Year Five
Summer's were never exactly pleasant for Harry Potter. He had to contend with his aunt Petunia constantly nagging him, rough grabs from his uncle Vernon, and bruises at the hands of his cousin, Dudley. Harry also had to endure being called girl and Harriette. Well, it was more often than not spat at him, rather than just said. With the return of summer, this usually meant intense discomfort for Harry as well. He could no loner wear his binder, it barely fit over his head anymore. He was resigned to wrapping his breasts tightly with ace bandages.
These were all things Harry could live with, just barely. But this summer was shaping up to be the worst one yet. Harry had just stepped out of the shower, hair still dripping wet and pants pulled on. He was binding himself, and nearly finished, when the door was flung open. It very nearly hit him in the face, and Harry tried in vain to shut the door again.
His aunt stood there, looking shocked, and her expression quickly turned to one of fury as she prevented Harry from shutting the door. "Harriette what in the bloody hell do you think you're doing!?"
Harry could only stutter, trembling where he stood, before aunt Petunia grabbed his arm with a bruising grip. She began slapping him in quick succession as she dragged him out of the bathroom.
"How dare you?! Dressing like a man all the time! Cutting your hair short! Binding your breasts! Are you a tranny?! Is that what you're telling me?!"
Harry was hunched over himself, leaning away from his aunt and trying to say anything that could get her off his case. Petunia landed another blow across his cheek.
"Speak girl!" Her shrill voice made Harry's ears ring.
"I'm not a tranny! I swear on it!"
Petunia leaned close, her coffee breath assaulting Harry's senses. "Say you're a girl. Say it!"
Harry flinched away when her voice got louder, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I'm a girl." His voiced cracked and Harry couldn't hold back a sob.
III
Draco rocked heel to toe on his feet, waiting for the plain white door on the boring brick house to open and reveal Harry's face. Draco had arrived alone at Harry's household this time, his parents refusing to set foot near muggles anymore. Draco made to ring the doorbell again, but before he could the door opened. Draco knew something was wrong when the door was opened calmly, rather than flung open with Harry's usual excitement.
Draco saw Harry first. The boy was keeping his head down, and looked as if he was trying to make himself smaller. The next thing he noticed was that a gaudy pink dress had replaced Harry's usual teeshirt and jeans. His chest like rather...large. Anyone a mile away could see how uncomfortable Harry was, hands clenched at his sides and shoulders taut.
The last thing Draco saw in the door way that day was a thin, spindly woman, whose face looked pinched as her hand squeezed Harry's shoulder. She spoke in a prim voice.
"So. Your Harriette's freak friend."
Draco felt his back straighten, anger flaring through him. How dare this muggle insult Draco like that! "I beg your pardon?"
The woman sniffed and pushed Harry none too gently towards him. Harry stumbled a bit, he was even wearing shoes with a high heel on them. "Here. Take this, this disgrace out of my sight! Best part of my summer, having her out of my sight."
With that, the woman slammed her door shut, and Draco could hear the lock being set in place. Draco made to lay a hand on Harry, but he flinched away, still keeping his head down. Harry crossed his arms over his chest, shuddering.
"Harry? What the bloody hell was she on about? Why are you dressed like...like that?"
Harry sniffled and shook his head. "Please just take me to the manor. Please." Harry sounded as if he'd been crying for hours, and worry clenched Draco's gut.
"Yes let's get you home and into proper clothes." Draco held his hand out, and after a moment Harry took it.
III
Harry's face burned with shame. He didn't want Draco to see him like this, dressed as a girl. Harry was even wearing a bra and frilly panties. He could truthfully say that he'd never been more uncomfortable in his life. But Harry held onto Draco's hand, not once letting go until they arrived at the Manor. Harry held Draco's hand all the way up to his room, until he had to let go so Draco could pick out a casual set of clothes for Harry.
Draco left the room to give Harry privacy to change, and Harry ripped his dress off as quickly as possible, as if they would burn him if he kept them on any longer. Harry yanked the clothes Draco had given to him on, but when he looked down his chest still looked too large, he still felt too girlish. Harry's breath became erratic and he sunk down to the floor, hands fisted in his hair.
