HP/SM: Of Unicorn and Men Ch. 5

[lolafalola]

See Prologue for Disclaimer and other information.
Title: Of Unicorns and Men - Chapter Five



Chapter Five

“I knew this blond lad would be too much temptation for ya. ‘e is so sweet an’ innocent, much like ya were in your youth. Ya gotta tell me, Mate, is it the innocence that made ya so alluring to Albus?” the raspy voice said. Harry stiffened when he heard the voice, immediately recognizing it along with the smell of stale cigarettes and whiskey.

As adrenaline pumped through his system, Harry’s brain was clearing from his post-coitus fog and was assessing the situation at hand. He realized his and Scorpius’ wands were discarded, about two yards away, with the rest of their clothes. If he could buy some time, he might be able to work his way there or at least send out a wandless signal for help; something all Aurors were trained to do.

“Mundungus - Dung, what are you doing here? I mean, how did you get past the wards? I didn’t think you were the type of person to kill a defenseless animal. Why start now?” Harry asked. He hoped to get Mundungus Fletcher talking. Then maybe he would let Dung’s defenses would be down and Harry could move away and summon his wand or take Dung’s.

“What do ya mean? The wards around the castle or the ones ya bleedin’ lovebirds set-up the other day?” Mundungus answered.

“Both,” Harry replied.

“I’ve been waiting ‘ere for three days an’ nights for ya to come. I saw ya put ‘em wards up, meself.

“An’ ‘ow I got in ‘ere? Well, let’s just say that bleedin’ oaf ‘agrid wasn’t always so careful with ‘em ‘ogwarts keys all ‘em years ago. ‘e ‘ad me fetch something out of ‘is pockets after an Order meeting, an’ I found ‘em keys an’ made meself a copy. Di’n’ know what I woulda done with a set of school keys, but I’m finkin’ something woulda come outta it.

“Then I ‘ear about ‘ow some Asian blokes are looking to buy unicorn ‘orns, ‘air, an’ even their ‘ides for outrageous prices. Asking much more than they’re worth ‘ere. So, I decide I was gonna make me a few Galleons an’ come in ‘ere one night to nick a few. It was gonna be simple, see. Take a few unicorn pieces, leave the carcass for ‘agrid to pick up an’ make me a few Galleons.

“But then I saw this lad ‘ere keeping a bleedin’ pen for ‘em. Making it impossible for me to get at ‘em. I ‘ad to wait in the effing dark for two days an’ nights before they woulda come out. I only ‘ad time to get the one. Why did ‘e do that? It’s not like ‘e was breeding ‘em for profit or nuthin’. A bleedin’ waste of time if ya ask me,” Dung said. He voice was wheezing, and Harry could feel Dung’s wand at his neck shaking.

This wasn’t the first time Harry had a wand to his head while defenseless. It was, however, the first time he had this happen immediately after sex with his partner at risk. Harry hoped he could distract him or get him to see reason.

“So, what does that have to do with me, Dung? How did you even know I would be attracted to him? Whatever it is I’ve done to upset you, surely we can talk about it. You helped save my life once. Remember?”

“’arry, I liked ya, I really did, but last month, I read something that changed everything. If I knew then what I know now, I probably woulda killed ya then an’ saved You-Know-Who a lot of trouble.

“Last month, I read that article in The Prophet ‘ow when ya was young, ya was Dumbledore’s man, through ‘n through. ‘ow ‘e took ya as ‘is young lover. It made meself sick. I was once Albus’ man through ‘n through just like ya. I loved ‘im, ‘arry. Then ‘e broke me ‘eart when ‘e left me. ‘e said I was an impulse, nothing more. What bleedin’ ‘ell did ‘at mean? I loved ‘im with me ‘ole ‘eart, an’ ‘e just used me!

“After I read that article, it made me wonder; are ya the reason ‘e left me, ‘arry? Are ya?” Mundungus’ voice was rising now, becoming more emotional, and the wand was beginning to press harder into Harry’s spinal cord, causing him to flinch from the pain.

