And All Over Again, Part 7

[fathomlessspite]

Title: And All Over Again
Author: fathomlessspite
Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and the rest of them
Warnings: slash, DH SPOILERS, epilogue compliant :(
Rating: PG thus far
Summary: (highlight to read) It's Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts, it'll be the first year in thirteen since Ginny and Harry had the house to himself. But as Ginny has decided to take a course at a wizarding college in Egypt Harry accepts a teaching position at Hogwarts. With old friends and enemies surrounding him, questions about his slowly disintegrating marriage are hard to ignore.

CATCH UP: --PROLOGUE-- , --PARTS 1&2--, --PART 3--, --PART 4--, --PART 5--, --PART 6A--, --PART 6B--

The Halloween Feast was as grand and over the top as ever, Harry was distantly pleased to note. The food looked delicious and the hall was decorated magnificently.

Unfortunately, Harry was not in any mood to appreciate it. The edge of anticipation that he’d been feeling for the past week was currently clawing away at his insides, making him more than a little irritable.

He was so on edge that halfway through the meal when a fork clattered to the floor nearby, he shattered his glass of water in surprise.

"On edge are we?" Malfoy asked, the hint of scorn that might have been there before absent from his tone.

"What clued you in?" Harry asked as he banished the pool of water from the table top, and with a glance at his place sent his waterlogged steak and kidney pie along with it.

"Well you’ve lost that usual sunny disposition you force on the rest of us," Draco said with a smirk.

"There’s no need for sarcasm," Harry responded, repairing his glass and refilling it.

"Hm," Draco responded, watching him contemplatively for a moment before speaking again. "If I was you I’d have holed myself up in my quarters for this particular holiday," Malfoy said. Harry glanced at him and took a sip of water, processing the hidden compliment.

"I won’t deny that the thought crossed my mind," he said. "And I’m not too sure about this staff party after the feast," he added, drawing the attention of half the table. Harry idly wondered how often they were all listening in to his conversations.

"Don’t be ridiculous Harry," McGonagal responded. "We’re hardly going to hurt you."

"You have to come, it’ll be no fun without you," Neville said.

"Cheers Nev," Oliver said from in between he and Harry.

"Better make an appearance, to appease them," Oliver stage whispered.

"I guess," Harry replied in resignation.

"You’re such a Hufflepuff," Draco said with an over-the-top disappointed sigh.

"I’ll only go if Malfoy goes," Harry announced and took another sip of his water.

"Bastard," Malfoy muttered as everyone else at the table voiced their encouragement. Harry smiled cheerfully at him.

* * *

 

The reason that the staff had been so keen to get Harry to the party became clear as soon as he walked through the door. Standing in one corner of the room talking to Neville were Hermione and Ron.

Harry had taken a step backwards when someone grabbed both of his biceps from behind in a tight grip. He froze as he felt warm breath by his ear.

"No you don’t," Malfoy hissed. "You got me into this, you are not abandoning me at a Hogwarts staff party," he said, a hint of desperation entering his voice as his hands tightened further round Harry’s arms.

"Okay, I’ll stay," Harry breathed. Draco’s grip lessened in it’s intensity.

"Promise?" Malfoy asked softly

"I-" Harry paused and took a deep breath. He hadn’t been this close to another (adult) human being in months, and it was having a strange effect on him. "Sure," he managed to respond.

"Good," Malfoy breathed, releasing his grip and thus fractionally missing Harry’s shiver. "An intoxicated Flitwick is a scary sight to bear alone," he told Harry as he walked round him so they were face to face.

Harry opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a pair of Weasleys and their enthusiastic greetings. When he had disentangled himself from Hermione he noticed that Draco appeared to have been pushed to the side. Harry gave him a ‘what can you do?’ shrug. Draco gave him a smiled in response that did similar things to Harry’s stomach as his close proximity had moments before.

Merlin, what was wrong with him?

"…you okay?"

"Hmm?" Harry questioned, looking back to Hermione and Ron.

"I said are you okay, Harry? You look a little flushed," she said frowning.

