Happy holidays, fairlyironic! - Pensieve [HP]
Title: Pensieve
Author: cruisedirector
Recipient: fairlyironic
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: PG13
Summary: Draco sends a New Year gift to give Harry new perspective.
Warning: Entirely epilogue non-compliant.
Notes: My recipient said angst and cliches were both all right, so I took it at face value. Here are ten drabbles for a happy new year.
~~~
After the war, everyone paired off, though not in the configurations Harry had expected. Hermione and Viktor bought a house together, Ron rediscovered Lavender's devotion, and Ginny went to live with the beautiful French girl who had briefly been her sister-in-law.
Harry was happy for them all, but holidays still made him melancholy. Despite the piles of presents he received from anonymous well-wishers, he felt alone.
When he received an enormous package wrapped in gilded paper studded with gemstones, he could think of only one wizarding family with the sort of fortune to send him such a present. But why?
Harry and Draco hadn't spoken since the Battle of Hogwarts. Since then, Draco had remained close to his parents, testifying at his father's trial, traveling with them through France once Lucius called in enough favors to clear their names.
Harry gave Draco's wand to the Ministry and thought little more about it, or him. At least, that was what he told his friends.
When he opened the package, Harry was even more mystified. It contained a Pensieve, smaller than the one at Hogwarts yet more elaborate. Harry inspected it for any sort of curse, but it appeared to be unaltered.
What's this? read the note he owled to the Malfoy home.
Thought you might want to clear your head, came the answer.
Draco had included a set of vials for storing memories. Certain at first that they must have a spell on them to broadcast his private memories to the world, or at least to the Malfoys, Harry refused to use them.
But one night, after an awful nightmare about Snape's death, Harry had gone to the Pensieve. One by one, he had retrieved and rewatched his memories of the battle.
Draco's betrayal had hurt as much as Fred's death.
Only when he sorted the vials did Harry realize Draco had sent one that wasn't empty. It had a dragon-head stopper sealing a cloudy swirl inside.
Draco's memories of the struggle in the Room of Requirement were quite different from Harry's. Oh, Draco had been terrified of dying, and appalled when Crabbe had conjured Fiendfyre, but the emotions foremost in Draco's mind had been guilt and longing.
Draco had wanted Harry to live more than he had wanted the Dark Lord to fall.
It might have seemed like a cowardly way of letting Harry know, but Harry appreciated it anyway.
My head is clearer, thanks, he owled Draco after he'd had a few days to sort through the mess of his own memories about Draco in the Pensieve. I owe you a Christmas present.
You don't owe me anything, Draco replied. But maybe we could start over.
Harry thought of Lockhart, living in happy, memory-free oblivion. He didn't want that, even if some of his own memories were awful.
"I can't start over," he told Draco when they met for drinks. "But maybe we can leave the past in the past."
"At least all of the bad things," Draco agreed.
"You can't blame me for worrying," Hermione said. "I know how much you've been through, and it must have been confusing having Ginny leave you for a woman..."
"That wasn't confusing, it was liberating," confessed Harry. "Look, I didn't suddenly wake up thinking I might be gay. When I looked at my memories in the Pensieve, I could admit to myself that I'd had those thoughts for a long time."
"But Draco Malfoy! Harry, you know what he's like!"
"What he was like." Harry smiled a bit. "I remember. I've relived it. But I also always thought he was good-looking."
As it turned out, Draco had good memories of Harry too. More than Harry would have expected. He hadn't really minded that Harry flew faster on a broom or spoke Parseltongue. It meant that Draco's father had been an idiot about blood purity as well as many other things.
"Of course he doesn't approve," Draco told Harry when they went away together the next Christmas. "But who cares? Even my mother doesn't listen to him now."
Harry had left the Pensieve in Narcissa Malfoy's keeping. He thought that, once she sorted through her own memories, she'd accept her son's choices.
"Nobody will tell me what my father was like as a werewolf," muttered Teddy.
Draco and Harry exchanged a glance. They had known that it would not be easy to raise the child of Remus and Tonks, but Andromeda had insisted that an orphan and a onetime Death Eater might understand Teddy best.
"They want you to remember what we loved best about him," began Harry, but Draco shook his head.
"He has a right to know all of Lupin's sides."
Reluctantly, Harry pulled out his memories of that awful night of transformation. Teddy watched them over and over, transfixed.
"I'm his sperm donor, not his father," Harry reminded Ginny as he fondly watched Al's sister wrestle him to the ground. "No more than Draco is Lily's father."
"The two of you are the closest things to fathers that our children have," Fleur pointed out. "They want to know about the people they're named for. Ginny has told Fred about his uncle, but you and Draco must talk to James, Albus and Lily."
"When they're older," Harry said. He wasn't ready to show Albus all of Snape's memories.
But after ten years, he supposed it was time to show Draco.
"What does my son want for Christmas?" asked Lucius Malfoy.
Despite their decade together, Draco's father still sounded as though he suspected Harry only loved Draco's money. "The same thing he wanted last year," Harry replied.
"Impossible." Lucius frowned. "Perhaps Muggles believe in letting men marry men, but no traditional wizards will support it."
"Draco and I aren't traditional wizards." Harry gestured at their unconventional family. "I know you'd rather change that..."
"I only want Draco to be happy. Who do you think paid for that Pensieve he sent you?" While Harry gaped, Lucius added, "I'll speak to the Ministry."
