Summary: Draco is a Healer, Harry is an Auror. When an accident sends Harry to St Mungo's and into Draco's care they begin to wonder if things can ever go back to the way they were.
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings that you recognise; they belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I am not making any money from this story.
A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, I've had this chapter written for a while now but I couldn't decide if I wanted to re-write parts of it before I posted or not. I hope it's worth the wait x
Chapter Twelve: You Started It
Harry knocked gingerly on the bathroom door, trying to stifle his laughter.
"Who is it?" came the suspicious reply, barely audible over the sound of running water.
"It's me. 'Mione's gone now so you can come out," Harry grinned. "If it makes you feel better, she was impressed."
The door swung open suddenly, revealing an outraged Draco, wearing only a frown.
"Of course she was, but that is far from the point!"
"Oh, stop being such a drama queen," Harry rolled his eyes as the Slytherin looked affronted. "And don't give me that look; you know I'm right."
"You're never right," Draco smirked, pulling Harry into the room by the front of his T-shirt. "Now, get your kit off!"
The brunette shook his head, laughing, but did as he was told – whatever he was planning, Harry wasn't about to say no, especially if it took place in here. If there was one part of Draco's posh flat that he never ceased to marvel at, it was the bathroom. At first glance, it appeared to be a normal bathroom, i.e. a toilet, a sink and a standard shower stall but, upon closer inspection, one found that the shower stall was far from standard. You see, Draco had a wetroom. Now, Harry had never seen anything like it in his life and it was with great delight that he discovered its brilliance one Sunday afternoon, accompanied by Draco, of course. The only thing he could liken it to was the communal shower block in the swimming pool changing room that he'd visited when he was nine with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin during the summer holidays, when they were unable to find anyone willing to look after him. The room was tiled floor-to-ceiling, with several showerheads above them and countless jets all around the walls. Harry grinned at the memory of their first session in the wetroom, feeling himself harden in anticipation and he pulled his shirt clumsily over his head, quite forgetting that his glasses were there. As soon as he was fully divested of the offending garments, he was pulled under the stream of hot water, relishing the feeling as it relaxed his tense muscles. The misted glass door swung shut and, within seconds, Draco's mouth was on his, begging entry, which Harry happily obliged. The brunette moaned as he felt the blonde's tongue brush against his own. He kissed him back frantically, dragging his teeth across the Slytherin's bottom lip, drawing a whimper so sexy that Harry almost felt his knees to give out. Obviously annoyed at the momentary loss of control, Draco grabbed his hips and pushed him against the cool, tiled wall, using his full weight to pin him there. Before he had time to react, the Gryffindor found his hands above his head, crossed at the wrist, and secured by invisible bonds. Panting, he opened his eyes to find his boyfriend grinning wickedly, twirling his wand gracefully between his fingers.
"What… what are you doing?" he managed to get out. He gave an experimental tug and was somehow surprised when it remained unyielding.
"Just trying something new," he replied innocently, pacing back and forth in front of him.
"Okay, but… I can't move my hands," Harry frowned slightly and the taller man snorted with laughter.
"That's kind of the point," he smirked, and he descended on Harry with renewed fervor, licking and biting his neck, grinning as the brunette struggled against his bonds. "Relax," he said, more gentle than before. "I'll stop if you want me to but I think you'll like it if you give it a chance."
Harry considered this for a moment and, slowly, he nodded. Draco gave him a huge grin and any lingering doubts instantly vanished. Fuck it, he thought to himself. He would do anything for that smile. Little did he know, Draco was well aware of this and fully intended to use it to his advantage. He was going to make the proud Gryffindor beg for him by the end of this.
Harry watched the blonde advance on him, a decidedly predatory gleam in those steely grey eyes and he knew that he should feel nervous but, frankly, he was too busy marveling at how amazing Draco looked. The Slytherin had the deadly combination of brains and beauty - both of which he possessed in quantities so vast that it was should have been illegal. He stood less than a foot away from him and Harry couldn't help but appreciate his smooth, milky skin and sharp features. He watched the muscles in the blonde's shoulders flex slightly as his arms moved and the the way his platinum hair fell in his eyes when he walked. Draco took another step forward, coming to halt just under one of the many showerheads and Harry's brain short-circuited as he took in the sight of his boyfriend, skin slick with water and hair clinging damply to his face. He gave a final, futile, tug on his bonds and groaned in frustration.
