FIC: Hold Me and Watch the Apocalypse [Harry/Draco - PG]
Author: Anonymous
Title: Hold Me and Watch the Apocalypse
Characters/Pairings: Harry/Draco
Rating: PG
Warnings: Set during and after the Battle Of Hogwarts. Mentions of death, gore and violence. Voldemort. Not Canon.
Word Count: 2000
Prompt: 201. Draco/Harry or Draco/Astoria, "we found love in a hopeless place" link (submitted by fscottfitzteddy)
Disclaimer: Characters and setting belong to J.K. Rowling and all I can say is thanks for writing Harry Potter because it’s given me a chance to play!
Notes:Title and cut text are from Under the Bright Lights-Empires. Also, a big thanks to my beta katofantastic!
Draco knows where Potter is going once he steps down on the ground after the fiend fire attack in the Room of Forgotten Things. He knows that Harry is going to leave, to go and face Voldemort and most certainly die doing so. After having his life saved by Potter when realistically, Potter had been risking his own life to do so, Draco can’t fathom allowing him to leave before he can say something. He watches Granger and Weasley dash off to do something, upon Harry’s instructions and then reaches to grab Potter’s wrist before he can leave as well.
“Potter,” Draco says before taking a deep breath. “I need to speak to you,” he says quietly.
Potter is looking at him now, his green eyes blazing and his chest rising and falling due to the effort it had taken him to escape the fire, and possibly a bit of fear. “Malfoy, I don’t have time for whatever insult it is you plan on using. I have a world to save,” he says. His voice doesn’t sound angry like it usually is when he speaks to Draco, but it does sound tired, like after this is all over, he’ll sleep for a year before he can catch up on the rest he needs. Draco feels his heart clench.
“Thank you,” he says more quietly than before. He refuses to meet Potter’s eyes because of what he plans to do next. He’s wanted Potter since he started realizing he liked blokes and all of the tension between them, the insults, the hexes, they’d all been meant to make Potter notice him. He realizes this now, while they’re both on the brink of death, unsure of what every single step they make will lead to. This may be his last chance, and if they’re both to die in this battle, then he wants Potter to know how he truly feels.
Potter is shaking his head when Draco looks up. “You don’t have to thank me, you saved my life back at Malfoy Manor. I know that you did.”
“How could I not save you? I’d been living with the Dark Lord and my aunt for months by that point. I knew what they would do to you if I had told them the truth…” Draco shudders as he remembers the punishment he’s received for letting Potter and his sidekicks escape but he knows that if Potter can follow through with what he’s to do today, then it was more than worth it.
“You’ve never felt any allegiances to me, nor to my cause,” Potter replies before turning away. “I have to go,” he states.
“Wait,” Draco insists, tugging him closer again. “Potter- Harry. There’s something I need to tell you first.”
Harry pauses and turns toward Draco once more. “Spit it out, Malfoy. The longer I stay here, the more people die,” he says.
Instead of saying anything, Draco gathers up what little courage he has and presses forward, kissing Harry gently. “Good luck,” he says against Harry’s lips before pulling away. “Good luck, Harry.”
Harry looks shocked for a moment before he regains his footing and nods. “Thank you, Draco,” he says, before running off in the wake of his friends. Draco watches him go and realizes with a sinking certainty what he needs to do.
***
The Dark Lord is going on about switching sides or something and Longbottom is making some long speech. Draco’s not sure what either of them is saying because all he can see is Potter’s crumpled, lifeless body hanging from that giant oaf’s arms. His heart is in his throat and he’s finding it hard to breathe. Even though he’d thought this would happen, he didn’t think it would until after the battle was over. He didn’t think that he, himself, would live long enough to see Harry Potter’s lifeless body.
