Magic is a Wonderful Thing, Part 2 of 2 (H/D, NC-17, complete)
Title: Magic is a Wonderful Thing (part 2)
Author: sesheta_66
Beta: sassy_cissa
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, background Ron/Hermione
Summary: While Hermione and Ron travel to Australia to find Hermione’s parents and restore their memories, Harry goes back to Hogwarts to help with the rebuilding efforts. Draco decides to serve his community service by helping restore what his side helped destroy. A friendship begins which, when they both return for their final year, grows into something more.
Read on AO3
[Read on LJ]
Harry awoke to the sound of thrashing and screaming. He sat bolt upright in his bed and realised the sounds were coming from the other side of the room. He closed the distance and perched himself on the bed, reaching his hand to rest on Malfoy’s shoulder. He nudged gently. "Malfoy, wake up. Malfoy."
He continued to thrash about. "No! Don’t make me!"
Harry shook him harder. "Malfoy! Draco!"
Malfoy’s eyes flew open and he shot up, clunking their foreheads together. "Ow," he complained, but calmer.
Harry rubbed his forehead. "You okay? You were having a nightmare."
"I was? Sorry."
"No need to be sorry. Happens to me all the time."
"Was I that loud that it got through your barrier?"
"Er ... yeah. I passed out before casting the spell. Want to talk about it?"
Malfoy pulled his knees up to his chest. "Not really."
Harry scooted across the bed until his back was to the wall. "The war?"
He nodded, hugging his knees closer. "Always."
"Me too. Usually bodies piled upon bodies. All the people that died for me."
"They didn’t die for you. They died for the cause."
Harry ignored that. "And you? You were screaming, "Don’t make me!"
Malfoy climbed out from under the covers and took up position beside Harry, both of them leaning back against the wall. "I hated the person I’d become. The things I did." He pulled his knees back up and put his head down on them. "I didn’t want to do it."
Harry hesitated for a moment before reaching over and putting his arm around Malfoy’s shoulder. He tensed at first, but then relaxed under Harry’s touch. "I know Voldemort forced you. I saw it with my own eyes."
"But I could have said no."
"Sure, but then where would you have been? Someone else would have tortured your intended target and you. And probably your mother too."
"But -"
"The war is over, Draco. You survived. We survived." He pulled Malfoy closer, to lean against him. "We need to move on or he wins."
* * *
Malfoy exited the bathroom, towel slung low on his hips, hair plastered to his head. Harry’s jaw dropped. Sure, he’d been noticing more lately. Noticing how a certain pair of jeans hugged Malfoy’s arse in all the right ways. Noticing how nice that arse was in just about anything when not hidden beneath robes. Noticing the pulse point beneath his left ear when he had his head hanging over his latest assignment. Noticing how his tongue stuck out just that little bit when he struggled for the right phrasing as he wrote his essays. But this ... this was a whole lot more skin than Harry was used to. His gaze dropped to Malfoy’s chest and the faded but still angry lines that criss-crossed it. He gasped.
"What?" Malfoy asked before he saw where Harry was looking.
"Oh my god." Harry wanted to reach out to him. "I’m so sorry." He couldn’t look him in the face.
Malfoy marched over and put two fingers beneath Harry’s chin and lifted his face up to meet his gaze. "It happened years ago. You didn’t know what you were doing. I was about to throw a Crucio at you." He released Harry’s chin. "And we don’t have time for this now. The Weasleys await."
"But -"
Malfoy pulled a shirt over his head, hiding the evidence of Harry’s stupidity. "No time. You want to melt down later, have at it. But right now, your friends await."
* * *
"Potter!" A distant voice nudged at the edges of his mind. "Harry!" Harry shot up in his bed, missing Malfoy’s head by an inch when he - probably learning from Harry’s mistake - pulled back.
Harry tried to calm his breathing, but his chest heaved roughly. "So much blood. Everywhere."
"No blood," Malfoy said. "Bad dream."
"It was you. So much blood. I did that to you." He stared at Malfoy’s chest, though the proof lay beneath his shirt.
Malfoy rolled his eyes then pulled off his t-shirt. He grabbed Harry’s hand and brought it to his chest. "I’m fine, see? I’m alive and well and I didn’t bleed to death."
Harry grappled for his glasses with his free hand and put them on. He looked at the scars before him and ran his fingers over the lines. "I’m so glad you didn’t die."
Malfoy laughed. "So am I, as a matter of fact."
Harry didn’t laugh. He just continued to run his fingers over the scars. "I was so stupid, so reckless."
Malfoy grasped his wrist to stop Harry’s progress. "We both were."
"But I could have killed you."
Malfoy lifted Harry’s face as he’d done that afternoon. "But you didn’t." Harry opened his mouth to argue but Malfoy glared. "Someone I know - a smart someone as it turns out - once told me that the war is over. And what else did he say? Oh, right. We need to move on or Voldemort wins."
Harry smiled. "You called me smart."
Malfoy chuckled. "Don’t let it go to your head."
Harry stared at him, registered how close they were, caught a glimmer in his eyes. Malfoy’s teeth grazed his lower lip and, without thinking, Harry traced the motion with his thumb. After a split second of hesitation, he closed the distance between them.
Malfoy sighed and his lips softened and parted. Harry pressed his tongue past them and everything else faded away. He forgot about his dream, the war, school and everything else that wasn’t Malfoy. Their tongues wrapped around each other lazily as they took their time mapping out a path of discovery.
Harry wrapped his arms around Malfoy and pulled him down on top of him, deepening the kiss along the way. When their erections lined up and Malfoy ground his hips slowly, teasingly into Harry’s, they both moaned. Through their barely-there pyjama pants, it was both too much and not nearly enough, but they didn’t rush things. Harry ran his hands down the curve of Malfoy’s spine and slid his hands beneath the waistband, cupping that arse he’d been admiring for weeks. Fuck, it was as brilliant as it looked. When Harry lifted his hips, rubbing their cocks together, Malfoy started a rhythmic rocking that had them both panting in no time.
When Malfoy slowed his pace, Harry groaned and flipped them over so he was on top. He took a moment to look into Malfoy’s lust-blown eyes, convinced his own looked the same. "Why didn’t we do this before?" he asked.
"Less talking, Potter." He lifted his hips to emphasise his point. Then he reached a hand around Harry’s head. "More kissing." He pulled Harry down to him and their mouths crashed together once more. Gone was the leisurely pace, replaced with the urgency of impending orgasm. Their rocking became frantic, their kissing messy, and it was glorious.
When Malfoy grabbed Harry’s arse, the added pressure was just enough to push Harry over the edge. His rhythm faltered, but Malfoy pressed down with his hands and kept rocking up with his hips until, barely a minute later, he too found release. They continued to exchange sloppy kisses as they gradually came down from their high, Harry wondering once more why they hadn’t been doing this all along. Hell, years ago when they’d been fighting constantly. What a waste those years had been.
Harry collapsed beside Malfoy on the bed, his breathing slowing almost to normal. He turned, brushed Malfoy’s hair from his forehead and kissed him softly once more. "Well that was unexpected."
"Really?" Malfoy lifted himself up onto his elbows and shot Harry an incredulous look. "Was it really?"
Harry laughed. "Okay, maybe not," he admitted. He’d been thinking about it virtually non-stop for the past month. Longer, if he were really being honest with himself, but he hadn’t thought it was even a possibility until recently. "But I wasn’t expecting it tonight."
Malfoy’s lips twitched and he pulled Harry in for a toe-curling snog. "You’re such an idiot, Potter."
"Hey! Weren’t you the one that told me just tonight that I’m smart?"
"Yes, well ... momentary lapse on my part."
"Then or now?"
"I’ll leave that for you to ponder." He summoned his wand and with a wave cleaned up the mess. "Meanwhile, go back to sleep." He turned his back to Harry and tucked a pillow under his neck.
"You’re sleeping here, then?"
He adjusted the pillow. "Yes. I’m comfortable here. But if you want your own space, you can sleep in my bed."
Harry grinned and tucked in behind Malfoy, draping his arm over the other man and pulling him closer. Malfoy squirmed a bit before relaxing into place. "Not a chance."
* * *
They settled into a routine and for the rest of the term slept in Harry’s now magically enlarged bed. They spent Christmas Day at their respective houses - Draco at the Manor and Harry at the Burrow - but remained at the school for the rest of the hols. They’d agreed to keep their relationship private for now, but left the topic open for discussion at a later date. Part of Harry wanted to tell anyone who’d listen, but a bigger part of him wasn’t quite ready to share with even his friends, never mind the world.