“It’s taken me awhile, but I finally caught you in a less than ‘onorable act. ‘ow does it feel to ‘ave the tables turned on ya? ‘ow does it feel, ‘arry Potter, to ‘ave a wand pointed at ya instead?” Dung asked. He was panting as if he had run a great distance. Then he screamed, “Tell me!”

Harry took a quick breath as he tried to concentrate on maintaining a calm, soothing voice. “Dung, I don’t know what you’re talking about? Headmaster Dumbledore and I were no more than teacher and student. He w -”

“Yes, but what kinda effing teacher an’ what kinda effing student were ya? Eh? I can’t ‘elp but fink that all ‘ose years I was loyal to Albus, waiting for ‘im to notice me that way again an’ it was just a bleedin’ waste of time! Whatta fool I was to fink ‘e once cared for me. That if I did ‘is bidding with the Order, wasting me time watching you, that ‘e would come back to me. An’ all that time ‘e ‘ad ‘is sight set on your lovely, young arse, didn’t ‘e?” Mundungus ranted, and Harry could feel Mundungus’ rage through the vibrations coming from the wand shaking within his hands.

“An’ now, I see that ya are no bleedin’ different! Ya truly are Dumbledore’s man, just like ‘em. I’ve seen that ya’ got another lover, an’ ya’ jus’ using this one to get ya’ man!”

Harry’s mind was now racing. Mundungus Fletcher had started talking, which was good, but every time Harry tried to move, Dung would shove his wand back into Harry’s skull. A small part of him, the part not focusing on trying to get out of this situation, felt ashamed of having put Scorpius through this. Harry looked down, briefly at Scorpius and could see the terror mixed with pain in his eyes. He winced at the look of pain in those beautiful gray eyes. His relationship with Liam was over, but Scorpius didn’t know that. Harry never saw a need to mention Liam before. Now he wished he had.

Harry knew that Scorpius wouldn’t know what was truth and what was lies. The look on his face made Harry wonder if Scorpius would ever recover. This was his first time. It was suppose to be special, memorable, magical even. Instead, it had become a nightmare for them both.

Then there was a shift, an almost imperceptible one, in the way Scorpius was looking at Harry. It went from wild terror and pain to a knowing look of something about to happen. Scorpius’ fingers, which had been lightly wrapped around Harry’s forearms, were beginning to tighten. Harry looked down, his head tilted slightly in concentration, trying to understand what his lover was feeling, when he began to feel it himself.

A light vibration was coming from the ground itself. A small tremor just below the surface was beginning to grow. He didn’t know what it was, but Harry felt something was moving to them.

Mundungus was still ranting, pouring out emotions that must have been held in him for decades, but Harry felt he had to say something. Events seemed about to change.

“Uh, Dung -” Harry began, but it was too late.

The vibrations grew stronger, seeming to be almost upon them, then stopped. A sickening sound, like the dull stabbing of meat, could be heard behind Harry. Mundungus Fletcher’s wand pulled away from Harry’s head as a blood gurgling sound came from the older man. Harry turned quickly around to see one of the most horrifying sights in his life.

Dung’s body was floating in the air, his limbs were limp, and his head lulled to one side, a trail of saliva and blood stringing down to the ground from his gaped mouth. Protruding outward in the middle of his chest was a bit of jagged pure white bone, and a rapidly growing stain of blood surrounded it. Directly behind Mundungus, Harry recognized Balisong. The remnant of his horn was lanced through the center of Mundungus Fletcher’s chest. The unicorn was shaking his head as if he had accidentally gotten caught in a thick thorn bush and was trying to throw the limp form from him.

With a sickening squelching sound, the lifeless body slid off Balisong’s horn, crumpling in a heap unto the ground. His head was turned toward Harry. Lifeless eyes were wide with a last imprint of surprise staring into an endless void. He would never know the fierceness he had brought out of a usually docile and innocent creature. For Mundungus Fletcher was no more.