"Get over here then!" he snapped, hissing in pleasure as Draco obliged, closing the gap between them and gently pressing his hips upwards. Harry let his head fall back as the blonde resumed his ministrations, gently sucking and nipping at his neck with his teeth. He moaned as he felt a slender hand slide across his back and down his side, coming to rest on his hip. Draco licked the hollow at the base of the brunette's throat and the younger man bucked his hips involuntarily. Smirking, the Slytherin used one hand to hold the eager Gryffindor firmly in place, trailing kisses along his jaw before taking his bottom lip into his mouth and sucking gently. Harry moaned as the blonde began a thorough exploration of his mouth, allowing his free hand to roam unimpeded. He attempted to steady himself, acutely aware of how obvious his desire was, but felt his breathing hitch as cool fingertips ghosted his inner thigh. Now painfully hard, he was growing frustrated at his inability to move his hips. The water was spraying them from all directions and he could feel Draco's chest sliding against his as they kissed feverishly, their tongues fighting for dominance. He fought against his restraints and tried fruitlessly to gain more contact, a low growl escaping him as Draco took a step back. All shame gone, he stood wanton and panting, his emerald eyes half-lidded and clouded with lust. His knees were barely supporting him and had he not been held by magic, he was sure that they would have given out long ago. He let his head fall back to rest against the wall and gazed up at his lover, who was looking at him with a mixture of desire and… something else. Something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that he recognised in those stormy grey eyes, that made him feel as though he was sixteen years old again and desperately wanting to swing a punch at that smug, arrogant face. Slowly, shakily, he grinned and a bark of laughter escaped his bruised lips. Draco looked at him blankly.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"You really enjoy having me at your mercy, don't you?" Harry was still grinning.
"Well, yes, but I don't see why that's funny," the blonde frowned at him, taking another step back.
"The look on your face just then…" he laughed again. "That's exactly how you used to look at me when we were fighting at school!"
"No it wasn't!"
"It was! In later years anyway, when our fights got rather more… physical…" he thought back to their fifth year when Draco had been taunting the Gryffindor team after a Quidditch match and Harry had proceeded to beat the living shit out of him, with the help of George Weasley. He could still picture the way the Slytherin had leered at him, his eyes holding the same triumphant look that he'd seen a few moments ago. Draco seemed to be thinking of the same incident because he groaned with embarrassment and covered his face with his hands.
"I was such a detestable little bastard, wasn't I? I deserved everything I got back then."
Harry was about to agree when it suddenly dawned on him how ridiculous the situation was. He was bound, naked, in Draco's shower along with Draco himself, who was also naked, reminiscing about their school days. He was forced to laugh again and, this time, Draco didn't need an explanation.
"I think the moment's gone now, don't you?" the blonde asked, the corners of his lips twitching.
"I suppose," he agreed, looking disappointed but sighing in relief nevertheless as Draco released him with a flick of his wand. Flexing his fingers slowly, he slumped on the floor and allowed the water to wash over him soothingly. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, pushing his hair out of his eyes and giving a contented moan as the water ran down his chest and stomach. A moment later, he found himself on his back with Draco straddling him, a haughty look on his face.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"What can I say?" Harry smirked. "You started it."
-x-
The next evening, Harry and Draco stood on the doorstep of the Burrow, waiting for someone to let them in. Under his cloak, Harry was carrying the large roll of parchment that was his divorce papers and he had every intention of giving them to Ginny that evening but his nerves must have shown because Draco turned to glare at him.
"Will you stand still?! You look like you're about to piss yourself!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, is my terror at the concept of presenting my stalker of an ex-wife with divorce papers bothering you?" he snapped. "I'm terribly sorry to have inconvenienced you. How rude of me!"
Draco took a deep breath before replying through clenched teeth: "There's no need to be like that, I was just saying -"
"Well, don't just say, okay? Because -"
Why Draco was not to just say, he never found out because the door swung open to reveal Teddy Lupin, who was sporting a shock of electric blue hair and an enormous grin.
"Uncle Harry!" he cried, his eyes instantly changing from ocean blue to emerald green as he began jumping up and down on the spot. He suddenly caught sight of Draco and immediately sobered, his hair becoming whitest blonde. Draco had never met a Metamorphmagus before and found the experience a little strange, to say the least. Harry had had to explain that Teddy did not know how to control his powers and so mimicked everything that he saw involuntarily; he had a feeling, however, that Teddy's random changes were not what was causing his boyfriend's stunned silence. At that moment, the little boy looked as though he could be their son. They exchanged awkward glances but were saved the trouble of thinking of something to say by Molly popping her head around the door to see who it was. Upon seeing Teddy, she burst out laughing.
