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 Twelve

Harry unlocked the door with a wave of his wand and let the two of them inside. From the way harry had been reacting he had expected something akin to the dungeon at Malfoy Manor but there was nothing garish or tormenting about the house, except maybe the floral wallpaper. Draco was sure if you stared at it too long you'd be given a migraine. However when he saw that Harry was practically shaking he became very concerned.

"Harry you have to talk to me … you're scaring me a little," Draco said although it was a wrench for him to admit this. He hated seeing Harry being filled with such fear. The Gryffindor couldn't understand it either but then he had not been back since he had lost the part of him that had been Tom Riddle. Perhaps harry did have something to be thankful for Voldemort for. It seemed that the Dark Lord was the only reason he had had strength enough to survive the torrent of abuse that the Dursley's had put him though.

Timidly Harry moved forward and opened up the cupboard under the stairs where a mattress still lay upon the floor. "This was where I lived for the first eleven years of my life," He said quietly. Draco looked past Harry and into the tiny space, remembering how small and delicate the boy had looked when they had first met in Diagon alley all those years ago and now he knew why.

"What happened here Harry," Draco asked, his heart breaking for the small boy who before he knew what was happening to him had been ripped from a happy family home and placed somewhere he was neither wanted nor loved and expected to just survive.

"My Aunt and Uncle had been forced by Dumbledore to let me stay here. He hadn't specified how I was to be treated while I lived here however. As soon as I was able I was made to cook, to clean, to garden or do any job my Aunt could think of. I was never bought anything new, I wore Dudley's hand me downs that were too big for me. I had no friends, everyone too scared of my cousin to go near me. He was a bully and I was his favourite punching bag but even he didn't hit as hard as my Uncle." Harry had to pause and collect himself, the memories more painful than he had imagined. "They never told me that I was a wizard, I had no clue who I was. They said that my parents had died in a car accident and no one else had wanted me. I believed them because until I turned eleven no one came, no one cared. I was alone."

"You aren't alone anymore Harry," Draco said, "You're never going to be alone again if I can help it." As he spoke he took Harry into his arms and held him, the embrace had taken Harry by surprise but nevertheless he found himself returning the hug. Being within Draco's arms felt like the most comforting place that he could have hoped to be.

"You asked me why I appreciated the taste of food as much as I do," Harry said as he was released from the Slytherin's grip. "It's because unless I did as I was told and did it well to earn my food then I didn't get any. Even when they did feed me it was stale bread and cheese. They gave me only enough so that I would survive."

"Oh Harry …" Draco said, his voice pained.

"I don't want your pity," Harry said trying to keep his voice steady and stern. "I wanted you to see this place, to know what it was like here … I wanted you to understand why when I was eleven years old I could never have been your friend. The day I met you, you reminded me of my cousin, you made me feel stupid, like I was worthless just like the Dursley's always had."

"I'm so sorry Harry … I never meant to …"

"I know that Dray … I don't want you to feel guilty about it, I honestly don't. I have put all of that behind me and I've forgiven you. We were children, young and foolish boys."

"I'm still sorry, I had no idea of what you had been through," Draco said, his entire body racked with guilt over his past actions. "If you allow me to I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you Harry."

"You don't have to, we've both done things to each other that don't bear thinking about. You've already made up for everything in the last few days, coming with, keeping me strong," Harry said looking into the storm of silver that seemed so sad as they swept over his face. Harry held his gaze, his heart racing beneath his chest as Draco's hand came up and he wiped away a stray tear with a brush of his thumb.

"I want to make sure that you don't have to cry any more Harry," Draco said, speaking quietly, his hand remaining at Harry's cheek, stroking him tenderly. Harry leaned into the touch, appreciating the warmth of his skin.

He had known that today would be difficult but he had no idea just how challenging it would be to come back to this place. However here he stood, confronting his demons in the one place that he had always sought to escape from and with the one person he had never expected to worm his way into his heart.

"Draco…" Harry murmured, unable to form a coherent sentence from the jumble of thoughts rushing through his mind. They were so close, his touch ghosting gently against his cheek. All Harry could think about was leaning forward the last inch or so and kiss the thin rose pink lips before him.

