FIC: Hope, Chapter Two (WIP)
I was going to wait til tomorrow, midweek, to post, but I was so overwhelmed by all the lovely responses for Chapter One that I couldn't help but post this tonight! Thank you to everyone who commented, it was much appreciated. Hope you enjoy!
Please refer to Chapter One for all warnings and summary etc.
Beta'd by the lovely marianna_merlo
Chapter Two
That night ended so many chapters, for so many people. Sorrow filled the air, and I can still feel it’s icy grip on my heart, although it has lessened in the years that have passed. Some has even been replaced with joy. But hurt and betrayal of that sort is hard to forget.
-
“It was me,” Draco repeated.
The air in the room stilled as all eyes focused on Draco. Harry was staring at him, willing his ears to reveal this was all a joke. Suddenly the room felt very heavy, and Harry felt light-headed and short of breath.
“Is it true?” Ron asked. Hermione nodded, biting her lip.
Harry could feel eyes shift to focus on him, waiting to see how he would react.
Suddenly, Neville stepped forward.
“Neville - ” Hermione started to say, a harsh tone to her voice.
“No Hermione, this needs to be said,” Neville said, with a glare in her direction. “It could also be me.”
“What the hell do you mean?” Ron exclaimed. “Hermione? First Draco, then Neville, too? What the hell?”
Hermione hesitated to reply.
Neville glanced at her, then kept explaining for her. “I can’t say anything for Draco, but five weeks ago at the start of the holidays, before you got home Ron, there was a one night stand between us. We’d both had too many Firewhiskeys,” Neville said. “I’m sorry, it was a big mistake and I know intoxication is not an excuse but, it’s what happened.”
“So what, Hermione, you just slept with him, got a taste for cheating, and jumped the next non-Weasley male you came across? What the fuck!”
“Ron, I’m sorry, please, can we talk about this privately,” Hermione tried to plead with him.
“No, we bloody well can not! What about you, Draco, what the fuck happened?”
“I’m not listening to this,” Harry exclaimed, and started heading for the door, his senses finally returning with enough strength to get him out of there. Hurt had come crashing down on him and he was going to collapse under the weight of it if he didn’t get out of there right now. He pushed through the crowd, a string of people calling his name and trying to get him to stop, but he couldn’t listen to them. It was suffocating, he had to get out. Finally, he found the door to the kitchen and pushed his way in, and from there, he went straight to the door that led to the back garden.
He felt the frigid January air hit his face, and it had snowed late this year so the fields were covered in a thick white blanket. His breath misted in front of him as he stepped out into the night, and he shivered, wearing nothing more than his sweater for warmth. His pace hadn’t lessened and he was almost running as he headed away from the house, but he still couldn’t quite get over his feeling of suffocation.
He stopped about ten minutes after escaping the house, near the edge of a field where a brick fence boarded it. He collapsed onto the fence, his face in his hands, breathing heavily. He felt so numb, so hurt, that he couldn’t even find the strength to cry. He started taking long, gasping breaths, trying to deal with the weight of hurt he felt deep in his chest.
Fast, crunching footsteps approached.
“Harry! There you are, please, come inside, you’ll catch your death out here,” Draco exclaimed.
“Go away.”
“Harry please, I’m so sorry, let me explain what happened,” Draco pleaded.
Harry just shook his head.
Draco stopped a couple of paces away from Harry and stood in the snow, unsure what else to say and do.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what exactly, that it happened, or that you had to own up to it? Why was the first I heard about it in that bloody room, Draco!”
“Everything, I’m sorry for everything. I should have told you straight away, I am so sorry. It was a mistake.”
“I just don’t get it, did you wake up one day and suddenly have an itch to fuck a woman, or did you secretly just want to hurt me in worst way possible?” Harry sobbed.
“I never meant to hurt you, and I’m most definitely not interested in women. Something came over me, I don’t know what it was, but I know I was drunk at the time. So was she. Harry, this is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, and I will regret it for the rest of my life, but please, please give me a chance to explain what happened. I can’t live without you.”
“Save it, Draco, I don’t care what happened. Hermione is pregnant and there’s a chance you’re the… the father. Never thought I’d hear those particular words come out of my mouth.”
“You and me both.”
Harry glared at Draco. Silence fell between them.
“If she hadn’t fallen pregnant, would you ever have told me?” Harry whispered.
“I - ” Draco stopped. He didn’t know what to say. He looked at the ground.
“I didn’t think so,” Harry sighed.
“No, no Harry, I would have. I was scared of losing you, but I would have eventually found the courage to admit it. I need you, you make me complete and I can’t live without you.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided to fuck Hermione,” Harry snarled and stood up, attempting to walk away.
“Harry, please, you can’t leave me. Please, please forgive me. You don’t even have to forgive me straight away, just please say you’ll try, please say you’ll still give us a chance,” Draco pleaded. “It was a drunken mistake, I barely knew what I was doing, and I regret every second. I don’t even know why it happened, I can’t… I can’t even figure out why myself. All I know is it would never, ever happen again.”
