A/N: I really shouldn't update. I'm breaking my own rules! But I guess I'm a rulebreaker :). Plus, you guys deserve it. And I didn't want to keep you hanging on. So, enjoy chapter 5 of Finding Draco, and I'll type chapter 6 up :).
Harry hurried out of the room. He was shaking like a leaf, and he thought he might be sick. About a dozen different emotions flitted through his brain, none at all positive. He was abhorred and sick to his stomach that some one, and that some one was Romilda, wanted Draco gone, and his child dead. God, he had to find his mate. But first he needed to do something. He needed to make sure that the person in the other room would never get to him, Liliath, or Draco. The dark haired man clutched his stomach and hissed lowly. Whatever person she had been in Hogwarts, that person was obviously long dead.
Harry returned back to his hotel room, and promptly crashed down on his bed, too tired to even move a muscle. He had come down from his adrenaline rush, and all events of that day came crashing down on him. After making sure Romilda wasn't going to get free in a long while, he had Portkeyed back. Feeling slightly guilty for not posting Narcissa on the recent events, he fell asleep with his clothes still on.
When he awoke the next day, the first thing he did was to make himself a strong cup of tea. His head was pounding, and he grimaced. But he had no time to think about that. The dark haired man looked at the clock, and nearly grimaced again. Two o'clock. Damn. He put his empty tea cup aside, and threw some Floo Powder in the fireplace. "Malfoy Manor, England," he said, and was greeted with the wall of the drawing room. After a minute or so, the blonde woman he wanted to see came bustling through the door.
"Harry, good gracious, you're back with news already?"
"Yes. It wasn't that hard, seeing as Romilda was the one who threatened Draco. She confessed it right in front of me." He couldn't contain his snarl. "It was awful. She believed she did the right thing. Thought she should be the mother of my children. I was just so angry with her. She's still as obsessed with me as one can be, and I can't even find it in myself to pity her. She wanted Liliath dead."
Narcissa put her hand in front of her mouth in horror. "Oh, my! And she still believed she was right? Even wanting to go as far as murdering an unborn child?"
Harry bit his bottom lip in thought. "I think so. Thankfully she was soon caught. I don't want to know what could have happened… But I'll tell everything later. For now I need to find Draco."
She nodded. "Go find him. Bring my son back home. Good luck, Harry."
Harry smiled. "Thank you." He pulled back, ending their Floo call. After dusting his trousers off, he strode determinedly to the door. He would get his Draco back. The dark haired man opened the door and walked down the hall to the staircase. When he was outside, he couldn't help but look above himself. A steady drizzle was pouring down, and the sky promised even more rain, and maybe even thunder and lightning. He wasn't complaining, though, as he turned right and started walking. As predicted, the drizzle got worse, before it was outright pouring buckets. People with umbrellas hurried by, barely sparing him a glance. His heart pounded just that extra bit harder when he took a step closer to his destination. It was a glorious feeling, knowing his mate was close to him, even being in walking distance. He walked over the bridge, barely encountering a soul, this time noticing the school about two hundred yards away. He turned right again, and he heard rumbling in the distance. All the while the rain tried to wash the clothes off his body.
At last he reached the door he direly wanted to see again. He rang the bell and waited, while his heart was pounding a way through his chest.
Within a minute the door was opened, and this time he also saw a blond he wanted to see. But for entirely different reasons. He recovered, and barely could stop the door from closing. Harry pushed it open, and looked Draco dead in the eye. "I know about Romilda."
The blond's mouth worked, but no sound came out, until he finally managed to breathe, "Then you know why you shouldn't be here. If she knows…" He frantically looked around, as if to see if some one was standing in the distance.
Harry's kind eyes regarded Draco, who looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. His hair stood up on several odds and ends, and his eyes were sleepy looking. "Draco, she was locked up in Azkaban a few weeks after she made you leave. She didn't harm me, nor our child."
Draco swallowed, and his hand slid down the doorpost. "Our child…"
Harry nodded. "Yes. But I think we should have this conversation inside… It's quite wet out here."
The blond blinked, and opened his door wider, only now realising it was raining. "Yes, please, do come in," he muttered, clearly quite dazed.
Harry cast a quick Drying Charm, before he took a good look around himself. From what he could see, the house was rather cosy. Natural colours adorned the walls, and the living room was looking quite normal. A couch, a TV, a coffee table, a chair, a bookcase and plant were scattered around. "Can I sit down?"
