Father(s) of the Grooms
Title: Father(s) of the Grooms
Word Count: 3,000
Rating: PG 13
Warning(s): Flangst, AU/Non canon compliant (alive!Sirius)
Author's notes: Written for hd_fluff's August Prompt: Je ne regrette rien (I do not regret anything at all).
Summary: Sirius and Lucius screw up big time. And then they fix it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
It began- as most stories do- with a proposal. Harry realised now that that was the easy part. When he had presented Draco with a custom made, Goblin crafted platinum ring and his boyfriend had joyfully accepted, he had figured this was it. He had finally found the perfect man and his Happily Ever After would soon follow. From here on out, it would be smooth sailing all around.
Oh, the poor, naïve boy.
Now, here he was standing in the wreckage and rubble of what had once been the opulent West Living Room at the Manor. Harry’s heart sank as he took in the upturned furniture, torn tapestries and shattered pieces of china and crystal all around them. Draco stood right beside him, shoulders hunched slightly as he fidgeted with his ring. Narcissa surveyed the chaos, clutching sample swatches of white linen tightly in her pale, slim fingers as her angry gaze narrowed in on the cause of all this havoc.
“I regret nothing,” Lucius sneered, clutching at his torn trouser leg. His hair was singed and he was sporting a cut lip. “Nothing!”
“Likewise,” Sirius snapped, trying to wrestle a plastic cone off his head. “For the love of Godric, will someone get this blasted thing off me?!”
Draco swallowed and sat down shakily in a chair. Harry put a supporting hand on his shoulder, trying not to feel too hurt when his fiancé shrugged it off. He couldn’t blame Draco entirely, though. Things had been...tense between their respective families ever since the big announcement, but this was the worst thing to happen so far.
Sirius and Lucius had finally come to blows- over their speech rehearsals of all things (“I’ll go first!” “No, I’ll go first!”)- and frankly, Harry was starting to doubt it was worth it. He wondered if Draco felt the same way. His pale, pinched features and the tense turn of his mouth suggested that he was in similar straits.
“Of all the juvenile, irresponsible, inappropriate stunts I have ever witnessed,” Narcissa hissed suddenly in the ensuing silence. Her eyes flashed dangerously and despite her diminutive frame, both Sirius and Lucius cringed a little in the face of her wrath. “What do you have to say for yourselves?!”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Sirius protested, looking more like a pouty teenager than the Head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. “Your husband attacked me!”
“You drew your wand first, Black!” Lucius snarled. He turned to his seething wife and his expression went from livid to contrite in a split second. “Cissa, I really didn’t start...”
“I don’t care who started it!” Narcissa snapped. “To think you are the scions of two of the greatest Houses in magical history! This is supposed to be a joyous celebration. These boys are getting married in a month! They ask for your blessing and your support and what do you do? You scrap and snap at each other like...like ill-bred mongrels!”
“One of us is an ill-bred mongrel,” Lucius muttered under his breath.
“Yeah?” Sirius reared up at once. “Why don’t we take this outside, you poncy peacock?”
“I don’t see why not. Would you like to chase some squirrels while we’re out there?”
“Enough!” Narcissa ordered, stepping in between them before they came to blows again. “Just listen to the two of you! Your mothers would be rolling in their graves.”
“Good,” Sirius muttered petulantly. That was the last straw as far as Narcissa was concerned. Her eyes narrowed and she reached out, twisting her cousin’s ear until he staggered and yelped in pain. “Ow ow ow! Cissy, stop it!”
“You will cease this senseless feud,” Narcissa declared firmly, twisting again for good measure. “You will get along, you will behave yourselves for the sake of your son and godson and you will not goad each other into a row again! Am I clear?”
“I didn’t provoke the mutt,” Lucius sneered, crossing his arms defensively. “He is simply intolerable.”
“And you are a pain in the arse!” Sirius yelled, breaking out of Narcissa’s hold. “I can’t believe Harry wants to marry into this House of the Damned!”
“Potter is lucky we’re even considering him for Draco!” Lucius snarled back. “The likes of you wouldn’t even set foot in this Manor if it wasn’t for...”
“The likes of us? You arrogant, pompous windbag! I ought to...”
“Enough.”
The chaos halted as Draco stood up, glaring at the gathering with narrowed eyes. Finally his unforgiving gaze settled on Sirius. “Would it be too much to ask of you to stop insulting my family every two minutes?” he demanded with a sneer. “I know I’m not your first choice for Harry but I would really appreciate it if you could just pretend to be happy for us every now and then.”