Much to Harry’s dismay, Draco returned to his own bed when they were preparing for their NEWTs. Apparently, the distraction of sharing a bed tended to last significantly longer than they planned. Harry argued that sleeping didn’t really count as a distraction, but after their first attempt at doing only that had failed miserably, he reluctantly agreed that Draco had a point.
As a result, a week before their exams, he was a bit on the tetchy side. "Stop pacing," Draco said. "You’re distracting me."
"Well, your presence is distracting me!"
Draco dropped his quill and glared at Harry. "Excuse me?"
"For months, we’ve slept together. Even if we haven’t done anything, we’ve shared a bed. And now, for the past two weeks, we’ve slept apart. It’s driving me mad! The longer I go without touching you, the more I want you. I’ve got to the point that I can’t concentrate on anything except the need to kiss you, to touch you, to hold you. I want you. Rather a lot, if I’m being honest. So, yeah. Your presence is a distraction." He hadn’t meant to spill all that out at once, but, he reasoned, it had been building for a while.
Draco’s eyes darkened and he stood up. "A distraction, am I?"
Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes."
"Well then." Draco took a few measured paces towards Harry. "What do you think we should do about that?" He took a few steps more. Harry stood his ground but dropped his arms to his sides, hoping to Merlin this meant what he thought it meant. Draco closed the distance and pulled Harry towards him by his shirt. "Take the edge off, perhaps?"
Harry was more than happy to oblige. He wrapped his arms around Draco and pulled their hips together. Relieved to feel Draco’s interest was as apparent as his own, Harry said, "God, I’ve missed you." He felt rather than saw Draco’s smile as their lips joined. After two weeks of build-up with nothing but an occasional wank for relief, it didn’t take long. Pants around their ankles, they didn’t even take the time to lie down or even lean against a surface. Draco Accioed the lube, coated both their lengths and brought them together. Harry wrapped his own hand around Draco’s and in record time, they’d both come, standing in the middle of their room, Harry following a mere few strokes behind Draco.
Afterwards, Draco cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand, pulled up his pants and trousers and went back to his desk. Harry, now also fully dressed to avoid further distraction, watched him from atop his bed. "You know, I’ve grown rather used to having you in my bed."
Draco smirked. "Have you then?"
"Yes, I have." He hitched himself up on one elbow. "So what are you planning to do after school?"
"I’ve told you. I’ve applied for apprenticeships under some Potions Masters."
"Yeah, yeah. I know that. I don’t mean about work or more training. I mean life beyond that."
Draco set aside his quill and turned to fully face Harry. "Life beyond that?"
"Yeah. Life. Us."
"Us?"
Harry sat up and ran his hands through his hair. "You know, repeating what I say as a question isn’t particularly helpful."
"It’s not?"
Harry let out an exasperated sigh and threw all caution to the wind. "Come live with me at Grimmauld Place. Help me fix it up and make it a home."
"Oh, so it’s free labour you’re after."
Harry laughed. "Yes, that’s it. So what say you?"
"You’re serious." Harry nodded in response. "Just over a year ago, we hated each other. What makes you think this is a good idea?"
"We were coming out of a war a year ago. We aren’t the same people we once were. And we’ve made a pretty good go of it so far, haven’t we?"
"Your friends ... my friends ... the media ... your adoring public." Draco ran his hands through his hair. "No one even knows about us."
"So what? No one seems to mind that we’re friends. Well, except your dad, I suppose."
He ignored the comment about Lucius. "But this is huge. Life changing."
Harry climbed out of bed, crossed the room and pulled Draco to him, resting his hands possessively in the curve of his back. "Isn’t everything worthwhile huge? A risk?" He kissed that spot just below Draco’s ear, the one that made him melt in Harry’s arms. He didn’t disappoint. "What’s the matter, Malfoy? Scared?"
Draco chuckled. "Yes, you tosser, I’m scared." He brought a hand between them, pushed Harry back enough to look into his eyes and ran his fingers through Harry’s mess of hair. "But okay. Let’s give this thing a try."
Harry lifted him up, twirled him around and put him down again before pressing a loud smooch on his lips. "Yes!"
"And don’t ever do that in public! Merlin, people will think I’ve got you under some insanity spell." Harry just grinned.
* * *
Harry’s nerves were of no help throughout dinner, as he fidgeted and pushed more food around his plate than he ate. Eventually, Hermione dropped her fork onto her plate. "Out with it, Harry."
He looked up, meeting the concerned stares of his two best friends. "What?"
"What did that pie ever do to you?" Ron pointed to the mess on Harry’s plate.
Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand. "You said you wanted to talk when you asked us to meet you for dinner. Maybe it’s best you just tell us now."
"I -" Harry put his own fork down and gave it up as a lost cause. He took a long draw from his pint before easing back in his seat and putting up a Muffliato. Staring at what used to be his meat pie, he began. "I’ve ..." This was so much harder than it’d been in his head. It shouldn’t be, he knew. These were his friends, his best friends, and they’d be fine with this. Wouldn’t they? He took a deep breath and rubbed his now sweaty palms over his jeans. "Right. I can do this." He looked from Hermione to Ron and saw nothing but concern and curiosity.
Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand again. "Go on."
"Yeah, just get it out, mate." Ron smiled at Harry encouragingly.
Another deep breath. "Right. So here’s the thing. I’ve been ... well, Ma-Draco and I have been seeing each other. As in ... well." He reached for his pint and swallowed down a good measure.
"Well, we’ve sort of figured that for months now, haven’t we?" Ron said.
Harry frowned. "You have?" Hermione held back a grin.
"Well, Hermione has. And when she pointed that out to me, I guess I’d already known that too." Harry’s mouth fell open and Ron continued. "I mean he’s pretty much all you ever talked about in your letters, and you’ve spent all your time together, and ..."
"But ..." He turned to Hermione. "How’d you put that together? I used to spend all my time with the two of you and we never slept together!"
Ron choked. Hermione helpfully patted him on the back while keeping her eyes on Harry. "Even in school, the two of you ... well, you were rather obsessed with each other, weren’t you?"
"We hated each other!"
She shrugged. "Perhaps. But you know ... fine line and all that."
Harry shook his head, bewildered that she’d have thought about their time in school in such a way.
Ron recovered from his coughing fit. "So was that it, mate? That was what you had to tell us?"
Harry’s leg started bouncing. "Er ... not everything."
"So go on then. Don’t keep us in suspense."
Now the hard part was over, and they didn’t seem bothered - or even surprised - by his news, he decided to just spit out the rest. "I’ve asked him to move in with me." Ron’s eyes widened. "And he said yes."
Well, at least something caught them by surprise, if the stunned looks they were giving each other were any sign.
Hermione recovered before Ron. "Oh. Well then." She lifted her wine glass. "I guess congratulations are in order."
She elbowed Ron and he picked up his pint. "Yeah. Congratulations."
Harry grinned and lifted his own glass. "Thanks."
* * *
"So it went well, then," Draco said when Harry’d told him about his night out. "They’re fine with it."
Harry threw himself down on his bed and put his arm over his eyes. "Well, fine might be pushing it."
"But I thought you said -"
He pulled himself into a sitting position, leaning his back against the wall. "They’re fine with the whole seeing each other thing."
"But living together?"
Harry recalled the turn their conversation had taken just before they’d parted ways. "Hermione thinks it’s a really big deal, you know, and -"
"And you don’t?" Draco’s tone warned Harry to tread lightly.
"Well, yeah. Of course I do. It’s just ..." Draco stared at him, waiting. "Well, she asked some questions ... life questions ... and I guess I realised that we’d never talked about ... well, a lot of things."
Draco leaned forward in his desk chair, elbows on his knees. "So let’s talk about them."
"Just like that?"
"Well, there’s no time like the present, is there? We’re leaving school in a few weeks, at which time, presumably, we’ll be moving in together. And we’ve our exams starting Monday. I sense this will weigh on you, so ... yes, we should talk right now. What questions did Granger have?"
"Stuff about family and friends. What we’ll do for holidays and whatnot."
"That doesn’t seem particularly earth-shattering, to be honest. Did you want to work out a schedule right now?"
Harry laughed. "No, I’m sure we can figure things out as we go."
"So ..."
Harry looked up at him, wondering if he had given this much thought. If he’d really considered the ramifications of their decision. If he’d change his mind. If this conversation might be the end of everything. Well, fuck it. Might as well get it overwith.