Two Months Later

“Harry, do you have any plans this evening? I was wondering if you’d like to go to the Leaky Cauldron with me after work and get something to drink,” Ron Weasley said as he was leaning on the doorsill to Harry’s office.

It was early in the morning, about the time when most employees of the Ministry of Magic came to work, but Ron knew that Harry had been there at least two or three hours already. Ever since Mundungus Fletcher had died, Harry had been more than the ideal Auror. He buried himself in all things relating to his job, he had ceased all personal discussions during the office hours, and he had held himself to the strictest rules and guidelines established within their profession. That kind of guilt-ridden reaction didn’t surprise Ron. The internal investigation surrounding Mundungus Fletcher’s death quickly became the biggest scandal to hit the quiet Auror office in several years.

What had surprised Ron, though, was when Harry had gone further and ceased all personal contacts. He had ceased participating in after-work socializing, attending Ministry sponsored events, and even maintaining contact with their friends and extended family.

It was when he had begged off going to the thirtieth anniversary party of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, because he had to finish up some paperwork, that Molly asked her youngest son to intervene. At first, Ron had tried to weasel out of the situation by saying Hermione might be more understanding, but Molly insisted it be him. She held hope that this might be a way to bridge the final gap between the two boys. Ron may have grudgingly accepted Harry’s sexual preferences, but she suspected Ron still saw his involvement with anyone else as a betrayal to Ginny. In the end he relented and obeyed his mother’s wishes.

“Yeah, alright. How about six o’clock? I have to finish this report before tomorrow, and I’m behind enough as it is,” Harry said. He finally looked up from the forms he was filling out, and Ron gasped at what he saw.

Except for his eyes, Harry’s face was gaunt and unnaturally pale, devoid of all color he once held. His eyes were a bit glassy and set in dark circles, which showed a lack of sleep. Ron then took another look at his friend and saw hunched shoulders, fingers stained with ink from writing up paperwork, and definite weight loss. Ron could see that this conversation was long overdue.

“That’s fine, Mate, fine. But don’t make me have to come and hunt you down,” Ron joked as he left to start his own day’s work.

That evening, Ron tracked Harry down in his office, still in the same position he had left him in earlier that morning. With a bit of coercing and sweet talk, he finally was able to convince Harry to take the night off and have a few drinks. After a stroll through Diagon Alley, they made their way into the Leaky Cauldron where they ordered a couple of ales from the bartender before they found an isolated table.

The next few moments were met with silent tension as the two men tried to relax from the day’s events. They hadn’t talked since ‘The Unicorn Affair’ as The Daily Prophet was calling it, and it seemed like any other conversation would be forced at best. It was the arrival of their drinks, by the very young and lovely barmaid, that helped break the ice.

“Wow, is it hot today or is it just her. I swear, if I weren’t a married man...” Ron murmured and winked at Harry. The wink finally cracked a slight grin on Harry’s face. It was the closest thing to a smile or laugh he had come to in weeks.

“Maybe you should go ask her out, Harry. You might get more than free drinks if you put on that vulnerable Potter charm,” Ron said as he motioned with his head in the direction where the barmaid was serving other customers. He knew Harry wouldn’t do it, but he wasn’t above taking advantage of any opportunity to get his friend to relax and open up.

“Well, she’s not exactly my type now, is she?” Harry asked. The slight smile quickly left his face as he looked down to stare into his mostly empty tankard. “I don’t know if I could ever date another woman again. What I had with Ginny was so sublime, so special. I don’t know if I could look at any woman with the same love and tenderness we had. Somehow, I think it would be wrong, like an affront to her memory.”

“Is that why you decided to start dating men? I mean, Harry, in all the time I’ve known you, I never once seen you, you know - err - look me over. Not that I want you to, it’s just that… Harry, how can you suddenly be gay?” Ron said, whispering the last word, afraid someone might overhear.