Harry frowned and turned to him. “Now, wait a minute. Your father started it with all those dog cracks.”
“Only because your godfather provoked him,” Draco argued. “Are you seriously saying you don’t see it? He’s done nothing but sulk and whine and moan ever since we started planning this wedding!”
“Oh, and your father’s been nothing but supportive, right?” Harry spat. “He nearly hexed me when we broke the news to him! Hell, I’m just lucky your mum held him back!”
“Now, wait a minute...” Sirius began uncertainly.
Lucius was starting to look faintly concerned as well. “Gentlemen,” he tried, clearing his throat meaningfully. “Why don’t we all sit down and...”
But they weren’t listening now. Harry was glaring, Draco’s eyes were flashing and the tension hung thick in the air. After days and weeks of stressing over handling their families, they were finally starting to turn on each other. “This is so bloody typical,” Harry snapped. “You can’t hear a thing against him, can you? Even when he’s absolutely in the wrong, you can’t step up and tell him to stop being a complete twat!”
“Don’t talk about my father like that!” Draco snarled, barging into Harry's space. “And how dare you stand there and point fingers at me when you can’t even stand up to your godfather? No, he’s allowed to insult my family; he’s allowed to cast aspersions on us but the second we react...”
“We? Us?” Harry sneered. “So there are sides now? It’s funny, I was under the impression you and I were in this together.”
Draco’s mouth twisted. “You know what, Potter? So was I. Clearly, I was mistaken.”
“So that’s the way it is. Well, guess what? I don’t want to play this game. This is not what I wanted and I’m not so sure I can do this.”
“Neither am I.”
“It’s not supposed to be like this. This...it’s too hard.”
“I...I agree.”
“What?!” Sirius squawked.
For once, even Lucius looked somewhat blindsided. “Now, that’s not necess...”
“Fine then,” Harry declared, swallowing painfully. But when he spoke again, his voice was firm and his eyes were hard. “The wedding’s off.”
“Oh dear,” Narcissa murmured softly.
Draco sneered and took off the ring, tossing it at his now ex fiancé. “Fine by me,” he replied coldly. “Goodbye, Potter. And don’t come back.”
“Believe me, I won’t!” Harry belted back.
And then with rigid backs and suspiciously damp eyes, they turned their back on each other and stormed off- Draco up the stairs, and Harry out the door. Sirius and Lucius stared in stunned, horrified silence. The faint echo of the door slamming seemed to go on forever.
Narcissa sighed heavily and Vanished the linen swatches. “I hope you two are happy now,” she said coldly, before turning on her heel and storming out as well.
Lucius winced as somewhere in the Manor, another door slammed shut.
****
Lucius sat in his study later that night, twirling a glass of Firewhisky in his fingers. He was...unsettled, and while he was not familiar with the tense, uncomfortable feeling in his gut, he deduced that at least a part of it was guilt. The house-elves had reported that Draco was still in his quarters, gazing morosely out of the window with a picture of Potter clutched to his chest.
Lucius winced and drained the glass. He decided there and then that he was not a fan of this guilt...thing. It was most unpleasant.
The door clicked open and Lucius’ gaze darted up hopefully. He really hoped Cissa had decided to emerge from her own rooms and deign to speak to him again. He really could have used her sage advice in this trying time. Unfortunately luck was not on his side.
“Malfoy,” Black greeted gruffly, inviting himself in.
“What are you doing here?” Lucius grumbled.
Black sighed and flopped down in an armchair, pouring himself a glass. “I’ve done a lot of shite stuff in my life,” he began without preamble. “Well, not as much as you of course, but bad enough- take my word for it.”
Lucius felt his fists clench on instinct, but Black being the oblivious twat that he was, continued yammering.
“But I have never, ever broken up two kids in love before,” he finished quietly. His sharp, brown eyes met Lucius’ stoic, grey gaze. “I’m guessing this is a first for you too.”
Lucius got up to pace. “Draco is distraught,” he muttered.
“Harry too,” Black affirmed morosely. “I can’t even get him to talk to me. He just sits there moping like a sodding girl.”
Lucius bit back the urge to offer a scathing diatribe about Potter being the one to call things off in the first place. That wouldn’t do, not now. Besides, he was man enough to admit that part of it was his fault. Mostly Black’s, of course. But Lucius could have shown a little more restraint.
