AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. If I haven't gotten back to you, I apologize and please know that every review is read and taken into account. You are helping me to become a better writer and I can't thank you enough for your feedback. Please enjoy the last chapter of Dismantle Repair. I made it nice and extra long for you all!
OH! And a wonderful reviewer named Made of Glass asked if they could translate my story into Portuguese, but I'm not sure how to get into contact with them. Made of Glass, I would be honored if you wanted to take on a task like that. Just send me a pm with your email and we can discuss it.
And now…on with the show!
Chapter Nineteen
- June 3rd -
Draco lounged outside on the wicker chaise on the back porch, idly scratching Chuck's head with one hand and clutching a glass of merlot in the other. He scowled as he stared out at the gloomy, grey sky and the swaying of the branches of the willow tree. There was a thunderstorm on the horizon and despite his usual dislike of rain and wind he was actually looking forward to it. The tempestuousness of a summer storm fit his mood ideally.
Harry was acting strangely. He had been since that day just over a week ago. The day that they had finally – after years of dancing around and behaving like childish gits – admitted that they loved each other. The same day that Draco had been legally declared an orphan by his wretchedly sorry excuse for a father. The best and the worst day of his life rolled into one long, wonderful, emotionally exhausting, royally fucked up day. When he allowed himself to dwell on it, which was much more often than was probably healthy, the part of the day he concentrated on, either the happy part or the sad, depended solely on what sort of mood he was in at any given time. Today, it was the latter.
He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day and set his wine on the green tinted glass coffee table to his right. It had been a housewarming gift from Blaise and Pansy, both of whom usually shared his impeccable eye for sleek and modern furnishings. Draco hadn't had the heart to tell them that he found it rather unsightly, so he had simply placed it on the back porch instead of in the sitting room, where Pansy had no doubt intended it to go. He inwardly shrugged. Pansy hadn't seemed to notice, and besides, it was his house and he could do as he wanted.
He slouched down lower into the chaise and slid to the side, creating a large enough space for Chuck to cuddle up with him. He patted the cushion and whistled quietly.
Chuck whined softly as he hesitated, unaccustomed to being invited onto furniture other than the bed, but after a little cajoling from Draco, he was curled up beside him, his furry head resting on his owner's chest.
He was busy, Harry had told him. He had to help out a friend who was having a rough time. Draco snorted softly and mentally rolled his eyes. He had heard brief stories about Remus Lupin and had even caught a quick glimpse of the man at Sirius's funeral, but he didn't understand why he was suddenly being pushed aside in favor of someone Harry hardly ever even spoke of. He didn't understand why Harry spending time with Remus Lupin meant that he couldn't see Draco as well, even if only at night.
"I'm being a selfish prat," he said softly as he nuzzled Chuck's head with his nose. "Just like when I left you with Pansy for all that time." He scratched the dog's chin and kissed him. He knew he was being ridiculous, wallowing in self pity, but he missed Harry and he couldn't shut off the small part of his brain that was insisting that his boyfriend was avoiding him.
They hadn't seen each other in four days, which was longer than they had been apart since they had gotten together. And his birthday was only two days away. Harry had promised him that they would spend it together, but Draco didn't want to wait that long to see him again.
"I don't share," he muttered into the dog's furry neck. Chuck just wagged his tail and raised his face to lick Draco's hand. "You don't seem to mind my spoiled behavior." He smiled and wrapped his arms around Chuck's neck. "You love me unconditionally, don't you, boy?" Chuck's tail wagged even harder and Draco laughed. "At least someone does." He buried his face in soft black fur and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Draco."
His head darted up in surprise when he heard the soft, hesitant sound of his mother's voice. He stared at her in shock for a moment before remembering himself and arranging his face into a cool mask of indifference. "What are you doing here?"
Narcissa cleared her throat and looked out towards the pond for a moment. "It really is beautiful out here," she said after a long, drawn out silence.
"Mother," Draco said, his tone sharp. "What do you want?"
She took a deep breath before looking back at her son. "I left him."
Draco paused for a moment then gave Chuck a gentle push so he could stand. "Permanently?"
She nodded and bit her lip. "I filed the papers today."
He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the words. He turned back to the chaise and sat down heavily, shocked.
Narcissa took a step closer and clenched her hands together in front of her. "You were right about him all along and I…" She shook her head and let out a small mirthless laugh. "You were right, Draco. And I never saw it."
"Are you alright?" Draco asked when he finally found his voice.
She managed a small nod, but Draco could see the trembling of her hands and the fear in her wide blue eyes. His parents had been married since they were nineteen years old. She had never been on her own before and he could see how terrified she was at the idea of going it alone.
He stood again and went to her, his earlier anger towards her completely gone. "Come sit." He gently took her arm and guided her over to the chaise. He refilled the wine glass and pushed it into her hands, silently urging her to drink.
"I thought he would listen to reason," she said softly. She wrapped both shaking hands around the wine glass to keep it steady as she drank deeply. "He said so many things, Draco. So many nasty… things…" She shook her head again and held the glass out to him, her troubled eyes fixed steadily on the swaying willow tree.
Draco refilled the glass for her then took a long swig out of the bottle, hoping to calm his own rattled nerves. "I'm sorry, mum," he said softly. But that was a blatant lie and they both knew it. He had never been less sorry in his entire life. His mother was an intelligent, proud, beautiful woman and she deserved so much more than Lucius Malfoy. "What are you going to do?"
A soft sound, partway between a laugh and a sob escaped her lips and she took another long drink from her glass. "I have no idea," she said softly, almost to herself. She swiped at the tears on her pale cheeks and let out a shaky breath before forcing a smile onto her face and looking back at her son. "Can I…?" She made a vague motion with her hand, directed at the house behind them.
He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Of course you can stay with me," he said as he pressed his lips to her head.
She let out a choked sob and pressed her fingers against her lips. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled. "I'm sorry I didn't defend you, love…I'm sorry I was such a coward."
"Shh," he hushed her and squeezed his eyes tight. "It's alright, mum. I understand." He held her closer and kissed her head again. "And you are not a coward. A coward would have stayed."
"I should have left when you did." She rested her head on his shoulder and forced a deep breath.
"Stop it," he softly demanded. "You're here now and we're going to get you settled into the spare room and we'll have some dinner and before you know it, you'll be feeling right at home and you'll forget all about that bastard."
"Draco," she scolded with a soft laugh. "Language."
He kissed her cheek and stood up, holding a hand out to her. "Do you have any bags with you?"
"I left them in the car." She took his hand and stood. "Are you sure I won't be intruding dear? What about Harry? He won't feel awkward with me here?"
Draco frowned. "Trust me. You're not in the way," he said in lieu of an answer.
Narcissa returned the frown. "Did you two break up?"