"Well, that's not something you see every day!"
The two men laughed nervously, each avoiding the other's eye. They were both embraced warmly by Molly before continuing along hallway to the living room, where they could hear a frantic-sounding Hermione.
"No, Danny… please stop that… no, don't do that! Give that to Mummy, it's not a toy! Danny -"
Harry and Draco jumped back against the wall just in time as two small children, one blonde and one ginger, streaked past them towards the garden, laughing gleefully as they carried a broomstick between them. Ginny suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Please don't tell me that those brats just ran out with my thousand-galleon racing broom?" her eyes flicked back and forth between Harry and Draco as though accusing them of something. Hermione emerged from the living room, wringing her hands anxiously.
"I'm so sorry Ginny, they just took it and wouldn't give it back!"
"And you couldn't overpower two three year-olds?" Ginny cried as she thundered down the stairs and out the door, wand in hand.
Draco gave Harry a meaningful look as she passed. Harry frowned and shook his head. Now did not seem to be the time to present Ginny with divorce papers but Draco was nothing if not persistent. The blonde nodded and gave him a gentle push in the direction of the door. Harry gulped; it was now or never. He made his way to the back door and was greeted by the sight of Ginny wrestling her broom out of Danny's grip. The toddler was squealing and giggling, which only served to anger her more. Harry shook his head and Summoned the broom with a flick of his wand, effectively breaking up the scene before him. Danny and Victoire shared a look, their eyes wide, and ran back into the house. He, however, made his way down into the garden, Ginny's broom over his shoulder.
"Thanks," she winked, sidling up to him. She placed a hand on his chest. "My knight in shining -"
"Stop it, Ginny," he said brusquely as he pushed her hand away. "I need to talk to you."
"Talk then," she snapped, looking annoyed that he'd spurned her advanced yet again.
Harry paused, dropping his gaze to the ground. There was no point beating about the bush. "I want a divorce."
There was silence. He looked up, expecting to see her crying or, more likely, angry, but was surprised to see her expression impassive.
"Well, I suppose, if that's what you think you need," she replied calmly.
"It is what I need, Gin," he said, less abruptly than before.
"Okay, I'll speak to Dad to see if he knows anyone in Magical Law and then -"
"There's no need for that," Harry reached inside his robes and pulled out a scroll of parchment. "These are divorce papers. Everything should be in order but feel free to have someone look over them before you sign them. Draco's lawyer has -"
"Draco's lawyer?" she suddenly looked murderous. "I should have known that this was his idea!"
"He didn't push me into it or anything, Ginny!" Harry frowned. "I just think that getting a divorce would give you the closure that you obviously need!"
Ginny's face fell. "So this is for my benefit? Do you not need closure, Harry?"
"No," he said simply. "I've known that our relationship was over for a long time. I'm sorry, Ginny, but I don't love you anymore and you just need to accept that and let go. Just let me be happy with Draco," he pressed the scroll into her hands and turned to leave. As he reached the back door, she called his name.
"You're giving the house to Ron and Hermione?"
He turned to face her. "Yeah, they need it more than we do. Draco asked me to move in with him and you can use the money from my vault to buy a new place," he explained. She didn't react to this news and he took that as a sign that there was nothing more to say on the subject. He wiped his feet on the doormat and continued onwards into the house. Draco looked at him enquiringly as he entered the living room and he nodded once to let him know that he had done it.
People arrived in dribs and drabs and, when everyone was finally together and settled in, Molly announced that dinner was ready. Ginny did not join them outside, instead pleading a headache and retiring to her bedroom. When Ron broke the news of Hermione's pregnancy, every member of the family jumped to their feet to congratulate them, swarming around the couple in an enormous group hug. Harry smiled, waiting until the last Weasley had been seated before announcing that he would be moving in with Draco and transferring the ownership of Grimmauld Place from his name to Ron's and Hermione's. At this, Hermione burst into tears and flung herself across the table at him, while Ron clapped him on the shoulder, apparently speechless. He felt a rush of affection towards his best friends as he watched them exchange loving smiles, neither of them able to articulate their thanks. At this touching family scene, Draco wiped his mouth with a napkin and politely excused himself, making his way into the house to use the bathroom.
"Harry, mate… are you sure about this?" Ron asked, his arm still around Hermione's shoulders.
"Of course I am!" he grinned. "You guys need it far more than I do!"
"But what about Ginny?" asked Hermione, cocking her head.