“Perhaps there is some common ground here after all,” he offered finally. “You and I may not see eye to eye on...well, anything. But we do put a lot of stock in family. I suppose what I’m saying is...” Lucius sighed heavily. This was so very unpleasant. Draco best appreciate everything he went through for him. “You may make the first speech at the wedding if you really wish to.”
Black sat up, looking so much like a hopeful mutt that Lucius had to resist the urge to offer him a biscuit. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he demanded.
Lucius nodded tersely. “It won’t be easy but between the two of us, I’m sure we can get my son and your fool of a godson to see sense. The only question is how.”
****
“God damn it, Sirius,” Harry growled as he checked his watch. His godfather was really not one of his favourite people right now.
There Harry was, minding his own business-huddling in bed and wondering just how and why his life had fallen apart in the blink of an eye. Then Sirius had demanded that he pull himself together and show up at The Twilight Hour for dinner and a drink or two.
Harry had been waiting in the ritzy restaurant for twenty minutes now and there was still no sign of Sirius. And to make matters even worse, Sirius had picked the one place Harry absolutely did not want to be in right now. The Twilight Hour was where he had proposed to Draco a few months ago. Right here, at this very table. Harry sighed wearily. What were the odds? They had been so happy. Everything had been perfect. And look how it had all turned out.
Not for the first time, he cursed himself for saying those awful things to Draco. It had all happened so fast and everything had been so stressful lately. It had seemed like a good idea to end things at the time. But it wasn’t. It was the biggest mistake he had ever made and for the life of him, Harry didn’t know how to fix it. If he could take it back now, he’d do it in a heartbeat. If he could just see Draco once more, he’d tell him...
“Harry?”
Harry jerked back to reality. The person standing in front of him made his jaw drop and his heart clench.
Draco stood there uncertainly, impeccably dressed and as collected as ever. But the slight redness around his eyes gave him away. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “Father said...”
“I’m sorry.”
Harry stood up and approached his fiancé with his heart in his throat. If someone had asked him ten seconds ago, how he planned to fix the mess his life had become, he wouldn’t have had an answer. But seeing Draco here, standing right in front of him...just like that, Harry knew. He knew what he needed to do and he knew he needed to do it now. It was either this or a life without Draco and the latter was simply not an option.
“I was a prat and a wanker and you have every right to hate me,” he rambled. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I yelled, I’m sorry I made you choose, I’m sorry I hurt you and I’m just so bloody sorry I called off our wedding. It was the worst thing I could have done and I did it anyway and I hate myself a lot right now but if you would just come here and kiss me again, I reckon I’ll be able to wake up tomorrow and face myself in the mirror. And if you decide you don’t want anything to do with me anymore, that’s fine too except I’m not really sure I can go on without you in my life. So...yeah. No pressure.”
Draco blinked dazedly as he finally tamped down. “That was a lot of words,” he commented finally.
Fair enough. Harry racked his brains for a succinct summary. “I love you,” he declared firmly. Yes, that worked.
“Oh,” Draco replied softly. “Well, thank Merlin for that.”
And then he was in Harry’s arms and they were kissing and Draco’s fingers were at his nape and Harry’s whole world was right again. He tightened his grip and deepened the kiss, determined to never let Draco out of his sight ever again. This had been the worst day of his life, bar none and it was never happening again.
“I’m sorry too,” Draco murmured against his lips. “I said some horrible things to you. And Sirius. He’s...not perfect but he is your family. I shouldn’t have asked you to choose. I’m sorry Harry, and I promise you it will never happen again.”
“No, it won’t,” Harry agreed firmly. “When I chose you, I chose everything that comes with the package. Your father’s never going to be my favourite person in the world but I’ll be damned if I let him come between us. Or Sirius. This is about you and me now. It’s about us.”
“Us,” Draco agreed softly, leaning in for another kiss.
They were so caught up in each other that it took the server a few minutes to get their attention. “The Malfoy- Potters, I presume?” he enquired politely. “The gentlemen who booked your table left these at the bar for you.” Harry and Draco frowned as they accepted the letters. Draco gestured at Harry to open his first.
“Harry,” Harry read out loud. “His Ponciness and I had a talk about stuff. Long story short, we fixed it. Draco’s a good kid, all things considered, and if he makes you happy that’s good enough for me. You deserve this and no-one’s going to take that from you while I’m around- especially me. I’ve got your back, godson. Sincerely, Snuffles.