He rolled his eyes and turned to head out to the car. "We're fine mother. He just doesn't come over here. I go to his place."
She followed him and made a soft tsking noise. "Well that's rather silly, darling. Why would you want to go all the way out to London when it's so peaceful and quiet out here?"
"You'll have to ask Harry," he said, trying to keep his tone light. "He's been invited over. He just usually talks me into coming over there instead." Draco didn't understand Harry's reluctance to come over, but he could tell the idea of it made him nervous, so he had stopped pushing.
Draco steered the conversation in a different direction as he carried his mother's suitcases into the spare bedroom and helped her get things organized. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for another breakdown, but besides looking exhausted and sad, she held up like the strong woman he knew she was.
They had a light dinner of soup and salad as they chatted about the baby and Draco's work. It was early when Narcissa suddenly stood and kissed his cheek. She thanked him and headed off to bed, leaving him alone. Draco suspected she was only trying to spare him from witnessing more tears, for which he was thankful. He was more than accepting of the fact that he had never grown comfortable with other people's emotions.
Only once he was alone and the house had fallen silent did he realize that his phone had not rung once all day, which was an odd occurrence when one was best friends with Pansy Parkinson-Zabini. Remembering that he had left it on the back porch, he whistled softly to Chuck who was lounging on his cushion by the fireplace, and headed back outside to retrieve it, the dog softly padding behind him.
He picked up the phone from the hideous green table and saw that it was on vibrate, explaining why he hadn't heard it ring through the open windows.
He flipped the phone open and his heart jumped and began to race when he saw that he had nine missed calls. He dialed into his voicemail and held the phone to his ear.
"Draco, it's time!" Pansy's voice cried out excitedly. "I'm going to be a mum! Can you believe it? Hurry up and call me back. Blaise is on the phone with Ron right now and they're getting ready to leave for the hospital. Contractions are coming quick so it shouldn't be long now. Bye, love!"
"Fuck." He headed back inside and towards his room to get changed and silently cursed himself for not keeping his phone on him when he had known that Hermione was due any day. He deleted the message and continued listening as he threw open his closet doors to find a change of clothes.
"Dray, where are you?" Blaise said, his voice sounding quiet and a bit shaky. "We're having a fucking baby and I'm suddenly scared out of my fucking mind and you're not picking up, you fucking wanker!" There was a heavy sigh and a long pause. "Call me back."
He chuckled softly as he pulled on a clean white cotton button down. He went to the next message.
"Hermione asked where you were," Pansy said and now she sounded angry. "We're at the hospital. Call me."
Draco tried to balance on one leg at a time as he pulled on his boots and eventually gave up and sat down on the edge of the bed to finish tying them. He moved on to the fourth message.
"Hey, it's Ron. Pansy and Blaise are starting to get really angry so I would get my skinny arse down here if I were you. I already have enough to deal with, what with my wife trying to break my fingers and screaming bloody murder, so I would appreciate the help, mate. Call one of us soon."
He finished lacing his boots and grabbed his keys and wallet from the nightstand, shoving them into his pockets. He deleted Ron's message and went to the next one.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Pansy growled. "I will hate you forever if you aren't here to see my baby born."
Draco snorted. Oh, she is going to be an absolute joy when I get there.
He knocked lightly on his mother's door, and then peeked inside when there was no answer. He found her lying on the bed, fast asleep. Instead of waking her, he covered her with the throw blanket from the chair beside the bed, kissed her head and left her to sleep.
He jotted a quick note in the kitchen as he listened to the sixth message.
"Alright, now I'm just getting worried," Blaise said and he sounded more stressed than Draco had ever heard him. "You always have your phone with you and we're all going a bit mad wondering if something happened to you. Can you please call someone and just let us know that you're alright?"
Guilt flooded through him as he locked up the house and raced out to his car. He didn't bother listening to the rest of the messages and was halfway through dialing Blaise when his phone rang. Harry's name and number popped up on the caller ID.
"I'm so sorry!" he said before Harry could say a word. "I left my phone outside and I didn't notice. My mother came over and I didn't realize it wasn't on me."
Harry took a deep, shaky breath on the other end and exhaled loudly. "Thank God you're alright," he said softly.
Draco's chest tightened and he couldn't help but smile at the sound of relief in Harry's voice. "You were worried about me," he laughed softly.
"Yes, I was." Harry didn't sound nearly as amused. "Blaise and Pansy had me convinced you were dead in a ditch somewhere."
"I'm on my way right now. I just pulled out of my driveway and I should be there in twenty minutes. Tell Hermione to keep her legs together and I'll be there before – "
"It's already done. The baby's already here," Harry interrupted.
Draco felt himself deflate. He hadn't realized how excited he was until the disappointment hit him. "I missed it?"
"It happened really fast," Harry said, his tone softer than it had been only a moment before.
"When?"
"About three hours ago."
Draco hit the steering wheel and sighed heavily. "Well, what is it?"
"It's a girl," Harry said and Draco could hear the smile in his voice. "She's so beautiful, Draco. Wait until you see her."
"How's Hermione? Everything go well? Is she in a lot of pain?"
Harry laughed. "She's too doped up to feel much pain. But yes, she's fine. Everything went smoothly and she should be able to go home in a day or two."
Draco stopped at a red light and rubbed at his eyes. "Are Pansy and Blaise angry?"
"No, I think once they saw her, they forgot all about being angry with you."
Draco smiled and let out a breath of relief. "What did they call her?"
"Nothing yet. Still debating." There was a sudden ruckus in the background and Harry laughed loudly as he pulled the phone away from his ear and said something to someone that was too quiet for Draco to hear. "I should go," he finally said. "Blaise is summoning me to Hermione's room. Apparently, Hermione says that Molly Weasley is driving her insane and that she will be more than happy to use hormonal imbalance as an excuse to commit murder if I'm not there in five minutes."
Draco laughed. "Go on then. Tell her I'll be there to see her as soon as I can."
"I will. Bye, Draco."
"Bye. I love – " But Harry had already hung up.
Draco bit harshly at his lower lip as he tried to ignore the embarrassment and hurt that exploded in his chest. He threw the phone down on the passenger seat and stepped on the gas.
*.*.*.*
By the time he had parked the car, bought flowers at the gift shop and made it up to the maternity ward, Draco was out of breath from running and uncomfortably damp from the rain. He stood outside Hermione's room for a moment, listening to the soft conversation that flowed from inside and the soft rolling thunder in the distance. Once he had caught his breath, he pasted a smile onto his face and walked in to join Hermione, Ron and Molly Weasley in the small, private room.
"Draco!" Hermione said as she lifted a hand to him. She smiled brightly at him, her eyes shining with happiness and a few tears.
