A Wrong Turn at the Right Time (H/D, G)
Title: A Wrong Turn at the Right Time
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: G
Word Count: ~ 3170
Pairing/Characters: Harry/Draco, Draco/OC
Challenges: AWDT's prompts of "This isn't how I thought it would end!", "Believe in what your heart is saying"; "Do it tomorrow"; and "... and all these bills need paying". Also for slythindor100's prompts #55 - "ends and beginnings", #61 - "elements" (I used the 'element of surprise'); and #62 - "first time", harrylovesdraco's August prompt #2 - "If you could see you the way I see you" and enchanted_jae's July prompt to use "kiss" as the last word.
Summary: Hurt/comfort. Harry discovers that Draco is in a situation that he may need help to get out of. The hero in him leaps into action.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
Harry took a wrong turn, deep in thought as he was reading the latest report from one of his field operatives, and found himself down a rarely-used corridor at the Ministry. As he turned to go back the way he had come, raised voices caught his attention. Never having outgrown the need to satisfy his curiosity, something that came in handy in his job as an Auror, Harry made his way towards the voices.
It turned out that only one voice was raised, while the other was pleading. There was something familiar - but off - about the pleading voice, which gave him an uneasy feeling.
As he rounded the corner, he could see Draco with his boyfriend Roger. Draco looked ... scared. He was pressing his body up against the wall, looking like he was pulling as far away from Roger as he could. Roger was glaring at him, and his body language spoke volumes; he was enraged.
He couldn't hear what they were saying from this distance, but he could hear Roger's voice getting louder. As he got louder, he sounded angrier, and Harry could make out a few words as they echoed down the hall. "Stupid ... worthless ... pathetic ... " Harry's stomach tensed, and he found that he was clenching his fists together at his sides. He remembered, vividly, being called all of those things as a child.
He was angered by Roger's words and menacing look, but what shocked him was Draco's reaction - or rather, his lack of reaction. He just stood there taking it. He didn't fight back. Where were the scathing words he was so famous for? Where was the Malfoy sneer, his snappy wit, his caustic tongue? Had they all escaped him?
Harry's mind was reeling at the scene before him. He was torn between the feeling that he was intruding on something personal, and the need to stay, the need to protect Draco. It was silly, really. He was a grown man and could certainly stand up for himself, but then ... he wasn't doing that, was he? In fact, he wasn't doing anything.
At once, everything changed. Roger grabbed Draco by the front of his robes, pulled him away from the wall, then slammed him back, Draco's head smashing against the wall as he was pushed back into it. Harry didn't even think before pulling out his wand, and aiming it directly at Roger, causing the man to fly twenty feet before slamming into the back wall at the end of the hall. He too hit his head, but he was knocked out. At least Draco was still conscious.
Storming down the hall, Harry was livid. He hadn't been this angry since the war, some seven years before. Who the hell did Roger think he was? As he approached Draco, the other man pulled away in fear, which stopped Harry in his tracks.
"Draco?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"
Draco nodded, but looked anything but okay. He was shaking, and looked petrified as he glanced in the direction of his boyfriend on the floor. "Is he ...?"
"He's knocked out. That's all." Draco took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I saw what he did to you and ... "
"It's okay. It's not like I haven't thought about it myself - many times."
Harry's blood began to boil again, and the windows along the hall started reverberating. He took a few cleansing breaths to calm himself down. "So this isn't the first time he's done this?" Harry asked.
Draco cringed and looked away. Harry sensed that he hadn't meant to give away that much, and that he was ashamed to admit the truth.
Harry wasn't kidding himself. Without the element of surprise on his side, he would never have been able to throw Roger off Draco so easily. He shuddered to think of the damage Roger would have inflicted if Harry hadn't been there. Roger had been in such a rage that Harry feared for Draco's life. Knowing that it wasn't the first time this had happened made Harry even more worried. Draco needed to get out. Now.
"Well, I'll take it from here, Harry. Thank you," Draco said as he made his way down the hall towards Roger.
"What?!" Harry asked. Surely he wasn't going home with him after that.
"I need to get Roger home. I'll see you in the morning," Draco replied.
"What the hell, Draco? You can't be serious!"
Draco furrowed his brows. "Why not?" he said. "We live together, and we need to get home."
"You can't tell me you want to go home with ... with ... him!"
