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Changing of the Guard	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 58627 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter Thirty-Two�Reaction

�� Harry could
feel the tremors creeping into his hands again as his kiss with Draco came to
an end. He would have to face the people staring at his back now, and he didn�t
think all of them would be clapping. At least, Pansy and Blaise would not, and
they were the two people in the room whose opinion would be most important to
Draco. Harry surprised himself with how badly he wanted to impress them.

�� At least, I do if Blaise is not intent on
stealing Draco.

�� He turned
around, his hand resting on Draco�s shoulder partially so he could hide it and
thus disguise some of the tremors, and faced the room again. Draco crowded close
to him before he could say anything, and Harry glanced at him in surprise. He
received the most piercing look he�d ever got in his life in return. He thought
it tore through several of his more spectacular uncertainties, and left him
swallowing, startled and flayed but unexpectedly exhilarated.

��

�� Draco�s on my side. If I can remember that,
then I should have the courage to take on most of the accusations that they
fling at me.

�� He lifted
his eyebrows and waited, suddenly sure that he need not speak first. After all,
he had made a speech and then kissed Draco. He could not state his case more
clearly. If someone had an objection, a question, or a complaint, they would
have to give it.

�� Nusante
spoke first, as Harry had thought he might. He was good at quick reactions,
even if he doubted himself during the building of long-range plans. �Why did
you hide for so long?� he asked, stepping past several people who were trying
to crowd closer as if that would give them a better look at Harry�s scar. �We
could have used your help years ago.
If you had come out after the war, when your popularity was at its height, we
might not be having problems with the Ministry now.� His voice was soaring
rapidly. Harry winced.

�� Draco�s
hand settled on the small of his back, fingers splayed and then softly stroking
in towards the center. Harry relaxed. Nusante�s accusations still hurt, but
like beestings instead of knives.

�� I�m sorry
that I didn�t,� Harry said, �now that I�ve been witness to what the Ministry
thinks on this issue. But, at the time, the last thing I wanted was more
publicity. I don�t think the battle would have ended, anyway,� he added, as
Nusante opened his mouth, probably to argue that Harry shouldn�t be so selfish.
�Yes, it might have been lessened, and easier now, and for that I apologize.
But it�s not my responsibility or my power to make the whole of the wizarding
world accept gay men and women�and bisexual men and women�all at once. I�ll
give you what help I can now. Blaming me for what help I didn�t give in the
past will be counterproductive for all of us.�

�� He stopped,
barely controlling his urge to pant. Where had those words come from? Why wasn�t he curling up in pain and guilt,
or at least awaiting the advice of the merciless voice before he spoke?

�� Draco
hugged him, pulling him closer than ever. Harry thought he heard a whisper from
him, along the lines of, �I�m so proud of you.� But he didn�t dare look at
Draco right now. He would break if he did.

�� Even if we
ignore that question, there�s something else,� called someone who stood near
the back of the room. �Where have you been
for the past ten years? You still could have helped us. Created an identity
for yourself, one that could funnel money and approval our way, so no one would
ever know it was you.�

�� Harry bit
his lip savagely. He could feel laughter churning like a volatile potion in his
stomach, and he didn�t dare let it out. He would never stop until they took him
to St. Mungo�s if he did.

�� That�s
true,� he said. �I could have. Instead, I hid and spread rumors about my own
weakness. I was trying to excuse any public responsibility I might have had,
and destroy my own reputation.�

�� Why?� said someone. Though Harry couldn�t
be certain because the voice died too fast, he thought it might have been
Pansy.

�� Because��

�� That�s
mad,� someone else interrupted. �Do we want a madman leading us?�

�� He should
have come forwards before now if he wanted a place in the rebellion,� came the
murmured agreement from what seemed to be several corners at once. �Nusante is
enough for us.�

�� What does
he actually have to offer, with his power so decayed?� demanded what sounded
like the person who had said he should create an identity. �Maybe it would be
better if he stayed hidden, so people don�t start thinking of us as �Harry Potter�s
group� instead of paying attention to our message.�

�� Harry found
himself lifting a hand before he knew what would happen. Anger had blasted
through him like a fountain of fire, and the best way to handle it was to call
forth his magic and spread it through the room like invisible smoke, the way he
had done when he focused it on Lucius in the Malfoys� dining room.

�� The complaining
voices fell silent at once. Harry saw jaws drop open, eyes glaze, and people
shiver. Some of those who probably had an erotic reaction to powerful magic,
like Draco, licked their lips. Others huddled, and Harry realized that simply
using his power without words to accompany it could seem like a threat.