At this point, he gives all hope that the right side will win this war and realizes that the future is absolutely hopeless. He stands among the Dark Lord’s ranks, shivering and trying not to cry out at the hopeless sight before him. With Harry death the victor of the war is obvious. Draco would rather be dead than continue living under the Dark Lord’s thumb as he has been for the past year. Draco braces his knees, prepared to run despite knowing that doing so will lead to his death, but he cannot fathom a world where the Dark Lord reigns over all. He’s positioned to sprint away when he sees it: Potter’s leg twitches. At first he thinks it’s because the oaf moved oddly but no, he twitches again, and this time it’s more than just his leg that moving.
Suddenly, a very alive Harry Potter is jumping from the giant’s arms and standing tall in front of all of them. Draco feels his face split into a disbelieving grin. His legs are already prepared to run, so he does, from the side of the Dark Lord over to Potter’s shoulder, shouting “Potter!” as he does so. Potter stares at him when he comes to a halt and nods. Draco wipes the grin from his face and nods back. At once, every person on Potter’s side raises their wands and that’s when the battle begins.
***
Draco walks through the rubble that is the Great Hall now, looking around himself to actually see the amount of destruction that the castle has sustained. It’s been hours, perhaps even a day, since the Dark Lord fell and his followers scattered only to be rounded up by Potter and the Aurors that had been present. Draco has lent his help and magic to any non-critically injured people and has made his way down to the dungeons to let all the Slytherins there know what had happened. While doing this, he noticed the relief on most of their faces, and had answered any questions he could about parents and friends until his mother had come down with more information, relieving him of his duty.
After that, Draco had found a corner where he’d slept for a few hours before beginning his search for Potter. He finds Granger instead, and approaches her nervously.
“Malfoy,” she says, “if you’re looking for Harry, he’s in a meeting with Shackelbot. He should be back soon though. He hasn’t had a chance to sleep yet, since the battle.”
Draco nods and says, “thanks,” and prepares to find somewhere to wait for Potter when Granger says his name once more.
“Why did you switch sides?” she asks. “I mean, we all thought…”
“I know,” Draco says. “And I was, or at least, I thought I was. Then I lived with the Dark Lord for a year, and couldn’t imagine him running the entire wizarding world. He was absolutely insane, and had barely any of his humanity left. If he had won, we all would have died,” he admits. “I couldn’t let that happen.”
Granger nods at him and then looks down the hallway. Potter is there, limping towards them and Draco feels his face flush. Potter is covered in blood, blood that Draco hopes belonged to someone else, and he’s favouring his left leg. He’s also surrounded by fallen walls, broken stones and bloodstains. Draco feels like he should be filled with hopelessness at the sight of Hogwarts destroyed like this but he finds nothing filling him more than the hope of a free wizarding world as Potter comes toward them. He feels a small smile spread across his face when Potter’s eyes meet his.
Potter’s gaze quickly switches to Hermione and he says, “Could you go check on Ron?” before his eyes return to Draco’s. Draco doesn’t even notice if Granger leaves or not, all he can see is Potter. “Draco,” Potter says quietly and Draco raises his chin just slightly. “Not only did you save my life at the Manor, you fought on my side, bringing both of your parents over as well. For one bearing the dark mark, that could have been suicide. Why did you do it?”
Draco bites his lip. He’s a Slytherin and Slytherins don’t just give away all their secrets because someone like Harry Potter demands it. He sees the look in Potter’s eyes though, and understands that he does deserve and explanation. He takes a deep breath and says, “I was prepared to die as soon as I saw your body and thought all hope was lost. I wasn’t willing to remain under the Dark Lord’s thumb. There was more hope in death than there was with him in control.”
Potter nods, simply. “Well, thank you, Draco,” he says and turns to leave.
Draco catches his sleeve, just like he had after the fiend fire and pulls him back around. “I thought I would die in that battle; I was prepared to do so. You are the reason I didn’t have to, and I regret everything I have ever done to you, everything except kissing you in front of The Room of Forgotten Things.”