"Where else would I go?" he asked.
This wasn't happening. Harry was dreaming; he was in some strange nightmare. Who was this person that was willingly going home with a man that could very well have killed him mere moments ago? "Anywhere, Draco. Anywhere but home with him."
Draco smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but one of resignation. "I have nowhere else to go," he mumbled as he grasped Roger's arm. "Thank you," he said and Apparated them away.
Harry screamed. He couldn't believe that Draco went home with that ... that ... piece of scum. What was he thinking? And what the hell did he mean that he had nowhere else to go? He was Draco bloody Malfoy. He had money. He could go anywhere he wanted.
As Harry thought back over the past few months, he realized that there had been hints, clues that not all was well with Draco. In fact, the blonde had become much more withdrawn of late. Harry had chalked it up to a heavy workload and the stress of day-to-day life. But now it seemed that there was much more to it than that.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He remembered a strong, wilful Draco Malfoy that had made his life miserable in school. He had been a constant presence, and had always been strong. What had happened to him?
Harry laughed aloud. He really was an idiot. He knew that Draco had been forced to watch - even participate - in the torture of others when Voldemort had taken up residence at Malfoy Manor. They had never talked about it, but the few glimpses that Harry had got of the situation were enough to know that Draco was as much a victim as anyone else. The fact that he was still alive didn't mean that he wasn't affected.
Harry replayed the events of those two years, the toll they had taken on the Slytherin. He was already a broken man in their sixth year. Then he had had Voldemort living at his house ... for how long? That must have taken its toll on Draco.
Then there was the isolation after the war. Sure, he had been exonerated of all charges against him, in part because of Harry's testimony, but he had been isolated. No one trusted him, his old 'friends' were either gone or had disassociated themselves from him, and he had become a loner. Eventually he had started working at the Ministry, but now that Harry thought about it, he didn't recall seeing Draco with any regular friends. Roger was the only one that seemed to be in the other man's life. No wonder he felt like he couldn't leave.
The next morning, Harry waited patiently ... well, perhaps not patiently ... for Draco to settle in his office before he approached him. He grabbed two coffees and made his way to Draco's department.
He could hear Draco's voice from behind the door. He must have someone else in there with him. Harry peered around anyway.
"... and all these bills need paying, Draco." Harry stopped. Draco was talking to himself. "I need you to do this, Draco. You must take care of things, Draco ..."
Harry cleared his throat. Draco nearly jumped out of his seat. "I brought you a coffee," he said. Draco looked uncomfortable. "About last night ... " Harry began. So much for taking it slowly. Harry needed - no, Draco needed to have this over and done with.
"I said thank you, Harry. Now I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?"
"No, Draco. It's not okay. It's far from okay. You are far from okay."
Harry spent the next ten minutes talking at Draco. He lectured him on living with abuse. He threw statistics at him about the abuse never getting better, only getting worse. He explained that it is not a sign of love, but a sign of control. He yelled a few times, his frustration getting the better of him. He spoke softly, pleading with Draco to get out. He talked ... and talked ... and talked.
Then his emotions took over. "If you could see you the way I see you, Draco, you would see an amazing man who deserves every wonderful thing that life has to offer. You would know that I'm right." Harry was favoured with a puzzled look from the blonde. "You are smart - brilliant, actually. You're witty and entertaining, you stand up for what you believe in. Not to mention that you're gorgeous."
"Well, I can't deny any of that," Draco agreed, with a hint of his old self shining through.
"And so humble too," Harry joked. He couldn't understand how someone who had always been so self-confident could end up in such a situation. He figured that Roger must have latched onto Draco when his confidence was at an all-time low, and taken the opportunity to reinforce all his doubts. Seething inside, he added, "You could have anyone you wanted, Draco. You deserve so much better than Roger."
"Do I?" Draco asked. "Do I really?"
"How can you even ask that? What happened to that self-assured, swaggering, arrogant Draco Malfoy we all knew and loved at Hogwarts?"
"You hated that Draco Malfoy," he pointed out. "Everyone did."
"Hate is a strong word, Draco."
"But you did hate me. Just like I hated you."
"Did you though? Did you really hate me? Or was it something else?"
