Fic Rec: "Found, Not Lost" by inspiration_assaulted
Title: Found, Not Lost
Author:
inspiration_assaulted
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/OMC
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 16,893 words
Summary: Harry took a wrong turn out of Borgin and Burke's the summer before his second year and got lost in Knockturn Alley.
Years later, Draco Malfoy stumbles across a green-eyed rent boy on a London street corner. Who is he, and how did he get there? Will Harry Potter ever return to the world at large?
Set in a world where Harry defeated Voldemort completely in his first year.
Why I loved it:I like when authors deviate from canon and write such compelling fics. Harry’s had a rough time after getting lost in Knockturn Alley and he’s had to survive on the streets where no one is “innocent”. This Harry is self-deprecating and has gone through hell; his body is a mosaic of tattoos and piercings that represents him better than the scar on his forehead ever could. At the same time, you can see that he wants something better for himself, especially when Draco finds him and refuses to go away.
“Is this another invitation?”
“No, I just wanted to see you,” Draco replied, sitting in his usual spot on Harry’s couch.
Harry passed a hand across his face. “You can’t keep doing this, Draco.”
Draco frowned. “Doing what?”
“This!” Harry gestured to him on the couch, take-out from Muggle London in his hands. “This…getting attached to me.” He hesitated. “Falling in love.”
“And why not?” Draco demanded. “Why do you get to tell me what I feel?”
“Draco…” Harry dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands. “It would be so easy to love you,” he whispered, “but I can’t.”
“Why?” He tried to reach for Harry, but the other teen drew back and Draco let his hand fall between them. “What’s so wrong with it?”
“I’m a rent boy,” Harry said bluntly. “A whore. I couldn’t keep doing that if I was with you, it would be wrong. But I can’t give it up either, I don’t have any skills to get a job. And I won’t be kept, like a pretty pet.”
“Harry-“
“You shouldn’t come around here anymore.” Harry met his eyes, his face closed off. “There’s only a few weeks until you go back to school. Focus on getting your NEWTs and making your family proud, not on trying to help some street corner hooker.”
“I’m not going to forget you,” Draco promised. His throat felt thick at the idea of leaving Harry Potter behind, never seeing him again.
“I’m not telling you to,” Harry replied. “Just don’t look for me anym-“
He was interrupted by a small grey owl hitting his window. As Draco watched, his expression went from guarded to surprised to panicked, and he rushed to open it. The owl’s letter leapt off its leg and folded itself into the shape of a mouth, which whispered in Harry’s ear. Harry went white.
“Leave. Now,” he urged when it was finished. He burned the letter.
“What? Why?” Draco stood, heartbreak forgotten.
“The Ministry found me,” Harry said in a rush, scrambling for his worn boots and pulling on a black hoodie that hid his tattoos. “Johnson works with the Ministry owls, the tip was from him. They’re coming for me.” He turned to Draco and started shoving him out the door. “Leave, please. Don’t be found here.”
“Harry.” He gripped the tattooed boy’s face in his hands and kissed him, hard and fast. “I’ll find you again,” he promised, just before he turned on his heel and Apparated away.
Author:
inspiration_assaulted
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/OMC
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 16,893 words
Summary: Harry took a wrong turn out of Borgin and Burke's the summer before his second year and got lost in Knockturn Alley.
Years later, Draco Malfoy stumbles across a green-eyed rent boy on a London street corner. Who is he, and how did he get there? Will Harry Potter ever return to the world at large?
Set in a world where Harry defeated Voldemort completely in his first year.
Why I loved it:I like when authors deviate from canon and write such compelling fics. Harry’s had a rough time after getting lost in Knockturn Alley and he’s had to survive on the streets where no one is “innocent”. This Harry is self-deprecating and has gone through hell; his body is a mosaic of tattoos and piercings that represents him better than the scar on his forehead ever could. At the same time, you can see that he wants something better for himself, especially when Draco finds him and refuses to go away.
“Is this another invitation?”
“No, I just wanted to see you,” Draco replied, sitting in his usual spot on Harry’s couch.
Harry passed a hand across his face. “You can’t keep doing this, Draco.”
Draco frowned. “Doing what?”
“This!” Harry gestured to him on the couch, take-out from Muggle London in his hands. “This…getting attached to me.” He hesitated. “Falling in love.”
“And why not?” Draco demanded. “Why do you get to tell me what I feel?”
“Draco…” Harry dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands. “It would be so easy to love you,” he whispered, “but I can’t.”
“Why?” He tried to reach for Harry, but the other teen drew back and Draco let his hand fall between them. “What’s so wrong with it?”
“I’m a rent boy,” Harry said bluntly. “A whore. I couldn’t keep doing that if I was with you, it would be wrong. But I can’t give it up either, I don’t have any skills to get a job. And I won’t be kept, like a pretty pet.”
“Harry-“
“You shouldn’t come around here anymore.” Harry met his eyes, his face closed off. “There’s only a few weeks until you go back to school. Focus on getting your NEWTs and making your family proud, not on trying to help some street corner hooker.”
“I’m not going to forget you,” Draco promised. His throat felt thick at the idea of leaving Harry Potter behind, never seeing him again.
“I’m not telling you to,” Harry replied. “Just don’t look for me anym-“
He was interrupted by a small grey owl hitting his window. As Draco watched, his expression went from guarded to surprised to panicked, and he rushed to open it. The owl’s letter leapt off its leg and folded itself into the shape of a mouth, which whispered in Harry’s ear. Harry went white.
“Leave. Now,” he urged when it was finished. He burned the letter.
“What? Why?” Draco stood, heartbreak forgotten.
“The Ministry found me,” Harry said in a rush, scrambling for his worn boots and pulling on a black hoodie that hid his tattoos. “Johnson works with the Ministry owls, the tip was from him. They’re coming for me.” He turned to Draco and started shoving him out the door. “Leave, please. Don’t be found here.”
“Harry.” He gripped the tattooed boy’s face in his hands and kissed him, hard and fast. “I’ll find you again,” he promised, just before he turned on his heel and Apparated away.