"On a scale of one to ten, how stupid do I look right now?" Harry asks Hermione who takes another sip of her drink.
"Eleven." Hermione places her drink on a coaster and straightens his tie. "Nervous?"
"No," Harry sighs. He would be nervous if he had any control over the situation. One good thing about being a surgeon is that he has long realized where his limits are as a person. He knows he has no control here. "Oh god," Harry says when he spots platinum hair. Instead of being combed back and slicked with copious amounts of hair gel-like back in the day, it's now in an easy yet perfectly feathery hairstyle. Draco has just entered the room with his parents, his godfather, and his entourage of imbecile friends. "Pray."
"I shall." Hermione, like the others, is ready for a spectacle. She is still hoping for the best possible outcome for her best friend.
"It is fine." Remus places a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder who is staring at Draco as if he is a time bomb. "You both look nice."
"You both look stupid," Ron says from where he is scarfing down the appetizers. Hermione made him come but he is not happy about it.
"Shut it," Hermione warns her husband, making him obediently bow his head.
"You are going to need to teach me how to do that dear," Remus tells Hermione appreciatively.
"I think you do okay," Hermione winks at Sirius, who seems to have forgotten how to blink. He seems to be having a more toned-down version of Harry's reaction, who is petrified.
"Shall we?" Narcissa takes her seat by the rest of the chaperones. "Oh, doesn't this all feel familiar Lucius dear? Just yesterday, we were being chaperoned ourselves."
"Yes, dear." Lucius' eyebrow twitches. "Exactly like back in our day."
"You look terrible," Narcissa informs Sirius who nods understandingly.
"Thank you, cousin." Sirius grabs another glass of celebratory champagne. His alpha body doesn't let him get drunk easily, but he will get there, as God is his witness because he will try his best.
Remus would stop Sirius, but he is busy imbibing himself, prepared for the show.
Draco lets Harry pull out a chair for him and sits across from him, far across the hall from the chaperones, yet still in earshot of all the alphas. "Pott… Harry." He nods. "You look… well."
Harry looks terrible. Tired, and haggard underneath his stylish suit. He has made an effort to look nice today, but the dark circles under his eyes, now a permanent fixture thanks to years of sleeplessness due to med school, almost take away from the emerald green eyes. Harry's eyes used to sparkle back in the day, but are now a tired, darker forest green instead. The shaggy head of hair is the same, even shaggier now, and the perfect, clean-shaven face has given way to stubble. Even Harry's alphaness is humble, unassuming. Not at all flashy like some of the idiots who came around trying to pursue Draco after he presented. Harry radiates power and doesn't have to feign it.
"Thank you, Draco." Harry has literally never said that name out loud before. "You look well." He means it too.
Draco presented in his final year and then disappeared from the public view for his safety. He has emerged somehow even more beautiful than before. The steely gray eyes are bluer. Draco used to wear three-piece suits like the rest of his douchey friends. Today, he is dressed formally but less pretentious. The outfit is flattering to his trim figure. His lips are a deep berry colour, poutier and his smile is less malicious and sociopathic than it used to be. His hair looks soft, and Harry has a sudden urge to run his hands through the platinum bangs. He remembers mocking Draco's hairstyle back in the day due to the harshness of his beta features coupled with the insane amount of mousse he used to put in his hair. His features are softer since he presented, and his regal cheekbones are more prominent since the seemingly permanent scowl seems to have disappeared.
"Shall we start?" Draco pushes the papers his parents saddled him with toward Harry. "Prenuptial agreement."
"Of course," Harry starts to sign without hesitation.
Draco places a hand on Harry's, despite his parents' venomous gazes. "Harry, it's a lot of money, you should think before…."
"I don't want your money." Harry removes Draco's hand and signs. "My parents left me enough to be comfortable." It's nowhere near the Malfoy fortune, but still, a considerable sum sits in Harry's bank account. He has no student loans or debt. He offered Sirius and Remus some money but they refused considering Sirius comes from considerable wealth himself and plans to leave it all to Harry someday. Harry prays that day never comes. He has already survived one set of parents' death, he cannot do it again.
"Still," Draco runs an uneasy hand through his hair, "Don't you want some financial payout in case we…"
"What?" Harry laughs humourlessly, "Divorce? We are not betas, it really is till death do us part. If we bond your money is staying right here with me, along with the rest of you."
"Right," Draco says, uneasily. "I knew that." He thought he came mentally and legally prepared. It seems Harry, always the boy scout is the prepared one and Draco is out of his depth.
"Anything else?" Harry confirms that Draco is done before producing a necklace. "My mother's." He hands it to Draco, who stares at it, mortified. "She stated in her will that my mate should wear it."
