With Darkness as our Blanket
- by BiSciFiGuy -
Pairing: Harry P. & Draco M.
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: M (Violence, Gay themes and Explicit Language)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or character histories or places or anything except my own plot. No copyright infringement is intended. I am not responsible for any underage readers who may come across this story.
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A/N: Even though you'll probably never see this I just want to say thank you to PhoenixGirl24 who helps me out a lot by serving as the wall against which I bounce little ideas…
A/N 2: This is the final chapter that was re-edited thanks to the assistance of keshia-515, Thank you again. (Please refer to A/N 2 at the bottom of Chapter 1 (Memories) for a full description of the reason for the post-publication edit).
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Chapter 6 : The Dragon vs The Tiger
The Headmistress was clearly surprised by their question, before the incident in the kitchen she had never even considered the fact that Harry and Draco were a couple much less the idea that the two of them would want to have a child. She could not keep a smile from her lips as she looked at them. They were sitting together on a chair opposite her, squeezed into a seat clearly meant for one. She noticed the intimate way Draco rested his hand on mister Potter's knee and how mister Potter's arm was gently draped over Draco's shoulder. Occasionally one of the young men would lean in close to the other, simply enjoying the closeness they shared, lovingly breathing in each other's scent. As they explained their "problem" to her she also noticed how they would sometimes look at each other as they spoke even though the words were clearly directed at her. She sighed as she remembered not so long ago doing pretty much the same thing with the love of her life, staring into those blue eyes, so carefully hidden behind half- moon spectacles, how she missed his smile, his gentle hands that carefully caressed her skin,. She shook her head and focussed on the boys in front of her again.
"When I spoke to Herm… I mean, when I spoke to a friend of mine a while back, she suggested that if we wanted a child then we could get a surrogate". Harry spoke carefully and the Headmistress noticed how he chose his words specifically, he was clearly hiding something, she'd known him long enough to figure that out.
"Yes that is quite easy to do, all you have to do is find a woman willing enough to carry a child for you". She smiled at them.
"That shouldn't be too hard should it?". Draco asked Harry, who stared blankly at the blonde as he carefully though about the women he knew.
"Which one of you boys would prefer to undergo the procedure then?". The Headmistress asked and the young men on the chair stared at her, their expressions heavy with questions.
"It seems that neither of you found "A history of Magic" a very interesting book?". Harry fought the urge to nod vigorously.
"If you had read the book then you would know that homosexuality is not a new or frowned upon concept to the Wizarding world. You would also know that Wizard medicine is far more advanced than anything the muggles have ever come up with". She looked at the young men again, hoping her words triggered some kind of memory of something they had read in the book, but alas, their stares were blank. She sighed and continued.
"Same sex couples have been having children for more than a hundred years, thanks to a discovery made by my own grandfather Caleb, just before the end of the nineteenth century". She sat back and took another sip of the tea the boys had offered her.
"Wait, you're saying that Draco and I could have a child together, we could both be the child's biological parents?". Harry seemed flabbergasted, Draco himself seemed rather shocked. Both young men leaned forward and the Professor noticed how they were clutching each other's hands tightly.
"Yes mister Potter. You can both father the child although it is a rather difficult procedure that only a skilled master of Transfiguration should dare to attempt".
"But… but how?". Draco had finally found his voice and he looked enquiringly at Professor McGonagall.
"In concept it is pretty simple, one must simply transfigure the reproductive cells, in this case, the sperm from one of you boys, into the reproductive cells of the opposite sex". She nodded to them and sat back as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. Both Draco and Harry were speechless as they stared at her.
"We'll have to run some tests however, only select cells can be transfigured successfully, sometimes in the case of male couples, only a single sperm can be transfigured, and sometimes several samples are needed before this cell can be located". Again the young men in front of her looked at each other, millions of questions passing unspoken between them.
"Are you sure this is real Professor?". Harry asked.
"Of course it is real mister Potter, it may shock you to learn this but I, myself was the first child ever born from a purely homosexual union. My mother and her partner wanted a child desperately and in attempting to give her what she wanted my grandfather spend the last years of his life creating this procedure, and since then hundreds of children have been born in this fashion. Some of those children were your classmates".
