Christmas 2016 Fic: Reset (H/D, rated R) - Part 1
Title: Reset - Part 1
Author: sesheta_66
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R overall
Word Count: ~20K overall
Summary: Forgetting the past isn't always possible or practical. Dwelling on it isn't constructive. Moving beyond it, into what lies ahead, can be just the thing to help us heal. And friends? Well, they make it all - past, present and future - worth living.
Author's Notes: Written for dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge, prompt #31: Starting off the new year with a new perspective and slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry, prompt #1: phone booth.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Reset - Part 1
"What's McGonagall thinking?" Ron grumbled, glaring at the Slytherin table.
Harry followed his gaze until it rested on Malfoy, eating in silence, alone at a crowded table.
"I imagine she's thinking that everyone deserves the best education they can get," Hermione said, though her voice held little conviction. "You heard her and the Hat - it's all about a new year and a new perspective."
Ron shoved a roasted potato into his mouth angrily. "Not everyone deserves a second chance."
"No," Hermione agreed, "but obviously she thinks that some people do."
Ron stopped shovelling food into his face for a moment and slapped his hands loudly on the table. "He tried to kill me - and Katie, too. And did she forget what happened to Bill?"
"Of course she didn't forget," Hermione said, looking to Harry for support. He shrugged. "And he wasn't trying to kill you or Katie."
Ron's face reddened. "Well excuse me if he was trying to kill someone else and we just happened to get in the way."
"Keep your voice down," Hermione urged. Everyone at their end of the table was watching and listening. "I'm sure McGonagall has her reasons."
Harry suspected a certain couple of portraits in her office might have had something to do with it.
"It's bad enough Harry testified for him at his trial," Ron continued. Harry ignored this as he'd done countless times before. This wasn't the first time Ron had made his displeasure known about Harry's choice. They'd argued vehemently about it when Harry had told him what he was going to do. It had ended with them not speaking for weeks so, not fancying a repeat performance today, he remained silent.
"Leave Harry out of it," Ginny told her brother. "You've made your position clear and the trials are over. Stop beating a dead horse and move on."
Harry smiled weakly at her. While he could fight his own battles - or, in this case, choose not to - he appreciated her support all the same. He hadn't known how things would be between them after they'd called things off after the war, but they were fine. Better than fine, he supposed. They'd stumbled through a few weeks of stolen kisses - between burying the dead and trying to work out what to do in a post-Voldemort world - when they'd both realised that their time had passed.
There'd been no yelling, no accusations, no tears and no regrets. Just an awkward talk about remaining friends and moving on. He'd come away from that conversation a bit stunned and more than a little lost, but certain they'd done the right thing. And somehow he'd remained part of his adoptive family, with only a few questioning glances before everyone had accepted this as the way things were.
Ron, perhaps sensing a losing battle, muttered something about fucking Death Eaters and picked up his fork once more.
Harry looked back over at the Slytherin table. None of Malfoy's friends had returned that year, and he wasn't entirely sure why Malfoy had. Everyone gave him a wide berth and he sat apart from others, silently eating his meal and not looking up. Ron wasn't the only one staring, either.
Dumbledore's words haunted Harry and had done since the war. "You're not a killer, Draco."
It was one of the reasons Harry had testified. He'd known then that Dumbledore had been right. And he'd seen for himself what Voldemort had done, how he'd tortured and killed and forced his followers to do the same. He'd felt the anger and hatred inside his very soul and tried to imagine having that presence in his home, watching his every move, listening to his every word, judging him, threatening him, threatening his family.
In the end, he'd had no choice. He'd testified in many cases, including those of Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. He'd also offered to testify against Lucius Malfoy, but the prosecution hadn't needed his help. Probably best. They had, however, tried to dissuade him from testifying for the other Malfoys, but Harry had dug his heels in, insisting that they were not Lucius.
He'd testified for Draco in the same courtroom where Dumbledore had once defended Harry. He'd remembered everything about that day, from the surreal effort of arriving the Muggle way - riding the tube and entering via the phone booth - to the very real feeling of utter helplessness before Dumbledore had arrived. Their headmaster's presence had been there at Draco's trial too. In the end, Harry had done what was right, and he didn't regret it.
