And so we've reached the true end of this story. The war is over, Hogwarts is in ruins, and lonely Draco is wandering around aimlessly. What will befall him now?

~Epilogue~

The smell of smoke and ancient, unsettled dust cluttered the air as Draco wandered through the rubble and shrapnel that was left of Hogwarts castle. He wasn't sure why he had ditched his parents or why he was now heading towards the dungeons. He wasn't sure of anything at the moment. His mind was a mess. Even now he felt a tinge of nausea when he remembered how Harry had looked huddled in Hagrid's massive arms.

Draco clutched at his heart, breathing deeply to calm himself, wishing for his head to stop spinning. It was ridiculous. He wasn't dead after all. He wasn't.

But still…

What if he had been? What if Harry had been… dead? Draco's deep breathing wasn't working in the least while he considered such a fate. If that were true then the last time Draco would have seen him alive was…

During their narrow escape from the Room of Requirement. The orange flames had licked at their clothes and the bristles of Harry's broom. Draco had held on so tightly, his cheek resting against Harry's warm back, begging, pleading for him to understand his actions almost one whole year ago. He had never gotten the chance to question him and discover his true reactions to the letter.

Draco had absolutely no idea how Harry was feeling. It was just like in the beginning. Back when they first became close he had gone through a lot of emotional as well as some physical abuse to break through Harry's many barriers. He felt just as hopeless now as he had then. What if he had betrayed Harry's trust by leaving? What if the damage was…

Irreversible?

Suddenly, Draco stumbled over a pile of disassembled armor, barely catching himself from falling. He glanced around, realizing that he was by what used to be the entrance to his dormitory. He could see the large portrait lying off to the side its canvas burnt and the frame coming apart at the corners. All that remained of the entry way was a gaping hole in the wall. Draco felt a breeze ruffle his hair from within the tunnel. He surmised that part of the wall had been blown away inside.

Draco wasn't sure if it was curiosity or a feeling of nostalgia that made him move forward, but before he knew it he was ducking into the passageway and making his way towards his old dormitory. Upon reaching the common room Draco could see that there was indeed a large hole in the ceiling and wall with boulders and chunks of rocks strewn everywhere. Most of the furniture in the room had been crushed by the scattered rubble. The only thing that was still in tack was the bulky, antique couch where Draco had first come to his decision to leave Hogwarts. The blonde stepped over to the couch, running his fingers over the dust-covered upholstery. Its worn green fabric almost shown in the places where Draco's fingers had touched.

He thought for a moment how ironic it was that his house, the source of all his Slytherin pride, and the colors he once wore so proudly only served to remind him of Harry Potter and his rich green eyes.

He lingered for only a moment longer in the common room before continuing on. Draco made his way slowly across the crumbling section of the castle until he was in front of the entrance to the boys' dorm. Two massive support beams were toppled one on top of the other leaving only the upper part of the arched entrance open. Undeterred, Draco carefully began to maneuver his way to the opening. He was no longer sure if he truly wanted to revisit his past, but even if he wanted to resist, he felt that his legs weren't listening anymore.

Draco swung his legs through first and turned around so that he could still hold onto a corner of the beam with the tips of his fingers. He relaxed his arms and let himself slid further down. Finding a foothold in the wood he cautiously released his grip and wiggled his way through. His shoulders almost stuck, but when he turned his head and squeezed his arms together he dropped through, stumbling back and landing on his ass.

Draco stood and brushed himself off, wondering if this was worth all the trouble. He had come too far to turn back now, though. Walking down the short corridor Draco saw a sliver if sunlight flashing against the floor. He thought that strange since there had been ominous clouds all morning.

And then, Draco entered the dorm room.

His old dorm room.

As if by some divine magic, Draco's mouth dropped open at the sight of his four-poster bed. Make that the only bed that wasn't in pieces or blown away. He could tell it was his because of a long, curved gash in one of the planks that he had later added a line through in his younger years to create a D Now, the only thing that was left of the room was a few meters of stone floor and wall before it dropped off into nothing. Where the rest of his dormitory had been there was now open space. Draco could see the Black Lake shimmering before him and a horizon lined with trees expanding endlessly ahead. Then, the brilliant sun finally showed through the clouds thanks to a breeze carrying them away.

Draco quickly lifted his arms and looked down to block out the blinding light. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light he couldn't help but wander over to the edge of his bed and remember the events that had passed. He extended his arm forward to brush off the dust, but hesitated. This may have been his bed once… but a whole year had passed for which he was absent from school. This bed, this dorm had become someone else's home away from home. It was no longer his.

And just like that, everything that he had been holding back poured fourth.

Tears pooled in Draco's eyes as he quickly brushed away any grim that was on the covers. He felt his legs buckle beneath him and he fell to the floor, his arms pressed into the mattress, his fists clenching the fabric.