"What?". Both young men cried out.
"Yes, such as Colin Creevey as well as Blaise Zabini". They sat in silence for a moment, the mention of the dead bringing unnerving memories to the surface for all of them.
"When would you like to do the procedure?". She smiled.
"As soon as possible". Harry blurted out and Draco stared at him.
"What, are you sure?". The blonde asked.
"Yes, so many of our friends are gone, life can stop in an instant. I'd like to start building a new life for us Draco". The blonde thought for several minutes before he slowly nodded.
"I believe I must go now," The old woman said and stood from the couch, both men stood in tandem and she saw Draco slip his hand into mister Potter's, "Please send me an owl as soon as you have found a surrogate". She made to step into another room before a look of pure bewilderment passed over her features.
"I can't believe I forgot to mention this to you boys". They stared at her expectantly.
"There may be a problem, Wizarding law requires that a couple be bonded before they can have a child".
"Bonded?". Harry asked, truly confused.
"Married, in muggle terms". She smiled at him as realisation dawned on him.
"Oh, and we'll have to…".
"Yes", She nodded again, "Please inform me of your decision as soon as possible".
"Wait Professor, who will do the bonding?".
"I can do it if you like". To her immense surprise Harry suddenly dropped to his knee in front of Draco.
"Draco", He had to quickly restrain himself from using his lover's last name and took a deep breath, "I don't know if this is the right way to do it in Wizard terms but this is how I was taught," He took Draco's hand in his own, "Will you marry me, or I guess I have to ask: will you be bonded with me?". The apartment was silent, the whole world seemed to have lost it's voice or perhaps it had come to a complete standstill. Paused at a momentous point in time, it seemed as though the whole planet was waiting in painful anticipation for Draco's answer. Harry stood balanced on his right knee, staring expectantly at his lover. Draco looked down at him, his mouth dry and his hands shaking. Professor McGonagall stood in a doorway, an expectant but shocked smile on her face, she looked from mister Potter to Draco, noticing their expressions and almost laughing at the fact that both boys wore the same worried but anticipating look. In the kitchen a single drop fell from one of the taps and made a loud clanking, splashing sound as it hit the empty sink. This single sound seemed to make the world aware that it had been holding it's breath and life exploded back into action around the couple. A dog barked in the distance, a car raced by the apartment, someone stumbled down the stairs outside the front door. Soon this flood of life reached the couple and Draco's eyes glistened, his cheeks turning pink in the dim light.
"Yes Harry, yes". He cried out and pulled Harry up into his arms, kissing him passionately, not caring that the old Headmistress was in the room. Still holding on to each other they turned to her and she smiled.
"Congratulations, you'll need two wizard witnesses, a qualified bonder and your wands. Good night". She said quickly and apparated before she could be held up any more.
"Our wands?". Harry turned his face to Draco and felt himself shiver.
"I haven't touched my wand for almost a year". Terror filled him at the thought of using his wand, it had lain in the metal box on his bedside table ever since he came back from Draco's trial, having quit his Auror position. He leaned his head against Draco's shoulder, the blonde gently stroked his back.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I've seen bonding ceremonies and the magic isn't all that intense". He placed a soft kiss on Harry's nose and stared at the clock, it was nearly three in the morning and although they had slept most of the day, the excitement of the last few hours, and the excitement of the whole day, had been taxing. He had, after all, woken up a virgin twenty four hours earlier and now he was engaged and no longer a virgin as well as planning fatherhood for the immediate future. As he thought this he felt himself deflate and he leaned into Harry's embrace.
"We're getting married, oh Merlin". He sighed.
"Yeah, I think we should go to bed now and tomorrow I'll take you shopping for a ring". Draco seemed confused at this statement but followed Harry back to bed and they were soon asleep, embracing in the soft heat of their bed.
* * *
Harry's eyes shot open and he was immediately aware of every single thing around him, some sound had pulled him out of the deep sleep he'd fallen into and he listened carefully. It had been something distinct, something loud that had set his heart racing. He looked around the room, the sound still ringing in his ears. Draco wasn't in bed nest to him and he felt panic well up in his throat, he made to get up when the sound repeated itself. A loud clanging sound that echoed through the room. He sighed when he recognised it as some utensil banging against a pan or a pot. He felt himself relax and dropped back down to the bed.