"Well…" Harry's smile faltered and he was painfully aware that everyone had turn to watch their exchange. "I - I actually gave Ginny divorce papers tonight."
There was a moment of silence that was only punctuated by Danny babbling to Molly, who was listening with rapt attention to everything that was being said at the other end of the table.
"I'm so sorry, Harry," Hermione said, patting his arm sympathetically. "How did she take it?"
"Surprisingly well," Harry replied. "She seemed fine with it."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the sound of raised voices coming from inside the house.
"What in Merlin's name…" Molly dropped her napkin on the table and got to her feet.
"Who is still in the house?" Bill asked, frowning.
"Well… Draco just nipped in to use the loo," Harry replied, looking non-plussed.
"And Ginny said she wasn't hungry," Molly added with a look of dawning comprehension.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look and they jumped to their feet, running into the house with Bill and George not far behind. The voices grew louder as they ran through the narrow corridor towards the stairs and Harry felt himself being pushed to the ground as a flash of red hit the wall just inches from where he had been standing. He could hear Ginny shrieking and he got to his feet cautiously to see her standing less than a foot away from Draco, throwing hexes and curses, which the blonde deflected easily. Her usually-pretty face was contorted with rage and her brow was misted with sweat from the effort of the spells that she was firing. She paused for just a second but that was all the time that Draco needed.
"Expelliarmus!" he yelled, catching her wand as it flew out of her hand. She gave an indignant screech and made to snatch it out of his grip but he was too fast and he held it high above her head.
"Give it back," she snarled.
"No," Draco said simply. "Not until you stop all of this madness."
"Madness?" she repeated, looking incredulous. "Trying to make my husband happy is madness?! Wanting what's best for him is madness?!"
"If you really wanted what was best for him then you'd give him the divorce and let him get on with his life!" Draco countered, dancing out of her reach as she made another swipe for her wand.
"His life is with me!" she growled. "You've just brainwashed him! Harry and I are meant to be together - I love him!"
"But he doesn't love you! How many times does he have to say it before you get it into your head that he's moved on?!"
"We've been together since we were at school! You don't move on just like that!"
"Why can't you just accept that he's with me now?"
"Because you could never make him happy! Harry could never be happy with someone as selfish as you!"
"And wanting to keep him in trapped in a loveless marriage isn't selfish?"
Harry watched the exchange, his eyes wide and disbelieving. How could Ginny throw curses so casually, without batting an eyelid? If Harry felt so inclined, he could have her at the Ministry and charged with reckless use of magic before her feet even touched the ground. Luckily for her, Harry avoided arresting people unless it was completely necessary.
"Stop it, both of you!" he bellowed, drawing his wand.
"Harry!" Ginny's eyes widened and she instantly stopped trying to wrestle her wand from Draco's grip. "I was on my way -"
"Save it, Ginny," he spat, throwing her a disgusted look. "We heard everything and I would be willing to bet every galleon in my vault that you ambushed Draco on his way to the bathroom," she opened her mouth to argue but he raised a hand to silence her. "He's right though – why can't you just accept that it's over?"
"Because I know that you'll come back to me. He doesn't love you like I do, Harry," she smiled sweetly.
"You don't love me and you never have!"
"How can you say that?! I've loved you since the day that I met you!"
"And you had been brought up on Merlin knows how many stories about me before then. You idolised me and it only got worse when you finally met me," he said wearily. "We don't work together, Gin, it's as simple as that. I just need you to sign the divorce papers and then we can get on with our lives."
Her face crumpled. "You really don't love me?"
"No," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."
Her eyes shining with tears, she turned her gaze to Draco. "You did this."
"Pardon?" the blonde sneered.
"You stole him," she hissed, her eyes glinting dangerously. "We were perfectly happy together until you came along!" He looked alarmed as she took a step towards him. "You ruined everything."
"I can assure you that I did no such thing. It was ruined long before I -"
"It's all your fault!" she screamed. "You ruined everything!"
"I -"
"YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" she lunged at him with a wounded cry and placed her hands on his chest, shoving him hard. Harry watched, as if in slow-motion, as the Slytherin's fingers desperately scrabbled at the handrail, unable to prevent himself falling backwards down the stairs. His grey eyes were filled with terror and he was airborne for a less than a second before his head connected with the wall with a sickening crack and he tumbled gracelessly to the bottom, landing at Harry's feet with a dull thud.
-x-
A/N: Oh, I do love a good cliffhanger! You know how it works: reviews = cookies and so on and so forth… x