"I can't do it?" Draco sobbed as he slumped to the floor in misery. His friends looked at him as if he had finally cracked, lost his ever twisted mind. Crabbe and Goyle looked on with pity as Pansy's rage grew and Blaise tried valiantly to calm her down.
"What the hell do you mean you can't do it?" She demanded her screech visibly making the boys flinch. "I just spent a fortnight following that dull twit Granger to get you the last ingredient. Do you know how many hours I spent in the library trying not to Avada Kedavra myself!"
"Pansy please calm down." Blaise begged as Pansy kicked Draco's crumpled body for good measure. The blonde didn't even flinch, he didn't move away from his attacker or try to divert the hits. He just huddled into himself and cried as if he were six years old and his favorite puppy had died. It was a heart breaking sight made all the more by so Pansy's cold abuse.
"Calm down! How can I calm down? I risked my life, shelved away my love and demeaned my self-worth to help Draco get what he wants more than anything on this earth and he says he can't do it." Her own tears burst free now, showing just how much she herself was hurting. Her body trembled with a combination of anger and heartbreak that was almost tangible. Looking around the room it was obvious that emotions were running high. In a corner Crabbe held tightly onto Goyle as the taller boy soothed a hand up and down his back while they stared at the scene in front of them. Blaise had tears in his eyes as he looked longingly at Draco's slumped form and Pansy was on the brink of losing her mind. In the center of what appeared to be Draco's dormitory on top of his trunk the red stone glowed as if heated from within.
"You chose to help him, so calm down for fuck's sakes or get out!" Blaise roared coming to Draco's rescue, always coming to Draco's side when the blond needed him a habit that would probably go on for as long as they lived.
"You are just as pathetic as I am, Blaise. Defend him all you want. He won't love you back either. He wants the one person who hates him most in this world." She kicked Malfoy again this time with less force than she had before. "You masochistic prick, here you have Blaise who is dying to put it up your arse and protect you from the world and me so stupidly smitten by you that I am serving you Potter on a silver platter and you refuse to be happy."
"Don't you get it? How can I be happy when he won't really love me. Not because he wants to. It won't be real." Draco cried harder into his hands, big racking sobs that had his slim body shaking from the force of it. "I need it to be real. I thought this would be enough but its not. Would you do it? Would you want me like that?" He asked her the first signs of anger making their appearance.
"In a second!" She screamed and left the room, the disgusted look on her face obvious. Was she disgusted with him or herself? Most likely a combination of both.
"I understand, trust me. I would want my partner to love me for me not because I'm making them love me. And she gets it too otherwise she wouldn't have helped you create the curse. You know how dramatic Pansy is. Just give her time, she'll come around." Blaise said soothingly as he wrapped Draco in his arms. Crabbe and Goyle both nodded vigorously, agreeing with the handsome wizard.
"There is nothing wrong with wanting the real thing. I wouldn't change what I have with Vince for the Dark Lord himself." Goyle stated, holding his partner a bit tighter. Draco was surprised at the statement. Neither of the other boys ever spoke up so affirmatively but he knew that the love they had for each other was strong and Goyle would defend it tooth and nail.
"I love him too much to want anything else than his true self." Draco told his friends with finality, fresh tears falling from his red rimmed eyes as he stood and left the room.
Harry couldn't take it anymore and pulled his head out of the pensive, his own eyes moist with unshed tears. Draco didn't do it. He had been telling the truth the whole time and Harry had pushed him away, accusing him of lying and being low and conniving. He felt his heart break a little as he thought back at everything he had said and done to Draco for the past two months.
"Auror Potter are you alright?" Healer Lovell asked as she checked his vitals. The woman looked at him with obvious pity. He had destroyed the man who had loved him unconditionally for the better part of his life. No, he was not all right and he hated himself for being a self righteous bastard and lashing out at Draco without hearing the truth he had been trying to tell Harry so desperately.
"Auror Potter, as you can see the summation of my investigation is that Solicitor Malfoy, while he broke the law by creating the cursed object, did not in fact curse you." Auror Wheeler informed Harry as he too removed his head from the pensive. The Auror had shown Harry professional curtesy and allowed him to see his findings before anyone else. "However, there is no doubt in the mind of the Unspeakable that tested you after you were admitted into St. Mungo's that early on in your courtship of Mr. Malfoy that you were indeed under the influence of a love spell." Wheeler informed him, like Harry needed reminding of the embarrassing fact that he had allowed a mild gag of a spell to take hold on him. "Now of course the questions are, who and for what purpose."
"The spell wasn't Draco either was it?"
"No. Solicitor Malfoy gave unrestrained access to all of his memories regarding your relationship. While he had been surprised at your initial perusal of him he had been genuinely pleased and accepted of his own free will." Wheeler stated looking through his notes to make sure. Harry had seen both his and Draco's early memories of their whirlwind romance. Draco's memories had been clear and uncorrupted while Harry's had been tinged with red around the edges, a clear sign of a love spell.