PS: I noticed you were running low on lube, so I restocked your cabinet. You’re welcome.”
Draco snickered and Harry grimaced, folding the letter up hastily. “What’s yours say?” he asked Draco.
“Draco,” Draco commenced reading. “This was not my idea, the mutt wore me down. That being said, I have decided to be the bigger man and accept that he is an incorrigible nuisance who will haunt my every living moment until the day I die. I would put up with a thousand Sirius Blacks for your happiness. You are my son. Never doubt that I love you. Signed, Your Father (Lord Lucius Malfoy of the Most Esteemed House of Malfoy).
PS: Please tell your mother I fixed it. She is still not speaking to me.”
Draco managed a choked little laugh as he folded up the note. “Well, I suppose we have their blessing after all,” he said.
“Took long enough,” Harry muttered. He pulled Draco close again, holding him close. “Never again, yeah?”
“Never again,” Draco agreed with a smile. “And while we’re on the subject, I believe you have something that belongs to me.”
Harry laughed and slipped the ring on his finger for the second time. His heart soared like a Firebolt as he held his fiancé in his arms and kissed him again.
****
Over at the bar, two men sat under a Notice Me Not Charm- watching the heart-warming scene unfold before them with a curious blend of fulfillment, triumph and nausea.
“We are the best fathers in the world,” Sirius declared.
“Indeed,” Lucius agreed with a shudder of disgust. “If your godson doesn’t get his tongue out of my son’s mouth in the next five seconds, I will hex his skin off.”
“Oh, lighten up,” Sirius scoffed. “You and Cissy were a lot worse when you got engaged.”
“We were never that indecent, Black. I’ll have you know...”
“The Trophy Room? Your father’s study? My father’s study? The...”
“You’ve made your point.”
Sirius snickered and downed his drink. “Well, you did good tonight, Your Blondeness. I reckon we can make this work after all.”
“I suppose. As long as you stay off the good furniture.”
“Oi! I thought we agreed on nixing the dog cracks.”
“Give me three a day and I’ll pay for the wedding.”
“One.”
“Two. Take it or leave it.”
“Ugh. Fine.”
“There's a good boy.”
END
Word Count: 3,000
Rating: PG 13
Warning(s): Flangst, AU/Non canon compliant (alive!Sirius)
Author's notes: Written for hd_fluff's August Prompt: Je ne regrette rien (I do not regret anything at all).
Summary: Sirius and Lucius screw up big time. And then they fix it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
It began- as most stories do- with a proposal. Harry realised now that that was the easy part. When he had presented Draco with a custom made, Goblin crafted platinum ring and his boyfriend had joyfully accepted, he had figured this was it. He had finally found the perfect man and his Happily Ever After would soon follow. From here on out, it would be smooth sailing all around.
Oh, the poor, naïve boy.
Now, here he was standing in the wreckage and rubble of what had once been the opulent West Living Room at the Manor. Harry’s heart sank as he took in the upturned furniture, torn tapestries and shattered pieces of china and crystal all around them. Draco stood right beside him, shoulders hunched slightly as he fidgeted with his ring. Narcissa surveyed the chaos, clutching sample swatches of white linen tightly in her pale, slim fingers as her angry gaze narrowed in on the cause of all this havoc.
“I regret nothing,” Lucius sneered, clutching at his torn trouser leg. His hair was singed and he was sporting a cut lip. “Nothing!”
“Likewise,” Sirius snapped, trying to wrestle a plastic cone off his head. “For the love of Godric, will someone get this blasted thing off me?!”
Draco swallowed and sat down shakily in a chair. Harry put a supporting hand on his shoulder, trying not to feel too hurt when his fiancé shrugged it off. He couldn’t blame Draco entirely, though. Things had been...tense between their respective families ever since the big announcement, but this was the worst thing to happen so far.
Sirius and Lucius had finally come to blows- over their speech rehearsals of all things (“I’ll go first!” “No, I’ll go first!”)- and frankly, Harry was starting to doubt it was worth it. He wondered if Draco felt the same way. His pale, pinched features and the tense turn of his mouth suggested that he was in similar straits.
“Of all the juvenile, irresponsible, inappropriate stunts I have ever witnessed,” Narcissa hissed suddenly in the ensuing silence. Her eyes flashed dangerously and despite her diminutive frame, both Sirius and Lucius cringed a little in the face of her wrath. “What do you have to say for yourselves?!”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Sirius protested, looking more like a pouty teenager than the Head of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. “Your husband attacked me!”