Harry paused, his back turned to Draco. They stood there in the cold in silence for a few seconds. A sob escaped Draco.
“I don’t know, Draco. I just don’t know. Give me some time.”
And with that Harry walked away from him, back towards the Burrow.
-
Harry entered the kitchen again through the back door. He could hear only soft sobbing from the sitting room, and Ron’s voice muttering. So, Ron and Hermione were in there. He couldn’t face any of them, so he took the long way around to the staircase, bypassing the sitting room. He saw Mrs. Weasley sitting in a corner, knitting a scarf by hand, and smiled at her.
“Let me know if you need anything, Harry dear,” she said very softly.
“Thanks Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said, his voice almost breaking.
He walked towards the stairs and started up. Each step he took towards the room he and Draco had been sharing over the holidays was filled with pain. The hurt he felt inside threatened to swell up and overtake him, and midway up the stairs, he had to stop and grip the banister to stop from falling. His heart wrenched, and the tears started to fall. He attempted another step, and only just managed it. He tried another, and missed his footing. He toppled forward onto the stairs, sobs coming at last in body-wrenching force. All he could do was lie there and cry.
A soft hand touched his back and rubbed, and a female voice made soothing sounds. He thought he had heard one of the bedroom doors squeak before that as well.
Looking up and attempting to quell the flow of tears, he saw Ginny sitting next to him on the stairs.
“It’ll be OK Harry, I promise.”
This only made him burst into fresh tears, and Ginny hugged him to her. They sat on the stairs like that for some time.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Ginny said, after the ferocity of Harry’s sobs had subsided. “It’d be good to avoid anyone else finding you here like this.”
Harry nodded, and climbed to his feet with her aid. He felt so tired, so completely and utterly free of any energy. His heart was heavy and his eyes felt like sand.
Together, they ascended the remainder of the stairs to Harry and Draco’s room.
“It’s good how Mum was able to multiply the rooms for Christmas, isn’t it?” Ginny commented. Again, Harry just nodded. He didn’t think he could manage any words.
They entered the room and Ginny helped Harry to the bed. She pulled down the bed sheets and pulled off Harry’s shoes. She cast a warming charm over Harry to help eliminate some of the chill from being outdoors for so long, and then stepped back towards the bedroom door. At the doorframe she turned back to look at him. He was still seated facing the side of the bed, where she had left him.
“Get some sleep Harry, if you need anything I’m here for you,” she said softly. With that, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Outside on the landing, Ginny smiled to herself.
Please let me know what you think ♥
Chapter Three
Please refer to Chapter One for all warnings and summary etc.
Beta'd by the lovely marianna_merlo
Chapter Two
That night ended so many chapters, for so many people. Sorrow filled the air, and I can still feel it’s icy grip on my heart, although it has lessened in the years that have passed. Some has even been replaced with joy. But hurt and betrayal of that sort is hard to forget.
-
“It was me,” Draco repeated.
The air in the room stilled as all eyes focused on Draco. Harry was staring at him, willing his ears to reveal this was all a joke. Suddenly the room felt very heavy, and Harry felt light-headed and short of breath.
“Is it true?” Ron asked. Hermione nodded, biting her lip.
Harry could feel eyes shift to focus on him, waiting to see how he would react.
Suddenly, Neville stepped forward.
“Neville - ” Hermione started to say, a harsh tone to her voice.
“No Hermione, this needs to be said,” Neville said, with a glare in her direction. “It could also be me.”
“What the hell do you mean?” Ron exclaimed. “Hermione? First Draco, then Neville, too? What the hell?”
Hermione hesitated to reply.
Neville glanced at her, then kept explaining for her. “I can’t say anything for Draco, but five weeks ago at the start of the holidays, before you got home Ron, there was a one night stand between us. We’d both had too many Firewhiskeys,” Neville said. “I’m sorry, it was a big mistake and I know intoxication is not an excuse but, it’s what happened.”
“So what, Hermione, you just slept with him, got a taste for cheating, and jumped the next non-Weasley male you came across? What the fuck!”
“Ron, I’m sorry, please, can we talk about this privately,” Hermione tried to plead with him.
“No, we bloody well can not! What about you, Draco, what the fuck happened?”
“I’m not listening to this,” Harry exclaimed, and started heading for the door, his senses finally returning with enough strength to get him out of there. Hurt had come crashing down on him and he was going to collapse under the weight of it if he didn’t get out of there right now. He pushed through the crowd, a string of people calling his name and trying to get him to stop, but he couldn’t listen to them. It was suffocating, he had to get out. Finally, he found the door to the kitchen and pushed his way in, and from there, he went straight to the door that led to the back garden.
He felt the frigid January air hit his face, and it had snowed late this year so the fields were covered in a thick white blanket. His breath misted in front of him as he stepped out into the night, and he shivered, wearing nothing more than his sweater for warmth. His pace hadn’t lessened and he was almost running as he headed away from the house, but he still couldn’t quite get over his feeling of suffocation.