As the adrenaline was processed into his body he felt something else, something that was most certainly not panic, it was down in his legs, something that felt like hot lead rushing up his veins. He gasped as the pain exploded and he felt his legs spasm, he felt himself grow paralysed from the sheer intensity of it. His head clouded over and his vision blurred, making the room a misty, cloudy space. He bit his lips tightly, fearing he might alert Draco. In the moment of clarity he recalled the potion, he had forgotten to drink it the previous day. Still gasping he reached into the bedside drawer, every movement sending wave upon wave of pain through his tortured body, his legs burned, he imagined thousands of glowing hot needles being forced into his skin, every time his legs brushed against the smooth sheets it felt as though his skin was being scraped from his legs with rough sandpaper.
After rummaging through the drawer his hand finally closed around the tiny glass vial, he lifted it to his mouth and felt the soothing droplet fall onto his tongue. He immediately felt the slightest bit of relief. At long last the heat in his legs drifted away to become a dull throbbing and was soon gone completely. Harry looked up at the white ceiling and took a deep breath, he had never experienced any pain like that before, not even his scar had ever hurt him that much. He heard the door handle turn and quickly dropped the potion back into his drawer. Draco marched into the room with a tray of breakfast in his hands and a smile on his gorgeous lips.
"Morning darling". He said, emphasizing the last word.
"Good morning, what's this?". Harry asked as Draco placed the tray on the bed before slipping back beneath the covers next to Harry.
"This is breakfast in bed for the man I love". Draco whispered and brushed his lips against Harry's as he reached for a piece of toast. Harry, still shaky from the Creep attack gently did the same and nibbled the bread.
After breakfast Draco flicked his wand and the tray drifted out of the room and soon one could hear the cutlery washing themselves in the kitchen. Harry let out a long yawn and lay back only to find Draco straddling him a second later.
"Merlin, you are insatiable!". He giggled but Draco was serious.
"As much as I'd like us to shag each other's brains out right now, I think we have more important things to worry about". Harry didn't want to think about it, he'd much rather just shag their problems away but the determined look in Draco's eyes let him know that he was not going to get what he wanted, although his body was not willing to listen.
"We need to start work on your wand". Harry could hardly resist the urge to respond to this sexual innuendo and grabbed Draco's hand, slipping it between his legs.
"My wand is ready, willing and eager". He joked, Draco closed his hand around Harry's shaft and gave it a slow, delicate stroke.
"Yes well, this one isn't essential to the bonding so we have to put this one away for a while". He seemed reluctant to follow his own advice and stroked Harry a few more times, sending shivers up and down the brunette's spine and making his eyes glaze over.
"Come on, get up". Draco let go and hopped off the bed. "Where's your wand?".
"Draco, I'm not ready to do this". Harry felt fear bubble up in him.
"You have to Harry, if we want to be bonded you'll have to get back on the broom".
Harry stared at his lover, dressed in a green silk robe, his feet bare. He stood at the foot of the bed staring at Harry, the determined look in his eyes again. Draco was right, he needed to use his wand again, they could not have a child without being bonded. He didn't have that much time left. He set his face to mach Draco's determined expression and stood from the bed. He reached for the box on the chest of drawers but as he did he felt the old fear come back and he stopped.
"I can't do this Draco". He was alarmed at how child like his voice sounded.
"Yes you can, just take it. You don't have to use it right away, just take it out and walk around with it for the day?".
"What?".
"Yeah, just carry it around. Get used to the feel of it, you can do that right?". Harry carefully considered this, if he didn't get going he'd literally be dead before he could have a child.
"Yes, I'll do that". He closed it and reached for the box, keeping his lids tightly pressed against each other he took out the thin wand, it felt so familiar in his hand, the smooth texture, the slight weight. He couldn't keep himself from smiling and reluctantly opened his eyes.