“You drew your wand first, Black!” Lucius snarled. He turned to his seething wife and his expression went from livid to contrite in a split second. “Cissa, I really didn’t start...”
“I don’t care who started it!” Narcissa snapped. “To think you are the scions of two of the greatest Houses in magical history! This is supposed to be a joyous celebration. These boys are getting married in a month! They ask for your blessing and your support and what do you do? You scrap and snap at each other like...like ill-bred mongrels!”
“One of us is an ill-bred mongrel,” Lucius muttered under his breath.
“Yeah?” Sirius reared up at once. “Why don’t we take this outside, you poncy peacock?”
“I don’t see why not. Would you like to chase some squirrels while we’re out there?”
“Enough!” Narcissa ordered, stepping in between them before they came to blows again. “Just listen to the two of you! Your mothers would be rolling in their graves.”
“Good,” Sirius muttered petulantly. That was the last straw as far as Narcissa was concerned. Her eyes narrowed and she reached out, twisting her cousin’s ear until he staggered and yelped in pain. “Ow ow ow! Cissy, stop it!”
“You will cease this senseless feud,” Narcissa declared firmly, twisting again for good measure. “You will get along, you will behave yourselves for the sake of your son and godson and you will not goad each other into a row again! Am I clear?”
“I didn’t provoke the mutt,” Lucius sneered, crossing his arms defensively. “He is simply intolerable.”
“And you are a pain in the arse!” Sirius yelled, breaking out of Narcissa’s hold. “I can’t believe Harry wants to marry into this House of the Damned!”
“Potter is lucky we’re even considering him for Draco!” Lucius snarled back. “The likes of you wouldn’t even set foot in this Manor if it wasn’t for...”
“The likes of us? You arrogant, pompous windbag! I ought to...”
“Enough.”
The chaos halted as Draco stood up, glaring at the gathering with narrowed eyes. Finally his unforgiving gaze settled on Sirius. “Would it be too much to ask of you to stop insulting my family every two minutes?” he demanded with a sneer. “I know I’m not your first choice for Harry but I would really appreciate it if you could just pretend to be happy for us every now and then.”
Harry frowned and turned to him. “Now, wait a minute. Your father started it with all those dog cracks.”
“Only because your godfather provoked him,” Draco argued. “Are you seriously saying you don’t see it? He’s done nothing but sulk and whine and moan ever since we started planning this wedding!”
“Oh, and your father’s been nothing but supportive, right?” Harry spat. “He nearly hexed me when we broke the news to him! Hell, I’m just lucky your mum held him back!”
“Now, wait a minute...” Sirius began uncertainly.
Lucius was starting to look faintly concerned as well. “Gentlemen,” he tried, clearing his throat meaningfully. “Why don’t we all sit down and...”
But they weren’t listening now. Harry was glaring, Draco’s eyes were flashing and the tension hung thick in the air. After days and weeks of stressing over handling their families, they were finally starting to turn on each other. “This is so bloody typical,” Harry snapped. “You can’t hear a thing against him, can you? Even when he’s absolutely in the wrong, you can’t step up and tell him to stop being a complete twat!”
“Don’t talk about my father like that!” Draco snarled, barging into Harry's space. “And how dare you stand there and point fingers at me when you can’t even stand up to your godfather? No, he’s allowed to insult my family; he’s allowed to cast aspersions on us but the second we react...”
“We? Us?” Harry sneered. “So there are sides now? It’s funny, I was under the impression you and I were in this together.”
Draco’s mouth twisted. “You know what, Potter? So was I. Clearly, I was mistaken.”
“So that’s the way it is. Well, guess what? I don’t want to play this game. This is not what I wanted and I’m not so sure I can do this.”
“Neither am I.”
“It’s not supposed to be like this. This...it’s too hard.”
“I...I agree.”
“What?!” Sirius squawked.
For once, even Lucius looked somewhat blindsided. “Now, that’s not necess...”
“Fine then,” Harry declared, swallowing painfully. But when he spoke again, his voice was firm and his eyes were hard. “The wedding’s off.”
“Oh dear,” Narcissa murmured softly.
Draco sneered and took off the ring, tossing it at his now ex fiancé. “Fine by me,” he replied coldly. “Goodbye, Potter. And don’t come back.”
