You Jump, I jump

Written by StrawberryGirl87

Hogwarts no longer feels like home, it is time to move on but Harry has nowhere else to go. Standing on the precipice of uncertainty he finds a helping hand from the most unlikely of people. Someone who is willing to stand by his side when things seem bleak.

Chapter Seven

"Where are we?" Harry asked as they hit solid ground and he stumbled slightly. Draco reached out with his free hand to steady him, ensuring that he didn't fall. "Thanks," Harry mumbled a little abashed, it wasn't like he had never apperated before and he still couldn't carry off a decent dismount from it.

"There is someone I want you to meet," Draco said, his heart beating wildly in his chest. It hadn't changed in the ten years that he hadn't visited. The same white roses decorated the gravesides, the atmosphere still quite and content. The air was crisp with tingling magic which sent shivers through their skin as they walked through the white marble grave stones. This was no ordinary resting place for there was no grey stone, the grave markers had not worn or faded, everything was made from the finest marble, carved by the most capable of craftsmen. The earth and the air seemed to be saturated with magic somehow.

Despite knowing what this place was Harry couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of it, how serene it was, he had never before set foot in a cemetery like it. They walked over to a cherry blossom tree, which seemed to give the impression that it was endlessly snowing, the light pink petals floating and fluttering endlessly to the grass beneath. Beneath the tree was a single marker where Draco brought them to a halt. It may have been ten years since he had been here last but he had never forgotten where to go.

"Cassiopeia Violetta Malfoy, 1977 – 1981, beloved daughter," Harry read from the gravestone, Draco had found himself unable to speak, unable to do anything other than stare blankly at the words before him. He fell to his knees, bowing his head and allowed his tears to shed for her. "Your sister," Harry said breathlessly as he realised that she would have died in the same year when Voldemort had killed his parents. He fell to the ground on his knees beside Draco and wrapped his arms around him. "I'm sorry," He said feeling as if those two words were the most inadequate sentiment that he could have voiced. "I never knew you even had a sister, will you tell me about her?" He requested, his voice soft as if speaking louder would disturb the dead.

"I didn't know very much about her," Draco said through strangled sobs, "She died when I was a baby, my parents never spoke about her but my Aunt did once, Bellatrix used her name to remind my mother of what happened when you didn't follow through with the Dark Lords wishes. He killed her to keep my parents in line, a constant threat about what would happen to me if they didn't do what he wanted."

"I won't let them go to Azkaban Draco, I promise you that if it comes to it I'll make a statement in their defence." Harry said, taking Draco's hand and resting his head on his shoulder. He had never heard of Cassiopeia Malfoy, she was one of the unknown casualties of the first war. Her death had gone unnoticed when shortly afterwards Voldemort had been destroyed and the world had celebrated his downfall. The four year old girl who had lost her life to him had been forgotten as the world had rejoiced, no one had remembered their pain at losing a child. No wonder the Malfoy's had disliked him so much.

"I didn't even get a chance to know her," He said sadly, "Her name wasn't permitted to be spoken in the house. To my knowledge all the portraits of her were destroyed, it was like my parents wanted to bury their grief and forget that she ever existed."

"She'll never be forgotten," Harry said comfortingly, Draco turned to look at Harry, the two of them kneeling in front of one another, barely an inch between them. "Not while you remember her and grieve for her," He whispered, placing his hand on Draco's chest where he could feel the racing heart beating beneath his palm. "She'll be in your heart and whether there are portraits of her or not she'll live on because of that."

Before he knew what he was doing Draco had raised his free hand and swept a stray hair from Harry's eyes, green met silver, the connection that they found their undeniably strong as Draco's hand lingered upon the warmth of Harry's skin. The blossoms fell from the tree, swirling around them as if encompassing them in this moment together. It was as if nature itself wanted to create the perfection of the moment, a sign that this was where they were supposed to be, together.

"Thank you for coming here with me," Draco said, his voice quite as he remained with his hand raised, stroking a strand of Harry's raven hair tenderly. "I couldn't have done it without you, I wouldn't have been strong enough."

"You're stronger than you think," Harry returned, relishing the affectionate touch that Draco offered him, his eyes tracing the outline of thin rose pink lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to feel those lips upon his own.

"Not without you," Draco said, they were barely even whispering now, their voices so quite that not even the birds overhead were disturbed by them. "You give me all my strength Harry."