For a moment he felt like an eleven year old again, seeing his wand for the first time, he felt how it channelled his power, focussing his magic in a way that it had not been for such a long time. He lifted it carefully, remembering how the wands in Olivander's had reacted but he felt so at ease with the wand, his arm felt complete with it in between his fingers. He slipped it into his pocket and winked at Draco.
"Okay, I've done it. Now we need to go shopping".
"Why, we have everything we need in the house".
"We're getting married Draco, we need a ring".
"For what?". Harry took Draco's hand and dragged him from the room.
After getting their morning rituals done they dressed for a day out on the town, although it was already past midday when they made it out of the apartment. As they walked along the street Harry carefully explained the processes involved in a muggle wedding, something which interested Draco to no end.
"Okay, I get the idea behind the ring and everything but why do the women have to wear white dresses?".
"They don't have to Draco, it's just a symbol for their purity, in old times they wore the white dress to show that they were virgins". Harry smiled politely.
"Well, I guess neither of us are going to be wearing white then". Harry laughed as they entered the small jewellery store. The old clerk made his way to them at two steps an hour but thankfully the distance wasn't all that far. He smiled politely at them as he drew close. After explaining to the old man that they were looking for a wedding ring, having opted for just one ring instead of the traditional engagement and wedding rings.
"So which one of you boys is getting married".
"We are actually…".
"I am". Harry said quickly, the old man seemed the type who would not be comfortable with two men getting married and Harry felt that caution would be the best way to go. He smiled and shook his head at Draco as the blonde started to protest the little lie.
"Not everyone is as accepting". He whispered into the blonde's ear.
"He might be". Draco protested, his voice equally low.
"He might not". Harry mumble back before smiling politely at the grey old man.
"Very well, we have a large selection". The old man shuffled to one of the counters and pulled out a case of rings.
They browsed for almost an hour, Draco fitted rings under the guise that his long thin fingers were the same size as Harry's other half. They decided on two matching rings. Two simple wedding bands inlaid with two diamonds on either side of a third central stone, a gold ring with a ruby as the centre stone for Harry, silver with an emerald for Draco, Harry laughed at how their house colours somehow always made a impression on their lives. They paid and made their way out of the store, the old man cleared his throat just before they reached the door. Having bought only one set of rings they agreed that Harry would keep Draco's and vice versa until the day of the bonding.
"You boys enjoy your wedding, and I hope you get the chance to grow old together". He told them with a wide smile that showed perfect white teeth. Draco laughed all the way back home but Harry's laughter was forced. The old man's words had been meant in the nicest way but they stung him. He and Draco would never grow old together, Merlin he wasn't even going to see their child's birth much less watch it grow up. As soon as they got home he slipped into his room and sat staring at the wall for several minutes, considering whether to go see Hermione or not. However before he could make a choice the doorbell rang and he heard Draco's laughter as he greeted the visitors.
In the living room Draco escorted the visitors to the ugly couch and they dropped into seats facing each other. A flick of the wand set the kitchen to work. Draco sat back and checked out their visitors. Ginny Weasley was still pretty much the same as he remembered her, although he looked at her with no disdain now, war made one change one's perspective. She still wore her red hair in the long flat style she had in school but her eyes were much smarter, much older than he could remember them, she'd filled out very well too, her breast full and her hips practically begging to bear children. Like so many of the people they knew she had her own war scars. Her's sat just above her left eye, a thin pencil mark that vanished into her hair, she had gotten it when Bellatrix had attacked her during the final battle, almost killing the only female Weasley.
Seamus too had changed very little since school although he was a bit more masculine now, his muscles much more defined than before. But his face was still the friendly beaming face it had always been. He had greeted Draco warmly and had pulled the blonde into a bear hug when the door opened. Amazingly, after the war Draco had become pretty good friends with the former Gryffindors, shaking off his few remaining Slytherin classmates.
"Harry, what are you doing in there?". Draco called from outside the bedroom door. Harry lifted his head when Draco knocked and opened the door. The blonde took one look at him and rushed forward, embracing his lover tightly as he dropped onto the bed beside the brunette.
"What's wrong?". Draco's voice was soothing in Harry's ear, the breath brushing against his skin. Harry shuddered as Draco's lips touched his neck.