For the first time in over two months, Harry Potter laughed out loud. “Oh, Ron, really. It’s not like I woke up one morning and decided, ‘You know, I think I’ll be gay today.’

“I think I’ve always had some attraction to men, even back in Hogwarts.” At the mention of their times together in a dormitory, Ron turned an ashen gray. With wide eyes, he anxiously stared at his friend.

“No, Ron, I didn’t do any experimenting back then,” Harry said, laughing at the look on his friend’s face.

“After Ginny’s death, when I started therapy, I was able to finally tell someone, other than Ginny, about these other feelings I’ve had. I think I’ve always been attracted to men; it’s just that I made a conscious effort to suppress those desires, just like I did the ones I felt toward other women.

“After she died, I didn’t see any reason to keep them hidden. The kids were almost grown, and we were working through our grief together. When I felt ready to start dating, I came to the conclusion that instead of finding another woman to replace Ginny, maybe I needed to make a fresh start. That’s why I only date men now.

“I’ve never felt any physical attraction towards you, personally. There have been a few men I have felt attracted to, from time to time, but I didn’t pursue any of them. Once I fell in love with your sister, she took hold of me - heart, body, and soul. She was everything to me. If she hadn’t died in that freak accident, I don’t think I would have ever mentioned my bisexuality. It would have died with me. But nothing turns out the way we want it to, does it?” Harry asked.

Even though he had remained calm during his short talk, his nerves were on edge. Aside from his children, his friendship with Ron was one of the most important things in his life. If he could just get the other man to understand, then maybe they could go back to the camaraderie they once had.

“No, Mate, you’re right - you’re right. It’s just that - well - what happened to you out there in the Forbidden Forest? You say you were able to keep all these feelings in when Ginny was alive - and I believe you - but why weren’t you able to keep it in your pants when you were on assignment?

“I’ve never known you to act anything but professional when we worked out on an investigation. When it came to working with victims and the public, you’ve been helpful, patient, and even comforting and supporting. But bloody hell, you got a bit carried away this time, didn’t you?” Ron said, admonishing him. He looked at his friend with wide, expectant eyes, hoping to get some resolution to Harry’s lack of self-control.

At his friend’s scolding, Harry’s earlier sullen self returned. His face immediately returned to an almost emotionless expression while his shoulders hunched over again in defeat.

“Yeah, that was inexcusable. I should have removed myself from the case long before that night. I should have excused myself after I snogged him in his cabin. That was about a week after I went out there the first time. Yes, if I had been replaced before we -”

“Whoa, Mate! That’s a bit too much information!” Ron said, putting his hands up to try and stop Harry from continuing. Harry gave a slight grin that his friend would probably be just as uncomfortable discussing Harry’s sex life now as he was when he and Ginny were together.

Some things never changed.

“Anyway, I’m just glad I didn’t lose my job. Kingsley gave me a firm warning that if something like this happened again, I would probably be kicked out in the gutter with his boot print on my backside.”

“I didn’t know that. If I had, I think I would have encouraged him to give you the boot today. I think that’s the closest I’ve come to getting a promotion in over five years,” Ron said as they both laughed at his little joke.

“No, but seriously, Harry, why Scorpius Malfoy? You have a son older than him, and don’t you remember what an arrogant bastard his father was in school? Surely, you could have done better than him? Hermione said you were seeing some other fellow before. Liam, I think. What about him?” Ron tried to reason.

Harry smiled a bit. He was glad to hear Ron mention a former male lover rather than another woman. At least his friend was beginning to accept this aspect of his life. He knew, though, that he still had so far to go. Then again, he hadn’t realized it would pain him to hear his lover’s name coming from his friend’s mouth.