�� This is what I have to offer,� he said
quietly. �The power to defend us from our enemies. The courage to use that
power�now, if I didn�t before. And the ability to lead a charge if need be.� He
dropped his hand and retracted the magic, so that it swirled around his
shoulders in a sparkling haze, leaving the crowd free to think and react more
clearly. �I know some of you distrust me, and it�s true that I�ve been a coward
in the past. But now that I�ve come out�� announced
myself, put myself on a fucking target, babbled the most frightened part of
him ��I�ll be associated with the movement no matter what you do. Use me instead
of distancing yourself from me. It�s the best way.�

�� Draco�s jaw
dug into his shoulder, and Harry reckoned he was irritated about Harry�s wording.
But it was not Draco�s support he needed at the moment. He kept his eyes on the
crowd, and tried to ignore the growing feeling that he had no idea what he was
really doing.

�� Blaise
stepped forwards, and he was too close not to draw Harry�s attention at once.
He had a smile on his face that was hard to read, and his eyes traveled back
and forth from Draco to Harry, just slowly enough to escape looking as if he
were darting them frantically about. �I was wondering how you met Draco,� he
said. �And why you chose to reveal yourself now, when you�d successfully hidden
your identity for weeks.�

�� Draco�s jaw
dug into his shoulder again. Harry ignored the signal, if it was meant as one.
He had to get used to telling the story that would cover his odd behavior,
sooner or later, and he would prefer it if he were allowed to make up the lies.

�� I met him
at one of the locations in the wizarding world that are frequented by gay
wizards looking for partners,� he said easily. One could call Metamorphosis by
such a description if one stretched the truth far enough. �I didn�t know what to
think of him at first; I thought it was a trick, or perhaps he�d drag me into
the open the moment he found out. But we came to a tentative liking for one
another, and whilst he didn�t agree with my reasons for remaining hidden, there
were more important things to talk about.� He gave Draco a sidelong glance and
a wink. �And to spend time doing, for that matter.

�� Time went
on. We got to know each other better and better. The connection between us��
Harry let his breath flutter out shakily. �I don�t think you were in the
country then, Zabini, but ask anyone who was in the appropriate party at
Clothilde Castle. Or ask his parents, though you might not have much luck
getting a coherent answer out of them.�

�� Zabini
smiled, looking as if the expression had been dragged out of him. �And why did
you come out in public now?� he pressed.

�� Because that�s
what I wanted to do next,� Harry said simply. �And Draco�s gesture�which not
even I knew he was going to make�surprised and inspired me.� He reached back
over his shoulder, and Draco�s hand was there to grip his, exactly as if they
often touched each other like this. �I didn�t want him to stand alone. And I
know how much he�s risking. It was one thing when we came out to his parents
and knew he might end up getting disowned. This? It�s a much bigger field. It�ll
involve people who aren�t the pure-bloods he�s grown up among. I couldn�t let
him stand alone,� he repeated. His heart was beating in a crazy rhythm in his
ears, but keeping his voice steady wasn�t even an effort.

�� I think that might be true.

�� And do you
love him?� someone else said. Harry looked to the side and found Pansy had
stepped up very close, her eyes bright with anger. She had one hand poised on
her hip, her fingers curled around her palm. That wasn�t enough to keep Harry
from seeing that she held her wand.

�� Harry
nodded. �Yes, I think so,� he said.

�� And then
Draco�s hands closed hard enough around his waist and shoulders to make Harry
wince, and spun him around. Once again, he was being kissed, but this time
Harry sensed restrained anger behind the plunge and twist of Draco�s tongue. He
leaned back and gave up control of the kiss, letting Draco do as he liked. His
attention soon shifted from the people around them to the erection he knew he
wouldn�t be able to hide if he pulled away.

�� When Draco
at last lifted his head and Harry was panting to recover his breath, he heard Draco�s
hard voice say, �I think that�s quite enough questions about Harry�s honor,
bravery, and purpose. He�s outed himself now, and there isn�t a wizard in Britain
who won�t hear of this by tomorrow morning. What more do you want from him?�

�� Support
long ago would have been nice,� said Nusante.