"It's nothing".
"It's not nothing Harry, you look like shit".
"Thank you". Harry leaned into the embrace and Draco held him, they could hear Ginny ans Seamus chatting in the living room.
"Seriously, spill?".
"Fine, We're getting married and we don't have any family to attend, only our friends". It was part of the reason Harry felt like a wet rag but he's made a promise not to tell Draco the rest and he was going to stick by it.
"I know, but Harry, we are going to make our own family, we're going to have a child and we'll give it everything we never had". Though the words brought tears to Harry's eyes, he felt elated at the idea. After several minutes just sitting and holding each other Harry pulled himself out of the embrace.
"Come on, we've left our guests alone for long enough".
* * *
Stepping into Madame Kobayashi's restaurant felt like coming home, the place was full to bursting, paitrons were sitting at every table while the waiters had to rush between them to keep everyone happy. Harry and his friends stood in the door, surveying the scene. It was utter chaos. A waiter Harry didn't know walked up to them and introduced herself as Misato and politely told them in very broken english that they would have to wait for a seat, indicating that they should wait at the tiny shelf near the door where several bar stools stood. Harry raised his eyebrows at his friends and they nodded, before they turned to the shelf Draco noticed Harry's eyes scan the room, trying to pick out a specific person. After sitting down on the uncomfortable stools Misato took their orders. Harry ordered a glass of water.
"With ice!". The girl almost shouted at Harry, he relfexively grabbed Draco's arm at her violent outburst. The words had almost seemed like a threat or some kind of punishment, the girl was truly scary. He could feel the blonde was ready to explode with laughter and he was afraid to look at either Ginny or Seamus for fear of his out amusement burtsing out of him. He put on his most polite face and smiled at her.
"Yes please". As the girl walked away he practically felt the walls of inhibition come down around his friends and they burst into hysterical laughter.
"What the hell was that?". Draco cried as he tried to restrain himself. The blonde noticed that Harry was fidgeting uncomfortably and looking around the room again, searching for the same unkown person.
Before Harry could reply though a figure appeared from the kitchen and stared at them for a moment before calling Harry's name loudly and puching it's way through the crowd.
"Harry, Harry. You came!". Madame Kobayashi reached them and pulled Harry into a tight hug, he gasped and smiled at his friends. He introduced Ginny ans Seamus before taking Draco's hand.
"Madame Kobayashi, this is Draco". The old woman took on a sudden defencise stance, placign her hand on Harry's shoulder and looking Draco up and down. Draco felt himself cringe inwardly, it felt as though the old woman's stare was going to burn the skin from his bones. He tried to step away from her but Harry's hand tightened around his and he stood in place. A second squeeze on his hand confirmed his suspicions, the old woman clearly cared a lot for Harry and this was some kind of test, if he backed away from her he'd fail. It took all his will power but he stayed, staring her down with a cool gaze, hoping that he appeared welcoming and friendly. A second before the silence became uncomfortable Madame Kobayashi smiled at him, the animosity in her eyes gone as fast as it had appeared.
"This is your Dragon Harry?".
"This is my Dragon Madame Kobayashi". She smiled at Draco.
"He is very pretty,". She told him, Draco stepped forward.
"He's also standing right here". Madame Kobayashi touched Harry's shoulder again.
"And he's fiesty". She told Harry before touching Draco's shoulder too.
"Welcome young Dragon". She smiled politely and the tension vanished.
"Why are you standing here?". Madame Kobayashi asked after another moment of silence and Harry told her they were waiting for a seat. He was again fidgeting with his clothes.
"Nonsense," She said and yelled something to the waitress, who in turn scurried away like a frightened mouse.
"Come, you are going to take the VIP room". She took Harry's hand and led them through the restaurant, her feet moving amazingly fast, Draco and the other two had to ruch to keep up. Draco saw Harry lean down to whisper into the old woman's ear as they neared the centre of the room and she stopped abruptly. Harry looked at Draco as the blonde walked towards him him, the brunette had a sudden look of dread on his face.
