for us in the future."

Harry nodded. "I expected him to. I just won't be able to even start working on feeling safe until he's gone."

Draco knew who he was talking about. "We're going to take care of that tonight. You won't have to worry about him ever again. I promise. And after my real coronation, I'm going to work on courting you properly. I hope that's okay."

Harry gave Draco a real smile for the first time. "I'd like that."

Draco's breath caught at the first genuine, happy smile from Harry. "Let's head back. We need to get moving if we're going to make it there by tonight," he murmured in a daze.

Harry never took his hand back, so they held hands during their walk back to the village. Blaise hid his smile at the familiarity in the gesture. He winked at Lily when she noticed and beamed at him. Draco and Harry's handholding gave them both hope for them.