“Draco-”
“No, you listen to me for once. I’ve wanted to do that since you fought the dragon in fourth year and everything I’ve ever done was so that I could get your attention. I know I went about it in the worst way possible, at times, but I was willing to do anything so that you would notice me. You’re what I want, Harry, and I wanted to die when faced with a world without you in it. That world is hopeless,” he says quickly.
“Did you honestly think that the only reason I followed you in sixth year was because I thought you were up to something?” Harry asks. There’s a small smile trying to fight its way onto his face but so far it’s being quelled. “I mean, you were up to something but there was so much more to us than that,” he admits.
Draco nods and feels his own small smile spread over his lips. He reaches a hand out and puts it on Potter’s- Harry’s shoulder. “Let’s get you to bed,” he says softly. “Granger said you haven’t slept yet.”
Harry nods and moves so that Draco’s arm slings over his shoulder. “Just for a couple hours though, there are things to be done.”
Draco doesn’t argue, he just finds an empty room with a couple of chairs in it which he transfigures into a bed. “Sleep, Harry, I’ll stand watch,” he says although he’s not sure there is still a need for that. It’s better to be safe, even though it seems like everyone should be relaxing now.
Harry is on the bed, stripping off his shirt and trousers and blinking sleepily at Draco. “Okay,” he agrees. He slips under the blankets and smiles at Draco, this time full and spread across his face. “I never really was into Ginny,” he admits.
Draco laughs; it’s a sound that was so foreign for the past year that it nearly startles him. “I never really did like Pansy,” he counters.
“Good,” says Harry and then he’s asleep. Draco sits on a chair by the door and listens to the footsteps travelling up and down the hallway. He looks over at Harry here and there, the smile never leaving his face. It had seemed absolutely hopeless, still does when he considers the government’s fall and the absolute chaos surrounding them. Draco tries not to even think about the multitude of Death Eater trials once this mess is all cleaned up. Instead, he looks at Harry’s peaceful sleeping face and forgets about the hopelessness that lies just outside of the door; in here, he feels content and satisfied that he and Harry can rebuild and have a life together. The thought is anything but hopeless.
Title: Hold Me and Watch the Apocalypse
Characters/Pairings: Harry/Draco
Rating: PG
Warnings: Set during and after the Battle Of Hogwarts. Mentions of death, gore and violence. Voldemort. Not Canon.
Word Count: 2000
Prompt: 201. Draco/Harry or Draco/Astoria, "we found love in a hopeless place" link (submitted by fscottfitzteddy)
Disclaimer: Characters and setting belong to J.K. Rowling and all I can say is thanks for writing Harry Potter because it’s given me a chance to play!
Notes:Title and cut text are from Under the Bright Lights-Empires. Also, a big thanks to my beta katofantastic!
Draco knows where Potter is going once he steps down on the ground after the fiend fire attack in the Room of Forgotten Things. He knows that Harry is going to leave, to go and face Voldemort and most certainly die doing so. After having his life saved by Potter when realistically, Potter had been risking his own life to do so, Draco can’t fathom allowing him to leave before he can say something. He watches Granger and Weasley dash off to do something, upon Harry’s instructions and then reaches to grab Potter’s wrist before he can leave as well.
“Potter,” Draco says before taking a deep breath. “I need to speak to you,” he says quietly.
Potter is looking at him now, his green eyes blazing and his chest rising and falling due to the effort it had taken him to escape the fire, and possibly a bit of fear. “Malfoy, I don’t have time for whatever insult it is you plan on using. I have a world to save,” he says. His voice doesn’t sound angry like it usually is when he speaks to Draco, but it does sound tired, like after this is all over, he’ll sleep for a year before he can catch up on the rest he needs. Draco feels his heart clench.
“Thank you,” he says more quietly than before. He refuses to meet Potter’s eyes because of what he plans to do next. He’s wanted Potter since he started realizing he liked blokes and all of the tension between them, the insults, the hexes, they’d all been meant to make Potter notice him. He realizes this now, while they’re both on the brink of death, unsure of what every single step they make will lead to. This may be his last chance, and if they’re both to die in this battle, then he wants Potter to know how he truly feels.