“I don’t know how I can explain it, Ron. When I’m with Scorpius, I feel like a part of me … a part of my heart becomes a burning flame, like the flames when a phoenix is reborn. Before I met him, I hadn’t realized just how cold I had been inside. I mean I still have my children, my family, and my career, and even the occasional lover, like Liam once was, but it’s not enough. I was making my life busy with all these things, but I never felt fulfilled until I met him.

“It sounds corny, but I feel like he and I were meant to be together. The first time we talked, I opened up to him and told him more things about myself than I’ve done to anyone in years. It’s as if we’re more than lovers - we’re - well, we were more. I don’t know… I don’t know…” Harry said, looking down again. His hands were shaking. He hadn’t eaten anything today, and the alcohol was turning him into a gibbering idiot.

“Well then, why don’t you go after him? I know the internal investigation looked bad and all, but I’ve never known you to worry about what people thought of you. You’ve always let your love for others determine your actions. Why would now be any different?” Ron asked.

Ron still wasn’t too comfortable with Harry being with other men, but he also knew it was more important for him to be supportive right now. Ron knew he’d have to learn to accept this about Harry, just like he did when Harry began dating Ginny.

“You make it sound so easy, Ron. As if I could just walk onto the Hogwarts’ grounds and sweep him off his feet as though I had never lied or deceived him. I wish that were true.

“After everything happened, I tried to see him and tried to write. At first he said he needed time, but while I was waiting, I got to thinking. What could I offer him? I don’t want this to be just an occasional or part-time thing. I want something that will last for the rest of my life. I want to wake up every morning next to him and watch him sleep. I want to tell him things I would never say to anyone else, laugh at jokes only we’d understand, and spend my days helping him in his passions when I could. I want to know he’s mine and mine alone. I want to belong only to him, but if I do that, then I stand to lose so much more.

“I mean, where would that leave us, you and I? You said once that if I brought any of my male lovers to the Burrow you’d never talk to me again, and you’d disown me as a friend and member of the family. What can I say to that, Ron?

“I think I might be falling in love with this man, but if it means jeopardizing our friendship and putting additional stress on my children, Hermione, Molly, and Arthur, then I’d rather not pursue it. They - you mean too much to me,” Harry said, the sound of his voice leaving no deception to the fact that his heart was breaking in two.

For the next twenty minutes, the two men just sat at their table in the Leaky Cauldron in silence. The cacophony of other patrons was beginning to rise as the evening wore on, yet they sat there, drinking together, but alone in their thoughts.

After he finished his drink, Harry looked at Ron, sighed, mentioned that it was getting late, and he really needed to get home. When Harry began to stand, his friend grabbed his arm and pulled him back down in his seat. Harry gave Ron a questioning look, but said nothing. He waited for an explanation.

Then Ron had a look of triumph. The same one he had when he saw the way to win at wizarding chess. That look he had when he figured out all the moves that were needed to win, and it was just a matter of time waiting for his opponent to see his own demise.

“Wait, Harry, let me ask you this. Is it as if he’s the only real thing in the world?” Ron asked. Even though his eyes had a far off look, he seemed to be concentrating on a past moment.

“Yeah, like that exactly!” Harry said, his eyes alight, recognizing the sentiment behind the words. Somehow, Ron was able to put into perspective all the emotions Harry felt toward Scorpius. He looked at his best friend in awe, wondering how he had encompassed his feelings so completely.

“I didn’t realize it was that serious, Mate. If that’s the way you really feel about him, then don’t worry about me. I’ll get over this. Hell, I’ll even shake his hand if you can get him inside Mom’s kitchen,” Ron said with a now gentle expression.

Harry sat there, staring at his friend. Just when he knew everything there was to know about him, Ron always surprised him. This was more than he had hoped. Ron was going to be all right with this.

“Ron, why the sudden change of heart?” Harry asked. For the first time ever, Harry actually held the hope that maybe he could start all over again. That he could share the family he loved with the lover he had. Someone that Ron would accept without fear or judgment.