"Children. That’s the big thing." When Draco didn’t say anything, he continued. "We’re both only children, the end of our respective lines. I’d never really given it much thought before, but ... well, you’re a pureblood. I can’t imagine your father would be pleased to see the Malfoy line end with you."
"No, he wouldn’t be. He wasn’t pleased when I told him I’m gay, for that very reason. Other reasons too, perhaps, but that was the main one."
"And how do you feel about it?"
He shrugged. "There are options."
"Like marrying a pureblood witch?"
He nodded. "That’s one option. Get married, have an heir and a spare, and get out." Harry imagined Parkinson would jump all over that. "But since I’ve no interest - none whatsoever - in doing any of that with a witch, that option’s out." He crossed one leg over his knee and began to pick at his trouser leg. "But you, on the other hand ... you are attracted to women. That would be a reasonable and viable option for you."
"I ... no! I mean, yes, I find women attractive too, but ... no. I could never go into a marriage just to have children, knowing that I’d want out after that. I couldn’t. I couldn’t marry someone unless I loved them, man or woman." And then it hit him. They’d never said it. He’d never really thought about it. But as he stared into those blue-grey eyes, it hit him with the force of an Impedimenta to the chest.
He got up from the bed, heart racing, and crossed to where Draco sat. He leaned down and cupped Draco’s face in his palms, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you, Draco." Draco’s breath hitched. "Sure, I’ve thought about having kids, in a sort of abstract way, but - as crazy as this would have sounded to my younger self - I can’t imagine my life without you. Any time I think of the future, you’re in it."
Draco stood up, pressed a hand to Harry’s chest and - with a hunger in his eyes - walked him back towards his bed. "I want you to fuck me." He pushed Harry back onto the bed and starting pulling off his shirt. "Right now."
They’d not done that yet. A whole lot else, yes, but for some unspoken reason, they’d not crossed that line. They’d been content to explore with hands and mouths, on beds, desks, against walls, and a few times in the shower, but never ... that. Harry lay, cock hardening against the confines of his trousers, staring as Draco stripped off his own. "Are you a participant or an observer, Potter?"
Harry wasted no time divesting himself of his own clothes, tossing them into a pile on the floor. He pulled a now-naked Draco down on top of him, their mouths crashing together. He plunged his tongue eagerly into Draco’s equally eager mouth. Merlin, he could kiss this man all day. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Draco eased back from the kiss, working his lips and tongue across Harry’s jaw to his ear. He nibbled the lobe, growling, "Can’t wait to feel you inside me." Harry’s cock swelled even more at the urgency in those words.
Draco trailed his tongue down Harry’s neck, then kissed and licked down his chest before pulling one nipple into his mouth and sucking, drawing it into a hard nub as Harry arched into it with a moan. Draco chuckled. "So sensitive," he teased, before flicking it with his tongue and crossing over to do the same to the other.
Draco’s tongue slid its way down to Harry’s navel, causing Harry’s skin to prickle with need. "Fuck, your mouth will be the death of me," Harry growled as he reached down to grab handfuls of Draco’s hair. Draco thrust his tongue into Harry’s navel, mimicking what was to come. As Harry’s hips pushed up, he could feel the rumble of laughter in Draco’s chest.
Then Draco moved lower, kissing his way down, dragging his teeth across the sensitive spot where hip met leg. Harry forced his hips not to thrust upwards, silently begging for Draco’s mouth to go where he needed it most. As though reading Harry’s thoughts, Draco lifted his head slightly, grinned, then pressed barely-there kisses from root to tip and trailed his tongue back down again. Harry whimpered, threw his head back and felt Draco’s lips break into a smile before he made his way up Harry’s length again and licked the tip. This time, Harry’s hips did jerk, only to be stilled by Draco’s hands pressing him into the mattress while his tongue worked its magic.
When Draco’s lips brushed over the head of his cock, Harry groaned. Then Draco grasped the base and angled it towards his mouth, his tongue teasing the slit before he engulfed Harry in wet heat. Draco moaned around his length and Harry thought he might come right then and there. "Fuck, Draco. if you don’t stop -" Draco dragged his mouth slowly up Harry’s length, dragging his tongue roughly over the vein on the underside, Harry’s words lost in a wave of desire, his hands clenching desperately at the bed sheet.
Draco squeezed the base of Harry’s cock and pulled his mouth free. Harry blinked and stared down at him. "You alright there?" Draco asked, his eyes, dark with desire, twinkling in amusement.
Harry, breathing as though he’d run a marathon, managed, "Not if you want me to fuck you, I’m not. At least not if you keep that up."
Still holding firmly onto Harry’s cock, Draco swirled his tongue around the head, running the tip under the foreskin. Harry shuddered and the bastard smirked. "Oh, I definitely want you to fuck me." With a quick kiss to the sensitive head, he released Harry and lifted himself onto his knees. "Accio lube." The tube flew into his hand and with a cocky grin, he slapped it into Harry’s hands. "How do you want me?"
Fucking hell. To tell the truth, Harry wanted him every way he could have him. "All fours," he said, opting for the position that would afford him the best view of the arse he lusted after.
Draco obliged, nudging Harry to the side as he climbed up the bed, sticking said arse out invitingly. He looked over his shoulder. "Like that?" He wiggled his bum for good measure and Harry nodded as he swallowed around his suddenly dry throat.
He moved into position behind Draco, taking the time to run his hands down the length of his back, circling his arse cheeks and placing a kiss at the base of his spine. "Gorgeous." He ran his thumb over the puckered entrance and watched Draco’s skin erupt in goosebumps. He flicked open the tube and squeezed out a good measure of the viscous gel into his palm. Letting it warm in his hand, he took the opportunity to absorb the scene, Draco bared before him, open and vulnerable and trusting. Harry thanked whatever deities had graced him with this view.
When he’d looked his fill, Harry coated Draco, balls to back, with lube and ran a wet finger over Draco’s entrance, swirling it around the opening before sliding it gently inside. He watched as his finger was drawn into the heat of the channel. He withdrew it equally slowly, fascinated as Draco’s hole clung to his digit, as though to halt its retreat. Again and again he slid his finger in and out, watching the rise and fall of Draco’s breaths as he adjusted to the intrusion. "More."
Harry slid a second finger in next to the first and worked it in and out, in and out, until he had Draco gasping for another. He obliged and by the time Draco cried out, "Enough. Want you inside me," Harry was desperate for it too.
He squeezed out far more lube than strictly necessary in his haste and coated his cock before lining up the head. He placed his free hand at the base of Draco’s spine and leaned over to place a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Ready?"
Draco growled. "I’ve been ready for weeks, Potter." Harry chuckled, pressed forward and slowly slid home. He wasn’t prepared for the intensity, the pressure surrounding him nearly too much. "Oh, god. So tight." He held still, chest pressed to Draco’s back, afraid to move for fear of ending things before they even began. Draco’s arms shook slightly under his weight and he eased back a bit. "You okay? Does it hurt?"
"Yeah, a bit." His breathing felt laboured. "But it’s good. Just ... give me a minute." His voice was hoarse - though from pain or his previous labours, Harry couldn’t be sure.
Harry pressed soft kisses to his shoulder. "Take all the time you need." He tried to think of something - anything - that might help him last longer, but all his senses were on overload with the feel, the scent, the sight of this gorgeous man beneath him. All he could hope for was that Draco was as close to the brink as he was.
"Okay, move."
Harry placed another kiss on his shoulder before he pulled halfway out, then slid back in slowly. The next time he pulled out nearly to the tip before easing himself back in. Again and again he kept up a gruelling pace, willing himself not to come, not yet. He reached around and grasped Draco’s now half-hard cock. A few tugs brought him back to full hardness and Harry gradually increased his pace.
"Fuck!" Draco cried out suddenly. "Do that again!"
Harry had no idea what he’d just done but he tried to replicate the angle. Based on the delicious noises Draco made, he managed to hit that spot a few more times before he felt the familiar coil of orgasm bubbling just beneath the surface. He grasped Draco’s hips and drove in deeply, Draco pushing back to meet his every thrust. When Draco let out a guttural moan, his channel clenched Harry’s cock in a vice-like grip several times and propelled him over the edge.
Utterly spent, Harry collapsed beside Draco, his one arm flung lazily over his eyes. When his heart rate returned to normal, Harry wormed his arm under Draco’s neck and pulled his head to rest on Harry’s chest. They lay like that for a time, Harry marvelling that, after all they’d been through, they’d somehow managed to arrive at this place.