"I hated you," he said earnestly, looking Harry straight in the eye. "I hated you for being famous. I hated you for being allowed on the house team in first year. I hated you for winning ... always winning. I hated you for being Dumbledore's favourite. But ... " He paused and looked at the floor. "I hated you most for choosing Weasley over me all those years ago."
Harry had no idea why he did it, but he pulled Draco into his arms and held him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. What exactly he was apologizing for, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had hurt this man, and he felt terribly about it. They could talk later, work through years of animosity later. For now, Harry just held him. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, holding onto each other. It felt right in a way that Harry didn't understand - he just knew. This man needed him, and Harry would be there for him. Always.
"You need to leave him, Draco. You can't live like this. It has to end. You deserve it to be over." He hadn't let go. He was still holding Draco in his arms, speaking softly into his ear, running his hands through his silky hair, comforting him with his touch. "You have suffered long enough."
"It's just ... this isn't how I thought it would end," Draco said with a defeated voice, as he pulled out of Harry's embrace.
"How exactly did you think it would end?" Harry asked, his anger bubbling to the surface. "With you dead?"
"That's not fair, Harry."
"You're right. None of this is fair, but it's true. You have to know that. Look deep inside yourself and believe in what your heart is saying. He doesn't love you. He controls you, manipulates you, degrades you. You know it's true."
"I don't know, Harry."
"You need to do it. Break things off. Do it tonight."
"He's away on business."
"Then do it tomorrow. As soon as he returns. You have to. Promise me you will."
"What is it with you and saving people, Potter?"
Harry grinned. "I dunno. It just comes naturally."
"Alright. I promise. As soon as he gets home, I'll call it quits."
"I want you to let me know when he gets home. As soon as he gets home. Before you talk to him."
Draco looked at Harry with confusion. "Why?"
Harry took a deep, frustrated breath. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I can't let anything happen to you. Not when I'm the one telling you to do this." Draco rolled his eyes. "I mean it, Draco. You need to tell me when he comes home, and I will make sure he doesn't hurt you. He will never hurt you again."
Draco nodded, smiling at Harry. "My hero," he swooned.
"Ha, ha. Very funny."
"I can't help it. Humour is in my blood. It's a Malfoy trait. You knew my father. Surely you recognized his great wit."
"Oh, yes. Lucius Malfoy, the witty wizard extraordinaire. Full of laughs, he was. How could I have forgotten?"
Draco laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I promise I will let you know when Roger comes home."
True to his word, Draco had let Harry know when Roger had come home. He had gone into the shower, giving Draco the chance to call. Harry immediately Apparated to their flat, and waited outside on the sidewalk, casting a charm to signal to Harry if something was wrong. It was the best he could do, because Draco insisted on doing it himself. And as much as Harry wanted to do it for him, he knew that Draco was right, that he'd never be free of him unless he did it.
Fortunately for everyone, Roger didn't fight Draco. Harry wasn't sure why, but he had hoped that the old fire that used to be evident in Draco's eyes years ago was shining through again. He didn't listen to the conversation - he had told Draco that the spell was only to alert him if things were becoming volatile, dangerous, and he had kept his word. It wasn't his business. He had also hoped - just a little bit - that Roger's head still smarted from Harry's spell the other night.
Draco gave Harry the abridged version of events after the fact. He had sent his things on ahead while Roger was in the shower. By the time Roger came out, Draco was ready to talk. He had hidden his wand, just in case, and had his own at the ready. Just in case. He had explained that he was leaving, but that he wasn't pressing charges. He had left the equivalent of three months' expenses in their joint vault at Gringotts, but Roger was getting no more than that.
He had explained that he could testify, and he had a witness (the one that had hexed him the other night, but who remained nameless), and if Roger wanted his name to remain unscathed, he would have to go away quietly. Accept things and move on. Roger hadn't been happy, and time would tell if he was gone for good, but he had let Draco go without a fight. Perhaps being wandless and wearing nothing but a towel had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, Draco had made it out safely.
"I can't believe it's over," Draco said. He looked a little like a house-elf who had just been handed some clothes. He knew he should be happy, but the shock of it all was overwhelming, and he didn't know how to react.
"Believe it. This marks the end of your pain, the end of your suffering, the end of someone else controlling your life," Harry said.
"And a new beginning, too."
Harry smiled. "The beginning of your life. The beginning of your freedom. The beginning of you learning to appreciate just how great you are."
"The beginning of my new life," Draco agreed.