"I am so sorry," he said as he took her hand and sat beside her. He set the flowers on the side table and leaned in to kiss her flushed cheek. "How are you doing, love?"
Her smile faded a bit, but she squeezed his hand and waved off his question. "Have you seen her yet? Oh, Draco…she's so amazing! I knew she would be, but…she's so tiny and perfect and I never…I never imagined…" She sniffled and brought a shaking hand up to cover her watery eyes.
Ron sat down on the other side of her bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright to be sad, love," he said as he pressed his lips to her temple. He looked up at Draco and gave him a weak smile and a helpless shrug.
Draco swallowed hard as he held tighter to her hand, unsure of what to say. He glanced over at Molly Weasley who was wiping at her eyes as she gazed sadly down at her daughter in law. "You'll have your own in time, dear," she said softly. "You're young still. You have plenty of time yet."
Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. She kissed Ron's cheek and clutched tightly to Draco's hand as she exhaled heavily and opened her eyes. "You should go see her. Pansy and Blaise are down at the nursery. Pansy hasn't stopped crying since they told her it was a girl."
Draco managed a smile and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
Hermione nodded and smiled back at him. "Of course I'll be alright. I'm going to be her godmother. It's the next best thing, really."
Draco's forced smile morphed into a genuine grin. "I don't think I've ever known anyone quite as remarkable as you, Hermione Weasley. What you've done for them…" He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "There aren't words enough to thank you and I will never forget it."
Her brown eyes flooded with tears again and she swatted at his arm. "Get out of here. You're just making me all emotional and I need to sleep."
He kissed her hand again and stood. "I'll be back before I go. Get some rest." He smiled and slapped Ron on the shoulder then nodded at Molly as he turned to head to the nursery.
Pansy and Blaise were nowhere to be found. But standing alone in front of the window, one hand resting against the glass, was Harry. He was smiling and whispering softly at something out of Draco's line of sight, something that he correctly assumed was the baby.
Draco walked up behind him and slid his arms around Harry's waist. Tension he hadn't even realized was there melted away when he felt his boyfriend leaning back against him. Draco rested his chin on his shoulder and followed Harry's gaze down to the sleeping baby wrapped in a white and pink blanket that was lying in the cradle closest to the window. Hermione was right, she was tiny.
"Isn't she amazing?" Harry whispered as he rested a hand over Draco's. He turned his face to the side and gently kissed the curve of Draco's jaw. "She looks like Pansy."
"She's beautiful," Draco agreed. He pulled Harry tighter against him as they both looked back at the baby girl. "Do you want this? Do you want children?" He had been debating for weeks whether to bring the subject up. He himself did not want any, but he knew he would reconsider in a heartbeat if Harry felt differently.
Harry shrugged in his arms and was silent for a long while. "I don't think so," he said eventually, his voice soft. "When I was little I used to imagine the family I would have when I was grown, but…" He shook his head. "No. I don't think so anymore. I can't imagine myself with a child."
"I bet you'd be a wonderful father." Draco brushed a kiss over Harry's neck and turned his attention back to the baby.
"I don't know about that," Harry said. He sighed heavily. "It makes me a little sad that there will never be a little Lily running around, or a James. But I've been through a lot of messed up shit in my life and I have a feeling that none of it will ever really leave me. I don't want to push those fears and insecurities onto an innocent child." He broke free of Draco's grip and turned to face him. "Why? Do you want children?"
Draco looked down into wide green eyes that were staring back at him expectantly. Harry looked nervous, even a little scared. "No," Draco told him. He brushed Harry's hair back from his forehead and kissed him softly. "I never really did want them. I'm too selfish for a child."
Harry exhaled heavily and gave him a small, relieved smile. He turned back to face the baby.
Draco ran a hand down Harry's back and stepped closer to him, wrapping his arm around the smaller man's waist. "Do you think I could see you tonight?"
Harry watched the baby for a moment then shook his head. "I told Remus that I would – "
With a loud, annoyed huff, Draco abruptly pulled away from him.
"He's going through a really tough time, Draco. Sirius was his best friend."
"It's been five months already," Draco snapped at him.
Harry frowned, his emerald eyes flashing with anger. "Yes, thank you for reminding me. I had no idea how long it had been since the last of my family died."
Draco felt his cheeks grow warm and mentally cursed his fair complexion, knowing Harry could see his embarrassment. "You know that's not what I meant. I'm sorry it came out that way, but why the fuck are you the one who has to take care of this guy? Isn't he an adult? Shouldn't he be able to take care of himself by now?"
"You don't get it," Harry muttered as he pushed past him and started down the hall.
Draco grabbed his arm and spun him around to face him. "What the hell is going on, Potter? We never see each other anymore and when we do, you're completely distracted and don't even seem to want me there. If you don't want to be with me just fucking say so already."
Harry scowled as he shoved at him, pushing away his grasping hands. "It's not always about you, Draco! I'm sorry if I've been distant lately, but I've got a lot of shit on my mind! Forgive me if I'm having a hard time of late, but it seems like I'm constantly surrounded by things I would rather not remember."
Frustration and confusion warred in Draco's head and he tried his hardest to calm down and just listen, but Harry was making no sense. Everything had been perfect only a few weeks before and now everything was going terribly wrong and he hated not understanding what he did to cause this horrible tension between them. A lump was forming in his throat; his breaths coming faster and harder as he once again reached for his evasive boyfriend. "Will you please just…just tell me what's going on with you! You won't talk to me and I don't know what I did, but – "
"June 6th," Harry stated. He crossed his arms over his chest and just stared up at him. "It's in three days."
"What?" Draco wracked his brain, trying to remember what had happened on June 6th of last year when it suddenly hit him like a wrecking ball to his gut. "Oliver," he said softly. Fuck. Even in death, he'll always come between us.
Harry flinched, but nodded. "Yes."
Draco scratched at his hair and took in a deep breath. "So, every year around my birthday you're going to be moping about because Oliver got what he deserved?"
Harry's face went red as he took a menacing step towards his boyfriend. "You are a selfish prick," he growled. "I'm sorry that I can't just forget what happened that night. But you weren't fucking there, Draco! You didn't see…" He paused, looking suddenly stricken and swallowed heavily before pushing on. "You know what? Never mind. I don't even want to see you tonight, how's that for a fucking reason? You're a selfish, arrogant prat and I don't think this is going to work out."
Draco's throat went dry and the color drained from his already pale face. "Stop it," he choked out. "You don't mean that."
Harry just stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Don't do this, Harry," he said, taking a step closer. "I'm sorry that I've been such a complete prat lately, but…" He grabbed Harry's fisted hand and pulled it to his chest, holding it tightly against him, right over his rapidly thundering heart. "Fuck, Harry, I'm sorry."
