Nineteen Years Later
I just... need to do this. Something was missing.
"Look who it is."
Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.
"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."
"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"
"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood.
As Harry watched Draco, he felt again the faint shock at the resemblence between father and son. There was a gleam of what could have been pride in his eyes as Draco watched Pansy fret over little Scorpius, who had as much obnoxious dignity as the tiny, sneering boy of Harry's memory. He recalled that day, so many years before, when he had first boarded the Hogwarts express himself, confused and lonely. All at once, Harry knew what he was going to do.
"Be back in a minute," he murmured to Ginny. She hardly noticed, busy searching the crowd for James.
Harry's courage momentarily failed him when Draco met his eyes, and his step faltered. He regretted his decision of only moments before, expecting the famous sneer to make an appearance any second now. But Draco's face remained curiously blank, and Harry gathered his dignity about him. This needed to happen.
Harry's hand, which had been rising as he moved, was in position when he arrived. Draco simply blinked at him, and Harry began to feel quite the fool, standing there with an empty hand held outstretched. He could feel Ron's stare boring into his back and didn't dare look behind him.
Harry coughed. "Well?"
"Well?" Draco echoed. He seemed confused.
Harry wiggled his hand a bit, like a dying fish. "It's been so long, don't you think we should... put this behind us or something?"
Pansy straightened beside her husband, and Harry struggled not to cringe at the mocking expression on her face. "We're not 11 years old anymore, Potter," she said, laughing at him. "You can't simply undo everything that happened just because it makes you uncomfortable."
Harry's hand hung in the air between them, exposed and vulnerable. "I'm not trying to undo anything and I'm not uncomfortable!" Pansy laughed in his burning face again, and all he wanted was to go back to his wife and children, his friends, and act like this never happened. Instead, he flexed his fingers and looked at Draco stubbornly. Draco was staring down at the hand offered him. He seemed not to have heard his wife.
"Go back to your rabble of scruffy puppies, Potter," Pansy said, drawing her son against her.
Harry's angry retort died on his lips. Draco had taken his hand.
They stood there like that, in that frozen grip. Harry was unsure of how to procede. After a few seconds, he moved his hand tentatively. He looked up to see a breif flash of relief skirt across the other man's face, and then they were shaking vigorously and Harry was smiling hard. After so many years... he felt as if the last vestiges of the war had left him, fallen away in the wake of this new, impossible alliance.
He stepped back only a few seconds later and looked up into the face of his old rival. Draco was smiling faintly back at him. Beside him, Pansy looked shocked. Scorpius peered up at his father and this new person, the famous Harry Potter, curiously.
"Alright, Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Nice to see you, Potter," Draco replied easily. Harry nodded and turned around. He almost laughed at the expression on Ron's face.
***
It just needed to be done. Through the whole epilogue, I just kept waiting for the handshake. Things needed to come full-circle, I needed some closure, you know? I can't believe JKR didn't even address the most important event in Harry and Draco's (canon) relationship, which turned out to be such a factor in the resolution of the story. Had Harry not been such a twit to Draco on the train that day, his entire life would be completely different. It was like SUCH A BIG THING I couldn't even believe she'd leave it out. Kinda spoiled the end for me, actually...
Anyway, I have lots of other reactions and such, but mainly just: OMG ALBUS/SCORPIUS! Squeeee! I love H/D, but this offers whole new terrain. What if they both end up in Slytherin? What if they become friends? I have this whole idea of them in my brain, of Scorpius just like his father, all obnoxious and haughty, and Albus really shy and quiet. I think it would go something like, the boys becoming friends and then the relationship develops to where Scorpius is almost like Albus' protector or something. Maybe how Harry and Draco's relationship would have been had Harry not met Ron yet when Draco offered his friendship. Actually, kind of how I see the Remus/Sirius ship... Then again, maybe not. Oh, the possibilities!!
I am aware that this entry is rambly and incoherent. I apologize. I just spent the last fourteen hours reading DH (yes, I broke for sleep), and I'm kinda out of it... I just wanted to get that down as fast as I could. It kind of NEEDED to exist, you know?
