Christmas 2016 Fic: Reset (H/D, rated R) - Part 3
Title: Reset - Part 3
Author: sesheta_66
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R overall
Word Count: ~20K overall
Summary: Forgetting the past isn't always possible or practical. Dwelling on it isn't constructive. Moving beyond it, into what lies ahead, can be just the thing to help us heal. And friends? Well, they make it all - past, present and future - worth living.
Author's Notes: Written for dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge, prompts #19: warm beverage and #25: ridiculously cute Christmas displays, and slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry, prompts #3: Three Broomsticks and #4: Butterbeer.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Previous: Part 1 | Part 2 |
Reset - Part 3
"I still can't believe you're going to Malfoy Manor," Ron grumbled as they made their way towards Hogsmeade. As eighth-years, they were permitted to leave school grounds on the weekend. The three of them decided to head into town while they had the chance, before their workload became unbearable, as Hermione had helpfully pointed out.
Harry grinned. This has been eating Ron up inside all week. "I'm curious. I just want to see what she wants. Besides, it's not like she's going to try something."
"How do you know that?"
Hermione sighed. "Because she and Draco are on probation, remember? Voldemort is dead and there's no one in line to take over."
"What about Lucius? He's still alive."
"And in prison," she said.
Harry let his mind drift as they continued to bicker. Why had Narcissa Malfoy invited him over? And why now? He wasn't lying when he'd said he was curious. But more than that, he was concerned about Draco. He looked as bad as he had in sixth year and this time he didn't have his body guards with him. And why hadn't he drawn his wand to defend himself the other day?
Hermione's words gave him pause: he was on probation. He couldn't mess up. Harry's own experiences with the Ministry didn't bode well for Malfoy. It was likely no one would believe him if he did defend himself. Veritaserum wasn't standard practice, so the person attacking him could refuse it. And while Pensieve memories sounded like a practical idea, as had been shown with Slughorn, they could be manipulated. As such, they weren't admissible. That left one person's word against a former Death Eater. Malfoy's odds weren't good.
By the time they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, Harry's stomach was in knots and he was chilled from the cold November wind. They ordered warm Butterbeers and took their seats. Harry wrapped his frozen hands around his mug and breathed in the delicious scent, wondering what today would bring.
When they'd finished their drinks an hour later, Hermione asked, "Shall we move on? I'd like to see if I can get some new quills."
Harry and Ron reluctantly agreed and dragged themselves from their cozy seats in the warm pub to face the bitter chill once more.
"Oh, look!" Hermione exclaimed. "Aren't they adorable?"
Ron cast Harry a desperate look. Harry grinned and shrugged. "Your girlfriend, mate. Go ooh and ahh at the adorable Christmas displays."
"It's only bloody November! What's with the Christmas stuff already?"
"Oh, Ronald," Hermione said. "Just because you don't notice doesn't mean Christmas displays have never been put up in November. They are every year."
He turned to Harry looking perplexed. "Don't ask me," Harry offered, quite unhelpfully. "I only shop when necessary."
If the hoard of young witches sighing and gazing at the display case was any indication, it was, indeed, adorable.
"Oh, Harry, what are you bringing to the Manor?" Hermione asked.
His stomach dropped. "Bringing?"
"Well, yes. You've been invited to lunch. You should bring something."
Panic took over. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "Like what?"
Hermione thought for a moment then offered, "Perhaps pastries, though I would imagine they'll have plenty of those. Maybe a bottle of wine? No, probably not. They likely have quite refined taste and I wouldn't know where to begin choosing an appropriate one."
"Not helping," Ron said. Harry silently agreed.
Hermione clapped her hands. "How about flowers for Narcissa?"
"Er … sure?"
Forty minutes later, Harry apparated to the gates of Malfoy Manor, carrying a bunch of white, pink and purple seasonal flowers - the names of which he'd forgotten as soon as the florist had told him, but which smelled very nice - and a box of pastries for good measure.
"Mister Potter is to be following Lealia to the solarium where Master and Mistress are waiting."
Harry nodded then removed his cloak, boots, scarf, gloves and hat and Lealia magicked them away. Then he followed the House Elf, packages gripped tightly, forcing himself to breathe steadily, unsure what the afternoon would have in store.
"Mister Potter." Narcissa stood and greeted him with a smile and a warm handshake. "Do come in."
"Potter?" Draco, confirming Harry's suspicions, stared dumbfounded at him.
"Mal-Hello, Draco." The name felt awkward on his tongue, but it seemed weird to call him Malfoy here.
"Oh, did I not mention that I'd invited a guest?" Narcissa said innocently to her son.
Draco looked mutinous. "A guest, yes, but I rather thought you'd meant one of your friends."
"Oh, well, I rather thought it was about time." She didn't elaborate and Draco didn't ask.
Harry suppressed a grin as he took a seat facing the gardens, the two Malfoys at either end of the table. "Thank you," he told Narcissa. Then, remembering the packages, he jumped back up again and held them out.