Harry let Draco hold his hand for a moment before pulling away and shoving both hands into his pockets. "Remus hasn't said anything, but I think they were lovers."
Draco couldn't find his voice, so he just stared at Harry, willing him to go on.
"If that's the case," Harry said, looking away, "and I'm pretty sure it is, then I don't blame him for being so devastated. If anything happened to you, it would fucking kill me."
Warmth spread through Draco's chest as he listened to his love and he felt even more horrible for how he was behaving. "I just miss you is all," he eventually said in his own defense.
"I know," Harry said with a nod. "But we can't be together all the time. I have to help him. He's the last link I have to my family."
"I understand." Draco moved closer to him, but he felt a bit hesitant to touch him.
Harry pulled his hands free from his pockets and ran his fingers through his dark hair, creating an even bigger mess than usual. He roughly scrubbed both hands over his face and sighed heavily.
"We're okay, right?" Draco asked.
Harry rubbed his eyes and sighed again before finally looking at him. "You should go find Pansy and Blaise. They just ran downstairs for a few minutes to make a couple phone calls."
Draco swallowed heavily, not missing the fact that Harry seemed to be avoiding his question.
Harry glanced at his watch. "I'm running late. I should go." He started to walk past Draco.
Draco grabbed his arm and leaned in, kissing Harry softly on the cheek. "I love you," he whispered.
"Love you too," Harry said. He kissed Draco quickly on the mouth, then stepped back, looking him directly in the eye, seemingly searching for something in his gaze. After a long, tense silence, he nodded and without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Draco with nothing to do but to watch him go.
*.*.*.*
"Do you want to hold her?" Pansy asked, hovering over Draco as she gently rocked the small precious bundle that was her daughter.
Draco bit his lip and glanced over at a sleeping Hermione and an exhausted looking Ron, neither of which were in any sort of condition to save him. "Hmm… maybe you should let someone else have a turn," he suggested. His eyes darted over to Molly Weasley who was sitting in the chair at Hermione's bedside and humming softly to herself as she knitted what looked like pink booties.
"Nonsense," Pansy laughed. She held the baby out to him. "Cradle your arms together…yes, just like that. Make sure you support her head." She placed the baby in his arms and adjusted the blanket before stepping back and covering her mouth with her hands. "Perfect." She started to cry as she stared down at them. "Blaise, bring the camera over here and get a picture of them."
Draco was tense, utterly terrified that the ridiculously tiny infant would slip from his arms if he moved the wrong way. He shot a panicked glance at Blaise who just snapped a couple of pictures and went back to leaning against the wall and chuckling softly, obviously enjoying his best friend's uneasiness.
"Have you thought of any names yet?" Draco asked as he stared down at chubby cheeks and dark, fluttering eyelashes. He relaxed minutely and when it seemed that the baby was still secure, he leaned back in his seat, attempting to make himself a bit more comfortable.
Pansy frowned and looked over at Blaise. This was obviously something they couldn't agree on. Draco mentally rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the sleeping baby. She'll be lucky to have a name by Christmas with the way their arguments usually go.
"I like Gretchen," Blaise said, returning Pansy's frown.
Pansy rolled her eyes at her husband and made a gagging motion. She looked back at Draco and smiled. "I like Delilah," she said with a bright grin.
Draco groaned softly. "Ugh…no," he vetoed.
Blaise laughed. "I knew you had my back."
"I certainly don't like Gretchen either," Draco shot him down. "But Delilah sounds like a stripper's name."
Pansy gasped in horror. "No it does not!"
"I think I actually knew a stripper named Delilah once," Blaise said with a smirk.
Pansy gave him a dark look. "And how exactly is it, my dear husband, that you would have occasion to know any strippers?"
Blaise's smirk faded quickly and he cleared his throat. "Uh…Draco made me go," he said quickly.
Draco glared at him. "Don't even blame the only homo in the room, Zabini."
"Anyway," Pansy said, waving a hand to dismiss their former conversation. "I would like my daughter to have a pretty name. Not something that would remind people of a grandmother."
"Hey! My grandmother was a very lovely woman!" Blaise shot back at her.
Pansy raised an eyebrow and smirked at his outburst.
Draco ignored their argument in favor of watching his niece sleep. I can't believe it, but I am actually smitten. She'll have me wrapped around her finger in no time. He held her closer and leaned over to brush a light kiss over her downy black hair. "What about Lily?" he said quietly, thinking of his conversation with Harry earlier. Yes…she definitely looks like a Lily.
The Zabini's went silent.
Draco looked up at them to see them staring at each other, both with rather approving looks on their faces and having what seemed to be a silent conversation. Pansy was all pursed lips and raised eyebrows and Blaise had cocked his head to the side, the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile as he stared back at his wife.
"It's pretty," Draco said as he sat up straighter. "It doesn't sound like a stripper or a grandmother and it's a flower, just like you, Pans."
Pansy's face lit up as she looked down at her child. "Lily," she said softly. She looked back at Blaise. "What do you think?"
"I like it," Blaise said with a wide grin.
Pansy clasped her hand together as her smile grew. "We're giving her Jean as a middle name, in honor of the saintly woman who carried her." She smiled over at their dozing friend who had given them their child. "She flat out refused to let us use Hermione as a middle name. She said, and I quote: 'I will kill you both if you saddle the poor thing with a name like that'."
Ron snorted softly from his spot at his wife's side.
Draco grinned over at him, and then looked back down at the sleeping child in his arms. "Well hello there Lily Jean Zabini." He frowned and looked up at his best friends. "I don't think I like the Jean Zabini part."
"Me neither," said a soft, tired voice.
They all looked over to see Hermione struggling to sit up in bed, smiling at them.
"Lily is a beautiful name though," she added as she settled back against the pillows that Ron tucked behind her.
"We could use Gretchen as a middle name," Blaise suggested.
"We are not using Gretchen for any part of her name," Pansy barked at him.
Blaise frowned at his wife and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine," he muttered under his breath.
Draco chuckled quietly as he cradled Lily closer and slowly stood. He carefully made his way to Hermione's bedside and sat down beside her, tilting his arms towards her so she had a clear view of the baby. "I think Hermione should be the one to pick her middle name, don't you think?"
"Oh, of course," Pansy agreed. "What do you think, 'Mione?"
Hermione smiled fondly down at Lily and reached out a hand to run her fingertips over her cheek. "What about Grace?"
"Oh, I like that," Pansy said as she sat down and grabbed Hermione's hand. Tears started to fill her eyes as she squeezed her friend's hand. "Lily Grace Zabini. Does it meet your approval, Uncle Draco?"
He smiled, never taking his eyes off the peacefully sleeping Lily. "It's perfect," he whispered.
*.*.*.*
"Do you think Harry will mind that they called her Lily?" Draco asked from his position sprawled in the chair next to Hermione's bed.
