Everyone in the room watched as Harry rose from Draco's lap to walk towards the little boy who had just appeared. He crouched down in front of him, and opened his arms, the little boy ran up against Harry's chest, and looked around the room with a haughty look in his eyes, which strangely reminded them of a certain person they wished they had never known.
« Harry... » began Hermione, « did he say " "Daddy"? »
Harry didn't answer, instead, his gaze went straight into the curly-haired brunette's eyes. He looked into her eyes, and once again Hermione was almost shocked to tears when she saw no warmth that he was so accustomed to directing at her. Just emerald ice, with nothing but cold indifference inside. She averted her gaze, to put it on the little one in the arms of the brunette. He couldn't have been more than two/three years old, had the hair of a pure blond that had nothing to envy to Draco's, and eyes of the same emerald green of Harry. Thin, aristocratic features, but with Harry's mouth. He was a perfect blend of the two men standing before her. And she understood absolutely nothing.
Draco got up from the chair where he was sitting and walked towards the two most important people in his life, he put his hand on Harry's hips, and they both acted as if there wasn't an army of Weasleys sitting next to them.
« Why aren't you sleeping, Gabriel? » Asked Draco.
« 'Wanted milk. » Answered the little blond boy in a voice that was still asleep.
Harry stopped himself from laughing.
« He's just like you, Dray. » He said lightly, « Little guy, we'll be home in two days, all right? Two sleeps and you'll be back in your bed and your room. »
« If you can handle it, » added Draco, « you'll be a big good boy and tomorrow we'll go for ice cream. »
« Ice c'eam? » Little Gabriel's face lit up when he realized what he might have. « Sleep? »
« Yes, baby, go to sleep. Papa Dray will even read you a story. »
Draco looked at Harry, outraged. He didn't read history, he was the strict dad. Thank you very much. Harry looked at him, eyebrows raised...
« You'd rather I do it, and in the meantime, you're making small talk with our guests? » He asked sarcastically.
That's when Gabriel seemed to realize he wasn't alone with his dads.
« Daddy, who's that? » He asked, pointing his finger at the Weasleys.
« No one important, go to sleep. » Draco replied, taking Gabriel from Harry's arms and disappearing into another room.
Silence returned like an old friend to the room, while Harry slowly turned to those still present. Yet he didn't look at them. He sat down and stared at the fire beside him, clearly in his thoughts. He was tense, tired, angry and weary. He didn't want to think about everything that had happened, but he was not given a choice. He wanted to go home and go back to his little life. But deep down he knew he was running away from what was inevitable now. He had to face it all. Everything could change. He could reconnect with them, or he could completely cut them out of his life, as he so desperately wanted to do. But it wasn't so easy to erase so many years from his life like that, and Draco was right. He had to make a choice, but not one he had to make in a hurry, and talking was the only option he had left. That being said, it didn't look good for the big, warm reunion.
« Let's set the record straight, » his voice surprised everyone, « if you still want to talk about me leaving the only two people that matter to me, so that I can experience what you want for me, then I don't need to show you the way out. However, if you want to talk in a calm and civilised way, I am ready to listen to you. »
They all had so much to say, so many questions. But Harry had made it clear that he wouldn't accept reason. Even Hermione didn't know how to deal with him anymore, he wasn't the same Harry as before, he wouldn't listen blindly to his friends. He didn't trust them anymore, and nobody knew why. The twins, on the other hand, looked at their family, with more shock when they saw that nobody wanted to open their eyes to what was in front of them, and still wanted to live in denial. It saddened them greatly, they had not changed and didn't want to grow up.