“Believe me, I won’t!” Harry belted back.
And then with rigid backs and suspiciously damp eyes, they turned their back on each other and stormed off- Draco up the stairs, and Harry out the door. Sirius and Lucius stared in stunned, horrified silence. The faint echo of the door slamming seemed to go on forever.
Narcissa sighed heavily and Vanished the linen swatches. “I hope you two are happy now,” she said coldly, before turning on her heel and storming out as well.
Lucius winced as somewhere in the Manor, another door slammed shut.
****
Lucius sat in his study later that night, twirling a glass of Firewhisky in his fingers. He was...unsettled, and while he was not familiar with the tense, uncomfortable feeling in his gut, he deduced that at least a part of it was guilt. The house-elves had reported that Draco was still in his quarters, gazing morosely out of the window with a picture of Potter clutched to his chest.
Lucius winced and drained the glass. He decided there and then that he was not a fan of this guilt...thing. It was most unpleasant.
The door clicked open and Lucius’ gaze darted up hopefully. He really hoped Cissa had decided to emerge from her own rooms and deign to speak to him again. He really could have used her sage advice in this trying time. Unfortunately luck was not on his side.
“Malfoy,” Black greeted gruffly, inviting himself in.
“What are you doing here?” Lucius grumbled.
Black sighed and flopped down in an armchair, pouring himself a glass. “I’ve done a lot of shite stuff in my life,” he began without preamble. “Well, not as much as you of course, but bad enough- take my word for it.”
Lucius felt his fists clench on instinct, but Black being the oblivious twat that he was, continued yammering.
“But I have never, ever broken up two kids in love before,” he finished quietly. His sharp, brown eyes met Lucius’ stoic, grey gaze. “I’m guessing this is a first for you too.”
Lucius got up to pace. “Draco is distraught,” he muttered.
“Harry too,” Black affirmed morosely. “I can’t even get him to talk to me. He just sits there moping like a sodding girl.”
Lucius bit back the urge to offer a scathing diatribe about Potter being the one to call things off in the first place. That wouldn’t do, not now. Besides, he was man enough to admit that part of it was his fault. Mostly Black’s, of course. But Lucius could have shown a little more restraint.
“Perhaps there is some common ground here after all,” he offered finally. “You and I may not see eye to eye on...well, anything. But we do put a lot of stock in family. I suppose what I’m saying is...” Lucius sighed heavily. This was so very unpleasant. Draco best appreciate everything he went through for him. “You may make the first speech at the wedding if you really wish to.”
Black sat up, looking so much like a hopeful mutt that Lucius had to resist the urge to offer him a biscuit. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he demanded.
Lucius nodded tersely. “It won’t be easy but between the two of us, I’m sure we can get my son and your fool of a godson to see sense. The only question is how.”
****
“God damn it, Sirius,” Harry growled as he checked his watch. His godfather was really not one of his favourite people right now.
There Harry was, minding his own business-huddling in bed and wondering just how and why his life had fallen apart in the blink of an eye. Then Sirius had demanded that he pull himself together and show up at The Twilight Hour for dinner and a drink or two.
Harry had been waiting in the ritzy restaurant for twenty minutes now and there was still no sign of Sirius. And to make matters even worse, Sirius had picked the one place Harry absolutely did not want to be in right now. The Twilight Hour was where he had proposed to Draco a few months ago. Right here, at this very table. Harry sighed wearily. What were the odds? They had been so happy. Everything had been perfect. And look how it had all turned out.
Not for the first time, he cursed himself for saying those awful things to Draco. It had all happened so fast and everything had been so stressful lately. It had seemed like a good idea to end things at the time. But it wasn’t. It was the biggest mistake he had ever made and for the life of him, Harry didn’t know how to fix it. If he could take it back now, he’d do it in a heartbeat. If he could just see Draco once more, he’d tell him...
“Harry?”
Harry jerked back to reality. The person standing in front of him made his jaw drop and his heart clench.
Draco stood there uncertainly, impeccably dressed and as collected as ever. But the slight redness around his eyes gave him away. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “Father said...”
“I’m sorry.”
Harry stood up and approached his fiancé with his heart in his throat. If someone had asked him ten seconds ago, how he planned to fix the mess his life had become, he wouldn’t have had an answer. But seeing Draco here, standing right in front of him...just like that, Harry knew. He knew what he needed to do and he knew he needed to do it now. It was either this or a life without Draco and the latter was simply not an option.