It was just the two of them. Pansy and Blaise were down at the nursery with Lily and Molly and Ron had gone home to get some sleep at Hermione's insistence. It was late and Draco was tired, but his fight with Harry had left him shaken and he wasn't in a hurry to go home to his lonely bed.
"No," Hermione assured him, squeezing his hand. "I don't think he'll mind at all."
Draco nodded and sighed. "So…how are you feeling? Mentally?"
Hermione shrugged as she turned onto her side to better face him. "I know I'll be alright in the long run, but I didn't really expect it to hurt so much." She smiled, but wiped away a stray tear with her fingertips. "It was so worth it though. Pansy and Blaise deserve to have such a beautiful little girl and I feel honored that I was able to give that to them. I just…I don't think I really thought about how hard it was going to be to not be the first person to hold her. Or to not get to take her home with me once I'm out of here."
Draco moved from his chair to her bedside. "Budge over," he said as he patted her hip.
Hermione scooted over and made room for him.
Draco kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed with her. Once he was comfortable, he slid his arm around her and pulled her against him.
Hermione sighed as she rested her head over his heart. "I don't think I'm really ready for children yet," she said softly. "But when I am, I hope they're as perfect as she is."
"They will be." Draco kissed the top of her head and held her tighter. "I think Pansy is worried that you're going to grow to resent her. She kept watching you while you were sleeping and she seemed really nervous."
"Never," Hermione said with no hesitation. "I know we've only known each other for a few years, but Pansy is like the sister I never had. We just clicked immediately. And I love her and Blaise and Lily so much. They are going to be the most perfect little family and as long as she lets me be a part of it, there will be no resentment."
"You don't have to worry about that," he promised her. "Give her a couple of months and she's going to be calling Aunt Hermione for babysitting duties on a weekly basis."
"I can't wait," she laughed softly and snuggled closer to him.
They lay in silence together for a while before Hermione finally spoke up.
"Are you going to tell me what happened that put that look on your face?"
"What look?"
"When you came back from visiting the nursery you had this look on your face like someone had stolen Harry and Chuck."
Draco laughed softly, but it was forced and faded quickly. "I just have some…insecurity issues, I think."
"Ah…so, it is Harry then?"
He nodded.
"He's been acting a bit strange lately."
Draco nodded again, his heart rate jumping, as it was prone to do at the thought of his boyfriend's behavior of late.
"I wouldn't worry if I were you. You're all he talks about, you know."
Draco took a deep breath. "I love him so fucking much, Hermione."
She laughed and hit him lightly on the stomach. "Of course you do, you silly prat. We've all known that for years now."
Draco nodded again and stared blankly up at the ceiling.
"He told me what happened with your father," she said a bit hesitantly.
Unable to look at her, Draco just closed his eyes and swallowed heavily.
"That was a really brave thing you did. And kind of romantic if you ask me."
He let out a shocked laugh and turned his head to look down at her. "Romantic? It was hardly romantic."
She shrugged and smiled. "I thought it was. The dashingly handsome prince rebels against his father, the tyrannical king and declares his love for the man who melted his once frozen heart and turned him into the perfect storybook prince charming."
He snorted softly and kissed her head. "At least you got the 'dashingly handsome' part right. I don't know about the 'perfect prince' though."
"What happened with Harry?"
Draco shrugged. "Just a stupid argument. I think he tried to break up with me for a moment there. Well, no…he did try to break up with me, but I managed to put a stop to it. I think." He shifted nervously and finally turned onto his side to face her. "I don't know what I'd do if he really left."
Hermione smiled and tucked his hair behind his ear. "I don't think you need to worry about that, love. Harry has a tendency to speak before he thinks about what he's saying. He isn't going anywhere; not without you anyway."
Draco nodded and took her hand in his. "Do you want me to leave so you can get some rest?"
She squeezed his hand and smiled. "Do you think you could maybe stay until I'm asleep?" she asked, an uncharacteristic hint of vulnerability in her voice. "I don't really want to be alone at the moment." Her brown eyes filled with tears again, but she blinked rapidly until they were clear.
"Of course I'll stay," he whispered. He had no desire to be alone either, so he turned onto his back and pulled her back into his arms. "I'll stay all night if you need me to."
"Thank you." She buried her face in his chest and eventually fell asleep.
Draco stared up at the ceiling for hours until he finally fell asleep as the sun rose.
*.*.*.*
- June 4th -
He awoke to the incessant sound of someone knocking on his door. He groaned as he rolled over and checked the time on his alarm clock. It was well past three in the afternoon and he sighed as he flopped back against his pillow and threw his arm over his face, shielding his eyes from the midday sun. "What?" he barked out, irritated at the nonstop noise.
The door swung open and Narcissa stuck her head in, a cheery smile on her face. "You've been sleeping for hours, darling. Get up and come have some lunch."
"I'm not hungry, mum." He rolled over and pulled the covers back over his head. He growled only a moment later when said covers were pulled away and his mother sat down beside him.
"How was the baby? Is she as beautiful as I would imagine?"
"There're some pictures on my phone," he said, though he made no move to show her.
"It's time to wake up now, Draco." She gently rubbed his back. "You've been asleep all day."
"I pay the mortgage therefore I can sleep as long as I like." He tried to shrug her hand off, but was unsuccessful. "Come on, mother…I only slept for an hour or two at the hospital and I didn't get home until almost eleven. I'm tired."
"And cranky," Narcissa pointed out.
"Yes, and cranky. So leave me be."
"I've made cookies, dear."
He cracked an eye open and looked up at her. "You did? What kind?"
"Peanut butter chocolate chip. And they're still warm."
He heaved an overly dramatic sigh and sat up. "Well, since you're obviously not going to leave me alone…"
Narcissa smiled and kissed his cheek before leaving him alone to clean up.
After brushing his teeth and changing his clothes he grabbed his phone and joined his mother in the kitchen where she had set three cookies and a glass of milk on the small round table. He ate the cookies and drank his milk as he showed off the pictures of his niece to his mother. Narcissa cooed and was thrilled by the idea of Draco naming the beautiful little girl. He feared the birth of the baby would kick her grandmotherly instincts into overdrive, but she didn't even bring up the idea of him one day reproducing, for which he was more than thankful.
Draco snuck another cookie and kissed his mother on the head before heading back towards his room to finish getting ready for the day.
"What are your plans for the day?" he asked as he shoved his wallet in his back pocket and grabbed his keys from the bowl by the front door.
"I was going to give Pansy a call and then maybe go visit the baby. Other than that, I thought I would clean up a bit around here and maybe take Chuck for a walk."
The dog jumped up from his spot by the fireplace, his tail wagging frantically as he hurried over to Narcissa.
