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 Eleven

The rest of the afternoon was spent together, laying on the one double bed and talking. The conversation stayed on those that they had lost. Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Fred Weasley, Lily and James Potter, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, Cassie Malfoy, even Hedwig and Dobby were discussed at length for the sacrifice that they had made for the war. By the time evening descended they both felt emotionally overwhelmed from the day they had had.

It would be another emotional one tomorrow too seeing as Harry intended for them to visit the Dursley's old house in Privet Drive so that he could show Draco exactly what his childhood had been like. It wouldn't be an easy experience for him and he doubted that Draco would relish the details either. Before it was even nine o'clock in the evening they were snuggled up under the blankets in their bed ready for sleep.

At first the two of them stuck to their own edges of the bed, uncertainty over whether it would be okay to move closer together. When they realised that the blankets wouldn't adequately cover them both when they were so far apart they shuffled hesitantly closer to one another. They could have easily enlarged the blanket of course but for some reason this didn't seem to occur to either of them as they were both more than happy to get nearer.

Finally Harry turned on to his side, facing towards Draco, who mirrored him, their eyes meeting and the Gryffindor's hand tentatively reaching out to take hold of Draco's who took hold of it, grateful for the contact. That was how they fell asleep, holding hands, facing one another as if the two of them together were all that mattered in the world.

Draco woke first the next morning, jarring awake before the sun had fully risen. Running his hands through his hair in frustration over what had woken him when silence was the only thing he could hear. He glanced over to Harry who still slept peacefully. Taking his opportunity when it was so easily presented to him he began to study his bed mate, marvelling at how peaceful and relaxed he looked in sleep. Hesitantly he reached his hand forward to brush a stray strand of unruly black hair out from Harry's closed eyes.

The Gryffindor sighed in his sleep, a wholesome sound of contentment that made Draco wonder what he was dreaming about, however in the next moment his question was answered and it almost made his heart stop beating. Whispered in sleep almost as a moan his name escaped from Harry's lips.

"Draco," He murmured again, "Don't leave me," Harry's words made his heart ache to hold him, to tell him it was going to be alright and that he would never leave. However he was simply too afraid that he might wake him if he dared to say anything so instead he leant forward and placed a gentle kiss upon his forehead, placing his arm across Harry's waist and leaning his head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, the steady sound beneath his ear and the memory of those whispered words comforting him back into sleep.

Harry thought that he might have been in heaven when he woke from his slumber, it had been the best night's sleep he had had in a long while and better still he had dreamt of a certain blonde Slytherin. Draco's sweet vanilla scent wafted around him as he roused and he felt beautifully warm, the sun shining through the window and Draco's prone form wrapped around him possessively. If he had had any choice in the matter then he would have happily bottled this moment and the feeling that went with it so that he would always be able to remember it and feel how he felt in this moment. This was happiness. Harry couldn't imagine that any feeling could top this one of euphoria from waking up in such a way with the one person in the world that held his heart.

Ever so slightly so not to disturb his companion Harry curled himself into Draco. It had become a habit for the two of them to sleep shirtless, wearing nothing but light cotton pyjama trousers. Both had become so accustomed to seeing the exposed torso of the other that it felt like the most natural thing in the world to them now. This meant that the skin to skin contact of their upper bodies was like an electric storm of tension as they rubbed together.

Closing his eyes Harry drifted off into a daydream, imagining that they were together and that this sort of cuddling was perfectly normal for them. He imagined what it would feel like to be woken up by soft kisses to his neck, to feel Draco's soft caressing touches upon his skin every morning and to hear him say those words …

Draco stirred restlessly behind him and Harry tensed, worried about his reaction if he awoke to find their bodies melded together in such away. Keeping his eyes firmly shut he gave the façade of sleep as Draco began to wake. The Gryffindor heard him sigh happily as Draco withdrew his arms to stretch and the warmth was gone.

"Morning," Harry said with a yawn to let Draco know that he was awake.

"Morning," Draco returned happily. "Sleep well?"

"Actually I did, you?"

"Better than I have in a long while," Draco replied making Harry smile as the blonde rolled over to face his companion. Oh how Harry loved that smile. "Are you ready for today?" Draco asked, though he had no real idea of exactly how difficult it was going to be for the raven haired teen.

"Not in the least," Harry admitted, thinking that the next two days were going to be long and painful, almost too much to bare. He would be rehashing over the events of his childhood and his life at the Dursley's today and then tomorrow he would be in attendance at a funeral of a man who he greatly admired and missed.