As he ran his fingers through Draco’s hair, Harry let his mind drift back to their earlier conversation. "So you said there were options, plural."
"Hmm?" Draco sounded ready to nod off. Harry nudged his shoulder and Draco grumbled.
Harry chuckled. "The first option - marriage for the purpose of producing children - is out, or so you say. Then I presume there’s adoption. And surrogacy. Does the wizarding community even consider that as an option?"
Draco grumbled and squirmed before settling into a more comfortable position, if his contented sigh was any indication. "You’re not going to let this go until we’ve talked about it, are you?"
"We don’t have to, if you don’t want."
Draco’s next sigh was his long-suffering one, which made Harry smile. "Fine, then. Yes, adoption and surrogacy are both options. But there’s another, rather unconventional one."
"What’s that?"
"Under certain circumstances, and given the right conditions, a man can carry a child."
Harry laughed. "Very funny."
"It’s not a joke."
Harry sat up, effectively pushing Draco off his chest. Draco huffed. "You’ve got to be shitting me," Harry said. "I’ve never seen a pregnant man before." Harry thought about that. "Well, if you don’t count the special effects in some Muggle movies." He only recalled one, but suspected there might be more.
"I am not shitting you. And what kind of vile term is that?" Harry chuckled. "It is possible, in rare circumstances, and if the two wizards’ magic is compatible, that one of them could carry a child to term. I don’t know all the specifics, but there is a certain amount of preparatory spell work involved, as you might imagine, to prepare the body. Very few men have attempted it - most simply opt for the traditional marriage and after a child or two have been born, the couple go about their separate lives. Often remaining under the same roof, only with separate bedrooms."
"That sounds awful."
Draco shrugged. "Not really, if you think about it. Pansy and I actually discussed it as a possibility. You know, if neither of us has found the right person, we might consider that as an option."
Harry scowled. "I doubt that’s what she would have wanted from you, even if she agreed to it."
Draco snorted. "No doubt she imagined she could turn me straight. Like generations of women before her, I imagine."
"But you’d do that?"
"I would consider it, yes. It would not be ideal." He shuddered. "And certainly not enjoyable, but ... well, if I found myself alone, years and years from now, it might be something to contemplate."
Harry pulled him closer. "But you’re not alone."
Draco draped his arm over Harry and rested his cheek on Harry’s chest. "No, I’m not."
"Good." Harry kissed the top of his head. "So, back to this option I still think you’re joking about."
"Right. Historically, the natural route was the one most often chosen. But that didn’t give two women or two men the option to have their own children together. Sometimes one of the natural parents would give up the child to the couple to raise, but more often than not, it wasn’t done. So some innovative wizards decided to pursue male pregnancy. With magic, they reasoned, why couldn’t it be done?"
"And they did it." Harry still thought Draco was pulling a fast one on him, but he had to admit he was curious about the possibilities.
"They did. But they found that the magical signatures can often be incompatible, even if the people are not. Which meant difficulty either conceiving to begin with or carrying to term. So that limited the numbers as well. Plus most men simply don’t want to carry a child."
"I’m still not sure this isn’t some joke you’re playing on me, something you and Ron can laugh about for years to come."
Draco lifted his head and grinned widely. "While that does sound like something I would do, in this case I am being completely serious. I looked into it a lot. I’m a pureblood and, as you rightly stated, the last of my line. The idea of a loveless marriage, though not abhorrent to me, is nevertheless something I don’t like the idea of. The act of conceiving children with a woman I like even less. My father was forever going on about heirs and family duty and all that business, so I looked for a way to satisfy my familial obligations without compromising who I am. And I found this."
"And you’d be willing to do that? To carry a child?"
He shrugged and rested his head on Harry’s chest again. "Would you?"
Harry considered that and what it might entail. The weirdness of it all, having a living human being growing inside him. Then again, he’d carried a piece of Voldemort inside him for years. Couldn’t be any weirder than that, he supposed. And the press, all the attention. Well, that would just be a new twist on an old habit. He shrugged. "If this is actually a thing - and I’m not saying I believe you - I suppose I’d consider it. Not right now, but a few years down the road, maybe. I suppose it would depend on the circumstances, but yeah. For someone I loved, I’d consider it. And you?"
"For you? Yeah, I’d consider it."
"For me?"
"Yes, Potter, for you." He crawled up to give Harry a soft, lingering kiss. When he pulled back, he smiled and his eyes gleamed. "I love you, too, you idiot."
* * *
EPILOGUE - SEVEN YEARS LATER ...
James ran across the room and tried to climb onto Draco’s lap. Harry scooped him up. "Now, now, little man, your squirmy little self won’t fit on Papa’s lap right now." He sat down on his favourite overstuffed chair of Ron and Hermione’s.
Ron snorted. "He can barely fit on yours either."
Harry gave him a two-fingered salute. "Shut it, you. I’m not that far along."
Ron scooped James from Harry’s arms. "In fact, my dear godson, mine is about the only lap here you can fit on right now." He carried a giggling James around the room and had him gently pat first Hermione’s tummy - "That’s baby number one, here any day now" - then Draco’s - "And that’s baby number two, soon after that" - and finally Harry’s - "And that’s baby number three, a couple of months later."
James wiggled out of Ron’s arms and pointed at Hermione. "Auntie one." Then he pointed at Draco. "Papa two." Then at Harry. "Daddy three."
Harry scooped up his son once more, placed him on his knee, and gave Ron a pointed look. "That’s right, little man. Lots of little ones for you to torment when you all go to school."
Hermione pointed at James. "And three of them to fight back if you try, don’t you forget."
Ron laughed as James tried to get comfortable on the reduced space of Harry’s lap. "Explain to me again why the two of you both decided to have a child at the same time."
"Actually, Ron, they’ve never told us," Hermione pointed out.
"Yes, thanks, Hermione. I’m aware."
"But you said -"
Ron cut her off and looked pointedly at Draco. "So, I thought, after you carried that little monster around-" He pointed a thumb towards James "-it was his turn." He pointed at Harry.
"Yes, well," Draco began, fidgeting to try to get comfortable. Harry held in a chuckle at the sight. Draco hated their furniture even when he wasn’t over eight months pregnant. "The specialist neglected to inform us that I ran a risk of conceiving again, as the spells cast on me prior to the first pregnancy would still be in place. Probably assumed I’d be the one to carry a second one anyway. And ..." He looked at Harry before continuing.
Harry shrugged. "He asked." Hermione smirked.
Draco continued. "We’d cast the conception spell - which is generalised and lingers for several hours or until it takes - and, well, it didn’t take with Harry." His cheeks went pink but when Harry didn’t jump in to rescue him, he carried on. "And ... let’s just say we were inclined to carry on, switch things up, so to speak, and didn’t think things through. The spell still hovered over us, and the earlier spells on my body were still firmly in place." He patted his swollen belly. "As is rather obvious now. And, well, it took."
"But then why would you do it again with Harry?"
Draco squeezed the bridge of his nose, between the eyes. "Because I didn’t notice the signs until a good ten weeks in, and by then ..."
"By then, Harry was up the duff, too." Ron burst out laughing. "Oh my god, this is too good!"
Harry grumbled. "Oh, fuck off, Ron."
"Fu-" James managed before Harry’s hand clamped gently over his mouth.
Ron scooped him up once more. still laughing. "Your daddies are crazy, James, you know that? Crazy!"
"Careful, Weasley," Draco warned. "I’ve given Hermione all the information she needs." Ron furrowed his brows. "Not that it’s been done that way before - no need, really - but I’m sure your brilliant wife could figure out a way for you to carry the next one of your children."
Ron’s jaw dropped and his face drained of all colour, save his freckles. "You wouldn’t."
Harry wasn’t sure which of them he was speaking too, but he took the opportunity to laugh all the same. "I wouldn’t test them, Ron. You know full well they’re the brains in our families."
Ron put James down, who once more made a bee-line for Draco. "Right then, what can I get for you three bringers of life? Takeaway, perhaps?"
When they were all busily wolfing down their meals, Ron leaned in to Harry. "You don’t think it’s possible, do you?" he asked. "I mean that I could ... that Hermione would ..." He swallowed with a pained look on his face. "Draco’s just kidding, right?"
Harry shrugged. "Who knows?" He looked across the table at Draco who caught his eye and winked. "After all, we thought he was joking the first time he brought this up." Harry saw Hermione and Draco whispering as they watched Ron, big grins on their faces. He rubbed one hand over his tummy and slapped Ron on the shoulder with his other. "But isn’t magic wonderful?"