"Now that you've said it, you must do it," Draco told her. "It's his favorite word and he'll sulk all day if you go back on it."
Narcissa patted the dogs head and smiled at her son. "Have a good day darling. Should I expect you for dinner?"
"I don't know yet. I haven't spoken with Harry, so I'm not sure."
"Well, let me know when you are sure and I'll make enough for both of us if necessary." She kissed him on the cheek and opened the door for him.
"Keep cleaning up after me and baking me cookies and you can stay here for the rest of your life."
She swatted at his arm and pushed him out the door. "And, Draco…do bring your young man home some day. I would really like to get to know him again, especially since he's so important to you."
He gave her a small smile and nodded then hurried out to the car, suddenly eager to get away from her and to get back to work.
*.*.*.*
After giving it a lot of thought, Draco and Blaise had decided to hire a full time manager for the bar, leaving both of their schedules open and allowing them to come and go as they please.
Draco spent the afternoon showing Hannah the ropes. She had plenty of experience in bar settings and seemed to fit in nicely with the rest of the staff, so come eight o'clock, Draco was completely at ease with leaving her to close. The rest of their employees were familiar enough with the closing process to help her along should it be needed.
Once he was out of the club and into the fresh air he had time again to be irritated by the lack of contact from his boyfriend. He lit a cigarette as he leaned against his car and dialed Harry's number.
He didn't bother leaving a message when the phone rang twice then was sent straight to voicemail.
He finished his cigarette and took a few minutes to calm himself down before getting in the car with a vague plan of picking up greasy take out and visiting Hermione.
Before he could even start the car, he received a text message from Harry that read: 'Can't talk right now, have company. I told you I would be busy today. Talk to you when I'm free'.
Draco growled and had to restrain himself from throwing his phone out the window. "No, you did not tell me you would be fucking busy," he muttered to himself as he started the car and tore out of the parking lot, heading towards Harry's house. I've had enough of this. Remus can live without him for one fucking day!
He was considerably calmer by the time he pulled onto Harry's street, despite the fact that he had to park three houses down for lack of a closer free space. He gathered his courage and spent another minute taking a few deep breaths to calm himself then headed to Harry's house.
But the breathing exercises were futile. As he walked up Harry's front steps, he couldn't help seeing into the open window and what he saw set his blood on fire.
Harry was slouched down on the couch, his eyes closed and his head resting on Cedric's shoulder. Cedric had an arm around Harry's shoulders as he rested his head against the smaller man's.
Draco was frozen in shock, but was jolted back to reality when he heard their voices.
"I don't know what to do," Harry said softly, but they were sitting close enough to the window that his voice drifted through clearly. "It seems like all we do is fight anymore and I'm really tired of it."
"What causes your fights?"
"Mostly Remus. But it's not his fault. And it's not my fault that he needs me. I can see how lonely his is; how sad. Someone has to be there for him."
With a soft sigh and a quick squeeze, Cedric untangled himself from Harry and turned on the couch, pulling his legs up underneath him. He took Harry's hand and held it in both of his. "Can I be completely honest with you?"
Harry nodded and rolled his head to the side so he could look at him.
"You keep pushing Draco away, claiming that Remus needs your help. But you seem to forget that I've seen Remus, Harry and he seems to be doing just fine."
Draco's heart stuttered in his chest. He may have been jealous of the amount of time and attention Remus Lupin received, but he had never for one moment guessed that his need for said attention was a lie. And how the bloody fuck does Cedric know Remus?
"You seem to be using Remus as an excuse to spend some time away from Draco," Cedric said softly, his voice gentle. "Is that what you're doing?"
Harry stared at Cedric for a moment before looking down at their entwined fingers and clutching them tighter. He shrugged. "It makes me feel better when I'm with him. I feel like I have a family and I don't miss Sirius as much. I feel loved and needed."
Draco's breath caught and he bit down on his lip so hard that his mouth was filled with coppery tang of blood.
"Draco doesn't make you feel loved and needed?" Cedric sounded incredulous. "He and I had our problems, I'm the first to admit, but I almost always felt loved. Needed, maybe not so much because I don't know that Draco knows how to show that kind of vulnerability, but I always knew he loved me."
"It's different when I'm with Remus," Harry almost whispered.
Draco's eyes went wide and he almost choked.
Cedric's face unknowingly mirrored Draco's. "Uh…it's not a romantic thing, is it?"
"Oh God, no!" Harry protested immediately. "Ew…Cedric, that's just…ew." He shuddered and shook his head. "No. It's not romantic in the slightest. I just…" He sighed and ground his teeth together, clearly frustrated. "I can't explain it. When I'm with Remus, I can just…be. I don't have to say a word all day if I don't want to. But Draco…well, there are times when being with him just doesn't…work."
That was a direct blow and Draco felt it all the way down to his toes. He inhaled sharply and took a step back, desperate to get away, but still reluctantly curious about what Harry would say next. As badly as he wanted to, he couldn't make himself leave.
"Don't you think you should talk to him about how you feel instead of constantly pushing him away? I can see his side of things and I'm sure he's feeling a bit uneasy at the moment. I know I would."
"There are things I can't say to him. Sometimes I feel like…like I can't talk to him. I told him all about my past and about the things the Dursleys did and the night Sirius died, but…" He shook his head and pulled his hand away from Cedric. "It isn't his fault and he did nothing wrong, I just need space sometimes. I feel… smothered."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Cedric assured him. "But I really think you should talk to him. How's he supposed to know how you're feeling if you don't tell him?"
"I'm thinking about…" Harry took a deep, shaky breath and moved away from Cedric. "I'm thinking I should maybe break things off with him." He hung his head and rested his elbows on his knees, refusing to look at Cedric and looking absolutely miserable.
Draco flinched, his heart beating violently in his chest.
"Is that really what you want?" Cedric asked after a long silence.
Draco didn't wait to find out. A low growl escaped his lips before he could stop it and he quickly spun on his heel, taking the porch steps two at a time, unwilling to listen any longer. His chest hurt and he couldn't take a deep breath. He felt humiliated; that Harry would talk to his ex-boyfriend about their relationship; that the constant blow offs in favor of Remus had been Harry's need and not Remus'; that Harry was feeling smothered and was thinking about breaking up with him when Draco was so desperate to spend more time with him.
Angry and hurt beyond belief, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Harry's number as he jumped in the car and sped off.
Surprisingly, Harry answered on the third ring. "I can't talk right – "
"Don't worry, Potter, I'll make this quick," Draco interrupted, his voice as cold as steel.
"What's wrong?" Harry suddenly sounded worried and Draco secretly reveled in that fact.
"I just wanted to let you know that you're a fucking liar and we are done with."
"What are you talking about? What happened?"