Draco mumbled something unintelligible.
She took the packages and handed the pastries to the House Elf who promptly vanished. "For me?" She pulled back the paper on the flowers and breathed in their scent. "Oh, aren't they lovely? Thank you." She turned to her son. "Draco, be a dear and go put these in some water. In my favourite vase. You know the one."
Draco looked about to argue - probably to make the case that a House-Elf could quite as easily do that - but something in his mother's look stopped him. "Of course, Mother."
Draco spared a glare at Harry as he left. Harry raised a brow and resisted the urge to smirk.
"Now that my son has left, I wanted to have a quick word," Narcissa began the instant Draco was out of earshot. At least Harry hoped he was. As if sensing his concern, she waved her wand and Harry suspected she'd put up a privacy spell of some sort.
"Er … okay."
"Draco wrote to me this week and told me about an incident at school." She gave him a meaningful look, but he did his best to give nothing away. "He brushed it off as nothing, but made mention that you jumped to the rescue, quite unnecessarily."
Harry nodded. It wasn't his place to tell Draco's mother the predicament he'd been in.
"I doubt that it was unnecessary, Mr Potter."
"Please, call me Harry."
"Very well, Harry. I see that my son has lost weight, carries himself differently, and … well, I'm afraid he's not doing so well." She looked at Harry with a hint of the desperation she'd held in her expression that day in the Forest. "I'm sure you wouldn't have noticed, but I'm his m-"
"I've noticed," he said. He wasn't sure why - something about mothers and sons, no doubt - but he needed her to know she wasn't the only one who saw what was happening.
She blinked in surprise. "Oh. You have? That's good. Or not, really, since that just confirms things."
Harry reached out to cover her shaking hands. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Mrs Malfoy. He's having a rough time of it right now, but I'm sure it'll blow over. Plus it's only a year - less than that. And a few jerks won't bring him down." He gave her a weak smile. "Draco's strong."
She smiled back. "Thank you for that, but I'm afraid he doesn't seem very strong right now."
Harry couldn't argue that point. "He'll be fine," Harry repeated.
"You'll see to it?" Her eyes begged him.
He nodded. Not entirely sure what he was promising her, he said, "Of course I will." After all, he'd sort of already been watching out for Malfoy for weeks now.
She picked up his hands in hers and squeezed. "You're a good man, Harry."
Only when she dropped his hands and stood up did Harry realise that Draco had returned with her flowers. "Oh, they look lovely," she crooned.
Part 4
Author: sesheta_66
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R overall
Word Count: ~20K overall
Summary: Forgetting the past isn't always possible or practical. Dwelling on it isn't constructive. Moving beyond it, into what lies ahead, can be just the thing to help us heal. And friends? Well, they make it all - past, present and future - worth living.
Author's Notes: Written for dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge, prompts #19: warm beverage and #25: ridiculously cute Christmas displays, and slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry, prompts #3: Three Broomsticks and #4: Butterbeer.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Previous: Part 1 | Part 2 |
Reset - Part 3
"I still can't believe you're going to Malfoy Manor," Ron grumbled as they made their way towards Hogsmeade. As eighth-years, they were permitted to leave school grounds on the weekend. The three of them decided to head into town while they had the chance, before their workload became unbearable, as Hermione had helpfully pointed out.
Harry grinned. This has been eating Ron up inside all week. "I'm curious. I just want to see what she wants. Besides, it's not like she's going to try something."
"How do you know that?"
Hermione sighed. "Because she and Draco are on probation, remember? Voldemort is dead and there's no one in line to take over."
"What about Lucius? He's still alive."
"And in prison," she said.
Harry let his mind drift as they continued to bicker. Why had Narcissa Malfoy invited him over? And why now? He wasn't lying when he'd said he was curious. But more than that, he was concerned about Draco. He looked as bad as he had in sixth year and this time he didn't have his body guards with him. And why hadn't he drawn his wand to defend himself the other day?
Hermione's words gave him pause: he was on probation. He couldn't mess up. Harry's own experiences with the Ministry didn't bode well for Malfoy. It was likely no one would believe him if he did defend himself. Veritaserum wasn't standard practice, so the person attacking him could refuse it. And while Pensieve memories sounded like a practical idea, as had been shown with Slughorn, they could be manipulated. As such, they weren't admissible. That left one person's word against a former Death Eater. Malfoy's odds weren't good.
By the time they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, Harry's stomach was in knots and he was chilled from the cold November wind. They ordered warm Butterbeers and took their seats. Harry wrapped his frozen hands around his mug and breathed in the delicious scent, wondering what today would bring.
When they'd finished their drinks an hour later, Hermione asked, "Shall we move on? I'd like to see if I can get some new quills."
Harry and Ron reluctantly agreed and dragged themselves from their cozy seats in the warm pub to face the bitter chill once more.