Draco's hands tremble. "I…" He stares at the emeralds, no doubt chosen by James Potter because Harry's mother had emerald green eyes, like Harry himself. "I can't do this." This is too real. It's not at all the easy-going affair Draco had tried to convince himself mating to be. Harry is serious about bonding with Draco and they are being chaperoned by god and everyone else as they discuss their legal possessions. It's too much.
"It's either this or death." Harry catches Draco's gaze and raises an eyebrow. "And painful torture for me."
Draco has no qualms about dying but putting someone through what Severus goes through every day is not something he is comfortable with, even with his dubious morals. Harry Potter doesn't deserve that fate. It's worse than death in many ways. It's why the law of nature is the way it is. Alphas have stronger bodies, so they live in pain for the rest of their lives after rejection. Omegas are the softer sex and endure death's mercy. "What does this mean?" Draco notices the engraving on the back of the necklace. His Latin is poor and forgotten at best.
"In perpetuum et unum diem." Harry says with the practiced ease of someone who says it every day.
"What does it mean?" Draco is curious, looking at the necklace with reverence. He never thought an alpha would ever give him something of their mother's. Most alphas tend to be cavemen, with no sophistication, no respect for anyone, even themselves. Harry is thoughtful and respects his mother. It bodes well for their relationship.
"Forever and a day." Harry laughs again, that hollow, mirthless smile. "Ironic, huh?"
"It's beautiful." Draco places the emerald chain around his neck with extreme care, afraid to damage it. "Thank you." Severus had mentioned recently that Harry's parents died a long time ago. It makes him sad for Harry. Sometimes Draco wishes his parents would die, but Harry's parents sound nice. They loved their child and Harry misses them dearly. Despite his godfather's devoted love and attention, Harry would do anything to bring his parents back.
That frighteningly empty smile drops from Harry's face. "Anything else?"
"I think you should leave while you still can," Draco says and means it too. "This is a mistake."
"I know." Harry fights the urge to drink. He wants to remember this. "If my mistake saves a life so be it. How many times does that happen to a doctor? That their mistakes save lives?"
Draco nods, shaken. Harry is noble and stupid enough to enter a loveless union. Draco wants to live, but he still said something to Harry to try and stop him. At least now Harry can't blame him twenty years down the road and resent Draco for ruining his life. Draco looks up at Harry, who is filling his glass with the priciest champagne the hotel offers. Lucius and Narcissa had spared no expense. It suddenly dawns on Draco that Harry has been in his life for the better part of a decade and is going to be till death does them part. The thought is terribly claustrophobic.
"Where are you going?" Harry looks up at Draco in surprise as the omega stands, straightening his dress shirt.
"I need a minute." Draco suddenly feels that the giant room hasn't got an ounce of air in it.
"Severus," Lucius turns to his friend with fear in his eyes. "He is making a run for it." Severus has always had a special bond with Draco and can understand him. Lucius has never been able to forge a father-son bond with Draco but somehow Severus of all people has managed to reach the most difficult boy on the planet.
"Oh it's just cold feet," Narcissa says, drunk as a loon already. "I ran away so many times before our wedding, do you remember Lucius dear?"
"Yes," Lucius responds, sober and solemn. "I do. Unfortunately, they always found you," He turns to his wife who starts laughing hysterically.
"Did he just say, unfortunately?" Remus turns to his husband, who shakes his head and warns Remus to not pay attention to anything his fowl cousin or her equally fowl husband says. "I mean, not everyone has to be in love before getting married, but still…" He says as Lucius cackles just as hard and mimes choking Narcissa. "That is not okay."
"Try growing up with them." Sirius shudders, a little buzzer but still, very much sober.
"I will go." Harry stands up to go after Draco and doesn't let Severus follow Draco outside. "I have to be able to talk to him." Sham or not, their bonding is still happening, and Harry needs to be able to handle a distraught omega, even if it is Draco.
"No, you do not." Severus tries to push Harry aside. "Avoid talking to him and touching him, period." He wishes he could free Draco from Harry and keep the boy safe from everyone and everything. Unfortunately, he has to hand off his godson to the son of the man responsible for Severus' greatest loss and pain. Life is a cruel bitch.
Harry ignores the contemptuous glare and shrugs Snape's handoff. "Professor, please." He hands Snape his glass, "Let me talk to my intended."
Snape gives Harry an unbelievable look but lets him follow Draco. One of the many things he hates about Harry is that the brat refuses to fear him. He may just be the only person on the planet besides Draco who doesn't shiver at the sight of Snape. Severus considers wishing Harry a painful death as he always does when the brat annoys him but thinks better of it. If Harry dies after mating with Draco, he will take Severus' precious godson with him.