Nervously Harry's tongue darted out, wetting his dry, chapped lips, an action that made Draco's heart practically skip a beat. If Harry hadn't have done that then the two of them might never had found the courage because it was this that made up Draco's mind that he couldn't stand it any longer. Being so close to him and being unable to touch him and to be with him it had been unbearable for days now.

If it had gone on much longer then Draco was sure that he would have ended up walking away, no matter how painful it would have been to do it. The pain in his chest at being so close to Harry and still not being able to have him completely had been torturous. He was sure that not even Voldemort himself could have come up with anything more painfully torturous than the feeling of not being able to have the one person that you desired the most.

Draco closed the distance between them, slowly and nervously. Not wanting to move too fast in case this wasn't what Harry wanted. He pressed his lips against Harry's with deliberate caution, gaging his reaction. He felt his heart soar in delight when he felt Harry's lips move against his, returning the kiss.

Encouraged Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him closer, their hips bumping together as the Gryffindor found himself encircling his arms around Draco's neck. Their kiss depended, tongues exploring shyly, politely asking to be allowed entrance to the other teen's mouth, permission that was readily granted.

Tongues met uncertainly, caressing, massaging and intertwining together. Harry felt his fingers running through soft blonde hair as he attempted to deepen the kiss, making it more desperate and passionate.

They only separated when they needed air to breath and to live, but even as their lips parted, they remained surged into one, foreheads pressed together, noses touching and both of them breathing heavily, wrapped up in the intensity of their first kiss.

"Wow," Draco said, almost unable to form words. "I've been wanting to do that for so long," He admitted quietly.

"Me too," Harry said, his words a ghost of a whisper as he captured Draco's lips once more, still tentative and uncertain. He never wanted to let the Slytherin go, he was just too afraid that any minute he was going to wake up and this would have been a dream.

Only the night before Harry had been dreaming about Draco, imagining how this would feel and now here they were, wrapped up in each other's arms and sharing the most beautiful and tender of kisses. It was almost too good to be true.

Here they stood in the Dursley's hallway, embracing Draco Malfoy of all people in a fervent kiss that had them both vying for more. Neither of them felt as if it would ever be enough or that they would ever be able to stop. The feelings that they had for one another were overwhelming, encompassing them and all that they had been through together, the good and the bad.

There was still a long way to go but they would of course do it together. Not as friends now but as something much, much more. They had so much to contend with but they weren't about to let that stop them. Harry was finally beginning to understand who he was without that small part of Tom Riddle languishing inside of him, infecting his soul. It was a person that could love and be loved by the young man who stood before him, just as broken and damaged but also the other half of him. Of this Harry was sure.

"Can we leave?" Harry asked, reluctant to release Draco, to let him go in any way but he didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't want the horrors of this place to infect the kind-hearted touch that went with Draco's sweet kisses. He wanted to be somewhere that meant he could enjoy the heat they shared, relish in the caressing touch they could give to one another.

"Anything you want," Draco replied, "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere that isn't here, anywhere that we can be together … like this." Harry said, speaking in whispers, not wanting for their moment to shatter just yet. He wasn't ready to let it go. Their first kiss. Days of longing and angst as they had travelled together, visiting places of great significance and meaning to one another and this was where it had led them.

Harry had never expected that when he had left the castle the night after the final battle that he would ever have been stood here. He never thought that he would have the courage to come back to this place but have done it and to be here, in the midst of a heated embrace that promised of so much more to come boggled his mind.

"Your wish is my command," Draco said, tightening his grip around Harry's waist, something which the Gryffindor hadn't thought was a possibility. "I know where we can go."

In the midst of war the two teenagers had lost themselves, allowing others to dictate their actions, whether that be Dumbledore, Lucius or Voldemort, they had both been guilty of allow others run their lives as if their destinies had been set in stone. Harry had been confused as to why he had survived, why death hadn't wanted to take him and now he had an answer. This was his reason for going on, Draco was the thing that he had to keep fighting for. This was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Tomorrow the two of them would go to Snape's funeral, disguised and concealed but they would do it together and they would keep each other strong. When they had each other they would be able to face anything, survive anything, conquer the world if they so desired. Whatever came next they would bring each other through.

Trusting each other completely, Harry shut his eyes and nuzzled himself into the crook of Draco's neck, allowing the Slytherin to take charge and apperate them away with a soft pop.