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Author: fathomlessspite
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and the rest of them
Warnings:
Rating: PG thus far
Word Count (thus far): 18,665
Chapter 15 Word Count: 1465
Summary: 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.
Chapter Summary: "Not brooding are we Potter?" a voice drawled from behind him. Harry turned round and looked at Draco inquisitively. He looked a little drawn and a little tired but he was smiling nonetheless. Harry returned it enthusiastically.
CATCH UP: --PROLOGUE-- , --PARTS 1&2--, --PART 3--, --PART 4--, --PART 5--, --PART 6A--, --PART 6B--, --PART 7--, --PART 8--, --PART 9--, --PART 10--, --PART 11--, --PART 12--, --PART 13--, --PART 14--
A/N: So I've finished my temp. job, completed my jury service so now I am free to write... if we ignore my dissertation and my other job that is. Okay I'm slightly more free to write :) Hopefully I'll update a bit more regularly over the next two months! Feel free to badger me, it really does work. The completion of this chapter was spurred on by a comment I received today on the last one :) Let me know if you spot any mistakes!
* * *
Harry closed his eyes and leant his head against the back of the sofa, thus further exaggerating his slouch. It was Boxing Day evening and Harry was spending it alone in his quarters. There was a gathering of some description in the staff room for the remaining teachers who weren’t out watching for students out past curfew.
After the Halloween party however, Harry was less than enthusiastic to attend another staff function where alcohol was involved. Especially when there was no-one to carry him home this time.
Harry sighed, wondering if perhaps he should be thinking about Ginny and why she had not come to see him yet, instead of the evening he had spent in the same sleeping space as Draco Malfoy.
But once his thoughts had strayed there was no pulling them back. He wondered how Draco was faring in that large house, which must seem all the more empty to him now with the loss of his mother. He wondered if Draco was slouched on an antique sofa somewhere in the Manor.
Or what Astoria was doing to comfort him.
Harry shook his head at himself, trying to put a roadblock up on the avenue his mind was wandering. He should be thinking about Ginny, and their promise to each other that they would try and work things out. About the conversation they had had. The one that had been precipitated by Draco’s arrival at the Burrow.
Had he come there straight from Hogwarts? It certainly seemed that way. Like he had come straight to Harry instead of rushing home to his wife.
So no matter what Astoria was doing to comfort Draco now, Harry had been the first to offer a shoulder to cry on as it were. Harry smiled. He had been who Draco had come to when he needed a hug, he thought, lips still quirked into a contented smile.
* * *
The rest of the week passed fairly quickly. Harry spent much of the time finishing up his marking for the holidays, and steadfastly ignoring the fact that Ginny had yet to come and visit.
Harry owled Draco most days, asking how he was. The replies were always short, polite and to the point, but Harry got the feeling Draco was grateful for the letters nonetheless.
The teachers returned in dribs and drabs. The week brightened considerably for Harry when Oliver returned, and Neville too on New Years Eve morning.
"Morning Harry," Oliver said with a thump to Harry’s shoulder as he sat down at breakfast. Neville greeted him less painfully with a bright smile.
"How were your holidays?" Harry asked them without thinking, knowing the question would be thrown back at him soon. Oliver replied with a smile and a simple ‘good thanks’. Harry almost thought he’d been saved by Nevilles long story about the rare vomiting plant his grandmother had gifted him with, but eventually the story wound down and they looked at him expectantly.
"How ‘bout you Harry?" Oliver asked around a bite of toast. Harry looked down at his plate for a moment before shrugging.
"Same old, same old," he said with a crooked but hopefully somewhat convincing smile.
"Everything okay?" Oliver asked with a frown. Harry shrugged and tried for an enigmatic smile.
"Family you know," he said waving it off. "Better than Draco’s anyway," he said, by the way of a diversion. Neville gave him a knowing look but they seemed to let it slide.
"Yes I heard about that, poor bloke," Oliver said sincerely. "How’s he doing?" he asked. Harry smiled, in just four months Harry had gone from prickly acquaintance to friend close enough to be the source for others enquiring about the extent of his grieving process.
"Seems okay," Harry said. "But then I doubt that something like the loss of a family member would disrupt the Malfoy letter-writing etiquette," he shrugged.
"Hmn," Oliver agreed.
There was a short pause before Neville spoke up, "Perhaps we could set up a few staff and student Quidditch matches? When he comes back?" he suggested tentatively.
Harry hid his smile behind his coffee cup.