He remembered the day he had pulled Harry down here with him. How they had touched so intimately and explored each other unhindered. These were thoughts that he had held deep in his heart for a very long time. He had locked it all away and kept these feelings to be played over and over in any spare, private moment. It was what had kept him going through each dark day since he had left Hogwarts.

In truth, although he thought he had sealed them for his own protection, in his heart of hearts he came to realize that he actually wanted those memories to remain pure and untouched by the things he had done as a Death Eater. The atrocious crimes against humanity that he had committed could never be reversed. He had destroyed things, hurt and tortured innocent people… he had even murdered.

He could remember each and every one of their faces. They were all very different people, but they all had the same look in their eyes before that dreaded green light flashed.

Fear. Bone-chilling, heart-stopping panic. They realized that they were going to die. The regrets they must have had. All of the unfulfilled promises. Things left undone, left unsaid. And all of it was at an abrupt end. They could do nothing to stop it. They looked as though they could feel Death's icy fingers curling around their throats. And the same question always poised on their lips.

'Why? Why me?'

But Draco couldn't hesitate. Each second he prolonged their deaths, the stronger the glimmer of hope in their eyes began to smolder. He couldn't stand it. He tried to convince himself that he would harden himself to the madness and blood on his hands, but it was only a frail lie. He thanked Merlin many times that his line of work provided him with a mask. He couldn't count how often his cohorts would have seen his tear streaked face otherwise.

Draco coughed violently, his whole body shaking. His forehead ached from both his expression and a splitting headache. His throat also burned and felt like he had tried to swallow a snitch whole. He was wailing now, but his voice didn't sound familiar to his ears. It almost sounded far away. This sort of crying was something from his past. It had been so long since he had heard himself utter a cry or a laugh, let alone voice a simple sentence. Other than the orders he barked to his underlings he hardly said a word. But that had been fine. There was no one for Draco to confide in anyway. Only his memories held solace for him now. They gave him an oasis in a turbulent sea. They took him back when he was untainted. Back to a time before he was covered in a dark veil of sin.

Draco buried his wet face into the bed. How had things changed so quickly? What had happened to him? Draco no longer recognized himself. He was an awful, cruel person. He did not deserve to come crawling back to Harry after all this time. Especially not after what he had done. He would only be dragging him down. Draco didn't want him to be in any way responsible for the heavy baggage he now carried.

He would make due with his memories as he had before.

If that kept Harry carefree and happy that was enough for Draco.

Then suddenly, the whole room began to shake. Draco's heart fluttered nervously as he saw bits of foundation bounce over the edge and disappear into the water far below. Although Draco was deeply troubled by his wrongs he was surprised that death was about to befall him so soon. If so that was certainly speedy service. Draco closed his eyes and sighed. It was his own fault for journeying to the edge of a building that's structure was compromised.

"Good bye cruel world," Draco muttered the cliché hollowly, tightening his fists and waiting for the end.

"DRACO!"

Said boy's eyes snapped opened and he looked back to where the muffled voice sounded. He could see to the dorm entrance and watched mesmerized as the two support beams began to quiver.

"Incendio! Reducto! Flipendo!"

Draco sat still almost afraid to breath. With each spell he could see chunks of wood flying through the opening at the top of the door. Part of him wondered if it was one of Dumbledore's Army come to finish him off for his treachery. Yet… and even larger part of him seemed to become more sure of who was on the other side of the blockade with each spell that was cast.

"Incendio!"

The blonde could see the air near the beams start to shimmer and wave as it might on a hot, sunny day. Then slowly the wood began to glow a fiery red, its orange and then yellow center contorting and growing.

"FLIPENDO!"

In an instant, the chunk of wood that had been blocking the entrance burst forward… and straight towards Draco. The edges of the flaming wood squealed as it streaked down the corridor sending sparks and chunks of hot charcoal in every direction. With a yelp Draco scrambled away from his bed and the entrance just as the mass of burning support beam flew by him, attempting to sear him with the mere air in its wake.

Draco looked back just in time to see it sweep his bed over the edge with it, setting it almost instantly on fire with its touch. The ex-Slytherin's mouth hung open in disbelief, shuddering at the fate that almost befell him. A few moments later a loud hiss sounded below and a geyser of steam shot into view as all of that heat hit the water below. Feeling rage overtake him, Draco jumped to his feet and rounded the corridor.

"You damn, crazy bastard! What the bloody hell were you trying to do? Light me on fire? I can count on two hands how many times I've almost died today and I don't appreciate-!"

The rest of Draco's rant died in his throat as his torso was swallowed up by a bone-crushing hug.