"A life that I hope to be a part of."
"Always, Harry."
"Good, because I think this could be the beginning of so much more for us."
Draco looked stricken. "I can't be with you, Harry. Not now; not yet. I hope you understand."
"Of course I understand," Harry assured him. "Of course you can't be with me. I wouldn't expect that. This is your time to heal, your time to start fresh. The beginning of your new life. Ours can wait."
Draco let out a breath, visibly relaxing. "Thank you," he said to Harry.
"No need to thank me. You will stay here with me, where you are safe." Draco looked nervously at him. "I won't take no for an answer. But I expect nothing from you. Not now. Not until you are ready, and only if you are ready," he assured him. "But I will be here for you, Draco."
"Are you always this altruistic?" Draco asked, sounding perplexed. "I don't think I know of anyone as virtuous as you are," he said. "It's actually quite unnerving."
Harry let out a laugh. "Altruistic, perhaps. But virtuous is pushing it."
"Oh, really?" challenged Draco.
Harry took a step closer to Draco. "Really," he said, and closed the distance between them. He looked into Draco's eyes, reaching his hand up and tracing a line down the side of his face. Draco leaned into his touch and closed his eyes, taking a deep, soothing breath. Harry knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't help himself. He leaned in, brushing his lips against Draco's. The response was immediate. Draco's arms wrapped around him, and his lips parted to grant Harry access.
As their tongues swirled around each other's, Harry let out a moan and pressed his body against Draco's, his one hand caressing the blonde's back, his other grasping his hair gently. After a couple minutes, Harry's mind caught up with his body and he reluctantly pulled back.
"I'm ... I didn't mean ... I'm sorry," he said as he was trying to regain his breath.
Draco's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at Harry. "Don't be. That was ... nice."
Harry chuckled. "Better than nice, actually."
"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Much better."
Harry smiled at Draco. "I meant what I said before, Draco. I expect you to stay with me, but I don't expect anything from you. That won't happen again. Not until you're ready."
Draco nodded his understanding. "I said that I couldn't be with you just yet."
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -- "
"No, Harry, you misunderstand." He smiled cheekily. "I may not be ready for more just yet, but now that I've had a taste of it, I don't think I can live without your kiss."
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: G
Word Count: ~ 3170
Pairing/Characters: Harry/Draco, Draco/OC
Challenges: AWDT's prompts of "This isn't how I thought it would end!", "Believe in what your heart is saying"; "Do it tomorrow"; and "... and all these bills need paying". Also for slythindor100's prompts #55 - "ends and beginnings", #61 - "elements" (I used the 'element of surprise'); and #62 - "first time", harrylovesdraco's August prompt #2 - "If you could see you the way I see you" and enchanted_jae's July prompt to use "kiss" as the last word.
Summary: Hurt/comfort. Harry discovers that Draco is in a situation that he may need help to get out of. The hero in him leaps into action.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
Harry took a wrong turn, deep in thought as he was reading the latest report from one of his field operatives, and found himself down a rarely-used corridor at the Ministry. As he turned to go back the way he had come, raised voices caught his attention. Never having outgrown the need to satisfy his curiosity, something that came in handy in his job as an Auror, Harry made his way towards the voices.
It turned out that only one voice was raised, while the other was pleading. There was something familiar - but off - about the pleading voice, which gave him an uneasy feeling.
As he rounded the corner, he could see Draco with his boyfriend Roger. Draco looked ... scared. He was pressing his body up against the wall, looking like he was pulling as far away from Roger as he could. Roger was glaring at him, and his body language spoke volumes; he was enraged.
He couldn't hear what they were saying from this distance, but he could hear Roger's voice getting louder. As he got louder, he sounded angrier, and Harry could make out a few words as they echoed down the hall. "Stupid ... worthless ... pathetic ... " Harry's stomach tensed, and he found that he was clenching his fists together at his sides. He remembered, vividly, being called all of those things as a child.
He was angered by Roger's words and menacing look, but what shocked him was Draco's reaction - or rather, his lack of reaction. He just stood there taking it. He didn't fight back. Where were the scathing words he was so famous for? Where was the Malfoy sneer, his snappy wit, his caustic tongue? Had they all escaped him?