"I’m fine," Harry said dismissively. "Let’s get a drink, yeah?"

He didn’t wait for a response before heading toward the bar.

* * *

Harry had somehow found himself cornered by Hermione, outside on the balcony. It was either unseasonably warm or there was some kind of charm on the balcony itself.

"Ginny couldn’t make it," Hermione told him eventually, after several minutes of talking round the subject. Harry didn’t respond. "She sends her best though," Hermione added.

"No she doesn’t," Harry answered, leaning his head back against the cool stone wall behind the bench they sat on.

"Of course-"

"If she did, she would have sent her best herself, in a letter. Or by actually turning up," he continued.

"You didn’t answer her last letter," Hermione said pointedly. Which meant Ginny was conversing with Hermione when she couldn’t be bothered to contact him. She couldn’t be bothered to write to him, but she could write about him.

"No I didn’t," he answered coolly.

"Then how can you expect her to write to you?" Hermione asked in what Harry used to think was her reasonable voice.

"If you’d read that letter, you’d know-"

"Can I?" she interrupted. "Read it, that is? Maybe I’ll be able to help better if I can understand more of what’s going on," she said gently and Harry closed his eyes.

"I threw it in the lake," he said shortly. "It was that scintillating," he added sardonically.

"Harry, how can you expect us to help you if you wont help yourself?" she asked with a put upon sigh that made Harry’s fists clench.

"Did it occur to you that I don’t want your help?" he said through gritted teeth. "For Christ’s sake Hermione! I’m pushing forty, I don’t need you mothering me!" he exclaimed loudly. "My marriage is not one of your research projects! You can’t fix it by just reading a book and then telling me what to do to make it better!"

Harry took a deep breath and turned to gage the look on Hermione’s face. As expected she looked hurt by his words.

"Hermione, I’m sorry-" he began.

"No, Harry," she took a breath. "You’re right," she said and smiled at him tightly. "There’s just the two of your in your relationship, it’s up to you and Ginny. Not me. It’s just…" she trailed off.

"What?"

"Neither of you seem to be trying to do anything to fix it," she finally said.

"Finally bought a clue did you?" Harry asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Harry," she said at his tone.

"Sorry, it’s just…. A few months ago I was ready to work on this. I knew we had...problems. I thought once the kids were gone we’d have the time and space to work on it. But then she-"

"She left," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I guess that showed me just how much she values our marriage," he said with a touch of bitterness. She took his hand and held it tightly.

"I just want you to be happy," she said softly. "Both of you. Even if it’s not with each other," she added sadly.

They sat their like that for a few minutes before the doors opened and the balcony was flooded with light from inside.

"I just narrowly avoided a rather unsteady looking Flitwick, Potter," Malfoy said accusingly. Harry let out a surprised laugh which quickly became an uncontrollable fit of hysterics.

"What did you do to him Granger?" Malfoy asked accusingly as he strode toward them. Harry wiped his eyes as Hermione shot Draco a glare.

"Thanks, I needed that," Harry said with a smile.

"You going to be okay Harry?" Hermione asked, effectively ignoring Draco’s presence.

"Yeah," Harry glanced at Draco. "I’ll be fine."

"Good," she said, giving his hand one last squeeze before going back inside.

"Did I interrupt a cathartic moment?" Draco asked as he walked to the wall and leant against it, looking out over the grounds. Harry watched as the breeze blew his usually pristine hair about before standing up and joining him.

"Nah."

"You don’t know what that means do you?" Draco asked with a smirk. Harry kicked him.

"Thanks," Harry said after a few minutes.

"For what?" Draco asked, turning to look at him. Harry paused for a moment before responding, taking in the ethereal cast to Draco’s features as they caught the moonlight.

"For not being as much of a prick as I remember?" Harry said with a laugh.

"People change, Harry," Draco said after a moment and turned back to survey the grounds.

"So I’m beginning to realise," Harry murmured after a few moments, dragging his gaze away from Draco and turning to look with him at the quiet darkness that surrounded them.

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