He stopped about ten minutes after escaping the house, near the edge of a field where a brick fence boarded it. He collapsed onto the fence, his face in his hands, breathing heavily. He felt so numb, so hurt, that he couldn’t even find the strength to cry. He started taking long, gasping breaths, trying to deal with the weight of hurt he felt deep in his chest.
Fast, crunching footsteps approached.
“Harry! There you are, please, come inside, you’ll catch your death out here,” Draco exclaimed.
“Go away.”
“Harry please, I’m so sorry, let me explain what happened,” Draco pleaded.
Harry just shook his head.
Draco stopped a couple of paces away from Harry and stood in the snow, unsure what else to say and do.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what exactly, that it happened, or that you had to own up to it? Why was the first I heard about it in that bloody room, Draco!”
“Everything, I’m sorry for everything. I should have told you straight away, I am so sorry. It was a mistake.”
“I just don’t get it, did you wake up one day and suddenly have an itch to fuck a woman, or did you secretly just want to hurt me in worst way possible?” Harry sobbed.
“I never meant to hurt you, and I’m most definitely not interested in women. Something came over me, I don’t know what it was, but I know I was drunk at the time. So was she. Harry, this is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, and I will regret it for the rest of my life, but please, please give me a chance to explain what happened. I can’t live without you.”
“Save it, Draco, I don’t care what happened. Hermione is pregnant and there’s a chance you’re the… the father. Never thought I’d hear those particular words come out of my mouth.”
“You and me both.”
Harry glared at Draco. Silence fell between them.
“If she hadn’t fallen pregnant, would you ever have told me?” Harry whispered.
“I - ” Draco stopped. He didn’t know what to say. He looked at the ground.
“I didn’t think so,” Harry sighed.
“No, no Harry, I would have. I was scared of losing you, but I would have eventually found the courage to admit it. I need you, you make me complete and I can’t live without you.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided to fuck Hermione,” Harry snarled and stood up, attempting to walk away.
“Harry, please, you can’t leave me. Please, please forgive me. You don’t even have to forgive me straight away, just please say you’ll try, please say you’ll still give us a chance,” Draco pleaded. “It was a drunken mistake, I barely knew what I was doing, and I regret every second. I don’t even know why it happened, I can’t… I can’t even figure out why myself. All I know is it would never, ever happen again.”
Harry paused, his back turned to Draco. They stood there in the cold in silence for a few seconds. A sob escaped Draco.
“I don’t know, Draco. I just don’t know. Give me some time.”
And with that Harry walked away from him, back towards the Burrow.
-
Harry entered the kitchen again through the back door. He could hear only soft sobbing from the sitting room, and Ron’s voice muttering. So, Ron and Hermione were in there. He couldn’t face any of them, so he took the long way around to the staircase, bypassing the sitting room. He saw Mrs. Weasley sitting in a corner, knitting a scarf by hand, and smiled at her.
“Let me know if you need anything, Harry dear,” she said very softly.
“Thanks Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said, his voice almost breaking.
He walked towards the stairs and started up. Each step he took towards the room he and Draco had been sharing over the holidays was filled with pain. The hurt he felt inside threatened to swell up and overtake him, and midway up the stairs, he had to stop and grip the banister to stop from falling. His heart wrenched, and the tears started to fall. He attempted another step, and only just managed it. He tried another, and missed his footing. He toppled forward onto the stairs, sobs coming at last in body-wrenching force. All he could do was lie there and cry.
A soft hand touched his back and rubbed, and a female voice made soothing sounds. He thought he had heard one of the bedroom doors squeak before that as well.
Looking up and attempting to quell the flow of tears, he saw Ginny sitting next to him on the stairs.
“It’ll be OK Harry, I promise.”
This only made him burst into fresh tears, and Ginny hugged him to her. They sat on the stairs like that for some time.
“Let’s get you to bed,” Ginny said, after the ferocity of Harry’s sobs had subsided. “It’d be good to avoid anyone else finding you here like this.”
Harry nodded, and climbed to his feet with her aid. He felt so tired, so completely and utterly free of any energy. His heart was heavy and his eyes felt like sand.
Together, they ascended the remainder of the stairs to Harry and Draco’s room.
“It’s good how Mum was able to multiply the rooms for Christmas, isn’t it?” Ginny commented. Again, Harry just nodded. He didn’t think he could manage any words.
They entered the room and Ginny helped Harry to the bed. She pulled down the bed sheets and pulled off Harry’s shoes. She cast a warming charm over Harry to help eliminate some of the chill from being outdoors for so long, and then stepped back towards the bedroom door. At the doorframe she turned back to look at him. He was still seated facing the side of the bed, where she had left him.
“Get some sleep Harry, if you need anything I’m here for you,” she said softly. With that, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Outside on the landing, Ginny smiled to herself.
Please let me know what you think ♥
Chapter Three