"Draco! Draco finally! I've found you!" Harry cried joyously into Draco's neck breathing him in and nuzzling into him like a long lost dog would upon returning to its owner.

"Ha…Harry?" Draco voiced stupidly, his mind wiped blank by long dead sensations being reawakened. The warmth of his touch, Harry's soft, albeit dirty and disheveled, hair ruffling against his cheek, his strong hands and long fingers threatening to leave bruises in his back. And damn it all, if he hadn't managed to still smell delicious after all of this, his trademark spicy pumpkin aroma flooding Draco's nose.

All the while Draco's eyes remained wide open. He dared not blink, fearing that it would all disappear in an instant like it often had in his imaginings. He slowly raised his arms as though he had never used them before and pressed them into Harry's back, returning the hug like it was the first time he had ever received one.

Tears sprung to his eyes. How could he have ever thought he could struggle against clinging to Harry again like he was life itself? All of his depressing contemplation from moments ago was dropped to the wayside as he leaned heavily into Harry, his fists shaking as he balled the boy's shirt in his fingers. Draco couldn't help but cling to Harry. And he knew that he would continue to do so until he was pushed aside for good.

And if Harry wanted to cling back, Draco didn't mind at all. In fact, he welcomed it.

"Oh, Draco, It's been soooo long," Harry breathed out deeply, running his hands up and down Draco's spine. Then he muttered something that both shocked Draco and made him want to fall over laughing. "Draco… I'm so horny! Lets do it right here."

A surprised chuckle escaped Draco's mouth. Draco held Harry by the shoulders so that he could look him in the eyes.

"Are you serious?" Draco asked, several snickers bubbling up beyond his control. "You just fought in and won the largest wizarding war in recent history! Shouldn't you be resting up or seeing to your friends? You know, not fraternizing with the enemy?"

"Hell no! I don't need to rest!" Harry almost shouted, excitement gleaming in his eyes like a small child at Christmas. "And I'm checking on one of my friends right now." As Harry said this he poked Draco's nose flashing the most adorable smile the blonde had ever seen on anyone. Draco shied away as though the brilliance of it would burn him, a girlish, pink blush rising to his cheeks. "Besides, what better way would there be to celebrate? The sun is rising on a new, victorious day," Harry beamed gesturing towards the gaping opening of the room, "and what would be more perfect than the hero being reunited with his lover? After all, I am a true hero now!" Harry put his hands on his hips gloatingly.

"But… I thought that you would still be angry with me. For the letter and that… punch in the face," Draco said sheepishly, looking away.

"Oh that… well I was pretty upset at first. I wanted to charge right up to your manor, take you back with me, and then make you pay in the worst ways imaginable," Harry said matter-of-factly, trailing off and glancing upward as though it was a fond memory. Draco gulped audibly. "But then Hermione calmed me down."

"Granger?" Draco blurted out skeptically.

"Yeah, she read the note over and said that what you had done was actually very logical."

"She read it?" Draco exclaimed horrified, all of his embarrassing words and a certain pledge he had made rushing back to him.

"Yup. She actually thought it was pretty cute… But anyway, I've also had some time to ruminate on the matter and I agree with her," Harry said with a wide smile which astonished Draco. "In fact, thanks to your little warning and all of your encouraging words I don't think I could have made it as long as I did." Harry reached out and messed with Draco's hair playfully. "When you think about it, it's largely thanks to you that the 'good guys' won the war! I bet old Voldy's rolling around in his grave right now." Harry chuckled and a mischievous smile spread across his lips at the thought.

Draco could hardly believe his ears. Everything was turning out even better than he had hoped. Here was Harry, standing before him after searching for who knows how long, and he didn't despise Draco for his abrupt departure over a year ago. However, something was nagging at Draco, turning his stomach.

"Harry… Do you have any idea what I've done since I left?" He asked quietly, his hands growing cold and clammy. He knew that he couldn't hide these things forever, and the longer he tried to keep them a secret the more they would eat away at him. Draco glanced up quickly and then away once he saw Harry's eyes observing him questioningly and with concern.

"Harry… I don't think you would be so nice to me right now if you did. I've… I've been a Death Eater for months and months. I know you know what Death Eaters do." Draco swallowed hard. His head was spinning and his vision was starting to tunnel as he thought of the loathing look he would receive from Harry once he knew of the repulsive things he had done.

"I've… I've killed so many people. 29 to be exact…"

"You kept track?" Harry asked, the tone in his voice too neutral for Draco to read without looking up to see Harry's features. At the moment he was too petrified to do that.

"Yeah… I hoped that somehow I might be able to repay the families… but that was so stupid. There's nothing I could ever do to make up for what I've done, short of letting each family kill me. And they can't all do that." Draco felt his throat try to expel a laugh but it only came out as a rush of air leaving his mouth dry. His head was feeling so light and tingly. Draco forced himself not to close his eyes, as passing out was becoming a very real possibility.