"Oh, look!" Hermione exclaimed. "Aren't they adorable?"
Ron cast Harry a desperate look. Harry grinned and shrugged. "Your girlfriend, mate. Go ooh and ahh at the adorable Christmas displays."
"It's only bloody November! What's with the Christmas stuff already?"
"Oh, Ronald," Hermione said. "Just because you don't notice doesn't mean Christmas displays have never been put up in November. They are every year."
He turned to Harry looking perplexed. "Don't ask me," Harry offered, quite unhelpfully. "I only shop when necessary."
If the hoard of young witches sighing and gazing at the display case was any indication, it was, indeed, adorable.
"Oh, Harry, what are you bringing to the Manor?" Hermione asked.
His stomach dropped. "Bringing?"
"Well, yes. You've been invited to lunch. You should bring something."
Panic took over. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "Like what?"
Hermione thought for a moment then offered, "Perhaps pastries, though I would imagine they'll have plenty of those. Maybe a bottle of wine? No, probably not. They likely have quite refined taste and I wouldn't know where to begin choosing an appropriate one."
"Not helping," Ron said. Harry silently agreed.
Hermione clapped her hands. "How about flowers for Narcissa?"
"Er … sure?"
Forty minutes later, Harry apparated to the gates of Malfoy Manor, carrying a bunch of white, pink and purple seasonal flowers - the names of which he'd forgotten as soon as the florist had told him, but which smelled very nice - and a box of pastries for good measure.
"Mister Potter is to be following Lealia to the solarium where Master and Mistress are waiting."
Harry nodded then removed his cloak, boots, scarf, gloves and hat and Lealia magicked them away. Then he followed the House Elf, packages gripped tightly, forcing himself to breathe steadily, unsure what the afternoon would have in store.
"Mister Potter." Narcissa stood and greeted him with a smile and a warm handshake. "Do come in."
"Potter?" Draco, confirming Harry's suspicions, stared dumbfounded at him.
"Mal-Hello, Draco." The name felt awkward on his tongue, but it seemed weird to call him Malfoy here.
"Oh, did I not mention that I'd invited a guest?" Narcissa said innocently to her son.
Draco looked mutinous. "A guest, yes, but I rather thought you'd meant one of your friends."
"Oh, well, I rather thought it was about time." She didn't elaborate and Draco didn't ask.
Harry suppressed a grin as he took a seat facing the gardens, the two Malfoys at either end of the table. "Thank you," he told Narcissa. Then, remembering the packages, he jumped back up again and held them out.
Draco mumbled something unintelligible.
She took the packages and handed the pastries to the House Elf who promptly vanished. "For me?" She pulled back the paper on the flowers and breathed in their scent. "Oh, aren't they lovely? Thank you." She turned to her son. "Draco, be a dear and go put these in some water. In my favourite vase. You know the one."
Draco looked about to argue - probably to make the case that a House-Elf could quite as easily do that - but something in his mother's look stopped him. "Of course, Mother."
Draco spared a glare at Harry as he left. Harry raised a brow and resisted the urge to smirk.
"Now that my son has left, I wanted to have a quick word," Narcissa began the instant Draco was out of earshot. At least Harry hoped he was. As if sensing his concern, she waved her wand and Harry suspected she'd put up a privacy spell of some sort.
"Er … okay."
"Draco wrote to me this week and told me about an incident at school." She gave him a meaningful look, but he did his best to give nothing away. "He brushed it off as nothing, but made mention that you jumped to the rescue, quite unnecessarily."
Harry nodded. It wasn't his place to tell Draco's mother the predicament he'd been in.
"I doubt that it was unnecessary, Mr Potter."
"Please, call me Harry."
"Very well, Harry. I see that my son has lost weight, carries himself differently, and … well, I'm afraid he's not doing so well." She looked at Harry with a hint of the desperation she'd held in her expression that day in the Forest. "I'm sure you wouldn't have noticed, but I'm his m-"
"I've noticed," he said. He wasn't sure why - something about mothers and sons, no doubt - but he needed her to know she wasn't the only one who saw what was happening.
She blinked in surprise. "Oh. You have? That's good. Or not, really, since that just confirms things."
Harry reached out to cover her shaking hands. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Mrs Malfoy. He's having a rough time of it right now, but I'm sure it'll blow over. Plus it's only a year - less than that. And a few jerks won't bring him down." He gave her a weak smile. "Draco's strong."
She smiled back. "Thank you for that, but I'm afraid he doesn't seem very strong right now."
Harry couldn't argue that point. "He'll be fine," Harry repeated.
"You'll see to it?" Her eyes begged him.
He nodded. Not entirely sure what he was promising her, he said, "Of course I will." After all, he'd sort of already been watching out for Malfoy for weeks now.
She picked up his hands in hers and squeezed. "You're a good man, Harry."
Only when she dropped his hands and stood up did Harry realise that Draco had returned with her flowers. "Oh, they look lovely," she crooned.
Part 4