~ THE END ~
Author: sesheta_66
Beta: sassy_cissa
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, background Ron/Hermione
Summary: While Hermione and Ron travel to Australia to find Hermione’s parents and restore their memories, Harry goes back to Hogwarts to help with the rebuilding efforts. Draco decides to serve his community service by helping restore what his side helped destroy. A friendship begins which, when they both return for their final year, grows into something more.
Read on AO3
[Read on LJ]
Harry awoke to the sound of thrashing and screaming. He sat bolt upright in his bed and realised the sounds were coming from the other side of the room. He closed the distance and perched himself on the bed, reaching his hand to rest on Malfoy’s shoulder. He nudged gently. "Malfoy, wake up. Malfoy."
He continued to thrash about. "No! Don’t make me!"
Harry shook him harder. "Malfoy! Draco!"
Malfoy’s eyes flew open and he shot up, clunking their foreheads together. "Ow," he complained, but calmer.
Harry rubbed his forehead. "You okay? You were having a nightmare."
"I was? Sorry."
"No need to be sorry. Happens to me all the time."
"Was I that loud that it got through your barrier?"
"Er ... yeah. I passed out before casting the spell. Want to talk about it?"
Malfoy pulled his knees up to his chest. "Not really."
Harry scooted across the bed until his back was to the wall. "The war?"
He nodded, hugging his knees closer. "Always."
"Me too. Usually bodies piled upon bodies. All the people that died for me."
"They didn’t die for you. They died for the cause."
Harry ignored that. "And you? You were screaming, "Don’t make me!"
Malfoy climbed out from under the covers and took up position beside Harry, both of them leaning back against the wall. "I hated the person I’d become. The things I did." He pulled his knees back up and put his head down on them. "I didn’t want to do it."
Harry hesitated for a moment before reaching over and putting his arm around Malfoy’s shoulder. He tensed at first, but then relaxed under Harry’s touch. "I know Voldemort forced you. I saw it with my own eyes."
"But I could have said no."
"Sure, but then where would you have been? Someone else would have tortured your intended target and you. And probably your mother too."
"But -"
"The war is over, Draco. You survived. We survived." He pulled Malfoy closer, to lean against him. "We need to move on or he wins."
* * *
Malfoy exited the bathroom, towel slung low on his hips, hair plastered to his head. Harry’s jaw dropped. Sure, he’d been noticing more lately. Noticing how a certain pair of jeans hugged Malfoy’s arse in all the right ways. Noticing how nice that arse was in just about anything when not hidden beneath robes. Noticing the pulse point beneath his left ear when he had his head hanging over his latest assignment. Noticing how his tongue stuck out just that little bit when he struggled for the right phrasing as he wrote his essays. But this ... this was a whole lot more skin than Harry was used to. His gaze dropped to Malfoy’s chest and the faded but still angry lines that criss-crossed it. He gasped.
"What?" Malfoy asked before he saw where Harry was looking.
"Oh my god." Harry wanted to reach out to him. "I’m so sorry." He couldn’t look him in the face.
Malfoy marched over and put two fingers beneath Harry’s chin and lifted his face up to meet his gaze. "It happened years ago. You didn’t know what you were doing. I was about to throw a Crucio at you." He released Harry’s chin. "And we don’t have time for this now. The Weasleys await."
"But -"
Malfoy pulled a shirt over his head, hiding the evidence of Harry’s stupidity. "No time. You want to melt down later, have at it. But right now, your friends await."
* * *
"Potter!" A distant voice nudged at the edges of his mind. "Harry!" Harry shot up in his bed, missing Malfoy’s head by an inch when he - probably learning from Harry’s mistake - pulled back.
Harry tried to calm his breathing, but his chest heaved roughly. "So much blood. Everywhere."
"No blood," Malfoy said. "Bad dream."
"It was you. So much blood. I did that to you." He stared at Malfoy’s chest, though the proof lay beneath his shirt.
Malfoy rolled his eyes then pulled off his t-shirt. He grabbed Harry’s hand and brought it to his chest. "I’m fine, see? I’m alive and well and I didn’t bleed to death."
Harry grappled for his glasses with his free hand and put them on. He looked at the scars before him and ran his fingers over the lines. "I’m so glad you didn’t die."
Malfoy laughed. "So am I, as a matter of fact."
Harry didn’t laugh. He just continued to run his fingers over the scars. "I was so stupid, so reckless."
Malfoy grasped his wrist to stop Harry’s progress. "We both were."
"But I could have killed you."
Malfoy lifted Harry’s face as he’d done that afternoon. "But you didn’t." Harry opened his mouth to argue but Malfoy glared. "Someone I know - a smart someone as it turns out - once told me that the war is over. And what else did he say? Oh, right. We need to move on or Voldemort wins."
Harry smiled. "You called me smart."
Malfoy chuckled. "Don’t let it go to your head."
Harry stared at him, registered how close they were, caught a glimmer in his eyes. Malfoy’s teeth grazed his lower lip and, without thinking, Harry traced the motion with his thumb. After a split second of hesitation, he closed the distance between them.
Malfoy sighed and his lips softened and parted. Harry pressed his tongue past them and everything else faded away. He forgot about his dream, the war, school and everything else that wasn’t Malfoy. Their tongues wrapped around each other lazily as they took their time mapping out a path of discovery.
Harry wrapped his arms around Malfoy and pulled him down on top of him, deepening the kiss along the way. When their erections lined up and Malfoy ground his hips slowly, teasingly into Harry’s, they both moaned. Through their barely-there pyjama pants, it was both too much and not nearly enough, but they didn’t rush things. Harry ran his hands down the curve of Malfoy’s spine and slid his hands beneath the waistband, cupping that arse he’d been admiring for weeks. Fuck, it was as brilliant as it looked. When Harry lifted his hips, rubbing their cocks together, Malfoy started a rhythmic rocking that had them both panting in no time.
When Malfoy slowed his pace, Harry groaned and flipped them over so he was on top. He took a moment to look into Malfoy’s lust-blown eyes, convinced his own looked the same. "Why didn’t we do this before?" he asked.
"Less talking, Potter." He lifted his hips to emphasise his point. Then he reached a hand around Harry’s head. "More kissing." He pulled Harry down to him and their mouths crashed together once more. Gone was the leisurely pace, replaced with the urgency of impending orgasm. Their rocking became frantic, their kissing messy, and it was glorious.
When Malfoy grabbed Harry’s arse, the added pressure was just enough to push Harry over the edge. His rhythm faltered, but Malfoy pressed down with his hands and kept rocking up with his hips until, barely a minute later, he too found release. They continued to exchange sloppy kisses as they gradually came down from their high, Harry wondering once more why they hadn’t been doing this all along. Hell, years ago when they’d been fighting constantly. What a waste those years had been.
Harry collapsed beside Malfoy on the bed, his breathing slowing almost to normal. He turned, brushed Malfoy’s hair from his forehead and kissed him softly once more. "Well that was unexpected."
"Really?" Malfoy lifted himself up onto his elbows and shot Harry an incredulous look. "Was it really?"
Harry laughed. "Okay, maybe not," he admitted. He’d been thinking about it virtually non-stop for the past month. Longer, if he were really being honest with himself, but he hadn’t thought it was even a possibility until recently. "But I wasn’t expecting it tonight."
Malfoy’s lips twitched and he pulled Harry in for a toe-curling snog. "You’re such an idiot, Potter."
"Hey! Weren’t you the one that told me just tonight that I’m smart?"
"Yes, well ... momentary lapse on my part."
"Then or now?"
"I’ll leave that for you to ponder." He summoned his wand and with a wave cleaned up the mess. "Meanwhile, go back to sleep." He turned his back to Harry and tucked a pillow under his neck.
"You’re sleeping here, then?"
He adjusted the pillow. "Yes. I’m comfortable here. But if you want your own space, you can sleep in my bed."
Harry grinned and tucked in behind Malfoy, draping his arm over the other man and pulling him closer. Malfoy squirmed a bit before relaxing into place. "Not a chance."
* * *
They settled into a routine and for the rest of the term slept in Harry’s now magically enlarged bed. They spent Christmas Day at their respective houses - Draco at the Manor and Harry at the Burrow - but remained at the school for the rest of the hols. They’d agreed to keep their relationship private for now, but left the topic open for discussion at a later date. Part of Harry wanted to tell anyone who’d listen, but a bigger part of him wasn’t quite ready to share with even his friends, never mind the world.