« You know, » Fred began, « the biggest difference between you and Harry today is that he's grown and matured, he's understood a lot and he's allowed himself time to be overwhelmed and feel lost. »
« He has thought about it, » George continued, « has found himself and now knows who he is and what he wants. Unlike you, who stayed five years back. You don't want to grow up and move on and leave the war behind you for good, which is now well and truly over. »
« You're still in the fantasy of the perfect life you dreamed of during the war, » says Fred, « everything you planned to do once you were free of threats. You want it to come true without even thinking about what it might entail. Without asking anyone's opinion. »
Harry looked at them, a little smile on his face. They hadn't changed, and it was a good thing. The twins had always been a little different from the rest of the family. Understood faster, and didn't let chat they wanted bother people where the rest of the Weasley were all for the other listen to what they had to say, and where Hermione was the one who knew best. It was rather sad to say, but Harry always trusted them more than Ron and Hermione.
The Weasley family, on the other hand, looked at the twins in total shock, as if they couldn't believe their ears, what they had said was totally untrue. They had moved on, they had grown up. That's why they were moving forward as a family. The family that Harry was supposed to really belong to. It made sense, and the continuity of things... The brunette sighed and rubbed his temples... Draco came back into the room, looking traumatized, and Harry made the mental note to ask him what story Gab' had asked for this time.
« Molly, » Harry finally said, « you were for a long time the mother I unfortunately never had. You took care of me, and accepted me into your home without a moment's hesitation, and I can never be grateful enough. You did so much for me at that time, and I don't forget that. »
« Harr— »
« However, » Harry cut her off as he raised his hand, « you also thought you could lead me as you do with your sons. To be able to tell me what to do and with whom, when and how. Marry Ginny, pursue whatever career you thought was best for me. The problem, Molly is that I'm not the puny little boy I was when I was eleven. Now that I've done what was asked of me, I'm old enough and entitled to choose my own path, and you don't understand that. As much as I respect you for a lot of things, you are not my mother and you have no right to tell me what to do now that I am an adult. »
He paused for a moment to take the tea that Draco handed him and let him sit on his lap, the blond man's hand resting on the base of his neck and playing with his hair, as he knew that it would relax the brunette a little. Molly, on the other hand, had become more or less red, her lips tightened, as if to refrain from saying something. Harry knew he was tough, however it was necessary for them all to understand.
« Ron, » continued Harry, his voice still unemotional, « you were the very first friend I ever made, and even though on the one hand, the first time you were impressed by the scar, I know it bothered you more than anything else over time. You stood by me at the worst possible moment, I trusted you completely. But don't think I didn't notice that over time you became bitter quickly. Jealous of the intention I never asked for but received anyway. »
- "I didn't j-" Ron started yelling.
« Your temperament is no secret, Ron. » Said Harry, « and honestly, from a certain angle, I can understand you. I really can. However, you haven't always been truly understanding. Careful, I'm not saying you were a bad friend, far from it, and the fact that you were my first one holds a special place in my heart. But you see that what you want to see, and not the real facts, and that in times of war can be an advantage, but now that everyone is at peace, it's not. It can get in the way of a lot of things. You got what you wanted with Hermione, and I'm very happy about that, believe me. But not everyone's like you, thinking what we thought when we were fifteen. It's time you realised that. »
Harry's voice was assertive, and the more he spoke, the firmer his words were. He wouldn't allow anybody to speak at the moment, and everybody understood that. But the first one knew that when he was done, it would explode... Draco tightened his arm around him, and the brunette's head bent down as he touched him.
Ron was upset. It was almost as clear as if smoke was coming out of his ears, and Draco almost laughed, Harry could tell by the way his lips tightened, his eyes turned to futile, his nose wrinkled in a lovely way. The dark-haired man's gaze softened a little as he saw his husband react in such a childish way, as if being together brought him back to Hogwarts. It was cute.
« Hermione, » sighed Harry, « You're a brilliant witch, and you have to be blind not to see it, even Draco accepts this point, » Harry grinned at his husband's scandalised expression, « but you still don't understand that theory is not practice, and what you read doesn't always apply to real facts, and to any situation. Life is not a book, the knowledge you have can help you move forward and make decisions in real time, but will never be the exact answer you expected. »
He watched her open her mouth, but she quickly closed it again when she saw Harry's almost black eyes.