Harry curled in a ball, wanting to pull his hair out as sobs wracked through his body. His disgusting, not right body. Harry just wanted the right body, he wanted a flat chest and broader shoulders and everything he didn't have. Harry didn't realize Draco had reentered the room until he felt warm, comforting arms pulling him close. Harry mashed his face in Draco's shoulders as he sobbed for what seemed like hours. Draco held him the whole time, rubbing Harry's arms and whispering comforting things.
Harry finally pulled away, wiping at his cheeks and not meeting Draco's eyes. "Sorry about your clothes I kind of...cried. All over them."
Draco chuckled lightly. "It's okay Harry, there's nothing wrong with that. Do you feel better now?"
Harry nodded, looking sheepish. Draco stood up, brushed himself off, and held his hand out. "I know the perfect thing to cheer you up. A round of Quidditch before your favorite dinner."
Harry looked up at him then, eyes rimmed red. "Really? We don't have to eat my favorite..."
Draco scoffed. "Nonsense, we simply must! Now come on, I'm not going to go easy on you!" Draco grinned down at Harry, who managed a small smile and gripped Draco's hand.
"You're on!"
III
On Draco and Harry's usual trip to Diagon Alley, Harry nearly cried. Again. But this time it was out of happiness. Draco was holding a binder out to Harry with a proud look on his face.
"I got it specially made for you. Softest fabric you'll find!"
Harry, disobeying all Slytherin rules, pulled Draco into a fierce hug.
"Thank you Draco."
Draco looked surprised and patted Harry's back lightly.
"Of course, Harry. It was the least I could do for you."
Harry pulled back, green eyes shining and a bright smile crinkling his eyes. Draco found that his breath had been stolen from him. Their faces were close enough that Draco could feel Harry's breath ghosting across his face, and see all the individual flakes of color in Harry's eyes. The moment was dashed when someone walking past jostled the two and they almost fell over. The minor stumble, of course, only set Harry to giggling. Draco would swear to anyone who asked that it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.
Soon, the two young men were laughing together, clutching their stomachs and brushing tears from their eyes. Draco wanted it to be like this forever. He wanted to make Harry laugh until the end of time. And he swore to himself that he would.
Harry and Draco were almost too big for the Invisibilty cloak, but that didn't stop the two from exploring Hogwarts whenever they could. The two shed the cloak from themselves when they stumbled upon what seemed to be an entirely new room, cluttered with junk.
"Leave it to Dumbledore to have an entire room dedicated to junk." Draco muttered as he slid a finger across a dusty surface. A giggle caught Draco's attention. Harry had on a ridiculous hat, and made a face at Draco.
"How do I look Drake?"
Draco smiled fondly. "Handsome as ever, Harry."
Draco wasn't sure if it was the trick of the moonlight, but he thought he saw Harry turn pink. An interesting development, Draco thought. One he'd have to test later on. Harry and Draco reached the mirror at the same time, and their discoveries in it led Draco's heart to ache. He detested the fact that Harry was so terribly mistreated at home, and that he garnered for the acceptance of others so much.
"Listen, Harry. I'm positive your parents would be thrilled to have a son. But, if they didn't, that's okay. Slytherins don't grovel for acceptance, they earn it. And if it isn't earned, then that person isn't worth our time."
Harry nodded, looking strangely determined. "You're right. I'm a Slytherin. I'm one of the best."
Draco set a hand on Harry's shoulder. "That's right Harry. You are the best."
Harry faced Draco with that smile that reached all the way to Draco's core. Once again, it felt as though an invisible force had moved the two closer together. Draco noticed all the small details of Harry. Cheeks that looked slightly sunken, as if he was underfed. Those eyes that looked as if a fire was lit behind them. And Harry's thick, soft lips. In the back of Draco's mind, he thought to himself that this was a new thought.
As always, the two were brought back to reality before anything- what anything was, Draco wasn't quite sure -could happen. A crash, followed by the low growl of a pissed off cat.
"Shit- Drake! Filch is gonna be here any minute!"
The two of them scrambled for the safety of the Invisibility cloak and dashed out of the room. When they felt as though they were safe, they laughed at the sheer luck they had with getting away. Draco, somewhere deep inside, felt proud of himself for getting Harry to laugh like that again successfully.
The topic of the Mirror of Erised was never brought up again, which Draco was relieved about. He didn't want to admit, or even think, about what he had seen with Harry in the mirror. Two blokes holding hands and looking at each other like that...Draco's father would have a fit if he knew that was what Draco really desired, deep in his heart.