Much to Harry’s dismay, Draco returned to his own bed when they were preparing for their NEWTs. Apparently, the distraction of sharing a bed tended to last significantly longer than they planned. Harry argued that sleeping didn’t really count as a distraction, but after their first attempt at doing only that had failed miserably, he reluctantly agreed that Draco had a point.
As a result, a week before their exams, he was a bit on the tetchy side. "Stop pacing," Draco said. "You’re distracting me."
"Well, your presence is distracting me!"
Draco dropped his quill and glared at Harry. "Excuse me?"
"For months, we’ve slept together. Even if we haven’t done anything, we’ve shared a bed. And now, for the past two weeks, we’ve slept apart. It’s driving me mad! The longer I go without touching you, the more I want you. I’ve got to the point that I can’t concentrate on anything except the need to kiss you, to touch you, to hold you. I want you. Rather a lot, if I’m being honest. So, yeah. Your presence is a distraction." He hadn’t meant to spill all that out at once, but, he reasoned, it had been building for a while.
Draco’s eyes darkened and he stood up. "A distraction, am I?"
Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes."
"Well then." Draco took a few measured paces towards Harry. "What do you think we should do about that?" He took a few steps more. Harry stood his ground but dropped his arms to his sides, hoping to Merlin this meant what he thought it meant. Draco closed the distance and pulled Harry towards him by his shirt. "Take the edge off, perhaps?"
Harry was more than happy to oblige. He wrapped his arms around Draco and pulled their hips together. Relieved to feel Draco’s interest was as apparent as his own, Harry said, "God, I’ve missed you." He felt rather than saw Draco’s smile as their lips joined. After two weeks of build-up with nothing but an occasional wank for relief, it didn’t take long. Pants around their ankles, they didn’t even take the time to lie down or even lean against a surface. Draco Accioed the lube, coated both their lengths and brought them together. Harry wrapped his own hand around Draco’s and in record time, they’d both come, standing in the middle of their room, Harry following a mere few strokes behind Draco.
Afterwards, Draco cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand, pulled up his pants and trousers and went back to his desk. Harry, now also fully dressed to avoid further distraction, watched him from atop his bed. "You know, I’ve grown rather used to having you in my bed."
Draco smirked. "Have you then?"
"Yes, I have." He hitched himself up on one elbow. "So what are you planning to do after school?"
"I’ve told you. I’ve applied for apprenticeships under some Potions Masters."
"Yeah, yeah. I know that. I don’t mean about work or more training. I mean life beyond that."
Draco set aside his quill and turned to fully face Harry. "Life beyond that?"
"Yeah. Life. Us."
"Us?"
Harry sat up and ran his hands through his hair. "You know, repeating what I say as a question isn’t particularly helpful."
"It’s not?"
Harry let out an exasperated sigh and threw all caution to the wind. "Come live with me at Grimmauld Place. Help me fix it up and make it a home."
"Oh, so it’s free labour you’re after."
Harry laughed. "Yes, that’s it. So what say you?"
"You’re serious." Harry nodded in response. "Just over a year ago, we hated each other. What makes you think this is a good idea?"
"We were coming out of a war a year ago. We aren’t the same people we once were. And we’ve made a pretty good go of it so far, haven’t we?"
"Your friends ... my friends ... the media ... your adoring public." Draco ran his hands through his hair. "No one even knows about us."
"So what? No one seems to mind that we’re friends. Well, except your dad, I suppose."
He ignored the comment about Lucius. "But this is huge. Life changing."
Harry climbed out of bed, crossed the room and pulled Draco to him, resting his hands possessively in the curve of his back. "Isn’t everything worthwhile huge? A risk?" He kissed that spot just below Draco’s ear, the one that made him melt in Harry’s arms. He didn’t disappoint. "What’s the matter, Malfoy? Scared?"
Draco chuckled. "Yes, you tosser, I’m scared." He brought a hand between them, pushed Harry back enough to look into his eyes and ran his fingers through Harry’s mess of hair. "But okay. Let’s give this thing a try."
Harry lifted him up, twirled him around and put him down again before pressing a loud smooch on his lips. "Yes!"
"And don’t ever do that in public! Merlin, people will think I’ve got you under some insanity spell." Harry just grinned.
* * *
Harry’s nerves were of no help throughout dinner, as he fidgeted and pushed more food around his plate than he ate. Eventually, Hermione dropped her fork onto her plate. "Out with it, Harry."
He looked up, meeting the concerned stares of his two best friends. "What?"
"What did that pie ever do to you?" Ron pointed to the mess on Harry’s plate.
Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand. "You said you wanted to talk when you asked us to meet you for dinner. Maybe it’s best you just tell us now."
"I -" Harry put his own fork down and gave it up as a lost cause. He took a long draw from his pint before easing back in his seat and putting up a Muffliato. Staring at what used to be his meat pie, he began. "I’ve ..." This was so much harder than it’d been in his head. It shouldn’t be, he knew. These were his friends, his best friends, and they’d be fine with this. Wouldn’t they? He took a deep breath and rubbed his now sweaty palms over his jeans. "Right. I can do this." He looked from Hermione to Ron and saw nothing but concern and curiosity.
Hermione reached over and squeezed his hand again. "Go on."
"Yeah, just get it out, mate." Ron smiled at Harry encouragingly.
Another deep breath. "Right. So here’s the thing. I’ve been ... well, Ma-Draco and I have been seeing each other. As in ... well." He reached for his pint and swallowed down a good measure.
"Well, we’ve sort of figured that for months now, haven’t we?" Ron said.
Harry frowned. "You have?" Hermione held back a grin.
"Well, Hermione has. And when she pointed that out to me, I guess I’d already known that too." Harry’s mouth fell open and Ron continued. "I mean he’s pretty much all you ever talked about in your letters, and you’ve spent all your time together, and ..."
"But ..." He turned to Hermione. "How’d you put that together? I used to spend all my time with the two of you and we never slept together!"
Ron choked. Hermione helpfully patted him on the back while keeping her eyes on Harry. "Even in school, the two of you ... well, you were rather obsessed with each other, weren’t you?"
"We hated each other!"
She shrugged. "Perhaps. But you know ... fine line and all that."
Harry shook his head, bewildered that she’d have thought about their time in school in such a way.
Ron recovered from his coughing fit. "So was that it, mate? That was what you had to tell us?"
Harry’s leg started bouncing. "Er ... not everything."
"So go on then. Don’t keep us in suspense."
Now the hard part was over, and they didn’t seem bothered - or even surprised - by his news, he decided to just spit out the rest. "I’ve asked him to move in with me." Ron’s eyes widened. "And he said yes."
Well, at least something caught them by surprise, if the stunned looks they were giving each other were any sign.
Hermione recovered before Ron. "Oh. Well then." She lifted her wine glass. "I guess congratulations are in order."
She elbowed Ron and he picked up his pint. "Yeah. Congratulations."
Harry grinned and lifted his own glass. "Thanks."
* * *
"So it went well, then," Draco said when Harry’d told him about his night out. "They’re fine with it."
Harry threw himself down on his bed and put his arm over his eyes. "Well, fine might be pushing it."
"But I thought you said -"
He pulled himself into a sitting position, leaning his back against the wall. "They’re fine with the whole seeing each other thing."
"But living together?"
Harry recalled the turn their conversation had taken just before they’d parted ways. "Hermione thinks it’s a really big deal, you know, and -"
"And you don’t?" Draco’s tone warned Harry to tread lightly.
"Well, yeah. Of course I do. It’s just ..." Draco stared at him, waiting. "Well, she asked some questions ... life questions ... and I guess I realised that we’d never talked about ... well, a lot of things."
Draco leaned forward in his desk chair, elbows on his knees. "So let’s talk about them."
"Just like that?"
"Well, there’s no time like the present, is there? We’re leaving school in a few weeks, at which time, presumably, we’ll be moving in together. And we’ve our exams starting Monday. I sense this will weigh on you, so ... yes, we should talk right now. What questions did Granger have?"
"Stuff about family and friends. What we’ll do for holidays and whatnot."
"That doesn’t seem particularly earth-shattering, to be honest. Did you want to work out a schedule right now?"
Harry laughed. "No, I’m sure we can figure things out as we go."
"So ..."
Harry looked up at him, wondering if he had given this much thought. If he’d really considered the ramifications of their decision. If he’d change his mind. If this conversation might be the end of everything. Well, fuck it. Might as well get it overwith.