« In the book of life you wrote for yourself when we were at Hogwarts, discovering new things, learning to juggle a world full of magic, lessons we could barely take and a sick man after my life, you saw yourself as an adult, working for something prestigious, married to Ron and I to Ginny, living close to each other and being as close a family as the Weasleys ever were. And it's true that in wartime, it was a way of holding you back from reality. To hold it together and try to move forward in the face of the horrors that we've shown. You're extremely smart and a powerful witch. But dreams made during a dark time and with little hope of survival don't apply when we can make the choice we want, and have the rest of our lives ahead of us Hermione. The principle of books is that they can be rewritten, arranged and improved over time. It's about time you started facing the same way. »
He was standing tall when he stood up to face them again. He looked at them, filled with confidence, trust and pride in the man he had become. Draco looked at him with love, with tenderness... Ron looked at him as if he didn't know whether to be angry with him or accept the fact that their friends had now gone mad. Molly was sad, angry, and against the fact that Harry didn't listen to her as he used to, and Hermione looked as if she had swallowed her entire library in less than five minutes. He turned to Ginny, who always had a resolute look on her face, and spoke before him, because she hadn't got the memo to keep quiet for the time being.
« I don't know what's gone through your head Harry, » she said confidently, « but clearly you've got to come to your senses, and stop seeing this sort of ..., useless bastard who should have died in the war like so many others. »
The room was dead silent. Everyone was holding their breath. Draco had his eyes wide open, and Harry could see that those words had hurt him more than he would ever admit. Harry's eyes darkened dangerously, the room suddenly charged with magical electricity. He turned his head slowly toward Ginny, who thought she'd said the right thing. The one that would make Harry open his eyes and understand his mistake. Even Ron realized it wasn't the right thing to say.
The brunette gently raised his hand, making Ginny come to him by some kind of invisible thread, which made her squeak, without saying a word. He put his face within an inch of her face, and spoke in a threatening and frankly frightening voice that no one had ever heard from him.
« Don't forget you're in my house, Ginny, » he began, « I will not allow anyone to talk like that about my husband under my roof, let alone in my presence or in the presence of our son a few rooms away from where we are, before you start saying what I have to say to you, I want you to understand that if such words ever come out of your mouth again, it will end extremely badly for you, I will not tolerate anything less than respect, understand? » He whispered the last words.
Ginny nodded without saying a word, too scared to say anything. He let her sit down and waited for a moment to calm down, in Draco's arms, his head in his neck while the Blonde whispered softly in his ear, while Harry made sure he knew what had just been said wasn't true. He took a deep breath, then lifted his head without leaving Draco's embrace, and began to speak.
« Ginny, I know deep down you're not a bad person. You're a good witch, and I'm sure you'll make a good wife, independent, with a great career and be able to marry someone who understands who you are and what you're worth, » he began again, « however, it won't be me, and I'm not going to say it's my fault because I know it's not. You fell in love with the picture that was painted of me. You don't really know me, never had time to get to know me. You're the sister of the person I've long considered my best friend. I've never seen you as anything more than that. I'm not saying I didn't give you hope back when we were all afraid. But I never said we'd end up together, and it's time for you to open your eyes and move on, turn the page and face your own life. Forget a dream that won't come true. At least not with me. »
His voice was firm again and did not give room for arguments.
« For a long time, even before I left five years ago, I forced myself to thinking that I wanted the same thing you wanted for me. Telling myself that you were right, and that this was what was best for me. That I wanted to get married as soon as possible and have children and a home, the illusion of a normal life that I never had. I wondered if that's what my parents and Sirius would have wanted for me. I wondered what they would think of me if I decided to leave and not do all this. I was lost and I didn't know what to do, but you know what I realized the last week before I left without telling you? »
He looked at each of the people in front of him, waiting for an answer, for someone to speak up. When no one moved, he sighed and spoke again.