It was a path that he had chosen to take however and he would tread it and find out exactly where it led. Even though it had been painful it had also been some of the greatest and happiest moments of his life. Draco had made him stronger and better than he had ever thought he could be. If following this path in his life would have him in Draco's arms every night and waking up to his beautiful smiling face then Harry would not have any complaints for the rest of his life.

"I guess we should shower …" Draco said and then realising how it sounded flushed a brilliant crimson that showed up brightly against his pale skin. "I meant separately, not together," Draco mumbled suddenly unable to make eye contact with him. Harry chuckled, loving how embarrassed the blonde was.

"You go first," Harry said with a laugh and taking his cue Draco slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Unbeknownst to him, Harry watched him go, or more precisely he watched his arse go. It was a view that he wasn't going to get tired of anytime soon.

The two of them didn't stay long enough at the pub to eat breakfast, deciding that it would be better to find somewhere along the way. Hidden under his cloak as they left the pub he watched the looks given to Draco by the bar tender as he settled the last of the bill. He could clearly see that there was a lot of distrust surrounding the Malfoy family. Harry vowed that when they were ready to go back to the wizarding world that he would make sure that everyone knew just how much they had helped him during and after the war. He wanted to ensure that both Draco and Narcissa could live in peace without fear of judgement or repercussions from their past.

Once outside Harry shed the cloak and stuffed it back into his backpack. It was early enough that not many people were around and Harry felt safe in the knowledge that no one would make a fuss if they saw him. He had to prepare himself for what was to come today. He had never thought that he would ever return to the Dursley's home or face the horrors that he had experienced there. He had wanted to forget it all but for some reason there was a desire to show Draco where he had grown up and what it had been like for him.

"Harry … are you sure that you're ready for this?" Draco asked, picking up on the unease that Harry was feeling as they walked through the town square, past the statue of Lily, James and baby Harry. They were planning on apparating to Privet Drive from outside of the ruined house, the same spot they had appeared in the previous day.

"It's something I need you to see Dray," Harry admitted to him, "There are things that you need to understand about what happened after this place," He said motioning around to Godrics Hollow as they passed through it on their way out.

"You mean where you grew up?" Draco asked curiously.

"Yes, the place where Hagrid took me after my parents were murdered. The place that Dumbledore thought would be the best place for me to live."

"I'm not sure I understand …" Draco said feeling hopelessly stupid that he couldn't grasp what Harry was trying to tell him.

"I don't expect you to, not yet," Harry said to him as they reached the house where James and Lily had lost their lives. He offered out his hand to the blonde who took it readily, preparing himself for the apparition. "But you will," He said and with a pop Harry took them both to Privet Drive.

Draco looked around, never had he seen a more muggle area, perfect hedges, neat lawns and regularly tended flowerbeds. It was almost too perfect. They were stood outside of a large, four bedroom house which had a large brass number four on it.

"This is where you lived?" Draco asked and Harry nodded his head. The Slytherin couldn't see anything wrong with this place, it seemed like such a normal place to live for a muggle.

"I should show you inside," Harry said, taking a deep, steading breath as he prepared himself to take a foot towards the front door, an action he found difficult, his legs suddenly made of lead and unable to move at all.

"We can turn back if you want," Draco offered as he watched Harry struggle. He just couldn't comprehend how this place was more difficult to revisit than the site where his parents had lost their lives, their graves or even Grimmauld Place. Harry had conquered them all with relative ease, he at least hadn't been frozen in place at the prospect of entering a building.

"No," Harry said with determination, "It's just a place," He said but this was more for his own benefit than for Draco's.

"I won't think any less of you Harry …" Draco said but Harry gave him a stern look that told him not to finish that sentence if he knew what was good for him.

"My Aunt and Uncle lived here … they had a son that was about my age. He was their pride and joy, he was their everything. They treasured everything about him, spoiling him rotten. When my Aunt found me on the doorstep I instantly became an unwanted burden, another mouth to fed, hated just because I existed."

Draco's breath caught in his throat at the words escaping softly from Harry's lips, his tone so quite that he had to stand very still to be able to hear him. He struggled to come to terms with the fact that Harry had ever been hated just for existing, not when he had been branded a hero from the moment he had destroyed Voldemort at the age of one.

With a final deep breath harry closed his eyes and began to walk towards the front door of the still empty property, trying not to think too much. If he started to think then he wouldn't have been able to go through with it.