"Children. That’s the big thing." When Draco didn’t say anything, he continued. "We’re both only children, the end of our respective lines. I’d never really given it much thought before, but ... well, you’re a pureblood. I can’t imagine your father would be pleased to see the Malfoy line end with you."
"No, he wouldn’t be. He wasn’t pleased when I told him I’m gay, for that very reason. Other reasons too, perhaps, but that was the main one."
"And how do you feel about it?"
He shrugged. "There are options."
"Like marrying a pureblood witch?"
He nodded. "That’s one option. Get married, have an heir and a spare, and get out." Harry imagined Parkinson would jump all over that. "But since I’ve no interest - none whatsoever - in doing any of that with a witch, that option’s out." He crossed one leg over his knee and began to pick at his trouser leg. "But you, on the other hand ... you are attracted to women. That would be a reasonable and viable option for you."
"I ... no! I mean, yes, I find women attractive too, but ... no. I could never go into a marriage just to have children, knowing that I’d want out after that. I couldn’t. I couldn’t marry someone unless I loved them, man or woman." And then it hit him. They’d never said it. He’d never really thought about it. But as he stared into those blue-grey eyes, it hit him with the force of an Impedimenta to the chest.
He got up from the bed, heart racing, and crossed to where Draco sat. He leaned down and cupped Draco’s face in his palms, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you, Draco." Draco’s breath hitched. "Sure, I’ve thought about having kids, in a sort of abstract way, but - as crazy as this would have sounded to my younger self - I can’t imagine my life without you. Any time I think of the future, you’re in it."
Draco stood up, pressed a hand to Harry’s chest and - with a hunger in his eyes - walked him back towards his bed. "I want you to fuck me." He pushed Harry back onto the bed and starting pulling off his shirt. "Right now."
They’d not done that yet. A whole lot else, yes, but for some unspoken reason, they’d not crossed that line. They’d been content to explore with hands and mouths, on beds, desks, against walls, and a few times in the shower, but never ... that. Harry lay, cock hardening against the confines of his trousers, staring as Draco stripped off his own. "Are you a participant or an observer, Potter?"
Harry wasted no time divesting himself of his own clothes, tossing them into a pile on the floor. He pulled a now-naked Draco down on top of him, their mouths crashing together. He plunged his tongue eagerly into Draco’s equally eager mouth. Merlin, he could kiss this man all day. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Draco eased back from the kiss, working his lips and tongue across Harry’s jaw to his ear. He nibbled the lobe, growling, "Can’t wait to feel you inside me." Harry’s cock swelled even more at the urgency in those words.
Draco trailed his tongue down Harry’s neck, then kissed and licked down his chest before pulling one nipple into his mouth and sucking, drawing it into a hard nub as Harry arched into it with a moan. Draco chuckled. "So sensitive," he teased, before flicking it with his tongue and crossing over to do the same to the other.
Draco’s tongue slid its way down to Harry’s navel, causing Harry’s skin to prickle with need. "Fuck, your mouth will be the death of me," Harry growled as he reached down to grab handfuls of Draco’s hair. Draco thrust his tongue into Harry’s navel, mimicking what was to come. As Harry’s hips pushed up, he could feel the rumble of laughter in Draco’s chest.
Then Draco moved lower, kissing his way down, dragging his teeth across the sensitive spot where hip met leg. Harry forced his hips not to thrust upwards, silently begging for Draco’s mouth to go where he needed it most. As though reading Harry’s thoughts, Draco lifted his head slightly, grinned, then pressed barely-there kisses from root to tip and trailed his tongue back down again. Harry whimpered, threw his head back and felt Draco’s lips break into a smile before he made his way up Harry’s length again and licked the tip. This time, Harry’s hips did jerk, only to be stilled by Draco’s hands pressing him into the mattress while his tongue worked its magic.
When Draco’s lips brushed over the head of his cock, Harry groaned. Then Draco grasped the base and angled it towards his mouth, his tongue teasing the slit before he engulfed Harry in wet heat. Draco moaned around his length and Harry thought he might come right then and there. "Fuck, Draco. if you don’t stop -" Draco dragged his mouth slowly up Harry’s length, dragging his tongue roughly over the vein on the underside, Harry’s words lost in a wave of desire, his hands clenching desperately at the bed sheet.
Draco squeezed the base of Harry’s cock and pulled his mouth free. Harry blinked and stared down at him. "You alright there?" Draco asked, his eyes, dark with desire, twinkling in amusement.
Harry, breathing as though he’d run a marathon, managed, "Not if you want me to fuck you, I’m not. At least not if you keep that up."
Still holding firmly onto Harry’s cock, Draco swirled his tongue around the head, running the tip under the foreskin. Harry shuddered and the bastard smirked. "Oh, I definitely want you to fuck me." With a quick kiss to the sensitive head, he released Harry and lifted himself onto his knees. "Accio lube." The tube flew into his hand and with a cocky grin, he slapped it into Harry’s hands. "How do you want me?"
Fucking hell. To tell the truth, Harry wanted him every way he could have him. "All fours," he said, opting for the position that would afford him the best view of the arse he lusted after.
Draco obliged, nudging Harry to the side as he climbed up the bed, sticking said arse out invitingly. He looked over his shoulder. "Like that?" He wiggled his bum for good measure and Harry nodded as he swallowed around his suddenly dry throat.
He moved into position behind Draco, taking the time to run his hands down the length of his back, circling his arse cheeks and placing a kiss at the base of his spine. "Gorgeous." He ran his thumb over the puckered entrance and watched Draco’s skin erupt in goosebumps. He flicked open the tube and squeezed out a good measure of the viscous gel into his palm. Letting it warm in his hand, he took the opportunity to absorb the scene, Draco bared before him, open and vulnerable and trusting. Harry thanked whatever deities had graced him with this view.
When he’d looked his fill, Harry coated Draco, balls to back, with lube and ran a wet finger over Draco’s entrance, swirling it around the opening before sliding it gently inside. He watched as his finger was drawn into the heat of the channel. He withdrew it equally slowly, fascinated as Draco’s hole clung to his digit, as though to halt its retreat. Again and again he slid his finger in and out, watching the rise and fall of Draco’s breaths as he adjusted to the intrusion. "More."
Harry slid a second finger in next to the first and worked it in and out, in and out, until he had Draco gasping for another. He obliged and by the time Draco cried out, "Enough. Want you inside me," Harry was desperate for it too.
He squeezed out far more lube than strictly necessary in his haste and coated his cock before lining up the head. He placed his free hand at the base of Draco’s spine and leaned over to place a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Ready?"
Draco growled. "I’ve been ready for weeks, Potter." Harry chuckled, pressed forward and slowly slid home. He wasn’t prepared for the intensity, the pressure surrounding him nearly too much. "Oh, god. So tight." He held still, chest pressed to Draco’s back, afraid to move for fear of ending things before they even began. Draco’s arms shook slightly under his weight and he eased back a bit. "You okay? Does it hurt?"
"Yeah, a bit." His breathing felt laboured. "But it’s good. Just ... give me a minute." His voice was hoarse - though from pain or his previous labours, Harry couldn’t be sure.
Harry pressed soft kisses to his shoulder. "Take all the time you need." He tried to think of something - anything - that might help him last longer, but all his senses were on overload with the feel, the scent, the sight of this gorgeous man beneath him. All he could hope for was that Draco was as close to the brink as he was.
"Okay, move."
Harry placed another kiss on his shoulder before he pulled halfway out, then slid back in slowly. The next time he pulled out nearly to the tip before easing himself back in. Again and again he kept up a gruelling pace, willing himself not to come, not yet. He reached around and grasped Draco’s now half-hard cock. A few tugs brought him back to full hardness and Harry gradually increased his pace.
"Fuck!" Draco cried out suddenly. "Do that again!"
Harry had no idea what he’d just done but he tried to replicate the angle. Based on the delicious noises Draco made, he managed to hit that spot a few more times before he felt the familiar coil of orgasm bubbling just beneath the surface. He grasped Draco’s hips and drove in deeply, Draco pushing back to meet his every thrust. When Draco let out a guttural moan, his channel clenched Harry’s cock in a vice-like grip several times and propelled him over the edge.
Utterly spent, Harry collapsed beside Draco, his one arm flung lazily over his eyes. When his heart rate returned to normal, Harry wormed his arm under Draco’s neck and pulled his head to rest on Harry’s chest. They lay like that for a time, Harry marvelling that, after all they’d been through, they’d somehow managed to arrive at this place.
As he ran his fingers through Draco’s hair, Harry let his mind drift back to their earlier conversation. "So you said there were options, plural."