"So what exactly are you trying to tell me Draco?" Harry asked, his feet shifting on the stone floor. Clenching his fingers until his knuckles turned white, Draco braced himself for what was to come.

"I'm trying to say that… I think you would be better off without me!" Draco's voice cracked as fresh tears began to fall. "All this time I've been thinking about you and remembering all of the time we've had together, hoping that someday I would see you again but… fuck I just can't! It's so selfish and terrible! I can't do this to you! You don't want something damaged and broken like me!"

Draco panted, biting his lower lip to keep from moaning, tears flowing down his cheeks like a river. He had done it. He had told Harry the truth about what he was and there was no turning back. He saw Harry's feet move and with a sinking heart he thought that surely he was leaving him forever. However, he only heard a rustling before Harry cleared his throat.

" 'I pledge now that I, Draco Malfoy, love Harry Potter unconditionally and promise to return to you as soon as possible'," Draco's eyes widened and he couldn't help but look up at Harry. "Looks like this letter did come back to haunt you after all." Harry said with a soft smile, a crinkled piece of parchment held gingerly in his hands.

"You kept that? All this time…?" Draco asked staring at the paper like it might be a mirage.

"Of course," Harry said, returning it to his pocket, patting it once it was in place, "This is as good as a contract as far as I'm concerned. It is in writing and it is a pledge. What could be more binding than that?" Harry's smile widened as he saw Draco's shocked expression. "What? Did you really think you'd get away from me that easily? You have a lot of making up to do before I would even consider letting you out of my sight again… I guess, make that letting you out of my bed again."

Unable to hold back any longer, Draco rushed forward and buried his face in Harry's chest, crying loudly again.

"Hey, hey! What's the matter?" Harry asked anxiously as he wrapped his arms around Draco's shaking shoulders. "I thought you'd be happy?"

"I am happy!" Draco said through his tears. "I'm so, so happy! I really never wanted you to leave me but I was so afraid you'd hate me!" Harry let out a sigh of relief, patting Draco's back comfortingly.

"Oh please. That will never happen. And I think I have a way of helping you with your problem of making amends," Harry said thinking of a certain deathly hallow. He was sure he could easily relocate it in the forest. Perhaps it would actually be of good some use. If it was only used for final good byes rather than being obsessed over by one person, Harry reasoned that it couldn't hurt to use its power. Draco looked at him dubiously, but Harry smiled and told him he would explain it later.

"Now's not the time to worry about that though… Right now we need to meet up with everyone in the Great Hall. This castle's not going to put itself back together." Harry said with a smiled.

"… Everyone?" Draco asked hesitantly, not wanting to wander into a room full of people that detested him. Harry saw his expression and ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry about them. I'll protect you," Harry paused for a moment, cupping Draco's cheek in his palm, "I'll always protect you. You know that, right?" Draco smirked but it quickly turned into a toothy grin.

"Yeah, as long as you don't manage to kill me first." Harry returned the smile with his own before pressing his lips softly against Draco's. The blonde nestled his fingers in Harry's hair, unable to ignore his warmth.

"I love you, Harry," Draco murmured out of breath when their lips parted.

"I love you, too, Draco," Harry said sweetly back.

It was truly a kiss that could have set the world on fire and even make the moon blush red. But that is to be expected when ever true loves are reunited once more. This was a kiss than didn't just bring the two together after so long; it was a kissed that confirmed what they already knew. They would never be parted again.

And so the two unlikely lovers made their way to the Great Hall to begin salvaging all that they could along with the others. The reception that awaited them was not an overly welcome one. When Harry sauntered in with a red faced Draco, one hand snaked around his back resting on his hip, many were flabbergasted, some were even disgusted, but there were a few, like Hermione and Ron, who smiled knowingly.

How could they not? Harry burst in the door with the widest, happiest smile he had worn in months. It was obvious how happy Draco made him. It would take a lot of winning over on his part to be accepted, but Draco could do it for Harry. Besides, he knew he couldn't oppose Harry's overwhelming confidence in their relationship. In their love.

And in the end, that love was all that really mattered.

...

Ah a happy, mushy, lovey dovey ending! One of the best parts of being a writer!
I hope everyone enjoyed and is looking forward to the extra chapter.

Also, if there was any confusion Harry was going to help Draco by going to the families with him and letting them use the resurrection stone to say good bye to the people he had killed. I don't want to make light of tragedy and death, but it makes me laugh when I think of Harry and Draco going door to door. I imagine him getting kicked in the shins by a lot of unhappy children :)

Thanks for following this story to the finish!