HD_OWLPOST Reveal: In The Eye of the Storm
Gift to: chibitoaster
Title: In the Eye of The Storm
Summary: Draco waits out a storm with a curious companion. Harry will come for him. He knows it.
Word Count: 2,053
Rating: G
Contains: (Highlight to view) *A touch of angst with liberal fluff *
Notes: Beta-ed by the lovely M. Dear chibitoaster, I hope you like this. I tried to use as many of your lovely prompts as I could: Lost and Found, Taking in a stray, Weathering a Storm. Dear mods, thank you so much for all the extensions. You guys are brilliant. Happy Holidays!
Draco shivered and wrapped his meagre cloak around him as he crawled back to the narrow opening of the cave. His makeshift shelter was holding up against the storm but this couldn’t go on much longer. Sooner or later, he’d have to figure something out. If only he still had his wand- a Warming Charm would have done wonders for his situation right now- but he’d lost it in the scuffle with those smugglers. Thank Merlin he’d had the foresight to send a Patronus out before the raid.
Harry would find him.
In the meantime, he would just have to hold out. And his complaining companion could do the same.
“Oh, stop your caterwauling,” Draco demanded over the petulant screeching.
The griffin hatchling ceased squawking for a second. Bright, beady observed Draco keenly. The griffin cocked its head in what could only be described as a highly condescending gesture. Just to be contrary, Draco offered up an eye roll of his own. Two could play at this game, after all.
“This is not my idea of a good time, I’ll have you know,” he informed the sulky creature. “But if it wasn’t for me, you’d still be in a cramped cage and on your way to some rich wizard’s personal petting zoo. A ‘thank you for saving my scrawny neck’ would not go amiss.”
The griffin- it looked like a Terrence, Draco decided- was offended. A sharp claw swiped his ankle and Draco hissed in pain. Handful though he may be, Terrence was obviously a feisty little beast. He would have fetched a pretty price on the exotic animal market. Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a bad fate, Draco thought bitterly. Certainly better than freezing to death in a storm at any rate. If Harry didn’t find them...
“He’ll find us,” he repeated firmly. “He will, Terrence. Stop being so maudlin.”
Terrence screeched again and Draco could just about pretend he heard a question in that shrill noise. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t know Harry,” he murmured, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. “Well, he’s my partner. Probably not in the way you’re thinking, though. He’s a...well, he’s a co-worker. A friend. I don’t know, something in the middle-it’s complicated.”
Another screech- and it didn’t sound particularly convinced of Draco’s explanation. He frowned and snagged lightly at Terry’s tail, eliciting another indignant squawk and a sharp swipe of claws.
“Well, you should know better than to ask personal questions,” Draco argued. “Now let me finish.” His hands were starting to go numb. The constant chattering in his teeth was starting to hurt his head. “Harry is...well, he’s something, all right. Vouched for me when I joined the Aurors, you know. And he insisted on being my partner when nobody else would give me a fair shot. We’ve been together ever since.” He frowned again as he considered how that last bit sounded. “But not like that. We just work together. And we hang out sometimes. He used to have a girlfriend- one of those Weasleys. Anyway, we’re just friends so stop with the third degree, Terrence- it’s getting ridiculous.”
He’ll find us. He will.
“He never gives up,” he continued resolutely. “He’s bloody tenacious. One time, he camped in the woods for three weeks straight, chasing down a suspect. If...if he could do that, we can probably wait a few hours in a cave, right?”
Too cold. Too dark. No wand.
It took Draco a minute to realise there was no response. He sat up at once and his head spun a bit. His vision cleared and he spotted a feathery lump, curled in a corner.
“Oi!” Draco yelped in alarm, gathering up the griffin. “Terrence, wake up. This is no time to take a nap!”
Terrence emitted a weak chirp and curled against his cloak. Sharp claws raked against the fabric and soft feathers brushed Draco’s chest. The tawny leonine body in his arms was warm, but trembling.
Too small. Too cold.
“Come on, you ruddy pigeon,” Draco muttered, tucking the eagle-lion mongrel into himself. “Get a grip. I’m not done telling you about Harry yet.”
Hurry, Harry. Please.
“He’s smart too.” The words were starting to hurt his throat. The wind was a constant presence, howling against his ears. It was so cold, so damn cold. “I d-don’t tell him that often enough-prat’s got enough of an ego. But it’s t-true. He can...get himself out of any shite situation. If he were here, he’d...he’d have figured this out by now. He wouldn’t let you...but he’s coming, yeah? So...so hang on. Hang on.”
Don’t let go. Can’t let go. Harry’s coming. He is.
He was tired. So tired. It was so cold. Terrence felt lighter in his arms. Draco couldn’t even feel him there anymore. He couldn’t feel anything.
“I should have told him,” he whispered. It was okay. There was no one to hear him anyway. “Should’ve told him how much I...”
Terrence slipped from his grasp as his head lolled against the wall. The world went dark.
On the plus side, it wasn’t so cold any more.
****
Warm hands. Holding him tight enough to hurt. Loud voices all around him.
Draco drifted back to painful reality.
“...don’t care what the ruddy protocol is!” someone yelled close to his ear. At the same time, the grip around him tightened. Draco would have winced if he could. “He’s half frozen! I’m not filling out the damn report until he’s awake and that’s final!”
“Harry, mate. You’ve got to calm down. We’re taking Malfoy to Mungo’s right now. All we’re saying is you found him, so you should be the one to file the...”
“Ron, please.”
Harry sounded harassed, borderline desperate.
Harry. It was Harry.
Draco tried to move, tried to alert him to his presence, but his limbs were stiff and unresponsive.