�� Harry
started to turn in Draco�s arms and apologize again, but Draco tightened his
grip and held him in place. He was snarling as he responded, though Harry
thought he was the only one close enough�other than perhaps Pansy and Blaise�to
recognize the extra vibration in Draco�s chest and what it meant. To others, he
would sound only as if he had become extremely polite. �Harry�s given you his
reasons for why he didn�t do that. We cannot stop you if you blame him, but don�t
do it without remembering that he�s just destroyed his only hiding place because
he decided that he should do what�s right.�

�� Nusante
muttered something sullen. Harry sensed Draco�s nails digging into his back in
response, and he stroked the nape of Draco�s neck reassuringly. Draco sighed
out a heavy breath and recovered his self-control.

�� Is there
anything else that needs to be said?� he demanded, and Harry saw him looking
around the room.

�� Either all
the speech-makers had already given their speeches, or they were wise enough to
realize that few people would listen to them for glancing at Draco and Harry,
Harry thought. He had lost track of time and who was on-stage during his
moments as Elizabeth and making his decision. He heard murmurs of agreement,
and then people moved towards the front door, sounding as eager as Draco was to
end the meeting.

�� Harry frowned.
He wasn�t sure this was the best course. Among other things, Draco had just
marked himself as leader of the rebellion, and conflicts with Nusante over that
could lie ahead, as well as with those who would resent Draco�s
high-handedness.

�� But Draco
held him closer, and once again he was trembling. Harry thought it might be
better not to ask more of him than he could give.

�� Not right away, at any rate. What he can
give is obviously much larger than I thought it was.

*

�� Draco
fought to keep his jaws closed. Most of the words he could speak at the moment
were far too poisonous for the atmosphere around them. The rebellion was a
delicate potion, with a sparking ingredient added in the form of Harry�s sudden
revelation. Did he want it to overflow the cauldron or explode? If not, then he
needed to keep quiet.

�� But it was
so difficult. His tongue ached with
his chewing on it. His mind continually whispered new and more creative insults
for the fear in the eyes of those who trooped past them, and others for their resentment
as they stared at Harry, and still others for the way some people tried to
linger and speak to him, even though the way Draco was holding him should have
told them they didn�t have a prayer of doing so right now.

�� Harry had
made a sacrifice that they could have appreciated just as well as they had
Draco�s. Draco had risked his public reputation; Harry would risk a bigger one.
He had come out first to his parents and the guests at his birthday party, a
controlled environment. Harry had revealed his true orientation in front of a
group of people without knowing their feelings about Harry Potter. Draco�s
contributions to the rebellion would be largely financial still, even if they
were open now. Harry had offered to fight.

�� And what
did they do? Turned on him as the wizarding public had turned on him when he
was a student, blaming him for not being perfect, blaming him for not having already solved their problems.

�� Harry�s
hands were rubbing soothingly up and down his spine, pausing now and then to
dig into his muscles as if in a massage. Draco held his breath for a count of
ten, and then nuzzled Harry�s neck. He was the one who should be comforting
Harry, not the other way around.

�� That
thought finally helped him recover his temper�that and the knowledge that
Blaise and Pansy had not left with the others but were waiting for him with
harsh smiles and fury buried deep in their eyes.

�� Draco
glanced up, then turned to face them, drawing Harry around so he stood at Draco�s
side. He made sure both Blaise and Pansy saw his arm about Harry�s waist, the
hand he lifted to adjust his glasses, the way he leaned his weight on Harry
unselfconsciously. He would answer his friends� questions, but he would not
allow them to dictate what he did and said.

�� So,� Pansy
said, �this is why you were so certain that Brian Montgomery wasn�t part of a
revenge plot.�

�� I knew his
true identity all along, yes,� Draco said simply. That was a lie, but one he
could be fairly sure Blaise and Pansy wouldn�t detect, stunned as they were. �And
I knew Harry was falling for me. He wouldn�t hurt me. I was far more likely to
hurt him. We had some close scrapes.� He touched his lips to Harry�s temple and
watched Blaise.

�� Blaise
shook his head. Then he said, �And do you love him in turn, Draco?�

�� Why, yes,�
Draco said. �I think so.�

�� The
deliberate echo of Harry�s words brought his head around so he was staring into
Draco�s eyes. He shivered for a moment, as if he found the force of Draco�s
stare a little much, but then he grinned and kissed him on the cheek. Draco
crowded closer yet. The churning emotions still filled him, but had moved lower
than his belly. He hoped Blaise and Pansy would leave them alone soon.

�� Do you
realize how much danger you�ve put Draco in, Potter?� Pansy demanded.