'I'm sorry, I couldn't keep it to myself'. Harry mouthed and Draco sopped in his tracks as the old woman's voice echoed through the room, very reminiscent of Dumbledore's. Draco instantly knew what was coming and his hand went to his pocket, feeling the Gryffindor coloured ring he had placed there.
"This is a momentous occasion ladies and gentlemen!". Every head in the room turned to look at her. She waited patiently for all the attention to be focussed on her. She pulled Harry close, her arm held proudly around his waist.
"This young man, one of my dearest friends has today finally found the person to complete his heart". She looked around the room before focussing on Draco.
"And there he is, the Dragon who is marrying my young friend. Come here?". She waved a hand and Draco obediently marched to the centre of the room. He felt his cheeks turn pink as he stared at the muggled around them. Ginny and Seamus stood n stunned silence just a few tables away from them, neither Harry nor Draco had gotten the opportunity to tell them the news. At least they know now, Draco thought. Madame Kobayashi went into a prolonged speech in Japanese, of which Draco didn't understand a word and by the expression on his face, neither did Harry. In the end she made a toast before finally swithcing back to english.
"May your union be long and fruitful". She inclined her head and everyone in the room applauded. Harry pulled Draco close and they again followed the old woman. Somewhere throught he applause Draco though he heard tha shattering of glass and dismissed it as simple restaurant noise.
The VIP room was huge, in the centre stood a large wooden tabe which made Draco think of the Manor, it could easily seat twenty people and was very low on the floor. Instead of chairs, large pillows were arranged around it, Harry dropped down on on of them and his friends followed, Draco felt the strange, grassy mat beneath his and he frowned.
"They're called tatami's" Harry whispered when Madame Kobayashi vanished from the room, muttering in Japanese.
Misato appeared and they ordered dinner and proceded to explain their plans to their shocked friends. They were very accepting and quickly volunteered to be the witnesses at the ceremony.
They're sushi arrived a while later and they ate and laughed. Harry smiled, to be honest they were laughing much more than they were eating since, although they used wands every day of they're lives, the other wizards at the table just couldn't master the chop sticks, rice and soy sauce and several pieces of fish were soon scattered all over the dark wood. After the sushi was consumed, much of it by hand, the conversation turned to children.
"Have you decided if you want any?". Ginny asked the couple who sat opposite her and her boyfriend. Harry noticed Seamus turn his face slightly away.
"We have actually, we spoke to Professor McGonagall about it too".
"I suppose she'd be able to do it then?".
"Yeah, her Grandfather apparently created the procedure". Draco explained and Ginny nodded, she had apparently read "A history of Magic".
"Have you gotten a surrogate yet?". She asked, Harry saw Seamus touch her hand and she nodded at him.
"No, we haven't". Harry said and she nodded.
"It's a pity". The conversation trailed away again to lighter topics but Harry couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Seamus, he hadn't voiced an opinion about the child and what was up with the look between him and Ginny.
Several minutes later a young man came into the room, he was so silent that no one noticed him until he spoke.
"Harry?". The sound was that of someone who was close to tears and was working very hard to keep them inside. Draco noticed that the boy was carrying a tray with a tiny porcelain pitcher and four white cups. Harry looked up and his expression froze.
"Tai, hey…".
"Is it true?". The boy asked and stared at Harry. Draco saw the young face crash when Harry nodded, tears brimmed in the boys black eyes. Ginny looked from Harry to the boy and back to Harry, clearly something important was happening. She cast a quizzical look at Draco who shook his head, he didn't get it either. They heard the rattle of porcelain against porcelain before a loud growl echoed through the room. Draco had barely a moment to react before the tray, with pitcher and all came crashing down on him, showering him with warm Sake and shards of porcelain. Ginny yelled and jumped back but Harry was faster, he was up off the floor and at the boy a second later, grabbing him by the shoulder and tossing him from the room.
"Draco, are you okay". He cried as he rushed back to the blonde. Draco was more shocked than injured but let Harry baby him. The brunette began fussing with him, picking little shards of porcelain out of his hair, Ginny was mumbling something on the other side of the table, Harry looked over at her and saw her whispering to Seamus, who was halfway off the floor, his face red, his rage almost a living entity in the room.