"That’s a brilliant idea Nev," Oliver said, clapping im on the back. "Bound to cheer him up," he said with a wink in Harry’s direction. Harry smirked. Neville Longbottom on a broom would put a smile on anyone’s face, once they got past the initial stab of terror that was.
* * *
Harry had given in and joined the New Years celebrations, but he was steering clear of the bar. It was a shame that the same couldn’t be said for Professor Flitwick who had just caught Harry’s eye and begun weaving his way over.
Quickly pushing Neville into the line of fire, Harry escaped to the balcony. No one had thought to put up the heating charm this evening and Harry watched his breath stain the air in front of him for a few moments before looking out across the grounds.
He could not suppress the sigh that escaped him and the melancholy feeling from settling itself in his stomach. Was it not said that you were supposed to spend New Years Eve as you meant to spend the rest of the New Year? And here Harry was standing alone on a balcony.
"Not brooding are we Potter?" a voice drawled from behind him. Harry turned round and looked at Draco inquisitively. He looked a little drawn and a little tired but he was smiling nonetheless. Harry returned it enthusiastically.
"How are you?" he asked, stepping forward and laying a hand on Draco’s arm, much as he had done a week ago at the Burrow. Was Draco here because he needed another hug? If that was the case Harry would be happy to oblige.
"I’m okay, Harry," he said with a small smile.
"Are you sure?"
"No," Draco laughed, but it sounded more painful than anything. "But I will be," he added.
"I’ll help," Harry said with commitment. Draco’s eyes shined at him uncertainly for a moment so Harry pulled him closer and into his arms. He felt Draco rest his hands tentatively on Harry’s arms as his own slid round Draco’s waist.
Draco turned his head so his face was buried in the soft hair behind Harry’s ear, "You already are," he murmured, hands tightening.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes. He hadn’t realised how cold he had become from standing outside, and Draco had brought all the warmth of inside with him. Harry pulled him closer and wound his arms more securely around his waist, feeling Draco’s breath stutter against his neck.
Harry shook himself mentally, he was leaning on Draco like he was the one in need of comfort. Just because he felt the weight of his family's expectations on his shoulders, didn’t mean it was anything compared with what Draco was going through.
Draco must have felt him stiffen in his arms, for he drew back and looked Harry in the eye. Sharing the same air, Harry almost went cross-eyed trying to focus on Draco before giving up and closing his eyes again. "Not such a good Christmas for you either then?" Draco asked.
"I’ll be fine," Harry said quietly. In response Harry felt a warm hand rest on his jaw, he opened his eyes and met Draco’s bright ones.
"I’ll help," he said. Harry’s breath caught. This was…. This wasn’t innocent banter or flirting, this was… Were they…?
"I-" he paused, unable to catch his breath.
Draco smiled tightly, the drawn look of his face becoming more pronounced. "It’s okay, Harry," he said, removing his hand from Harry’s face and placing it over his pounding heart. "Sorry," he added
"No, I-" he stopped again. He couldn’t push it away now, not with Draco standing in front of him. But he couldn’t do anything about it either.
From inside they heard cheers and exclamation as the clock struck midnight, chiming loudly. Harry couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him. Start the year as you mean to go on, indeed.
Draco was still watching him and Harry made a quick decision. With a tentative smile he leant forward and placed a dry, closed mouthed kiss on Draco’s lips before pulling back entirely, leaving just his hand resting on Draco’s arm.
He used that hand to pull Draco over to the edge of the balcony. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they looked up at the fireworks Hagrid had lit, the light briefly dancing across their faces.
The sound of celebration echoed from inside the castle across the grounds.
They stood there until Flitwick threw open the doors to the balcony, flooding it with light and sound and dragged them back inside from the cold midnight air.
Read on with PART 16
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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*shouts at screen* Just snog already! (I probably said something similar last time...) I really enjoyed this. Thank you!
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I did see a few typos you may want to fix:
It was Boxing Fay evening (Boxing Day?)
Harry spent much of the time finishing up the his marking for the holidays, (the vs his)
I know what it is like barely having time to write... I am glad things will be a little easier for you for a while :)
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And thanks for spotting the typos! I only had time to give it a quick glance over before posting. Thank you *wanders off to edit*
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Other than that, great chapter!
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Damn typos *grumbles* must check through more carefully...
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Thanks for commenting
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thank you for commenting!
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And, i think the kiss suited the story line, Yes.. Snogging would be good. But i think the little peck really showed how harry was feeling without going to overboard. =]
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Thanks for saying so :) I kept trying to write in something a bit more, but the story just isnt kinda there yet, it wouldnt let me!
Thanks for taking the time to comment :)