Without losing eye contact with his friend, Ron said, “Harry, I get it. Do you know why? Because that’s what you once said about Ginny.”

----oooo----oooo----oooo----

Once again, Harry made the trek from the Hogwarts gates to the groundskeeper’s cabin. As he walked, his thoughts wandered; he was trying to figure out how he would win Scorpius back. He hadn’t sent a note or message indicating he would be coming. He felt that this was something that needed to be handled in-person. If he sent a note, he was worried he might not be able to stop his rambling, poring his heart out like an insipid schoolgirl exposing all her newfound emotions to her latest infatuation. He was much too old for that kind of thing. It seemed he always had been.

As he rounded Hagrid’s cabin, he saw his old friend sitting out in the middle of his garden patch, pulling weeds and turning the soil. Hagrid was getting old, Harry could see that plainly now. His movements were slower, and he seemed to have to exert himself more to accomplish the same tasks. Harry walked up to him, just to say hello, hoping to stall in order to compose his thoughts. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to approach Scorpius about where things stood between them.

“Hello, Harry,” Hagrid said, looking up briefly before he went back to his work. “I expect that yeh here ter see Scorpius? It’s abou’ time.

“The boy’s bin comin’ over ter talk ter me almos’ every day. He don’ ever wan’ ter come inside, though. He jus’ stands there, outside my door, lookin’ in the direction o’ the entrance gates. He don’t ask abou’ yeh directly, jus’ how my ‘old friends’ ar’ doin’ an’ if I’ve heard anythin’ new from the Ministry,” Hagrid said, looking up and staring straight into Harry’s eyes.

“Whatever it is he’s bin feeling, he’s keepin’ ter much o’ it inside, if yeh ask me. It’s affecting him physically. Poor lad, he’s bin losin’ sleep an’ not eatin’ much. In fact, I’d say he looks abou’ as bad as yeh do.

“What happened up there, Harry? Is it as bad as they said in the papers? I know yer not the type ter ‘love ‘em an’ leave ‘em’. I’ve told Scorpius that myself, although he says that he doesn’ know what I’m talkin’ abou’,” Hagrid said.

Harry wanted to answer, he really did, but the brutal truth coming from Hagrid was too much for him. It wasn’t just his imagination. He had hurt Scorpius as badly as he thought. Some part of him had hoped Scorpius would understand that Harry never meant to hurt him. What Harry felt for him was the exact opposite. Now that Hagrid was confirming his worse fears, and Harry could feel his mouth become as dry as parchment. It was becoming difficult to swallow, and his eyes were starting to burn. All he could do was nod and look away.

“Go an’ talk ter him. He’d be up with his unicorns abou’ this time o’ day. He’s there with ‘em whenever he’s not workin’ on the castle,” Hagrid said as he went back to work.

With a heavy heart, Harry stood there for a moment, waiting until he was composed, and gravely walked into the Forbidden Forest.

As he entered the clearing, Harry realized he had forgotten the effects of walking between the pomegranate trees. His guilty conscience was eased by the waves of sympathetic emotions washing over him. He could see the unicorns, small blessings here and there, spread throughout the corral. He stopped and looked around after he was about a hundred yards in, but he could not find Scorpius.

He decided that Scorpius might be elsewhere on the grounds. He was going to set out to look for him, but he stopped when he felt a firm push from behind. Before he turned around, Harry realized he needed to go back into training to sense when people approached his blindsides. Since there was no one threatening his life this time, he felt safe enough to risk a backward glance. He turned and saw Balisong standing behind him.

At first, Harry didn’t recognize him. He thought it was just another unicorn, but something was different about this one, though. Harry realized it was the intense stare he had seen before and the jagged edge to his horn. Balisong had changed so much from two months ago. His coat had returned to an iridescent white coat, and his horn had almost completely grown back to a full length. The only distinguishing difference was the slight red stain that seemed to be a permanent tinge on the last foot of his horn. 