Harry's mind was reeling at the scene before him. He was torn between the feeling that he was intruding on something personal, and the need to stay, the need to protect Draco. It was silly, really. He was a grown man and could certainly stand up for himself, but then ... he wasn't doing that, was he? In fact, he wasn't doing anything.
At once, everything changed. Roger grabbed Draco by the front of his robes, pulled him away from the wall, then slammed him back, Draco's head smashing against the wall as he was pushed back into it. Harry didn't even think before pulling out his wand, and aiming it directly at Roger, causing the man to fly twenty feet before slamming into the back wall at the end of the hall. He too hit his head, but he was knocked out. At least Draco was still conscious.
Storming down the hall, Harry was livid. He hadn't been this angry since the war, some seven years before. Who the hell did Roger think he was? As he approached Draco, the other man pulled away in fear, which stopped Harry in his tracks.
"Draco?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"
Draco nodded, but looked anything but okay. He was shaking, and looked petrified as he glanced in the direction of his boyfriend on the floor. "Is he ...?"
"He's knocked out. That's all." Draco took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I saw what he did to you and ... "
"It's okay. It's not like I haven't thought about it myself - many times."
Harry's blood began to boil again, and the windows along the hall started reverberating. He took a few cleansing breaths to calm himself down. "So this isn't the first time he's done this?" Harry asked.
Draco cringed and looked away. Harry sensed that he hadn't meant to give away that much, and that he was ashamed to admit the truth.
Harry wasn't kidding himself. Without the element of surprise on his side, he would never have been able to throw Roger off Draco so easily. He shuddered to think of the damage Roger would have inflicted if Harry hadn't been there. Roger had been in such a rage that Harry feared for Draco's life. Knowing that it wasn't the first time this had happened made Harry even more worried. Draco needed to get out. Now.
"Well, I'll take it from here, Harry. Thank you," Draco said as he made his way down the hall towards Roger.
"What?!" Harry asked. Surely he wasn't going home with him after that.
"I need to get Roger home. I'll see you in the morning," Draco replied.
"What the hell, Draco? You can't be serious!"
Draco furrowed his brows. "Why not?" he said. "We live together, and we need to get home."
"You can't tell me you want to go home with ... with ... him!"
"Where else would I go?" he asked.
This wasn't happening. Harry was dreaming; he was in some strange nightmare. Who was this person that was willingly going home with a man that could very well have killed him mere moments ago? "Anywhere, Draco. Anywhere but home with him."
Draco smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but one of resignation. "I have nowhere else to go," he mumbled as he grasped Roger's arm. "Thank you," he said and Apparated them away.
Harry screamed. He couldn't believe that Draco went home with that ... that ... piece of scum. What was he thinking? And what the hell did he mean that he had nowhere else to go? He was Draco bloody Malfoy. He had money. He could go anywhere he wanted.
As Harry thought back over the past few months, he realized that there had been hints, clues that not all was well with Draco. In fact, the blonde had become much more withdrawn of late. Harry had chalked it up to a heavy workload and the stress of day-to-day life. But now it seemed that there was much more to it than that.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He remembered a strong, wilful Draco Malfoy that had made his life miserable in school. He had been a constant presence, and had always been strong. What had happened to him?
Harry laughed aloud. He really was an idiot. He knew that Draco had been forced to watch - even participate - in the torture of others when Voldemort had taken up residence at Malfoy Manor. They had never talked about it, but the few glimpses that Harry had got of the situation were enough to know that Draco was as much a victim as anyone else. The fact that he was still alive didn't mean that he wasn't affected.
Harry replayed the events of those two years, the toll they had taken on the Slytherin. He was already a broken man in their sixth year. Then he had had Voldemort living at his house ... for how long? That must have taken its toll on Draco.
Then there was the isolation after the war. Sure, he had been exonerated of all charges against him, in part because of Harry's testimony, but he had been isolated. No one trusted him, his old 'friends' were either gone or had disassociated themselves from him, and he had become a loner. Eventually he had started working at the Ministry, but now that Harry thought about it, he didn't recall seeing Draco with any regular friends. Roger was the only one that seemed to be in the other man's life. No wonder he felt like he couldn't leave.
The next morning, Harry waited patiently ... well, perhaps not patiently ... for Draco to settle in his office before he approached him. He grabbed two coffees and made his way to Draco's department.
He could hear Draco's voice from behind the door. He must have someone else in there with him. Harry peered around anyway.