Draco nodded, still looking as if he'd seen a ghost. "Do you want some tea?"
He smiled. "Tea would be lovely, thanks."
The blond nodded, and disappeared through a door, obviously leading to the kitchen.
The dark haired man sat down on the chair, and looked the living room over again. The window was facing the street, and the houses opposite, where sunlight would be pouring in, if it weren't raining. The couch and chair were a deep forest green colour, while the bookcase was made of a lovely light oak. The small TV and stand were both black, while the coffee table was made of glass. A plant stood next to the bookcase. Together it made a lovely living room. If a person was seated on the couch, then some one could easily reach that person from the chair Harry was currently sitting in.
The door opened again, which startled Harry. A cup of tea was put on the table, within easy reach. Draco lowered himself down onto the couch cautiously, as if he might run if he moved too fast. "I'm sorry."
Harry just about expected everything, except for those words. He blinked. "Why are you sorry?"
Draco sighed, and combed a hand through his hair. "For leaving you. For not realising sooner that Romilda was caught. For a lot of things. For everything."
The dark haired man smiled grimly. "Don't. I'm alright, you're alright, and she's behind bars."
He swallowed nervously, but nodded. "God, I thought you were dead for nearly three years. I was so scared. I know there has barely been a man who has survived without his soul mate while giving birth. I was absolutely terrified she would harm you and the baby, while I was unable to think about leaving you. But she threatened to take you and the baby away, and I couldn't put you in that kind of danger. I couldn't feel you anymore, and I was petrified. What if you came to harm? Or the baby? I could never forgive myself. Looking back, I should've fought, I should've stayed."
Harry shook his head. "You couldn't know… And everything's alright. It was rough without you by my side, I admit. Especially giving birth. God, I thought the pain would kill me. All I wanted was to die at that moment. You weren't there, yet your child, our child wanted to be born. I don't know how I managed to stay alive… But looking back, I think the thought that you didn't go willingly did it. I wanted to live to find you, and to get you back. And to make sure our child would be able to live. I'm sure you'll be so proud of her. She's the most amazing child you'll ever see."
"She… She survived? God, I should've never left you. I really thought I lost the both of you." His voice broke, but he continued. "And then I saw you this Thursday to prove me wrong. That at least you survived. But I was afraid. Afraid that she would know you were here, looking for me. Harry, I never wanted to leave you."
The familiarity of the name flowed over him like a welcoming breeze in Summer. "I know, Draco, I know. I also know that we need to fix this, and make up for three years. But I'm willing to try. Hell, I'll even follow you all the way to China." That drew a small smile out of the both of them.
"How did you find me?" The smile slowly died, and a frown took its place.
Harry nearly grinned. "A wizard who is great at tracking people. Took him over two bloody years to pin-point the exact location. It drove me mad. I wanted to find you. But at the same time I had to take care of Liliath…"
"Liliath, is that her name?"
Harry nodded with a smile. "Yes, that's her name. But as I was saying, it took so much time… And all the while you were only one country away…"
Draco grinned wryly. "Yes, well, it's not as if I had a bad time here, even though I was worried sick and couldn't stop thinking about you or… or Liliath. The people here are rather nice, and the language isn't too hard. Even though I've lived in fear, and felt awful for leaving you like that, this has become some sort of haven for me."
Harry nodded, before he picked up his tea. "It was hard at first when you weren't there. I've been really depressed for a few months… Until I was handed our daughter. She was just perfect. Ten little fingers and toes. She was so tiny, I didn't know how to hold her! Hermione has been a great help, and I owe her a lot, just like your mother. And shortly after that, I hired the wizard, and he found you. But it was hard… I couldn't be an Auror anymore. Not with Liliath, nor with the tiredness. It was the only thing I couldn't stand. Being tired all the damned time. And all the worrying… The only thing I wanted was to see you, and get some answers. Maybe even trying to get you back to England with me."
"England…" The country's name was foreign on his tongue. He frowned, and took a sip of his tea, sighing as he did so. "I would love to come with you, Harry, but I don't know if I can leave all this behind… It's become a home to me. Though I am willing to get back together, of course I am, I don't know if I can manage to leave…"
Harry swallowed, but nodded. "I understand. After all, you've been here for three years. You're bound to get attached to some things." He took a large gulp from his tea, nearly smiling when it was prepared just the way he liked. "So, what do you propose?"