"You can take your precious Remus and fuck off for all I fucking care!" he continued in what he would later admit to himself was a childishly petulant tone.
"Draco, what's going – "
"I'm tired of you pushing me away and I'm tired of worrying that you're going to break up with me and I'm just bloody tired of you in general."
"Will you please – "
"You've been avoiding me and don't you dare fucking deny it!"
"I haven't – "
"Ever since I opened my stupid mouth and told you that I fucking love you, you've pushed me away. Well, don't expect me take it back, Potter, because as much as it pains me to admit it, it's completely true and I won't do that."
"Of course I don't want – "
"I won't take it back," he repeated, more to himself than Harry. "But I should never have said it. Things were perfect until then. It ruined everything just like it always ruins everything." He sighed heavily as he pulled up to a red light and let his head drop back against the headrest, all of the fight suddenly leaving him. "I thought we were done with this, Harry. I thought we were in a really good place and…I love you, you stupid git. But I can't do this anymore."
There was a sound like a choked sob on the other end, but Harry said nothing.
Draco hesitated a moment then continued. "Tell Cedric that I said hello." He flipped the phone shut and brushed the back of his hand over his tearing eyes as he continued down the road, no destination in mind.
*.*.*.*
"What are you doing out here?"
Draco hugged his knees closer to his chest and continued to stare at the reflection of the moon off of the surface of the pond. "I don't want to talk right now, mum. Please just leave me alone."
Narcissa tied her robe more tightly around her and settled on the ground at his side, keeping enough space between them so Draco wouldn't feel crowded. She set a folded afghan and a silver thermos between them. "Pansy called me in quite the tizzy. Imagine my concern at getting a phone call in the middle of the night, your best friend telling me that no one knows where you are."
"Well, you found me," he muttered, his lips pressed against his knee.
"Thankfully I noticed your car out front or I may have called the police."
"It wouldn't be the first time you've overreacted."
"You're my only child, Draco. Protecting you is not an overreaction."
He rolled his red rimmed eyes and snorted softly. "I don't need to be protected."
Narcissa watched him in silence.
"Did you need something else, mother?" he finally asked when he could no longer stand the feel of her searching eyes on him.
"She said you turned your phone off and no one can get a hold of you."
"So?" He curled his fingers in the cool grass at his side before viciously ripping it up and tossing the clump aside.
"Harry is devastated," she said softly.
Draco glared at her. "Don't," he warned, his voice coming out in a low growl.
"He eventually called Pansy when he couldn't get through to you. Said there was some sort of misunderstanding?"
"It wasn't a fucking 'misunderstanding' mother, he's a fucking liar."
"Language, Draco," she scolded.
"God…will you please just leave me the fuck alone? I'm not a child anymore. I don't need you to try to fix everything and I don't need your reprimands. Just go away so I can be angry for awhile. I think I've at least earned that right." He roughly swiped at the tears on his cheeks, his anger magnified by the fact that he was crying in front of her. He didn't want to cry in front of anyone. He just wanted to be left alone.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Narcissa finally stood and brushed herself off. "It's almost two in the morning. Will you at least come inside?"
He leaned back against the willow tree and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm fine right here."
"I brought you a blanket and some tea. It's getting a bit chilly."
Draco ignored her and sat forward again, wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face in his knees. "Please just go away."
"Can I bring you anything else?"
He shrugged. "Do whatever you want."
She sighed softly and leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "I love you. And happy birthday."
"Yeah, happy fucking birthday," he muttered under his breath.
With one long last look, she left him alone to continue his brooding and nurse his broken heart.
*.*.*.*
- June 5th -
Chuck came barreling at Draco, a bright yellow ball clamped between his teeth and his tail wagging at top speed as he flew through the grass. He skidded to a stop in front of his owner and dropped the ball at his feet before crouching down, his ears perking up and his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. He barked twice and jumped in place, waiting to chase his toy again.
Draco picked up the slobbery ball, ignoring the dampness that covered his hand and threw it as hard as he could, smiling as he watched him take off.
They had been there for hours, in the large field down the road from Draco's house. It was a huge empty lot with long grass and plenty of wild flowers and Chuck could spend hours digging through the grass, chasing his ball and occasionally turning his attention to chipmunks and squirrels.
And Draco just wanted to avoid his mother. And everyone else for that matter.
He had left his phone at home and said a quick goodbye to Narcissa, pleading for her to just let him be and to not worry. That had been almost three hours ago and despite the fact that he was dead tired from no sleep and thirsty from the warm sun, he just sat back down on the large tree stump and watched Chuck play.
The dog had gotten distracted and was currently digging a hole, dirt and clumps of grass flew all around him and Draco reluctantly accepted the fact that he would have to bathe the dog when they returned home.
He heard footsteps crunching through the gravel behind him and he clenched his jaw, inwardly cursing his mother for not being able to leave him alone no matter how much he begged.
"It's my birthday, for fucks sake," he snapped, not even looking at her. "Why can't you just accept that I want to be alone?"
"I just wanted to see you."
His shoulders tensed when he heard Harry's quiet, hesitant voice behind him, but he didn't turn around. "I especially don't want to see you," he said.
There were a few more crunches of gravel and a shadow fell over Draco, alerting him to how close the man stood.
"Is that Chuck?" Harry asked after a long, uncomfortable silence.
Draco ignored him.
"I've heard a lot about him from Pansy and Hermione. I never pictured you with a dog."
Sure you have, you just don't remember. "What do you want, Potter?"
"I just spent two hours with your mum. She's a nice lady."
"She has her days."
"I remember her, you know."
Utterly surprised and unsure of what to say to that, Draco just silently watched Chuck who was now rolling in the dirt, his legs kicking in the air as he coated himself in dust and grass.
"I recognized her at Sirius' funeral, as soon as I saw her. I used to dream about her when I was young and I was never sure who she was."
"You knew and never said anything?"
Harry walked over and sat down on the ground at his side. "You never said anything either."
Draco nodded in concession. "I didn't know what to say."
Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway. That's the past." He picked at a few blades of grass and tossed them aside with a heavy sigh. "Though it would have been nice if we had gotten to share that history. I think I would have liked growing up with you."
Draco still wouldn't look at him. His heart was racing and all he wanted was to pull Harry into his arms and beg him to take him back, but his pride was about all he had left and he refused to give it up.
"I didn't mean what I said to Cedric last night."
Draco swallowed passed the lump in his throat and reached for his cigarettes. He lit one with a shaky hand and took a long hit as he attempted to compose himself. "Why are you here, Harry?"
"You mean besides the fact that I love you and it's your birthday?"
After another long hit, Draco nodded. "Besides that."
Harry shifted up onto his knees and moved closer. "I decided to go back to therapy."
Draco raised an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject. "Good to know."