Author: cruisedirector
Recipient: fairlyironic
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: PG13
Summary: Draco sends a New Year gift to give Harry new perspective.
Warning: Entirely epilogue non-compliant.
Notes: My recipient said angst and cliches were both all right, so I took it at face value. Here are ten drabbles for a happy new year.
~~~
After the war, everyone paired off, though not in the configurations Harry had expected. Hermione and Viktor bought a house together, Ron rediscovered Lavender's devotion, and Ginny went to live with the beautiful French girl who had briefly been her sister-in-law.
Harry was happy for them all, but holidays still made him melancholy. Despite the piles of presents he received from anonymous well-wishers, he felt alone.
When he received an enormous package wrapped in gilded paper studded with gemstones, he could think of only one wizarding family with the sort of fortune to send him such a present. But why?
Harry and Draco hadn't spoken since the Battle of Hogwarts. Since then, Draco had remained close to his parents, testifying at his father's trial, traveling with them through France once Lucius called in enough favors to clear their names.
Harry gave Draco's wand to the Ministry and thought little more about it, or him. At least, that was what he told his friends.
When he opened the package, Harry was even more mystified. It contained a Pensieve, smaller than the one at Hogwarts yet more elaborate. Harry inspected it for any sort of curse, but it appeared to be unaltered.
What's this? read the note he owled to the Malfoy home.
Thought you might want to clear your head, came the answer.
Draco had included a set of vials for storing memories. Certain at first that they must have a spell on them to broadcast his private memories to the world, or at least to the Malfoys, Harry refused to use them.
But one night, after an awful nightmare about Snape's death, Harry had gone to the Pensieve. One by one, he had retrieved and rewatched his memories of the battle.
Draco's betrayal had hurt as much as Fred's death.
Only when he sorted the vials did Harry realize Draco had sent one that wasn't empty. It had a dragon-head stopper sealing a cloudy swirl inside.
Draco's memories of the struggle in the Room of Requirement were quite different from Harry's. Oh, Draco had been terrified of dying, and appalled when Crabbe had conjured Fiendfyre, but the emotions foremost in Draco's mind had been guilt and longing.
Draco had wanted Harry to live more than he had wanted the Dark Lord to fall.
It might have seemed like a cowardly way of letting Harry know, but Harry appreciated it anyway.
My head is clearer, thanks, he owled Draco after he'd had a few days to sort through the mess of his own memories about Draco in the Pensieve. I owe you a Christmas present.
You don't owe me anything, Draco replied. But maybe we could start over.
Harry thought of Lockhart, living in happy, memory-free oblivion. He didn't want that, even if some of his own memories were awful.
"I can't start over," he told Draco when they met for drinks. "But maybe we can leave the past in the past."
"At least all of the bad things," Draco agreed.
"You can't blame me for worrying," Hermione said. "I know how much you've been through, and it must have been confusing having Ginny leave you for a woman..."
"That wasn't confusing, it was liberating," confessed Harry. "Look, I didn't suddenly wake up thinking I might be gay. When I looked at my memories in the Pensieve, I could admit to myself that I'd had those thoughts for a long time."
"But Draco Malfoy! Harry, you know what he's like!"
"What he was like." Harry smiled a bit. "I remember. I've relived it. But I also always thought he was good-looking."
As it turned out, Draco had good memories of Harry too. More than Harry would have expected. He hadn't really minded that Harry flew faster on a broom or spoke Parseltongue. It meant that Draco's father had been an idiot about blood purity as well as many other things.
"Of course he doesn't approve," Draco told Harry when they went away together the next Christmas. "But who cares? Even my mother doesn't listen to him now."
Harry had left the Pensieve in Narcissa Malfoy's keeping. He thought that, once she sorted through her own memories, she'd accept her son's choices.
"Nobody will tell me what my father was like as a werewolf," muttered Teddy.
Draco and Harry exchanged a glance. They had known that it would not be easy to raise the child of Remus and Tonks, but Andromeda had insisted that an orphan and a onetime Death Eater might understand Teddy best.
"They want you to remember what we loved best about him," began Harry, but Draco shook his head.
"He has a right to know all of Lupin's sides."
Reluctantly, Harry pulled out his memories of that awful night of transformation. Teddy watched them over and over, transfixed.
"I'm his sperm donor, not his father," Harry reminded Ginny as he fondly watched Al's sister wrestle him to the ground. "No more than Draco is Lily's father."
"The two of you are the closest things to fathers that our children have," Fleur pointed out. "They want to know about the people they're named for. Ginny has told Fred about his uncle, but you and Draco must talk to James, Albus and Lily."
"When they're older," Harry said. He wasn't ready to show Albus all of Snape's memories.
But after ten years, he supposed it was time to show Draco.
"What does my son want for Christmas?" asked Lucius Malfoy.
Despite their decade together, Draco's father still sounded as though he suspected Harry only loved Draco's money. "The same thing he wanted last year," Harry replied.
"Impossible." Lucius frowned. "Perhaps Muggles believe in letting men marry men, but no traditional wizards will support it."
"Draco and I aren't traditional wizards." Harry gestured at their unconventional family. "I know you'd rather change that..."
"I only want Draco to be happy. Who do you think paid for that Pensieve he sent you?" While Harry gaped, Lucius added, "I'll speak to the Ministry."