Then again, he hadn't really expected Draco to show up at Hogwarts.
Part 2
Author: sesheta_66
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R overall
Word Count: ~20K overall
Summary: Forgetting the past isn't always possible or practical. Dwelling on it isn't constructive. Moving beyond it, into what lies ahead, can be just the thing to help us heal. And friends? Well, they make it all - past, present and future - worth living.
Author's Notes: Written for dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge, prompt #31: Starting off the new year with a new perspective and slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry, prompt #1: phone booth.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Reset - Part 1
"What's McGonagall thinking?" Ron grumbled, glaring at the Slytherin table.
Harry followed his gaze until it rested on Malfoy, eating in silence, alone at a crowded table.
"I imagine she's thinking that everyone deserves the best education they can get," Hermione said, though her voice held little conviction. "You heard her and the Hat - it's all about a new year and a new perspective."
Ron shoved a roasted potato into his mouth angrily. "Not everyone deserves a second chance."
"No," Hermione agreed, "but obviously she thinks that some people do."
Ron stopped shovelling food into his face for a moment and slapped his hands loudly on the table. "He tried to kill me - and Katie, too. And did she forget what happened to Bill?"
"Of course she didn't forget," Hermione said, looking to Harry for support. He shrugged. "And he wasn't trying to kill you or Katie."
Ron's face reddened. "Well excuse me if he was trying to kill someone else and we just happened to get in the way."
"Keep your voice down," Hermione urged. Everyone at their end of the table was watching and listening. "I'm sure McGonagall has her reasons."
Harry suspected a certain couple of portraits in her office might have had something to do with it.
"It's bad enough Harry testified for him at his trial," Ron continued. Harry ignored this as he'd done countless times before. This wasn't the first time Ron had made his displeasure known about Harry's choice. They'd argued vehemently about it when Harry had told him what he was going to do. It had ended with them not speaking for weeks so, not fancying a repeat performance today, he remained silent.
"Leave Harry out of it," Ginny told her brother. "You've made your position clear and the trials are over. Stop beating a dead horse and move on."
Harry smiled weakly at her. While he could fight his own battles - or, in this case, choose not to - he appreciated her support all the same. He hadn't known how things would be between them after they'd called things off after the war, but they were fine. Better than fine, he supposed. They'd stumbled through a few weeks of stolen kisses - between burying the dead and trying to work out what to do in a post-Voldemort world - when they'd both realised that their time had passed.
There'd been no yelling, no accusations, no tears and no regrets. Just an awkward talk about remaining friends and moving on. He'd come away from that conversation a bit stunned and more than a little lost, but certain they'd done the right thing. And somehow he'd remained part of his adoptive family, with only a few questioning glances before everyone had accepted this as the way things were.
Ron, perhaps sensing a losing battle, muttered something about fucking Death Eaters and picked up his fork once more.
Harry looked back over at the Slytherin table. None of Malfoy's friends had returned that year, and he wasn't entirely sure why Malfoy had. Everyone gave him a wide berth and he sat apart from others, silently eating his meal and not looking up. Ron wasn't the only one staring, either.
Dumbledore's words haunted Harry and had done since the war. "You're not a killer, Draco."
It was one of the reasons Harry had testified. He'd known then that Dumbledore had been right. And he'd seen for himself what Voldemort had done, how he'd tortured and killed and forced his followers to do the same. He'd felt the anger and hatred inside his very soul and tried to imagine having that presence in his home, watching his every move, listening to his every word, judging him, threatening him, threatening his family.
In the end, he'd had no choice. He'd testified in many cases, including those of Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. He'd also offered to testify against Lucius Malfoy, but the prosecution hadn't needed his help. Probably best. They had, however, tried to dissuade him from testifying for the other Malfoys, but Harry had dug his heels in, insisting that they were not Lucius.
He'd testified for Draco in the same courtroom where Dumbledore had once defended Harry. He'd remembered everything about that day, from the surreal effort of arriving the Muggle way - riding the tube and entering via the phone booth - to the very real feeling of utter helplessness before Dumbledore had arrived. Their headmaster's presence had been there at Draco's trial too. In the end, Harry had done what was right, and he didn't regret it.
Then again, he hadn't really expected Draco to show up at Hogwarts.
Part 2