Harry looked at it, trying to figure out what it was. He was about to reach out to touch it, but Balisong pulled away from Harry’s hand. It seemed Balisong didn’t mind staring at Harry or even nudging him, but he drew the line at Harry making the first response. When Harry realized this, he stopped all his motion since he was afraid the unicorn would run away, something Harry didn’t want. Balisong was a reminder of Scorpius, even if the younger man wasn’t around.

The unicorn pulled away, but made no further effort to leave Harry. When he had pulled out of reach, he made a slight neighing sound to get Harry’s full attention. He then jerked his head to Harry’s right, while pawing the ground with his hoof. When Harry looked in the direction the unicorn was indicating, he could see what Balisong was trying to show him.

It was almost indecipherable at first, but Harry was able to catch a reflection of light bouncing off a figure sitting low on the ground. He moved his head and was able to identify the shining figure.

Scorpius Malfoy was sitting in the middle of the field, about twenty yards away from Harry. His head was barely above the tall grasses around him. He was looking down at something, studying it, but Harry couldn’t make out what it was. As Harry got closer, he could see why Scorpius was reflecting sunlight.

Scorpius had his hair unbraided. It was loose and wild, laying down his back like a shiny white coat. It blew in the wind, while wisps of fine hair blew across Scorpius’ face. Harry thought he looked like an angel that had landed on earth.

When he was only ten feet away, Harry stopped and just stood there, watching Scorpius. He could tell Scorpius was deeply absorbed in a thick tome that looked vaguely familiar to Harry. He stood there, watching Scorpius reading, while he wondered if he should disturb him or not. Before he could make up his mind, though, Scorpius looked up at him.

Scorpius’ eyes widened at first, a myriad of emotions could be seen fleeting across his face. Harry could identify surprise, fear, anger, and finally what he hoped was warmth or tenderness. The two men just stared at each other for the next few minutes, neither one of them wanted to look away, both of them afraid to speak.

Harry couldn’t take the suspense for long and broke down.

“So, what are you reading?” Harry asked. He was beginning to fidget, which he hated, and was looking around for anything to talk about. Thankfully, Scorpius motioned for him to sit down next to him on the ground. His face didn’t change, though, and for a brief moment, he almost had a look about him that reminded Harry of Draco when they were schoolboy rivals.

“Actually, I’m reading ‘Hogwarts: A History’. Your friend, Mrs. Weasley, gave it to me. This copy is unique, not only because it’s her personal copy, but also because she placed a charm on it so it would update every time anything significant, worthy of the book, was placed in here automatically. It’s always up-to-date. It even has Mundungus Fletcher’s death in it,” Scorpius said. He looked a bit flushed for a moment, and then continued.

“It was a funny thing she said when she gave it to me. She said it was probably the best biography of Harry Potter out there. She said you were linked so closely to the school that every major event in your life almost seemed to happen here. Now that I am reading it, I think she might be right,” he said, too embarrassed now to look Harry in the eye.

“That’s a bit strange, why would she say a thing like that? I know she loves that book, but I didn’t know she thought that about me. I wonder why she gave it to you?” Harry pondered out loud.

This change of subject was just the thing that gave him a bit of courage. This wasn’t so bad. The tension he thought they would have wasn’t there. Maybe they could move past this, Harry thought, at least until he saw the crimson shade Scorpius had become. Then he realized that maybe it was only easier for him and not Scorpius.

“Well, I went up to the Ministry of Magic to discuss some business about the unicorns with her. I asked how everything was going with her personally, and she gave me a funny look. Then she kind of nodded and looked at her bookshelves and handed this book to me once she found it. I thought it was kind of odd, but I haven’t been able to put it down since. She was right, there is a lot of you in here,” Scorpius said. His color was slowly return to a beautiful alabaster, and Harry could feel his fingers almost involuntarily open and close wanting to touch him.