Potter is shaking his head when Draco looks up. “You don’t have to thank me, you saved my life back at Malfoy Manor. I know that you did.”
“How could I not save you? I’d been living with the Dark Lord and my aunt for months by that point. I knew what they would do to you if I had told them the truth…” Draco shudders as he remembers the punishment he’s received for letting Potter and his sidekicks escape but he knows that if Potter can follow through with what he’s to do today, then it was more than worth it.
“You’ve never felt any allegiances to me, nor to my cause,” Potter replies before turning away. “I have to go,” he states.
“Wait,” Draco insists, tugging him closer again. “Potter- Harry. There’s something I need to tell you first.”
Harry pauses and turns toward Draco once more. “Spit it out, Malfoy. The longer I stay here, the more people die,” he says.
Instead of saying anything, Draco gathers up what little courage he has and presses forward, kissing Harry gently. “Good luck,” he says against Harry’s lips before pulling away. “Good luck, Harry.”
Harry looks shocked for a moment before he regains his footing and nods. “Thank you, Draco,” he says, before running off in the wake of his friends. Draco watches him go and realizes with a sinking certainty what he needs to do.
***
The Dark Lord is going on about switching sides or something and Longbottom is making some long speech. Draco’s not sure what either of them is saying because all he can see is Potter’s crumpled, lifeless body hanging from that giant oaf’s arms. His heart is in his throat and he’s finding it hard to breathe. Even though he’d thought this would happen, he didn’t think it would until after the battle was over. He didn’t think that he, himself, would live long enough to see Harry Potter’s lifeless body.
At this point, he gives all hope that the right side will win this war and realizes that the future is absolutely hopeless. He stands among the Dark Lord’s ranks, shivering and trying not to cry out at the hopeless sight before him. With Harry death the victor of the war is obvious. Draco would rather be dead than continue living under the Dark Lord’s thumb as he has been for the past year. Draco braces his knees, prepared to run despite knowing that doing so will lead to his death, but he cannot fathom a world where the Dark Lord reigns over all. He’s positioned to sprint away when he sees it: Potter’s leg twitches. At first he thinks it’s because the oaf moved oddly but no, he twitches again, and this time it’s more than just his leg that moving.
Suddenly, a very alive Harry Potter is jumping from the giant’s arms and standing tall in front of all of them. Draco feels his face split into a disbelieving grin. His legs are already prepared to run, so he does, from the side of the Dark Lord over to Potter’s shoulder, shouting “Potter!” as he does so. Potter stares at him when he comes to a halt and nods. Draco wipes the grin from his face and nods back. At once, every person on Potter’s side raises their wands and that’s when the battle begins.
***
Draco walks through the rubble that is the Great Hall now, looking around himself to actually see the amount of destruction that the castle has sustained. It’s been hours, perhaps even a day, since the Dark Lord fell and his followers scattered only to be rounded up by Potter and the Aurors that had been present. Draco has lent his help and magic to any non-critically injured people and has made his way down to the dungeons to let all the Slytherins there know what had happened. While doing this, he noticed the relief on most of their faces, and had answered any questions he could about parents and friends until his mother had come down with more information, relieving him of his duty.
After that, Draco had found a corner where he’d slept for a few hours before beginning his search for Potter. He finds Granger instead, and approaches her nervously.
“Malfoy,” she says, “if you’re looking for Harry, he’s in a meeting with Shackelbot. He should be back soon though. He hasn’t had a chance to sleep yet, since the battle.”
Draco nods and says, “thanks,” and prepares to find somewhere to wait for Potter when Granger says his name once more.
“Why did you switch sides?” she asks. “I mean, we all thought…”
“I know,” Draco says. “And I was, or at least, I thought I was. Then I lived with the Dark Lord for a year, and couldn’t imagine him running the entire wizarding world. He was absolutely insane, and had barely any of his humanity left. If he had won, we all would have died,” he admits. “I couldn’t let that happen.”