"Hmm?" Draco sounded ready to nod off. Harry nudged his shoulder and Draco grumbled.
Harry chuckled. "The first option - marriage for the purpose of producing children - is out, or so you say. Then I presume there’s adoption. And surrogacy. Does the wizarding community even consider that as an option?"
Draco grumbled and squirmed before settling into a more comfortable position, if his contented sigh was any indication. "You’re not going to let this go until we’ve talked about it, are you?"
"We don’t have to, if you don’t want."
Draco’s next sigh was his long-suffering one, which made Harry smile. "Fine, then. Yes, adoption and surrogacy are both options. But there’s another, rather unconventional one."
"What’s that?"
"Under certain circumstances, and given the right conditions, a man can carry a child."
Harry laughed. "Very funny."
"It’s not a joke."
Harry sat up, effectively pushing Draco off his chest. Draco huffed. "You’ve got to be shitting me," Harry said. "I’ve never seen a pregnant man before." Harry thought about that. "Well, if you don’t count the special effects in some Muggle movies." He only recalled one, but suspected there might be more.
"I am not shitting you. And what kind of vile term is that?" Harry chuckled. "It is possible, in rare circumstances, and if the two wizards’ magic is compatible, that one of them could carry a child to term. I don’t know all the specifics, but there is a certain amount of preparatory spell work involved, as you might imagine, to prepare the body. Very few men have attempted it - most simply opt for the traditional marriage and after a child or two have been born, the couple go about their separate lives. Often remaining under the same roof, only with separate bedrooms."
"That sounds awful."
Draco shrugged. "Not really, if you think about it. Pansy and I actually discussed it as a possibility. You know, if neither of us has found the right person, we might consider that as an option."
Harry scowled. "I doubt that’s what she would have wanted from you, even if she agreed to it."
Draco snorted. "No doubt she imagined she could turn me straight. Like generations of women before her, I imagine."
"But you’d do that?"
"I would consider it, yes. It would not be ideal." He shuddered. "And certainly not enjoyable, but ... well, if I found myself alone, years and years from now, it might be something to contemplate."
Harry pulled him closer. "But you’re not alone."
Draco draped his arm over Harry and rested his cheek on Harry’s chest. "No, I’m not."
"Good." Harry kissed the top of his head. "So, back to this option I still think you’re joking about."
"Right. Historically, the natural route was the one most often chosen. But that didn’t give two women or two men the option to have their own children together. Sometimes one of the natural parents would give up the child to the couple to raise, but more often than not, it wasn’t done. So some innovative wizards decided to pursue male pregnancy. With magic, they reasoned, why couldn’t it be done?"
"And they did it." Harry still thought Draco was pulling a fast one on him, but he had to admit he was curious about the possibilities.
"They did. But they found that the magical signatures can often be incompatible, even if the people are not. Which meant difficulty either conceiving to begin with or carrying to term. So that limited the numbers as well. Plus most men simply don’t want to carry a child."
"I’m still not sure this isn’t some joke you’re playing on me, something you and Ron can laugh about for years to come."
Draco lifted his head and grinned widely. "While that does sound like something I would do, in this case I am being completely serious. I looked into it a lot. I’m a pureblood and, as you rightly stated, the last of my line. The idea of a loveless marriage, though not abhorrent to me, is nevertheless something I don’t like the idea of. The act of conceiving children with a woman I like even less. My father was forever going on about heirs and family duty and all that business, so I looked for a way to satisfy my familial obligations without compromising who I am. And I found this."
"And you’d be willing to do that? To carry a child?"
He shrugged and rested his head on Harry’s chest again. "Would you?"
Harry considered that and what it might entail. The weirdness of it all, having a living human being growing inside him. Then again, he’d carried a piece of Voldemort inside him for years. Couldn’t be any weirder than that, he supposed. And the press, all the attention. Well, that would just be a new twist on an old habit. He shrugged. "If this is actually a thing - and I’m not saying I believe you - I suppose I’d consider it. Not right now, but a few years down the road, maybe. I suppose it would depend on the circumstances, but yeah. For someone I loved, I’d consider it. And you?"
"For you? Yeah, I’d consider it."
"For me?"
"Yes, Potter, for you." He crawled up to give Harry a soft, lingering kiss. When he pulled back, he smiled and his eyes gleamed. "I love you, too, you idiot."
* * *
EPILOGUE - SEVEN YEARS LATER ...
James ran across the room and tried to climb onto Draco’s lap. Harry scooped him up. "Now, now, little man, your squirmy little self won’t fit on Papa’s lap right now." He sat down on his favourite overstuffed chair of Ron and Hermione’s.
Ron snorted. "He can barely fit on yours either."
Harry gave him a two-fingered salute. "Shut it, you. I’m not that far along."
Ron scooped James from Harry’s arms. "In fact, my dear godson, mine is about the only lap here you can fit on right now." He carried a giggling James around the room and had him gently pat first Hermione’s tummy - "That’s baby number one, here any day now" - then Draco’s - "And that’s baby number two, soon after that" - and finally Harry’s - "And that’s baby number three, a couple of months later."
James wiggled out of Ron’s arms and pointed at Hermione. "Auntie one." Then he pointed at Draco. "Papa two." Then at Harry. "Daddy three."
Harry scooped up his son once more, placed him on his knee, and gave Ron a pointed look. "That’s right, little man. Lots of little ones for you to torment when you all go to school."
Hermione pointed at James. "And three of them to fight back if you try, don’t you forget."
Ron laughed as James tried to get comfortable on the reduced space of Harry’s lap. "Explain to me again why the two of you both decided to have a child at the same time."
"Actually, Ron, they’ve never told us," Hermione pointed out.
"Yes, thanks, Hermione. I’m aware."
"But you said -"
Ron cut her off and looked pointedly at Draco. "So, I thought, after you carried that little monster around-" He pointed a thumb towards James "-it was his turn." He pointed at Harry.
"Yes, well," Draco began, fidgeting to try to get comfortable. Harry held in a chuckle at the sight. Draco hated their furniture even when he wasn’t over eight months pregnant. "The specialist neglected to inform us that I ran a risk of conceiving again, as the spells cast on me prior to the first pregnancy would still be in place. Probably assumed I’d be the one to carry a second one anyway. And ..." He looked at Harry before continuing.
Harry shrugged. "He asked." Hermione smirked.
Draco continued. "We’d cast the conception spell - which is generalised and lingers for several hours or until it takes - and, well, it didn’t take with Harry." His cheeks went pink but when Harry didn’t jump in to rescue him, he carried on. "And ... let’s just say we were inclined to carry on, switch things up, so to speak, and didn’t think things through. The spell still hovered over us, and the earlier spells on my body were still firmly in place." He patted his swollen belly. "As is rather obvious now. And, well, it took."
"But then why would you do it again with Harry?"
Draco squeezed the bridge of his nose, between the eyes. "Because I didn’t notice the signs until a good ten weeks in, and by then ..."
"By then, Harry was up the duff, too." Ron burst out laughing. "Oh my god, this is too good!"
Harry grumbled. "Oh, fuck off, Ron."
"Fu-" James managed before Harry’s hand clamped gently over his mouth.
Ron scooped him up once more. still laughing. "Your daddies are crazy, James, you know that? Crazy!"
"Careful, Weasley," Draco warned. "I’ve given Hermione all the information she needs." Ron furrowed his brows. "Not that it’s been done that way before - no need, really - but I’m sure your brilliant wife could figure out a way for you to carry the next one of your children."
Ron’s jaw dropped and his face drained of all colour, save his freckles. "You wouldn’t."
Harry wasn’t sure which of them he was speaking too, but he took the opportunity to laugh all the same. "I wouldn’t test them, Ron. You know full well they’re the brains in our families."
Ron put James down, who once more made a bee-line for Draco. "Right then, what can I get for you three bringers of life? Takeaway, perhaps?"
When they were all busily wolfing down their meals, Ron leaned in to Harry. "You don’t think it’s possible, do you?" he asked. "I mean that I could ... that Hermione would ..." He swallowed with a pained look on his face. "Draco’s just kidding, right?"
Harry shrugged. "Who knows?" He looked across the table at Draco who caught his eye and winked. "After all, we thought he was joking the first time he brought this up." Harry saw Hermione and Draco whispering as they watched Ron, big grins on their faces. He rubbed one hand over his tummy and slapped Ron on the shoulder with his other. "But isn’t magic wonderful?"
~ THE END ~