With Harry's hand still resting on his chest he must have felt how fast his heart raced beneath his palm, a sign of how truly nervous he felt at how close their bodies were. All he would have to do was lean forward and their lips would meet. Draco however reframed, scared that doing something like that would radically alter the perfect balance of friendship and intensity that they had obtained. This knowledge didn't make it any easier to resist as he watched Harry's tongue dart out and wet dry lips.

Draco swore inwardly, knowing that if Harry did that again he wouldn't be able to restrain himself. His breath hitched when Harry bit his bottom lip, he knew that if they didn't stop it was going to happen whether it was a good idea or not.

It was Harry who broke the moment between them, standing up suddenly but remaining close, offering his hand to help Draco to his feet. Accepting the help he found his hand in Harry's as his strong arms raised him from the ground. Their bodies still unbearably close and their hands still joined. Harry almost felt ashamed about his feelings for Draco, they had known each other for no length of time at all and yet still he was so important that without him he would feel hopeless and lost, as if he were nothing.

The pain that encompassed him as he stood not an inch from the man he wanted was like nothing he had felt before. To have him so close and be unable to take what he desired. "We should find somewhere to stay tonight," Harry said, closing his eyes, refusing to allow Draco to see the emotions that overwhelmed him. He knew his eyes would betray his calm exterior as they swirled with lust and confusion.

They had been in the cemetery for longer than they had realised, the day was fading into twilight and soon it would be night. Releasing Harry, Draco turned back to his sister, withdrawing his wand and enchanting a wreath of lilies to appear at the foot of her headstone.

"Sleep well Cassie," He said quietly to her, a slight breeze rushing through the branches of the cherry blossom answered him, sending more petals down upon them and he knew that she was listening, giving them her blessing.

Harry smiled at the sight of Draco with the blossoms swirling around him, surrounding him in their majestic beauty as they fluttered to the ground. The moment couldn't have been more perfect. Harry couldn't have been more grateful that Draco had brought him here, somewhere so beautiful and personal to him. He was beginning to understand that why they had transcended the boundaries of ordinary friendship but he just couldn't be sure if their relationship could be defined.

He was certain that what he felt for Draco was love but it was also more than that. Intensity, passion, desire, desperate need for one another, it was a combination of it all. Friendship, companionship, loyalty and trust, it had it all. He swore to himself that he would treasure every moment that he spent with the blonde Slytherin because their time together was precious. Just like everything in Harry's life he knew the happiness he felt wouldn't last forever, nothing good ever did for him. He would count his blessings as he had them and hold them in his memory forever when he was gone.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked and Draco turned to him and nodded.

"Let's just walk for a while, I don't want to apperate again. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Harry answered with a fond smile. He offered out his hand and Draco took it, linking their fingers together. The touch felt familiar and comforting to them both as side by side they started to walk. Footsteps in sync, the warmth of the evening surrounding them and they walked in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Draco unable to get it out of his mind how close they had come to sharing their first kiss and wondering if Harry was thinking about the same thing as him. Being together, so close was an agonising torment for him and yet he wasn't sure he would give it up if it meant never being with Harry again. He knew that one day the pain might get too much for him to cope with and he knew that if he didn't admit his feelings then he would have to leave because being so close to him and being unable to kiss him, to hold him and to make love to him in the way he wanted would eventually drain his spirit away, leaving him as useless and as broken as a man who had received the dementors kiss.

They walked until the twilight had taken over from the day and then as they reached the point where night took precedence they reached a muggle bed and breakfast. It didn't look much, in fact it far too much like the sickly sweet, flowery taste of Dolores Umbridge for Harry's liking but it was somewhere to rest for the night and neither had the energy to keep going. It had been emotional day of farewells for the both of them.

Harry smiled to himself knowing exactly what to do with Draco to while away the evening. Conjuring up a DVD player and a film to watch the two of them settled down on one of their twin beds, snuggled close to one another, Draco under the crook of Harry's arm, his head upon his chest where he could hear the steady beating of his heart.

"What are we going to watch?" Draco asked as he breathed a sigh of contentment at being so close to Harry, feeling safe and protected.

"Do you remember the night we left Hogwarts?" Harry asked and Draco nodded, remembering fondly of how they had started their life changing journey together. "I told you that you jump, I jump … well this is the film it came from. I promised that I'd show it to you one day."

Together they sat through the entirety of the film and by the end as Rose kissed Jacks hand and let him go into the water Draco was crying and it made Harry love him all the more.