Draco thought long and hard about that, while he messed his hair up further when he combed his hand through the locks. "Why don't you stay here in my house, first? Just for a few days…"
The dark haired man bit his bottom lip thoughtfully. "I think I will. It will be good for the both of us. Let me get my stuff from the hotel first." He quickly gulped his tea down with a wince, before he stood. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I promise."
Draco nodded, and walked him out, closing the door softly. This time when he slid down, it was in relieve and wonderment, not in resignation. If only he knew she was caught so quickly… Three years of his life wasted without Harry. His Harry. He laughed, without a care in the world. Being so sure everything would be alright made things easier on his heart.
Harry returned shortly, just like he had told Draco. He was just as sodden, and this time Draco noticed immediately with a scowl. "The first time you can get away with a Drying Charm, but now you're going to get a shower. You can leave your bag here, and I will show you where to go."
The dark haired man put his bag down with a roll of his eyes, but followed Draco up the stairs, shivering as he did so. The bathroom was to his left, and he thanked the blond. Draco nodded, before he turned around to leave. "Draco…" The blond's head turned to Harry. "There's a picture in the bag. It's tucked away in a book. I think you might want to see it." He smiled, before he disappeared behind the door. Draco slowly made his way downstairs, curious as to what picture it could be.
When the dark haired man made his way downstairs and into the living room, he was put to a stop. The blond man was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up, while he stared intensely at a wizarding photograph. Harry stirred himself, and joined Draco on the couch, turning his gaze to the photo. It was the most recent one he had, showing him and his, their, daughter playing with each other. Hermione had taken the picture, without his knowledge. "Hermione took it. She, Ron and Hugo have been great. And your mother… She has helped me so much, I don't know where to start thanking her."
Draco tore his gaze away from the photograph, and looked at him. He did nothing else, just looked, as if he'd never seen another human being. "I think I have missed quite a bit."
Harry smiled. "No worries. I'll tell you all you want to know. Hugo is Ron and Hermione their little boy. He's two years old, yet he acts like he's Liliath's big brother. It's rather comical to watch. When you left, your mother, and even your father, grew on me, I guess. Narcissa gave her influence free reign, and she got the reports of Azkaban prisoners. Well, yesterday I went there, and tried to see if she had anything to say." His eyes flashed, and he hissed. "Let me assure you that she isn't about to leave Azkaban in a hurry."
The blond looked as if his ears deceived him. "She told you… everything? Even about threatening our child?"
Harry's nose twitched. "Everything. She thought she could convince me to lessen her punishment in return for her confession. That bitch has taken you away from me, and even wanted to take our child away. If I had known I would've done something."
"That's just it, Harry, you didn't know. And you couldn't have known, either. But where's the point in dwelling over it? I'm alright, you're alright, and our daughter is alright. It's more than I thought was possible… I'm more grateful than I could ever express in words."
Harry sighed, and gently lowered his head onto Draco's shoulder, sighing in bliss. If this wasn't Heaven, he didn't know what could be. Aches he didn't know he had disappeared, and he felt more at rest than he ever had in years. It was a glorious feeling, and he thought he might even be able to sleep this way forever. He had his mate back, after years. It was all that mattered to him. Before he knew what happened, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
Draco looked sideways at the man he still loved, and smiled gently. When a head touched his shoulder, he was pleasantly surprised. The silence was pleasant, and he thought he could sit on this couch forever, and still die happily. "Harry, I think I might be willing to go to England with you in a few days' time." When he got no reply, he looked at the dark haired man and found him sleeping. Draco smiled, and thought about falling asleep, too, but remembered the aches that followed. He stood up gently, not waking Harry, and cast a quick levitation charm. The dark haired man's body gently bobbed up and down before him, and Draco led him up the stairs and into the spare bedroom. He very much wanted the man in his own bed, but not without his consent. He didn't have it, so this was his solution.
After his mate was on the bed, he stroked his cheek lovingly, before he moved forward to kiss his forehead. "Sweet dreams, Harry," he whispered, before he closed the door behind himself and moved downstairs to clean their glasses. He looked at the clock. Five past four. After humming through the rest of the dishes, he moved back to the couch and picked up the framed photograph. It showed Harry sitting down, while he tickled their daughter, who was obviously screaming with laughter. It stirred so many emotions in him, that he was unable to figure out where one began, and the other ended. Sadness, happiness, sorrow, he could easily pick a few.
After stirring himself, he got up to make some dinner. His stomach rumbled in agreement, too. He smiled, and made him and Harry some dinner.