Granger nods at him and then looks down the hallway. Potter is there, limping towards them and Draco feels his face flush. Potter is covered in blood, blood that Draco hopes belonged to someone else, and he’s favouring his left leg. He’s also surrounded by fallen walls, broken stones and bloodstains. Draco feels like he should be filled with hopelessness at the sight of Hogwarts destroyed like this but he finds nothing filling him more than the hope of a free wizarding world as Potter comes toward them. He feels a small smile spread across his face when Potter’s eyes meet his.
Potter’s gaze quickly switches to Hermione and he says, “Could you go check on Ron?” before his eyes return to Draco’s. Draco doesn’t even notice if Granger leaves or not, all he can see is Potter. “Draco,” Potter says quietly and Draco raises his chin just slightly. “Not only did you save my life at the Manor, you fought on my side, bringing both of your parents over as well. For one bearing the dark mark, that could have been suicide. Why did you do it?”
Draco bites his lip. He’s a Slytherin and Slytherins don’t just give away all their secrets because someone like Harry Potter demands it. He sees the look in Potter’s eyes though, and understands that he does deserve and explanation. He takes a deep breath and says, “I was prepared to die as soon as I saw your body and thought all hope was lost. I wasn’t willing to remain under the Dark Lord’s thumb. There was more hope in death than there was with him in control.”
Potter nods, simply. “Well, thank you, Draco,” he says and turns to leave.
Draco catches his sleeve, just like he had after the fiend fire and pulls him back around. “I thought I would die in that battle; I was prepared to do so. You are the reason I didn’t have to, and I regret everything I have ever done to you, everything except kissing you in front of The Room of Forgotten Things.”
“Draco-”
“No, you listen to me for once. I’ve wanted to do that since you fought the dragon in fourth year and everything I’ve ever done was so that I could get your attention. I know I went about it in the worst way possible, at times, but I was willing to do anything so that you would notice me. You’re what I want, Harry, and I wanted to die when faced with a world without you in it. That world is hopeless,” he says quickly.
“Did you honestly think that the only reason I followed you in sixth year was because I thought you were up to something?” Harry asks. There’s a small smile trying to fight its way onto his face but so far it’s being quelled. “I mean, you were up to something but there was so much more to us than that,” he admits.
Draco nods and feels his own small smile spread over his lips. He reaches a hand out and puts it on Potter’s- Harry’s shoulder. “Let’s get you to bed,” he says softly. “Granger said you haven’t slept yet.”
Harry nods and moves so that Draco’s arm slings over his shoulder. “Just for a couple hours though, there are things to be done.”
Draco doesn’t argue, he just finds an empty room with a couple of chairs in it which he transfigures into a bed. “Sleep, Harry, I’ll stand watch,” he says although he’s not sure there is still a need for that. It’s better to be safe, even though it seems like everyone should be relaxing now.
Harry is on the bed, stripping off his shirt and trousers and blinking sleepily at Draco. “Okay,” he agrees. He slips under the blankets and smiles at Draco, this time full and spread across his face. “I never really was into Ginny,” he admits.
Draco laughs; it’s a sound that was so foreign for the past year that it nearly startles him. “I never really did like Pansy,” he counters.
“Good,” says Harry and then he’s asleep. Draco sits on a chair by the door and listens to the footsteps travelling up and down the hallway. He looks over at Harry here and there, the smile never leaving his face. It had seemed absolutely hopeless, still does when he considers the government’s fall and the absolute chaos surrounding them. Draco tries not to even think about the multitude of Death Eater trials once this mess is all cleaned up. Instead, he looks at Harry’s peaceful sleeping face and forgets about the hopelessness that lies just outside of the door; in here, he feels content and satisfied that he and Harry can rebuild and have a life together. The thought is anything but hopeless.