"The Unspeakable said that the love spell had been mild and only lasted three days. Everything after that had been my own actions." Harry said out loud to no one in particular. Three days, that was all, and his feelings had been overwhelming for the entirety of the relationship. Once he had stopped being snappy with Draco he had started to flirt with the blonde, started joking with him and actively seeking him out. Harry remembered volunteering to run down to Draco's office to drop off case files, bringing coffee with him and staying longer than necessary just talking to him, staring at his beautiful mouth and wanting to kiss the blonde with every breath he took. It hit him then that he didn't kiss Draco until after the spell had faded. For those three days all he did was follow his former nemesis around the ministry He didn't kiss him until nearly two weeks later and asked him on a date later still.
All those memories had been clear with no distortions at all. He had seen himself lust openly over the former Slytherin and face the public about his sexuality and choice of partner. He had been himself when he had faced down the Weasleys' about his intentions to date Draco. He had willingly ended friendships and severed relations to be with Draco. The consuming passion and encompassing love came solely from him not from a spell or potion, not from a curse. Fuck.
"That's correct, the only thing we can tie Mr. Malfoy to is of creating the curse. He doesn't see the stone again after that night. The last time he remembers it, is while he put it in a small vault in his room. After that his memories are of the war, of fearing that you had been hurt, and of lying to Death Eaters about your identity..."
"I know how the rest of the story goes thank you." Harry interrupted Wheeler, unable to hear anymore how royally he had screwed things up with Draco. He was feeling confused and angry at himself. Harry needed to get out of the lab, out of the ministry. He needed to get fresh air and clear his head. He walked out in the middle of his conversation with Wheeler unable to hear anything else. He apparated directly to Ron and Hermione's apartment.
"Merlin's bear! Harry what the hell? You just apparated right through the wards!" Ron snapped, holding his chest trying to calm down his heart. When he saw Harry face he quickly walked to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's happened?"
"I saw Draco's memories. He didn't curse me." Harry said simply sitting down on the worn old couch in the small living room. Ron sat down across from him. "Ron, he didn't curse me. Bloody hell, the things I said to him. I hurt him with my magic." Harry cried the first tears finally breaking free as his own memories assailed him. Draco had rushed in to his room at St. Mungo's, worry clear in his grey eyes. The moment Harry had seen the blonde his emotions had gotten the best of him. He had screamed at him to get out and when Draco had refused, Harry's uncontrollable magic had physically lashed out at the blonde cutting him in the face and slamming his body to the opposite side of the room. After that he lost consciousness.
"It was an accident, you couldn't control your magic at the time. Malfoy knows that." Ron tried to console his friend but Harry couldn't justify in his mind all he had done.
"Ron, I judged him the instant one thing went wrong in our relationship. I wouldn't listen to him and I left our home took our daughter away, kept Teddy from him..." Harry couldn't finish, he felt a lump in his throat as his grief grew. He had thrown away everything he had ever wanted because he was too hot headed to stop and think. He still on some level had not trusted the man he loved. He needed to go to Draco, talk to him and beg for his forgiveness. "I have to go to him."
"Harry no, not right now. 'Mione brought Rory to the manor. He hasn't seen his daughter in a long time. Let them have this moment before you go after him." Ron said a serious look on his face. His best friend had matured so much after the birth of his daughter, Harry wished he could say the same of himself. They both turned to the pecking of an owl at the large living room window. Ron held his hand up and let the bird in, taking the package from the elegant bird and offering it a treat. Once the bird flew away, Ron walked back to his spot on the living room and presented Harry with the post. "It's for you."
Harry pick up the package, weariness written in his face as he ran diagnostic spells in the post making sure nothing dangerous had been delivered. He saw the package came from the office of Solicitor Blaise Zabini. Harry opened the package to find the divorce papers neatly stacked. A quick glanced showed that Draco had signed in all the appropriate places. Harry's heart beat faster as an ensuing panic gripped him. It was done in black and white in front of him. It was his freedom, what he had asked for, and all Harry wanted to do was tear the dam papers to shreds. With the papers was a small envelope with his name on it. Fingers shaking, he opened it and saw a small note in Draco's elegant script.
MY LOVE, THESE PAST FIVE YEARS HAVE BEEN A DREAM I NEVER WANT TO WAKE FROM. YOU AND OUR CHILDREN SHOW ME EVERY DAY THAT REDEMPTION IS POSSIBLE. WITH OUR FUTURE IN MIND, I GIVE YOU THE KEYS TO LION-HEART MANOR. A PLACE TO SEE OUR FAMILY GROW. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
At the end of the note there was a skeleton key attached with a mild sticky charm. He was a complete arsehole and he only hoped it wasn't too late to fix things with Draco.
He handed Ron the note and watched the emotions run across the expressive face. "Lion-Heart Manor. Isn't that the Potter family's ancestral home?"
"Yes." Harry answered, holding back the trembling of his voice. There was no use in crying anymore, he was in the wrong and he would fix it somehow. He had to because with Draco Harry had found the happiness and family life he had craved since he was a lonely miserable child with the Dursley's.
"I thought that the current owner refused to sell you the house."
"She had. I guess Draco must have convinced her somehow. Merlin, Ron I fucked everything up so badly." Harry said voicing the obvious. Ron looked at him with pity and left the living room, coming back shortly with a couple of glasses of firewhiskey and handed Harry one of the tumblers.
"There is no question about it. You messed up royally. What are you going to do about it?"