"... and all these bills need paying, Draco." Harry stopped. Draco was talking to himself. "I need you to do this, Draco. You must take care of things, Draco ..."
Harry cleared his throat. Draco nearly jumped out of his seat. "I brought you a coffee," he said. Draco looked uncomfortable. "About last night ... " Harry began. So much for taking it slowly. Harry needed - no, Draco needed to have this over and done with.
"I said thank you, Harry. Now I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?"
"No, Draco. It's not okay. It's far from okay. You are far from okay."
Harry spent the next ten minutes talking at Draco. He lectured him on living with abuse. He threw statistics at him about the abuse never getting better, only getting worse. He explained that it is not a sign of love, but a sign of control. He yelled a few times, his frustration getting the better of him. He spoke softly, pleading with Draco to get out. He talked ... and talked ... and talked.
Then his emotions took over. "If you could see you the way I see you, Draco, you would see an amazing man who deserves every wonderful thing that life has to offer. You would know that I'm right." Harry was favoured with a puzzled look from the blonde. "You are smart - brilliant, actually. You're witty and entertaining, you stand up for what you believe in. Not to mention that you're gorgeous."
"Well, I can't deny any of that," Draco agreed, with a hint of his old self shining through.
"And so humble too," Harry joked. He couldn't understand how someone who had always been so self-confident could end up in such a situation. He figured that Roger must have latched onto Draco when his confidence was at an all-time low, and taken the opportunity to reinforce all his doubts. Seething inside, he added, "You could have anyone you wanted, Draco. You deserve so much better than Roger."
"Do I?" Draco asked. "Do I really?"
"How can you even ask that? What happened to that self-assured, swaggering, arrogant Draco Malfoy we all knew and loved at Hogwarts?"
"You hated that Draco Malfoy," he pointed out. "Everyone did."
"Hate is a strong word, Draco."
"But you did hate me. Just like I hated you."
"Did you though? Did you really hate me? Or was it something else?"
"I hated you," he said earnestly, looking Harry straight in the eye. "I hated you for being famous. I hated you for being allowed on the house team in first year. I hated you for winning ... always winning. I hated you for being Dumbledore's favourite. But ... " He paused and looked at the floor. "I hated you most for choosing Weasley over me all those years ago."
Harry had no idea why he did it, but he pulled Draco into his arms and held him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. What exactly he was apologizing for, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had hurt this man, and he felt terribly about it. They could talk later, work through years of animosity later. For now, Harry just held him. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, holding onto each other. It felt right in a way that Harry didn't understand - he just knew. This man needed him, and Harry would be there for him. Always.
"You need to leave him, Draco. You can't live like this. It has to end. You deserve it to be over." He hadn't let go. He was still holding Draco in his arms, speaking softly into his ear, running his hands through his silky hair, comforting him with his touch. "You have suffered long enough."
"It's just ... this isn't how I thought it would end," Draco said with a defeated voice, as he pulled out of Harry's embrace.
"How exactly did you think it would end?" Harry asked, his anger bubbling to the surface. "With you dead?"
"That's not fair, Harry."
"You're right. None of this is fair, but it's true. You have to know that. Look deep inside yourself and believe in what your heart is saying. He doesn't love you. He controls you, manipulates you, degrades you. You know it's true."
"I don't know, Harry."
"You need to do it. Break things off. Do it tonight."
"He's away on business."
"Then do it tomorrow. As soon as he returns. You have to. Promise me you will."
"What is it with you and saving people, Potter?"
Harry grinned. "I dunno. It just comes naturally."
"Alright. I promise. As soon as he gets home, I'll call it quits."
"I want you to let me know when he gets home. As soon as he gets home. Before you talk to him."
Draco looked at Harry with confusion. "Why?"
Harry took a deep, frustrated breath. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I can't let anything happen to you. Not when I'm the one telling you to do this." Draco rolled his eyes. "I mean it, Draco. You need to tell me when he comes home, and I will make sure he doesn't hurt you. He will never hurt you again."
Draco nodded, smiling at Harry. "My hero," he swooned.
"Ha, ha. Very funny."
"I can't help it. Humour is in my blood. It's a Malfoy trait. You knew my father. Surely you recognized his great wit."
"Oh, yes. Lucius Malfoy, the witty wizard extraordinaire. Full of laughs, he was. How could I have forgotten?"