“I can’t...” Harry’s voice broke a little. “I have to...you didn’t see him. I thought he...I can’t let him go right now. I can’t. I...”
“Okay.” This time, Draco recognized the second voice. Weasley sounded calm, but the strained quality of his voice suggested he was trying very hard not to lose control. “Okay, Harry,” he placated. “You take him to Mungo’s, yeah? I’ll write the report. And I’ll make sure the griffin gets to the Magical Creatures Division.”
Terrence? Terrence was alive? So they had been saved. He wasn’t imagining this...
Wait. Weasley was giving Terrence away?
“Not yet,” Harry said, hoisting him up carefully. “Draco will want to say goodbye.”
Weasley made an exasperated sound in his throat. “Harry...”
“Ron, please. Just do me a favour and keep the bird, will you?”
There was a scuffing sound. Draco figured that Weasley was kicking at the snow.
“Fine!” Weasley declared after a moment or two. “But Harry, I’m telling you right now- if you don’t tell him about your feelings and shite after this nightmare, I will hunt you down and hex you myself!”
“Can we have this conversation when he’s not dying from frostbite?” Harry practically snarled. With that, he renewed his grip on Draco and stormed off. Draco tried to grab on to his jacket but his fingers still hurt.
“It’s okay,” Harry murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I’ve got you. It’s okay, Draco. It’s going to be fine, I promise...”
Draco believed him. Harry always kept his promises.
As he slipped back into blessed unconsciousness, he felt warm for the first time in ages.
****
When Draco woke for the second time, things made a lot less sense. He was almost obscenely warm and comfortable, for one thing. That would definitely take some getting used to. When he opened his eyes, blinding white assaulted his vision. He groaned and promptly clenched his eyes shut.
St Mungo’s then. Fantastic
Aside from that, there was a warm weight against his arm. Draco frowned as his hand connected with something soft and downy.
“Harry?”
He squeezed gently, only to suffer a squawk and an admonishing nip for his trouble. Terrence sat up and swished his tail, glowering at him with beady, judging eyes.
“You again,” Draco grumbled. Still, it was nice to know the little plonker wasn’t dead. Terrence shrilled and pawed at him. Draco obliged by stroking a finger against his feathery head. “I don’t suppose you have an explanation for this?”
Terrence just cooed and nipped affectionately at his thumb.
This was nice, Draco decided. He was still dizzy and his bones ached but at least he wasn’t alone. He would have gladly drifted off again, with Terrence nuzzling against him.
That’s when he registered the soft click of the door and quiet footsteps making their way to his bedside. Draco froze and kept his eyes firmly shut, trying not to start in surprise when warm, calloused fingers carded into his hair.
“Come on, Draco,” a soft, familiar voice implored gently. “Just wake up already. Open your eyes for me, please?”
Draco fought a smile. He couldn’t resist.
“Alright,” he replied, a little louder than necessary and promptly sat up.
It hurt to move so suddenly, but it was worth it. Harry yelped in alarm and scrambled back, nearly dropping the coffee he was manhandling. Draco burst into gleeful snickers as his partner gaped at him with wide, shocked eyes. He immediately regretted it when his laughter turned to a coughing fit.
“Still worth it,” he managed.
“Oh, ha ha,” Harry replied dryly, approaching quickly and patting his back. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shite,” Draco replied, letting Harry help him lie down again. Terrence pounced on his stomach and curled up there. Draco hid a wince and patted his head. “What happened?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Harry bit out. “You nearly died, is all. If your Patronus hadn’t come through...” He trailed off and glared at Draco. “Do you have any idea what you put me through? How could you do that to me, you pillock?”
Draco’s smile faded as he took in Harry’s appearance. He looked like hell. His clothes were wrinkled, his eyes were bloodshot and he had clearly not slept in a while. Had he been here all night? The thought made him feel inexplicably guilty. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, taking Harry’s hand. “You have to know I didn’t mean for this to happen. It just...”
“I know,” Harry mumbled, squeezing around his wrist tightly. “I just...you have no idea what it was like, Draco. For a minute there, I thought...”
“I didn’t,” Draco cut in, refusing to let Harry finish that line of thought. “I knew you’d come.”
Harry snorted disbelievingly. “I could have been too late,” he replied quietly. “A few more minutes and you would have...hell, I don’t even want to say it.”
“Then don’t,” Draco ordered. “I’m fine. We’re both fine,” he added, stroking Terrence again. “Thanks to you.”
Terrence squawked in agreement and swiped at the coffee cup. Harry strained grimace turned to a reluctant chuckle. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “I...I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Those earnest, green eyes looked right at him and Draco’s heart clenched in his chest. All that time in the cave, those eyes were the only thing that had kept him going. Harry had kept him going.
And he couldn’t let Harry go. Not now.
So Draco leaned in, brushing his lips against Harry’s in a chaste, close mouthed kiss. Harry had other ideas. He took a sharp breath and pulled Draco closer, until the only thing keeping them apart was the thin fabric of Draco’s hospital gown. The kiss was disorienting- all pent up desperation and need and urgency. Draco could do nothing but hang on for the ride as Harry pushed deeper and pulled him even closer...
It was glorious.
“Don’t you ever do anything like this again,” Harry growled, against his throat. “Just don’t. I can’t deal with it.”
Draco hummed in approval and arched his neck, allowing Harry the access he so clearly desired. His head was still throbbing, his throat was dry and his limbs felt like wood, but with Terrence curled up against him and Harry holding him like he never wanted to let go, he figured it could be worse.
Oh, it could definitely be much worse.
** Cross-posted to hd_owlpost**