“I was a prat and a wanker and you have every right to hate me,” he rambled. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I yelled, I’m sorry I made you choose, I’m sorry I hurt you and I’m just so bloody sorry I called off our wedding. It was the worst thing I could have done and I did it anyway and I hate myself a lot right now but if you would just come here and kiss me again, I reckon I’ll be able to wake up tomorrow and face myself in the mirror. And if you decide you don’t want anything to do with me anymore, that’s fine too except I’m not really sure I can go on without you in my life. So...yeah. No pressure.”
Draco blinked dazedly as he finally tamped down. “That was a lot of words,” he commented finally.
Fair enough. Harry racked his brains for a succinct summary. “I love you,” he declared firmly. Yes, that worked.
“Oh,” Draco replied softly. “Well, thank Merlin for that.”
And then he was in Harry’s arms and they were kissing and Draco’s fingers were at his nape and Harry’s whole world was right again. He tightened his grip and deepened the kiss, determined to never let Draco out of his sight ever again. This had been the worst day of his life, bar none and it was never happening again.
“I’m sorry too,” Draco murmured against his lips. “I said some horrible things to you. And Sirius. He’s...not perfect but he is your family. I shouldn’t have asked you to choose. I’m sorry Harry, and I promise you it will never happen again.”
“No, it won’t,” Harry agreed firmly. “When I chose you, I chose everything that comes with the package. Your father’s never going to be my favourite person in the world but I’ll be damned if I let him come between us. Or Sirius. This is about you and me now. It’s about us.”
“Us,” Draco agreed softly, leaning in for another kiss.
They were so caught up in each other that it took the server a few minutes to get their attention. “The Malfoy- Potters, I presume?” he enquired politely. “The gentlemen who booked your table left these at the bar for you.” Harry and Draco frowned as they accepted the letters. Draco gestured at Harry to open his first.
“Harry,” Harry read out loud. “His Ponciness and I had a talk about stuff. Long story short, we fixed it. Draco’s a good kid, all things considered, and if he makes you happy that’s good enough for me. You deserve this and no-one’s going to take that from you while I’m around- especially me. I’ve got your back, godson. Sincerely, Snuffles.
PS: I noticed you were running low on lube, so I restocked your cabinet. You’re welcome.”
Draco snickered and Harry grimaced, folding the letter up hastily. “What’s yours say?” he asked Draco.
“Draco,” Draco commenced reading. “This was not my idea, the mutt wore me down. That being said, I have decided to be the bigger man and accept that he is an incorrigible nuisance who will haunt my every living moment until the day I die. I would put up with a thousand Sirius Blacks for your happiness. You are my son. Never doubt that I love you. Signed, Your Father (Lord Lucius Malfoy of the Most Esteemed House of Malfoy).
PS: Please tell your mother I fixed it. She is still not speaking to me.”
Draco managed a choked little laugh as he folded up the note. “Well, I suppose we have their blessing after all,” he said.
“Took long enough,” Harry muttered. He pulled Draco close again, holding him close. “Never again, yeah?”
“Never again,” Draco agreed with a smile. “And while we’re on the subject, I believe you have something that belongs to me.”
Harry laughed and slipped the ring on his finger for the second time. His heart soared like a Firebolt as he held his fiancé in his arms and kissed him again.
****
Over at the bar, two men sat under a Notice Me Not Charm- watching the heart-warming scene unfold before them with a curious blend of fulfillment, triumph and nausea.
“We are the best fathers in the world,” Sirius declared.
“Indeed,” Lucius agreed with a shudder of disgust. “If your godson doesn’t get his tongue out of my son’s mouth in the next five seconds, I will hex his skin off.”
“Oh, lighten up,” Sirius scoffed. “You and Cissy were a lot worse when you got engaged.”
“We were never that indecent, Black. I’ll have you know...”
“The Trophy Room? Your father’s study? My father’s study? The...”
“You’ve made your point.”
Sirius snickered and downed his drink. “Well, you did good tonight, Your Blondeness. I reckon we can make this work after all.”
“I suppose. As long as you stay off the good furniture.”
“Oi! I thought we agreed on nixing the dog cracks.”
“Give me three a day and I’ll pay for the wedding.”
“One.”
“Two. Take it or leave it.”
“Ugh. Fine.”
“There's a good boy.”
END