Draco laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I promise I will let you know when Roger comes home."
True to his word, Draco had let Harry know when Roger had come home. He had gone into the shower, giving Draco the chance to call. Harry immediately Apparated to their flat, and waited outside on the sidewalk, casting a charm to signal to Harry if something was wrong. It was the best he could do, because Draco insisted on doing it himself. And as much as Harry wanted to do it for him, he knew that Draco was right, that he'd never be free of him unless he did it.
Fortunately for everyone, Roger didn't fight Draco. Harry wasn't sure why, but he had hoped that the old fire that used to be evident in Draco's eyes years ago was shining through again. He didn't listen to the conversation - he had told Draco that the spell was only to alert him if things were becoming volatile, dangerous, and he had kept his word. It wasn't his business. He had also hoped - just a little bit - that Roger's head still smarted from Harry's spell the other night.
Draco gave Harry the abridged version of events after the fact. He had sent his things on ahead while Roger was in the shower. By the time Roger came out, Draco was ready to talk. He had hidden his wand, just in case, and had his own at the ready. Just in case. He had explained that he was leaving, but that he wasn't pressing charges. He had left the equivalent of three months' expenses in their joint vault at Gringotts, but Roger was getting no more than that.
He had explained that he could testify, and he had a witness (the one that had hexed him the other night, but who remained nameless), and if Roger wanted his name to remain unscathed, he would have to go away quietly. Accept things and move on. Roger hadn't been happy, and time would tell if he was gone for good, but he had let Draco go without a fight. Perhaps being wandless and wearing nothing but a towel had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, Draco had made it out safely.
"I can't believe it's over," Draco said. He looked a little like a house-elf who had just been handed some clothes. He knew he should be happy, but the shock of it all was overwhelming, and he didn't know how to react.
"Believe it. This marks the end of your pain, the end of your suffering, the end of someone else controlling your life," Harry said.
"And a new beginning, too."
Harry smiled. "The beginning of your life. The beginning of your freedom. The beginning of you learning to appreciate just how great you are."
"The beginning of my new life," Draco agreed.
"A life that I hope to be a part of."
"Always, Harry."
"Good, because I think this could be the beginning of so much more for us."
Draco looked stricken. "I can't be with you, Harry. Not now; not yet. I hope you understand."
"Of course I understand," Harry assured him. "Of course you can't be with me. I wouldn't expect that. This is your time to heal, your time to start fresh. The beginning of your new life. Ours can wait."
Draco let out a breath, visibly relaxing. "Thank you," he said to Harry.
"No need to thank me. You will stay here with me, where you are safe." Draco looked nervously at him. "I won't take no for an answer. But I expect nothing from you. Not now. Not until you are ready, and only if you are ready," he assured him. "But I will be here for you, Draco."
"Are you always this altruistic?" Draco asked, sounding perplexed. "I don't think I know of anyone as virtuous as you are," he said. "It's actually quite unnerving."
Harry let out a laugh. "Altruistic, perhaps. But virtuous is pushing it."
"Oh, really?" challenged Draco.
Harry took a step closer to Draco. "Really," he said, and closed the distance between them. He looked into Draco's eyes, reaching his hand up and tracing a line down the side of his face. Draco leaned into his touch and closed his eyes, taking a deep, soothing breath. Harry knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't help himself. He leaned in, brushing his lips against Draco's. The response was immediate. Draco's arms wrapped around him, and his lips parted to grant Harry access.
As their tongues swirled around each other's, Harry let out a moan and pressed his body against Draco's, his one hand caressing the blonde's back, his other grasping his hair gently. After a couple minutes, Harry's mind caught up with his body and he reluctantly pulled back.
"I'm ... I didn't mean ... I'm sorry," he said as he was trying to regain his breath.
Draco's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at Harry. "Don't be. That was ... nice."
Harry chuckled. "Better than nice, actually."
"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Much better."
Harry smiled at Draco. "I meant what I said before, Draco. I expect you to stay with me, but I don't expect anything from you. That won't happen again. Not until you're ready."
Draco nodded his understanding. "I said that I couldn't be with you just yet."
"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -- "
"No, Harry, you misunderstand." He smiled cheekily. "I may not be ready for more just yet, but now that I've had a taste of it, I don't think I can live without your kiss."