« I realised that I couldn't even go to those whom I now consider my family for advice. Those I had to trust. I couldn't go and confide in you, Ron, because you would have gotten out of hand, telling me that my life was with you in the Auror and married to your sister. I couldn't go to you, Hermione, because you would have lectured me about facts written in books and in your head about the future that was in store for me. At the Weasley house. I couldn't go and talk to you, Molly, because you had a pre-defined concept of me being married to your only daughter, and being your son legally and by marriage. I couldn't go to Arthur, who always follows Molly, because that's what a good husband is supposed to do. I couldn't have a real conversation with Ginny, because she was too deep in her own dream to see that it could destroy the people around her. »
He paused to catch his breath.
« Then I left, because I didn't want you in my life anymore. The very first decision I ever made was to cut you out of my life forever. Never to see you again and never to be aware of your existence. That period lasted a long time. Almost as long as the hatred I felt for you lasted. Then I saw Draco again. I got to know him, and it made me discover things I never would have suspected. He gave me back something to live for. He made me look beyond appearances. Beyond the war and all that it had done to us. Beyond the hero I was supposed to be, and the Death Eater he was. I learned to be tolerant. I understood so much. » He sighed, and smiled, thinking of everything that had happened in that moment. « Now, I won't say I don't want you in my life anymore. But I don't know if I want you back as a constant presence either. The choice is yours. Having you back in my life is something I want, honestly. But there are limits to what I can do. The things I choose to live to accept. You won't be as present, and you won't be the most important ones to me. It's up to you to see if you can and if you have the patience and the will to do all of that. But above all, you'll have to accept Draco, my life with him. The fact that I married him willingly and had a child with him... If you're not prepared to make that effort, I don't want to hear from you again. »
Harry became silent, and looked at everyone with defiant eyes. It was their choice. He wouldn't change anything in his life. But he was willing to give them another chance. A chance to get back to him. But nothing would ever be the same again.
« Harry, » said Hermione after a moment's silence, « I honestly don't know if I could accept your... Life choices. We've done so much together, so much for you. And you left without saying anything, then came back with a husband and a child. With someone who tried to kill us so many times, who we thought you hated. »
« He tried to survive, Hermione, just as much as we did. » Harry replied.
« You ask too much of us, Harry. » Added Molly.
« I'm not asking anything of you. I'm telling you to make a choice, which in itself is quite simple. Either you accept everything I've become, or you leave but don't expect to be welcome in my home. But as I see it, the decision is automatically made, and none of you are willing to make the effort to accept that I have grown up, that I have moved on. I think you'd better go back and learn that it's no longer all black and white. And that everyone's wrong. Learn to be adults, and learn to live in the real world and not a fantasy built on years of fear. Until then, you're not welcome in my home. »
He smiled a little smile at the twins, to make them understand that he had understood that they were with him, and that they had always been with him. He glanced blankly at the rest of the Weasleys, and left the room after kissing Draco. Draco then spoke.
« You've wanted to play with someone's life for too long, and even though I know you meant well, Harry needed to become independent and learn to be a full-fledged person. You, as someone who was supposed to be close to him, should have understood this and helped him, not forced him to become someone who wasn't him. I hope you're happy with the result. »
« Look who're talking, » Ron spat out, « I'm glad you're glad it ended this way, and that he's staying with you, and just with you. Still so selfish, Malfoy. »
Draco looked at him with a sad little smile.
« The only thing I want is Harry's happiness, and if it's with you in his life, I'm willing to make all the effort in the world. ...even if it means being civil to you. »
Then he left. Leaving the Weasleys alone in the room. They left. With their mind turned, and not knowing if he'd ever see Harry again... They didn't want to make an effort for someone like Draco. And the only thing they understood that day was that Harry would make no more concessions...
Was it really the end of so many years together?