“Well, that is interesting,” Harry said. He wanted to say more, get closer or just wrap himself around Scorpius like an afghan, but he knew they should probably talk more or something.

After a time, though, he sat there quietly while Scorpius read. He wanted to find out what Scorpius thought, if it was just his imagination or could they move on? Was it just magical to him, or did Scorpius feel it, too? Could they be together forever, sharing a life? There were so many questions inside of Harry, and he couldn’t find a way to ask any of them without seeming like a love struck fool.

He felt like he was getting too old to be foolish, but wisdom in the art of romance was something he hadn’t mastered before. He had only been in love once, and that had seemed to fall into place. Could this be as easy?

They had been sitting there for a few hours, silently, both of them lost in their own worlds. Harry would look at Scorpius from time to time, but he never could find a good time when the other man looked back at him. When he did think Scorpius was looking at him, Scorpius would look back down before he could stare into those gray eyes.

Time passed and the sun was beginning to set. Harry began to stretch; his joints were starting to ache from being motionless on the hard ground for so long. He almost started to get up and stretch proper when, out of the stillness, Scorpius finally spoke even though he never looked up from his book.

“Harry, you’re the brave one here. I wish I were, but I’m not. At the same time, though, I don’t want you to just leave again without saying anything. I don’t know if I’ll see you again, and to be quite honest, I don’t know if I could bear it. So, can you answer one question for me? Why are you here?” Scorpius asked.

Despite all his efforts to remain as calm and collected as possible, it seemed that a simple question was enough to unravel Harry. His thoughts came out like a cascade of water after a dam had broke.

“I’ve been living in hell for the past few weeks, thinking that I’d either ruined all my chances of us being together or that everything we had between us was just my imagination and nothing more.

“I was worried that I had lost the best thing to happen to me since… well … let’s just say there was a time in my life when I didn’t ever think I would ever fall in love. Then I met Ginny and life was good. When she died, I thought, ‘That’s it, Harry. You’re one love is gone. You still have your children, family, and friends. Consider yourself blessed.’ I was willing to be content with that, if I needed to be, for the rest of my days.

“When I met you, it felt like the part of me that was capable of loving and being loved, was once again being opened. I thought it had been closed off forever. It seemed, though, that the Fates were allowing me not one, but two great loves. How could I, someone who once had so little love in life, be allowed so much? Who am I to have been given such a gift as you?

“Then I had to go and bollocks it all up by using my job as a means to get closer to you. I’m sorry about that and everything that happened with Mundungus and the scandal. I really am. I’m usually not the type to -” His rambling was stopped when Scorpius suddenly kissed him, knocking him to the ground in the process.

All words of regret and love and renewal were fleeting Harry’s mind. Everything he had thought to say seemed to be irrelevant as Scorpius gently opened his mouth to let Harry enter. Then his courage came back to him tenfold, and Harry rolled Scorpius over so that he was on top. He groaned when he began to rub his erection against Scorpius’ equal.

Finally, Harry pulled away. His breath was a bit labored from all the kissing. He looked into those beautiful eyes. Eyes he hoped to spend the rest of his days looking into. Then Scorpius smiled at him; it was brilliant and beautiful. The glow he once had seemed to return in full force, leaving Harry in complete awe of being blessed with such a wonderful man. There was too much to say and yet, not enough.

“Are we going to be alright?” Harry finally asked.

“Yes,” Scorpius responded as he leaned up to make contact with Harry’s mouth again, groaning into the touch.

As they lay in the sun, in the midst of the unicorns, Harry and Scorpius made love. They were silent for the most part because words only got in the way of what needed to be said. During that afternoon, they were able to reveal without words two absolute truths about each other.

For the first time in his life, Scorpius Malfoy knew he had fallen in love, and Harry Potter realized that he had fallen in love for the last time.

The End

The line Ron uses “(s)he was the only real thing in the world” can be found in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, chapter seven, “The Will of Albus Dumbledore”, American edition, page 116.