"Look who it is."
Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.
"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."
"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"
"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood.
As Harry watched Draco, he felt again the faint shock at the resemblence between father and son. There was a gleam of what could have been pride in his eyes as Draco watched Pansy fret over little Scorpius, who had as much obnoxious dignity as the tiny, sneering boy of Harry's memory. He recalled that day, so many years before, when he had first boarded the Hogwarts express himself, confused and lonely. All at once, Harry knew what he was going to do.
"Be back in a minute," he murmured to Ginny. She hardly noticed, busy searching the crowd for James.
Harry's courage momentarily failed him when Draco met his eyes, and his step faltered. He regretted his decision of only moments before, expecting the famous sneer to make an appearance any second now. But Draco's face remained curiously blank, and Harry gathered his dignity about him. This needed to happen.
Harry's hand, which had been rising as he moved, was in position when he arrived. Draco simply blinked at him, and Harry began to feel quite the fool, standing there with an empty hand held outstretched. He could feel Ron's stare boring into his back and didn't dare look behind him.
Harry coughed. "Well?"
"Well?" Draco echoed. He seemed confused.
Harry wiggled his hand a bit, like a dying fish. "It's been so long, don't you think we should... put this behind us or something?"
Pansy straightened beside her husband, and Harry struggled not to cringe at the mocking expression on her face. "We're not 11 years old anymore, Potter," she said, laughing at him. "You can't simply undo everything that happened just because it makes you uncomfortable."
Harry's hand hung in the air between them, exposed and vulnerable. "I'm not trying to undo anything and I'm not uncomfortable!" Pansy laughed in his burning face again, and all he wanted was to go back to his wife and children, his friends, and act like this never happened. Instead, he flexed his fingers and looked at Draco stubbornly. Draco was staring down at the hand offered him. He seemed not to have heard his wife.
"Go back to your rabble of scruffy puppies, Potter," Pansy said, drawing her son against her.
Harry's angry retort died on his lips. Draco had taken his hand.
They stood there like that, in that frozen grip. Harry was unsure of how to procede. After a few seconds, he moved his hand tentatively. He looked up to see a breif flash of relief skirt across the other man's face, and then they were shaking vigorously and Harry was smiling hard. After so many years... he felt as if the last vestiges of the war had left him, fallen away in the wake of this new, impossible alliance.
He stepped back only a few seconds later and looked up into the face of his old rival. Draco was smiling faintly back at him. Beside him, Pansy looked shocked. Scorpius peered up at his father and this new person, the famous Harry Potter, curiously.
"Alright, Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Nice to see you, Potter," Draco replied easily. Harry nodded and turned around. He almost laughed at the expression on Ron's face.
***
It just needed to be done. Through the whole epilogue, I just kept waiting for the handshake. Things needed to come full-circle, I needed some closure, you know? I can't believe JKR didn't even address the most important event in Harry and Draco's (canon) relationship, which turned out to be such a factor in the resolution of the story. Had Harry not been such a twit to Draco on the train that day, his entire life would be completely different. It was like SUCH A BIG THING I couldn't even believe she'd leave it out. Kinda spoiled the end for me, actually...
Anyway, I have lots of other reactions and such, but mainly just: OMG ALBUS/SCORPIUS! Squeeee! I love H/D, but this offers whole new terrain. What if they both end up in Slytherin? What if they become friends? I have this whole idea of them in my brain, of Scorpius just like his father, all obnoxious and haughty, and Albus really shy and quiet. I think it would go something like, the boys becoming friends and then the relationship develops to where Scorpius is almost like Albus' protector or something. Maybe how Harry and Draco's relationship would have been had Harry not met Ron yet when Draco offered his friendship. Actually, kind of how I see the Remus/Sirius ship... Then again, maybe not. Oh, the possibilities!!
I am aware that this entry is rambly and incoherent. I apologize. I just spent the last fourteen hours reading DH (yes, I broke for sleep), and I'm kinda out of it... I just wanted to get that down as fast as I could. It kind of NEEDED to exist, you know?