�� Harry
turned to face her. He looked troubled, and Draco tensed. If Pansy hurt him, he
would insist that she leave so he could talk to Harry. The danger didn�t matter
as much as the burst of triumph and anxiety that still filled him when he
thought of what Harry had done. Besides, Harry�s danger was greater. Did no one
care about that? Where were the people to worry about him as Pansy worried
about Draco?

�� Will his friends understand? Or will they be
too angry about his deception and the fact that he�s dating me to accept him?

�� Draco was
beginning to understand why Harry had hidden all these years. Even for the
people who didn�t see the hero, or not only the hero, the expectations of him
were simply too high. Perhaps it was better that he create the personas, who
would at least please him and the clients they served, than drive himself mad trying
to be everything to every wizard.

�� He will be
hunted and targeted, yes,� Harry said in a low voice. �But so will everyone who
stood in this room today.�

��

�Not every one of them is equally
important to you,� Blaise said. �What will you do about the people who try to
hurt him or take him?�

�Destroy them.�

�� Harry said
it so casually that it was easy to miss the implications of his words at first.
His eyes were fixed on Blaise again, though, and now Draco could feel a cool
breeze on the side of his neck and moving through his hair where there had been
none before. Harry�s mandate for destruction obviously included Blaise if he
tried to take Draco.

�� I wonder if he�s jealous, Draco thought,
and clung to the thought as one that lightened the tension he was feeling. Perhaps he thinks Blaise really does want to
get into my bed.

�� That�s
quite a claim,� said Blaise, looking unmoved, though Draco knew the gleam in
his eyes of old. �You�re sure you could do it?�

�� You�ve
felt my magic,� Harry said quietly. �I realize that feeling my love in the same
way is impossible for you, but I will try my best.�

�� That�s not
good enough,� said Pansy.

�� Harry
tossed her a weary glance. �Then I don�t think any reassurance I can give you will
be.�

�� The weary
look made Draco put his hand on Harry�s chest and glare at Pansy around the
side of his partner�s head. Pansy knew that look of old, too. She shut her
mouth, raised her eyebrow, and nodded. She was not satisfied, but she would
continue the conversation later.

�� Blaise,
Pansy, I�ll meet you at my flat in a few hours,� Draco said, and they departed
without fuss. Blaise�s eyes did still travel back and forth between Draco and
Harry with more than ordinary curiosity, but he followed Pansy.

�� The moment
the door closed behind them, Draco grabbed Harry�s shoulders and propelled him
gently but firmly backwards until he rested against a wall. Harry stared at
him, blinking, as if he hadn�t quite realized that there was no one in the room
but them.

�� You don�t
need to stand by yourself,� Draco whispered. He kissed Harry�s cheek. �Never
again.� He kissed him on the mouth, and Harry parted his lips to let his tongue
in, moaning softly. Draco felt sharp sparks of magic roll past them, but this
time, they seemed to stay under the surface rather than springing up to connect
him and Harry. Perhaps they could sense how tired both he and Harry were, that
they needed their rest.

�� You have
me.� Draco unbuttoned the robe Harry wore and slid a hand down his chest. Harry
arched, gasping. The sound was barely more than a breath, and Draco felt a
surge of need that made him step closer, driving a knee between Harry�s legs.
They parted for him easily, and closed around his thigh with a tight grip that
thrilled him.

�� You�ll
always have me,� Draco said, and squeezed Harry�s right nipple, delighting in
the way his head rolled back, his throat bared. His eyes were shut, and Draco
wished he would open them, but given Harry�s utter surrender in this posture, that
was only a minor and selfish wish. What more could Draco ask for than this openness?
Harry was yielding himself freely, as he had not done yet; the last time they
had made love, he had still been disguised as Brian, and under the impression
that Draco didn�t know who he was.

�� You don�t
need to do anything stupidly heroic just so people will like you,� Draco said,
leaning close to whisper the words into Harry�s ear. He let his fingers drift
over to Harry�s other nipple, then rolled his arm so his wand fell into his
hand. A flick, and Harry�s robes past the waist were sliding down, the cloth tangling
itself neatly around his feet. Draco reached out and slid his pants down, too,
and then he was grasping Harry�s cock. �You have me, and in any case, I won�t
let you do something like that.�

�� Harry
murmured something. If there were words in it, Draco couldn�t understand them.
He leaned in and kissed Harry again, sliding his knee back and forth against
the underside of Harry�s erection on every second stroke. Harry gasped, his
eyes flying open at last, though they were so filled with a shimmering glaze
Draco wasn�t sure if Harry saw him.