Harry reached out a hand as if he would touch Draco's knee, but pulled it back at the last moment. "I think I still have some issues to work out. You know, Sirius and Oliver and all that."
Draco nodded.
"What did you hear last night?"
Draco finally looked at him and was shocked to find that Harry looked worse than he did. There were dark smudges under his bloodshot eyes and his skin was pale. His hair was its usual mess, but dull and without the charm it normally held. He looked beaten down and…sad.
"I heard you say that I smother you and you were going to break up with me." It was much harder to say out loud than he thought it would be, but he was proud that he managed to get it out without stumbling over his words.
Harry bit his lip and nodded, looking down at his clenched hands. "So, you missed the part right after where I told him that I love you more than I've ever loved anything and that I couldn't do it, even if part of me wanted to?"
Draco's heart jumped with joy, but he kept his expression neutral. He looked back at Chuck who was lying in the grass and chewing on his ball. "Yeah, must have missed that part," he finally said.
Harry hesitantly touched his knee, his fingertips just grazing over the rough material of his jeans. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He moved closer and gently took Draco's tight fist in his hand, brushing his thumb over his knuckles. "I panicked. I never wanted to come over here because…Oliver…" He shook his head and unsuccessfully tried to force Draco to loosen his fist.
Draco snorted softly and shook Harry's hand from his. "Oliver," he said softly, his voice dripping with disdain. "It always comes back to him, doesn't it?"
Harry hung his head, his hands resting on his thighs. "Things were fine until I moved in with him. He never raised a hand to me until I had been there for a few weeks. I had already given up my apartment and Oliver was spending all of the money my parents left me. Sirius and I had had a huge row about him, so I couldn't go to him. I had nowhere else to go, so I stayed."
"That has nothing to do with me," Draco said. He stubbed his cigarette out and tossed the butt behind him into the road.
"I just…I didn't want to give up my house. I wanted us to be together, but I had this stupid fear that if I started coming over here, we would be on your turf and I would lose control and…" He shrugged. "It was stupid."
Draco stared at the top of his head. "You thought I would start acting like him?" he growled, his anger threatening to burst out of him.
"Yes…no…" Harry shook his head, his brow furrowed and his green eyes troubled. "I don't know. I told you it was stupid."
A heavy sigh escaped Draco before he could stop it. "It's not stupid," he said softly. "But I can't believe you would think that I would ever hurt you like he did."
"Rationally, I know you wouldn't," Harry said and finally looked back up at him. "But my fear when it comes to these things isn't exactly what you'd call rational, is it?"
Draco stared into his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "Why did you lie about Remus?"
Harry blushed and looked away, watching Chuck as he sunbathed. "I don't really know. He was a convenient excuse." He looked back at Draco and shrugged. "I don't know why I do half of the things that I do. I mostly end up regretting them after."
They fell into silence again and Draco hated the awkwardness of it. He shifted a bit on the large stump and patted next to him. "You can sit here if you'd like. The ground can't be very comfortable."
Harry jumped to his feet and was next to Draco in an instant. He leaned into him slightly so their shoulders touched, but he stayed silent.
Draco watched him fidgeting from the corner of his eye and wished he knew what to say to make things better. But he couldn't find the words.
"I didn't mean to lie about where I was yesterday," Harry eventually said. "After our talk at the hospital the other day, I decided that I would go visit Oliver's grave and try to get him out of my system so that it wouldn't ruin your birthday." He rested his hand on Draco's knee again and let out a huge breath before continuing. "I ran into Cedric at the cemetery. He stayed with me while I was there and since I was really in no condition to get myself home, he drove me. I was supposed to meet with Remus, but he cancelled on me so I invited Cedric in and we had a couple drinks. I just needed someone to talk to and I didn't want to talk to you because you get so upset when Oliver is mentioned and I hate upsetting you."
Draco felt a brief pang of remorse that his actions had given Harry the impression that he couldn't talk to him. "I never meant to make you feel like you couldn't bring him up," he said. He covered Harry's hand with his and his heart soared when Harry immediately turned his hand over and wound their fingers together. "I just…I hate him for what he did to you."
"Me too," Harry choked out. He leaned in and rested his forehead on Draco's shoulder. A soft sigh escaped his lips and he gripped Draco's hand tighter. "I love you so fucking much, Draco."
Hit with the overwhelming desire to have him closer, Draco pulled his hand free and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder. He tugged him close as he pressed his lips to his hair. "I love you too."
Harry hid his face in Draco's neck and let out a soft sob. "I'm so sorry."
"Me too." Draco turned to face him directly and pulled him into his arms, squeezing him tight. He buried his nose in Harry's citrus and smoke scented hair and felt the tension begin to bleed from his body at the familiarity of it. "My God, I love you," he whispered again, his throat and eyes aching and burning. He took Harry's face in his hands, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs as he leaned in to kiss him.
Harry made a soft, desperate noise against his lips as he kissed him harder. He grabbed the collar of Draco's shirt and held on tightly, murmuring soft apologies and "I love you's" between kisses.
Draco jumped and laughed against Harry's lips when a wet nose and a rough tongue brushed over his arm. He pulled back enough to look down at Chuck who pressed closer to them, trying to wiggle his way in between.
"You're interrupting a very important moment," Draco scolded him playfully.
Harry dropped a hand into Chuck's fur and scratched his shoulders. "He's so soft." He pressed closer to Draco, refusing to let the dog push them apart.
Draco stroked Chuck's head and leaned in to place a lingering kiss on Harry's neck. "Want to go back to the house? I'm sure if we hint around enough mother will think of somewhere to go so we can spend some time making up."
Harry smiled brightly at him and Draco's chest grew tight at the sight of it. "That sounds perfect," Harry agreed.
Draco stood and held his hand out to his boyfriend. He pulled Harry to his feet and kissed him hard, one hand gripping his dark hair, the other brushing down his back to grab his arse. He squeezed and smiled into the kiss when Harry made a squeaking noise.
"I missed you," Draco whispered against his lips.
"I missed you too," Harry murmured when they finally pulled apart. He bit lightly at Draco's bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth.
"Fuck," Draco groaned, clutching at Harry's shoulders. He abruptly pulled away and grabbed Harry's hand, whistling loudly to call Chuck to his side. He started dragging Harry down the street, almost breaking into a run in his eagerness to get back to the house and into his bedroom.
Harry laughed breathlessly as he struggled to keep up.
*.*.*.*
TBC…
AN: Epilogue up next…God, that went by fast! Hope those of you still with me enjoy it. Thank you for reading and please tell me your thoughts.
Oh, and I apologize to anyone named Gretchen or Delilah. I do not in any way dislike either name (I think they're both quite lovely, actually), but Draco was just being a bitch because he didn't like the names! Hope I didn't offend anyone!