"Please darling, calm down, you know you have to keep your blood pressure down".
"But Gin, he could have…".
"Yes, he could have but Harry tossed him out". She looked pleadingly at Harry.
"Yeah, Seamus, I'll get it sorted in a minute". Harry spoke as calmly as he could, Seamus' anger had been legendary at school, he blamed it on his Irish blood. He seemed to cal down a bit and sat back down, Ginny still stroking his arms.
"Do you have any cuts Draco?". Harry asked and Draco looked up at him, his blonde hair wet and sticky from the alcohol. He looked a down at himself and shook his head.
"I'm fine, what was with that?".
"I'll explain later, are you sure you're okay".
"I'm fine". Harry nodded and marched to the door, Draco caught a glimpse of the boy when the door opened.
"Jesus Tai, what the hell was that?". The door slammed shut behin Harry and the arument was out of the room. Ginny insisted Draco get up from the floor so she could examine him for cuts, all the while still telling Seamus to remain calm. She did find a single cut on the back of Draco's neck and healed it silently, gesturing to Draco not to let Seamus notice.
Outside the VIP room Harry was livid. He was sure he was going to hit the young Japanese man in front of him.
"Why did you do that Tai, fuck, you could have hurt him!".
"I don't care, he's just going to use you Harry". Realisation dawned on Harry.
"You're jealous?". He asked, he could hardly believe it.
"So what if I Am, I'll love you much more Harry, I'm better for you". Tai leaned back against the wall and sighed. Although he was still angry Harry felt his heart soften.
"Tai, Draco is my partner, I love him, I've loved him for years".
"Why?". Tai's voice cracked and he bagan crying, Harry stepped forward and embraced him.
"I don't know, he is perfect for me, like your mother said, he completes my heart".
"Why can't you make a space for me there too?". Tai asked, his head buried against Harry' shoulder.
"There is a space for you, just not the kind you want". Harry tried his best to be soothing, keeping his voice calm and even, he stroked the boy's arm in gentle motions.
"But I love you". The words were spoken in an utterly defeated voice.
"No, you don't. You love the idea of me…".
"No!". Harry was cut off abruptly as Tai pushed himself up and embraced Harry, crushing his lips against the older man's, his tongue flicking into Harry's mouth when he gasped. He pulled back and stared at the boy. He opened his mouth but never got to say anything.
"Harry?". The brunette twirled around and stared into the grey eyes of his lover, he felt his heart sink.
"Draco, I'm…".
"Don't Harry, I though you were going to get this sorted and now you're out here doing… doing this!". Draco yelled, his cheeks bright pink, he pointed a shaking finger at Harry. Behind the blonde Gnny and Seamus appeared in the doorway.
"Draco please, he just…".
"Leave it Harry, I can't believe this".
"Draco, don't be stupid".
"Shut up Harry, don't call me stupid!".
"No, for Merlin's sake, why don't you shut up and listen for a moment Malfoy…". The moment the word passed over his lips he regretted it. Draco's face clouded and he sneered.
"Fuck you Harry, you can have your little teenaged whore and your damn ring too. And stay away from me, don't you dare follow me". Draco pulled the gold ring from his pocket and tossed it at Harry before storming out. Tai reached out and touched Harry's shoulded.
"Harry…".
"Fuck off". Harry growled and the boy fled.
"Seamus, please go with him, he doesn't get the whole thing about looking before you cross the road".
"Should I bring him back?". Seamus asked,already making his way to the door, he completely understood Harry's fear, he himself had had much trouble getting Ginny accoustomed to the concept of cars and the dangers they posed.
"No, just… just keep him safe please". As Seamus left Harry sank down agains the wall and picked up the discarder ring. Ginny knelt next to him and slid her arms around him. He felt his walls go down and he sobbed.
"It's okay, you didn't let him kiss you".
"I know that, but does Draco?".
"He will, he knows you love him Harry. He'll know". She was silent for several moments. Harr's voice cracked when he spoke again.
"Ginny, I think this has completely fucked up my relationship with Draco".
A/N: I have to mention that the incident with the girl and the ice is something that really happened, although I think it was a lot funnier in real life than it is now.