fathomlessspite | And All Over Again (Part 10) (Reply)

Title: And All Over Again (10)
Author: fathomlessspite
Fandom: Harry Potter
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--, --PART 7--, --PART 8--, --PART 9--

* * *

Unfortunately for Harry he had to spend most of lunch in the great Hall with the Weasley’s, trying to ignore the amused glances Draco kept sending him.

Harry couldn’t imagine what was so amusing, perhaps he wasn’t hiding the fact that he’d rather be anywhere else than where he was right now. If for no other reason than to begin his freak out in private.

Hermione was being irritatingly nice, purposefully and without any kind of subtlety driving the conversation away from any possible mention of Ginny. Even Ron seemed to be beginning to catch on because he was giving his wife the occasional odd look.

“So, are you going to be spending Christmas at the Burrow this year?” Hermione asked. Ron looked at her as if she was mad, most likely because Harry, Ginny and the children always spend the holidays in the Weasley family home.

“I assume so,” Harry said, sipping his water and completely ignoring the tension in the conversation.

“Exactly. Why wouldn’t they?” Ron said, taking a large bite of his sandwich.

“Aren’t you down for supervising some of he holidays, Harry?” Oliver asked him, obviously having been listening to the conversation. Draco sat next to him with his head resting in his hand, looking bored but attentive.

“Oh yeah,” Harry said suddenly remembered signing himself up to stay for the holidays, at a particularly low moment and thinking vindictively of Ginny’s face the entire time.

“Why would McGonagall ask you to do that?” Ron demanded, looking down the table at the headmistress. Oliver and Draco looked down at their plates in interest, having been there when Harry put his name down.

“I-”

“You’ll just have to get out of it,” Ron said simply.

“It’s not that easy Ron, the rest of the staff will likely have plans too, I can’t just ask them to drop them for me,” Harry said. Hermione looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Harry realised he hadn’t sounded as if he was particularly bothered.

“I can cover Christmas Eve and morning for you if you want,” Draco said from down the table. Harry looked at him behind Oliver with a raised eyebrow. “My better half is spending Christmas Eve with her parents, she won’t be back until Christmas morning,” he explained.

“Are you sure?” Draco smiled at him and nodded. “Thanks Draco,” Harry returned the smile and turned back to Ron and Hermione. “Problem solved.”

“But Harry, that’s hardly any time at all,” Ron protested.

“It’s better than nothing,” Harry said with a tone of finality which successfully ended the conversation.

* * *

Later that evening, Harry sat in the staff room ploughing through some third year essays on the differences between Muggle and Wizarding home entertainment. Most of the muggleborns having referred to Wizarding forms of entertainment as boring, with heavy references to their favourite television programmes and video games. Whilst those from magical homes described strange boxes which melted Muggle’s brains.

One daring young student had gone on to explore the idea that this was perhaps what prevented them from developing magical abilities, and that muggleborns were products of homes without televisions or other forms of electrical entertainment. Harry snorted as he finished reading the conclusion.

“Find something amusing?” Draco asked as he dropped down into the seat next to Harry and put his own pile of marking onto the tabletop. Harry slid the essay over to Draco and watched as he read the part Harry had indicated. “Well, it’s and interesting theory,” Draco said once he’d finished. Harry laughed.

“Very interesting,” Harry said sardonically. Draco smiled.

“It shows good analytical skills if nothing else,” Draco shrugged and turned toward his own marking.

“I was thinking about writing to Ginny,” Harry said suddenly, surprising even himself. Draco looked up, eyebrows nearing his hairline.

“Really?” he drawled, drawing the word out to three syllables.

“Hmm,” Harry nodded, tapping his fingers on the table top in thought.

“Regarding?” Draco asked, putting his quill back down and diverting his whole attention to Harry.

“Ask her what her plans are for the holiday. To warn her about mine,” he added.

“That’s a good idea,” Draco agreed.

“Yeah,” Harry said, holding his gaze for a moment before looking away. Eventually he worked up the question he’d been wanting to ask Draco since term started. “How does it work?” he asked.

“How does what work?” Draco asked curiously.

Harry laughed humorously. “Marriage?” he asked, Draco smiled slightly.

“In general?”

“No, your, your marriage. I mean, you’re obviously not together in the traditional sense,” he said hesitantly.

“No, I suppose not,” Draco responded contemplatively. “We get on quite well, but it was all arranged. Even if my mother thought she hid that fact well at the time. I had to get married and Astoria and I got on well enough.”

“You don’t love her then?” Harry asked.

“As a friend or in a familial way, certainly. But I’m not in love with her, if that’s what you mean. I do love her though,” he explained.

“So you love her, but platonically?” Harry asked.

“Basically. How could I not when she’s the mother of my child?” Draco asked with a fond smile which threw Harry for a moment. Draco didn’t often speak of his son, not when Harry was around at least.

“I’ve always felt that way about Ginny,” he said honestly, waiting for Draco to comment, but he just looked on waiting for Harry to continue. “I think,” he paused and took a moment to glance around the staff room and note that it was thankfully empty apart from him and Draco. “I think I got confused. Teenage hormones and all that, she obviously wanted to go out with me and I just wanted, well, anyone really.

“Hermione and Ron had each other. I mean I was sixteen years old with the weight of the world on my shoulders. I wanted someone of my own, just for a little while at least. And then it was over and she just…. I mean they all…” he trailed off. It sounded awful like this.

“Harry,” Draco said softly, laying a hand on his arm. “Don’t feel guilty about how you feel. It is how you act on it that you need to take responsibility for.” Harry looked up from the hand to Draco’s eyes. Oh that comment could mean so many things, Harry thought despairingly.

“Thanks Draco,” Harry said eventually. Gently pulling his arm away and stacking up his marking into a pile, making a show of disguising the fact he was running away.

“Anytime,” Draco said as he stood up. Harry smiled briefly before walking out of the staff room as fast as he could without it being obvious.

He felt Draco’s eyes follow him out. Feeling their absence even more afterward.

Part 11 here