�� I won�t
let them hurt you. I won�t let them hector you into trying to please them. I�ll
deflect all their expectations. I�ll stand by your side as no one has ever
done, and I�ll expect the same from you.�

�� Harry
opened his eyes further, and concentrated on seeing Draco this time. �I love
you,� he said clearly, and reached down towards Draco�s erection.

�� Draco
turned so as to make it impossible for him to reach. He wasn�t going to need
any help. Just watching the flush that crept up Harry�s neck, the widening of
his eyes, the helpless, restless toss of his head against the wall, was enough.

�� And I love
you,� Draco whispered. �Neither of us is what we were. You aren�t the Savior of
the Wizarding World anymore. You�ll commit yourself to the cause; you already
did that. But you won�t be responsible for doing everything alone. If someone
tries to tell you you are, laugh in his face.�

�� Harry
smiled and leaned forwards to kiss the wrist of Draco�s free hand. Then he
cried out as Draco�s knee hit just the right spot, and jerked his hips. Draco
hissed in triumph. God, he loved touching Harry. He�d never had another partner
he wanted to bring pleasure to so completely, just as he�d never felt that
overwhelming protective instinct that had made him drive both the group in general
and then Blaise and Pansy away when their questions and accusations became too
much for Harry.

�� And I�m
not the oblivious boy I was,� Draco said. �I�m not too proud to accept your
help. I�m not going to ignore what standing up to everyone, even your friends,
costs you. I am right here, Harry.�
He rested his free hand on Harry�s cheek this time and leaned in to cover his
lips once more.

�� Harry
sighed out his orgasm into Draco�s mouth, panting and whimpering in pleasure.
Draco came a few moments later, from the sight of Harry�s face, filled with
hope and trust and belief.

�� Then he
wrapped his arms around Harry�s shoulders, and they stood together like that
for a long time. Draco thought back to Pansy and Blaise�s questions about how
Harry would protect him, and snorted inwardly. The moment a threat appeared, he
would be filled with protective fury because it might hurt Harry, and that
would be the best weapon against being hurt himself.

�� I wonder if my father ever understood it�how
strong a defense love is.

*

�� Lunatic
with a hero complex: Thanks! Glad you think Harry plays a believable woman.

�� Lucius will
react badly, but that�s nothing new under the sun.

�� SoftObsidian74:
Thank you so much! It�s very flattering to move people to tears with a story, especially
a part that doesn�t concern death or destruction. And I agree that this is, in
some ways, the best story I�ve written.

�� SamuraiSaaya:
Thanks for reviewing! As you can see, Harry definitely made an impression on
Draco.

�� Luvdonite:
Yes, I think he�s brave.

�� qwerty: Yes,
Harry is most of the way there. But he should probably confess about the
reverse Pensieve as well as the events of his nineteenth year.

�� The big
explosion is next chapter, but you got a foretaste of what it will be like with
this one.

�� Mangacat:
Thank you!

��

�� Engwaaearien,
Alexiad, Sol, broomrider949, fallenangel1129, avihenda, Hi-chan: Thanks for
reviewing!

�� SP777:
Harry is beginning to come to terms with himself, yes. However, the
conversation with Ron and Hermione (coming up in a few chapters) and other
results means that he will sometimes track backwards on his path.

�� Thrnbrooke:
Only if he can catch Harry and Draco at the same time!

�� shinythiefxblast:
I think it would be rather difficult to plan a coming-out in front of the Ministry!

�� Andria
Meredith: Thank you! I don�t believe Harry is really prepared, though. It was
more of a spur-of-the-moment decision than a plan.

�� Christabell:
Yes, but here is the next chapter!

�� starfall:
No, the story will probably end on Chapter 50.

�� Yume111:
Thanks! I hope you continue to like Nusante despite his negative reaction in
this chapter; I think he has reasons.

�� Yes, I have
fun writing the Slytherins. They came with Draco because of his nagging, and because
he wants to add support of his own to the rebellion.

�� Draco has
never had a love relationship like this before, so I think his determination to
step up to the plate is unique to his bond with Harry.

�� Draco didn�t
know he was inviting Harry into anything. The speech is a gift to Harry, made
mostly out of love for him.

�� Harry didn�t
actually care about Draco�s views regarding publicity just then. He wanted to
say everything aloud, and then weather the storm.
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Changing of the Guard